Side Story - Candrial 1: On the Trail

AN: As you might notice reading this, the next few side stories will follow a mini arc as various characters try to figure out this language and what it actually means. It also gives you insight into a few side characters that you don't know much about yet.

Candrial's ears twitched slightly as the presence of her Goddess receded from her mind. Such a direct delivery of instructions was not really common and usually meant that whatever it wass you had to do was rather urgent. All of this made the request for her to seek out a [Guide] by the name of Ira Heramel and inquire about his work on an old language rather notable. Apparently, her husband would also be joining under similar orders from Edisicio.

True to her Goddess' word, the door to their home opened but a moment later and her husband walked in. He smiled as he closed the door behind him and placed his keys into the small stone bowl which always stood on the small cabinet right next to the door.

"I assume Ferio has already given you the task?" he asked, stepping closer and placing a light kiss on Candrial's temple. "Edisicio had told me we would share this one."

"She did," the bronze-skinned Elf replied as she grabbed her husband's arm and pulled him back. "A proper greeting, Ziek, please."

The other Elf faked a sigh before he pulled Candrial to her feet, placing one hand on her hip and the other on her neck and tenderly bringing their foreheads together. He whispered a few words in the old language of their people before he pulled back slightly and gave her a more proper kiss on the lips.

"Does that suffice?" he asked, the goofy smile she had come to love plastered on his face.

"Yes," Candrial replied with a smile of her own. "That is enough. For now. I might have to tell your father that you are forgetting our traditions, Eziekiel."

Ziek raised his hands in mock surrender at the mention of his father and the use of his actual name. "Please do not speak of the horror, it may invite itself into our home if you do."

"The old man barely leaves his home," Candrial said. "And even when he does, it's only to look after his tree."

"As is tradition," Ziek said. "Mother would probably turn in her grave below that tree if she knew he still takes care of it."

"I really don't know how they got together," Candrial said with a small sigh. "I am glad they did, though. Gave me you."

"I'll be sure to pass that along when I see him," Ziek replied as he walked into the bathroom, his voice slightly muffled by the door closing behind him. "But for now we have a [Guide] to find. Edisicio sounded pretty excited about all of this. A language that influences the world itself." There was a brief pause as Candrial heard the water running and her husband let out a long sigh of relief.

"Nothing like being clean," Ziek said as he stepped out again, only a towel wrapped around his waist. "And thanks to a nifty enchantment, it only takes a moment, too."

"An enchantment we were gifted by Mayeia, no less." Candrial shook her head. "I still don't know how you managed to convince me to spend a favour with the Goddess of Magic on a shower."

"Because it is a good shower!" As if that was all he needed to say, Ziek vanished into their bedroom, undoubtedly to get some clothes.

Candrial shook her head again and stepped into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the cabinet they had had enchanted with a cooling spell. The task she had been given by Ferio seemed easy enough; all they had to do was find an old [Guide] and question him about the language her Goddess and the God of Knowledge and Lore found so interesting.

It was true that a language with the ability to shape the world was undoubtedly powerful, but Ferio was the daughter of the All-Mother, someone who would undoubtedly already know about this language. But then, Aperio had been absent for a long time and while it had seemed to Candrial that the two of them were on at least decent terms, that was perhaps not quite true. Maybe the All-Mother demands respect of her daughter?

She doubted that, as Aperio already did not like when someone bowed to her even though that was the least one should do when standing in front of the literal Creator. One should always pay respect to the being that enabled them all to live, after all.

"Ready?" Candrial asked and took a sip from her water. "We have a dead language to investigate."

"I am always ready," Ziek called from the bedroom. "But I will be extra ready when I put on the right clothes."

"Well, you should hurry a little as I have no idea where this specific [Guide] might be."

Ziek emerged from the bedroom a moment later wearing a fresh set of grey and white robes that denoted him as a [High Priest] of Edisicio and not his actual position of [Regent]. Explaining why a church had a regent was always an ordeal and Candrial understood all too well why he had chosen to not walk around dressed for his position.

"I'd say their headquarters are a good place to start," he said. "Someone there should know something."

"Let's hope so," Candrial replied, joining her husband in leaving their home. "Finding a specific [Guide] is never easy if their colleagues do not know where they are."

///

"Still as busy as ever," Candrial commented as the pair of priests stepped onto the island belonging to the [Guides]. "But I guess that should be expected with her return."

"This is basically her church," Ziek agreed, waving to one of the [Guides] that moved towards them. "Her second, church, I mean."

"I guess… Not that she seems to care that much about her church or the [Guides]."

"Would you care about some silly mortals that you do not know, when you have been presumably very busy for millennia?"

Candrial remained quiet for a moment as she recalled her first encounter with the All-Mother. She had known that it was her; felt it be true with every fiber of her being. Despite that, Aperio certainly did not seem like the creator of everything. Instead, the Goddess above all had struck her as a little… lost. But then, maybe she was building a new world or something.

Of course, she would never know what the All-Mother had done during her absence, but considering that Gods had been barred from Verenier Candrial figured that it must have been something important. Now that the All-Mother was back, it was likely that she simply wanted to have a small vacation. Of course, knowing her own Goddess, ‘small’ here might mean a few centuries.

"Probably not," Candrial finally replied. "But I also know that the divine rarely think like we do." At least Ferio doesn't.

"Greetings," Ziek said and bowed his head slightly as the [Guide] had finally reached hearing distance. Their other conversation would have to wait. "We have come here to find one of your colleagues, one Ira Heramel."

"Both Ferio and Edisicio wish to ask for his help," Candrial added as she interlocked her hands in front of her stomach and bowed slightly. "We would be most grateful if you could tell us where to find him."

"Ira is currently off duty," the [Guide] answered. "He had a rather taxing encounter and has been ordered by the [Grandmaster] to rest for a while. I am not sure if he can or wants to help you." He looked down for a moment before he turned slightly and gestured towards the building that dominated the island. "Please follow me, I will speak with Miss Videns for you. If two deities wish to seek Ira's services, it must be important."

"Thank you," Ziek said as he and Candrial fell into step behind the [Guide]. "We only wish to consult him about a language he has been studying that both our patrons have taken an interest in."

"I see," the [Guide] replied. "You might be in luck, then. Ira will take every opportunity to talk about the languages he is researching. Every [Guide] has been subject to at least one lecture by him on a given language."

Candrial smiled slightly at the words. That description very much fit her husband. Whenever the man figured out some new magical gizmo or way to channel mana, she would be vigorously informed about it. The worst part was that she actually enjoyed his lectures and training. And the results.

Eziekiel did not get to where he was in life for nothing, but then, neither did Candrial herself. She might not be as good with the theoretical side of magic but she would always run circles around her husband when it came to its practical application, or any form of strategy for something bigger than a bar brawl. That was probably also the reason Ferio and Edisicio liked to send them on missions together. The fact that they had been together for a little longer than many people even lived undoubtedly also helped.

Stepping inside the [Guides] headquarters, Candrial could note that not much had changed over the last centuries. There was the addition of a few more tables which housed piles of new scrolls, but aside from that the building still looked much as it had when she had first entered it. All things considered, that was probably a good thing.

"Please wait here," the [Guide] that had let them said, and gestured towards a sofa that stood next to the door presumably leading towards the [Grandmaster]'s office. "It will only be a moment."

True to his words, the man quickly reemerged from the presumed office; fast enough that neither Eziekiel nor Candrial had much of a chance to start talking. "The [Grandmaster] is ready to see you," he said, motioning for the two of them to walk inside.

Candrial was the first to enter, pausing briefly at the large amounts of plants dotted around the office of the [Grandmaster] before stepping inside fully. She had heard rumours that Miss Videns was not fully Human but at least partially Dryad. Seeing this place, Candrial found herself agreeing at least in part. But then, she might also just like plants.

"Greetings," the [Grandmaster] said after Ziek had closed the door behind him. "I assume you are here to ask Ira about A'Tmockno, the First Language?"

"We are indeed," Ziek replied, pulling out a chair so Candrial might take a seat. "Both of our Gods have taken an interest in his work."

Miss Videns gave a small chuckle at the words. "I would imagine. A language that changes the world to suit its meaning is definitely something the divine would be interested in. I am honestly surprised it took them this long to get wind of it, considering we have been looking at it for at least a century now."

"Tensions between the various pantheons was high up until recently," Candrial replied. "Most divines did not have much time to look into a language. Especially when what it does sounds… mystical at best."

While Candrial was unsure, she did have a hunch that Ferio had known about this language and what it could do for a long while, and had simply chosen not to act on it. The only reason she could see for that was that whatever powered the magic behind A'Tmockno had been absent. Which would mean that the All-Mother was the thing that made it work. Which is just… odd.

"I see," the [Grandmaster] said. "In any case, Ira is not available at the moment, but perhaps I can help. Though," she added, setting her gaze on Candrial, "I do have to ask why you or your Goddess would seek help from me with this when you could simply ask our revered Creator. I am sure she would be more than willing to help her daughter."

"I cannot speak for my Goddess," Candrial replied, "but I do believe that they are not as close as you seem to think they are. From what I have gathered, the All-Mother wishes to be left alone and simply be with her partner."

Miss Videns only shrugged at that. "Then what can I do for you?"

"Tell us what you know about this language; where you found it and, perhaps, why you have never told anyone else."

"For one, we have no duty to tell anyone anything," the [Grandmaster] said as she leaned back in her chair. "The only one we would report to would be Aperio herself, but she does not wish to be informed so we keep to ourselves. We exist to guide people to a better life, a job that the beings you follow have made a lot harder than it needs to be for millennia.

"As you are in pursuit of knowledge, however," Miss Videns continued, "I will tell you what we know regardless. Prepare to be disappointed, it is not as grand as you might expect."

The woman opened a drawer on her desk and pulled out a book. It was bound in what appeared to be red leather and had the name 'A'Tmockno' printed on it. She opened it, skipping the first few pages before she found what she was looking for and turned it so Candrial and Eziekiel could see it.

"We found the first runes in the ruins of Ardynshaide," she said. "The runes that keep parts of that city floating in the air to this day are written in this very language, simply commanding the world to make the city stay where it is." She turned a few pages further and pointed at drawings of various people. "As far as we know, the people of Ardynshaide made them on their own at least twenty millennia ago. The exact time frame is unknown, as the runes seemingly stop the thing they are engraved on from aging like they should. We had to piece together the time frame by going through the remains of the people that lived there to find references of other civilizations they were in contact with."

Eziekiel perked up at the mention of Ardynshaide. The floating ruins and the dungeon they allowed access to were a favourite of his, as whoever had built them had unprecedented knowledge about magic and the worlds more natural laws.

"Did you look for similar ruins on Lightfray?" he asked, leaning forward slightly. "As far as I know, it was built by the same people as Ardynshaide, though we don't know its real name or purpose anymore."

The [Grandmaster] smiled weakly at the mention of the tower. "We tried, but Magus Marachiel is as inhospitable as always. His protegé did confirm that he saw some runes, similar to the ones we showed, in the inner sections of Lightfray. He also confirmed that they share the same headache-inducing qualities we have come to associate with A'Tmockno."

Candrial leaned back in her chair as the conversation between her husband and the leader of the [Guides] drifted ever more into the whys and hows of the magic behind the runes that made up the language. The [High Priestess] chose this moment to close her eyes and send a prayer to her Goddess. She did not expect an answer, but she would certainly like to know why Ferio was pursuing knowledge of a dead language when all it could do was what she could already accomplish as a Goddess.