Sanguinary Pleasures [IC, DM: Ur-Quan]

[Karthas077]

Valyn pauses, spoon partway to his mouth, as Alsai addresses him. He looks downward at the bowl as he lowers the spoon back in. Though her words were once more foreign to him, it was not hard to figure out what she meant. Answering the question however was entirely separate matter. How does one explain something that made you a cultural oddity even in your native land?
After a few moments have passed, Valyn finally speaks,
"In my native land, I grew accustomed to an extremely specific nutritional diet... Unfortunately, traditional human fare rarely coincides with such strict demands. The transition has been... difficult, to say the least, and my body is still adapting to the foreign nature of these foods."
As he explains, Valyn glances from his bowl to Alsai's face, before examining the reactions of the rest of the table. As his gaze returns to her, he pauses for a moment, before resuming eating, satisfied that his explanation sufficed for now.

[Ur-Quan]

Ludo has been quietly eating the whole time, thinking. He seems concerned with his bowl and closed away.

The tavern keeper comes and goes, taking the pot away. Braun decides it's a good moment for some more conversation. In the meantime, one of the wenches replaces your bowls with plates.

"Well, your appearance has been most fruitful for our little village. You see, we have a bandit problem, but one more fine than you'd think."

The keeper brings another pot, this one shorter, but wider, with a wider brim. Nakov, the blacksmith, rises and starts taking out the food from the pot. The meal seems to be cabbage based, as you can see him putting cabbage rolls on his plate. He continues in the same matter Braun did with the stew. The others seem delighted with the meal.

Ludo answers "Thank you, but no thanks. My friends, elders, I'll be back shortly, if possible. I'll go and check what's taking my wife and daughter so long." He politely rises, bows, and leaves the room, with some haste.

Braun and the others just shrug and continue the meal. Most of them take 2 or 3 rolls. Nakov comes to your side of the table...

[PersonMan]

Alsai nods as Tri-Scholar Valyn explains his aversion towards the axe's relief in the soup. I see. Is such a specific diet common in the elven lands, if you don't mind me asking? The Glowing Initiate asks, emboldened by the fairly positive reaction to her original question. Normally, she would wait far longer before asking such things, but one of the principles of Ur was adaption. As she considers this, an idea blossoms in Alsai's mind of learning each of the humanoid cultures and eventually returning to her home with enough knowledge to pen an additional Tome of Ur. Despite her sudden burst of ambition, however, Alsai doubted that she could achieve this great goal. It was already difficult enough to learn the culture of the outside lands without a racial divide. Years, perhaps decades, would be required to fully understand that of the elves and dwarves as well. The thought of knowledge leads her to wonder where the nearest Repository of Ur-Lore would be...although, in these lands, would it not simply be a Repository of Lore? The knowledge of Ur was something that would only cloud the minds of the outside people without sufficient preparation, so expecting to find it outside was foolish.

As Nakov comes to her, Alsai takes 4 rolls, indicating with a nod when enough of the cabbage-dish is on her plate. As with the soup, she quickly begins to eat in an efficient manner. Her expression is neutral as it was before, showing no sign that the Ur-Seeker had even tasted something. Her only reaction to the food once she starts eating it is a slight upwards twitch of her eyebrows as she places the first sliced piece of a cabbage roll into her mouth. Even this slight expression, however, quickly fades and Alsai's face becomes devoid of emotion. Her gaze is on the food, only raising when someone speaks until she is finished, at which point she raises her ungloved right hand to her mouth and breathes onto her palm once before speaking.

Mister Braun, you mentioned a 'fine' bandit problem. What exactly do you mean by this? The Ur-Seeker is sure to keep her question under the intimate length, planning precisely how to ask for more information before speaking, a skill honed over her entire life.

[Athaleon]

Kalis had barely picked at his stew, but felt his mood lifting as the delicious-smelling cabbage rolls were served. Truth be told, he was hungry, and it seemed to him that he was indeed unknown here and his anxiety had gone unnoticed. When his turn came he took four rolls, mirroring Alsai. He found himself having to make a conscious effort to slow down, as much out of decency as to savor the food.

His thoughts turned back to the subject at hand: A "fine" bandit problem that they couldn't tell the local noble about? If Kalis had to guess, he'd say it was the lord's own men harassing the village, and he and his companions were to make them disappear. He kept silent of course - aside from anything else he'd made his share of wrong guesses in the past - and simply awaited the reply to Alsai's direct query.

[Ur-Quan]

Braun replies, between pieces of food. "It's "fine" because these aren't your common dumb thieves which raid caravans." He smiles and continues the meal.

After you've started eating, you notice that the cabbage is rolled around meat filling, mixed up with some wheat product. The wholesale taste seemed delicate, yet very good.

[Karthas077]

As Valyn finishes the first of his two cabbage rolls, he tries to conceal his surprise at the meat within. The taste was very subtle. Resigning himself to finishing what he had asked for, Valyn makes a mental note to prepare a tonic to ease his stomach if the meat proves too much for it to handle.

Answering Alsai's question Valyn replies, "Not especially. If you must know I would say that my dietary habits are more a result of my professional education than of my society."

After Braun speaks, Valyn takes a moment to ponder his words. No one in the group had yet told them what it was the bandits were doing, nor what they wanted them to do. All this dancing around the issue at hand was beginning to bore him.

As he is about to respond, Valyn realizes antagonizing these men is not in his best interest. With a great deal of effort he speaks more carefully, "If you don't mind my asking... What exactly is it these bandits are doing then, and what specifically is it that you require of us?"

[PersonMan]

Alsai, surprised at Tri-Sholar Valyn's explanation of his strange diet, seems to show little sign of this, apart from a fluid raising and lowering of her eyebrows. It was something that she noticed few people in this land did - yet another cultural oddity. They regarded meals as a social event which, like many things, created an awkwardness during Alsai's interactions due to her own views. Food eaten with strangers or acquaintances wasn't meant to be openly enjoyed, but rather eaten quickly so that the main purpose of the gathering would be delayed as little as possible. On the other hand, among friends and other second (or first) circle beings, meals were quite long, with immense amounts of effort being put into every aspect of the event. Generally Alsai treated the meals she ate in these foreign lands as the first, although they were treated as a mixture of first and second by most people she came across. Food in general was a fairly intimate topic, hence her reservation about asking Try-Scholar Valyn about his eating habits.

As the aforementioned elf asks the elders (who, despite their title, were nothing like any elders Alsai knew. They were more like third-tier Blazing Disciples of the second degree, although the way in which they were treated reminded her more of fourth-tier Ur-Divers who had recently breached their third depth.) about the specifics of the bandits and their activities, Alsai nods, as curious as her comrade but still unsure about the level of intimacy such a question would presume. She didn't want to accidentally make a terrible mistake, after all, and end up ruining the potential employment for both her and her new comrades.

[Athaleon]

Kalis slows the pace at which he digs into his food, eagerly awaiting the full explanation of the job they were hired for. With his initial anxiety gone, and his stomach getting full, he finds himself hoping Braun will stop dancing around the point soon and get down to business.

[Ur-Quan]

The food on the table gets replaced yet again. You find pork meat done in onion sauce as the main course. While one of his friends serves, Braun decides to take a moment to talk.

"The problem is delicate because they are careful. The Baron doesn't want to send his military help to stop bandits, as they've killed nobody yet."

Braun stops grinning and starts having a deathly serious face, for the first time tonight.

"They are using non-lethal force and constantly changing their hiding places, raiding homes, caravans and everything this poor village has, but without leaving victims. That's why we need you, we can't fight them off, the baron won't help us without a couple of dead people to "make the problem serious" and if we don't get help, we're bound to disappear from existence in less than a year."

"After the meals, I'll find you a map and mark the areas where the last raids happened, so you see if you find anything, a trace of their whereabouts. I also suspect they have a spy inside the town, offering them the information about our hiding storages, secret caravans and the like."

[Karthas077]

Valyn takes as small a portion of the next course as possible, already being sufficiently full, and not finding the pork especially appetizing. As he examines the food before him, he thinks hard on what was just said, taking but a few bites before looking upwards at the four men he's about to start working for.

"At this point I have only two questions left to ask. Firstly, are there any people that knew the location of every storage cache and the times and routes of every caravan? And secondly, will our payment in any way be a reflection of the health of the bandits that we apprehend, or may we deal with them to some extent as we see fit?"

Though his gaze was careful to meet the eyes of each of the men at least once, Valyn could not help but glance at least once at each of his companions, just to see their reactions. He doubted that either had thus far seen this side of him, but it was bound to happen eventually, and he'd much rather it be now than while they were on the job.

[PersonMan]

Alsai once again takes a large amount of food, showing no sign of being full. In fact, nothing about her posture has changed during the meal. She first cuts the pork into equally sized pieces, working from right to left, focusing on her food but listening to Guard Captain Braun. This was yet another strange habit of the people here. They mixed their meals with business with an almost disturbing frequency. Of course, once one took the great length of time it took them to eat even a small meal into account, it was probably necessary if they wanted to get anything done. The problem with the bandits was an interesting one. In Alsai's experience, bandit attacks were rare and easily defended against.

Then again, this community lacked the great defense grid of the enclave. It was a spread-out collection of small structures rather than a single great fortress, which meant that its defense would be far more difficult, especially from those who knew where to strike. Once again, Tri-Scholar Valyn's questions are both well thought out and quite bold, at least in Alsai's view. Perhaps she was lucky to have someone so willing to actively search for information with her. It would certainly make things easier until she got a clear understanding of the culture she was in. Just as she finishes eating, he mentions the treatment of the bandits. It's clear that this question surprises her, and she glances over to the elf, her expression confused. Why would one need to ask that sort of question? Did the people here have some sort of barbaric practices that she had yet to discover...?

[Athaleon]

Kalis, in the middle of dissecting a juicy cut of pork, found it difficult to restrain a sharp reaction at Valyn's line of questioning. It was routine to ask if the bandits were to be captured alive if possible, but then the physician had all but asked outright if he could slice the bandits open to see what came out.

Letting your imagination get away with you again, Kal he thought, jumping to conclusions and ready to assume the worst. But then, no other answer he could think of made as much sense. And Alsai looked as though she too could scarcely believe what she just heard.

Absurdly, a small part of him groaned that the doctor should have kept that side of his profession a secret so as not to scuttle their chances of being hired. Then again, they did seem desperate. Nothing he thought to say could possibly have helped the situation, so he did the sensible thing and kept his mouth shut.

[Ur-Quan]

Braun replies, nonplussed: "W..well, I need one of the bandits alive, to send to the Baron, as a proof of their existence and a witness. Others, I don't care about." He regains his composure. "But please, keep it private, if you decide to handle it extraordinarily. We don't want to get the Silver-Sighted Order here, after all."

[Karthas077]

Amused by the man's expression Valyn conceals a small smile with a bow of his head as he responds, "Of course. I will do my best to ensure that at least one of the bandits is returned alive."

Though there was a chance it wouldn't lead anywhere, Valyn decided it would be best if they tried to find and question the spy in the town before they went searching for clues rather than after. After all, if there was in fact a spy, it's quite possible the bandits would have warning of their coming, which would make things more complicated. Worst case scenario they wasted several hours around town before heading out, best case scenario they saved themselves from walking into a trap. Glancing around the table, Valyn tried to establish how close everybody was to finishing their meals. Valyn was growing tired of the pleasantries, and desperately wanted to get the business at hand dealt with so that he could get an early start in the morning as well as a good nights sleep.

Spoiler

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Whether or not Valyn has heard of the Silver Sighted Order, his response is the same, the only difference would be the description of his thought process so yeah.

Also, wasn't sure if it was you or Braun that missed Valyn's first question so for now I'll just assume Braun was too distracted by the thoughts of Valyn butchering bandits and just forgot. If there should have been some sort of answer/list, or if we were to be directed NOT to question townspeople that can easily be retconned.

[PersonMan]

Alsai's stomach, finally close to full with plate after plate of exotic food, churns at the thoughts brought up by Tri-Scholar Valyn's questions. Guard Captain Braun's answer relieves her slightly, but she still feels quite uncomfortable once again. These people were bandits, yes, but did they really deserve the fate that these people would so willingly condemn them to...? Alsai considered everything she had read, hoping to find some guidance from the teachings of Ur. It soon became clear, however, that there was nothing to aid her; she was on her own now, in this situation. The thought sent shivers through her mind, and the young Ur-Seeker nearly let her inner turmoil show itself.

Despite this internal conflict, Alsai's expression stays calm as she finishes her food. The Glowing Initiate's appetite is finally sated after a surprising amount of food - perhaps the people here enjoyed eating a lot, so they made their food in a specific way, so that one would have to eat a large amount to be properly nourished? Rather than this occupying her thoughts for long, however, she is more focused on the sudden dilemma before her. How could she carry out her mission under such circumstances? These three were the most promising she had found so far, but it could become difficult if they insisted on following such barbaric practices.

Guard Captain Braun hadn't answered the elf's first question, and the Ur-Seeker was considering asking herself, but as Tri-Scholar Valyn himself didn't seem to be pursuing it, there was no reason for her to do so in his stead. It was strange for him to only answer one of the two questions posed to him; perhaps it was yet another strange custom in these lands...

[Ur-Quan]

Braun eyeballs you a bit after that sentence, analyzing your appearance and your stature closely. "Well, then... *he puts both of his hands on the table, hitting it a bit rough, but nowhere near violent* ... lets hear your plan."

The plates change again, and you can see that there's a dessert coming soon.

[Karthas077]

Valyn's faint smile twists into a wry grin as Braun speaks once more. He lets the man settle down some before replying.

"I cannot speak for the others, but if it is as you suspect, and you have a spy in your town, then the fewer people who know what I'm planning the better. You already know for example that we're going to have to investigate some of the sites the bandits have hit, but if nobody outside our group knows which one we're going to, I'll feel safer about not walking into an ambush. However, I will say that I have no intention of doing anything that could get me into unnecessary trouble with the law, which I should put your moral apprehensions at ease."

Though there was still a chance that Braun and the other village leaders would try to force a more concrete plan of action from him, once outside the inn Valyn knew he would be free once more to do as he pleased. He reflected upon something he learned while studying the alchemical effects of magically enhanced adrenaline on coordination and reaction speed. The shortest distance between two points only makes sense for as long as both points remain the same. If what you know changes, so too must how you react. Being dedicated to a specific course of action when a better opportunity presents itself was just foolish. As he glanced at the other two at the table, he couldn't help but wonder how either would handle unexpected circumstances...

[Athaleon]

Barely audible over the ambient din, Kalis adds "Another thing - If you have any information at all about this spy, it would be best to let us know tonight, even if not right at this table. This is a small village, and whoever it is could be in this tavern right now for all we know. If I were running their racket, I would keep an ear out for any attempt by this council to hire some swords. But if we move tonight, it would leave them less time to cover their tracks."

[PersonMan]

Alsai says nothing, merely turning to listen to both of her comrades as they speak. The Ur-Seeker doesn't have a plan and, even if she did, Guard Captain Braun's off-putting behavior would have been enough to keep her from detailing it. While what he was doing did not reach the same levels as that of Kalis' earlier mistake, the man's transgressions against the social code that had, to an extent, formed the basis of Alsai's entire life were beginning to get quite irksome. While she did understand that he belonged to a different culture, it was difficult to repress the rising urge to respond to his constant rudeness with an outburst. She doubted that Three Breaths of Ice would do any good for the group's chances of getting the job. Besides, attracting attention would do no good if the potential spy was nearby. It wasn't as if the intricate movements of the maneuver could be performed without it at least seeming quite unusual to anyone watching. As Tri-Scholar Valyn looked at her, Alsai wondered precisely what the elf was considering. The strange exchange between him and Guard Captain Braun worried her, and she decided to mention something about it later. The way he spoke seemed to imply that a measure of 'trouble with the law' was necessary. Of course, precisely what he meant by this was unclear. Perhaps it was some sort of term the elves used? Now, however, they needed to get through this meal...

[Ur-Quan]

"That's everything I needed to know." Closed Braun. "Now lets finish the day with some sweet relief to help us sleep, shall we?"

The bartender brought up a huge roll, filled with all kinds of dried fruit, berries and other delicious things you couldn't really recognize. Behind him, one of the barmaids brought two jugs of blood red wine, fresh off the fire. The spices were strong in the air, vibrating over other smells. Village heads feasted and drank, the wine just kept coming.

And with the meals, the night came to a closure.

Spoiler

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Put in a night action of some kind, along with a sleeping confirmation, before I close off the day. If you don't, I'll just presume you carried on to sleep. You've got 30 hours. :)
After the night's over, you'll start with breakfast, having a conversation session to plan and speak amongst yourselves.

[Athaleon]

It was clear that no action would be taken that night, so after enjoying a delicious dessert and enough wine to make the slight-framed elf's head spin, Kal made his perfunctory courtesies and stumbled up to his room. Part of him cursed himself for it; he would be a wreck in the morning.

[Ur-Quan]

After the lengthy nights sleep, the party of heroes rose up in the morning. The tavern was warm, a counter to the cold winds outside. You huddled up on your table where you sat waiting for a warm brew and a bit of bread to break your fast. Tavern was nigh empty, apart from a table with a couple of lovers tight in their loving embrace, seems like this is an early early morning for our party.

The last one to wake sits on the table, now warmed with a cup of hot, spiced wine for each of you.

[PersonMan]

During the evening before, Alsai had partaken of a great amount of food, drinking only little wine. Once again, her apparently ogre-sized stomach had allowed her to consume far more than would seem normal for someone of her stature. Surprised by the taste of the wine, she savored the little that she drank, intent on avoiding the negative side to the fine brew. As Kalis drinks ever more, Alsai's opinion of him worsens a bit more - he had no tact or self control, apparently. Eventually she goes up to her room herself, intent on completing the evening rituals before it became too late.

In the morning, the young Ur-Seeker seems quite well rested and arrives far later than might be expected. Her hair and armor seem to have been meticulously prepared, possibly the reason for her late arrival. As she seats herself at the table, her neutral expression is altered slightly by her raised eyebrows. The people here drank this stuff both day and night? No wonder they all had no manners, they were probably almost constantly affected by the stuff. To avoid seeming impolite, however, she removes her right glove and, palm down, 'traces' the outline of the cup above it. This is followed by her making a fist and, in a single movement, tips her head back as she drinks the entirety of the wine in a single moment.

May we all take steps to Ur this day, Alsai says after she puts the cup back on the table. Mister Valyn, yesterday you mentioned whether or not they required the bandits alive. As much as I hate to imply anything about us...I have to ask you: what did you mean? Do you have some sort of...plan for them? She asks, sounding a bit worried.

[Athaleon]

Kalis sat nursing his hot wine (which he was profusely grateful for), and cursing himself for drinking so much the previous night. It was all he could do to sit himself down and re-read those few pages of his spellbook he had already deciphered - And even then he had to go over the same symbols three or four times. His head was still sore, and the rest of his body felt wooden. He just hoped he would get over the worst of it before they had to do anything.

[Karthas077]

Valyn awakens before the sun rises, and begins work at his makeshift work desk. Bottles of different shape and size bubble over open flames as the alchemist concentrates on the mixture. Though he had long since developed a compound to enhance his agility, he felt there was something lacking, and that the potency of the compound could still be greatly enhanced. Though he was reluctant to experiment with radical changes to his existing mixture when administering the tonic to himself, he hoped eventually to make a breakthrough... something about how one of the reagents reacted silver... He'd figure it out eventually, but for now he still felt moderately proud of his achievements.

Once the sounds of other waking patrons of the inn breaks his concentration, the wandering alchemist packs up his tools and heads downstairs.

One of the last to arrive, he abstains from drinking any of the spiced wine, and turns to look at the Ur-seeker as she addresses him. He notices with some surprise that the glass before her had already been emptied, but focuses on the question she poses him.

Unable to fully suppress a faint grin at the question, Valyn takes a moment to compose himself before responding.
"I meant nothing sinister by that question. I merely wanted to establish the lengths I should go to to preserve the lives of any bandits we encounter. I am far from an expert on human physiology, and while I won't deny I am looking forward to ... studying ... the bodies of the bandits, I would hate to spend my hours laboring to save the lives of men who's deaths will not be mourned."

Spoiler

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Valyn is a terrible liar. Which is why most of what he said was true. The only part here that might trigger any warning bells is the word "studying". It's possible for someone with a good enough sense motive to realize that by 'studying' he means 'experimenting upon' XP

[PersonMan]

Alsai says nothing for a moment. The increasing number of shocks and multiple instances of utterly tactless behaviour had impressed upon her the importance of being ready for otherwise unexpected breaches of normal politeness. Only this preparation allowed her to keep control of her expression as the elf explained the meaning of his earlier question. Only a slight tightening of her grip would betray her feelings. After a moment, the Ur-Seeker closes her eyes, taking a few deep breaths as she considers what this means. Once again her mind goes to what had always been said about the people of the outside world. One had to be careful with them, always. Many had developed barbaric practices during the time after Ur, yet seemed to be completely normal until such things were unearthed. This was one of the reasons why the few outsiders that penetrated the defenses of her home were kept locked away until their Forgiving.

I...I see. I wasn't aware that you practiced such...things. Alsai eventually says. It's fairly clear from her tone that, despite trying to keep it neutral, she feels quite disgusted by what Valyn said. Perhaps I made an incorrect assumption when I spoke with you before. Before any further miscommunication befalls us, I will inform you both that my plan is to Forgive all of the bandits apart from the one Guard Captain Braun wants us to bring to him. She explains, her tone changed to one that makes her determination clear. It was her duty as an Ur-Seeker to stop such barbarity whenever she could. She had to convince her allies to avoid such wretched measures...

[Karthas077]

Valyn's former grin is abruptly replaced by what could almost be considered a glare. "Do you find learning from the dead and dying distasteful Ur-seeker Alsai? Have you any idea the countless lives that could have been saved had we simply known more? How many friends or loved ones have you lost because neither science nor magic could keep them from death's door? Do not think to judge me even for one moment unless you're prepared to say the people I have lost deserve to be dead." By the time Valyn was done speaking, he found himself standing, hands pressed firmly upon the table top as he loomed over the Ur-seeker. Even afterwords, it took a great deal of discipline to remove his hands from the table and return to his seat. As he struggled to calm down, he was inwardly disgusted at his outburst. Apparently it had not yet been long enough for his old emotions to have died down.

[PersonMan]

Alsai is utterly confused at Valyn's outburst. This was completely unexpected - both the outburst itself and what the elf was saying. She briefly considered the possibility that the wine was still affecting him, but quickly discarded it. So far, Tri-Scholar had proven himself to be capable of reigning in his consumption of the beverage quite well, unlike Kalis and the others. Perhaps she had misunderstood him, somehow? At this point, Alsai realizes what he may not know the difference between Forgiving and forgiving. With this in mind, she considers that Valyn's explosion had been based upon a misunderstanding of what she had said.

Tri-Scholar Valyn, I apologize, I forgot I am now among different peoples. When I speak of Forgiving, I use it in the fashion the Path does. I have no problem with your wish to study the bandits after their death. Alsai says once she has identified her mistake. It's clear that the Ur-Seeker is quite embarrassed about her failure to communicate. I am in no way against your study of biology or other medical sciences. In fact, it is one of the ways to assemble a Key in a highly efficient fashion. What I am against, however, is what you mentioned before. Apart from the one that Guard Captain Braun wishes to receive alive, I want to Forgive all of them. I believe the term you would be more familiar with is...'execute'. The Glowing Initiate continues, her voice having returned to its normal calm.

[Karthas077]

Valyn's embarrassment was cut short by the his newfound confusion.
As the flush fades from his face, he composes himself before asking,
"It appears there has been a great deal of miscommunication here. To be fair my mastery of this language is limited at best, and my knowledge of your culture is next to none. To that end, if it is not my study of the dead and dying that offended you so greatly, what is it that you find so distasteful?"

[PersonMan]

Alsai, by now acclimated to the openness with which the people of this land asked questions, calmly waits for Valyn to ask his - by now, she almost expects him to ask something despite the lingering oddness of the action. It was one of the few things that she had been specifically prepared for before leaving. Now Alsai is grateful for that training; without it, it would have been quite difficult to adjust to the constant questioning the people of the outside world engaged in.

The bandits have caused much suffering for the people of this village. They do not deserve to be locked away somewhere where they will wallow in their pain until it is released back into the world. The best course to action is to Forgive them as soon as possible. I'm unsure of what the elves call the ritual, but I believe that the term 'execute' comes fairly close. Alsai explains, everything about her making it clear that she is completely calm. It seems like explaining her worldview has a soothing effect on her, which it does. In a land so foreign, being able to focus fully on things from her home brings both unhappiness and renewed resolve. After all, one of the first things that comes to her mind when thinking of home is her mission. Ur-Seeker. A title granted to a select few. A group to which Alsai belongs, responsible for bringing the great plan to fruition.