Ride: With Lucian Falken (Scene/Episode 2) Lucian

With Chamberlin's guidance, Lucian and Useless are lead through the vast corridors and chambers of the palace, returning to the entrance the young Aasimar and his companion first used on their arrival in T'Lorn. The masked guards watch from their posts, as the tall man turns right and crosses the cobblestoned walk to a large arched entrance with black iron gates.

A single guard on duty there snaps to attention and promptly unlocked the gates. They swing open with an audible creaking of metal on metal. Beyond the gates an arched hallway, large enough for a dragon to traverse, stands before Lucian. It is dimly illuminated by blue heatless arcane torches in sconce and bracket positioned along the hall.

"I will leave you here, m'Lord." Chamberlin tells Lucian. "Your steed will be down this hallway. Careful not to agitate the occupants of the other stalls." He adds, turn to look over one shoulder as he departs. "Some of them are quite dangerous to those who are not their owners."

"Understood. Thank you, Chamberlin." Lucian gives the man a genuine smile, as so far he really does like him, before heading down the hallway. He and Useless cautiously look into the stalls along the way, Useless flying along, and they try not to be too much of a bother to any of the other inhabitants until they find Marengo. This stall they enter, and Lucian greets his horse with a half hug on his head as Useless chitters at them.

He takes the time to check and make sure Marengo has been taken care of, doing what he needs to do for his friend's care, before saddling him. Out of habit he even sets the saddlebags in place, and leaves them there even though he probably won't need anything in them. At least this way, should he feel the need, he can put Marengo's armor on. Why he would need to here, he truly had no idea, but better safe than sorry. As the area here is incredibly large, Lucian simply rides Marengo out of the entrance that he remembers.

While he heads down the street he knows, they are walking at a slow and comfortable pace which allows him to look around for a place that might be useful for him and his desire to know more about what was happening and of his hosts. Yet Lucian is in no real rush, as he enjoys the time spent wandering. Still, he does have a sort of purpose, he supposes. Maybe he will get lucky, maybe he won't, but nothing would happen if he didn't look.

Peeking in some of the stalls along the way Lucian sees a lavender and blue scaled wyvern, a nightmare, and couple of large warhorse-like equines with hornlike protrusions.





There are also several other normal looking horses beyond these creatures and he eventually happens upon the stall where Marengo is currently being housed. His equine companion announces itself even before Lucian steps close enough to see into the stall and is genuinely happy to see him.

Lucian will easily note, as he is hugging his friend, that Marengo has recently been brushed and has both food and water readily available for consumption.

Wanting to stretch out their legs and go for a ride, Lucian trots his horse back to the entrance of the stables and surveys his options.

End Scene

Lucian starts along the familiar route until he comes to the part where he can make a choice. He can head down the way he arrived or he can instead turn to the left and follow the unknown street. While he admits there may be value to the right, he decides to go left largely on whim. Good enough reason for now.

The movement of figures along Lucian's path are noticeably shadowy and hazy, seeming to not have many features, including faces.



The sound of Marengo's hooves echo on the cobblestone as they progress. The steps from the higher plateau of the palace descend gently and are no trouble for the horse to traverse. Turning northward in the small plaza featuring a well, Lucian again rides up some similar steps and quickly finds they are in a courtyard terminating between several sizable stone buildings and a tall imposing, round tower. Defensive city walls rise up connecting to the tower and flanking the rear of the others buildings as well.



On a small balcony of the large circular tower, Lucian's keen eye spots an old white-haired man, sitting on the edge of the balcony's low stone wall, smoking a pipe.

The hazy people are creepy, sure. The way things echo, maybe also creepy. And yet it feels like such a familiar feeling Lucian is almost pleased that it is this way. When he spots the man who looks like he could be real - or like Lucian anyway - he halts Marengo. After a moment of debate he taps Marengo into motion again to go under the man's balcony, but still in view and calls up to him.

"Hello, are you a hazy person or a not hazy person? Either way, do you mind a chat?"

"Am I?" The old man answers. "You'll have to tell me. Do I look hazy to you Sonny?" He blows out a stream of smoke and holds up his arms. "Suppose I could let you bend my ear for a bit. What you want to chat about?"

"Well, you seem not hazy to me. I must admit I don't quite know the rules around life here." Lucian shifts to where the two can speak without the need to shout with both Marengo and Useless before he continues. "Which is what I'm curious about. I don't suppose you feel inclined to enlighten me about how this place works - and its esteemed rulers?"

The old man chuckles and takes another drag off his pipe. "That's a lot of question Sonny. How long you got?"

"My name's Marythel. What's yours?"

"My name would be Lucian Falken, feel free to call me what you like. I suppose, time wise, I have until the ruler here summons me back." He wasn't certain refusal would be an option, so hopefully he could learn a fair bit in the interim.

"Well then. If that be the case, you'd better tie off that horse of yours and come on up." The old man says, with a waving gesture. "I'll open the door for you. Wouldn't want a hazy person happen by and overhear us." He adds with a little laugh.

Lucian takes the invitation, dropping Maregno's reins but not tying him up. His horse won't leave him and, being trained for war, treats dangling reins as good as being tied in place. Useful for being out in the wilderness or battlefield. He doesn't speak again until he is beside Marythel, and leans on the edge to keep an eye on Marengo - so that no one bugs his horse, not the other way around. Useless hops onto the balcony wall to get comfortable. "Do the hazy people hear things? Actually, what are they anyway?"

"Sure. The hazy people can hear if they're close enough, just like you or I." Marythel replies to Lucian's query. "They are the common folk of this demiplane. Not important enough for notice most of the time and as much a part of the background as the stones of the buildings. They're features fade with the passing of ages until they are but fleeting memories and when no one can remember them they disappear completely."

"Interesting. Will you one day become the same? Or are you like me and not from here?" Lucian pauses before asking another question on top of those. "How often are people brought here by Lord Orb? How many survive the summons?" He hoped he could get 'true' answers from this man. At the very least he could compare the information with what he had. Information was a tool after all, stronger the more you had.

Marythel takes a long tug off his pipe and holds in the smoke for a pause, then blows it out the side of his mouth, before answering. "I should hope not. I've been here for ages. I guess the answer to existence is to be useful, so people don't forget you..or your contributions."

"I found the way here back in the day, like many before and after." He continues. "Lord Orb and the Council have only assisted those who seek out the Eternal City, unless a great need arises. Tanelorn, as it once was called, has always been a refuge, a sanctuary, and a reward for those who wish to remove themselves from the struggles of the multiverse."

When Lucian asks about survival of those summoned, the old man scratches his head and looks a bit confused. "You were summoned? Are you then a Champion? Has the next age of your world already happened or is it nigh?"

Lucian does his best to commit what is being said to memory. Tanelorn. Interesting. "So I'm told, but I can't tell you beyond that. As for timing...nigh I think? I'll admit I may have missed something, the last 24 or so hours have been...unique." He watched some of the hazy people below, and his posture changed slightly. A little less relaxed and more like when a cat debated killing that bird. Not invested yet, but the thought was there. "Do the hazy ones still bleed or feel pain?" Useless looks up at him, causing him to clarify with a shrug. "I don't want to go around testing it, Useless. I just...want to know."

The old man nods and Hmmms a couple times, as he listens to Lucian's response. Then chuckles as the question and discussion between Lucian and his small dragonkin companion, about the condition of the hazy ones' reaction to negative stimuli, comes to the fore. He plucks up a small pebble off the ledge of his balcony and shows it to Lucian in the open palm of his hand. "Should we see..?"

Lucian grins before addressing Useless. "I lied, I want to test it."

Marythel raises a bushy brow and extends his open palm towards Lucian. "You want the honors or should I?"