"Viscountess" mingles with "Common Street Performers"
(Crossing, Zoluren: 24 Akroeg 355)
My eyes and ears tell no lies when I saw the trader Nynis, or should I more aptly say Viscountess Adralle, although to my mind she does not deserve this rank or the respect according it … anyhow, I had the "pleasure" of witnessing a conversation between her and her Lord Brynnian with Barddesses Anlise and Sunnie, their stepmother Dazalia, and close friend Quinral.
Seems quite an arguement the two sides had going on there, more than I could scribble down on my pad at one time. Apparently, the "Viscountess" insulted Anlise and Sunnie on the ferry from Leth to Crossing by coldly shunning their warm gestures of friendship, gestures that used to be quite frequent my sources tell me.
The coldness shown by the "Viscountess" affected the young barddesses so that it brought tears to Sunnie’s eyes and the poor lass wept. This brought righteous anger to her younger sister, Anlise, and when she had a chance, she lifted her hand and slapped the cheek of the "Viscountess" not once, but twice. Many agree with me that the "Viscountess" had it coming for the way she has been treating the Bard’s Guild lately. Well, a man who calls himself Brynnian showed up at the Bard’s Guild later on and requested to speak to Sunnie and Anlise privately. They then moved to the comforts of Taelbert’s Inn where I happened to be napping in a tiny alcove.
Lo and behold when I opened my eyes to see those three along with their stepmother, Dazalia, and her good friend Quinral, and their aunt Healingheart. Knowing a good story was about, I kept my mouth shut and my eyes and ears open. Brynnian, found out later to be "Lord" Brynnian, made some jibber-jabber, not explaining Nynis’ position, and filled up the empty space when lo and behold, here comes the "Viscountess" herself. Then the fun really begins.
She makes a comment about how she wouldn’t go around slapping people like common folk do and Anlise is quick to defend herself by tellin’ her she deserved it. Nynis also says she will defends her friends all the time and never betray them and names off the three "lords and ladies" whom she would never betray or make fun of.
Well, Dazalia asked her how she aquired her rank and after wasting alot of time rolling off a list of boring lineage, Dazalia then points out that she wasn’t being noble about her comment made on the ferry about harlots, which inferred to Anlise and the costume she was wearing for a performance the lass was giving. The assembled group fought verbally for a time, with Nynis insulting the guild she once patroned by calling them "street performers" and "mere commoners". Anlise defended the Bard Guild while Sunnie defended the friendship the two once shared.
Dazalia added her own comments about how ridicuous the whole matter was and reassured her daughters they and the Bard’s Guild did not need to be around this "commoner masquerading as a noble."
Ah, and to prove not all "street performers" lacked brains, Anlise and Dazalia caught Nynis in a few little fibs she spawned, such as Nynis proclaiming to be a vassal for her liege. After checking with a knowing source, I learned that Anlise was right, women do not become vassals. They are simply marriage-bounty, sold off to the wealthiest man at the king’s whim. So, has Nynis, now "Viscountesses Adralle", gone from a highly respected trader and patron and loyal friend to the Bard’s Guild to a piece of marriage chattel to sell off at a king’s whim? Does this lady, who coldly snubs a whole guild and people just because they are "commoners" deserves to be Mentor to the young ones that come to Crossing for training in their guilds? After all, if she can be so heartless to these people who have done many good deeds for Elanthia, think of what she could do the the young people. Most of all, does the feudal system belong in Elanthia? I’ll be in touch later on, my ale beckons me now.