Solatium

[TalusMoonbreaker]

Previously

Spoiler

L'inizio

The Tiger of Illaryian

Le Conseguenze

L'Ascensione dell'Architetto

 

 

Brabantio looked upon his youngest son’s face, an eager look he saw as he softly opened the door to his office. The warm morning light floated in through the window by his ornately messy desk, strewn with countless blueprints and legal documents, some even from projects finished years ago, but one stood out among the infinite pile. It was a simple scroll completely covered with lines drawn in complex geometric patterns and several notes in a nigh illegible script. It was also unique, in that it didn’t come from Brabantio Moccenigo, famed architect of the Eastern Isle, but from suo figlio, Ilazio, who bore no fame, but one day would. He smiled. 

“Papà! Is it today? Has it at last come?” Ilazio asked enthusiastically. Although he already knew the answer, it was why he was allowed in the room at all, which was locked to the rest of the famiglia. 

“Certo, sei pronto!” Brabantio chuckled, affectionately ruffling his son’s raven hair. He too had long waited for this day, it was always his wish for at least one of his children to keep him from loneliness in his work. It gladdened him that Ilazio had a genuine interest, especially since he knew that his eldest, Ristoro Domingo, wouldn’t partake of his own freewill. Out of his pocket, he pulled out a fine silver inlaid key attached to a velvet and black tassel which he then presented. “You truly are ready. I entrust you with this, it is but one of two keys to this room. I possess one but this, this one is for you.”

The young apprentice marveled at it before stowing it. He had been dreaming about this moment but finally he was of age to be let into his father’s company. Many a lesson had he skipped to imagine towering structures, ornate palazzi, whole worlds; and now he could make it happen! Unlike his older brother, who had no interest in the family business or any for that matter, he was determined not to fail. His father went to the desk and deftly grabbed two items, the parchment that stood out, and a simple leather bound tome that he put in the crook of his arm as he walked back to Ilazio. The floor plan  he recognized, but not the book, was this his father’s secrets of the trade? 

“The book, what’s in it?”

“Open it,” he said, handing him the leather book. At Brabantio’s suggestion, he opened it to discover a vast amount of pages but oddly, most of them were empty. After quickly flipping through it, Ilazio discovered only a few words in the volume’s entirety, inscribed in bold characters on the first page: Nome dell’architetto. 

“Papà, why is it empty? I thought this was a book full of your teachings.”

“That is up to you,” he replied kindly. “For indeed, I know what you’ve accomplished during your lessons mine son. And fret not, abbastanza presto, it will be full of what you have learned and, naturalmente, any ideas that you might already possess in that wonderful mind of yours, and those that will blossom as your skills grow.”

“Now, let’s discuss this,” Brabantio said, holding the intricate blueprint. “I have a few suggestions and also a pressing inquiry.” 

He led his son to one corner of the room where there was a table which, unlike the desk, was fairly tidy and clean. He laid out the blueprint that Ilazio had drafted before Brabantio was willing to take him into apprenticeship and held it in place with a few objects that he quickly snagged from the nearest shelf. He stroked his already greying beard, long enough that it almost touched the tabletop, before beginning. 

“This is an exquisite palazzo. I recommend that you increase the amount of windows here and move the staircase to a more central position, say here, in the main atrium,” he said, pointing at the corresponding spots on the plan. “I must inquire, as a formal gesture, would you mind me keeping this for future reference? There are a few more changes that I’d personally make and anything per a future contractor’s specifications, and of course, other decisions such as specific materials and the colour scheme that would need being made. You will be credited when it’s unveiled, consider it our first commission together.”

“I would be honoured, padre!”

Brabantio hugged his son kindly and smiled, this was truly the happiest day of his life, and he guessed his son’s as well. 

“Now, for your first lesson. Cominciamo.”

 

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Sfortunatamente, to this day, several years after Brabantio had brought Ilazio into his confidence, that specific palace lay unfinished, forever a skeletal wraith that stared forever like its now dead maestro had once at the looming tiger on the horizon. 

I had not been back to my family estate since the consequences paid of my failed attempt on di Carlo’s life and kidnapping of Fiorello de Cioto. The villa had been restored to us from the greedy Ziccardi after my rather convincing argument to the city council, or more accurately labeled, the use of my new power in the name of giustizia. Besides, he had plenty of houses, one less wouldn’t hurt. I sighed, it was good to be done with that, that soul-sucking path of destruction, even though I fully knew that Arama would eventually escape, but perhaps for the better? Either way, she was relentless. And Aurelia would be too if I hadn’t shown up in the dark hours of the night. It had been two months since I'd last spoken to her on the day of ascension.

“Zio,” she whispered softly. “Will you teach me?”

“Like mine father did to me,” I promised. “Sì, it will help indeed.”

“Don’t die, not like nonno.” 

“Never,” I said, shaking my head, vowing silently by Sana Argenta to not repeat Brabantio’s deadly error. I seemed to be collecting these promisses. Then I stood up and went to the ornate desk, grabbed a blank, leatherbound tome from inside and presented it to mia nipote. “Turn your dreams into realtà.” 

She gleamed and flipped through the pages eagerly, she had been begging Marsilia for months, and in a letter that I’d sent after my ascendence, finally convinced her to consent. 

Suddenly, a knock came at the door. I desperately hoped that it wasn’t Ristoro, that would only complicate things. Quickly, I hugged Aurelia, who replied with an almost mute “thanks,” and then opened the door. A breath of relief escaped my lips. It was only Marsilia. Her eyes wandered dreamily about the room for she had never been permitted inside questo asilo and then came to rest on us. To Aurelia, she whispered a few kind words who then hurried out of the room, waving a quick good night to me before she was out of the door. 

“Ilazio, it’s so good to see you again,” she greeted me sweetly. “What are you doing here so late, il mio Rego?” 

“Aurelia wanted to see me,” I replied. Then with a wry smile I continued. “Also, I needed a respite from the affairs of the guild.”

“Only two months in power, and you are already tired!” she laughed. “Yet, you shouldn’t be here. I know you possess our best interests at heart but Ristoro is suspicious, especially after you entrusted your family’s casa to me and not him. He sees you as a hindrance to his family.” 

“I know what lengths I’ve gone to for family, I don’t want to learn what my brother would do,” I responded. “But first I need you to tell me,” I halted, knowing that whatever knowledge I might gleam could be another tragedy, but regardless I pressed forward. “How is my mother? I presume she’s still in Veniera.”

Marsilia’s face suddenly grew sorrowful. “Ilazio, I’m really sorry, she was extremely weak when I left home. Her latest ailment, I fear will be her last.” 

That was like an arrow to the chest. I fell into the nearby chair, my face going to my hands, tears freely flowing. I wiped the tears on my tunic sleeve and sniffed, whispering, “And so the Kolgari blood fades…”

“Che cosa?” she asked, confused as she drew up a stool and attempted to comfort me.

“Mia madre has drops of blood from the Sunken City in her veins, I too possess a small amount, it’s how come she hails from a long line of healers, but neither she nor I can heal ourselves, or anyone around us it seems,” I explained. Marsilia pulled out a fine cloth and gingerly wiped my cheeks. 

“And yet I am Rego,” I muttered to myself afterwards. 

Silence engulfed them for a moment, a moment in which Marsilia began to understand the mind of her cognato.

“What have you done!? It seems to have driven you mad.”

“Vendetta is a path of destruction, even in the name of love for others, but I gave it up before bloodshed. I… I couldn’t kill her even though what she took from me was priceless. All I have for her is pity.” I quietly confessed. The tears had stopped, mine emotions now cloaked in darkness. I slowly got out of the chair, attempting to steady myself by grabbing Marsilia’s shoulder. “I should leave.”

“No! Don’t leave us,” she cried. “Look, I understand, but we need you, Aurelia at least! You, Ilazio, must teach her your trade so that her future is secure, regardless of your brother. Please! At least promise me this.” 

“Be careful what you ask of me,” I said wryly. An oath was a dangerous thing in my hand.

“Then be careful,” she replied.

“Sì, io prometto,” I said, squeezing her hand. 

Instead of exiting using the ajar door, I opened the window, pulled my hood over my head to conceal myself for the short journey back to Illaryian, and silently mouthed “addio” to Marsilia before closing the window. I clunge to the window sill for a moment, my feet on a thin ledge. From the corner of my eye, I saw Aurelia in a window across il cortile, she smiled at me as she stroked the feathery neck of a dove. it was probably injured. That smile, maybe, just maybe everything would be alright. Feeling much better, I waved buona notte to her then swiftly hopped to the ground, and ran out of sight. 

 

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As the figure of Ilazio faded into the deepening night, Marsilia shook her head, laughing to herself and wondering once again if her kindness to Ristoro had been an error. Maybe, just maybe, this family needed her…

 

Suddenly, before she could finish her thought, the door was forced open, it clangled loudly against the wall, which afterwards would require a fresh coat of paint. Then, a figure leapt into the room, brandishing a small dagger. Despite his rather dramatic entrance, he tripped and knocked his head into the still messy desk. Ristoro screamed in horror as he realized that he had accidentally stabbed himself. His hands clawed the desk as he attempted to stand, but he was settled down as Marsilia went to comfort him. 

“Where’s that thief!” he cried out rather nervously, his attempt at sounding brave failing quite miserably. 

“Ristoro, calmati! There’s no thief,” she soothed him as she carefully pulled the knife out of his leg, which she promptly tucked away in the folds of her dress. Then, Marsilia set to cleaning the stab wound. Throughout the process, Ristoro squealed. It was much like when she healed him upon their meeting in Veniera, including the great amount of foolishness which made her impromptu medical aid necessary. 

“But there was someone here, sì?”

“It was only Ilazio, pazzo,” she laughed. “He simply needed someone to talk to, that’s all. Keeping secrets has made you two quite jittery. Now please, hold still.”

 

To be continued…

Spoiler

Grazie mille for reading! Although I built this last summer as an experiment for the floor pattern and an entry to SJ I honestly struggled with getting the story to a decent enough spot. It was important to tie up some loose ends in Ilazio's family life since at the end of my collab with Navarre tied up his revenge, though we'll see what Arama has up her sleeve. I might build and write a part two to show Ilazio as Rego but we'll see. Also, if anyone is wondering solatium is Latin for solace.

 

Edited February 3, 2023 by TalusMoonbreaker

[W Navarre]

I was excited to see a topic from you! I'll read the story when I have the chance, looking forward to that, and the build here is high quality, you keep improving techniques and polishing your style! Well done. 

[W Navarre]

Wow, intriguing revelations! I just wish I had time to jump back in. I'll try for sure, but no guarantees, haha. I hope you have lots of opportunities to write and build this year in the meantime! 

[Kai NRG]

Really nice floor technique on this build!  I also like what's going on with the walls and the windows, you packed a lot into a tight space.

[Ecclesiastes]

Fun story and I really like the floor!

[Grover]

Awesome!  You have a lot packed into a small build!  You have a lot of great detail here, particularly in the floor.  The interior columns and the windows are also fantastic.  Your color choices work well, too, and the minifig posing works well.  I also appreciate that you took time to write a good story. Keep up the great work!

[Simon_S]

that floor technique looks pretty cool. was it easy to align it nicely? and how long did it take you?

[LordDan]

As others have mentioned, that floor technique is excellent! 

[TalusMoonbreaker]

On 2/3/2023 at 7:09 PM, W Navarre said:

Wow, intriguing revelations! I just wish I had time to jump back in. I'll try for sure, but no guarantees, haha. I hope you have lots of opportunities to write and build this year in the meantime! 

Grazie! We'll see. 

On 2/6/2023 at 4:46 PM, Kai NRG said:

Really nice floor technique on this build!  I also like what's going on with the walls and the windows, you packed a lot into a tight space.

Thanks!

On 2/19/2023 at 6:08 AM, Ecclesiastes said:

Fun story and I really like the floor!

Thanks!

On 2/26/2023 at 11:18 AM, Grover said:

Awesome!  You have a lot packed into a small build!  You have a lot of great detail here, particularly in the floor.  The interior columns and the windows are also fantastic.  Your color choices work well, too, and the minifig posing works well.  I also appreciate that you took time to write a good story. Keep up the great work!

Will do and thanks! 

 

On 2/28/2023 at 7:43 AM, Simon_S said:

that floor technique looks pretty cool. was it easy to align it nicely? and how long did it take you?

It was definitely a challenge to get everything to mesh neatly, especially since the walls and floor aren't actually connected. I built it over the span of a few evenings. Probably more time than necessary, but I wanted to experiment with colours, interior details, and the floor.

On 4/3/2023 at 11:13 AM, LordDan said:

As others have mentioned, that floor technique is excellent! 

Thanks! I definitely hope to do a much grander one sometime in the future.