Asteria City

The rat vanishes into nothingness, but you get the feeling they are heading somewhere else.

Star Gate materializes from the void.

Star Gate ascends towards Eastern Seaboard.

Star Gate arrives, coming from Asteria City.

A harp began to play. Low and quiet, most adults wouldn't hear it, but young teens and children would be roused from sleep by it. They would feel drawn to it, a nagging urge to find the person who was playing the harp. If only to listen closer, or to shut them up so they could sleep.



A female voice began to sing to the youth of the city. Lulling them into a sense of security with her gentle voice as they roused themselves, called by her beckoning words.



The music grew louder, and the magic pull on the minds and hearts of the youth grew with it. Upon the word Shadow, the entire city darkened. The lights still worked, the stars and moon were out in full, and by all means everything looked fine. But the Shadows? The places not caught by the light of the moon and stars and lights of the city? They grew darker. The music emerged from these places. Alley ways, hedges, parks, and gutters. Even the darkened closets of the older children who no longer needed night-lights to lull them to sleep.



A male voice began to harmonize with the female, adding an underlying sense of authority to the lullaby. The children began to walk faster. It wasn't many. Maybe fifty at most, closer to the outskirts of the city, furthest away from the strongest point of magic from the mage of the Terra Nova Empire who had established a base there. The Shadowlings knew exactly what they were doing, and while they'd not done this sort of slow harvest before, their Master was pleased to see its results go unimpeded by outside meddling and turmoil.

Jona Navette heard the melody in the night. Not with his ears, and not really with his heart. It was with something else. Something deeper, and darker. Whatever it was it called to Jona and compelled him to rise from where he slept.

The child's room was on the ground floor of their little house. He had a glorious window with a seat in it. Perfect for daydreaming- and there was a small garden out front. They had a high fence around the property which was a comfort. Jona had spent many days in this exact spot. He had made forts from cushions and defended his room from giant worms and evil bees.

Jona found himself unlatching the window and climbing into the flowerbeds. He was in his footsie pajamas and payed little to no heed the way the bottoms grew dark with fresh soil. The child trod across the yard and pulled the string to unlatch the gate. He found himself paying no care to the loud creak of the gate, but hasting onwards.

Jona himself wondered where his legs were taking him. Where had he come from again? He remembered the flowers. They had been quite pretty.

You notice Signet Ring of House Navette appear on the ground.

Jona Navette picks up the Signet Ring of House Navette.