Closed To deliver a package

[Clyde Sullins]

The next stage of the encounter brought them to a locked room, a office of sorts, or at least by appearances one would assume that was what it would be used for. Inside was quite a bit of materials used in the magical process of Oathing, which was easy for Clyde to identify by its fine make and expensive qualities. Particularly when compared to the more common materials Glyphing was usually done on. The bottle of ink used in a single Oathing alone which was set before him probably cost more than all the ink Clyde used in a year. And the paper was even finer, of a thicker set than normal parchment, but appearing just as light and flexible, it was clearly made to hold heavy words. Clyde would sit down in the chair before the desk as indicated, and wait for his instructions. “Hmm… let’s start with the scroll. For this scroll the trigger would need to simply be activated with a certain phrase spoken, but I would like it only to be able to do so on a certain date. The 15th of Spring, 514 AV. Those are the only activation conditions I would require.” The man stated, twirling his cane idly again. “As for binding the two to deliver this I wouldn’t worry overmuch about that, they are rather willing to do anything to ensure a package such as yours is delivered to Syliras.” Clyde nodded in response to his words, and set to work immediately on the initial scroll. And while he heard his words in regards to the Oaths, well he did not totally believe him. There was something about the man that just did not ring true, which made Clyde not trust the man. For those reasons and others he planned to make the Oaths anyways, since he had not explicitly said not to. He pulled a piece of parchment to him, wet a quill, and set to work. For the focus he did a simple symbol, that of a circle with a waving line forming all around it, connecting to the circle in places but in others pushing up and away from it. But in reality it was all one symbol, and causally connected in Clyde's mind. Next was the barrier, for which Clyde fell back to a old standard, that of a pair of twining snaking mirroring lines that swept all the way around the focus with a half inch of clearance, diving in and out of each other and making a odd set of X intersections throughout its length. Clearly Clyde was setting up a small theme in his work of curving, to give it a sense of synergy. Finally was the trigger symbol, for which Clyde used a triangle, with the point poking into the side of the barrier, and the flat side on the opposite side, which was now the bottom of the scroll. There he wrote the words of the trigger, as indicated by the man, though finessing them to a small degree. Activate the trigger to release the magic held within when the words "And so it begins, as it ever started" are spoken on the 15th day of Spring, 514 years after the Valterrian. All of that took perhaps a chime or two, half of that spent simply on drawing out the words of the trigger, since he did not want to mistake a word or poorly write one out. Clyde set aside the finished scroll, and then pulled to him three pieces of the heavy parchment used for Oathing. Using the expensive ink whose cost could likely feed a family for seasons, Clyde began to draw out the basic stylistic element of the Oaths, which would be the same on all three of the Oaths more or less. This time he became a bit more artistic in his drawings, adding long swirls and curves, arcs and split paths which pulled in upon themselves and almost collided before breaking off into a new direction. This continued on all around the edge of the parchment, until he was left with a confusing tangle of intricate curves and curls that never touched but seemed almost constantly in a state of movement and chaotic motion. And yet, the chaos had a symmetry to it, a logic, at least one that made sense in Clyde's mind. Clyde repeated something similar to this as a border on all three of the parchments, and then paused in his work. All in all, this phase of his work had taken two or three chimes, a chime of which was spent refilling his quill which was constantly thirsty due to the thick parchment soaking up so much ink. “Alright, so there is your scroll with the trigger as indicated, if you would like though I could perhaps add a safety feature, to stop anyone from interfering with or altering the wording of the scroll. Though said feature would be tied to the trigger, and would activate the scroll should someone try to edit or alter it. A bit of a trade off I suppose...” “Also there is the basic first step of the Oath, as I do them. Now I just need to know the specific wording you require for it, and I can knock them out quickly enough.”

[Eldritch]

The sandy haired gentleman simply watched Clyde as he worked, pulling up a nearby chair and watching his every movement with seeming fascination. It was not every day where one got to witness such prowess in regards to Glyphing, the man was obviously extremely impressed by it and he did not hide it. He blinked a couple of times once Clyde was finished, the speed of his craft almost mind bogglingly fast and taking a second to catch up with. He had obviously heard of Clyde’s skills, but to hear of them was one thing while seeing them was an entirely different affair.

At Clyde’s offer of adding something else to the scroll the man obviously needed to give some thought to that, his expression growing a bit distant as he considered it. Glyphing triggers could be a tricky thing and it was clear he did not desire for this one to be overly messed with, however the offer was a fair one and seemed innocent enough. If nothing else it might provide an extra security measure for whatever plan he possessed for the scroll itself. He shrugged and nodding at the man’s offer to add the security measure to the scroll.

“Thank you, Mr. Smith. That would be very much appreciated. As for the Oath that’s a bit more complex…” The man stated.

“It would like for the wording of the Oath to be exactly as follows, no deviations. I, the undersigned, swear upon the divine halls of the Ukalas and all those that dwell within that I will resign from the position of Zeltivan Lord of Council and will never again make attempts upon the position and the powers of its office, direct or indirect, in my life or unlife.” The man said, the words falling a bit uneasily from his mouth as admitting just those words aloud could be rather dangerous.

The Lord of Council. Traditionally a figurehead for both the Sailor’s Guild and University, however recently the last two individuals to hold the office brought it to prominence. They were one of the governing bodies of Zeltiva, the executive office really and in theory could possess a great deal of power. Likely even if Clyde knew little of Zeltiva he had heard of the position of Lord of Council. One had to wonder then just why this man wished to remove the current one by means of a Grand Oath, though whether Clyde cared or not was still up in the air.

[Clyde Sullins]

“Thank you, Mr. Smith. That would be very much appreciated. As for the Oath that’s a bit more complex…” Clyde nodded. It took him a moment or so to recall he was Mr.Smith, the one being referred to, focusing instead more on the fact that he did want him to make the adjustments to the scroll as noted. It was a simple use of things he had done before, and made it so no one could alter or mess with the scroll without it going off preemptively. That was a small matter to fix, and all it required was a small adjustment to the trigger. He added on another bit, saying after the bit with the date- , or upon the wording of this scroll being altered or edited by someone other than the person who originally wrote these words on the same day as this scroll was Glyphed. Clyde read it over once more, and nodded to himself. It seemed safe enough, and should not bring any issues beyond the fact that no one but himself could alter the scroll. Which was a bonus feature really, since it would allow the scroll to only go off when the man wanted, or upon someone trying to mess with his plans and stop it from going as planned. The next bit was a bit more interesting, the wording the man wanted for the oath... “I would like for the wording of the Oath to be exactly as follows, no deviations. I, the undersigned, swear upon the divine halls of the Ukalas and all those that dwell within that I will resign from the position of Zeltivan Lord of Council and will never again make attempts upon the position and the powers of its office, direct or indirect, in my life or unlife.” Clyde read this and reread it a few times, trying to puzzle out its meaning. Clearly this was meant to force someone to keep to their word that they would leave this position, and would not try and regain it... Of course, it did not stop the person from being annoying or from plotting against the person holding said position, whomever would replace them... So long as in doing so they did not try to retake the position themselves... But he did say he wanted it done exactly as indicated, and apparently the wording of this oath was good enough for his purposes. So Clyde did not argue it. Such a wording would keep him form doing anything truly against the position, though not from pettier things... Quickly Clyde filled out the center oath and then handed it to the man after writing the following on it. I, the undersigned, swear upon the divine halls of the Ukalas and all those that dwell within that I will resign from the position of Zeltivan Lord of Council and will never again make attempts upon the position and the powers of its office, direct or indirect, in my life or unlife. signed_____________ Letting out a sigh, Clyde quickly turned to the other two oaths, and worked out their wordings. Each would say the same thing, would be identical, and would require the same promise to be made. I, the undersigned, hereby swear upon the divine halls of the Ukalas and all those who dwell within that I shall do as follows: I shall take the package as requested by the man known as Mr.Smith, who also crafted this oath, and deliver it with all haste to the front gates of Syliras, at the city of Syliras. Upon reaching or passing through the front gates of Syliras I shall open the aforementioned package, and take out its contents. I shall do whatever it takes to make sure the aforementioned package arrives at its destination safely, without being intercepted or taken possession of by a third party, even acts that result in bodily harm or injury. The signer of this oath will not reveal the contents of the aforementioned package, nor any other details to do with it, or the people involved in it, its creation, its delivery, its destination, or origin. signed_____________ Clyde let out a sigh, and then set down the oaths. “Done... That should be all. And I also added in a clause there at the end to make sure they kept their secrecy, which should also aid in you not being discovered should anything go wrong, or even after they have accomplished their goal.” Of course, Clyde did not mention that should they accomplish their goal, they more than likely would not be alive... But even should they continue on in some form of un-life, they would still be bound. Better safe than sorry after all...

[Eldritch]

The strange man watched curiously as Clyde set about his work in crafting the Grand Oaths, his eyes gleaming faint red occasionally in the candle light. The powerful Glypher was certainly one to be feared if the speed in creating these Oath’s was any indication of his overall ability, and likely not one to petch with. The Oaths he crafted for those that were to deliver the package were of course made a note of, as while he had the man with the cane’s agreement; it was another thing entirely to get the agreement of those to deliver. However that was not In Cog’s problem obviously, he might have said it would be no issue but that was minor prompting and bargaining.

Clyde finished his Oaths in a manner of chimes, drawing a low whistle from the man as he took a look over his scroll and the Oath that was offered to him. He smirked, nodding to himself as he made his satisfaction very much known to the young wizard. The man known as In Cog took up the scroll and rolled it up, as well as moving his Oath carefully off to the side. He riffled in his pocket and produced a metal coin, a Nilo that was normally used in place of the Miza in Zeltiva. The coin had a hole in the center, which he placed upon the table in front of Clyde.

“Give this coin to the man you met when you first entered, he will give you instructions on where to find your couriers to Syliras.” The man said, taking up his cane and striking the bottom on the floor for dramatic effect.

“With that I believe our business is concluded, I wish you luck in sending your package along to Syliras, Mr. Smith. It has been a pleasure to do business with you.” The man said, nodding once before heading out the door with his prizes, twirling his cane all the while.

With that Clyde was left with his Grand Oaths and the strange coin, his method to find these couriers clear enough. He was not out of the woods yet; he had met with and dealt with the man that was to facilitate his introduction to those that were to transport the package. Now came the actual task of convincing them to sign the Oaths, which as most any one might know would be a little tricky most likely.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde let the whistle pass without comment as he finished his work. He'd upheld his end of the agreement. The man had said that the men had incentive to do the courier mission, but he was unsure how true that was. Considering his luck it was probably untrue and he'd need to incentivize the men to do the work. But at least he would have the introduction to the proper people. The man gave him a metal coin of the local currency, and took the Glyph work he had completed. “Give this coin to the man you met when you first entered, he will give you instructions on where to find your couriers to Syliras.” “With that I believe our business is concluded, I wish you luck in sending your package along to Syliras, Mr. Smith. It has been a pleasure to do business with you.” Clyde took the coin along with his completed oaths, and headed for the man he had met earlier. He'd give him the coin, and let out a breath. “I was told to give you this coin as our business has been concluded, and that you would tell me were to meet the courier's.”

[Eldritch]

The man at the counter took one look at the coin and understanding flashed in his eyes, his hand moving outwards to take the coin. The Nilo was then placed underneath the counter and he gestured for Clyde to lean in, leaning over toward the mage himself and casting a glance around as his voice lowered. Clearly these individuals took their secrecy and ill business dealing rather seriously, one might have to wonder how much the man was being paid by both parties to keep this affair under the table. If nothing else, he seemed to possess some serious discretion at the very least.

“Head down East Street, a little ways down you’ll find a house with a chalk x upon its door and a boarded up window. It was cleared out during the plague; no one goes near it so it will be perfect for your meeting. Knock upon the door exactly four times, then when asked how the weather is respond ‘a little muggy, but I always dress for rain.’” The man instructed, leaning back to his side of the counter and making it clear that this business was over now that he had relayed his message to the wizard.

With that big of information Clyde was now free to leave and head towards East Street, but as he left a shadow would peek out from the alley just out of his sight. Eye that gleamed crimson watched him from within the darkness, teeth like daggers within the jaw beneath a hooded cloak. A handsome sandy haired man leaned against the alley wall, his eyes gleaming crimson as the light caught them as well. The man was less bulky than the man, but he exuded an air of authority towards the bulk of flesh.

“Follow the Chaon, once the deal is completed kill him. If it falls through, kill him and everyone else in the building.” The man stated simply, an animalistic growl his response before the bulky man vanished into the darkness of the alley.

[Clyde Sullins]

As Clyde spoke to the man from earlier, he had to keep himself from laughing. The man was attempting to be secretive, perhaps thinking himself extensively spy like, but in reality he was simply coming off as a child playing a role, playing it badly even. Clyde could not help feeling it would have looked much more nonchalont to reveal a secret without bending in and whispering it to the person. But then he was no master of cloak and dagger, stealth, intrigue, or subterfuge, so perhaps he was wrong. But instinct seemed to say that if you made a big deal out of something it was less secretive. “Head down East Street, a little ways down you’ll find a house with a chalk x upon its door and a boarded up window. It was cleared out during the plague; no one goes near it so it will be perfect for your meeting. Knock upon the door exactly four times, then when asked how the weather is respond ‘a little muggy, but I always dress for rain.’” Clyde nodded, repeated the phrase once, and then headed out the door. There he would head to East Street as indicated, searching for the mentioned chalk X on a door and a boarded up house. Knock four times, say the phrase, and go in... This seemed oddly shifty, going from one side to the other... But he supposed they simply liked to keep things compartmentalized. But then if they signed the oaths that would not be a big issue since they could not reveal anything to do with the package or its shipment. Probably not even to each other. “Alright then, a little muggy, but I always dress for rain... Right... I guess I will be off then.” Clyde would head off none the wiser of the circumstances going on around him. Not knowing what the others had in store for him, not knowing what plots were going on behind the curtains. All the while he was left with nothing but the clothes on his back, and a stick in his hands... Albeit part of those clothes included a set of Magically reinforced robes made tough as leather, and that stick was a staff that had seen Clyde through many a situation... And along with that he was a master mage several times over... But then even if he had known what was planned for him would his course have changed? Would he have been scared off from his mission? Would he, a Chaon, have been scared off by the betrayal by the snake eyed man? And did the snake-eyed man know of his other magics, of his Reimancy skills, or did he only know of his Glyphing skills for which he was a instructor? He had told no one of his Reimancy, had kept it a secret... Perhaps he did not know... Or perhaps he did know... Either way Clyde was in the dark, and could only go ahead on his mission.

[Eldritch]

Clyde’s path down East Street would not be hindered in the slightest, though there was the odd whore that gave him a beckoning stare from a distance away. East Street in general looked rather like Zeltiva had just shoved all of the worst aspects of a city into one place; the results were less than pleasant to look upon. A number of shady characters would give the mage a couple of looks over from a distance before thinking better of it and searching for another target. The buildings were noticeably a bit shoddier looking in this section of the city, broken glass and such being an increased commonality.

As he walked he would notice a row of houses people seemed keen on avoiding, each one had a chalk x inscribed upon the door. However the one at the end was the only one with a boarded up window, an eerie place where the plague had taken the inhabitants lives. With no one around there was also no one to get in the way of going towards the door. If Clyde were to approach and then knock upon it the agreed upon number of times he would find a question posed to him.

“How’s the weather?” Came a gruff voice.

[Clyde Sullins]

The next leg of his trip was more or less uneventful. Clyde had been on this side of town before, and knew from experience it was on the unsavory side. Not a place where well to do people travelled. But then in his current raiment he did not look much better. His robes from a mundane perspective were common. His staff was of weathered well used wood. Nothing on his person would denote the fact that he was anything other than a common inhabitant of the area. Except perhaps for the lack of a rough and tumble look. His well cared for presence might denote that fact. But besides from a whore offering up her wares, and a few men eying him up, nothing happened. Finally he got to a row of houses with Chalk X's. It took him a moment of walking to find one with both the X's and the boarded up windows, which was what he had been told to look for. Coming up to it Clyde would knock four times as instructed, and wait for a response. He heard a not unexpected question when he did. “How’s the weather?” Also as instructed, Clyde answered back exactly as told. “A little muggy, but I always dress for rain.” Clyde assumed after that he would be let in, and if he was offered he would go inside. Being in the seedier part of town was putting him slightly on edge, and a part of his mind was waiting for someone to come out of the shadows and attempt to knife him and steal his money. Clyde tried to calm his nerves, and while he was not scared he was still on edge in such surroundings as this. In retrospect, he thought, perhaps that was a survival instinct and not a bad thing.