Umbertiel

[Graybeard]

Sister Rose gave the Tsuirakuan a long, searching look before answering. "Don't underestimate them, Maduin," she finally said. Why did I say "them"? I'm Veracian clergy -- and military -- too. Isn't that right? "There's strength in numbers. Individually, the people who barged in here aren't very formidable, in all likelihood. But if enough priests get together and tap into Luminosita's power, they can be formidable indeed. And there's another thing."

She checked to make sure the damping field was still in effect before she continued. "From something Father Blaise said, I don't think that was just about Bryce. The Orthodox church has -- I guess I'd say 'problems' with same-sex couples. So, in principle, do we Reformed people; the conservatives more or less force us to, to avoid being declared heretical." She smiled weakly. "Personally, I'm about at the point where I don't care what the ultra-Orthodox crowd calls me, heretical or whatever. But in a place like this, you're at considerable risk of getting hassled, and I'd just about bet they were coming after you as well as Bryce. I don't quite understand why; we've just got to town, and you've been discreet. How did they know you and Bryce are an item?"

She gently took the gown and replaced it on a rack. "Thanks for the offer of this nice outfit, but I'm really not going to have any chance to wear it. I'll want to be in my church regalia tomorrow, when the questioning starts. The good news, at least, is that it doesn't look as if Father Blaise is going to be any problem for us," she concluded, not knowing how wrong she was.

[Porcelain Fish]

"It does seem like a pretty astute guess doesn't it?" Maduin plucked up the lavender dress. "Perhaps I'll pay her a visit later. And you might not be able to wear it tomorrow, but one should always think beyond just the next day. I'll hold onto this for you until there's an occasion for it." He stopped and gave Rose a thoughtful look. "I tell you what. I'll make you a deal. If you can head off trouble before it gets to me, I won't take a hand. After that though, all bets are off." He smiled brightly at her. "Fair enough?"

[Graybeard]

"Fair enough?"

I'm not getting through to him, thought Sister Rose. One more try. "Fair enough," she said, "except for one thing. Maduin, that may not be our deal to make. Bree and Blaise have home-field advantage here, so to speak. They'll conduct their business the way they want to, with not just a temple full of Luminosita knows how many priests, but a whole town, to back them. We're visitors to town at best, intruders at worst. If they decide to make trouble for us, I don't know that we'll be able to do much about it." She sighed. "At least I have assurances that it won't be fatal trouble, or close -- for what that's worth."

She was about to say more, but she could sense the damping field starting to waver; the magical energy in this area was getting used up, from the look of it. That was interesting. Either Maduin's spellcraft had been more consumptive of magic than she thought (in which case his ability to cast it so effortlessly was thought-provoking), or there was something else in the area that was siphoning off the energy. Like somebody preparing something powerful enough that we don't want to deal with it, she thought. It seemed time to steer the conversation into safer subjects. "Thanks for the robe," she said. "Now, I'd suggest we turn in early tonight. Tomorrow could be ... strenuous."

[Porcelain Fish]

[OOC] Slightly off-topic, but I think pertinent - didn't Impy say in the OOC forum in the discussion of magic that Poe had clarified it as being powered by an organism's own energy, not an "expendable pool" present in the area? I could see someone else deliberately draining Maduin's spell (or any spells that happened to be active in a nearby radius) to accrue energy for their own magic rather than expending personal strength to power it though. [/OOC]

[OOC: Edit - Correction - It was Viking-Sensei who posted it.[/OOC]

[Graybeard]

OOC:

[OOC] Slightly off-topic, but I think pertinent - didn't Impy say in the OOC forum in the discussion of magic that Poe had clarified it as being powered by an organism's own energy, not an "expendable pool" present in the area? I could see someone else deliberately draining Maduin's spell (or any spells that happened to be active in a nearby radius) to accrue energy for their own magic rather than expending personal strength to power it though. [/OOC]

The rationale for the magic depletion, which has come up before as a matter of confusion/controversy, is here. (Look at the end of the second paragraph.) It's a bit odd; the paragraph basically says, "the explanation is X, except in this particular case that illustrates X, the explanation is the opposite of X." However, the message regarding the Inanire 312 seems clear enough, even if it contradicts what had just been written. Under some circumstances, the available magical energy can become depleted, although that is not usually the way magic stops functioning.

So what about this situation resembles the Inanire 312? Patience. There is something.

[Porcelain Fish]

[OOC: Yeah, that explanation always bothered me. I guess I'd assumed it was overridden by the later post. What would make more sense to me is if the Inanire functioned more like the counter-spelling Impy was talking about, where it basically drowns out any form of magic in a radius, either via an emanating field that effectively washes out any kind of spellcraft, or, more in line with her explanation, it more or less co-opts the energy of any spells active to generate that field, with possible side-effects on the user (Ian was obviously stunned by the use of it, at least temporarily) from the forceful reapplication of any magical fields they were maintaining at the time of deployment.

I suppose it doesn't really matter though. /OOC]

Rose wasn't the only one to notice the sudden leeching of magical energy. Maduin wrapped his arms around himslf, suddenly slightly cold as he felt something unwelcome tugging at the strands of his privacy charm. He released the spell, and it was gone with a snap, the remnants of the energy sucked away. For the first time since that night at Stone Man Pass, genuine fear made itself known, slipping in on cold, silent paws. He stepped closer to Argus, keeping his voice low. "Just now . . . did you feel that?"

Bryce stepped up behind him. "Everything alright?"

"I'm not sure," Maduin replied quietly.

[Graybeard]

Sister Rose watched the interaction between Bryce and Maduin with some concern, and turned toward Argus. There was something she wanted to say mind-to-mind ...

... But she couldn't.

It's like during Departure, she thought to herself. (At least she could do that.) Magic has just stopped working here. But the Tsuirakuans and Eli never had to use Luminosita's Essence as a resource anyway. That means that whatever's going on here is a more general effect.

I don't like that.

"We're heading back to our rooms now," she announced, making no attempt to gain consensus as was both her preference and her nature. She took Argus' arm and steered him through the door. Brad's head jerked around from its usual Lillith-adoring posture, and he raised an eyebrow at his cousin's unusually peremptory demeanor, but he fell in behind her.

[Drusia]

"We're heading back to our rooms now," she announced, making no attempt to gain consensus as was both her preference and her nature. She took Argus' arm and steered him through the door. Brad's head jerked around from its usual Lillith-adoring posture, and he raised an eyebrow at his cousin's unusually peremptory demeanor, but he fell in behind her.

I feel like I've missed something. Maybe I'm just tired. I do kind of feel... odd. It's probably nothing - all that excitement earlier kind of shook me up.

Also... is Rose implying that she and Argus are going to bed together? It certainly looks like Brad thinks so, the way his head snapped around there. Huh. Well, good for them. I thought they were going to take care of that in Snamish, but I don't get the impression that anything actually happened. They certainly weren't any less tense. Sexual frustration isn't exactly hard to spot.

Nor is it hard to take care of, if everyone's comfortable and willing.

I turn to Eli.

"We never did have that... 'conversation' yesterday," I remind him, smiling. "And from the looks of things, Argus and Rose are going to be occupied for the evening." Maybe some time with a handsome man will help me relax. I just feel... off right now.

[Drannin]

Argus didn't really notice Rose taking his hand. He was a bit preoccupied with other things. Namely, the sudden deadening of magical fields around him. It was like nothing he'd ever encountered, almost like magical energy was draining away, or being drained by something. Being used to the flow of magical energy for much of his life, its sudden loss made him feel a tad bit exposed.

On the other hand, Argus had spent years falling-down drunk. A slight chill from loss of magical energy was nothing he couldn't handle. If anything, it made him more alert. And very, very wary.

"Interesting sensation," he murmured, partly to Rose, partly to himself. "I wonder what's causing that?" Experimetnally, he tried reaching out with his senses, to see if he could track the source from the absence of feeling.

[Jack Rothwell]

"We never did have that... 'conversation' yesterday, and from the looks of things, Argus and Rose are going to be occupied for the evening."

Eli locked eyes with Desiree for a moment, feeling his worries suddenly draining away. After a few seconds, he scuffed a wet hand dry in a deliberate fashion and offered it for the priestess to take.

"you know, I think I'm in desperate need of a towel right now. And I think I might've seen one back at the rooms in the tavern, come on, you can help me look." Although the grin on Eli's face, which was a far stretch from just friendly, was all the indication Desiree needed that getting cleaned up and relaxing was the last thing on the half-elf's mind at that moment. He led Desiree to the door and then stopped, as he remembered the reason he was there in the first place.

"Oh, one second." He ran over to a rack of outfits that had caught his eye and selected one with the practise of speed that was universal of men regardless of their species. He hurried to the counter and made his purchase. He weaved his way back to the doorway carefully angling the shirt and trousers away from his damp armour and returned to the half-elf's side with a chuckle escaping his lips.

"I'd like your opinion on how this looks on me too, if you can fit it into your schedule."

OOC Retcon, responded to the wrong text./OOC