Ends of Magic

It was simplicity itself to get into the city of Esebus. There were no walls beyond those that surrounded the nature preserves and hunting grounds circling the exterior of the city. What enchantments existed mostly served to prevent trespassing, not defend the city from external attack. Esebus didn’t rely on physical barriers for protection, instead relying on dominance over the continent and the network of patrols to prevent any attack from reaching the city itself. The same was not true of the roads, which were surrounded by heavy-duty magic to prevent anybody from leaving and avoiding the checkpoint that verified the identity and visas of anybody trying to enter.

The Heirs were dressed in light, simple clothing that they were hoping would be read as humble. According to Garna and Sarya, it wasn’t uncommon for people from the surrounding cities to visit Esebus as a kind of pilgrimage. That had been their original cover idea. Now they hoped it would stand up to scrutiny as they slipped over a low wall and into an alley on the outskirts of a market. It wasn’t busy this early in the morning, and they strode across the wide-open space and towards the center of the city.

The citizens of Esebus seemed to favor light and colorful clothing that was laced with small light-shedding enchantments, aping the nighttime appearance of the towers. Khachi had to jump back from a sneering teenager who had gone out of his way to walk through the wolfman's space. It wasn't at all obvious Khachi wasn’t a human, in his long white robe and skirt, he looked like a particularly tall and burly monk. The population in general seemed to expect the Heirs to make way for them.

Nothing stopped them from entering the shadows of the massive towers. During the day, the huge buildings looked like they were made from simple gray stone. Each tower had six sides, and each of those faces had a large doorway at ground level and a few other portals higher up that facilitated flying people and constructs. At this early hour, the majority of the ground traffic was bulk cargo being carted inside by people wearing plainer clothes. Though they dodged adroitly around the occasional brightly dressed citizen and golem that stomped by.

Nathan and the Heirs kept away from the pillars, making their way further into the city and sticking to the busiest streets they could find. A patrol of three soldiers passed overhead, winged armatures supporting them in a slow hover over the crowds. Nobody paid them attention beyond a few furtive glances as scanning magics reached downwards to check that each person carried a valid pass. Nathan's aura reached up to make an umbrella over the Heirs to block the magic entirely. As far as the enchantments were concerned, there was a small gap in the crowd.

Here's hoping that the soldiers aren’t double-checking that every single person they see is showing up on their scanners.