Welcome to Gaia! ::

Sky's voice pulled Vine out of his reverie. Rosemary knows me far too well.

"No need for that, boy. Tell your mother I'll be right down. Just getting dressed."

Turning back to the mirror he adjusted the black dress uniform and reflected that it felt... fake. Oh, it looked good (Rosemary called it 'dashing'), but it could never turn a knife blow the way that the old armor did.

The old armor... It was on the training dummy in the corner, still imposing despite the wooden occupant. It had saved Vine's life many times, and he knew he would never wear it again. He'd heard that some elderly soldiers would don their gear and prance around their bedrooms, trying to recapture their lost days of glory, but Vine was not that kind of man.

Freshly-shaven, with his baton of office dangling at his hip, Sage Vine stepped out into the sunlight, and blushed slightly as his wife let out a whistle.

Their marriage had been contested by most of Rosemary's family. The Sage clan was wealthy enough without Vine's pension or land grant, and showed their displeasure by insisting on charging a truly punishing dowry. Rosemary lied to him about the amount and paid most out of her own pocket.

No citizen, patrician, or Dynast had ever been able to bribe Dragonlord Vine, but Sage Rosemary had purchased him, heart and souls, without a second thought. He kissed her dutifully and began exchanging pleasantries with his guests. Some were old friends that he was truly glad to see, though some faces seemed to be missing from the party. Some were family, like Sky's wife and young children, who filled his heart with joy.

And some, Vine smirked, are the pompous bastards that used to complain to their Dynastic cousins everytime I got in their way. I hope they brought suitable presents.

Vine winced at the mention of his prodigal daughter. His children all knew, from an early age, that their father expected them to find honest work and be upstanding citizens of the Realm. Goji had become a monk, Serendipity joined the legions, and Sky had found a love for farming. Rose, Sky's twin, had chosen a life that did not meet with her father's approval. To this day, Sky was the only person that Rose ever contacted.

Vine often swore to himself that, should he ever see Rose again, he would apologize to her, and tell her how proud he was that she had been willing to stand up to him during that last argument. If he wasn't so stubborn, he would have written to her long ago...

He was suddenly aware of an embarassed silence, and realized that his face had gone rigid, his instinctive response to emotional turmoil. His youngest children were aware of what that look meant.

"Well, I'm sure that Rose is keeping her nose clean." And that was the end of it.

"But come, let me see you both."

He embraced the young man and woman at the same time. In his right arm, Serendipity squirmed beneath her armor, no doubt trying to protect the bruises from her latest pub brawl. In his left, Goji was more solid than Vine remembered. Cords of muscle could be felt beneath the hempen robe. Glancing down, he saw a linen belt, died with the red ink of Hesiesh.

"I see they wasted no time advancing you to the second coil! Does that mean I can call you by your name again, or have you chosen another one?"

It was not easy to spend three decades in the Guardians and maintain a belief in the innate righteousness of the Dragon-Blooded. Too often, Dynasts seemed to be behind some of the worst crimes, and the most dangerous criminals. But if there was a Dynast who lived up to Vine's perception of the Immaculate ideal, it would have to be Magistrate Chotei. If not for the vast spiritual gulf between them, perhaps they might have been friends.

The old mortal grinned, bowed his head, and opened his mouth to welcome this most honored guest, when Rosemary spoke up.

"My lord Magistrate, I don't think my husband would have survived this long without your protection over the years. On behalf of a grateful family, thank you." Vine was embarrassed to see his wife and children bow in unison.

"Er, and thank you for honoring us with your presence today," Vine added in an attempt to break the solemnity.

Goji looked like he couldn't decide whether to be shocked at this breach of protocol or awestruck by the familiarity bestowed upon his father.

Vine was just happy that Chotei (a name he was very careful never to actually use in public) had broken the terrible solemnity. Deciding not to push his luck too far in sight of the guests, the old man fell back into military terms of address.

"Well, Sir, as much as I would love to grow as fat as I am old," the distaste was evident in his tone, "I've spent too many years on the move. I plan to keep busy around the estate. My eldest boy is going to teach me my way around a plow, and I'm becoming a fair hand at making tinctures and liniments in case of injuries. I'm averaging one dose for every three nasty explosions."

"And when that isn't enough, I've got an understanding with some of the local Guardians. I'll be passing along some lessons of the chase; better for the lads to learn from my mistakes than their own."

Vine paused a moment to watch Rosemary, beaming with vindicated pride as she spoke with her family. "But most of all, I think I owe my wife for all those nights that I wasn't home."

On this happy day, Vine had allowed himself to relax, possibly for the first time in years. But if anything could bring him back to full readiness, it was the worried face of his grandchild.

"Sky!" he cried out, startling several of the party guests, "Sky! Grab the medicine satchel from the shed!"

Lifting the child onto his shoulder, he then spoke in a much softer voice, "Honeysuckle, can you show me where this man is?"

With the girl pointing the way, Vine dashed away, trailing a number of the guests that had heard the news.

Upon finding the man, Vine passed Honeysuckle to the nearest relative and directed them to go back. This wasn't something Vine wanted a child to see. From the tone of skin and amount of blood staining the clothes, it was unlikely that the stranger was still alive, but Sage Vine never trusted appearances. He knelt by the stranger's side, and gently rolled him over...

Vine almost reached for the note, but his sense of propriety insisted that he close the man's eyes first. Still, Vine was a practical man, and there was nothing more he could do for this poor soul. On the other hand, a blood-soaked stranger practically screamed that a crime had been committed, and a mysterious note hidden in a boot was a painfully obvious Clue.

Leaving the note for last, Vine begins taking stock. The deep laceration on the man's stomach suggests a slashing attack, likely caused by a sword. That was the major source of blood loss and internal injuries, but there are other, more minor wounds. He was in quite a fight, and judging by bloodstains on his sword, he had inflicted some damage on his attackers.

Vine glances into the woods, scanning for any sign of pursuit. With injuries like this, the man would not have been able to get very far, not on foot, at least.

"Sky? Serendipity?" His son was standing just inside the circle of onlookers, having seen that no amount of medicine would help at this point. His daughter was comforting Rosemary.

"Yes, Father?"

"Ser, round up the lads," by which he meant the Guardians attending the party, "and set up a perimeter watch back at the house. Take the guests with you. Sky, help me move him back to the shed."

Sage Vine regretted his age as they hauled the body, but moved quickly, feeling the old tingle in his back, fearing an arrow from the treeline. Once inside the shed's thin walls, Vine felt safe enough to consider the man's clothing, search his pockets, and most importantly, read the note.

'Obsidian Dragon' gave Vine a disquieting feeling, though he wasn't sure why. Something about a nest of heretics from years ago. Maybe it wasn't connected, but if it was important, he'd remember it later. More pressing was the knowledge that some force had managed to penetrate the Isle, and was threatening it from inside. Worse, Lookshy might be involved, and even Vine had heard stories about that forsaken place. Armories filled with ancient weapons of horrifying power, like the one that ripped the souls from the Realm forces sent to invade.

There was no indication who the letter was meant for, but neither was there time to waste in looking. The letter mentioned Chanos, and that is where Vine would have to start. Old "Steeltoe" Amata was in charge of their Guardians, wasn't she? The patrician owed Vine a favor or two, and it might be time to collect.

"What does it say, Father?"

"It says I'm not quite retired, yet. Son, please pack up the armor for travel, and bring around our best horses."

"Mother won't like this."

"No, but neither will I." And yet, Vine wondered, why did he feel so alive?

Turning to Chotei, Vine passed the note over. "It seems that there is trouble in Chanos, sir. I request permission to investigate further, as I can't think of anyone else to trust with this." It went unsaid that the Magistrate was the sole exception.