The road to Gervasiel

As we play, occasionally we'll close a thread and open a new one to keep the size of threads (and relative complexity) down to a dull roar. Here's where we store the closed posts from the history of Errant Road.
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Porcelain Fish
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Re: The road to Gervasiel

Post by Porcelain Fish »

[OOC: The only thing that really comes to mind is burning the place to the ground. :/OOC]
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Graybeard
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Re: The road to Gervasiel

Post by Graybeard »

[OOC: OK, so lacking any dissent, we move on:]

Sister Rose steered the wagon east, away not only from the inn, but also from their planned route of travel. This got her some surprised looks from her traveling companions, but the reason sank in quickly enough: Haniko Goto's presumed agent had gone west. That was a very good reason for them to head in some other direction. Besides ... "If I'm right about what I'm expecting here, we'll run into a crossroads pretty soon, and we can turn back south toward our route," she said.

Right she was. They hadn't gone more than a mile or so, on a road that was deteriorating, before they came to a four-way intersection. The roads were unremarkable, but the terrain around them ... wasn't. Not a tree or a shrub was standing, and there were bits of charred wood strewn across an open area perhaps half a mile in diameter. Not a creature moved that was larger than a rabbit or a sparrow.

"The former site of the real Leonish," Rose guessed. "The B&B looks like a false front to keep people's attention away from this site. Lillith, Argus, Drusia, are any of you picking up a sense of what happened here?" Although I think I know ... and I have that unpleasant sensation of being watched again.
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Porcelain Fish
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Re: The road to Gervasiel

Post by Porcelain Fish »

Maduin too, noticed the pieces of charred wood, one eyebrow rising slightly.

"You know, in Tsuiraku, if we don't clean up after a bonfire, fines are assessed," he observed. "It must be nice to live in the country. Look, there's even broken glass over there."
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Drannin
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Re: The road to Gervasiel

Post by Drannin »

Argus frowned. "Definite signs of magical residue... some sort of spell-slinging happened around here. Hard to say what kind, though. Aside from the obvious fireballs..." Argus trailed off.

"No... no, not fireballs. This was more... intense... like one massive strike leveled the place... or maybe a massed strike of smaller spells...?" Argus chewed his lip, pondering.
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Sareth
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Re: The road to Gervasiel

Post by Sareth »

Lillith looked around, assessing the place. "It doesn't look good. If the town had been abandoned after being attacked, it wouldn't have been so thoroughly destroyed, would it? There would still be standing, rotting buildings. Someone tried to erase this place."

The girl frowned, then nodded. Perhaps the spirits of the land could tell her something of the place, now that they were reclaiming it. She settled herself comfortably, closing her eyes to reach out.

Her shriek set the birds to flight from a copse of trees in the distance. Her eyes shot wide open and she began wailing, her voice screaching out in a high, airy burst. "Deaddeadthey'realldeadpainhateburninghatepaindespairdead!"
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Graybeard
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Re: The road to Gervasiel

Post by Graybeard »

"LILLITH!!"

Brad was at her side in an instant, comforting, consoling in his clumsy, puppy-doggish, but utterly sincere way. Sister Rose thought about it for a moment, decided to let him; Luminosita knew the girl needed it, and sincerity counted for more in a situation like this than finesse.

Truthfully, Rose herself was sufficiently freaked that she didn't think she'd do a much better job with Lillith than Brad would. And it wasn't just the intensity of the outburst that was affecting her own state of mind, either. There was something about where they'd paused that had all of her senses on edge, an emotional onslaught ready to be unleashed. It was as though there was an emotional amplifier beneath their feet, and Lillith's quest for the spirits had switched it on.

Dare I investigate? Rose asked herself, then decided she'd better. She drew a deep breath, turned to Argus. "Get ready to rescue me," she muttered, then descended from the wagon and put on what Detection magic she knew -- not one of her magical strengths, but it'd have to do.
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Porcelain Fish
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Re: The road to Gervasiel

Post by Porcelain Fish »

Maduin nearly fell off the wagon at Lillith's horrified shriek, heart leaping in his chest. Fortunately Brad was ther to calm her, and Maduin reconsidered his initial evaluation of what he'd assumed was a popular locale for a rowdy outdoor party.

Rose got down, murmuring something to Argus, and Maduin felt magic gather around her. He slipped down after her, let the tips of his fingers rest feather-light against the back of her hand.

"I find," he said carefully as he began to weave his own magic in a delicate, intricate coccoon around them, "that serenity is often the best defense against an abrupt emotional backlash. You'll have to face the onslaught, but I can help . . . dilute the effects."

In truth, in light of what he'd seen of Sister Rose's magical expertise so far, Maduin suspected he was probably better equipped to deal with what waited here in this field than she was, but it didn't hurt to have someone else act as the center of attention. He let calm sweep through the core of his being, let it pass through their light tactile contact to bolster Rose's own willpower to withstand whatever came next.
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Graybeard
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Re: The road to Gervasiel

Post by Graybeard »

"Thanks," Sister Rose said, meaning it. There'd been so many other occasions when "serenity" would have come in handy when dealing with magical threats ... No, don't go there. She tried to concentrate on the matter at hand.

The "spirits" that had caused such a violent reaction in Lillith seemed to be leaving Rose alone. At least she couldn't sense anything specific and spiritual about the place that would cause her harm. (Lillith was obviously more attuned to those "spirits," a fact that she'd want to come back to in the context of church doctrine, but now wasn't the time for that.) Might there be concentrations of magic in this place, though? She thought there might, extended her senses to probe ... and it was only seconds later that she found what she was looking for.

The "broken glass" that Maduin had indicated wasn't glass, but it was powerfully magical, whatever it was. Rose wasn't an expert in divination, but she got a distinct sense that it had some capacity for emotional magnification, among other things, even if it wasn't affecting her personally. Might it have contributed to the intensity of Lillith's distress? Quite possibly.

Its shape was interesting. It was purplish in color, faceted like a gem, but made of no gemstone material that Rose had ever seen. Next to it, barely an inch away, and pointing at it, lay a long wooden stick. The stick itself wasn't magical, nor did it have any other properties of note. Rose decided to risk picking the stick up; maybe it would provide insights into what was going on. (She wasn't touching the magical glass-like substance for love nor money, though.) She knelt, lifted the wood ...

... And was startled when the strange stone rose with it, as though attached via some invisible -- magical -- binding. It almost looked like she was holding a spear ... but a spear whose head was made of purple glass that didn't actually attach to the shaft.

"Any idea what this is?" she called back to the wagon. Now why is Drusia looking at me like that?

[OOC: In case my prose doesn't describe this thing well enough, here's what it looks like, apart from the purplish end piece being considerably shorter ... consider this a spoiler...]
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Drusia
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Re: The road to Gervasiel

Post by Drusia »

Lillith seems to be in good hands. I'd offer to contribute something, but this spiritual faffing about really isn't my thing. Not that this doesn't have the makings of a nicely creepy story. Maybe I'll write it up later if things prove to be...

"Any idea what this is?" she called back to the wagon.

... interesting. So, what in Anilis's cavernous cunt is a Durus Flamma Lancea doing here?

"Yes, actually," I reply. I stand up on the wagon and hold up my hand. "Throw it here." Rose gives me a skeptical look. "Don't worry, it's perfectly safe in its non active mode." After a long moment of hesitation, Rose complies, tossing it up to me.

I give it a brief spin, then concentrate. The crystal grows extends into blade form and I get my teeth rattled. Yup, works just fine.

"It's a spear," I say, for the benefit of everyone else. "Elven make. The blade shortens into that stone to prevent damage when it's not in use. This type is mostly ceremonial though, since it's about the least practical design possible. See, even though the weapon has reach, it has a very small effective area, meaning that if an opponent can close on you, it's all over." I demonstrate how the spear is held, then stop concentrating so I don't get a headache. The blade shrinks back down.

"No idea what it's doing outside an elven city, though," I add. These aren't ruins, after all. So why is it here?

-- Drusia
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Re: The road to Gervasiel

Post by Graybeard »

"Elven make," Sister Rose repeated hollowly. "Please tell me it's not something that other elf would have been carrying..."
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