His Nefarious Purposes (2/2)
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Corrin, Sia
Date Posted: 18th October 2025
Characters: Liannor, Q'vettan
Description: At Q’vettan’s invitation, greenrider Liannor -- master harper and adventuress -- arrives at Barrier Lake.
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 11, day 20 of Turn 12
Liannor set the tray down on the Weyrleader’s desk and invited herself to one of the chairs. Crossing her legs her posture shifted to one of complete ease, but there was still an electric tension to her, a sharp interest in her eyes. “Now tell me-- you haven’t lured me here under false pretense for nefarious purposes, have you?” She let the question hang teasingly between them for a long second, before cutting to the point: “Do you really mean to excavate River Bluff?”
"I have the best of intentions." Q'vettan answered mildly. "I have all the old maps of the location, plus the mine and smith craft reports on the landmass stability and structure. There are still some smaller cotholds lingering around the area that weren't evacuated. Presumably they are cotholds, anyway-- they could be holdless carving out space in an area known to be dangerous and abandoned." He frowned slightly as he considered that possibility. "Tzenketh called me back to duty, as it were, and it's harder to focus on a passion project like that as the Weyrleader. The land itself is under Thiseta's purview. I may have a…slightly different proposal to start, if you might be interested in work closer to home."
“As for nefarious purposes,” he added, letting the warmth slip back into his smile, “that depends on what you count as nefarious. You wanted a challenge, Liannor. You’ll get one here. The Weyr is still new, even if they've dropped the 'Weyrhold' title. Pity, I quite liked being different."
“You will always be extraordinarily different, master,” Liannor said with a fond smile, slipping back to the first title she’d known him by. “I trust the Weyr will be, by association. Even in the North they’re talking about your green Weyrlingmaster. So if you’re tearing down customs and blazing a new trail here, I’m happy to be a part of it.”
She leaned back in her chair, languorously recrossing her legs. “Though it’s unfortunate that _Tzenketh’s_ ambitions mean a delay for River Bluff.” There was a playful twist to the way she stressed the name, the way she met Q’vettan’s eyes. It was clear she didn’t blame the _bronze_ at all. He was the least ambitious specimen of his color that she knew. “Tell me about this second proposal, and I’ll decide how vexed I am with _Tzenketh_.”
"You have, perhaps, spotted that lake where our weyrbowl should be?" Q'vettan teased. "It, like the rest of the Weyr, is extraordinary. The starsmiths tell me that the breadth and depth of it means the weather patterns resemble closer to the seaside than it does to a lake. It makes the waters choppy, at best, and the weather…unique. The lake-snow and lake-rain are a particular experience you don't get anywhere else, except _perhaps_ Far Island." He considered for a moment, unsure if that Weyr was at the center of a small sea or a very large lake. He would need to request weather reports from their Weyrleader. It hardly mattered for this conversation, and he pressed on, "It means the waves can be choppy and inhospitable, even in the little pseudo-bay we call home. It's only a matter of time before a tithe ship goes down, but we've been lucky so far. Imagine the wrecks below the surface! I'm making a few trips to the Dolphin Hall to see if we can't get a journeyman or two and their diving equipment."
A slow, sly smile lit Liannor’s face. She hadn’t seen the potential when she first laid eyes on the bay, but that was Q’vettan for you. Brilliant man. “Yes…” she purred. “I believe I _can_ imagine the wrecks… This area was a gemstone mine before, wasn’t it?” He didn’t need to answer that, she had done her research before arrival. Her smile grew.
“Very well!” she declared. “Tzenketh can live. It’s no AVIAS, but your lake sounds worth a monograph or two while River Bluff is sorted out. I accept your second proposal-- on one condition. I’m not transferring in to be tucked away in some dinky little ‘greenrider weyr’ by a know-nothing headwoman-- I know they say it’s just the couch and ledges that are smaller, but that’s a lie. I want a large weyr this time, one of the ones made for ‘mated rider pairs. Lariath could use the space--you know how she is--and so could I. I want room for an office and all my projects.”
Q'vettan kept his expression mostly neutral. He expected nothing less from his former apprentice. "You'll find this Weyr is much better equipped than any of the old Northern Weyrs. We did our best with what we were given back, certainly, but you'll find luxury compared to any weyr at Igen. I did, however, already request a family weyr for you in your transfer. It'd benefit you to make a comment about your family being unsure if they want to travel south with you, should the Weyrwoman inquire. We'll be working closely together, so I took the initiative to request the recently empty weyr near mine."
“You’ve thought of everything,” Liannor observed with a low laugh, her smile growing warm and satisfied. “I’ll be sure to mention my large and loving--though horribly indecisive--family, should anyone ask.”
“I am quite curious to see all this promised luxury,” she continued, casually reaching over to lift the tray from his lunch. “Perhaps after you eat you can show me my new w--”
She stopped. She stared. The plating was lovely, the utensils correct, but the food- the food was horribly burnt.
“Well,” she drawled, meeting his eyes with dry amusement. “If this is what the kitchens choose to send the Weyrleader perhaps I should rethink my transfer.”
"Another mystery to keep you occupied: which slighted dragonrider has enough connections in the Lower Caverns to continually inconvenience me." Q'vettan said, amused. "It's a gamble what I get sent these days. You'll find the kitchens are impeccable when I'm not involved."
“Another mystery? You shouldn’t have.” But Liannor was grinning, her mind already turning over the possibilities. The usual disgruntled bronzerider? A jilted lover? “I suppose I could add it to my busy schedule.” She reached over, plucking out a salvageable bit of sausage and popping it in her mouth. Barrier Lake was looking entertaining indeed.
Last updated on the November 2nd 2025