>>20960551
Fuck yeah

The statue of a cloakless Dras'lea stood in the center of your room, her ragged cloak sitting on the ground, with something glittering on the inside. Rikar was still in your hand, and you felt a strange, unnatural magic, surrounding the statue- something you recognize from ...Gehenna's specialty.

There's a moment of silence, and you can't hear anything, save for the rustling of the wind in the grass down below, and Redglare's constant hammering from his smithy.

Gently, you touch the statue's face. She was in the middle of a word...

>>20960578
Check out what's glittering in the cloak.

>>20960578
"Leworanthine? ...Lewin?"

Check the cloak if it reminds us of anyhting

>>20960578
Look for mother's sword. Has she got it? Is that what was glittering in the cloak?

"Leworanthine?" You ask. The statue doesn't respond. "... Lewin?"
It's as still as stone.

You reach down to the cloak, examining the glittering object- it looks like the handle of her golden sword, but the cloak was no way near large enough to hide the entire sword. You take the hilt, and draw out the entire longsword. It was large enough to hide the entire sword, somehow. Some kind of translocation magic, you assume, woven into a pocket on the inside of the cloak...

You turn the sword over in your hand- it looks almost exactly like your father's, but older, with nicks in the edge, and gashes over the flat of the blade, almost hundreds of them. You have a strong feeling that what you're holding is hundreds, maybe thousands of years old.
You look back to the statue again. How old *is* she?

Rolled 52

>>20960661
Cast the spell that let's us see magic. The wizardly one, assuming we know it.

>>20960661
We say we want an evil witch outfit, and that very night an evil witch outfit is delivered to us. Fate clearly wants us to go and kidnap Marigold.

You set the blade down on your bed, and grab your spellbook, flipping it open to the earliest divination spells, and you take note of the words of power there. Closing your eyes and focusing, you cast the spell. When you open your eyes again, you can see strange spells woven over the blade- ones you don't recognize. You don't even seem to be able to recognize the school of magic is coming from it.
Next, you examine the cloak- other than a powerful illusion spell, there's some kind of translocation magic on the inside- a pocket, perhaps, like the one behind your head.
Finally, you eye Dras'lea- and the only spell you can sense is a very weak, minor spell coming from the stone section of her bracer, and a simple, yet weak, transmutation spell around her. A spell made to be broken, you know intuitively.

>>20960738
Well that's kind of silly. If it's broken before the right time everything is fucked, and it's not like the World Key needs you to weaken your spells in order to break them.

>>20960738
Let's move her to the side for now. What time is it?

You pick her up, the stone unusually light, and set the statue down to the side, in one of the empty corners of the room, and you look out to the sky- it's long before dawn, but the is just about to start bustling as the servants and pages start to awaken. Kell is looking forlornly up at the castle, you see, and the ogres are already taking care of the nervghaul, while Qu'az is picking vinefruit, putting them into a basket.
Nobody else seems to be awake quiet yet... and then you feel Kaliel's heart thud in that rhythm she uses, while using her magic- she's awake, as is Redglare, according to the sound of the constant hammering from the smithy.

>>20960869
Let's go down to Kaliel's workshop. If we run across any pages or servants along the way, tell them to get Jormugandr prepared for voyage.

>>20960869
<What're you casting this early, Kal?>

>>20960909
And try on the cloak.

You quickly get dressed... and slide Dras'lea's golden sword back into the cloak's pocket, and then you put it on. It doesn't seem to do anything... until you pull the hood over your eyes. Intuitively, you can feel a pair of 'eyes' from Kell, and one from a page far below you... and with just a slight amount of will, you can hide yourself from any of these eyes, even hiding from one pair, or all but one pair. You feel a slight amount of power draining from you. It's not an artifact, sadly, so it can only work as long as you have energy. You take it off, and fold it up tightly enough to fit into your inventory, and then you make your way out of the room, running into the page that you'd sensed with the cloak.

"Please prepare Jormungandr for voyage." You say, and he bows.
"As you wish, milady." He said, and quickly ran toward the servants' quarters.

You find yourself peeking into Kaliel's workshop, where she was leaning over her workshop, with a large pile of trollflesh, and a sleeping troll in the back of the room.
"What're you casting this early, Kal?" You ask, and she gives you a smile.
"Trying to figure out how these grow so quickly." She said.

>>20961012
"Any breakthroughs?"

>>20961012
"Does that big book Mala gave you have any hints?"s

"Any breakthroughs?"
"Well, the spider and the island actually helped a lot." She said. "I think I've all but figured out their reproduction, for the most part, but I still don't know how they grow. I'm thinking it may be related to Marigold's talent." She said, and then frowned. "Anyway, once they actually get old enough to become mobile, it seems that their talent activates, and they start giving off life magic. I've been looking through Mala's book, but I need a bit more study." She said, and gave you a grin. "But that's all rather boring, sorry. You're up rather early today."

>>20961012
"An abundance of life magic drawn from surrounding… stuff,"

>>20961109
"I got woken up by Dras'lea teleporting into my bedroom and turning herself into a statue."

>>20961109
"Events are in motion. Dras'lea showed up. Apparently, she tried to kill Tyr, and he gave her a nasty curse. She petrified herself to halt it, so now it's up to us to stop Tyr from destroying wizardry.

>>20961123
What?

"I got woken up by Dras'lea teleporting into my bedroom and turning herself into a statue."
"A statue?" She asked.
"Apparently, she tried to kill Tyr, and he gave her a nasty curse. She petrified herself to halt it, so now it's up to us to stop Tyr from destroying wizardry."
She paused for a moment... and then nodded, pushing aside the trollflesh, and pulling up some mutant bones.
"I'll see what else I can make." She said. "War forms, I suppose. How long do we have?"

>>20961186
"I don't know, so I'd like to go as soon as possible. Jormugandr is being prepared already."

>>20961186
"A month or two I think. But the sooner we go the less time he has to recover from fighting Dras'lea."

>>20961186
"I'm not sure. She originally said he would do it in a month or so. This may have changed things."

"A month or two, I think." You say. "But the sooner we go, the less time he has to recover from fighting Dras'lea."
"Give me at least... two days." She said. "Maybe three, and I can make you something that makes Grayson look a bit dainty. You should probably make sure everyone else knows, because we all have our own projects."
"She originally said he would do it in a month or so. This may have changed things."
"Maybe, but..." She said. "A lot of rituals have certain requirements. The constellations need to be in a certain spot, or it needs to be a certain season. It should be impossible to destroy wizardry unless he did one of those."

First, we need to collect an army, preferably of elves, since they have airships. Then send a messenger ahead of us with a formal declaration of war against the Dwarven Kingdom. Then we will negotiate where the field of battle will be. We'll skirmish for a few days, then deploy our troops...

Ah, fuck it. Lets fly over and mess around.

>>20961266
"Ok, that sounds reasonable. I'll gather everyone together for a meeting and we'll decide exactly when we're going."

"Okay, that sounds reasonable." You say. "I'll gather everyone together for a meeting, and we'll decide exactly when we're going."
She nods. "I can't say I'm looking foward to something like this." She said. "But if worst comes to worst, I could just... i-inspire myself with my passion."

>>20961393
"As long as you don't let it take over, you'll be fine Kal. If you want, I'll be here to make sure it stays under control.

>>20961163
I dunno, I blame my phone.

>>20961393
"Ideally he'll listen to reason but Game players don't have a very good track record for that."

"As long as you don't let it take over. You'll be fine, Kal. If you want, I'll be here to make sure it stays under control."
"It... It doesn't work like that." She said, and frowned. "Passion isn't its own... isn't its own entity. It's part of me. If I use it, if I gain that... inspiration, I use all of it. It's... all or nothing."
"Ideally, he'll listen to reason, but Game players don't have a very good track record for that." You say.
"Ideally, this never would have happened." She grumbled to herself.

>>20961461
Hug, "I... really can't disagree with that."

You give her a hug from behind.
"I... really can't disagree with that."
"I just... I have a feeling that someone will get hurt, when we go there." She said, finally. "And I don't want it to be you."

>>20961562
"Even more people will be hurt if we don't go there. We just have to do the best we can."

>>20961562
"We can't predict the future, not that accurately. I'll try to avoid being hurt, try to avoid any of my friends being hurt, but it may still happen.

All we can do is fight our hardest and prepare the best we can."

"Even more people will be hurt if we don't go there." You say. "I'll try to avoid being hurt, try to avoid any of my friends being hurt, but it may still happen. We just have to do the best we can."
"I know." She said, and sighed. She twisted around to face you, and gave you a kiss. "I should probably get some sleep, but... there's no time now."

She took out a large pouch of Purifying Light seeds, and then got to her feet and started planting them in one of the cells. "I'll need to ask Marigold to bloom these for me." She said.

>>20961648
"Of course. Though you should still try to get some sleep when you can, we don't want you messing up due to tiredness.

I'm going to tell people and talk to Lewin and his band of adventurers to learn more about the western continent."

I think we should stick Dras'Lea in our vault once it is done.

>>20961689
Agreed on Dras'lea.

"Of course. Though, you should still try to get some sleep when you can. We don't want you messing up due to being tired." You say. "I'm going to tell people and talk to Lewin and his band of adventurers to learn more about the eastern continent."
"Well... Okay, just be careful." She said. "But you're right, I should sleep. I'll take a nap for now."
She gave you a hug and a kiss, and then made her way into her bed, dimming the the light spells in the workshop, as she snuggled under the covers.

>>20961752
Off to find... someone. Let's see who we run into.

>>20961752
We should get breakfast. That'll pass some time while people wake up.

>>20961752
<Cass, if you're awake, how much longer is it going to take on the vaults? I have a package I'd like to place in there.>

You say goodnight to Kaliel, and make your way down to the dining hall...

Which is empty. Not even the cooks are awake yet.

<Cass, if you're awake, how much longer is it going to take on the vaults?>
<Just about done.> He responded. <Pulled an all-nighter on it. A package? Already? I'm impressed. Come bring it down here, and I can kick on the wards.>

>>20961857
Well then, take her down there.

>>20961857
Pick up the statue, sling it over our shoulder and make our way down to the vault, being very careful not to bump it against anything.

Also she said "Resurgence" yesterday, if my memory serves me right that was the code word Eidolon used back in the day on Bubbles, so she has a different copy of the Mind.

You sigh, stand, and climb up to your bedroom, and you lift the statue again- again, you're impressed with how light Dras'lea's transmuted form was- and you sling it over your shoulder, careful not to knock it against the doorway or walls, and you climb down to the vault, opening the secret passage. The skeletons, apparently smarter than they were last time, saluted you as you walked by. You entered the vault proper, and saw tons of runes and glyphs covering every visible surface.
"Don't worry about smudging anything." Cassiel said. "And your package... is a statue of you?"
He shrugged. "Over there are the artifact holding mini-vaults. But if it's not an artifact then you can just put it in a corner or something.."

>>20961918
We knew that before. Although why she's been wearing it all this time and never activated it before now is kind of baffling.

>>20961958
"It's... complicated."

>>20961958
"It's a long story. I'll explain everything once I get everyone together, for now I'd like this under the heaviest magical security possible."

>>20961958
"It's not a statue of me."
I suppose we can just stick her in a corner.

>>20961958
"We might as well put it in a vault, they're not holding anything else. So, run me through the new security."

Guys, be careful to NOT put her in a magic suppression vault. It may undo the spell, or just flat out kill her.

"I'm not sure if she's me or if she just ensorcelled herself to look like me, but this is Dras'lea. THE Dras'lea."

I suggest we pen a letter to her just in case she comes out of her statuary form early and stick it in her hand. Just something that informs her of the situation and where she is.

>>20961997
Yeah

>>20961997
We can ask Cassiel what will happen. But it's just suppression, it doesn't undo spells. Otherwise it would damage the stuff we put in it.

>>20962036
Suppressing a spell as weak as that, and of that type may begin to reverse it's effects.

"It's... complicated." You say. "I'll explain everything once I get everyone together."
"Right." He says.

You take her into one of the artifact-holding chambers, and set down the statue.
"So, run me through the new security." You say.

"Well, everything is all warded against spell and scrying, mostly." He said. "And the artifact chambers are warded from allowing things to get out, and stops spells from leaving. It's warded to allow you- and only you- in and out, once it activates, unless you give someone permission. The wards will give off alarms if damaged, and people on the inside will be able to communicate outwards, in case somebody gets trapped inside. The wards will repair themselves, and there's a second layer inside the artifact chambers themselves, oriented inwards, while the main vault ward is oriented outwards. I tried to make it as low-key as possible, but Ell could likely see the vault's wards through the wall, or anyone with good enough divination who casts magic sight. There are also more... vaguer wards, which I'm not exactly sure what they protect against, but they're all for anti-intrusion."

>>20962087
"So. Magic we don't fully understand. What did you take scrape them from, ancient frog temples?"

Rolled 53

>>20962087
Excellent. Let me see if I can upgrade the ward further...

>>20962133
How about...


No?

>>20962087
"Sounds impressive. What effects do the inward wards have on the things inside?"

>>20962133
Or we could not do that. He's the ward expert, he's better than us. We'll just ruin his work trying to change it. And it's saturated so if we add any more wards shit will explode or something.

Rolled 6

>>20962173
How about yes.
>>20962178
Not if I get 100

>>20962194
Ha.

>>20962194
Cool 100 there, bro.

>>20962133
How about we don't fuck with the experts' work, yes?

"So." You say. "Magic we don't fully understand." You say.
"Wizardry is supposed to be a logical thing that you can use like a tool." Cassiel said. "But sometimes, they use the more 'wild' magics, like a ritual. Found them in an esoteric book that was babbling about hauntings, outsiders, hexes... that sort of thing. This should protect anything in the vault from rituals, too."
"Sounds impressive. What effects do the inward wards have on the things inside?"
"Almost nothing." He said. "It just holds them in place, and prevents them from escaping. It's a prison cell, essentially."

"Well, the runes are placed, my mind is calm... and I'm wearing this artifact that does nothing." He said, and looked down at the ankh. He placed his hands in the center of the room. "Let's do this."

There was a flash of light, and you hear jail cells loudly clink shut, spears of light shooting through the room, the entire vault seemed to... shudder, and the air got thick.

"And... it's complete." He said, standing to his feet.

>>20962288
"Good work. So no progress with the Ankh yet?"

"Good work." You say. "So no progress with the Ankh yet?"
"I have to admit, I thought activating these runes would have done it." He said. "No, no progress."
He rubbed at the side of his head, and then pushed open the vault door. you followed him out, and then you felt the wards activate, locking the door shut. "Well, now that that's done, I might go make something. Or nap." He said.

>>20962473
"I'd appreciate it if you stayed up for the meeting, but then you really should get some rest if you haven't slept."

"I'd appreciate it if you stayed up for the meeting, but then you should really get some rest if you haven't slept." You say.
"I think I will." He responded. "Take care, Ishelda." He said, and bowed, before starting to make his way up the stairs and out of the dungeon. He paused, and turned back. "Thank you, Ishelda." He said. "For bringing me back."

He continued on his way, and once again, you were alone.

>>20962705
Now we get breakfast. If the cooks still aren't up, fuck them. We'll transmute some delicious waffles.

You make your way back up out of the dungeons, and once again, enter the dining hall- and there are cooks, now, awake and cooking breakfast. A rather young ogre nods to you, and gives you an incredibly large muffin. You take a seat, and start whittling it down with your teeth, when an exhausted, grinning Redglare walked in. He took his own food, and sat down, eating like he was starving.

>>20962788
"How goes the work, Redglare?"

I'd just like to say, we don't have to call the meeting immediately. It CAN wait a few hours.

>>20962807
Not too long, Cas needs to go to bed. There's no reason not to have it as soon as everyone's up.

>>20962788
"Good morning, Redglare. How much progress have you made on the armors?"

"Good morning, Redglare. How goes the work?" You ask. "How much progress have you made?"
He gives you a grin.
"I know what the kalak mean when they speak of Passion." He said, chuckling. "Except mine isn't magically enforced. It goes, Ishelda. It goes. I have no idea how close to completion it is. It works strangely, and I keep running into problems, but... it's *fun*."

>>20962877
"I'm glad you're enjoying it."

>>20962877
Smile at him, "I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it."

>>20962877
"Do you think you could get it done within the week? Something bad is happening in the East, and it's up to us to stop it.

"I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it." You give him a smile. "Do you think you could get it done within the week? Something bad is happening in the east, and it's up to us to stop it."
"Well, I already have the cuirass and boots done." He said. "So you could wear it piecemeal until I finish the entire thing. The pauldrons will be the rest of the heavy plate, and then I'll start working on the lighter, banded plate next. But I can't say when it will be complete, though, I'm sorry."

>>20962979
"That's quite alright, I was simply curious. I'm having a meeting about the world-shattering event a little later today if you can pry yourself away from your work for a bit."

You'll never guess who I have locked in my basement.

Did Jeanne talk to you about leavung?

>>20963075
The person you're thinking of is Fellwind.
We're talking to Redglare right now.

>>20963075
She said she was going to talk to Fellwind, that's it. And she's going to leave. So I don't think we should tell him unless she does.

"That's quite alright, I was simply curious. I'm having a meeting about the world-shattering event a little later today, if you can pry yourself away from your work for a bit."
"Oh, I'll be able to, most certainly." He said. "I'll be wearing the ring, so just call me when you need me."
Still eating like a starved man, he finished his food, and stood.
"See you, Ishelda." He said, ruffling your hair, as he left the kitchens.

You continue nibbling at the enormous muffin, and you finally complete it... and then the ogrish cook gives you a second.
Talking to one another in the kalak, Gehenna and Aeriel grabbed their food, before sitting down, and they started to eat.
"Ishelda." "Your majesty." Aeriel and Gehenna say, respectively, at the same time. Their eyes meet, and they laugh.

>>20963158
"You're back already, Aeriel? What did you find?"

>>20963158
"You really should drop that thing with the title, Aeriel. Although I wouldn't know which one of you spoke then, though..."

>>20963192
>"Ishelda." "Your majesty." Aeriel and Gehenna say, respectively
It was Gehenna who called us 'your majesty'.

"You're back already, Aeriel? What did you find?" You ask.
"First of all, yes, I'm back already. I can teleport, remember. I didn't find anything very interesting, just history books, mythology, stuff like that. Did find a rather interesting book by some Kalak author named, uh, what was it?"
"Vallisthiel." Gehenna responded.
"Right. He was a philosopher, had crazy ideas about the nature of reality and magic and the afterlife, even. But nothing magical."

>>20963158
Hey ghenna, do you know any spells to turn oneself to stone? No reason, just asking.

>>20963247
"That sounds interesting. Do go on."

>>20963247
"Oh well. I'm afraid we're going to have to go on another expedition soon. There's going to be a meeting about it later."

>I can teleport, remember.
That's cheating, you said you were going to fly.

"That sounds interesting. Do go on."
"Well, apparently, according to Vallisthiel's theory, all of reality is a single, giant wagon wheel." He said. "With an infinite amount of spokes, a hub in the center, and a ring on the outside. Each world is a spoke, and the hub is the heart of all reality- the afterlife, and the outside of the wheel was a shapeless, spaceless dimension of pure magic. It's incredibly interesting... though I don't know what spacelessness would even *do*, and I don't want to find out."
"Oh well." You say. "I'm afraid we're going to have to go on another expedition soon. There's going to be a meeting about it later."
"... You have Dras'lea's cloak." Aeriel said, suddenly. "I can feel both pockets she had me weave. Why do you have it?"

>>20963408
"I suppose you'll just have to attend the meeting to find out~."

>>20963408
>Morrowind Huh?

>>20963408
"There's two pockets? I only found one of them."

>>20963408
"Mmmm, well I was going to wait until the meeting to make you find out - but I suppose I could tell you something right now if you show me where the other pocket is."

>>20963437
>the great wheel is a pretty common religious theme actually
>...but yeah, I told him all about CHIM in the IRC one day. It's all my fault.

>>20963488
You monster.

"Mmmm, well, I was going to wait until the meeting to make you find out- but I suppose I could tell you something right now, if you show me where the other pocket is."
"Check the other side, maybe." He said. "You won't be able to see them, you just need to feel for a space that shouldn't be there."

You unfold the cloak, and reach into one of the sides- and find the sword. That's the first pocket... you look for the exact location, and reach into another strange, open space- it felt like you were sticking your hand outside of the cloak, but you couldn't see it- and you find something strange. Something that feels like... paper.
You pull it out, and it's a note... In Arcturian. You pull it open, and read.

Ishelda.
If I am dead, do not seek the gearworks.
You do not need it.
I need it.
Instead, stay home.
You are not a monster.
You are loved.
Be happy.

"... What's it say?" Aeriel said.

>>20963534
It's nothing, its personal. I think we should show this to Grayson.

>>20963534
"That's private."

"The last thing I would've expected. Something...genuinely kind.

Dras'lea appeared in my bedroom last night, gave me a message, gave me her cloak, and then turned herself to stone. I put her down in the vault for the time being. The meeting is about the message."

>>20963560
Grayson? Why?

>>20963534
Ghenna, what does a stasis spell look like? Turning to stone?

"The last thing I would've expected." You say. "Something... genuinely kind."
"... Right." He says. "How did you get the cloak?"
"Dras'lea appeared in my bedroom last night, gave me a message, gave me her cloak, and then turned herself to stone." You explain. "I put her down in the vault for the time being, and the meeting is about the message."

"Into stone?" Aeriel asked. "That's rather strange."
"Gehenna, what does a stasis spell look like? Turning to stone?"
"No, stasis spells look like they just... paused, there. Stasis spells themselves are... incredibly, incredibly tough to do right." Gehenna said. "It's impossible to do it properly, because if anything in real-time nudges something in no-time, the no-time takes so much damage that when it comes out of stasis, it explodes into dust and astral fire. The stone could be... some kind of shield, perhaps, or something to soak any force exerted on it."

>>20963649
it was one of ediolons contingency spells. Did you notice she had bubbles? I'll have to check with ell.

Does ishelda have enough info to think that VQ is timeshifted herself?

>>20963687
>Does ishelda have enough info to think that VQ is timeshifted herself?
Definitely. We already asked her 'are you me?' a while ago. Now we've seen that she looks exactly like us without the cloak and she speaks Arcturan.

"It was one of Eidolon's contingency spells." You say. "Did you notice she had Bubbles? I'll have to check with Ell."
"Bubbles?" Aeriel asked. "The, uh, artifact that ate Henna's tome?"
"Last I heard, Kyvann had Bubbles." Gehenna said. "If he still does... then..."
"Then we're dealing with someone else that has your specialty." Aeriel said. "And is *way* better than you are."
"It's not how *good* you are, it's how much energy you have." Gehenna said. "It's just plain impossible to send anything past a year and a day, and it's impossible to send an entire living thing even a few seconds back. It just takes too much energy."

>>20963777
"Gareth called her 'The Void Queen'. If she has easy access to the void, she could get that much energy no problem."

>>20963777
"Well then she has an awful lot of energy. Look at this sword. It's exactly the same as my father's sword. Only it's centuries old."

>>20963777
I'm guessing she's far older then that. It looks like she's been meddling since at least two and a bit years ago, and I suspect she's come from quite a way into the future.

Would sacrifices break the year and a day limit?

"I'm guessing she's far older than that." You say. "It looks like she's been meddling since at least two and a bit years ago, and I suspect she's come from quite a way into the future. Would sacrifices break the year and a day limit?"
".... Possibly." He said. "But we're talking something larger than the sacrifice of all dragonkind."
"Her emotions?" Aeriel asked.
"No, no, a single person's emotions shouldn't be worth that much." Gehenna said. "To break the year and a day limit... to break it *twice*, even, would take more energy than is in every being in this world."
"Gareth called her the 'Void Queen'." You say. "If she has easy access to the void, she could get that much energy no problem."
"I don't think there's any such thing as 'easy access to the void'." Aeriel said. "The Void opens up rarely, very rarely. There's no way to control something like that. Not even with sorcery, I don't think."

>>20963915
"She could control it if she had the gearbox."

>>20963915
"'You don't think' isn't a very convincing way of getting me to disbelieve the evidence right in front of me."

>>20963935
GEARWORKS

It isn't a transmission system in a car, stop getting it wrong.

>>20963935
If she had the gearworks, she wouldn't need us to get it for her.

"'You don't think' isn't a very convincing way of getting me to disbelieve the evidence right in front of me." You say.
"I don't know enough about sorcery to tell." He said. "But I find it hard to believe that it could do something like that."
"She could control it if she had the gearworks." You say.
"...Maybe." He said. "I don't know."
He shrugged.
"It just... irks me, that some girl could suddenly appear, and was better at my specialty than I was." He said. "But we'll find out, eventually, when whoever she is goes back in time the first time. Which should be anyday now, if she went more than two years and two days. I'll see if I can rig a sensor so we know when something like that happens."

>>20963979
Had, is the key word there.

>>20963993
She probably leant from you. I thought you were good at this time travel stuff Ghenna.

>Oh god, I hope we don't have to send ourselves back.

"She probably learned it from you." You say. "I thought you were good at this time travel stuff, Gehenna."
"No, not me." He said. "I haven't been teaching anyone, and it would take years to master my specialty more than I know it. Maybe we should talk to Kyvann to see if he still has Bubbles. Because Bubbles might have been teaching someone..."

>>20963993
"I don't think you'll get anything. She's really really old. I think she went back centuries. "

>>20963994
Yes. She's already gone back in time. So she needs to already have it for that explanation to make sense. And she doesn't.

>>20964093
"No, I don't think you understand, she's ME from the future! The far future! A future where you all died!"

>>20964093
"It can take her years to learn. And then she can go back years. I don't think you're really understanding this 'infinite energy' thing."

>>20964124
Uhh, we don't know that specifically.

"No, I don't think you understand." You say, and bang your hand on the table. "She's *me* from the future! The far future! A future where you all died!"
They were silent, for a moment, and Gehenna's beak clicked once.
"Then... why would you go back?" Gehenna asked, slowly. "To meet with us once again? I haven't had Dras'lea talk to me at all."

>>20964162
"I don't know. I think she wanted to change how things happened.

At some point she lost, tore out, her emotions. Since then I think she has just been working towards getting them back."

>>20964162
"I don't know! She doesn't care about you because she destroyed her emotions. It's stupid and sad and I don't want to do it."

She's from a future where Lewin died while stealing the Galadriel's Light seeds from the Elves. The crippling guilt combined with Fellwind's inevitable outburst probably drove her to kill off her emotions. She couldn't bear the pain of seeing herself as a monster.

"I don't know!" You cry. "She doesn't care about you because she destroyed her emotions. It's stupid and sad and I don't want to do it!"
"I think..." He said, slowly. You close your eyes tightly, and steady your breathing again. "I think that if that's true- if she's centuries old, or from far in the future... if she's you, then you... don't have a choice. You can't... You can't break a loop. There's no spell to break a loop, and it isn't a matter of energy." He said, trying to stay calm. "The entire universe enforces it. It's impossible."

>>20964244
I'll break it. Watch me.

Rolled 48

>>20964244
Rolling to break the loop of continuity.

>>20964244
"But things are already different. In her past, Lewin died while stealing the Gladriels's light from the Elves. This is the cloak I made for him then.

Agh, this is getting ahead of myself. Let's get everyone here."

<Hi everyone, meeting in the kitchen to discuss Dres'Lea and the future of magic itself.>

>>20964244
"So if I never learn your magic the universe will just throw me back by itself? So much for needing impossible amounts of energy."

Rolled 2

>>20964270
>Rolled 48
Rolling to Maul the loop of continuity

>>20964270
>>20964305
Oh stop it, what would you even cast for that. There is no loop anyway.

"So if I never learn your magic the universe will just throw me back by itself? So much for needing impossible amounts of energy."
"No, I mean..." He said. "If you never go back... you'll never have arrived. d. But if Dras'lea is you, then you did arrive, so you do go back. That's just... the way things work. Cause and effect, though the cause takes place afterwards."
"But things are already different." You say, and then you sigh and shake your head. "Agh, this is getting ahead of myself. Let's get everyone here."

You turn to the ring, and activate it. <Hi everyone, meeting in the kitchen to discuss Dras'lea and the future of magic itself.>
<Really then.> Kristoph said. <On my way.>

Soon enough, your father, Marigold, Jeanne and Fellwind, Kiyara and Ell, Kaliel, Raziel, Zeke, a very tired Cassiel, Redglare, Grayson, Lewin, and Treechild arrive, while the cooks start working overtime to make sure everyone gets fed.

"The future of magic itself?" Raziel asked. "That... doesn't sound good."

>>20964327
"To put simply, Tyr, the Dwarfven king, player of the game between immortals, is going to use an artifact called the Gearworks to destroy all of magic. In at least a month he will begin his plans, I would like to stop him before he gets that far."

>>20964327
"Ok, the simple version that I actually understand: Tyr is going to destroy wizardry. We're going to stop him. Questions?"

"Okay, first, the simple version that I actually understand." You say. "Tyr is going to destroy wizardry. We're going to stop him. Questions?"

Lewin raised a hand. "I have one. How? He's, well, he's the leader of an entire country- one much more established than ours, and they didn't even let my party past the first gatehouse."

>>20964383
"He's marching to war, he won't be hiding behind gatehouses."

>>20964383
I shall sacrifice all of you. It will be glorious!

>>20964383
"It's pretty simple. First, we're going to ask nicely, which I doubt will work, since this is a plan he's been working on for centuries. Then we're going to go in there and forcibly stop him."

"He's marching to war, he won't be hiding behind gatehouses." You say. "First, we're going to ask nicely, which I doubt will work, since this is a plan he's been working on for centuries. Then we're going to go in there and forcibly stop him."
"If he's marching to war... then if we try to stop him, we'll have to fight whatever army he's amassed." Kristoph said. "The entire army. It will be like the minotaur portal all over again... but without any reliable choke points and the target will be a living, breathing thing."

>>20964458
"We're not going to fight the whole army. We can't fight the whole army. I'll come up with a plan once we know the situation."

>>20964458
"I don't know what kind of army he has, but he hates wizardry, so I doubt it's very magic heavy. That means that Jormungandr should be able to handle it."

"We're not going to fight the whole army." You say. "We can't fight the whole army. I'll come up with a plan once we know the situation."
"Fair enough." Kristoph said.
"And who are you planning on bringing?" Gehenna asked. "We can't all come, or New Arcturus will be leaderless."

>>20964660
Well I'd like you to come ghenna, because of all the time traveling.

>>20964660
"Well, I hope you and Marigold can handle that like last time. I'll bring anyone who wants to come. It should be better this time because we have Aeriel so we're no longer days of travel away."

>>20964683
He's our steward, vital to the running of the kingdom. He's not very useful in combat. There is no time-travelling going on right now, Dras'lea's a statue and we don't know how.

"Well, I hope you and Marigold can handle that like last time. I'll bring anyone who wants to come. It should be better this time, because we have Aeriel, so we're no longer days of travel away."
"Right." Aeriel said.
"After the whole Wanderer debacle, I need to prove myself." Kristoph said. "I'm coming."
"As am I." Lewin said. "The destruction of all magic sounds like a bad thing. I can also scrounge up whoever from the guild wants to come."
"Of course I'm coming." Kaliel said.
"You'll probably need an evoker." Zeke said.
Cassiel looked rather thoughtful, and Raziel frowned.
"I will fight by your side." Your father said, suddenly.
Grayson harrumphed, and Kiyara gave Kaliel a look... and then started whispering to Ell in elven.
"I'm coming." Ell said, after a moment. "Kiyara... is going back to the elven lands."

Redglare looked thoughtful as well.
"If I can finish the armor." He said, finally. "Then I may as well come."

>>20964850
>Kiyara gave Kaliel a look
>Kiyara... is going back to the elven lands
Ok, shut up about that destruction of magic shit, this is important.
<Kiyara... are you pregnant?>

>>20964882
If that's true, we probably shouldn't take Ell either.

>>20964850
Does Able still have his sword? We could give him Dres'Lea's one.

>>20964882
I kinda doubt that.
Let's not say this and ensue awkwardness.

>>20964909
>Dual-wielding a single sword
Aww yeah. And then just when his enemies thought he couldn't get anymore stylin', out comes the cane.

>>20964941
Why do you doubt it?

<Kiyara... are you pregnant?>
"What? No!" She responded, aloud. "Well, there's no way to be sure yet, but that's not why I'm going back. I'm going back to talk to the council. And my father, if need be."
"... If magic stops working, feykind as we know it is destroyed." Ell said. "We have the prism airship. We have fields of galadriel's light, and we have airships designed for war. They need to be alerted, and if you can't stop them, then... well, we'll have to dash ourselves against the dwarves."

>>20965019
It's Kiyara, not Kaliel.

>>20965012
"Oh. I really hope it doesn't come to that."

>>20965019
>I'm pretty sure Ishy and Kal didn't go that /d/ in the bedroom
Whether Ell and Kiyara who have been trying for ages for a baby finally got one now that her infertility is cured really has nothing to do with Ishy and Kal's bedroom habits.

"Oh, I really hope it doesn't come to that." You say.
"It may." She said, and frowned. "And because of that, I need to inform the council *now*. They'll be deliberating forever, and I need to convince them that it's really an issue and that this is really going to happen. Your word probably won't be enough..."

>>20965135
"Elven politics sound difficult to deal with.

What would it take to convince them of the veracity of this? Because I can probably provide that, or at the very least fake it."

>>20965135
"Well, that's the only proof we have, so it's going to have to be enough."

>>20965135
"What more can I do?"

"Elven politics sound difficult to deal with." You say.
"They are." Ell said. "They'd probably be 'Ah, yes, the Dwarves are trying to end all magic in the world. We have dismissed this claim' or something stupid like that."
"Well, that's the only proof we have, so it's going to have to be enough." You say.
"Don't worry about it." Kiyara said. "Kyvann and I trust you, and some of the more xenophobic elves have been itching to use these airships on someone, so it shouldn't be hard to convince them. Moreso if I give them Lewin's report on the elves there. I can probably talk them into thinking that the elves are being oppressed or something."
"But they're not." Lewin said. "They're holding their own."
"I'll just be implying, not lying." Kiyara said.
"I'm... not sure how I feel about that." Lewin said.

>>20965256
Didn't the other elves kick these elves out?

>>20965256
"Well, we don't know who exactly the dwarves are going to war with. It could very well be the Eastern Elves."

>>20965256
"Lewin, this is politics. A bit of dishonesty goes a long way.

We don't say they're oppressed, we just talk about how they don't have airships and spell crystals, a bit about their neighbors and many of the elves will just assume that they're being oppressed because those evil dwarves are forcing the elves to walk on the ground and that's unthinkable to most of them."

>>20965256
"Probably good you're not in politics then, Lewin."

>>20965012
>there's no way to be sure yet
Just look, you're see-through. Hey, does Ell get to watch himself cum inside like in my chinese drawing porn?

>>20965336
Kiyara isn't translucent anymore. Because demons.

>>20965336
>Just because they're translucent doesn't mean that they're perfectly utterly transparent. You can just see the general shape of their bones, organs, and muscles if there's a source of light behind them. Also, Kiyara's skin is much thicker because of the way it was burned, and so she's much less translucent than most.

"Lewin, this is politics." You say. "A bit of dishonesty goes a long way. Don't say they're oppressed, just talk about how they don't have airships and spell crystals, and a bit about their neighbors. Many of the elves will just assume that they're being oppressed because those evil dwarves are forcing the elves to walk on the ground, and that's unthinkable to most of them."
"Most of the nobles, anyway." Ell said. "The councilors, certainly."
"Yeah, that's part of my plan." She said. "My father might have a few ideas, too."

>>20965358
Curse you demons! Kal can fix that, right?

>>20965373
"Make sure to work Eidolon's name in there somewhere, despite him being an utter jerk it'll make them perk up and listen. Something about Tyr being an ancient enemy of Eidolon, which is actually true, and Tyr wanting to destroy Eidolon's legacy."

>>20965373
"Will they really want to save them though? You did come to this continent to get away from those elves."

"Will they really want to save them, though? You did come to this continent to get away from those elves."
"That was hundreds of years ago." Kiyara said. "Nobody knows what's over there now, except we gave Lewin and his party an old airship shell, so he knows. So I'll just be able to... modify his report a bit."
"Make sure to work Eidolon's name in there somewhere. Despite him being an utter jerk, it'll make them perk up and listen."
"Of course." She said. "Well... maybe. That's not a switch we can pull often."

"... Do you want us to come?" Jeanne asked, pulling away from Fellwind. "We can't decide if we want to come or not... so we're leaving the decision to you. Would we be useful?"

>>20965500
"Fellwind is a skilled healer and those are always appreciated, and you are exceptionally good at punching things in the face, and I'm pretty sure there are many things that will need punching by the time this adventure is over.

I would love to have you two along."

>>20965522
Seconded.

>>20965500
"As much as I'd like a healer to be useless, he probably won't be. I'm not sure how punchable dwarves are; they're made of stone and you'll probably just hurt your hand."

"Fellwind is a skilled healer and those are always appreciated, and you are exceptionally good at punching things in the face, and I'm pretty sure there are many things that will need punching by the time this adventure is over. I would love to have you two along... But I'm not sure how punchable dwarves are. They're made of stone, and you'll probably just hurt your hand."

"I have my cestus." Jeanne said. "Maybe you could enchant them the way you did my boots..."
Then she shrugged, and gave you a sly grin. "I would come... but I'm a city guard. I can't exactly go gallivanting with the queen unless I was promoted to, say, a royal guard or something."

Rolled 55

>>20965587
Buff that cestus

>>20965587
"You feel you need a promotion after telling me just yesterday that you're paid to laze about all day?"

Rolled 48

>>20965587
"Well aren't you precious. Of course, royal guardsman Jeanne, personal attache to Queen Ishelda and adviser on all matters pugilistic."

Also, enchant her cestus.

>>20965587
"Kiyara, Ell. What do you know of Jaridan, while we're discussing namedropping old Fey heroes?"

"Well, aren't you precious." You say, "Of course, royal guardsman Jeanne, personal attache to Queen Ishelda and adviser on all matters pugilistic."
You take her pair of cestus, and then close your eyes, bringing forth your magic, and it wells up within you, as your spell weaves around the two fist weapons, evocation magic boiling from your hands.The world blurs for a moment as it takes quite a bit of energy from you, but you have so much reserves that you should be fine. You give them back, and she grins at you.

"Kiyara, Ell. What do you know of Jaridan, while we're discussing namedropping old fey heroes?"
"Jaridan was the one ship captain, right? I remember hearing a little about him..." Kiyara said.
"Jaridan was a powerful wizard noble, much like the rest." Ell said. "Except he was actually kind to his underlings, and while his peers got crueler and crueler, he took in all the refugees he could. Eventually, the other wizards got upset, and came to take his thousand servants from him... for sacrificial magic, and their own power- So instead, he left, and with sacrificial magic of his own, he raised a ship from the ground, and flew it here. I'm named after him."
"Ele'merelda'jaridan." Kiyara said, and Ell nodded.

>>20965859
"He was a much bigger hero than most realize. That sacrifice he made was absolute."

>>20965859
"So sacrificial magic was common back then. They sound like depressing times.

When someone dies due to blood magic, they never find their way to the underworld to rest, according to Azariel that's the most depressing part about it."

>>20965891
They get completely destroyed soul and all. There's nothing left to send to the underworld.

>>20965859
"Then perhaps the opposite course of our current plan would be wiser. Rather than 'those evil dwarves,' we could go with 'those foolhardy dwarves and those evil East Elves.' There is little love between the elves of the Weave and the dwarves, but a common enemy can be found between us all and those slavedriving filth. No doubt Tyr wants to destroy wizardry to stop their ambitions, and if this is so, the entire situation could be defused by offering our arms to help tear down the East Elves."

>>20965859
"It was a noble sacrifice. It's a shame he never saw the land he worked so hard to reach."

"He was a much bigger hero than most realize. That sacrifice he made was absolute."
"... The elven nobles never seem to remember that." Ell said. "They act like Eidolon was such a great hero, but he was just a wizard who invented a few things. A genius, yes... but Jaridan sacrificed himself for his people. All of himself. They even say that his soul went, too."
"I, uh, didn't know that." Kiyara said.
"It was a noble sacrifice." You say. "It's a shame he never saw the land he worked so hard to reach."
"... It wasn't the land that was important." Ell said, a strange look in his eyes. "It was the people. He got to see his people. That's all that was important to him."

>>20965951
I'm sure proximity to those elves has influenced his hatred of magic, but he's not exactly going to give up just because they're gone. And Ishelda is not really the genocide-y type.

>>20966036
It's not genocide. It's the death of a tiny class of dickass tyrants oppressing their cousins. It can scarcely even be called a pogrom, so small is the scale of the group we're looking to kill.

>>20965990
"And his people have thrived, due to his sacrifice. We're going to make sure that them, and everyone else, gets to keep their magic. We can deal with Tyr, he's only got an army and hundreds of years to prepare, we can deal with those odds."

We should probably have a chat with Azariel next chance we get, learn everything we can about Tyr, the dwarves, see if he has any idea how Tyr would accomplish his plan.

>>20966117
She's not really the killy type either.

>>20966170
We're going to have finished by the time Azariel gets back. And I think we've asked him about Tyr before, anyway.

>>20965990
We should probably try to glean as much information about Tyr and the dwarves as we can. So, what do we know so far?

>>20965990
I'll repeat >>20965951 because fuck the East Elves.

>>20966170
From what we were told before about Tyr, I remember that he values solidarity, strength in what you believe in, strength to walk your own path, etcetera. Objectivism, in contrast to Eidolon's socialism. In other words, like Eidolon, not a bad guy when he's got his head on straight, but when pushed, can be a raging dick. Unlike the wizard-kings of the East Elves, who sound like absolute monsters a hundred percent of the time.

>>20966180
When the fate of the world is at stake she is. Do not forget the brick incident, sir.

>>20966268
She kills when she absolutely has to. The fate of the world is with Tyr, it's fine to kill him with a brick. We don't need to kill the elves as well.

"And his people have thrived, due to his sacrifice." You say. "We're going to make sure that they, and everyone else, gets to keep their magic. We can deal with Tyr." You say, banging your hand on the table. "He's only got an army and hundreds of years to prepare. We can deal with those odds."

"The Wanderer had hundreds of years too. And he was even immortal." Marigold said. "This should be easy."
She gave you a grin. "I'm going to be staying here... but take Kell. He'll miss me, but only for a little while, if I encourage him."

>>20966313
Dang it, we're not killing Tyr with a brick. Not yet. First we talk to him and see if he's cool with not destroying all non-talent based magic if we can help stop the East Elves (who, in theory, are the motive behind his plan to destroy magic) without that being necessary, and if that's not an option bricking of both him and the wizard-kings will ensue. We absolutely have to kill SOMEONE, no doubt, but I'm saying it makes more sense to kill the East Elf tyrants over Tyr.

>>20966336
"I feel somewhat bad taking away Kell from you, especially after he just learned to say your name. I'm going to be hearing the most plaintive 'Graw's for a fair while.

But I need all the help I can get, and having another large, scary, and protective being with me would be invaluable.

Make sure to spend as much time with him as possible before we go, shower him with love before I take him to what is likely to be war."

>>20966366
And I'm saying he's still going to destroy wizardry even if the east elves are out of the way. Centuries of prejudice are not going to disappear just because the offenders are gone. Helping him with that is completely counter-productive.

>>20966366
Yeah. It sounds like we may very well end up helping him clean house on his contenent if he cooperates. Both the children and the bad elves sound like dicks needing a nice heavy boot.

>>20966415
I think that's very doubtful. Tyr is a dwarf of reason and science (his couriers to the Weave came in submarines, for cripe's sake) and all that nonsense. He will listen, I'm sure of it. He hates abuse of magic, not magic itself, and wizardry is just the most ubiquitous form of magic, and the most ubiquitous one he sees abused. By, namely, the East Elves.

>>20966416
Indeed. Children will come later, though. That's not a priority.

"I feel somewhat bad taking Kell away from you, especially after he just learned to say your name I'm going to be hearing the most plaintive 'Graw's for a fair while." You say. "But I need all the help I can get, and having another large, scary, and protective being with me would be invaluable."
"Of course." She said. "Just bring him back in one piece. Or... multiple pieces, because he'll regrow." She said.
"Make sure to spend as much time with him as possible before we go." You say.
"I will." She said, and got to her feet. "I'll go... tell him." She said, and made her way out of the room.

"You look strong." Redglare said to Treechild, out of nowhere.
"I am." She responded, eyebrow raised.
"You any good with blacksmithing?"
"... I'm better with bows." Treechild said. "But I've made woodcutting axes and tools before."
"Then I'm going to need your help." Redglare said. "I'll need an assistant."
"For what?"
"... I... I think it's an artifact." He said, quietly. "I think I'm making an artifact."

>>20966536
"That's impressive Redglare. I've made Artifacts before, but they've always been accidents of creation. They just appeared.

You on the other hand, you're crafting one, you know what's coming and you are shaping it with little more than your will and your hammer, and that is beautiful beyond words."

>>20966516
We obviously have very different ideas of Tyr's character. That's fine, we'll see who's right when we actually talk to him.

Skipping over that, think how much power a blood magic sacrifice gives you. Opening portals between worlds without knowing translocation, propelling an entire people across the ocean...
Each of these elven wizards has hundreds to thousands of slaves to sacrifice. Tyr does not think he can defeat them without taking their wizardry out from under them. How do you propose to do it with one boat?

>>20966536
Don't disturb Redglare as he talks to Treechild. We wouldn't want to spoil his focus.

I think we're at an impasse. For the third time I repeat >>20965951 sans the beginning 'then,' as no one seems to have an alternative, better idea. Otherwise I'd let the idea drop.

>>20966536
"An artefact that isn't magic? You're just... building one?"

>>20966658
The better idea is not doing that. Leaving the message as it is.

>>20966658
Second not disturbing them. Just listen.

Raziel's coming with us, isn't she?

>>20966728
She hasn't said. Neither has Cass.

>>20966633
Well, we do have Control Magic as a specialty. All we have to do is touch one of those wizards or their fonts of power, or make a check to establish a magical link to them from afar, and we can rob them entirely of their accumulated magic and turn it against them. Meanwhile, Raziel could raise the bodies of the legions of slaves who had their blood spilt upon the desert sand in blood sacrifice to surge up in a wave of mindless, soulless dead, a cruel and ironic fate for the tyrants. And then we've got Kristoph, who borks magic, and some of the most skilled wizards in the world in the Kalak to one-up them. We've got decent odds.

It also wouldn't be 'one boat,' since we're talking about persuading the Elves to go to war and joining forces with Tyr. We could do the same with our other allies. They aided us against world-threatening enemies before in the demons; 'twould be no different now with the East Elves. It would be unjust to kill Tyr instead of aiding him so he didn't have to go through with his desperation move of destroying magic. He's not evil himself, he's cornered by evil.

>>20966708
I firmly disagree, sir.

>>20966741
I think we need our angel. Though she might be more then slightly offensive to people who dislike magic.

"An Artifact?" Treechild asked. "Hah, you can't make one without magic, can you?"
"I don't know." He said. "I just... don't." Redglare responded.
"Artifacts aren't usually made with magic." Gehenna told her. "The Knife was made by sacrificing dozens of willing lizardfolk mothers for a single, powerful spell. The Throne was made by being used, by many seers over thousands of years. The Fell was made by a powerful, warlord in another world, by smithing a wedding band for his deceased bride-to-be. The Heart was made with magic, as was the Mind, but those are different. Everything has their story."
"Except the World Key." Aeriel said.
"Except that." He responded, and shook his head.

"... You're coming with us, aren't you?" You ask Raziel.
"I'm... not sure." She said. "Let me think about it a bit."
You nod, and turn to Kiyara.
"Perhaps the opposite course of our current plan would be wiser. Rather than 'those evil dwarves,' we could go with 'those foolhardy dwarves and those evil East Elves.' There is little love between the elves of the Weave and the dwarves, but a common enemy can be found between us all and those slavedriving filth. No doubt, Tyr wants to destroy wizardry to stop their ambitions, and if this is so, the entire situation could be defused by offering our arms to help tear down the East Elves."
"Perhaps." She said. "But it's important we stop Tyr. That's more important than the East Elves.

>>20966818
"What's the story of the world key? Dres'lea said I'd need to use it later."

>>20966758
>I firmly disagree, sir.
I think you've made that clear. I think you're too fixated on your idea and being unreasonable. Tyr is the problem, so we tell them Tyr is the problem. If it turns out he can be reasoned with, great. They're not doing anything unless we fail anyway. If we need their help, fine. Call for them. There's no time limit any more because Tyr agreed not to destroy magic. Trying to turn them against their cousins based on your hunch of a character we've never met is downright irresponsible and foolish.

>>20966853
>"Everything has their story." "Except the World Key."

Reading comprehension is important.

>>20966818
"Why doesn't the World Key have a story?"

>>20966818
"Abel is going." Nudge her in the ribs.

>>20966867
Maybe you're right. But there's evil afoot, and why smite neutral when you can smite evil?

"Why doesn't the World Key have a story? Dras'lea said I'd need to use it later."
"Nobody knows." Aeriel said. "It's mysterious. Normally, there are notes or books or historians or at least *something* that explains these things. Me, Gehenna, and Eidolon got good at finding out how various artifacts got their start. The Ankh was set into the foundation of a fortress, somewhere during the ogre-lizardman war, as a good luck charm. Ended up holding off an entire lizardman clan. Eidolon even found something out about a mask, which turned out to be the Wanderer's own mortality. But for the World Key, there's... nothing." He shrugged. "You can't even really scry it."
"It's indestructible, too." Gehenna added.

<Abel is going, too.> You tell Raziel over the ring, and nudge her in the ribs.
<Well... I still need to think about it.> She said, and her cheeks went red. <And are you ... are you trying to set me up with your father?!>

>>20966976
<Maybe.>

>>20966976
<Not really, but it seems to me that you're interested in him.>

>>20966976
<Heavens, Raziel, did I say that? Surely not. What, were you thinking of it?>

>>20966976
<Kinda. Was more making room for your obvious interest.>

>>20966976
<Just teasing... Unless you want to, of course. I won't get in your way, I promise!>

"Do you know anything about what it can do? I already know it breaks through magic. Anything else?"

>>20966976
<I think you'd be cute together. Though by your reaction I think I've been rather successful so far.>

<Not really, but it seems to me that you're interested in him.> You say.
<Well, he is rather dashing, and I like the way he's incredibly childish at times, like with that cane, and he looks good in a beak... but I... I don't know.> She said. <I... I need to think about that more.>

"Do you know anything about what it can do? I already know it breaks through magic. Anything else?"
"It doesn't break through magic, it... neutralizes it. It neutralizes everything, it seems." Aeriel said. "It's not just an anti-magic wand, it's... something stable. Something solid. Something that can somehow take everything that warps reality, and just plain... not care."
"A constant." Gehenna said. "I think it's wrong to call it an artifact. It's more... a property of the world. It's not something we should mess with unless we really need to."

>>20967101
<Thinking thinking thinking. You'll never get anything done at this rate. Sometimes you just need to go and DO something. Anything.

Come save all of magic with me. I'll be fun!>

"So not so much A World Key as The World's Anchor."

>>20967101
"Weird."

"So, not so much a World Key as the World's Anchor."
"The Gift of tongues calls it a key." Gehenna said. "I just... don't want to find out what lock it opens."

<Thinking, thinking, thinking. You'll never get anything done at this rate. Sometimes you just need to go and *do* something. anything. Come save all of magic with me. It'll be fun!>
She hesitated a moment longer. "I'll come." She said.

"So." Ezekiel said. "Everyone except for Gehenna, Marigold, and Kiyara is going, correct?"
"Yep." Redglare said. "After the armor is done, at least."
"And my... pets." Kaliel spoke up. "They need to be finished too."
"Well, then, you two should best get started." Kristoph said. "We get to go save the world again."

>End of thread!
>Wow, today went *really* late. Sorry to cut off so abruptly.

>>20967252
Thanks Exabyte!

>>20967252
"Should I bring a Brick?"

>>20968798
Brick-kun is forever lost to us, you can't just replace him with some other brick. It won't be the same.