Things had got too hot in Calbeyn.

Yes, most people knew that the death of that kandar noble was a terrible accident, but with so many witnesses, there were always going to be those that believed what they wanted to believe. Then there was the death of Reylorna's arch enemy in the Academy of the Mind, Tanala Zalyn, at the hands of an unknown assassin. Again the finger of suspicion pointed towards one of the few human wizards of Calbeyn. The Kasraanth Sar wanted blood, and Reylorna was getting sure the blood they wanted was hers. They had no evidence, of course, for the simple fact there was none. But when she was a mere human, why did Kasraanth Sar need evidence? All they had to do was to make it look like an accident.

So, for the second time in her life, Reylorna found herself smuggled out of a city aboard a merchant's wagon. There were allies in Filgeth, the Progressors told her; she would be safer there. Nowhere would be truly safe now, safety is a relative thing. Too many kandar felt threatened by the mere existence of a human with powers of the mind; it was blasphemy against The Guardians. they kept saying. And Filgeth, original cradle of kandar civilisation, had it's more that it's fair share of backward-looking types, but it's hardly the Konaic Empire.

Reylorna arrived in Filgeth to be delivered to the Academy of the Mind after a journey of many days. A far bigger city than Calbeyn, spreading out in all directions as far as she could see. A far cry from Calbeyn, crammed into the narrow walls of the canyon, everything seemingly piled on top of everything else. Filgeth was a wide sprawl, elegant spires and domes, some of which it was said dated back to ancient times.

But as soon as the merchant caravan had passed through the gates, something seemed wrong; it had the atmosphere of a war zone. Reylorna had felt this as a small child when the Konaics marched into her home city of Selnin after a long campaign of subversion and assassinations. When she reached the city-within-a-city that made up the Academy of the Mind in Filgeth one of the first things she saw was a huge pile of rubble; one of the academy's massive stone towers had fallen, by what means she could not tell.

The wizard who greets Reylorna has an aura of great rank; Reylorna is rather taken by surprise to see that this senior wizard, hair dyed dark blue in kandar fashion, is human, a slightly-built woman in early middle-age, whose face radiates great wisdom.

Reylorna

She had met some impressive wizards in her very short career, but a human that was not only powerful, but held high rank was very rare. Her eyes betrayed her surprise even though the rest of her features were calm. She gave the utmost respect in her acknowledgment and greeting. She was as formal and as correct as she could be. This wasn't a moment to screw up her first impression. She knew deference from her time as a slave and had learned so much from The Academy of the Mind that it was not only natural, but felt very good to be able to show her respect. She never felt respect for Tanala possibly due to the animosity she showed Reylorna. Others at the Academy she had respected and she had shown them as she was showing now.

"Welcome to Filgeth", the wizard says, "My name is Ceedan. I'd like to say thinks like 'I apologise for the mess', but...". She motions towards the pile of tumbles masonry filling what had previously been a grass quadrangle. "We've had what some might describe as a small war here, and I don't think it's over yet".

Reylorna

She nodded her eyes following the hand. "I am glad to be here, though I thought I was leaving a potential war behind. Guess it is erupting everywhere."

"We're in the eye of the storm", she says, "There will be a better Kalyr at the end of it. Let us both hope we manage to survive long enough to see it".

Reylorna

She nodded while smiling a worn and tired smile. She remember the caves with the ancient mirrors the fantastic origins they hinted at, and yet the ominous presence of what they could mean if interperted differently as well. "At this point I have to say survival has been mostly a day to day, moment to moment proposition. I was hoping that it might be easier here."

She took one last look and grabbed what little belongings she had "what is it I can do to help?"

"Apart from the most obvious things, like trying to avoid getting yourself killed, which I'm sorry to say is likely to be easier said than done", there are a lot of people here who really like to know precisely what you saw on that joint mission with the Karazthan in the mountains. I'm afraid they haven't been very forthcoming with information".

Reylorna

"I think I can hold up my end on the survival thing, at least I wish to." She smiled.

"It was really an amazing place. It brought up twice as many questions as it answered. I would be happy to tell everything I saw. Though the technical elements were handled by someone else, I can at least fill in what we talked about." She shook her head frowning slightly.

"I can understand why they don't want the information out, it undercuts many of the positions that Kandar society has long upheld."

"We need to arrange time for a full debriefing", she says.

A youth with an untidy mop of straw-coloured hair appears as if out of nowhere; clearly Ceedan had telepathically summoned him earlier.

"In the meantime, Almun here, one of the apprentices will show you to your quarters".

Reylorna

"Thank you for the hospitality and the sanctuary." She bowed deeply with respect. She picked up her meager belongings and turned to follow the apprentice. All the while her eyes were open as she observed all she could.

The Academy of the Mind is a city within a city; a ring of buildings with several stone towers and spires surrounding a large open grassed area.

It's impossible not to notice the huge pile of rubble across the grass. From what Reylorna can tell, one of the stone towers has fallen, and fallen very recently.

"The Karazthan are fighting each other", Almun says, "They had some of their own in that tower. They unleashed Doom-war weapons against it".

Reylorna

"So the war has been going on since we got back..." her voice trailed off. "Since a few weeks ago right?"

She thought for a moment and continued "so other than that, how has it been here?"



[OOC: Reylorna will ballpark when they returned from their expedition.]

"Before the airship attack, there was a Drarth on the loose, somone kidnapped Ceedan using ancient mirrors, there's a human wizard who's appeared out of nowhere who's completely insane, and some foreign soldiers burned down the bridge linking the two halves of the city. But apart from that it's been fine".

Reylorna

"Why is it my kinsmen are always the ones involved in the strife," she mutters below a whisper. "I hadn't heard that the mirrors were being used. When we found them, I know there was interest, but there was still a lot of time necessary to figure out their true inner workings. I wonder if we weren't the first ones to find the mirrors."

"You found mirrors too?", he gasps in amazement, "Where?".

Reylorna

"So other spots were located? Huh?" Her brows furrow in puzzlement. "You first, where did you find them?"

[OOC: I can't remember where we did. I am sure it was ultra-top-secret, but she is an apprentice, so oh well.]

"They were on a ship", Almun says, "The Legion sank it with their energy weapons. If the mirrors were not destroyed, they're at the bottom of the river. Unless...". His voice trails off.

[The mirrors were in a huge artificial cavern in the mountains somewhere to the north-west of Calbeyn, close to a strange line of towers. Given a decent-quality map of the area, Reylorna thinks she might be able to locate it]

Reylorna

"On a ship," her voice shows her surprise. "Then they were already found. When was this?" She tried to coordinate her own timeline to see if they might have been the ones from the cavern. "We found some in an artificial cavern in the mountains north-west of Calbeyn. I wonder if they were the same mirrors or if more were found at once. And why now after all this time?"

"How long ago did you find your mirrors?", asks Almun, "The ship was sunk a several weeks ago. Reylorna realises this was more recent than those mirrors she'd witnessed in the tunnels.

Reylorna

"It was a few months ago and they were in some far off mountains. I wonder if they could have been the same ones, just being moved, or if they are another set?" She mused aloud.

"Do you know what happened to the mirrors you saw", asks Almun.

Reylorna

"I believe they were taken back to Calbeyn."

"By who, the Academy of the Mind?", he says, "Then I would have though it most unlikely that they'd end up on a foreign ship in Filgeth. Anyway, tell me more of the time you saw the mirrors. Who were you with, and how did you find them?".

Reylorna

"No the Karzanthian moved them I believe. I was only on the expedition to discover them. I didn't get much time to interact with them other than to prove that, yes indeed they exist."

[OOC: Ow brain, hurt, pain, yeah like I can remember that far back. If you have a log someplace I can post from that, or else... I can make it up.]

Reylorna explains the mission in conjunction with members of the Karazthan, of the operating mirrors in the huge cave beneath the mountains, and the two bemused humans who came through them. Of the fight with the orange cat-men, and flying machine that attacked them on their escape from the mountains.

She doesn't know for sure what became of the two humans after the survivors arrived back at Calbeyn; the Karazthan appeared to take charge of then. Not does she know what happened to the mirrors - The Karazthan may have destroyed them or relocated them, or they may still be there in the cave beneath the mountains.

All she does know is that whoever the group operating the mirrors were, they were no friends of the Karazthan.

Almun nods in acknowledgement.

"Did they move you here because you knew too much about the mirrors?", he asks.