Some good stuff so far Andrew, I'm glad you've picked up on the Shadowspawn/Von Kiviri thread..... I've been pondering the same thing myself for a while.
I'd been working on an idea relating to the infiltration of Shadowspawn from the south into the northern Midsea, largely through the Von Kivir.
I suspect that the Mr Von Kiviri in Thalsedon though is not Quetzal von Kiviri, but a junior member of his house.
For quite some time, the Green Lady has conveyed Her concern about a certain resident of Port Kaeir to the Senate through her shamans.
A number of senior shaman have, in dreamquests, seen a black void in Port Kaeir that blankets the surrounding area in spiritual nothingness. Unable to pinpoint the source of the darkness, and unable to directly influence the complex entity that is the City of Port Kaeir, the Lady has been long seeking a way to deal with the nightmare creature that evidently lives in the political heart of the Green Land.
Ibrahim
Andrew Janssen wrote:
As they walked out to their carriage, Ion asked Chief Rhellmanos, "Where
is the House of Von Kiviri headquartered? Here in Riverside?"
"No," said Rhellmanos, "Their offices are across the river, in Grand
Market. They're doing quite well for themselves."
"I think that we should first pay a visit to the University," said Ion.
"We have to go through University Hill to get to Grand Market anyway,
and I want a chap I know at the University to take a look at this
amulet. He has an office in the Yzarine Library."
"All right," said Rhellmanos as they boarded the coach, "We'll go there
first. Driver! To the Yzarine Library!"
* * * * *
The coach rattled out of Riverside, crossing the Tomas I Bridge to Green
Isle, driving past City Prison, then across the Old Stone Bridge to
climb up into the University Hill district. University Hill was a nicer,
richer district than Riverside, home to University professors, students,
and staff. To the northwest, the district blended into Temple Hill,
while to the northeast lay Grand Market, Thalsedon's commercial heart.
The District was dominated by Great Hall and the Yzarine Library at the
top of the hill; the former building being the largest enclosed space in
the city, and the latter housing the largest collection of books outside
Mirabalpur.
Ronir-Varros had the coachman park by a side entrance to the Library. He
led Chief Rhellmanos up a flight of stairs to the second floor of the
Library, then down a darkened hallway to a heavy oak door. On the door
was an engraved brass plate reading, "Professor of Human Studies".
Ronir-Varros knocked on the door. A voice barked, "Enter!" and he opened
the door and went in, Chief Rhellmanos on his heels.
Inside, the room was light and airy, with tall, glazed windows filling
up the left-hand wall. The opposite wall was floor-to-ceiling shelving,
packed with books, scrolls, and strange sculptures. In the center of the
room was a large wooden desk covered with papers, behind which sat a
very tall, pale, man with long, braided, blond hair, obviously Casovian,
editing a manuscript. He looked up as Ronir-Varros and Rhellmanos
entered, and broke into a gleaming smile. "Ion, my boy! It's good to see
you!" He began rummaging through the mess on his desk. "If you give me a
minute, I can give you back that paper you wrote on alternative marriage
forms . . . who's your friend, by the way?"
"Professor MacGregor, meet Chief Investigator Tomas Rhellmanos of the
Thalsedon City Watch," said Ronir-Varros, laughing, "Chief Rhellmanos,
Doctor Angus MacGregor, Professor of Human Studies and my faculty
advisor while I was at the University."
"A pleasure, I'm sure," said the Professor, standing and offering his
hand to the Chief Investigator. They shook, and then Dr. MacGregor
gestured at two large piles of papers, saying, "There're a pair of
chairs under those piles, if you'd like to sit down; just put the papers
on the floor beside them."
After they had cleared the chairs off and sat down, Ion said, "While
it's good to see you again, Professor, I'm not here about my old essays.
Chief Rhellmanos and I are investigating an odd murder, and we found a
piece of evidence that you might be able to tell us more about." He
turned to Rhellmanos and said, "Professor MacGregor's speciality is
tribal artwork from the MidSea periphery." He removed the Garr amulet
from the dispatch box and handed it to Dr. MacGregor, saying, "What do
you make of this, sir?"
The Professor took the amulet in his left hand and examined it closely
while absently tugging on his braid with his right. "Interesting," he
said, "very interesting. A Hand amulet, and not made anywhere near here.
Incomplete, as well."
"Incomplete?" asked Ronir-Varros.
"Yes, incomplete, said the professor, holding the amulet with its palm
facing his guests. "Notice how the fingertips are indented. Originally,
this hand was holding something, probably a semi-precious gemstone. At
some point it was lost or removed, no way to tell which."
"How can you be sure it wasn't made near here?" asked Chief Rhellmanos.
"Design, mostly," was the reply. "The relative crudity of the design
strongly suggests a tribal origin for this amulet. It's likely not
northern MidSea, because Hand amulets in the north are almost always
medallions, rather than sculptural, like this is." Dr. MacGregor turned
over the amulet and showed the back of the hand to the Chief. "Also,
this inscribed design resembles designs common in Tana tribal tattoos,
although there are some elements that I've only ever seen associated
with goblins. At any rate, it almost certainly originated in the
southeastern MidSea region."
Putting the amulet down on his desk, the Professor continued: "The
choice of materials used to make this amulet says something about the
person it was originally for--who is not necessarily the same as the
most recent wearer. Usually, these amulets are silver. The fact that
this one is cast bronze could mean that the original owner couldn't
afford silver . . . or that he or she couldn't tolerate prolonged
contact with silver."
"A category of persons which include vampires, several types of
shapeshifter and skinwalker, and the Shadowspawn," remarked Ion
Ronir-Varros as he picked up the amulet and put it back in the dispatch
box. "Thank you, Professor, you've been most helpful."
"No thanks are necessary," replied Dr. MacGregor, "it's always a
pleasure to speak with you. Oh, before I forget, the Dean sent me a
memo, asking me to remind you that in order to receive your Magister's
Degree, you need to complete two years of teaching classes in your
field, and you need to start it soon."
Ronir-Varros heaved himself up from his chair with a sigh. "Tell the
Dean that I'll see him next week and make arrangements. Again, thanks
for your time, sir."
* * * * *
As Ronir-Varros and Chief Rhellmanos walked out of the Yzarine Library
to their waiting government carriage, the Chief said, "You heard what he
said about the tattoo-like design on the amulet?"
Ronir-Varros nodded. "I think we need to find Mr. von Kiviri."
Andrew
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