The floating and seemingly humming islands along with the glowing stone towers made the city of Shadon unmistakable. It was also known as "The City of Heretics", and "Godless Land", despite being the capital. The well-kept stone road Tanu rode on fell away at a steep cliff on the side, where Lake Irina supported bold ships going to and from ports. Small stone houses holding fishermen lined the banks on the opposite side.
Tanu signaled her steed to slow down as she neared the gates. Two guards stood diligently at their posts, spears in hand, but Tanu could tell they were awfully bored and almost at the end of their shift.
"Show any weapons and other items, please." One of them demanded. Tanu sighed and unclipped her staff from the side of her horse, waving it around a bit before returning it, and then shook her satchels a bit before mounting again.
The guards, satisfied, let her pass through the gates. Shadon had the most diversity one could see across the entire nation, with one person covered in jutting scales, another shedding feathers, and one breathing through their skin. Anything other than human was considered magical, and the capital was saturated with it, due to the Dust of Athuna radiating energy at the top of a tower that jutted out over the lake.
As Tanu hitched her horse to the nearby stables, she overheard the fanatic yelling of someone at the marketplace.
"Beware, heretics, with your blasphemous ways and doomed city of stone; your betrayal against Athuna and all of the gods will lead to your misery, and you'll wish your abominable mutations could have protected you from your fate. Return Her dust before you are swallowed whole! Walk into-"
The man was interrupted by an individual clad in steel and an engraving indicating their officer position. They had fleshy tendrils sprouting from their head and reaching down their hips.
"Sir, you are causing a scene. I am asking that you peacefully go on with your business or leave the city." The indignant man, standing on a box and wearing gray robes, looked furious. He was human.
"I am trying to save you from certain destruction! Heed my words and you might yet be spared," he declared. The officer gave a weary sigh and outstretched their tendrils to grasp the worshipper's hands, restraining him. The man screamed and flailed as he was dragged out of the city.
Occasionally, worshippers attempted to convince the people of Shadon to "repent" and stop taking advantage of magic. Long before the city was built, a devotee to the Goddess Athuna was gifted highly magical dust as a reward for his devotion. However, the worshipper, called Saint Lomac, decided that if such a thing existed, the mortal races didn't require the gods assistance, and built Shadon around the dust in the hopes of raising a magical empire to gain godhood.
Magic was traditionally seen as a form of worship for humans and elves to become closer to the deities, and the manipulation of it was attained through meditation and mental focus. Many were outraged at the use of the dust to make life how mortals wanted it instead of for worship, so conflict ensued. Now the Dust of Athuna sat guarded in a specially enhanced metal basin at the top of Athuna's tower, untouched for centuries.
Tanu thought that kind of thing awfully funny. She didn't know why the man thought he could influence so many people when it was just him. She finished brushing and feeding her horse before making her way to the alchemy store, Mira's Elixirs.
A strong smell like no other greeted her as she entered, and various plants hung drying from the ceiling. An eerie green emanated from a mushroom on the counter. Tanu sneezed. She was allergic to something in here.
"You need something, lass?" The alchemist asked. They had a thin layer of fur on their skin, tall ears, and subtle claws as nails. A vial with a gem hung around their neck, and their amber eyes bore into Tanu's soul.
"Uh, yeah, do you have any wolf bones?" Tanu asked, looking around the room nonchalantly.
"What are you, a ritual worker? We got wolf bones, but that'll be two gold coins." The storekeeper snorted, their voice raspy.
Tanu laughed, "Are you kidding me? I could go outside and murder a wolf right now for free. Stop ripping me off."
The alchemist replied, "Then go ahead and do it, there's no haggling in here. If you're messing with summoning, you can handle the materials yourself."
With that, Tanu left the store feeling agitated. A drink at the tavern would do her good.
The two moons were crawling across the sky by now, but weren't full yet, luckily. Chatter came from the tavern as patrons entered for a night of talking and games, and Tanu went to join them. The Lonely Dragon seemed like an awfully sad name for a tavern, in her opinion.
The stuffy building smelled of alcohol and sweat, just how she liked it. Tables had dice, cards, figurines, and idiots ready to be drunk. The bartender tried to fulfill orders, but her tail had a habit of knocking over glasses sometimes.
Tanu sat at the bar and ordered an ale, wondering how much the bartender would take to sleep with Tanu that night. The shapely woman had gorgeous hands and soft scales.
Tanu was only one drink in when a stranger sat down next to her. The stranger had large horns sprouting from her head, a slightly reddish skin tone, a long viper's tongue, pointed teeth, an admirable chest, a slithering tail, and digitigrade legs. A tattoo of a snake, one specific to the Tlinoch marshes, Tanu noted, covered one of her arms. An impressive individual.
"What's someone like you sitting around alone for? Don't tell me someone broke your damn heart," she joked to Tanu. She continued, "Name's Chiko, can I get yours?"
Tanu took a sip of her ale and rested her head on her hands, not sure where this was going. "Call me Tanu. No one broke my damn heart, just my regular heart. The alchemist here is a useless piece of manticore shit."
Chiko chuckled, "I gotcha, trying to do ritual work? They're a bit upset by all the deity worshippers around lately, not to mention you don't look as crazy as most people around here. You're not from here, are you?"
Tanu nodded. She was a half elf, but not a natural elf. Elves, also called Dris, were originally pure magical beings who could use magic like no one else, those favored by the gods. Once mortals got a hold of body manipulation through magic, a different variant of elf emerged, called Dris-Thar, who were slightly less magical and not nearly as culturally religious. Tanu's mom was an energetic human who fell in love with a Dris-Thar, producing Tanu and her seven siblings. Her mom also didn't know what birth control was.
"I'm not from anywhere in particular, I get around. My hometown is Awen, north of Bernad, but I didn't stay there long. I'm a practicing druid, but I don't worship any particular god, I'm just trying to have some fun."
