Keras shook his head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend. That’s just…very different from what I’m used to. So, this Sheridan is, what, a shapeshifter?”
“No, no, I don’t mean that Sheridan changes their form in an anatomical sense. Although I’m sure many people who take after Wydd would love to, though. And there are a couple attunements that can do that sort of thing. This is more about identity. For someone like Sheridan, they prefer to be male sometimes, female other times, and neither at other times.”
I paused. “It’s also probably worth knowing that there are people in Valia who consider themselves male and appear female, or vice versa. Or just don’t think of themselves as being one or the other.”
Keras seemed to ponder that. “Neither? Like…an elemental, or something?”
“Might be a good comparison, I don’t know. I’m not really sure about how elementals view themselves. I imagine it varies.”
“It does,” Keras replied with a surprising degree of certainty. “Okay, so physical appearance is largely irrelevant here. That’s sort of refreshing, actually.”
“I….wouldn’t necessarily go that far.” I winced. “Racism, for example, is still alive and well. We’re just not too picky about whether or not people are male, female, or neither. Men can inherit just as easily as women in Valia, for example, but Edria is somewhat more complicated in that regard.”
“Fascinating. I appreciate the lesson, and I certainly wouldn’t want to offend this Sheridan, or anyone else like that. And, now that I think about it, I suspect I’ve met a few others that are similar.”
“I’m sure you have. Taking after Wydd, or one of the other visages, is pretty common here. We’re predominantly Aspectist, meaning that the visages are considered aspects of the goddess by most people here, and that means a lot of people worship the visages directly.”
Keras cracked his fingers. “I’d figured that part out. It’s a little strange to me, having met some of the visages personally…but I’ve always had a strange relationship with religion in general.”
“I’d be interested in hearing about that at some point. This might be an inappropriate question, but are you related to the Tyrant in Gold somehow? Or another foreign god? Our legends say they were all wiped out, but…”
Keras sighed. “That’s complicated. Suffice to say that I’m not one of the Tyrant’s children, or otherwise related to him like that. If anything, I’d be considered one of his enemies. As for relationships with other gods, I’m afraid that’s not something I’m comfortable getting into with you just yet. Nothing personal, but it’s the kind of information that could get me in trouble. And, as you know, I’ve already got plenty of that.”
I nodded. “Okay, that’s fine. But can I ask you another, slightly sillier question?”
Keras raised an eyebrow. “Sure?”
“What’s with the mask you wear whenever you’re outside?”
Keras laughed. “Oh, that? Magic item.”
I’d suspected that, but I didn’t sense an aura on it. That didn’t mean much, though. Keras’ magic clearly didn’t operate in the same way as ours in general. “What sort of magic item?”
“Concealment. It makes it harder for people to recognize me unless they already know who is under the mask. It also makes it harder for divination spells to find me, which is the main reason I wear it when I’m out.”
“Why aren’t you wearing it right now, then?”
“The wards on Derek’s house serve the same function. I’m no expert at divination, so I don’t know if the house’s protection is as strong as the mask’s…but honestly, wearing that thing all the time is kind of irritating. Hard to eat with it on.”
That was a little more mundane than I’d expected, but it did raise other questions. “Why bother with something like that? Is there a reason you need to be in disguise?”
Keras sighed. “It’s related to your earlier question. I’m not working with the Tyrant, but he does have agents here. And I would really rather not run into them if I can avoid it.”
I blinked. “Why? I imagine some random Tyrant-worshipping cultists wouldn’t be a threat to you.”
“I’m not talking about Tyrant cultists, although the Faithful of the Golden Sovereign could be a real problem if they continue to spread the way that they have been. I’m talking about the Children of the Tyrant and their direct servants.”
“…Are you implying that some of the Tyrant in Gold’s children are here? On Kaldwyn?”
“I’m not implying it, Corin. I’ve had the misfortune of running into a couple of them. They are the primary reason I wear the mask.”
I did not like the sound of that. “Are they as powerful as the legends say?”
“I’ve read some of your legends. You’ve heard the one about Aayara stealing a bow and arrow from one of the visages?”
“Sure, but I wouldn’t call that one a legend. That’s from a fiction series.”
Keras waved a hand dismissively. “Doesn’t matter. The point is that the book ended with a battle between Aayara and Kerivas, with Aayara fleeing into the night.”
“Been a while since I read it, but I’ll take your word.”
“I’ve met Aayara, and I’ve fought one of your visages. It wasn’t Kerivas, and the visages aren’t all going to be the same level as fighters, but Katashi wasn’t exactly a noncombatant. My assessment? If Aayara chose to fight one of the visages seriously, that visage would be dead. No question.”
I felt a chill run down my spine. “…Okay. Good to know.”
“Not all of the Children of the Tyrant are as powerful as Aayara, of course. She’s one of the two strongest, so it may not be a fair comparison. But there are many Children of the Tyrant, and I wouldn’t put the least of them below an Emerald. If you see one, you run the other way as fast as you can.”
“What about you? How would you fare against one of them?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “Depends on which it is. I wouldn’t take the risk of engaging any of them without a dire need. Killing one would risk bringing more children here, or drawing the attention of the Tyrant himself.”
“Is there any way for me to know if I’ve even seen one of them? Don’t they just look human?”
“They do. I haven’t found any trick to it.” He paused, considering. “They do tend to have false names that follow a couple specific patterns, though. People who work for Aayara tend to adopt names that start with ‘ess’. ‘Sterling’, ‘Silver’, that sort of thing. Ones who work for the Blackstone use gem names.”
I nodded at that.
Keras reached up and pointed at his back. “Their servants often have an enchanted tattoo on the back of their right shoulder. I’d keep an eye out for those. And run the other way if you see those, too. Anyone who is a prominent enough servant to have a mark like that is probably going to be Citrine or Emerald level, too.”
“What do you mean by an enchanted tattoo? Do they have something like an attunement?”
“A Dominion Mark. It’s the equivalent on the continent I come from. I’m not familiar with any other marks that are quite as complex as your attunements, though.”
Hrm. Does that imply that they have some kind of artificial attunements over there?
Or does the Tyrant give out attunements in the same way that the Goddess does?
That’s…all sorts of terrifying if he can.
“I’d be very interested in hearing more about those.”
“Maybe at some point. Not today, though. And it would be connected to learning more about dominion sorcery in general. You’d want a strong foundation before you start thinking about marks too much.”