Ehlissa was lost in thought, imagining Tenser and her
fending off pirates from a river barge with powerful
magic spells, when she heard the bells ringing noon.
With a start, she began packing her scrolls back into
their case and slid it into her sack along with her
lap slate and chalk sticks. She made hurried
apologies to her friends and raced through the hall,
dodging killmoulis servants, small fairies whose
giant, saggy noses swayed as they swept the floor with
short brooms and mops.
Each Godsday morning, the Procession of the Clerics
began in the High Quarter, at the north end of the
Processional, followed the road south to the far end
of the Old City, and then returned to the temples of
the High Quarter by evening in time for the priests to
have their separate ceremonies and dispense minor
miracles. Those who could afford access to the High
Quarter were welcome to attend at the temples, but for
those who could not afford the tolls at Black Gate or
Waghalter Gate, the Procession was the only chance
some had to see the clerics. Most people only worked
half days so they could follow the Procession going
one way or the other. For Ehlissa’s family, their
tradition was to meet the Priests of Zilchus as they
emerged from the Old City at noon for the Children’s
Compensation, or the Giving Back the Loot of the
Thieves, ceremony. Each week, the priests would toss
copper commons into the crowd of children, coins
seized from the Priests of Kurell in the infamous
Thieves’ Quarter (though Ehlissa had known for years
that this was symbolic and the Zilchites brought their
own coins). Among the copper commons would be one
silver noble that one lucky child in the audience
would find and be allowed to keep. Ehlissa had never
been the lucky child and had long since been too old
to try, but she still loved to attend with her family
and watch. Now, as she winded her way south through
filthy side streets in her father’s boots, she told
herself she would be lucky to catch the end of the
ceremony.
“You there!” a familiar voice called out. Ehlissa
looked around for the source and recognized Gleed
standing with two other young men outside an
apothecary. Gleed stood out in a tall yellow hat and
a codpiece even larger than the one he had been
wearing the other day. His friends were more
moderately and drably dressed, though still
fa****onable. She was surprised to see Gleed again,
more surprised to realize that he was calling to her,
and more surprised still when he called to her again,
this time by name. As Ehlissa drew closer out of
curiosity, Gleed smiled a big smile and spoke in a
pleasant voice that sounded nothing like he did the
other day. “Surprised I know your name?” Gleed asked
proudly. “I asked around about you.”
“Oh?” Ehlissa asked cautiously. She kept a close eye
on Gleed and his companions, but they all stood their
ground and did not approach any closer to her.
Gleed looked disappointed, as if he was listening for
a reaction he did not hear, but he pressed on. “I
hope I didn’t make a bad impression on you the other
day,” Gleed continued. “I traveled far, all the way
from the Kingdom of Keoland, to study magic in the
City of Greyhawk, so you can imagine my disappointment
to be saddled with as dismal a research partner as
Tenser.”
“You speak the Common Tongue very well for a Keolander,” Ehlissa
observed.
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