Getting lunch and watching some sacrificing

Michael James Watson
Walking through the town Vek and Alvah find a city roighly equal technologically to the 1870s. Steam travel, horses, mules, Oxen, but with stone roads.
Business, districts, the city is busy and crowded but quiet. There is a sense of fear in the air even in places that seem unthreatened.
At the end of a long wide boulevard the area opens to an area and a stone ringed area with two tiered pyramids. Counting the levels there are 9 levels on each temple with stairs giving access.
From a military view, it is a place to keep people in, not let them out. Lesser buildings get closer and closer, as if guiding in the people to tighter quarters. Finally reaching the open area around each temple.
While the place looks clean, both from effort and from rain, there is no hiding the blood shed in this place.

Amber Bronkhorst
Looking around she just appreciates the surroundings, the architecture.
Arriving at the pyramids she stops for a moment and looks around.
Inhaling deep she looks at Vek.
"Do you think we can just walk up? This place is..... bloody.... even cleaned... you can feel it."
Alvah holds Cicero a bit closer to her standing next to Vek.
"You want to go in or just look around the buildings? It seems those pyramids are more built like prisons almost... or a way of crowd control.."

Michael James Watson
Along the way the two do a little shopping. Vek locates a money handler, his trade seems to be exchanging regional coinage. While he watches from a far, it seems the coinage is based on regional denominations. In time he approaches one and offers gold coins of shape Alvah is unfamiliar with. THe man is very excited about the coins Vek passes over. Weighs them. Does a chemical analysis
Vek says, "Figures a realm known for tequila and fire it figures they use a nitric solution to assay gold. And to do it so efficiently."
He produces about 100 gold coins. The man comes back with a satchel of silver coins. The exchange rate seems to be 10 silver, 20 half silver, 40 quarter silver, 80 eighth silver, or 160 16th silver coins per 1 gold coin. Vek gets most in full silver but a mixture of all. He splits the bags between Alvah and he. He pulls out another pile of 100 gold and gets all in 16ths. Splits them evenly.
He pulls out another 500 and the money change gives him 10 red gold and 4 black gold coins. These he keeps.
After walking out Vek says, "They use a modified gold exchange system almost identical to Ang Ri. Silver is the main metal of Azcala with yellow, red, and black gold. No white gold. Platinum and copper are not currency coins, used in art and general products. Interesting. From what i gathered eavesdropping on him mind, silver is only used to cook human flesh."
The bags are not overly heavy but the two can spread out the weight.

Amber Bronkhorst
Watching Vek work the deal with the money changer she calmly waits and tries to memorize for herself what the coins would be worth.
Listening to Vek at the end she shudders a bit.
"Yeah still can't get used to that idea really. But we got coins. so we can at least pay for lunch and some fitting clothing. "
Alvah looks at Vek with a big grin
"And buy enough tequilla... i still could use enough tequilla to just... feel better... this has been some day. "
When they are out of earshot of other she asks Vek silently
"so what do you want to learn form the ritual place? if it is magical on its own right? anything else? i think if we move and work fast i'm sure noone will notice. "

Michael James Watson
He says, "You're a ritualist, from your world. I am a ritualist in Chaos as well as with the Dufirosm. Its all in the details. I'd like to see how its done. Over there..."
He points to many small alter like tables. Watching people come up, women mostly but some men too. Vendors sell tomatoes and the people go to the tables for prayers. They cut the tomatoes then the fruit is eaten.
"Symbolic sacrifice seems open to everyone. Like lighting a candle in a Catholic church, or Planting seedlings in a Dantatic Rite. Over there. that smaller pyramid.. thats a priest.. He is performing rites on animals...But it looks like a commercial abattoir.. and open air, religious abattoir. I can respect that.. Its like Elven Hunters thanking their prey for the sacrifice of their lives"
"Watching all that ritual killing makes me so... so.. sooooo hungry.. look they are cooking up sacrificed goat over there at a taco vender.. Lets.."

Amber Bronkhorst
Softly scoffing Alvah answers
"Ritualist is a big word to describe me Vek.. i just mostly do stuff and see what works. It is just gut feeling rites what i do."
Seeing the smaller rights she looks at them studies how the people seem to act around the rites if they do it with grief and penance or more in a celebratory way.
Looking ove rto the animal sacrifice she nods slowly
"Seems almost everything and anything is sacrificed. Like was said this morning it will still hold power, but less. Would this to be linked to the rites like the one the day after tomorrow?"
Alvah laugsh and shrugs
"I thas been aaaaages since i had a decent taco.. so i'm up for that. Couldn't well make one on Rasak could i... If only i could conjure back then. "
She looks around if they can sit somewhere or have to walk eating.
"so want to do a walking lunch or a sitting lunch?"

Michael James Watson
There are seats aplenty in the outer rings.
You and Vek look over the offerings of meat, salsas, taters, carrots. Rices and beans.
Vek says, "This is a 5th day of the week, a work day. This apparently goes on all the time. Its near the main markets. My guess is people come, make a symbolic sacrifice with the tomatoes. There, free tomatoes. Then come buy raw or prepared meat for home or here. Efficient.."

Amber Bronkhorst
"So the rite this time will be on the seventh day, but probably won't be all the time as it had something to do with the stages of the moon, Although i do not know what the moon cycle is like here ofcourse. "
She looks up at the sky for a moment. Then she finds a place sits down and just sits and enjoy the moment, the people, the scents. Closing her eyes a warm smile appears on Alvah her face, opening her eyes she looks at Vek.
"Come my hungry friend lets get some food and sit down to eat. We can keep watching people and their doings. And just enjoy."
SHe nods firmly
"I think there is not enough enjoyment in life or at least not in mine so far... "
Walking to the vendors she buys some varieties of food and lays it on the table for them to taste and enjoy. surely something to drink can be bought as well. Gesturing to the seat by their table she smiles
"Lets eat. Watch and relax a bit. "

Michael James Watson
The day passes and around duck Vek wanted to see the sunset service.
At the sunset service a Goat is sacrificed. As the yare leadign it up. Vek raises the sign of the logrus. Making it blaze brightly. Everyone nearby starts moving away.
He says, "Raise your pattern sigil. Brightly. "
The rite is performed and Vek observes it through the Lens.

Amber Bronkhorst
Looking at Vek she nods slowly sitting a bit away from him as she then raises her pattern sigil to watch the service through the pattern sigil as best she can. Hoping her own pattern doesn't feel as offending as Fiona her raised pattern did to Alvah when she was recovering.

Michael James Watson
Looking through the lens there is tiny trickles of energy around the sacrifice. tiny flickers lights fall into the pyramid. Some to the priest. others fly up into the sky above the pyramid.
The rite is short, low on rhetoric, and is done before the sun sets.
"I plan to be here tomorrow morning. Tonight...we practice. lets see if you can raise the sigil of Azcala tonight"

Amber Bronkhorst
Alvah follows with her eyes the trickles of energy going around. Noting where they go never seen a sacrifice, or any like this and energy actually flowing from it. She gives herself some time to concider what she saw.
Then lowering hte pattern again she looks at Vek Slight disappointment in her face can be seen.
"You mean... i have to work and practice? so no copious amounts of drinking?"
She asks in a playful sad voice
"Yes tomorrow morning lets go here again and watch. So back to the quarters or do you want to practice somewhere else?"

Michael James Watson
"We can do both....Sometimes its better to learn that way."

Amber Bronkhorst
Alvah laughs
"Oh you mean it is going to hurt less then?"
Thinking about it she gives a halfsided nod
"Sounds good. since my other means of relaxing are not on the table anyway, or well... not now."
She looks around
"I wouldn't dare to just go running over roofs and through streets here, might give a bad signal. And i haven't found a place to dance yet with good music. And well sex is not freely available either i guess..."
She grins back to Vek
"So practicing and drinking it is... ah in case that thing happens again it would be good to be intoxicated.."
Alvah shudders remembering the feeling
"Ugh felt like burning alive."
"What actually happened what you could see, Vek? When i used the Azcalan trumps for the first time?"

Michael James Watson
Vek ponders, "There are a number of us that have more then one main inscription; Amber and Logrus, Amber & Avalon, Amber and Mandalay, Mandalay and logrus. There is some strain between them but the person wearing them has made an effort to accommodate them. Some of us have a number of inscriptions. Arlo has
Amber, Pocai, Alamond, Paragon, and the Mal at Reiss. Each has a bit of stress. I have traveled with you, you have walked the pattern, and been around Fiona, Vance and Arlo, not to mention Random and Celokat. None of us knew you had an Azcala inscription. Someone had powerful buried it so that it would not be discovered. . "
"Cihalas said it was something thats done. Pregnant mothers walking the sigil. I don't believe it. If its true it goes against a great deal of the theories of high order imitations. I believe someone suppressed your sigil. I think when you were just able to walk, someone forced you through the sigil. That made your heart able to become stones. They suppressed it because Delwin would see it and defy them. As he did. I think when you attempted to use the azcala trump, after having walked the pattern, it caused the seal on your azcala sigil to break. "

Amber Bronkhorst
Looking at Vek she nods
"Well yes i know multiple things are possible. Arlo showed me some."
Leaning back she looks up and thinks
"Do you think mom got help with that? Hiding my inscription?.... wait how hard is it to walk a sigil compared to the pattern? I was 4 years old when dad took me away. I might have been able to walk past my first year. How could a toddler walk something like that? And would it be as deadly as walking the pattern? "
Alvah laughs
"Some parenting skills jeesh. But if it was hidden it was hidden very well. Noone knew... and i have spend ALOT of time with Arlo. And i could walk the pattern without trouble. "
After a bit of a pause contemplating she adds
"Just seems so much effort for something that can't stay hidden. What could Delwin have done after i had the inscription? Could he have removed it?"

Michael James Watson
"First, how hard is it to walk. Depends on the sigil. Some are easy, some are hard. Ive only seen a few in person. I hear Pocai is incredibly hard to walk. That Alamond is like stepping into a rollercoaster in that it flings you around it fast. Mandalay is easy. The Logrus requires a different shape, able to survive in different environmental conditions every helf step and actively tries to kill its walkers. Azcala will have its own manner in how it treats walkers.. "
"I've faced Cihal across sigils. She is powerful, frankly more powerful then me. But there is a good chance she has never faced a Chaos Sorceror using the Logrus against her. I don't think she could subdue the sigil that deeply. That leaves only a handful of people in Azcala that can. Zentalas, Quetzal, Cihuacoa, or Tonacat himself."

Amber Bronkhorst
Listening she nods
"I see well no clue how hard it is then for now. Different sigils do different things no? Arlo told me that some spells were better to hang on a certain sigil then others. "
With a chuckle she says.
"All i know so far of the Azcalan sigil it is hot and spicy. And burns like hell."
Staring of in the distance she then conciders the names.
"Well maybe we'll figure out who did it.... maybe we'll never learn. Though i am very curious to the why. Just hide it from dad means they would have expected already that he would work against mom her wishes. Or at least be opposed to the idea of it.
It also has me wonder who else then mom would be as invested in me... not to sound overly crude or blunt but.... babies are not really hard to make. And sure i might also be of Amber blood but does that add so much?"