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Amilar Ereyo	It's a beautiful day in the City of Ten-Thousand Temples. The streets are crowded, packed with tourists, festival processions to one of the city's myriad gods, proselytizing priests, hawkers trying to shout over each other, and the like. In the sprawling, well-kept gardens of the Violet Meadow's university grounds, one can find solace from the clamouring crowds. With no cloud in sight and the afternoon heat hanging heavily in the air, people are clustered in small groups in the shadow of huge wisteria trees or walk the stone paths between lush flower beds and grass meadows with colorful parasols to shield them from the sun. Ereyo isn't here to relax, though. The Dragon-Blooded has chosen a large spot on the lawn, not far away from one of the paths, with almost no trees. She is standing in front of a strange contraption that occupies roughly the space of a Yeddim's body, bronze tubes suspended on wooden racks running in a circle. Runes are scrawled all over the thing, and it vibrates periodically. Ereyo observes this, sometimes moves about to adjust a valve or modify a rune, and is taking notes on a clipboard.
Tepet Makara	In the gardens, there is a man bearing a grey kimono that has entered the vicinity. Although there is nothing notable at first, his kimono bears the mons of one of the great houses of the Realm. Albeit that the house in question suffered from a campaign against an anathema. "Hmm I didn't know this city had a university or secondary school even if I was here for a long time" He mutters to himself as he looks around. Although he came here for the peaceful grounds, something caught his eyes for he saw the strange contraption. "What is that? Some sort of university project?"
Amilar Ereyo	The woman, who is slightly shorter than the new arrival and dressed in some kind of uniform, wearing a long curved blade at her left hip, doesn't immediately respond. She is bending over one of the tubes, frowning at the thing, and rapidly writes something down on her pad with a glass dip pen. That particular tube seems to be vibrating out of sync with the rest of the... ring segments? Only after a few long seconds does she finally realize someone is talking to ~her~, specifically. Her gaze falls on the stranger, and she smiles sheepishly, answering in Riverspeak with a notable Lookshyan accent: "Uhm... yes, you could call it that. It's ~my~ project, to be precise." She blinks at him. "I've never seen you around here before. Are you one of the students, or just visiting?"
Tepet Makara	"I see, I'm no student here since I'm only a regular visitor in Great Forks. I'm from Greyfalls since I'm assigned there" He takes note of the Lookshyan accent. "I've been to a university before but sadly we don't have projects like this most often in the House Of Bell"
Amilar Ereyo	There's a slight pause as Ereyo processes what he just said. She steps away from the slightly rebellious tube, turning to fully face Makara. Her frown deepens as she takes another good look at him. This time, her eyes find the Tepet mons on his clothing. "I see", she replies with a bit of ice in her voice. Her overall body language doesn't exactly exude hostility. At most, she seems to be taken aback by meeting a Realm dynast here, of all places, and uncertain how to deal with him. "Greyfalls, was it? Interesting. Are you a garrison officier?"
Tepet Makara	"Winglord to be exact. Despite my position, nothing notable usually happens in Greyfalls besides the banditry in the trade routes between the Golden Road to the Far East. Although I am vigilant against such crimes since they are a threat to not just merchants, but the innocence" There is dissatisfaction in his voice regarding his position. "But at least it's a peaceful escape from the political chaos of the Blessed Isle. I've even grown accustomed to staying in the East"
Amilar Ereyo	Ereyo eyes him warily, but still offers a tentative smile. "Truth be told, I've never traveled to the Isle, so I'm entirely unable to draw comparisons. Not to the Realm's previous state, and certainly not to how things have changed after the disappearance of your Empress." The contraption emits a soft chime, prompting Ereyo to give it more of her attention once again. She doesn't turn her back on the Tepet, though, just her side, and starts adjusting some of the valves. There are a lot of them, maybe two dozen or more. "The name is Amilar Ereyo, sorcerer-engineer of the Seventh Legion. This stuff here..." She gestures at the bronze tubes. "...is just something I'm preparing for my students. No Lookshyan secrets involved." A cheerful grin. "You can take a closer look, if you want. Unless such things bore you."
Tepet Makara	"Teper Makara, Water aspect" The dynast introduced himself with courtesy to the Lookshyan. "Ah I see you are a teacher in this university. I'm one myself well sort of, if you count training unexperienced people into soldiers" He chuckles at the comparison he made. "oh a scion of the Seventh Legion. Although both our nations distrust each other, I respect their decision in upholding Shogunate tradition." The dynast then looks at the machine with curiosity. "What sort of device is it? Is sorcery involved?"
Amilar Ereyo	Ereyo nods at Makara's self-introduction, responding with a slight bow. His little jest draws another smile from her, but she doesn't comment on it. Instead, she points at the tubing in front of them. Makara could recognize the runes as a mix of Old Realm script and certain sorcerous glyphs, although he might not be able to decipher the exact nature of the latter. Some are etched right into the bronze casing, others written in bright white lines, probably with the oil pigment sticks that one could spot clustered in a wooden bowl on the ground. "Your guess is correct - there is, in fact, a sorcerous working involved. A very simple one. I'm preparing this project as a starting point for a small class of young sorcerers to experiment with Essence flux epicycle collision. Granted, this thing is neither particularly sophisticated or powerful... by design. I really wouldn't want them to risk causing an exponential build-up of Essence. Really just a model, a simulation of the process..." The words spill out of her like a rapid waterfall, while small locally contained breezes play with her hair. A wide grin spreads across her face. More small tuning of the valves, more note-taking. "Does that make any sense to you? I've heard the Realm has a handful of those beautiful old skyships, too. Their power circulation works in similar ways, but on a much more complex level, of course."
Tepet Makara	"I haven't learned sorcery that much yet since I am focused in mastering Water Dragon Style since I am close to learning it's final technique. I would have studied it besides the martial arts, but my sifu said one at a time since I don't want to eat more than I could chew" The dynast then recalls something from before. "Admittedly you are the second Lookshyan I've meet here. There is a weaponsmith here and their weapon quality is decent, that I bought some since some of my legionnaires lost their practice weapons" "He then shifts to the topic of skyships. "Ah skyships, I've seen them and rode them when I was back in the Blessed Isle. Although I'm not an engineer I am impressed by their designs."
Amilar Ereyo	Ereyo eagerly latches onto that topic. "They are a marvel beyond imagining. I've been able to study them for years, and although I pride myself of having gained a good understanding of how they function, the ~why~ still eludes me." Her eyes shine with the rich purple one might find in an especially colorful sunset sky. She smiles dreamily, looking up at the deep blue above them. "Sometimes I try to imagine how it must have felt like, to be part of the inception of such a wonder... to draw the blueprints, calculate the measurements, weave the enchantments into the engine... and finally, after long years of work, see it take flight." Her smile fades, and she sights at the Tepet. "So much of that knowledge is lost to us, forever. If you're just at the start of your sorcerous studies, I hope you might one day learn to see that glimpse of the bygone age in its remnants.
Tepet Makara	"Too bad such knowledge to create such wonders is slowly fading away. Hopefully it is preserved and someday, the knowledge may spread again" Even if he lacks information on such topic, he hopes that such mechanical marvels will be common in creation once again. "Now that you've mentioned it, I may tell my sifu that I will continue studying sorcery once I've mastered Water Dragon. Although many in the Realm look down upon sorcery, it still has its uses"
Amilar Ereyo	"You know", says Ereyo, cocking her head, "I've never understand that sentiment. In Lookshy, we're grateful for every soldier who has that gift. Sorcery has so many useful applications, both in civil life and warfare... I can't fathom why an empire led by a powerful sorcerer, such as yours, treats its valuable assets with such disdain." One of the pipes emits a high-pitched keening, and Ereyo quickly rushes over to its side. After placing a palm on the casing and concentrating for a few seconds, she reaches for one of the oil pigment sticks, rubs away one of the glyphs with her already white-stained hands, and draws something slightly different in its place. Makara receives a quick, apologetic smile. "Oh, sorry. As you can see, I'm slightly busy with keeping this thing going, and my students are going to be here in a few minutes. You're welcome to watch the lecture, if you'd like. But even if you want to be on your way, I've got a piece of information that might interest you, and your superiors." Ereyo turns to full face him once more, her expression turning grim. "There's a dangerous Anathema active in the Hundred Kingdoms, not too far from the borders of your satrapy. A giant of a man in threadbare clothing, wielding some kind of huge iron ball as a weapon. His name might be Volken, although I don't know if he has others. He also goes by the sobriquet 'Titan Breaker'. I have reason to believe he might be one of the Sun-touched."
Tepet Makara	"such complaints of sorcery in the Realm is admittedly annoying that I don't even admit I practice it to my peers....even my legionnaires. There are other darker practices they should fear instead of being afraid of sorcerers" He sighs with a hint of annoyance at such fears but then something caught his ears. "Titan Breaker.....I met him twice before. He defeated a group of bandits with ease. I knew there was something off about him. I'm currently on guard about his presence. You should also be careful here, there was a Lunar anathema fox-devil that shapeshifted in public during an arena tournament. I chased her but she was too fast. Since I have other affairs, I hope we meet again"
Amilar Ereyo	Ereyo's face goes solemn with worry, including her irises, who shift color toward a stormy dark blue. "I've heard as much. If one place in the River Province would serve as an excellent hiding spot for such a shapeshifter, it's certainly this city." She gives a quick nod. "Thank you for the warning. Don't keep your guard down. Maybe we can talk more next time." With that, she focuses on her project again.