The Forgotten Wish

Oren decided that If time is running short he better ask his question. 
”Magic.  Does magic come from the gods, or the land around us, or the sun, or from something else…where does magic come from?”  

"Your friend already asked his question!" Comedy briefly answers to Sylvera, before turning to Oren.

"Now that is a funny question! One I will gladly answer. All magic is, at least originally, a gift from Father." 

"On the first day, He left his breath upon this world, filling the air with life." 

"On the second day, He wept, and filled all the oceans and lakes with his tears."

"On the third day, He mixed his blood with the soil, and from there first came the elves, and then all other life as it is now known." 

"On the fourth day, He placed upon this world me and my brothers, to act as his eyes and ears."

"On the fifth day, He lend to mortal heroes pieces of his flesh, so they could ascend to be gods." 

"On the sixth day... He rested, and the world continued to spin." 

"And on the seventh day, He was murdered by his children." 

"You miss my point, madam Sylvera, centaurs have never been long-lived to begin.  So that we are also victims to the Wasting precludes the idea of it being an equaliser for such matters."

Rick looks a bit smug and says with a touch of admiration,

"Rick got Rick's name back and everyone else just got tricky answers from Sir Comedy!"

Sylvera lets out an exasperated sigh, ignoring Comedy for the moment and instead looking to Khond. “Clearly my knowledge is lacking in terms of your people, but that simply brings up a new element. You are of a race not many believe in, just as not many would believe that magic ever existed.” 

She mutters something under her breath, eyeing Comedy again and considering the story he’s provided. So there is their answer, unless she’s misinterpreting, magic came from a god. So was killing that god what killed magic? And how could one manage to kill the creator of magic himself? 

Nuria straitens when Breldo suddenly leaves the room. When he does this, she nearly follows after him out of habit. However, her legs don't seem to want to move, which causes her to hesitate. Her head is spinning with all this information. Information concerning this wasting and the fact that this Comedy person apparently has something to do with it, but more so from what it said to her.

Her eyes snap back to Comedy and the others in the room when the subject of reviving magic is brought up. Bring back...why? If magic really is what caused that accident with the fire, then why would anyone want it back? If she really has some innate ability to use it, then she certainly doesn't want it back. Touching magic would be no different then playing with fire...She bites her lip, but is that line of thinking selfish of her again? If what Comedy says is true, then the lack of magic is draining the world of life. If bringing magic back would keep the world from dying, and possibly put an end to this wasting issue, then wouldn't doing so be the right thing?

She listens to Comedy answer Oren's question, but the answer only makes her more confused. She's completely oblivious to Asimi's glance towards her as she remains drowning in her thoughts. Eventually, she shakes her head and rushes out of the room, intending to find Breldo. She just can't listen to this anymore.

Comedy glances at Rick.

"Really? I was just going to give it to you with how entertaining you've been! But if you're okay with that, I suppose all questions have been asked, and that brings us to the end of today's show."

"Now, believe it or not, I would love to go for a round two if I found something funny enough for all of you to do! But," 

Comedy starts, and then his appearance just... Fizzles, for a moment. Disappearing for a flash of a second, before reappearing, even if his form stretches horizontally, vertically, in strange ways, before eventually stabilizing. His voice breaks for a moment, too, interfered with static, before it stabilizes again just as quickly, even if his talking doesn't quite seem directed at the party for just a moment, frantic, almost panicked.

"Hey, don't die on me just yet! I've not had my final speech yet! I didn't even see a proper chance to perform my theme song! I..."

It stops, seeming to realize the different adventurer members are noticing what it's saying again, and the figure straightens a bit.

"Ah. I suppose that's dead a giveaway as any that I am running out of time. Though I suppose I do have a few final comments I am willing to share before I go."

"So there are really gods?   But they can be killed.  At least according to your story if it is real."  Oren sighs, and looks...confused.

"You've just made me have so many more questions rather than answering any, really."

Attention fully back to Comedy she listened to what he had said to Oren but none of it particularly struck a note with her. It was when he began to appear to fizzle out did concern cross her features, making to speak she held her tongue when he seemed to manifest again. The panic in his tone, even briefly, was something that did  however catch her attention, that he was seemingly talking to something or someone else wasn't lost on her either.

Nor was the fact he still had yet to move much from that spot.

While she awaited his final comments Asimi glanced around the stage to see if maybe anything else stood out.

Perception: 15

Breldo tenses at the sound of approaching footsteps, but eases his hands on this crossbow when he see's it's Nuria. She seems a bit distressed but that's somewhat of a baseline for the lass. He gives her a welcoming, but wry nod as she joins him, feeling no need to add to conversation if she doesn't.

"Rick wants father meat!"

Rick cries out in a panic.

"Rick needs father meat!"

Sylvera blinks as Comedy begins flickering in and out of existence... and talking to something that isn't there. 

Perception (we'll see if she's any luckier than Asimi... and my past perception rolls lol): 18

"And what would those final comments be?" she asks bluntly. "I would like to know just what exactly can be done to put an end to the wasting, but I suppose that's too difficult for you to answer." It's unclear whether or not she's intentionally trying to insult Comedy, since she's quite irritated as it is. Maybe she's still hoping to weasel an answer out of him, or perhaps it's just her winning personality on display. 

"If it's fixing magic, and that's what's keeping you from wandering freely, then I don't see what the problem is with telling us. It would benefit you too. Or perhaps it's not up to you to give us the answers. Is there someone else you are working with? Other gods maybe? The gods you mentioned who killed 'Father' as you call him." She pauses, eyes shooting to Rick as he starts panicking for no reason and shouting nonsense. 

Sighing, she says, "Perhaps I should simply let you talk. Since you are on such a time limit." She crosses her arms, lowering her gaze for a moment and shutting her eyes. More than likely her questions will remain unanswered. And the more she talks the less time Comedy will have to talk... which means the less likely it will be for him to accidentally let something slip. So, she'll wait for him to speak up again. Even though she wants to wring all the answers she can out of him. 

Both Asimi and Sylvera, noting Comedy's odd behavior, look for a sign of anything that may be off... But there's just too much happening to focus on investigating what could be the source of his odd behavior. Hopefully, there may still be time to investigate later..? Some final comments are given, and Rick's outburst is definitely noted, but seemingly ignored by everyone. As Comedy chooses to pick on Oren's comment, first.

"Father was no God, though I suppose from your perspective, that is closest to what He was. Nor do you want his flesh- Trust me. With that said, I think I have been more than fair trying to answer all your questions! The problem is you ask questions for a forgotten age, and so, it cannot be helped there is context you simply cannot understand. And the answer, as much as it may tell, gets lost in the context."

"...Compared to worrying about the present. Only one of you seemed to be bothered about recent events. And then when they asked, they gave me SUCH an easy out!"

Comedy laughs. Pallen scowls, trying to right himself up despite his condition, but stumbles, and almost falls. "You bastard..!"

"If it's any consolation, even if you got me to talk, it's not like you could do anything to stop it! So best put it out of your mind. Maybe ten, twenty years from now, you'll think back to this moment?"

Another augh, before the manic figure seems to realize he is, in fact, on a clock, and quickly continues.

"Asimi. My dear messenger. You can draw correlations, can you not? The moment I got my answer from these people, was the moment I said I could only offer for you to rest here. Curious!"

"As for your other comments... Too many to gloss over, but you assume it's in my interest to end the wasting. One can feel very very sorry it's happening! And still not want to stop it."

"And then, I would also like to comment on your comment that only elves and others are hurt by it. To that I say, if magic was real, are the story of the dragons of old also true, then?"

"So when is the last time you saw one of those?"

"And then, at the opposite end... I would like to bring back this music box you found. You seem to be under the impression it may have been some evil thing. Something that was brainwashing those humans into maniacs! Let me tell a little story."

"There was a man who lived on freezing cold plains. He has lived there his entire life, and has known nothing else but the cold, unforgiving. Each day, it takes a toll on his health, and he withers away, but does not begrudge the cold, for he has never known better. As far as he knows, the fact his fingers grow numb is but a fact of life."

"Then, one day, lightning strikes! A tree falls and catches fire. As the man approaches, he finds warmth from the flames. His body heats, his fingers thaw, and for the first time in his life his body recognizes what it has been missing."

"It is something he would never want to give up again. He would fight, struggle, to keep the fire going, so that he would no longer grow numb."

"...Is the fire evil?"

"...Ah, I'm glad I managed to get through all that. Elf," Comedy continued, wasting little more time as he motioned directly in Pallen's direction.

"I get the vague impression you may not like me! But... I am honest that I do want to help, one way or another. So... I would encourage you to make your final decision quickly. If you do it fast enough, I may be able to offer..."

"...A mercy."

And with that, Comedy vanishes in the blink of an eye.

(Everyone in the room, give me a perception check?)

Perception: 9

Though Asimi listened with rapt attention upon her failure to notice anything his comment towards her caused her eyes to narrow in thought. Though she wished to try and speak with him further his sudden exit left her momentarily stunned before it shifted to anger, seemingly betrayed and now abandoned with no clear indication of where to go from here...

Her grip tightened on her weapon as she turned to look at the others still in the room before the elf's gaze looked out of the room. That timid woman from before... it was her that gave him his answer first. Her story was certainly a strange one by Asimi's understanding, but her hazy mind struggled to put much together one way or another. 

Bracing the polearm against the floor Asimi leaned against it, eyes drifting to the ceiling as she tried to determine what to do now. So used to following orders, yet... here she was without any.

Perception: 15

(Someone else roll a 7 so we can have a jackpot)

17

hey

Perception: 3

When Comedy blinks out of sight, Oren's eyes, yet again, go wide and he tries to figure out what is all going on.  HOW it could all be going on.  

Nuria nods back to Breldo, and tags along behind him silently if he proceeds to move forward. Though she does make periodic glances back at the room. Her head is still reeling from what just happened, and she's not sure she's comfortable leaving the others with that creature...though she doubts she would be much use if Comedy decided to try anything with them.