The King's Land; The Second Rule of Business by Ezekiael (Patreon)

A night had passed since Jalana, an Ayeri ruin hunter, had come to the township of Bareil. When she arrived, she’d met an old friend named Vale and learned of a mage named Corvo. He was an ursa known to be of good character and was staying at Vale's inn. It was rumored he was an artificer of the librarium, though he wasn’t telling everyone that fact. As an artificer he was studied in the histories and ancient magical talismans of Theria. This was fortunate as Jalana carried an unknown magic item that had been given to her in payment. 

Jalana introduced herself in a manner and Corvo had been able to identify the item.  He explained that the talisman was a Clavem Magicae. It was a key that could open certain magic vessels. Clavems were rare to begin with. Ones that were still intact were even more rare. No one knew how to create them anymore and so examples of such talismans were greatly sought after.

There were other stories happening in the small township. Just outside of Bareil was the remains of a large estate. The sorcerer had admitted to investigating the remnants for his olcadan or college of the librarium. That had come to an end when a noble house had shown up and claimed ownership of the land. Jalana was not sure of the details, but it was clear that anyone not employed by House Rahera was not welcome at the ruins. Since then Corvo had tried to gain some understanding of what had been found there. Apparently there were underground rooms and storage areas that had not been opened in decades. Yet, the house had brought in mages from a rival olcadan and it seemed they were in no mood to share their findings. 

As the Ayeri saw it, this was the type of intrigue that offered opportunity. She was trying to convince the artificer to take the chance. “I could go play observer ya know, for the right price. I’m sure I could find some useful information. Your olcadan would likely appreciate that.” 

The usra politely rebuffed her. “Tempting but not a good idea my lady.“ 

”Why not?”

“If an olcadan is working with House Rahera, that means the house has already proven their claim to the land. Most other kin and even the librarium can’t set foot on the land without permission. If these were unclaimed lands it would be a different story. I think the olcadan wants closer ties with the noble house. They’ll do what they need to get that.” 

As the vulpine saw herself as a business woman,  she was curious about the dealings of olcadans and noble houses. “What's the exchange? What does everyone get out of it?” 

The sorcerer explained the laws. In Lioncourt, everyone had to register magic items of note with the Sacred Order of Ravens. This extended to nobles as well, but nobles had a special option. Nobles could register items as family heirlooms. Ravens would still make a ruling on the dangers of the talismans like normal. Yet noble houses often would be entrusted to be responsible with such magic. After all, nobles are loyal to the royal families. It's in the interest of the royal families for their trusted agents to have such items. Noble houses would be expected to take instruction on how to properly use a particular heirloom. The Ravens usually wanted to be the ones to provide instruction, but as a point of prestige and pride, many houses chose to hire private tutors from the librarium.

That’s when the Ayeri’s business sense came to the fore. “So it's bribery then. The olcadan will get to study any heirloom before they teach its use. They play nice now and the house will work with them later.”

Corvo sighed. “I’m sure they don’t call it that, but close enough. In any event, I say let them have their secret. It all comes out in the end. As for us, I believe we should get on our way to the next town. The faster we meet my circle and get to my olcadan, the sooner we can complete your business. I’m sure you're anxious to be paid for your efforts.” The Ayeri couldn’t argue. Ten platinum kellings was no small amount. 5 gold kelling could buy you an enchanted sword. This was much more than that. While Jalana was patient, anxious was a bit of an understatement. 

Vale, the owner of the tavern and friend of Jalana was disheartened to see the two prepare to leave. The Ayeri assured the Amaroki that they’d meet again. As for Corvo, the vulpine knew Vale had her eyes set on the mage, if only for a night of fun. It seemed she’d missed her opportunity. To him, the she wolf said there would always be a bed waiting for him. It took a moment but the artificer eventually got the meaning and blushed under that well groomed fur of his. Politely, he agreed to drop by if he ever returned to the area.

Instead of following the main roads the two had decided to cut through the forest on an old and unused path. As they set out, the artificer explained that this forgotten road took a more direct route to the next town. He mentioned that they would pass by the ruins of Irid. That got Jalana’s attention. 

“What's Irid.” I’ve never heard of it.”

The mage answered back. “I’m not surprised. Most kinling don’t. The librarium has known about Irid for a long time though.” 

“Well, you can’t tell a girl a juicy secret like that and not tell me more.”

Corvo shrugged. “There really isn’t much to say about it. I’m honestly a little confused why they wanted my team to come out here. Here’s what I know.”

Irid had once been a prosperous farming community, like many around Lioncourt. It was known for its fruit bearing trees and wines back before its destruction. It was considered part of the lost baronage of De’Irani. The baronage had been abandoned during the baptism and had never recovered. Though Queen Azalyn had recently pushed to rebuild the baronage, no kinling or family had been named to govern the region. Corvo’s olcadan had an interest in the land and the magic that had been part of Irid’s destruction. Over the last few decades though, the magic seemed to be on the decline returning the land to more or less normal.

As they walked on the old road, the ruin hunter saw what Corvo had talked about. Nature and magic had worked diligently to reclaim the land. A thick forest had grown around the ruins. A mix of native and formerly domesticated trees shrouded the landscape. There were hints, but few obvious signs of forgotten ruins. However, when they came to a fallen city wall, her sorcerer explained that they were on the outskirts. The road would have circled around the settlement walls back in the old days. Now, it just showed where the walls once stood.

They continued to walk but after a while Corvo stopped. The vixen made to question him but he made a sign for silence. He closed his eyes sensing something. Raising his arm and reaching out he concentrated. The vixen could sense a change in him. The artificer then began to walk deeper into the ruins. The fox merely followed as she began to sense something was wrong in the air.

They came to a line of trees. Slowly Corvo parted the lowest branches and the two gazed down at the landscape. Below them and in the distance was a vast stretch of stone sprawl. There were ruined roads, pathways and destroyed dwellings. Most buildings had been razed to the ground with a few walls standing here and there. Everything carried evidence of fire. Yet in and around the ruins hung a haze. Streaks of light, and Will O' Wisps, flowed into and through the ruins. It was deathly quiet.

The mage spoke with worry and confusion in his voice. “This wasn’t like this a week ago. There were birds and small beasts around. This isn’t supposed to be like this.” The vixen shared his sentiment. She had never heard of ruins becoming active on their own. This close to Bareil, this was serious. She gave a silent prayer to the Anari.

There was something else in the ruins. From behind them, the flow of mana rippled. Then they felt the ground move. The ruin hunter pulled her sword and turned towards the threat. Rising from the soil, a mass of stone pulled itself from the ground. Soon it stood upon the ruptured terrain. Upon its stone head, a single glowing red eye formed. A deep growl came to the two kinling. They could feel the draw of essence as a ball of unstable energy grew in front of the creature. The bear called out to the other kin, “Mana Blast!!! Scatter!!!”

The mage and ruin hunter took off in different directions. Then there was a wail as the outburst of mana flew towards them. The volley hit with an impact of wind and essence. Dirt and dust kicked up from the detonation, leaving a glowing scar in the ground. The creature looked towards the vixen but turned and moved towards the ursa. It began to gather mana for another strike. 

With a flourish, Corvo chanted words of power. “Winds of the tumult, whites flames of the sky, grant the power of thunder to my hands. Tempest Lash!!!” There was a crack and flash of lighting bolts as the monster was struck. Chunks of rock and stone ripped away from the creature as it stumbled backwards. It growled again and moved towards the mage crushing a fallen tree under foot.

Jalana wasn’t idle during this. She focused on her body imbuing it with her own quintessence. She dashed forward with unnatural speed, kicking up dirt behind her. The rock monster didn’t even seem to notice her approach. She swung her sword in an arc. The weapon struck true. Yet, the mundane edge merely deflected off the living rock.

The head of the beast snapped towards the vixen, its red glare focused and bright. A massive arm raised ready to strike at the tawny fox. On instinct she tumbled away. There was a crash. Yet the vixen was already clear and on her feet. Her enhancement dissipated as she dashed away. She closed the distance to Corvo. “I don’t think my swords’ going to work” she called.

“Take these.” The bear kin dug into his scachel and quickly handed her four rune stones. “You know how to use those right?” 

“Sure can. What about you?” 

“Time to put my training into practice.” he answered.

The elemental beast oriented itself. Its single glowing eye now turned towards the two kinling. Jalana raised the runestone ready to invoke its power, but then the air around her began to swirl. Ripples in the flow of mana grew as Corvo chanted. “Mother of the seasons, primus of beginning and ending. Grant me your power. May it flow into my hands and become a raging inferno. Burst Flare!!!”

The mage thrust his hands towards the rock beast. From his outstretched palms came a channel of blue flame. The fire roared as it rushed towards the target. The spell smashed into the elemental. The creature fell back crashing into a damaged stone wall. The wall gave way and collapsed in a crash of dust and gravel. The creature roared as it flailed wildly. 

The ruin hunter glanced towards the sorcerer as he slowly lowered his arms. Still stanced, he had a focused scowl on his face. The flow of mana returned to normal around him. The Iron Rock rolled to its side and snarled. Grabbing at some of the rubble the creature threw the debris at the two kinling. Corvo and Jalana dove to the ground as stone and rock flew above them. 

The monster arose from the ground. Large chunks of its living stone and crystal had been cracked and splintered. Its chest and arms pitted and blackened from the spell impacts. The Ayeri saw glowing red shards in the creature’s chest. Corvo saw them too. The elemental grabbed a piece of ruined wall. It then smashed the stone into the scar on its chest. Jalana watched in stunned silence as the stone molded and formed into the scar. Then it was like the stone had always been a part of it. 

“Rupple’s fucking teeth. It can do that!?!” 

Corvo was unfazed by the new development and stood up. “Jalana I’ve got an idea. I need you to grab its attention.”

“How do I do that?”

“Use the rune stones on him. It’ll focus on you. Don’t worry about me.”

The monster didn’t wait and it roared as it released another blast of mana. This time it was directed at the artificer. In reply the mage invoked, “Valis Wall!!!” as he swept his arm in front of him. The blast of mana met the silvery essence of the defense spell. With a thunderclap the mana ball shattered like glass into a thousand colors. The motes of magic shone bright before fading into the astral plane. Corvo thrust his hand back onto the Valis Wall reinforcing its power. 

Jalana realized Corvo had used a name invocation in order to call up the bastion spell. Only strong mages had that ability. It seemed the artificer had some skill after all.

The elemental groaned again as it drew in more mana for another attack.

Rushing forward and clutching the rune stone in her hand the vulpine invoked its power. “Zephyr Volt!!!” A bolt of lightning struck out towards the monster. The rune wasn’t as powerful as Corvo’s spells but it still stunned the beast for a moment. Chips of rock fell away from the beast. The living rock quickly focused on her. With Corvo forgotten, a growing sphere of mana was brought to bear on the Ayeri. She dashed towards and over a pile of rubble. The wail of essence and mana came again. The rubble pile erupted and showered the ground as the blast hit. Hastily, she cleared the fall out. Another mass of mana flew at her. This time she dashed around a large tree as the attack landed harmlessly behind her. 

She stopped and breathed. The ruin hunter was sweating now. It was going to be hard to keep this up. The elemental seemed to have an endless supply of mana and the Ayeri was running out of distance. She could hear the beast moving, bearing down on her. The ruin hunter took off again and but then she heard her mage chanting. This time Corvo’s Magus Arcanum glowed as he used the construct as a focus. “Source of all power within this land. Free yourself from your worldly bonds. Become one with my power, one with my spirit, and let us walk this path together.” Chromatic Orb!!!” 

The violet colored sphere churned and convulsed with its power. Corvo reeled as he loosed the spell towards the monster. The impact was deafening, but the spell was not consumed. The vixen watched the power of mana and essence as it overwhelmed the body of the terrestrial beast. The monster’s body jerked in torment and it let off a deep-rooted groan. Then, in another calamitous crash, the creature shattered into hundreds of lifeless shards. The forest was silent.

The two kinling approached the remnants of the beast. There were still pricks of light coming from the crystal fragments. The ursa looked down to his satchel and pulled out the cloth wrapped clavem magicae. The artifact was glowing blue through the cloth wrap. Even Jalana could see it from where she stood. Corvo stared at the clavem. “Huh? Didn’t expect that.” he muttered. After a moment the glow started to fade. He put the item back into his stachel.

“What was that!?!” questioned the vulpine a bit more intense than she wanted. The artificer raised his hands to placate her. He explained that many kinling called that monster an ‘Iron Rock’ or ‘Rock Elemental’. Created by the power of ascension, these creatures lived by moving to and absorbing minerals in rock and stone. They were drawn to strong magics. They’d seek out places of power and slowly absorb mana. In this way, they’d become powerful, massive, magical beasts. Spells, magic weapons and mana breaks were their main weaknesses.

“What do we do now?” asked Jalana. In truth she knew the answer. She thought about Vale and others back at Bareil. 

“We turn back. Bareil needs to know what's happening here and we burned a lot of daylight. Whatever is going on with the ruins will draw in other monsters given time. I don’t want to find the next monster out in the dark.”

The township’s watch was thankful the two had come back to inform them of the new dangers. They assured them that they would post signs and send messages to other settlements. Back at Vale’s inn, the two found a full but quiet tavern. Vale was surprised to see them so soon and immediately knew something wasn’t right. As Corvo and Jalana sat at a table and listened, they realized other events were happening in the small village. It seemed House Rahera had departed the township. The estate they were investigating had been closed and sealed magically. Rumor was that there had been wagons and carriages leaving the Armarosa Guild House. 

Seeing no future work prospects the labor teams had decided to disperse in mass. Vale’s tavern was busy but there was a gloom as many made plans to leave in the coming days. It was getting late into the night, when the two adventurers told Vale about Irid and their encounter with the ‘Iron Rock’. The Amoroki was happy to have them back safe, but wondered what the future would bring.

It all still felt wrong to the Ayeri. It was like when she first got clues her old outfit had betrayed her. That sense of dread when you just know something's not right. Rahera had invested a lot of time and money then left with nothing but secrets. Ruins were starting to come alive for no apparent reason. Even monsters were starting to appear near the township. This all sounded to Ruppels doing. The fox spirit delighted in wrath, violence and misfortune. Jalana gave a small prayer, “Pampas preserve us.”

As her artificer stood to retire for the night Jalana stopped the man in order to return his remaining rune stones. He waved her off. 

“You might need them.” he said. “And one other thing.” He leaned in to remain quiet. I’m sure I didn’t explain this well but the way the clavem reacted, that's a very good clue that it’s intact.”

The red fox smiled knowing her payout had been guaranteed provided they got it to an olcadan. It was the best news she’d heard all day. She thanked him for telling her and Corvo went off to his room. After a moment, Vale spoke up. 

“There's something about that boy. It's always nice to see honest folk.” 

The vixen nodded in agreement, “I hope the librarium has more like him. A girl could get used to this.” 

Sounds like the Second Rule.” 

Jalana thought about it, then smiled. “Yeah, I’d say it is.” The two shared a knowing look and recited the universal words of the Second Rule of Business.  

“Find good people, and stick by them. Good help will always be hard to find.”

The adventure shall be continued in the story, “The King’s Lands: Personal Time”.

By Ezekiael K.

Rev G June 30 2020