RP:Welcome to Schezerade
Summary: Brennia finally gives Zahrani a tour of Schezerade.
The Fountain of Wishes
A marble fountain takes up the majority of Schezerade’s central square. In its centre, a ring of golden fish peek their heads out of the water, spewing streams of water from their mouths. Stacked on top of that ring lies a platform with a ring of majestic eagles, wings outstretched, chests puffed out proudly as jets of water shoot out of their beaks, into the sky. In the very centre of this beautiful fountain, placed on yet another platform above the eagles and fish stands a marble statue of Schezerade’s founder, a beautiful avian woman sporting a metallic arm. Passersby's stop to watch the living fish swimming in the fountain and the statue of the powerful woman with wonder. Some can even be seen tossing coins into the fountain as well, in hopes that their wishes will be granted
Brennia eagerly awaits for Zahrani’s arrival as they’ve been corresponding through mail because Brennia has been busy with Schezerade’s political climate lately. There’s good news to share, but possibly not so good news because it will put herself in danger. The bard is dressed in a fashionable lilac colored suit that is tailored to her slim shape and has a slit with buttons for her wings in the back. Looking healthier and vibrant as her velvety black feathered wings seemingly glisten in the sun, but there is an avian man with her that seems to be fretting about this or that. Brennia doesn’t care, her love is finally visiting her today and she couldn’t stop smiling so hard, “Corvo, you’re going to have to handle some of this planning later today without me.” Her campaign manager, who is a rather handsome fellow with black wings, pale skin and is as tall as Brennia if she weren’t wearing high heels, quirks a brow as his pewter gaze narrows, “trying to ditch me again like you did at the fundraiser?” With a shrug, Brennia focuses her teal hues on the entrance to the floating city in wait for Zahrani to arrive.
Zahrani had only visited the city in the sky once before, and it was years ago. Garbed in the armor and robes of a paladin, the woman quietly walks through the gate, occasionally turning a hooded gaze left, right, up, or down. It seems quieter than when she saw it last, but beyond that, little seems to have changed. She lowers her hood open crossing the threshold, revealing carefully braided curly black hair, held in place by an opalescent hairclip. A few passersby pause to stare at her face, some with suspicion and others with a mesmerized look in their eyes. Cyan orbs alight upon the tattooed avian, a warm smile forming on her soft lips. Just the woman she was looking for. She glances over to the handsome male avian accompanying Brennia, wondering if he would also be staring at the feline as well. With her tail swishing behind her and her divine aura playing across her chestnut colored skin, Rani embraces her lover before asking, "You haven't been waiting for me long, have you?"
Brennia follows Corvo's stare to Zahrani and smirks when he says, "my, oh my... " She opens her arms to accept Zahrani's embrace and her good wing follows suit, enveloping the feline in her favorite scent as that smoky alto timbre greets, "it's so good to see you, love. No, not long at all," when their embrace ends, she notices Corvo waiting impatiently for an introduction. "Corvo, this is my partner, Zahrani. Zahrani, this is my campaign manager, Corvo," the avian man's smirk falters a little as he can tell the term 'partner' does not indicate business and is heavily hinted toward romance. "You haven't told me you've taken a lover, Bre. Nice to meet you, Zahrani," he reaches out to shake the paladin's hand as he takes in the feline's beauty with a lingering gaze. Brennia's grin widens as she catches Corvo checking out her girlfriend and she smoothes her suit blazer as she breaks the good news, "that's what I've been dying to tell you. I am running for senator again and that's why I've not been able to leave Schezerade as much as I'd like lately." With that, Corvo sort of breaks out of his daze and nods, "th-that's right! Our very own Bre is putting herself on the line once more for the betterment of our town. I shall let you two enjoy your visit, Zahrani. It was a pleasure to meet you," his grin is maybe a little flirty. Brennia waves a goodbye to Corvo and motions in the general direction of the bard's college, "I cannot wait to show you the college, I think you'll love it." The streets aren't as busy as they should be as they stand in the town center, but so many avians fled when Kahran's forces took Schezerade over for their garrison and not everyone has found their way back. One could tell the town in the clouds has a lot to offer, though and could definitely use some more culture. Just as Brennia was about to head off towards the college, she pauses and tilts her head, "wait. Have you ever really seen Schezerade, yet?"
Zahrani notices the man's gaze on her. She offers a grin at the male avian before taking his hand and responding, "The pleasure is all mine, Corvo." She raises a brow at the news that Brennia is running for a political position. "They couldn't ask for a better senator," she says to the man before he leaves the two women to their tour of Schezerade. As they walk, the feline wraps an arm around the avian's waist before saying, "He's a charmer, that one." They walk towards the college, and when prompted with a question, the paladin of Cyris thinks back, responding with a shrug, "I've been here once, and I was still very much a cub at the time. Why don't you show me what you'd like me to see? I will enjoy it all the same."
Schezerade's Bazaar
The area is dotted with several multi-coloured tents where travellers sell their wares, be it exotic pets, rare and beautiful flowers or decadent clothes. Even valuable jewellery –gotten honestly or otherwise—can be seen changing hands for coin in the crowded marketplace. A trapdoor can just be seen in the ground, far away from all the stalls – what could be down there? A set of ivory steps lead upwards, a pleasant scent wafting from the upper area. Runners can be seen weaving in and out of the massive crowds purchasing or simply looking at goods. Entertainment is provided in the centre of it all by a small trio of bards that sing and play their instruments at any given time for a few coins tossed into one of their hats.
Brennia lets out a slow raspy giggle, "he's been in politics for far too long. I'm just glad he finally shut up about me losing weight," it was a concern he made sure to point out often in order to try to get Brennia to get thinner and now she is, but only due to her health problems over the last year. "The new Shar, Uriphiel, hopes that stirring up a new election will bring any remaining Flewminati members out of hiding and then we can bring them to justice so citizens of Schezerade will be at ease again." The avain seems hopeful and even a little more chipper when she mentions Uri, but the conversation moves on to their surroundings, "well, this is the fountain of wishes." Her arm slips around Zahrani's shoulders as they walk together and look up at the beautiful statue in the middle of the fountain. "Here's to wishing for a prosperous Schezerade and a capable leader, no matter who it may be," she tosses a coin in and silently wishes for a better Schezerade. "Let's show you the bazar," walking side by side, they head west until they come to an area that is reminiscent of the open market in Cenril, but bigger in the sense that there are three levels to it. A lot of the tents are left empty these days, but the area is alive with potential. "One of my students used to run a vendor's tent here, it is who I bought that very clip from," she motions to the opal clasp in Zahrani's hair.
Zahrani walks to the fountain with Brennia, taking in the lovely architecture and watching her beloved toss a coin in exchange for the wish. The panther then recalls her people's own tradition around wishing. She wishes for Cenril and the Isran Collective to have a better future as well, certainly better than the present. Instead of tossing the coin into a fountain, the paladin turns and carefully rolls it over to one of the musicians busking in the street, where it bounces off a flagstone and into their guitar case. The bard looks impressed, offering a nod of thanks before continuing. For Zahrani's enclave, it's good luck to tip traveling bards and poets; the fancier the coin toss or roll, all the better. Her tail swishes as she is led into the bazaar; the sights, sounds, and smells very much remind her of her hometown. "It's marvelous," she says to Bre. Even with the empty tents, it's so vibrant. At the mention of her clip, Rani smiles warmly, pulling the avian closer and placing a kiss on her cheek, "I love it."
Grand Amphitheatre
The first thing one will notice upon visiting the massive amphitheatre is the amount of detail carved into the stone used to construct it, down to the pillars that hold up the highest seats. The images show various plays that have been performed or may be performed here in the future, along with various musicians and poets, even decorated warriors and elected officials that have come and gone. Stair rails leading to the rows and rows of seats are gilded in gold and the circular stage below is illuminated by a series of small gold lanterns floating overhead and a few more fastened into the stone floor. The stage appears to be set, and elaborately costumed men and women begin moving toward it from behind the painted backdrop made specifically for the play. The audience gathered goes quiet. It looks like the show is about to start.
Brennia blushes and smiles softly at the kiss to her cheek. "One of the best gifts I bought for someone," even though she didn't realize the weight of the item she gave Zahrani at the time, but it turned out to fit perfectly in the end. "Some of the bard students should be just over here in my second favorite part," they walk south to the Grand Amphitheatre and are surely greeted with the sight of students in a dress rehearsal for a play they've been working on for a couple of months now. A few of them wave hello to their dean while they are out of character and Brennia just smiles proudly over at them from the top of the amphitheatre. "On nights they show the play, they set up some food vendors over there. I bet everyone here would love Gamsiz's kabobs," now that Brennia is in better health, she fully enjoys the stalls in the Night Market when she had been visiting more often.
Zahrani calmly watches the dress rehearsal, the panther in awe of the talent and the theater itself. The predator in her also makes note of all of the best places to hide in wait for an ambush, as well as all of the amphitheater's exits. In reference to everyone's favorite Isran provisioner, the feline chuckles and adds, "I'm sure he'd love it here too. It's beautiful." Her fingers interlace with Brennia's as she says, "I should bring Grand-Mother here some time, though I think she's probably visited here more times than I have, back in her researching days."
Glorious Arena
A crowd of cheering and screaming spectators almost reaches the roof of this dome-topped structure. Some are seated, but most are up on their feet, stamping their feet and shouting out jeers and pumping their fists as several brawlers below in caged ring fight to the death against themselves, and possibly beasts that have been taken captive for such a glorious arena such as this. Severely injured combatants are carted off by healers that appear every once and a while, along with badly dismembered corpses. The stench of blood, gore and sweat is almost unbearable in this place, but it doesn’t seem to bother anyone inside. The adrenaline rush of the fight seems to be all that’s being focused on. In the centre of the arena, a massive statue of gold and white marble stands. This must have been a great and noble Avian warrior to be worthy of such idolatry.
Brennia admits, "I agree, I am sure she will adore it. I love how freeing the open space is and you'd think that the open air would swallow the sounds from the stage, but the marble overhang on the stage carries the acoustics perfectly, even all the way up here." They linger a moment to take in the open skies and marble architecture of the theater. "Come, I'll show you the most frequented space on friday nights," with that, she leads Zahrani back north and through the bazaar at a casual pace until they find themselves in the Glorious Arena. The fighting cage has long since been cleared out and an astroturf has been installed for blitzball which is a sport we would describe as american football played in the air. It is a competitive contact sport that draws large crowds friday nights, but today there is simply practice for the Schezerade Cardinals. An avian with brown wings, pauses in air between practice plays and waves at Brennia. She waves back and smiles, "this is where blitzball games are held and that there is one of my students, Hinder Windgate. He's also running for one of the Rann's seats." She lingers here a moment to watch as they tackle and chase each other for the ball, "maybe you should stick around until the weekend and we can watch the first game together."
Zahrani savors the smells and the sights of the bazaar once more, before being led to yet another architectural marvel. She looks out at the arena, awed by the massive structure and the avians practicing the game she had never seen before. It truly is glorious, and for a long moment, the paladin just stands there, feeling the wind and the thin atmosphere blowing through her hair, rustling the fur on her tail, and causing her oiled steel plating to emit a gentle bell-like tone. Her gaze wanders to the student Brennia had mentioned, before asking, "Who is the opposing team?" The feline doesn't watch many sporting events, and the one she does watch are usually combat-driven. At the thought of spending a weekend with the avian, Rani's heart swells. "I'd like that, though we might not get much done this weekend," she says playfully.
Jubilant Garden
The first thing you’ll notice about this garden is its enormous size and the myriad of pleasant scents that waft from it. It has to be the largest constructed garden in Schezerade, and is hexagonal in shape. Flowers of every colour, type and scent blossom here; with lavender and dahlias being the most predominant of them all. Medicinal herbs also take up residence in small hidden patches as well. Fruit trees line six sides of the garden, while large white bee boxes line the other three, with bees buzzing in and out gathering food, and in turn pollinating the beautiful garden. In its centre is a marble fountain, upon which is centred a finely crafted glass phoenix that water spurts out of in a fine mist. The fountain also has various koi carp swimming at the bottom, amongst the roots of lily pads and lotus flowers that are pounced on by frogs. Small stone pathways are placed around flowerbeds so one won’t step on the delicate flowers of this clearly well taken care of garden, and some sport stone benches for one to relax and just let the day go on by.
Brennia leads them to a board which lists all the home and away games for the season, "the first team they will play against is the Scarlet Tornados." When the comment about not getting anything done this weekend registers, Brennia lets out a soft giggle before resting her forehead on Zahrani's, "that sounds perfect to me." As she leads the feline out of the arena, she mentions, "Uriphiel Shar and I have been trying to connect with other leaders and gearing up citizens to run for empty Chamber of Rann seats, but we are also trying to get more trading through here so Schezerade can become one of the many trading hubs in Lithrydel." As they walk past the Library next to the University, "this is the Schezerade University. Between the bard's college and this university, I hope to bring more than just avian students to Schezerade to attend classes. The bard's college is already accepting of any race and I hope the University will also benefit from following suit." Then she guides them across town to the jubilant garden and there is a peace about the space, bathed in moonlight and little critters thrive in harmony. There is plenty of open space and easy access to the Imperial Healing House just to the west along with the garden where they get their herbs. It is almost like something else is supposed to go here, or waiting for something to occupy some of the emptier parts. "I like to come here to write sometimes.. It is endlessly peaceful and makes Lithrydel feel so far away."
Zahrani stays close behind Brennia as they move from one area to the next, seeing beauty and opportunity wherever she goes. Especially when the avian mentions bringing on more than just avian students. She already has names of people in the Isran Collective who would love to study here. Her brow raises at the revelation that this is not yet their destination. Instead, they are greeted by an oasis of profound peace. "What kind of magic sustains such a place?" She notices the empty plots, and then adds, "These places...they really are emptier than I remember..." She pauses, then adds, "Our spaces are getting empty too. We've lost many to this plague in Cenril, and it is far from safe."
De'Vere College of Bardic Arts
After finding your way through the Topiary Garden it would only be fitting to come upon a prestigious looking establishment in the same style as all of Schezerade, enabling all it's decadence; marble forming the entirety of the large building accented with gold and platinum. The front double door is welcoming for all shapes and sizes that are the citizens of Lithrydel because even though Schezerade tries to be exclusive for avians, the college is accepting of all. Upon entry, you'll experience eager students practicing their many talents and bustling about trying to get from one class to the other. Once immersed, the eyes might be stolen by the gaping cathedral ceilings above, spotted by gold and platinum in which encircle mini glowing stones to mimic the night sky, but beauty is not what the ceiling is for; the acoustics of it carries one's voice in the most pleasing fashion. This main hall is quite vast with a large open kitchen, dining area, table game zone and in the center is a large fireplace with various pieces of furniture with bookshelves that hold a plethora of song books or poetry books.
At the entrance to the college, there is a grand staircase that goes up to the mezzanine which overlooks the main hall below and doorways to each classroom. In the northernmost spot of the main hall, there is a staircase that leads down next to the kitchen which leads to the dorms. There is also a large glass door to the north east of the hall that ushers out to the courtyard which has a little pond, a patio where students can converse or have their meals and little pathways that explore secret parts of the gardens, but there is also a greenhouse for one of the classes and a maze.
Brennia tilts her head to one side as she considers the question, "a tinkermage friend of mine, Vi, he explained the magic holding Schezerade up to me once before and I vaguely remember him mentioning some sort of core, but he never mentioned where. I assume it is below the fountain somewhere," but then she solemnly nods to Zahrani's observation. "People are scared to come back and scared to rebuild only to have the Flewminati take everything away again, but that is what I was getting at before when I mentioned Uri and my efforts," she slips up and uses the nickname she gave her friend. "This very well could be the last weekend I have that isn't filled with campaigning, rallys, fundraisers and making appearances. I can think of nothing better to do than to spend my last free weekend with my love." Concern shifts the bard's expression as she slows to a meandering pace towards the college, "is that the general consensus within the Isran Collective?" Worry grips her heart because she looks at the isran collective as her family in her home away from home. Soon they walk the brick path up to the marble castle which is surrounded by more greenery and gardens to explore, "here is the De"Vere College of Bardic Arts." The front door is opened and the bustle of a college comes to life in forms of students reciting poetry or practicing their musical instruments. Every twist or turn is filled with inspiration and hope as the students mill about, but as many stop to greet the dean, their gazes are stolen by the divine paladin and their jaws slack in awe.
Zahrani listens to the plight of the avians and this faction called the Flewminati. "They sound like a fun-hating bunch. You have my support, even though I probably can't vote for you." The panther feels many eyes on her as they enter the college. She could feel and hear music coming from various rooms, singing, poetry. It is a nice break from the reality she had been facing since October. She smiles calmly to the students that look upon her, before turning to Brennia, "Our collective has things largely under control, but if things get any worse, we don't have many other safe places to fall back to, especially for our cubs and elders." They could always become a nomadic people like in the old days, but in a world like Lithrydel, nomads are rarely welcome, and often met with suspicion. And it would mean losing so many resources they could only access from having a solid home and a relationship with the locals.
Professor's Quarters
Brennia has become quiet, but smiles in front of the students that they happen to pass as she makes her way up the stairs with Zahrani following behind, "yeah, the Flewminati has caused a lot of turmoil and they used to attack me in the Schezerade Vindicator and even physically whenever I'd find myself alone in the streets. Uriphiel will have his platoon scouting all around Schezerade for these cowards until we rid Lithrydel from their cultist ideals." Passing the door to her office and following the stairs they go up yet again until they find themselves on the restricted floor where the professors and guild members live in suites. Brennia's own is at the end of the corridor complete with a small kitchen, a large bed raised up on a platform, her own large washroom and a balcony that looks out to the clouds below, but if you look closely when the clouds part, it is a little disorienting on just how far up above Lithrydel they are. "Well… Zahrani, I look at the collective as my family," she always hopes they see her the same way, "if they are willing to, the collective is always welcome here and I will make sure it is a warm welcome from the whole of Schezerade." The genuine notion is met with Brennia taking both of her lover's hands within her own and looking far off into the cyan hues, "I think the jubilant garden could make a good home while we build a more solid space for anyone that wishes to relocate, but the last thing I want to do is take anyone from their home without their desire to leave."
Zahrani 's eyes seem to glow more brightly at the notion of Bre being attacked. She'd have to learn more about this group while she spends the weekend here. She looks out at Lithrydel; it really is a long way up, and down. At the mention of having Schezerade become another home for the Isran Collective, the panther seems at a loss for words. She takes a seat, holding Bre's hand and saying, "They certainly do see you as family...and I think there might be plenty of them interested in coming here if things get too dangerous in Cenril. I can send word to Grand-Mother; see what she thinks of the idea." She looks up at her lover, smiling with warmth and gratitude at the offer, "You're good to me..." before leaning in for a kiss.
Brennia takes a seat on one of the lounge chairs out on the balcony as Zahrani did the same and simply smiles sweetly over at her, "anything for the Isran Collective and anything for you, love." She leans to meet Zahrani half way before simply relaxing on the balcony with the paladin. The pair spend the night talking and planning out their weekend before enjoying their night together.