Erileium - A House Divided

[Twilight]

--Prologue--

"Citizens of Erileia!" A voice rang out over the crowd amassed in the town square

The city had become an explosion of colors that shifted and whispered as hundreds of dreamkeepers gazed at the palace balcony. The hum of voices slowly faded to curious silence. Standing elevated on a stage beneath the entrance arch, framed by rows of ornately robed attendants, was a relatively young dreamkeeper.

He cut a dashing silhouette, if a less-than-intimidating one. Many of the surrounding servants reached his height despite the platform on which he stood. He was a slender apparition, clearly raised in the lap of luxury -- something attested to by his sharp cheekbones and noble profile. Regardless, he carried himself with the pride of a politician and his voice, when he spoke next, was clear and confident.

"My father, His Majesty King Axaeus Vianco de la Cruz, has taken ill -- as many are already aware. The finest medical officials from Erileia and and beyond have striven in vain for a cure. Because of this he has begun to lose faith in his ability to rule wisely and maintain the well-being of the city."

He paused for dramatic effect, surveying the crowd, taking note of the minute head-shakes and enraptured stares of the onlookers. In their myriad faces he saw one dominant emotion: a kind of panic, an anxiety that shone from their eyes and their postures. They had indeed known of their King's ill health. And they had seen the royal herald, positioned behind the crown prince when he should have been speaking for him.

There could be only one reason why.

"My dear citizens," he continued,"it is with a heavy heart that I announce his decision to renounce the crown."

A collective gasp burst from the crowd. A series of shouts and cries rose up from the square and surrounding streets. But before it could escalate to a deafening roar, Sepsis raised a hand for silence. The masses obeyed.

"I understand that there may be some concern over this. My father the King was, and is, a beloved figure in our society, especially to those old enough to remember the state of the city when he came to power so long ago. I know also that I will be the youngest heir in our history to receive the crown, and that this fact will inevitably lead some to doubt my capability and resolve. But let us not forget that my father's work has achieved a level of stability for our nation, far beyond anything we have ever seen." He raised his voice for emphasis. "Through cooperation and hard work, all of us, together, have turned our once small fishing town, into a great and powerful city!"

There were nods of assent, murmurs of agreement -- then louder shouts, sounds of pride and approval.

Then in unison they fell silent for his next words.

"The road map is already laid out for us," said Sepsis, stepping forward and gesturing broadly toward the surrounding buildings. "Despite the loss of your King, to whom we all owe our happiness and prosperity, and even brighter future stands before Erileia! With me as your leader, our city shall become a beacon that blinds even the great Anduruna!"

The crowd burst into wild applause. For a moment, Sepsis de la Cruz simply stood and drank in the sight of the rejoicing people. Then, with a nod to his herald, royal servants emerged from the palace gate, bearing the crown that once belonged to King Axaeus.

The crown itself was a series of partly completed circles, one bigger than the next. They all floated slowly around each other, levitated by some mysterious magnetic force. The servants lifted it dramatically above Sepsis' head, where it hovered in place like a golden power halo.

After a few moments, Sepsis again silenced the crowd with a wave of his hand. "This is the dawn of an era in which we much transcend our roots and climb above other nations across the Dreamworld. Erileia must expand her borders, and allow for a new tide of industry to sweep us toward this new horizon. Because of this, my first act as your King will be to eliminate the symbol of our limits. The landmarks that have forever established the edges of our community, the Aken Obelisks, will be demolished to allow for greater expansion of our borders."

He paused again to survey his subjects, expecting yet more approval.

To his surprise, there was none.

A single hand rose above the crowd. All eyes turned toward the dreamkeeper, who promptly spoke. "The Aken Obelisks represent Erileia's power! They're an important part of our city's history! Why should we destroy them?"

Sepsis blinked, but quickly regained his composure. "Because they also represent the past," he replied smoothely. "Don't you see? Think of this act not as a desecration of the past, but as the beginning of a great new renaissance! One that will drastically improve your livelihoods, more so than anywhere else in this worl-"

A large piece of ripe fruit splattered across his face. Instinctively he staggered backward, spluttering and clawing the sticky flesh from his eyes. He blinked, disregarding the stinging juices, quickly scanning the crowd for the source of the sudden aggression. A voice shouted furiously from somewhere in the distance, "No one in history has ever dared mention tearing down the Obelisks! They are the heart of our culture, the very reason we exist!"

Someone else called out in response. "It's not entirely a bad idea! Maybe it's time to let go of the past, and look toward the future. The Obelisks themselves haven't been holding us back -- it's what they represent! Why do we need 'em anyway?"

Sepsis took an alarmed step backward as similarly heated comments were yelled from end to end of the crowd. Then a flurry of movement near the end of the square caught his eye. After a moment's confused observation, his eyes widened in a panicked epiphany. It wasn't clear why, but a fight had broken out.

"Stop!" he cried sharply, but his subjects were no longer listening to him. From the corner of his eye he saw his attendants trying to calm the nearby people while guards attempted to intervene and stop the fighting, but they were met with yet more violence. In moments the crack of gunfire shattered the air and several dreamkeepers collapsed to the ground.

Sepsis watched the scene disappear before him as royal bodyguards snatched him and pulled him gracelessly into the castle.


--Chapter 1: The Arrival--

Three days later. Mid-day

Rinnae, Minerva, Canden, Olive (a)
The sun shone brightly down upon the desert road south of the city. A long carriage moved steadily northward, pulled by six manekales and packed with tourists and businessmen. They were an odd group from many different lands and classes, but all shared one thing in common: they were clueless as to Erileia's current state.

"Alright folks, we're almost there. Should be just under an hour before we see the famous Aken Obelisks," the steward announced, at the listless crowd. "Please remember to pick up your trash and make sure you don't leave anything behind."

Rolsha "Fin," Aodhan, Alexander (b)
Having been unquestionably outnumbered and outmatched, the passengers of the S.S. Nereus had no choice but to allow the swarming pirate boarding parties to exeunt with their belongings. Direct confrontation was not an option against a small fleet of cannons and powers.

The captain of the Nereus gazed over his crew and other passengers. The fear in his eyes was as plain as the sweat on his trembling brow, as he stepped over to the edge of the ship. One of the shipmates stumbled over to the front of the group and sternly apologized to everyone. The attack was unprecedented, and that Erileia was a city full of spare riches that could compensate for any lost valuables. The coast of the city was well in sight, and the thought of finally getting off this ship, after days of waiting, and being attacked.

Kiama (c)
East of the royal palace, a large cobblestone avenue cut through Erileia, dividing it almost in half. The buildings on both sides were of exquisite local decor, marred only by the strange signs of damage around the place. The area was currently deserted, and a strange sense of violence lurked in the atmosphere.

The lone kerrick rider strode quietly down the road, directly toward the royal castle. A letter in his pocket read:

"Dear sir/madam:

His Royal Majestly King Sepsis de la Cruz has heard much of your distinguished service in your previous position as soldier/private security official. It is due to this remarkable display of aptitude that the Royal Guard of the Throne of Erileia extends this invitation to join their ranks as one of their highly capable armed personnel. It should be noted that these select few, should they choose to accept this offer, will be given a large sum of money.

It it our hope that the palace of Erileia may receive your response as soon as possible."

Beneath the neatly printed script was a smooth, ornate wax seal and an elaborate signature that read "King Sepsis de la Cruz."

Mr Loft (d)

The same letter currently lay in the pocket of another mysterious character. One that stood on the mountains to the South. He too slowly approached the city, holding on to the reins of a manekale that steadily followed pace. He too would be arriving at the city, shortly.

[Auradragon]

Aodhan shook his head and walked towards the opposite end of the ship. He watched the light play across the rippling water of the great sea, huffing to himself. He didn't know what disturbed him most: the fact that the crew and passengers were a bunch of pansies or the idea of some dirty pirate's hand was holding his fermentae. He felt a sickness well in the pit of his stomach at the very idea.
He sighed and turned to the railing, rubbing his stomach lightly. In the distance he could see the shore of Erileium, the four obelisks dominating the sky around it. He realized that it would be his new home, but he didn't get sentimental about it. He had found at least 3 new homes in the last year, each one never lasting long. There's somethin' different about this place, though, he thought. I can' pin-point it but there is somethin'... somethin' tellin' me I'll be here the rest of my life.
He rested his head in his hand, reflecting quietly on that word. Life. He chuckled to himself. What a life I've had. He smiled to himself as he watched the coast-line draw slowly nearer. He had a long, silent moment before he whispered to himself, "The first thin' I wanna see once I step off this ship is a pub. I don't care if they've got gold an' silver waitin' fer me, I just wan' a damn drink."

[UberUrsa]

Rolsha returned to his cabin after the Crew had announced that they were near port. As he expected, the entire room was ransacked during the raid. He dug around in the debris until he found his backpack, it was small and fit tightly to his back, which prevented it from hindering his movement. When the ship was hit he had emptied it in an effort to make it less valuable, a move that apparently worked.

What was valuable was the package that he had been instructed to deliver, it was paying for his passage, and he would rather not deal with the captains first mate who had been chosen on his ability to snap a dreamkeeper in half as opposed to any naval skill.

Jumping up, Rolsha grabbed the supporting I-beam across the ceiling of his cabin and pulled out the small package that was hidden there. No one ever checked the ceiling. After putting it into his pack, he headed up to the deck to watch the ship come into port. He expected to meet his client there.

He climbed up onto the deck where he saw a orange and gray wolf look to port. He wandered over and attempted to start up a conversation to pass the time.

"Evenin'" He said as he walk up next to the wolf.

[Auradragon]

Aodhan looked at Rolsha sideways for a second. Aodhan grunted his reply before rubbing his eyes. "They take anythin' valuable of yers? You seem ta still have a pack which is surprisin'." He straightened himself, stretching his back. A few loud pops made themselves known before he sighed contentedly. "Ugh, those cabin beds are too soft."

[UberUrsa]

"Heh, haven't heard that complain too often. As for how I kept this stuff, well let's just say this ain't my first raid. I'm Rolsha by the way, most people call me Fin though," Rolsha offered his hand to the wolf, "mind if I ask yours?"

[Laneth]

Shocked back to the present by a large bump in the road, Rinnaé took stock of her surroundings. She was in a carriage that housed much more than the standard city carriages, this being one for cross country journeys. The folk that sat around her were all dressed quite differently, some clothes speaking of money and others of destitution.

Looking at her own gown she wondered if she would be perceived to be one of the well-off crowd but given her age and the fact that she was wedged between the wall and an overweight pig of a man who was grunting obnoxiously at his other neighbour, she didn’t think that she looked much like anything.

As the carriage thundered on down the road, it came upon a bend that turned them side-on to their destination, whereupon the Aken Obelisks could be seen peaking above the rugged terrain. There were gasps as some of the other travellers noticed them too—tales of the Obelisks were told in many towns in the surrounding kingdoms.

Rinnaé had heard few things about Erileia but did know that the Obelisks were thought to have helped protect the town from a Nightmare invasion once upon a time. She shuddered at the thought of the dreaded creatures and looked out the window at the towers wondering how four pillars so far apart could have possibly done anything against the unnatural, immaterial beings.

“Excuse me miss,” a little voice asked. Rinnaé looked around to find a little boy holding a teddy bear sitting on the bench that ended in front of her, running down the long side of the carriage. His parents were enthralled with the Obelisks so she felt safe enough talking to him.
“Yes little one?” She asked.

“You’ve got something on your shoulder.” He said it really quietly, like he was sure whatever it was would get scared if he spoke to loudly about it.

Rinnaé stiffened. At that moment the little boy’s father looked over and his eyes widened slightly before reaching over slowly and brushing a spider off her shoulder and out the window.

“Thanks,” she said awkwardly, trembling in fear. The memory of recent events in the previous town she’d been living in were still so fresh in her mind. The fear of her powers in the peoples’ eyes and the pain in her heart at losing another home…

[Auradragon]

Aodhan shook it lightly. "Aodhan. But ta get my last name you'd have ta buy me a couple drinks ta get my tongue ta loosen." He smiled widely, his many pointed teeth showing. "So, what brings you to Erileium?" He wasn't very interested, but he figured he should at least keep the conversation going. This guy was honestly trying to be friendly and he didn't want to turn him away. He'd done that enough in his youth and only recently did he realize it was causing him pain more than solitude.

[Sorrel]

"So, this... Erileia, was it?" The man in the gray suit shifted slightly, a polite smile plastered across his canine face. "It sounds like quite the place -- famous landmarks, giant palaces, the whole shebang. Looking forward to getting there myself. Found me a position at one of their top law firms." He laughed. It was a sound that might have sounded genuine, to someone who didn't know the meaning of any number of impolite words.

Minerva did her best not to roll her eyes. She didn't succeed in keeping her tail from flicking irritably. "How wonderful," she said curtly, staring unblinking through the carriage window. Tapping her foot impatiently, she tried to spot any landmark -- rock formation, sign, anything that might have been shown on her cheap map -- but there was only the mountainside. Pretty, she supposed, but not helpful.

"Oh yes!" continued the other dreamkeeper. Why, why had she had the foul luck of sitting next to a lawyer? He immediately launched into an elaborate dissertation of his new position's merits, which of course meant explaining his own rhetorical talents and his past achievements and cases he'd won and so on... and so on... and so on.

After perhaps five minutes of lecturing (Spirits, didn't he ever breathe?) the tamarin could stand it no longer.

She turned her head and met his eyes.

She glared.

He blinked.

His mouth moved, but no words came. He squirmed uncomfortably and returned to staring at the seat in front of him, careful not to allow his suit to touch the folds of her crimson sari.

Satisfied, she smoothed the wrinkles from her glittering clothes and folded her hands across her lap. Much as every other idiot passenger seemed intent on remaining in Erileia for as long as possible, she really preffered to get in and get out -- her business there was unsavory enough. It would take more than fancy architecture to keep her in one place.

Of course, there was always the possibility of discovering a certain... relaxedness in the local law enforcement. In which case, well, yes. She'd be there quite a while.

The other passengers busied themselves with gathering their belongings, including the dog dreamkeeper who struggled to free an overlarge suitcase from the storage rack above them. Minerva merely kept her seat, seemingly unaware of and unconcerned with her surroundings. Which she almost was. But she knew better than to let her guard down in such amateur fashion.

There were several things of which she took note. One raccoon man was obviously carrying a butchered slinger in the folds of his overcoat; a platypus nearby looked around wildly, clutching a small package to her chest; the young black fox in the seat in front of her looked brooding enough to hide any number of concealed weapons; and a young snow leopard a few rows down made an effort to hide a limp as she gathered her things, perhaps a battle scar of some sort. Those were only the passengers within a few feet.

They could cause trouble, if a certain someone waited for her at their destination. They could be entirely unrelated to that old feud, but it was always more practical to assume otherwise.

Then again... it wasn't as if she was unarmed.

Her coin-sized cargo dug into her hip as she shifted in her seat. The tamarin's fingers tightened around each other.

She wanted to get this over with.

[Lord of the Forest]

Excluding Ruthford, the lord and high master of the Kinky Slinx dance club, Mr. Loft had never before dealt with royalty. Context aside,he was interested to see if the royal guard could pay just as well as Ruthford. It would be an interesting change of agenda going from the being hired by the dregs of society to the most prestigious individuals.

The manekale bounced along, jostling the duck as he steered it gently along the dirt path. He pulled the reins back gently as his body slowly dipped forward as he descended the hill, groaning as he jostled about in the saddle. His belongings, what few there were, bumped against the sides of his mount. He patted along one of the cords until he found what he was looking for. He was getting close to the city. He felt instant security wash over him as he bound the handgun holster around his waist with a firm tug. The handgun was collateral incase any pricks who might take a chance at robbing a lone rider on an unattended road. He was traveling alone after all.

"Tchk, tchk," He clacked his bill at the manekale. The sight of the four Obelisks filled him with relief, but they couldn't disperse how nervous he felt about this whole predicament. He wouldn't refuse this job. He had come too far, "Hey. Tchk, tchk," He clacked, shaking the reins again, "Move faster."

The manekale kept its pace, "Hey jerkface, go faster," He shouted, furiously waving the reins up and down fervently. A heavy grumble clambered out of the beast's throat, "I said move!" Mr. Loft dug the heels of his feet into the manekale's sides and kicked.

It roared, kicked it's back legs and bolted towards Erileium.

[UberUrsa]

"I'm here on a business trip more or less." Rolsha looked the wolf up and down, taking note of the disheveled appearance and the wooden leg. "I might have to take you up on that drink offer, looks like you have a story or two to pass the time." Rolsha looked out to sea towards the port as it grew steadily larger. "You ever been here before?" He looked back at Aodhan, waiting for a reply.