Eolinius promptly returned home and sat down at his desk, carefully setting down the famous box Kyriann had entrusted to him earlier. He poured himself a Byrh and propped himself up on his favorite footstool. Another riddle to solve, and not the least. He had to find Eeri's whereabouts at last.
It had all started earlier that day at the Fairhaven bar. Lyren had turned up with a sword in hand, assuring her that the merchant she'd found it with had described its custodian as a one-eyed fyros and that it could only be her mother Eeri. She had also unwittingly deciphered a message concealed on the sword:
"In the balance of falling The whirlwind leads to freedom" Ocyx Rebelle
At the mention of this name, the Drakani gathered around the bar looked at each other in silence, remembering Eeri's past, and decided that the rest of the conversation should take place in a discreet place so as not to draw the attention of the nearby karavan to a particularly delicate subject such as trytonism. The Drakani, Lyren and Krill headed for the entrance to the Drakani guild island. Arriving at their destination, they all sat down on the cushions in front of the bar, well situated opposite the small ponds that provided a breath of fresh, humid air, except for Krill who began to detail the liqueurs behind the counter.
Being able to speak freely here, it was obvious that the message referred to a particular meeting place or location. "Eolinius and Ostium immediately thought of Virginia Falls, Kyriann thought of the vortex of a vortex, but Krill pointed out that Dew Falls and the fortress of the vortex were both in Freedom Lake. Drawing a line between the two on an old map of the area unearthed from the guild chest, the equidistance between the two points led to a small beach at Dew Falls. In less time than it takes to say it, after everyone had taken the time to consume their Byrh, let's not exaggerate, the troop was transported to the said beach.
Rummaging up and down the warm, yellow sawdust of the beach, Kyriann was the first to come across a half-buried, covered object. She lifted a small box and blew on it. It opened with ease, revealing an envelope from which a sheet of paper had been taken. The sheet was devoid of any inscriptions. No doubt another hidden message. But it was getting late, and the box and message were entrusted to Eolinius, who claimed to know how to reveal it, and everyone went home.
This is how Eolinius found himself with the box under his nose at home, determined to get to the bottom of this secret. He was confident that little Trykeri would write messages to each other with sparàn juice for fun, hiding them from their parents and playing the rebel privateer of Loria.
He gently opened the box and withdrew the envelope and the white sheet of paper, which he placed on the table. Beside him, he took a small decorative candle in the shape of Anlor Winn's pumpkin and lit it. He picked up the leaflet and placed it over the flame to make the text magically appear. He insisted a little, but nothing happened as expected. The leaf remained perfidiously immaculate despite the back-and-forth movement around the flame. Eolinius had to stop before the sheet began to scorch. This was a serious setback for him. He began pouring himself some sparàn juice with shooki to cheer himself up. Holy Yubo! He wasn't going to give up so soon!
He rapped his knuckles on the table. His hand inadvertently struck a small plate on his worktable filled with gingerbread slices, which flew off happily and one of which crashed onto the immaculate sheet with a big splash.
-Ah bah An! he exclaimed. Now it's all stained!
He removed the slice. The sheet now showed a large, greasy, translucent stain. It must be said that if everyone appreciated Eolinius' soft gingerbread, it was because he didn't skimp on the butter. Completely defeated, he was about to give in when, as he passed the candle, he noticed small, distinct signs on the leaf that could form letters in the middle of the stain. The spreading grease didn't impregnate the sheet in certain places, so that the non-transparent letters in front of the candle were visible and stood out in negative.
Gosh! What a devious writing process!
An ink had been used to dilute the grease or prevent it from settling. Eolinius thought back to Eeri, who had once dipped gingerbread in his essence of oxyx. The slice had gone up in smoke! Essence-based ink? Eolinius shook his head. It would have been necessary to use a solid base so that the essence didn't spread all over the sheet. He smiled as he imagined the person trying to decipher the message roaming the beaches with pockets full of gingerbread.
More seriously, Eolinius spread a little butter on his finger and smeared it over the sheet. Phrases were now faintly visible. He took another parchment to write down what he could decipher.
"Freedom!
I've tried to contact some of you through the normal channels. To no avail. That's why I've left a flower in the usual places.
After reading this message, put it back if you're sure you haven't been seen.
Some of our companions are present in Citadelle, the homins' last bastion against the kitins. I've met them, and one of them saved me from certain death.
There aren't enough of them for any one action, but they have knowledge that we don't have.
We need to join forces with them, and perhaps with the marauders from the Old Lands.
There, the Karavan could show us its true face. There, we'll find answers about the Kamis. There, we can change the course of human destiny.
Instructions are enclosed for the next appointment.
.W 1 AC 262.
O.R. "
Eolinius dropped back onto his footstool.
Gluttony leads to everything, even the most improbable.
It had all started earlier that day at the Fairhaven bar. Lyren had turned up with a sword in hand, assuring her that the merchant she'd found it with had described its custodian as a one-eyed fyros and that it could only be her mother Eeri. She had also unwittingly deciphered a message concealed on the sword:
"In the balance of falling The whirlwind leads to freedom" Ocyx Rebelle
At the mention of this name, the Drakani gathered around the bar looked at each other in silence, remembering Eeri's past, and decided that the rest of the conversation should take place in a discreet place so as not to draw the attention of the nearby karavan to a particularly delicate subject such as trytonism. The Drakani, Lyren and Krill headed for the entrance to the Drakani guild island. Arriving at their destination, they all sat down on the cushions in front of the bar, well situated opposite the small ponds that provided a breath of fresh, humid air, except for Krill who began to detail the liqueurs behind the counter.
Being able to speak freely here, it was obvious that the message referred to a particular meeting place or location. "Eolinius and Ostium immediately thought of Virginia Falls, Kyriann thought of the vortex of a vortex, but Krill pointed out that Dew Falls and the fortress of the vortex were both in Freedom Lake. Drawing a line between the two on an old map of the area unearthed from the guild chest, the equidistance between the two points led to a small beach at Dew Falls. In less time than it takes to say it, after everyone had taken the time to consume their Byrh, let's not exaggerate, the troop was transported to the said beach.
Rummaging up and down the warm, yellow sawdust of the beach, Kyriann was the first to come across a half-buried, covered object. She lifted a small box and blew on it. It opened with ease, revealing an envelope from which a sheet of paper had been taken. The sheet was devoid of any inscriptions. No doubt another hidden message. But it was getting late, and the box and message were entrusted to Eolinius, who claimed to know how to reveal it, and everyone went home.
This is how Eolinius found himself with the box under his nose at home, determined to get to the bottom of this secret. He was confident that little Trykeri would write messages to each other with sparàn juice for fun, hiding them from their parents and playing the rebel privateer of Loria.
He gently opened the box and withdrew the envelope and the white sheet of paper, which he placed on the table. Beside him, he took a small decorative candle in the shape of Anlor Winn's pumpkin and lit it. He picked up the leaflet and placed it over the flame to make the text magically appear. He insisted a little, but nothing happened as expected. The leaf remained perfidiously immaculate despite the back-and-forth movement around the flame. Eolinius had to stop before the sheet began to scorch. This was a serious setback for him. He began pouring himself some sparàn juice with shooki to cheer himself up. Holy Yubo! He wasn't going to give up so soon!
He rapped his knuckles on the table. His hand inadvertently struck a small plate on his worktable filled with gingerbread slices, which flew off happily and one of which crashed onto the immaculate sheet with a big splash.
-Ah bah An! he exclaimed. Now it's all stained!
He removed the slice. The sheet now showed a large, greasy, translucent stain. It must be said that if everyone appreciated Eolinius' soft gingerbread, it was because he didn't skimp on the butter. Completely defeated, he was about to give in when, as he passed the candle, he noticed small, distinct signs on the leaf that could form letters in the middle of the stain. The spreading grease didn't impregnate the sheet in certain places, so that the non-transparent letters in front of the candle were visible and stood out in negative.
Gosh! What a devious writing process!
An ink had been used to dilute the grease or prevent it from settling. Eolinius thought back to Eeri, who had once dipped gingerbread in his essence of oxyx. The slice had gone up in smoke! Essence-based ink? Eolinius shook his head. It would have been necessary to use a solid base so that the essence didn't spread all over the sheet. He smiled as he imagined the person trying to decipher the message roaming the beaches with pockets full of gingerbread.
More seriously, Eolinius spread a little butter on his finger and smeared it over the sheet. Phrases were now faintly visible. He took another parchment to write down what he could decipher.
"Freedom!
I've tried to contact some of you through the normal channels. To no avail. That's why I've left a flower in the usual places.
After reading this message, put it back if you're sure you haven't been seen.
Some of our companions are present in Citadelle, the homins' last bastion against the kitins. I've met them, and one of them saved me from certain death.
There aren't enough of them for any one action, but they have knowledge that we don't have.
We need to join forces with them, and perhaps with the marauders from the Old Lands.
There, the Karavan could show us its true face. There, we'll find answers about the Kamis. There, we can change the course of human destiny.
Instructions are enclosed for the next appointment.
.W 1 AC 262.
O.R. "
Eolinius dropped back onto his footstool.
Gluttony leads to everything, even the most improbable.