THE RUNNER OF EARTH. THE WHEEL. Your brother is thinking of you, Tobias. He’s sitting on the floor. It’s dark. The room seems to be swaying, moving. There’s a fearsome sound coming from above, as if from an upstairs room . . . like a horn but as deep as a big drum. There are others near him; I can feel them. They’re all prisoners; their hands are tied. Your brother’s feet are tied, too; he’s tried to run . . . recently. There’s a man — a guard, I think — standing under an open trap door. Now he’s looking this way. He has long black hair and . . . he’s coming closer(she makes a face) ooo . . . he stinks! And I wish that deafening droning and bellowing would . . . oh, it stopped. I don’t think the smelly man likes your — OW! He kicked me! I think he’s going to do it again . . . no . . . he hears something at the trap door. Something’s there, blocking it. It’s a huge man coming down the ladder backwards. He’s turning around — oh, he’s not a man but some kind of troll . . . like your friend, here (she gestures at Vel) but without the fur and much, much uglier. He’s holding the horn that was booming like thunder. It’s long, with a curved mouth like a serpent at the end, and blood red. He’s angry . . . at the smelly man. He has him by the throat. Oh! I’m losing it! He said “the kids must remain in one piece”. That’s all; I lost contact.— Faron the Seer, Servant of Skura
Tobias is a Seta youth who for a time resided in the Scars, among the Adrift. He moved to the city seeking his brother Culpokek, who vanished while on his daipiki. Tobias was a bit chippy at the world for the bad luck he’d had, and nearly came to true violence with Marsander Soza following the White Gryphon’s stairball loss against the Golden Eagles.
Prior to being stuck in the Scars, Tobias was squatting in a warehouse room where he lost a small lizard brooch made of jade with rose stone eyes; Kyamu found this brooch while cleaning out the room for his bosses’ use.
During the fight to save the Marghoz’ sons, one of the shadow hounds stepped through him, causing a chronic inner coldness that still occasionally haunts him to this day.
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