Numenera: Disenchanted Tales
The Three Princesses of Nihliesh
Elsa, a Graceful Nano who Wears a Sheen of Ice
Anna, a Swift Jack who Entertains
Merida, a Rugged Glaive who Carries a Quiver
Summary
A billion years beyond “once upon a time” there exists a great city called Nihliesh. This city was situated in the center of Matheunis, a frigid desert on the southern edge of The Beyond. Nihliesh was truly a wonder of the Ninth World, as it was a city that walked! This striking and amazing city was ruled by strange mutants with weird and exotic powers, and one of them, the enormous and bloated Gayv-oreth, had two beautiful daughters: Elsa and Anna. Elsa, the oldest, had powers over ice that had manifested via a mutation in her DNA as she got older. Anna, the youngest, showed no obvious mutations or powers but had a commanding presence and was glib of tongue. The two spent their afternoons with their dear friend Merida, a princess of Malevich. Merida’s father, a brutal tyrant, had died leaving his 3 year old son on the throne. Not in any line of succession, and preferring the comfort of the wilderness, Merida fled Malevich and headed to The Beyond for her freedom. The three were inseparable.
There were other friends of this trio of princesses, and a dear one was Olaf the Cryomutant. Olaf, who’s body was constantly covered in frost, was truly heartsick. He loved one of the most beautiful women in Nihliesh, a merchant’s daughter and bookworm named Bel. Sadly, Bel had no desire for Olaf, as she preferred the comforting gaze of a Lattimor named Staeb. Believing, however, that the gift of a Frozen Flower would change the mind of his most cherished, Olaf set out on a great journey to the Fields of Frozen Flowers in order retrieve one of these beautiful buds for his Bel.
Well, it had been two weeks and the three Princesses of Nihliesh had grown worried for their dear friend Olaf. Knowing that their protective mutant-dad would never let them out of Nihliesh (he had downright forbade it), Anna and Elsa carefully developed a plan to escape without notice. Gathering Merida, the three headed to a livery located along the Concourse. It was there that they met Kristoff, a stable-hand who sold and rented both Aneen and Snow Lopers. The party seemed to prefer the idea of the snow lopers, so they started to wheel and deal. Anna was able to convince Kristoff that Elsa’s oddity, a stool that hummed when one sat upon it, was worth quite a lot, and so this guaranteed not one, but two Snow Lopers on a short term lease. To acquire the third, Elsa explained that the party was royalty, and that they would talk to their dad to help Kristoff increase his position in the city.
This is how the Three Princesses of Nihliesh gained their trusty Snow Loper steeds: Sven, Fred, and Cutey Pants.
Now both Merida and Anna had explorer’s packs with enough food for three days, but the studious Elsa carried with her only a few books and some light clothing. They would want additional food for the trek, as well as an explorer’s pack for Elsa, so the party headed over to another store, a place called Iago’s Finery. Iago was a well dressed fellow, wearing red, green, and blue robes and he spoke with a loud and boisterous voice. The trio had 21 shins in total, and their purchase was 28 shins, so Elsa again just explained to Iago that they were royalty, and he should just cut them a deal. Strangely, Iago agreed to this, and the party was on their way.
But just outside of Iago’s Finery, in a dark alley which the party traveled through as a shortcut through the Concourse, a sound came from behind the three princesses... a jingling of sorts. When the three turned, they saw 4 poorly dressed brigands, each brandishing a nasty looking mace. The brigands demanded that the “nobles” give up their gear. Despite the look of fear and terror on poor pacifistic Anna’s face, Merida gritted her teeth and drew her bow. But it’d be Anna who would shoot first, firing a quarrel with her crossbow at one of the brigands’ maces, breaking it in half. So scared he was of the swift jack’s hidden prowess, that the brigand took off into the crowded square. But his friends were not as easily scared. Merida tried to follow Anna’s lead, and she shot the mace-head off of one of the brigands’ cudgels, but the remaining three brutes still charged. No match for the well trained princesses, the thieves never landed a blow. Elsa used her frosty onslaught power to completely freeze one of the brigands solid while Merida took her claymore and chopped the arm off another, which dropped him to the ground. When Merida and Elsa looked over at Anna, it appeared that she used one of her cyphers, a sleep inducing ring, to put the third in a short-lived coma. The princesses raided the trio for loot and high-tailed it out of the Concourse.
Gathering up their Snow-Lopers the Three Princesses of Nihliesh rode one of the elevators from the first tier of the walking city down to the frigid sands below. Looking out onto Matheunis, the Cold Desert, the three didn’t know what to expect on this journey that lay ahead of them. But at least they would face it together.
Quotes
“I want my freedom! My three year old brother is now king!” - Merida laments that her little brother is now the king of Malevich, and explains why she is now in Nihliesh
“We’re royalty!” - Elsa gives the shady merchant Iago a reason to give the party a discount on their explorer’s pack and extra food for their trek.
“You go down the dark alley and you hear the jingling of bells behind you.” - Me
“It’s SANTA CLAUS!” - My daughter
“Cuz he’s poor...” - My daughter (playing Anna) explains as her reason for not killing the brigands accosting her in the alley.
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