Prejudices

By: Anreik Posted on: September 20, 2009

The grook sampled the air. It was far too dry for his taste. Thanks to his almost completely black hue and his dark robes, Anreik was virtually invisble to any potential onlookers. He leaned against a thick and tall oak tree, and even though it was a clear night, most people without enhanced vision would be unable to separate his form from the tree. One of many oaks, it was part of a long collonade lining the wide road approaching the great gates of the Chrysalis Basilica. The central dome of the Basilica was sparkling with an iridescent sheen even at this time of night. To some extent, the faint light of the stars even added to the beauty and magnificence of the complex and its marble towers and domes. Countless decorations which Anreik thought were meant to depict actions of Good, Light, Order and Righteousness and all similar Shallamese ideals adorned the exteriors. Despite being frozen in various poses the ornaments almost seemed to be alive. This was especially true for those on the closed gates up ahead.

Anreik imagined what wonders could be found beyond the gates. He was not sure if he dared approach them. They were, after all, closed, and the lateness of the hour would make any unannounced visitor the victim of great suspicion. While he did not fear neither the Templars nor the Empyreal Assembly housed within, he respected the power of both and would be highly unwilling to find himself on the receiving end of any violence. A well-trained knight would squash him to a bloody pulp before he would even have time to set up his most basic vibrations, and the powers of the priests were completely unknown to him. "And with their paranoid tendencies, I doubt I'll even get the chance to leave peacefully", Anreik mumbled softly to himself. He continued his train of thought: "With all their talk of honor and wisdom, they are surprisingly quick to judge people on a whim." At least that was what he had heard. Anreik had never before visited Shallam, unless you count the time he had had to turn around right before the transition between the dirt road that is the Raphaelan Highway and the white marble esplanade that is the Shallam Road. That time, he had been in the middle of one of many tests to become a full member of his House. Anreik's mentor had accompanied him, but before they had even entered Shallam proper they had been attacked by bowmen in the employ of the Jewel of the East. Luckily, Anreik's geographic knowledge had quickly been deemed good enough to pass his test, and he and his mentor had been able to leave relatively unscathed.

With a delicate smile to his lips, Anreik pulled out of his reminiscing. His smile quickly faded, though: "No, I have to forget all these prejudices. I like to retain my moral high ground, and to do that I need to treat these people with the respect and tolerance that they have, allegedly, not spared for my fellow Ashtanites". He knew that his notion of moral superiority was based on the same kind of prejudices that were at the core for his own judgemental attitude towards the City of Light. This insight into his own hypocrisy was deliberately conscribed to the back of his head, though. The conflicts and bitter tensions between Ashtan and Shallam were as old as the cities themselves, he knew, and as a consequence he had been fed a spoonful of resentment for Shallam with every meal during his youth. "They, on the other hand, with their ostensible claim to Good, shouldn't they be more tolerant? Shouldn't it be in their very nature to give each individual a chance, no matter the background?" Anreik sighed and let his gaze fall to his feet. "Here I go again", he snickered softly. Despite his lack of philosophical elegance, he soon sunk into further thoughts of what Good really represented and why and how it stood in contrast to his own beliefs. Not wanting to approach the Chrysalis Basilica until dawn, and not trusting Shallemese innkeepers enough to even contemplate sleeping, he had few alternatives to pursue besides simply waiting for the signs of morning. For prudence's sake, he consumed a cohosh root before continuing his thoughts.

His silent soliloquy was suddenly interrupted and by a beam of prismatic light shooting towards the road only a short distance away. Quickly scanning the area he concluded that he had been the target, and decided to get out of range. While briskly moving away, yet attempting to appear inconspicious, he soon noticed another prismatic beam ahead of him and immediately turned around to speed back towards the Basilica. Yet anothern beam appeared, and he turned back once again. The process was repeated a few times, and it was not long before Anreik felt a slight tug on his very being, a signal that someone ahd tried to penetrate his cloak of protection. Puzzled, yet not entirely taken by surprise, he decided to head back towards Fish street. "Normally", he thought, "people let me know before they try opening a portal to me. If they don't, they likely have a malicious purpose. If they try to summon me by magic, the purpose is probably very malicious". Had his knowledge of the outlay of the city been better, Anreik might have decided against taking the northern route out of the city via Fish Street and Zanzibaar Street, but that was the only way out that he knew of. He did however realize the potential peril that lay in passing the relative abundance of guards along his chosen path, and he slowed his pace to ponder the situation.

There was no doubt in Anreik's mind that if he allowed himself to be confronted by whomever was trying to reach him, he would have to fight. The truth of that sentiment would probably be questioned by someone not tainted by his prejudices, but Anreik's regard for the morals of those loyal to Shallam and the Church were at a historical low point. The prospect of a fight was not at all appealing, especially not with the risk of being overwhelmed by Shallamese guards. As he had entered the city earlier during the night, Anreik had spotted what could best be described as several large congregations of djinns, dawnstriders, and paladins. One individual in particular had stood out. Garbed in a particularly impressive set of armour and equipped with what even Anreik's untrained eyes recognized as a very fine, magically enhanced blade, the figure had appeared to be in charge of the Shallamese defensive effort. This individual had noticed Anreik too, and sternly told him to mind his manners while within the City of Light. The combat-worn face of this impressive stranger added up to an image of someone Anreik would not want to face in combat. Especially not if this would-be enemy was reinforced with his herd of guards. "No, combat is not a very good course of action", Anreik thought.

"On the other hand, there's no guarantee I will not be accosted on my way out of the city. It might be better to choose a tactically advantageous position, set up a few vibrations, and be prepared for a fight rather than to fight on their terms. I've been wanting to try this plauge vibration for some time now. I might even have time to send a few sonic portals to some friends. That is, if they are willing to fight a vastly unbalanced battle with little prospect of surival." Anreik almost came to a complete stop near the now quite silent fish market. He had been told that this was one of the busiest spots in Shallam during the day, but now it seemed he would not be able to stay, or stay alive, long enough to see it. "Maybe I could hide somewhere", he speculated. "There should be a sewer grate somewhere nearby. I could hide in the sewers until things calm down." Again, Anreik second-guessed himself: "But that woulnd't do any good, would it? Those prisms would still be coming after me, and I would have to move around. There are probably thugs hiding in these sewers as there are in Ashtan. One on one they aren't too difficult to dissuade, but if they gang up on me, things could go very bad." As this thought passed through his mind, his gaze fell upon a runic totem in the middle of the market. He mumbled the names of the runes to himself: "Wunjo, Nairat, Inguz, and several Fehu runes. At least it wont kill me if turned against me, but I wont be going anywhere either. Transfixed and asleep would make me easy to catch indeed. And there are probably dozens of totems in the sewers."

He rubbed his chin, glanced behind him, and spotted yet another beam of prismatic light. "How long has that been there? I better get out", he needlessly told himself as he once again sped up. Fish Street passed rapidly beneath his feet, and he was careful not to get caught up in another internal debate. Despite his care, he was soon communicating mentally once again. This time, the voice speaking back to him was not his own, though. "What business do you have in the Chrysalis Basilica?", echoed through his head. The voice was stern, aged, and seemed to radiate some form of authority. Without slowing down, Anreik responded: "None at all. I was simply hoping to see the sights."

At this point, without quite noticing how he got there, Anreik was among the rickety shops and dwellings of Zanzibaar Street. "Leave the city immediately. Do not come back. Upon clearing the city borders, you will be declared a city enemy and will be slain on sight. We are tired of young Ashtanites abusing our hospitality and being used as portal targets in deep penetration raid attempts", the same voice told him through the telepathic channel. Anreik's response was kept to himself. "They call enemying visitors hospitality?", he thought while supressing a snort. That the voice's claim might be considered valid from a security perspective did not cross his mind. It was not until he was close to the dirt road to Shastaan that he dared turn around and carefully check for anyone following him. After a few minutes of careful observation Anreik concluded that he was indeed alone, and he relaxed his muscles while concentrating on the vibrations of his Master Crystal. He had not been able to see any of the sights he wanted to see in Shallam, except the exterier of the Chrysalis Basilica, and his opinon of the purported City of Light had fallen considerably. Soon, the cool air of his Crystal Room hit him in the face. "I better stick to Ashtan. I like my air moist and healthy."