A Song for Shinsei [Talon]

[Finn]

5 Frost 120

A quick, sweeping gaze took in the Plaza of the Jeweled Arches and the colorful hints of rooftops that gave it its name. He wondered if an Avialae had chosen its name; surely the rooftops were easier to see when one could fly and get a bird's eye view of the bustling center for commerce in the great City-State of Kazasi. High Hopes had given him high hopes for the future, but now he was standing before the Skyforge, the place where the Shinsei plied his trade. It seemed more likely Finn could find him there in the middle of the day than lurking in his brother's tavern or knocking on the gates of the Palace of the First Wind.

The would-be bard muttered to himself for a moment before taking a bracing breath of cold air and exhaling a plume of steam. He could walk out in front of a crowd of strangers with only his lute and feel at home, a thrum of excitement in his blood as he ate up the attention of an audience and transmuted it into a performance. Why did walking through a perfectly ordinary door to talk to one person give him stage fright?

Preparing for a heavy door — Avialae were so strong, after all — he was mildly surprised by how easily the door swung open. Perhaps it was cleverly engineered to require no great feat of strength. Perhaps he was just overthinking things, his mind running around like a rich woman's lapdog.

It was warm inside and his nerves were mildly calmed by the telltale scents of a forge, which only reminded him of his mother's craft and learning beside her, even if he had chosen another path for his feet and employment for his hands. He took another breath of the forge-warmed air and looked around. This was all right. One forge was essentially like another, even if this one crafted miracles while his mother's only crafted horseshoes and plowshares. And if the Shinsei was an august personage, he had proven to be a fair, even kind man, and a monster-killer rather than a monster.

There was no need to be nervous.

[Talon]

“You must carefully examine the pathways that you wish to construct with the inner matrix of the artifact.” Talon spoke softly. He kept his focus riveted entirely on the task in front of him as he explained the steps involved in building a specific pathway for aether to travel within a runeforged artifact. “The aether forge provides you with the materials you need but you are the one who must fashion a shape from the shapeless and give meaning to that which has no meaning on its own.”

His grey eyes looked up to see Velkan, his newly hired apprentice, staring wide-eyed at what Talon was crafting with a pair of jeweler’s forceps and a tiny hammer. In front of Talon was what appeared to be a diamond within which swirled an ice blue essence. The gemstone gave off cold and frost seemed to gather on the surface of the aetherite workstation that Talon was toiling away over. Still, the young Novalys was not concerned. He had constructed pictographs to contain the spread of the icy influence of the gem he was working on.

“How do I know what pathways to construct? Or even if they can be?” Velkan moved closer, his wings twitching slightly in a sign that Talon was beginning to understand meant excitement. The runesmith stepped back from the workstation bringing up an aura glass lens so that his apprentice could perceive the pathways that he was referring to. He often had to remind himself to incorporate the fundamental tools used by others in the art of runeforging. Talon had been a practitioner of Semblance for so long that he often forgot that being able to simply reach inside of himself and draw out his senses to perceive the pathways was not an inherent ability for everyone. As Velkan took up his position, Talon pointed to the pathways as they came into view through the lens of the aura glass.

“Do you see this here?” He brushed a finger over the line of icy blue energy snapping somewhat wildly within the facets of the diamond. “It is the essence of the frost stone that was used. As you can see, it is unrefined. It has no structure. It is simply wildly snapping and spreading its influence.”

He picked up the pair of jeweler’s forceps and the hammer. Drawing upon his gift of Semblance, Talon brought the aether of the rudimentary artifact into focus. The tools in his hands were specifically made to handle the energies of a proto-artifact. He took hold of a strand of that energy with the forceps and gently began tapping on it with the hammer. He tugged and followed the line of the facets of the gem, hammering a single strand into place along one angle.

“Our role is to take this volatile energy and give it a solid structure, a path to flow seamlessly through the physical construct of the artifact.” He handed the forceps and the hammer to Velkan. “Try.”

The young Avialae looked up at him with hesitation.

“Shinsei--Talon, I do not know if I am ready.” Velkan held the tools in his hands. Carefully, Talon stepped behind the young man, grasped his hands gently in his own and guided them to the gemstone.

“Grasp the flow of the aether. Feel it, you have to both guide it to the shape of the pathway and feel for the direction it most wants to flow in. The strongest pathways are those that come not just from your own making, but follow the natural flow of power the aether desires.” Lightly, Talon guided Velkan to tap the erratic energy in their view with the hammer to get it to settle before grasping it with the forceps. He stepped back once his fledgling apprentice started to take the reins a bit. Folding his arms over his chest, Talon observed, encouraging the young man to take things slow. There was no rushing the creation of a runeforged artifact. He paused as he heard the door to the shop open. Velkan looked up from the workstation and prepared to rise but Talon stopped him.

“Continue, Velkan. I will return to check your progress. Do not be afraid to make a mistake either. This artifact is one I can fix easily and if something goes awry…” He tapped the aetherite surface of the workstation. Several of the glyphs from his pictographs shimmered. “...the workstation is designed to absorb rampant energy.”

That seemed to make his apprentice relax slightly. The young man nodded and turned back to the task at hand. Talon pat him on the shoulder as he took to the stairs to go to the main level of the shop. The thud of his heavy leather boots, the ones he wore specifically for protection while working the forge, announced his ascension easily enough. He was clad in the worn but comfortable leather pants he had taken to wearing in his shop. A sleeveless black shirt with a high collar, an apron and a pair of leather bracers marked with pictography to help guide the energies he worked with. As he made his way to the main floor of the Skyforge, he tucked his wings in close so that he could pass through the archway leading to the downstairs workspaces easily. When his eyes settled upon who the new occupant of his shop was, he smiled softly.

“Finn. It is good to see you. How can I help you, today?”

[Finn]

From what he could see, it was a fine shop. He didn't know what he had expected a prince's forge to look like, though; it wasn't this. It was rather mundane for a magical workshop, he thought; not that he knew what magical workshops were like by and large. It made his senses tingle a bit, similarly to how Lyra's shop did. Or perhaps it was just his imagination making the rune etched into his scalp tingle.

Gods, he hoped it wasn't fleas. He had cleaned up as best he could being from the Low-City and all. His presence oughtn't to offend. When he heard the heavy tread coming down from on high, he knew it was likely the Shinsei or his companion.

When Talon Novalys came into view, Finn immediately bowed. It was a fair approximation of a proper courtly bow, though one coming from a man who had never been quite close enough to see how to do so properly. It was the thought that counted, and he had both a lute and a longsword slung in an X across his back, much as he had in the Warrens last season. Sometimes he just felt like carrying his sword these days, even if he hadn't before. The Low-City had its dangers, though one might argue he had been in worse danger in the High Hopes.

"Your Highness," he said. "You are looking well. I'm glad." There was a strange, subtle timbre to his voice today, a sincere respect that he didn't quite know how to convey without either making the man uncomfortable or making the man believe he was being insincere. So many must flatter the heir presumptive.

"I won't take up too much of your time, Shinsei." He stood and pulled a small, tightly rolled piece of paper out of his rucksack. It was bound in a white ribbon edged in thread-of-silver. He held it out to the mountain of a man. "I have a small gift for you. After we met at your brother's inn, I took your advice and began to prepare to solicit House Zatrian for patronage. There was nothing to report when we met in the Warrens... Now there is. This season, I begin my education at the Academy."

More than anything, the weight of House Zatrian's approval had seen him admitted into the Academy. There was some monetary aid, but not so much that he could afford to stop working. Still, it was more than he had dreamed of. He would have no need for a social life when he would be eating and breathing music day and night.

"I... my grandmother's dying bequest earned me the Rune of Mesmer. I only use it sometimes to read my audience, occasionally to nudge someone out of a bad mood into enjoying themselves. I don't... You're the only one I've told other than my tutor, the man who initiated me. I don't want people to assume I'm manipulating them. I don't want to get a tattoo on my forehead warning them away from me either. Anyway, I was out of my depth in the Warrens. I was listening to people's symphonies... how they projected their feelings... just to have more to go on when things started going south. I heard a little of yours... I don't know, it's supposed to be a metaphor, I think, calling it a symphony, using musical terminology to explain a magical practice. But I heard enough of yours...

"You are a good man. I mean, I knew that before I listened to your heart. You were fair and generous with me when we met. I know it's your duty, but I think you embody that more than most. You are someone who can inspire people to follow, not just because of your lineage or your wings but because of who you are. I know it sounds crazy. I hardly know you. I just wanted to say that... for me, I hope that one day you will be Shokaze... after a long and fruitful reign for your father, I mean. But I don't know him. I know you a little. I would be proud to be your subject."

He realized he was still holding out the makeshift scroll.

"This is just my first impression of a melody that... that is you. It's not magic. It's not Mesmer. I mean, that might have given me impressions that inspired it. It's not anywhere near done. I'm going to work on it while I study. Eventually, I hope to give you something more finished, more fully realized, based on that. So it's my poor gift to you: a promise. You didn't have to protect me, but you did. You didn't have to hear me out, but you did. You didn't have to advise me, but you did. I appreciate you and I want you to know that it is reciprocated."

That was when he ran out of steam. He just hoped Talon took the scrolled paper and sent him away. It was mortifying to be entirely honest, and he realized it sounded like hero-worship or infatuation, and perhaps there were elements of both, but everything he said was true and it was much simpler in his head than he was able to articulate. He hoped that didn't bode ill for becoming a bard in fact rather than just another minstrel playing drinking songs into the inebriated nights.

[Talon]

He chuckled as Finn bowed. When it came to the dealings of his shop, Talon seldom stood on ceremony but he could get a sense of what the other man was feeling. He allowed his senses to open up so that he could better perceive Finn’s mood. His aura spun with nervous energy and flecks of fear. It took Talon by surprise. He was immediately concerned. Before he could open his mouth to ask Finn a question about his personal state of affairs however, the man began speaking in an almost hurried manner. He took out a scroll, extending it to him. Talon listened as Finn confessed that he was a Mesmer. It was a magic that he was familiar with though he would never practice it himself. His brother was a practitioner and from what Talon gathered, he was a fairly skilled one in his own right.

Gingerly, Talon accepted the scroll once Finn finished speaking. He undid the silver thread, unfurled the scroll and looked upon the page. He was not a musician so he had no idea what the music would sound like but it was clear to him that Finn had spent a great deal of time transcribing what he had heard of Talon onto paper. He looked from the scroll to Finn, grey eyes peering past the physical of what was in front of him and into the folds of the minstrel’s aura. There were elements of happiness there, Talon gathered that this was from Finn getting accepted into the Academy with the patronage of House Zatrian. It warmed him to know that the man was pursuing what he loved. Rolling the scroll up once more, Talon tied the thread around it so that it was neatly situated. He then set the scroll on a nearby counter before fixing the bard-in-waiting with a thoughtful stare.

“Wait here.” Turning, Talon went to one of the cabinets toward the main counter of his shop. The layout of the Skyforge was not overly elaborate. It possessed two floors. The main floor was the display area with a completely open floor plan. There were a line of columns that formed a central aisle leading up to the main counter. Interspaced between those columns were a few displays showcasing sets of armor and clothing. Along the walls to the right upon entering the shop were racks and shelves of mostly tools that, while of fine make, appeared to be mostly mundane. It was the wall on the left and the tables assembled on that side of the shop where most of the magical items seemed to be arranged. From swords that appeared to be made of glass, to wands, to staves, to shields and accessories, each one was colorful and designed to draw the eye.

Talon took out a set of keys, he unlocked the cabinet and retrieved a spool of thread. He closed the cabinet, locking the glass case then went to another. He unlocked it and retrieved a bottle of black ink that held a prismatic sheen when it sloshed in the bottle. Talon then returned to Finn and extended the spool of thread and the bottle of ink to him.

“The thread is called Spellthread. You can impress upon it an enchantment based in your Rune of the Mesmer. A thought, an emotion, it is up to you. I thought it might be useful in stringing your instrument. You can pluck the strings and with them, weave thoughts and emotions not just into your lyrics but into the music as a tangible force.” He smiled.

“The ink is spellwright’s ink. You can use it to pen music you find to be of greater importance. You can weave your Mesmeric influence into it so that the emotions and thoughts of the music can be captured and experienced fully and completely.” Talon handed the two items to Finn, refusing to accept any sort of denial as a response.

“These are gifts, Finn. Gifts that I am putting toward your success at the Academy. Use them well. Use them to spread your gift to all whom you encounter. Music is a treasure and I think…” He paused as he studied Finn. He let his Semblance guide him through the swell of the man’s emotions. “...I think that you have something to offer those who hear you.”

Off Topic

-600 gp (1 Spool of Spellthread)(Average Dragonshard Quality)
-200 gp (1 bottle of Spellwright's Ink)(Average Dragonshard Quality)

[Finn]

Well, that hadn't been one of the anticipated responses, but the Shinsei did not seem upset. Though there were weapons on display, it was unlikely he had gone to find something sharp to cleave him in twain as he had done to the rage wraith. Still and all, Finn shifted his weight from one foot to the other, trying not to fidget in the meantime. The minstrel realized that he was a lot, that he had dumped quite a bit at the feet of a busy, important man. The fact that he was going through a sudden, intense time of change didn't mean the heir to the realm owed him any emotional labor.

By the time the scion of Novalys returned from the other side of a column, Finn was trying not to feel guilty for coming into his workshop bearing his meager gift. He should have just sent it.

No, that hadn't been one of the anticipated responses. It was easily with a prince's means to outstrip him in every endeavor, including the giving of gifts. There was shame that all he could offer was the idea of a song while Talon gave him gifts beyond his scope. There was gratitude for urging him to make his own life better rather than just offering to become his patron, then following up with gifts to help him achieve greatness or, at least, take his shot. There was something like love; his family had been willing to support his choices so long as he exhibited the family work ethic, but someone believing in him and his talent was something he hadn't known since his grandmother had died. His eyes stung.

It was clear Talon would brook no refusal. He gingerly accepted the gifts and bowed again. He didn't know how else to express himself in the moment.

"My thanks seem insufficient," he said, pausing to swallow the knot in his throat. It wouldn't do his voice any good to carry tension there. "I am overwhelmed." After a pause, a hint of humor returned. "You make it difficult to treat you familiarly, Shinsei. With a thought or a word, you can turn a man's world upside down. I will prove myself worthy of your faith. I am your man."

[Talon]

“Your thanks is all that is needed.” Talon picked up the scroll with the song on it. He thumbed it with obvious fondness. With a nod of his head he surveyed Finn for a moment, gauging the man’s emotions with the aid of his aetheric vision. He could see a swell of feelings spiraling across his aura. Few of them were clear to Talon. He suspect that was because they were not exactly clear to Finn himself. Still, he could catch hints of gratitude, of a shame that Talon could not understand.

“It is not my intention to turn your world on its head, Finn. I see potential. I wish for you to be given the opportunity to pursue it.” Talon stood up straighter. He turned his attention to the window of his shop, watching the people in the street walk by. The cold weather was settling in. He watched as a pair of Avialae Sky Guard stood beside some of their human counterparts. The Avialae had their wings extended slightly in order to shield their partners from cold winds. He watched as a couple walked arm in arm, chatting. He watched as some people shared steaming hot drinks with each other. The Northlands could grow bitterly cold but the people of Kalzasi were well adapted to it. The cold weather did not affect Avialae but they were aware that not everyone shared in such an immunity.

“I see people in the city and in the territory, everyday. I ask myself if I do enough to help them. I run a shop devoted to forging objects of power and wonder. But does that mean anything to those who cannot appreciate it?” Talon shook his head. He looked to the scroll in his hand. It was a humble gift but it had been given to him from the warmth of Finn’s heart. He had made it personal, intimately so, to Talon based on the symphony of his thoughts. He felt a momentary sadness.

“I am born to great privilege, Finn. It is my duty to ensure that the people of my country have a fighting chance to live the life they dream of. Kalzasi is a place of great wonder but it is also a place of great terror.” Talon’s thoughts turned to the Warrens and the event that had taken place just the past season. People had been afraid. The Great Houses had been concerned. The Warrens were becoming more active in days of late and while their people were equipped to handle many of those horrors, that did not mean that such preparedness came without cost.

“So I do that the only way I know how, by giving back when the opportunity presents itself. I forge weapons and armor to protect our soldiers, that the beasts of the Warrens might be held in check for just one more day. I hold the nobles pledged to my family’s banner to a higher standard because we owe it to our people to protect them from tyrants.” Talon shook his head. His thoughts turned to the vocal and malcontent nobles who bemoaned some of the restrictions to their scope and authority, who lamented the taxes they paid so that the city might not fall into disrepair.

“The only person you have anything to prove to, Finn, is yourself. Prove that you are worthy of your dreams in your own eyes. When you can do that, the rest will follow. All I ask is that when given the chance, do the same thing for another that I am doing for you.”

[Finn]

Finn stood and quietly attended the prince's thoughts, glancing out the window, considering.

"With great power comes great responsibility," he murmured. He couldn't remember where he had heard that, but it seemed apropos of the situation. A well-crafted verse was something he could appreciate whether it was set to music or not. Perhaps that would become a verse in the great paean to Talon Novalys that he had promised.

He thought, perhaps, that Talon had never been in a situation similar to Finn's own. Born to privilege, raised in privilege, and most likely their next ruler, he had surely faced adversity in some ways—Avialae warriors were built strong for a reason—but he had likely never gone hungry, never felt as though his foundations were any less solid than stone. And even if stone crumbled beneath him, he could fly.

None of these thoughts were filled with spite or malice, but Finn found that he wanted to understand this strange and wonderful person better. He thought there were traits they shared, but there were still wide gulfs of understanding between them. He could see Talon looking for the bridge. Sometimes, though, a bridge had to be built. It occurred to Finn then that even the metaphors his mind used went wrong when applied to a man with wings. Even such foundational ideas meant different things to them.

"I have rarely found myself in a situation where I might help someone in greater need than me, not since my siblings were children. Perhaps I have a flush night and I can spare a few coins for a beggar—at least the beggars who are truly down on their luck and not the ones working for a thieves' guild. But I suppose with patronage and an education, I might rise above my station and be able to help other people too. I will remember your example, Shinsei."

He supposed the time had come to leave. He had delivered his gift and his message and wasted enough of Talon's time. But he found he didn't want to. Was it addictive to be in the presence of someone who inspired? Was Talon Novalys to be his muse or just his moral examplar?

"This is an impressive display," he offered. "If you are ever overworked and overwhelmed, you should send for me. My mother is a smith. I learned enough that I could man the bellows without starting a fire." The corner of his mouth quirked up in an approximation of a smile. "No charge."

[Talon]

“Yes.” Talon answered simply to Finn’s quiet statement. Power and responsibility were inextricably linked. Either the embracing of that responsibility or the shirking of it. It did not matter. To Talon, to his family, it was a thing that was to be wielded from a place of benevolence and charity. Given the most recent tragedy that had befallen them not but a generation ago, the very circumstances that had lead his father to being crowned the ruler of their people, it was a philosophy that Savien had drilled into his sons and his daughters. They lived to serve their people not to abuse them. Talon could only wonder just how much of that philosophy had been acted upon. With every passing day he seemed to see more of a pressing need for their direct intervention. Talon had begun to find himself searching for ways to better the life of the common man.

“Not every need is a physical one, Finn. Sometimes the greatest needs are those that start with the heart, the emotion of a person.” He left it at that. Talon shrugged his shoulders and spoke no further on the philosophy of place and privilege. He did not want to come off as insincere to the man by babbling about the rights and wrongs or the needs and wants of society. Talon had not lived Finn’s life, he did not know the streets that the man had walked. They came from two very different lives and he recognized that. It was not something he fully understood for he had never experienced it but he wanted to so that he could see the problems for what they were and help fix them.

As the subject turned to the display in his shop, Talon could not help but stand a little taller as he passed his eyes over the items in the store. He folded his arms over his chest and smiled a genuine smile of thanks.

“You do me an honor by complimenting me. I admit, lately, it has become a little difficult to balance managing a shop on my own and tending to the duties of my House.” He thought on just the short list of things that he would have to attend to within the next few days alone. It would require a great deal of his attention, energy and ability to handle. “I recently hired an apprentice. Though, I certainly am open to hiring at least one other pair of hands in the shop.”

Talon gestured to the establishment at large.

“My apprentice is learning both the art of the forge and my craft in runeforging. He is diligent and committed but inexperienced. He shows great promise. If you are looking for work, I could use some help catching up on the orders that do not require my enchanting services. The simple work of a blacksmith are services that I provide also.”

[Finn]

Finn was honestly curious how a prince of the realm had time to run a forge at all, but he was too polite to ask. He didn't seem the type to lounge on thread-of-gold bed linens and shit on a solid gold privy, but one never knew with the elite. Of course, the Shokaze might not take up all his son's time with the exigencies of the state, but it still seemed like quite a lot. Much in the same vein, he didn't know that the Academy and his nighly venues would be conducive to working at a forge.

"I think I'm too old to burn the candle at both ends, but..." He unslung his lute from one shoulder and his blade from the other. "I'm here now. Point me to the forge."

The minstrel half expected the Avialae to demur, but he hoped he could be persuaded to accept help, even if only for the day. He did believe that great power came with great responsibility, or at least that it should, but he also believed that if someone hewed too hard to that ideal as it seemed Talon Novalys might, it would be easy for them to burn themselves out, to their own detriment and also to the detriment of those they served so faithfully. He was glad the prince had an apprentice, but he also knew that the training of an apprentice was another stressor. He was glad the prince had his friend Aoren, and only hoped that the other Avialae was able to lighten him up sometimes.

At least the Shinsei spent some time at his brother's tavern.

"A prince ought to learn to delegate," he said with an overblown and dramatic effect. Then he laughed. As if he knew anything about the stressors of a prince.

[Talon]

“My parents tell me that. Often.” Talon sighed as he inclined his head toward a door off to the side. He led Finn toward it so that they could exit the interior of the shop following a stone walkway that led to the rear of the Skyforge where the regular forge was kept. The space was largely open to the air with an awning that kept part of the enclosure covered and protected from the elements. The mundane forge was burning though its heat had dimmed slightly as Talon had not tended to it for a little while as he’d been instructing Velkan.

“I will be seeking more employees here shortly. More and more, I find that I only have the time to focus on the projects that require my level of mastery. That is why I chose to accept Velkan, my apprentice. He will be taking up the art of runeforging. The rest I hire will be shopkeepers and artisans of a more ordinary sort. Though all of them will need familiarity with arcane crafting.” Talon knew that was going to be a tall order. He would likely have to add another subspecialty to his business in order to afford to pay the kinds of wages such craftsmen would warrant. His mother and father had taught him the ways of managing the affairs of an estate. It was a large task and one he was perfecting even into his adulthood. But if he was going to one day take up the reins of governing House Novalys, he had to be intimately familiar with how to run its affairs and this was an excellent test. His father would not tolerate leaving the family in the hands of a spoiled simpleton.

“The forge is powered, in part, by conventional methods. However it has one unique feature.” Talon picked up a pair of thick leather gloves that were worn from use. He motioned to another pair and an apron that Finn could outfit himself with. Tugging on the gloves, Talon walked up to a chamber on the forge and unlatched it, opening it up to reveal a single pyrolyth dragonshard. It burned softly, the bright orange glow illuminating the interior of the forge’s chamber. Talon reached out to the dragonshard extending his senses so that he could tap into its energies. As soon as he connected with it, he felt the familiar heat of being so close to a raw fragment of elemental power. He concentrated, stoking it to life. He closed the chamber door then nodded to a pile of wood.

“Mind adding more?” Talon picked up a pair of tongs using it to grab a bent and misshapen piece of metal. He placed it in the heat allowing it to begin growing hot as the heat of the forge began to build.

“You are probably asking, why do I run a place like this?” He stared into the flames as he spoke letting the warmth and calmness of it wash over him. “It is an expectation in my family that we each build something to contribute to the family’s wealth. My brother built his tavern. It helps him stay in touch with the people of Kalzasi in the way he wants to understand them. I built my forge. There will come a time when we will not have the freedom to be as involved in it as we would like to but in many ways, these are our havens. The places we can just...be.”

Talon shrugged his shoulders.

“In here, I am not my father’s heir. I am just Talon. A man who enjoys building and making things, able to lose myself in the craft.”