#Lore24 – Entry #237 – Helica Month #25 – Among the Ketzeryn

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica, Seeker of Knowledge, Blessed of Saghirah

Though the Tranquility had ended again, and I was something of a mental wreck, my spirits rose upon our arrival in San Granalle, which had recovered in a remarkable fashion, having been rebuilt and seemingly grown even larger, if perhaps not as grand as it had once been.  The addition of several barrier walls in the waters surrounding the city were rather obvious, and I had my doubts they would provide any real protection, but perhaps their presence was enough. 

Though I had perhaps been expected to help with the Church ‘s work in return for their treatment of my injuries, I wasted no time in doing what work I must to gain replacement equipment for what I had lost, though it still seemed runic blades were in short supply, so I would be relegated to a conventional sword, though I did find a suitable staff I could use for my spellcraft.  I would spend some time gathering information about the state of the world while I was in San Granalle, learned what I had missed.  Many reforms were enacted while I was away, the lists of allowed and forbidden machines updated, a new order of knights created that would serve the people, keeping the demons at bay during the Tranquilities and to fight the Transgressor once the time came.  For a wonder not all of the elf bitch’s work had been bad, at least on the surface, but I trusted nothing of the Church now.

Another of the reforms would serve me well, however.  In the last two decades, an agreement of peace was made with the factions of the Ketzeryn, officially in the hopes of spreading the good word of Phyresis to them and getting them to repent their heathen ways, thus allowing them to visit Phyresian ports for trade, as long as they did not deal in anything forbidden.  I knew at once something else was going on but couldn’t immediately understand what that might have been.

So, I was easily able to find a Ketzeryn ship, and with some discussion with their masked representatives, was able to convince them to take me on as a new recruit, though my access would be limited until I had earned their trust.  Though they made use of the old technologies they found and managed to repair, the presence of a trained black mage and trained swordswoman was not unappreciated. 

I would tread lightly at first, learning the ways of tending to the shipboard duties as was required, and getting to know the crew as I could.  This was difficult given their language, most of them only speaking a broken common tongue if that, but I picked up on their speech quickly enough and eagerly conversed with them given any opportunity to do so.  The masks they all wore when outside of their private cabins made this task more difficult, certainly, but I persevered, and within a few weeks, had picked up a conversational understanding of the language.

By this time, they had finally started to trust me, admitting that they assumed I was a spy for the Church, as had been known to happen on several occasions.  They had been watching me, of course, and I knew it, but they were not unfamiliar with the ways of true Phyresians and had observed that my dedication to their practices and the faith in general had been lacking.  So, it came a couple months after I had joined the crew that, when we arrived at port upon one of the Ketzeryn’s island homes, I was invited by the ship’s captain, a man named Rojen, to go ashore and learn more of their people and ways, in return for sharing my reasons for wishing to join them.

It would prove to be an enlightening visit, and I would learn much.