((Is cool. Congrats.))

((It's refreshing to have you back, hopefully we as players can agree on that, if not, that's alright aswell. Anyway, let's have our story resume from a short hiatus, shall we?)) 

Zacharias becomes more and more confused as Tesp speaks. "I'm sorry," he finally stammers, "but none of that makes any sense. How is this your domain? Why is it a mistake to accept someone's hospitality? What is the meaning of the puppet? Do I not need a body anymore? Am I free to come and go from it? Are you saying I should depart from it in order to defend the Zeitgeist?" He stakes his head. "I was not told any of this."

Road to Riverport

Voldred:  The figure takes up the staff in both hands, pointing it at you.  The snake wrapped around it hisses at you, which is quite surprising.  "Mortal talk is cheap.  Perhaps, if you had not realized what it was, I might've let that happen..."  Twill makes a bit of grimace.  "...however, now I can't take any more risks, this encounter has already been taken by the sway.  Perhaps it was inevitable."  She slowly lowers her staff.  "I will allow this discourse as we leave this place...it is indeed disturbed.   If you try anything, however, you will find that my bite is far worse than my bark."

Twill gives you a tough glance as the woman becomes less hostile and permits you to keep moving, saying quitely  "You've got a tough nerve as well, I see, holding your ground against an Aspect.    Don't let her convince ta' give that thing up, though, it's priceless, belongs in musuem, you know, to be sold.  Though, to be fair, I don't understand why this one is so special.  I guess it don't look like the normal ones, I've heard they're just useless rocks. Least to us, anyhow, beyond their monetary value, maybe gods and such like 'em.  You got the stone though, so you make the deals."

The Aspect walks along with you, offering:  "Perhaps, I could offer a blessing to take it off your hands?  Normally, such things are reserved for my devout followers...but this is an anormal occasion.  I don't suppose any sort of natural power would interest you, would it?  I am also adept at healing wounds and other restoration, if that would suit you, if not now, than at some later date."

Spearhead Tent:

Iam:  You manage to get closer...closer without them noticing.  Eventually, they turn lazily and sleeply toward you, through the lenses of their glasses their eyes squint at you.  "Ah, gee." they say to themselves.  "I guess I must've fallen asleep at the desk again.  Can't believe I'm still have dreams about Creakers."  He stands up from his desk, looking over you.  "I haven't even gone hopping, since, what, a year?  This one looks quite different- woah!"  He gives you a prod and as a sudden realization, falling on his rear.  "Oh, you're real and I'm awake, oh shi-"  A strange, swordlike weapon instantly appears in his hand, giving off a mechincal whir as he points it at you to defend himself.

Spearhead tent

Iam chuckles out loud. "Sorry to startle you. Laura asked me to stop by here. She mentioned all of you might have need of some work." Turning his head slightly as if just taking in the sword. "Interesting. If you are sleeping might not be wise to think of using weapons summoned by will."

Road to Riverport:

Seeing as how the Aspect agreed to a peaceful resolution, Voldred proceeds to make his way back to the road. As they walk, he speaks:

"You still haven't told me who you or your worshipers are, Aspect. I will consider your offer once I know who I'm dealing with."

After saying that, Voldred turns to Twill:

"What do you mean, sold? The rich have quite enough power as it is, I'm not letting them have a chance to grab the Philosopher's Stone too. If someone wants to have it, they will have to go through me one way or another."

Black Port 

"Well, if there's nothing more interesting around, maybe I find out what's going on, huh?" Tsahil says jokingly, as if that wasn't very curious. "Im ready to go, as soon as the wagon is ready"

Chloro Hills:

13

With the lack of a mount, she is unable to evade the full force of dragonfire.  The raw elemental power rends her armor of radiance, causing searing cracks ro ripple through it's enitre form before explodiing into millions of glowing shards.  Her form is seems almost human now, with only a raging light pouring from her eyesockets.  She is still brimming with fervor, ready to follow up on her previous strike, before a CRACK of eldritch force and empored light slam into her simultaniously, knocking her out of the sky.  Her body erupts a pile of dirt as it hits the ground.  +1000 XP.

However...from the dust, the figure emerges.  No longer light and fury, but flesh and blood, limping out and still ready to fight to their last breath with a dagger of light in their hand.  There's a chill down your spine, beyond the radiance and holy resonance, you recognize their face, their voice.  "I am but the first of many..." says the shattered figure with Noldeme's face, Noldeme's voice.  "...from the world of the choice not made.  The choice where you became light, the that light extends through time itself exert its will.  I have come to stop what leads to darkness, I will come every day, then every hour, then every minute, every second until it is done.  The only other path is..."  the figure wavers, their appearance is almost skeletal "...d...doom..." and collapses, their eyes completly hollow, pale skin streched over bone, beyond dead.

THE Crow Bar (Body) <-> Dream of a Study (Mind) 

Dordis:  A wicked smile slowly paints it's way across the Vagrant's face.  "I wonder what would be a crueller answer to that query;  A truth, or a lie?" he is quiet for a moment.  "Yes, I believe I was.  I brought his demise, and countless others.  I'll see to it to have you roasted on a spit and continue my plans in due.  While I'm gone, however, you can be certain something worse will inevitably take my place.  Until we meet again.

The room fades from your vision, and slowly you open your eyes to your inn room.  Your roommate is nowhere to be seen.

Chloro Hills
Nae gives a sigh of relief "Really thought she was gonna put up a better fight than that. You guys ok?"  Nae has a moment of realization "Hey wheres the Pegasus?"

"I am unharmed," Xamodas huffs as he touches down.  "I'm not certain whats going on in all of this, but I'm caring less and less.  I'll continue to raze a path for you, Noldeme.  If only to teach these divine interlopers some humility."

Chloro Hills

"She didn't even aim at me, I'm okay," Noldeme responds, flying back down to the ground and making her bow disappear again. "The truth is, I also don't know what that was about... She clearly knew me, but I haven't ever seen her face before or recognized anything of the things she told me... Then again... Well, no, that doesn't matter... We were going somewhere, right? Time to continue that path?"

Grand Abode:

Ulrich: "There was no sure pick, I needed to hear which one intrested you, there are some skills involved in these tasks in which I am unsure of your ability.  I think you will find that everything becomes urgent when behind schedule, but you need not rush on these, so long as you continue to actively pursue them, unless the situation changes and either you or I determines haste is necessary will it be considered urgent."

"Now Ulrich, you should know that I can't tell you more than you need to know.  Each of these missions requires a certain amount of tact, and the more particular interest you have, the more capable you are to handle such a burden.  I also happen to have five other meetings today, one of which I need to finish a report for, and explaining three seperate missions in detail takes way too long.  If you wanted to hear me talk for an hour, you could come to my sermon later today."

"Does the South interest you?  I didn't expect you to choose it, to be honest, for obvious politcal reasons.  I did speak about tact earlier, and I have found that it is often lacked by clerics such as yourself.  It's clear that you can make the effort to honor my rank, regardless of your deeper respects, but you will find that is not enough for such an excursion.   I have also found they are poor conversationalists, and they drift greatly into matters of their own devotion and blessings on the matters of others that require much more careful discretion.  If don't think you can handle that, or at least be willing to get some practice, then none of these missions would quite right for you, but I don't have much of a choice.  I digress; before I give you the full mission, tell me, how familiar are you with the South?"

I have a request: Could you not only put the place, but also the characters involved at the beginning of each post?

Nae gives a small nod "Yes, if we feel ready lets move ahead."

Macgullickson's Farm:

Zacharias:  "Hmmm, questions, questions, but no answers, frustrating isn't it?"  he takes a seat down, and a chair made from shadow forms into being.  "Strangely, the answer to each is, essentially, because mortal minds willed it to be so, but if that if that answer displeases you as much as it displeases me, then please, have a seat."  A second chair forms behind you.  

"You say that none of this makes sense, which is indeed true.  Sense makes us would be more aptly put.  I can only answer your questions to the best that I understand it, so I apologize if I can't quite expound much.  This is my domain becuase I can come and go here as I please, but I am tasked to maintain it, becuase that's what my worshipers want.   I imagine your major Aspect or Domain decided that your role should be to give as much as possible, and not to take, even accepting willingly given food or lodging, so I guess they intervened.  The puppet is just for show, Aspects can manipulate some of the forces in the Zeitgeist with practice, some more than others; what I was trying to show you answers the next question, really, you are always in the Zeitgeist now, and you are manipulating your body to interact with the physical realm.  Most aspects cannot act unless called upon, you should use your free choice while you still have it.  I am not saying you should leave it, I was merely informing you, as I am now."

"Well, not every Aspects knows the exact ends and outs of being one, and many want to observe their pages interact with their newfound powers, see how they experiment.  Many relish the idea of expermenting with newfound powers.  Not exactly a good plan too keep one around if they have a habit to exploit them for their own benefit, and threaten the existence of the order we have striven to build."

Zacharias listens and tries to understand, but the explanation is just as convoluted as what prompted his questions. Finally, he shakes his head. "Just ... tell me what I should do tonight? How should I have known I was trespassing? What should I look for in the future? And what should I do tonight while out of my body? Is this going to happen every night?"

Grand Abode: 

"They are more tribes than nations. Not usually at peace. And they do not like nor trust us." 

He is quiet for a moment.

"It is my lack of knowledge of the South that interests me. I cannot assume that I will never have to go there. Better to have a reason for being there, than to just wander through. As unwelcome as it might be."

Spearhead Tent:

Iam: The whirring of the strange weapon slowly silences as you explain yourself.  "Laura sent you?"  says the spectacled man.  "Laura...oh, oh yeah!  We were talking about that!  We thought you had flaked since it had gotten so late, well late enough, anyway.  Laura has a habit of actually getting to bed on time somehow."  The weapon vanishes from his hand as quickly as it appeared as he stands up and dusts himself off.  "It's not really summoned so much as it is the presence of danger, but to explain it completely would allot more space than than...oh I'm sorry, there I go again."  He shakes his head.  "Yes, I suppose if I were to will a weapon into a dream, it might get stuck there, but as long as I'm in my own head, so to speak, that's where it's supposed to be anyway, kind of."  

He sticks out a hand to shake.  "I'm Eli, welcome to Spearhead, well the tent we've set up anyway.  Your...gosh, I can almost think of your name, seemed just like just a few minutes ago I was discussing about you.  If anything, I'm sure your hoping to get your hands on these."  He goes over to the desk, and pulls out the recruitment bonus you were offered, two of those cards, and a hefy gold pouch.   "Of course, before you get these, you have to read-hrg-!" he lefts a heft stack of bound papers and sets in the on the desk.  "-guh- through this.  Which of course means that you have sign this-"  He says taking out simple form.  "-in which you say you've read and agree to what's in here.  While you "read that over", why don't you tell me a bit about yourself-"  

A faint dinging noise comes from the device on his desk.  "Ah, well, do that, let me attend to this for a moment, I'm listening."  He vaults over the desk and clacks away.

Road to Riverport

Voldred:"Names are a powerful thing, but I am called So, I am Aspect of Remedies, and those who follow me look to for me for such things. I'm sure you could understand why I would want an artifact like the one you have.  Most likely, I will have to give it up to my Domain, either to MOTHER, the Domain of Life, or Ryfon, the Domain of Nature, but I should be able to put it to some good use before that happens."

Twill whispers back.  "Listen, I know what your saying...I guess you are a wizard, er, ,warlock, or something, but if I didn't think you could use it, I don't think she thinks you can use it either.  And...hey, you know I just had the strangest feeling, but I think we're being followed by somebody...somebody else."  Voldred doesn't seem to detect anyone nearby, and So doesn't seem to either.  "Just hurry up and decide what were going to do with this thing before we gotta deal with twice as much trouble, maybe more."

Spearhead tent

"You may call myself Iam." Iam replies as he shakes the man's hand gently. He moves over to the papers that are bound and begins carefully reading each page. " About myself, there is only a little. I awoke in my makes lab. I was left instructions to go out into the multiverse to learn, grow, and have relationships. I left the lab and found myself in this city. I met some nice Caretakers. I registered. I met a shop merchant and a man named Liadon, both nice and Liadon was helpful. Took Liadon home after he fell I'll, then took a carriage ride here." Iam says in a casual monotone obviously more interested in the papers.

He investigates the pages for their contents but also for any legal or arcane bindings.

Investigation 18

Arcana 20

History 22