Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
From: li@Data-IO.COM (Phyllis L. Rostykus)
Subject: Kardia - Introduction
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1993 18:12:30 GMT


        A traveller on a road, coming into the city with a band of other
travellers.  A small sense of security travelling in numbers.

	A common image.  One such traveller with a walking stick and a
strange, halting walk.  As the figures moved closer to the walls of
Generica, more details were to be seen.  This time of the mid-afternoon
was usually lazy after the morning rush and before the evening exodus, so
the guard simply watched as they came on.

	A woman with a child and a huge farmer behind them, coming for a
visit.  A wagonload of hay for the inns.  A small herd of goats making the
herder's dog jump and run to keep them together as they were going to be
slaughtered to feed the city.  Two rough looking adventurers with more
pride and sharp edges than sense.  A cart with patched and shiny new pots
for sale.  They all crowded in and impatently went one by one in through
the gate, but it was a far shorter rush than in the mornings.  Most of
them he recognized and simply waved in.  One figure hung back, and in the
quiet after the enmass entrance the guard looked at that one.

	Brown-red hair the color of dried blood tied back with a rawhide
thong; eyes as pale as the winter sky; three things on the narrow back, a
bag, a box as wide as a man's hand and two foot square, and an unstrung
small bow of horn in a quiver of brown fletched arrows.  The being was
dressed in sturdy winter travelling clothes, mostly lichen dyed woolens in
browns, yellows, creams, and warm gold reds.  A varied collection of
layers in leggings and tops, and a wide scarf over the head and around the
neck.  Fingerless knit and leather gloves showed long, slender fingers.

	The smile that came out when she lowered the scarf was easy if a
bit dusty from the road.  Although she was about as tall as the guard, and
slightly built, the smoothness of her face showed that she was also
clearly a woman.  Not particularly pretty and certainly not buxom, she
stepped forward with a halting walk.  He looked down and realized that she
was missing half a left foot.  She moved to within talking distance of him
and rested with a sigh against the dark, gnarled stick.

	The guard smiled back and relaxed as well, "Good morrow, ma'am.
What is your name and business within these walls?"

	The woman's brow furrowed.  Then she smiled a smile of unexpected
sweetness and said, "My name is Kardia, Kardia Xvaramene.  And my business
here is to learn."

	The guard blinked at the answer, "You mean to visit the Library?"

	The young woman's head cocked to the side, "There is a Library?"
At the guard's somewhat bemused nod she said, "Why, yes, I do intend to
visit, then.  I also have something that I'd like to find a market for."
She carefully unslung the bag from her back, and pulled out cloth wrapped
bundle and unwrapped it a little to show a hank of thread so fine that
strands floated in the air as she moved the cover.  The thread shimmered
softly in the weak winter sunlight.  "Or teach some of my spinning skills
to the local weaver's guild.  I'm a journeyman in my craft," her voice took
on the flatter tone of a rote speech, "sent into the world to learn and to
teach."  She giggled and the guard found himself smiling again.

	He looked at her for permission and when she nodded, he touched the
softness of the thread and found that the rough skin of his fingers caught
on the strands.  He paniced a little, wondering if the strands would break,
when her slender fingers slid against his and loosened the strands from
his skin.  Her hands were as soft as the thread.  

	"Moonsilk," she said with a small smile.  "It does that.  Sorry."
She carefully tucked the skein away in her rucksack and then with a slight
tilt of her head, "Is there anyone in this City interested in plants
from..." she hesitated and then waved a vague hand toward the moon, "the...
east?  If they have suitable growing grounds, I might be able to teach the
local guild how to harvest and work the plants that are used for this kind
of work..."

	"Hmmm..." the guard squinted as he tried to remember.  "Maybe
Victor... Vicar... nah... Ah.  Vitor in the public gardens, a nice old guy,
loves new plants... maybe you should talk to him about 'em.  The garden's
pretty easy to find, just follow Dragon's Lane and you'll go right past it,
just before the river."

	"Thank you."  She thought a bit, "Is there an boarding house or inn
that you'd recommend?"

	He looked her over.  Her clothes, though patched and varied, were
clean and neatly done.  She wasn't looking starved or poor.  With goods
like that...  "Try Mrs. Cludne's boarding house.  They'll put you up right,
and she's right near the Merchant's Hill.  Nice place.  The Merchant's
Guild is around there somewhere, and with goods like that, you'll probably
want to go to them instead of hawking the stuff at the Square.  Whatever
you do there, though..." the warning tone in his voice made Kardia look up
at him, "do *not* play hearts with Mrs. Cludne for money, she'll wipe you
clean."

	She blinked and then laughed, "I promise."  Then as he opened the
gate for her, she asked, "Uhm... how do I get to Mrs. Cludne's?"

	He laughed, "It's easy, go like you'd go to the gardens but turn
left a little earlier, onto Merchant's Hill and then go to the south east
corner.  You'll spot it easy, it's the house with a wall built *over* it."

	Kardia blinked. "Over?"

	"Yeah... over... you can't miss it... Oh, and if you want something
other than at Mrs. Cludne's mealtimes, the Dragon's Inn serves good food
and interesting company..."

	"I'll remember that..." she said and gave him a brilliant smile
before she limped into the city.  The smile cut off like a blown out flame
the minute she was past the walls and Kardia shivered.  She wasn't quite
sure if the shiver was from excitement or fear and wasn't too keen to find
out just yet.  She needed a base to work from, first.  She pulled the
scarf back over her head and was quite careful to make sure that the cloth
covered the datachip slot in her neck.

---------------- 

Admin Stuff: Hmmm... I guess I need information on who to contact if Kardia
wishes to contact Vitor the Life-Giver and Mrs. Cludne (Sorry, they don't
seem to be claimed in the short form of characters or the tourists' guide)
and if there might be any Merchant who would be interested in something
like a silk, but without the high upkeep of silkworms or the travel cost of
shipping it in.

-- 
Phyllis Rostykus |  "... and how you feel can make it real 
aka Liralen Li   |       Real as anything you've seen... "
li@Data-IO.com   |                      Peter Gabriel _US_