Dikost Augeries
The Dikost Augeries cover a large number of methods and instances of prophesy created in the city of Dikost in the Empire of Regor
Auguries of the Red Sword
First Conversation with Alexei-
Suddenly a man sat down at the vacant seat at the three woman's table. Setting a pitcher of coffee and a large plate of food before him.
“I hope you don't mind my sitting here. Its been a long shadow-walk finding you and I'm really hungry. I'm not sure who you two are,” pointing with a fork full of eggs at Nala and Alec. Taking a bite.
Pointing the fork of hash-browns at Carissa he says, “But you I know.. I've seen you in the auguries in the dungeons of Dikost. We have an acquaintance in common and I hope we can do business. I'm prepared to make it worth your while. You are an Amberite of some kind, of the blood, and that should be good enough.”
He speaks with a vaguely Russian or Ukrainian accent familiar from earth. He continues though he also continues to eat and drink.
“My name is Alexei Zhenya. My father is part of the royal family of Regor. I'm sort of Brand's keeper and I seem to have lost him. Someone named Xander or Vander found him in Gorod Bogov and spirited him away to Amber without even an attempt to properly extradite him.”
“You asked about Auguries? Well, they did bring me here. Luckily they were not of the goat-entrails kind.“
He reaches down to his belt and removes what looks like a police badge from his belt. Sliding it over.
“Before you touch this know what it is. This is a Badge of Dikost. Its worn by “Seekers of Dikost.” Dikost is a place in Regor where the various religions have their churches. The Cult of the Tiger is there. Our wizards and mystics have their caves and towers there. It has hermits, nuns, monks, lunatics, and other people dancing to the drum beats of madness. The Czars of Regor have put a lot of stock in what they learn there. So do I. Among them are mystics who tend the whirlwind. In it they can seek images of the past and images of the future. They can call upon the forces of creation to give visions of the future. In the whirlwind was a vision of the future where you and Brand were riding motorcycles at great speeds being chased by Borlak on Tiger, under a torrential storm, lighting and hail falling upon you.. The storm's tumult around you failed to keep you from breaching the crest into the realm of Regor ahead of death. Czarina Clarissa believes you will be the salvation of her son. Sadly the augury told us no more because it was not us in the vision. You might see more.”
He twirls the badge, a purple marble in the center, mounted in gold. Tigers growling on either side.
He takes another vodka, leaving a full shot for you.
“So she sent me. The badge caries the vision. It knows the location of anyone in the vision vouchsafed to it. It allowed me to seek in shadow and find any of three people. Brand, who I knew was in the Dungeons of Amber. Borlak, who I have no interest in finding. And you. I didn't know your name at first, but I knew you were of the Blood of Amber. I walked a great deal in shadow, down many paths, eventually to find you here. Once here I found you in the race registry and that gave me your name, if little more. Luckily for me, you were in a restaurant. I was famished” He takes a bite of the sandwich.
“Now.. the badge. It has a purple Mandalay stone mounted in the center. The gold is finely wrought and a Masoja Dufirosim of Vision is willingly bound within it. Given to one without the power to shadow-walk it will allow them to do so as long as it seeks a person or a place in the vision. It tires one using it. Use it a little, you will be a little hungry. Use it a lot...well … famished.”
He awaits your response, with the occasional glance at Alec who is trying to decide if she should gut him or date him.
Upon gripping the badge and setting your attention to it a cloudy vision begins effect you. There is a sense that you feel that you can keep the vision to yourself, of cause it to be visible for others around you. You feel you could make it a a small thing for those at the table to see or giant for a stadium of people to watch. The device seems to be prompting for a choice on how to present it.
The drama presents a scene. (What Carissa saw while holding the Seeker's Badge of dikost as a principal of the Augery)
A long rising landscape under a clear blue sky. At the high end is a forested area and at the low end vast open plain of low waving grasses. In the east is a field of horseman, thousands of lightly armored horse with mounted men in light chainmail, They make a straight line north and south. In the center is a mighty man, over 7', widely built, strong looking and strong in presence. He reminds you of a slimmer Gerard. He is armored in black and red chain and leather, knives at his waist. In his hand is a mighty broadsword, wide of blade, plain but exquisite in craftsmanship. The blade looks somehow familiar. At his feet is a massive tiger, crouched to attack.
Across from the big man and the tiger are three people, and a force hundreds of what look like roughly featureless earthen statues.
The three are yourself, in riding leathers, your bike behind you.. Next to you is a Brand, in red, looking worn and sweaty. A Randal race bike behind him in red and green. The third person is Alexei, a Randal blue race bike behind him. Brand and the man are arguing.. It seems a bitter argument.
The earth golems seem to be gyrating in accord to Brand's yelling. Alexei, has a heavy pistol in his hand behind his back. The big man waves the sword forward and the horseman attack. Brand waves and the earth elementals charge to meet them, crashing into the big man and trying to bury him. He swings the big blade but it seems ineffective against them. They engage the horseman as well.
Brand jumps up and grabs the man's sword arm. Alexei steps in and fires at the tiger as it makes to leap on Carissa making the Tiger turn and move toward Alexei.
Brand strips the sword from the buried man and turns to leap on the bike and roar it to life. Alexei steps in and fires several more times till the gun is empty, then jumps on his bike and follows..Carissa sees herself firing a pistol into the Tiger as it growls, and turns to defend the man from the earth elementals. Carissa leaps on her bike a moment behind Brand and Alexei.
The three riders haul across the vast sloping plain pushing to their max speed. Brand starts shifting shadow hard and fat, slipping the great broadsword into a scabbard on his belt.
When Brand starts shadow shifting the golem elementals fade to dirt, freeing the big man to leap on tigers back and begin pursuing, the beast running at the speed of a primal beast, following the trio into shadow. The horseman, riding horses with long experience in shadow traveling follow Man and tiger as they may.
The vision shows many close approaches at the man and tiger is not quite able to quite catch up. As shadows pass its clear that Alexei and Clarissa are helping bring shadow attacks, bring rain, hail, falling rocks, while Brand works on gaining distance.
In time the trio crest a hill to a great arch..Passing through it Borlak and Tiger stop, screaming at the three riders entering Regor.
