Post by Eurydice on Apr 20, 2008 10:32:02 GMT -5
((*waves a Casavir <3 Selena flag*))
... 
It had been a bloody day.
A group of squires, barely old enough to shave, had been caught trying to loot the imperial vault and made the mistake of informing the guards who caught them that all the gold would be theirs anyway when the ringleader’s father took control of the throne.
Their trial and execution was a message intended to reach the ears of any nobles who harbored similar intentions. The alliance formed by Gaeseric Altheim that had hastily assumed control of the city of Boren recognized the danger of multiple “Emperors” vying for power and the necessity of demonstrating the alliance’s ability to maintain order even without an official head of state.
Akaran would approve. Sacrifices had to be made to preserve order and the greater good.
But Akaran hadn’t been called upon to cut off the heads of the foolish boys. A youthful indiscretion and having the wrong fathers seemed a poor reason to send them to Furon’s judgment.
Determined to put it out of his mind, Casavir of the Nameless Order carefully balanced a food tray with one hand as he knocked lightly on the door of the archive office with the other. No one answered, but the flickering light that spilled out from under the door indicated that the archive’s lady was still in attendance.
There was a certain appeal in the ability to so lose one’s self in work that the rest of the world ceased to exist. Smiling slightly, Casavir pushed the door open.
Bookshelves created something of a maze within the temple archives. Each was systematically ordered and meticulously labeled, with the faintly glowing runes of preservation spells lining the dark wood. Flames trapped in glass globes hung from the ceiling. Fire was sacred here, but Selena would sooner cut off her arm than allow open flames near her books.
Weaving his way through the shelves, Casavir found the archivist sitting on the floor, surrounded by what appeared to be a new set of spell books bound in dark red leather. The book that held her attention, however, was a smaller travel journal. Tears ran openly down the girl’s face as she silently mouthed the words written on the pages before her.
Setting the food tray down, Casavir knelt down in alarm. “M’lady? Are you alright?”
Selena sniffed, tearing her gaze away from the book and smiling sadly. “It’s so beautiful, Casavir. He wrote her poetry! Poetry! Praising her gaze that would cow death not through fear, but through the unveiling of the only honest beauty in the world!”
Casavir frowned slightly, looking at the book in Selena’s slender hands. “Who wrote poetry for whom? What are you reading?”
“Oh!” Selena jumped up, almost hitting the man in the face as the book he was examining jumped with its holder who excitedly began picking up various dark red tomes. “Since the magical wards protecting the libraries on the islands are failing, the keepers of knowledge at the palace sent us King Kuro’s personal library. Imagine! All the spell books and notes kept by the Herald of Furon, finally returned to where they belong! I have been going through them all day, trying to decide how best to…” Trailing off, Selena looked at the food tray, sitting on the table near the edge of the shelves. “Oh. I skipped dinner again, didn’t I?”
“And lunch, m’lady.”
Selena laughed. “I swear, I would starve if you weren’t here to remind me about these things!” Moving over to the table, and actually putting down her books, Selena lifted the tray’s cover. “It smells so good! So much though…”
Casavir stood, blushing slightly. “Ahh. I was needed for official business at the palace today and also missed the evening meal. I will of course take my portion back to my rooms and…”
“Nonsense!” Selena sat, clearing papers off the chair next to her. “It will be nice to have company. Besides, I think I shall burst if I am not able to start telling someone all the wonderful things I’ve seen in the Herald’s books!”
Casavir listened to Selena discuss the arcane theories, unique histories, and powerful fire spells she had uncovered so far in her newly acquired treasures. Several times, she stopped eating and bounded from her seat, grabbing one of the books to show Casavir the specific diagram or passage she had been talking about. Not needing to speak much, and much more inclined to watch Selena, Casavir finished his meal quickly but made no motion to leave.
It was strangely calming, watching her endless energy. A lovely, if hyper, reminder of why Casavir did what he did. He would behead a city’s worth of criminals to preserve the order of a world that allowed Selena to find such pleasure in knowledge and books…and he would rather dedicate a thousand lifetimes to dealing in death than see a drop of blood stain her hands.
Those who take life are not worthy of names, but through their swords shall others rise untainted to greatness.
When Selena had finished her meal and began yawning in the middle of every other sentence, Casavir stood and began gathering the dishes on the tray. “M’lady, I fear I have kept you up well past a decent bedtime. My apologies.”
Selena smiled, stifling another yawn. “No, no, I have kept you too long. I talk too much, I know. But it’s nice to have someone willing to listen. I’ll probably read more of Kuro’s poetry before I go to bed. It’s so lovely. He must have loved his wife very much. He credits her as the source of his strength in rebuilding the northern empire and during the war.”
Casavir nodded, picking up the tray. “It can be a powerful thing, to love someone.” Bowing as best he could with the tray, Casavir started to walk towards the maze of bookshelves. “Good night, m’lady. Furon guard your rest.”
“Good night, Casavir. Thank you for dinner!” Turning back to her desk, Selena picked up the small journal and chuckled softly. “I wonder if anyone will ever write poems about me, elf lady serving death, covered in dust and smelling of sealing wax.”
Casavir paused a moment and glanced behind him, wondering if she was trying to say….something. But Selena was facing the opposite direction, muttering the incantation that would adjust the light in the flame globes. Continuing on his way out, the knight stopped only once more, by one of the meticulously labeled shelves. Carefully slipping one of the books out of the section marked “Secular Poetry,” Casavir opted not to spend too much time analyzing just what he was thinking of doing.
He was no writer, but even he was sure he could come up with something more appropriate and moving than dust and sealing wax.
... It had been a bloody day.
A group of squires, barely old enough to shave, had been caught trying to loot the imperial vault and made the mistake of informing the guards who caught them that all the gold would be theirs anyway when the ringleader’s father took control of the throne.
Their trial and execution was a message intended to reach the ears of any nobles who harbored similar intentions. The alliance formed by Gaeseric Altheim that had hastily assumed control of the city of Boren recognized the danger of multiple “Emperors” vying for power and the necessity of demonstrating the alliance’s ability to maintain order even without an official head of state.
Akaran would approve. Sacrifices had to be made to preserve order and the greater good.
But Akaran hadn’t been called upon to cut off the heads of the foolish boys. A youthful indiscretion and having the wrong fathers seemed a poor reason to send them to Furon’s judgment.
Determined to put it out of his mind, Casavir of the Nameless Order carefully balanced a food tray with one hand as he knocked lightly on the door of the archive office with the other. No one answered, but the flickering light that spilled out from under the door indicated that the archive’s lady was still in attendance.
There was a certain appeal in the ability to so lose one’s self in work that the rest of the world ceased to exist. Smiling slightly, Casavir pushed the door open.
Bookshelves created something of a maze within the temple archives. Each was systematically ordered and meticulously labeled, with the faintly glowing runes of preservation spells lining the dark wood. Flames trapped in glass globes hung from the ceiling. Fire was sacred here, but Selena would sooner cut off her arm than allow open flames near her books.
Weaving his way through the shelves, Casavir found the archivist sitting on the floor, surrounded by what appeared to be a new set of spell books bound in dark red leather. The book that held her attention, however, was a smaller travel journal. Tears ran openly down the girl’s face as she silently mouthed the words written on the pages before her.
Setting the food tray down, Casavir knelt down in alarm. “M’lady? Are you alright?”
Selena sniffed, tearing her gaze away from the book and smiling sadly. “It’s so beautiful, Casavir. He wrote her poetry! Poetry! Praising her gaze that would cow death not through fear, but through the unveiling of the only honest beauty in the world!”
Casavir frowned slightly, looking at the book in Selena’s slender hands. “Who wrote poetry for whom? What are you reading?”
“Oh!” Selena jumped up, almost hitting the man in the face as the book he was examining jumped with its holder who excitedly began picking up various dark red tomes. “Since the magical wards protecting the libraries on the islands are failing, the keepers of knowledge at the palace sent us King Kuro’s personal library. Imagine! All the spell books and notes kept by the Herald of Furon, finally returned to where they belong! I have been going through them all day, trying to decide how best to…” Trailing off, Selena looked at the food tray, sitting on the table near the edge of the shelves. “Oh. I skipped dinner again, didn’t I?”
“And lunch, m’lady.”
Selena laughed. “I swear, I would starve if you weren’t here to remind me about these things!” Moving over to the table, and actually putting down her books, Selena lifted the tray’s cover. “It smells so good! So much though…”
Casavir stood, blushing slightly. “Ahh. I was needed for official business at the palace today and also missed the evening meal. I will of course take my portion back to my rooms and…”
“Nonsense!” Selena sat, clearing papers off the chair next to her. “It will be nice to have company. Besides, I think I shall burst if I am not able to start telling someone all the wonderful things I’ve seen in the Herald’s books!”
Casavir listened to Selena discuss the arcane theories, unique histories, and powerful fire spells she had uncovered so far in her newly acquired treasures. Several times, she stopped eating and bounded from her seat, grabbing one of the books to show Casavir the specific diagram or passage she had been talking about. Not needing to speak much, and much more inclined to watch Selena, Casavir finished his meal quickly but made no motion to leave.
It was strangely calming, watching her endless energy. A lovely, if hyper, reminder of why Casavir did what he did. He would behead a city’s worth of criminals to preserve the order of a world that allowed Selena to find such pleasure in knowledge and books…and he would rather dedicate a thousand lifetimes to dealing in death than see a drop of blood stain her hands.
Those who take life are not worthy of names, but through their swords shall others rise untainted to greatness.
When Selena had finished her meal and began yawning in the middle of every other sentence, Casavir stood and began gathering the dishes on the tray. “M’lady, I fear I have kept you up well past a decent bedtime. My apologies.”
Selena smiled, stifling another yawn. “No, no, I have kept you too long. I talk too much, I know. But it’s nice to have someone willing to listen. I’ll probably read more of Kuro’s poetry before I go to bed. It’s so lovely. He must have loved his wife very much. He credits her as the source of his strength in rebuilding the northern empire and during the war.”
Casavir nodded, picking up the tray. “It can be a powerful thing, to love someone.” Bowing as best he could with the tray, Casavir started to walk towards the maze of bookshelves. “Good night, m’lady. Furon guard your rest.”
“Good night, Casavir. Thank you for dinner!” Turning back to her desk, Selena picked up the small journal and chuckled softly. “I wonder if anyone will ever write poems about me, elf lady serving death, covered in dust and smelling of sealing wax.”
Casavir paused a moment and glanced behind him, wondering if she was trying to say….something. But Selena was facing the opposite direction, muttering the incantation that would adjust the light in the flame globes. Continuing on his way out, the knight stopped only once more, by one of the meticulously labeled shelves. Carefully slipping one of the books out of the section marked “Secular Poetry,” Casavir opted not to spend too much time analyzing just what he was thinking of doing.
He was no writer, but even he was sure he could come up with something more appropriate and moving than dust and sealing wax.