In Service to the Hierophant

Tales across the world tell of the marvelous realm known as Kalandrel, where the ancient practice of summoning golems has been perfected into an awe-inspiring artform. Many of these tales revolve around the City of Skyreach, the jewel of the hierophantine. Travellers tell of a cosmopolitan city nestled on a plateau and framed by earth, wood, water, and sky, as if nature itself acknowledged the city as birthplace of those who master the elements.

Earth. Fire. Sky. Water. Ether. All manipulated by man and nymph alike, all in service to the hierophant — the only being capable of controlling the Omniscience Golem, the All-Seeing Eye. From the Throne of Wisdom, he rules over the nation as both secular and spiritual leader. As a Watcher, you have sworn fealty to him and your people, which has granted you the privilege of commanding more powerful golems than before. Your drive is nothing compared to the awesome power wielded by your ruler, but you are nevertheless satisfied.




Every citizen of Kalandrel knows there are two main aspects to summoning a golem: the components and the essence. The components for a golem vary according to the variety, with imagination being the only limit to what can be constructed. However, successfully summoning a golem largely depends on experience, and since more popular golems are summoned more frequently, this makes the instruction and guidance needed to summon them more readily available.

If one has the necessary components, one then needs the right essence. This is limited to one or more of the elements, but any combination can be used in many different ways. Elemental essences are usually called from the ether and trapped inside heart-shaped lockets, with compound essences being more difficult to call and capture than singular ones. Fortunately, golems are a part of everyday society, which means these lockets can be purchased wherever there is civilisation.

The catch to summoning a golem comes in constructing it. With the right components and essence/s, one must open the locket, thereby granting it the opportunity to escape to the ether once more. The summoner must channel their own power to constrain the essence into the components, visualise the final golem, and then force the essence to realise this vision. Once the golem has been assembled, the essence is called back into the locket and trapped once more. If this procedure is done successfully, the golem will come to life.

Spoiler

Controlling a golem is an entirely different matter from summoning it. The soul generates the power necessary to subdue the elemental trapped within the locket. Experienced gained during one's lifetime adds to this, which makes it easier to control more powerful golems with training. Golems can be bought and sold, but a soul must exert control over a locket at all times, lest the golem act however it pleases (which usually entails killing itself or anything nearby). For this reason, vendors cannot sell many golems at a time, so summoning one is the typical way of attaining one.

When golems sustain damage, the control their elemental wields over the constructed body gradually lessens, but no physical damage is observed. When this is no longer the case and the golem starts falling apart, destruction is imminent. Destroyed golems cause the power their essence had invested in the components to return all at once, which often results in the locket exploding and the elemental escaping if the summoner is unable to restrain it and prevent the explosion. Often, and especially with more powerful golems, this inability is fatal.

Lesser elementals consist of only one of the five elements, whereas greater elementals comprise two different elements or a doubled one. The human soul is itself a greater elemental — Ether/Ether specifically — which is why humans can manipulate other elementals. Animal souls are usually lesser ether elementals, but more powerful creatures may also have greater souls. Nymphs are incredibly powerful beings with master souls, which is to say, a doubled ether elemental naturally fused with one of the four other elements. They are considered sacred and frequently receive special training. Most profound of all are the Paragons, otherwise regular humans born with a master soul — a tripled ether elemental.

Initially, you could control only a few lesser golems, but now that you have become a Watcher, you were offered the opportunity to forego these in favour of your very own greater golem. Greater golems require more exertion to control, and as such, you can control only one. Their power is considerable, though, so if you chose to keep your lesser golems, your mastery over them must be exceptional to keep pace with your peers.



Members of the illustrious Skywatch are best known for their Firebird Golems, but the body controls various kinds of airborne golems. Only the higher-ranking Skywatchers may enjoy the honour of protecting the city, with most working alongside the Woodwatch to protect the rest of Kalandrel from the many monsters of the wilderness, both human and otherwise.

Spoiler

Screech Golem: Sky
• Screeches are batlike golems made from iron and canvas, and while they might be small relative to other golems, they make a lot of noise and wind, which is useful for irritating comrade and enemy alike. Furthermore, they're rather robust, so they can fly into things with quite the impact and leave some nasty scratches.

Firebird Golem: Fire/Sky
• By far the most popular golem among Skywatchers, Firebirds are created from leather and the feathers and skeletons of multiple raptors. Their summoners ride them in battle, acting as knights of the sky and attacking with blade and bow alike. To foreigners, they are known as "phoenixes", for a destroyed Firebird's skeleton often remains intact, resulting in a cycle of "birth and rebirth" when reused for summoning or resummoning a Firebird.

Thunderbird Golem: Sky/Ether
• Ironically considered as less flashy than the Firebirds, Thunderbirds are unjustly shunned by the majority. In reality, there is little difference between the two golems, with Thunderbirds simply shooting bolts of electricity, rather than gouts of fire, and being made from bone and steel, rather than bone and leather. Those of contrarian or defiant nature, who typically prefer these golems, find great satisfaction in the increased durability yet similar speed and ease of recreation.

Sunbird Golem: Fire/Fire/Sky
• Given the Firebird's popularity, it makes sense that their riders would demand a more powerful version thereof as they ascended the ranks. The Sunbird is exactly that, with gold added to the list of components for brighter flames and increased prestige. So many Skywatch Commanders have ridden a Sunbird, it has practically become a prerequisite to achieving the post.

Stormbird Golem: Sky/Sky/Ether
• Refusing to be outdone, supporters of the Thunderbird also wanted a more powerful mount, creating the spectacular Stormbird as a response. White gold is incorporated into its metallic body, making it considerably more expensive, but worthy of begrudging acknowledgement. Those who ride the Stormbird are frequently highly skilled, as it is the only way to compete with their more popular rivals.

While the Citywatch protects Skyreach City, the Woodwatch protects all the other settlements of the hierophantine. The vast majority of Watchers are Woodwatchers, and while it isn't always the most glorious of jobs, these individuals understand their worth in protecting their people from all outside threats.

Spoiler

Scuttler Golem: Earth
• One of the most common sights in Kalandrel, the Scuttler is used both as a pet and a guard. Being a spider as large as a dog, they aren't particularly powerful, but being made from rock, they are sturdy and durable. A frequent strategy is to overwhelm an opponent with Scuttlers, which, honestly, works well against most of them.

Tinder Golem: Fire
• Salamanders sometimes live in damp wood, and when such wood was collected for firewood and ignited, the amphibian would flee the flames. This led to the creation of the Tinder, a wooden, smouldering golem that spews fire at its enemies and makes for a poor household companion.

Darter Golem: Water
• Also commonly used as pets, Darters are about the only roaches anyone doesn't mind seeing — unless they're being used by your opponent, in which case they're about as irksome. They can dart around at great speeds both on land and in water, hence the name, and can also leap higher than a man is tall. They're perfect for harrassing larger targets, and with their iron body and mandibles, underestimating them is unwise.

Blaster Golem: Earth/Fire
• Basically a larger version of the Scuttler, but with the added ability to spit fireballs and detonate a fiery proximity blast without sustaining any damage or damaging fellow Blasters. The Woodwatch has a division called the Spider Corps, whose members often use Blasters and Scuttlers as staples.

Vanguard Golem: Earth/Ether
• Whereas Scuttlers and Blasters are bulky and awkward, Vanguards are sleek and fast. The large amount of steel needed for constructing these agile, sparky spiders makes them somewhat rarer, and therefore perfectly suited to the task of scouting ahead and clearing the way for their cumbersome brothers.

Corrosion Golem: Fire/Water
• Although Kalandrelaen society has grown accustomed to seeing spiders everywhere, the same does not hold true for snakes. Considering that the Corrosion is a massive, acid-spewing serpent, this makes it an unpopular, occasionally despised sight. Even so, it is constructed from stainless steel and fireproofed hide, which makes it versatile in many situations.

Chaser Golem: Water/Water
• Where Darters might look like cute, albeit annoying, roaches, Chasers look altogether more fearsome and can be better described as a hybrid between dragonfly and beetle. They serve essentially the same purpose as their smaller version, except that they are more efficient at dealing damage and evading hits.

Erosion Golem: Water/Water
• As cool as a huge snake with a cannon on its head is, the Erosion is disliked as much as the Corrosion. Made entirely from steel (with an actual cannon included as a component), it is considerably slower but more durable than its cousin. Its excellent utility against earth and fire golems makes it indispensible among bandits and outlaws, which unfortunately exacerbates its already poor reception.

Dancer Golem: Water/Ether
• The love and pride the Spider Corps has for its titular creature knows no bounds, and as such, it was a very proud moment for the corps indeed when the Dancer gained popularity among the entire Woodwatch. Made from steel for a durable frame and leather for a comfortable seat, it makes for an agile, manoeuvrable mount capable of dashing over land and skittering across water surfaces at impressive speeds, easily keeping pace with any other golems. For most Woodwatchers, the point where they can control multiple greater golems is the point at which they acquire a Dancer.

Mortar Golem: Earth/Earth/Fire
• The slow, inexorable march of the Mortar signifies only inevitable destruction. Likened to a miniature mountain reinforced with steel, it is the largest of the artificial arachnids, and what it cannot obliterate with its cannons, it crushes underneath its bulk instead. Every member of the Spider Corps dreams of commanding a Mortar of their very own someday.

Sharpshooter Golem: Earth/Earth/Ether
• As it turned out, not everyone in the Spider Corps dreamed of commanding a Mortar after all. Proponents of the Vanguard made a faster, larger, deadlier golem that they dubbed the Sharpshooter, since they justified its creation by equipping it with a high precision electrical cannon for employing against Erosions controlled by bandits. They also made it more costly by increasing the steel demand and adding brass for its specialised conduction system to the components as a way of deterring bandits from simply acquiring Sharpshooters as their new ace instead.

Inundation Golem: Water/Water/Water
• A truly massive serpent, the Inundation is too imposing and impressive to be regarded with anything but awe. It sports a crown of three cannons powerful enough to snap spines and split rock, and it can traverse any terrain, be it terrestrial or aquatic. As a precaution against an Inundation raging out of control, very few are allowed to summon one.

Versatility Golem: Water/Water/Ether
• Although spiders aren't the only arachnids, they are the only arachnids that interest the Spider Corps. However, the scorpion presented a design too good not to use, and so the Versatility made its debut. Capable of walking on land and water, it can engage in both mêlée combat with its powerful pincers and heavy armour, and ranged battles with its stinger-turned-water-cannon. Of course, it was given eight legs instead of six, making it look more like a spider and conveniently disqualifying it as an arachnid.

Skyreach is one of the largest and best known cities in the world, and as such, it is only fitting that a Watch be dedicated entirely to it. (The pseudo-Citywatches of Greenhaven, Galewind, and Port Sawtooth are technically branches of the Woodwatch.) In a city as vast as Skyreach, however, crime is nearly impossible to stamp out entirely, and thus the Citywatch struggles ceaselessly to find and punish those who dare disobey the law.

Spoiler

Bondage Golem: Ether
• To an outsider, the floating sphere of hide that is the Bondage might not look like much, but to the citizens of Kalandrel, it is a symbol of authority and justice. Its many lashes tipped with iron hooks are perfect for seizing and restraining a criminal or golem, and if necessary, it can even apply mild shocks to subdue its target. Of course, the criminals themselves are aware of the value of this golem, which the common populace does not always realise.

Illumination Golem: Ether
• Naught but a very thick glass orb filled with water and swirling mist, the Illumination is unfit for any kind of battle save ramming unarmoured targets. Instead, its function lies in support, for it can glow brightly to cast light into shadows or blind any human foes. Besides white, it can also shine red or blue, which the Citywatch uses to transmit complex messages quickly and over a range of distances. Interestingly, some soothsayers in foreign lands use these golems to make their predictions more dramatic and believable.

Trapper Golem: Ether
• At some point, Spider Corps enthusiasts attempted to share their passion with the Citywatch and created two silken golems to assist them in combatting crime. While the Stalker gained traction immediately, the Trapper failed to garner any support, seeing as it performed much the same role as the Bondage, but at a much higher material cost. It actually enjoys more usage among Woodwatchers, where launching webs and snares is more useful against the bigger, stronger golems and creatures they routinely face.

Sentinel Golem: Earth/Sky
• In other nations, statues of grotesque figures with batlike wings are used to ward off evil. This custom gained popularity in Kalandrel after the Skullwatch was disbanded, except the statues are instead golems capable of flying into direct combat with evil. Unfortunately, Sentinels clash completely with the region's architecture, leaving them replaced and generally outdated.

Detention Golem: Earth/Ether
• A few leather straps won't be enough to restrain the larger golems, so to remedy this, the Detention was created. Made from iron and using actual chains, it can restrain any human and most golems. Its shocking potency is also augmented for better dealing with struggling victims.

Observation Golem: Ether/Ether
• While the Illumination dispels the shadows, the larger Observation becomes one with them. It distorts light around it, making it more difficult to detect, but if someone is actively searching for it, or if the environment is too bright, it will appear as an apparition or fail to hide at all. It can transmit auditory and visual stimuli to its master, but if another Observation is controlled by the same person, the two can link and transmit both ways instead. Given the greater effectiveness of the Stalker at espionage, the Observation has generally been repurposed for logistics.

Stalker Golem: Ether/Ether
• The Stalker is perhaps one of the few spider golems still treated with fear, with parents even using it as a bogeyman. They are commonly owned by criminals and intelligence agents alike, and an impressive network of Stalkers is said to exist both in the Citywatch and in the underworld of Skyreach, for these golems are made of scrying orbs and goliath spider silk. They are frail for their large size, but move silently and swiftly, transmit sensory and auditory information to their masters, and can ambush targets with frightening efficiency.

Omniscience Golem: Ether/Ether/Ether/Ether
• Upon the Throne of Wisdom sits the Hierophant of Kalandrel, and in the wall above him rests the enormous All-Seeing Eye, the most powerful golem ever created. There is and will only ever be one in existence, for its origin is unknown and its power unfathomable. The hierophant alone can control it and only does so in true need; most of the time, the Omniscience's gaze travels wherever it likes — those who enter the Hall of Wisdom pray it does not settle upon them.

In an age long past, Kalandrel had four Watches, not only three. The Skullwatch was intended to safeguard the dead and charged with the pursuit of alchemy: the study of the nature of elementals. Their discoveries included the fusion of elementals and the capture of souls, but their ultimate goal, creating the Elixir of Life, forever eluded them. This was for the best, as their research led them to commit unspeakable acts, for which the Watch was eventually disbanded and its members hunted down. Yet some survived, and those who still practice their baleful ways are called Skullwatchers — a reminder of the sacred duty their predecessors had betrayed.

Spoiler

Lurcher Golem: Ether
• The Lurcher is a grim parody of the Scuttler, consisting of a collection of bones that look like they might fall apart at any moment. This is, in reality, exactly what it does when attacked: it collapses. However, as soon as its opponents stop paying attention, it reassembles and attempts to ambush the human summoners; the only way to destroy it is to trick it into reassembling, as it will not collapse when actively attacking.

Premonition Golem: Earth/Ether
• At some point in time, it occurred to a Skullwatcher that there are certain risks attached to eschewing physical weapons in favour of golems. While one solution would be to adopt a weapon after all, another was to make a golem that served as an actual weapon; thus, the Premonition arose. Aside from being a sword, it also has two eyes on each side of the blade and a piece of cloth attached to the hilt, which wraps around the wrist of the wielder; when it senses potential danger approaching, it unsheathes and forces itself into the wielder's hand, even going as far as hijacking their arm to fight the approaching danger on their behalf. The eyes open just before this happens, but even so, wielders of the ominous Premonition have a difficult time acclimatising to its independence.

Shadowbird Golem: Sky/Ether
• Whereas most avian golems are modelled after the general appearance of raptors, Shadowbirds are specifically intended to look like owls. They are made from bone and black cloth, but true to their origin, make no sound when flying, even when carrying a rider. In fact, they block out sound around them, and the sudden onset of silence owing to their presence can be quite unsettling.

Reaper Golem: Ether/Ether
• Made from straw and dressed in old farmers' clothing of brown and red, with eyes aglow and scythe in hand, the Reaper was originally intended to double as scarecrow and harvester for farms. Unfortunately, its unsettling appearance and connection with the Skullwatch gave rise to stories of a spirit clad in black and wielding a scythe with which it reaps the souls of the dead. Most farmers eschew the creepy golem, but with bandit attacks becoming more and more frequent, a few have revived the custom of keeping one around.

Terrorbird Golem: Earth/Sky/Ether
• Made from numerous decaying raptors, it is unknown how riders of the Terrorbird protect themselves against its wretched stench. In addition to emitting ear-splitting shrieks, the foul creature can direct its noxious fumes in a putrid stream at its targets. While this only affects the living, the fumes are flammable, endangering anything within the cloud (though the golem itself isn't as easily ignited).

Voracity Golem: Earth/Ether/Ether
• When two elementals are fused, their unnatural union subjects them to prolonged, excruciating pain, which drives them to either unconsolable despair or unstoppable rage. The monstrosity known as the Voracity is the worst embodiment of the latter — though tales of its formiddable strength and insatiable hunger for violence have spread far and wide, inspiring the legend of the "werewolf", those who hear its name shiver and wish it was fictional. Its hulking, furless body is an amalgamation of several human and lupine corpses, which it seeks to consume in perpetuity.

You are one of several newly recruited Watchers who decided to rent a small apartment complex. None of you know what the future has in store for you, but all of you agree it's probably best to share the costs of living, with the added benefit of having support right next door. While you'll likely be dispatched to different posts, it can't hurt to make some friends before then.

For now, the plot is open. The entirety of Kalandrel exists as a setting, so if you have an idea, feel free to pitch it! I am entirely open to suggestions, whether it is about lore for one of the towns, a specific golem you'd like for your character to have, or an adventure you have in mind. I'll be adding more information to this post as time passes, but for now, I've tried to keep things simple. Reserve your role in the DT (either Wood- or Skywatch, since Citywatch isn't available this time) and we'll take it from there! The character profile is listed below.

CodeSelect all

[b]Sex/Gender:[/b] (These can be interchangeable or distinct, whichever you prefer.)

[b]Race:[/b] (Human unless a twelve-sided die roll says otherwise; I'll perform this for everyone who joins.)

[b]Soul:[/b] ([b][color=lightgray]Ether[/color][/b]/[b][color=lightgray]Ether[/color][/b] unless the above-mentioned die roll says otherwise.)


[b]Appearance:[/b] (Preferably Caucasian, but you can use any skin tone you like.)

[b]Personality:[/b] (Be creative!)


[b]Watch:[/b] (Wood or Sky)

[b]Golem/s:[/b] (Specify the name and put the essence in brackets.)

[b]Other:[/b] (Anything else you'd like to specify!)

“In the eyes of a lone one, the color of Home takes many shades.” 

It was the beginning sentence of a beloved tale that Rumishu had heard time and time again. She remembered asking her father for the meaning of “lone”, and how it differentiated from “alone.” He had told her many times that lone was a chosen state, whereas alone was an imposed one — so, two facets of what defined isolation. Only when she began traveling outside of her home did Rumishu truly understand the meaning of such words: and with them, she understood what it meant to search for the color of her home. For home wasn’t a place, or so she believed, but rather, a state. Something for her being to reside in in time of rest, or in time of need. And as she walked through the large streets of Skyreach with a green, snake-shaped ankh moving by the will of her fiddling fingers, Rumishu tried to feel at home in order to combat the awe-inspiring, slightly scary realization that had befell her the moment she had passed the giant city’s entrance gate.

She wasn’t lonesome. She was alone.

The people around her were as different from each other as they were from herself. Despite the morning hour, they walked with or without Golems, dodging shoulders with relative ease, calmly moving aside when Golems squashed the ground with their steps and going about whatever business they had to attend to. A handful few looked at her from time to time, and Rumishu looked back, as she was equally surprised. Red, gray, blue, white, purple, but rare instances of brown, and even rarer of green, unlike what Rumishu herself wore. Despite their diversity, the people around Rumishu were united by their clothing, for the most part, and she could easily tell that they looked at her because every fiber of her being appeared very, very different. The way they walked, too – and even the Golems they had, though that much was normal. The Woodwatch worked largely outside of Skyreach, so arachnid-shaped Golems were certainly uncommon within the city’s walls.

Rumishu put a thoughtful hand on Larcastil, her personal Golem companion. It was fine. She had her Golem, she had her bag, she had her items and herself. She had her own home, so she’d have to use that to combat the hesitation that clouded her mind. 

Stand proud! Her parents would say. Proud and straight. Always, always proud and straight.

******

“Ah, this must be it.” 

Rumishu nodded to herself. It was always reassuring to speak her certainties out loud – provided she didn’t bother anyone with her voice along the way. Luckily, only she and Larcastil seemed to exist atop the green field leading to the apartment complex of Archenval, so there was nobody to bother. She walked towards the entrance of the huge building, unsure if she was supposed to enter already or keep on contemplating it. It reminded her of her parents’ mansion, in terms of size, but the exterior seemed much less… intimidating. The complex was large and squared, colored in dull brown and white with red, triangular roofs. On the side of the main construction’s first floor could be seen more vertical rooms with similar colors, but much smaller triangular hat-like shapes for roofs. To Rumishu, the entire structure looked like a tiny, symmetrical castle. At any rate, she recalled being told via a letter that she was to wait for the landlady by the entrance, so surely, entering would cause issues. She decided to sit next to her Golem, making sure that both of them were easily visible in the distance.

“Uh… You’re Rumi… Rumishu, right?”

Rumishu quickly opened her eyes and stood up, straight like an I. “Y-Yes! Yes.” How much time had passed since she fell asleep…? “I am Rumishu Shalfis. To whom am I currently speaking to?”

In front of Rumishu stood a lady the likes of which she’d rarely seen before. She wore a white shirt underneath a light green, short-sleeved jacket decorated with a golden circle. The jacket had a rather large collar which surrounded the lady’s neck, and it somehow fitted perfectly with her short, black hair — for a long, messy strand of it fell to the left side of her face, its tip dipped in the same green from which the jacket was colored. She wore black pants, brown shoes and kept a hand on her hips in a rather nonchalant fashion.

“Yeah, so, I’m Jani? Janielle Medeva, but please don’t call me that.”

“Oh! Any particular reason?”

“Too mouthful.”

“Okay.” Rumishu couldn’t help but hesitate. This woman was her landlady, yet she looked to be only a few years above her age. Something about her calm, constantly sullen black gaze was… off-putting? “So, how should I address you, then? Only Jani?”

“Yes, only Jani.”

No titles? How peculiar. Was it customary in Skyreach city to not use those? Oh, Rumishu thought to herself, I should ask. “Am I not to refer to you by any title to anyone else? Or does nobody in Skyreach do it?”

“I mean, you can refer to me as ‘landlady’ to anyone that needs that, but I don’t… really care, so, avoid using that when I’m around. I guess things are done differently in your country, but people are fine without those, here.”

“That… will require some getting used to.” Rumishu decided she liked Jani. She seemed straightforward enough, and uncaring of Rumishu’s differences, at least so far. “But thank you for your information. Am I supposed to… wait for everyone else?”

“No, I can already show you around.” a light frown ended up decorating Jani’s expressionless face. “One thing, though? Uh, so, remember when I told you to wait at the entrance?”

“Yes, I do!” Rumishu turned to look at the door as if to confirm to herself that she had properly accomplished her task.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that? I meant to say: the entrance. As in… Of the city. That’s usually what people mean when they go ‘meet me at the entrance’, here, but I forgot you were probably not used to that.”

“...Oh. I was not aware.”

“Yeah. Glad you could make it, though. The streets are pretty maze-y, so I’m glad you didn’t got lost, for your first time. Got the keys?”

“It was no trouble, I assure you.” Rumishu then put a hand to her pockets, from which she took a key chain in which two keys rested.

“Okay good. And the thing is for…?” Jani pointed at Rumishu’s belt. A peculiar crescent-shaped sheathe rested by her waist.

“Oh, Pernafida? It’s my traveling weapon. In your tongue, I suppose you’d call it a sickle sword. I had to get a permit for that at the entrance, which I left in my bag. It seems as though most travelers have weapons on them, so nobody was surprised by that.”

“I’m not either, to be fair. I just don’t know weapons much, so I didn’t even know what that was.” Jani lifted an eyebrow. “Do you… slice organs or stuff, with that?”

“Oh, yes!” Rumishu expertly pulled the blade out of its sheath, briefly spinning it around with her fingers before holding it in front of Jani. “This is an upgraded version. A horizontal strike from the hook side can tear off a person’s stomach. More precise hits can hit vital body parts, and with enough strength, I can hook other weapons and disarm foes, or even break their shields. It’s quite hard to change directions between cuts, however, so I had to build my strength to properly wield it. In case of length disadvantage, I can break spear shafts, too. The tip is more of a bludgeon than a true blade, but the back of the hook is also sharpened, so I can still use Pernafida for a variety of purposes.” she gently caressed the blade with one hand. “It’s my personal weapon.”

“Wow. That’s… pretty intense. I don’t think I have any place on the walls to put it, though, but I could always have my husband build something for you, if want.”

“I’ll be fine.” Rumishu assured as she put the weapon back in its sheathe. “I prefer to keep her on me, anyway.”

“Right. Well, let’s have a look inside, then. Sorry in advance – the place is pretty empty.”

Rumishu authorized a little smile to appear on her face. Empty only meant that she could fill it with whatever she wanted. And that was exactly what she needed.

******

Jani told Rumishu that the complex was organized with four rooms on the ground floors, and two rooms at the top. All of them were equipped with at least a small bathroom, a bedroom, a kitchen a living room and a study – which Rumishu immediately considered transforming into her personal storage, which Jani approved. The walls inside had a much more fresh shade of brown than what could be seen outside, the stairs didn’t creek, and most importantly, a wonderful smell emanated from the entire complex. Jani had placed flower pots with incense at the corners of every wall, which created a sweet, appealing aura. The presentation didn’t last very long, too — partly because the place seemed brand new, but also because Jani clearly didn’t enjoy speeches and explanations.

“So, there you have it.” she eventually said after finishing the tour. “You have your keys, and everything else is explained in a written document I left inside each room. Choose the one you want, make yourself comfortable and if anything needs fixing, you can warn me or my husband – he’ll do it for free, as long as you properly take care of everything here and don’t cause a commotion. Does all of that make sense to you?”

“Yes! It very much does, thank you. It might seem weird, but I can’t wait to fill my study with all of my items. I’m very attached to my belongings.”

“No, I’m pretty sure that’s normal. I’m not really used to doing any of this, but from what I understand, people are either unsure what to do when they move in, or they want to make it as comfortable as possible very quickly. Which is why I’m going to let you do that.”

“Right! Thank you very much, Jani.”

“You’re welcome. Take care, now.”

After Jani had left, a moment of calm struck the entire construction. Rumishu was its only inhabitant (Larcastil had to stay outside, given the Golem’s size, but luckily a courtyard had been built next to it for such an occasion), and though she knew it would not last, she felt at peace with the idea.
But eventually came the time for Rumishu to make herself comfortable — and it was with one of her rare white-toothed smiles that she did so. For several minutes, Rumishu made several trips from the building to the courtyard, discharging Larcastil from the extra bags she had brought on the Golem's back. Then, once everything in her room, she spent hours placing and rearranging her collection of items. Toys, dolls, broken pieces of tools, weapons she barely knew, books, jewels, be them real or fake: everything she owned was eventually ordered into one giant library of random possessions, invading the space of every drawer and chair available for Rumishu to place them on. When she was done, the study next to her own room looked like a wooden sanctuary decorated with tens of treasures gathered from across the world.

It… was… perfect.

All that was left for Rumishu was slightly opening the window next to the tables she had moved. Then, Rumishu replaced some of her dolls (most of which were animal-shaped), making sure that their disproportionate grins and eyes many of them had looked straight towards the entrance. Satisfied, she simply stood there, letting the light breeze from outside caress her shoulders and neck as she contemplated every part of her home. 

“Hi!”

The exclamation was replaced with a surprised gasp when the blunt end of a sickle sword decided to rest against the voice owner’s neck. Despite the fierceness in her gaze, Rumishu had to admit that she was just as surprised by her own reflex as the woman that had appeared behind her. Though apparently, she was just as much a warrior as Rumishu was, considering that her hand had immediately placed itself above the short sword at her belt.

“...Okay so you’re quick on the draw. You wouldn’t happen to be open to giving lessons, would you?” the woman continued in a leisurely tone as she raised her arms in the air to signify her unwillingness to fight. “Ugh, serves me right for trying to scare people.”

Despite her surprisingly tanned skin, it was evident that the woman in front of Rumishu was a Nymph. She was about as tall as Rumishu, sported those same pupil-less, single-colored eyes Rumishu adored so much, colored in blue. Even better: this Nymph seemed to be a traveler. She carried a large leather backpack on her shoulders, leather gloves that protected her hands save for her delicate fingers, and her entire figure was decorated with sinuous muscles. Only the long, black hair (which turned fiery orange then white at the tips, looking far more extreme than Jani’s colored strand) made clear that the Nymph was in fact, a woman, and unfortunately ruined the natural androgynous nature of her body. 
She was beautiful.

“You look ravishing,” Rumishu said as she sheathed her blade in a discreet, swift movement. The Nymph’s smile disappeared as she looked at Rumishu, visibly surprised.

“I… what?”

Ah, right. Perhaps Rumishu hadn’t made herself clear enough. It was also possible that, like herself, the Nymph wasn’t a native speaker. “Ravishing,” Rumishu repeated. "You look ravishing. I mean to say that your physical appearance is very pleasing to gaze upon.”

“No no no I get that, but… Are you hitting on me?”

Rumishu’s frown deepened. “I… don’t know what that means. Should I guess?”

“Hmm… Ah! Are you courting me?”

“Oh! No, I don’t know how to do that. I simply speak my mind. My opinion is biased, however, as I like Nymphs quite a lot. Them and their culture.”

“I really don’t fit with that culture, but thanks! It’s better than being hated.”

“Agreed. Oh, and no, I don’t give lessons. I’m usually better at showing things than explaining them.”

“That… that was a joke, but…”

“Oh. Forgive me, I’m not very good at detecting those, much less using them.”

“No no, it’s fine! I mean… Doesn’t mean I don’t want it! It could be fun.” a grin. “D’you... often attack people with an exotic weapon then compliment them? Because I could get used to that.”

Rumishu tapped her chin with her index finger, briefly lost in thought. It was a reasonable question. “Only when I’m surprised,” she replied. “I’m sorry for attacking you, I was distracted. My name is Rumishu Shalfis. I am one of the new inhabitants of this apartment. I suppose you’re one of those too, correct?”

The Nymph giggled. “You talk funny. It’s like a mixture of noble and casual. I think it’s fun. So, did you make this awesome sword of yours?”

Rumishu blinked. Noble and casual? That was good to know. She’d really have to learn to switch between one or the other when necessary. “Though Pernafida is my blade, I had assis- I had help from my family’s blacksmith. I didn’t forge it by myself. Oh, and I didn’t catch your name.”

“Oh! Delphina! Delphina Rivenrie. A bit of a mouthful though, so just call me Dallie!”

“A bit mouthful?” Rumishu repeated. “That’s the second time I hear that one, today. Do people here not like their own names?”

“Uh… I guess people just like to keep things short because it’s simpler?”

A sound logic. Though as far as Rumishu knew, names were best kept memorable, no matter their length. A culture shock, no doubt, and Rumishu was not one to impose her own. “Well, that makes sense. Then, I suppose you can call me Rumi.”

“Oh, wow, this is happening. Want a duck?” Delphina put a hand in her pocket and out came out a wooden duck. Rumishu’s eyes instantly lit up. “Now, that,” she said, “would become a wonderful addition to my collection. Would you like to trade it?”

“I mean, you can take it, I have a lot of them! And I love your collection, by the way. I was looking at it from the doorway, it’s super impressive. Where’d you get all this stuff?”

“...Excuse me, I stopped listening after the ‘lot’ part. You have more?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Do you realize that they could be decorated with glistering jewels, painted in vibrant colors and arranged into a marvelous little rainbow set across this table for visitors to contemplate?”

“...I have money.”

“And, on my way here, I came across one shop that might give us what we need. I can do the rest.”

“Can you tell me about your collection on the way there if I pay for the paint?”

“Is there a sentence to signify my acceptance in this alliance of ours? But in a casual way?”

“‘You got yourself a deal!’”

“Dallie, my radiant Nymph, you got yourself a deal.” Rumishu raised her arm, and Delphina immediately raised hers in return to shake her hand. With their alliance now sealed, Rumishu and her new friend began to move down the stairs leading them outside of the apartment, a glorious bounciness animating their steps.

“Goodness, this day is awesome,” Delphina commented. “Also, why radiant?”

“Oh, I use ravishing as a compliment for your body, whereas radiant is a compliment I use for your mind.”

“...Are you sure you don’t know how to court?”

“Well, if speaking one’s mind is a form of courting, then I suppose I’m a dangerously competent contender at it.” Rumishu frowned as the two women walked back towards Skyreach City. “it… would also explain a lot.”

Delphina let out a laugh. “Then if you’re single, you really won’t stay alone for long.”

A peaceful smile grew on Rumishu’s face. Of course, she wouldn’t. Though the place was still scarily alien, and though she had just arrived, Rumishu could easily tell that she had stopped being alone already.

Delphina

Looking down on the tops of buildings, barely able to make out one tiny figure of a person from another, Skyreach looked about as different as I'd expected from this perspective. That is, not really different at all besides being above the roofs.
It had been ages since I'd been inside the city gates, The watch wasn't keen on me muscling in on their line of work. I guess that made me being accepted into the skywatch a bit ironic.

"Squawk" Andrea alerted me as our destination came into view. I looked down on it.

"Hmm, Homey. So are we going through the door or a window?"

"Squawk!"

"Right, right. I guess it all depends."

Unfortunately, none of the windows were open enough to jump through, so I landed Andrea by a Vanguard golem who was patiently waiting by the door. I smiled at it.
"Nice day, huh?"
The Golem looked up and clicked its mandibles, which I assumed meant it agreed with me. Adrea blew a gust of warm air, ruffling my hair.

"What? I was just being polite!"

"Squawk!"

"Alright, fine. I'll go in. Be nice, okay?"

With another surly squawk from Andrea, I ran through the door, then skidded to a stop when I nearly ran someone over. "Sorry!" I turned around just as the person, a tall, freckled man, regained his balance.

"It's fine." He turned in the other direction. "This is Archenval, correct?"

"That's right! You here to get your key too?"

"Yes." As he passed by me to leave, I noticed the small spider golem scuttling behind him. I grinned.

"Oh! You brought your Golem in with you! Hi!" I waved at it and it looked back at me in a spiderlike version of surprise. I'm pretty sure it would have waved back had its summoner snapped

"That's Cyth." and stalked away, his Golem scuttling behind him. I shrugged and headed up the stairs to the only open door in the building, and after some awkwardness (You saw how that went), I was on my way back out with my new friend with the goal of bedazzled ducks spurring me onward. Rumishu's hair streamed out behind her in the wind as Andrea's wings carried us back into town. She sat a little stiffly behind me, stuck in a limbo between nervousness and fascination as she watched the ground whip by below us.

"Is this the altitude you normally fly at?"

"This low? Nowhere close."

"May I see how high it is?"

I glanced carefully back at her. "You sure? It's pretty high."

Rumi nods. "I am."

"Well, alright. Tell me if you want to come back down." I felt Rumishu tense a little more as I brought Andrea into a gentle climb, rising slowly up above the clouds. Rumishu looked down at the ground, which looked more like a giant quilt now, and the shellshocked expression on her face almost made me laugh.

"Do you not ever worry about falling?"

I shrugged. "I did when I first summoned Andrea, but not as much now that Andrea and I have bonded. I know she wouldn't let me fall."

Andrea cooed as I scratched her between the ears.

"Yes, you do seem to have a strong connection."

I turned around, and Andrea grumbled a little as I stopped giving her attention.

"What?"

"I was merely stating that you and your golem have a positive relationship. She performs tasks and protects you from harm, and in turn, you treat her as a friend."

I shook my head. "No, yeah, I know that just...most people I've met don't believe me when I say stuff like that."

Rumi frowned quizzically. "They do not believe in creating bonds with their golems?"

"Not really. Most people see them more like inanimate objects, kind of like puppets, so they don't really feel a need."

The appalled look that crossed Rumi's face made me throw my hands up. "Exactly!"

"Squawk!"

I jumped as Andrea brought our attention back to the world around us. "Oh shoot! How long have we been in the air?"

I guided Andrea to dip towards the ground, until I could see the city gates looming ahead of us, with two figures standing in front of them. "Well, I guess we'll turn back then..."

I abandoned the thought as the two figures came into clearer view, and the sight of a brightly colored cloak struck my eyes.

"New plan!" I spurred Andrea a little faster and landed behind them. "Cade!"

I wrapped my arms tightly around the cloaked figure, who snapped "Get off!" and squeezed out of my grip. Cade turned around and glared at me.

"Why are you here? And why in all of the heirophantine are you wet?"

I opened my mouth and he held up a hand. "Before you answer that, tell me if I even want to know."

"Well, if I were me, I'd say yes. But seeing as you're pretty much my polar opposite I'm gonna go with no. On an unrelated note, I can say from experience that you have not lived until you've flown through a cloud."

Cade sighed heavily. "I see you haven't changed."

"Nope!" I looked back at Rumi. "By the way, this is Caduciel. He's my brother."

Rumi nodded, and I turned back to Caduciel. "So, what are you doing just hanging around the gate."

He scowled. "Waiting. Like everyone was supposed to do."

"Oh, that. Yeah, no one really payed attention. Rumishu has the keys." I pointed to her. Cade took his with a curt nod, and the other man delicately plucked his from her hand with an almost inaudible "Thank you"

"Do you guys no the way to Archenval? I could show you if you want"

the shy guy started to say something, but Cayde overtook him. "I think we can manage. Thanks."

"You sure? It's really no big deal--"

"Delphina." The look in his eyes told me all I needed to know. I sighed.

"Fine, I'll go. But don't be a stranger, okay? After all." I flashed him a grin as I climbed back on Andrea. "We're neighbors now."

The nymph Caduciel Rivenrie watched his sister careen into the sky, a whoop of mayhem trailing behind. He sighed in frustration and turned to the man next to him. “I’ve already memorized the way,” he said. “You might get there faster by air, though.”

“That’s okay,” the man replied, shuffling his feet. The man had only spoken once before, to introduce himself as Andy; from the Thunderbird Golem preening next to him, it could be assumed he was assigned to Skywatch. “We can follow you there.”

A nymph never turns down a chance to take the lead. This was a duty Caduciel ever upheld. He knew his path, and it was a one way road forward for the sake of all. This creed reluctantly included his sister, though she didn’t ever seem to need protecting.

Caduciel turned to his own golem, the pillar of steel coiled beside him. “Go on, Waerode!”

The pillar unfolded with a clicking of steel plates, the head of a giant snake bending down to allow Caduciel on. Waerode laid its enormous body on the ground and set its sights ahead, Caduciel Rivenrie standing at its helm. The Erosion Golem was a fearsome sight for all, other Watchers included. It was the intended effect for the nymph Caduciel Rivenrie, as he watched Andy and his golem gawk silently.

They moved through the streets together, Caduciel’s shock-white cloak blowing out behind him. Andy followed on the ground, his golem hovering beside him. Waerode glided over the pavement on a trail of water essence; it moved deceptively fast, to the point where Andy was jogging to keep up. Still, the Skywatch recruit seemed determined not to let the inconvenience show. Caduciel pitied him but did nothing.

The golems of Citywatch were posted every three blocks or so, hydrospheric Illumination Golems turning to track the two Watchers as they passed. So often another Watcher stood beside them, eyeing Caduciel’s garb of royal whites and blues and thinking, That’s a nymph, hm? Hah, it ought to be. Their stares were absorbed in the endless white of Caduciel Rivenrie’s cloak. In its appearance, he sought a gaudily mythic aura. Respect lay at the crossroads of reverence and disdain, and the only way forward was to make the most of it.

“Here we are,” Caduciel declared when the gabled rows of Archenval rose before them. He turned to Andy, who was huffing with his hands on his knees. “Why don’t we get something to drink?”

“Thank you,” Andy wheezed as Caduciel hopped off of Waerode and approached the front door. It was cracked slightly open; Caduciel had an inkling that Delphina was responsible. “She always was careless,” he murmured, and he pushed through the door into certain doom.

All at once, a cavalcade of yellow shapes descended from above. They bounced ten in number off of Caduciel’s head and scattered on the floor, sending him sputtering aback. Wooden ducks. And there was Delphina, holding her sides and laughing, with the other woman standing beside her and giggling.

Caduciel flushed bright pink. “I see you made it back here just fine, Watcher Rivenrie,” he said, with an inflection like toxic ice.

Delphina held a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. “That was perfect! And - the look on your face!” She mimicked Caduciel’s flailing arms, then descended to giggles again.

Caduciel gave an exasperated look to the other woman, who held her hands up. “Ah, sorry,” she said. “But it’s amusing to me how out of everyone who could have walked through that door, it was you.”

“Yes, well, thank you. I mean nice to meet you,” Caduciel said, chasing the indignity out the tips of his ears. “I am Caduciel Rivenrie. Recruit of the Woodwatch, and Delphina’s brother.”

“I’m Rumishu, but everyone here shortens it to Rumi. Is your name a mouthful, too?”

“I’m no mouthful,” Caduciel retorted, heedless of grace and phrasing. “I prefer Caduciel, if you please.”

“Yes, I see.” Rumi went silent, as though digesting information. She was clearly foreign, though perhaps Caduciel’s view was limited from center of the hierophantine. Her eyes seemed to pierce past his cloak, and Caduciel shifted back reflexively.

“Just as ravishing,” she said aloud.

Caduciel sputtered wildly, “I beg your pardon?!”

The door creaked slightly. Caduciel spun around to find Andy stepping inside awkwardly. “Ah!” the nymph said, a bit too loudly. “I should introduce this man: This is Andy. Delphina, he’ll be your colleague from here forward.”

“Nice to know you!” Delphina bounced forward and scooped up Andy’s hands, shaking them up and down. “We’re going to have a lot of fun together, you and I!”

Caduciel felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to find Rumi. “To be clear, when I said you were ravishing, I meant your appearance in particular, I find it pleasing to - why are you backing away?”

“We can have flying contests, and prank wars - do you like ducks?”

“Ravishing, your face as well as your eyes. Nymphs are truly wonderful to me.”

“Ducks?”

“Wonderful?”

“Yes, ducks!”

They were interrupted by footsteps, muted, yet strong. A man with freckles and a nonchalant gaze approached with an echoing gait. He looked on the strange scene for a second, then uttered simply, “Hello.”

Delphina snapped to attention. “Oh, hi! We met earlier. I’m Dallie. And you are?”

“Evaricel Brynmor,” the man replied tersely.

“More mouthfuls,” marveled Rumi.

“It looks like all of us who were arriving are here,” Caduciel noted.

“We should party!” Delphina suggested. “Are you doing anything right now?”

“I was going shopping for groceries, actually,” Evaricel responded.

“Let’s get some together! We could make hot soup!”

“A hot meal is the universal language,” added Rumi. “It might be a good way to break in the apartment.”

“Let’s go together, Cade!” Delphina shouted and ran towards him, but her face was stopped by his outstretched palm.

“You would’ve had to know I’d decline,” Caduciel grumbled. “If we’re really doing this, then we’ll have to split into groups for shopping in order to have time to cook.” Quickly, he scrawled down two lists of ingredients for noodle soup, took one and passed the other to Delphina.

“We’ll meet back here at 6:00 pm to cook. Any questions?”

“Just the one about who put you in charge.”

Caduciel turned to Evaricel. “I lead because I can. That means not doing what I can’t, which is cook. Can anyone do that?”

A few hands went up. “There, then. We will head out and get some ingredients!” Caduciel pumped his fist in an impromptu gesture.

The Watchers walked out of the door, ready to patrol Skyreach for its bounty of groceries. “Tonight is hot soup!”

~ Evaricel Brynmor ~

Evaricel stepped into the common area of the apartment complex and frowned, Cyth following after him. The large, metallic spider-like Golem scuttled ahead and stopped in the middle of the room, then scuttled back over to him. Evaricel scanned the area thoughtfully, adjusting the strap of his pack carefully as he followed after his Golem. He could hear movement upstairs and it sounded like someone might be humming somewhere nearby.

And then a blur of brown, black, red, flame orange and white almost toppled him over. Evaricel sidestepped them swiftly, frowning.

"Sorry!"

Evaricel blinked at the pretty Nymph before him and made to turn away. "This is Archenval, correct?"

"That's right! You here to get your key, too?"

"Yes." He passed around the nymph in a circle, trying not to get too close. She was rather...energetic. He wasn't sure he liked her yet. Cyth, on the other hand, seemed to like the attention she was giving them.

"Oh! You brought your Golem in with you! Hi!"

"That's Cyth," he said, feeling as if he didn't need to say anything else as stalked off towards a room in the far corner. Cyth hesitiated--he could feel the Golem wanting to stay with the nypmh--and Ev tugged at it. Cyth chittered again and scuttled after him.

It was only as the nymph and another girl came downstais and disappeared outside that he realised he hadn't gotten his key. Evarical sighed and glanced down at Cyth.

"Guess it's just you and me until the others arrive, hm?"

Cyth chittered at him and scuttled across the common room. Ev settled down by the door to the room he'd chosen and pulled a book out of his bag. He opened it and started reading, quickly tuning out the Golem's chittering as it wandered about the room.

Several minutes later--or it could have been longer (to be perfectly honest, Evaricael wasn't paying attention)--the nymph and the other girl returned. With an armful of wooden, yellow ducks. He caught sight of them from the corner and of his eye and glanced up. Cyth scuttled back over to him, keeping out of the way and they both watched as the girls set up some sort of...trap over the front door. Evaricel stared at them for several moments, then shrugged and went back to his book.

Giggling made him look back up mere moments later. Only to find the ducks scattered across the floor and a second, rather annoyed-looking nymph standing in the doorway. There was still a duck on his head, and Ev wasn't sure if he realised it was there. He stood up, stashed the book in his bag and left the bag by the door. Then he approached the group.

"Hello," he said and glanced at the first nymph when she jolted up. Behind her, the other one brushed the remaining duck off his head.

“Oh, hi! We met earlier. I’m Dallie. And you are?”

"Evaricel Brynmor," he muttered, somewhat tersely. There were far too many new people and he didn't like it. But at least he would be able to get his key--which the dark-skinned woman discretely passed over to him without him having to ask. He quickly pocketed it.

“More mouthfuls,” she marveled, and Ev blinked at her.

“It looks like all of us who were arriving are here,” the toher nymph noted.

“We should party!” Dallie suggested, and Ev sighed. “Are you doing anything right now?”

“I was going shopping for groceries, actually,” he muttered, and went to gesture towards his room to explain that he had to put his things away only for the group to get caught up in planning. He sighed again and resigned himself to being swept along with the group without the chance to put anything away.

“Let’s get some together! We could make hot soup!”

“A hot meal is the universal language,” added the other woman. “It might be a good way to break in the apartment.”

“Let’s go together, Cade!” the nypmh shouted and ran towards the other nymph.

Ev stared at them as he stopped her by the face with his outstretched palm. Where did the Watch even find these recruits? he wondered, feeling completely out of his element.

“You would’ve had to know I’d decline,” the other nypmh--Cade, apparently--grumbled. “If we’re really doing this, then we’ll have to split into groups for shopping in order to have time to cook.” Quickly, he scrawled down two lists of ingredients for noodle soup, took one and passed the other to Dallie.

“We’ll meet back here at 6:00 pm to cook. Any questions?”

“Just the one about who put you in charge," Evaricel wondered, still watching them with a confused frown. He really did not understand these recruits. At all. They were all odd, odder than he ever could be.

The male nymph turned towards him. “I lead because I can. That means not doing what I can’t, which is cook. Can anyone do that?”

Ev glanced around to find that a few hands had gone up. “There, then. We will head out and get some ingredients!” The nymph pumped his fist in an impromptu gesture.

The Watchers walked out of the door, ready to patrol Skyreach for its bounty of groceries. “Tonight is hot soup!”

Evaricel followed them out with a scowl, having been tugged away from the safety of the common rooms by an overly-enthusiastic nymph. He glanced over at Dallie, then at the rest of the group. The male nymph was clearly attempting to be their leader--and currently leading the way. He'd tried to extract himself from Dallie and separate from the rest of the group, but she had a strong grip for someone so slight.

"Can we slow down a little?" he asked, half-muttering the question to himself.

"NOPE!" the other nymph called back and Ev scowled again. Honestly, who made him the leader? He was so arrogant! He resigned himself to being the tag-along in the group.

Dallie suddenly dragged him sideways. "Here! This one!"

Evaricel stumbled to a sudden stop beside her and stared down at the array of vegetables she'd found. He picked up a carrot and it was snatched out of his hand. "Hey!"

"Evaricel found some carrots!" she called back to the others, brandishing the orange vegetable. "Come look!"

"Dallie--"

She appeared to ignore him as she bounded off a few steps, still dragging him after her, to look at the other vegetables the stall had. He stopped paying attention and scanned the area, tugging his jacket closed a little more. Something in a nearby stall caught his attention. A glint of cherry wood and purple paint. Evaricel took a closer look, finaly able to slip away from Dallie's stranglehold on his arm. He took the few steps over to the other stall and picked up the object that had caught his attention. It was a set of panpipes. Pretty, but not really his thing. Ev set them back down and turned to face the group only to find the male nymph staring at him.

"What?" Ev asked, narrowing his gaze at him.

"Nothing," the nymph muttered and joined Dallie by the vegetables.

Evaricel shrugged and moved back towards the group, arms crossed. At least Dallie wasn't dragging him around anymore, but he still didn't know who any of the others were. "You do realise that other than Dallie, none of you introduced yourselves to me, right?"

The male nymph stopped short. "We didn't? We should now. Sound off! I am Caduciel Rivenrie."

"You didn't--"

"I'm Rumishu, which is a mouthful, so call me Rumi."

"Andy," the other man offered.

"And I'm Dallie!" Dallie said, spinning around in a circle.

"I knew that, Dallie..." Evaricel watched her spin and sighed yet again. It was beginning to make him feel dizzy. "You seem to really like doing that." He cleared his throat and gestured to himself vaguely. "I already introduced myself, but if you find Evaricel a mouthful, feel free to call me Evaric instead."

"...Ravishing," Rumi muttered and Ev blinked.

"Excuse me?" Evaricel asked, taken aback slightly. Then he grinned slyly. "Are you flirting with me? Because if you are, I find you rather ravishing yourself, Rumi."

Rumi blinked at him. "That...was not what I meant, Evaric."

He shrugged. "It came across as such."

"My apologies," Rumi said, and then Cade was stepping between them. Evaricel immediately backed up a step, eyeing him warily.

"I believe we're meant to be shopping for groceries?" he offered, giving them both a meaningful look.

Evaric sighed. "That was the plan, yes." He gestured to Dallie. "At least until she dragged me out of the apartments."

"Hey! You started it!"

He hesitated and then gave her a slight nod. "That's true; I did say I wanted to go shopping." He cast a look over the assembled group. "But that didn't mean I was inviting you all along."

With that, he turned and crossed the street to look at a local butchers. He wasn't expecting anyone to follow him. Evaricel deliberately ignored them as he scanned the butchers wares for a moment before settling on a good handful of diced deer. He paid for it, accepted the bundle of waxed paper and turned to rejoin the group only to almost walk into Andy standing behind him. He quickly backed up a step.

"Andy," he said neutrally. "Did you need something?"

"Um..." He gestured to Ev's left and glanced down shyly. "A golem followed us..."

Evaricel glanced sideways and sighed. Of course Cyth would follow him. He hadn't exactly ordered the Golem to stay put. "Cyth," he said, and the Golem perked up, chittering loudly. "Go back to the apartments, please."

Cyth seemed to deflate and scuttled closer. Evaric narrowed his gaze even as Cyth chittered at him and seemed to shrink in on itself more. Honestly, the Golem was just a handful of trouble to begin with. Evaricel shook his head.

"Go. Back."

Lyle had never seen a Vanguard Golem until that day — and two at that, not just one! — but the one that had followed them seemed as frightened and unsure as he himself felt. Evaric couldn’t have had him for very long, so the spider probably just needed some reassurance.

He stooped down and gently laid his hand on the golem’s back, but the action startled rather than soothed it. Lyle quickly retracted his hand while it retreated behind Evaric's leg. Looking at the six glass orbs that served as its eyes, he forced a nervous smile.

“So, your name’s Cyth? I saw another one of you in the courtyard outside the apartment. I bet it’s friendly.”

Cyth and Lyle looked up Evaric, who crossed his arms.

“Leave.”

The spider glanced back at Lyle before skittering away at top speed. When Lyle rose, Evaric shifted his grey gaze onto him. Lyle blanched and looked down. He’d forgotten most people were possessive of their golems and didn’t appreciate unpermitted interaction with them.

“I’m sor—y. Excuse me.”

He fled towards the safety of the other tenants, realising only after passing two stalls that the crowd of browsers contained no familiar faces. The heat of panic rose to his ears. He didn’t know the way back to Archenval. If he wasn’t following Evaric, how would he—?

“Are you looking for someone?”

Lyle spun around, finding Cade casually inspecting some leeks on a shelf. The nymph gave him a quizzical look before regarding the vegetables again.

“You walked right past me.”

Lyle looked towards the marketplace and back at Cade. “Where’s your sister?”

“She finally bounded off with Rumishu to buy what I told her to.” He glanced at Lyle and then at Evaric, who walked away with the venison without paying them any heed. “I presume you’re with me?”

“I suppose...”

Dallie was friendly and energetic, albeit a bit overwhelming. Maybe even enigmatic. Nevertheless, she had a certain allure to her, and not only because she was a nymph — everything about her, from her appearance to her demeanour, seemed inviting. She struck him as warm and comforting, like the sun rising over the Zarastrer Mountains at dawn. In fact, with her gorgeously suntanned skin and almost literal fiery hair, the image described her very well.

They were apparently in the Skywatch together, but there was no guarantee they’d be in the same unit. At least they shared an apartment complex. He had hoped to join her for the grocery shopping, but she seemed to flit from one thing to another almost like a little bird. He doubt he would be able to keep her attention for any extended period of time.

The other young woman with her, Rumi, seemed equally... exotic, for lack of a better word. He’d previously seen people with polished ebony skin like hers, but none had the same clear blue eyes or bubbling personality. She was as beautiful to behold as the Sundrop Plaza Fountain in the harbour district. Then again, she had barely made eye contact with him since his arrival at the apartments, and she had called everyone but him ravishing. He must not have seemed particularly interesting to her.

...Not that she had any reason to think otherwise. He was “Little Lylie” who liked books and golems and spoke the minimum. He wouldn’t be out meeting new people at all if not for his mother’s urging. How would they react once they inevitably realised he stuttered? That he couldn’t even pronounce his own name?

“Andy.”

The mention of his false name and an accompanying finger-snap jolted Lyle back to reality. He faced Cade and uttered an automatic and bewildered, “Yes?”

The nymph looked at him with boredom and mild impatience. He held out a wrapped package of leeks and said, “I need you to hold this for me.” Lyle obliged, after which Cade added, “If you had been paying attention, rather than daydreaming, you might have learned a thing or two about haggling.”

“Oh.” Lyle looked at the package of leeks. “I... don’t ‘aggle.”

“Hmm. I suppose you’re not the type.” He walked down the road and called back, “Onward we go.”

Lyle hurriedly followed and fell into step beside him. “What more do we need? Onions? Pott-t— pot-tatoes?”

“Both are on Delphina’s list,” Cade replied tiredly.

“Does Ev have a ll-l— err, one?”

Lyle inhaled deeply, hoping Cade didn’t notice. Surprisingly, people rarely noticed his stutter right away. They most often just... randomly realised it one day.

Cade stopped next to a stall of herbs and spices, evidently oblivious. Picking up and inspecting a clove of garlic, he said, “No, but since he bought game, he clearly has no intention of cooperating with my plan. Beef would have gone perfectly with noodle soup.” He looked up and stared into space. “He didn’t raise his hand when I asked who could cook, did he?”

Exhaling in relief, Lyle shook his head. “No, but I think it’s because he’d rr-rather do his own thing. He bought diced d-deer sppp-spe-pecifically to make soup. He’ll propa-bably b-buy pepper and green beans too.” So many damned P's and B's. “And cel’ry and cab’ge.”

Cade scowled. “The celery is already on my list, but not the pepper, green beans, or cabbage. No, let him do his own shopping.”

“I’ve... never eaten noodle soup,” Lyle admitted hesitantly when he realised he couldn’t tell if Cade had moved on to inspecting the sweet basil or the coriander seeds. “What do we need?”

“Do you not explore the culinary opportunities a cosmipolitan city like Skyreach has to offer?” Cade asked sceptically.

“I’ve eaten curry and dumplings before!” Lyle spluttered in protest.

“Hmm. Well, we need carrots, potatoes, onions, green onions, leeks—” The nymph stopped midsentence and paused for a few seconds. Just before Lyle was about to ask whether something was wrong, Cade said, “Actually, I just had a different idea. I don’t trust Evaricel to think his dish through, so we shall need to compensate for that.” He quickly scribbled some things onto his piece of paper. “We can cede the potatoes to him, since Delphina will already buy those. I have also instructed her to purchase the carrots, onions, green onions, chicken cuts and bones, salt, and sugar. We are purchasing the rice noodles, celery, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, and now cinnamon and fennel seeds ourselves.”

“Did you say rice?”

Cade gave him a pitying look. “Yes. There are some rice paddies along the Dorielle River.”

“What about these?” Lyle asked, flinching and looking down at the package of leeks.

“Right. We can cede those to Evaricel too.”

“Can’t we just give them back?”

Lyle hadn’t thought it was possible, but Cade gave him a look even more pitying than the previous one. “Street vendors hardly ever accept returns. What do you think the odds are that one will accept food being returned?”

“But we just bought them! There’s no reason...” He trailed off and cast his eyes downwards again, wishing to burrow into the ground like the ignorant worm the nymph’s gaze implied he was.

While Cade bought the rest of the spices he’d mentioned, Lyle thought back to Evaric. His gaze had been stern, but it surely couldn’t look like it contained a thunderstorm all the time. If his eyes were kinder, the freckles on his cheeks would certainly make him look cute. With the addition of his dark red hair, his appearance was charming, even if not as unusual as either Dallie’s or Rumi’s. Though he also wasn’t built as well as them, he had a bit of muscle on him nevertheless.

Lyle hated that he’d already annoyed somebody on the very same day they’d met. He just wanted people not to ridicule or avoid him. Maybe if he could make it up to Evaric somehow...?

“What about parsley?” he ventured.

“Not needed anymore,” Cade said, sniffing a bowl of cinnamon.

“I mean for Ev’s venison and vegetable soup.”

Cade shot him a conspiritorial grin. “Ah, I see your point. Yes, his mediocre meal could do with some garnishing! That was the idea anyway. Let us best him at his own dish!”

He paid the vendor and handed Lyle the box of herbs and spices, afterwards turning away in a swift motion that made his deep blue and stark white cloak billow impressively behind him. Lyle once again had to rush to catch up — something the day was evidently proving to be a trend. Cade gave him a thoughtful glance.

“What?”

“You appear to be more cultured than I initially thought. We might yet still get along.” He looked forward and smirked self-assuredly.

Ordinarily, Lyle would wince and try to make himself smaller upon hearing something so condescending. And yet, instead of feeling bad, he felt... happy?

He stole a subtle glance at Cade’s still self-confident countenance. Trimmed brown hair, light skin, elegant cheek bones... He was certainly handsome, but he lacked the same appeal as the other three tenants, despite being a nymph. If that was the case, then... why did Lyle feel warm after receiving his approval?

...Could he not just make friends without becoming infatuated with them? Not even one?

"So by the time he finally caught up to me, I was all the way up in the mountains! Turns out the guy had been tracking me down for months." Dallie leaned back in her chair, putting her feet on the table. She thought she saw her Caduciel twitch a little, but paid it no mind. "Anyway, that's how I got my letter, and now you people get to put up with me! Isn't that awesome?"

"I'm reasonably sure that was sarcasm," Rumi mused "But I agree regardless."

Cade remained stone-faced "Please take your feet off the table, Watcher Rivenrie."

Dallie shrugged and slid her boots to the floor, replacing her legs with her elbows. She was certain she saw the corners of his mouth spasm then, before he gained control and smoothed out his expression.

"Anyway," Dallie bulldozed over her brother's silent disapproval. "I figured it would be nice to bounce around the Heirophantine again, plus I'd legally be allowed to do my job here, so bonus."

Evaricel looked up from his book. He had shamelessly brought it to the table and read while everyone else talked, and Dallie respected him for that. "I'm sorry, what was that last part?"

"Oh, I was an adventurer before the watch got ahold of me."

Ev nodded. "So you were a bounty hunter."

"Actually, bounty hunters are...kinda a completely different thing, but I did a lot of work hunting down bandits and skullwatchers, but that was just me." Dallie paused to take a long drink from her cup, then continued. "I stepped on the watch's toes a lot here, though. They were not happy about that let me tell you, it was not fun for me. Long story short, this is the first time I've been in Skyreach in quite a couple years."

Rumishu nodded to herself a little. "You are well-traveled then."

Dallie shrugged. "I've been around. Anyway, you guys are probably sick of the sound of my voice, so what brought all of you here?"

The group looked at each other, clearly trying to decide who would go first, then Cadiciel sighed.

"I'll start, then. My reasons are very simple really. I was invited, and it was the best way to show my skills."

Dallie frowned. "But I bought you wanted to be a M-"

"Yes, well your information is a little outdated." His voice was pleasant enough, considering that this as Caduciel, and for him pleasant was more neutrally haughty, but the hint of bitterness in his voice made Dallie wince a little inside.

"Right, right. Um, Andy what about you?"

Andy looked around and then down at the table. "Nothing special. I just got the lett-t um, the note." He stared down at the table, and Dallie caught Rumi give the side of his head a quick, hard glare. This surprised the nymph because, in all of the three hours she knew her, Rumishu had never struck Dallie as the easily irritated type.

The conversation fell a little flat after that. Evaricel quickly finished his meal and left for his room, leaving the others to their awkward night of icebreakers. Dallie scratched the back of her head.

"Sorry, maybe a bit too personal for a getting-to-know-you kind of thing."
...
The night passed by quickly after that, with minimal soul-searching questions. At the very least, Dallie knew all of their Golem's names, and that was important.

"Okay, let's see if I got this," Dallie murmured to herself as she climbed the stairs to her room. "There's Cyth, Waerode, Larcastil, Emeia..."

"Excuse me," Dallie turned around to see Andy standing a couple steps below her.

"Oh hey, Andy. Sorry for putting you on the spot like that."

"Oh, it's fine." He shuffled his feet. "Can I..." He stopped himself and seemed to rethink something, then mumbled. "Actual'y I just remembered the answer."

Dallie frowned. "To what?"

"I was going to ask if our ap-partments were next to each other. But mine's d-d--on the ground floor." He was already backing down the stairs with a hurried "Thanks", so Dallie stayed quiet and watched him go, the frown persisting as she headed up to her room. She lay on her back, staring out the window as she turned over the events of the day. Usually, Andrea would roost right next to her, but Being in the watch was different, and Andrea had to be kept in the stables. She said a furtive prayer that she wasn't too uncomfortable because Andrea tended to burn the things that made her uncomfortable.

Again and again, her mind wandered back to Andy, hurriedly backing his way down the stairs. She had a good feeling about him, like she'd had a good feeling about Rumi. He held none of the pompousness that she'd encountered in all her other run-ins with the Skywatch. His quietness, how unsure he seemed of himself, lit up an old protectiveness in her, something she hadn't felt since her younger years before she and Cade had gone their separate ways.

She shook away the thought and turned over. "Early start tomorrow." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I really hope those roosts are more comfortable than they look."

Avilander Bottroce

Avilander awoke tired , his back hurt from the trip yesterday, and the bed was too stiff for him. He Turned over, pulled the blankets back over his head and closed his eyes to try to fall back alseep.
“Cra-Caw-CCCAAARRR” The little bird golem perched on his window screeches at him
“Fine Fine I get it! No rest for the weary.” Avilander threw the blankets off and moved to his desk and picked up a toy
. He gave the little bird the little toy, it was practically just a stone carved with a face. But the bird enjoyed playing with the simple toy. He looked at myself in a mirror, his white shirt was ruined from sleep. He quickly took it off, buttoned on a new one, and went to his new room.
He spent the next few hours over a desk, books lay around in neat and sometimes not so neat piles. His hands were slightly covered in ink from drawing and sketching and imagining his golem. The desk wasn’t as long or as wide as the one back home, but it did its job as he whittled away his time. All the while his small serpent golem cuddled inside his shirt.
After a few hours A noise, that sounded like someone coming down from a stair well, shook him from his work. He quickly made the last detail in his latest work, he put on one of his black vests, mostly to hide the ink on his hands. And with a steadying breath he left his room.
To his surprise a nymph, her hair struck him with it's orange brightness, and he almost stopped walking . She was standing in the common room, and from what he could make out, seemed to be making some sort of trap. A simple trip-wire connected to a net that when switched would presumably drop something out and on top of whomever , stepped over it, in which it seemed to be connected to the hallway connected to the housing rooms.
“If I may be so bold,” Avilander began to talk to the nymph, “I don’t think a thief would likely be coming from our fellow occupants rooms? And even if they did, I was able to spot it rather quickly, so I doubt they would fall for it. Besides this is a building occupied entirely by us watchers and our land lord. So if I may be so bold to suggest, as to take that contraption down?”
The nymph turned to him seemingly caught off guard having been observed with her work , a feeling he could relate to. “And who are you?”
“My name is Avilander Bottroce, and may I inquire as to whom I am speaking to?“
“Another mouth full.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Ah, sorry, my bad! My name is Delphina Riverine but people around here call me Dallie.” The nymph said with a bit of a smile.
Avilander couldn’t help but chuckle, It had been awhile since he was regarded so informally from a stranger. He was unsure whether to enjoy the conversation or be offended by it.
“What” Delphina said.
“I am sorry, Miss Riverine. Please take nothing from it.” He said the hint of amusement still lingering in his voice.
“Whatever you say fancy pants.”
“Pardon me? Did you just call me fancy pants? I hardly think I have done anything so fancy as for you to call me that? If you would please refrain from calling me anything of the sort, and stick to Avilander at the very least.”
She gave a single glance at his clothes as if you to prove her point, before going back to her contraption. Avilander went back to his room, there was little way to convince her to stop and much less so to force her to, he only knew the very basic forms of fighting. He had been taught a little bit about a variety of weapons, but nothing that would be any help in a fight against someone who knew what they were doing.
It wasn’t long before he heard laughter spilling from the hallway, once again disturbing him from his work. This time, however, his golems refused to let him leave alone, the sky snake cuddled within part of his right arm , while the bird, flew over and perched on top of his shoulder.
“Jeez you guys are a pain do you know that.”
“Crawww '' The bird screeched a little.
Avilander once again returned to the common room, this time to see another nymph, a male, who Avilander thought was scolding Delphina. Although it didn’t really seem that efficient with the remains of a pie stuck to his face. Delphinia simply ignored him and went over to a different female. In which, they seemed to get into some sort of game or conversation Avilander couldn't tell. He couldn’t help but laugh a little, it had been ages since he had been in such a fun and childish atmosphere. He hoped that eventually a friendship would take hold here, he would hate to speak in his propper voice, for his entire stay here.
Adventually two more males made it to the common room. Avildander gave a slight bow before saying “Greeting, my name is Avilander Bottroce I shall be sharing this housing with you.”
“Hello, my name is Evaricel.” The red headed simply said.
“And uh- my nam--e is Andy.” The other one said
“I see Andy huh? May I, if it not too rude, ask if you bite your tongue or something?” Avildander asked, curious as to why the young man stopped in his introduction. Avildander had practiced his introductions thousands of times, how one would struggle so much befuddled Avilander, even his friends from around the world didn’t have any trouble.
“No, I d-did-dn’t.”
Avilander simply nodded and gave a simple "I see, my apologizes in response." . The sky snake started to fidget. Avilander often gave the snake a bit of a heated spot in his shirt, but he forgot in his haste to make introductions. He tried to calm it through his robes, and he hoped that they were too busy to notice.
After a little bit the other female approached and gave her introductions as Rumishu, and acquired as to the bird on Avilander shoulder. "Ah this is Aquila, my golem."
"I haven't seen that type of golem before, what golem is it?"
"Well that's not surprising, it's one of my own summons."
"Well don't we all summon our own golems here?"
"I see, I mean to say, that It isn't public knowledge, because I came up with this golem."
The room seemed to go a bit quiet with this statement, even among these recruits, among two nymphs, that an inventor was rare and special enough to draw attention from them.