Aviditas: Revenants of Wealth

For the Kingdom of Twilight and its tribute cities.
Ruler: Shadow Lord Silk, of Dread and Fate
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mireilla
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Aviditas: Revenants of Wealth

Post by mireilla »

Mireilla was thankful that Beatrice had originally come with her to the Capital House of Aviditas. Her chamber was clean and well lit, well-appointed with her favorite items, and, in contrast to most of the rest of the manor, it was calming and serene. She had Beatrice to thank for all of these things, and as she dipped her pen into a near empty pot of ink, she missed her maid very much.

She became reflective and her thoughts turned to the House, her Guild, her Temple, and her loves. She was vexed by how lifeless the House had become. It didn't make any sense to her. She had heard the name Morinthian a time or two; in documents and from Venis. She knew that those who had built this marvel into the cliff side must have done so with a great amount of wealth and weight within the City of Twilight.

Thinking of duty, she imagined that it ought be the charge of both herself and Venis to discover just what kind of people had come before and also what legacy they may look to carry on. And, just perhaps, they may discover some secrets buried along the way.

She only needed to ensure the arrival of her partner




Dearest Venis, Champion of My Heart,

The Capital House remains a time-capsule and serves as a museum (perhaps mausoleum).

The head of the household staff, Shel'ciel, while fiercely loyal to the house itself, and I believe Aviditas, has allowed the heart of the home to atrophy and die. There is very little life here. The décor has become shabby; the drapes have become tinged yellow from age and pipe-smoke, the furniture blanketed in fine dust, and the fixtures appear to have become sparse.

After Shel'ciel's altercation with my maid, Beatrice, I felt I needed to send her back to Tranos. This leaves me here with him and the last two remaining members of his staff. We've an old cook and a young maid. I have yet to find the records of their employment, but I have to imagine that they've served this home for many years -- however with the lack of a resident, guests, or visitors, the drive to maintain the house has waned.

There are few exceptions to this; one such exception is our cook.

Gordon is a thin, elderly man. Though he is thin, he has quite the rounded belly. The manner in which he ties his apron strings exaggerates the size of his belly; the thick canvas drapes straight past his knees. There's really not a spot on his uniform that I've ever seen. He is meticulous and keeps an immaculate kitchen, though, I'm not certain I've smelled anything ever cooking.

Please, dine with me when you're next in The City and we will assess his skills. I've also something else you may be interested in. Hopefully I can offer enough suspense that we're in each other's company presently.

Perhaps a fresh delivery from the Plantation can offer inspiration to our chef?

Your most beloved,



M


Once the letter was placed inside the envelope, Mireilla pressed a generous glob of black wax onto the fold. She pressed her new signet into the wax, then smiled widely at the relief of a gnarled and leafless tree bearing an oversized blossom.
venis
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Aviditas: Revenants of Wealth

Post by venis »

As Venis and his official envoy arrived within the capital city, myriad scenarios played in his mind. Each regaled a different and distinct story with respect to the ongoings of the Morinthian manor therein. Dust? Lack of attention to detail in the cleanliness and upkeep of the estate? What is it that's going on there exactly? It will be a nice excuse for dinner with Mireilla at any rate.

Prior to their arrival, Venis had seen to the events of a lamb's slaughter and processing on the acreage… for supper of course. Such would adequately serve to test the skills of the cook in an entrée that may be every bit as delectable as it ought should he possess the talent. Hence, this they brought with them.

They were welcomed at the manor with the expected amount of formality and grace. The envoy methodically dispersed about the mansion assuming their allotted roles as to the overwatch of their Noble and Lady of Aviditas.

Pleasantries were exchanged, time passed, and evening soon descended on Twilight capital.

----

In the dining area of the mansion, Venis sat at the opposite head of the archaic grand table from Mireilla, reflecting on the missive he'd received from her. At this point, the main course was being served by one of the supplied servants in his envoy who had been particularly useful assisting with the kitchen and chef. He sipped his brandy then offered Mireilla his usual inquisitive look, "So, tell me darling, if the food isn't what you brought me here to be interested in, then, before I try dinner… was there something else?" He knew there must be given that they were quite past using as much as an excuse to dine.

"Please, eat of course," Mireilla's replied patiently. "We have all of the time in the world for discussing business; though, I know I did promise it." Her eyes were kind as they looked upon the man across the table from her. She always loved the time they spent together. All the more so when that time was spent engaged in conversation over their latest ventures. "First thing's first though. When you wrote to me that you were bringing a freshly slaughtered lamb… I just knew this was going to be a productive meeting."

Venis set his brandy back atop the mahogany surface, eyes gleaming in contemplation. His gloveless fingers set about retrieving the fine silverware before them and subsequently utilized the same to cut a single piece of lamb from the bone securing it. He temporarily discarded the knife, speared the tender meat with his fork, then raised it to his lips, tasting it for the first time. Silence fell over him as he chewed, appraising Gordon's culinary acumen. "Not to digress, but I do think the cook still has a job… have you tried this?"

"Oh, that's what I needed you for, of course. I really haven't had an appetite since I devoured all of that wed… Nevermind. I trust your judgment," Mireilla blushed as she recalled a time that she drank bottles of champagne and ate almost an entire wedding cake that had been abandoned. "I need you to see something. That was the real point of this, though, I wasn't sure I wanted to say it in a letter," she continued as she rose from her chair and held out her hand in an invitation. "Let me show you."

After a moment to finish chewing another bite of the lamb, he set the fork once again on the plate and withdrew himself from where he was seated, accepting the hand and invitation presented, "I guess you really aren't hungry are you? Alright, let's go." He rose from his chair with something in his eyes that seemed to indicate
'dinner will always yield to business' as they locked curiously upon Mireilla, prying for her intent.

Together, they departed from the dining room, trekking further into the manor.
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mireilla
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Aviditas: Revenants of Wealth

Post by mireilla »

"And, so I needed inspiration. So, I suppose beginning in the library was a natural choice," Mireilla continued as the couple approached the over-sized and ornately carved library doors. She recalled a previous conversation with Venis.

They had kept their voices low as they made their way through the darkened hallways within the Capital House in order to avoid the attention of the staff. It wasn't as though they were in any danger of being caught, Mireilla simply valued their privacy and hoped to explore the library unimpeded. The heavy doors gave a low creak as Venis' wraith-like hand pushed them open. Mireilla held her breath as the sound groaned down the hallway.

"It's incredibly dark in here—even during the day. There are no windows; I suppose that is meant to protect the scrolls," Mireilla said in a hushed tone. She hummed softly and a gently glowing wisp appeared above her palm; it immediately lit the way before them with a pulsing green light as it floated ahead.

"I've never been down here before, interesting," remarked Venis, employing subtle and hushed movements toward one of the cube-like shelves that housed a wealth of various scrolls of kinds multifarious, "Interesting that your library seems to possess more scrolls than tomes. What sort of inspiration was it exactly you were seeking, treasured one?"

"Maps!" Mireilla exclaimed as she pulled a long tube of parchment from one of the honeycombed stacks. "What was the question we kept coming back to? I believe it was 'Where?' Well, how better than to discover that answer than through these maps. Take a look, they're very detailed maps of the outlying islands to the southwest," she proclaimed proudly as she smoothed the map out over a table.

Venis proclaimed his agreement with a singular nod and advanced to the table, countenancing manifest awe when he beheld the work of past cartographers. "Outstanding, this work… I…," he stopped mid-sentence and applied a delicate graze of his fingertip over the dated material comprising the map, "I cannot fathom when this must have come into being. This is ancient. Let's have a closer look." His visage flickered with all the excitement of the enigma before him. Eagerly, he leaned in to ascertain what knowledge may be gleaned therefrom.

"I'm sure that there have not been many to have journeyed to these locations. I certainly haven't seen maps in this detail anywhere else in The Capital," Mireilla mumbled as she squinted at the map. The wisp pulsed with a bright green light in an attempt to aid the witch. "I believe we might take a few of these back to the Aviditas Library at the Plantation House. I believe it is much better appointed to study these maps."

"I would of course concur with that measure of wisdom, let's remove what we can carry for now and begin at once," is that as was offered on his way back to the shelf from which the original was produced. And remove he did, as much as he could carry, until something he gave witness to struck a strange chord with him, "This is… different, hang on…," a second pause took place as he meticulously unraveled a scroll unlike those that charted the waters of the realm, and his eyes widened.

Determination and sincere delight danced in Venis' gaze as he read further, his lips snaking into a smirk whilst it all sank in. "I've been searching for this for some duration, but wasn't sure if it existed. In my clutches now may very well be a piece of
Twilight history, the tale of the family Morinthian."
venis
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Aviditas: Old Money

Post by venis »

The Origins of the Family Morinthian: An Epilogue

The earliest record of the Morinthian family dates back to the formative years of Twilight—an era before modern industry, economics, or the allure of the land as a haven for outlaws. This was a time when the Realm and her people survived with what natural resources they had available to them on the island. Meals came from the indigenous beasts and plants. Barter was, for all purposes, the reality of what commerce existed. For some duration, this more primitive quality of life served Twilight's earliest citizens comfortably. But the population was growing, and this eventually created a scarcity of goods that were once thought to be in surplus; resources that were believed necessary.

The need to expand, explore, and replenish dwindling supplies swiftly escalated. The maze of modern Twilight streets had yet to be established, which translated to an unmitigated harshness to the terrain of the island in this period. Although the people surmised they may be able to reach other parts of the island by sea, the vessels of the era were unequipped for long distance travel, rendering them essentially suitable only for shorter distanced fishing expeditions or journeys along the coast. It was in this landscape that the human shipwright Sigurd, and his younger brother Eldar, would begin their rise to prominence.

For over twenty-five years, Sigurd and Eldar Morinthian had been naturally inclined toward competition between brothers. This ensued in a rivalry between them which manifested in a division of available lumber, specialized tools and working hands from which they might hone their craft, thus stymieing their individual dreams of success. However, when the cry for new ways to traverse the waters around Twilight became the call of the people, Sigurd had the vision to confront Eldar with a new scheme.

Sigurd realized the people of Twilight would rally around the shipwrights in order to provide the supplies, tools and labor they would need to create resilient vessels capable of navigating vast expanses of the sea. He explained to Eldar that if they combined efforts, they would be able to take advantage of the wealth of new materials without contest, exponentially increasing their likelihood of success. The opportunity was attractive to Eldar, so he agreed, and for a time the rivalry between the Morinthian brothers was swept aside. Though modern commerce was yet to exist in Twilight, this would later be regarded as the first of many monopolies claimed in the family legacy.

The city lent its support and supplies to the small fraternal enterprise, and Sigurd's vision came to fruition all at once. Sigurd and Eldar worked in glorious harmony with their new resources at hand. Sigurd perfected a way of handling the cut of their lumber so that the vessels could withstand certain impact and remain more durable while still staying afloat. Eldar developed a system of sails and riggings unlike those of the past, such as were enough to make even the most massive of vessels swift on the waves. Together, they endeavored extraordinary hours, theorizing schematics for what would eventually be a template they could use to demonstrate their findings to others.

Through the fruits of their labor, Twilight graduated from simple boats to seaworthy ships. This not only enabled those of the Realm to exploit new areas of the island, but also brought incredible notoriety to the Morinthian name. For the oceans of the world were now navigable and able to be charted; this marked dramatic and radically different opportunities for the Realm to grow, ushering in an era that would mean modern economics, shipping and trade for Twilight.

The brothers worked tirelessly to perfect repeated voyages to islands beyond their own, their eyes on those lands abundant in resources. When the docks and routes at sea formally developed, the ambitions of Sigurd and Eldar turned to shipping and trade. This began to set the stage for the affluence the lineage would become known for and provide new rivalries between the two; the brothers knew there was an endless ocean to explore, untold wealth to acquire, and myriad
possibilities across the sea.

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