Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

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Graybeard
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

Post by Graybeard »

[OOC: OK, this might not wind up exactly where you expected, but... Semi-spoiler alert: note that the thing in the blackness is NOT Exitialis, and it also cannot be "absorbed," for reasons that will (maybe) become clear later.]

"I can't make anything out of this," Lillith complained after spending ten or fifteen minutes in a meditative pose. "The spirits have never seen anything like it. They don't care for it at all, but..."

Therese was listening to her with half an ear, and with the remainder, to the noises coming from behind the rock face. The descriptive term that came to mind was "hubbub." There were voices, or what sounded like voices, but they made no sense. However, they seemed to be getting louder. She wasn't sure whether that was good or bad, but suspected the latter.

Suddenly, the rock wall glowed with powerful magic. Therese gasped and jumped backward; Lillith struggled to her feet; and Brad, of course, immediately jumped between Lillith and the wall, and started a Shield spell.

However, no Shield was necessary, as there was an even stronger burst of magic ... and what came through the wall wasn't Compassion or an adversary, it was Desiree, crumpling in a heap in front of the wall. Then, as quickly as it had come, the magical surge subsided.

In that same instant, all the voices beyond the wall stopped, as though a switch had been thrown.

Three voices all gasped something to the effect of "OH MY GOD!", each appealing to his/her own specific deity or deities.

Therese was the first to Desiree's side, and launched Healing magic at her lover, without being sure exactly what she was trying to heal.

[OOC: So Desiree has been ... can't think of a better metaphor ... excreted from the bowels of the elven underworld, back into the world of light. Note that neither Compassion nor the blackness are able to follow.]
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

Post by Drusia »

Three voices all gasped something to the effect of "OH MY GOD!", each appealing to his/her own specific deity or deities.

Therese was the first to Desiree's side, and launched Healing magic at her lover, without being sure exactly what she was trying to heal.


....

-- Desiree

OOC:
Yeah, I think Desiree is just going to remain unconscious for a while. Have Therese and Lillith do some more stuff and maybe that will help me figure out what I want to do next?
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

Post by Graybeard »

[OOC: OK, but not really a lot to do here until Desiree comes around. However, there's at least fact finding, so:]

"Is -- is she --" Lillith breathed, but panting breaths from Desiree quickly dispelled the worst of her worries. Therese, for her part, had seen enough death in Goriel -- in her line of work, it was hard not to -- that she wasn't too worried about that, after the initial pulse of panic when Desiree had tumbled out of the seemingly impenetrable rock face. (Of course, there were other things to worry about.) Brad didn't even consider the question; he was too busy casting Heals, first to make sure Desiree wasn't in shock, then to treat the cuts and scrapes where she had landed on the rocky forest floor, such as it was.

A minute or two or three later, when Desiree was stabilized and breathing easily, the three stopped to take stock and figure out what was going on.

Therese's detection magic was the most advanced of the group's, and she turned a professional eye not only on Desiree, but on the rock face and the surroundings. "Remarkably little going on," she judged. "The magic has drained out of that face. It's like it had never been there. I think Desiree is okay too, but I wish we had some way to test for -- I'm not sure what, call it 'possession' or 'evil influence' or something. I don't know how to do that." She chuckled. "I never had to worry about that before meeting you people. For all the evil that there was in Goriel, it was all of the strictly natural, human variety."

"Except for whatever happened up in the mountains," Brad pointed out, not too helpfully.

"Granted. You and your cousin seem to be carriers for supernatural weirdness. Have you considered getting yourselves exorcised?"
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

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"... ow..."

I open my eyes slowly, blinking at the bright morning light. Therese - thank goodness - and two others - it takes a moment of rattled confusion to place Brad and Lillith - standing over me. Therese touches me and asks something, and the other two echo the question.

I blink again, rememebering. Am I okay they ask? Ha.

"I... I think two supernatural entities just had sex on me," I reply. I wonder if my bed feels the same way in the morning? Do beds feel?

I blink again and it occurs to me I might be just a bit punchy.

-- Desiree
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

Post by Graybeard »

[OOC: We're going to have to be careful, because what's going to be proposed here is going to run up against canon. However, it's what residents of Santuariel, which Brad and Lillith of course are, would do, so let's forge ahead carefully.]

"Having sex 'on' you?" Therese said "That sounds -- unpleasant. From what we were hearing until just now, it sounded like if they were having sex, it sure wasn't very good sex." She shuddered.

"Just that we heard it is weird, though," Brad pointed out. "I thought there wasn't supposed to be anything like that around here, portals to the underworld or whatever this is. That's why Santuariel is here, isn't it? Because it's away from everything unnatural and maybe elven?" A glance at Lillith confirmed this.

Which gave Therese an idea. "Is there anyone in this town who would know enough of the history of Santuariel, enough about magic, to have some idea of what we have just experienced here?"

Brad and Lillith looked at each other, paused to think, and then nodded their heads in unison. (Therese marveled; these two had started to achieve that kind of mutual understanding that most couples don't get until after many years together. In spite of it all, they're remarkably well matched, she thought.) "There is," they chorused, then emitted incongruous giggles at the way they'd been acting. It only took moments for them to sober up again, as they remembered where they were. Brad decided to let Lillith do the talking from here, which she did.

"I think," she said more tentatively. "that we should take you to see old Maxwel."
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

Post by Drusia »

OOC:
Due to Holiday stuff, I probably won't be able to reply until at least the 27th, and possibly until after the 1st.

As for Canon, I don't think talking to Maxwell should be an issue - he was never even shown in the comic, just mentioned. We've come closer than that before.
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

Post by Graybeard »

OOC: No problem, enjoy your holidays! I'll put something up in a day or two for you to play off of when you're back on line.
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

Post by Graybeard »

[OOC: Hope your holidays have been pleasant, D! Since it's pretty clear where things are going, let me move this ahead a little and give you something to play off of:]

"Who's Maxwel?" Therese asked as she helped a shaky Desiree to her feet (and back into her clothes, which were strewn around the clearing in front of the rock face).

"One of the few real mages in Santuariel," Lillith answered. "He's very old, and mostly retired from the healing business, which is what most of the town's magic is used for. But he teaches a lot of the younger people, and he knows the history around here better than just about anybody else. If anything is known about this site, he'll know it." She got a wistful smile. "He's also one of the few old people in town who don't treat Mother and me as though we're completely crazy."

Well, that was a good thing, Therese reflected as they headed back to the beaten path and then toward town. Maybe he'd be open-minded enough to accept this -- diverse group and help them figure out what to do next. She continued fretting over Desiree as they walked.

A few minutes later, they were standing in front of a modest house at the edge of Santuariel. A tall, thin young man with dark hair [OOC: just guess who that is...] passed them outbound toward the center of town, giving no indication that he knew anyone in the party. Brad and Lillith exchanged looks and shrugs. "One of his magic students, probably," Brad said. That was all he had time to say, as the oldest half elf that any of the group had seen, including even the elders of Snamish, came to the door. "Yes?" he said, his voice soft and polite, and also kind.
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

Post by Drusia »

That was all he had time to say, as the oldest half elf that any of the group had seen, including even the elders of Snamish, came to the door. "Yes?" he said, his voice soft and polite, and also kind.

"Hello," I say politely, bowing my head slightly. I instantly regret it - my head is still a little woozy and the nod makes me want to vomit. I cough to cover my expression, swallow hard, and then look up at him.

"An... hour or two ago, I formed a spiritual bridge between two entities, allowing them to touch. One was brightness and light. I came here looking for her, because I think she can help me, and I can help her. The other was dark, like smoke or a shadow. I think they are - or maybe were - lovers. I found them in a cave with no entrance and I helped them touch. And then everything went hot and cold and explody all at once and I woke up outside."

I pause. "I hope at least some of that made sense to you, Sir, because I'm not really sure if I can explain it better than that."

-- Desiree
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

Post by Graybeard »

[OOC: Going to put just a couple of words in Desiree's mouth here to move things along; they're quite obvious.]

The old man's eyes narrowed at Desiree's words, and he scanned the party with quick, almost bird-like motions of his head and eyes. "A dark -- entity," he said. "I hope you don't mean --" His eyes darted to and fro again, as if making sure these words weren't being overheard. "An elf?"

"No, definitely not an elf," Desiree said. "Not a physical being at all, I think."

"You're sure?" Maxwel said, still looking nervous.

Brad chose this moment to "contribute" to the conversation. "Desiree would know an elf if she saw one. Her mother is o*oof*!" An elbow in his ribs from Lillith cut him off in mid-sentence, indeed mid-word; Maxwel might be one of the few Santuarielites who could remember that the dissenting Peregins had helped found and protect the town, but this wasn't the time to mention that Desiree's mother was one of them.

Maxwel didn't seem to notice. "Very well. Come in, then." He ushered the group into a comfortable living room full of little knick-knacks that might have been used for teaching magic. Momentarily a middle-aged-looking woman whose features resembled Maxwel's appeared with cups of tea, and quietly returned whence she came as introductions were made [OOC: feel free to expand on this, or not, at your discretion]. The old man lowered himself into a chair with a wince, and Therese could almost hear the cracking of his joints. "Now if you would, please tell me more about these entities, and this cave that had no entrance, but you were inside it anyway," he said over his cup.
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