The Etra Anthology

124th of Gnielm, 336 EA

Ishikar, Athal

The Racciqotse was rowdy that night, which was unusual not in its nature but in its intensity. It was a dive, all sticky wood and regular drunks, and everyone there treated it as such. The leaguers slumming it from down the leyline didn’t have enough of a home of their own to bother taking care of this one, the locals to Ishikar stretched from their corners to hold a line across one section of the bar against the explorers knocking into each other and anything that came into their path, and Broneimir, Xochit, and Snekde’de sat around a table with Svaljna smack in between the two blocs.

Despite all this, they were mostly smiling their awed disbelieving smiles.

“What are we going to do with it?” Snekde’de was small, even for a kobold, and so in his hands the device was almost comical.

It was a bootlegged, cobbled together warp of a scrivening receiver. Stone tablet, etched with divining and transmutation runes on one side and morphing text on the other. Xochit had swiped it off a stand for the Athalial Nightly Moon, so before Snekde’de had gotten his way with it it had held some guildfellows’ attempts at reporting the news. 

Now though, the words on the face of the device were shifting from one into the next almost too fast to read. 

‘Commission of Fabrication; Freehold of Roullac, Beslan; Shortening of quantity 120 Wand of Magic Missiles by 3.78 inches; 21.14.222.’, ‘Commission of Provisioning; Mility, Harlobe; Overplane transfer of material goods on behalf of the Laydes of the Feast; 67.96.164.’, ‘Commission of Vaticination; Lower Gadie, Katravok; Diviner to interpret star portents on behalf of the Crux of Rytarr; 28.37.040.’, ‘Commission of Association; Zhytingrad, Drulgor; Enforcement of zone of truth spell by arcanist for creation of mythal, warlocks need not apply; 39.05.321.’, ‘Commission of Ordinance; North Gallistrade, Serhane; Civic survey of the population of Serhane; 10.99.059.’, ’Commission of Naturalization; Serpent’s Fjord, Expanse of Lasa; Relocation or hunt of a manticore harrying shipping lanes, seafaring experience required; 82.27.017.’, ‘Commission of Provisioning; Migisi, Odeshea; Delivery of humanitarian aide to flooded frontline outpost; 64.84.534.’, ’Commission of Provisioning; Rapancue’s Reliquary, Harlobe; Retrieval of independent material, Blood of Rapancue, high risk of exposure to lycanthropy; 23.90.143.’, ‘Commission of Exploration; Peyr Myarsa, Illiara; Survey of leylines from formerly isolated demiplane; 49.38.104.’, ‘Commission of Bioarcanomics; Elan, Drulgor; Field observation of the wild hippogriff of Near Kyria; 52.41.184.’, ’Commission of Attestation; Nambisian, Danai; Geographic cartography in wake of shifting geological event, overland travel required; 25.01.091.’, ‘Commission of Fidelity; Waeyeya, Odeshea; Capture and intake of rebel forces in violation of the Thecan Concordance; 93.02.169.’

And on, and on, and on it went, a maddening amount of work.

“We’re going to pick one, and we’re going to use it to prove ourselves.” Broneimir had a cracked certainty to his voice, and Svaljna could see golden light dancing in his right eye. “Who wouldn’t sponsor us as guildfellows if we show that we can fix a contract on our own, before we’re even members.”

There were several minutes where they all sat and stared, sipping at their drinks. It was like watching a stream, opportunities rushing by them with no consideration as to who they were or why they were looking on. 

“They’re going just as quick as they come up,” Xochit spoke trepidatiously, “how are we supposed to figure anything out with this thing?”

“We don’t want the ones that go quick.” Broneimir narrowed his eyes, watching with keen view. “Snekde, freeze it!”

Snekde’de fumbled for a startled moment, scratching out a quick rune. The blurring words suddenly consolidated, leaving the slab totally inert.

“There!” Broneimir jammed a finger down to point at the carving, singling out one line. 

‘Commission of Fidelity; Citadel of the Athalial League, Athal; Investigate, quell aethiric compulsions in the Rhovos Archall reconstruction site; 09.92.677.’

“This is the one.” Broneimir stated with certainty.

“Well,” Xochit started, adjusting the long looping scarf she wore and rubbing at the back of her neck, “It’s at least close by. And with the Fidelity, that’s the commission I need to join.”

“It’s not just that,” Broneimir seemed particularly pleased with himself, “The whole of the time we were looking, that one was just sitting there. I saw it come up six, maybe seven different times. Nobody is taking that one, which means there isn’t any bugger who’s already got membership going to come swoop in to take the glory from us.”

Broneimir, Xochit, and Snekde’de all looked to each other in excited anticipation. Svaljna managed a tense smile, trying to fit herself with the rest, but her trepidation was caught.

“You’ve been a little quiet Sval, what do you think?” Snekde’de had a good heart, asking, but the focus put on her still scrambled her brain. 

She flipped through responses in her mind, knowing that it was important that she find the right one. When she did speak, it was slowly as she chose each word carefully. “It is not so smart a plan, I think.”

“What’s dumb about it?” Broneimir sounded faintly hurt.

“Only that it is vague, this contract.” Svaljna backtracked, though the suspicion in her voice held. She traced a finger along the writing as she spoke. “‘Aetheric compulsions’, What does this mean? We will compel the aether? This is sveida.”

“Sveida?” Xochit cocked her head and gave a joking grin, “I don’t think I’ve met her.”

“Sveida is magic,” Svaljna broke eye contact to glance around the room, settling down into her drink. It was her third, while her companions were still working on their first. “Magic for the weak of heart.”

The table sat, three in a front facing down Svaljna.

Broneimir leaned into the table, placing pressure on his elbows. “Well, it’s okay to be afraid, but I still feel like we need to do this.”

“I am not afraid.” Svaljna scowled at the implication.

“I just thought that you were meant to be the strong one.” He pressed, and no one else thought to intervene. “Aren’t Dulthans meant to be like, fearsome raiders?

“That’s not- You don’t-,” Svaljna began to lose her composure, “You know nothing of my home.”

“I know some,” He kept in, “But that’s besides the point. I don’t like settling. This last go around, we got kicked around because we didn’t have the support that we needed. Hells, you needed a healer that we could barely afford, because we’re not getting paid fairly!”

“I did not ask you to do that.” Svaljna growled.

“We’re getting room, board, some feed out of it.” Snekde’de chimed in with an attempt to soften the tension, “There are worse things than that, to take as payment.”

There was a moment where there was just the tautness of the air.

“You seem like you’re getting really keyed up, Sval.” Faint embers crackled off the twisted locks Xochit had tied up into a bun, “We’re all really excited about this, it could be our big break! I don’t get why you’re not happy for it.”

“That’s right,” Broneimir was suddenly receptive, though still keyed in on Svaljna, “All I’m saying is, once we’re in good standing with the league we’ll be able to get real work. None of this ‘stirges infesting the basement paid under the table’ nonsense. Proper adventures, with proper support. Proper pay even! That’s what we all want, and we want you to be on board.”

Svaljna’s breath held in her chest a moment longer than it should have, and then when it finally released she found herself working against her own sense. “Alright. I will come with you, to see this Rhovos Archall.”

“That’s a lass!” Broneimir clapped her on the shoulder, and the other two followed suit smiling at her. “Now, we’re going to need a plan…”

The rest of the evening fell away into discussions of what was known of the aether, and lies against the idea that any of them had any control over it.