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

Lucian takes a moment before he reaches out and picks up the pebble. "Hopefully Lord Orb isn't too attached to them. Although they might not be able to be hurt, so who knows?" He watches the hazy people down below and picks his target before giving it a try.

Marythel waits expectantly for the results of their joint experimentation, with a mirthful gleam in his old eyes. He puffs on his pipe, as the young Lucian whizzes the pebble at the nearest ambiguously featured commoner in sight of the tower's balcony.

Lucian is rather pleased his toss hit, and watches eagerly to see what happens. Useless, despite himself, is also interested while Marengo looks up at them before relaxing onxe more.

The pebble glances off of the hazy figure and it can be seen to tense up at the moment of impact. For a moment, it stands perfectly still and its color and features appear to become slightly more distinct.

What happened was actually more interesting than what Lucian thought might happen. They could feel, that was for sure. That the impact or pain made them more visible was fascinating. "How curious. I wonder what that could mean...and now I'm curious to know if I'm hazy to them. Or do you know if the pebble made them more aware for a moment?"

"More aware? Yes. Possibly." Marythel shares his thoughts on the matter. "If definitely reminded them that someone knew they existed. Therefore they must exist."

Following the directions given by the Blackmantles, Radu finds himself traveling into a sizable terminating courtyard. Several of the faceless can be seen going about their own business along the edge of the cobblestone avenue. Ahead, the Dhampir lord can see a lone horse and beyond it a round tower merging into the city perimeter wall. As his eyes travel up the tower, he immediately notices Lucian and an old man with a white beard, on a balcony overlooking the area.

Likewise, Lucian quickly notices the approach of Lord Radu from the east, as he enters the courtyard from area of the main streets and the palace.

Radu approaches the tower and, recognizing Lucian, holds a hand up in greeting. "Am I interrupting, or might I join you?" he calls up.

Lucian watches the other man as he heads over, but continues to address Marythel as he does so. "I wonder what would have to happen to make the effect last longer. They could be useful, or have useful information." But he probably shouldn't go around attempting to torture one to see if that worked. That was frowned upon, even by him.

Once Radu calls up to him, Lucian lifts his own hand in a short wave. "If Marythel here doesn't mind, I don't see why you couldn't join." He turns his head to look at his companion. "As fun as tossing things at the hazy person was, and I will probably do it again, I don't suppose you can tell me things about Lord Orb and his - what was it, council?"

Radu heads inside and seeks a way up to join the other two in the tower.

The locking mechanism in the door to the tower clicks and then the door opens partially on its own. A small glowing ball of light guides Radu up to the the next floor and then to the balcony, where the old man and Lucian sit.


Marythel shrugs to Lucian's question of the council and Lord Orb. "What you want to know exactly?"

"No exact things, I'm afraid. More...how they are. How they treat people, how much they like to hide things, general consensus about them and how they handle things." He shrugs slightly, apologetic for not being able to be more specific. "I suppose, in a nutshell, are they likely to screw me over? If they are, is it for fun, profit or the 'greater good'?"

Radu arrives in time to hear the gist of Lucian's question and crosses his arms. "I wouldn't mind hearing this myself. I've tried, since arriving here, to suss out any kind of deception or trickery and so far have found none. Yet, I am skeptical by nature, and the vampire lord, Sanguinor - I have never known such a creature to be acting for the greater good. It would be against their nature." He awaits the old man's answer.

The old man sighs, taps out his pipe on the edge of the balcony and begins to repack it with new leaf.

"The Council are just that. They all have their say with different motives and opinions. Lord Orb has the final say. There are rivalries amongst them, but they all agree on two important things: The survival of T'Lorn and the continuance of the multiverse." Marythel pauses long enough to light the pipe again with his thumb and take a couple pulls off the contents.

Letting the aromatic smoke curl from the corners of his mouth, he continues. "Now. If its gossip you're looking for? Let's start with Sanguinor then. Word is, as the Left Hand of Master Fane the High Priest, Sanguinor is looking to ascend to a full council member."

"So they are not all the best of friends, then," Radu ponders, "Are there ever only a set number of Council members? That is to say, would one seat need become vacant for Sanguinor to ascend to such a position?"

"There is no set number of chairs on the Council. It is mostly determined by length of service to the city, deeds of renown, and things like that. Sanguinor, even though being a vampire, is still considerably younger than the current members."

"That's impressive to consider, even for a city that seems ageless. So, Sanguinor need not dispose of someone to attain this seat, but would be looking for ways to distinguish himself.

"What of Lord Orb? I believe I confirmed that he himself was once a Champion. Is he so powerful that all those on the Council follow him, or does he rule T'Lorn by some right other than might?"

Lucian just listened for a bit, but one thought struck him. Radu, as usual, asked good questions so he felt no need to insert himself there. "If there are rivalries and ambitions among them, what exactly would they do to forward their own cause? And can we assume that the survival of the multiverse would include not screwing over the champions they've chosen? Could you, perhaps, give us an idea of who is with or against whom? It might help us not get involved with whatever they have going on." Or get involved, if they so chose. But he wasn't terribly inclined to the drama of politics. Some of the others might be though.

"Sanguinor has an advantage most of the current council does not have, save Orb himself. The vampire can travel through the gate and spread their influence beyond the confines of T'Lorn. As vampires are essentially ageless." Marythel comments. "Besides being able to enter the dreams of individuals throughout the planes of man, Lord Orb can still physically manifest himself outside T'Lorn and without his existence, the city would eventually die. You see, T'Lorn is not just a city of stone and shadow. She is a living entity or at least the embodiment of one."

He looks over to Lucian. "The Council didn't choose the Champions. It simply had the means to identify them, seek them out, and draw them here to join together in the fight for the continuance of us all. Why would they then be looking for ways to screw over these Champions? I suppose, if it meant the survival of the multiverse over a Champion's life, that might be strong enough a reason."

He takes another couple pulls on his pipe before continuing. "As with all groups of individuals I guess, differences and rivalries will happen. Lady Cybrexia, for instance, doesn't care for the incestuous relationship between Master Fane and his sister, Lady Sibylla..."

"I'm glad to hear it. I have long learned that just because I could not come up with a reason for something, that doesn't mean others also could not." Lucian paused as he thought about the other answers. "Do you mean to say that, if they left, they would age? Or is it that a vampire turning up in various historical places is more logical to most people?" While he himself found a brother and sister romance unpleasant, it wasn't him in one. He wasn't quite sure what to do with that information, but made a mental note of it anyway. At the very least, he wouldn't be shocked to see them - if he did.