Lions! (job/plot)

job:

The architect known as Ustad was currently packing up some of his supplies for a trip to the mountain in merridia that served as a sort of pilgrimage to the Empress of the country many years ago. The mountain was rather meaningless to the architect in all honesty since the man viewed it as just another meaningless part of nature. The only reason he was heading there was because his new roommate, Josser the sculptor, was proving to be quite a nuisance to the architect.

He was the complete opposite of the king of antisocial awkwardness. He was the star of attention, especially to the ladies of the city, flirting with them and bringing them to Ustad’s house to serves as Josser’s muses. Also he started to carve into the beautiful architecture that Ustad had made, making reliefs to serve as a sort of border, all depictions seeming to depict his ‘Miraculous and astounding’ life. On top of all of that he would not stop interacting with Ustad while he was trying to get work of his own done, trying to talk to him and tell him about art he made, or how a wealthy merchant bought all his art as well as other incessant ramblings. To most people this would be charming and fun but our poor architect viewed social interaction as kin to torture and saw people as little more than insects, annoyances and hindrances towards his art process.

This pest in particular had forced himself into living in the house Ustad made and has now wrapped him up into this grand idea of his. Josser planned on creating his own masterpieces on top of the highest points in every nation. The architect had very reluctantly agreed to this solely for the fact that he can end up making his own creation on top of these locations and have the masterpiece made by the sculptor accentuate his own beautiful child.

So this would end up leading them to researching the country and trying to discover where the highest point was and it just happened to be a location connected to the ruler of this country. Ustad personally thought it was tactless to name a country after yourself but since he has not met this Merrze he did not form a true opinion of her. She meditated on this mountain before it became a part of this nation. With that in mind Josser thought it would be best to create something around this story and to symbolize the spiritual and historical importance to the nation and its people. Ustad did not necessarily like that idea but he did see the logic behind it. Art was not something that was formless and came out of nothing. One needed inspiration and an image in their mind in order to create anything, even something that they make by accident or with little forethought. This knowledge would in fact help the architect and sculptor both in what they would be creating on top of that mountain peak.

For now though, the newly formed and united duo would be making their way up to the mountain top in order to get a scope of the location as well as trying to figure out how to make their visions plausible. The Balbadd trained architect had already planned on using the mountain itself as part of the structure, incorporating the building towards the inside of the mountain peak like those monks who have alcoves carved deep into the sides of cascading mountains. If they removes the peak they could replace it was a massive, tower that is leveled in a step style that would make it look almost similar to a type of pyramid in a way. But that was all subject to change of course since they were not aware of what the location was like as of yet. As for what the sculptor of clay and stone had planned was quite uncertain. He had planned to let the muse strike him after the architecture was completed.

So now they were making a trek that would take several days and be very treacherous since neither of them had experience surviving in the wilderness nor trying to climb in a harsh climate like the peak of a mountain. So with some money that Josser had recently gained from selling his art (the man was currently proving to be quite more successful than his building loving roommate) to hire a guide who would help them get up to the peak which proved to be quite pricy since not many are willing to take such a daring trip, especially in the accompany of two ill prepared artists.

The trip to the base of the mountain proved to be fairly easy and uneventful as the guide and told them beforehand. It started to get a bit trickier scaling the mountain as the guide had to instruct them which paths to take and it only got harder. Once they were halfway they started to use climbing gear, with the guide leading them and making sure the anchors were always secured. The skies proved to be kind that day and made it easier on their ascent, the two artists starting to struggle with the thin air being so high up, ustad already having dozens of regrets.

When they finally made it to the peak they would see that the peak of the mountain was much larger than they expected and less pointy than one would expect. The top was a bit crumbly so that would mean that Ustad would have to build into the mountain instead of just on top of it like he had originally expected. Also they would have to make a pathway up the mountain which in itself would prove to be its own daunting task. For now they have surveyed the construction site and now needed to make their way back down.

Once down about halfway the guide ended up being pounced on by a large lion, one of the creatures that this nation apparently fawned over for some reason. Josser would be the first to react in an attempt to save the guide pulling out his wand, casting first rate to mould the ground near the lion into a very defined and meticulously made fist that would his the lion launching it into the air towards them. Ustad would pull out his hammer and throw a nail in the air to use roofing nail to launch a nail into the eye of the lion as it hits the ground near them.

Ustad would sigh as Josser would check on the guide who seemed to be fine since they reached in time, just bruised. Josser would turn to ustad grinning between him and the lion and the man could tell that he had just found his inspiration for the sculpture.

WC 1139/1000

Abilities and Josser: