The Golden City - Tour - RPLOG
Participants
Date
24/7/478
Log
The sun is shining on the damp grass and dripping fronds of the jungle foliage. It is a fine morning after a long, rainy night.
"Rise and shine, heroes!" comes a thick voice from the common area between tents, "Breakfast is hot and our chaperone is taken care of! Best to get a move on!"
Kazel opens the flaps of her tent and comes out of it, already in full gear. "Chaperone? I don't think anyone has mentioned one of those before." She raises an eyebrow, but shrugs and makes her way to where the voice came from.
Cassidy slips out of the tent, setting her hat on her head as she stretches out, greeting the day with a yawn and a clean suit. "What's this about breakfast?"
Zuri stumbles out if the tent he's sharing with Rokarion, the small salamander stretching and yawning loudly , then doing a few short hops to shake away the laziness. He peers about, then darts off towards the promised breakfast .
Rokarion gets out of the tent following Zuri, clad in his usual attire and all ready for the trip.
Olloch, the obese boar Spirit is waiting outside with a small pile of six packs along with a tray stacked with steaming pastries. Savory and sweet smells rise from the tray. "I have fruit and I have egg and steak," he says, holding up the tray, "Take your pick. Best to eat as we walk, I think." He gives a tusked grin at Kazel. "You don't think your fluffy nanny would let you all just roam the city, do you?" he asks, shaking his head, "Poor boy is such a stick in the mud! No, I have seen to it that he should be occupied for some time while we do our sight-seeing." The corpulent Spirit has forgone his usual finery and is dressed rather oddly in a loose shirt decorated with large, exotic flowers that hangs open to reveal his prodigeous belly. He also wears a pair of short trousers that cut off below his fat knees along with sandals on his Creator shaped feet. He waves a wide, straw hat at the packs on the ground. "Lunch, of course," he says, "For later." With that, he waddles off toward the jungle path. "Come on then!" he says as he rolls away.
Kazel gives a slow nod to the boar and picks some of the meat and eggs for herself as she sits down with crossed legs. "So, since we are appearantly not opening the vault today, what exactly will we be seeing? Not to talk down onto this city, but I was hoping to get done with the business part of this trip first."
Cassidy raises her brow, glancing back towards the tent. "Well... I guess it won't hurt," she says, taking up some of the breakfast for herself as she starts after the boar, checking to make sure Natska hasn't stayed behind.
Natska slips up next to Cassidy, giving her wife a quick grin. The jaguar is dressed in a suit similar to Cass', with her rapier at her side, and she adjusts her hat before accepting a pastry and starting in on it. "What happened to Fenris?"
Zuri pauses by the offered food with a loud gasp. "Oh wow! Thank you Mister Olloch!" He quickly gathers up an armful of pastries of both meaty and non-meaty varieties. He bites into one of them, which turns out to be a fruit pasty, and wiggles in delight. "So good! Mister Olloch makes the best food." He skips off after Olloch, tail whipping happily behind him. "I think we're going on a sightseeing tour, are we Mister Olloch? I'd *love* to learn more about this place!" Fenris' absence seems to skip his mind, right now.
Rokarion looks at the spirit before he begins moving towards the city, "Said fluffy nanny is our employer, Olloch. And as Kazel said, work comes first. Where is Fenris?" the plant being asked as he sped his pace slightly, "Besides guided tours always leave the best parts out." he comments idly.
Olloch waves a fat hand as they pass through the jungle. " He's fine!" the boar says, "Just off entertaining one of my cousins."
Kazel shrugs and takes a bite of her breakfast before talking again once she swallowed it down. "That does sound likely enough, and without him we can't open the vault." She sighs. "We might as well look around the place, I guess."
Cassidy gives a slow nod, perking up as Natska joins the group. "As long as he's not in any danger, that's alright, I suppose," she says, nibbling on a pastry of her own. "What is there to see in the city, anyway? Is much of it left standing to even see?"
Natska grumbles quietly at Fenris being waylaid, but she's happy enough to get to see the island - she missed the last city, and it's interesting to explore, especially guided by a former resident.
Zuri quickly finishes pastry number one and moves on to number two. He looks around, finally realising they're all talking about Fenris, who's missing. He blinks. He nods at Cassidy's words and skips back to walk alongside Rokarion for a bit as he listens in to the conversation going around him.
Rokarion looks down at Zuri, patting him on the head before looking around, "You have no right to disturb our work without our permission or Fenris's permission." Rokarion says in his usual nonchalant tone, "But since we are going to the city, might as well start exploring properly instead of only getting the highlights."
Olloch leads the way through the great arch leading down into the valley. "Don't be a spoilsport," he admonishes, "I promise, the city is worth it."
Kazel follows behind the spirit and keeps, despite the presence of a 'local', a keen eye on the surroundings, half expecting for something to go wrong today as well.
Cassidy shrugs at that, reaching up to adjust her hat. "Well, I certainly don't mind a chance to explore. I might've liked to handle the business first and spend the rest of the time exploring, but... Well, this works, too."
Natska just quietly nods her head as they follow along after Olloch.
Zuri smiles up at Rokarion. "Just think of how much time we'll have to get lots of scribblings and drawings of the stuff around here! We have plenty of time too right? We have supplies for several days, we have loads of food. It's gonna be great!" He sprints forward again, catching up with Olloch and matching step with him for a bit.
"While we have no idea where Fenris is, and our only assurance is our 'friend' here." Rokarion said looking back at Olloch and shaking his head, "At least we know that spirits won't hurt beings directly most of the time, so at least we can be sure that Fenris is alive." the plant being comments before looking at Zuri and raising a brow.
Olloch laughs at Zuri's antics, setting his huge, exposed belly jiggling. "Some places," he starts, "Are lovely, jewelled facades on rotting timbers. Not so the golden city!" The enormous boar is not sweating or even breathing hard as they come the great gates of the city. "This city is strong as the bones of the earth! It's first settlers were heroes and wizards of the finest calibur and their children the same!" he says, sounding like a tour guide in the street of the gods in Shralesta, "The city has stood for millenia and will probably stand even after all of you are a distant memory. Sadly, the great great grandchildren of the founders were not the paragons their forebearers were. They had everything and had done nothing to earn it and they became a patina of sloth on the gold their fathers gave them."
Kazel crosses her arms as she walks and listens to the antics of the boar with a grim look on her face.
Cassidy pulls a face. "Unacceptable. Yes, I can see why people wanted to get rid of them. No one likes a bottom feeding mooch that lives on the deeds of their parents. But I had assumed the invaders would be destroying the city itself, not just the inhabitants," she says, glancing around the gates. "That is usually what 'ruins' implies."
Natska makes a small noise, shrugging her shoulders. "A city with no people, or no soul, is just as destroyed as a city torn apart," she muses, intrigued by Olloch's story and enjoying the tour.
Zuri continues to chase after Olloch, listening intently to his description of the city. He steps sideways towards Rokarion again, peering up at him with a bright smile and picking out the notebook he had been given the previous day so he can try scribbling down a drawing of what he's seeing.
Rokarion looked at gate and the wall before pursing his lips, "So I see." he comments idly as he moves a hand underneath his tunic, quickly fiddling with his soul gem. Pulling his hand back, the plant being glances Zuri, smiling as he sees the note book, before quickly leaning down and scooping the salamander up, gently putting him down on his shoulders, "There, a better view so that you can draw whatever you want." the plant being said with a smile.
"The Dogs of Conquest were not vandals," Olloch says, "Some of the others may have painted him as a villian in a marketplace drama, but He Who Conquers was always one of the most honorable among all of us. Even Kendrac would have to admit that. Conquest demanded their complete and unreserved surrender and they simply locked the gates and went back to their revels. By this time, even the patron Spirits of the city had forsaken them. Don't worry, there is plenty of violence and looting later in the tour." Olloch leads the way from the gates down the wide boulevard. He points off to one side at rows of neat, mostly identical houses. Aside from one or two fallen roofs, the small, stone buildings are mostly intact. "Behold!" the boar says dramatically, "The shanties of the Golden City! The poor of the city forced to live in abject mediocrity!" The obese spirit winks at the group. "It takes an awful lot of wealth for this to look like poverty," he says, "But they had it. No one was here the night the city fell, of course. They had feasts to attend."
Cassidy glances over to the side, brow raising. "Even the poor had 'feasts to attend?'" she asks, giving a snort. "And I suppose that is true, Natska, though I'd be more inclined to call it a ghost town!"
Natska flashes Cassidy a smile, then takes her time looking over the buildings. "Wow," she replies. "And some day I should like to talk to the Conqueror. I am sure it would be fascinating."
Zuri nibbles on his tongue as he does his best to finish his drawing of the street they had just been walking down. He perks up to regard the so-called 'shanty', letting out an appreciative "Ooh..." as he peers about. "'bout as nice as some of the fancy streets up in the Castle District back in Firmament.."
Rokarion looked around the street, inspecting the buildings before rubbing his chin, "Once we are done with our job we should come back here later and inspect the insides of some of those buildings. How about that, Zuri?" the plant being says as he looks at one of the broken doors, "Might still find something interesting in them."
"He is actually very boring," Olloch says dismissively, "Prone to pontification." He waddles on past a number of streets, without comment before stopping in front of a large building. "Oh! This one is good!" he says, "These are the great baths! A wonder, even at the height of the civilization! Here men and women, rich or poor from all stations of life would meet to be cleansed, body and mind. Well, sort of cleansed anyway. Hard to get really clean with all those people doing THAT sort of thing, if you know what I mean. It was hard to get in a good scrub toward the last decade or so of the city's splendor. And impossible the night the city fell." This building shows the signs of violence and terror that had been missing so far. The wide doors are long gone and the walls are cracked and sagging where once they stood. Great cisterns that once held water lie empty and dust dry. Though there are no bodies lying about, it is apparent that this is where a large number tried to hide from the invading forces, if the scratched and scrawled carving in the wall is any indication.
Olloch gives the group a moment to look around as he waddles around the edge, running a finger over some of the scrawled etchings. "All sorts of confessessions and threats and pleas are scratched into the walls here," he says, "The doors held off the Dogs for nearly three hours. Until they decided they REALLY wanted in, at least."
Kazel:inspects the building with little interests and twitches her ears. "Surely a city of this size must have had an army of its own? Did they not defend themselves?"
"I'm not sure I'd go that far," Cassidy says, looking towards Zuri. "And I wish to meet him, too." A nod of agreement to Natska as she follows alon, glancing towards the building.
"It sounds like they didn't," Natska says, nodding to Kazel. "Too busy indulging." She falls silent, looking over the ruins again.
Zuri nods at Rokarion's words, smiling brightly. "Some bit of exploration should do well! Who knows what we could uncover?" His tail flits excitedly, happy that Rokarion's wishes now seem to be more aligned with his. Maybe there will be some nice stuff to take back home as well...
Rokarion keeps on moving slowly, keeping the salamander balanced on his shoulders before they finally reach the bath. The plant being looks around the ruined bath before looking up at Zuri, "Pity, looks like we can't have a bath here with all of the clutter and dust."
"Why would they have an army?" Olloch asks, "Who would dare attack the Golden City, Queen of Cities? They only closed the gate. Then, when the gate was not enough, the noble and the wealthy retreated beyond the chasm and resumed their feasts beyond the far wall." He smiles broadly at Rokarion's comment. "The fountains dried up here shortly after Ser'Ther, one of the city's three patrons abandoned it forever." The boar waddles on, away from the ruined bath house. "The great market is up here," he says, "It is a mess, of course, since that is where the last feast of the lower city was held and the Dogs of Conquest got their first taste of blood there."
Kazel exhales through her nose. "Well that did not work out so well for them, did it? The hiding behind high walls, that is. Bunch of hedonistic cowards if you ask me. They had it coming, a rich city that can barely defend itself? Perfect target for an invasion."
Cassidy falls quiet, conent to just take in the sights as she looks around at the lasting monuments. Her tail flicks behind her, before she settles her attention on Olloch, speaking up again. "What's your take on it? This sounds like the kind of thing you embody."
Natska gives her head a small nod as she follows the group, her tail curling and swaying from side to side. "Who were the other patrons of the city?" she asks.
Zuri looks between everyone. "Nothing wrong with a big party, I think. I guess it's just that they stopped caring about everything else. Maybe even started abusing the generosity of the spirits themselves. Hence why Mister Ser'Ther decided to leave." He nods at Natska's question, turning to Olloch for the answer.
Rokarion rubs his chin as he looks around, remaining silent for a bit. "So what about those who tried to resist or do something, what did they do? I find it hard to believe that the whole population of the city just decided to spend their time in a continuous orgy." Rokarion said as he looked around, "That is like saying that every Thera'Doran is a drink barbarian or that every Shralestan is a religious Creator Saints worshiper."
Olloch waddles along quietly for a moment. "It is hard for us to talk about our natures," the fat Spirit says, "But while I DID enjoy the revelries of the Golden City, the place was broken, the celebration was empty. . . I do not wish to dwell on it." The Spirit looks at Rokarion. "Some fled, some fought, others even joined the invaders," he says, "Ser'Ther, Zimla and Vasht did not intervene." The boar stops at a narrow bridge crossing a sudden, wide chasm that splits the city. "Ahead is the upper city," he says, "It is worse than the lower. Much of its finest palaces and grand gardens are lost to the chasm. Here was the city's second gate. The noble and wealthy of the city shut out the rabble and sang and played the louder to drown out their cries."
Kazel shakes her head as she follows both the steps and words of the spirit, uttering a single word. "Disgusting."
Cassidy folds her hands behind her back, giving a nod. "I suppose that is fair. And that's an interesting list of spirits that would be a patron of a place like this... Zimla I could see. But the other two?"
Natska nods her head at Cassidy's comment, her eyes sweeping the gate, and the buildings of the surrounding city. "Mmmhm. Perhaps... hm. If it was founded by something like our Freeswords, I could see it as protectors. And Ser'Ther probably enjoyed meddling..."
Zuri scratches his head. Talk of spirits is way beyond the small salamander, who recognizes most of the names but has difficulty associating any in-depth knowledge with any of them. He returns to his sketching of a fancy-looking archway.
Rokarion looks around, "Well, Ser'Ther is a water spirit is he not...and this place looks like a place that would really need a lot of water to function properly, I mean we have yet to see any natural water source that is not the sea...this is Shralesta after all." the plant being says before he moves closer to the edge of the bridge, "That is a deep chasm...I can imagine how some people might have used it..." the plant commented before shaking the dark thought off his head, "Nice view from here, isn't that right, Zuri?"
Olloch stares across the great chasm at the destroyed city gate. "There were only two Spirits watching the city that night," the boar says, "And only one saw everything to the ultimate conclusion." The obese boar frowns. "I fear that I am not inclined to go any further today."
Kazel slowly nods at the boar. "Shall we head back then? I think we have seen and heard quite a lot today." The bat lets her eyes wander across the faces of the group, trying to read their moods.
Cassidy glances towards Olloch, tilting her head. "Were you that one? Since it seems this is such a difficult thing for you," she says, folding her arms and looking on curiously. "But we can head back, certainly."
Natska is quiet for a long moment, then she nods her head towards Olloch. "I imagine. I am fine with calling it a day; thank you for the tour. It has been fascinating."
Zuri smiles down at Rokarion, nodding. "It's a very pretty view!" He looks out at the chasm, the plant being's grim words seemingly flying over his head. He peers over at Olloch, frowning slightly. "I'm sorry Mister Olloch, if this is hard for you to talk about. Maybe we should go back yea. We've seen lots already."
Rokarion nods his head and steps off the chasm before turning around and looking back at the city, "We should come here later after we finish our work." he comments idly before setting Zuri back on the ground, "Let us depart, Zuri, and get some lunch for you."
Olloch shakes himself and his tusked grin returns. "Yes!" he says, "Lunch! I have packed some wonderful goodies for all of you! Let's go back to the market. The fountains may be dry, but they are still interesting!" The enormous boar waddles away from the chasm, back the way they came.
