• Memory • Epiphany

[Doran]

As Hannah revealed that the man that they would have to talk to was a certain Ser Nade Brecht, the Mortalborn almost breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t too fond of the knights – in fact he wouldn’t mind if they all disappeared - but it was at least unlikely that Ser Brecht would try to flay him or give them much trouble besides trying to rip them off. A former knight was somebody that he would be able deal with.

He noticed that Sintih didn’t seem to share his relative optimism though. In fact, the Yludih seemed to be worried. Doran looked from Hannah to Sintih and back and finally remarked, “My young colleague seems to think that there might be a problem. Would you be willing to enlighten me, Miss Yavich? What kind of man is Ser Brecht?”

As the herbalist explained, the Mortalborn furrowed his brow. Apparently Ser Brecht was one of those people that were full of themselves and considered themselves to be better, more honorable and more intelligent than everybody else when they did in truth know very little. That the former knight lumped alchemy and domain magic together made him shake his head.

~~~

“We will not tell Ser Brecht what we really need the bamboo for”, he decided as they left the shop, holding the container with the fireflies carefully. They were not very heavy, besides he was more comfortable carrying such an important part of the experiment himself. “I considered trying to educate him about alchemy and making him realize that it is not magic – it does not require an initiation – but people like him have a tendency to stubbornly cling to their views, no matter how wrong they are.”

“I’d rather not waste any more time with him than I absolutely have to. We will tell Ser Brecht that we want to study bamboo and eventually change certain traits of it, but not which traits exactly. Plant breeding has been practiced since the beginning of civilization. Unless Ser Brecht suffers from some sort of bizarre mental illness, he cannot possibly oppose a practice that resulted in a good portion of the food that he eats on a daily basis.”

He paused and looked at Sintih, remembering how the young man had reacted to hearing Ser Brecht’s name. “When Miss Yavich mentioned Ser Brecht, I had the impression that you had heard the name before. Am I correct in my assumption that you know him?” As he waited for the Yludih’s answer, he continued to walk. When he had talked to Hannah, he had been feeling fairly energetic, but now his lack of sleep was beginning to catch up with him again. He wanted to get the undoubtedly unpleasant meeting with the former knight over with.

[Sintih]

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in listened to Doran as they stood outside the shop, recently acquired fireflies in hand. It didn't even occur to the young Eídisi that Doran carrying the fireflies meant anything else. He wasn't able to bring up enough effort to think, let alone dissect actions made by the scholar. Yet, despite the sleepiness of his body and the emptiness of his head, Sin could focus on the next hurdle in the road, Nade Brecht. He nodded as Doran spoke, agreeing with the fact that people like Nade Brecht did not see any difference between Doran's kind of magic and Sin's.

Doran was direct in his words, possibly even harsh, but Sin could only agree. People were indeed mentally ill when they didn't understand the potential magic had. If the previous generation of Domain Magicians had been more like him and Doran, Rynmere would have never had such a negative view of the practices. He stared at Doran as the man stopped and looked at him, jar of fireflies in hand. It only occurred to him a trill later that he was addressing him directly now. They started to walk again and Sin kept pace with the older man. "Know him is a stretch but I know of him. His reputation is well deserved, although wrong, really." Sin nodded at that. "He's a proponent of banning magic all together and exiling all users. His public opinion isn't that strong, of course, but everyone knows that that's what he'd do if ever he got the power to do so. For now he's just a figurehead and spokesperson for like minded people. He's got some weight behind him in the political circles but I doubt he'd ever be able to truly do something about his ideas."

Sin shrugged and shook his head. "That said, though, on a personal level he's about what you expect from him. A knight both in profession and person, he can be very stubborn and difficult to deal with. He might not respect you for your chosen profession either but I don't think he'll deny us the bamboo we're looking for. Although it may cost us more then it would have had miss Yavich had the plants available." He raised his hands a little, letting Doran know that he thought it to be out of their hands, really. Dealing with stupid people required certain sacrifices, often in the form of more coins. It didn't really bother Sin as long as those stupid people didn't get in the way of what he wanted to do. "Anyway, I think we should be fine if we stick to the herbalist or horticulturist approach."

Sin was surprised he managed to find such a big word with his mind in the state it was in. He wasn't even sure if it meant what he thought it meant but he went with it anyway. Their walk took them towards the crown and the higher parts of midtown. Even within the three rings the city was made up off there were divisions. Some were professional, with the captains and sailors towards the docks, others were based on wealth. Mostly anyone who thought themselves to be someone tried to live as close to the Crown as possible. Sin had never understood this desire, as he much more preferred the quite and more open place he lived in now, but this was how it was.

While he had no idea where exactly Ser Nate Brecht lived, he knew generally where the retired military people lived, especially the higher ranking ones that had done well for themselves during their service. They tended to group together as well. Someone there would be able to show them in the right direction. Sin didn't speak much for the rest of their walk, focusing mostly on putting one foot in front of the other and thinking about the things he would do once they had their hands on the plant they needed.

As he predicted, once they got to the area, Sin asked someone about Ser Brecht and they managed to find the house within a few bits. The city air had helped Sin to wake up more and he was composed enough to knock on the door and step aside to let Doran do the talking. He knew well enough that he wouldn't deal well with the man should he refuse to hand over some of his bamboo. He hoped to see Doran deal with the man and perhaps learn a little something on the subject while he was at it. If all that failed, maybe he'd see Doran lash out at someone who wasn't the son of the woman he loved such a long time ago.

[Doran]

“In my opinion magic should not be banned“, the Mortalborn spoke in a matter of fact tone. He was highly suspicious of most branches of magic and acutely aware of the danger that mages posed to him due to his divine blood – but at the same time he valued freedom of choice, for the most part. “Mages should be watched and educated rather than exiled. Exiling them just means that somebody else will have to deal with the problem and that the mages will eventually return and exact vengeance on those that wronged them. I do not know why Ser Brecht thinks that’s a good idea.”

Maybe the knight was indeed mentally ill, he considered. The words ‘terminal insanity’ abruptly entered his mind, and he frowned ever so slightly, as if he were currently experiencing something unpleasant. If Ser Brecht gained the support that he needed to implement his ideas, against all odds, he decided, he would have to leave Rynmere sooner than planned – or dispose of the man and make sure that somebody more open-minded replaced him. Fortunately he had means and ways to do so – means that mortals like Sintih didn’t have.

“As for respect, we’ll see”, he remarked dryly. He didn’t say more than that.

As Sintih mentioned the herbalist approach, he nodded curtly. Since he was not as familiar with the knights and had no idea where the retired knights lived, he let the false Eidisi take the lead – something that he would never have done back when they had first met.

Soon they were standing in front of Ser Brecht’s house. “Let me do the talking”, he told the false Eidisi. Sintih was not as much of an imbecile as he had initially thought, but he did not look like somebody that commanded respect in the least, and his wording often left something to be desired. He would do more harm than good here in his opinion.

Once the knight opened the door, the son of Ziell inclined his head in a greeting before he spoke in a polite and confident tone, looking directly into the man’s eyes as he did so, “Ser Brecht? My name is Doran Thetys. I’m a professor of chemistry and botany at Rynmere University. I was told that you had a plant that I need for my research – bamboo.”

He stopped here so that Ser Brecht could think about what he had said and react to it. If he was anything like the rest of his colleagues, he would not appreciate a visitor that was rambling. He stood completely straight as he waited for the knight to say something.

[Sintih]

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t was a pleasant surprise to hear Doran talk about magic in such a fashion. It could have been better, of course, but the scholar's dislike for the craft hadn't been something he had hidden from Sin ever since he had found out the Yludih was using it. It hadn't been the best first impression he could have given for it, trying to behead the man with a blade after blinking was bad publicity in any language. The fact that Doran had been so negative towards magic made this statement all the more surprising to Sintih.

The walk through town was quiet for the rest. Sin walked, almost on auto pilot, towards the knight's house. Doran walked with him but the fact that he was leading passed Sin by. He only got lost once and was smart enough to ask for directions when they got to the district. A few bits later they were standing in front of Ser Brecht's house. It wasn't impressive by any stretch of the imagination but still, Sin figured he could fit his own house in here two or three times. Compared to some of the noble houses, this was nothing but still, for a lowtowner, this was a palace. "Sure. Shall I hold the fireflies while you talk?"

Doran knocked, with Sin standing behind him, looking around until the door opened. As instructed, Sin was quiet and let Doran do the talking. Brecht looked at both him and Doran as the latter introduced himself. He was shorter than Sin had imagined. Doran wasn't exactly looking down on the man but he was definitely taller. "A professor, eh? I di'n't think you lot ever came outside. Interested in my bamboo, you say?" The former knight let his eyes glide over Doran first and then quickly looked past the man towards Sintih, who had the presence of mind to nod his head politely.

"What do you need bamboo for then? And why are you looking for it here and not at that plant shop?" Ser Brecht's voice did match with the image Sin had in mind for him. A deep, gruff voice that sounded like it had gone through quite a bit of battle shouting slowly grew quieter as the man himself turned around and walked back in the house, leaving the door open for them. He didn't even check if the two visitors were following him. Sin could see he favored his right leg as he strode further in. Probably an old wound on the left leg?

Sin peeked inside and saw a rather roomy living room. A basic table and chairs welcomed people in to sit at them while Brecht himself was rummaging through some cupboards, plucking out cups of varying, mismatched colors. It seemed obvious to Sin that the man wasn't very good at hosting other people. "Dun just stand there. Come in and have a seat. We can talk about your bamboo over some coffee... or tea if you really have to. I dunno what you scholars can drink." There wasn't a tone of condescension in his words but it was quite clear that Ser Brecht did not see his two scholarly visitors as being on the same level as him.

[Doran]

Ser Brecht was shorter than the Mortalborn had thought he would be. That fact pleased him, although he knew that appearances were not everything. The man had earned his position and his reputation for a reason. Besides that, Ser Brecht seemed far friendlier than he had thought he would be. After what Hannah and Sintih had told him, he’d expected that the knight would deny them entrance, but he seemed to be almost welcoming. Maybe, he thought, the false Eidisi had been wrong. It would not have been the first time.

“I’m not like most of my colleagues”, he replied in a matter-of-fact tone as the knight spoke. He agreed with him. Most of his fellow scientists had a strange aversion to sunlight and physical activity which was something that he despised. Doran himself made sure that he was always in excellent physical shape, and he still practiced with his long sword regularly even though it had been a while since he had stood on a battlefield.

“I led a life not unlike yours before I decided to focus on more scholarly pursuits. As for what I need the bamboo for, I want to study it and research its uses in medicine, among other things.” Having said that, he followed the knight into the house. He found the fact that the man didn’t turn around and look at them once careless. What if they had merely pretended to be scientists?

While Sintih thought that Ser Brecht was not good at hosting people, what the knight did exceeded the Mortalborn’s expectations by far. He had not expected to be served anything. “I usually drink coffee or wine”, he replied and took a seat. “Thank you, Ser.”

“An old war injury?” he then asked and gestured towards the knight’s leg. He had noticed that he seemed to have trouble walking. If Ser Brecht was anything like the rest of his kind, he probably loved to talk about his heroic deeds, he thought. Perhaps, he considered, he could offer to give the man something for the pain in order to make him more inclined to help them, but he wanted to hear more about how he had received the injury first.

[Sintih]

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he initial meeting had gone nothing like Sin had expected. Ser Brecht seemed hospitable enough. Sin wasn't quite sure what he had been expecting from the man's reputation but this was definitely not it. Doran seemed unfazed by the whole thing and simply conversed with the man. Sin kept his hands on the jar of fireflies, making sure they wouldn't drop. Doran would probably throw a fit if he did. Hannah's supply of them wasn't so extensive.

"Well, yer out here so I can see that yer not like your colleagues." As Doran spoke about his life before becoming a scholar, Sin looked at Doran from the side, wondering exactly how old the man was that he was both a gifted scholar and hadn't spent all his life doing it to get that good. Ser Brecht seemed to listen as he worked with the cups, placing them on the table, one on his end and two on the opposite side. There were four stool around the table for them to sit on.

"So, ye think that those little sticks can help heal people? I really doubt that but what do I know." The knight spoke from his coffee making ritual. He was putting water on for boiling and grinding the beans down to the powder he would use to make it. "What else do ye think it might be good for?" Ser Brecht sounded either rather interested in Doran's project or he was busy interrogating a couple of suspects. Probably his arcs with the Iron Hand. When the grinding was done, the knight sat himself down with his guests.

He glanced over to Sin who had been quiet all this time and then focused his attention on Doran when he was asked about the wound. Sin thought he could see an expression of pain and loss on the man's face when he was asked about it but it was gone in a trill. Most likely the lack of a decent night's sleep. "Yeah, an injury... Tells me I'm still alive each morning." The knight was absently rubbing his hand just above his left knee. "But I prefer not to talk about it with strangers." His eyes steeled and he focused back on Doran. "So, the bamboo?"

Sin couldn't place the man. He wasn't anything like his what he had heard and yet Sin couldn't help but feel like the man was exactly what he'd heard about him. He seemed inquisitive, interrogative even, and didn't seem to want to share much about himself with them. It would have been stranger yet if the man had been one of those people who never shut up about themselves. Somehow, that didn't fit the image at all. Sin sat quietly and watched back and forth between both men as they conversed further.

[Doran]

“Bamboo is a very versatile plant“, the Mortalborn replied calmly, as if he had not noticed Ser Brecht’s doubts. “In other parts of Idalos people use it to help treat kidney diseases and venereal diseases. I’ve even heard of cases where water from the culm was used to treat diseases of the bone. It can also be used as a building material – from furniture over houses to roads – and to feed people as well as animals.”

He was not lying, not in this regard at least. He had seen people use bamboo for a wide variety of different things during his travels and had been mildly impressed. He had even eaten a meal that had contained bamboo sprouts, among other things, once, and it had been relatively delicious.

“My aim is to make this plant more popular in Rynmere and show people that it is more than something that looks pretty in their garden. I would of course mention your name in my research if you gave me your bamboo – if you are interested in such a thing”, he continued.

He paused for a moment to give Ser Brecht time to process what he had said and cast a glance at Sintih. The false Eidisi had been uncharacterstically quiet and well-behaved and participated very little in the conversation so far which was something that he approved of.

“There are better reminders that one is still alive than pain”, he remarked, but he did not say anything more on the matter of Ser Brecht’s injury. He would not force him to talk about it – even though he was confident that he could give him something for the pain and perhaps enable him to lead a more active life again.

He was not some good Samaritan that helped people that didn’t ask for it and might not be appreciate it. Ser Brecht knew now that had some skill in medicine – he had mentioned wanting to use bamboo for medicinal purposes, among other things – so all he had to do was swallow his pride and ask him.

Perhaps, he thought, as he awaited the knight’s reaction, he ought to make his lie reality and research the medicinal use of bamboo after Sintih and he were done with their alchemical project. It suddenly didn’t seem like such a bad idea anymore. He had literally all the time in the world.

[Sintih]

er Brecht didn't seem to be very impressed by Doran as the man started to list off some of the uses of the bamboo plant. Either that or the man had no idea what the scholar was talking about. He seemed political enough not to bring it up and simply nodded like he understood. "So... What yer saying is that it's sort of like a brick that you can eat and that makes you healthier, all at the same time?" There was a hint of sarcasm in the man's voice as he spoke. It did sound like an all purpose solution to Sintih, he had to admit. Food, medicine and building material all in one? Why hadn't this been spread across Idalos before then?

"I don't know about mentioning my name... Although, it wouldn't be a bad thing to have my name on one of yer research thingies. Always good to show the guys how far I've come in the world." The knight seemed to be pondering the idea of being a researcher himself, even if it was in name only. Sin thought about it for a trill, realizing that Doran could be pushing the man forward as a patron of magic if his name was linked to any official research paper the scholar might bring out on the bamboo. Sin didn't doubt that bamboo had many uses but they were looking for something specific here and it wouldn't mix well with what Ser Brecht had in mind. A vocal proponent of magic sponsoring a magical research project? Even if it was an alchemical one, it would still put a dent in the man's credibility.

What would the knight do if he ever found out what he was doing here today? Sin let his mind wander over the possibilities for a while as the two men conversed about the details of having Ser Brecht's name added to a research paper. His attention got pulled back to the here and now as the knight stood up from his seat to fetch the coffee he'd made. It was more clear now that he knew what to look for. The knight was indeed suffering from some leg injury as he got up and walked to the kitchen. He quickly returned with two cups, placing one in front of each of his guests before stepping out once again. He returned a bit or two later with his own cup in one hand and one of the bamboo plants he had bought in a pot in the other. He placed it on the table in front of Sintih.

"Well, that's yer plant right there. I hope one is enough because I couldn't spare more even if I wanted to. You'd have to wait for that flower lady to get some more. I don't know how long that'll take her, though." He scratched his head for a moment and sipped from his hot coffee. Sintih tried to drink the beverage but the smell alone woke him up enough to realize what he was about to do. He remembered trying some coffee a long time ago, when he was much younger. It had been too hot and too bitter for the young Yludih to enjoy it. He did hold onto the cup, swirling the liquid around as he listened, pretending to be in between sips every time someone looked at him.

"Is there anything else ye'd like while yer here?" He looked from the plant, with Sintih behind it, to Doran to see if either of them had something to say or ask further. He seemed to put most of his attention on the scholar, ignoring the apprentice most of the time. "So how does this work then? Do I attend the presentation of yer research when it is done? Should I start looking for something fancy to wear?" It seemed like the idea of being part of a project like this had taken on much larger properties in the knight's head than it did in real life. As far as Sin knew, these sorts of things usually just got written and then other people at the university could read a copy of it. He'd never even heard of anyone reacting to such a report. Then again, his mother had worked on every research paper she'd ever mentioned to him...

[Doran]

“In essence, yes“, the Mortalborn replied. He found Ser Brecht’s choice of words to be lacking, but the expression on his face betrayed little of what he really thought. He also noticed that the knight didn’t seem to be very impressed by what he had heard so far. He didn’t care. He didn’t need the man to admire him because he knew so much, he didn’t need him to be impressed, he didn’t even need him to understand what he, Doran, was trying to tell him, he just needed the plant. “Although bamboo tastes better than bricks.”

“As for your colleagues, they will without a doubt be jealous if they realize that you have not only excelled on the battlefield, but also had a part in a scientific breakthrough.” While Sintih wondered what would happen if Ser Brecht found out that he had unknowingly taken part in an alchemical research project, Doran was mainly thinking about the next steps of their project. As the knight went to the kitchen and returned with their coffee, he inclined his head in a sign of gratitude before he took a sip.

As Ser Brecht left again only to return with a bamboo plant this time he raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected to get what he wanted that quickly. This time the Mortalborn whose facial expressions usually alternated between indifferent, serious and somewhat moody smiled slightly, a sign that he was very happy with the way things were going.

“One plant is more than enough”, he said. “I thank you, Ser Brecht.” His gratitude was genuine. “There is nothing else that I need from you. As for how it works, if all goes as planned, you will be invited when I present my research results. It might indeed be a good idea if you started looking for something fancy to wear before too long.”

He stayed a few more bits to finish his coffee, and then he took the plant, bade Ser Brecht farewell and gestured for Sintih to come with him. They had everything that they needed to begin experimenting in earnest now.

[Pegasus]

Doran

Overview

I had such fun reading this thread. I love how Doran is oh-so-slowly starting to come to the realisation that Sintih isn't so bad after all (despite who his father was!) I really enjoyed reading how you portray Doran, he's got very strict standards and yet he's almost patient with Sintih, too. It's a strange relationship and you write it really well. As always, your writing is a pleasure to read! He's always a teacher and his words and actions are so very controlled. Great fun and a fabulous read! Please do drop me a pm if there's anything I've missed. Thanks

Points

XP: 15
Fame: +5
Devotion: None

Loot

None

Knowledge

Chemistry: Manipulating plants so that they glow in the dark
Chemistry: Definition and uses of a centrifuge
Deception: Sometimes it's better to lie about what you really need something for
Gardening: Characteristics of flash poplar
Gardening: Characteristics of duckweed
Gardening: Characteristics of bamboo
Gardening: Characteristics of roses
Persuasion: Promise people to mention their name in your research to get what you want
Research: In the early stages it's best to consider every possible option

Location: Andaris: Herbal Shop
Location: Andaris: Ser Nade Brecht's house
Location: Rynmere: Haakon's Isle
NPC: Hannah Yavich: the owner of the "Herbal Shop"
NPC: Ser Nade Brecht: A knight
NPC: Ser Nade Brecht: A proponent of banning magic
NPC: Ser Nade Brecht: Has an old war injury

Sintih

Overview

What I really enjoyed about this thread was how the two of you worked so well together as writers. Your portrayal of Sintih really mirrors Doran's, I love how they are slowly, oh so slowly, starting to respect each other. I agree that the knowledge about the glow in the dark animals is probably animal husbandry ~ and can't think of another place to put it! I just wanted to say that I loved how you portrayed the NPCs, you have a real gift for giving each NPC a 'voice' which is distinct. Great stuff! Please do drop me a pm if you've got any questions!

Points

XP: 15

Fame: +5

Devotion: nope

Loot

None

Knowledge

Gardening: Characteristics of flash poplar
Gardening: Characteristics of duckweed
Gardening: Characteristics of bamboo
Gardening: Characteristics of roses
Research: Organizing your findings
Animal husbandry: fireflies, sea pansies and squids: Glow-in-the-dark animals
Alchemy: Living donor for living receiver
Alchemy: Theory: glow-in-the-dark plants
Chemistry: the centrifuge

Doran: seems to dismiss your hard work
Doran: Already has the answer you worked for
Doran: Cares not for sleep?
Location: Andaris: Herbal Shop
Location: Andaris: Ser Brecht's house
Location: Andaris University
Andaris University: Slow to make decisions
Andaris University: Supplies researchers with what they need
NPC: Hannah Yavich: Owner of the Herbal Shop
NPC: Ser Brecht: Former knight
NPC: Ser Brecht: Against magic
NPC: Ser Brecht: Not like the rumours