He looks like some kind of priest.
It's Vestrum Tobias Grensret.
The doors are closed.
Quaint. And they go with the general decor of the place.
Enormous satin drapes.
Oil lamps, or whatever their magical equivalent may be called.
I can't tell how these doors are supposed to open. There's no latch or lock of any kind, and they look very solid.
E tu? E milye tue va?
Hello?
Hi.
I don't understand.
Do you speak English?
<Shake head>
Ne? Tu van'sath ken? Tu vu ken a--allar, e tue Stark milye? E Thiera? Ton, maris. Ton!
Parlez vous Francais? Habla Espal?
A ku, Stark ka'yen paras! Ie nomalanate kandra! Ton, maris; ore thies e ton!
A ku, Stark ka'yen paras! Ie nomalanate kandra! Ton, maris; ore thies e ton!
Who are you?
Where am I?
Where is Cortez?
<Nod>
<Listen>
Ken e sank, maris ortana! Majik'ean posei e ton. Sare al'voca im iriam tue ith'im.
Who are you?
Ton, ken e sank.
Sank'is tue, ton'an tu ken al'voce, e majik'kan'ean ton'an'a sans.
Where am I?
Ton, ken e sank.
Tu ton'e e ken. Tu ken vernelea'n fata tim tu vermelea'n ton.
Where is Cortez?
Ton, ken e sank.
A ku, tu fata? Se quandare, ken e stal'e. Ton!
<Nod>
Ton, ken e tue iriam bab simil quakit'e.
A ku, kande'e. Good. Niran'ton al'voce. Sank'al koda magic, toranc'e shaal'e. Na'ven, Alltongue.
Sorry, but I don't understand a single word you're saying.
What does "Alltongue" mean?
I give up, but thanks anyway.
Tu post'ke payencenia, maris. Ko, areb al'ken tu indime res templa sans vernema a Na'ven.
<Listen>
Al'orta'e beginning prasam'tin'y y you. You have thiesa y magic'e'sara, y the knowledge aertiu'a y tue by generations e umani, knowledge of Alltongue.
Maris, tu vernelea'n aran tue toranc'e lok, e ton!
Tue eres tue mon trak e ton, tu'et vermelea'n fata.
You're starting to make sense.
Majik'e ken'ean sane tue toranc'e lok, maris!
What do you mean by magic and knowledge?
Majik'e ken'ean sane tue toranc'e lok, maris!
<Listen>
Now you have allowed the magic to enter your heart, and the knowledge of Alltongue, ever present but dormant, to guide your ears and your tongue.
I-- I understand you! You speak English? Why didn't you just tell me straight away?
(laughs) No, child, I do not speak "English". I speak Na'ven, Alltongue, the common language of Arcadia.
Arcadia? Wait a second...how did I get here? What is this place? And who the hell are you?
Ah, my manners have abandoned me yet again. I am afraid my preoccupation with ancient texts and the company of my fellow Fathers have left me unequipped with the grace of social intercourse.
Meaning what?
That I have been rude. My name, dear child, is Tobias Grensret, and I am the Vestrum of the Sentinel, the Order of the Balance. We are the Fathers.
I have no idea what you're talking about, but I guess this is my first Shift. I just--
Then I will explain...everything. Someone must. You are without guidance? Without a mentor?
Mentor? There's this guy, Cortez, he...assisted me. Told me about magic and truth and dreams and portals. Crazy stuff... Well, it seemed crazy at the time, although now, I...don't...
Cortez? Ah, yes. Cortez. Very good, very good. Then come, let us proceed. Let me show you Marcuria, the grandest city of all ages!
I take it this is your first Shift, your first passage through the Divide?
Uh...okay. I'm April. April Ryan.
Tobias! Just call me Tobias, please. I require no ceremony from a distinguished guest such as yourself. Did you enjoy the sights?
Yes? Ah, April!
I don't know. I'm...overwhelmed. Walking around out there, seeing with my own two eyes things that can't possibly exist...
But then magic has its downsides too. It's unpredictable. It invites chaos. It puts the Balance in peril in a way that science alone never could.
In your world, in Stark, there is no room for magic. That is, and always has been, the curse of science, the fallibility of logic and order.
And you know what? It doesn't make sense. Nothing makes sense here. Magic, alien creatures, parallel worlds... I don't believe in those things. I don't believe in fairy tales.
I keep hearing about the "Balance", and about "Stark" and "Arcadia", and...
All I know is that something strange is happening in-- In my world... I guess.
Come with me, and I will tell you the story of Earth as your books never have. And when your eyes and ears are open to the truth, perhaps your mind will follow? We can only hope. Come.
Well, you will. After you have learned the truth, you will.
I kept thinking, it's all a dream. I'll wake up at any moment now and everything will return to normal. But then I realized, I'm still here. It's real. I can touch it, and I can smell it...
They leave no room for the imagination. If it does not fit into the narrow perception of the laws of nature that your world adheres to, it's a fairy tale.
I had dreams, and the dreams felt so real, and then things started happening in real life too, things that shouldn't -- couldn't -- happen, and I--
I think I will begin at the very beginning. I believe that is why you were sent here, to learn, to understand, to see for yourself. Like you said, you cannot believe in this place.
This is probably gonna sound strange to you, but I'm clueless. I have no idea what this place is, or what I'm doing here, or...
How am I supposed to get back to Stark?
The only way back is through a Shift. You are a Shifter, April, and the power to travel between worlds is within you.
I'll see you later.
You will? If you say so, then it must be true.
I'll see you later.
You keep telling me so, and I do believe you.
Do you know a man named Brian Westhouse?
West-house? That old goat? Yes, unfortunately. What would you with him?
I need to find him.
I do not know where he lives. I hear somewhere on the outskirts of the city, by the sea, but I cannot tell you any more than that.
Who'd know about Westhouse?
His whereabouts? I do not understand what you would with him. He is rude, uncultured and ignorant.
Cortez told me to look him up.
Well... I do not know where he lives or frequents, but someone at the market may. He trades merchandise there, and I think he collects maps of the Northlands.
Who did you say I should see about Westhouse?
The map merchant at the market may know. There is one thing I must tell you, however. Few would know West-house by his real name.
In the city, he is known as the Rolling Man because of his strange, two-wheeled vehicle. A most dreadful and dangerous contraption if ever I saw one.
A bicycle?
Perhaps. It has a grotesque appearance, much like the West-house himself.
Who did you say I should see about Westhouse?
The map merchant at the market just outside the temple. Ask for the Rolling Man.
It might be within me, but it doesn't look like it's coming out anytime soon.
I wish I could help you, but I cannot. You must find the path on your own.
Do you mind if I ask you some questions about Arcadia?
I will try my best to answer any question you may have, April.
Can I ask you some more questions about Arcadia?
Why, certainly.
What do you know about Cortez?
Your mentor? What has he told you about himself?
Not much. Nothing, in fact. He's a complete mystery to me.
To learn something about someone, the best way to go about it is to ask them yourself. There is nothing I can do to enlighten you.
But who is he?
He is who he is, what he is. If he has not told you himself, then perhaps he does not wish you to know. It would be improper for me to divulge his secrets.
You're as bad as he is. No offense. It's just frustrating.
I understand. The next time you see him, tell him what you have told me. Maybe he will tell you the truth, maybe he will not. It is his choice to make.
Excuse me, Vestrum Tobias?
Excuse me?
What's the history of Arcadia?
There is so much, I do not know where to begin. In truth, it would be wiser to ask someone else, unless you wish to know about the Fathers, the Balance, or mudhoppers.
Mudhoppers?
My secret passion. I study them. They are a most fascinating species. Most fascinating indeed.
But I am not particularly versed in the intricacies of history, I am sorry to say.
What's Marcuria like?
I have lived in this city all my life, and still it amazes me what a diverse, exciting and wonderful a place it is.
Many have called Marcuria the Jewel of the Northlands, and they are right, but it is a diamond in the rough. A city this size can never be flawless...
There are always shadows, and people who hide in them. Lately the shadows have grown, and darkened, and I fear for the future. But Marcuria is still a wonderful place to live.
What else can you tell me about Marcuria?
Marcuria is the capital of Ayrede, the Unified Country, and we are located on the southern coast of the Northlands, halfway between Tyren and Corasan.
Between the snapjaw and the gaintbeast, some might call it. Between the embers and the fire.
Yet democracy and peace have reigned for thousands of years now, and although relations may at times be strained with our Tyren neighbors, the High Council are masters of diplomacy.
And Lord Ygvan Dellan is a firm and just Chief Councellor of the Ayredan Flag.
Tell me a little about Ayrede.
Ayrede means both "unification" and "assembly" in High Tongue, and many still call Ayrede the Unified Country, even though it is an age and a half since the lands of the North joined together in alliance.
Ayrede stretches from the Plains of Nehdrah in the north to the Great Sea in the south, and from the territories of the Tyren in the west to the thick woodlands in the east.
It is populated by humans and Dolmari, Tyren and a number of other races. It is even said that a tribe of Venar have a Ring of Trees in Riverwood, though I am not sure that is anything but a myth.
What are the Northlands?
The Northlands is a collective term for all the lands north of the Great Sea, and south of the Border Mountains, including Ayrede, Tyren and Corasan.
Before, however, the word "Northlands" was used to describe this entire continent, including the territories north of the mountains and the icy wastes beyond that.
Some still prefer the latter interpretation of the name, and to the people of the Southlands, anyone hailing from north of the Great Sea is a Northlander, regardless.
Thanks for the information.
I am glad I could assist you.
Good morning, Tobias.
Are you busy?
I'm never too busy for you, April. What may I assist you with today?
So it appears. I didn't exactly come here by choice this time, though.
Oh? How so, if I may ask?
In a weird and twisted way, it's nothing out of what's become the substitute for "ordinary" in my life. One second I was in my room, in Newport, the next I was in a dark alley in Marcuria.
You must have opened a Shift while you were sleeping. Good! This means you are learning to harness your magic!
Yeah, I guess...except I don't think I'll able to get back home again. And this time, my "mentor" Cortez has no idea that I'm here.
Ah, but I'm sure you will find a way to channel and control your powers soon. In the meantime, is there anything I can do to help?
Why, it's April, my friend from Stark! Have you come to visit us again?
I need to locate the disc that unlocks the Guardian's tower.
I need to find the entrance to the Guardian's realm.
I need to locate the two dragons that reside in Arcadia.
The Draic Kin?
What's the difference?
"Dragons" is a word from your world. The Kin are not what they have become in your legends and fairy tales.
But they're real, aren't they?
Oh, as real as you and me, April. And old. They have been here since before our time. As you probably remember, the Kin were instrumental in the Divide, saving mankind from a terrible end.
But I know so little, only what I can remember from my studies when I was a Minstrum at the Enclave.
How can I get more information on the Draic Kin?
Books, daughter, books! The wisdom of the ages. There is one tome you should study, called "The Secrets of the Draic Kin", by Minstrum Elneak. It is old, but informative, and it captures the imagination.
The disc that is the key? Yes, it is needed. It might even restore Balance, provided the new Guardian accompanies it to the tower, of course... But you wish to find the disc yourself?
I have to. Clich・or not, it's our only hope.
You do this often, then, save worlds?
It's an expression. Heroism in my world is more of a clich・than anything else.
I do not understand, but then I am merely a servant of the Balance, while you are...more. But, yes, the disc.
As I told you once before, when the Earth was Divided, and the Realm of the Guardian created, a disc was forged in the Well of Making.
...and as a replacement for the disc that is already in the tower, should it be broken. The tower is now abandoned and locked, and the old disc shattered.
Where is the disc now?
At first, more than twelve thousand years ago, it was kept in the open, at the Sentinel Enclave outside Marcuria. However, when thieves attempted to make away with the disc, it was taken away.
Why?
So that the four parts of the disc could be divided amongst four of the magical people of Stark, people who would have nothing to gain from the Balance being compromised.
What people were the disc divided amongst?
This, I cannot tell you. I am not sure anyone remembers, now. But it would be in the Scriptures, I am certain.
What Scriptures?
The Scriptures of the Balance. There are thirteen of them. Thirteen is a strong number, rich in tradition and... Did you know the Ayrede High Council consists of thirteen Ministers?
No, of course you do not. Thirteen was also the number of the Fathers who begat the Sentinel, and who built the Tower of Balance.
Where can I find the Scriptures of the Balance?
I need help getting back home.
Unfortunately, I am in no better state today to help you Shift than I was the day before yesterday. You are the one with the talent, and so you must learn to use that talent.
Thank you, Tobias.
Good to know I could help you, April.
Thank you.
Good day to you.
There is one, you are right in that, but where, I would not venture to guess.
A Guardian still in full control of the Balance can invite anyone in, and let anyone out. But with the Guardian gone... The only way in would be the point where the Divide was first created, where the tower was built.
Isn't that location written down somewhere?
Remember that this was done on the old Earth, before the Divide. After the Divide, after the creation of Stark and Arcadia, places were shifted about...this entrance may not even be on the ground anymore.
What do you mean?
It could be up there, in the sky, or far below us, through the crust of the earth into the molten depths below. I cannot say, and I do not know anyone who could.
Isn't there any way to locate the entrance to the Guardian's realm?
Perhaps with careful investigation of the old texts...histories of Arcadia, of the Divide, the Scriptures...I do not know, April, but it cannot hurt to look.
Where can I find this book?
The disc was to serve two purposes -- as a key to the Tower of Balance should it become necessary to enter it in the Guardian's absence...
I do think the time is right for the second disc to be brought forward and used.
In the past, when the time came for the Guardian to step down and another to take his or her place, the Guardian opened a gateway wherever it was needed.
Pay a visit to the Sentinel Enclave, located just outside the city, to the east.
The Great Library of the Enclave contains every book ever written by an Arcadian Minstrum, and most others as well. Speak with Minstrum Yerin, the Keeper of Books. Tell him I sent you.
Again, you will find these texts at the Sentinel Enclave. Speak with Minstrum Yerin.
