Sw18

Split Worlds - Session 18
Packing up, and preparing. A trip always takes some preparation to start, and with Estrela Prata even moreso, added supplies, better track planning, all on account of their employer who isn't really adventure-worthy, yet still keeps going. Regadless, after this long together they have the practice to know what they need and not, and the road is ahead of them. A simple dirt road that soon
JayM: vanishes out of the gates of Lorente and heads roughly eastwards, towards the Farming City Keiranka, where you'll need to take a north
Argent: "Tch. You wonder how the average Etherealite gets around outside their cities." Argent comments to herself, her mood slightly lightened from her much-needed break the last night
Jack‘ seems to be in much better spirits now that they’ve left the fortress far behind him, and are once again travelling.
Gavriel will let that crack at Sarah fly right by, this time. Not like he can do anything to disembodied narration, anyways. "Total reliance on magic. The same way they do anything."
Jnezdie: "Jeez. It a'int like they don't have legs!" His comment is goodnatured and he takes a quick pace, slowing and stopping every now and then to let the party catch up.
Eastwards, the trip is… On par with the wildest sections of the Material Kingdom. Whereas there at least small roads exist between each and every little city and town, here there are no such things as roads and every trip is through the wilderness. This trip in particular seems to be, however, uneventful as far as anything dangerous is concerned
Jack: "Ah yes. So much dreadfully worse than your total reliance on faulty technology, hmm?" Jack's fiddling with his lute again, lightly plucking at an upbeat tune.
Argent: "Average person doesn't know how to navigate the wilderness, is my point."
Jack: "Fahah, maybe where you come from!"
Sarah: "I don't think the average person ever leaves the city…"
Jnezdie: "Average Materialite, maybe." He then immediately segues into a "ooooooooooooh burn!" of his own.
Jack‘ raises his hand towards Jnezdie for a highfive.
Jnezdie loops back around and highfives!
Argent eyerolls. There goes the mood from last night, it seems, before asiding to Gavriel. "(Is it just me, or are they being particularly annoying today?)"
A warm breeze blows by, sign of weather soon to worsen
Jack: "Hrmrmrmrmmm."
Argent: "…well crap. Today just keeps getting better, doesn’t it."
Gavriel glances at Jack and Jnezdie, smirks out of the corner of his mouth. "Safer to rely entirely on something we've built with our own hands. I can't speak to the success of your approach until I've seen it with my own eye." To Argent, then: "(Eh. There's no sense denying they may have a point.)"
Jack: "I can assure you I've seen far more issues with faulty technology than I have with magic - you're insane if you think it's less reliable - but technoloy is certainly more interesting to play with. Getting thwem to work in harmony is…" Jack grins, "Full fo explosive excitement!"
However hard the trip might be, having to traverse through brush and slush, it had been relatively safe should one not step afoul up to now. Up to now that is. Ahead of you, a tree has fallen, cutting apart this winding path you've been taking. A clear blockade- Was there EVER a clearer trap? Whoever is planning those, which would be those four men, two moogles, a human and a dwarf, who
JayM: are badly hidden over there, is clearly new at this banditry stuff
JayM: They're oh so sure you haven't seen them
Jnezdie: "…"
Jnezdie: "Oh man!" he shouts, rather obviously.
Jnezdie: "A tree, in the road!"
Jnezdie: "What manner of sorcery is this!!"
Jnezdie: "I guess we have no choice but to BURN THE ENTIRE FOREST DOWN!!!"
Jack: "…A TREE?! ULTIMA ABOVE, WE'RE DOOMED!"
Argent: "…okay, the retards doing this should just leave now. I'm not in the mood for half-assed bandit ploys."
Argent: "Or for these shitty overblown theatrics."
Gavriel cracks an uncharacteristically huge grin, adjusts the safety on his irresponsibly large hand cannon, shifts his weight from foot to foot.
Jnezdie: "NOW I SHALL BEGIN THE CHANT OF 'FIRE!' OM NU ROZ KU RAS"
About now the four men step out of their hiding spots, over their right hands their elements of choice can be seen gathering "And who are you calling a retard, you overmuscled woman wannabe?"
Jnezdie waves his hands about, and then drops them.
JayM: It was the woman who said that
Jnezdie: "Hey there. I'm Jnezdie," he says, as though he was greeting a random townsperson.
Jack: "Hello!"
Argent: "I do -not- have time for this shit." Argent grumbles, walking up and ready to punch her in the face
He points at you "No, you're going to die and we're going to take your things! Guys at the-" a strong breeze passes by, and somehow you're ever so greatly conscious of the mud beneath you feet, the air which your breath… You can FEEL those as if they were not simply there, but lightly applying force against you.
The bandits freeze and stiffen "… When'd we wander so close to Keiranka…"
JayM: This feeling, Gavriel. In your previous missions you always knew this feeling, it meant "Turn back, you're going the wrong direction"
Jack: "Presumably right before you fell the tree, good sir!"
Argent: "…Okay, so what's the big deal about Keiranka."
Gavriel rumbles, loudly: "Stop. Everyone."
Jnezdie: "That'sa new feelin'."
JayM: Because you never went to Keiranka, given your missions
Argent stops, yes. Still cracking her knuckles, however
Jnezdie rocks back onto his heels, stretching his arms up, hands leisurely behind his head.
The bandit leader scrunches up his face "Guess this time you walk away" he takes a couple of steps back "Let's beat fet, guys"
Sarah: "T-there's a lot of energy around…"
Jack: "Gahahahaha."
[OOC] JayM: Up there is 'beat feet'
Jnezdie: "See you bandits around."
Jack: "What's wrong with a little bit of energy?!"
The bandits just… Go away, not too worriedly, but apprehensive
Jnezdie turns to face the party. "Hmm. You feel that too?"
Sarah: "Not really, but, it's just a lot!"
Sarah: "I do…"
Gavriel glares at the bandits. "-Idiots-. Learn to use a map, before you damn the world." To Jack: "Remember when you talked about 'explosive excitement'?"
Jnezdie: "I thought somethin' felt weird, but thought it was maybe just a foot cramp.
Jack: "A lively day beat a dull one!"
[OOC] Jack: beats
Gavriel: "I was never posted to Keiranka while I was here. There's too much magic. In the ground, in the air- it's like a powderkeg waiting to go off."
Argent: "Thank you, Gavriel."
Jnezdie: "Ah, I think I get it, yeah."
Sarah: "Hrm… I wonder what it is like"
Jack: "Perhaps we'll get an entire scene from the visit then!" Jack swings his lute back around and resumes playing.
Jack's notes echo in the air, something- The air itself seems to resonate with his chords and reply back with chords of their own. It's harmonic and soft
Jack: "…Oh oh oh!"
Jnezdie: "…that your fingers, or…?"
Gavriel: "One of these days, some idiot, like those idiots, will send the whole place up, and the skies will be black as far south as the Material capitol." He snarls balefully at the treacherous, magic-soaked environment- quirks an ear up at the response to Jack's chords. Interesting. And perhaps not -wholly- unpleasant.
Argent: "I'd recommend that as a safety precaution, you lay off the lute-playing. You did enough of that over the last two days anyway."
Jnezdie: "Y'serious, Gav?"
Argent: "Sounds like it. Gav's probably got more knowledge than the rest of us on this."
Jack: "A little of coume A, a little of colume B!" Jack waves a hand in front of the wooden block, turning off all the effects and playing the lute in its normal accoustic mode as he responds to the responce, playing somethign a little more slow and gentle - like an introduction to a new piece of music; a greeting.
Gavriel: "I sincerely wish that I were joking." He half-closes his eyes. "Keiranka's reputation as a city of peace is not due to any special gift of its inhabitants."
Jnezdie wrinkles his eyebrows and puts on a skeptical look, flattening his smile.
Jnezdie: "Y'know, I occasionally do some dangerous stuff, but…"
Jnezdie: "This sounds about as genious as using battery wires as chopsticks."
Argent: "About time you actually took something seriously for once."
Gavriel: "My… distrust… of Ethereal methods is not born -entirely- of obstinate ignorance, no." Glower. .|
Jnezdie: "Hey, I'm just sayin' I don't want any Keirankans doing my landscapin', yeah?"
Jnezdie: "Makes me almost miss the quarter-hourly explosions back in TT, yo."
Jnezdie: "You could at least set your pocketwatch to those."
Gavriel: "Would that they be willing to-" -to trade with the Material kingdom? To give and take, teach and learn? He's been hanging around Jack and Jnezdie, that's for sure. "-hrrrrmph."
Argent: "And they call Material technology unreliable." Argent mutters to herself as she eyerolls, moving onward. It sounds like it was the LEAST explosion-prone place
Jnezdie gives Gavriel a curious look.
Jack: "The farm lands have yet to explode, m'dear, no?" Jack shakes his head before sliding his lute onto his back when nothing more interesting happens. "In any effect, we've a large tree to climb over, so!"
Jnezdie: "Yeah, no sense in waitin' for the whole thing to blow up Ultima's skirt."
Gavriel glowers at Jnezdie, but it's an oddly friendly glower, this time. "Hn. Right."
Jnezdie turns back around and continues, calmly hopping over the tree.
As you approach, you see not a city, but you'd call it the most dense forest you ever saw (although the tip of the trees wither, and here and there what can only be called a crop field looks so sad and sick). The only way to note when you left the wilderness and entered the city itself are the stones marking the entrance. You see a flock of chocobos running through the trees, in front of
JayM: the herd a single green-feathered bird. They all kweh loudly as they pass by
Sarah suddenly smiles a wide smile "Aah! Chocobos, I haven't seen one in so long!"
Argent quirks an eyebrow.
Jnezdie waves to the chocobos as they pass.
Argent: "Well, I'll be damned. Don't think I have any more of those spices, though."
Gavriel glances at the withered trees, the failing fields. That's… strange.
A pretty loud "Kweh!" comes from two inches away from Gavriel's ear. A single yellow bird, large as a monster (though still sized for riding by say, a Galka) and with specially strong legs seem to have taken a liking to his right ear, and is nibbling on it. Although definitely not enough to hurt, just bothering his fur
JayM: It is being playful, really
Argent watches them, ponderinghow hard would catching a few of these birds be.
JayM: Kinda hard, they run a lot faster than you
Gavriel blinks. He doesn't jump a foot into the air, he doesn't flip out- he just blinks. Quietly, turns. "My ear is not gysahl greens. I apologise."
Jnezdie turns at the 'kweh,' and just stares at the scene, wordlessly.
Argent: "…that one is unusually friendly."
Sarah 'eep's in surprise at the nearby one, and stares at it. She grins and looks it over, scooting closer "Ah… Don't you look like one of the HMA birds? Are you Sol breed?" she says, getting closer and hugging it. The bird itself looks surprised "Ahaha, you're not, you're warm and soft, aren't you?" the bird makes soft wark noise "Where's your rider?"
Jnezdie: "…pfffffffffffffffffffffffff"
Jack: "We /are/ entering a large farm, you know! Hahahahah."
The bird warks at her again, and turns to look at her. Sarah lets go, and smiles at it. The bird kwehs loudly again and takes off running
Jnezdie: "You didn't
ahahaha— pffffffffffffffffffffffff"
Gavriel chuckles- a low, gravelly, unpractised rumble.
Argent: "You'll have to excuse me. 'magical bomb' tends to take precedence over 'farmland'."
Jnezdie closes one of his eyes (it's the wrong one) and sets himself into a faux-growly voice. "'My ear is not a gysahl greens.'"
Jack‘ shakes his head.
Jnezdie turns and is, for some unexplained reason, walking stiffly as though he was mocking Gav’s walk too (even though he walks nothing like that).
Argent surveys the area, trying to check the viability of an ambush point. If this place IS that volatile, getting something to ride would be great for expediency
Gavriel is -trying- to get ahold of himself, damn it, but Jnezdie keeps ruining his composure! .|
JayM: Hardly you'd be able to make an ambush for those birds, you realize now that the paths they're running are… Paths, literally. That is probably an exercise track for them
Argent 's eyes narrow in frustration. "bah, the birds are probably farmed as well."
Jack: "That is… entirely what I was getting at earlier, you silly bunny!"
Jack: "Relax!"
Argent: "I would request you do -not- refer to me in that manner."
Argent grumbles before walking on their planned route again.
Jack‘ bows slightly toward Argent.
Gavriel rolls his eye. Ethereals or no, he can’t help but approve of their chocobo handling, at least on whatever farm they're passing through.
And eventually you get to continue heading… Somewhere. A little more walking and you realize this place is at least decently signalled. You see the farmhouses, they are intricately fused with the surroundings. And you see your off mage working on the fields, toiling. It's unusual, the mages are as often wielding spells of water and earth to move the soil and tend to the plants as they
JayM: are using their arms and legs to carve open the earth and sow seed. As often using wind and time to harvest fruit and wheat as they're using scythe and their backs.
JayM: Those are probably the most physically apt mages you've ever met
Argent notes that
makes sense given the place is primed to blow up given any excess of magic
There is visibly not different 'farms' here, but rather a single, giant superstructure that makes as best usage of space as possible (here and there you notice, a tiny bit of char-black metal… Did they build this over a ruin?). It is also odd walking in this place, everything is… Highly reactive to your actions, the ground the plants the wind- Everything seems to exert force back,
JayM: nothing seems to be agressive, however
Jack‘ offers a friendly wave to anyone they pass by!
Jnezdie: "Gotta say, they’re civic planners are on point." He smiles, waves at anyone that gives 'em the time of day.
[OOC] Jnezdie: *their
Gavriel raises an eyebrow, glancing from side to side, admitting curiosity. Seems they -did- realise how ruinous the excess of magic would be for the land, after all. …proper. Well-designed. A few improvements he's sure a Material engineer could suggest, here and there-
And as you walk you notice that the farmhands ignore you, as you come closer to the center of town where housing and storehouses are kept you hear them talking to eachother. Crops are failing, the health spells on the chocobos and silverbacks (large felines, a variation of cuar, often kept for their milk) are turning spoiled, the time spells speeding the crops are faltering and at cases
JayM: slowing down or downright stopping. The place seems to be falling apart
Gavriel frowns, brow furrowing. He could have told them something like this would probably happen. With a few irrigation channels, modern upgrades to the chocobo and silverback pens-
Argent admits to being impressed with the efficiency of spatial use here…she's nowhere near as outgoing and friendly as the Transcients. "(…Looks like magic isn't the most reliable thing either.)" she comments to herself again as she listens to the ongoing conversations idly.
That all reaches it's epitome when you get closer to the center of town, where a veritable mob (for mage standard, which is about a third of what it'd be down south) is raging about the failing magicka which keeps this place up. At the center of this mob is… A stern and strong-looking ronso woman, her brown fur starting to fade in color from excess sun exposure, it appear that she was,
JayM: in fact, TRYING to give a speech but the unruly mob started to overshout her
Jnezdie: "(Looks like we picked a bad season.)"
Jack: "I'm sure we'll be able to lend a helping hand somehow!"
Ronso: "YES, THE CITY IS FALLING APART! I WILL NOT KEEP THAT FROM YOU" she shouts over their voices, a strong throat i'd say "WE HAVE LOST OUR SUPPLY OF MAGICITE TO POWER THE GROWTH SPELLS, THE WESTERN MINES WERE BESET BY BEASTS AND ONLY NOW THE ARMY RETAKES THEM. NO WE WILL NOT HOLD OUT UNTIL THE SUPPLY RESTARTS SO WE WILL HAVE TO RELY ON THE EARTH-BLOOD RITUAL"
Gavriel frowns, crossing his arms.
Argent: "Should we, really? These aren't our problems, and they're not exactly violent in natokay that may just be me but any ritual with 'blood' in the name is something I'd be wary of."
JayM: At the last words, which were as much roared in anger as they were shouted, the people silence, and she returns to a more calm tone of voice. She looks each and every person over "There is no worries, we already have a volunteer. Continue your jobs, see that you squeeze every last drop of mana out of your spells, every last drop of sweat out of your bodies. We have a country to feed,
JayM: regardless of what happens "
Jnezdie: "Like that's stopped us before."
Ronso: "I WILL have this under control, so do not worry"
She turns around, her earth-brown robes swirling around her (they're muddied and patched, they're likely work robes) her carved-wood staff held elegantly in her left hand, she walks away with the pride and sureness that only the Ronso know
Jack: "Hmph. That's what Heroes DO, Argent! We solved all those problems in the Fortress that had nothing to do with us, did we not? Do you truely wish to see all these people starve…?!"
JayM: The mob left behind whisper dreadly
Sarah: "That looked omnious…"
Argent: "I solved those problems because that was the best way to earn the commander's favor."
Jnezdie: "'s got some weight to her words, yeah."
Gavriel: "…Sarah. Do you know anything about- what she mentioned."
Sarah: "I wouldn't know…"
Argent: "We help her, she helps us get across, give and take."
Argent: "I'm no hero. I never claimed to be one."
About now, Argent feels a light tug on her left leg… Something- Somebody. Not even tall enough to reach her waist yet… A tiny Ronso girl, a dirty pink dress, she looks up at Argent "They're going to hurt Kina…"
Jnezdie: "We -can- just give, y'know. A'int whatcha' call it
'zero sum.' That's somethin' fancy for 'be excellent to people.'"
Argent quirks an eyebrow. "…I take it Kina's the 'volunteer' for this Earth Blood ritual?"
The little girl nods, she's holding back tears "Please… Help my sister…"
Gavriel flicks an ear at Jnezdie. Those are words years and years of Rorest burned out of him, or so he thought - he kneels on the ground next to the Ronso girl, so his head's closer to her level. Gently, "Where is she?"
Girl: "I don't know… Can you find her?"
Argent grits her teeth in frustration. DAMN IT, they got sidetracked enough from the issue as is, and there's still the lingering issue of the Heir. "…Sarah, how's our timeframe on this matter?"
Sarah: "Hum… We are not on any tight schedule, actually…"
Sarah: "We have a lot of time if we need it!"
Gavriel does glance back to Sarah- their actions, or at least Gavriel's actions, are an extension of her own. And this -isn't- their problem- even so, there are solutions that admit not of thaumaturgy, he's sure of it. "Where did you see her last, what happened?"
Jnezdie nods, letting Gavriel be the papa wolf.
Girl: "I don't know… We were home, those men came and took her…"
Girl: "She went with them, she said she wasn't going to come back…"
Gavriel glances back to the girl- "-if -anyone- can help, it's us. We're- not from around here and we do things a little differently. But we'll find her, okay?"
The girl nods "Thank you, mister big silverback!"
Jnezdie smiles softly, watching the scene.
Argent: "Well, let's start looking then. I should be able to figure a few things out here," Argent comments to herself
Jnezdie: "We're on the job," he asides to the party. "I suppose we should find out more about the ritual, first."
Gavriel can't help himself and grins at her description, a little, despite the gravity of the situation. "My name's Gavriel, okay?" He stands, slowly, nodding at Argent, at Jnezdie- looking around for the Ronso elder. Probably it's too late to catch her, but-
JayM: She already walked away
Girl: "I'm Mimi!"
JayM: There are two ways to go about this. Either you can research up this ritual and figure out where it should be held with a Learning [TN 6] check or look around and simply try to figure out where the sister was taken to and where she is right now, which would require an Insight [TN 7] check, but that is likely to arouse suspicion about you if you're not cautious
Gavriel nods gravely. Frowns. In the direction she walked in, is there anything- any buildings of obvious significance - hn.
JayM: Nooope, she just went to a different direction- Town hall actually is probably over there, the biggest building
[OOC] Jnezdie: I vote for info gathering first
[OOC] Jack: got to gather info before any dramatic reveals can be made!
[OOC] Argent: Argent votes for just heading straight to the source
[OOC] Gavriel: gather info, I'd rather not cause a Diplomatic Incident.
Jnezdie has a knack for overhearing good conversations. [Lucky: Scholastic]
Jack‘ sighs slightly, then rubs at his chin. "Well then! Time to learn about this ritual, so that we may circumvent it!" [Aptitude, Trick]
Jack` rolled 2d8 and got 2, 8 ( Total: 10 ) **
d8+1: 6 [Total: 7.0 (High), Avg: 6.00]
Also rolled 4#d8(1) and got 7 [Total: 7 (High), Avg: 7.00]
Also rolled 4#d8(2) and got 4 [Total: 4 (Low), Avg: 4.00]
Also rolled 4#d8(3) and got 5 [Total: 5 (High), Avg: 5.00]
Also rolled 4#d8(4) and got 4 [Total: 4 (Low), Avg: 4.00]
Total: 37.0, Avg: 5.14
Argent still feels that the best way to deal with the ritual would be to snatch the person straight out from where they’re being heldrequiring a bit more stealth than usual given the circumstances, but it'd be doable.[no pre-roll]
It takes a fair bit of walking around and checking until you come up with exactly the best place to research- The local library. A bit of protocol, library cards for all, but Gav has to hide his face for now. You make your way in and start looking at books, nothing seems to come up at first, or even at second, but…
Argent doesn't enjoy reading about magical stuff. It shows.
It takes not just finding the right book, but finding the right books, there is nothing in any earth-blood ritual but there are various books detailing the city construction and history. This city seems to date back to before foundation of the kingdom itself. It's basis had already been laid since then. The city is in essence a large magical circle which can amplify power, and over
JayM: time they have built and expanded as to add to the functionality of such. The city thrives by means of feeding energy to it by magicite, energy which is amplified and used in a various semi-autonomous and self-maintained spells which maintain health of crop and beast as well as greatly accelerate their growth
Argent: "Well, that explains why this place is poised to blow up."
This is where it gets interesting, there are also a fair few books (all of which are in a restricted session you sneak on, and are literally sealed with lock, each book, but a little bit of force and you bend the lock and can open it) which depict ancient ritual spells which involve living sacrifices to give the caster terrible powers. Generally this is what anyone would call "dark magic" ,
JayM: or "evil magic" , really. Although a bit of cross-referencing and you find out that the circle which the city forms has a few points in common with the spell circles used in such rituals
Gavriel frowns deeply- the whole time he's reading, he's looking for augmentations that could be made to the system, irrigation, sanitation- anything that could reduce the utter reliance on magical power. "Ground as soaked with blood as any battlefield…"
Argent handles breaking the locks, mainly.
Jnezdie: "Hmm…" He's got three books open and a headband on
concentrating!
Argent: "Yeah, Rorest sounds better at this rate, doesn't it."
A note falls from one of the books (a particularly grim ritual which required something like a maiden pure of heart to be sacrificed in such a terrible manner). In the note is written "Resonance effect? Prototypical purity. Artificial execution- Non-standard purity?"
Gavriel: "…what does this mean in words that weren't made up on the spot to describe a process the writer did not understand thoroughly."
JayM: The note trails off, and there is a light trace on the book too. Yep, Jnezdie, whoever wrote this note wrote that final question mark and ran as if they were ready to run in the streets naked shouting "Eureka!"
Jnezdie: "Huh…"
JayM: (it was somewhat interesting when your neighbor did that, Jnezdie. Good thing she was hot, too)
Jack: "HOnestly you two should complain more. It's very helpful." Jack half snarls under his breath while glances through some of the various notes.
Jnezdie nods as he regards the note. Good times.
Sarah: "… Uhn? Resonance effect? Hrm…"
Jnezdie: "This's somethin' important, that's for true."
Argent: "You know something about this, Sarah?"
Gavriel bites something back, turning to Sarah instead.
Jnezdie: "Still not entirely sure what it means…"
JayM: Regardless, given the cross-referencing of the spellcircles, there is only one place where the ritual COULD take place. Eastern side of town… Nothing there but a large stretch of rice
Argent eyerolls at the yeti, paying his words no more heed than her usual display of irritation
Sarah: "N-not really!" she makes face "I really bombed at magic theory at highschool but that sounds familiar"
Jnezdie: "Well, we've got an idea of where the EARTH-BLOOD RITUAL-" he states, in a mock dramatic voice "- is gonna be held."
Jack‘ scratches the side of his face. "If I recall correct, I believe the note uis trying to state that they discovered a method to trick the spell into thinking it had the necessary purity needed, without it actually being extracted from a person proper."
Jnezdie: "That’s a … start, kinda."
Gavriel blinks at Jack. That was- that was helpful. He nods. "…thank you. And- it's a start, yes."
Jnezdie: "Yeah. Non-standard purity's gotta count as purity anyway, eh?"
Argent: "anyway, we have an idea of where to go. High-speed extraction procedure should work for now from here."
Jack: "It most certianly would not."
Jnezdie: "Well, naw, not really. We kinda got a bigger problem."
Jack: "Avoiding the problem is not the same as solving it!"
Jnezdie: "We get her outta there, then it's just someone else who's on the business end of the ritual."
Jack: "All y0ou would do it send the town into a frenzied panic which would result in another poor soul being forced into this position, rtaher than having a volunteer."
Jnezdie: "I get the feelin' the Ethereals kinda forgot— or just never knew— of what this person" He waves the hand note " knew, or figured out, or whatever."
Argent: "I agreed to save the girl, not to solve the issues that the town dug itself into." Argent eyerolls.
Jack‘ slams the book he’d been reading shut and puts it back on the shelf. "Correct. And to that end, we ought to go have a civilized discussion with the Ronso woman in charge to bring these details to light."
Jnezdie nods. "Gonna bring this book it fell out of too, but I get the idea the paper might do it all." Takes the note.
Jack: "If you've no desire to see the world a better place through your actions then so be it, but I believe Ms. Sarah and the rest of us do."
Gavriel nods to Jack. "…I think there are things- more long-term plans- they could do to maintain their operations, as well. There are- other options than this. She was desperate, she saw that people would starve-" -he stands. "…sometimes, all it takes is another set of eyes."
Sarah: "If we can find a long term solution… I'd like it…"
Argent: "So be it. I'm not enthusiastic about having to branch out to social reform, personally, but if Sarah prefers it, I won't get in the way."
JayM: Well, you know where the ritual will be held
Jack: "Perhaps I've imagined dept of character where there was none. Regardless." Jack straighten his cravat and smooths his hair back before moving out of the library.
Jnezdie: "Hey, beatin' up bandits is like social reform, too. Social justice and whatnot!"
Gavriel glances at Jack and Jnezdie. They and their homeland are -proof- that this sort of thing is possible- the true artificer will work with any of the tools at his disposal, after all. There's got to be a way to solve this for good, but in the meantime, they've someone to save, and he heads towards the ritual ground.
Argent: "Stop trying to paint me as a hero. I've said it before, I'm not one and I've never desired to be one." Argent eyerolls as she starts out.
The path there, after you enter the rice patch is… Surprisingly devoid of anyone getting in your way. This place is as far out of reach as possible, and there is little to no reason to come here unless it's harvest time, which is far from here
Jnezdie: "There's only one thing that defines one's future— and their person— for sure!"
Jnezdie: "Their actions!"
Sarah smiles at Argent "Where I come from, you'd be called a Hero wish you or not" she looks forward again "Mostly because you're travelling with this group, regardless of why"
Argent: "Sounds like I'd have a good deal of unwanted attention then."
Gavriel tromps along the path, smelling the bloodthirsty air.
As you get closer to the ritual site, there is a clearing in the rice fields… Giving you just enough time to get your feet off of the water, you meet a pack of silverback cuars, eight of them… They might be cattle, mostly bred for their milk and sometimes meat, but that doesn't means they stopped being predator cats. And those ones seem pretty keen on preying on you
JayM: Or, well- They're farm-bred, you're not sure if they know what hunting really is like. So it's likely you could get through them with a simple Animal Handling [TN 6] check
Jnezdie: "I don't think the 'yell comically' routine will work on these guys. But I know a thing or two." [Aptitude: Wilderness]
Gavriel got mistaken for a really big silverback once already. Let's see if he can go for an encore performance. [Aptitude: Wilderness]
Argent seems to have a knack for dealing with animals, as seldom as it comes up. [Lucky:Wilderness]
Jack‘ rolled 2#d8+1(1) and got 2 ( Total: 3.0 )
Also rolled 2#d8+1(2) and got 5 [Total: 6.0 (High), Avg: 5.00]
Also rolled 4#d8(1) and got 3 [Total: 3 (Low), Avg: 3.00]
Also rolled 4#d8(2) and got 3 [Total: 3 (Low), Avg: 3.00]
Also rolled 4#d8(3) and got 5 [Total: 5 (High), Avg: 5.00]
Also rolled 4#d8(4) and got 1 [Total: 1 (Min), Avg: 1.00]
Total: 21.0, Avg: 3.17
JayM: Wow, [1/3]
JayM: Any post-rolls?
Argent: Scrape By, if need be
Jnezdie: "Hmm…no, it was more like…" [Trained: Animal Handling]
[OOC] Gavriel: I’ve got Reliable
Argent: Oh wait.
Jack‘ rolled d8+1 and got 6 ( Total: 7.0 )
JayM: That is more or less [2/3]
JayM: Next?
[OOC] Jnezdie: use reliable
Jack` rolled d10 and got 1 ( Total: 1 )
JayM: :/
[OOC] Jnezdie: argent you’re up for joat I think
JayM: That sucked
[OOC] Argent: Can I try Jacking one of the +1s?
JayM: What else?
JayM: (one of them failed, yes)
[OOC] Jack: they all passed so now
[OOC] Argent: yeah, Jacking it then.
Argent rolled 1d6+1 and got 5 ( Total: 6.0 )
Gavriel groooowwwwls. Alpha silverback! Except that didn't really work either argh. These suckers are persistent!
[OOC] JayM: One of the +1s rolled a 2, Jack.
[OOC] Argent: That…seems to have passed.
[OOC] Argent: Oh, wait
Argent: (…ffff))
[OOC] Argent: No, I see what Jack means
[OOC] JayM: ?
[OOC] JayM: I'm lost now
[OOC] Argent: the Trained hit the non-passing +1
[OOC] JayM: Oh
[OOC] JayM: … Someone sum up to me what happened, i'm confused ~_~
[OOC] Argent: There's two +1s. One of them passed on the first roll. Jnezdie used Trained on the non-passing +1
[OOC] Jack: There were two +1s. One passed the firts go round. The second was used with the trained reroll, which also passed. So there was no +1 to borrow for Argetns' JoaT or Gav's Reliable
[OOC] Argent: That.
[OOC] JayM: Oh, right
[OOC] Argent: In such a case, I see only one recourse
[OOC] Gavriel: and the JOAT reroll rolled a 5 :<
[OOC] Argent: Scrape By:Wilderness
It takes a… Fair bit of work to get them to stop thinking you're prey. Ultimately it takes something unexpected to happen… After a while trying to get them to be friendly, one of them takes to licking Argent, and kind of accepts being petted- And for some reason they all seem to start liking Argent and you're vastly unsure why, but something in Argent also makes her unusually happy
JayM: to just be there petting all of those big cats- And that very same thing somehow reminds her of her own birthplace, which most likely triggers a bad reaction. But the cats are pretty unwilling to let her go!
Takes doing something somewhat frustrating up next… To actually extricate herself from them, she ends up having to leave something with her smell behind, namely, the Armor she's currently wearing.
JayM: You've made it through without battle, but now you've permanently lost whatever Argent had equipped in her Armor slot
Jack: "…Gahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
JayM: She probably will need a while to recompose herself and rearmor or at least reshirt herself
Argent: "Shut. Up."
Argent still has her hat, at least
Argent looks -pissed- right now.
Jnezdie shakes his head. "Yeah I don't see what they see in her eithe" he cuts himself short as he picks up on how deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeply pissed she is. He's used to her 'normal' pissed by now, but this?
Gavriel turns the other way, graciously.
Jack‘ is still snickering to himself, but continues to tromp forward as she takes a moment to recompose herself.
Argent: "Count your blessings that we’re on a magical bomb." Argent growls as she recomposes herself.
Argent: and rearmors.
Jnezdie lets it drop, nodding quietly as he moves.
As you head up towards the place- You hit a small road made of cobblestone, large wooden archways, square, frame the pathway. As you lead your way it turns into a stairwell leading a fair ways upwards… You see far ahead that Ronso from before, just reaching the top of the incline and heading further, she looks solemn, wearing a blood-red robe with a floral pattern, holding her staff
JayM: cerimoniously with both hands. As you head upwards two mages, a human man looking far into his passes, faded-pink hair, his matrix eye kept closed, and a Viera wearing a mask of wood, carved without a single expression, her ears at attention despite the white starting to spread throught the fur in them, her hair far less silver far more white, step into your way, and stay silent, blocking.
JayM: The human has a solemn, but deeply sad expression
JayM: You could try to force them out of the way gently enough not to cause anything dangerous with a Strength [TN 8] check if you really must, or you could try to be diplomatic with a Charm [TN 4] check
Argent would prefer to be forceful. Largely because she is in a nigh-murderous rage right now
Jnezdie: "Hey. We bring word that should be considered, before anythin' sour has to happen, yeah? I know you feel me on this, I can see it on your face." [Dependable:Mental][Lucky:Mental]
Argent is being held back by Gavriel from simply throwing the man aside at this rate. [No reels]
Jack: "Hello! My name is Jack, and these are my traveling companions Jnezdie, Gavriel, Sarah, and Argent likes to claim she's not /really/ with us and is just protecting the maiden. Ah, I'm rambling. In any event we have pressing information that we need to share with your chief as soon as possible, as it may save a life!" [Weighted Results]
Gavriel would feel that a nigh-murderous rage is precisely the -wrong- time to be forceful; his own expression is fairly solemn, and he gently blocks Argent from getting in the way of the silver-tongued talky people. [No reels]
Jack‘ rolled d12 and got 10 ( Total: 10 )
d10: 3 [Total: 3 (Low), Avg: 3.00]
Also rolled 3#d8(1) and got 7 [Total: 7 (High), Avg: 7.00]
Also rolled 3#d8(2) and got 2 [Total: 2 (Low), Avg: 2.00]
Also rolled 3#d8(3) and got 6 [Total: 6 (High), Avg: 6.00]
d6: 6 [Total: 6 (High), Avg: 6.00]
Total: 34, Avg: 5.67
The two look between eachother, and the human looks at Jnezdie, opening his eye, he looks at the party "Are you the miracle we’ve been waiting for? She demands no interruption, but i've long since learned to read her heart…" the two step aside "If you would stop her, without killing us all…"
Jnezdie: "Thanks. I know it took a lot to step aside like that."
JayM: It sure did, Jnez, it did
Jnezdie: "But so long as it's servin' somethin' you know you can believe in
you're doin' the right thing." He pats the guy on the shoulder and starts up the stairs.
Argent: "…" Rage. Pure rage.
Jack: "There's hardly ever a real reason for anyone to need to die, my good man."
Heading up, you end up in what looks like an unusually serene shrine… Pink leaves fall from the nearby trees, a sort you've never seen before (those more learned, those are cherry trees, somehow in full blossom despite not being the proper season). And ahead of you is the ronso woman, standing before an altar, staring at it intently… She is alone, her staff raised, in thought
Jack: "HELLO!" Jack bellows somewhat louder than normal.
Jnezdie winces at the bellow.
The Ronso turns around, a stern and angry face stares at you "Who interrupts me?"
Jnezdie: "Just what you're focusin' about- a miracle."
JayM: "Miracles do not exist"
Jnezdie: "You learn somethin' new every day. I'm Jnezdie."
Ronso: "And what miracle do you expect to perform, mister Jnezdie?"
Jack: "I am Jack."
Gavriel bows to her, slowly, showing his hands to show that he's unarmed- smiling softly and letting Jnezdie speak, for the moment.
Jnezdie: "First, is we're gonna help you not do somethin' you're gonna regret."
Jack‘ swings his lute around and waves a hand over the wooden pick before picking at a single string - strangly it sounds like a light drum roll.
Argent neither bows nor speaks. Not that showing that she’s unarmed would help, given what she's managed to do without weapons.
Ronso: "Regret is something I will, one way or another. What do you believe you are helping me not do, mister Jnezdie?"
Jnezdie: "Does it matter?"
Ronso: "What matters is what you will do now"
Ronso: "Either you will allow me to continue, or you will remove yourself from here"
Jnezdie: "But if it's somethin' that two others stepped aside in hopes that we could be your miracle, and that you'd hear us out- it's special."
Jnezdie: "What do you know about 'purity'?"
Ronso: "Purity… Is relative. Purity exists only in regards to what you taint. Something could be pure for one objective and impure for another"
Jnezdie: "Good words, yeah."
Jnezdie: "Tell me a bit more about what's gonna go down about the ritual. We may know somethin' that'll help."
Ronso: "A soul filled with purity of purpose will be sacrificed. The energy brought from within this maiden's soul will be fed to the earth, and the pillars which sustain the life in this kingdom will be held fast by a crutch, until they can be mended again"
Ronso: "Do you dream of a solution, Elvaan? Do you bring a solution? What do you seek to do?"
Jnezdie: "Well, yeah. I'm thinkin' that you could pull a fast one on the principles of purity. 'snot impossible."
The Ronso closes her eyes "So you have been doing your homework, stranger"
Jnezdie: "Aw, I know I don't look it."
Ronso: "Purity, artificial, unusual purity. The purity which every ancient sacrifice ritual requirs is innocence"
Ronso: "Yet, simple purity of purpose is enough. Noblesse Oblige will do me good enough"
Argent: "(Perhaps if the founders hadn't fucked the place up ages ago, and you people aren't so obsessed with magically accelerating everything, you wouldn't have to resort to this crap.)" Argent mutters to herself.
Jack‘ starts strumming the drum roll, waves a hand over the wooden box, then starts to play a light, almost bubbly sound sond with full major chords with quick moving single notes interspread between them.
Ronso: "Obssessed with accelerating everything?" she looks at Argent "Have you seen the size of the farmlands? Do you believe all of this could feed an entire kingdom? We have but a fifth of the land to feed all those I have pledged to. Here we hold little to no choice but offer our blood and soul to the land so that our people may survive another day"
Gavriel rests a hand on Argent’s shoulder, briefly. "And then what? When they don't have you anymore to take care of them and make sure they're following the right path?"
Ronso: "Little do I care for what the ones who came before me did or why. Everything must work"
Jack: "Don't mind her much madam, she's a grumpy guss even when in good mood - much less after being covered in cats!"
Argent glares. "Then convert more of it. I've seen the damn place, there's so much of it empty out there I'm surprised it hasn't been used. There aren't even -roads- out here."
Ronso: "I stand at a crossroads. I have at my grasp more than a handful of maidens who'd offer their lives with joy for this. But to allow them, I am not strong enough, that would rob me of my ability to lead"
Jnezdie: "We're gettin' a little off track, yeah?"
Jack‘ taps his foot on the ground a few times.
Ronso: "That will not solve the immediate problem. Our reserves of food were raided, our reserves of magicite vanished, our lifeline of energy ravaged"
Ronso: "I am left with no choice"
Jnezdie: "Fill me in a bit about ’noblesse oblige.' I'm a miracle worker, not a dictionary."
Sarah fidgets… She looks for something amongst her things
Argent growls in irritation. Oh, Ultima, how she wanted to punch someone right now.
Ronso: "Noblesse Oblige. The duty of the nobles, to lead their people, to guard them and serve them and, if need be, to lay their lives for them"
Gavriel watches the Ronso, quietly, taking a step back- Jnezdie's got this. He glances at Argent, reassuringly. This is how it's done- this is how the battle will be finally won. He sees it, now.
Ronso: "Tell me, miracle worker. I have found how to eschew the sacrifice of an innocent. I need this energy now, and not after, we need the food and cannot wait. What do you suggest?"
Jnezdie: "Soul's worth of energy, right? Hmm…"
Jack‘ taps his foot a few more times, rocking his head back and forth as he thinks. The voplume of the snog he’s playing seems to increase as he does so, then laughs. "A harvest festival!"
Ronso: "A festival, Yeti?"
Jack: "Indeed! What more purity could the land itself need, than a town full of people whom work it dailing showing their respect, love and appreciate for the bountry that the land provides them!"
Ronso: "A soul holds far more energy within it than thirty passes worth of magicite mined, far more energy within it than any mage could hole to garner purely with mana"
The Ronso closes her eyes "If that worked… If only…"
Jack: "Surely a soul in motion can generate far more energy than a stagnet and removed one!"
Jnezdie: "(Well, see, I got another idea— but it a'int mine to give.)"
Gavriel shakes his head. "There's got to be another way. The people need you, Kina. …your sister needs you." He glances up, meets her eyes.
The Ronso scols at Gavriel "That name is only for my sister to use. Mine name is Kielle Nastava Estinne"
Sarah: "Oh-" she scuttle over to Gavriel "(Gavriel… I remembered what the Resonance Theory is… It's the resonance of the energy of the soul with the 'spirit' of that around it which generates energy… But that is… It's so much energy, the resonating soul can't resist it, and is destroyed in the process…)"
Sarah: "(It's not the same as a sacrifice, but kills the user anyway…"
Ronso: "Do you believe I haven't tried, Yeti? I am at the end of my wits, so are my scholars. I can grant you one Pass, if you truly believe you can make it work"
Kielle: "But I cannot delay this any longer"
Argent: "Your sister's concern was the reason we're here now." Argent spits out, rage at least focused. "Noblesse Oblige or no, she will end up embittered by this at best."
Argent: "Trust me, the -last- thing you'd want her to end up as is anything remotely resembling me."
Jack: "I believe you've not tried when also attempting to enjoy yourself, which, thugh I may me mistaken, is probably a key point in duping the spell into thinking is has the right energy it needs! Do not be so grim!"
Gavriel bows his head. "I did not mean to give offense. It's- the name she gave us, when she begged us to find you." He shakes his head, glancing towards Sarah. "(That doesn't help us, though, does it? Unless the energy could be siphoned off, distributed…)"
Sarah: "(I have one… One last resort I can try, if what Jack wants to try fails… But if we keep that in mind maybe… We can help him succeed)"
Jack: "An audience can feel when a performer does not put his heart into his act - I would wager anything that your spell is much the same way!"
Kielle steps in your direction, serious, perhaps wrathful "One Pass for you to try, Bard"
Kielle walks past you… At the very least she needs to get somewhere she can take off her stern mask and cry for a while before she can continue talking
JayM: This, for this i'm asking a Charm/Spiritual [TN 7] check
Jack‘ slams a hand down no an especialyl loud cord as he lokos up to the sky. "What say you, music in the air?!"
Jnezdie: "See, now I wish I had the cart."
Gavriel certainly isn’t going to stop her.
Jack: "- We really ought to actually get one of those yes, haha."
Argent: "Oh SHUT UP ABOUT THE FUCKING CART." [No pre-roll]
Jnezdie: "This is gonna require some body glitter and glow-in-the-dark paints. No time for highlights."
Jack: "Come then! We've a crowd to gather my fine fellows! Remember to keep a smile on your face, but more importantly, in your hearts! Believe that everythign will work out for the better - no frowning or being glum!"
Argent: "Just tell me where the nearest bar is."
Sarah takes a deep breath, and puts a hand on Argent's shoulder "(Argent… Believe in it. When souls unite, there is no stronger power. I don't mean to be cheesy, but it's a fact)" she scoots away before Argent can snap at her, however
Gavriel follows after Jack. He probably won't be able to perform his pyrotechnics, this time- but he'll find Mimi, and tell her to gether all of her friends, and all their parents, and- everyone she can find! [MORE FUCKING NOTHING]
Jnezdie: "Damn if my voice a'int gonna get a workout. I'll probably be all kinds o' raspy next Pass, but it'll be worth it."
Jack‘ spins around, gradually shifitng his song into somethign less bubbly and more festive-y as he goes to spread the word and gather people! Well, it’ll work out somehow. [Aptitudex2] [Trick] [Lucky]
Jnezdie dresses up, shirt partway open, paints applied along his silver Elvaan patterns so that he literally glows along the lines. With cuffs flared and body ready, he's perched atop the highest building. "KEIRANKA! WE ARE TROUPE ESTRELA PRATA!"
Jnezdie: "THERE IS A HOPE! THERE IS A MIRACLE! YOU'VE WORKED TO THE BONE, AND CRIED YOUR TEARS TO THE LAND!"
Jnezdie: "YOU NEED NOT CRY BLOOD- ONLY YOU CAN BRING THIS LAND ALIVE— FOR IT LIVES! LIVES, WEAKLY- AS THE HEART OF THE LAND, YOU MUST BEAT-!" His hand shoots up at Jack's rhythm.
A veritably large crowd gathers around- You feel- This might as well be the whole city!
Jnezdie [Dependable: Mental][Lucky:Mental][Lucky: Scholastic?]
Jack‘ rolled 2d10 and got 6, 6 ( Total: 12 )
Also rolled 2#d8+1(1) and got 2 [Total: 3.0 (Low), Avg: 2.00]
Also rolled 2#d8+1(2) and got 5 [Total: 6.0 (High), Avg: 5.00]
Total: 21.0, Avg: 4.75
Jack` rolled 4#d8(1) and got 2 ( Total: 2 )
Also rolled 4#d8(2) and got 4 [Total: 4 (Low), Avg: 4.00]
Also rolled 4#d8(3) and got 2 [Total: 2 (Low), Avg: 2.00]
Also rolled 4#d8(4) and got 4 [Total: 4 (Low), Avg: 4.00]
Total: 12, Avg: 3.00
[OOC] Jnezdie: that is amazingly shitty
[OOC] Jnezdie: Wow.
[OOC] JayM: I need assistance to Parse results… I’m not sure that worked out at all
[OOC] Jnezdie: [Dependable: Mental][Reliable:Scholastic]
[OOC] Jack: okay we can still do get this gemme a sec. ti's 0/4 right now though
[OOC] Jnezdie: julian basically think gof the worst thing that could happen
[OOC] JayM: Ahaha
Jack‘ rolled 2d10 and got 4, 1 ( Total: 5 ) for Trained first**
[OOC] Jack: okay then that means we can’t do this the easy way!
Jack‘ scowls slightly. "LISTEN UP! THERE IS NO NEED FOR ANYONE TO DIE FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW! HERE US! IF YOU COME TOGETHER AS ONE - OFFER YOUR FEELINGS OF LOVE AND APPRECIATE FOR THIS LAND THAT SUSTAINS YOU - IT WILL BE ENOUGH! BUT YOU MUST GATHER AND HAVE LOVE IN YOUR HEARTS! I WILL PLAY UNTIL IT IS MADE SO, EVEN IF I PLAY STRAIGHT FOR AN ENTIRE PASS, EVEN IF MY
Jack` EQUIPMENT IT DESTROYED, YOU HAVE MY WORD! BELIEVE AND LVOE! " [Scrape By]
And the song begins! People aren’t happy at first, they're desperate, angry, they don't believe you outsiders in the least and much less in the power of love, what the hell is that? But you play, and you sing. With all of your heart, all of your soul, and there is nothing which will stop you from working a miracle today! And your song echoes as people move away, uninterested… They return
JayM: to their work but, something, something within them doesn't lets them work- The tap their feet to your song, they nod their heads- Slowly, sneakily, the song enters into their hearts, their souls, as they starts to sing together. And soon…
Argent: "…the fucking hell. I can hear you from here." Argent mutters. "Bad enough that even Sarah's convinced this world works on the very principles of a third-rate adventure novel…"
Soon even the party's most grumpy and tunless members start singing too, soon enough everything, eevryone, the air the land the plants the beasts everything is together in harmony as they can as the feeling of love and joy spreads like a virus, like the music enters souls living and not as if it were an intruder bringing forth happyness. All which listen, all of Keiranka and frankly even
JayM: the cities nearby listen, and you have the strangest feeling, the strangest feeling the entire world, even so the goddesses and the very water around you is singing
Argent is perhaps most perplexed, that hearing only she has, that hearing which avails her often and not, the song too permeates that layer of creation, echoing like a grandious energy until she too can't help but sing together, more out of reflex and instinct and-
Argent ends up being caught up in the instinctual reaction to tune into her hearing. And this is indeed a big WHAT THE FUCK moment for her, yes.
And you play so long, more than a single Pass, and your instruments break and wither but you do not realize that instead in their place violet water gathers, strings of water gifted by the land to you. And the souls around you are one and the same and the land flourishes and grows! The plants suddenly grow to their largest, flowers blossom and crops are ready to harvest, and the workers
JayM: move as if dancing and soon the crops are had, you hold no more the meaning of time in your minds as there is but the song and energy, so much, so much energy, bursting through every pore!
Gavriel is far enough from Argent- thankfully- kneeling on the ground, eye level with Mimi and the other kids who've stayed with her, after he gathered them all- hoped, with her- believing, not in magic, not in this system that doesn't work, but in Jack and Jnezdie, and the idea that things can change here, be better- he's not got much of a singing voice, but he's singing off-key along with
Gavriel the children, a bass rumble.
JayM: And when you are done, and this season's harvest is done within two Passes… Jack, you've voice is all but gone, your fingers nearly destroyed, and you feel your body is not your own any longer, you feel outside of it. Broken, battered, as if you've spent that which you had not, and threaded on lands you were never meant to. Your body falls to the ground, dead or passed out you cannot
JayM: know, all you know is that for you, it's like watching everything from above
JayM: And for the others, you lay all but dead on the ground
Jnezdie is lying… somewhere. He's been running all over this place to rouse people, who knows where he ended up.
Jack‘ glances down as the song almost absurpt ends, blinking in suprises as he stares at his fingers. Hoarsely he mumbles, "Hah! When didd it breka and turn to water? Oh, well!" Then promptly collapses.
Kiella is… Dumbfounded, a stupid grin in her face- Until she sees Jack collapsing. She was with the crowd (they actually loved the performance). She runs over, to see how Jack is. Sarah too runs as fast as her legs will take her, she’d been off to the side, watching amazed (of all, she was the only one whose song sounded… Different), until now. Now she's distressed
Argent is lying on the floor, wondering what the hell just happened, and why she inexplicably broke into song for the last Pass. And now is being nuzzled by a Silverback.
Jack‘ then wonders if he’s usually fully aware of when he's passed out from exaugstino, but isn't entirely certasin that's ever happened before and has no frame of reference for it. How very curious! He hums to himself, somehow knowing that people are gathered around him and attempted to wave thme off dismissively. Oh, right. Passed out. Hmm.
Gavriel dirtnapped right in the middle of all of the kids. :( Probably worrying them half to death, the big talking silverback passed out :(
The kids kind of shake Gavriel cutely!
Sarah gently shakes Jack "Jack? Jack?! N-no, this can't be a…"
Kiella stops beside him, kneeling down "Analyze…" she mutters, and checks him "This can't be… This doesn't makes much sense… No I can still…" he starts working with a healing spell on him, but to no effect
Sarah puts a hand over his forehead "Jack… No, of course it isn't… Your people can't do that, so i'm sure… You just need rest"
Kiella: "What do you think happened, woman?"
Sarah: "H-hum… He just strained too much and used some energy he wasn't really sure he had"
Argent: "mmmmfff…" Argent continues to be nuzzled by at least one of the silverback cuars as she remains largely passed out. Wait how'd those cats get out of their pen
Not just the cuars but pretty much the chocobos and also some other nearby wild animals- They seem intent on prodding Argent until she wakes up
Kiella: "A straight answer, woman. WHAT energy, if i'm going to heal him, I need to know"
Argent: "mmmmmfff…let me sleep…" Argent mutters, now at this point trying to keep her eyes closed.
Sarah: "A-ah… Same energy your Angelics use! It was, hum… What was the name you people gave to it… Glorious Angelic"
Kiella: "I see… That worked as a jumpstart, after that the festival worked by itself, mostly from what I could gleam… Yes, we CAN work with this, it will work as a decent safety measure… And if he… Overused his Angelic, if what i'm understanding is right, only Phoenix herself could hasten his healing"
Sarah: "Y-yeah, something like that!"
Gavriel opens his eye right into a wide-eyed Ronso kid, closes his eye again. Everything feels weird. It is not nearly time to be moving around and making reassuring mouth-noises yet. …he has a feeling that whatever they did worked, though…
Kiella hefts up Jack on her arms… Not before muttering a handful of strenghtening spells and cantrips "I'll get him somewhere better to rest…"
Argent: Not being left alone by the varied animals, her first response is simply a case of half-awake "…what."
JayM: Jack won't wake up for the next three Passes, though his disembodied conscience can certainly watch what occurs nearby his body. What are the others doing in the meantime?
Argent: "…WHAT THE HELL"
A Cuar nuzzles her as a chocobo tries to prod her standing "Kweh!"
Gavriel will… eventually haul his bones up. Then go check and make sure Sarah is okay and didn't do something ridiculous. Then find out about Jack and go double-check that he is in fact still breathing. -Then- go and find Kiella and make sure -she's- okay.
Jnezdie wakes up after a while, eventually uncurling himself from the top of a table (apparently he didn't want to let go). He cleans up, checks in on Jack first, then the rest. ( "Hey. You guys too?" ) Then Kiella. Then? A lot of taking it easy.
Argent: "WHY AM I BEING SWARMED BY ANIMALS?!"
The beasts scatter, startled but not scared
Jnezdie: "Okay so" His voice cracks and there's a few horrid chokes.
Argent stands up, trying to figure out where the hell she is
JayM: You're in the middle of town, having passed out with the rest of the showgoesr
JayM: The majority of the town is about starting to wake up and returning to their work
Jnezdie speaks in a raspy whisper once he's somewhere near someone else. "(I don't know what's with the animals. They just
showed up.)"
Sarah is mostly watching over Jack, she looks okay and hadn't done anything crazy!
Jnezdie weakly raises a fist. "(Par-tayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…)"
Gavriel will -then- propose to Kiella a grand plan that'll probably require Jnezdie's help to even make sense- he's no Transient, but that shouldn't matter, damn it- to reinforce the city's magic with Material-side advances in agriculture. Irrigation channels, that sort of thing- take the stress off the system so there's no single point of failure.
Especially not one that'd tempt people into thaumaturgy.
Jnezdie will more than gladly help Gavriel, thinking back to some of the stuff Uoangzhe taught him about the land, beasts of the land, of experimental greenhouses around TT… okay, probably the less experimental ones.
Kiella is actually busy in the town hall- Something spurred up a lot of energy in her, she is planning (though some of those construction plans look fairly old), scheduling- There are shipments to be moved, schedules to be kept, people to be fed! She takes a moment to look at Gavriel and recieve his plan… She opens up a drawer in her desk- Those plans look recent, similar? Far from,
JayM: inneficient but a… Sufficient atttempt. With yours and Jnezdie's engineering expertise, though, it's vastly improved- That would certainly help remove the strain from a lot of areas, it sadly can't solve any short-term problems with the amount of food they need to produce but coupled with the expansion plans (some are still clipped together with denials recieved from higher echelons),
JayM: within a few Cycles, perhaps
JayM: And, for a while, Sarah is left alone with Jack. Who from his state watches as she does something, unaware he is watching
Gavriel cuffs Jnezdie on the shoulder. "Hey."
Jnezdie: "(Yeah?)"
Gavriel: "You were right."
Jnezdie blinks at Gavriel. The Varg's a step ahead of him right now.
Gavriel winces. Is he gonna make him say it? Gruffly: "…there's more potential to this system if you don't- rely solely on one paradigm or the other." He's- he's talking about the agricultural plans. Of course.
Jnezdie blinks again, then Gavriel can see the understanding in his eyes. "OH!-" *cough cough* "(—oh! Yeah, a'int a thing. Damn lie- it is a thing, 's why we got two nations that's all about it.)"
Jnezdie: "(One wanderin' story at a time, yeah?)"
Jnezdie: "('cause it a'int like we're politicians.)"
Argent at this rate is trying to chase away the varied animals
JayM: Nah, they leave you sufficiently alone, Argent
JayM: If you keep chasing you're gonna start playing with them
JayM: Now on for the scene between Sarah and Jack
Gavriel nods. "Hn." It -is- a thing. It's… surprisingly easy for him to admit, though. Everything they've seen so far has deliberately blurred the line…
Sarah: "Jack you… Idiot… That was a Glorious Angelic and… And a Limit Overbreak… You almost slipped into Trance… That'd be a death with no return… Even if you Tempestarians are… Even if you're immortal, that's a death even you couldn't return from… Idiot…"
Sarah slowly slips off the shoulders of her dress, letting it slide down until she can access with ease the metal plates in her torso "I can't leave you like this, you're not about to wake ever… I'm not Ultima but please, feed on my energy" she draws a cable from there, and puts it against Jack's hand. He has an odd sensation of warmth within his body (how strange to feel your body
JayM: distant). After a while Sarah looks ready to pass out herself. She returns everything to it's proper place, and pulls up her dress again "… I don't think this would have worked alsewhere but this place is special…" she says with a smile, closes her eyes and drifts into a nap
[OOC] JayM: Epilogue
A long distance away, atop a snowy hill, a seafarer in wet robes plays his flute with a passion he had never had before, in tune with a song so distant he cannot hear. As he is done he is out of breath "What was that… This desire to play that took over me…" he is grinning dumbfounded
The human woman with him, who is sweating, she had been dancing for a while now "It's what the Angelic does. When we need to, we all become one"
[OOC] JayM: End Epilogue
JayM: End session! Let me tally up XP/AP
JayM: Oh, yes
JayM: Due to the overstrain, you won't be able to use any Magic ability (your voice is pretty gone) nor your Angelic for the next two sessions
[OOC] JayM: +10 AP/+2531 XP

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