Description
"Our Rings Open the Skies" - Motto of the Lavigerien Guild
Anne Vent de Bronze, Arvestourien of Touraine, finished her daily climb from her small cottage at the base of the round tower, each stone step of the spiral staircase familiar. At the top of the tower, she pushed open the oaken door, entering the room beyond. She set down her bag on a small table and set to work. The morning sun shone through the 12 windows of the observatory, the glass rings and complex brass patterns illuminated in faint colours. She moved by habit to one of the sides, the pattern in the glass dancing with spots of colours.
"Speckled wind is low today." Anne commented aloud. "Should make things easier."
She pulled down a brass ring, sliding it with a smooth motion across the window along the tracks of brass. Upon hitting its mark, the glass within the ring began to shimmer, a dark smudge on the horizon coming into clear view within it, a large chunk of rock and dirt suspended in the air above the countryside. As anticipated, it had not moved. Satisfied, Anne turned to the center of the room, where a small clocklike device of interlocking rings took up most of the space, quietly clicking as the machine spun at varying speeds. Anne reached over at flipped a small latch, a peg lurching one notch over.
Having marked the floating island's position, her daily routine began. A small pile of correspondence sat on her desk, neatly sorted into piles.
"I'm pleased that these are here." Anne said loudly. She was never sure if the Boudics were listening, but she assumed they were. She flipped through the letters and scrolls, mostly redundant correspondence from other Arvestourien towers. She pulled out a few from nearby, the most relevant to her post, and set them aside. A small letter fell out of the pile, marked with a colourful shield of blue and yellow stripes. Anne smiled and eagerly opened the envelope, pouring out the letter and a surprisingly large of tiny seeds, packed tightly in a little pouch.
Dearest Anne, the letter began I hope my letter finds you well. Flooding along the Saône has delayed my correspondence, and it was only by the grace of a passing Hivebarge that I was able to send it out at all. I have procured a small number of mustard seeds from the local growers in Dijon and included them here. Instructions are enclosed, but I am sure that you can find fine local vinegar in the market . I hope that the Guild will see fit to allow me to visit you in Anjev, but as you know, the situation in the Dark Kingdom will not allow that. The observatory as Besançon was burned to the ground in a raid. No word on our comrade, but I have heard rumors he escaped the blaze. I hope in the Dagda's name that this is true. I am mainly writing to you to assure you all is well here in Dijon, aside from the floods. Lord Fintan has graciously provided a small garrison of spearmen to protect my tower. Captain Athos is a fine gentleman and a skilled soldier. He is far too formal around me, I think, and my goal is to make him crack a smile during his stay. Wish me luck!
I must apologize for the short letter. As you can imagine from the official updates, there has been a lot of activity. Given that I fully expect agents of Lord Fintan or Bishop Marinzelli to intercept this missive, I will not put in details.
With a sincere pen,
Brenna Ferechelle, Arvestourien of Dijon
Anna smiled as she folded the letter once more and picked up the pouch. She would have to return the favour. She wondered if a Hivebarge would be willing to deliver a bottle of wine...
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The Lavigerien Guild is an organization overseeing navigation throughout Alvez, using complex machines, arkane and alchemy to monitor the passage of ships, phantom isles and windships. The Ailhedenner (Ringkeepers) operate a massive complex overseeing their network, relying on the reports and observations of the Arvestourien (Observers), stationed in towers at key trade routes and ley lines. Lastly the Lavigerien (Navigators), accompany windships and some maritime ships to navigate in real time and report to others in their network. The technology, magic and manpower of the Guild has allowed it to maintain a near monopoly in traversing the dangerous and reality-shifting territories of Faerie. You can read its full article here: www.worldanvil.com/w/alvez-kro…
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