[Lhavit Entrance] The Amaranthine Gate

[Kelpie]

A traveler does not simply begin here. Lhavit sits atop high peaks, and arriving at the Amaranthine Gates is a feat unto itself. There is only one path, a treacherous one that circles the center peak and begins beside the Amaranthine River that lies not far off. Shrubbery and trees sprout on either side of the the small steps that signify the path, and a rather odd shack made of a glittering material is situated not 10 feet from it. This is the home of Hachia Koat, the Guide that leads a prospective traveler with the help of the Okomo up the winding path and toward the Amaranthine Gates. Once there, a tall, elaborately carved "gate" stands before them, a testament of the beauty that lies behind it's 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 with 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, in case they are barred entrance and need assistance returning to ground level. One Shinya guard will look to a traveler and ask politely, "Hail, what brings you to Lhavit?"

[Tao]

59th Fall, 510 Tao stopped at the foot of the gate, panting for breath. Travelling, he thought wearily, swinging his pack down to his feet. Is just not as glamorous as the stories make it out to be. Once he had taken a drink of water and recovered a little, he became aware of the scrutiny of the Shinya standing in front of the majestic gate. In the back of his mind, he was in awe of the intricate structure that he stood beneath, but mostly, he was aware that someone had just asked him a question and he really should be paying more attention. "Uhm..." He fumbled over his words as the guards exchanged looks that could be amused or exasperated. One of them repeated the question. "Oh! I'm... Tao. I'm looking for work." He said, the words barely audible. It seemed like they understood, however (or maybe they just didn't want to repeat everything three times over), as they just nodded and waved him through. Picking up his backpack, which contained all of his worldly possessions. Keeping his head down, he scampered through the gate and into the bustling city.

[Vendaril]

63rd Fall, 510 Vendaril wiped his brow with the back of his hand as he admired the beautiful architecture. It had been a long trek, but hopefully he could find some small peace in the city of stars. His face fixed in a friendly grin, he strode up to the guards at the foot at the steps. Both guards smiled as he approached, and they asked him his business in Lhavit. "I'm looking for a little work, and some lodging," Vendaril announced. He was pleased with the way the guards recieved him. He had been greeted far less courteously on previous travels. His kind were not always welcome. The guard who had posed the enquiry nodded and moved aside, beconing him on. Leading his heavily laden horse under the immense gateway, he made his way into the city.

[Haeli]

Timestamp: 60th of Fall The egret back winged, landed near the top of the steps leading to the gate, and paused. It had a lightweight leather pouch tucked around its form which it shrugged out of and let fall heavy at its feat. The bird tossed its head, looking around warily and opened its beak as if panting. Slowly, it began to contort. The shifting took it more than a few breaths and looked difficult as it slowly moved its body mass from that of a bird to that of a girl. Citrine eyes studied the gate as the newly formed flesh reached down into the leather bag and pulled out a simple dress that went over her head and down to conceal her thin body. Her feet remained bare even though it was cold. She shivered slightly, unused to the mountain air and already missing her swamp. Once dressed, the bag went back over her head to lay along her hip strap hugging her torso. The girl advanced. She paused at the odd speech pattern the guard used. It took her a moment to realize it was common, and even a moment longer to understand what it was he said. Haeli tilted her head sideways, almost snakelike and replied softly. "I am here for study and work." She said softly pausing long enough to ask him where she could go to find a place to assist her in setting up a small business. Once her accented question was answered and directions given, the girl slipped through the gate that was opened for her and headed into the city.

[Brig]

The 69th day of Fall in 510 AV Brig had been lingering in the shadow of Lhavit for days, or maybe weeks now. Living off the land with his wild cousins, getting his meals in the forests or out of the cold shallows of the Amaranthine River. He’d lived nearby all of his short life, but hadn't ventured up the high peak where the mysterious city had captured his imagination at night. Lit up under the clear dark skies as if it was part of the stars themselves. The Kelvic was no stranger to tricky slopes and perilous drop aways. He’d traversed them as both man and raccoon, but this one would have been less of a strain on his legs had he taken to all fours. His heavy pack however with all his belongings, meant that it was either shift to human form, or ask his guide to carry it for him. He’d opted to carry it himself. As much as he didn’t care for them, he’d even pulled on his boots and was left less than satisfied by their performance during the climb. He’d have done better on bare feet and those same feet ached by the time he reached the top and thanked his guide. He’d never been so close to civilization and his imagination hadn’t quite prepared him for the wonder of just the city gates. He couldn’t quite figure what they were made from, but he didn’t want to look foolish by questioning his guide. He could only think that beyond the gates were more people than he’d seen before, all combined. The Kelvic’s heightened senses were reeling already from the sounds and the combined scents of them. And even in this human form, he forgot himself and huffed in response. It was a distraction, a nervousness that made him hesitate when he was called on to answer for himself. But not so long as to require the guard to ask him again. ”I’ve come to find a friend,” he said and then added as an afterthought, ”I was invited.” As if they might turn him away if he hadn’t been asked to come. But he’d never know if it was the case or not, and was soon waved through and on his way.

[Brady]

The Maverick 70th of Fall 510AV "Travel is what madmen torture their patients with" thought Brady sourly as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He was almost to the gate, or so his guide told him. "It's right around the bend. You'll get there in no time. Bah these Lhavitians grasp of NO time must be interesting indeed" But as these thoughts pounded in his head, the guide turned and spoke. "Come come, the gate is in sight". "It's about petching time" muttered Brady under his breath and quickening his pace he caught up with the rider. When he eventually managed to arrive in front of the gate a guard called out to him, asking what his intentions were. "Well I plan on spending some time in the city, and possibly acquiring a job." The guard nodded and then swept to one side to allow Brady a path through the beautiful structure of a gate.

[Varlaam]

Varlaam's eyes slowly took in the towering and eye drawing visage of the gate. He had to narrow his pupils further, the sunlight reflecting from the strange material was worse here than anywhere along path that laid behind him. That path, long, terrible spiral that lead him from the rushing Amarinthine river up and up to this utterly odd sight was finally behind him. He stretched himself slightly, his long black claws clacking together as he extended his arms behind him, his shoulders cricking slightly in their sockets. Making sure that the crossbow he kept with him was unstrung and not to be picked up as a threat by the guards he could see, not only directly ahead framing the entrance, but fairly far above him on the overhangs of the gate. Giving the exceptionally helpful guide a nod that was coupled with his slight smile, he turned and strode up until he was just before the entrance. The guard standing to his left turned and faced Varlaam, greeted him with not a warm face, but a neutral one and asked him a simple, and seemingly polite inquiry: "Hail, what brings you to Lhavit?" He did not see any obvious dangers, and made certain not to twitch or display an form of weak behaviour as he slowly slid his gaze down and then back up the guard who addressed him before making a response. "I am here to visit the observatory, to experience the nightlife of Lhavit which is growing in repute, and perhaps to market my small trade and earn a few Miza or Kina for them." Saying the last end of his sentance he drew small, coiled bone carving that seemed the brightest white in the sunlight even though Syna was well past her full midday peak. After displaying the carving to the guard, he was given the go ahead. With that approval he slowly strode ahead, passing through the now opened gate, and was swallowed by the unseeable fog within that was the depths of Lhavit.

[Pandemonium]

75th Fall, 510 It was early morning; the skies were a perfect blue dotted with tiny puffs of white, leaving the sun free to shine across the mountains, highlighting the odd beauty of the twisting trails and vegetation leading up to an intricately carved gate, lording it over the area. Smooth like marble and perfect like it had been carved by a master from a single piece of stone, the Amaranthine Gate stood strong and proud, like a taste test of the city that it protected. It was easy to approach, walking on the path marked out by greenery of all kinds, twisted and molded together like a singular conscious entity. Four Shinya guards stood proudly still at that gate, watchful for any approaching travellers or possible troublemakers. Firm in their positions, they were the pride and first defense of the fantastic city. Despite this, even they were a little berwildered to see what at first glance was surely a cat, with dark red fur and tail that was simply disproportionate to its body. Strapped to its back was a sack of some sort, along with what could only be a tiny bedroll, neatly rolled and kept in place. As it approached further, they realised that it was not entirely all cat. Unusually, the creature had the head of a woman, albeit one with large cat ears sticking out from under 'hair'. Whipping the long tail around behind her, she approached the gate, then paused to look up one of the guards. Her eyes were blank and pupilless, but her expression was of amusement, a grin spreading across her features. "What?" She asked, her voice low and ringing with laughter. "Haven't you ever seen a Pycon before?" With that, she sauntered into the city, tiny clay paws padding along on the stones.

[Elhaym]

60th Day of Winter, 510 AV Pain couldn't scramble off the Okomo fast enough when it finally came to a halt. With Tanny held tight with both arms, she'd had to steel herself on top of the strange animal with the power of her legs alone. They in turn felt a bit rubbery with a hint of jelly as she returned to terra firma, hoisting her slightly larger than normal pack onto her shoulder. Miscellaneous odds and ends were strapped to it's exterior, notably a cooking pot and what appeared to be a set of collapsed tent rods. Whomever this girl was, she had obviously been traveling for quite some time. The apparent lack of a bath for many weeks didn't do much to disguise her latest activities either. "Oh, uh... Hi there." Pain said in response to the robed guard who stood before her. Well, this was a little odd. In Syliras, the Knights had all work armor and stood stoically with shield and blade. Here, this man dressed in simple cloth robes, but with the same stance that bled authority. "I come from Syliras, long trip." Pain muttered, freeing one hand from Tanny and rubbing the back of her neck. She'd already been sore, but that damn goat creature had jarred every bone in her body on the trip up that silly path. Who builds a city on a mountain? "I'm lookin' for someone, maybe you know her." Pain said, a little less gravel in her voice this time. She'd gotten better at public speaking so to speak, but she still had a tendency to speak in a low voice as if she was talking to herself at times. She dug around in her pack for a moment, producing a small leather bound book. She clumsily opened it with one hand, and attempted to flip the pages to no avail. Sensing her struggle, the guide who had given her passage to the gates began to offer his help, but Pain was allready attempting to flip the pages using her nose. "Eh?" She said, her face literally buried in the pages. "Oh, here." She said, pulling the book free and flipping it around so that the guards could view it's contents. The pages were thick with writing, but taking up around half of one of the pages was a quite detailed sketch of a woman's face. "You seen her 'round here?" Pain asked, her eyes darting to each guard as they shook their heads 'no'. If not for their incredibly patience, they would most likely have laughed at the mess of a woman that stood before them. Looks can be deceiving, however. "Ah, well. Maybe i'll have better luck inside. Good times. Good to get back into a city... this roughin' it crap is ridiculous. Hey, keep up the good work." Pain said, stuffing the book back into her pack and setting Tanny down on the ground. She uncoiled his leash, which had been kept wrapped around her waisted like a belt, and snapped it to his collar. With that, Pain briskly walked through the gates of Lhavit, turning her head briefly to give a quick wave and a nod of her head to the helpful guide (and smelly goat).

[Kayven Aracev]

67th day of Winter, 510

Kayven slid off the foul-smelling creature known as Okomo with such grace and fluidity that one could almost believe he knew the first thing about riding a creature. He didn’t. Muttering to himself in the sinuous sibilant hiss of the Symenos tongue, Kayven’s golden eyes bored holes in the guide. He was sure the man had deliberately taken the long way up the mountain, just to spite the fact that Kayven was Symenestra. Filthy, petching humans, he thought, softening his gaze just as the man turned around and nodded to the massive, ornate gates into the City of Stars. ”We’re here. I’ll stay here a bit, in case you need to be escorted back down,” the human drawled. Kayven snorted in disgust, thankful for the deep cowl that hid his golden glare from common view.

The Symenestra slung his pack over his shoulder, one hand instinctively caressing the pocket containing his copy of the Viratassa. Though he had memorized large portions of it, as most Symenestra were wont to do, it was still a comforting presence in strange lands. Striding confidently past Koat with a sneer only partially hidden by Kayven’s deep cowl, the Widower approached the gates, and more importantly the four Shinya guards, with a calm, measured stride, reciting catechisms of both Vayt and Vilaras in his head to keep down the rising state of unease that accompanied the elite magicians’ scrutiny. One guard moved to bar Kayven’s path into the city, hand on his weapon. The other four eyed him closely, clearly suspicious of this new stranger. “Hail,” the first guard spoke, “What brings you to Lhavit?” From his tone of voice, the man clearly expected that Kayven was up to no good, which was only partially true. Reaching his sinuous white hands to slowly pull back the cowl of his robe and reveal his ashen, bald countenance, Kayven gave his best smile, careful to keep his lips together so as not to bare his fangs. “I am but a seeker of knowledge, and perhaps employment. I have left my home city in search of enlightenment, and what better place to start, than among the stars?”

This seemed to appease the guard, as he stepped aside, nodding the Symenestra through the gates. Kayven walked through at the same, unhurried pace, though he was almost certain he was being followed. Since he could hardly pitch camp in the middle of the city, his first order of business should be to secure lodging, and then see about meeting with the Reimancy instructor that was so famous here.