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Seeker	Shelves of books rise from the floor to ceiling several stories tall. Large glass windows, colored with Great Forks lore, dump light into the massive chamber. Mirrors wrap the light around the book cases and ensure it reaches most of the floor. Tall, steep wooden ladders hold precarious to the towering shelves. Their wheels give an awful squeal when the are moved. This well maintained library has few visitors most days. Few can read much contained in these texts. Others are fearful of the words, traps, or enchantments upon the books, tombs, and scrolls. This allows the air to settle leaving most of the light free to pass through the air. But not one corner. Seeker sits in a makeshift book fort while he flips through pages of books, one after the other. When done with one, it is put upon another pile. How is normally dictated by the books state. If in good condition, it is dropped with a solid thud. If care is needed, he takes it. The dust in this area gives a haze to the air. Too much motion prevents the dust from settling. Selecting unwritten parchments from this many scroll cases, Seeker quickly jots down notes, draws diagrams, and many other things with the array of pins and brushes across his chest. One hand is flipping through the books while the other is scribing.
Bright Journey	As rare as visitors to this library are nowadays, a visitor that looks quite like Bright Journey must surely be rarer still. Her black cloak rests over her epaulets and covers most of her, but still, it's impossible to miss the well-kept hair and fashionable clothes. Not to mention the armor. One would be hard pressed to confuse her for someone who was literate, let alone interested in scholarly pursuits. And to be honest, most scholars see young women like her in books, if at all. She moves with grace in between the stacks of tomes, sidling between narrow gaps and carefully navigating the dusty, learned maze. She doesn't take more than a casual look at the books themselves, occasionally idly glancing at titles, but spends more time looking about for people. She is at least fairly respectful of the books, not touching or disturbing them any more than necessary to maneuver past them. Still, her lack of intense interest in the tomes makes it clear she's no scribe or scholar. The scratching of quill on parchment is louder than anything else in this quiet, still place, and it's to that sound that Bright is attracted. She cranes her neck up a moment, over a haphazard pile of books on a student's desk, and reaches up to flip her hood back from her face. She squints in the dusty air and sniffles, trying to resist a sneeze while she tries to peer over Fort Bookend over in the corner. "Er...hello? Might I have a moment of your time?" Clearly, she hasn't seen who it is yet.
Ignis	Another visitor is present in this place. Ignis stands in before an shelf filled with ancient scrolls and forgotten tomes with a book of some interest opened before him with his fingers gently tracing the inscriptions within. He has nothing to write with. Nothing to record anything of particular interest. Merely his personal curiousity and memory as his eyes rove over the mysteries contained within the tome he is currently reviewing and some tenacity in his search for information to satisfy haunting memories and a quest for answers to persisting questions. The sound of an echoing and familiar voice does bring him out of his concentration and he lifts his head up to look around while snapping the book in his hand shut, blowing a plume of dust up towards his face in the process. This causes a series of snorting sneezes to result while he waves away the dust in a less then dignified looking matter. When control is re-established, he turns and begins to make his way through a stacked 'hallway' of books, searching for the voice and then, as the sound reaches his ears, the source of the scratching pen.
Seeker	Sudden silence. The pin stops moving. The pages stop turning. Obviously caught off guard, Seeker's head jolts in Bright's direction. A confused look covers his face but turs to recognition of her pink hair and black cloak. "Ah! You again," he says enthusiastically. "Oh... let me finish this book real quick?" he tells more than asks. He flips the last fifty or so pages rapidly, closes the book and lets it fall with a satisfying thud at the top of a pile. "What brings you here today? Bestiaries for your blade? Third column half way down," he gestures to the location. "Maybe ancient tombs for more of those amazing relics..." He eyes her armor and weapons under her cloak. He stands there awaiting her response so he can be of assistance.
Bright Journey	To be fair, there's no visible sign of any weapons under Bright's cloak. Surely she must have at least one, though. She certainly doesn't look like a brawler, after all, and the rest of her outfit doesn't bespeak outright wealth, per se, but at least a modicum of means. And the armor, of course, can only come across as greatly valuable and no doubt of high quality. Pink eyebrows rise as Bright realizes who is behind yon literary redoubt. She brushes her hair behind her ears, her formerly neutral expression lighting up with surprise and pleasure. "Well, well," she says, her tone not quite as quiet as the library really calls for. "I, well, perhaps I should be less surprised to see you than I am. Well doubly met, Seeker. I was, after all, looking for a scholar of sorts. I'd say I succeeded." Her smile turns a bit wry. "If only all my searches ended so well or quickly. I actually came because I have a few ques..." Bright's voice trails off as she's interrupted by the sound of a book closing, followed closely by an intense nasal assault. Her eyebrows raise once again, but her turning to look avails her naught--there's just too much clutter in the way. Whoever is there knows where Bright is, though. Her voice, while a little quieter than normal speaking volume, is still plainly audible in the otherwise tomblike library. At Seeker's reply, she gets a touch of a smile on her lips. "No bestiaries today, I think. The information on relics might be interesting, though...if I could read any of it. I'm perfectly literate, but I'm afraid I'm limited to more modern books. For now."
Ignis	Ignis' voice cuts in next, albiet still slightly congested sounding and hardly the picture of a ready-at-moments-notice soldier or heroic swordsman. "It would seem fate has drawn us together again, Bright Journey. I'm surprised you're still here in Great Forks. Better then most places for certain types of people, I suppose.." Ignis has made his appearence at this point, walking out of the shadows cast by a towering stack of giant tomes and the one he had been reading still in hand. He then blinks a few times upon seeing Seeker, "...You again? I suppose I should be surprised to see you as well. With as careless as you seem to be about seeking knowlege I'm surprised you haven't fallen into some ancient curse by now. Been turned to stone. Angered a divinity, something.." He gestures at the two with his free hand, "Forgive me if I've intruded."
Seeker	Jumping again as Ignis announces his presence, Seeker lets out a short 'eep!' of surprise. Responding to Ignis' inquires he replies "Not cursed yet, though I did piss off some entity that tried to summon some undead thing in my room. The floating eye wasn't very friendly." His tone seems to be off handed and he pauses a short bit after his sentence in thought. "Divinity though... an interesting thought." Mentally shelving that thought, Seeker hasn't forgotten about his first guest. "If you would care to further your literary education, I will be honored to assist. As for ancient wonders... that is a bit harder." He starts rummaging through the many rolled parchment attached to rings across his robes and finally settles on one. Tossing the rolled parchment in her direction he adds, "It's not complete but it was what I could distill down from a plethora of oral stories and written accounts. I would like to join you as I don't think I'm well equip for the... horrors the stories involve."
Bright Journey	At Ignis' appearance, Bright Journey's eyebrows fairly disappear into her hairline. She turns halfway and takes a step back, to be able to speak to both people well enough, before giving Ignis a judicious look, newly dusted book and all. "Er...well met to you again as well, Ignis. Forgive me for saying so, but if the gods see fit to have us meet yet again, I'd say ignoring their clear wishes would be utter folly. A pity destiny does not come with an -instruction manual-." She says the last two words with a bit of heat, but she's clearly not truly angry. It's more of a well-worn complaint from her than anything new, or to do with either other person in the room. She toys with the corner of a book for a moment, one with gilded pictograms in the ancient style. Old Realm, and possibly priceless. She eyes Ignis calmly, a wry sort of smile on her face. "I'm afraid I'll be in Great Forks until need calls me elsewhere. You're right, it's a little easier for one of my blood, but that's not the reason. I have things to learn, and things to accomplish, and this is the best place by far close by to learn what I need to know. At least, as far as I can tell." She chuckles quietly. "Following your destiny seemed a lot simpler on day one, believe me. Besides, I also came to learn more of...er, more recent happenings, and since the gods have seen fit to bless me with both your presence, I intend to ask questions and take advantage of it. Bright pauses a moment to eye Seeker warily. "Be careful, though. I've learned all I need to know about what happens when an angry god might be tracking you down. My life was ruined once because of it." She sighs a bit. "Or, well, maybe running away was a blessing in disguise. But it felt like ruin when I lived through it." She looks at the scroll briefly, and opens it only long enough to read the first line. "Ah. Riverspeak. I was half afraid it'd be in Old Realm. I find it interesting but I never had any way to learn it, out in the middle of nowhere. Putting food on the table was a bit more important." Bright pauses briefly, looking at both men thoughtfully. "...I'm sorry if this sounds abrupt...but is this a safe place to talk? We should discuss what happened. At least, I know I should."
Ignis	"Ancient wonders abit harder? You identified my weapon by sight and then proceeded to blurt all of the information you knew out in the open infront of another stranger to you. I could have been the type to try and cut you down right then and there to preserve secrets. Thankfully I am not like that." remarks Ignis as he hears Seeker. He also seems..unsurprised at the comment about the undead creature attacking the scholar though he does raise an eyebrow thoughtfully and then turns fully to listen to and absorb what Bright has to say. Finally he nods his head, "Happenings in this city do seem to be rather strange. I believe we are alone, yes. Or at least..anything we discuss is likely above the pay grade of any eavesdropper and they are likely to not understand. What is on your mind?"
Seeker	Not sure if they are going somewhere else or staying here, Seeker starts picking up some of the books he has pulled off the shelves. "I'll start putting these away," he states as he walks to return the books.
Bright Journey	Bright Journey just nods at both men, then takes one last look around the library, satisfying herself that no one, at least no one she can see, is listening in. Eventually, she looks behind her, then brushes the dust off a little-used wooden chair and sits down. "You two may as well sit and join me. I think if we were tracked here it doesn't matter much -where- we talk. So I'll just get to the point." She leans forward a bit, setting the scroll Seeker gave her on the other end of the table he'd been working at. The three people are now in front of Fort Bookend. Bright gives Seeker a steady look. "I know Ignis must have said this at some point, but I'm going to complain about it a bit too, and I hope you'll bear with me. The way you tried to talk to them, out in that procession, scared the hell out of me. I really thought, just for a moment, I was going to be struck -dead- right there. By all that's holy please don't do anything like that again." She grins a bit. "Lecture over. I'm no older than you are anyway. Just...I don't know, just relax a little more. It'll work out better, I promise." "Anyway. About the procession. I could -feel- the chill coming off them, especially the attendants in back. I don't think I'd stand a chance against any of them, let alone all, but I think we have to find out more--a lot more--about who they are and what they're doing here. You had some insight, Seeker, what did you get from them?"
Ignis	Ignis watches as Seeker moves to put the books away and then looks back to Bright Journey as she speaks. Her description of what he'd deem Seeker's recklessness, does cause him to look back at the scholar briefly with an eyebrow upraised. He then looks back to Journey and simply listens for now. He has nothing to add until more information is revealed though he does 'hmm' softly at description of this odd procession.
Seeker	Sliding the last book he was holding into place, Seeker begins. "You are right. It was a bit... ?aggressive? of me." He makes is way back to the table and sits. "They were powerful beings. The best of the supernatural guards here in Great Forks and probably some of the best from the shadowland nearby." He has to adjust some of his map containers to be more comfortable. "And there was a third party observer that we weren't aware of. Well, probably." He says with a smile. "When I was going over the texts later I happened to riled that observer up a bit and talked." After a short pause he continues, "While weak when it materialized, it was able to attempt a necromatic summoning. I have most of the spell memorized but had to break it up to prevent it's completion. It should be interesting to study."
Bright Journey	Bright gives Ignis a very worried look for a moment, and then studies Seeker's face closely. She leans forward, paying close attention, and says, "There...was something else watching? Someone? And it attacked you when...when you noticed it? That's terrifying." Bright frowns and drums her fingertips on the table. She then nervously pulls her fingerless gloves tight and eyes Seeker. "So there's someone else. And it knows about you. About us, maybe, though that's less likely. There really isn't an 'us' in the sense they'd be thinking. Our big problem, though, is we know so little. I'd bet a jade talent you're dead right about them being from the shadowlands, though. If that's true, Great Forks making a deal with them could be really bad for anyone. Including Great Forks, in the long run, but everyone else right away. But what do you suppose they could be trying to -do- here? Deal, sure, but what about?" She grins a bit, incongruously. "And I really want to know who talked to who first. Makes you wonder."
Ignis	"That could become very problematic indeed.." muses Ignis as he rubs his chin in thought, "I wish I had of been there to see what you all witnessed but perhaps it's for the best I wasn't. Anything dealing with the underworld makes me very wary but it seems strange that the gods of Great Forks would think they -need- to make a deal with the dead. What could drive them to do so? The city profits well enough on its own." Ignis looks between the two, falling silent again as he rubs his jaw and then finally considers, "Maybe an audience of sorts is worth doing? I believe we could make it happen. A meeting with the leaders of the city to inquire?"
Seeker	Parchment comes out and pin in hand, Seeker begins drawing out the summoning. He leaves specific things unfinished and has ensured that the entity wouldn't be aware of this writing. "So, it looks like this, with a few things missing of course." The central element seems to be an eye. The same eye that sits at the middle of the Keeper's crest. "As for the 'why', from what I have been able to find, the stories of Great Fork's founding my be a bit embellished." He pauses for dramatic affect. He loves when the truth is reveled! "They never defeated the deathlord there, they just wove stories to make everyone think they did!" He's excited now!
Bright Journey	Bright Journey nods in agreement with Ignis. "That's exactly what I was thinking. Great Forks makes plenty on its own, and the risks of dealing with the Deathlords...well, I can only imagine how dangerous it must be. Usually when I see that kind of thing the first thing that comes to mind is blackmail...you know, 'let us preach doom and gloom in your city or I'll tell them all about that -other- kid of yours no one knows about'. But you're making it sound like the gods in power here already lean that direction. That's frightening." Glancing at Ignis, Bright shakes her head. "Erm...honestly, I'd love to put a few questions to them? But I can't see a way of doing it that doesn't give up the biggest advantage we have: They don't know we're seriously discussing this. Besides which, we'd be talking to some functionary, not the gods themselves. I'd rather have the functionary; I stand a better chance of sweet talking him. Still, it's kind of worrisome, looking at this diagram." She gestures to Seeker's sketch, her finger tracing one of the lines without actually touching the parchment. "You don't turn a sorcerous diagram into your symbol without a good reason, I'd think. It can't be a coincidence. But we might actually be in the right place to shed a little light on this symbol." She gestures towards the stacks of books. "I think it's worth a try. Looking up these diagrams, and history of the city's founding, and maybe even the Shadowlands themselves."
Ignis	"There is also the possiblity that the gods may see it more of a benefit to be willing to deal with the likes of us in a positive manner then to deal with the Deathlords and the underworld." offers Ignis, "Not that I think we should move to swiftly to..reveal any hidden secrets but to be blunt, Creation is changing. The Realm's power wanes and it falls into chaos, the dead move and..The Chosen are returning in both rumor and fact." Ignis folds his arms and leans against a seemingly sturdy wall though another plume of dust billows at his movement. "The gods resist this at their own peril. That could be used to lean into an advantage,.." ..He then sneezes again. Allergies.
Seeker	"What do you know of the Realm!?" Seeker asks excitedly. About a second later he remembers they had a different topic they were talking about. "Later," he says reluctantly. "I've not dealt with gods and the like in any formal capacity. I'm here trying to find more information, though it seems to be under tight binding," he pauses with a silly grin as if he told the best joke all night as his hand rests on a book.
Bright Journey	Scratching the back of her head, Bright Journey gives Ignis a wry look and shrugs. "Well, don't confuse them giving us an audience with them 'dealing' with us. If we got anything it'd be just for them to tell us something. It's not like we're a power or anything, nor should we be at this point. I...know what you're talking about Ignis, but I have a higher purpose. I can't be caught here forever fixing this one place, and while I want to do everything I can to help this place and crush the Deathlords, I'm just not at the point where I -can- yet." She grins wickedly. "Yet. But I'll do everything in my power. I'm guessing you feel the same, both of you. I do agree, though, that it would be stupid to count on the Realm to do anything helpful. I didn't become what I am just to let someone -else- handle problems. We just have to not take a bite we can't chew." Despite herself, Bright chuckles a bit at the pun. "Yeah. It -is- bound pretty tightly. But if there's anyone who can squeeze that hidden information from a place such as this, it has to be you, Seeker. Do you think there's anything to be found here, on the diagram, those freezing cold -things-, or this city's true history? There's a lot that could point us in the right direction."
Ignis	"Only what rumor, heresay and the word of travellers and merchants have to say." offers Ignis to Seeker at his query about The Realm, "But enough of it, coupled with happenings here in the Scavenger Lands, point to what I was mentioning before.." He then nods to Bright Journey, "I think we all have a larger vision we are pursuing. It wasn't my intention to get involved in any of this myself but the fact remains that if Great Forks falls to Deathlord sway..doing the things we are being led to do will be simply that much harder. We can at least be closer to 'ourselves' here in a city that isn't primed to be hostile to the very idea of us and we can use that to our advantage but.. it will take careful managing of things to make it all work, especially at this stage of things." As to the pun, Ignis merely raises an eyebrow but there is a slight tug at the side of his mouth despite his overall annoyance. "I think I have to leave the details of research to you both. "
Seeker	Smiling broadly, Seeker pipes in "That's what I'm here for. I've gotten through about 60% of this library over the last week. A few more days and all of it's knowledge will be mine. Parsing through that knowledge though... That can take some time." "As for setting up any meetings with spirits, I'll leave that to you guys."
Bright Journey	Bright Journey chuckles a bit, and nots to Ignis. "I'd be lying if I said my goal wasn't to get involved. It was, really. It's just not my life's work. I want to fix this place and, if the gods are kind, find out what I need to know and learn where I need to go. But regardless, I just can't let horrific things just -sit-. And we haven't even talked about the cult, or the blood apes from a few weeks ago. They're still around, too, though I'm not actually sure how nefarious they're being. I will say this, though. The journey I'm on? I think it's about dealing with Shadowlands. Here and elsewhere. And other threats too, like the Fair Folk. I...really don't know. Not yet. But I know it's in the same vein, and it's just the right thing to do. I can't let that kind of thing go, not when I actually have some power against it. In any case, we really have to find out a lot more before we can act. Ignis, if there's someone in the government that might be willing to talk to us, and you find out, let me know, alright? I'll see if I can find things out, as well. "Seeker, I want to find out a few things from you. Part of me really is curious about Old Realm, but we'll see if I have time. I...er, I'm not sure you could be that far along in a library this size in one week, but still, I know you must have been busy!" She gestures to Fort Bookend. "I just hope you remember to eat. Can't be half asleep and starving, or you might miss that big clue." She grin, and looks at both of you. "Hey. Thanks for your help, both of you. I know none of us have to do any of this, but it just feels -right- to sink my teeth into a problem and solve it. Even if it's not directly related to what I'm really trying to do. What say we meet back here if we have anything to share, or in a week from today in any event, and keep each other updated?"
Ignis	"I understand, perhaps more then you realize. I'm on a journey of my own. There is a place that I'm seeking. It's been lost to antiquity and perhaps to the wyld itself. But once upon a time it strived for paradise and equality among all people and sought to defend others. I dream of it and I dream of it coming again." Ignis reaches down and holds up his sheathed blade, "Ein Solus is a relic of that place. A kingsword. And there others. It haunts me and it to seems bigger then just one city in Creation but.... 'one city' is where things often begin, right?" He lowers the weapon and inclines his head in thought for a moment before adding, "I'll do what I can to find things out. As to the cult, I haven't forgotten about that either. It may well come up that it gets attended to first. This issue with the Deathlord and the city seems like a larger problem that will take more resource gathering before we're truly ready to attend to it.." He then looks at Seeker sternly. "Yes. Don't forget to eat."
Seeker	"Oh, I'll eat. Gives me some time to process what I've read." He pats his stomach. "There is much to be learned and gained from this. I seek the truth above all and I am starting to see the cracks in the tapestry of lies. I shall seek the truth with you."