Of Chaste Women and Swans (Teig Please)

[Gossamer]

ooc: Continued from here...

TS: Third Cycle of Winter, Era I, XIII (pf)

On the District street is find a large gray stone building with large round pillars up and down the length of it. With its gray stoned make, it seems a cold and deceiving mask to what is storied inside. There are five stone steps to the large sturdy oak doors. Golden rings serve as the door openers. When you pull them to open the door, the first room is a small reception room. Directly in front of the doors is a long cabinet. Six feet in length and three feet in height. Its top is made of a thick glass with an assortment of simple jewelry displayed inside, laying on a black velvet cloth. The bottom is made of sturdy oak.

Behind the counter, slightly to the right is the door to a small workshop where the master craftsman works. To the left, from the entrance doors, there is another door where two guards stand stiff in their stance and remain observant of everything around them.

The largest room, with cathedral ceilings, is the three-square tower cabinets in the middle of the room. They are made the same way as the first long cabinet, thick glass with jewelry laying on black velvet cloth, the jewelry of a greater brilliance than before. On three of the walls there are glass cabinets the length of the walls. They are filled with different shapes and sizes of lustrous jewelry and other miscellaneous items.

The room is well lit by a very large cast iron chandelier with thick beeswax candles.

The of the Alabaster Gem and Jewelry Store was a typical gemcrafter's haven, filled with grinders, a forge, worktables in various states of occupation, and giant wall-sized corkboard filled with designs and project development for commission work for the shop itself.

The clerk, one fourteen year old Martin Demesi, walked Teig back into the back and settled him into a stool to wait for his master, Carlton Demesi III. Then, the human clerk disappeared to get his father, returning momentarily to sit with Teig a moment while he waited for his father, who was upstairs in the overhead apartment, to come on down. More and more, since Carlton's creation had disappeared, his father had been retreating to the apartment to lay down claiming his head was a riot of headaches.

"Why you want to look for the Maiden?" Martin asked, before sticking out his hand. "Oh.... I'm Martin. We are waiting on my Da to come down. Hes the one that put the bounty up." With that, if Teig complied, Martin would shake his hand. And afterwards, the boy shifted uneasily, as if he didn't know how to handle the guest or what to do with him. The boy was also nervous. He hadn't been either, until he'd seen the card and Teig had explained his purpose. Interesting. Teig would get the distinct impression that this topic.. this Swan Maiden, was not an a real welcome one around these parts. Both young men stared at each other and awkwardly around the room until the back stairs creaked, signaling Carlton's approach.

The big man lumbered into the room, nodded to Teig, and said "Serale, welcome to my shop. How can I help you?" He said, his gaze penetrating as he looked Teig up and down.

[Teig O'Maolain]

Teig whistled to himself as he walked through the shop. The young boy who took him to the back room was a bit of a shock, however. "If I remember correctly, It was your father who posted the bounty, so the better question might be why does he want me to look for the maiden? Either way, I am in need of the coin, so I come to fulfill the bounty. That's really all there is to it." He shook the young man's hand when it was offered. "My name is Teig O'Maolain, I'm a legionnaire in the Jade Legion."

He turned swiftly at the creak of the back stairs, and seeing the man whom he assumed was the proprietor of the store, he straightened up a little bit. Presenting the card, He extended his arm to clasp the other man's.
"Serale, good sir! My name is Teig O'Maolain, and I am here about the bounty you posted, I want to claim it for finding the piece in question. Shall we sit and have a talk about where I might be off to hunt it?"

[Gossamer]

Carlton Demesi looked Teig over. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and stared the boy down a moment. "So you think the Swan Maiden is just a simple piece of jewelry? I bet you did didn't you? No no... she's far more than that. She's a legend. And as such, shes going to be hard to find. Tell me, before I get into the tale to explain why it is this exquisite piece must be found... tell me why you think your qualified to find her?" He asked, then paused waiting for Teig's response.

Martin, while they spoke, put on the tea kettle and added coffee beans ground to a find power into it. He watched his father talk to what he decided must be a mercenary. And he wondered, slowly, about the fate of his sister. Zamora Demsi... Gods he missed her. She was the whole reason the Swan Maiden had come into the possession of the Alabaster's owners. And now.. no one knew where the Maiden was, nor where Zamora was. He blinked back tears, and hoped the young man was serious in his endeavor.

[Teig O'Maolain]

Teig mentally winced at the question. He hated explaining himself like this. He swallowed as the reply came to his mind, and he drew the leather bound journal he carried with him at all times.

"This is why. I have carried this journal with me since the day my friend died 4 years ago. It has taught me that nothing is beyond finding, nothing is beyond saving, and no one is ever truly lost. So if this is true, then everything is findable. I intend to find the jewelry you seek sir, and I won't take no for an answer."

[Gossamer]

Carlton Demesi nodded. "Well, the story of The Swan Maiden started in the ruines of Barala, deep in the heart of the pegasi woods. You know them right? Outside of Prime, to the West. Haunted they are... filled with creatures no one rightly knows about. My daughter Zamora had a nose for history. She came across the legend in a book in an antique shop here in Prime. Her passion is digging in the dirt. Old pottery, old statues, art of any kind, and anything written that was old. She came across this legend in this book of Legends of Primus Provence. It seems, in times past, there were lovely swans that dwelled upon a lake deep in the heart of them woods. And a young girl got lost therein. She wandered the woods a long time, grew near dead, she did, and then stumbled upon the Lake. The Lake's called Guardian Lake, and its a funny place because birds of all sorts gather there. Cranes, Herons, Swans... you name it. Any sort of bird that loves the water is there. And they all have weird eyes. Really weird eyes. And the legend is, that they were all human once, but because of services rendered to the forest themselves, they were turned into birds. Odd aint it?" Carlton said, scratching at his head for a moment before he continued.

"Anyhow, she wandered deep into the woods, found the lake, and a swan befriended her. It wasn't any old swan either. It was one of those strange creatures, with the tri-colored eyes. And as time passed.. they grew to care for one another, then love one another. And she wanted to be like him, to stay with him forever. So he worked magic... powerful magic, and gave her a necklace. And that necklace, if she wore it, turned her into a swan. Then they would drift together across the warm waters of the lake, happy... " Carlton said, looking at Martin for confirmation. The boy nodded. He evidently had told the story right.

"Anyhow, Zamora went to look for the lake. And not only did she find it, but she found the necklace. She wouldn't tell us where. But I saw her journals. There were ruins there, old ones... and thats where she said she unearthed it along with a rotting dress. But there were no bones. Anyhow. She brought it back here to be appraised at the store, and thats when it happened. It was quite valuable... pure silver, large gems, workmanship excellent. She came in to pick it up, and once she knew its value, she just disappeared. We'd had a fight you see... about her going off worrying us so much. And.. she left the room. The next we knew, she was gone, her window was open, and there were white feathers scattered everywhere. The necklace was gone." Carlton admitted, staring at the young solider thoughtfully. "We think she put the necklace on, turned into a swan, and flew off. Can you help us?"

[Teig O'Maolain]

Now Teig had heard everything.

He had to see it for himself.


"Is there anything I need to be able to see to tell this swan apart, some way of reaching the woman inside the swan?"

He thought about his options. As well, a map to this lake would be much help in this quest.

I will find her and bring her home to you.

If she wants to be brought home. Understand that this may mean more than just a necklace. If she can't be brought home, she can't be brought home."

He waited for a response, and scratched at his chin thoughtfully.

[Gossamer]

Carlton looked thoughtful. "Well, I'd assume she'd have a necklace on. I'm not sure though.. really. A swan is just a swan. And well, they are hunted, and we've looked. We even tried to find that lake.. I sent my son you see.. but there's been no luck. None at all. So we've put the bounty up. And we are afraid we will just get all kinds of hunters bringing us in Swans. But you got the card right away... before anyone took it down. We just want our daughter back, and the cursed necklace too. I'm sorry for the fight I had with her... and I want her to know how much her family cares for her... all of us." He said thoughtfully, tears starting to brim in his eyes.

"I can give you her notes, where she labeled the ruins on the map... I don't care if you take help or not. We just want Zamora back... and the necklace too. It's a cursed thing. Completely cursed. You will be careful won't you?" He said, picking up a leather satchel that was filled with notes on the pegasi woods. Evidently his daughter had been studying the ruins and the necklace a long time. There was a journal in there, dated, with her findings of the necklace. It also included her notes on what it looked like, who she thought crafted it, why it had been lost so long. If he wanted details, all he had to do was dig into the journal, or look at Zamora's maps.

[Teig O'Maolain]

Teig took the Journal, shaking the suddenly saddend proprietor's hand.

"I will bring her home. I promise." He took the bag and returned to the barracks, sitting on his bunk, and looking over the notes from the Zamora's journal. He refrained from looking at the maps for the moment. He wanted to learn everything that was to be learned about the necklace and the swans before he tried to track her down. He had a strange feeling that the swan would return to the ruins, but he wanted to be sure before he went on a wild fancy.

He opened the first page and began to read.

[Gossamer]

The woman's sense of voice in her writings were amazing. It seemed the journal picked up on the eve of the woman's departure for what would be the initial scouting expedition for the dig. There were hand-drawn maps and sketches filling the pages. The first page was overbrimming with her excitement.

Day 1-

I cannot for the life of me think what else I should be bringing with me. I have four fully packed up mules, two assistants, and all the parchment and ink I can carry. Just when I thought I had everything, one or two of us would think of something else and we'd have to swing by the mercantile yet again. I swear, if I didn't have generous benefactors supporting this expedition, I'd have long ran the tab past any sensible amount. Poor mules! But finally, off we go, heading out on the road towards the forest.

It's strange. When I inquire about the pegasi woods, no one has much information. Is it taboo to speak of? Are then the legends correct? Excitement fills me. The past whispers to the future. Perhaps my spade will find the truths. Will the waterway I seek be a sort of truth as well? I hope so. The mystery of the elegant birds with the tri-colored eyes haunts my dreams. Only the future will have meaning... will tell us the whole of it. And it draws me... the promise of these ruins... like a moth to a flame.

There were sketches of the necklace further in, and sketches of the birds, as well as notations on her encounters with them. There was even one... incredulous entry.

Day 57-

It spoke to me. I was dirt covered, hot, and had walked down to the lake to wash the filth from my face. And there it was. Huge, long neck curving upwards, beak black as night. Its eyes were lavender, banded with a blue, and a yellow. It clearly... almost as if it said the words aloud... spoke. "Greetings child of the woods. We are glad you have returned to us..." I was afraid... so very afraid. I fled. All the way back to the camp. I had no sense of composure, and the two assistance laughed at me when I told them the truth of it. They laughed! But the bird did speak. I swear it.... swear it!

It would be coming evident to Teig that he'd need to head out towards the lake, if he was going to get any closer to solving this mystery. But first.. if he wanted... the names of her two assistances... one Jonus Dagro and Paulin Smother were listed in the journal, with their addresses clearly printed. They lived in old prime, in the same residence with different room numbers. It was an old boarding house on top of a small grocery. The Jade Legonnaire would easily find it if he sought it out.

Or, he could hit the road now, save time, and be halfway to the dig by morning.

[Teig O'Maolain]

Teig poured over the journal pages. It was after much debate that he chose to seek out the assistants. Every second counted, but he needed very much to speak to them. He went to Old Prime, and arrived at the residence in question.

He slipped a parchment under the doors of both men. He knocked extremely loud at each door, and returned to the entrance.

It read:

"By order of the Imperial Legion, your presence is requested out in front of your residence in 5 minutes. Your aid is requested in recovering some lost artifacts. You are not under investigation, but a failure to respond to this message will authorize me to enter your premises and put you under investigation.

Signed

Legionnaire Teig O'Maolain"

This was a bluff.
Entirely a bluff.
But they didn't know that.

[Gossamer]

Jonus Dagro was home. Indeed he usually didn't go out. The other researcher wasn't. Teig's warning didn't give him much time, but he dressed, and made it downstairs in front of the grocery in record time.

Teig would find Jonus Dargo a rather spindly lad, with thick spectacles, a long hawkish nose, and bright intelligent eyes. He had an awkwardness about him that bespoke a familiarity with books and papers and none whatsoever with weapons and fighting. The lad was also slightly pale, scared, and glancing around nervously looking for the Legionnaire.

When he spotted Teig, he widened his eyes and explaimed. "Jonus Dargo, reporting for duty sir!" Who'd have guessed? Jonus' father was a Jade man himself.

[Teig O'Maolain]

Teig sighed to himself.

one was better than none he supposed.

"Dargo, I am investigating the disappearance of one of your old bosses, I'm looking for a woman by the name of Zamora"

after watching the man's face for any sign of recognition, he continued

"You're going to lead me to the site of your research. or you're going to find yourself in a world of trouble."
He said all this with a smile, but he was deadly serious.

[Gossamer]

Dargo grimaced. He knew Zamora. "I'm no fool. I will lead you nowhere. I have a job I need to go to daily, and I have a life that requires my attention. I've put most of that past me... what happened in that place. But I will do you a favor. I will give you the notes I have on where it is, with a map on how to get there. But you cannot order me about. I'm a citizen, not a Jade, Sir." He said, then turned and disappeared into his room. He returned a few moments later, adding another volume to Teig's growing pile, and handed him a map that showed a really complete rendition of the Pegasi wood, and a road going through it. Oddly enough, the supposed site wasn't far off the road, and Teig should be able to get there easy enough without an escort.

"Do you need anything else? Or have any questions? I'm glad to answer them, but I just won't go back there... not to those people.. not ever again." He said, shuddering slightly. It was obvious he had a total dislike.

[Teig O'Maolain]

"wait... what do you mean those people.... tell me what happened there, please. sir, I'm just trying to find the girl for her family, tell me what is going on!

Teig's demeanor softened and became more concerned.

this search was taking interesting turns and unexpected twists.

He needed more information.