You pass the immobile sculpture of the butler from before, and ascend the frozen stairwell as your footsteps echo into the long empty halls. Eventually the stairs lead you past the monumental window of frosted glass, onto the second floor; An expansive hall covered in frost with towering pillars dotting the path, a prideful display of flags hosting the emblazoned image of a rose and sword hanging stiffly from their heights. With this sight alone, you know you've found the Coat of Arms that you had nominally been looking for.

Part of you wondered if maybe this was a little anti-climactic, but considering this place did seem to be a painstaking recreation of some noble's house, you suppose it's not actually unusual for such things to be on prominent display.

Forget nobility.

That unwelcome voice broke in immediately,

This is the Royal's crest.

At the end of the hall, you see a set of double doors that are slightly ajar. A cool wind blows down the hall from it, brushing past you as all the others had, and you catch the shimmer of numerous sculptures loitering in the hallway between you and those doors. Though, you can't help but feel something is unnerving about the hall...

That frosted window you passed should have let you see outside, but given where you're standing now, aren't you above where it would have let you view? This entire hall seemed like it was a solid floor above that window. Was there perhaps some kind of private garden concealed within?

>Ask a question (what?)
>Break something (what?)
>Go back down the stairs and inspect the window
>Progress to the doors.
>Other? (write-in)

Previous Threads:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?searchall=valen+quest

Where things are said:
https://twitter.com/Riz_QM

Assorted Supplemental:
Current Abilities - http://pastebin.com/PchcdWpw
Basics of Mana - http://pastebin.com/V9b1DMrS
A List of Forgotten Things - http://pastebin.com/kPEscJ3h

Write-ups:
Kara's Day Out - http://pastebin.com/8ZbiSKLs
Adventures with Asche - http://pastebin.com/RNviCBJu
The Reclaimed Doll - http://pastebin.com/n6miP1qT

Misc notes:So I noticed discussion about Valen happening in the quest general a couple days ago. While that's exciting, I sat there wondering why it never happens here.

In other news, things requested are done! Enjoy your assortment of links and such.

>>43782411
>Go back down the stairs and inspect the window

Thanks for the supplementary pastebins, Riz. I'm excited to read through The Reclaimed Doll, as well.

>>43782411
>>Go back down the stairs and inspect the window

>>43782411
Are those sculptures of frozen people like before? Did we not hear anything this time?
>Progress to the doors.

>>43782715
>>43782733
To the window!

>>43782748
To the door!

Writing.
---
>>43782748
They ones on the second floor haven't said anything, but you haven't approached them either. The others have remained silent.

>>43782715
Hope you enjoy the stuff! Though to be clear, none of the pastebin is required reading for anyone.

Another look down the hall makes up your mind as you turn around and wander halfway back down the stairs. The frosted window from before towers in front of you, with the soft glow of blue light coming in from beyond. While you can see just fine in the dark, there is no detail on the window - No way for you to try and discern who the ice portrait is supposed to be of, aside from it being fairly feminine in nature.

Perhaps more concerning to you, however, is that you had previously assumed the lights coming from behind this window to be from the Atlach Nacha holding this place. Given that the hall at the end of the stairs was completely above this landing, something like that was impossible; Whatever was beyond this window was likely completely sealed off from the outside... Well, as outside as one could get in a giant snow globe. However, if the massive Atlach Nacha outside wasn't the thing making the lights, then where were they coming from?

Rather than pursue that unnerving train of thought, you dedicate more of your attention to the window itself. More than a simple pane of ice, the very surface was raised and sculpted to create a beautiful scene surrounding the frosted silhouette. A wall of clear roses surrounded her, with a pair of swords grasped regally in each hand. You could feel the texture of the snow-like ice which composed the clothing of the silhouette firmly framed in the center of the ornate window.

"Admiring yourself, Madam?"

Your hand jerked back as you whirled around accusingly, fist already clenched to lash out at what had spoken - Only to find nothing.

The familiar voice of that butler from before had shocked you from your inspection, but there was nothing near you to have spoken. A quick glance down the stairs even confirmed that the sculpture had remained fixed at the entry.

You turn suspiciously back to the softly illuminated window.

>Try and peek through the window
>Return to the double doors
>Break something (what?)
>Ask a question (what?)
>Other? (write-in)

>>43783403
>Try and peek through the window

>>43783403
>>Try and peek through the window

>>43783403
>Return to the double doors
>Other? (write-in)
See if the sculptures have anything to say on the way to the doors.

>>43783438
>>43783470
To the window! Again!

>>43783482
To the doors!

Writing.

>>43783715
If I have the layout in my head right, the window is inside the building but not facing out to the courtyard we came in from, right? And we thought the light was from an opening further inside until now?

File: ShitMap.jpg (134 KB, 800x1200)

134 KB JPG

>>43783761
QM is not talented at art.

I hope this helps.

>>43784026
Too Courtyard4Me

>>43784026
Floor 2 sure has a lot of butlers

Curiosity got the better of you as you stepped back to the frosted window, glancing around cautiously once more to ensure there was nothing near you. The voices in this place were starting to get to you, but at least this one had given you some insight out of its unsettling interruption: Whoever was in this portrait had probably been the owner of this place. While that would have been useful to you if you could actually see the details of their face, and even more useful still if you actually had a working knowledge of the faces of the various Royalty in La'Fiel, it was still far more than what you had to work with before.

With that in mind, and a tenser wariness of your surroundings, you try to get a look through the window itself. Its dual status as an ice sculpture alone made peering through it rather difficult, but the frosted surface wasn't doing you any favours either. You press your face against the cool structure, straining to peer beyond it. You're thankfully left in silence as you work, evidently having already used up the one-phrase-limit allowed to this place to surprise you, and eventually you start to make some progress in making out what lay beyond.

As you had suspected, it seemed as if some kind of garden was past the window. The interior was filled with softly glowing azure orbs that seemed to float aimlessly through the air, shedding light on the blackened shapes within. Hedges of flowers and a small fountain dominate the center of the garden, but as far as you can see, there doesn't look as if there's any door to enter the garden from in the first place.

You're about to pull back away from the window when you notice a silhouette kneeling next to the fountain. It was sheer chance that one of the orbs of light floated past it, revealing the dim glimmer of an icy sculpture rooted to the ground within.

More interestingly, however, was the small book it seemed to hold in its hands.

"That's not made of ice...?"

You get a good look at it for the few moments before the orb floats on past, and then finally decide you've seen as much as you can. You pool back away from the window-...

...After several embarrassing moments, you manage to unstick your cheek from the frozen window and pull away from it. Your skin burns a little at having been stuck to it like a child's tongue to a lamp post in winter. There is a slightly melted smudge where your face had just been, and it is easily seen against the rest of the finely crafted details of the ornate window.

>To the double doors
>Find a way into the Garden
>Break the Window
>Break something else? (what?)
>Ask a question? (what?)
>Other? (write-in)

>>43784416
>To the double doors
As tempting as breaking that window is, it's probably best to continue information gathering first.

>>43784416
>>Find a way into the Garden
Something not made of ice in Iceland? This bears investigating!

File: HowEmbarassing.gif (1023 KB, 500x281)

1023 KB GIF

>>43784066
>>43784077
I was immediately bullied!

>>43784416
>Break the Window

>>43784416
>>To the double doors

>>43784506
>>43784461
To the doors!

>>43784469
To the garden!

>>43784486
Directly to the garden!

Writing.

Sorry I'm late! I was one of the clueless fools in the general; the one who kept making wild mass guesses about how ice fits into our understanding of the Mana. Any chance Irue knows and will explicate anymore about the relation between magma and Gnome, as relates to possible guesses about ice and Undine? Probably not.

Anyway, I'm also the scrub who commented last thread about how he just binged, so I just showed up.

>>43784791
Welcome back, friend. And we haven't asked Irue yet if she might know any better about the links between Undine and Ice yet, but i think she might be as in the dark about this as anyone else.

>>43784791
I was thinking the Aeon that created this Atelier was favoured by both Undine and Jinn myself. Undine's obvious, I think. But Jinn occurred to me after the mentions of breezes throughout the Atelier.

Of course, not sure how on track or not I am either, though. Haha.

>>43785052
I think you're on to something. I was reading back on other threads after looking at the basics of mana pastebin and saw this bit that could relate to the magma thing:
>Salamander, especially, was once seen as a purely destructive, hateful force until Adepts of Luna were able to reverse engineer the discoveries of the Aeon of Teranford's Glass Desert Atelier, discerning the true value of the relationship between Salamander and Gnome that would later become Metallurgy, father of many professions and trades we know to this day ranging from forge work to construction.

It's also weirdly windy for a closed off underground passage, ice land or not.

>>43785052
Might be onto something, but we can't discount Shade having a hand here, as evidenced we sensed something familiar to Dopplerue when we first wandered in. Not compelling by any standard, but Dark and Cold do tend go hand in hand.

>>43785019
Well, I was looking over the pastebin on the Mana, and even though Gnome is the only one associated with any solid objects, Wisp caught my eye as explicitly related to the physical as well as the unreachable ideal. Undine is noted for a certain detachment — the ideal and detachment seem like related traits an Aeon might be interested in, and there are light sources here. And with the Royal crest being here, they seem all the more plausible to me. Anyone else follow?

I'm sure at this point Riz is crying either at how much we're reaching or at how dumb we sound.

>>43785157
Both.

>>43785115
Can royalty be considered an ideal, especially for an aeon?

I am curious where that light is coming from though.

>>43785157
We're guessing at least 3 different things, I'm hoping one of us is right.

>>43785157
But that's ok, because discussion fosters creativity and such, so as long as we have something, we might stumble onto the correct courses of action!

>>43785087
Oh, that's an interesting bit I missed. But yes, I agree, it is awful windy all things considered.

>>43785109
>>43785115

Well, Aeons can be favoured by multiple mana, but I'm sure as far as wisp/shade goes it has to be one or the other? Wisp would make sense considering how incredibly detailed this place is, and give reason to the bit of light we've got here.

>>43785173
Multiple theories could be right. Makes it all the worse.

I'm of the mind that the "royal=ideal" line of thought would be something carried over from the Aeon's human bits, if it were true. A raised royal definitely could hold to that line of thought, or come across it in their studies of just what was "ideal."

The problem, as the one who suggested it, with Wisp/Undine is that Wisp is stated to be "placid and ever honest," whereas Undine is "adaptable and fluid" and keeps Luna's secrets. As much of a contradiction there as Wisp/Shade. So Jinn does sound likely, as more similar to Undine.

While the temptation to break the window and get directly into that garden was admittedly strong, you didn't feel ready to start causing collateral damage in your as of yet peaceful exploration through the Atelier. It certainly wouldn't behove you to potentially draw the attention of a Guardian that had previously been completely unaware of your presence.

For the moment, you decide to make your way back up the stairs to the expansive hallway of ice sculptures leading to the set of double doors. Stepping foot firmly onto the second floor for the second time, you look out across the deceptively calm hallway as you start trying to decide how to go about this. There technically wasn't anything stopping you from just walking up to the doors, but the fact that either side of the center pathway leading to them was practically overflowing with various ice sculptures of vaguely defined nobility wasn't entirely encouraging.

So far none of the sculptures in this place had been anything more than sculptures. You had no reason to be afraid of them.

...But you would be lying if you said they didn't creep you out all the same. Would they also start to murmur when you drew closer? What were they even representing here? Their attention didn't seem to be focused on anything in particular... You'd even go so far as to say they looked like they were mingling amongst each other.

"Earlier you said that Ice was like water, right?" You start a conversation with Irue as you slowly step forward, keeping an eye on the sculptures around you. "But it wasn't... Actually water. What did you mean?"

Would you call Magma 'earth'? While it is technically still within that category, it isn't often associated with the general concept.

"So it's... corrupted? Like Magma would be... Gnome and Salamander?" Your voice echoed quietly as you walked.

No.

Magma will eventually cool and become rock again; As Ice eventually melts back into water. It's another form, one removed from the ideal, usually by some outside force.

Your brows furrow at the arcane explanation, now well in the middle of the sculptures with nary a peep to be heard from the lot of them. The door was still half way through the room, but you were starting to feel a little more confident in your stride now.

"With all the Atlach Nacha, the Aeon of this Atelier was obviously Undine favoured." You murmur thoughtfully, "So all of this ice would be a result of some 'outside force'?" You remember the breeze that blew chillingly through the halls, that even now brushed your hair back as it blew out from the partially opened doors in front of you. "Do you think Jinn has anything to do with the ice?"

I can't say. Typically Jinn and Undine's relation brings storms, not necessarily ice. Admittedly I am not an expert in that regard, but I believe the Aeon itself may hold more blame for this frigid palace than another Mana.

You finally arrive at the door, halting in front of it and wrapping your arms around yourself as you shiver in the freezing wind. Each of your breaths puffed out tiny clouds of visible air. "Why the Aeon?"

The Atelier is a reflection of the Aeon. While I agree the Aeon seemed to have been greatly favoured by Undine, I believe they would be a more likely explanation for an 'outside force'.

You frown, thinking back over what little you knew of Aeons, you glanced back at sculptures you had passed - Countless icy figures frozen in time, almost as if they existed a world apart from the one you walked through - and slipped through the doors.

"Welcome home, my daughter."

To be greeted immediately by the single crowned figure upon a throne. A sculpture, like all the rest.

EVERYTHING WAS ALL WRONG ALL ALONG

"..." You stare through the darkness unhindered, catching the loving gaze that had been deliberately captured on what you could only assume to be the king's face. The room lapsed into silence after that single phrase, spoke with a warmth completely at odds with the cold building. You swallow in the face of faux-royalty, unsure of how to respond.

If you should respond at all.

>Deny being related.
>Pretend to be his Daughter.
>Ignore him.
>Other? (write-in)

So do we, uh, pretend? This Aeon may have been concerned about truth over appearances? Or the other way. This sculpture is obviously different?

Hum. The owner of the place, according to the portrait window, wouldn't have been the king, but here we are in a throne room. Something up with that?

I'm laughing. Well, at least I tried guessing. Anyhow.

>>43785321
>>Pretend to be his Daughter.

>>43785321
>Pretend to be his Daughter.

>>43785321
>Pretend to be his Daughter.
Sure, why not. If it happens to respond at least we'll get something new out of it.

Other than that, what else is in the room? Just a standard throne room?

>>43785371
Different from the other sculptures though?

>>43785309
I still wouldn't rule out all the other options, just that we don't know enough about the aeon itself to say for sure.

>>43785371
We just assumed it was the owner from what we knew. It's not out of the question for them to make a stained glass portrait of a princess.

>>43785447
It's either different in substance as something relevant to the "daughter" (who may or may not have been the actual Aeon) or in their own pseudo-societal hierarchy as a replica of the king.

>>43785157
Conversation of any kind makes me really happy, honestly.

Also it allows me to slip in bits and pieces of things not explicitly voted for which I notice might be of interest to anons while I write.

----
>>43785417
>>43785428
>>43785447
Pretending to be someone's daughter!

>>43785447
>What else is in the room?
I'll add more to that in this next update.

You would probably regret this later, but the atmosphere was too much to simply turn down. Even if you made yourself out to be a fool, who was going to be here to remember it? You drew in a preparatory breath to calm your nerves and forcibly pressed your arms back down to your sides as you raised your chin in acknowledgement to the king. "It's good to be back, father." Your voice echoes through the empty throne room as you answer him, a faux smile on your face.

...

A cold wind blew, whistling lonesomely through the hall while you waited.

And waited.

And continued to wait.

Your smile fell, all pretenses at pretending to be his daughter cracking to the side as you realized you had, for a second time, puffed yourself up to talk to a sculpture. While at least this time the sculpture was a king rather than a butler, you can't be sure if going up the social hierarchy of ice sculptures was something to be proud of or not. You took the time to look around the throne room to distract yourself from your own frustration at having been made a fool of by an inanimate object once more.

Two doors were clearly notable behind the twin thrones before you; One on each side. While the one next to the king's sculpture was shut tight, the one which stood behind the empty throne seemed as if it had been left open, and you could feel the expected cool breeze issuing forth from beyond it.

Beyond that, either side of the walls leading up to the throne held large frosted ice portraits. Looking from window to window, you realized you could clearly make out each and every face on the windows in this room. Their details were unobscured, and you distantly noted Irue rattling off several different names and guesstimated years as you looked between them.

If it hadn't before, this more or less confirmed to you that this place was connected to the La'Fiel royalty in some manner, but that piece of knowledge brought neither you nor Irue any closer to discerning what this place was about. With the room absently noted away in your mind, you finally give up on waiting for the sculpture to reply as you decide what to do next.

>Leave the throne room.
>Go through the empty throne's door.
>Break something (what?)
>Say something else (what?)
>Other (write-in)

>>43785744
>>Go through the empty throne's door.

>>43785744
>>Go through the empty throne's door.

>>43785744
>>Go through the empty throne's door.

I do have to wonder if we have to break certain things eventually. That would be an annoying puzzle to solve.

What are all the times a breeze has been mentioned? With the unexplained voice, I'm wondering if there are things Irue is doing to trigger them.

You quickly make your way past the thrones, biting down a rude epithet for the creator of this Atelier as you once more are forced to interact with the fact that everything in this blasted place is a sculpture. There are no doors here, only sculptures of solid walls which resemble doors. There were no people here, only sculptures which talked - ONCE - and resembled people! Who the hell does this? Why make a sculpture only able to talk once? What was the purpose of anything in this confounded place?!

"Your mother's illness has been harsh of late."

Your stride catches as you pass the throne, the king's voice calling out to you sombrely even as his expression faces straight ahead to the entry room. That warm voice held the barest hint of cracked melancholy as he seemed to urge you forward with a smile so loving you could nearly feel it through his words.

"She will be pleased to see you have returned, I'm sure."

You swallowed nervously, pausing in front of the door you had been about to enter. It talked twice. That hadn't happened before.

...No, it had, hadn't it? Back at the portrait, you had heard the butler again.

A chill ran down your spine as you grit your teeth and went through the open door, facing down the cool breeze with set determination. The stairs beyond the door were short and to the point, leading you into what you felt should have been a room of warmth and welcoming if it hadn't been composed of solid ice. Masterfully carved dressers lined the walls, with a grand fireplace which must have crackled comfortingly originally - Now only a caricature of flames forever carved from the ice.

A sheet of snow mimicked a bear's rug, its fur so thick your hand could sink to its wrist within the tanned pelt with ease, and beside it, a four poster bed stood solemnly, with a single figure partially buried within the sheet-like snow.

Though her face was haggard, the natural expression of a caring mother struck your heart guiltily as you stepped into the room with no small feeling of trespassing. An expression not meant for you, but directed at you all the same, beckoned you forward without word or motion, drawing you across the room to the bedside of who you guessed to be the queen.

"I thought you would be coming back to us soon." It greeted you kindly as you walked forward, feet crunching unpacked snow with each step. "You're a creature of habit, after all... Even if that habit is leaving." The aged voice laughed softly to itself, and you felt yourself beginning to blush at having accidentally stepped foot into something so personal. "You always come back in the end. I can hear you from here, you know? Telling your father not to get too comfortable on his throne."

You stared down at the woman, ostensibly the queen, and found yourself unable to respond as her amused chuckles trailed off into silence.

You recognized her, you realized. This was the same woman as that sculpture from the first floor which had called out to speak to you... Though their health had obviously been different, both the voice and the general facial features were similar enough to match.

>Explore room
>Say something (what?)
>Return to the Throne Room
>Other? (write-in)

>>43786044
>Explore room
There might be something in this room to ID this place, maybe a crest or something? There's also the REAL AND NOT ICE book in the hands of the lady we saw in the garden. Now, will the lady in the garden still be there by the time we show up?

>>43786044
>Explore room

>>43785837
It seems like it's happened every time we cross or near a threshold, with the exception of when we looked closer at the frosted glass.

Mention of the queen earlier, btw.

>The other rooms along the way had contained, in order, a rotund man laughing about some news from the east that the infuriating snippets didn't bother to extrapolate on, and a concerned woman who had called out from her room as if she wanted to speak with you.
>
>Naturally she was a sculpture. No amount of talking to her actually elicited a response from those artificial eyes.

Also,
>This draft didn't follow you, but it blew out from every open door, tracing its path back to the foyer, back to the front door which had been pushed open. Rather than rejecting your entry, it seemed like any open passage was a result of the wind itself leaving.

Have we reached the source?

>>43786044
>>Explore room

I sort of want Irue to apologize, just to see her fail to get a response again, but it seems the person we're filling in for isn't that sort. : <

>>43786083
Do they move beyond their programming when Irue enters rooms?

Dammit, we're missing something here. We should be able to say something relevant, but it's just not coming to me. Any ideas, folks?

>>43786044
>Say something (what?)
Maybe >>43786227 is worth a shot anyway? We AREN'T that person, so who's to say what would happen?

>>43786083
>>43786133
>>43786227
Exploring the room.

>>43786258
Apologize.

Writing.

---

>>43786151
>Have we reached the source?
> it blew out from every open door, tracing its path back to the foyer, back to the front door which had been pushed open.

There are plenty of "sources". Only one destination.

>>43786247
I don't think our identity matters, this place was obviously made for someone else, and specifically for them. The place is probably...programmed, for lack of a better word, to respond to any presence the same way, because it was really only meant for that one person. More than likely, each room is scripted for something, and this place is simply triggering the scripts as we move zones.

>>43786299
It almost certainly doesn't matter, but I think it'd be easier to figure this out if we can get in the head of who it's for.

You step away from the now silent sculpture, crunching quietly through the unpacked snow of the room as you investigate it. There's very little to look at in the room, even less so than there would have been if it were an actual room, rather than some frozen replica. Dressers with fancifully crafted and designed drawers were, in fact, just solid ice that resembled as such. Even if you wanted to open them and see what was inside, there was nothing to open. The doors to the closet, even the fireplace was just solidly carved from the floor.

Your investigation of the room rapidly dwindled to a close as you sighed. There was nothing in here, and you felt dirty having listened to something you're pretty sure was meant to be private. Even still, before you left... You couldn't just walk away after that without saying something.

"I'm sorry." You hung your head, shifting your gaze aside even if the recipient was just another sculpture. Even if this was the third time you were speaking to a sculpture... No, even if the sculpture wasn't aware, you felt the need to apologize to whoever you were taking the place of. "I'm-"

"Don't apologize now, your father and I understand. Jinn calls you." Your mouth clicks shut abruptly at the loving response. "I'm glad that you've been able to do so well no matter where you've gone. It warms my heart to see my daughter having grown into such an adaptable young woman. Perhaps you might consider becoming an Ambassador for your father, hm?" The same warm laughter from before as her voice fades back into silence, and you're left standing bolted to the spot.

You glance at the door behind you, and then back to the sculpture still warmly staring in your general direction.

...Again.

"What?"

Apologize again.

You steel yourself, licking your dried lips as you pay closer attention to the sculpture. "I'm sorry?"

"Don't apologize now, your father and I-"

I think I'm starting to understand this Atelier.

Irue's thoughts coincided with a dawning realization of your own as your eyes widened, the same voice repeating the same lines word for word, nary missing a beat in tempo. It was if the woman was reading from a script... Which meant the others...

>Say something else (what?)
>Return else where (Throne Room, Hallway, Foyer)
>Break something (what?)
Other? (write-in)

>>43786494
>Say something else (what?)

Try refusing/accepting the Ambassador 'offer?' Refuse the compliments? Try to follow along the conversation as it "should" go by the script.

>>43786494
>Return elwe where (Foyer)
We need to try this script from the beginning, unless anyone has anything else relevant to say to the (n)ice lady?

If an atelier is created to isolate an aeon and represents its nature, did they isolate themselves in this place to relive these memories?

Also, starting to lean towards this aeon being related to Jinn after that last mention.
>"You're a creature of habit, after all... Even if that habit is leaving."

>>43786494
>Say something else
Dodge the question about being an ambassador, say you'll consider it. Ask about her health lately, maybe touch on some other features of the manor so far, like the garden or maybe some guests they've had.

>>43786563
Just straight up 'Jinn calls you' too. An Aeon of Jinn restricting themselves underground, creating something inherently stagnant, though, doesn't sit right. The Aeon could have created the role to be someone other than themselves, too.

I sort of want to see if we can continue the 'welcome home, daughter' conversation with the King, too. Telling him not to get too comfortable, as said by the queen, etc.

>>43786535
>>43786576
continue conversation!

>>43786545
To the Foyer!

Writing.

>>43786604
I vote we try this if we can't get any more out of the queen.

>>43786594
From the pastebin:

>Most, but not all, Aeons eventually seek to seclude themselves within sanctuaries - Ateliers - to pursue their own goals. These Ateliers are typically a reflection of the Aeon who created it, and often contain priceless revelations or artifacts left behind after the disappearance of its creator; The remnants of their legacy.

Just thinking about who this person might've been. A daughter of royalty, known to leave home, favored by Undine and an Aeon. Someone who built their atelier - representing their goals, a reflection of themselves, their legacy - out of memories that can be described as nostalgic at best and regretful at worst, and repeat endlessly, unchanging.

It kind of gives me chills.

>>43786713
Undine is described as adaptable and fluid, though, which this isn't. It's some "detached" superficial surface layer we need to decode, or trade secrets, or something, to get past to get at the secrets we want. This bit might not represent the Aeon at all, by design.

"I'll consider it." You respond vaguely, trying to dredge together what you had been able to learn about the 'role' you were playing from the conversation so far. In so much as, as far as you could tell, the correct answer wasn't an answer at all; It was avoiding the subject altogether. "How has the garden been lately?" You remembered the brief glimpse of the garden hidden beyond the portrait window earlier, and try to steer the conversation in that direction...

...But the room remains silent. You weren't actually having a conversation, you realize dully. It was a cold realization, reinforced by the frigid air which burned to breathe too deeply. "Why are there so many people in the halls?"

"When your father heard you were coming home, he immediately announced a celebration." The queen's sculpture laughed, "Naturally it become a political event... The man is probably sulking in his throne room right now, isn't he? He always had good intentions..."

You frown at that, realizing that the people in the halls were just random guest invitations. Perhaps they had been important nobles of their own merit in life, but in this place they were little more than faceless bodies taking up space. They hadn't even spoken as you walked past them, unlike every other sculpture in this place. Were they broken? Or... "Father's done this before." You guess, but only silence reigns as you struggle to put the sentiment to words. "When will he learn...?"

"I imagine you're quite used to it by now, even if you never particularly cared for the parties." The queen consoled you, "It's part of coming home."

You bite your lip, guiltily feeling a little elated at starting to make progress at figuring this place out, even though each step only took you further and further down the personal memories of someone else.

"How has your health been...?" Since you knew those people in the hall were meaningless, you decided to focus on something else.

"You and your father worry too much, my dear. I feel fine, honestly!" The Queen dismisses your concerns, "Still, it has been a little cold of late. Winter is coming soon, isn't it? The days seem to be getting shorter..."

You have nothing to say to that.

>Say something else (what?)
>Return to speak to the king (Say what?)
>Return to the Foyer
>Return to the Other Queen
>Go somewhere (where?)
>Other? (write-in)

>>43786827
>>Say something else (what?)
Uh...I'll fix it? I'll make it better? This person is a doer, surely they'll have made promises at some point.

>>Return to speak to the king (Say what?)
Don't get too comfortable. Anyone important this time?

What did you do with it?

Fishing for information at its worst.

>>43786827
>Return to speak to the king (Say what?)
The king's on the way back up, might as well try the "don't get too comfortable on your throne" line, see if that goes anywhere.

I'm also curious what made her return at all. It doesn't sound like she came to visit because of her mother's illness, that was almost a footnote. We can probably get the king to talk about her circumstances.

>>43786885
That last sentence sounds bad. No bully meant Riz. ;_;

>>43786885
Make vague promises.

>>43786885
>>43786893
Don't get comfy, old man.

Writing!
With maximum bully!

You shake your head eventually, finding little else to say. The sculpture in front of you had been the most talkative piece of ice you had encountered in this Atelier, and while you silently turned to leave the room, you felt a mixed bag of heavy feelings and elation at having finally obtained something that felt like a vital key to understanding this place. On one hand, that meant you could start making progress now, but on the other...

"Leaving already? Oh, I suppose I shouldn't keep you any longer than necessary."

You bit down, setting your jaw as you paused at the doorway.

"No matter where you go dear, remember that I love you. This will always be your home."

You stepped through the archway, pushing the words from your mind as you fought to ignore the sad acceptance behind that warmth. You weren't the person this place was meant for. These weren't words you should be hearing... And at the same time, that was ALL this place was, wasn't it? These conversations repeated time and time again, ceaselessly responding to the same rote cues and triggers.

The Atlach Nacha spawned from here, and they killed several of your Knights.
Hidden deep beneath the underground spring, this place had done nothing but give you disappointing false door after frustrating mystery.
And now that you finally started to understand the principles behind it, you realized with a sinking blackness that settled deep within your gut...

You hated this place.

Stumbling back into the thrown room, you raise your voice as you enter, resignedly uttering out the exact words you knew needed to be said. Were waiting to be said.

"Don't get comfortable on that throne."

"Haha! My daughter, you never change." You frown at the cordial welcome, feeling distinctly disassociated from the atmosphere now as you sift through his dialogue for anything useful. "Every spider comes back to its web eventually, eh?" You don't bother answering, which is just as well - The sculpture of the king continues to speak, as if the question had been rhetorical in the first place.

"My apology for the crowd, I thought to invite some friends alone, but then-"

"You do this every time." You cut in with a sigh.

"-they invited their friends, and their... 'friends'. Soon it became an event. You know how those things go."

However, interrupting him seemed to mean little. It was only after you repeated your words when he had finished did he start a new string of dialogue with you; A pathetic apology as he scratched his neck. "I mean for it to be a private affair, but it seems privacy is hard to come by in our station... Ha ha..." The half-hearted laugh did little to assuage you. You suppose it did just as little for his daughter as well, as he continued without prompting this time. "There's plenty of food to be had though, and the estate is large! I'm sure there are places some quiet places you can tuck away in until the guests leave."

There was no food here.

That was a lie.

You brush a strand of stubbornly long blonde hair from your face as the wind picked up, fighting down the chill that raced across your skin in its wake. "By the way, your mother said she wanted to see you. I believe she's downstairs now, away from the guests? She's been feeling faint of late."

"What did you do with it?" You half-heartedly attempt to fish for some kind of response, but only get silence in return. "I guess I expected that." You sigh.

>Say something else (what?)
>Go somewhere else (where?)
>Break something (what?)
>Other? (write-in)

>>43787231
>Every spider comes back to its web eventually, eh?"
...reeeeee?
>Say something else (what?)
When do I have to be back this time?

>Go downstairs
might as well follow this thread

>"No matter where you go dear, remember that I love you. This will always be your home."
>"Every spider comes back to its web eventually, eh?"
I think the connection to Undine is clear, even if it lacks the characteristic adaptability.
And from a few threads ago,
>Rather than lure people in to see if they could improve themselves, Undine were fiercely home-conscious, and often considered their territories to be sacred.
I think the connection to Undine has been established, even if it lacks the adaptability aspect it was described to have.

>I'm sure there are places some quiet places you can tuck away in until the guests leave."
She doesn't sound like one for crowds, clearly. The figure in the garden might have just been the aeon herself, or at least a sculpture of her. We just need to figure out how to get in there.

>Go somewhere else (where?)
To the other queen statue. See if we can figure out what she was concerned with since we never bothered before knowing we could get more out of them.

We need to backtrack and see what we missed before we can figure out what happened "next" after she visited the queen.

>>43787275
>>43787231
Meant to actually vote.

>>43787275
>We need to backtrack and see what we missed
yeah that makes sense. change >>43787260 's "go downstairs" for backtracking to see what we can wheedle from the other queen. And if we have to pass the butler, maybe something like "good to be home?"

>>43787275
>>43787317
Off to the Queen

Writing!

Just a note, from last thread, the other two options we didn't try before thread ended:
>Ram open that door. There's wind coming out, so there's got to be something down there too.
>Take the spiral staircase to the third floor.

This was the last time we saw the other queen when exploring the hallway on the ground floor. I can't figure out what rammable door it was referring to, but we also never went to the third floor.

>>43787381
Oh, this is a pretty great reminder. Thanks.

Apologies. All sound cut out on my computer, and then it rebooted while I was trying to get sound back.

Writing resumes.

>>43787381
>Can't figure out what rammable door it was referring to.

>there was a spiral staircase on this side as well... Though the door seemed to be lodged against something. It was left ajar, but not so much that you could bring yourself to squeeze through it. If you tried, you could probably ram the door open far enough to slip through, but there was also a good chance that this was just sculpture design.

It referred to the partially ajar doorway to the spiral staircase in the wing that the queen's sculpture was in.

You shiver again at the cold, scuffing your feet restlessly on the smooth, icy floor. If you were a normal human, you wonder if you'd have even been able to have survived in this place for this long. The fact you kept moving was all that had kept you from becoming ensnared by ice as you meandered through the Atelier, and even then, patches of your clothes were beginning to show signs of being consumed in frost.

"When do I need to be back this time?" From what you had gathered, the Queen's illness was not what had brought the princess back to this place, which only left a few options. Either she had just decided to drop back in of her own accord, or these rendezvous were coordinated by the king. However, as time stretched on without reply, you got the feeling it was the former rather than the latter. Being royalty must be nice if you can just up and leave whenever you wanted...

You left the throne room without a second thought, making your way swiftly past the faceless sculptures you now knew represented the constant guests, and descended the stairs once more. You utter a quick "Good to be home" as you pass the butler, but receive a similar lack of response.

It wasn't that disappointing, considering it had just been a hunch in the first place... However, approaching the room you remember the healthier looking Queen's sculpture to be in, you take a breathe in preparation for what would likely become another walk through memories you weren't meant to be privy to.

"Father said you needed me?" You murmured as you entered, opting to remain standing within the frozen sitting room. There, just as you had left her not an hour ago, the sculpture of a far healthier looking queen stared towards the adjacent seat with lines of concern etched into her face. "Oh, it's good to see you again, my dear..."

"It seems like only last week you were still a young girl. How quickly you've grown... Though I cannot say I'm pleased with your constant adventures. What drives you to leave us so often? Is it something we've done? Has your father been pressuring you with marriage arrangements again?"

That man... So that was his character, huh? Though you could certainly related to trying to escape something like that, you can't help but feel like this princess was born for trouble with as often as she seemed to just take leave of the house. Was any royalty ever this free? Between the restrictions and responsibilities placed upon them, the only feasible way you could think of that would allow such persistent escape was...

"Jinn calls me."

The Shrine. More specifically, the act of Pilgrimage. Even if it was that, then even a king would have difficulty taking a stance of opposition against the one making the request.

"You said that last time as well." The queen sighed, "And the time before, and the time before... Dear, you've gone on more pilgrimages in the last three years than most do their entire lives. Your father may not see it, but I still remember the days we would sit in the gardens during the summer, and you would be content to quietly write in your diary. One does not simply 'awaken' to a calling, my daughter..."

While it isn't unheard of for affinity with a Mana to become more prominent as someone grows, the Queen is correct. The kind of favour which constitutes a calling to Pilgrimage is something one can see even from a young age.

"If there's something wrong, you can talk to me about it." The queen's sculpture offered gently, and you could feel the heartfelt desire in her voice to reach out to you...

But you closed your eyes. This conversation was taking place before the other had, if you understood it correctly. In the end, they hadn't told their mother anything, had they? The only reason you had even known the keywords to this conversation was because you had learned the excuse from your talk with the queen earlier.

"...I'm sorry." Your lips moved of their own accord, repeating something you had said before. An apology to the person whose memories you walked through, and to the memory of the woman before you who had wanted nothing more than to help a stubborn child.

"I'm sorry as well." The queen replied tiredly, "Just... Never forget that we love you. We are your family, even before royalty. This is your home. Please, come talk to me when you're finally ready?" You grit your teeth, one lip rising in a half-snarl that you forcefully bit back.

>Say something (what?)
>Go elsewhere (where?)
>Break something

I think we learned what we could from talking to the king and queen, given she seemed to keep things to herself. The book in the garden is probably the diary.

>>43787730
>Go elsewhere (where?)
There was a second spiral staircase that was open in the other hallway, right? Since we probably can't get through this one, let's go there.

>>43787816
To the third floor!

Writing!
Also I think you're the only one still awake.

You hurried from the room, desperate to be away from the memories you found yourself growing more and more disgusted with. The cool wind blew alongside you, brushing strands of hair forward in its carefree stream towards the open door; A door you found yourself wanting to walk out of a little more with each passing second, if only to escape having to deal with this Aeon's Atelier any longer.

But you were stuck down here, and as much as you disliked it, the only thing left to you was to continue trying to explore this damned place until you figured out enough, or found something, that could help you. With this in mind, you had passed the Foyer once more, back to the original spiral staircase you remember Irue directing you towards. Stepping foot onto the crisp, frosted staircase, you began to press yourself further up, even as a cold wind raced down in the opposite direction and burned your cheeks with its chill.

Around and around you walked, arms eventually wrapping around yourself in an effort to ward off a wind that only seemed to get colder as you ascended. When you had finally arrived at the open door near the top, your face had frozen in a near permanent scowl - Both metaphorically due to the cold... And literally, due to the cold.

You rubbed your hands against your cheeks irritably, feeling the thin layer of ice begin to crack and melt away as you blew out a frustrated puff of steam. At the top of the staircase, a large room of scattered toys and books remained. Beds left unmade, uneven piles of snow for rumpled blankets, and a single childish sculpture kneeling between the two children's bed with its hand wrapped around a frosted doll, its features left blank.

"Sister, you're back from lessons already!" Its joyous voice welcomed you with a cacophony of greetings the moment you stepped into the room, and you stared down at the sculpture of an innocently smiling young boy in bewilderment.

"...A sibling?" You breathe, shaking as the cool wind picks up and sends flurries of loose snow into the air. "Haha, I knew you'd come back soon! I tried to go find you, but that old butler caught me at the front door! He said I wasn't allowed to leave with an escort, but I've done that plenty of times before!"

You stare blankly as the sculpture continues to ramble on about its many adventures and the occasional 'perilous trip into the kitchen'. Even if you had an idea of what to say, you had to wait for it to stop talking for it to matter...

...And it wasn't shutting up.

"When are we gonna go on another adventure like that, huh? Oh, Oh! Did you hear, there are people coming from the Shrine soon, sis! Momma says we're gonna get tested! I wanna learn how to breathe fire! That'd be really cool, and then I could go where ever I wanted and the butler couldn't stop me or I'd FWOOOOSH all over him!"

It had become clear to you now that not all time within this place was uniform.

How young had the princess been during this?

...And why hadn't you heard of her brother until now?

>Say something (what?)
>Break something (what?)
>Leave the room before you freeze.
>Other? (write-in)

File: ValEnd.gif (1023 KB, 500x281)

1023 KB GIF

Alright, so after 30m, I think its safe to say everyone died at their keyboards!

We'll call the thread here. Let's try and wrap up this Atelier business in the next thread or two!

I hope everyone had fun.
---

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Valen+Quest

And we are archived.

I'll lurk the thread for a bit to try and answer some questions if I can.

Apologies to all anons who participated in Valen Quest but died at their keyboards wondering when QM would finally stop.

To those who did not make it to the end, we will never forget your sacrifice.

I want to ask how we're doing so far on progress but that would be telling. : <

With the warnings we're freezing I'm guessing there's not much time left or a way to make it safer Irue just hasn't managed yet. Like be an Aeon.

How do you feel about Irue's crazy weird non-plan?