Solo Questions & Answers Pt I

[Alric Lysane]

14th Fall 521 AV – The Library He had found himself questioning things this season, so many things but some above all others. For example, he had always taken for granted that outsiders were simply prey. Foolish and naïve people who were worth nothing more than what their coin and personal effects could be bartered for. He had met some now though, for more than a split second and knife cut, and had found himself wondering whether the received wisdom the streets had graced him with was not as perfect as he had once thought. He had always assumed that those who had not been born in Sunberth knew not of harsh reality and in some cases this was still likely true. However he had reflected upon it further and it seemed obvious now – some of Sunberth’s chief characters had perhaps once come from outsider stock. With that revelation had come further doubts and questions. Some topics were ironclad and unquestionable of course, he hated slavery in principle even if he knew the city dealt with it. It wasn’t his city. And that was the second ironclad – Sunberth was free and gloriously anarchic and deserved to remain that way. Natural orders when it came to the living took care of things the same way central authority could, and often far better. A riotous mob was a great leveller and kept even those with smart breeches toeing lines he thought fairly sure other places would not manage to achieve. Yet still…questions nagged at him and he had been asked to do a job - one which was about the past history of the city which few seemed to know too much of. So, he had decided to try to find this library that he had heard of but never believed existed. He knew there was a likely better option in the Outpost but he doubted it would have what he was looking for – local lore and stories. No, something told him that whatever scratching upon such things had ever been made – if any – likely had stayed within Sunberth. A testament to its casual xenophobia. It had taken him some time and questioning of those who he had remembered talking of it – those who were still alive at least. Some had been liars and that had been easy enough to prove, their stories made no sense and had no logical coherence. He may admire anarchy but he knew shyke when he heard it better than when he smelled it. A few…a few had been interesting. They had all pointed to Stumble Alley – somewhere he hadn’t relished traversing but given that he had had not other choices he had braved the reputation. He had not been disappointed. Now he was pacing the small paths that wove between the shelves of the Sunberth Library, his fingers reaching out to brush the spines gently. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for precisely, but he felt a strong conviction that he’d know it when he saw it and he had a name and a rough theory to work with. If nothing else, or he found nothing that he was actually looking for, then his curiosity would simply decide for him, if not fate. It tingled and demanded and answer. “Don’t ruin the spines” came the gentle admonishment from Remmy, a strange but seemingly unthreatening woman. “I need to touch them to see if I want them copied surely?” “So long as you don’t damage them. You’re new here and I’ll ram my quill up you arse if you ruin anything” “You know the Outpost library is much larger and far more welcoming” “Then go there and rid me of you if you have a care to” “Fine fine…I’ll be careful” “Good, I can save my quills” Alric sighed and walked the shelves, such as they were. At least in this library there was a vague order to things. That would make his search easier at least.

[Alric Lysane]

Having walked for a while now he had found all sorts of things that were both mundane and interesting. A large portion of what passed for books seemed to be personal accounts and diaries. Some looked as if they were instructions manuals of sorts though having flipped through a handful with gloved fingers they were in many cases either half-coded or didn’t give much but process instructions. Amounts, types of material, quality and timings were thin on the ground. He hadn’t come to learn cookery but he had found a few recipes on what was apparently ‘Cave Crawler’s Stew’ and at least a few similar accounts of rough maps of a city that he didn’t recognise at all. He assumed that that meant either these few writings were liars or that they were quite old, possibly passed down through memory and word before being put to rough parchment. Either way he had taken what seemed to be the two most legible and placed them carefully on a small reading desk in the corner. He had continued his meandering now, eyes picking out interesting titles – both serious and amusing – and also noting the odd more formally put together tome. He pulled them out as he found them but they held information he did not at present find particularly intersting. As he put the last one back he glanced off to his right and paused, curiosity tingling slightly, before approaching a section a foot or so away. Taking a closer look it seemed to be an attempt to catalogue histories. Or stories at least- names every Sunberthian would recognise jumped out at him. Obel, Ordreck, Olsten…fine tales indeed. Interesting I thoguht most of it was just word of mouth stories, never seen it written down before he paused to wonder upon whether he wanted to pull it out and open it. He breathed deeply and pulled it out almost reverently – any one of the two heroic names was to be treated with respect, they had restored Sunberth’s freedom according to the tales. He hoped that whatever was within would not cast doubt upon the widely held belief she had been raised with. He cast his gaze voer the very simpe cover. The pages seemed to be a series of different colours and textures from the outside edges, a fact which was proven as he opened it and flipped through carefully. It was as if it had been put together across a number of years and in different times of wealth and poverty he thought. Some pages seemed rich and others little more than thinly scraped animal skin. At least he hoped it was animal skin. All of it smelled musty with age. Decided in that instance he took the last journal type creation to Remmy and passed it across gently. “Newfound respect huh?” she asked, eyeing him sharply but curiously he thought, reading the title and nose wrinkling, “sure you want this one? I got some good ones on thugs and thieves somewhere in the back. Might even learn anything” “Maybe another time…that one” “Sure? Last chance? Oh very well…looks simple enough to copy. Can’t replicate the smell and different page types though so you’ll have to do that from memory. 20gm upfront and I’ll have it done in say…five days. You’ll have to come back for it” “Done,” he said, counting out the miza and putting thr heap upon her desk, “see you in five days Remmy” he said, looking at her for a few moments, studying her, before turning away and returning to the desk with the other creations he had taken out to flick through. She was a strange one, he thought, and reminded him of someone but the comparison eluded him and just stood, leering at the edge of his memory with annoyance. He dismissed it for now and returned to the curiosities he had found, from the mudane to the strange. Secret : Copying Service, Common - 20gm Title - 'Tales of Obel, Ordreck and Olsten - Collected Accounts' Dice roll to see if he found something of valid interest on topic desired: Dice Maiden BOT — Today at 1:27 PM Alric Lysane Roll: [97] Result: 97

[Alric Lysane]

He had never been a reader despite his mother’s attempts to turn him into one. She had been the reader of the family for as long as it had lasted, he had taken more after his father. The few memories he had left that he could be sure of were ones of her at her desk with bits of parchment and odd items before her whilst his father distracted him with fake wooden sword fights and games such as dice or chess. He had always lost the second and had been barely old enough to really undersand the rules before they had vanished but they were the only real fond memories he had. The was besides the point though, what was important was that he was finding reading to be a frustrating exercise. Perhaps he would have had a better time of it if the writing had been slightly better than mere legibility but in true Sunberth fashion ot was as rough and ready as its populace. Everything in this library seemed to be written by locals, which was no bad thing so long as you wanted a nice looking collection. Discerning the collective knowledge was a different beast altogether. He sighed with frustration and leaned forwards, elbows propping him up as the heel of his palms massaged his eyes, eyes that were growing tired from reading and the rereading the same passages several times to try to understand them. Of the two ‘books’ he had started with he had managed to read most, if not all, of them. He was starting to realise that even if he wanted to read every item in this library that he would likely go insane in the attempt. He was starting to gain a newfound respect for the Sunberth library…if not as an actual library but as a formidable foe. “You know I’ve told you that the copying won’t be done today right?” came the voice of Remy, looking over his shoulder at what he had been reading. “I’m starting to understand why you have such a sunny disposition” “Such bold and long words for a street thug” “My mother would be proud and disappointed in equal measure I;m sure” “Aren’t all mothers?” He snorted at that, blinking away his slightly blurred vision for a few moments before leaning back to take his pipe out of his pouch, at her scowl he sighed and put it away. “Sometimes I wonder if there is such a thing as fate. If so it seems unfair to me” “Careful, Lhex could write your story quite differently” “I don’t think he cares, if he did then I’d have to assume that my life has happened for a reason. I see no reason. Nothing is different for my existence” “Either way there is a time for reading, laudible as it is, and a time for rest. You’ve overstayed and my generosity has its limits. Time to go so I can work” “I suppose you’re right,” he said with a sigh, “tell me Remmy, do you think we have a job to do? A task given to us?” “I think we have to think that way or we go mad” she said, her thoughts if different to those states impenetrable. He chuckled and within a few chimes had left in silence, thoughts turning towards the melancholy. He made his way home and sat down. There was no point building a fire given that he’d be leaving to head out for work soon enough, yet he stared into the hearth as if it were alight.

[Alric Lysane]

Your Grades Alric Lysane Skills Observation – 2 Reading - 2 Socialization - 3 Lores Obel: Sunberthian Scourge Odreck & Olsten: Sunberthian Heroes Recipe: Cave Crawler’s Stew Remmy: Sarcastic Librarian Slavery: A Despised Trade Sunberth: Anarchic Freedom Deserved Sunberth: Stumble Alley Sunberth: Library Items Lost -20gm Deducted from Ledger