PROLOGUE I -- THE WATCHERS
In the burning chamber of the Mantle Core, trickles of lava carved chunks of hot stone, and glittering obsidian reflected the heat-warped glow of molten rock. Two unlikely friends patrolled the circumference of the expansive cavern. The chamber of the Mantle Core was the largest such cavern known in the Mantle -- the region of the Always Dark which sat in the lowest depths beneath the twin Horn mountains. The chamber itself was a void of massive proportions, some several hundred yards of diameter in every direction, yet just as high to the ceiling. At the center of the cavern a paradoxical sphere of living magma rippled, undulated, and shifted, deconstructing and building itself back together in various combinations of liquid and solid rock. It was a perplexing, yet divine substance which drew the admiration and devotion of all whole looked upon it.
The two friends; the first a humanoid with serpentine features, including light scaling around the neck and blue slitted eyes, was from a clan known as the pure and named Esza. Esza wore black half plate mail with cerulean blue detailing, which matched the cerulean streak of hair through his otherwise black braid. The second of the friends was a soul bound construct, made to look like a monstrous stone-skinned fiend of both significant height and girth. Featuring stone horns and spiked tail, and stoney wings that were webbed like a bat. He was of a soul crafted race known as the cloudforged and named Sije.
The two unlikely companions strode in stoic silence. The pureblood picked at his fingernails using a small dagger, and his cloudforged kin brandished an old rag in order to polish a sooty smudge out of his otherwise shining breast plate. For many hours prior to the silent march, however, the pair laughed -- or rather Esza laughed at Sije's unique and naive perspective of the world as the pureblood told stories of his life before the mundane and toiling patrol as a member of the Watchers of the Core.
Moments earlier, Esza spoke at length about his previous romantic entanglements. Passing through all of the moments of heart thumping desire in as dismissive a manner he could manage, before going on for a much more considerable time regarding the anguish that always followed.
"I'd sooner stab out my still beating heart than allow it to be taken by another lady of the purebloods," he concluded the story about that time he had truly fallen in love, while all the other times he had incorrectly surmised himself as falling in love in the heat of all those moments leading up to the true thing, and all those other times having been believed to have trumped all the previous times before. That is until the most recent heartbreak. Heartbreak of course being a concept lost on Sije.
"Whether stabbed or stolen, we can simply find a gnome in Mantleward who can fashion you a new heart of superior quality," Sije responded in a naive sincerity that did profer a certain type of logic unique to cloudforged. Esza would then burst out laughing, bearing his longer than human canines while he attempted to control himself long enough to belch a response.
"Don't ever change lad," Esza reached up to slap Sije on his stone shoulder. A dribble of dust fell to the magma heated floor as the pure lifted his hand from the motion.
The laughter having long since died down, and the droll of patrolling the expansive chamber having also weighed in over the course of hours, the pair would fall into the mundane task of checking each entry point along the parameter of the cave. Although their task produced boredom for the duo, their calling to watch over the Core never waned. They returned to the centre of the chamber and the majesty and enormity of the ever shifting Mantle Core filled them with heat; both literally and figuratively. The Mantle Core rippled, shifted and morphed from spherical magma, to heated stone, and coalesced into a smaller rocky ball with lava bursting at its seams. It ever shifted with unpredictable precision from one circular form to the next, washing any onlookers with both warmth of fire and of heart. It's magic was somehow divine, allowing the ball of altered rock to both levitate in the centre of the room and to continuously burn, while also drawing in the devotion of its followers.
Nevertheless, the two Watchers continued to fidget with their meaningless exercises while they approached. Esza's nails having long since been picked spotless, while Sije's entire breastplate reflected the fire's light as if it were a featureless mirror.
The two approached another unlikely pair as they bade closer to the core; a human female of dark complexion and diminished height, and a male dark elf of unusually tall stature and broadness of shoulder for his kind. The woman was a young adult draped in a linen cloak of off-white textiles and red patterning, wearing unremarkable woolen towns garments underneath. The dark elf on the other hand wore intricate half mail, with the visage of a dragon's skull crafted into his left shoulder plate by some talented artisan of smithery, and sporting a clasped silk cape of pastel blue colouration, with grey silk undergarments to boot.
Esza cleared his throat and yelled out as they all approached, "Well met captain." He followed the greeting with a half hearted fist to his chest -- the salute of the Watchers.
The dark elf grimaced in response, pulling out a trinket from a satchel strapped to his belt. He held the trinket before him, and a magical flame of violet light appeared on the midpoint of the trinket. He held the pyramidal object flat to his palm as the flame burned.
"You're late," the dark elf -- and captain -- fired back, simultaneously returning the time keeping trinket back to his satchel. "To the southeast exit, he gestured with a nod back from where Esza and Sije had come moments earlier. "The ferryman will be waiting, as will our relief."
The dark elf captain took the lead, while the other three walked behind at a distance, yet close enough to one another to be within whispers' reach. Esza was the first to break the silence, leaning in with a cupped hand over his human companion's ear. "Old rockhead's name day is coming up."
"Rock day," Sije corrected.
Esza pivoted back and wagged a finger at the cloudforged. "How in all the Horns did you hear me as I yet whispered into Malea's ear."
"Half the bloody Cloudsea could hear your so-called whispers, snake tongue," the human woman -- Malea -- countered, rubbing her ear as she spoke.
"I'll have you know, my tongue is not serpentine," Esza shot back, sticking his average and rounded tongue out as he did so.
"Very mature," Malea chuckled, offering her own outstretched tongue back in taunting response.
"Curious," Sije tilted his head, raising a finger to his stone brow. "I've often watched as the two of you exchange this form of gesture, but I had thought it a symbol of frustration, rather than maturity."
Malea giggled and Esza laughed even still as he replied, "Aye lad, it's the symbol of utmost honour, dignified respect and well, downright flattery known in all societies hereto and beyond." Esza crossed his arms and produced a coy smile, impressed at his handiwork in the jest. "Why, I would naught ply myself any more a man of gentile stature than a mere peasant beholden by the most radiant lady Malea Vizolbil, so is she named." He performed then a final exaggerated sweeping arm gesture in front of Malea, as the woman shook her head in embarrassment.
"Most interesting," Sije nodded as he spoke. "Normally when you speak such as this I believe you to be fibbing, but it is indeed remarkable when Esza renounces his status as a highborn pureblood before the feet of a common human."
At that, Esza burst out laughing yet again, while Malea nearly choked on the innocent misunderstanding.
"Enough with the tom-cockery!" The captain interjected, his echo reverberating and silencing the companions.
"Aye captain Abbath!" Esza was the first to snap into position, this time with a respectable fist pounding salute to the chest. Sije and Malea likewise followed in unison with their own salutes.
The captain grumbled a sound like 'harumph' and gestured to the cave now before them. "The tubes lie beyond, and so to should our relief, who if we were on time would now be in patrol of the perimeter." The captain turned back toward the cave entrance suddenly, his cape flapping with the swiftness of his pivot while he lead the way through the passage. The others followed and not long into the cave the heat of the Mantle Core's chamber dissipated while the chilly echoes of dripping water formed a different kind of ambiance.
Not long still, the four Watchers were met by another group of four; two dark elves and two purebloods. Words were briefly exchanged between the passing groups, but soon after the new group headed off to the Core for themselves. The captain continued to lead the way further down the cavernous corridor to yet another humanoid silhouette. Beforelong the quartet had gotten close enough that the features of the humanoid caught light by the subtly ambient bioluminescent lichens which increased in density as they descended the cavern.
Before them, the silhouetted figure was then resolved in the dim light as a male gnome of fair skin standing only three-odd feet tall. As they still approached, the gnome pivoted to face them directly, and brushed some dust off of his leather chaps. Continuing the self-preening, he then ran his opposite hand over his completely bald head while the group came face to face with him. "About time ye bloody Watchers got 'ere," the gnome nearly belched in a heavy glottal accent.
"Well met Pitgazer," the captain responded. "Your patience is appreciated, and will be repaid duly in coin."
"Aye," the gnome named Pitgazer replied, lapping his lips at the promise of higher payment. "Yo're a right bloody good mate Sir Mister Captain Jaezgath Abbath of the Watchers of the Core."
At the needlessly gaudy naming, the three underlings of the Watchers exchanged looks reflecting their own thoughts at the title given to their own friend and captain, who when off duty they referred to as simply 'Jaez'.
"Mister Captain," Esza was the first to speak. "Permission to speak plainly, and be relieved of duty?"
Jaez sighed, "Granted." He then looked at the rest of the party and swept his arm before them, "You're all officially off duty, as of now," and turned briskly to continue the trek down the tunnel.
Esza betrayed all chivalry then to run over to Pitgazer, bending over to clap him on the shoulder, "Oy mate! Hope you got a quick path laid out back to the city's brewhalls!"
"I do lad," Pitgazer shot back with an abrupt tone. "But there be somethin' ye should read first what might change ye'r mind." The gnome then rummaged through his vest and produced four sealed envelopes, passing three of them to the dawdling companions, who each noted their own names addressed on the envelopes that they received, and that the final one was addressed to Jaezgath Abbath.
"I'll run up ahead to pass this one off to old white-hair." And at that, Pitgazer trotted ahead of the three, who unpacked their envelopes duly.
They all took their own amounts of time to read the contents of the letters, but Sije was the first to finish. "An invitation for adventurers to attend to the Windswept Island Centennial," Sije broke the silence. "Right on time for my rock day!" The construct shouted that last bit with uncharacteristic glee.
"Bloody Windswept..." Malea mumbled just loud enough for all to hear.
"Ah yeah your rock day!" Esza pounced over to Sije, throwing a companionable arm around the Cloudforged's neck, in a gesture that was unnatural for both of them, given the size difference. "Forget about the brewhalls Pitgazer!" Esza yelled down the corridor, looking back up at Sije witn a grin. "A centennial celebration only happens once in a lifetime, if you're lucky."
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