8th Earthday, Late Evening
Readying
Temple of Enduring Silence
After our little tour on the ramparts and my lesson on crowd protection, I had to report back to Beleg’s for some unfinished work. I was for the first time in my life making a living for my self. I would make anywhere from one to five gold pieces a week. I gave most of my gold to Mukinzir for living expenses and food. With the few silver I had kept for myself I would pay my way into the mage guild observatory and look at all the star charts and talk astrology/astronomy with the couple sages who worked there.
One Sage by the name of Irius, came up to me on my first visit, as I was looking at some star charts and talking to myself. He was particularly interested in the way I talked of the stars and the alignment of the constellations. When I asked him why these star charts were all named differently from what I had been taught, he asked what I was talking about. So we sat down and talked over some brandy. I told him who I was and that my father owned and operated Fangorn Vineyards to the west of town. Irius had told me that he seemed to have remembered drinking some wine by that name and remembering that he enjoyed it. But more interested was he concerning my knowledge on astrology. So I told him everything I knew.
After an hour of talking to Irius he had told me to stop so that he could get something to write all this down with. He was fascinated with what I had to tell him. I had to leave after another hour so that I could meet up with Mukinzir for supper. Irius asked me to come back at the earliest opportunity so as to finish telling him all that I knew on the subject. I was puzzled as to why a sage of his caliber would be so interested in what I had to say. I thought it better to ask when I came back for our next meeting, so that I would not be tied up for another several hours.
I came back to the observatory after a few days to converse with Irius.
He told me that after speaking with him he had done some research into our last meeting and had not found any reference in his vast library, into what we had discussed. There were some striking similarities with the Bakluni culture. He asked if I would mind if he had a fellow comrade join in our discussion. I told him that it didn’t bother me. So I was introduced to another learned sage by the name of Nomed.
In short, neither had heard of any of the names of constellations and the zodiac of which I had spoke.
They had stated that the similarities were overwhelming but there were many differences as well. They had asked where I had learned the entire variant astrological calendar and constellations. I had told them that my father’s seneschal Mukinzir had taught them to me. It seemed that they were whipped into a frenzy about the supposedly new information that I had given them. They asked all about Mukinzir and who he was and where he came from. I told them that it was not my place to talk to them about him, but that I would be more than happy to continue to brief them on my knowledge concerning their interest. I did tell them that my knowledge came from the Wolf Nomad society and that Mukinzir was himself a self-exiled wolf nomad. This seemed to make more sense for them, for they had told me that the names and language I was using had were of the Bakluni language.
They told me that the wolf nomads were a very secretive people, along with their cousins the tiger nomads. It was well known that they had a whole system of detailed astrology, which was very similar to the generic Bakluni calendar, and that it was extremely secretive. Wolf Nomads being extreme isolationists. All throughout history information was passed down from oral tradition so it was difficult to obtain information on the enigmatic nomads. At that I asked to be excused so that I might check with Mukinzir to see if it was okay that I talk to these sages about his beliefs. One looked at the other with such a look as though he wanted to slap him, for giving away too much information. At this I just laughed and said if it were okay with Mukinzir, I would be back.
I went back to the Brass Rail tavern to see if he was back yet from his job searching. I ordered myself some supper and waited in the tavern common room. After spending some time there for the last few weeks I felt much more comfortable there then I did that first night. In fact this one night I had spoken to the man that had tried to steal Angrin’s pouch.
It was almost as if he and I had known each other for a long time. He treated me as if I was almost a friend of his, kind of strange after Angrin put him on his ass. But I didn’t question the change in attitude and we shared ale together while I waited for Angrin to show. Bivir as was the giant’s name, his job was a street lamp lighter. He lit all the street lamps along this quarter and made sure the oil was full enough to last throughout the night. This guy was a monster of a man, and had all the polish of a barn yard animal, but I liked him, despite that fact that he tried to rob us. He had actually apologized to me and had bought me several more ales while I waited.
We had drank our fill for many hours, and then I decided to go to bed, finally thinking that Angrin had maybe found a graveyard job and that I would not see him until the morning.
Morning came, and still no sign of Angrin. I woke up with a splitting hangover and went to go wash up for I had to be at Beleg’s soon. I thought to my self that I should not be feeling this bad after only five ales. My head felt as if my brain wanted to ooze from my ears. My headache hurt so bad, that I had a hard time keeping my eyes open.
After I splashed water all over my face and toweled off I realized that our room had been trashed and ransacked. I looked all over the room in total disbelief. My bed had not been touched but everything else had apparently been looked through and recklessly tossed. My duffel bag had all the contents spilled out and my money pouch had been emptied and put back on the table where I left it the night before.
There were no obvious signs of forcible entry.
Going straight to the barkeep I told him that someone had been in my room last night and had stolen some of our possessions. He seemed shocked and wanted to look for himself. His eyes went wide at the site of our room. He asked if I locked the door to my room last night. I told him no for it seemed that I had misplaced my room key somewhere during the day, and that I was going to use Mukinzir’s when I saw him next.
I also asked him if he had seen my friend at all since yesterday. He said that he hadn’t. I asked him what the hell I was going to do, and what he was going to do. He told me that I should contact the authorities and file a report. He would let me borrow another key until the other one showed up or Mukinzir arrived back at the tavern.
I asked for directions to the watch and headed off to Beleg’s to tell him that I would be late for work due to what had just happened. Beleg seemed uninterested. He basically told me that he had a business to run and that he had customers relying on him to complete some work so that if I wanted to keep my job that I would stay and do the work that I was assigned. Concerning the state of affairs in the city, I needed this job. I stood there for what must have been 5 minutes, debating on what to do. Then I told myself that Mukinzir would be back soon, and that he would come here looking for me. So I stayed, and went to work in the forge.
The whole day passed without word or notice from Angrin. The minute I got off work I went straight to the Inn and asked if he had arrived yet. The barkeep said that Mukinzir had not been seen. The barkeep told me that he had his wench go and summon the city watch. The watch had shown up while I was at work, and had told the barkeep to go and tell me, when he saw me next, to talk to the watch commander.
As soon as I heard that, I took off the direction of the local watch station. When I arrived, the captain on duty had no idea what I was talking about. So I related the story, and the captain mentioned that he had no knowledge of the matter. He gave me instructions, that I should come back tomorrow and talk to the captain that had taken the report.
With that I went back to the tavern and sat in the common room pondering on what I should do.
9th Freeday, Evening
Readying
Temple of Enduring Silence
As I recall it now that very next night I was sitting in the tavern, by myself drinking a beer to help nurse my headache that I had had all day. My day at Beleg’s was not very productive, and I had hoped that the sweat and the hard work would wash away my pain. I don’t ever recall myself feeling that bad from drinking. It was almost a different kind of dull pain. I just attributed my headache to the swill I must have drunk the night before.
While sitting and thinking on what the hell I was going to do, an hour or so goes by and the Brass Rail started to pick up in it’s usual business. I moved myself over to a small table in the corner so that I could think in peace. After about an hour I had made my decision to gather enough money so that I could purchase supplies and depart to go back home and tell father what had happened. So with that in mind I went to bed and slept.
That next morning I awoke to a hand being put over my mouth and completely pined where I slept. Angrin to my amazement was straddling me and had me completely under his control, to where I could not break from his grasp, even though I was considerably stronger than he was.
“Did not these last several days teach you nothing!” Angrin said.
I was in such shocked surprise that I couldn’t have responded if I wanted to. “Are you asking to be stolen from again, or worse? Because that is what will happen if you don’t take more precautions!”
Angrin slowly lifted his hand from my mouth and told me to keep quiet until he said that it was okay that I talk. He went to sit at the only stool in the room. The sun was just barely beginning to light the sky. “I would think that in the light of recent events of my disappearance you would have the wherewithal to at least bar the door from the inside as well as lock it, and not to get a room without windows. You have done a mediocre job at keeping yourself afloat here in the city.” Said Angrin, stern faced.
Questions were racing through my head. I found myself turning red in the face, and not from embarrassment but from anger. How dare he come in and scold me like that. Where the fuck has he been, not telling me, and leaving me alone here to worry for his safety and mine. Before I was about to explode into Angrin for all the pain and worries he had shoveled on top of me, I saw his eyes narrow and his feet shift ever so slightly as if he read my intentions.
That little look and movement was enough to immediately settle me down as well as being slightly ashamed of myself for even thinking of attacking him. But I was still boiling inside…
In short, Angrin had set up everything, his disappearance, the burglary and his timely arrival in my room. As Angrin was telling me everything that he had set up, I was stunned at the trouble he had gone through to make this deception unfold. He began to explain that he had talked to Bevir and arranged for him to ransack my room. Angrin took up residence in the inn across the alley to observe my reactions. Bevir had slipped a drug into my drink to knock me out that night. Angrin had given Bivir his keys to our room so that he could get into my room and take anything of value. Angrin gave instructions to Bivir not to harm me. With that accomplished, Angrin wanted to see how I would fare in the city, alone and with nothing but the clothes on my back.
This was almost too much for me to handle…I get angry still knowing what he did, despite that fact I know why he did it. Moral of the story…never be caught off guard, and never depend too heavily on anyone. After a little more conversation I asked if I could leave for a while and go on a walk. With that I went to work early and pounded metal till I was red in the face. Beleg asked me many times if anything was bothering me. I just looked at him and kept working. After a long day, I told Beleg that I would be leaving soon and that he need to find someone else to fill my spot. With that said, a few more days passed and I toured the city a little more and soon we left for Merics house on the border of the forest.
