Tales from Beyond the Spider Moon

Streets of Brass on DeviantArt  

Chapter Four - The Elf In no time at all, the Black Ophelia was pulling away from the Spelldocks of Madinat Alnnahas, the City of Brass - tossing their mooring lines and easing out into the blackness of space. The sensation was totally unlike being on a ship at sea. There was no rocking of the ocean waves, no noticeable wind (though Ceru was certain there must be wind, since the ship was moving and the sails were full), and there was little to indicate movement. Only the slowly diminishing asteroid behind them, burning red against the black, starry void, quietly slipping away into the darkness.      When Tormund had led Ceru and Oquee out onto the weather deck, they found an elf talking with the Captain. When he saw the three of them, though, the elf excused himself and approached. “Are you a tortle,” he asked Oquee, “from Ongmar, on the WorldSea?”      Oquee nodded. “Indeed, Master Elf, I am.”      Ceru had never met an elf, but just abou...

Chapter Three - The Black Ophelia The tortle led Ceru through the stacked shelves of the Spelldocks, up and down stairs and ladders, through crowds of sailors, dockworkers, and guild merchants loading and offloading ship after ship in the busy port. They passed by and through crowds of people from every race, each more exotic than the last.      Ceru was aware that the ‘Verse was filled with more races than she’d ever encountered, but being here, walking through the City of Brass amidst actual elves, and dwarves, and the blue-skinned vedalken, and all manner of creature - it was more than reading about them, or listening to tavern stories from old-timers who probably never actually set foot among the stars.      She was brought up short when she came across a pair of five-foot tall owls with massive wingspans, and long, flowing robes of cotton and canvas. The birdmen turned their heads in her direction. Round, black eyes watched her intently.    ...

Chapter Two: The Spelldocks At the end of the alley, Ceru came up short. She was still a grounder, and the sight of the open void struck a chord of fear in her heart. An unwanted rush of adrenaline made her take a deep breath of that foul, hot air, and she choked on it, grabbing the warm, metal railing and taking a knee. She tried to balance herself against the sight of all that infinity.      “This must be your first time away from home,” a voice said behind her. The words were Aquan, Quelyan - the tongue of the Seas, the language of her homeworld. The voice was gravelly, slow, and deep. Ceru didn’t recognize it, but she knew what sort of creature spoke in those tones. As she reclaimed her feet, she turned away from the swallowing darkness of open space, wearing an uneasy grin.      Sure enough, standing against a metal wall braced with stone and plastered with notices and want ads, and calls to adventure, there stood a six-foot tall, 400 pound, upright to...

Part One: The City of Brass Chapter One: Streets of Brass Sulphur winds danced between buildings, and rushed down alleyways, as the residents of Madinat Alnnahas went about their business; as travelers and traders met in dark alleys, conducting darker dealings; and as tourists and other lost folk all wrinkled their noses, scurrying for the nearest open avenue - eager to escape the oppressive heat and the stench of the city. Cerulean Crowe marched briskly down the beaten brass cobble of Market Ring. Her long, white braid trailed behind her, and she clung tightly to the canvas bag slung over her shoulder. She was a deft hand with the cutlass slung at her waist, and it ached to be held, but she didn’t want her alienation and fear to play out in her demeanor. She just wanted to get to the ship.      This was her first time off-world; but even a backwater grounder knew the tales of danger that bled out of the Market Ring in the City of Brass. She made her way hurriedly (but no...