A visit to the Chateau de Maelv (Erenthril)

[Z'kron]

A visit to the Chateau de Maelv

The Chateau itself was a blazing example of the empirical might and power its owner possessed; unlike the other Chateaus of old, Chateau de Maelv possessed a unique architectural style never before seen in any modern construction within the Empire. Its design was oddly reminiscent of its owner; softly curved, overhanging stone ceilings and exterior walls of large, ornate glass panes made for an odd and completely unique look, add to the fact that the interior and frontal design was carved completely out of a creative blend of black and white marble, and the esteemed value of the Chateau drifted into the millions. Perched atop a large cliff, the stone inlaid path travelled through a simple cottage-like stone gate with wooden hinges before curving up four large terraces measuring two feet in height each, verdant emerald grass lawns neatly mowed and trimmed to the epitome of precision. A few trees dotted the terraces, as well as a myriad of colorful flowers – even in the depths of winter – while the obtuse monolithic foyer and entry hall opened up for its guests.
- Description by Erenthril Mael'tharias

TS: Second Month of Winter

"Impressive. Erenthril, you've outdone yourself." the druid muttered to himself as he approached the chateau. And it was indeed an impressive site; made even more so in the druid's eyes by his sneaking suspicion it had all been performed by magic. These were the type of manifestations that occasionally made Z'kron envious of elementalists- but only momentarily. A glance down to the left and right restored his sense of pride for his profession.
A winged ant, grown to the size of a mouse, perched upon his shoulder. It fluttered indignantly at its surroundings, which seemed to have changed just a little from its natural climate in Prime province. On the druid's other shoulder perched what appeared to be a bright blue salamander, who seemed to be taking the trip a fair deal better; panting enthusiastically at the air and occasionally inflating like a bullfrog for reasons unknown to all but herself.
Z'kron shook his head. The creations of elementalists were so much more... concrete. And stylish. The glass windows especially. Absentmindedly, the druid rummaged through his pockets, just checking he'd brought the various instruments and creations he'd intended. Most importantly, the druid checked he still held the seed-prints of his solar towers; planned and developed into a prototype form a month earlier. That was business. He had a variety of ideas on the topic. But this call was also partially social.
"Erenthril?".

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

“Z’kron!”

The distinguishing elvish voice had lilted off from the inside of the foyer before the Dracon even had a chance to utter his name; a handsome young roguish prince walked casually out from the expansive opened mahogany doors, their timbers dwarfing his frame, and underneath the shadowed balcony and seven marble pillars that rose impressively about his frame. He was sporting a black leather jacket, white linen shirt caught in sight underneath, black pants, and of course, the same pair of black leather boots that needed replacing the last time the pair had ran into one another. His hair was shorter now, much shorter, but that same jovial smirk lit up his lips as he waved somewhat over-enthusiastically for the Dracon to make his way up the short series of steps and join him in the shade.

Just beyond the length of the foyer could be seen a variety of potted plants; at least a dozen, to be exact, of varying lengths and shades of green. Twin white marble staircases rose like juggernauts in the background, on either side of an expansive corridor leading to the center of the Chateau itself. A jug of clay was floating in the air, sprinkling water atop them…presumably what the Elementalist had been doing while charting the Dracon’s progression through his fifty five acres. Dual-perception had been a gift from the gods at this point, and with the expansive amount he now breathed in…well, there really was little room for surprise.

“Come, where have you been? Milo and I have been worried sick,” he spoke, clapping the Dracon hesitantly on the shoulder – atop the side of the ant, really. He figured the brightly colored salamander was the more tampered with of the two creatures, after all.

Glancing around outside over the expansive terraces, solitary trees, small menagerie in the distance and glass-paneled greenhouse none too far away, the Elflord grinned over his domain with a sort of child-like enthusiasm before giving his friend a nudge through the mahogany doors and into the much-more cooler foyer. Not that it was exactly steaming hot in the middle of winter.

“Ivys, most of them. A few herbs,” he commented quietly with a wave towards the watering pot, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly before crossing his arms in front of his chest. Fate had smiled on him once more.

[Z'kron]

"Good day, Archmagus. Dear lord, this is an impressive place. I think this counts as a one-up for elementalism over druids for the moment." A raised eyebrow as he glanced around, no doubt pondering what druidry could do to replicate such feats. "The amount of power you must have used to build this place... " a grin and a shake of the head. The elf-prince was definitely pushing the boundaries of arcana with constructions like this. It reminded him just a little of Dar Harvaak in the fluidity of its creation; but with a great deal more taste and elegance.
"Where I've been... is complicated. But I'm back now, and entirely in one piece."
As Erenthril's hand descended on teh dracon's shoulder, the ant extended its wings and fluttered into the air. Almost simultaneously a tiny stalk moved upwards on its back, and leaf-like filaments began rotating as the creature drifted away into the garden.
"He'll be back. I've been working of a few alternative modes of flight for smaller animals. No great breakthroughs, but a few interesting concepts. And a bit of development on the conversion of energy into biological growth, which can be used by the sathyas in the same way that some of the smaller airship protections were powered."
A whisper of arcana as the druid sent an absentminded greeting to the plants. It was only polite. He followed this with another genuine smile. "I approve of the greenery."

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

Erenthril grinned at the Druid. “So you noticed, eh?” he asked, having not formally announced his transition beyond the realms of Master to his friend. Then again, with palaces like this and vis reservoirs like the ones he was touting around, well, it would have been hard to miss – and definitely a safe bet.

As Erenthril set his hand on Z’kron’s shoulder, he withdrew it rather quickly in mild surprise at seeing such a large creature take flight. The wings that were supporting it must have been relatively sturdy…like an airships. He watched as it lazily meandered off towards the gardens, a small snort of laughter escaping him. “Oh yes, I believe it’ll be back…but will my garden be in one piece after it,” he winked, before finishing up tending to the plants. As soon as each had been watered, he quickly began dispelling the temporary clay jug and pot – both essences returning to their respective planes of water and earth, accordingly.

“And although I don’t think I fully understood a word you just said, I’m glad you’ve come,” he spoke, gesturing further past the foyer and into the Main Hall. It was an expansive room, a full two-stories in height, with several various designs chiseled into the marble. Two twin majestic grand stairwells curved crescent-like upwards to the landing of the second floor, a high-door frame barely peaking over the banister which hinted at a corridor leading back into the second story of the house. Directly in front of them, the marble shifted from white to black, and plowed forward past the two openings beneath each stairwell and into the kitchen and dining room.

To their left, an opening in the marble curvature displayed the small vista of an exquisite Ball Room; the epitome of beauty. To their right, an opened wooden door gave way into an expansive library, a haven for knowledge.

Instead of choosing either of the pair, Erenthril instead led Z’kron straight into the depths of his House, passing under the high arching balcony of the second floor and pass several suits of armor and a few delicate portraits of the surrounding countryside. They walked atop of a bearskin rug for a brief moment before greeting the kitchen. Here, tiled floor and black marble countertops with rich mahogany wood cupboards above them lined the far walls, as well as a rather unusual small pantry that was chilled at low temperatures to keep food refrigerated. Another, much larger pantry, was nestled on the opposite corner.

“Chilled wine, perhaps? Or some juice?” he asked, fetching two crystalline glasses from a wooden cupboard before turning to Z’kron and waiting for an answer. He’d go into the chilled refrigerator-like closet for whatever the Dracon preferred, and pour one for each of them.

[Z'kron]

A chuckle. "I do seem to be speaking a different language to almost everyone else. "
"I'd say your garden will be quite fine. The ant is something of an experiment of mine. Practical evolution of species. It's the same art that the ancient Aelyrian's used; but on a much smaller scale. To my knowledge, it's never been used since; so it's a very new field. A little hard to control; but I imagine I'll get there. For example; that ant, aside from its unusual flying capability, can partly sustain itself off sunlight. Also have some plans for a model that could sustain itself off heat- but more of that at another time. "
A shrug, in a slightly self depricating manner. The druid never seemed to put too much worth on his personal accomplishments, perhaps one of the reasons he'd never ascended above his current abilities. "As I said, the art is in its infant form."
The druid's eyes took in the mansion with approval. Having had some minor training in engineering himself, he had some grasp of how difficult the structure would have been to create.
"I'd not say no to some wine. But, what have you been doing with yourself? Redefining the laws of magic as we know them, I suppose?"

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

To say Eren was mildly impressed with his friend’s talk was an understatement. The magical jargon, or hodgepodge for what some would mistake it to be, was truly the very essence of redefining Arcana, and if Erenthril knew any other mage of adequate capabilities and ingenuity to conjure up such powerful ideas, it was Z’kron. Hell, it had been fortuitous for the pair to meet and make the airship the first time they’d entered the business venture together; now, it was just commonality.

“Chilled wine it is,” he spoke, taking out a particularly sweet pinot from the refrigerator-like contraption and fetching a corkscrew out of one of the dresser drawers on the other end of the kitchen. Smiling to himself at the sound of the miniscule pop! Erenthril quickly poured two small glasses halfway full, before expertly handing one to Z’kron to take by the long stem. “One of the local venues,” he remarked idly, before escorting the bottle back to a small bread-holding tin atop the counter. It joined three others partway opened, all with the corks expertly sealed back in through pressurized air. Perfect for keeping things fresh.

“As per what I’ve been doing…well, aside from running into a few wild individuals concerning my Archmagery, I have been mostly keeping a low profile. I built this Chataeu none too long ago, as the result of a diplomatic ambassadorial position I took to relieve Milo of some of his burden concerning Jaedaxia. The people here are…nice. Most of them, at least,” his eyes reflected the sneer and snobbery he’d met at the Jaedaxian Sentinel. Then again, he’d broken their front door as a result of it…so he supposed they were relatively even. “I’m looking into privatizing the airships – Milo already mentioned ordering from that time we took him aboard, you remember, and I’m sure the Minister of War will appreciate some as well. Hopefully might turn the course of things down in Sherian,” he winked before taking a sip from his glass, the sweet berry-reminiscent liquid running over his tongue softly.

“But I’ll have to show you the expansive workshop I built underneath this Chateau in a bit. Really quite the piece of work; it should be able to hold three of them at a time,” he grinned, before shrugging dispassionately. “How about you? Any other innovations to speak of?”

[Z'kron]

"Ah, Sherian. I've been wondering what to do about that problem. I'll have to set my mind to it more. Are the future ships we produce to be fitted out for war? I don't doubt the simplicity of making them that way. Iv'e got a few ideas, and wouldn't object to getting to work on that. And privatising them wouldn't be a bad step either."
The druid took a slight sip from the glass, swishing it a little in his mouth.
"Innovations? Well. A few curiosities."
The druid reached into his pocket, and removed what, to any normal eyes, would seem to be relatively ordinary moss. But to the eyes of a trained magic user, a great deal more would be apparent; with its strange construction indicating its interplanar nature.
"Retrieved it from the essence borderplane between nature, life and death. A long trip round, I must admit. When you draw the nature energy away, the life and death interact, causing an essence implosion. Working on a way to control the reaction that happens to make it sustainable; I expect it will require a lot of fine tuning. I did a few experiments while I was visiting, so I have a little data to work from. I hope to have some practical applications by next season. It'd be damnably dangerous in the wrong hands though."
The druid grinned, his eyes sparking and words rolling off his tongue with the ease of a natural-born scientist. "Personally, I'd like to find out what happens inside the essence implosion. Capture the moment of interaction with a bind, and see the essence at the point of disintegration- discover what makes the essence different, what makes them react... but yes, damnably dangerous business. You were talking of your workshop?"

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

To admit he was rather uncomfortable about the Imperial High Sage whipping out some interplanar material right in front of him would have been an understatement, especially considering the eccentricies and odd quirks Erenthril happened to be privy to on Z’kron’s own rambling and thoroughly inquisitive nature. He took a polite yet solid step away from the Dracon as he pulled out the moss, already examining it through his dual natured perspective and examining the complicated ambiguity of the weave itself that comprised the moss’s shape. A quiet and contemplative “Hmmm,” escaped his lips as his eyes traveled between the glob of green stuff in the Druid’s talons to that of his reptilian face, a smile dancing in the Archmagus’ eyes.

“I have to admit, you’re something else to have traveled to such lengths as a Journeyman,” the Elflord confessed, before turning on his heel and bidding Z’kron follow behind him. The pair walked out of the quaint kitchen and off into an adjoining side-hall that traveled underneath the arch of the left stairwell and formed its own corridor. “Here’s the drawing room – though we needn’t go there to get to the hangar. All the rooms on the left are guest bedrooms,” he spoke offhandedly as they passed the drawing room and then two other wooden doors spaciously separated apart. One of them was open, and Z’kron happened to glance upon a rather comfortable queen-size bed, grand oak and mahogany wardrobe, and an entire wall made of glass that offered a beautiful view across the Cliffside and towards the sea.

“The entrance,” Erenthril spoke, turning into the backhall before opening a door leading down a flight of stairs, “actually doesn’t exist. You get to it through the wine cellar,” he spoke offhandedly as a few elemental orbs of light popped into existence and followed them down above Z’kron’s head. The wine cellar’s stairwell ended in a corner of a wide and expansive room that stretched a good distance under the grand halls within Chateau Maelv. It was filled with cases upon cases of wine, large barrels and kegs even, as well as four diversified rows filled to the brim with all sorts of bottles. Eren proceeded to the far southeast corner of the Hall, where a small opening parted between two humongous looking kegs, easily as tall as both of them combined.

“It’s through here,” he spoke, masterfully crafting a soft-stone spell upon the wall itself. It took all of a few seconds, really, as the wall rippled for a moment, and Eren tepidly touched it with his forefinger. Satisfied, he then proceeded to walk through it…

…and emerged on the other side and into the largest and most advanced airship hangar Z’kron would ever see in his life.