"Fascinating..." Samir bends closer, his nose only a few inches from the cocoon as he speaks. "Is it possible? Yes. There are magics that can transform one thing into another, although they are typically temporary and don't involve complete transformation. I am, however, seeing a few different typesof magic involved in whatever this thing is, including transformation. There is also a helping of protective magics woven into it. Most interesting, however, is that it seems to be... feeding off of the ambient magical energy in the environment."
Malachi studies Marigold’s unlikely prison as he listens to Samir’s explanation on the various magics and energies present and pulls a copper coin from his pocket, working it over in his hand. “Well, let’s see if any of Marigold remains inside, or if she truly did transform.”Malachi tentatively reached out with his mind, trying to detect thoughts on whatever remained inside the cocoon.
"Feeding off the ambient magic energy..." Joren's voice sounds thick as he echoes the half-orc. "Which is maybe making sense for calling it 'The Ebb'"
He pauses. "Is that what we are doing, Samir? Me with my echo and blade, and you with your ingenious devices. Feeding off ambient magic energy? Otherwise, why would Shep's medallion be glowing red for the roots of Marigold's cocoon, and also for the two of us?"
Malachi enters the thoughts of their captive cultist, and it feels as though her mind were a vast empty field, with one lazy thought drifting on the wind.
The copper coin drops from Malachi’s hand, bounces on the ground and rolls into the basement corner as he gasps and breaks the mental connection. “Something is wrong. Her mind is empty, she doesn’t even know who she is. So much for getting information from her, she is not there. What is happening?” Malachi looks at the others, eyes wide with confusion.
Marion walks over and places a hand on the cocoon. Frustrated, she withdraws after a few seconds. "I still can't feel anything, so I'm not much help here. Gone how? Gone like braindead, or gone like she is in a state of stasis?"
Samir tilts his head slightly, looking over at Joren. "Hmm. Perhaps? I myself jave begun to believe in a far greater connection between what magic can lie within a soul and that of the world around them."
He looks up sharply at Malachi, blinking owlishly. "Oh dear... perhaps the metamorphosis concept is not so far removed from the truth after all. If this thing has completely altered Marigold to the point of even removing her memories entirely then I fear it is a far greater magic than I had believed. And truthfully, far more dangerous."
Happy to have returned to the rest of her friends, worry is still etched over Ashley's face. "Hello! We have successfully found a mentor for our dear Mikael, I think it will work well for him as well as the master." She hops up on the nearby table, looking around she sees concern and confusion on her friends faces, "What's going on? What did we miss?"
“Gone as in she doesn’t even know her name. There are no thoughts inside that mind, just emptiness.”Malachi shakes his head and turns to Samir “If such a thing is truly possible, what could she be changing to? And is Razmus behind this magic?”
Malachi turns to the staircase as Ashley and Vilus enters, his mind still preoccupied by what he found “Ah, welcome back. Glad to hear the boy found a safe space, we have seemed to have hit an impasse here. There does not appear to be any Marigold remaining inside to question. We think she may be changing inside, but not sure what.. Ashley, what do you know about the seed you used against Marigold?”
"not any Marigold? What does that mean?" Vilus questions, "no, no, no, this must be one of their culty tricks, can we get her out? Drag her to the hydaelym and find the stragglers?"
Joren's voice is quiet. He still has his Dunamis Blade drawn and his echo standing on the other side of Marigold's arboreal cocoon.
"Being good to see you Vilus and Ash, and to hear about Mikael. Being possible you are correct, Vilus. Perhaps we should be dragging her there. And yet..." The warrior's face scrunches up in thought as it always does when attempting to understand the philosophical and metaphysical. Let alone trying to convey it. He points at the medallion.
"You are seeing the bright red on Shep's medallion, yes? Blue is coming from the Flow of magic from all of you casting your magic. Ebbing is Red - drinking the magic from everything around it to take as its own, as I think my echo and Dunamis Blade are doing. And as Samir's ingenious contraptions are doing. Yet these roots around Marigold are showing red stronger than either of us. Drinking ambient magic energy as Samir said earlier."
"Yellow would be for the Apogee. Razmus cultists who are having no magic and enslaving others for theirs. Yet the medallion - almost no yellow being left now! Only red. Not truly knowing what it means, but thinking of what Mal and Samir are saying... there is not much remaining of Marigold."
The Blue Lady may oppose Razmus, but does not HATE him to the extreme that the Red Huntsman does.Joren thinks this, but does not say it aloud...
"No, Vilus, this has nothing to do with the cult. Not now." Samir is hunkered next to the cocoon, studying it as the others enter. "Whatever magic is at play here seems far removed from the cult's brand of arcane shenanigans. No, whatever Ashley found in that attic is of an entirely different source." His mouth twists slightly, brow furrowing in concentration. "This place's former inhabitant seemed to be a disciple of herbology and alchemical arts, yes? I don't believe it unlikely that her dedication to those natural forces led her to some artifact or magic that plays with the ideas of metamophosis and evolution. It would be quite in line with that sort of teaching." Samir rises, dusting off his hands against one another and turning away from the cocoon. "I believe we must resign ourselves to the idea that the individual we knew as Marigold, no longer exists in any such capacity."
"well shit..." Vilis sits and thinks in a bit of a grump "...don't for a minute think that this excuses her from answering to her crimes, she still deserves death"
After ruminating on the situation for a couple of empty minutes vikus decides that there is nothing to be done about it right this second. "I have dire news confirming my theory on the council members murders by the way, it's something that puts all of us in danger and we need to leave this town as soon as possible."
"I don't think so, they were skittish and weak, I think they'll be puppets before long, if they're not already if they choose to show backbone then they'll be dead. The orchestrator of the murders was my father, he has performed a hostile takeover of the organisation I came from, delirium. Though he never agreed with their power being in the shadows and he outright wants me dead... I fear if won't be long before the city guard are in his pocket and I'll be a target to be killed on sight, they apparently don't know you all individually, but that's only a matter of time. I'm tempted to leave the rest of the cultists here to deal with delirium or vice versa. But I cannot stay in this city much longer, and I don't suggest any of you stay either." Vilus drops his human form as he answers and gives his warning. Transforming back into his usual Goliath form, his brows appear furrowed and serious, his mind set, and there seems to be a glimmer of hope behind his eyes as he indirectly asks whether he is leaving alone or not.
Samir blinks, peering at Vilus. "I'm... I'm sorry, but did you just say that an organized criminal element is attempting a takeover of the government? We have to tell someone! It has to be stopped!"
“Leave? But we have only just got here. This was supposed to be our fresh start.”Malachi stoops down and picks up his copper piece before standing and facing the others. “And Samir is right, we can’t save the city from one takeover only to stand by while another occurs, cultists or not.”
Malachi fidgets “And where would we go? To this broken tower of yours? Or back to Opportunity Knocks? Check in with the others, try our hand at running an inn again.”Malachi glances at Ashley and smiles at the memory of playing innkeeper when the last mysterious stranger came looking for Vilus.
"Being an exile already, I am having no problems departing with you Vilus, though I would indeed be missing the start we have made here in Talmouth."
"Yet I wonder..." Joren stares into the middle distance for a moment, then back at Vilus. "In effect, you are exiling yourself, and potentially us. Being well familiar with this, I am. Yet in my case, to my knowledge, my enemies among the Khirian nobility are not sending assassins to slay me. If your father and his cronies are sending assassins after you, and after us, why would they be stopping? Wherever we are fleeing? His man was already having no problems finding you at Opportunity Knocks all those days ago, was he not? How far and how long would we be running? Our whole lives?"
His voice becomes quieter. "Or is it your plan to be gaining so much power through your Watcher that it no longer matters? As Andra was seeking..."
"Fascinating..." Samir bends closer, his nose only a few inches from the cocoon as he speaks. "Is it possible? Yes. There are magics that can transform one thing into another, although they are typically temporary and don't involve complete transformation. I am, however, seeing a few different typesof magic involved in whatever this thing is, including transformation. There is also a helping of protective magics woven into it. Most interesting, however, is that it seems to be... feeding off of the ambient magical energy in the environment."
Malachi studies Marigold’s unlikely prison as he listens to Samir’s explanation on the various magics and energies present and pulls a copper coin from his pocket, working it over in his hand. “Well, let’s see if any of Marigold remains inside, or if she truly did transform.” Malachi tentatively reached out with his mind, trying to detect thoughts on whatever remained inside the cocoon.
"Feeding off the ambient magic energy..." Joren's voice sounds thick as he echoes the half-orc. "Which is maybe making sense for calling it 'The Ebb'"
He pauses. "Is that what we are doing, Samir? Me with my echo and blade, and you with your ingenious devices. Feeding off ambient magic energy? Otherwise, why would Shep's medallion be glowing red for the roots of Marigold's cocoon, and also for the two of us?"
Inge(Barbarian2): Krayveneer's After the Fall | Seri(Cleric1/Sorcerer1): Uhtred's Windward Isles | Xarian(Fighter1): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Nivi(Rogue4): Raiketsu's CoS
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Toa(Barbarian6/Fighter4): MrWhisker's Dark Lord's Return
Malachi enters the thoughts of their captive cultist, and it feels as though her mind were a vast empty field, with one lazy thought drifting on the wind.
Who am I? I am... I am...
The copper coin drops from Malachi’s hand, bounces on the ground and rolls into the basement corner as he gasps and breaks the mental connection. “Something is wrong. Her mind is empty, she doesn’t even know who she is. So much for getting information from her, she is not there. What is happening?” Malachi looks at the others, eyes wide with confusion.
Marion walks over and places a hand on the cocoon. Frustrated, she withdraws after a few seconds. "I still can't feel anything, so I'm not much help here. Gone how? Gone like braindead, or gone like she is in a state of stasis?"
Samir tilts his head slightly, looking over at Joren. "Hmm. Perhaps? I myself jave begun to believe in a far greater connection between what magic can lie within a soul and that of the world around them."
He looks up sharply at Malachi, blinking owlishly. "Oh dear... perhaps the metamorphosis concept is not so far removed from the truth after all. If this thing has completely altered Marigold to the point of even removing her memories entirely then I fear it is a far greater magic than I had believed. And truthfully, far more dangerous."
Not long after, Vilus and Ashley return with a scroll and a book. Mikael is no longer with them.
Happy to have returned to the rest of her friends, worry is still etched over Ashley's face. "Hello! We have successfully found a mentor for our dear Mikael, I think it will work well for him as well as the master." She hops up on the nearby table, looking around she sees concern and confusion on her friends faces, "What's going on? What did we miss?"
“Gone as in she doesn’t even know her name. There are no thoughts inside that mind, just emptiness.” Malachi shakes his head and turns to Samir “If such a thing is truly possible, what could she be changing to? And is Razmus behind this magic?”
Malachi turns to the staircase as Ashley and Vilus enters, his mind still preoccupied by what he found “Ah, welcome back. Glad to hear the boy found a safe space, we have seemed to have hit an impasse here. There does not appear to be any Marigold remaining inside to question. We think she may be changing inside, but not sure what.. Ashley, what do you know about the seed you used against Marigold?”
"not any Marigold? What does that mean?" Vilus questions, "no, no, no, this must be one of their culty tricks, can we get her out? Drag her to the hydaelym and find the stragglers?"
Joren's voice is quiet. He still has his Dunamis Blade drawn and his echo standing on the other side of Marigold's arboreal cocoon.
"Being good to see you Vilus and Ash, and to hear about Mikael. Being possible you are correct, Vilus. Perhaps we should be dragging her there. And yet..." The warrior's face scrunches up in thought as it always does when attempting to understand the philosophical and metaphysical. Let alone trying to convey it. He points at the medallion.
"You are seeing the bright red on Shep's medallion, yes? Blue is coming from the Flow of magic from all of you casting your magic. Ebbing is Red - drinking the magic from everything around it to take as its own, as I think my echo and Dunamis Blade are doing. And as Samir's ingenious contraptions are doing. Yet these roots around Marigold are showing red stronger than either of us. Drinking ambient magic energy as Samir said earlier."
"Yellow would be for the Apogee. Razmus cultists who are having no magic and enslaving others for theirs. Yet the medallion - almost no yellow being left now! Only red. Not truly knowing what it means, but thinking of what Mal and Samir are saying... there is not much remaining of Marigold."
The Blue Lady may oppose Razmus, but does not HATE him to the extreme that the Red Huntsman does. Joren thinks this, but does not say it aloud...
Inge(Barbarian2): Krayveneer's After the Fall | Seri(Cleric1/Sorcerer1): Uhtred's Windward Isles | Xarian(Fighter1): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Nivi(Rogue4): Raiketsu's CoS
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Toa(Barbarian6/Fighter4): MrWhisker's Dark Lord's Return
"Well... to tell you the truth, I have no idea. I found them in the attic, thought it was worth a shot as she was dying anyways."
She walks over to 'Marigold' and knocks on the wood portion of her prison, "Let's just open it up now and see what we find?"
"No, Vilus, this has nothing to do with the cult. Not now." Samir is hunkered next to the cocoon, studying it as the others enter. "Whatever magic is at play here seems far removed from the cult's brand of arcane shenanigans. No, whatever Ashley found in that attic is of an entirely different source." His mouth twists slightly, brow furrowing in concentration. "This place's former inhabitant seemed to be a disciple of herbology and alchemical arts, yes? I don't believe it unlikely that her dedication to those natural forces led her to some artifact or magic that plays with the ideas of metamophosis and evolution. It would be quite in line with that sort of teaching." Samir rises, dusting off his hands against one another and turning away from the cocoon. "I believe we must resign ourselves to the idea that the individual we knew as Marigold, no longer exists in any such capacity."
"well shit..." Vilis sits and thinks in a bit of a grump "...don't for a minute think that this excuses her from answering to her crimes, she still deserves death"
After ruminating on the situation for a couple of empty minutes vikus decides that there is nothing to be done about it right this second. "I have dire news confirming my theory on the council members murders by the way, it's something that puts all of us in danger and we need to leave this town as soon as possible."
Marion looks alarmed. "What have you learned? Is the surviving council body at risk as well?"
"I don't think so, they were skittish and weak, I think they'll be puppets before long, if they're not already if they choose to show backbone then they'll be dead. The orchestrator of the murders was my father, he has performed a hostile takeover of the organisation I came from, delirium. Though he never agreed with their power being in the shadows and he outright wants me dead... I fear if won't be long before the city guard are in his pocket and I'll be a target to be killed on sight, they apparently don't know you all individually, but that's only a matter of time. I'm tempted to leave the rest of the cultists here to deal with delirium or vice versa. But I cannot stay in this city much longer, and I don't suggest any of you stay either." Vilus drops his human form as he answers and gives his warning. Transforming back into his usual Goliath form, his brows appear furrowed and serious, his mind set, and there seems to be a glimmer of hope behind his eyes as he indirectly asks whether he is leaving alone or not.
Samir blinks, peering at Vilus. "I'm... I'm sorry, but did you just say that an organized criminal element is attempting a takeover of the government? We have to tell someone! It has to be stopped!"
“Leave? But we have only just got here. This was supposed to be our fresh start.” Malachi stoops down and picks up his copper piece before standing and facing the others. “And Samir is right, we can’t save the city from one takeover only to stand by while another occurs, cultists or not.”
Malachi fidgets “And where would we go? To this broken tower of yours? Or back to Opportunity Knocks? Check in with the others, try our hand at running an inn again.” Malachi glances at Ashley and smiles at the memory of playing innkeeper when the last mysterious stranger came looking for Vilus.
"Being an exile already, I am having no problems departing with you Vilus, though I would indeed be missing the start we have made here in Talmouth."
"Yet I wonder..." Joren stares into the middle distance for a moment, then back at Vilus. "In effect, you are exiling yourself, and potentially us. Being well familiar with this, I am. Yet in my case, to my knowledge, my enemies among the Khirian nobility are not sending assassins to slay me. If your father and his cronies are sending assassins after you, and after us, why would they be stopping? Wherever we are fleeing? His man was already having no problems finding you at Opportunity Knocks all those days ago, was he not? How far and how long would we be running? Our whole lives?"
His voice becomes quieter. "Or is it your plan to be gaining so much power through your Watcher that it no longer matters? As Andra was seeking..."
Inge(Barbarian2): Krayveneer's After the Fall | Seri(Cleric1/Sorcerer1): Uhtred's Windward Isles | Xarian(Fighter1): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Nivi(Rogue4): Raiketsu's CoS
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Toa(Barbarian6/Fighter4): MrWhisker's Dark Lord's Return