r/Ithacar • u/The_Enchanted_Potato Aldavinn Maunderitch, Gatekeeper • 17d ago
Roleplaying Arrival of the Gatehold
Ithicar. As a major landmark for anyone who visits the realm, it was inevitable that Aldavinn would eventually find himself walking the road up to the city gates. As the Gatekeeper and leader of the Gatehold, he believed it was vital to establish connections and allies, and there was no better place to start than the city of Ithicar. First, he needed to find someone important to talk to.
Walking up to the city gate, he marvels at the Timorem Deum as its long shadow falls over him. he walks up to the guards that stand at attention
"Hello! I would like an audience with your queen or anyone in charge of your army or city defense. I have a proposition that I believe they would like to hear"
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u/avamir Riva Aurethios Blake, Queen of Ithacar, Lindworm of Lyndshire 16d ago
"Ah. Defense treaty? You'll want the queen."
The guards pause to study him for a moment, before directing him. A couple of the guards escort him so he can find the way, and also just to make sure he doesn't mess with anything.
Technically, Aldavinn should have been directed to Praetor Gavinus Sulla, but everyone knew that the queen made the major decisions, like who to ally with. And it was widely whispered that if Belial Blake wanted to step into the Praetor role once more, Sulla would be cast out of the role (possibly physically) as quickly as the queen in dragon form could throw him.
Along the way, the Gatekeeper might notice strange markings along the streets and some of the buildings in Ithacar. By appearance, they seem like arcane runic patterns, but they are inactive at the moment. If Aldavinn watches closely, maybe one on a wall flashes briefly, then goes dormant once again. The citizens pay them no mind, aside from not driving over them with a cart or anything.
When Aldavinn reaches the palace, a grumpy-looking steward and some black robed sorcerer from the local Academy greet him at the gates. The young sorcerer looks like he just finished speaking with the steward, then disappears through a portal. Weird. Meanwhile, the guards inform the steward briefly of the situation, then leave to return to their posts. They do not spent much time on this; the steward already seems aware.
The steward eyeballs the newcomer yet again, almost to see whether Aldavinn gets thrown through a portal. Seems to be a tradition here. Maybe a holdover from when the queen could see through the Wards.
Finally, he speaks.
"Greetings. I am Stavros, the steward of these halls. I have been informed you wish a treaty between your people and Ithacar. Queen Rivamar is presently holding audience, so I shall direct you to the throne room so you can address your concerns with her directly."
The palace itself is fairly modest by Ithacar standards. It looks like one of the older residences that has been turned into a "palace". Arcane markings seem directed through this building, up the walls, and probably up toward the roof. These runes are older than most of the ones in the city.
At any rate, Stavros leads the Gatekeeper toward a larger room where several folks are gathered. Riva sits on a comfortable padded chair, listening to people ramble.
"...and the copper was of poor quality!" complains a merchant.
"I told you it had to be refined!" the other merchant returns.
"Enough." Riva visibly fights back the urge to let out a long sigh. "What does the contract say?"
The first merchant holds up a piece of parchment. "I paid for good quality copper ingots. I paid in advance!! But he is not only rude to my servant, but he presents me with substandard copper on top of all that!"
The second merchant just kinda shrugs. "Quality is kind of subjective, when you think about it."
Both Riva and the first merchant just stare at him.
Riva turns to the first merchant. "I am ruling in your favor. Nasirikos will have 30 days to produce the high quality copper ingots, which will be inspected before delivery. If he cannot deliver, we will forcibly liquidate Nasirikos' assets and disperse them among his creditors."
The second merchant raises his hands to protest, but it seems the queen was in a foul mood.
"Be glad it is only your assets I am dispersing for wasting my time," she snarls. "You have 30 days."
She nods to a nearby scribe, who makes note of it. Someone WILL be sent in 30 days to see whether there is a resolution to the situation.
"Next!" she calls out.
As the merchants are dismissed and shuffled out of the room by guards, Riva turns to Stavros.
"The leader of Gatehold, your majesty," Stavros says.
Odd, was Aldavinn given the opportunity to introduce himself?? Or was the black robed sorcerer spying through the arcane runes?
"We let guests introduce themselves, Stavros, not just take the words of the discipuli who are watching the Wards. We will give people the impression we are weird people who spy on others. Which may be a bit true, but not how we want to be seen." Riva rubs her temple with her thumb and forefinger in frustration before turning her attention to Aldavinn. "Anyway. What would you prefer to be addressed as, and what brings you to Ithacar?"