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The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Southern Arts
Screams, howls, and various screeching continued beyond the heavy Temple doors. Ravan stood there for a long moment, pressed against the door, feeling as though only he could keep it shut against the soul-hunting creatures beyond. He breathed a deep, stabilizing breath and slid down the door beside Zair on the floor, who was hyperventilating. “Steady your breathing, Zair,” said Ravan. “Before you lose consciousness.” “He’s dead,” said Zair. “Adrian’s dead! What am I going to do?” “We can still finish this mission.” Zair jumped to his feet. “No, you don’t understand! How do I face the Northern Council after thi
The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story Chapter Twenty-Eight: Missions Accomplished
Ravan and Zair didn’t speak a word to each other as they followed the monks past the wraiths and vampires into the Temple. Once they were inside, they found themselves surrounded by a soft yellow light. Many varieties of bright pink flowers lined the archways and poured from the balconies like waterfalls. Here, the monks started to chant, and the ominous chorus echoed off the tall, stone walls as everyone traipsed across the petal-speckled floor. The moaning song didn’t end even after they had arrived at the bright white sanctuary. Ravan observed the shadows behind the marble statues and the koi ponds between the pillars, and he made sure that he and Zair kept some distance between them and the crowd. When it seemed all the monks were efficiently focused on their chant, feeling safe and secure, Ravan locked eyes with Zair and gave him a subtle nod. Zair tensed and waited.Right when the chorus hit a particularly high note, all the documents in the room erupted int
The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story Chapter One: The Hopeless Negotiation
It was late afternoon on Dêldia 23, 364 when Earl Rajashekar of Rivas arrived at port in Tariq, Alaric, a country that was at the time mostly inhabited by humans. The voyage from his home country of fire elementals, Arderé, was a long one, and he was relieved to obtain a decent night's sleep for once. Hours before noon the following day, the earl made haste in a coach to a lavish restaurant and scowled at the dirty Tariquans who had failed to disperse overnight. Fortunately, the restaurant wasn't located too far from his luxurious inn — he had made sure of that. The earl was one for convenience. He made eye-contact with no one when he entered the restaurant with his two footmen and was pleased to be led to his table right away. The last thing he needed that day was to be kept waiting.Earl Rajashekar knew immediately that this day would turn out well for him when he
The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story Chapter Two: And the Deal Gets Worse
Braelyn remained quiet as she was taken to the Port of Tariq, and she continued her vow of silence once they had arrived. She was greeted by Earl Rajashekar, but she still didn't say a word as they boarded the exquisite long boat with its geometric carvings and sea serpent figurehead. The earl's men shoved her below deck where numerous enslaved men rowed to the aggravatingly steady beat of a drum. Braelyn tried to be thankful that she was restrained against a post and not among the rowers, but that drum quickly got on her nerves.The whole three-week-long voyage felt like three months to Braelyn and she refuse to utter a word for all of it. But she had to admit that she wanted to scream for joy once they finally docked at a port in Arderé. It was a beautiful country of gold and adobe buildings, but she primarily found it intimidating considering she had never even left Tari
The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story Chapter Three: The Escape Attempt
It was a while before Braelyn was instructed to head to the market on another Auroday, during which time she always made sure she looked her absolute best on this specific day of the week. She dressed up on other weekdays as well so to avoid suspicions, but on Aurodays she made sure to pay special attention to her hair. Few Arderians had hair as brightly orange as hers and she felt it was her best asset to attracting the count — or any other noble for that matter. On both of the Aurodays she was sent to the market during the past two months, she failed to catch the count's attention. It seemed that her hair wasn't bright enough to make her stand out in a brightly-dressed crowd. So on the Auroday she was sent to the market in the month of Sueño, she tried something different. She dressed in gold jewels, and black and dark green silk to stand out against the multicolored Rivans, and while she packed some fruit into the carri
The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story Chapter Four: The Butcher and the Meat
Omid ran the entire slaughterhouse property which was owned by the Baron of Rivas. Ravan hid his apprehension well as he gazed at the wooden buildings, the stone well, the farm animals, and the large number of workers. He had always been successful at shoving his emotions deep within him since dealing with the earl's sons, and he sensed he'd be doing this often while working here. Once the coach rolled up to the property, Omid showed Ravan to the bunk house where he would be sleeping, which was a structure with no rooms shared among eighteen other boys who also worked there. After Ravan was settled, Omid gave him a tour of the location and its routine."Don't fret, Boy," he said as he led Ravan outside. "Everyone only works here until they hit twenty years of age and then I let them go their own way. Of course, you're always more than welcome to stay and make
The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story Chapter Five: All Debts Require Repayment
Ravan rode straight to the neighboring town of Mael where Lord Pierce was count, and he spent his first week there on the street. He quickly obtained a number of odd jobs and before the second week managed to rent out a small flat for himself in the cozy Sandcliff Inn. It was the day after he moved in that he decided he would make his way to Chateau Westerlay to confront Count Pierce about the debt he owed his mother. Ravan spent quite a bit of money on new clothes so not to appear too ragged upon arriving at the estate. He supposed it was better to look like a commoner rather than a peasant, and the horse he stole from Omid went a long way in accomplishing that. He rode up the tall, sandy hill to the amber and adobe mansion which sat at the top. Upon seeing the two broadly-built guards at the double ebony doors, Ravan channeled just enough energy to hide his nerves and dismounted his horse to approach them.
The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story Chapter Six: Running and Failing to Hide
Ravan reluctantly remained beneath the tarp until he recognized a change in the road. He peered out from the beneath the tarp and realized with sudden panic that this mysterious woman was taking him out of Mael."No!" he demanded as he jumped off the wagon. "No, I'm not leaving Mael!"The woman stopped the wagon and dismounted the box to face Ravan who jabbed an angry finger at her."Where are you taking me?" Ravan paused upon recognizing the reddish-brown curls flowing from the hood of the woman's black cloak. "Evietta...""Oh," the woman replied with a smile. "You remember me at last."Ravan glanced
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- The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Missions Accomplished
Ravan and Zair didn’t speak a word to each other as they followed the monks past the wraiths and vampires into the Temple. Once they were inside, they found themselves surrounded by a soft yellow light. Many varieties of bright pink flowers lined the archways and poured from the balconies like waterfalls. Here, the monks started to chant, and the ominous chorus echoed off the tall, stone walls as everyone traipsed across the petal-speckled floor. The moaning song didn’t end even after they had arrived at the bright white sanctuary. Ravan observed the shadows behind the marble statues and the koi ponds between the pillars, and he made sure that he and Zair kept some distance between them and the crowd. When it seemed all the monks were efficiently focused on their chant, feeling safe and secure, Ravan locked eyes with Zair and gave him a subtle nod. Zair tensed and waited.Right when the chorus hit a particularly high note, all the documents in the room erupted int
- The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story
Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Southern Arts
Screams, howls, and various screeching continued beyond the heavy Temple doors. Ravan stood there for a long moment, pressed against the door, feeling as though only he could keep it shut against the soul-hunting creatures beyond. He breathed a deep, stabilizing breath and slid down the door beside Zair on the floor, who was hyperventilating. “Steady your breathing, Zair,” said Ravan. “Before you lose consciousness.” “He’s dead,” said Zair. “Adrian’s dead! What am I going to do?” “We can still finish this mission.” Zair jumped to his feet. “No, you don’t understand! How do I face the Northern Council after thi
- The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story
Chapter Twenty-Six: The Curse
Ravan waited for the drunken elves to ride away from the inn before he rushed across the street and attempted to enter. The door was locked. Ravan knocked and waited, struggling to suppress his rising panic. “Curses, curses, curses…” Zair mumbled at his side. Ravan knocked again. “They’re not going to let us in,” said Zair. “Shut up!” Ravan snapped. He knocked again, harder this time. “Hello!” he called out. “Listen, we’re tenants here! Might someone let us in?” Zair shook his head and looked fearfully at Ravan. Frustrated, Ravan left the front door and peered around the corner for silver sentries before searching the second-story windows. “Which one’s ours?” Ravan asked. “How should I know?” Zair answered. Ravan made a guess based on his view of the street from their room in the inn, and he threw a rock at one of the windows. Zair gazed up, ho
- The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Detour
The longboat which had been prepared for their departure was simple and inconspicuous so as not to draw any suspicion once they docked in Fyodor. Ravan tried to take comfort in the bright-side of being on another ship; that being he had no responsibilities or a need to constantly look over his shoulder. It was an opportunity to relax and complete his recovery from the plague. He took in much sun, drank plenty of mead and water, and ate heartily. Before long he felt his strength renew and he watched as the color returned to his skin. For a time, Ravan thought perhaps this voyage would be somewhat more tolerable with like-minded people on board, even with his distaste for Adrian, but one night Zair decided to get nosy. “So after infiltrating the Maja Forest and obtaining the Silver Cloak, you are now going after the Eye of Raida.” Ravan glanced up at Zair from his bowl of stew. The lanterns which swayed from the ceiling below deck cast just enough l
- The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story
Chapter Twenty-Four: The Bloody Plague
It took a couple days, but the captain eventually managed to round up his crew for the impromptu trip to Le’ Kire. All the while, Ravan made sure that Zair of Flor du Cyan and Adrian von Le’ Mille hadn’t left the country yet. No one offered the sailors any issues for leaving the island, so long as they weren’t headed to any of the neighboring islands or a country on Paradisius. Ravan found himself growing really sick of the sea though, and once he had officially memorized his entire journal, he verified Zair was still in the country, almost finished planning his mission with Adrian. They would be scheduling their departure soon. While this was good to know, it was less than entertaining. Upon finding himself with nothing more to occupy his mind, Ravan brought his attention back to Quinn Forsythe, who seemed to be in a bit of a rush. Ravan found him in his room at an inn frantically gathering loose pages of pa
- The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story
Chapter Twenty-Three: Burning Desires
Ravan’s voyage to Morcaida was yet another long and uneventful one. He tried not to be ungrateful considering pirates often frequented these waters and he much preferred not to experience any unnecessary delays. After about two and a half months, Ravan figured that Quinn should’ve arrived back in Arderé, and he happily utilized his Silver Cloak to watch his unpleasant half-brother’s demise. Unfortunately, Ravan had forgotten that Morcaida was closer to Duraland than Arderé, and even though Quinn had departed before Ravan, the bounty hunter still had a way to go before he would arrive. So, Ravan tried to check up on Zair, but either he was still wearing his talisman, or he had already arrived in Le’ Kire. When Ravan found Farzaad’s life had changed little since he’d last saw his half-brother, he didn’t bother using the Silver Cloak for a few more weeks, and rather he endeavored to memorize the contents of his journal. He had studied his own scribbles well enough that he’d a
- The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story
Chapter Twenty-Two: Visions from the Silver Cloak
While Ravan watched from the ice cave in Vordan, Quinn allowed himself to be escorted to the Crystalpeak Palace and continued his cooperation all the way to the frozen throne room where Emperor Aldrich sat on his crystal throne. Nothing had changed here in thirty years. Quinn immediately recognized the frosted cathedral ceilings and ice-kissed windows. Tapestries displaying the crest of Duraland, the crest of the Imperial Family, and those of many important families of nobility lined the frosted walls, and three gaudy crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling Once Quinn had approached the throne, he bowed his head, but he didn’t kneel as the centurions did. Emperor Aldrich showed no reaction. He stood up from his throne and descended the icy steps. “Follow me, Forsythe.”
- The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story
Chapter Twenty-One: The Silver Cloak
It was two evenings before Quinn visited Traitor’s Cemetery when Ravan finally arrived at Icebreach, the last town in Duraland before one crossed the border into Vordan. His journey had been uneventful as Quinn had promised, though despite Quinn’s vast knowledge of Duraland being mostly correct, Ravan had run into some evidence that it was three decades outdated. There were six towns along the coast rather than five now, and the towns Quinn had forewarned him about appeared to be much improved since he had left the country. It would seem that the additional port town likely increased trade in the country, thereby aiding the general economy. However, one other change that must have happened within the last thirty years was that Icebreach appeared to be a struggling town, likely due to it being located so close to jotnar country. Quinn had mentioned to Ravan that he and his men had often used Icebrea
- The Tragedy of Ravan the Great: A Rose Tree Chronicles Story
Chapter Twenty: The Execution
The morning after their jotnar palace break-in, Lozano had been up early and he had awakened Quinn and Declan when he had returned to the room from breakfast. Slowly they both rose from bed. “How’s your injury, Montresor?” Quinn asked. Declan observed his bandaged ankle. “It could probably use a redressing before we head off.” “I’ll take care of that for you,” Lozano offered. “No, I’m perfectly capable Ackerman,” Declan said waving him off. “Very well,” Lozano replied. “Well, I’ve already had breakfast. I think I’ll head to the market and restock on supplies for the road. Do either of you need anything while I’m th
