Legend of Ransera

A strange series of events had led him here, the Searing Victory losing altitude in controlled descent after clearing the high edges of the valley.

The request for a visa had come to him given that the hopeful guest was a denizen of far away Solunarium. He had personally approved it and was keeping a personal eye upon the Vastian woman. It had been some time since the last Solunarian envoy had left—before the fall and subsequent trials of the High City. The world powers needed to see that Zaichaer had gone from surviving to thriving, and had taken the blows dealt to it to reinvent and rebuild.

Matsi Chenzira Hilana had left behind artefacts arcane and divine per the provisions of her visa—which Sentinel Angevin had made up with the counsel of the wisest of his Watchers. She had seemed unbothered to be scanned magically upon her arrival; Angevin had come to understand that her own people would do the same to anyone entering their realm. The desert elves were wise, though he wished the desert people were prouder and hadn't bent the knee to the former Hytori.

There was plenty of space in the city now, the only losses they hadn't recuperated being the human lives that were irreplaceable on the one hand—on the other, people were having babies again, a show of good faith in the future and necessary for that future. With all that space, she had been afforded an apartment with a nice view of the cityscape. The next morning, however, she had been escorted to the airfield and was now a passenger of their flagship.

Angevin had pointed out one of the riverland forts as they flew overhead, and she was able to see the landscape of rivers, woods, grasslands, and farmlands pass far beneath them.

As he was wearing his Sentinel hat rather than his Admiral hat, he was wearing his summerweight Order uniform and was allowing his executive officer the chance to run this mission without Angevin's orders. One's understudy needed a chance to rehearse, after all.

But a Sentinel in all black was someone she could relate to, he supposed. They had sent one to treat with Kalzasi when they sent a Golden Guard to treat with Zaichaer.

"Miss Chenzira," he said after politely rapping his knuckles at the door to the small quarters she had been given on the airship. "We are descending into the valley presently. You might enjoy the view."

As her assessment had been met with good cheer and cooperation, Angevin felt comfortable enough without more minders put on her. He wasn't the only Watcher aboard, but she needn't be kept under lock and key, and if she could throw something at him that he couldn't ward against, then he wasn't the warder he claimed to be. And while he was warded against intrusions, she could easily sense his Rune of Negation, and how its power and complexity rivaled that of Solunarium's greatest.

Dark-eyed, he peered back at the creature in her hair, but paid it no mind. That, as well as several of her artefacts, such as the featherlight bag, had been allowed through customs with mild warnings against the sale or purchase of magical items without license.

There was more magic in Zaichaer than perhaps she had imagined, albeit rigidly controlled. Perhaps it wasn't so very different from her home, except in how they spoke of magic and where magical power was accumulated. She was well aware, though, that they didn't want to hear the good word of Aværys and Varvara.

Half a blueblood and blueblooded raised, he offered her his arm and led her up to the deck. Errant breezes teased any bared skin and attempted to tousle any uncontrolled hair, but the bulk of the wind was shunted off by wards.

They watched the landscape as Searing Victory took them down into the valley. The surrounding peaks had mostly ceded ground to summer, but the highest peaks were still white as teeth. But below was a river valley, and Angevin's eyes even found the most suitable place for a colony should one ever need to be established. There was a faint strangeness to the colors of the greenery, no doubt due to the special varieties of vegetation that grew here. No doubt that would become clear upon closer examination.

It was, in a word, gorgeous. While dangerous, it was another one of the natural beauties that fell within Zaichaer's domain.

The XO and pilot descended near to where Angevin himself would have directed them had he not been attending their guest. A more agile dropship saw them to the ground rather than make them climb down a rope ladder, and then soldiers fanned out to form a perimeter.

"We ought not to be bothered by wyrm fang tigers, but better safe than sorry, hey?" Then, he indicated a direction. "Maps and experts agree that there is a patch of the vines this way. Large enough that harvesting won't damage them and situated such that the regular valley winds should keep the pollen from affecting us. Shall we?"

Angevin listened, nodded.

As he had said, the part of the valley they were taking her to was prime for collecting. The natural breezes—augmented by the spirits, no doubt—ought to keep the pollen levels down enough to prevent any mishaps. Magic was a tool, but it was rarely outmatched by sound thinking. From there, if necessary, her command of air, whether directly or through spiritual intermediaries, could do the rest. Or his wards, as she said. He supposed his reputation preceded him in that regard.

No matter.

"Aye, your visa allows for your magical means of assessment and for self-defense against the elements. And I will protect you if necessary, from pollen or tiger." They didn't want an international incident, after all. If her magic use was curtailed in Zaichaer to protect its citizens, then Zaichaeri magic would come to her aid at need, as well.

When she saw the collection spot, she went ahead and that was certainly acceptable to him. He was a gentleman, but she had credentials for this sort of thing. Angevin was content to stay nearby, but not stick his nose too closely to the plants themselves. The vines and their flowers were protected, but not endangered. This was their home, but they were prolific enough in their home.

To that point, "If you find a specimen suitable for full extraction, I can ward it for protection from the elements and other contamination so you can plant it in some greenhouse local to you." And as for her question, "No, I have not. While I was a more junior airman in the Air Defense Corps, I did fly over it and nearby several times on patrol but this is my first chance to walk it on my own two feet. Sometimes stranger things live and grow above ground than lurk in the Warrens, hm."

If there was an ingress to the Warrens under Solunarium, he didn't know. From what he gathered, there were dragons in the volcano and half the capital city was underground and built over ancient ruins. He supposed if there was a gateway to those warped lands down there, it was well and truly guarded or warded else so many people wouldn't live so close.

Miss Chenzira was at least congenial and conscientious. Whether she realized or not, this was in some ways a trial run for allowing powerful foreigners to abide a while in Zaichaer. There was much that could enrich them from the world without, and obviously, visitors from their allies in Karnor would have an easier time of it.

If Zaichaer was xenophobic, it was for good reason, and he knew that if he was a guest in Solunarium, he would be there under similar strictures and would be on his best behavior lest his words and actions reflect poorly upon the Fatherland. Though he hadn't personally met the Solunarian envoy from before the troubles, he had heard grudging respect from some quarters, his father's being one. That had been a surprise given how much of a problem he had with his son being half-elven when his son was not the person getting his dick wet with inhuman strange.

In any case, from what he understood, the Re'hyaean elves looked down on the Dratori even more than the Hytori did. He could tell the difference between them, of course; he wasn't sure he could tell the difference between Hytori and Re'hyaean. There hadn't been some Ilixidorian malfeasance in their creation from what he understood of elven history. But he supposed humanity itself was a result of a Mistlord's malfeasance, but he could only play the hand he was dealt.

Angevin nodded. He had spoken to several experts at the Institute as well as one of the Kindred who had helped turn his island home into a greenhouse when there was no sunlight to be had, and he knew how much Chenzira could take without causing undue damage to the habitat and population of the vines.

"Airship patrol is like a holiday to me anymore, Miss Chenzira," he said with an honest laugh. "We were less prepared than most nations for the eclipse given we were still recovering from Kalzasi opening a rift in our skies and letting the mists and their spawn out to destroy us. I have risen high since those times, but I stand on the shoulders of giants. An airship patrol feels simple, uncomplicated compared to the exigencies of government.

"Thankfully, the tigers won't be a problem for airships unless they learn how to fly. As for inclement weather, one of my jobs as a licensed warder in the Air Defense Corps was building and maintaining shields upon our airships. They needn't be grounded if their mission warrants flight. They will not be struck by lightning, nor crushed by sudden changes in air pressure. Visibility becomes the problem. We have devices that can pierce the weather, but they are not perfect yet.

"Airships in a blizzard need to be aware that there are mountains, treelines, and even buildings to maneuver around." Then, "Ah, the Warrens? Aye, I have also been called to ward sections for the safety of miners, and I have trained down there to be prepared for future incursions. There are horrors, but there are also wonders. But the wonders of the elemental regions require wading through death and body horror." He made a face. "Much as in life, eh? No good thing earned without hardship?"

"Some details of the rift were lost in the ensuing chaos," he admitted, "but their utter denial of culpability is... well, our stance on Kalzasi is well known already. I didn't come to convince you of their villainy, and there is evidence that some Zaichaeri elements were involved in the Imperium's plot in Kalzasi with regard to the assassination of the Shokaze and the abduction of their Shinsei and his new husband."

He spread his hands, not hiding anything.

"But aye, given we were dealing with the rift, the eclipse was nearly the straw that broke the camel's back." He paused, considering she might understand the camel metaphor better than most, despite its use in Zaichaer. "I was only a Seeker in the Order and a Commander in the Air Defense Corps when the rift occurred. Most of our senior leadership was lost, and those of us who moved up were forged in fire. And the cold of a long, dark winter. I understand Solunarium enjoyed some divine intervention. I am glad that you didn't suffer as we did.

"But I am also proud of what we accomplished with only each other."

Angevin was a New Atheist, but he as also a pragmatist. If Zaichaer was going to thrive, the Fatherland would have to learn to maintain diplomatic relationships with theocracies, lest they trigger holy wars on all fronts. The Gods existed; Zaichaer just wanted to secure their own agency. Much as children needed space to become adults, humanity needed space to become gods.

"The tigers can fly," he admitted, "but they aren't strong flyers. Like terrestrial tigers, they are ambush predators. They tend to glide, and stoop upon prey. But they don't have the strength and stamina to fly far, else they might have migrated beyond the valley's edge. Sometimes they are seen outside, but not far. They know their home. They can't—or, at least, they don't—fly at the altitudes our airships cruise. And while they are ferocious and brave if they encounter a human, they avoid larger predators." He laughed. "Such as ZADC airships."

After a beat, he continued, "If your crown prince has a menagerie, we could send a breeding pair."

And as for the Second Deep, "For whatever reason, the parts of the Warrens close to the surface are full of flesh-warped horrors. The Second Deep is beautiful and rich with resources. I haven't been to Ecith, but parts of it, I imagine, are dim reflections of the Second. Powerful elemental resonances, dragonshards, and the flora and fauna are similarly... augmented."

As her collection increased, he held is hands out to help her carry. It was only polite.