Part IV

[Krathognis]

--Start Part IV--

[cueball]

Luca stumbles out of his room in the morning of the sixth day he had locked himself in his room.  He has a week's worth of stubble around his normally trimmed black goatee, his eyes are sunken and his lean body is covered in sweat.  He staggers to the castle baths and dunks his head in a large sink of cold water, bubbles rising up as he screams under water.  Several soldiers in their off hours give him odd looks as they move around the large bath and he ignores them all as he fetches his razor and cream from his alcove and begins the arduous task of shaving the hair off his head that had grown AROUND the tattoo.  The mark itself is suspiciously free of all hair, as black as the day it had been given to him twenty years ago. 

Mounting Firenze, the roan warhorse 'borrowed' from Valenshire months ago and never returned, Luca rides out of the gates two hours later and joins the line of wagons riding out for more supplies, taking the road to Akterumn.  After hooking up with another group in that city riding for Valenshire, Luca shows up at the gates of Valenshire castle a month after leaving Jace's keep.

"Master Xonn, I need to speak with you."  Luca says as he pushes the hood back on his heavy winter cloak.  This far north in the winter and right under the shadow of a large mountain range, Valenshire received an almost constant blast of freezing wind during this time.  The only way Luca remained somewhat warm was a combination of heavy clothing and magic.

[Krathognis]

Luca: Xonn swings the door wide and usher you into a sitting room. 

Glim: A summons from Xonn pulls you from your studies.  in the time since you became his apprentice he has treated you as an apprentice is always treated little better than a favorite dog, and perhaps a little less than a serving girl... he HAD allowed you access to his libraries however, and while he spoke to you like you were slime and answered most questions with more questions or little anecdotes you HAD learned things while you were here... you grimace and stand to fetch the tea and biscuits that Xonn no doubt wanted....


Jace:  About a week after Luca mysteriously vanished from town with one of the groups the order was seeing to Akterumn interesting news begins to filter in with returning members... There are rumors of a group calling themselves the Knights of Truth making noise in various parts of the land.  many of the reports are conflicting, but one piece is always the same. They pride themselves on being "true followers of the faith" and they blame mages for the downfall of the church.

A rumored extension of this is that they believe the clergy were nothing more than mages corrupting the church and controlling the path to salvation.

Additionally it seems that the number of witch burnings has increased in outlying areas throughout Corisca.

[Thredok]

Glim balances the tray on one hand to knock on the door with the other then swiftly returns it the the try to keep everything from spilling.

[Krathognis]

Glim: The door sweeps open at your knock and you enter the sitting room to find Luca leaning back in one of the overstuffed chairs across from Xonn.

[Thredok]

Glim squashes the little voice that rails about having to wait not only on Xonn but on this other human, who he has traveled as equals with.

Instead he walks over and places the tray on the table between them.

"Anything else. . .Master Xonn?"

[Krathognis]

Xonn smiles to himself at the obvious discomfort of his apprentice.  no matter. he would have to learn to control himself sooner or later or he would blow himself up.  He raises a cup of tea to his lips and takes a long satisfied sip.

"Please see to it that the maid prepares a room for our guest.  Oh and I have decided that you will be going as my representative to the town council tomorrow.  they give me hives..."