Second Week, Twoday night. Paris & Rhori.
Paris seemed slightly worried and very earnest. "Rhori? Would you have a few minutes to talk with me? I think
I said some things earlier that may have left you with some impressions that are not real... and I want to set that straight. I also would very much like to talk to you about our Orders -- the Guardians of Nature and the Guardians of Man. I learned a few things in our travels that I'd like to tell you about. And I hope you can tell me some about what you know of your Order. I don't think these things are really secrets. I don't think I have any real secrets. But I'd like to talk with you, please?"
A bit disconcerted at having someone ask to talk to him, Rhori smiled a tad uneasily and said, "Of course Parris, you are my friend and you can count on me for whatever you need, though talking is not something I am very good at." He finished with a shy grin.
Paris smiled back. "I always like talking to you, Rhori. Don't worry about how well you talk. It's what you know that is interesting. We both know that Anton talks splendidly -- but there are many times when he doesn't say anything we need to learn about at the time he is talking. Being able to talk well isn't always important. But I know that you are willing to help me learn. And I'm perfectly willing to explain anything you think I might help you with. We are friends."
"The first thing I want to set straight is about Prince William. I think that I made you believe that the prince is my regular teacher and that is not true. Prince William has taught me much of what I know about my Order -- but that is because we both do not know very much about it. And he must do that teaching only occasionally and not very long at a time -- because it is not considered Right that he spend much time with me. It is not Right for him to spend any time alone with me -- and this is because I am a peasant and a woman. Nobles do not want their prince spending time on a peasant or a peasant woman. He is too important for that."
"But Prince William is very kind and has found ways to teach me even with that limitation. And he has required me to attend school so that other teachers -- like Sir Gryphon -- can teach me what the prince wants me to know: how to be a good knight and a better warrior. So I have many teachers, like the other boys studying to be made knights, and Sir Gryphon is the head teacher. But Prince William is my boss and teaches me about my Order when he has time. The other boys are not in either your Order or mine, so the prince cannot spend long in teaching just one student. Do you understand that now? Have I explained better?"
Rhori asked, "Umm, what other boys? You are not a boy...I don't understand..." [No need to actually explain. We'll just assume Paris spends too much time explaining.]
Rhori, in eventual enlightenment, "Oh, so if there were more of your type of Guardians, then the Prince would have time to teach you and especially its bad that you are a girl. I understand now." And Rhori smiled.
"Could you tell me about your teacher Lord Silverlocke? What have you been learning while we have been apart?" Paris seemed genuinely interested in Rhori's experiences. Softly, "I think it must have been nice to have the head of your Order as your chief teacher all these last weeks."
Rhori pronounced, "Silverlocke, -- but don't call him that unless you are alone with him -- is a very smart man and a very good woodsman and captain. I have learned a lot from him, mostly that I am loud and clumsy," he said this with a smile to let Paris know he wasn't offended. "He has taught me much about watching for enemies and what to do when you find them. He is very, very good man too, though I don't think he is very happy. He looks at the princess like you look at the prince, and now he has to guard her while she sleeps"
"I don't think he knows much more about 'our' order than I do though, sigh. I think it doesn't matter too much unless the two-key man is our boss and he is not-good, like Claire said he was. I know that I'm supposed to keep the balance and I even think I kinda know how to do that. Though I cannot do that in a big stupid city like this one. I never belonged in a big city before and now I really, really don't like it. I hope we get to leave very soon." Rhori's tone was relatively pragmatic but it was obvious that he wanted out NOW.
Paris listened carefully. She looked a bit puzzled during his first statements, but nodded when he talks about leaving the city. "I was told by the elves that we met that my kind of Guardian does not come to their woods very often. That made me feel badly for a little while because I thought that the elves meant that I was supposed to stay in the cities. But one of them explained that my job was to guard people, wherever people are. I've thought about it some and think that, perhaps, your Order, the Guardians of Nature, Rhori, is supposed to guard the wilderness from careless people -- and, perhaps, to guard innocent people from the perils of the wilderness. I think that my Order, the Guardians of Man, is supposed to guard people from themselves, from the evils that people do to people." She paused for just a moment. "The elf said that it was different for elves. He said, 'The Elves and the trees and the world relate and are one" but that 'humans have the humans and the keys and the gods and the world.' I've wondered since then it 'the humans, the keys, the gods, and the world' are supposed to be One too. And if that is mixed up in the trouble between the lands of Tarot and Torat which are supposed to be two sides of the mirror. If so, I don't understand enough of it yet to see how it can all be one, but -- in time -- we may learn."
Rhori did not follow Paris' speech very well [big surprise] but seemed interested in the elves.
Paris went on, "The elf could not explain to me anything about the Keys save that they were a human concern. But when I asked how to use the keys, the said the 'Understanding was key.' Which is what Genelle said when she became the High Priestess and I asked how to guard the keys. She said, 'You have to find the key and use it wisely.' She also said that if we find the keys we will have a choice, and -- given what we were talking about at the time -- I think she meant that we would have the choice as to whether or not we would fix the rupture between Tarot and Torat." [Basically, Paris is trying to distill some of the knowledge that Michael has from the run synopses but which Rhori might not have garnered in the interview with the Prince.]
This was far too abstract for Rhori to understand. He really didn't understand the concept of two worlds, but he seemed to have a feeble grasp of some of the smaller things - such as the keys -- which he fixated on, asking several times what they look like, are they the ones the arch-priest had (etc).
Paris paused for a moment. "Like Anton told the Prince, we think that the metal fences we saw after we left the High Priestess represent those ruptures. But I am not sure what the keyholes we saw at the place of the Empress really meant. I think that the Keys of Man and Nature will fit in those keyholes -- but I am not sure if putting them there will mend the ruptures -- or cause something entirely new to happen."
She shook her head in puzzlement, "And I do not know if the balance we are to protect is the balance between Tarot and Torat, or the balance between Man and Nature, or both of those and more. I would like to know what you think of the balance and how you are to maintain it. And I'd like to know whatever you know about the Keys -- if you know something more than what I've already described?"
Rhori: "I did not know that they were real keys. I though they were like keys to heaven which you earn by being a good person. So I really don't know anything, and I can't get to see Silverlocke, sigh."
"That's alright, Rhori," Paris comforted him. "All this confuses me too. I was just hoping that something I've said might remind you of a word or a memory connected with the Keys and the Balance. Anything -- even something small -- might be another clue to understanding. And I think both the Prince and Lord Silverlocke would be pleased if we could discover more clues to understanding the Keys." She looks thoughtful. "I think that you are right partway. The Keys are something like the Keys to Heaven. But they are also real keys. I am not sure how that can be, but I am pretty sure that that is so. I am hoping that we will be able to recognize The Keys when we see them. I did not feel that way about the ArchPriest's keys, although it would not surprise me if his keys were symbolic of the real ones the we are supposed to guard."
Somewhat later Paris will try to return to Rhori's earlier comments. "Rhori? If I should not call your captain 'Lord Silverlocke', what should I call him? Ah -- I remember. Should I call him Baron Ruby?"
Rhori: "No sorry, ummm, I meant that just because he is a bastard you can't call him Silverlocke unless you are alone with him. Captain is OK, I guess, but I think that Lord Silverlocke or better yet Baron Ruby is the right thing for you to call him.
[GM: Also, Sheryl, for your information--the "spot obvious" from your newfound heraldry knowledge is that the Ruby Baron is one of the seven "Precious Barons," named for various colored gemstones. These are positions awarded by the king; no land is associated with the position, but there is a stipend. Not all of the positions are filled; you knew that there was currently a Baron Ruby but didn't know (from class) who he was.]
Paris, trying not to display the shock of hearing the big simpleton call his lordship a 'bastard', stuttered, "Ah, Rhori? As long as we're talking about what to call people, I would rather you not call Prince William, 'Willy'. Please? I think the others might pick up the habit -- and I am pretty sure that there'd be a great deal of trouble if the Prince heard himself called that. I'd really dislike it if our friends make the Prince unhappy with such a thing as that." Her voice and face softened. "He must already be very unhappy, with all the orc-trouble, and having to be on guard against human monsters in the court, and his sister sick and all."
Rhori: "OK, I'm sorry...in my whole life I only heard him called Willie up 'til I got here with all out you again. I like the name Willie and I used to feed a squirrel that I called Willie when I was a kid. Did I tell you I can talk to animals and plants and I can make animals and plants do stuff I want them too sometimes?"
Paris smiled warmly. "No, you had not told me that. How wonderful for you! I do know how much you have always liked animals. This power makes you feel good, I hope? It must feel good not to have the animals friendly and not afraid of you."
Suddenly a thought struck Paris. "Could the Princess be the lady on the throne?" Then she frowned slightly. "No -- she was older." Paris saw Rhori's confused expression and her voice became apologetic. "Oh, dear. I'm sorry, Rhori. I was talking to myself. It was just an idea. I was trying to figure out if you were saying that Lord Ruby considers the Princess the Head of your Order. Possible the Head of both our Orders. I know that Prince William is the 'boss' of my Order." Paris made the comment reverently despite the word chosen. "I had assumed the Baron Ruby was the 'boss' of your Order. But I was remembering ... when I took my card from the Font of Chaos and became a member of my Order, I had a vision. I think you had one too, when you took your card. Right?" She paused for Rhori's nod. "In my vision, I walked between two rows of people wearing my badge." Paris gestured to the symbol on her chest. "At the end of that walk was a young man who gave me my badge. But behind him, on a raised throne, sat a woman. My thought -- when you described Baron Ruby and the Princess -- was that the woman in my vision was the princess and that maybe she had been in your vision too. But the woman in my vision, I remember, was older -- more like a queen. So I guess I don't really know what you mean -- about Baron Ruby and the Princess, and the Prince and me. Is the Princess your 'boss'?"
Rhori shook his big head. "I don't think so, I don't think that Silverlocke is the head boss ... more like he's a baron-type boss in the order also, maybe. But I really don't know, and he really doesn't talk about it at all, and I think he might know even less than I do about it! But I hope he knows more than I do."
As Rhori spoke, Paris realized that she did know who the woman on the throne was. She had known that the
way the Empress of Tarot had looked and moved reminded everyone of their mothers. She recalled the feeling of recognition that had struck her when they met the Empress, but just had not placed it. The woman on the throne behind the man who had given her her badge in the vision ... that woman had been dressed differently, but it had been the Empress.
[S: I had figured that Paris had 'recognized' the Empress in one of those 'newly found memories'. But it was clear that Paris was supposed to recognize her and feel allegiance to her -- so I had no problem with that in-game. It was equally clear that it was supposed to be a natural reaction for Paris and not one that she was supposed to make a big deal about afterwards with the rest of the Party. So I played it that way.
It makes no difference to the Party. This new knowledge merely makes that already-given allegiance more personal.
It also adds a significance to her gift to Ewen that he won't know about. As she gave the packet to him, I think that Paris would suddenly recognize that she really hopes that Ewen will become a knight of the Order of Man. After her talk with Rhori, she will be all that more conscious of how she really does want someone to talk to and exchange idea with.]
Her attention returned to Rhori. He was saying with a smile, "I think the princess is just a princess, and a sick one at that. I hope the arch-priest just helps. I don't understand y he wouldn't. I have only met a few priests but they were all good guys and helped everyone they could. I wanted to be a priest for a while but even though I learned how to read I'm not smart enough to be a priest...I bet the arch-priest is really, really smart and really, really good and I bet that Princess," and he looked at Paris as if he was afraid to say the Princess' name in case he says the wrong name again, "ummm, I bet she is already fixed up by the arch-priest. Whew, I was worried before I knew Claire was wrong." He finished as if the problem was solved. His face beamed with a happy and unworried smile for the first time since the princess was kidnapped.
Paris said softly, "I do hope you are right, Rhori. It would be wonderful if every person did all he could to help everyone else. I think my job would be very easy then." She looked a little sad. "But I know it is not true. I know there are people here who would hurt my Prince -- they would hurt him very badly if they could find a way to do so. I think you would find that Baron Ruby and I agree on this, and that we would do anything to protect the Prince and his sister from harm."
"Did you know that both the prince and the baron have been in our order less time than we have been?" Rhori looked up as if he had figured out something important. "Even though they got given gold cards like our silver ones, they are more junior than we are. So doesn't that mean that we are their bosses?" There was a long pause. Paris struggled to find a way to word her answer to this idea. She was relieved when Rhori spoke first. "But maybe since the old-young woman gave it to them it is different. What do you think, Parris?"
Paris: "Rhori, Prince William has not had time to tell me in detail how he came by his cards. I know only what he told all of us when we first met him. You know more than I, it seems. But -- I think I know from your description who gave him the cards. I think it is the same lady who set us on the Genelle's trail the night the orcs destroyed Jouet. I think we, the Prince and Lord Silverlocke were set on our paths by Dierdre, the lady who lays out the cards of the Tarot and so looks into our futures. If that is so," Paris continued, "then it does not matter that you and I got our cards before Prince William and Lord Silverlocke. They are our bosses because they already were more skilled than we are and their cards made them any better. They are our bosses because their cards gave them the responsibility to command us. My card did not offer me such a burden. Did yours?"
Rhori frowned in concentration. "Well I can't say I know better than you do, but that doesn't make much sense. Is the arch-priest the arch priest because he can beat up all the other priests? Is the Prince the prince because he has the most skill? I'm pretty sure that Silverlocke is a better man-at-arms than the Prince is, so that doesn't make sense. But I don't have to understand I suppose. It seems that there are only 4 of us in our 2 orders so far and we know even less than the rainbow priests know about their jobs. Besides it doesn't matter who the boss is if there is nothing we are supposed to do, does it? Oh, and Dierdre is the name of the old-young woman, isn't it? That sounds right to me..."
Paris tried again. "I don't think that I am very good at explaining things, Rhori. So, please, let me try again. Remember back when you first got your card and I asked you about it? You told me then that you 'had a new job.' I thought you meant that your card had given you a new job. My card certainly gave me a new job -- and made it necessary for me to go to school to learn to do that job as well as I possibly can. So .. if our cards gave us our jobs, doesn't it make sense that Prince William's card and Baron Ruby's card gave them new jobs too? Doesn't it make sense that part of _their_ new jobs could be the job of being our bosses? I know that Prince William's card made him my boss. Perhaps both you and Baron Ruby are waiting for some other card to give some other person the job of being your boss. I only guessed that Baron Ruby's card gave him the job of being your boss. I could be wrong."
Rhori: "I don't think that I'm important enough that someone made a card that makes someone my boss. If they did that's kind of scary as I must have some important stuff to do! I can believe that someone made a card that made someone your boss as you are smart and will pro'lly be important in all these new things going on."
Paris gave a little sigh. "You're important to me, Rhori. But, as long as Prince William and Baron Ruby are willing to see that we learn what we should do, you are probably right that it is not important who is 'boss.'"
"You are also right that there are only four of us now. But I think we know quite a bit about our jobs. I would like to know more of your ideas on how you are to keep the Balance. I think you may know more about that than I do. I have been trying to learn about the Keys. Will you tell me about keeping the Balance, sometime please?"
"Umm, I'm not sure what you know, but I bet it's a lot more than I know. What a silly thing for you to say!" Rhori laughed. "I know a lot about how to keep balance in the forest though. Does that mean you know a lot about keeping balance in the cities?"
Paris, smiling, "Rhori, you may find this hard to believe, but I think that you know far more about keeping the Balance in your job than I know about it in my job. Yes, I think I am supposed to help keep the balance in the cities. I think I am to help keep the balance wherever people interact with other people. But I don't know all that much about how. So, yes, I would like you to tell me about keeping the Balance in the forest."
[S: It may just be a measure of how lonely Paris is, that she needs to talk Order Business over with Someone. And Rhori seems her only available choice.]
"Royal Orders" copyright 1999 M.Kennedy & S.Knowles. The contents of this site are copyright 2004 Sheryl A. Knowles unless otherwise specified. All rights reserved.