"Perhaps we should wait to explore until our guests arrive. Wouldn't do well to disappear, it may remove any possibility of free exploration we may achieve."
“On the other hand they could just forbid us from going to to the boat. Or try to get rid off us in general. We also don’t know when they’ll arrive. I dont want to waste time just sitting on the beach.” Perrin adds to the conversation.
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
"You have a good point. I suppose it couldn't hurt to head to the ship, I've been wanting to check out the inside since we've arrived. Our new friends can wait."
“We should stick together as much as we can,” Lera piped up. “If we leave Singe and my father behind, we are missing their expertise. We can’t split up now, it’ll leave us vulnerable if something goes wrong.”
"Even with the ten of us present they still had at least double our numbers, as well as the large mechanical beast. I vote we stick together, whether we stay or delve into the ship."
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Polly stumbled out of the flying machine, yawning, and rubbing her eyes. She was still clutching the papers of her spellbook to her chest. She plopped down, next to the campfire, eyes closed to block the rising sun. After a moment, her head dropped, as if she were about to fall back to sleep.
Lera left the planning session, because plans were for suckers, and joined Polly by the campfire. “Hey there, Pols,” she said softly, sure to give the younger girl plenty of room. “How are you doing, sleepy head?”
Shanolia catches sight of one of Polly's pages, titled 'Shield' in big letters at the top with various arcane symbols and runes taken directly from Singe's spellbook. With a small, Shanolia joins Lera and Polly at the campfire. "I see you are studying the arcane?" She asks the young girl. Lera stands and walks away as soon as Shanolia sits down to give them privacy.
"Mm-hmm," Polly mumbled, clutching her pages tighter. Shanolia watches as Lera departs, feeling a bit self-conscious about making the young sorceress leave, before turning once more to Polly.
"What kind of spells are you learning? Nothing too crazy just yet, I hope."
Polly yawns again. "I only learned Mage Hand and Fire Bolt so far."
"I see. Mage Hand has always been one of my favourite spells for a multitude of reasons. You can pull pranks, you can pick locks, you can pretty much do anything. Would you mind showing me?" Eyes still closed, Polly did the hand movements and cast the spell. A little spectral image of Mr Drippy appeared in front of Shanolia, poked her in the chest, then promptly disappeared. Shanolia smiles as the little Mr Drippy appears, giggling softly as it poked her chest. "That is amazing! Did you learn that by yourself?"
"No," Polly said, peeking one eye open for a moment, then quickly closing it again. "Singe showed me."
"I see. Did he also teach you firebolt?" Polly nods. Shanolia remains silent for a moment, before deciding to get to the reason she walked over in the first place. "Would you like to learn another spell?"
Polly nods again. "What spell?"
"The spell is called "Minor Illusion"." She explains, standing up and drawing her dagger. "Usually, you would need a bit of fleece, but this ruby we found allows me to use my dagger instead. I will need you to be very careful with it since you will be waving it around, okay?" Polly opens her eyes and looks at the dagger, unsure. "I will be right here, Plentyn, do not worry. If you would like, I could give you a demonstration first. So you can see the spell in action."
"Yes, please."
Gripping her dagger, Shanolia's eyes begin to glow a dim red, almost unnoticeable in the sunlight. She points the dagger away from her, slicing down diagonally left, straight right, up diagonally left, and straight right once more. No words are spoken, and the image of a solid gold sword with gems embedded in both the blade and handle mounted on a polished iron stand shimmers into focus on the sand about ten feet from the firepit. She lowers the dagger and looks back at Polly as the light in her eyes fades.
Polly watches, eagle-eyed. Once Shanolia turns back to her, Polly asks, "I just think of what I want to make?"
"You can make any object you can imagine, so long as it is smaller than a five-foot box. Not only objects, you can also use it to create sounds as well, as loud or as quiet as you want and it can be any sound you want." Shanolia flips the dagger carefully in her hand, offering the handle to Polly. "Just imagine you are using a wand or a staff. Perform the gesture and think of whatever image or sound you would like to create."
Polly hesitates, then slowly takes the dagger in her hand. She looks at the crystal a moment, as if thinking. Then she began to mimic Shanolia's movements, moving the dagger carefully. Dagger pointed away, slicing down diagonally to the left, straight right, up diagonally left, straight right. Suddenly, the giant snail from the previous night appeared in the middle of the camp, only for a few moments, before disappearing. Polly looked at Shanolia, smiling slightly.
Shanolia's face - what's visible anyway - lights up with pride. "That was amazing, Plentyn! You truly have magical talent; it took me and my sister almost three weeks to create our first illusion, and even then it was merely a copper piece!” Then she mutters, "and I may have caused a few explosions in my attempts."
"But, you don't have a spellbook?"
"I used to have a spellbook. My mum made it for me as a present on my 60th birthday. Now my spellbook" She points to her head. "Is up here, where it's safe." Polly grins. "Can I see my dagger for a moment? I've one more little trick that I think you may find useful."
"Okay," Polly said, handing the dagger back. Shanolia grips the dagger lightly and pulls a copper piece from her pouch. "Golau." She says in Elven. The coin begins to glow a soft purple in her hand, and her eyes glow the same dull red as before. She offers the glowing coin to Polly.
Polly eyes it wearily, but doesn't move to touch it. "What happened?"
"I made it glow. It's so people without night vision can see in the dark without relying on torches." The coin's colour changes to a dark blue, glowing slightly brighter. "It can be any colour you like, and as bright as you like. You can cast the spell on any object smaller than ten feet."
"Cool," Polly softly coos.
"Would you like to try? You don't even have to swing the dagger for this one, just hold it."
Polly yawns deeply, nodding the entire time. She takes the dagger from Shanolia and looks around, thinking. Finally, she holds out one of her papers, holds the dagger in front of her, and says, "Golau." The paper begins to glow slightly. Polly smiles at it a moment. Then her smile fades, and her eyes roll into the back of her head. The dagger slips from her hand into the sand beside her, she falls over, backwards.
Shanolia is proud as the paper glows, but that pride is swiftly replaced by fear as Polly drops the dagger and falls backwards. The Elf's mind is overtaken by a flashback, and she doesn't even realize she's moving to catch the child until she lay in her lap. "Lera! Singe! ******* someone!" She then begins mumbling hysterically to herself in a combination of Elven, Common, and Abyssal.
Zamar rushes to the sound of the shouting. Singe turns and RUNS. As Zamar check her over, you can tell she's breathing, but very shallow. Checking further, you discover her pulse is weak. (OOC: Medicine 1d20+3-14). Zamar doesn't see any physical reason for this happening.
"Shanolia! What did you do?" Singe screams.
"What happened? She's breathing, but only just barely." Zamar states after looking at her.
Zamar figures out that its all the magic she has been casting. (OOC: Insight 1d20+3=22)
Zamar scoops her up and carries her back into the flying machine. He lays her on her bedroll and covers her back up. He sits and plays music for her as she rests, monitoring her condition all the while. He motions for Singe to follow.
Singe glares at Shanolia and looks at Polly, "What happened?" He asks as he begins picking up her papers. He'll notice that they are all the spells in your spellbook. Specifically, the ones Polly looked at. They are near perfect reconstructions of every one of Singe's spell, in Polly's shaky 6-year-old handwriting.
"She's tapped out. I think she is too small to be doing this much magic. It's draining her body. We need to pull back a bit. She wants to be like us so badly that she is ignoring the dangers to her body." Zamar states.
Singe sits down next to Polly, he doesn't say anything.
Perrin, concerned for Polly, but not knowing much about magical drainage stays back but offers, "Maybe we should shift Polly's studies if magic is draining her. I can offer to teach her some shied play. Nothing extreme just some basic defense techniques." Singe shakes his head.
"We need to let her rest up," Zamar says.
Shanolia just kept mumbling incoherently as this all went on, eyes wide and clearly upset with herself.
Lera steps forward and casts lesser restoration, to no effect, on Polly. ”She doesn’t need studies,” the sorceress frowns. “You’re going to kill her. It’s like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. She’s not a wizard, and you can’t teach her like she is one.”
"We don't know what she is. And she wanted to learn. Right now we just need to take care of her. Blame is irrelevant." Zamar says.
Singe looks at his feet "I wasn't going to fast I thought. I have no idea that she got a hold of my spellbook. She might have...She might have tried to detect thoughts, I mean, that would have... killed her."
“I know what she is,” Lera turned back around. “I can feel the magic all around me, and she’s got that inside of her too. Only, not like me. It’s like she’s been touched by the gods.”
"The gods?" Singe repeats.
"Regardless. We also, need to decide what to do once she wakes. If I know Polly by now it means that she will keep this up once she wakes, no matter what we say." Perrin offers.
"Even if she is not a wizard, she is still my student. I will handle her craft. No one else is to teach her magic, understood?" Singe says.
"All we can do right now is get her to rest. No magic, no fighting. It could take days for her to recover." Zamar comments
“No one is to teach her magic period,” Lera objected. “She’s a sorcerer. She’ll figure it out. Pushing her to pretend to be something she’s not is going to hurt her.”
"Yes. Let her rest and recover. But, I think magic might also have to wait a bit until she grows a little more, gains some endurance, and perhaps master what she already knows. Perhaps, we can be teaching her other things for a little while. Maybe some language. Something that won't lead to this again." Perrin states.
"A wizard never abandons a student," Singe mutters before taking all of Polly's papers and folding them into his suit jacket's pocket.
"Nobody is abandoning anyone," Zamar says. "We are just all agreeing that her health and well-being comes first. None of us owns her. She looks up to us all and wants to be like us each in turns. We have an obligation not to take advantage of that trust."
Sitting off to the side, Koll watches as Shanolia demonstrates the illusion spell for Polly. He wonders if they are not overwhelming the little girl. If it was so easy to learn magic, then why didn't everyone know how to do it? Nevertheless, as he watches Shanolia's, and then Polly's, illusions manifest, the panther in his mind lets out a low rumbling purr. The magic somehow makes sense to the monk and he feels that even he could replicate it.
He walks down the beach to the water's edge where he begins his meditations and exercises. As he does, he also attempts to create illusions around him. He makes a flashing fish jump noiselessly from the sea. He creates the footprints of a panther in the sand. Then he tries sound - the roar of a panther, then his own voice speaking and the voice of each of his Scarlet Dawn companions all saying "hello." He smiles at his new ability.
He sees some commotion back at the camp. Polly seems to have collapsed. She was indeed overwhelmed. However, with so many people all jostling to be her mentor and special protector, it seems like he would only add to her troubles if he tried to help. He once again soaks in the beauty of this tropical place, but also realizing what a strange and sterile place it is. He observes the ruined ship in the distance, eager to go explore it.
After some time he rejoins the others.
"It seems like the machines are active at night," he says to the group. "I don't think we need to hang around on the beach all day. Though, I suppose someone needs to watch the girl. I'd like to go explore the ship."
Singe looks through Polly's spellbook, it appears that she can remember every detail about what she sees. Singe has never seen someone like Polly, her talent for picking up magic and intuitively knowing it well. Singe wasn't able to do that! And the amount of time spent on even memorizing the simplest of spells! It will only be a matter of time before she's more powerful than Singe or Lera is. She'll be building her own spells by the time she's seven. Sitting next to her, Singe concentrates, arcane magic radiates from the sleeping girl. Lera's magic is wild and chaotic, but Polly's is orderly, and calmer, but it's still there: Polly's a sorcerer.
Singe has never taught magic before, yes a few tries with the family and Owen, but it never stuck. And now, he's teaching magic to someone completely unlike him. Does he turn Polly away or does continue to act like everything's normal? Or does he tell the six year old that she has ingrained magic powers that have yet to be tapped? Is there an middle? Turning her away could create unimaginable problems, perhaps just limiting her study to mage hand and fire bolt... Elama would know what to do.
Singe got an 18 (Insight) to recognize photographic memory and a natural 20 (Arcana) to see if Polly is a sorcerer.
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
A violent explosion sounds throughout the halls of the elegant palace followed more quietly by a string of Elvish swears.
“Easy there, Thia. Relax, enunciate your magic words more clearly. If you mumble, this will happen…” Arya gestures to the mess caused by her younger sister.
“I’m sorry I’m not as good as you when it comes to this stuff!”Thia snaps back, clearly frustrated by her lack of progress. Arya smiles, waving her hand and causing the mess to disappear, replaced by a small patch of dirt embedded in the floor.
“You forget; I have almost thirty years more experience. ‘Tis not that you are less skilled, ‘tis only that you are less experienced. Let’s take a break, you look exhausted.”
“No!” Thia yells, her face blushing pink as she shrinks back into herself. “I can keep going, give me another one.”
“If you are sure.”Arya steps next to her sister, gently taking the smaller hand into hers.“Channel the arcane energy from within and trace the correct shape while imagining any sound or object smaller than five feet.”She raises Thia’s hand and uses her wand to trace the shape of a beautiful flower, using her own magic to create a small flower garden in the patch of dirt. Thia watches determinedly, taking a small step forward and tracing the shape by herself. A patchy image of a cat appears - motionless and fading in and out of focus. Thia smiles slightly before her wand clatters to the ground and her body fell limp, lifeless, against the cold marble.
^-^
When Shanolia’s flashback ends and her vision returns to focus, she notices that Polly has already been moved away and she sits holding nothing in her arms. Slowly, she pulls her legs close and wraps her arms around her knees. Tears fill her eyes and threaten to pour over as she begins to softly chant to no one in particular, yet loud enough that anyone else near the campfire could hear her.
“This is my fault… I killed her… Not again… Not again… Not again…”
Lera sat down beside Singe. “Can you see the magic too? All around us, around her,” she murmured. “Mind you, her magic isn’t wild. It’s all white and divine, a less orderly tangle than what’s around me.”
”When I look at you and Shanolia, the magic looks different. You’re large fuzzy lines that come from all around and become focused around your book or focus. They radiate out in perfect lines and exact angles,” she continued. “I’m a tangled mess, I know that. I talk too much, I’m abrasive, and hotheaded. But I do know magic, and I know what it’s like for her.”
Singe nods, “That doesn’t mean I can’t help her. We limit her current studies, even people who exhibit no magic understanding can still learn some wizarding magic. Even if our magic is different I can still help her control it.”
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
“My dad tried to treat me like a bard for years. We quickly found that my magic comes from a different place, and is focused wholly differently,” Lera nodded. “I’m not saying you can’t help her, but when I first started trying to control my magic, some of my toughest and most painful days were when I tried to be something I wasn’t. You and Polly both have to acknowledge that she isn’t a wizard, and you have to teach her accordingly. I’m just telling you to be careful.”
While everyone is gathered around Polly, Zamar says, "There isn't anything we can really do for her other than keep her safe and et her rest. That is unless Grasalfan has some better restorative powers than Lera or I. Perhaps the bulk of the group should check out the ship?I could stay and watch Polly and someone else could be on watch in case they came back?"
“I don’t like us being split on this island when we know there are people who don’t necessarily want us here. But I think some of the group is getting restless. Perhaps at least a scouting party for the ship wouldn’t be bad. I don’t know.” Perrin says concerned for Polly but also knowing that others are wanting to explore the island.
After hearing Lera and Singe's discussion Perrin excuses himself and leaves the airship. He looks over at Shanolia and knows he'll have to do something about that soon but, it might be best to give her some air first. He'll find and gather Koll, Woe, and Dapple and say to them. "Polly seems to have collapsed from exhaustion. I think she's been staying up practicing magic when she shouldn't. Singe and Lera have diagnosed her as a Sorceress as well, but a different one than Lera. I think some of us are going to stay here and watch over her and wait for our gnome friend from last night. If you three want to go ahead and explore the ship feel free; just be careful. If you come back and were not here; follow the elephant tracks."
[Possible Conversation Insertion here]
Perrin then heads back inside the airship to tell the others "I told Koll, Woe, and Dapple to explore the ship if they want. I think the rest of us should stay here. Shanolia doesn't seem to be in any condition to do anything, Zamar should stay since he's the only one proficient in medicine, you two should also be here in case something happens to her magic, and I'll stay and stand guard. This is not how I thought this day would go." Perrin says before returning outside once again.
Singe looks at Lera, "Do we just tell her? You said it yourself, she's tenacious, if we're evasive she'll just keep doing this and that will hurt her more than help her. But should we give it time?"
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
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"Perhaps we should wait to explore until our guests arrive. Wouldn't do well to disappear, it may remove any possibility of free exploration we may achieve."
Dungeon Master - LSoL
Kaori - Battlemaster Fighter 5 / Paladin 2 (Kenku) - TSR
Cherna Godhari - Grave Cleric 4 (Human) - TW
Breena Mahi'ai - Divination Wizard 8 (Halfling) - WoE
Sharyn Savonath - Open Sea Paladin 4 (Triton) - PoPI
Zephyr - Four Elements (Revised) Monk 4 (Air Genasi) - IO
Takeshi - Mercy Monk 6 (Protector Aasimar) - TBW
Avrui Sirsash - Genie Warlock 2 (Wildhunt Shifter) - WotBS
“On the other hand they could just forbid us from going to to the boat. Or try to get rid off us in general. We also don’t know when they’ll arrive. I dont want to waste time just sitting on the beach.” Perrin adds to the conversation.
"I wanted to see the galley, but if all of you go ahead and Zamar, myself, and Grasalfan stay, I think that might work." Singe suggests.
Tooltips | Snippet Code | How to Homebrew on D&D Beyond | Subclass Guide | Feature Roadmap
Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
"You have a good point. I suppose it couldn't hurt to head to the ship, I've been wanting to check out the inside since we've arrived. Our new friends can wait."
Dungeon Master - LSoL
Kaori - Battlemaster Fighter 5 / Paladin 2 (Kenku) - TSR
Cherna Godhari - Grave Cleric 4 (Human) - TW
Breena Mahi'ai - Divination Wizard 8 (Halfling) - WoE
Sharyn Savonath - Open Sea Paladin 4 (Triton) - PoPI
Zephyr - Four Elements (Revised) Monk 4 (Air Genasi) - IO
Takeshi - Mercy Monk 6 (Protector Aasimar) - TBW
Avrui Sirsash - Genie Warlock 2 (Wildhunt Shifter) - WotBS
"I don't know. What if they disagree with you and capture you all? Or worse. We don't entirely know if they are violent or not." Perrin counters.
“We should stick together as much as we can,” Lera piped up. “If we leave Singe and my father behind, we are missing their expertise. We can’t split up now, it’ll leave us vulnerable if something goes wrong.”
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
"Even with the ten of us present they still had at least double our numbers, as well as the large mechanical beast. I vote we stick together, whether we stay or delve into the ship."
Dungeon Master - LSoL
Kaori - Battlemaster Fighter 5 / Paladin 2 (Kenku) - TSR
Cherna Godhari - Grave Cleric 4 (Human) - TW
Breena Mahi'ai - Divination Wizard 8 (Halfling) - WoE
Sharyn Savonath - Open Sea Paladin 4 (Triton) - PoPI
Zephyr - Four Elements (Revised) Monk 4 (Air Genasi) - IO
Takeshi - Mercy Monk 6 (Protector Aasimar) - TBW
Avrui Sirsash - Genie Warlock 2 (Wildhunt Shifter) - WotBS
"Then we stay, I don't want to have an angry modron army on our tail."
Tooltips | Snippet Code | How to Homebrew on D&D Beyond | Subclass Guide | Feature Roadmap
Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Polly stumbled out of the flying machine, yawning, and rubbing her eyes. She was still clutching the papers of her spellbook to her chest. She plopped down, next to the campfire, eyes closed to block the rising sun. After a moment, her head dropped, as if she were about to fall back to sleep.
A dwarf with a canoe on his back? What could go wrong?
Lera left the planning session, because plans were for suckers, and joined Polly by the campfire. “Hey there, Pols,” she said softly, sure to give the younger girl plenty of room. “How are you doing, sleepy head?”
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
Shanolia catches sight of one of Polly's pages, titled 'Shield' in big letters at the top with various arcane symbols and runes taken directly from Singe's spellbook. With a small, Shanolia joins Lera and Polly at the campfire. "I see you are studying the arcane?" She asks the young girl. Lera stands and walks away as soon as Shanolia sits down to give them privacy.
"Mm-hmm," Polly mumbled, clutching her pages tighter. Shanolia watches as Lera departs, feeling a bit self-conscious about making the young sorceress leave, before turning once more to Polly.
"What kind of spells are you learning? Nothing too crazy just yet, I hope."
Polly yawns again. "I only learned Mage Hand and Fire Bolt so far."
"I see. Mage Hand has always been one of my favourite spells for a multitude of reasons. You can pull pranks, you can pick locks, you can pretty much do anything. Would you mind showing me?" Eyes still closed, Polly did the hand movements and cast the spell. A little spectral image of Mr Drippy appeared in front of Shanolia, poked her in the chest, then promptly disappeared. Shanolia smiles as the little Mr Drippy appears, giggling softly as it poked her chest. "That is amazing! Did you learn that by yourself?"
"No," Polly said, peeking one eye open for a moment, then quickly closing it again. "Singe showed me."
"I see. Did he also teach you firebolt?" Polly nods. Shanolia remains silent for a moment, before deciding to get to the reason she walked over in the first place. "Would you like to learn another spell?"
Polly nods again. "What spell?"
"The spell is called "Minor Illusion"." She explains, standing up and drawing her dagger. "Usually, you would need a bit of fleece, but this ruby we found allows me to use my dagger instead. I will need you to be very careful with it since you will be waving it around, okay?" Polly opens her eyes and looks at the dagger, unsure. "I will be right here, Plentyn, do not worry. If you would like, I could give you a demonstration first. So you can see the spell in action."
"Yes, please."
Gripping her dagger, Shanolia's eyes begin to glow a dim red, almost unnoticeable in the sunlight. She points the dagger away from her, slicing down diagonally left, straight right, up diagonally left, and straight right once more. No words are spoken, and the image of a solid gold sword with gems embedded in both the blade and handle mounted on a polished iron stand shimmers into focus on the sand about ten feet from the firepit. She lowers the dagger and looks back at Polly as the light in her eyes fades.
Polly watches, eagle-eyed. Once Shanolia turns back to her, Polly asks, "I just think of what I want to make?"
"You can make any object you can imagine, so long as it is smaller than a five-foot box. Not only objects, you can also use it to create sounds as well, as loud or as quiet as you want and it can be any sound you want." Shanolia flips the dagger carefully in her hand, offering the handle to Polly. "Just imagine you are using a wand or a staff. Perform the gesture and think of whatever image or sound you would like to create."
Polly hesitates, then slowly takes the dagger in her hand. She looks at the crystal a moment, as if thinking. Then she began to mimic Shanolia's movements, moving the dagger carefully. Dagger pointed away, slicing down diagonally to the left, straight right, up diagonally left, straight right. Suddenly, the giant snail from the previous night appeared in the middle of the camp, only for a few moments, before disappearing. Polly looked at Shanolia, smiling slightly.
Shanolia's face - what's visible anyway - lights up with pride. "That was amazing, Plentyn! You truly have magical talent; it took me and my sister almost three weeks to create our first illusion, and even then it was merely a copper piece!” Then she mutters, "and I may have caused a few explosions in my attempts."
"But, you don't have a spellbook?"
"I used to have a spellbook. My mum made it for me as a present on my 60th birthday. Now my spellbook" She points to her head. "Is up here, where it's safe." Polly grins. "Can I see my dagger for a moment? I've one more little trick that I think you may find useful."
"Okay," Polly said, handing the dagger back. Shanolia grips the dagger lightly and pulls a copper piece from her pouch. "Golau." She says in Elven. The coin begins to glow a soft purple in her hand, and her eyes glow the same dull red as before. She offers the glowing coin to Polly.
Polly eyes it wearily, but doesn't move to touch it. "What happened?"
"I made it glow. It's so people without night vision can see in the dark without relying on torches." The coin's colour changes to a dark blue, glowing slightly brighter. "It can be any colour you like, and as bright as you like. You can cast the spell on any object smaller than ten feet."
"Cool," Polly softly coos.
"Would you like to try? You don't even have to swing the dagger for this one, just hold it."
Polly yawns deeply, nodding the entire time. She takes the dagger from Shanolia and looks around, thinking. Finally, she holds out one of her papers, holds the dagger in front of her, and says, "Golau." The paper begins to glow slightly. Polly smiles at it a moment. Then her smile fades, and her eyes roll into the back of her head. The dagger slips from her hand into the sand beside her, she falls over, backwards.
Shanolia is proud as the paper glows, but that pride is swiftly replaced by fear as Polly drops the dagger and falls backwards. The Elf's mind is overtaken by a flashback, and she doesn't even realize she's moving to catch the child until she lay in her lap. "Lera! Singe! ******* someone!" She then begins mumbling hysterically to herself in a combination of Elven, Common, and Abyssal.
{/r 1d20+1 #See Polly’s Spellbook = 18+1=19}
{/r 1d20+1 #Catch Polly = 17+1=18}
Dungeon Master - LSoL
Kaori - Battlemaster Fighter 5 / Paladin 2 (Kenku) - TSR
Cherna Godhari - Grave Cleric 4 (Human) - TW
Breena Mahi'ai - Divination Wizard 8 (Halfling) - WoE
Sharyn Savonath - Open Sea Paladin 4 (Triton) - PoPI
Zephyr - Four Elements (Revised) Monk 4 (Air Genasi) - IO
Takeshi - Mercy Monk 6 (Protector Aasimar) - TBW
Avrui Sirsash - Genie Warlock 2 (Wildhunt Shifter) - WotBS
Zamar rushes to the sound of the shouting. Singe turns and RUNS. As Zamar check her over, you can tell she's breathing, but very shallow. Checking further, you discover her pulse is weak. (OOC: Medicine 1d20+3-14). Zamar doesn't see any physical reason for this happening.
"Shanolia! What did you do?" Singe screams.
"What happened? She's breathing, but only just barely." Zamar states after looking at her.
Zamar figures out that its all the magic she has been casting. (OOC: Insight 1d20+3=22)
Zamar scoops her up and carries her back into the flying machine. He lays her on her bedroll and covers her back up. He sits and plays music for her as she rests, monitoring her condition all the while. He motions for Singe to follow.
Singe glares at Shanolia and looks at Polly, "What happened?" He asks as he begins picking up her papers. He'll notice that they are all the spells in your spellbook. Specifically, the ones Polly looked at. They are near perfect reconstructions of every one of Singe's spell, in Polly's shaky 6-year-old handwriting.
"She's tapped out. I think she is too small to be doing this much magic. It's draining her body. We need to pull back a bit. She wants to be like us so badly that she is ignoring the dangers to her body." Zamar states.
Singe sits down next to Polly, he doesn't say anything.
Perrin, concerned for Polly, but not knowing much about magical drainage stays back but offers, "Maybe we should shift Polly's studies if magic is draining her. I can offer to teach her some shied play. Nothing extreme just some basic defense techniques." Singe shakes his head.
"We need to let her rest up," Zamar says.
Shanolia just kept mumbling incoherently as this all went on, eyes wide and clearly upset with herself.
Lera steps forward and casts lesser restoration, to no effect, on Polly. ”She doesn’t need studies,” the sorceress frowns. “You’re going to kill her. It’s like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. She’s not a wizard, and you can’t teach her like she is one.”
"We don't know what she is. And she wanted to learn. Right now we just need to take care of her. Blame is irrelevant." Zamar says.
Singe looks at his feet "I wasn't going to fast I thought. I have no idea that she got a hold of my spellbook. She might have...She might have tried to detect thoughts, I mean, that would have... killed her."
“I know what she is,” Lera turned back around. “I can feel the magic all around me, and she’s got that inside of her too. Only, not like me. It’s like she’s been touched by the gods.”
"The gods?" Singe repeats.
"Regardless. We also, need to decide what to do once she wakes. If I know Polly by now it means that she will keep this up once she wakes, no matter what we say." Perrin offers.
"Even if she is not a wizard, she is still my student. I will handle her craft. No one else is to teach her magic, understood?" Singe says.
"All we can do right now is get her to rest. No magic, no fighting. It could take days for her to recover." Zamar comments
“No one is to teach her magic period,” Lera objected. “She’s a sorcerer. She’ll figure it out. Pushing her to pretend to be something she’s not is going to hurt her.”
"Yes. Let her rest and recover. But, I think magic might also have to wait a bit until she grows a little more, gains some endurance, and perhaps master what she already knows. Perhaps, we can be teaching her other things for a little while. Maybe some language. Something that won't lead to this again." Perrin states.
"A wizard never abandons a student," Singe mutters before taking all of Polly's papers and folding them into his suit jacket's pocket.
"Nobody is abandoning anyone," Zamar says. "We are just all agreeing that her health and well-being comes first. None of us owns her. She looks up to us all and wants to be like us each in turns. We have an obligation not to take advantage of that trust."
Sitting off to the side, Koll watches as Shanolia demonstrates the illusion spell for Polly. He wonders if they are not overwhelming the little girl. If it was so easy to learn magic, then why didn't everyone know how to do it? Nevertheless, as he watches Shanolia's, and then Polly's, illusions manifest, the panther in his mind lets out a low rumbling purr. The magic somehow makes sense to the monk and he feels that even he could replicate it.
He walks down the beach to the water's edge where he begins his meditations and exercises. As he does, he also attempts to create illusions around him. He makes a flashing fish jump noiselessly from the sea. He creates the footprints of a panther in the sand. Then he tries sound - the roar of a panther, then his own voice speaking and the voice of each of his Scarlet Dawn companions all saying "hello." He smiles at his new ability.
He sees some commotion back at the camp. Polly seems to have collapsed. She was indeed overwhelmed. However, with so many people all jostling to be her mentor and special protector, it seems like he would only add to her troubles if he tried to help. He once again soaks in the beauty of this tropical place, but also realizing what a strange and sterile place it is. He observes the ruined ship in the distance, eager to go explore it.
After some time he rejoins the others.
"It seems like the machines are active at night," he says to the group. "I don't think we need to hang around on the beach all day. Though, I suppose someone needs to watch the girl. I'd like to go explore the ship."
Singe looks through Polly's spellbook, it appears that she can remember every detail about what she sees. Singe has never seen someone like Polly, her talent for picking up magic and intuitively knowing it well. Singe wasn't able to do that! And the amount of time spent on even memorizing the simplest of spells! It will only be a matter of time before she's more powerful than Singe or Lera is. She'll be building her own spells by the time she's seven. Sitting next to her, Singe concentrates, arcane magic radiates from the sleeping girl. Lera's magic is wild and chaotic, but Polly's is orderly, and calmer, but it's still there: Polly's a sorcerer.
Singe has never taught magic before, yes a few tries with the family and Owen, but it never stuck. And now, he's teaching magic to someone completely unlike him. Does he turn Polly away or does continue to act like everything's normal? Or does he tell the six year old that she has ingrained magic powers that have yet to be tapped? Is there an middle? Turning her away could create unimaginable problems, perhaps just limiting her study to mage hand and fire bolt... Elama would know what to do.
Singe got an 18 (Insight) to recognize photographic memory and a natural 20 (Arcana) to see if Polly is a sorcerer.
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Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
A violent explosion sounds throughout the halls of the elegant palace followed more quietly by a string of Elvish swears.
“Easy there, Thia. Relax, enunciate your magic words more clearly. If you mumble, this will happen…” Arya gestures to the mess caused by her younger sister.
“I’m sorry I’m not as good as you when it comes to this stuff!” Thia snaps back, clearly frustrated by her lack of progress. Arya smiles, waving her hand and causing the mess to disappear, replaced by a small patch of dirt embedded in the floor.
“You forget; I have almost thirty years more experience. ‘Tis not that you are less skilled, ‘tis only that you are less experienced. Let’s take a break, you look exhausted.”
“No!” Thia yells, her face blushing pink as she shrinks back into herself. “I can keep going, give me another one.”
“If you are sure.” Arya steps next to her sister, gently taking the smaller hand into hers. “Channel the arcane energy from within and trace the correct shape while imagining any sound or object smaller than five feet.” She raises Thia’s hand and uses her wand to trace the shape of a beautiful flower, using her own magic to create a small flower garden in the patch of dirt. Thia watches determinedly, taking a small step forward and tracing the shape by herself. A patchy image of a cat appears - motionless and fading in and out of focus. Thia smiles slightly before her wand clatters to the ground and her body fell limp, lifeless, against the cold marble.
^-^
When Shanolia’s flashback ends and her vision returns to focus, she notices that Polly has already been moved away and she sits holding nothing in her arms. Slowly, she pulls her legs close and wraps her arms around her knees. Tears fill her eyes and threaten to pour over as she begins to softly chant to no one in particular, yet loud enough that anyone else near the campfire could hear her.
“This is my fault… I killed her… Not again… Not again… Not again…”
Dungeon Master - LSoL
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Breena Mahi'ai - Divination Wizard 8 (Halfling) - WoE
Sharyn Savonath - Open Sea Paladin 4 (Triton) - PoPI
Zephyr - Four Elements (Revised) Monk 4 (Air Genasi) - IO
Takeshi - Mercy Monk 6 (Protector Aasimar) - TBW
Avrui Sirsash - Genie Warlock 2 (Wildhunt Shifter) - WotBS
Lera sat down beside Singe. “Can you see the magic too? All around us, around her,” she murmured. “Mind you, her magic isn’t wild. It’s all white and divine, a less orderly tangle than what’s around me.”
”When I look at you and Shanolia, the magic looks different. You’re large fuzzy lines that come from all around and become focused around your book or focus. They radiate out in perfect lines and exact angles,” she continued. “I’m a tangled mess, I know that. I talk too much, I’m abrasive, and hotheaded. But I do know magic, and I know what it’s like for her.”
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
Singe nods, “That doesn’t mean I can’t help her. We limit her current studies, even people who exhibit no magic understanding can still learn some wizarding magic. Even if our magic is different I can still help her control it.”
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Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
“My dad tried to treat me like a bard for years. We quickly found that my magic comes from a different place, and is focused wholly differently,” Lera nodded. “I’m not saying you can’t help her, but when I first started trying to control my magic, some of my toughest and most painful days were when I tried to be something I wasn’t. You and Polly both have to acknowledge that she isn’t a wizard, and you have to teach her accordingly. I’m just telling you to be careful.”
PBP: DM of Titans of Tomorrow
PBP: Lera Zahuv in Whispers of Dissent
PBP: Evaine Brae in Innistrad: Dark Ascension
PBP: Cor'avin in Tomb of Annihilation
While everyone is gathered around Polly, Zamar says, "There isn't anything we can really do for her other than keep her safe and et her rest. That is unless Grasalfan has some better restorative powers than Lera or I. Perhaps the bulk of the group should check out the ship?I could stay and watch Polly and someone else could be on watch in case they came back?"
“I don’t like us being split on this island when we know there are people who don’t necessarily want us here. But I think some of the group is getting restless. Perhaps at least a scouting party for the ship wouldn’t be bad. I don’t know.” Perrin says concerned for Polly but also knowing that others are wanting to explore the island.
After hearing Lera and Singe's discussion Perrin excuses himself and leaves the airship. He looks over at Shanolia and knows he'll have to do something about that soon but, it might be best to give her some air first. He'll find and gather Koll, Woe, and Dapple and say to them. "Polly seems to have collapsed from exhaustion. I think she's been staying up practicing magic when she shouldn't. Singe and Lera have diagnosed her as a Sorceress as well, but a different one than Lera. I think some of us are going to stay here and watch over her and wait for our gnome friend from last night. If you three want to go ahead and explore the ship feel free; just be careful. If you come back and were not here; follow the elephant tracks."
[Possible Conversation Insertion here]
Perrin then heads back inside the airship to tell the others "I told Koll, Woe, and Dapple to explore the ship if they want. I think the rest of us should stay here. Shanolia doesn't seem to be in any condition to do anything, Zamar should stay since he's the only one proficient in medicine, you two should also be here in case something happens to her magic, and I'll stay and stand guard. This is not how I thought this day would go." Perrin says before returning outside once again.
Singe looks at Lera, "Do we just tell her? You said it yourself, she's tenacious, if we're evasive she'll just keep doing this and that will hurt her more than help her. But should we give it time?"
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Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett