Gabrielle was as stiff as a plank when walking through the gates of Rennos. She had learned many things in the bad way, and one of them was to avoid cities and settlements at all costs with her hair uncovered. People didn’t usually run her out of town (although this had happened before), but the tension and the loud whispers of people around were very hard to ignore. Even with her precious helmet Gabi didn’t feel completely safe, often having to turn around and check her surroundings, jumpy and afraid of being approached with ill intentions…
This time, however, felt pretty different! For she was no longer alone when facing the crowds. This couldn’t get rid of her fears entirely but it at least helped her actually follow Lucrece into the beautiful marble of civilization that was Rennos.
Contrasting so jarringly with the quaint constructions of wood and mud outside of its walls, the city of Rennos was built on beautiful red brick and stone, each home a piece of a greater, magnificent puzzle built around a bifurcating river. Everything in the city felt like it was set with care, keeping a harmonious order crowned by a huge stone castle resting on the north side of it all, almost as if watching over the city and its inhabitants with a smug, satisfied grin.
“In a perfect world, there would be more cities like this…” Commented Lucrece, intent on keeping Gabrielle distracted. “Do you have these kinds of places in Doggerband?”
“I never visited the other isles so, I am not sure…” Gabi’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, her fears slowly fading away as they were pushed away by awe. “But I don’t think so.”
“Hah, me neither.” The lancer grinned satisfied, having found her regional pride after so many years of not really caring for Normadia in the slightest. “Let’s try to find a tavern, there have to be at least two or three in a city this big.”
The witch nodded, but her mind was still far away from it all, focused on the beauty of the city. The few places she had visited before had never looked very “coordinated”, as people seemed to just build wherever they pleased without care for others. Even in Arcadia, the most beautiful settlement she could remember, the elves favoured practicality over form when setting up camp.
“In a perfect world, there would be more cities like this”, Gabrielle repeated under her breath, really taking in the implications. Could there really be other places as beautiful? Or maybe even more beautiful in the world? Places she just didn’t visit before out of fear…
Maybe, after all was done and the Demiurges were finally dead, she could visit some of those beautiful places herself.
As they walked down the streets, and Gabrielle ruminated about her future, Lucrece kept her eye very open and aware of their surroundings. She was so relieved to see the redhead finally calming down, but at the same time couldn’t help but notice the looks the people were giving them. A cloaked figure and a woman with a single eye caused quite the impression in cities like these, and sometimes that wasn’t a good thing. While Gabi daydreamed, Luci was rushing their steps towards the closest tavern she could find, and fortunately it came to them faster than she would need it.
A white brick and wooden two-story building parked right at the main street of the city, with an old and sunbleached sign hanging from its facade that read “The Steady Mare”. Lucrece sighed in relief, pulling Gabrielle over and begging for the place to not be packed.
It was.
Travelers from all around Jericho dined in that place, the smell of salty meat and bubbly ale filled the air as people laughed, yelled and ate in the most belligerent way possible. The crowd was so loud that Lucrece feared for Gabrielle and her poor ears, but the redhead seemed to do just fine in the thunderous room. “Huh, I guess they can’t be always that similar”, thought the blond as she walked over to the bar.
“Luci.” The redhead suddenly asked. “Do you not like traveling all the time?”
“No. Who does?” Lucrece turned around for a moment to face the girl. “It’s a big hassle having to sleep on the floor and all that!”
“But if you didn’t have to sleep on the floor, would you like traveling?”
“Good morrow to you, kind people!” The local bard would interrupt their conversation with a loud exclamation, her voice cutting through the chatter without an issue. She was clearly used to it. “Please, my intention is not to bother! But let me tell you a tale of the most terrible urgency, to every folk living on the road! The terrible horde!”
Most people fell silent there. The horde. Now those were words one shouldn’t even whisper without care. Ever since the disappearance of the Demihumans, beasts of monstrous size and ferocity had been starting to appear in the uncharted forests, deserts and swamps of the world. The shadows had turned much more dangerous and terrifying than ever before, because now there was a very real possibility of something prowling in there.
But there was more: during the last years, the creatures seemed to have been gathering in places, moving in almost a military fashion and attacking settlements and travelers equally. This is what people called “The Horde”.
As the bard, a young lady dressed with many colours in her extravagant and jingly outfit, started playing the flute to tell the tale of the Hordes and their slow but violent advances through Jericho, Luci pulled Gabrielle to take a seat by the tavern bar and quickly called the attention of the waiter.
“Oi, bartender! Two mugs of ale and two plates of soup! Be a darling and leave us some of the bones too, all right?”
Lucrece knew she was being a little bold with her petitions, but showing a golden Empire coin to the man was more than enough to improve his mood.
Meanwhile, Gabrielle was focusing completely on the song of the bard, and the foreboding messages she sang about. The coming of the horde to Sainmaló, the many beasts that one could see during the terrible attack, how valiantly the soldiers fought and died to defend the innocent people within the city walls…
The situation was getting worse, and Gabi couldn’t help but feel a little responsible for it.
After all, if her dreams and visions were to be believed, this would only be the start of something even worse that was to come, and that could only be stopped with the blood of the Demiurges that upset the world’s order…
Gabrielle was as stiff as a plank when walking through the gates of Rennos. She had learned many things in the bad way, and one of them was to avoid cities and settlements at all costs with her hair uncovered. People didn’t usually run her out of town (although this had happened before), but the tension and the loud whispers of people around were very hard to ignore. Even with her precious helmet Gabi didn’t feel completely safe, often having to turn around and check her surroundings, jumpy and afraid of being approached with ill intentions…
This time, however, felt pretty different! For she was no longer alone when facing the crowds. This couldn’t get rid of her fears entirely but it at least helped her actually follow Lucrece into the beautiful marble of civilization that was Rennos.
Contrasting so jarringly with the quaint constructions of wood and mud outside of its walls, the city of Rennos was built on beautiful red brick and stone, each home a piece of a greater, magnificent puzzle built around a bifurcating river. Everything in the city felt like it was set with care, keeping a harmonious order crowned by a huge stone castle resting on the north side of it all, almost as if watching over the city and its inhabitants with a smug, satisfied grin.
“In a perfect world, there would be more cities like this…” Commented Lucrece, intent on keeping Gabrielle distracted. “Do you have these kinds of places in Doggerband?”
“I never visited the other isles so, I am not sure…” Gabi’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, her fears slowly fading away as they were pushed away by awe. “But I don’t think so.”
“Hah, me neither.” The lancer grinned satisfied, having found her regional pride after so many years of not really caring for Normadia in the slightest. “Let’s try to find a tavern, there have to be at least two or three in a city this big.”
The witch nodded, but her mind was still far away from it all, focused on the beauty of the city. The few places she had visited before had never looked very “coordinated”, as people seemed to just build wherever they pleased without care for others. Even in Arcadia, the most beautiful settlement she could remember, the elves favoured practicality over form when setting up camp.
“In a perfect world, there would be more cities like this”, Gabrielle repeated under her breath, really taking in the implications. Could there really be other places as beautiful? Or maybe even more beautiful in the world? Places she just didn’t visit before out of fear…
Maybe, after all was done and the Demiurges were finally dead, she could visit some of those beautiful places herself.
As they walked down the streets, and Gabrielle ruminated about her future, Lucrece kept her eye very open and aware of their surroundings. She was so relieved to see the redhead finally calming down, but at the same time couldn’t help but notice the looks the people were giving them. A cloaked figure and a woman with a single eye caused quite the impression in cities like these, and sometimes that wasn’t a good thing. While Gabi daydreamed, Luci was rushing their steps towards the closest tavern she could find, and fortunately it came to them faster than she would need it.
A white brick and wooden two-story building parked right at the main street of the city, with an old and sunbleached sign hanging from its facade that read “The Steady Mare”. Lucrece sighed in relief, pulling Gabrielle over and begging for the place to not be packed.
It was.
Travelers from all around Jericho dined in that place, the smell of salty meat and bubbly ale filled the air as people laughed, yelled and ate in the most belligerent way possible. The crowd was so loud that Lucrece feared for Gabrielle and her poor ears, but the redhead seemed to do just fine in the thunderous room. “Huh, I guess they can’t be always that similar”, thought the blond as she walked over to the bar.
“Luci.” The redhead suddenly asked. “Do you not like traveling all the time?”
“No. Who does?” Lucrece turned around for a moment to face the girl. “It’s a big hassle having to sleep on the floor and all that!”
“But if you didn’t have to sleep on the floor, would you like traveling?”
“Good morrow to you, kind people!” The local bard would interrupt their conversation with a loud exclamation, her voice cutting through the chatter without an issue. She was clearly used to it. “Please, my intention is not to bother! But let me tell you a tale of the most terrible urgency, to every folk living on the road! The terrible horde!”
Most people fell silent there. The horde. Now those were words one shouldn’t even whisper without care. Ever since the disappearance of the Demihumans, beasts of monstrous size and ferocity had been starting to appear in the uncharted forests, deserts and swamps of the world. The shadows had turned much more dangerous and terrifying than ever before, because now there was a very real possibility of something prowling in there.
But there was more: during the last years, the creatures seemed to have been gathering in places, moving in almost a military fashion and attacking settlements and travelers equally. This is what people called “The Horde”.
As the bard, a young lady dressed with many colours in her extravagant and jingly outfit, started playing the flute to tell the tale of the Hordes and their slow but violent advances through Jericho, Luci pulled Gabrielle to take a seat by the tavern bar and quickly called the attention of the waiter.
“Oi, bartender! Two mugs of ale and two plates of soup! Be a darling and leave us some of the bones too, all right?”
Lucrece knew she was being a little bold with her petitions, but showing a golden Empire coin to the man was more than enough to improve his mood.
Meanwhile, Gabrielle was focusing completely on the song of the bard, and the foreboding messages she sang about. The coming of the horde to Sainmaló, the many beasts that one could see during the terrible attack, how valiantly the soldiers fought and died to defend the innocent people within the city walls…
The situation was getting worse, and Gabi couldn’t help but feel a little responsible for it.
After all, if her dreams and visions were to be believed, this would only be the start of something even worse that was to come, and that could only be stopped with the blood of the Demiurges that upset the world’s order…
