CH12 Preview, Part 1 (Patreon)

First preview of September, yay!!

This is a snippet from the route for Crowns who chose to go directly to the peri trader in CH10, with a little flavor text depending on your Crown's intuitive/intelligence trait:

You manage to make it through the marketplace, finally arriving at a large building with an open front, wrapping around the corner of the street. Tables and shelves are lined with various flowers and plants, perused by a few passing customers.

This appears to be the peri trader’s shop, signaled by the sign at the front that reads Eshkar’s Garden. Eshkar being the name of the peri trader in question. Most of the flora on display you recognize, if not by the labeled names then by sight alone, but several look entirely new to you.

Pale white flowers whose hanging bulbs pulse with light when a customer brushes against its leaves; bleeding vines wrapped around a miniature roofed trellis atop a tall table, its crimson flowers slowly dripping down pink juice caught by bowls below; a tall flower with only two black petals, large and pointed, that nearly startle you when they snap together several times in sharp, cracking sounds, almost as if the flower were clapping.

IF CROWN IS INTELLIGENT

Momentarily forgetting about your intended purpose in being here, you approach the clapping flower with curiosity, wondering what set it off. Sure enough, you see dead and decomposing flies of various sorts collected at the center of its bulb as you lean over to peer inside, taking care to avoid leaning in too close lest your nose get caught between the aggressive petals.

Does it catch and eat small insects? How fascinating. You glance at the labeling of the flower, its name fittingly given as ‘black ovation’.

IF CROWN IS INTUITIVE

Eyes drawn by the visual spectacle of the white flowers, you find yourself wandering over to its shelf, glancing at the labeling that reads ‘stardrops’. The bulbs look ordinary at first glance, but sure enough, when you reach out to touch its petals, the flower begins to glow like you saw before. A ring of light travels up its stem, through the petals to the very ends, where it erupts into tiny little golden sparks. Hence the name, you suppose.

Unable to stop yourself, you touch the flower again, mesmerized by the light show, until you notice a shop attendee frowning at you from nearby. Feeling scolded, you quickly pull your hand away and offer an apologetic smile.

It was fun expanding a little more on Arsur's world with little details like this, of how magic affects plants and flowers as well.

I also took way too long to pick Eshkar's name: the peris in the story take influence from ancient Mesopotamian cultures for their names/language, especially Sumerian, due to how long their lifespans are. At least, the peris in Rojan. Peris in Penawar, on the other hand, are much more mixed in with the humans, so the older peri culture and the newer human culture have blended together in a mix over the centuries.

I'll get you another preview somewhere during the weekend! 💖