Chapter 1 – A city cloaked in forest

Although their journey through the Rilodar countryside showed Cobal that there were a lot of people and places in the neighboring kingdom that were similar to Blueyerd, nothing prepared him for the shift in atmosphere that they encountered on their way to Marsolin. Cobal had heard stories in the palace as well as from Grac and Eliana about how it was a magical place, but seeing it for himself was a different experience. The pine forest surrounding the city started off fairly unassuming but as it got denser it started feeling more eerie. Cobal traveled through forests before, and although dense forests often had weird sounds from the animals and other creatures living in them, the forest surrounding Marsolin sounded different. Although the sounds of birds and frogs and boars were still there, there were also sounds that Cobal couldn’t quite place. As eerie as the sounds were – especially combined with the looming pine trees that rose high into the sky – the road seemed to be completely safe. It was a sturdy and well kept dirt road that was wide enough for a wagon to comfortably traverse. Along the road were several areas meant for camping that our travelers made use of. One night they sat around the campfire with three brothers that were on their way to the capital to join the army. They talked about valor and wanting to do something impactful with their lives. Cobal mostly kept to himself during the chat, not really knowing what to say. After three days of traversing the forest they finally made their way to Marsolin. With the city gates within vision, they stopped to part with Grac. Although the Irkan would undoubtedly be welcomed in the town, they’d decided on the road that leaving him out of sight would be the better choice. If someone involved with the strange cult caught wind of the fact that Grac was here, finding and freeing his wife would become a lot more difficult. So instead of joining them in town, Grac would camp nearby. Eliana put her hand on his arm, since his shoulder was too high up for her to reach. “While we’re going to do some boring research, I need you to keep an eye out on any interesting travelers and movement around town. We’ll keep you updated as much as possible.”
Grac nodded. He had a worried look on his face.
Cobal stepped up towards him and looked up at him. “It’s going to be okay, we’re going to work hard to figure out where your wife is being kept and we’ll save her in no time.”
The Irkan smiled. “Thanks Cobal, I appreciate that.” He looked around at the forest around him. “I’ll do my own scouting as well, I’m at home in the forest after all, so I’ll be fine. Keep me updated on your progress when you can,” He added.
“We will,” Cobal promised. With a wave goodbye, they got their wagon moving again and approached the town gate.
The wall surrounding Marsolin was an impressive one, dating back many generations to the time when the nearby lands were much more dangerous. The wall was about twice as high as Cobal was and was made entirely out of stone. There was a walkway at the top with wooden bannister on each side. Each of the three gates that allowed entry into the town were flanked by two watchtowers – one on each side – that held a couple of guards at any time. Although the defenses of the town were impressive, the guards themselves were not as intimidating. After asking Cobal a handful of questions about where he came from, where he was going and what he wanted to do in Marsolin they let them in without much issue. One of the guards took a peek in their wagon but after a quick glance seemed satisfied that nothing was out of the ordinary. Cobal expected much more scrutiny, so this was a pleasant surprise. Moments later the wagon was slowly hobbling over the cobblestone road inside the town.
Lining the cobblestone streets were stone houses with staircases leading to them. Many of the houses were decorated generously with plants and flowers, making for a view that rivaled any painting. As they moved through the town, the houses slowly started making way for stores and as the road widened, the stores made use of this extra space by stalling out their goods outside to entice customers in. Cobal saw all sorts of people working their stores, some smiling and nodding as they passed by. The different colored fabrics that made up the portico of many of the stores dotted the street, creating a rainbow road of sorts. As they passed by many of the stores, they soon got close to the center of town, where a large square opened up into different roads into the other districts of town. On the east side of town were the three libraries that Marsolin was most famous for. Eliana pointed at the tallest of the three buildings. “That is the Ruby Observatory. This is where those who research things like magic, the stars in the sky and any other unexplained phenomenon spend most of their time. The building behind it and to the left is the Sapphire Respite. This is less of a library than the other two and more of an art exhibit. There’s musicians that play there and famous sculptures and painters show off their work in the ground floor gallery. There’s also a large collection of fictional stories and poetry collected there.” Eliana pointed at the final and smallest of the three towers. “And finally we have the Topaz Slumber. This is the oldest of the three libraries. It houses all of the historical and scientific works that they have to offer in Marsolin. The three libraries have existed in this way for many centuries, although they were obviously much smaller when they started out.”

“You seem to know quite a lot about this place,” Cobal said to Eliana, who had been tattling off all of this information on their way towards one of the local inns.
“Well, I’ve been in Marsolin before – albeit a long time ago – and the Rilodar kingdom is kind of where I spent the majority of the last few decades. It would be irresponsible if I didn’t know my stuff.”
“And is there any chance you have some useful contacts in this town?” Mana asked.
Eliana smiled brightly. “Darling, of course I do.” She paused. “I think? It’s been a little while since I last talked to him, but I’m sure Kayzel is still around.” She didn’t seem completely certain. “First we should get settled, there’s an inn over there.”
Cobal looked at where Eliana pointed and saw the lovely three story building she was pointing at. Each floor was smaller than the one below it, with a balcony encircling the first and second floor where tables were set up.
Mana giggled. “I hate to break it to you, but I think I prefer this kingdom to your.”
Cobal scoffed. “Perhaps they’re willing to take you in and you can be their hero instead.” All three of them laughed.
Cobal spotted a sign above the door in the shape of a ghostly figure. The Phantom Homestead. “What an ominous name,” Cobal remarked. “Let’s see if they have any rooms available.”
Once inside the inn, the atmosphere was pleasant. Where a lot of inns Cobal had stayed in during his time – which admittedly wasn’t a high number – were either seedy and smelled of alcohol and tobacco or were very homely and run by families, this inn felt much more clean, for a lack of a better description. There were several booths set up where people could sit in relative privacy. A painter was sitting in a corner, working on something on their easel. Two people in simple robes, presumably students or librarians, were sitting at one of the tables out in the open, discussing something with enthusiasm. A small pile of books was in between them. Although the building was completely round, the inside of this ground floor was more like a half circle. Cobal guessed that behind the bar were the kitchen and the living quarters of the owner. The owner in question was a middle aged elven woman with dark skin and hair dyed a light gray. She wore a low cut shirt and a simple looking skirt that reached all the way to her ankles. She smiled at Cobal when he approached the bar. “Good morning handsome, looking for a room or just here to eat?”
“We’ve actually just arrived in town, the three of us,” Cobal gestured to Eliana and Mana. “We’re looking for a place to stay for at least a while, do you have any rooms available?”
She looked from Mana to Eliana, lingering on the fiery pirate captain for a moment longer before returning her attention to Cobal. “I certainly have rooms available, if you want a shared room I can rent you one of the second floor rooms, there’s four beds per room and they’re fairly spacious. Of course you also have access to the shared balcony, which you must have seen upon your approach.”
Cobal nodded. “It looked quite impressive, why is there such a big balcony?”
“You’re new here right?”
Cobal nodded.
“Marsolin is a town of learning, culture and most importantly art. Many people perform here. From painters to musicians to dancers to storytellers. Many do so on the different squares in town. Our inn looks out over a square that regularly sees performers and our guests can sit on the balcony to view them from a nice angle. Some people even pay for a room just to get a balcony seat.”
“I see, that’s pretty clever.”
“So how long will you be staying for?”
“At least a week or two,” Cobal said, looking at Mana for confirmation. She nodded. “Probably a bit longer, we’ve got some research to do.”
“Well you’re in the right town for that, if knowledge exists of something, you’ll probably find it here.” She thumbed through a thick book and scribbled something down. “Two weeks for three people, in a room on the second floor. Breakfast included, dinner excluded.” She looked up at Cobal. “That’ll run you a little over twelve gold, but for you, I’ll round it down to five gold a week.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Eliana said with a smile, opening her coin pouch and putting down ten gold pieces. “The name’s Eliana, what’s yours beautiful?”
The woman grabbed Eliana’s hand for a moment, before removing it and scooping up the ten gold pieces. “My name is Clara, a pleasure to meet you.”
Cobal and Mana introduced themselves as well before Clara handed them their key. “Go up the stairs, repeat, and then it’s room number nineteen. Numbers are above the door, and shouldn’t be hard to find. If there’s anything else I can do for you fine folk, just let me know.”
“Actually,” Eliana said, “we have a wagon and horse just outside that we need to leave somewhere during our stay, do you have any place for that?”
“Of course, there’s a stable a few streets from here that provides that service. I’ll walk with you.”
Eliana looked at Cobal. “You kids get settled, I’ll make sure the wagon is taken care of.”
They removed their bags from the back of the wagon before Eliana set off with Clara to the nearby stables.
Mana and Cobal made their way up the stairs. They did a quick walk around the first floor to see what it looked like. It was an interesting setup. There was a central area that connected the two staircases. Then on the outer edges were doors to the different rooms. In the back there was also an open door that led to the balcony directly. They took the stairs up to the second floor and quickly found their room. Cobal put the key in the lock and turned, and with a creak the door opened, revealing their room.