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The Wandering Lyre is Open for Business (Open)

Started by SilverLongjohns, April 10, 2018, 11:32:17 AM

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SilverLongjohns


----

The evening breeze gently cools a small square in Essyrn as merchants prepare for a long night of hawking wares, sheltered from the unrelenting gaze of the sun. A wooden wagon, covered with furs from at least a dozen different animals and interwoven with trinkets that each catch the lamplight in their own unique and beautiful way, gently rolls into a position on the side of the square. A handwritten sign above the door reads "The Wandering Lyre", softly lit by two suspended lanterns.

The door bursts open in a cloud of arcane smoke and sweet-smelling scent as two figures almost fall out, both coughing- "Maybe we try making the new perfumes outside of the caravan next time?" The woman, dressed in elegant silks, asks- Her voice laced with scorn. "Mmm," says the other, a tall, dark skinned man who seems as if his face is eternally lost in thought, "Too much flashpowder, that's the problem..." As they get their bearings, the smaller lady claps her hands, and a storefront drops from the side of the wagon. The Wandering Lyre is open for business.

Pandora

Looking over their shopfront, Khalia, the smaller female, scrutinizes every nook and cranny and making sure everything is in order. Outside of the caravan, she sets up additional lamps illuminated by soft candlelight, each of them charmed to float gently around the space. From the underside of the caravan, she pulls out a free-standing shop sign, showing off in detail of what the place had to offer.

"Hedvig, I'm thinking to distribute the flyers around in the markets. What do you think?" Khalia turns to the taller dark-skinned man behind her.

SilverLongjohns

A small silver and glass bottle had caught Hedvig's attention. Something he'd found in the depths of their caravan and carried out with him- A small blue spirit seemed to be flittering and whirling around inside. He tapped the neck of the container against the side of the storefront a few times and the diminutive inhabitant let out a soft ghostly moan. Khalia's voice made him jump, and he set the bottle down on the Lyre's steps.

"Sounds wise. Khalia- Did you keep an eye on the stars? Any idea where we are?" The oddly-dressed man sniffed the air, holding a tongue out as if tasting some peculiar flavouron the breeze, "This definitely doesn't *feel* like home-- Then again... It's..." Hedvig trailed off, squinting with a great deal of suspicion up at the night sky- Almost as if it had said something distasteful. "No, no. That's not supposed to be there. You're not where you're supposed to be." He turned to Khalia, a defeated look in his eyes. "Well, I'm stumped," he declared, finally.

Pandora

"I did! The stars were incredibly bright across the desert the other night, thank the Navigator." Khalia nodded, the veils on her head gracefully floating in the air, continuing the flow of movement. She was busy in front of a table, organizing a small pile of flyers they keep to give away during their stops.

"We're in the northern marketplace! The Lady of the Trade, she deems it auspicious to begin our business here first. I know you wished to head home right away, but we must not miss any kind of fortuitous opportunity." She couldn't help but giggle, however, seeing him trying to taste the sky. "Let's just see what awaits us here today, alright?"

Seeing the bottle, she walks over closer to the steps, and peers at the creature inside. "And what might this be? I don't remember this one... Is this a faerie?"


SilverLongjohns

"Back here?" Hedvig tapped a pensive finger against his temple. "Well. Could be worse. At least we're on dry land..." He leaned in so that his face was next to Khalia's, both staring at the small creature in the bottle. Hedvig flicked the glass, prompting another- Slightly miffed- wail from the vial-dweller. "Can't be sure what it is. Probably another magical furball coughed up by the Lyre."

He looked at the bottle, then up at Khalia, then around at the now bustling square. "We could open it and see what's in there," He muttered, quietly- Conspiratorially.

Pandora

"The stars above knows how many of these things we have in there..." Khalia chuckles, and looks at Hedvig, nodding her head. "I'm sure it's not that bad. Besides, it looks like it wants to be freed!"

Smiling widely, she takes the lead and relieves Hedvig of the bottle. Carefully, she attempts to uncork the vial, digging her nails in it to get a good grip as she felt it quite lodged inside. "Mrmmm... Hmmmnnhhh..." Her face all scrunched up, tugging at the cork as best she could, the creature shaking slightly inside in her struggle. Then, with one last attempt, she pulls the cork free from the bottle, stumbling backwards into Hedvig.

With the bottle now open, the creature inside immediately flies out of it in a flash, leaving behind bursts of pink and purple smoke, making Khalia cough a bit.

"Ah, no, wait! Where are you going?!" Khalia calls out to the creature and runs after it, making a leap towards it to try and catch it in her hands, but the creature slips past it, making a trail of pink and purple smoke behind it. From what she had seen, it seemed to be an insect-like creature, magical from what she could sense from it, and was now skittering fast across the grass and towards the marketplace, easily maneuvering around the ankles of the Essyrni shoppers.

"Oh no, I think we shouldn't have done that..." She stood up and dusted her thighs and veils, looking at Hedvig worriedly.


SilverLongjohns

Wiping his eyes, Hedvig pursed his lips, placing an arm around Khalia's shoulder. "Well, no matter. I'm sure it can't stir up that much trouble. Whatever it is." He squinted in the direction the creature ran off to, trying to maybe ascertain where it had fled. "I'm going to set about fixing the movement enchantments on the wheels." He told her, a smile on his face. "I'm sure one of the merchants here will be able to help. Maybe we'll get our hands on some silver, for scribing the runes." The tall, cloaked man untied his cravat and knotted it around his nose and mouth, disappearing into the smokey interior of the caravan- Only to eventually reemerge with armfuls of tools and inkwells, parchement and baubles.

"We won't be getting anywhere fast unless the Lyre is in better shape. Give me a hand with this, would you?" He held out a small chisel to Khalia.

Pandora

Khalia followed the fading trail of pink and purple smoke until it vanished completely, and looked up at the dark-skinned man. "I sure hope so... But more importantly, I sure hope that the people here don't link that creature to us. The last thing we want is trouble." She chuckles. "But, on the bright side, that creature is free now!" She jumped a little, reaching her arms up towards the sky.

"Oh right... The caravan was a little wobbly earlier, huh? I think it might have been the sand dunes making it difficult for it to roll properly. That, and all the cacti we had to avoid..." Khalia scratched her cheek, watching Hedvig carry out all sorts of stuff in his arms, and takes the small chisel without a second thought. Holding it up, she looks around for a basket, and grabs one made of interwoven bamboo. Muttering a few words, she waves her other free hand like a magic wand, and cast it towards the basket. Instantly, the bamboo basket slowly and gently floated to her eye level, twirling in the air gracefully, just like the small lanterns dancing around their caravan.

"Here you go, Hedvig!" She guides the basket to move closer towards him, as a convenient way to carry all the tools. "What do I do with this?" She grins excitedly, holding up the chisel, awaiting  instruction.

SilverLongjohns

Hedvig spat three small nails he had been carrying in his mouth into the basket, quickly following them with the rest of the gear in his arms. "Right you are. Free and TOTALLY HARMLESS," he said, raising his voice so that anyone paying attention might hear before turning back to Khalia. "The desert's not a place for the Lyre, by any account. She doesn't do rocky- Or sandy. In fact," he raised a thumb and forefinger to his chin, thinking, "She doesn't do cold, either. And grass tends to rub her the wrong way and--" He harrumphed, interrupting his own train of thought and lowering himself onto the still-warm cobblestones of the market square. He reached into the basket and took out a delicate-looking pair of spectacles, adjusting them on the bridge of his nose. He stared intently at the wooden spokes, running palms over each and every one.

At Khalia's question, he looked up- "Well... You know how the runes go, right? Just take some of the ink and re-scribe any that look damaged." He squeezed her hand and quickly sidled himself under the vehicle. The man kept talking to himself- Or rather to the Lyre, as if he was trying to soothe an old friend's aching limbs.

Pandora

"Wow Hedvig, that's pretty much every kind of terrain imaginable!" Khalia laughed behind her hand. "We might as well just make the Lyre float in the air at this rate!"

"Alright, I'll do my best!" Khalia flashes him a cheerful smile, and plucks a bottle of enchanted ink from the basket. Using the tiny chisel in hand, she dips the flat, square metal tip in the ink, and kneels in front of one of the wheels.

Realizing she had to narrow her eyes into a squint in her inability to see the runes clearly and easily, she waved her hand to summon a small lantern to light over the symbols. With that, she started to carefully redraw the lines forming the runes where they had been faded and sanded over by the dunes.

As she was drawing, she had to hold the ink-tipped chisel away from the wood once she felt the caravan weighed down and creak. Turning to the stairs, she sees a couple descending from the stairs of the caravan, well-dressed and clutching their belongings.

"Thank you, Miss Khalia-- Oh, where's Mister Hedvig?" One of the two, a middle-aged gentleman says, leaning down to see a pair of boots under the caravan, which he presumed was Hedvig. "Thank you, both of you, it was quite a pleasant stay."

"Thank you as well! I hope you stay with us again. Safe travels here in Essyrn!" Khalia beamed at the couple, and watched as they went on their way, disappearing into the marketplace crowd, before resuming her work over the runes.

Whim

Ewan didn't like Essryn very much. It was just a matter of passing through to get home in Serendipity. The boy had spent the last year in the Kishahn jungle, communing with ancient spirits and seeing all sorts of natural wonders. How could some dusty old slaver-city compare to a tyrant lizard that could swallow a horse, or the Redreed forest which was actually underwater? As the little wizard rounded a corner, on the prowl for a northbound caravan, he found himself in a breathtakingly beautiful courtyard. Colored lanterns illuminated a forest of silk and fur, and the smell of perfume and spice wafted through the air. It was a little strong, maybe, but better than camel shit.

He entered the square with some hesitation, this wasn't really a city for an unattached foreigner to draw attention. It was good his skin had tanned some. The boy blended in, well enough, with the multitude of naked urchins who scurried about playing, gawking, and running odd jobs. There were ironbound grimoires, bottles of shimmering poultice, and gilded idols from every-which-where. A quick look wouldn't hurt, right? Suddenly, pink smoke was streaking across the square and into the night, leaving behind a trail of dust. It seemed familiar, on the tip of his tongue almost, an old memory. Whatever it was came from a wagons on the far-side of the square. A pale and bejeweled woman, and large man coated in odd talismans, appeared hard at work painting it. He crept closer. The man even looked part faerie - maybe even part Serenian?

"Aw! Is that a moonspear bogfly? I didn't know they were this far south. You ever seen the larva? They're big as horses! And then they explode into thousands of flies!" the ragged boy made himself known from behind a cart of lemons, arms spread wide to emphasize the enormity of the bogfly larvae.
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

SilverLongjohns

Hedvig stopped moving underneath the caravan. His boots twitched as he listened to the boy's voice- It seemed a knowledgeable one, though a bit young to be projecting so much confidence in its analysis. But Hedvig's ears didn't prick up out of suspicion, rather abject fascination. With a shove, the dark skinned man was out from under the caravan and by the boy's side in an instant.

"A bogfly? Moonspear? I'm certain we haven't crossed any swamps recently- And if we'd been to the moon Khalia would have noticed." Hedvig pinched his chin between his thumb and forefinger, his face centimeters from the boy's. "What's up north?" He asked, his eyes brimming with curiosity, "What kind of country has larvae for horses? You didn't get any of its dust on you, did you?" He walked around the boy, dusting him off left and right. He didn't wait for an answer before asking his next flurry of questions. "Thousands? How come the Lyre only caught one? Old girl must be getting slow. Can you cook them? Eat them? Throw them in a mortar and use their shells for pigment?"

A sudden dark frown crossed Hedvig's face, and he placed both hands on the boy's shoulders. He lowered his voice to the faintest of whispers, heavy with concern. "They're harmless. Right? Right?"

Pandora

Intensely focused on reapplying the ink to the faded runes, she did not notice the boy approaching their storefront, up until the moment he spoke. Turning to look over her shoulder, she smiled to see him, putting down the ink-tipped chisel to rise up and approach him. Seeing as how Hedvig had the same idea, she remained by his side, giggling at their interaction.

"Maybe that one in the bottle strayed a little too far from home!" Leaning down, she pats the boy on the head, getting on her knees to be at his eye level. "Hello, little one. What brings you to our shop tonight?" She had a friendly smile, until a thought occured in her mind. "Oh... Did you get lost and separated from your parents?"

Whim

Ewan's freckled face stared, dumbfounded, into Hedvig's. Usually it was him confounding grownups - adults! - not the other way. "Moonspear is up in Serendipty. It's way north and, um, full of magic and farms and swamps. And I don't know! I guess? They're used in gigantism potions. And I don't think they're dangerous besides the eggs, on account of their larvae being horse-eaters?" He did his very beat to rattle off answers. And sure enough the boy's hair and shoulders were coated in pink dust. "But gosh! How did you catch it with a lyre?"

The woman, despite her ethereal dress, seemed the more down to earth of the two. At least she wasn't combing him for dust. "I'm way older than I look. And I just followed the sparkles! What do you sell anyway?" Ewan craned his neck to get a look at their stalls behind the charm-clad merchant.
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

Pandora

"Are they, now?! I'll be sure to remember that-- Speaking of which, I seem to have forgotten something! Khalia, you take over for now."

As fast as he spoke, Khalia watched as Hedvig hurried back inside the caravan without looking back. Blinking, she scratched her cheek. "I suppose he must have left the cauldron unattended again." She giggles. "Right, where were we? Oh! Yes, we sell all sorts of things! Curiosities, specifically. Unique, novelty items from all over the world, yes! Aside from that, we also sell fortunes, amulets, and lucky charms! I collect them, and I make them myself too!" Khalia nodded, and spread her arms wide in a presentational manner. "Welcome to the Wandering Lyre! If you're looking to travel, or need a place to stay -- or both, we are also a travelling caravan!" She grins and gestures dramatically to the entrance, the door that Hedvig disappeared to. "Would you like to see what we have in store?"

Whim

The Wandering Lyre. It was a pretty name, and appeared to fit - the pair seemed to revel in making a show of their wares - which were wondrous. "Well I am looking to go back north to Serendipity if you're going that way." Ewan trotted after Khalia through the drapes and into the lyre, drinking in the smells of exotic perfume and spice. There was no sign of Hedvig, or even living quarters, amidst a maze of shelves and stacked boxes.

"And a fortune reading might be fun. But things have been looking up, really, so I'd only expect bad-"

"-Oh! Oh gosh is that Haram's Oil of Heroism?" wide-eyed, Ewan scampered to a nearby shelf. Securely packed behind wire mesh were dozens of bottles, jars, and vials. The boy's eyes were locked on a round-bottomed flask which seemed to glow brightly as the sun. "I saw someone brew it when I was in school. They bent an adamant rod in two like a twig! Did you make it yourself? I'd give anything to learn how!" grubby little hands lifted the potion from the hutch without a second thought. Then came a startled cry from Khalia and he dropped it. Haram's oil of Heroism fell to the floor and cracked in two. He stood there stunned and red-faced. Why do you always have to touchy everything dumby? "Gosh I'm sorry! I just got surprised. I can pay you back-" he moved to reach for a coin purse. But without pockets or even pants that seemed unlikely. "-or I can repay you somehow. I'm a wizard myself..."

The scent of honey soon filled the air. It was very pleasant, really. His heart pounding and flushed with embarrassment Ewan failed to notice the golden vapors swirling about him from the leaky flask.
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

Pandora

"Serendipity, you say? We will always circle back to that city, but the question is when? If the stars dictate that we head that way from here in Essyrn, I will let you know." She smiles, watching the boy enter the shop, following him inside.

The entrance of the Lyre showed off tall shelves lining either side of the wall, filled with all sorts of items and knick-knacks, haphazardly placed beside each other. Some items floated, some items were almost falling to the ground if someone made the mistake of bumping into its shelf. There were glowing things, and things that made tinkling noises, things flowing and rolling, but disorganized as it was, it certainly looked magical. The scent of flowery incense, pleasant to the nose, wafted around the shop, hinted with notes of spice.

"Yes, it certainly is! My husband made it a long, long time ago." Looking over at the object of Ewan's fascination, Khalia took the tag hooked around the bottle's neck. She smiles. "Though it's been in that shelf for so long, I forgot that it was there myself! But it feels like you unearthed a secret treasure, doesn't it-- Oh!" She pumped her fists in excitement, but froze to see the bottle falling down and crashing onto the floor. "Oh dear..." She taps her cheek, watching the floorboards absorb the shiny, golden liquid until all traces of it disappeared, but her face soon brightened up again. "This just means the floor has some dose of heroism too, doesn't it?"

Leaning down to meet Ewan at eye level, she grins widely. "Well, I mean! This shop also runs on a 'You break it, you buy it', policy, but since you don't have any money, we'll accept payment in other ways!" She nods. "You say you're a wizard, right? Maybe you can help us out here in the shop for a tiny bit!" She nods all the more, watching the golden vapors twirling. "Oh, look! Isn't this pretty?" She giggles, and manipulates the smoke with her fingers, making them dance around Ewan all the more.

"What's your name, by the way, little one?" Khalia was clearly having fun with drawing swirls with the smoke.

Whim

"I'm Ewan. And that sounds fair. I'll help you out till we reach Serendipity?" the boy heaved a sigh of relief. There were way worse things to spill on the floor. And it wasn't like he'd be stuffed in some orphanage. Working in a shop wouldn't be so bad, and might even get him back north. "Everyone else I've met has doubted I'm a wizard, you know. And I didn't  even break any of their stuff!" An impish, gap-toothed smile crossed his face. There was something about the woman, or maybe the honeyed fumes, that lifted his spirits. "I promise I'm really good. I'm quite a bit older than-

"-I look?" His voice was suddenly deeper, almost booming. The golden mist was swirling about Ewan now. From his point of view the room was shrinking, but in reality, the little wizard was growing. Scrawny arms bulged with muscle, and his delicate features turned angular and chiseled.

A thickly muscled young man, nearly a head taller than Khalia, stood in Ewan's place. "Gods. I haven't been tall in ages! Shamento waste it on me and a floor, tbough." He flexed an arm with a wide grin. It felt good to be big for a change. And the floor of the caravan sparkled heroically. Only then did the young man seem to remember Khalia was in the room. He shifted awkardly, immediately grateful the potion had reworked his loincloth to better fit. "I guess you have me at a disadvantage. So you deal on potions and fortunes?"
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

Pandora

"Certainly. Until we reach Serendipity. Is that where your home is?" Khalia controlled the swirls, spinning them round and round with her finger.

"I can imagine. Bad things that have happened to people, or circumstances that make them look like fools, those are some things that make people unable to believe in things so easily. Either they're hurt, or bitter, or embarrassed, but for me... I'm not really afraid of those things! I'll believe what you say, but if you are lying after all, well, there are ways for lies to reveal themselves in time." Khalia smiles.

She watched the smoke envelop Evan, but she raised a brow as his form seemed to absorb the smoke.

"Oh dear~" She steps back, hearing the deepened voice. "Oh my! Look at how you've grown, Evan! You're so tall and strong now!" She exclaims, though Khalia didn't seem the least bit surprised. By the looks of it, she has seen many wondrous things, and this is only one of them. A faint blush was on her cheeks now, though, and she was giggling.

"You need some better fitting clothes, Evan." Khalia smiles, waving her hands. Colorful fabrics and leathers fly out of a nearby drawer and wrap themselves around Evan, snipping and stitching all on their own to form a tunic, trousers, and boots for the... man. An amulet hangs from his neck to finish off his new clothes, which made him look equally as eccentric as Khalia and Hedvig were with its colorful patterns and trimmings.

"There we go, perfect!" Khalia grins, proud of her creation. "We deal with potions, but... Just a little bit. We sell all sorts of trinkets, and shiny things... And really interesting, magical things! I sell lucky charms and amulets, as well as read people's fortunes!" The silver-haired woman nodded quickly. "But more than all that, the Lyre is also an inn. A travelling, wandering inn, carrying you to our next destination wherever it may be!"

"Now, to give you a job... I will have you help in our various duties!" Khalia nods and smiles "My husband and I do all sorts of things around the shop just by ourselves, but magic makes it a little easier..."



Whim

(OOC: So sorry I didn't notice your reply!)

The young man stood, stunned as the silks and cottons bore down on him. "Whoa-! Wait-!" He yelped in protest, trying his best to shift away. The end result wasn't so bad really. It was actually very comfortable. But what did half these amulets and charms even mean? He squinted the talisman trying to make out the language. No luck.

"Thanks for the outfit! Its.... nice. You weren't lying about the charms that's for certain." And  how could she fit so many in here? Was that a hallway?! "I've never seen special distortion like this before! Did you design this? And how many guests do you have?" The young man stepped forward to have a look around the rest of the caravan, still with child-like excitement, nearly bumping his head on a hanging bundle of herbs. Was he ever this big? Being tall was actually annoying.

Remembering himself Ewan turned back to Khalia. "I'll help with whatever you need. I'm a good alchemist and life mage if my condition's any proof. I can do polymorphic poultices, youthening balms, hair eyes..." He flexed a hand experimentally with a smile. "Or if you need heavy lifting done I'd best not waste this!
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

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