Location The Amaranthine Gate

[Phoenix]

A traveler does not simply begin at the Amaranthine Gates; Lhavit sits atop high peaks, and arriving at the gates is a feat unto itself. There is only one path, a treacherous and winding one that climbs from Port Tranquil and up the gates on the Zintia Peak. The main path is also accessible from the Unforgiving, but it is rarely used in such a way; most people arrive to Lhavit by ship. However, the faint, barely used dirt path that branches off from the main road into the mountains is still visible.

Shrubbery and trees sprout on either side of the small, steep steps that signify the beginnings of the main path, and a rather odd shack made entirely of glittering skyglass is situated not ten feet from it. This is the home of Hachia Koat, the guide that leads a prospective traveler up the winding path and towards the Amaranthine Gates, almost always with the help of the Okomo. Once there, a tall, elaborately carved gate stands before travelers, a testament to the beauty that lies behind its walls, and the wonders one is promised to behold upon entrance.

A pair of Shinya guards stand on either side, smiling down at the traveler in greeting, but remain oddly still, rooted to their positions. Up top, stationed at balconies overhead, are two more Shinya guards. Hachia generally remains with the traveler here, on the rare occasion that they are barred entrance for whatever reason and need assistance returning to ground level. One Shinya guard will look to a traveler and ask politely,

"Hail, what brings you to Lhavit?"

 

Hachia Koat

Name: Hachia Koat
Race: Human
Birthdate: 453 AV
Birthplace: Lhavit
Occupation: Guide at the Amaranthine Gates
Skills: Animal Husbandry - 70, Mountaineering - 55, Riding (Okomo) - 68, Unarmed Combat - 30, Wilderness Survival (Forest, mountain) - 42
Languages: Common (Fluent)

Hachia is a wizened old man, with a smile always hidden under his thick beard and crinkling the corners of his hooded eyes. He has been a fixture of Lhavit for as long as many can remember, helping to guide travelers up the treacherous path to the Amaranthine Gates.

Hachia lives in a small skyglass shack near the foot of the main path; he is rarely seen within the city itself, instead preferring to live as somewhat of a hermit. He is not a talkative man, but will tell any visitors or travelers whatever he can of Lhavit should they ask him on the ride up to the Gates. He has a seemingly infinite well of patience, and is unmoved by rudeness or aggression; the only time Hachia will refuse to bring someone up the path, and even then he will do so calmly, is if they threaten any of the Okomo that so often are around his shack.

Welcome to Lhavit! Feel free to self-moderate your entrance to the city. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact your ST.

[Neksia]

1st of Fall, 513 AV. The road didn't look too safe. In fact, Neksia had sudden thoughts about how it would feel to be smashed against sharp cliffs, or maybe getting buried under a huge pile of earth and rocks... It was narrow and looked completely unstable. But, since she had to somehow get to Lhavit, she knocked on the door of a weird, glittering shack next to the path. The door was opened by a man, who Neksia presumed was Hachia Koat, an guide, as she was told by her caravan, before she split off. After a few chimes she sat on an Okoma, and Hachia was leading them. This was one of the times Neksia was more than thankful for having four arms. Being able to grip in the huge goats fur, and the saddle made her feel safe enough. If she didn't look down, to the cliff-side that could be seen there, that is. After a bell or so she had reached her destination. A huge, ornament overfilled gate. It was impressing, and quite overpowering. At both sides of the beautiful gate stood guards, and when she looked up, she could see two more guards on balconies. All of them wore polite smiles on their faces, but when they spoke, the only thing that moved were their mouths, nothing else changing in their expression, making quite a creepy first impression. ''Hail, what brings you to Lhavit?'' After a moment of wondering if there was any right answer, she decided to simply answer truthfully. ''Knowledge, and a chance to lead my life as I was meant to.'' The guard, still smiling, nodded his head and gestured with his hand to the gate, which slowly opened. Straightening her back, and raising her chin, Neksia entered.

[Llew]

As I walked the long road up to The Amaranthine Gate, I gazed upon the waves crashing down upon the sharp rocks below. Listening to the loud horns and shouts of the sailors, then I refocused my attention on my current event at hand; getting into Lhavit.

Lhavit, Crystalline city of the clouds. A very beautiful place to be, in my opinion. I was looking at the giant golden gates that stood before me. I was imagining beautiful places to go and great people to meet. I was awoken from my daydream by a guard saying

"Hail, what brings you to Lhavit?" Boomed the guard in a deep bellowing voice

"Mind not you, guard. I have business, step aside" I said in the most demanding voice a 6 inch tall figurine could muster.

The guard looked down upon me and clutched his stomach and bellowed in laughter. He then stepped aside holding the gate open for me. As I strutted inside the city with pride, I shot a dirty look at the guard, glaring into his eyes

He raised his eyebrows and smiled in pity disbelief. He shall rue the day

But as for now, there were more important things at hand.

[Enki]

1st of Fall, 513

Since it became visible, Enki had been staring at the gate ahead. He had mixed feelings about reaching them. On one hand he would be home, on the other he wasn't really sure if it still would be home. Nor was he really looking forward to settling in, that would involve a lot of questions and he never had liked being questioned - or even talked to.

Still, it was better than staying alone in Sylinar or leaving with his parents yet again to who knows where this time. So here he was, now almost at the gate.

A sudden voice broke him out of brooding.

"Hail, what brings you to Lhavit?"

Looking up, Enki saw a Shinya guard looking down at him, wether he was the one that spoke he wasn't sure, but he directed his answer to him nonetheless.

"I-I'm returning home. To Lhavit. And to... to study.", he stated, a bit nervously but he had gone through this conversation in his mind so many times that it wasn't too bad.

Apparently satisfied with his reply the guard nodded and waved him through the now slightly open gates. Enki passed through them into the city without looking back.

[Cierra Frostfawn]

"Come on Stratas," Cierra said gently pulling on the horses reins. The narrow steps of which she stood upon barley made room for her and her horse to walk together. She pulled harder forcing the horses head up form the shrub he was nibbling on and lead him further up the steep slope. She climbed farther and farther, the people behind her getting more and more annoyed with her and her horse very time he put his head down and made her stop to get him moving. Finally they reached the top of the steps and approached a long bridge to the gates of Lhavit. They followed along with the crowds of people to the gate up ahead. When she reached the guards at the base of the gate, they stopped her and asked, "Hail, what brings you to Lhavit?" I looked at him for a moment and slowly responded, "My travels have brought me here, sir." He looked up and over to the horse, squinted his eyes, and stepped to the side letting us pass by.

[Iosha]

Holding the reins to her horse in her hand, Iosha walked up the long stairs towards the top of the peak. She felt the horse stall for a moment, and the konti smiled at him for a second and laid a hand on his neck, “I told you not to look down, Moon.” The horse snorted irritably in her direction and slow continued to long march up the stairs. Iosha had to admit that she was hesitant about making the long trip up the mountain, but ever since she lived in Wind Reach, she got used to heights and the thin air of the high altitude. Moonfire seemed pleased when the stair gave way to a flat surface, and the konti noticed a man sitting on his chair by a small shack. He smiled up at her and said with a welcoming smile, “I have to say. It has been a awhile since I laid my eyes on a Konti. Do you need help getting up the mountain?” Iosha smiled at the man for a moment and said with a shake of her head, “No, I can manage, sir. Is it far to the main gates?” The human said with a nod, “It my job to ask, but you should make it up to the gates in about a bell.” The konti nod and said with a slight smile, “Thank you.” When Iosha finally made it to the grand gates of Lhavit, she walked her horse to the front gates and one of the guards asked politely, “Hail, what brings you to Lhavit?” The konti turned her head to the guard and said quietly, “I will be staying here for a time, so I hope to find a job and a place to stay.” The guard seemed satisfied with her answer and waved her through the gates.

[Brandon Blackwing]

Brandon Blackwing As Brandon climbed the stairs, he wondered why exactly he left Lhavit earlier today. I was so sure I had a reason for this hike. I've never felt the urge to leave Lhavit before, not really. I mean I'm planning to leave eventually, but not to take a stroll outside the city. Not that I went that far. There wasn't much to see either. His coat fluttered in the wind when he reached the shack where Hacia Koat lived. The man quickly walked out of his home and asked if he needed a guide. "Nah, I'll be fine on my own," Brandon said and paced past him. Hopefully I'll reach the gates within a bell. If not, well, then....Then what? He had no idea. Would it be bad if I arrived a bit later? I don't think it'd be that much of a problem. He shrugged. He didn't really have any appointments today, so he figured it would be okay to be late. Even if there wasn't anything he could be late for. With steady tread, a relaxed pace and his hands in the pockets of his pants, Brandon finnaly made it to the Amaranthine Gates. The wind played with his coat. A sturdy guard blocked his way. "Hail! What brings you to Lhavit?" he bellowed. The Kelvic sighed. "My house is located in the city. My feet are tired and my stomach empty. So stand aside and let me in, I'm longing for some rest." There, that's my business. Any more stupid questions you have to ask before I may enter? he thought. The guard nodded, and stepped aside. Brandon thanked him, wished the man a good day and entered the gates.

[Samsara]

5th of Fall, 513

There it was! Sitting atop a mountain and constructed from the famed skyglass, the great city of Lhavit. The stories and rumors that Samsara had heard did no justice to the true beauty of the city and for a brief moment the old storyteller was breathless. Then suddenly Samsara began to chuckle. A deep earthy sound at first, it quickly grew to a boisterous laugh that echoed across the bay and drew the rueful smiles of the sailors.

“Bless all the Gods and Goddesses in the sky above! It’s beautiful!” The light in Samsara’s eyes had kindled into a bright fire, pouring forth an aura of mirth and mischief. “After all those petching days at sea, all those stormy days, and starless nights! It was worth it just for the chance to see this place!” The captain of the boat, chuckling himself, walked over to the old man and patted him on the back. “Careful friend, you might have a heart attack before you’re even in the petching city!” Incredulous, Samsara turned and grabbed the man by the arms before shaking him ever so slightly, “How can you say such a thing Captain? Look at it,” with a sweeping gesture Samsara pointed to the city as it set on the seven peaks, “it is majestic beyond scope! Only in the wildest stories of ages gone by have I ever dreamed of such a place!” With a laugh just as boisterous as Samsara’s the Captain detached himself from the old man and set about giving orders to his crew so as to bring the boat into dock.

Impatient to finally be in the city that had been his goal for almost two years, Samsara perched himself on the side of the boat (bouncing ever so slightly in excitement) waiting for the dock to get close enough to jump to. As soon as the boat clunked against the pier, the old man leapt off the boat! Staff in hand and backpack on, Samsara stumbled as his knees buckled and almost went sprawling into the wood. At the last second he managed to change his momentum so he merely stumbled. Hardly turning back to look at the crew that had been his companions for so long, the old storyteller ran down the pier feeling half his age. “MAY THE WIND ALWAYS FIND YOUR SAILS!!!” With these parting words, Samsara turned his back completely and faced his future.

It wasn’t until Samsara got closer to the main mountain that he actually began to process what Lhavit was. A city . . . on a mountain. This meant that there had to be some way to get to the top of the mountain. In all likelihood this meant stairs, lots and lots of stairs. The thought was enough to make Samsara gag a little and slow his pace just a tiny bit. Stairs had never been a problem for the old man before, but then again he had never had to scale a distance quite the long either. Lost for a moment with no clear concept of where to go, the old man was startled a little bit when a voice came from behind him. “Another traveler to the city I take it?”

Quickly spinning around in surprise (there were a few pops and cracks as Samsara began to feel the consequences of his little stunt) the old man broke a large small across his face. “Certainly! I would take it as a great kindness if you could point me to where exactly I need to go?” The stranger stepped forward and offered their hand, “That’s my job. Name’s Hachia and me and the Okomo will be the ones taking you to the gate.” Samsara stared at Hachia for a moment and blinked stupidly, “The Okomo?” Hachia’s only response was to give Samsara a chuckle and move past the old man, beckoning as he went.

Taking his cue, Samsara obediently fell into step behind Hachia as he was led further down the path and around a small bend in the road. Once around the curve Samsara was forced to stop and stare at the small house, shack really, that set next to what Samsara assumed was the path up the mountain. Noticing that Hachia had kept walking, Samsara quickly caught up all the while staring at the unique material the house seemed to be made of.

So enraptured by the house, Samsara failed to notice when Hachia disappeared for a moment and came back with two Okomo saddled and ready to be ridden. “This is an Okomo!” The words were just enough to pull Samsara’s lingering eyes away from the small building and towards the beasts. For a moment Samsara was struck dumb, his mind completely unable to process the creature before him. Eyes bulging out of his head, the old man tried several times to form a sentence to articulate what he was feeling but in the end the old thing he could muster was an exclamation that sounded like a mix between wow, ah, oh my, and a gasp.

Hachia chuckled and moved away from the majestic creatures, “Most foreigners have the same reaction.” The sound of another human voice was enough to bring Samsara back to his senses and the old man was finally able to notice that the Okomo appeared to be saddled, “Are we supposed to ride these creatures up the mountain?” Eyes darting back and forth from the Okomo to Hachia, Samsara tried to memorize ever feature of the Okomo and was already formulating a story that he could tell back east. “Of course! How else do you expect us to get up the mountain? The trail is treacherous and quite dangerous in some places. Only people with great experience are albeit to navigate the path on foot, for everyone else there is the Okomo.” The thought of climbing on top of these creatures (whose existence Samsara was still trying to cope with) caused the old man to let out a tittering laugh that was a mixture of relief, excitement, and a little dose of fear. “So no stairs then?”

******************** Later that day ********************

Several bells (and several stomach projections later) the two travelers and their impressive mounts finally reach the end of the path, stopping next to the Amaranthine Gate. The tall and intricately carved gates caused Samsara to pause in his saddle, forgetting the unpleasantness in his stomach, and merely gaze at the large gates in awe. This was probably the 15 time since this morning that some aspect of Lhavit had managed to stop the storyteller in his tracks as he attempted to wrap his mind around what he was seeing and engrave it into his mind. The architecture of the gate was simple yet complicated and evoked feelings of great age and grandeur within Samsara. The old man had travelled the length of the east coast of Mizahar and few things had been able to affect him as much as the city of Lhavit had so far.

A light tug on the side of his robe reminded Samsara that there were others waiting on him to climb down from the Okomo, 4 others to be exact. The guards of the Amaranthine Gate’s watch the old man as he climbed down from his mount, bemused looks in their eyes. Samsara turned and gave a smile to the guards, “Hello gentlemen! Beautiful gate you have there.”


Not even cracking a smile (though the bemused look never seemed to go away), one of the guards on the ground level spoke. “Hail, what brings you to Lhavit?" While the tone of the voice was one of politeness, there was hardness behind it either reminding Samsara that these people were guards and could probably kill him without too much trouble. Standing up to his full height and with staff in hand Samsara faced the guard he spoke plain in the face and met his stare. “I am Samsara the Storyteller. I have come to the City of Lhavit to ply my craft, seek a warm hearth, and study in The Bharani Library. May I enter?” After a short moment’s pause, dragged out immeasurably in the mind of Samsara, the guard spoke again. “Enter and be welcome. It would behoove you to seek out the Cosmos Center in order to obtain both employment and living quarters during your stay in Lhavit. They will also be able to give you more information about the Bharani Library.”

Samsara inclined his head in thanks and made to move past the guards before stopping and turning back to Hachia. Samsara suddenly grabbed the hand of the guide and shook it profusely, “Thank you so much for assisting me on my journey! You have given me an experience I shall never forget! I will remember you and your Okomo always!” Then, leaning conspiratorially towards Hachia, Samsara whispered, “I don’t suppose you’d be able to give me directions to the Cosmos Center would you?” The guide chuckled before giving the old man quick and concise directions to the center. With a last thank you Samsara quickly passed through the gates, sparing a quick glance at those that guarded it, not wanting to test the limits of their mood.

As his foot stepped across the threshold of the gate, something moved within the old man. A feeling that this step would be the first in the longest and greatest adventure of his life.

[Arcturus]

1st of Fall, 513 AV

He nodded to Hachia Koat, speaking once the guard was near enough.

"No need to escort me, I've been here before."

Hachia moved back to his post, waving a hand in goodbye.

"Welcome back then, Svefra. Enjoy."

~~~

Syna had retreated into her domain, and Leth had come out. Under His light, Arcturus shifted into his Ethaefal form as he approached the Amaranthine Gates.

"Hail, Ethaefal! What brings you to Lhavit?"

"I am returning to Lhavit after over half a century, guard of the Shinya. I will be practicing my art here for quite a long time, I suspect."

The guard nodded.

"Welcome back then. You are most welcome. You'd best get to the Wizard Registry - after such a long time, your records might have been lost or destroyed. I'll send one of us to escort you. The streets might have changed, and you could be lost."

"Thank you. I hope that I'll be more familiar with Lhavit's streets. I'm planning to stay here for quite a while, in fact."

[Engghaen]

Almost out of breath, Engghaen reached the top of the path. It took a while for her to realise where actually this path was going. She stopped to get some air. Man, this is beautiful... Not anything like Syliras... This, all these mountains.. She shook her head.
"A new traveller, I suppose..?"
Surprised, she turned around to see a man standing behind her. Engghaen smiled at him. "Yes, I came here by accident. I want to find something to be secure of." He nodded.
"Then go ahead, lady. Can I offer you some help to the other side?"
She thought, but rejected. "Alright, have a nice journey..."

If I look down, I'll fall. Don't look down, don't look down.. If you looked closely, you would see even Engghaen being slightly afraid on the high bridge. She looked up in astonishment and her gaze fell on the massive gate. She noticed the guard. "Hail, what brings you to Lhavit?" He said kindly. Engghaen didn't expect this question, but answered quickly. "I seek a place to be called 'home'." The guard nodded. "I hope you will find what you seek here in Lhavit..."