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[Quzon]

Sixth Day of Winter, 517 A.V.
13th Bell
A continuation from here...

Quzon knew he was suppose to be resting, but since his veins pulsed with the vigor of combat his mindset was far from being restful when he knew the Tainted Shadows were an imminent threat. He'd stopped by his rented home at the Kuahala Estates to pick up his hunters's hide armor, and adorned himself in all of his weaponry. Quzon knew full well that they wouldn't work against a shadow, but it gave him a peace of mind to know that he was armed.

To the Myrian marked by the godess of war, Quzon truly did now see the Tainted Shadows as things that needed to be destroyed. But given that he did not know how to destroy them, all he could do was prepare himself to be safe from them.

He walked the city streets of Riverfall with a scroll clutched in hand. It was the same scroll everyone received when entering the city that had a map of the city. "I need to seek out the devoted of Akajia. Is this shadow goddess incompetent? Or the reason behind it. FIrst Morwen and now Akajia, Myri may your victories shine brighter." The Myrian thought as he trudge onward towards The Night Tower. "Maybe I need to see the others temples, should they know something?"

His heavy booted footfalls stopped as he eyed over the map to find any other places of worship. "Wysar's Tower, Makutsi’s Tower, Nysel’s Tower, Nevar's Tower..." The name Nevar literally stumped Quzon as he had never heard it before, but the location was listed as a religious place. He rounded off the list by trying to find it on the map, taking note of its location before taking a moment to find Zulrav & Laviku’s towers. Quzon realized it would behoove him to learn about the other gods, in case he needed to combat threats from them in the future.

Quzon found himself standing in front of Gilia Medical Center as he spotted The Night Tower down the road from it. "Good, should all else fail. I will see them about my eyes." He mused aloud to himself in the language of Isur. "Should have used more fire." They were words that lingered in his mind like the softest of sweet whispers, sweet whispers that his angered mind fully agreed as his eyes took in the monochrome black and white front of the medical center. His emerald green eyes still bloodshot from using to much elemental power in a quick span of time.

The walk to entrance of The Night Tower was briskly made, ending with him coming face to face with whoever visitors needed to see to ask for entrance into the Tower. "I Quzon, wish speak with, one Akajia's faithful." The words were spoken clearly, albeit sated in a brokenly simplistic manner from his lack of a common vocabulary.

[Quzon]

Quzon was told to await the priestess in the main lobby, which he soon did after entering the Tower. The interior of the tower was as elaborate as he expected the center of worship for a goddess to be. Quzon was not a devoted of Akajia neither did he have reason to seek out guidance in the night. As his eyes lifted to look towards the ceiling, he took in the sight of the three triangles of darkness upon it. If his eyes could witness the gleaming blue, he would have found the sight to be far more enticing.

The focus of his eyes stopped taking in the triangles as he tried to adjust his vision. He made his eyes go blurry, then looked at something closer to him like the near wall. When the clarity of his vision returned the world remained a contrast of black and white. This was just another trial, he told himself. Another obstacle. "This is not weakness. Its a trail to build strength. A victory to be made." The half Myrian taking solace in Myri grounded by his belief in Izurdin. "If I am to live in the dark, I will learn to fight what lingers within it." He spoke to himself in Myrian.

He waited patiently for ten chimes before he was approached by a dark skinned woman who seemed to appear from behind him seemingly out of nowhere. Quzon could no longer tell what skin colors the Akalak were, so when face with a woman, a female; with no knowledge what an Akontak was, and without begin able to see her skin tone. He just naturally assumed that she was a human with seemingly white hair. "Hello, Quzon is it? I am High Priestess Salana. Care to tell me a secret?" The woman spoken in a playful tone, using the question as a warm way of welcoming the new comer while motioning her hand towards herself for the man wrapped in bear skin armor to approach with his inquiry.

Quzon was still angry, not at the woman, but at himself. Perhaps it was vanity. He was a man who prided himself on building his physique. Who wanted to appear strong. Now to have to speak about his flaws and have his weaknesses laid bare like a rotting carcass of a once proud tiger made his soul turn that much furious. Quzon knew he'd have to deal with that anger by bodybuilding later to release such negative emotion.

He approached the High Priestess, then gave her a respectable nod of his head as a bow. "I here, now. For need know, how beat Tainted Shadows." Each of his words were carefully thought out to the best of his poor common language ability. "And why Akajia not control her shadows? Tell me, does you goddess not care that eyes.." He said as he lifted a finger to point at his own eyes. "Can't see color? Does Akajia want world in darkness?" Just like how his world was now one of black and white, Quzon saw Akajia as being an enemy.

High Priestess Salana could see that the man speaking to her wore his emotions on his sleeve. Not hiding them in the slightest. Just from the way Quzon spoke, the High Priestess needed to quell the man's misunderstanding of the situation less she let a man go who would wrongly harbor strong hate against Akajia.

"Akajia is the Night's Mistress. She sees over the night, the shadows, darkness, all secrets, and the secrecy of stealth. However, those Tainted Shadows terrorizing the city are not of Akajia control. We do not know where they have come from. And thus why the goddess has asked the city for aid in learning their secrets. I'm sorry about your eye sight, but there is nothing I can do about it. No new information I can offer you."

Quzon's fingers balled into tight fists at each of his sides. He needed to close his eyes for a moment to collect himself. "Patience in war. Victory in strength." He thought to himself before letting his balled first loosen. He was back to square one on a journey that he'd only taken one step on. Literally taking one step forward and two steps back. "You no idea, of where Tainted shadows come?" He asked with some amount of desperation in his eyes. A desperation of wanting to start a war, but having no enemy to focus on.

"I can only offer you this. It is a pre-Valterrian nursery rhyme here in Riverfall. It goes like this.." She said before taking amount to think of the proper wording.

“When Shadows Rise And Eat The Light
Those Sentient Gnash Their Teeth And Flee The Night
Ancient Wrongs Were Never Made Right
Torments Awake And Itch For A Vicious Fight
Take They Will Your Will And Your Beautiful Colorful Sight..”

Quzon was deathly focused on every word she said. The taking away of colorful sight gave validity to the nursery rhyme. That meant that they must literally be an 'ancient wrong that was never made right'. "As the Night's Mistress has said, light will be a powerful ally in any attempts at defending against them." Quzon nodded his head, but knew that a shadow could survive a flame within its own body.

"If not know, know now. My fires of reimancy were useless against Tainted Shadow." He spoke, informing the woman about magics ineffectiveness if she did not already know. "Who in city studies the ancient?" The High Priestess glanced to the scroll in his hand, then just pointed at it. "Obvious answer." The woman spoke with a slight smirk. Quzon unfurled the scroll to take a moment to look it over. It took him a chime, but the answer clicked as he eyed The Antiquities Society's location on the map.

"Thank you, the gift of your time was... most welcomed." He spoke with a smile as he knew the next place he needed to visit. "Likewise. And happy hunting... may Akajia bless your hunt for many secrets." Quzon gave the woman a deeper bow of his head as she said the blessing. "May Myri gift you many victories. And Izurdin the strength to achieve them." He spoke a blessing back to her as a farewell before turning around to exit The Night Tower.

[Quzon]

Quzon's snarling expression loosened into a focused smirk brightened in excitement at the thought of getting answers, even as another sharp pang of fear sank through him over the presence of the more muted fear of doing all of this, and learning nothing. As he walked down the street on his way to The Antiquities Society, Quzon stopped in his tracks again once he found himself in front of the Gilia Medical Center again.

"Maybe a healer can fix my sight?" He mused aloud as he turned to walk towards the buildings entrance. After he walked through the main entrance Quzon made his way to the front desk where he glanced from eyed the two Akalak sentries lingering around it. When he was told to disarm himself, Quzon removed the chakram he wore around his neck, the hand ax from where it was tucked into the back of his belt, the hunting knife tucked into his right boot, and finally unwound the Aclis tied around his waist like a belt.

It was only after he waa disarmed that the Akalak at the front desk asked for his name. "Quzon Gemsock Pitrius of the Barbed Earth Clan." He spoke without hesitation with a sense of pride in himself. He was then gestured towards the treatment area where he was guided into a room by a member of the medical staff. "A healer will be hear to see you shortly." An Akalak said before closing the door, leaving him alone in the room.

Quzon began to pace around the room in a slow circle as he awaited a healer. When the door opened he turned to see a beautiful human woman. "Quzon Gemsock?" The woman saying his name as a question which he greeted with a nod of his head. "My name is Clarissa and will be your healer. What seemed to be the problem today?" The woman spoke as she seemed to instantly take note of the way his eyes were bloodshot.

"Take They Will Your Will And Your Beautiful Colorful Sight..." He repeated the words to the nursery rhyme. "Tainted Shadows taken my color. I see only black and white." He said as he pointed to his eyes before holding out his hand to present his palm to her. His hand shook with a slight tremble from having previously preformed an overcharged earthen spear and spur of the moment flame. "Efforts to combat Shadows with fire Reimancy failed. Can you heal sight?"

Clarissa's expression quickly turned solemn as she listened to Quzon speak. "I'm sorry, but their have been others who've come here afflicted by the same plight. And I really am sorry to say that we've been unable to help anyone who've become color blind." Quzon Immediately simply took in that information then made his way for the door in attempt to now forego any healing. "Wait! I can help alleviate some of the physical trauma you received from preforming Reimancy." Quzon was so dead set on leaving that he only stopped after opening the door when the woman set a hand on his shoulder.

He canted his head to the side to look over his shoulder at her. One of Quzon's best friends, and former fangmate when he was in the Taloban Army bore the mark of Rak'keli. He had a sudden flashback of old friends which calmed him in that moment enough to turn around and accept her aid, because he might need it again some day.

Clarissa placed both of her palms against the temples of his head and started to pray. "Let Rak'keli's compassion comfort your mind and her love ease any suffering." His eyes closed as a purifying sensation overtook his body. He looked down at his hand to see that it had stopped shaking and his emerald green eyes to loose the bloodshot sign of magical strain.

"Thank you." He spoke as he fished out his miza from his backpack to pay her, or get ready to payNot sure what the price is, so will deduct 10 gm from my ledger for a healing session who ever he needed to hand the money too."Your welcome." The woman spoke as he walked towards the exit of the building, only stopping to collect each of his weapons before leaving.

Quzon unfurled the scroll once more to regain his bearings within the city. If he was looking at the city map correctly, the Antiquities Society was located south west of his current location. As he lifted his gaze to the sun, he realized that he needed to keep track of its movements to prepare himself for nightfall. That was when he realized he left all his torches back in The Coalinga Gem Mines. "I'll get them later." He mused to himself as knew he'd need to return to the dark depths to preform his job. The Half-Isur had been walking at a steady pace down the street when a tense feeling of anticipation filled him at the thought of having to deal with the shadows face to face again.

Quzon did not consider himself a scholar, but with so many ideas jumbling about in his head, he was undergoing some amount of sudden anxiety that dulled his centered calm after being healed. It was a tense feeling that caused him to stop in the middle of the street while deep in thought. His thoughts were swiftly disrupted by the sounds of laughter, merriment, and life which caused him to cast his eyes over the people lingering out in front of the Kulkukan Tavern and all around him were people heading from it, to it, or to the Zhongjie Warren located to his left.

"I'll stop to buy a hooded lantern at the market before the day is done.." He mused aloud to himself in Myrian before continuing on down the road until he reached The Antiquities Society...

[Quzon]

Quzon stood in front of the carnivorous statuary located in the courtyard of The Antiquities Society. He stood there absently looking it over, trying to gauge what the creatures were that were eating the gazelle. Winged monstrosities. They weren't the things that Quzon had feared since childhood, The Falyndar Nightmare Bats, the statues had tails, and the hindquarters of a tiger. It was an interesting enough working of stone that he stood their staring at it for nearly five chimes before braking away to head into the building.

Quzon took the scenic route as he wandered through the main museum where many awe inspiring artifacts were on display. Even Quzon had to admit that he found some of the ancient artworks fascinating. He didn't meander for too long as he spotted a woman who seemed to work at the facility, then approached her slowly after catching hr attention with a simple gesture of his hand in greeting.

"Yes?" The woman curiously asked while examining the head of the cured bear hide he wore, her fingers tapping against what looked like a small board with a parchment on it that acted like a clipboard. "I seek... scholars. Knowledge I seek, of rhyme before Valterrian." He made sure to speak at a slow, yet focused pace. His accent was clearly that of a man who hailed from Taloba, his every word of common nearly turning into Myrian at the slightest confusion of a common word.

"Well then you have come to the right places! We here at the Antiquities Society dedicated out lives to the exploration of our pasts to build a better future. If you have the coin, I do greatly suggest that you join us to take advantage of our resources, you can even learn much from patterning up with like minded individuals..." The woman paused for a moment before smiling at him. "Oh, and my name is Kara Bloomsheart I work as the Secretary of Antiquities here."

Quzon had to squint his eyes at her as she was talking, clearly showing that he was having to concentrate on every word she had spoken to keep up with her pace in common. "How much, join?" He asked as he looked around the museum. "Fifty gold miza for the year."

He removed his backpack to shuffle around for his miza's, counting out fifty of them before holding each of them out in his two cupped hands. The woman received them, storing them away into a pouch she wore before taking up a small charcoal stick in her other hand. "What is your name?" She asked curiously while looking him in the eyes. "Quzon Gemsock Pitrius of the Barbed Earth Clan"

Kara asked him for the proper spelling of all of that, which he quickly did with a nod of his head as she wrote it all down. Afterwards, she removed what looked to be a necklace from another pouch she wore. "This is a Compass Rose Medallion. It is the symbol of the Society marking you as a member."

Quzon took it in hand to examine it before setting it over his head to remain around his neck. "Now about your question... What was it that you were asking?" Quzon looked down at the medallion hanging from his neck for a moment before looking back up at her.

“When Shadows Rise And Eat The Light
Those Sentient Gnash Their Teeth And Flee The Night
Ancient Wrongs Were Never Made Right
Torments Awake And Itch For A Vicious Fight
Take They Will Your Will And Your Beautiful Colorful Sight..”

He repeated the words verbatim that the Priestess at the Night Tower had told him. "I seek... 'Ancient Wrongs Were Never Made Right'. You, clue where I look?"

LedgerAntiquities Society membership: -50 gms.

[Quzon]

Kara turned and began walking off in a random direction, her hand gesturing for Quzon to follow her as her eyes flashed towards many of the museums statues. "I can only take vague estimated guesses on what that could mean. The phrase 'Ancient Wrongs' is a pretty vague blanket statement." He followed her up a flight of stairs that lead to the network of offices on the second floor. She knocked on the door of one before cracking the door open to peak in. "Deven?" She spoke curiously. Quzon assumed she found who she was looking for when she opened the door fully to allow him entrance.

"Yes?" An Alakak said while looking up from paperwork splayed out across a desk. Kara handed Deven the payment she was given by Quzon, along with the parchment that had his name on it. "We have a new member who has an interesting question." Deven glanced to the parchment before looking up at Quzon to put a face to the name. Kara then repeated the question she was asked which sparked a small conversation between the two before they settled on the best estimated guess.

"As an Alakak, the greatest 'wrong' I can think of that is currently still a mystery to us even to this day would be why do we, Alakak, as a people lack the ability to reproduce females? Female Alakak are recorded to have existed before, and we have still no idea of why they aren't around now." Quzon quirked a brow as he did not expect that answer. "No females at all?" He'd never seen a female Alakak, but asked for clarification.

Kara chimed in with a small remark as she perched slightly on the edge of the desk Deven sat behind. "Several years ago during the most recent massive Djed Storm, several of the men were literally turned into females. Their genders swapped." The sounds of Deven's fingers tapping against the desk caused Kara to look over her shoulder back at the man. Quzon also stepped to the side of her to look at him. "That was a stand alone anomaly relating to the storm. I'd say they are unrelated to the Tainted Shadows...and I stand corrected, female Alakak do technically exist. But are most likely the last to ever exist."

Quzon's eyes glazed over with uncertainty about what to do with that information. Deven shrugged at the bear pelt wearing Mixed blood, then relaxed back in his own chair. "Welcome to the struggle every Archaeologist must face. The motivation to dig deeper even after finding nothing. At least you are in the right place to learn where to begin, should you chose to undertake that task."

With more questions than answers, Quzon decided to spend the next few bells talking with his newfound comrades within The Antiquities Society.

[Madeira Dusk]

Grades Awarded!

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Quzon

Skills

• Investigation: 4xp
• Land Navigation: 1xp
• Planning: 2xp
• Observation: 4xp
• Rhetoric: 2xp
• Meditation: 1xp
• Interrogation: 3xp

Lores

• Location: the Night Tower
• Lore of Riverfall religious temples
• Akajia: does not control the Tainted Shadows
• Lore of pre-Valterrian nursery rhyme
• Location: Gilia Medical Center
• Location: Antiquities Society
• Akalak: can't produce females

Awards & Retribution
Healing: -10gm
Antiquities Society membership: -50gm
+Compass Rose Medallion

Notes
I do love a solid investigation thread. Very well done! If you have any issues with your grade please PM me.