<div style="text-align: center;"><a class="postlink" href="https://creativefreedomrpg.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&amp;t=34849">Allevent, Realm of Caith OOC</a></div><br/><br/>The morning could not begin early enough for Porfirio, as it could not for any man who burned with energy and whose duties were limitless. He woke before sunrise, and after only a quick moment to collect himself from his light sleep, the High Guardian of Adelost climbed from his too-large bed and moved toward his dresser, bare feet padding silently on one of the many rugs that spanned his massive living quarters, this one a thick braided woolen rug from sunny Bokmakiri, that desert city far to the east. Porfirio didn't think that he cared much for luxury goods -- and a Bokmakiri rug was surely that -- but along with its almost gaudy splendor the rug was exceptionally well-made and durable, and so it stayed. Still he felt guilty as his bare feet savored the warmth that insulated him from the cold stone floor. The water that he poured into the wide, shallow basin at his dresser, however, assured him that he had not yet grown soft as he washed his face and hands without activating the ferrum glyph etched into the basin that would have warmed the water in minutes.<br/><br/>Soon he was dressed and out the door, wearing a dark suited set of breeches and coat over a cream colored tunic, the neckline fastened tight up to his neck.  The pattern was simple; the cut and material exquisite.  There was no set uniform for the Guardians as such - each day might require an entirely different look often involving subterfuge - but as High Guardian Porfirio did require his men and women to look smart when the situation allowed, a remnant of his past military experiences.  Along with the outfit he wore an alumen-wrought longsword on a black leather baldric, and a dagger and firearm at either hip.  The firearm, a ferrum artifice that delivered high-powered shots of fire with the simple pull of a trigger, might have seemed an odd choice for a ferrum elixer as powerful as Porfirio, who could just as easily release fire spells without the need of an artifice, but again his military training shone through, as he was virtually never without the old service piece at his hip.<br/><br/>Although the stone corridors of the keep were lined with evenly-spaced lumen lamps that could have lit the way with their steady smokeless glow, the way from his quarters to the meeting room was still wreathed with shadows.  Lumen crystals weren't cheap and there were too few people awake at this early hour for the steward to authorize their use.  Firo had made this trip each morning for the last two years, and could navigate it blindfolded. Besides which, the High Guardian hadn't grown up wealthy and had always done his reading by candlelight before his appointment here, and even though lumen lamps had been in the castle for decades they were still a source of disquiet to him. Not that he feared them -- no, he was no simple-liver or 'Minimalist' as the fringe group had taken to calling itself -- but despite their proven practicality he couldn't help but regard lumen lamps with the same look that he would a barking cat or meowing dog.<br/><br/>He was the first of the Guardians to enter the Ironguard Room, as their council chamber was known. It was usual for him to be first, sometimes by even up to an hour, but it was not unheard of for another to already be up and about. Sleepless nights were common among the Guardians; despite their dedication and belief, their choices were hard as any king's or general's, and no sane man wasn't occasionally plagued by doubts. Still, today he was first, and he was glad for the solitude. He found himself drawn to one of the arrow-slit windows on the far side wall, and leaned against the stone with his arms clasped loosely behind his back. He could see the sun's rays just beginning to peak out over the ocean horizon, prodding white-walled Adelost awake.  Glancing up at the chronometer ticking audibly from atop the mantelpiece, the High Guardian wondered who would be the first to enter the room.<br/><br/>Along with several seasoned Guardians currently in Adelost, today was the first day for a slew of new recruits, and Porfirio couldn't say that he was eager to meet them for their first morning council.  Being a Guardian was incredibly demanding, and as much as he needed fresh blood around the table, Firo hated making that demand of those who may not yet be ready.  Unsuited Guardians quickly died, and endangered countless other lives in the bargain.  Glancing back at the folder he had placed on the giant oak table in the center of the room - a list of these new recruits, as well as his various other morning reports - Porfirio contemplated what the day might bring.