The City of Espera (open)

[Chronicler]

Spring would be weeks in coming to the rest of the Sionad, but the thaw always came early to the city of Espera.

Kaidra Natholm walked the streets of her city with an entourage of two of her guards. Stunningly beautiful young men, one blonde, the other dark of hair. Given their youth and attractiveness, rumours persisted about the nature of Kaidra's relationship with her guards.

Rumours also occasionally circulated regarding where she found them. There was always something otherworldly about her servants, and no one could claim to know where any of them came from. Certainly, she had never hired any of the locals.

Probably boys from her homeland of Connlaoth.

Even for her, there would be no fresh fruit until a little later in the season. True, if she really had a craving, she could travel easily to nations further south where fruit was easily had, but she rarely saw reason for such efforts. Espera produced some of the largest, sweetest apples during their short growing season to be had anywhere on the continent.

The winter wheat, however, had already been harvested. Another of their exports, as no one else in the Sionad had the long springs necessary to grow such rich crops. The witch took a loaf of fresh bread from an open air stall and looked it over.

Still warm from the oven, pleasant against the winter chill. She gave the vendor a smile which did not reach her grey eyes and tossed him a gold coin.

"Keep the change," she said as she moved on down the cobbled street. The commoners who made their way about their daily chores parted like ocean waves before her.

[Tunnelingcat]

The crowds parted as Kaidra walked but one man stood firm, Or rather.. Hadn't even noticed. He scratched his scraggly goatee and shook a poorly drawn map of the surrounding areas with red Xs, circles, and lines drawn across it seemingly at random. Other pages all hung haphazardly in his grip behind the first containing other regions, some familiar, others less so, all marked with similar red ink. His bare upper body was well toned but marred with scars of all shapes, sizes and origins. He turned several times all while focusing on his map. He mumbled, Only clips of thoughts actually audible. "If I came out here from here.... I could have just.... Open a door there... but where did I come OUT!" The last few words were spoken much louder and with a hint of frustration.

[Chronicler]

One of the guards moved a hand to the hilt of his sword as Kaidra stopped before the stranger. She cast the fair haired warrior a reproachful glance.

"Good morning," she said with a smile. "Espera does not see many travelers from outside the Sionad." She chuckled. "Few come to the frozen north at all by choice. If you are lost, perhaps I can find you. If you seek a place to stay, I will offer my hospitality."

She felt the faint breath of magic from this stranger, and she could not resist her curiosity, seeking to meet his eye in the hopes of probing his secrets to find the nature of that magic.

[Tunnelingcat]

He turned at the greeting looking up from his map "Oh! Hello!" He glanced at the guards with little attention, the way someone might look at a piece of furniture but Kaidra caught his focus. He looked into her eyes and smiled "Lovely morning isn't it? To be completely honest I didn't come by choice. I got dumped out here by accident. So this is Espera in Sionad?" He put a finger to his map and drew a line. The witch could feel the magic around him strengthen as a visible red line followed his finger across the page.
After drawing for a moment in this manner he locked eyes with Kaidra again. "Your hospitality would in fact be much appreciated. I have little in the way of funds."

[Chronicler]

Kaidra nodded briefly. "Come with me then," she said, turning back the way she had come, up the gentle slope of Espera's main street.

At the end of the cobbled avenue a palace cut from the grey stone of the Kilanthros rose above the city.

"I am Kaidra Natholm, dutchess of Espera."

[Tunnelingcat]

He folded up the pages and slipped them into a pocket in his hakama. "Ah! Your Highness! I was not aware! I am Lord Laran of Somewhere Castle and leader of the Cult of Primal Will." He bowed quickly and then fell into step behind her. Though outwardly he seemed at ease, even blithe,  the trained, and most attentive eye would note that he walked with intent and his muscles never truly relaxed.

[Chronicler]

"Tell me about this Somewhere Door," the witch said. She would not be forthcoming regarding how she knew the term. It usually proved wise not to let others how much she could learn of them simply by looking them in the eye.

[Tunnelingcat]

"Ah! The uh.. The Sometimes door? Well its all there in the name really. Sometimes it IS a door and Sometimes it ISN'T a door. Certain people with certain magic can decide just when it is and when it isn't" He looked her up and down for a moment. "Although. I don't know why you'd want to use it. It only leads to one place. That's Nowhere. And Nowhere is VERY dangerous."

[Chronicler]

"Because it is useful to understand as much of magic as one can," Kaidra answered. "This particular magic sounds not unlike some which I employ myself."

Her preferred method of magical travel involved the use of mirrors however. A skill she had learned years ago from her aunt. Suddenly she found herself thinking about the elder Natholm witch. They rarely spoke in spite of the fact that their magic made it a simple matter to communicate across the expanse between the Kilanthros and the Terrin mountains.

[Tunnelingcat]

"Really? Fascinating! Well If you seek to learn about Primal Will I'm your man. I will warn you however it isn't like most magic, all voodoo ritual and prayer, Primal Will is all about knowing what you want and deciding you already have it." He held out his hand "For example this apple. The juiciest most tantalizing red apple you've ever seen. Its crisp, the stem has been removed, dark and light red colours mottle the thin skin wrapped around that off-white sweet flesh beneath."
Suddenly she heard a crunch as his teeth sunk into an apple just as he had described. Larger than any apple even Espera provided. "Best part about it?" He mumbled around a mouthful of apple "No core. You can eat every bite"  He continued munching on the apple as they walked. "The thing is if you can't picture it clearly in your mind. you get stuff like this" He held out his hand and in it was another apple like the first glistening in the light. He closed his fingers around it and they broke right through the skin into a hollow cavity "I pictured the apple but not the inside"
He dropped the skin and it disappeared as it hit the ground "of course as much as I talk about the theory there's no way to teach you in practice from this town."