#Lore24 – Entry #145 – Muckenmyre Month #24 – The City of Ryanathyr
From the journal of Takara, Slave Inquisitor of the Stellae Illustris, Town Marshal of Grimbridge.
As we approached the northern end of the Grimbridge Way, I could smell fresher air blowing in, a different smell to the coming rains. Then, the trees that had created the tunnel over the Way began to thin out, the line of Witch Lights came to an end, and the marshland began to fade, replaced with some low grasslands leading towards a forest of tall trees, a handful of farms lining the road into the woods. We came upon a patrol from Ryanathyr around midday as we neared the edge of the woods, and they turned about to escort us into the city.
As we drew closer, and the trees grew tall around us, I saw that they were not packed as densely as those of the Muckenmyre, and there were other farms and small homes nestled in the larger clearings as we approached the city. Soon the trees grew larger still, their trunks reaching far over head, many growing to twenty, thirty, perhaps even fifty feet or more in diameter, their limbs spreading far overhead for double or even triple the distance. Though little light came through the high canopy, there were abundant lanterns along the roadway, as well as some luminescing insects floating around, similar to those I’d seen in the swamps.
Nearing the outskirts of Ryanathyr, I began to see the walls of the city that had been built throughout the trees, a mixture of worked stone and strategically placed trees, providing cover for the defenders that patrolled atop them, and covered vantage points for the handful of sharpshooters I managed to spot who were well hidden within the foliage. I didn’t get the impression they were on any kind of alerted status, but they were still plenty of eyes watching out along the road, and probably plenty more along the walls I hadn’t seen. Above the city, the trees opened up into a massive clearing, allowing the dull, cloud-covered light through onto the city proper. We passed through large wooden gates that still seemed to be made of still-living wood, and two more before we reached the actual city, the areas on the outer ring filled with the lower-class neighborhoods, the middle ring consisting of shops, craftsmen, and travelers’ rests, amongst other businesses, and the innermost section of the city housing the city’s rulers, temples, nobility, and wealthier merchants, as Ashley graciously explained to us. The city was tiny compared to Draconis Magna, would barely equal one of its smaller districts, in fact, but after being in such a town as Grimbridge, it seemed quite magnificent indeed.
Our business with the magistrate was fairly straightforward and without much in the way of discussion: the constable handled the briefing, the signed documents were passed over and examined, the prisoners accepted, the twins being properly secured with grounding bands before they were unbound, and the lot hauled off to the city jail until other arrangements could be made for their just punishments. Our noblewoman gave her statement to the magistrate, fingering Jaggedtusk, and Ashley was quick to corroborate her testimony, swearing his solemn oath upon his honor that it was the truth. With that out of the way, the magistrate bid our party to enjoy the city for the night, and any due rewards would be handed over in the morning following additional paperwork; even here the bureaucracy grinds ever slowly, it seems.
My duty for now ended, Satella and I walked about the city, Jessiryn and Augra their own business until we would meet up later in the evening at a nearby inn. Satella had come through before when she had first come to Grimbridge after receiving her vision from Yurisaya regarding me, so had some knowledge of the city. We ventured back into the trade district first, walking through the markets and sampling some of the sweets on offer. Though I still felt a sense of impropriety at my actions, I still found myself becoming more and more used to them…simply going about as I pleased, not having to inflict pain, to train or retrain my brothers and sisters, only putting those to the question who had broken the law…it all seemed much more…right somehow.
We had wandered back through to the temple district as evening approached, a light rain beginning to fall as we did. Many temples, while of different construction than within the Empire, bore familiar trappings and symbols, but one stood out for I did not recognize the symbol displayed upon its doors, that of a long-bladed sword with its point downward, a pair of scales balancing worked into the pommel, backed by the outline of a flame. Seeing where my focus lay, Satella explained that this was the House of Justice, dedicated to Lady Lashana, goddess of justice, law, and righteous vengeance. When I explained that I had not heard of her, nor seen her symbol within the Empire, she explained that was intentional, for Lashana sought justice that the Empire is unwilling to commit to. With her usual smile, Satella placed her hand upon my back and nudged me forward, suggesting that I should discover for myself what it was she spoke of.
Feeling some apprehension at entering the temple of such an unfamiliar deity, I was nonetheless curious as to why she would be omitted from worship within the Empire and felt myself being drawn inside.