WELCOME TO THE FREE CITIES!

[abraxasmods]

WELCOME TO THE FREE CITIES!

Welcome to The Free Cities! The portal exits outside the capital city of Cadens. The first impression of the city is its sheer size. It sprawls out across the landscape like a great hulking beast at rest. The wall that encircles it barely contains it, the buildings of Cadens practically bulging against its restraint.

The air here seems thicker somehow, tinged with a scent that’s acrid and smoky. Smog hangs high over the city, belched out by smokestacks that tower over the industrial district. The desert stretches out behind it, dotted with towers and dust clouds that disappear into the horizon. Multiple gates lead inside and each is staffed by soldiers in unfamiliar uniforms that wave a steady stream of people through without appearing to pay much attention. People are coming and going almost all of the time, to and from the outposts and areas of activity around the city proper. It’s difficult to tell just what’s out there beyond the impression of tall metal structures and a great deal of labor. Wagons carrying travelers to Libertas and Aquila roll out from the Travel Post outside the city wall.

Anyone who can sense magic will notice a much lower concentration here. No one will be stopped or questioned at the gate, even if the soldiers seem to take note of the fugitives from Thorne.

The activity and sheer number of citizens can be overwhelming. It’s crowded and loud and feels constantly in motion with everyone talking and yelling over each other. It’s easy to get swept up in the ever-moving throng or find oneself ducking into the mouth of a narrow alley just to breathe.

Anyone who’s willing to make their way to the northern part of the city and Portham Hall will find Prime Minister Marlo Reiner available to receive them.

Comments

Drinking, what else?

[song_of_ice]

[Geralt was a bit more broody than Jon for once. Spending the day out among others, exploring and shedding himself of past burdens, he feels lighter and able to smile or laugh. Horizon had helped with that, being free of Thorne made it even easier. Though he isn't surprised to see Geralt still troubled and thinking over things. That seemed to be a common state for him. He really could be an uncle of his, if he didn't look so much like a Targaryen.

He took the seat next to Geralt, not expecting much in conversation, but still laughing at the quip.]

Fine, I'll pay for the next few rounds.

[gynvael]

[ Unexpected good cheer makes Geralt glance up. Guess it's no surprise—most are just glad to be free, no doubt. Most do not have the complications of child they never met stumbling here from ten years ahead.

He sits back—relaxed, a hint, because he remembers Jon. As far as neighbours went, not the worst. He's curious to know who the man really is. They've never spoken outside the Horizon. A few things linger on his mind: the giant, the wolf. The shadow of dragon wings.

Geralt studies him. Not a prisoner. Would've known him down there if so. How guests stayed behind? How many stayed for Thorne itself rather than their own motives? Can't be many. Thorne's biggest mistake was not separating the guests from the prisoners, a decision he can't tell was deliberate or due to sheer hubris. ] Decided Thorne's hospitality wasn't for you?

[song_of_ice]

[The magic Geralt displayed stayed with him. Given his history with Red Priests, he was left with a suspicion of anyone who practiced magic. But Horizon removed those memories, allowing him to appreciate the simplicity of his abilities. Approaching it now, he's not nearly as wary as before.

He waved a server and got a round for them. He intended to get deep into his cups, wanting to sleep in a drunken stupor, if only to forget Thorne and the things he saw there.

It still strikes him how much Geralt looks like a Targaryen. It raised memories of a life left behind and something he had started to build, but lost too soon. He got the sense that Geralt felt somewhat the same, if not exactly.]

After what they did to the others in prison? I will never support a place that imprisons people without trial or charge. You don't seem to eager to stay there either.

[gynvael]

[ It's funny, he thinks. How Thorne hadn't even bothered to fabricate trumped up charges. No mock trials, not even a semblance of an attempt to adhere to some sort of fairness that might've appeased the guests above. ]

Preferred not to lose my head. It works better attached.

[ For him, leaving hadn't been a question. He'd known from the start, even when Jaskier had insisted on trying to petition for his release, that Thorne would've never let someone like him walk free. He knows how people like Ambrose, like the Council, see him: as something to use or something to be discarded. Neither of which he wants to be a part of.

Besides. The matter of Cirilla had sealed it. Staying in a place so attuned to the Singularity's power means there's a chance they might attune to hers, too. As much as he doesn't trust the intentions of the Cities, they at least have less magic humming in the air. ]

[song_of_ice]

You sure about that?

[Look who managed to make a joke! The Horizon had injected some good humor in him. All it really took was forgetting who he was for a time.]

I doubt it would be long before even the 'welcomed' guests were put in prison. If we didn't agree to do what they wanted, they'd only become more and more paranoid. [He frowned down at his mug.] I know those sorts of situations. Better to leave before the knives come out.

[Knives in the dark. He doesn't want to think much about it. Those memories could summon something in him that he would rather not face again.]

Did you find anyone you know here? Besides me, I mean.

[gynvael]

[ His lips quirk upwards a hint. ] Let's not find out.

[ True enough. The reason he'd been concerned about Jaskier, even welcomed. Every court is the same. Geralt hums his agreement, though he doesn't add more. How those who remained in Thorne will be treated is difficult to say. Either Thorne honey who they have left, prisoners included, or they'll execute them and start anew. Yennefer, he knows, is betting on the former. He suspects she's right, given the effort gone into the summonings. But until he can see her again, there's no telling for sure. ]

A few. Seems we're all nearby. [ As expected. With no horses and little coin for travel, they can only walk so far. It's irritating, to start from zero. He's never had much to his name, but the two things that have never left his possession since he rode out of Kaer Morhen have been a horse and his swords. ]

I've been looking for a smith. [ His gaze suggests he imagines Jon might be interested in one, too. Affording a sword is one thing; finding someone who can make one up to his standards is another. He doesn't even know if meteorite exists here—if there's anything of comparable quality. Still. City of this size, with a military like that. Probably not as difficult here as it might be elsewhere. ]

[song_of_ice]

[He feels a bit jealous that Geralt has so many from his world, wishing there were others that could be spared the horrors that were coming. Bran or Arya, even Dany, for all the complications that would bring. But the feeling is fleeting and he's back in the moment. He was glad at least that Geralt seemed all right, given that he was one of the many imprisoned.

He perks up, having missed his sword. It wouldn't be Valyrian Steel, but that was unlikely needed here. Something strong and well made, that wouldn't be so bad. Given the number of businesses here, there had to be a skilled smith.]

No luck so far? [He thinks back to the many streets he wandered, trying to think if he had seen anything.] There has to be one around here somewhere. If the military is located here, they would have several smiths.

I wouldn't mind finding one myself.

[gynvael]

[ No luck isn't as he'd put it. More... ] No one worth a damn. Yet.

[ Part of that is his reluctance to approach a smith too deep in the military's pockets. He might be here, in this city, but it isn't because he trusts their government. Or their military. Not that he thinks they'll target him, exactly. He's hardly that important. It's that he finds it simpler to not bring himself to attention at all, if he can help it.

He'd go outside of Cadens if he could, but given his lack of a horse, it's inefficient. So he's looking still. ]

Is that what you are? [ The question comes largely out of curiosity: without presumption or expectation of an answer. It's strange to feel as if he knows someone without truly knowing them, that's all. Unsettling, even. He doesn't exactly know what Jon is, but he does have the edge of something like a soldier. ] A military man?

[song_of_ice]

[That's a difficult question and one that he isn't sure how to answer. He wasn't in the Night's Watch any longer. He's not a king any longer. It was hard to say what he was, aside from an adviser and supporter of the Targaryen claim.

He frowned, rubbing his eyes. He wasn't drunk enough yet to face the past or think of Westeros.] I suppose so. [Not that it sounded like it from his tone.] I was part of an order that protected the realms of men, but that ended. I always seem to find myself drawn into battle again and again.

Not always by choice. [He was tired of it, but there was so much he had to focus on and so many conflicts converging on the North.] What about you?

[gynvael]

[ An order to protect the realms of men. It's funny. He thinks, a long time ago, they might've said the same of the Witchers. A damn long time, though. Before his time, if that ever existed. No one's left, really, to tell him either way. ]

There's always a choice. [ It's said simply, without judgment. He hums, making a vague gesture with his hand that suggests what he does isn't all that complicated. And on paper, it isn't. ]

I hunt monsters. For coin. Been looking to do the same here.

[ Which, he's found a handful of contracts. It's only a matter of whether he has the equipment to take it on. In a few weeks, probably. He thinks he can barter for a horse, in exchange for services in return over a period of time. It'll be a hell of a lot quicker than scrounging up the money for one. ]

[song_of_ice]

Maybe there is. I could walk away and not care about anyone. [And that was against everything he knew and felt. He had that chance at the Wall when Sansa came to him, but the thought of Rickon suffering...that was where the choice was made.] Maybe I'm a Northern fool?

[At a younger point in his life, he might have laughed at the idea, but his experiences at the Wall made him a believer of anything like this.]

I don't suppose you know how to defeat ice monsters?

[He's not serious, but it would be nice to know that there was someone who could help him stop the Others. He had Dany, but more men were needed.]

[gynvael]

[ Yeah. He could. Geralt does not say that that’s what he’s done. Tried to do. He doesn’t really fucking know anymore, if he ever did. Somehow he’s got two people, three—maybe more—that he’s. Protecting. And it makes everything in this world that much more complicated.

Instead, he snorts. Is that what they call them over there? He isn’t from anywhere in particular, but he’s rarely ventured far from the northern realms. ] Perhaps that makes two of us.

[ Ice monsters. He tips his head. Jon might not be serious, but Geralt can give a serious answer. ]

You’ll need to be more specific.

[song_of_ice]

[It helps a little to have someone similar to him, not only in this, but in other ways. It was still difficult to shake the feeling that Geralt might come from House Targaryen or Lyse, but the evidence said otherwise. Perhaps there was a string that connected people across worlds? Guaranteeing paths would cross would needed?

It was all a bit heavy for Jon to consider, he was simply grateful to have a friend in this place. With everything so difficult to understand and sort out, there was at least someone he could trust to lend him aid, if he needed it.

Jon gave a small wave, trying to brush off the subjects.]

They're...legends, stories from my world. The Others. They come from the Far North and bring the Long Night, all awhile animating the dead and waging a war against the living.

[But that's not something he's dealing with here, at least.]

[gynvael]

[ There's a tilt to his head, like he's trying to figure Jon out or maybe trying to figure out why Jon sometimes looks at him that way, as if he's seeing something Geralt isn't aware of. He rolls the observation in his head for a second before letting it go.

Legends. Everything's a legend, if it's repeated enough times. ]

That sounds like a prophecy. I don't hunt stories. [ But he's not dismissing what Jon's telling him. Truth in stories and all that. Especially after what Ciri's told him of the Wild Hunt. The Long Night. The Time of the White Chill. Guess every sphere fears the end of days under darkness and frost. Makes him wonder if there's ever a prophecy where the world dies in the summer light. ] What are these Others, truthfully? To you?

[ Consider him intrigued, if only because Jon seems to wave it off almost as quickly as he brought it up. He doesn't think Jon would've done that if there isn't more to it. ]

[song_of_ice]

Prophecies sometimes turn out true. [Though he's not been hearing much of the Prince That Was Promised prophecy, not since Melisandre was sent away. His mind had been too focused on the reality, the absolute fact that this war was coming and it was largely possible they would lose.] People don't tell stories about the monsters of your world?

[He couldn't help but smirk, well aware of how this sounded. He dismissed it too, until he was forced to confront it at the Wall. He had to wonder if it was a relief to face simple monsters, not something like...whatever the Others were. They weren't snarks or grumperkins, but more dangerous. Like death walking.]

They're the final battle between life and death. [Again, an insane notion, but one that he knows is true and won't be shaken from that.] I saw their full force at Hardhome, a Freefolk village. Thousands of dead threw themselves from a cliff and got to their feet and charged at the men, women and children. Those killed were raised effortlessly, doubling the Night King's army. Nothing could stop them, nothing slowed them. They are death and bring death.

[gynvael]

They do. That's my problem.

[ Too many tales that don't mean anything, obscuring reality. And to Geralt, stripped of its language of prophecy and doom, what Jon describes simply sounds like reanimation on a vast scale. Not monsters, exactly, but magic. Something close to what Hector is capable of. It's necromancy but not in the way of raising the dead back into life. Rather, it's turning them into another beast altogether.

He hums, thoughtful. Witchers do not take contracts upon entire armies of the magically animated undead. That's past the scope of what he does. ] You'd need a mage or two to counteract magic that powerful.

[ However mages and druids might operate in Jon's world. It's all distant theory, anyhow. Jon's here, so walking corpses and Night Kings, much like Nilfgaard's marching army, will have to wait. They have more immediate concerns. ]

[song_of_ice]

Had a mage, but her magic required sacrifices that I can't accept. [He barely knew Shireen, but the idea of a child, any child, being harmed for the sake of some spell, it sickened him. Melisandre would have been useful in the war to come and she truly believed in what she was fighting, but there were some actions he couldn't forgive...especially if they might be the reason he returned.] We had three dragons, but one was lost.

[His fault, something else that didn't sit well with him. Now the enemy had one too and they were more outnumbered than before.] The further south they go, the more numbers they collect. [He rubbed his eyes, aging before Geralt's eyes. This had taxed on him for so long, he felt as old as Maester Aemon.]

It does me no good being here. The war is coming and I'm here. My family, my home...they're facing destruction and the mages brought me here.

[gynvael]

[ Understanding flickers over his expression. A certain type of mage. Geralt is not unfamiliar—and it's less this statement of sacrifice than the mention of dragons that brings visible surprise to his face. ] I wasn't aware dragons took to the fights of men.

[ At least in his world, they're rare and sentient creatures who keep to themselves. Hunted nearly to extinction for little more than fear and greed. Perhaps they're different in Jon's world. He does recall the one he saw circling over Jon's domain, back before. It's gone now, he's noticed, much in the same way Geralt's log cabin is gone.

His eyes linger on Jon for a moment. He's not unsympathetic. War is equally marching over the Continent. But then, isn't it always, someplace, somewhere? ] War's coming here, too.

[ That much, he knows. Maybe not now, maybe not in a year, maybe neither of them will even be here to witness it. But all this, the Singularity, the brewing tensions—he's seen the signs too often to ignore them. ]

[song_of_ice]

They must be different in your world. Dragons were raised and ridden by Targaryens and Ancient Valyrians. There was magic in their blood that made them bond with dragons. They were gone from the world for a long time, but three were recently hatched by the last Targaryen.

[It's not easy to talk about Daenerys. He doesn't say her name for the mere fact that it would sting his heart. He can only reference her in passing, mitigating some of the misery. But even still in these vague terms, he can't hide how much he admires the woman.]

Yours too? Magical?

[It felt odd to say it that way, but what else could he say? Magic was now a key component in the war to come.]