Previous Threads:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Valen+Quest

Where things are said: https://twitter.com/Riz_QM
Where things are asked: http://ask.fm/RizQM

Assorted Supplemental:
Current Abilities - http://pastebin.com/PchcdWpw
A List of Forgotten Things - http://pastebin.com/kPEscJ3h
Irue's Memoires - http://pastebin.com/sWnicrK7

Write-ups:
Kara's Day Out - http://pastebin.com/8ZbiSKLs
Adventures with Asche - http://pastebin.com/RNviCBJu
The Reclaimed Doll - http://pastebin.com/n6miP1qT
In Your Shadow - http://pastebin.com/EfeeHFAE
Friends Forever - http://pastebin.com/Yn0QaTVB
The Woman Beneath Steel - http://pastebin.com/pMGgiHC3

Misc notes:There's something to be said for the path of least resistance, but some things are inviolable. What do you honestly hope to achieve?


Memo:
1.
2. Invite Marchovic on adventures next time there's a chance.
3. Mim said "When are you going to tell her?" Tell what to whom?

>>1074950
>Ask where you are

>>1074950
>>Introduce yourself
We're likely still on the Fae's side of the forest, and this memory glitch raises suspicions that he's related to them.

Welcome back! glad to see you 'round here again.

>>1074950
Well there's no hiding it, yeah we're Valen. What's weird about his clothes and dialect, do they seem older than what we're used to maybe?
>Introduce yourself
>Ask where you are
>Ask what he knows about the Valen
Also inspect this guy in further detail, he's wearing odd clothes but what else?

I missed you.

>>1074950
>Introduce yourself
>Ask where you are

>>1075045
>>1075070
>>1075144
Where are we?

>>1075070
>>1075049
>>1075045
>>1075144
Yes, I'm Irue Valen. Heir to House Valen. You found me.

>>1075070
Also uh... What do you know about my family, anyway.

Writing!
---

>>1075049
>>1075070
I'm happy to be back, and itching to write again... but I feel rusty. Practice will fix that!

"Heir, actually." You acknowledge his recognition slowly. You had spent nearly the entire last year of your life trying to get people to believe you were the heir to House Valen, and until this moment, you barely had anything to show for it. That it would finally happen here of all places, though...

"Haha, sure you are. I'm the Mayor of Carona, too!"

...You stare at the easily laughing man, and can't even feel the usual indignancy anymore. You don't even feel like trying to correct him on the second part, either. "Right... What do you know about the Valens, anyway?" You dust the debris from your clothes and hair as you take the man's hand and rise up to your feet. The palm was rough and calloused, a sure sign that he was well familiar with a heavy tool in hand. Closer inspection told you that the oddities you had been finding in his clothes weren't just eccentric designs, but something older. Old enough that you think you remember seeing it somewhere in a history book during your studies.

As those studies had nothing to do with Mana, you had learned enough to please whatever instructor your aunt had sent out at the time and then handily filed it away again as 'Knowledge I Will Never use'. If it weren't for his persistently archaic dialect, you probably wouldn't have even made that connection.

"Not much!" His admission is as bright and shameless as it is useless and irritating. "Valen's the name of family that owns this place now, I guess, but you'd probably know more about that than me."

"And where is 'this place', exactly?" You frown at his lacadaisacal demeanor, but focus on trying to get as much out of him as you can.

"It's where you took a nap, I guess." He laughs again. A hearty, warm laughter that dies a slow, awkward death as you stare at him flatly in an attempt to simply will the man's humor to cease. "Hahaha-" A very... Slow... Death. "-haha... Ah... Ahem." He coughs into his hand once, "You're in the Fae Forest, a few days off from the Shrine. Are you new to the area? I could show you around, or maybe direct you back to the rest of your family?"

>Reject his offer, you can wander.
>Accept. (Where do you want to go?)
>Ask something. (What?)
>Other? (write-in)

>>1075416
>>Ask something. (What?)
The rest of my Family? The fae forest ahs not been in habited for centuries and my aunt, uncle and cousin would be nowhere near here.

>>1075416
>"You're in the Fae Forest, a few days off from the Shrine
How refreshingly direct, especially after that "conversation" in the forest. "Off the Shrine" though, what's that mean?
>Accept. (Where do you want to go?)

Someone with authority, preferably, though I doubt it's that easy. The Shrine, I guess as a backup? The"rest of the family" doesn't quite sit right to me. That'll either be a graveyard, or to our worthless Aunt & Uncle or Cousin.
Whatever we say, try to talk to him more along the way, and try to be at least a little friendly, if we remember how. If we could figure out a little about what he's doing here, that'd be great as well.

>>1075416
>>Accept. (Where do you want to go?)
Explain that we're looking for people who got lost in the Fae forest, if he can't help us with that then ask him to show us to someone who can.
>>Ask something. (What?)
Who owned it before the Valen?
Who are you and what do you know about the Fae?
Where are the rest of our family exactly?

>>1075416
>"Valen's the name of family that owns this place now, I guess, but you'd probably know more about that than me."
Wait a minute, is this nigga referring to whoever it was that gifted the country to the Valen in the first place? Wots going on?

>>1075485
Fae Forest is pretty abandoned, guy.

>>1075510
>>1075556
To Authority, or someone who can help!

>>1075556
These questions!

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>you could make out the tell-tale signs of your ability to perceive the world being reconfigured.
>Closer inspection told you that the oddities you had been finding in his clothes weren't just eccentric designs, but something older. Old enough that you think you remember seeing it somewhere in a history book during your studies.
>"Valen's the name of family that owns this place now, I guess
>now
and from the memories
>Boasting fertile ground that is vastly considered to be the richest upon the continent, La'Fiel was a gift of land given freely twice over; Bequeathed first from East Heaven to the noble whom would later go on to found House Valen, and then once more from the Valens to the fledgling royalty who built the nation

So I'm thinking that one of these things has happened
>We've been flung through a portal in time
>We're in the fae matrix and being fucked with >Our perception has been warped by entering the Faes domain due to them being outside time or something, whatever the fuck that means.
What do the rest of you faggots think?

forgive my fragmented posting for I am both sleep deprived and slightly drunk

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>>1075606
So you aren't kill under snow after all!
Have a corrected Mim fanart then, now with an attempt at proper robes.

>>1075754
>We've been flung through a portal in time
>We're in the fae matrix and being fucked with >Our perception has been warped by entering the Faes domain due to them being outside time or something, whatever the fuck that means.

Both are clear possibilities. What's more important though:
>You're in the Fae Forest, a few days off from the Shrine

The only Shrine nearby in our time is in Carona, and it would be strange to refer to the Shrine separately from the city. No, this is another Shrine, and I'm willing to bet money it's the deserted Shrine we saw in the brigand ruins. Whenever this is, it's before whatever happened in Irue's vision happened, and very likely before Tree and Luna had their quarrel.

"I'm the only Valen you'll find this far out." You sigh, "Unless you count the crypts, I guess."

"Crypts?" He tilts his head inquisitively, "Didn't know you already had folk buried out here. Is it normal for your family to put their dead out here?"

"Yes." You look at him strangely, "For as long as I can remember, anyway." Which was, admittedly, not very long... But you don't get entire family crypts out of a new tradition, so it's liable to have been going on for a very long time.

"Huh. I guess if the place means that much to you, it'd explain why the queen gifted the land over." He made some esoteric sign with his hand at the mention of a queen, and for once you had no idea what it could have meant. "So you were out here paying respects to your dead?"

"I'm actually looking for someone. Multiple someones." You correct him shortly, "...Most of them should be fine, but there's one in particular I'm worried about. She's probably lost."

"Lost eh? Well, your friend should be fine for a while, at least. Not much danger out here, especially with the Shrine so close." Having traversed these woods by foot before, you almost feel offended that he would lie this blatantly... But for all intents and purposes, he seemed honest about it. "How long has she been missing?"

"...A little over a month, I think." He winced at your admission, and you had to agree that under other circumstances, that would probably be a disheartening length of time.

"Well, putting aside snakes and the occasional predator, the forests are pretty calm. There's a bounty to be had, so I'm sure she's fine." He tried to encourage you, and the misplaced concern and bravado was appreciated... But ultimately useless to you. More importantly...

"Calm wasn't exactly my impression of the place. Between the Oakenbears and giant snakes, I'd call it hostile more than anything."

"The snakes can get pretty big around here." He laughed uncertainly, "Saw one almost as long as I was a few months ago. Black one though, nothing poisonous. We try to keep those around the farms to keep the rodent population down. But uh... Honestly never heard of an Oakenbear before. Some kind of critter from where you're from?"

"...Something like that." Your lips purse as he leads you away. You had been ignorant of them at first as well, but your first encounter with it had been... Illuminating. Ever since then, it had become apparent that your ignorance was the exception, not the norm. The hulking wooden ursines were a common, if distressingly dangerous, threat known to everyone else you had talked to. "Guess you haven't seen any tree sized snakes, either."

"Ha! Mana Bless, if I saw something like that, I'd probably wet myself. I heard you Valens were the sort to roam, but you must seriously have come from some terrible places."

"Different side of the Fae Forest, evidently." You grouse, falling in step with him. "Why are you here?"

"I'm a hunter." He shrugs, "There's not much better place to get your game than here; They grow plump, act docile... As long as you pay your proper respects, the place is treasure trove."

"And the Fae don't mind you here?" Your disbelief is hedged guardedly.

"Well if you go too far with the hunting, Dryad's bound to take back the balance." He stroked his stubbled beard in consideration, "We're generally blessed by its bounty, though. Carona's always been right in her lap, so we're especially careful about how much we hunt or log... You'd do well to ask one of the attendants for lessons if you're gonna live around here; I'll introduce you when we get there."

You nod distractedly, still gently nursing the headache you had gained not long ago. While you kept a suspicious eye on the self-proclaimed hunter, he hadn't shown any other signs of... Distortion, for lack of a better word.

>Ask something? (what?)
>Proceed to Shrine
>'A Spider's Web'
>Other? (write-in)

>>1076255
>Ask about how you pay proper respects to the Dryad and how to go about communicating with it in general. What does it like, what does it dislike, what to do, what to avoid, how to convince it of something.
>Proceed to Shrine

>>1076255
Ha, he is from the past. I want to ask more questions, but dunno what to ask.
>Proceed to Shrine
We're still somewhere near the "addicted" stage to the Web, let's minimize its use. Also, it takes ages, and our guide might wander off.

>>1076156
Shieet, I missed that honestly. Seems you're right though, this pleb knows quite a lot about the Fae.

>>1076255
>Ask something? (what?)
Wots your name bruv?
>Proceed to Shrine
Lets take the opportunity to learn what we can from the Fae attendant, if there is one. Maybe ask what the attendant is like before we arrive.

Why did you offer the web as an option in the middle of a conversation? It's hardly applicable.

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>>1076357
>It's hardly applicable.
Unless I'm right about the matrix possibility and this would unravel the illusion instantly.

This is upsetting me.

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>>1076301
>>1076304
>>1076357
to the Shrine!

>>1076357
But first your name.

>>1076301
And tell me about the Dryad

Writing!

>>1076357
>It's hardly applicable.
see
>We're still somewhere near the "addicted" stage to the Web
we overused it, and now it's trying to use us. The default options aren't necessarily the best choices, just the first that come to mind IC.

>>1076371
>>1076371
I wonder if we could spin a web tighter and smaller than usual and use it to check if he's human.

Or like, puppet people around.

Or put a single thread around their neck and turn it to razor wire if needed.

"You never told me your name."

"Guess I didn't." He nodded, "There are some who call me... Tim?"

You squint at the half-assed answer. "...Who calls you Tim?"

"Everyone but my wife, as far as I know. It's my name." He laughs, "Sorry about that, though. We don't get many visitors from the capital out this way, and I figured... Well, if your family was a big enough deal for the Queen to deal with them, you probably didn't care about some pleb like me."

He had a fair point. It wasn't as if you had spent any effort trying to ask the names of people in Carona either... Though you still remembered the names of a certain waitress and waiter sibling duo. They were more the exception than anything, though- Born more of a stubborn desire for closure than any concern on your part. Dullem was an exception as well, given that he was the captain of your knights... Most of whom you also didn't know the name of, which might bother you a little, but you couldn't be expected to know everyone's name, and-

"I like to know the people I'm with." You cut off your own thoughts before they drift further into awkward self-justifications. "As you guessed though, I'm part of House Valen; My name is Irue."

"Heh. Nice to meet you, Irue. I hope the rest of your family's this friendly."

"They're... Something." While your uncle came to mind as one of the more friendly people you knew in your family, the image that inevitably followed was that of your aunt. "Tell me more about this Dryad, though. You seem fairly familiar with it?"

"No more than anyone else would be, really. Not like one of the attendants at the Shrine would be, but you pick up some things living out here, y'know?"

"...I don't, no." You had lived here most of your life, none of this wisdom had imparted itself to you. "But what should I know? As a quick summary, if you don't mind."

"Hmmm..." He closed his eyes as he walked, and for a while the only sound was your soft footsteps padding through the grassy floor of the Fae Forest. Seconds stretched on before he finally nodded to himself. "Well, Dryad is the Mana of Life. She's a docile thing, very gentle. This-" He sweeps his arms out broadly, "-Is what the Shrine considers 'sacred ground', basically. There's no other place in the continent more thriving in Dryad's presence than the Fae Forest."

You swallowed from the moment he said 'Mana', and that cold feeling of having inadvertently stepped off the deep end only intensified as the two of you approached a familiar river. "This river marks the border between the Fae Forest and the rest of the world." He explained, casually stepping across a small bridge as he turned back to you. "Since we're kids, we're taught to be very careful about what we do beyond it."

"What shouldn't you do?" You glanced distrustfully at the bridge. You recognized this bend in the river, and there had never been a bridge there before. Not even ruins.

"Overhunt, mostly. Like I said, Dryad is pretty docile, as far as Mana go. Even if you were praying to other Mana, there's no real danger of a violent reaction... Still, It's always better to be safe with Mana than try to beg their forgiveness."

>Even Luna?
>Try Meditating
>Ask Something else (what?)
>Other? (write-in)

>>1076649
>>Try Meditating

Meditate on Luna.

THIS IS A JOKE. DO NOT DO THIS. Really ask

> Who should I talk to at the Shrine about the Mana of Life?

>Even Luna?

>>1076649
>Even Luna?
>Ask Something else: "Didn't you say the Shrine is a few days off? Will we have to all the way go there on foot?"
>Ask Something else: "So do Fae exist or is it just a name? Are they Dryad apparitions or something?"
>Try Meditating

>>1076662
>>1076667
Even Luna?

>>1076662
>>1076667
Meditate to Luna. Just to be sure.

>>1076667
All the way on foot? Also tell me about Fae specifically.

Writing!
---

>>1076667
Meditation needs a Mana to focus on, anon. Unless you want me to default to Luna, because we can do that.

>>1076709
Nonono, I meant to meditate on Dryad!

>>1076722
You cannot currently.

Meditation is a method of specifically structuring your thoughts in such a way that it would be more compatible with the thought process and views of a given Mana. You do not know how to go about doing that with Dryad.

>>1076709
I was joking about meditating on Luna.

THIS IS A JOKE. DO NOT DO THIS. Really ask

>>1076753
It's Valen Quest anon.
In Valen Quest, you suffer.

>>1076756
I knew I should have expected this.

At least I didn't yell at a child.

>>1076646
ask him what year it is

"Even to Luna?" You snort in amusement as you cross the bridge after him, only for your vision to flicker painfully. The edge of your sight almost seemed to erupt in static as vertigo washed across you.

"B̢e͟caus͡e t̀ḩeý'҉r͝e̢ ͝b҉a̢ĺan҉ces͟,҉ ̡ŗig̸ht͝?" Your stomach protested nauseously to the unnatural tearing of the world, his voice and laughter wildly fragmenting and shifting in tone as you struggled to grasp onto the bridge in order to prevent a sudden loss of balance. "͞It̕'́s t͠h͝e ̴o̧p͡p̨o̧sit͜e͟ t͏ho͡u͏gh,͟ ̧͜D̶͝r̛ya҉d p̸̴ŕ̡͢ò҉b̧̡ably ̴͝ą͘do̵͟rés̴ ̨̀L͜͠͝u͢na͡ m̸̴o̸͜͡͝r͜͝͞e̶͜͢͝͡ ͢͢͡t̶̕͡h̸́a̷͢n̛͏͘͘ ̴͘͠҉͝a̕͝͠n̨̕͟y̵̴͢͠t̸̵̴͘h̵̶̶̨̢i͘͡͝n̛͡ǵ̶̛҉ ̴̵̷̶̢e̸̵̡̢͡l͜͢s̛̀̀͘͜e̸̶̕͠͞.̢̕"̕

You clutched desperately the wooden railing to stay upright, briefly succeeding until your entire body simply clipped through it. There was barely time to scream before you pitched over into the river below.

"-no real danger of a violent reaction... Irue?"

You surfaced again just in time to catch the tail end of his dialogue repeating. You brush your water soaked hair out of your face with a scowl, spitting up stomach refuse and river water as you start to swim towards the edge of bank. Tim is there quickly to give you a hand, pulling you from the gently flowing waters and back onto solid land... Now roughly fifteen pounds heavier from the water soaked into your hair and clothes.

"Are you... Okay?" He looks over you in blatant concern, "I didn't even hear you fall in. Did something happen?"

"..." You tuck a now heavy lock of hair behind your ear tiredly. "I'm fine. Had an accident with the railing."

You both glance back towards the bridge, and almost as if to make a liar of you deliberately, the railing of the bridge remains in pristine condition. You can't help but scowl at it. "You said the Shrine was a few days away?" You change the subject dryly, giving Tim a convenient way out from pointing out what you were both looking at. "Are we walking the entire way?"

"No, no, I'm a hunter but that sounds drastic even for me." He smiled gratefully, turning away from the bridge with a final concerned glance, "I have a horse tied closer to the road."

"Ah..." You breath an understanding while grabbing a fist full of hair and slowly squeezing the water out along the way. "Worried the Fae might mess with it?"

"Fae...?" He repeated the word a little incredulously, "There aren't actually any Fae in the Fae Forest, you know."

"Apparitions of Dryad, then?" You snort the conclusion, having already come to a theory similar to that earlier.

"Dryad doesn't really like apparitions." Tim shook his head, "Least, not far as I know anyway. The Shrine attendants could tell you better, but I've always heard that the presence of Dryad can be found in the bounty of nature."

You grunt disagreeably and make a mental note to ask an expert on that.

Not an hour later, you're saddled on the back of Tim's horse, wet and miserable as you squeeze tightly onto the back end of the beast's saddle and find yourself making bitter comparisons between this inferior beast and your experiences riding on Kara's back.

There was less room, it was less comfortable, it smelled worse, and you bet it was going to be slower, too.

Perhaps more annoying was that you had passed where your house should have been and found nothing. There wasn't even a clearing there... Like it just never existed.

"Something on your mind?"

"...Just feeling a little homeless." You respond flatly, staring out towards where your front door should have been. "How long ago did the Queen sign over this land, exactly?"

"Five... Ten years ago?" He muttered uncertainly, "Around there. It was shortly before the Queen died."

"...I see."

The road you eventually got onto wasn't even a proper road, so much as a forest trail... And you weren't surprised in the least. La'Fiel evidently didn't exist yet.

>Skip the horse ride
>Spend the ride meditating (to which Mana?)
>'A Spider's Web'
>Other? (write-in)

>>1076814
>Ask Tim what's his surname is and where he lives.
I don't remember if non-nobles even have surnames, but we could maybe try to find out whether this man really existed once if we return home.
>Spend the ride meditating
To every Mana in turn. Just enough to see if the world glitches again.

>>1076826
seems like a good idea

>>1076826
>>1076826
Surname please!

>>1076826
>>1076834
...Meditating to every Mana.

Alright.

>>1076841
Why am I having this sudden sense of dread?

"Do you have a family name?" You sighed as your suspicions of the horse being truly inferior were confirmed, and every extra second spent trotting along on its back was only making you more and more sore. Either your Aunt really was a woman of steel, or Ser Stomperson was far more comfortable to ride than whatever this sorry excuse for a beast of burden was. "House Valen makes a point of paying back their debts."

"Do they? Haha, that sounds too serious for someone like me."

"I'll decide that." You sigh quietly, closing crimson eyes as you try to find a center for yourself. While you had your doubts about how accurate the man's information really was, couldn't rightly let it go without testing. If this 'Dryad' was the here-to-fore unknown 8th Mana that you had warily hazarded the potential existence of, then this changed... Everything. You weren't just combatting overgrown wildlife anymore; This was possibly the most damning confirmation that the wooden golems and oakenbears had all been apparitions.

You needed to ascertain the nature of what you were against. More pressingly, you needed to understand what you had just gotten yourself into.

"It's Rime. Timothy Rime." You comitted the name to memory as your attention drifted inward. "Don't worry much about it, though. Shouldn't need to pay me back for being a decent person."

...Whatever this place was, you had to admit you preferred the people you met here to the ones outside.

That was the final stray thought you allowed before the meditation effort began in earnest. Every exercise you knew, from the ground up... Tim had claimed Dryad, the Mana of Life to be a docile, tolerant existence. All of your experience thus far disagreed, but you only knew for certain that one Mana in particular caused that reaction. Starting with Shade, that left six others to test.

Shade's meditation was a familiar and comforting action to you by now, though undoubtedly one tinged in bitter feelings. You feel as if your experiences had let you come to understand more about the thoughts of one arrayed with Shade. The kind of mental fortitude that came with someone having gone through loss, and the resolve built on the refusal to let those failures destroy you. Your body felt heavy as your thoughts slowly shifted into place, but not all of that weight was the bad sort. It lent your presence a gravity, and force to your words.

Satisfied with your foray into Shade's meditation, you could only breathe a sigh of relief as the pulsing headache you had been experiencing since waking up faded away. Rather than cause a distortion, you almost felt healed.

...Then, with healing in mind, you tentatively released that structure of mind and began to recreate your state of mind with the image of Wisp's unceasing expectations as a focus.

Undine... Salamander... Jinn... Gnome...

For every Mana you took the time to carefully meditate under, you felt your senses sharply attune to their respective presence. It was a wholly alien experience to you, but not one you were unaware of; According to your studies, anyone favoured by a Mana inherently had a nascent awareness of the Mana which adored them... A sensation you had come to terms with never having.

It was little more than an awareness, however. Attempts to actually reach out to, or listen to the faint presences of the Mana was... Unsettling, to say the least.

Any trust you still had in the world around you was thoroughly dashed. If the Mana were Pillars to your World, then this place was adrift in an abyss. Or, at most, balanced precariously upon a single Pillar that you had no way of locating.

And then, finally...

Did you really want to risk Meditating to Luna? If you could track down the presence of other Mana, then it might help you locate Ari... But you have no way of knowing what kind of response you would provoke in doing so.

>Meditate to EVERY Mana.
>Arrive at the Shrine.

>>1076916
>>Arrive at the Shrine.

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>>1076916
>Arrive at the Shrine.
Find that attendant and figure out how to meditate to Dryad.

>>1076916
>Arrive at the Shrine.

>>1076924
>>1076926
>>1076930
Onward to the Shrine!

Writing.

>>1076858
i always have a sense of dread playing this quest

so if dryad is an actual 8th mana, could we be attuned to it without knowing it?

>>1076949
That's what I thought, but apparently attuned people are similar to the Mana inside, while Dryad is supposed to be gentle and docile, and Irue is... Irue.

>>1076953
well the mana may have changed, as we can see from the oakenrues, and possibly oakenbears

>>1076962
Wait wait wait...

Oakenbears desperately want to be real bears but just destroy everything around
Oakenrues want to communicate but barely understand anything and speak nonsense

Yes. Irue is definitely attuned to Dryad as it is now.

...No, you already knew what bringing up that Mana could do. You had seen the way the wooden golems reacted in the past. Meditating to that Mana in your circumstance would probably put an end to everything around you... And possibly you as well. It was certainly a last resort.

It was proven a moot point as you opened your eyes, finally feeling the complaints of your body as the worthless horse came to a stop. There was little more than forest around you, with the path through the woods continuing on towards the mountain you remember Caylen's house and the family crypt to be... But where it should have curved left, it twisted right instead; Twisting and winding into the forest off what should have been the beaten path.

"We're stopping?" You took Tim's hand as he helped you down, feeling your legs rebel at having weight back on them after riding for so long. "...It is getting close to night." You frown at the setting sun, wondering just how long you had been dead to the world during your meditation.

"I'll start a fire, if you want to go stretch your legs a bit." Tim was already moving to withdraw some flint and tinder from his saddlebags, "I don't know what you're used to eating, but hopefully some campfire faire will be good enough!"

"..." You watched Tim get to work on the fire, crossing your arms to ward off the chill of the coming night against your still damp clothes. "I'll take first watch, if you want." You speak up, somewhat looking forward to being able to warm yourself against the flames, but he just laughed. "No need for a watch, we're safe out here."

"...Wolves?" You frown at his cavalier response, but he only shook his head. "Not many of them around here, and Dryad keeps 'em quiet and well fed for the most part."

"Bears? Bandits? Griffins?"
"Bears don't wander these parts, there won't be any bandits this close to the Shrine, and Griffins don't fly this far away from their perches."
"Nightgaunts?"

A fire sparked to life as you pulled out the underlying concern that had drove you to asking in the first place.

"Night what?"

...Of course. You shake your head in resignation, "As long as we can keep the fire going all night, that's fine."

"Scared of the dark?"

You didn't dignify his good humored dig with a response, turning away with an annoyed frown as you took him up on his offer to stretch your legs. It would be a little while before this 'campfire faire' was ready, and you'd be lying if you said you weren't thankful to finally be off that stupid horse.

The night passed without incident, despite your misgivings about resting so freely. You didn't particularly want to admit that you had just become accustomed to having a vague feeling of dread whenever you were somewhere new, because acknowledging something like that made you feel like you lost somehow. It isn't your fault that you had a very consistent, long running record of terrible things happening. This was a perfectly justified concern for you.

"I thought I was used to getting up at the crack of dawn. Are you Valens even human?"

You grunt tiredly, too exhausted from having woken restlessly through out the night at the crackling of flame and nightlife. You count your meager blessings that he took your mood in stride, cleaning up camp behind the two of you before you set out once more. Days passed like this, making this one of, if not THE most, uneventful trips of your life. To anywhere.

The first night had been tense.
The second was wary.
By the third you almost let yourself relax.
On the fourth...

"...Something on your mind?" Tim's 'campfire faire' was unexpectedly good. He earned his self-proclaimed title of hunter with these dinners, but you somehow doubted normal hunters also carried small pouches of seasonings and dried vegetables with them. The fresh mushrooms had been an interesting touch, especially since as far as you were concerned, almost all the mushrooms in the forest were poisonous.

But it was during your fourth such dinner that your guide's questioning broke the monotony and drew your attention back down to earth. "I was just thinking." You admit carefully, not wanting to test this world any further than you had already. There hadn't been any distortions for three days now, and similarly, you hadn't had to fight off a headache for those three days either... This detail you could keep to yourself.

"Do you always look scary when you think?"
You level a flat glare at the man, who promptly pointed his spoon in your direction. "Like that!"
"I'm going to bed."

You ignored his laughter as you curled under your roughly tanned blankets, shifting onto your side to ignore the clear skies that hung above you; Stars twinkling teasingly in a moonless abyss.

It had been like this the last few nights as well.
It would probably still be like this all the nights to come.

"Good night, then!"
"Night."

On the fifth day, you finally arrived. What had taken you a month to go by foot was all but obliterated in less than a week by worthless horse. Kara could have done it in even less time, and she wouldn't have made your hips sore along the way, either.

Was comparing Kara to this stupid horse fair? You didn't give a damn.
...Maybe your trauma with Ser Stomperson had soured you on horses in general.

Still, you couldn't help but feel as if you expected something like this as you approached the Shrine Tim had mentioned.

Built on the edge of a large river, with great roots supporting the structure and a grand stairway of well kept stone leading up to the familiarly imposing figure of the Shrine... This Shrine in particular you knew. You had stood at the bottom of these steps before, staring up into its ruins. Dove into its depths to rescue Maran once before, and stole through the remains of the small medley of buildings which dotted the courtyard before it in order to retrieve Ari.

"Well we're here." Tim dismounted, making a theatrical introduction of the building behind him as your eyes remained glued to the gently swaying leaves of the great branches which had grown beyond the confines of its roof. "Welcome to the Shrine of Dryad. If there's anyone who can help you find your missing people, they'll be here."

"...Of Dryad?" You took his hand as he helped you down, hopefully for the last time, and frowned at the peculiar detail. "Shouldn't the Shrine be a place to honor all the Mana?"

"...No?" He looked at you strangely, "I've never heard of anything like that."

"I see."

>Ask Tim to come with you
>Enter on your own
>'A Spider's Web'
>Other? (write-in)

>>1076995
>>Enter on your own

>>1076995
>Enter on your own

>>1076107
I forgot to mention this, but I saved the new one as well! I didn't really have any robe design in mind for the Shrine, but this looks like something I can use.

Congratulations, you canonized the Shrine uniform by accident!

>>1077000
>by accident
>implying it was

>>1076995
I knew this.
>Thank Tim
>Enter on your own

>>1076998
>>1076999
>>1077007
On our own! Walking down the only road we've ever known!

>>1077007
Thanks, Tim.

Writing.

"Thanks for everything until now, Tim." You turn back to formally say your goodbyes. You... Honestly had no idea if a Timothy Rime ever existed, or if he was just another figment of this world, but regardless of whether what had come to your aid was a real or fake, the important thing was that he had been a great help to you. So, for that alone... "I don't know what might happen in the future, but I'll do my best to repay you for this."

"Don't worry about it, really." He waved you off awkwardly, "I'm not good with this kind of stuff... And in the first place, you shouldn't need to repay someone for doing the right thing." It would actually be kind of disappointing if you found out he was a figment, if only because he was one of the most upfront, honest people you had met.

The idea that someone like this was a lie was a little depressing.

You went your separate ways after that, as you ascended the familiar stone stairs under the midday sun. You had come a long way since the days of keeling over in exhaustion just from climbing these things, and you could safely say that you didn't even feel winded by the time you reached the top.

...Which isn't to say you particularly wanted to give carrying Kara up Too Many Stairs a second shot. The fact you were gaining endurance was more a happy coincidence to you than any goal you were interested in pursuing. Shade bless, the fact you were getting better at not being tired was more a testament to how much unreasonable shit you had to push through than it was your own fitness.

"Oh! Oh! O-Oh um.. Valen? Valen, right?" An attendant greeted you at the top of stairs, having caught sight of your tell-tale crimson eyes as you reached the top. "We've been expecting you, but..." she glanced over your shoulder uncertainly, looking increasingly more troubled as the seconds ticked by. "We uh... Thought there'd be more people with you."

A short girl with mouse-like features and dirty brown hair that tucked itself neatly around the nape of her neck, she looked like she'd squeak if you raised your voice too quickly. Was someone like this really an attendant...? When you imagined someone favoured by 'Dryad', you thought they'd be more... Prone to unrelenting violence and- Was she blushing?

"P-Please don't stare at me so intensely..."

...

"E-Excuse me, I need to go check on the orphanage! Pleasegoinside,bye!"

You watched the mousey attendant scurry down the stairs in a hurried gait, then turned back to the opened doors of the Shrine of Dryad with mixed feelings.

>Go after her
>Don't get distracted, enter the Shrine

>>1077030
>>Go after her

>>1077030
>Go after her

>>1077030
Now Irue can add "making children cry with merely a stare" to the list of their special abilities.
They're shaping up to be a dark overlord quite nicely. Carona is just a first step!

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Going to pause the thread here, and pick it up in a day or two. As usual there will be an hour's warning on twitter (Expect monday!)

...Also I'm not sure how to say this exactly, but a combination of "I'm sorry" and "good luck" to everyone! I'm worried you'll need it.

Good night, for now! I'll be monitoring the thread until we pick back up.

>>1077048
....that vague feeling of dread isn't vague anymore.

Thanks for running Riz!

>>1077048
i'm scared
thanks for the thread

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>>1077048
Thanks for thred Riz!

pls have mercy

>>1077030
I'll miss Tim; straightforward and friendly, he was probably the least dread-inducing person we've met, or will meet. Ah, well, back to that familiar sense of "you've screwed up and made things harder on yourself".

>Go after her
I want to just go straight in, but the attendant should hopefully be able to give us some concrete answers on Dryad.

Thanks for running!

>>1077030
>>Go after her

>>1077037
>>1077041
>>1077299
>>1078289
Well this is unanimous.

It's overcast today, so I'll start writing a response and pick the thread back up early.

"..." You turn away with a sigh and start after the departing attendant. You could see others inside, several of them wearing the same uniform, but none of them had so much as looked out the door at the commotion. That was a little heartening, as it could be taken to mean her outburst was the norm around here.

Alternatively, it was another weird quirk of this place. Judging things purely on what you expect would probably get you in trouble eventually... This world wasn't normal. There were flaws - Distortions - which could be aggravated in dangerous ways if you weren't careful.

"Wait!" The mousey attendant leapt as you called out to her, voice cracking with a startled squeak. "Y-Yes?" Timid as she was, there was a line between searching for an excuse to leave an encounter, and being rude enough to outright flee. It may have been cruel, but if she was the sort who wanted to avoid attention then being explicitly put under the spotlight was the surest method of rooting her in place. It bought you time to clear the stairs after her and catch up, once more coming face to face with diminuitive attendant.

She couldn't have been much older than you... No, maybe a year or two younger. As someone who had voluntarily spent most of their life studying Mana, you had to admit that your curiosity about what an attendant of 'Dryad' would even be like. The methods of garnering favour with the Mana, and the mindset required to communicate...

"Um..." Her eyes darted around nervously, finding their way back to your own at an increasingly infrequent rate as her shoes steadily seemed to become more fascinating to her. "C-Can I help you?"

...And that was an important question. [i]Could[/i] she help you? As an attendant, she could probably answer some of your questions, but there were plenty of others in the Shrine that could have done that just as easily.

>About the orphanage
>Who else she was expecting
>Ask if she's okay
>Other? (write-in)

Oh goddammit I lost my formatting powers again.

>>1081512
>>About the orphanage

>>1081512
>Who else she was expecting
>Ask if she's okay

>>1081512
>Ask if she's okay
Build rapport
>About the orphanage

>>1081512
>About the orphanage
>>1081517
Your Id is different; your ip has changed. Are you on a campus or something? They usually have a block of ips assigned to them, and when you stop posting for awhile, your ip gets assigned to someone else .

>>1081530
>>1081548
>>1081556
Orphanage!

>>1081548
>>1081547
You okay?

>>1081547
you were expecting someone else?

Writing!
---

>>1081556
No, but my IP is dynamic. Sometimes it changes and I keep my formatting powers, other times it changes and I'm screwed. It's kind of a roulette for me.

"You mentioned an orphanage?" Starting in on Dryad immediately would probably just fluster the girl. Anything she could tell you about the enigmatic Mana would probably end up incomplete or fragmented in her panic... But you weren't that single minded anymore. "Oh.. Yes? They won't bother anyone next week, you'll barely know they're here!"

"...I didn't expect them to." You assauge her patiently. "They've rarely caused issues before, I'm sure your children are well behaved."

"Yes...? I- Yes, they've never caused a problem, I swear!" Confusion turned to enthusiasm after you successfully managed to interrupt her downward spiral of babbling. "Was that why you were in such a rush?"

"Yes... No... Um." Her confidence vanished as quickly as it came when the conversation turned back to her; Voice dropping down to a mutter. "I'm not very good with people."

So you had gathered. You pursed your lips rather than comment on that, trusting that she'd quickly try to change the topic away from herself.

"I didn't know they had already told you about it, though..." She muttered apologetically, predictably rewarding your trust. "I.. I guess this will make the meeting with L̶̴͢u͏͏n̵͢͡a'̸͘͠s͏ D͏̴òmi͘͠n͏͡i̴̵o͡n͝ easier." You braced for impact the moment the words had left her mouth, barely succeeding in warding off the ensuing headache with your hastily erected preparations. Even still, you couldn't restrain the urge to step back as her body flickered dangerously.

The moment passed quickly, with the girl seemingly ignorant to the fact anything unusual had happened at all. "We weren't expecting any of you to arrive for another couple of days, at least... Um... Blessings of Jinn upon you for swift travels?"

"So when you said you were expecting someone else..."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend!" She bowed her head quickly, "We knew a member of the Valen family was coming with the L̶͏̷u̷̢ņ͞a̸̢͢ ͜D̀o͢m̴i̵ni̴o̧̕͡n͏͘-" You wince again, getting the sinking feeling that this was going to be a common occurence in conversation around here. "So when I saw you, I was confused about why... you were... Alone." She trailed off uncertainly towards the end, "Oh I should have told the other attendants you were here..."

You watched on with the beginnings of pity as she buried her face behind her hands in embarassment.

"I'm sorry, I'll take you back and introduce everyone right away."

>Let her lead you back to the Shrine
>Insist on checking on the orphanage
>Have her show you somewhere else (where?)
>Other? (write-in)

>>1081791
>>Insist on checking on the orphanage

>>1081808
Writing!

I'm starting to think we should use the web, addiction be damned. Shits all fucked up and we don't have the means to figure it out otherwise or even perceive it properly.
>>Have her show you somewhere else (where?)
The big tree tree if it's here in this time, I guess
>Use web

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>>1081868
>>1081881
fug
why did that take so long to post

"It's fine, we're already down here." You bar her way deftly, "You were already on your way to the orphanage weren't you? I'll come with you."

"Um." She swallowed anxiously, "If you're sure." Even if she said she was okay with it, her hesitation told a different story. Was it something you had said to intimidate her? Or were the children kept here particularly ill mannered?

"So what should I expect?" You break the tense silence conversationally, hoping to maybe steer the mousey attendant towards calmer waters with a topic she was more comfortable with. "From the kids, I mean."

"They're very well behaved!" She asserted quickly, turning to face you in almost pleading manner. "They're learning properly, and don't take up many resources, and we're hoping to test some of them for their affinity soon, and I definitely think that we'll be able to protect more potential adepts by keeping them close!"

"..."

"...I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize." You forgive her patiently, "But I was more curious about the kids themselves. I didn't think there would be that many out this far."

"We've been taking in a few every so often since the Queen died." she sighed a quiet admission, "There are... A lot of them after what happened. That's why I was hoping to get the L̛͢u̸̧̕n̶̷̡à͜ ̕D̢͢͢ó̸m͏͟͡ì͟ǹ͝í͏o͟n̷̴'̷s̵ ̛͢͜ approval for the project."

You exhaled tiredly at the expected distortion. "The project being...?"

"...?" She blinked, "The orphanage. East Heaven is still trying to recover from the disaster, and if I can convince the Shrine to offer their help with the victims..." The two of you approached one of the smaller structures you had passed by earlier. You remembered the brigand camp being somewhat dotted in overgrown remnants of civilization, but it had been the last thing on your mind back then, and far overshadowed by the Shrine itself. Had they been the ruins of these buildings? "I hope that maybe the Shrine could permanently take up the role of looking after children that have lost their family, or been abandoned... At least until they can fend for themselves."

She stopped at the door with a hopeful smile on her face, taking a calming breath before turning the handle. "Everyone, we have a visit-AUGH"

You blinked as her words morphed into a startled scream, the girl recoiling back violently as she swiped desperately at her face. Whatever mad dance she sprung into continued until you caught sight of a frog finally being dislodged from her robes and sent careening into the grass. Raucous laughter echoed out from inside the building, and you glanced past the near-hyperventilating attendant to find a small gaggle of amused children cackling at the results of their prank.

Not much could be said of their clothes, most of which seemed to have been hastily hemmed versions of Tim's own apparel from earlier... But despite the mismash of sizes, the litany of stitches which adorned them showed studious signs of mending and upkeep. The children themselves, however, were healthy and hale; Cleaned as much as could be expected of kids whose likely only outlets for their free time were study and exploring a forest.

"No, no! They're not usually like this, I swear!"

Your inspection of the miscreant children was interrupted by the attendant sounding as if she were about to cry as she hurriedly attempted to gather her composure. "Stop! We have an important visitor, behave yourselves!" Some of the kids quieted at her pleas, mirth draining from their faces as they recognized her distress and began to turn curious eyes upon you...

...While others continued to laugh unabated, and scattered back into the house with the ease of long hours of practice and experience in eluding punishment.

>Introduce yourself
>Let the attendant do the talking
>Track down the runners
>Other? (write-in)

>>1082164
>>Let the attendant do the talking
I suspect a formal greeting won't do much for the kids.

>>1082164
>Let the attendant do the talking
Wave when she introduces us

I suppose I'll bide my time until we have a bit to ourselves before I vote for the likely controversial spiders web.
Or more likely fall asleep before that happens.

>>1082394
>>1082411
Writing!

>>1082411
Trouble with the Web is that it takes time to setup, so it's not really conducive to use while there are people around. And, you know, the whole addiction thing.

..We got more than just the Web from the Atelier; I wonder what trying to return to Cardona would do while we're in here? Actually, did we ever try "Home is where the Heart is"?

>>1082441
I know, I said I'll wait until we have some time to ourselves. The addiction thing is something that I'm willing to risk in this situation, I don't like it but in the OP Riz mentioned our perception being reconfigured, so we'll have a lot more information to work with when we expand our senses.

No, we haven't used home is where the heartt is and I'm curious about the teleport spells too but I'm more concerned with figuring out what in the actual fuck is going on before we spend too much time in this place.

Too late.

You decided to pass on chasing down the more delinquent kids. They knew the terrain better, and probably had hiding places it'd take you hours to find... Honestly it was more of a pain than you were willing to put up with, especially when you hadn't come out here to waste time in the first place.

"Everyone, this is ͏R̷̢ừén̸͠ Valen. You know who that is, right?" She turned stepped aside to introduce you gently, "Please-" She forced the word out with as much emphasis as she could, "-be on your best behavior while the Lu͠͡na̸͜ ͏D̛͢o̴͝m͢iní͞o̶ń̕ and Ser Valen are here, alright?"

A chorus of affirmations rallied off the children as you nursed the lancing pain that had accompanied her introduction. That was a lie. That wasn't your name.

"-Is Irue Valen. You know who that is, right?" You winced away the pain, gritting your teeth to endure until the world finally ironed out its problems and continued properly. "Be on your best behavior-" You barely stifle a growl as you realize it had reset that far, pushing through another minor distortion at the remention of Luna's name before you could risk relaxing again.

"See? They're all very sweet at heart." She looked back at you with a hopeful smile, "...Are you alright? They didn't offend you, did they? It won't-"

"No, just a headache." You force a smile past the throbbing pain, stalling for time until it faded while you cut off the attendant's concerns. "I've had a long day."

"I see. I'm sorry, I can show you around more tomorrow, if you're still interested." Though she had concern written plainly on her face, it seemed like she wasn't going to give up on trying to sell you on the good traits of the children. Beyond her, the assembled children had started to form a somewhat tighter group. You could almost start to see hints of their group dynamic as they silently quarreled with each other; Ultimately what you drew the most from watching them was the nervousness that permeated the group. Whether they were taking queues from this attendant, which was a disastrous idea in its own right, or your presence actually did mean something to them.

>Call it a day
>Ask something (what?)
>Go inside
>Other? (write-in)

>>1082736
>>Ask something (what?)
about Dryad and why she has a stake in this

>>1082774
For clarification...

>About Dryad, and why Dryad has a stake in the orphanage?
Or
>About Dryad, and why the attendant has a stake in the orphanage?

>>1082736
>Ask something (what?)
Pump her for as much info about Dryad as possible, get her to walk us through meditation if possible. If she's unwilling or too shitty to teach us Dryad meditation then

>Call it a day
>Other? (write-in)
mother fuckin web
figure out what the deal is

>>1082736
>About Dryad, and why the attendant has a stake in the orphanage?

>>1082808
both

>>1082808
Now that you mention it I'm curious why there's an orphanage at the Dryad shrine. I assume the attendant is just doin her job.

>About Dryad, and why Dryad has a stake in the orphanage?

>>1082774
>>1082832
Why does Dryad have a stake in this?

>>1082830
>>1082826
Why do you?

>>1082821
Tell me about Dryad.

Writing!
---
>>1082832
>why there's an orphanage at the Dryad shrine
Oh dear...

>>1082832
There was mention of a war, I'd guess that's where they're from. With the relations between Mana and mortals different here, there's no telling why a particular Mana is caring for orphans.

>>1083226
These resets and corrupted names are bothering me; Where are we? We went into the Fae forest and wound up here, and it doesn't look like we're getting out anytime soon. I hope real time hasn't been running as the same speed (or faster) as in here; we have things to do. I've got a few guesses, but they're rough at best:
A fiction: a scenario setup for our benefit. The corrupted names made this moderately unlikely.

The Actual Past: We've been thrown back into the past. Way, way back into the past. Corruption cast doubt onto this again.

A Memory: We're being shown something from the past that actually happened. The Corruption supports this.

The Dream of a Mad God: We've been transported to a place that doesn't exist, and has no bearing on the past or the future. The Corruption weakly supports this.

Anyone else got any theories?

"Why push for this?" You looked away from the children, finding the attendant blinking in confusion due to your question. "The orphanage, I mean. What are you hoping to achieve by presenting it to..." You trail off briefly, thinking of a way to circumvent the annoying distortions. "The others."

...No distortions!

"L̡u̧̢͢n̡̕a̶'̢̀͠s ͘D̵̸̴ơ̧mi̴̛͡n͜͠i̶ơ̸͜n͝ is the best suited for spreading the idea to other Shrines." She explained hopefully, rendering your efforts futile with a sincere smile.

"Shouldn't the Shrine stay out of things like this, though?" The Shrine was a powerful faction, but it could only maintain a presence that superceded borders precisely because it refused to become involved in the political situation of countries. No favoritism, no unexpected aid... No way to give a reason for two warring countries to come to view them as an extra enemy. The only reason it had been so forthcoming with Carona's relief efforts was because the damage had been dealt by a rogue Mana...

...And you really didn't want to correct that misconception, either.

"W-Well... Yes." She admitted with a strained smile, "But... This much should be fine, shouldn't it? If it's just the children? No one deserves to be left alone, An-And our goal is to protect Adepts from abuse, isn't it?! There's no one to look after these children, and if any of them have the potential, isn't it our duty to offer them a place to be safe?"

"If it's just that..." You frown, feeling something amiss. "Doesn't the Shrine already do that?"

For as long as you could remember, the Shrine had taken in orphans during times of crisis. They would shelter them until they were old enough to fend for themselves, going so far as to both teach the children as well as observe any burgeoning Adepts among their ranks. Both Roderick and Mim had been a product of that very policy.

"No... But if I can convince Lú̶̧n̡͘a'̷s ̶D́ǫm̸̡̢in̢͜io̧ń͞ while they're here, then maybe we can start." She drew a deep breath, staring at you pleadingly. "There's so many we could help, and after the disaster, there's no better time for us to start."

"..." You shifted uncomfortably. You knew enough about Shrine policy to have a general idea of what she was talking about, but why tell you about it? House Valen was never part of the Shrine, it wasn't as if your opinion on the matter had any weight. "Are you planning to propose this on behalf of yourself, or your Shrine?"

"I... I had hoped to do it on behalf of the Shrine." She admitted shyly, "But I haven't talked to anyone about it yet... If I have to, I'll take full responsibility for it on my own."

"If you haven't talked to anyone this close to their arrival, how did you plan to propose anything on behalf of your entire Shrine?" You arms crossed resignedly at the girl's hopeless plan. "At least speak to Dryad's Representative and the other Adepts before you do something like that."

"I'm sorry..." Her face fell dejectedly, "You're right, I know... I need to talk to the others but..." She trailed off, hands coming together nervously as she scratched a nail absently across her cuticle. It only took a cursory inspection to notice the slightly off-color abrasions that covered her hands.

...Most people had some kind of nervous twitch, but something of this level made you wonder just how used to being anxious this girl was.

"They're all really busy, and I'm already imposing... I don't want to bother them any more than I need to."

"...If you're planning on making a proposal this big on behalf of your Shrine, you need to." You can't help but chide her, "Putting your own thoughts aside, what stake does your Mana have in this? Can you honestly make a proposal on behalf of the Shrine that's has nothing to do with a Mana's will?"

"Dryad would absolutely want this!" Her voice raised decisively, with the rest of her mind catching up to the fact that she just shouted at you moments later. For a moment you thought she would apologize... But the indecision that warred on her face so flagrantly eventually settled into resolve. "Dryad's love is boundless. There's no one it would turn away, no matter what... If we could help even one person, I know Dryad would be pleased."

Whatever faith she lacked in herself was more than made up with the fervor she defended her Mana with... And for once, you simply had to take her word for it. You knew little and less about Dryad, aside from the half-formed theories you had been nursing recently.

"...Alright." You unfolded your arms in acquiescence. "I know less about Dryad than I'd like to, so I'll believe you."

"Ah..." She muttered an acknowledgement, but it lacked any enthusiasm. If anything, she seemed heavily disappointed that the conversation had ended this way. "...It's fine if you don't." She continued in a smaller voice, "It's... Hard to explain if you've never been touched by a Mana's feelings." The attendant smiled softly, as if remembering a cherished memory, "I'm told they're all very different... But with Dryad, I've only ever felt love. That's why..."

"No, I do believe you." You repeat, "I just personally don't know anything about Dryad, so I'll take your word for it. I had hoped to maybe study more about it while I was here, anyway."

"T-Then...!" She opened her mouth swiftly, tripping over her own words in a hasty attempt to revise what she wanted to say into something intellgible. "You do want to? Learn? About Dryad? I-I can teach you! We won't have long, a-and I'm not very good at this, but... I don't... Know the scriptures very well either... Uu..."

...Unfortunately her faith in her Mana was not enough strong enough to make up for her lack of faith in herself. She'd probably convince herself she wasn't capable of it if you let her keep trying to explain herself.

>Have her teach you
>Do your own investigations

Going to take a shower! I'll close the vote when I get back.

>>1083314
>>Have her teach you

>>1083314
>>Have her teach you
She's willing, and we desperately need information. Some of the other Adepts might do a better job, but she willing, and she's right here.

>>1083314

>Have her teach you

We should also

>Connect a web to her while she teaches you

>>1083332
>>1083336
>>1083424
Wow we have low standards!

>>1083424
And possibly trust issues.

Writing!

>>1083551
The web will just let us learn better!

"That's fine." If it was scriptures, then you had studied plenty of them already. They were useful for self-study, but that kind of thing took months just to internalize, and years to make any progress on... You were short on a lot of resources right now, and time most of all. That kind of dedication was impossible for you until you could get Ari back. "I don't have long either, so a crash course would be the best anyway."

"Crash... Course?"

You brush your hair back, letting the words hang as you looked over the uncertain attendant. "I'm a quick study. If you can help me learn to listen to Dryad, I can work on it on my own later."

"If you're sure..." She seemed doubtful. You gathered that was probably her default state, though. "If it's just the basics, then I can definitely help!" That was enough to set your plans, and it's what led to you being surrounded by kids next to a small fireplace for the rest of the day... And most of the night.

Flimsy as she was, you couldn't find fault in her dedication. She had ushered the children along and stepped inside the small structure with a spring in her step, directing you towards what passed for the living room. The interior wasn't large by any means, and walls had been replaced with curtains of flowering ivy, lending a pleasant and fresh scent to the air inside. What sufficed for a kitchen was a territory that the attendant had made her own, and consisted almost entirely of a large stewing pot suspended over a firepit, and several sturdy branches for cutting room.

If she expected you to offer to help cook, she never showed it. Considering your history with cooking, you weren't keen on offering either; Anything beyond a sandwich was probably...

Well, Salamander apparitions would be the bane of this little house.

So you were left to pass time watching the children play, waiting for the attendant to complete her self-assigned duties. Having spent much of your life with only Asche by your side, being in such close proximity to the group of energetic kids was... Stressful. You lived a relatively quiet life, and if you were completely honest, silence was your preference in general. It was only recently that your life had started to get loud, and you were still trying to adjust.

...Which is why screaming children running around the house and picking on each other wasn't helping the headache this place seemed intent on giving you. Even the delinquents from earlier had eventually found their way back in as the smell of dinner started growing stronger.

Not one of them apologized, walking in with twigs clinging to their clothes and dirt stained onto their hands and knees. You could only imagine where they had gotten off to.

But they came back, brazenly accepting the attendant's meek attempts at scolding them, and wandering away with half-hearted promises that they wouldn't do it again... Which were lies. It didn't take someone skilled in reading people to understand that they had paid little more than lip service.

It was a nostalgic scene of your own childhood, and your sister's own penchant for brushing off the consequences. Even back then, you had preferred things to be calmer... But you couldn't leave her alone, either; Not that she'd have stopped dragging you and Caylen along, even if you had tried.

"Think we'll find it tomorrow?"
"Maybe. We're getting closer, I can feel it!"

You blinked as the older kid's discussion filtered in when they walked past. One of them was scratching persistently at his arm, the tell-tale sign of a poison ivy rash peaking out from under his sleeves, while the three others chattered amongst themselves about trying to hunt fairies.

"Shouldn't you tell Elly?" They poked the scratching child with a laugh, only to receive a snort in return. "I don't need Elly for everything, you know. I can make the salve myself!"

You let out a breath, closing your eyes tiredly. You were getting impatient. Ari was still out there, and you were wasting your time just sitting here, waiting to learn about some unknown 8th Mana... You should have been out there looking for her, hadn't the Fae said there wasn't much time left?

Honestly, what were you doing?

...Your eyes snapped open, crimson irises narrowing as your gaze snapped off to the side at a smaller child who had taken a lock of your hair in hand. He stared up at you startled, eyes wide like he had been caught before a charging boar, frozen in place as you stared him down.

"..."
"..."

Very slowly, you felt his little fingers release the tips of your hair as he stepped back. He shakily held your stare even as he moved away, breath held tight like he was terrified of provoking a viper if he made any abrupt actions.

And behind him, out of the corner of your eye, two of the calmer children from earlier watched on even while he desperately attempted to escape the predicament he had found himself in. Your eyes met, and you reflexively narrowed your own at them before they ducked their heads down and retreated behind one of the flowering ivies.

Children couldn't hide anything about themselves. It was almost unfair how simple it was to read their every thought off their expression and body language...

...Which is why you were caught off guard by the accusation and distrust you had seen reflected back at you.

"Dinner will be ready soon!" A cheer from the children temporarily distracted you- "It's vegetable stew tonight!" -Followed by an equally unenthusiastic groan from the peanut gallery. You shook your head and sighed, pulling up your hair to look over where the brat had grabbed hold of it.

>Spend the time until dinner on 'A Spider's Web'
>Watch the attendant
>Step outside for some fresh air
>Other? (write-in)

>>1084020
>Spend the time until dinner on 'A Spider's Web'

I don't know if we need that much time? I'd rather just put out a loose web to track the children with, and then interrogate them and see what they run off to do.

Kids can fuck shit up pretty bad for themselves and others with secrets, but this shrine attendant seems kind of crap dealing with them.

Like, you gotta be firm sometimes. We should remind her of what Tim told us, if you take too much from Dryad.

>>1084020
>>Watch the attendant

>>1084020
Oh, I'd thought taking her up on her offer would be quicker. Ah well.
>>1084065
The Web eats time; we don't (can't?) track time well while weaving. If we go Web, we'll be in it for the rest of the night.
>>1084020
>Step outside for some fresh air
Look around, see what we can see.

>>1084084
>The Web eats time; we don't (can't?) track time well while weaving. If we go Web, we'll be in it for the rest of the night.


He literally said "Until dinner" which is like 6 pm, so plenty of time afterwards.

>>1084020
>Spend the time until dinner on 'A Spider's Web'
Try to limit the time spent in it. If it doesn't show anything strange in the closest surroundings, stop immediately.
Actually I'd like us to go cold turkey on it for a time, but in this situation it could be actually useful.

>>1084065
>>1084125
1. Everything within our web is our domain!

>>1084073
2. So what can you teach us?

>>1084084
3. Children are loud. Some fresh air would be nice.

Tie was broken as I was writing the break-tie-please message.

Writing!
----
>>1084122
>Dinner is at 6pm
... You're weird.

>>1084122
>>1084129
I googled it and am forced to retract my statement, Dinner evidently does start around 6pm.

Apparently I am the weird one.

>>1084167
Well, yes. The first course at least, it's often acceptable to serve Crudités & Hors d'oeuvre at 5:30 in a sort of casual buffet style if you're having a more formal dinner.

You gathered your hair about you more closely this time, unwilling to risk a repeat incident of having some brat walk up and start pulling on it... Or worse. Somehow you didn't think the attendant would take kindly to you accidentally kicking a child across the room.

But it was still a couple of hours before you figured the cooking would be finished, and that left you with precious few options. The children were one such course of action, and one that you were reluctant to actually bother with. On top of not having the patience for kids, you get the sneaking suspicion that any attempt to mingle with them would end badly. There seemed to be some hostility for Luna only knows why with the calmer ones, and the delinquents were just as like to clam up than trust an outsider - Much less an adult outsider.

That in mind, your gut instinct was just to leave. Not permanently, but you were beginning to feel restless in this small house, and the rising heat and constant sound of children weren't helping your temper any. If you stepped out now, you'd probably stay outside until the attendant came looking for you... And standing around outside wouldn't help this feeling of uselessness, either. You needed to search for Ari.

There was one other option, though. Since the children seemed content to leave you alone, you theoretically had ample time to yourself, and that time could be spent discarding this worthless, clumsy interface and weaving the threads of a far more efficient perception. One that wasn't limited to such quaint problems as 'sight' and relative proximity. One that could expand and adapt, becoming everything you needed and more, where your own senses were so shamefully failing you.

With ease of practice, you coiled yourself unto ̵͘̕͡͝A̴͢ ̢́͘͟͞S̨̧͡ṕ͜i̶̢͜͏d̀͜͡͞ȩ̴͡ŗ̛͟͝͞'́͢͝͝͡s̀͟͡ ̕W̴͝eb̶̨̧̕͢-

̷́́͜A̛̛͞ ̢S͘͘p̢͏͜i̶͘͢d͡è̶̡r̵͠'̸̨ş̢̨͘ ̴̴̨͜W̷̨e̷̷b̵̢̧͘
̞̺̱̗̰̰͔̝̔̈́̀̃̃ͧ̽͐͟͜A̢͕͎̯̪̰̭̖ͧ ̝̩̽̎̀̇ͤ̆̊͊͠Š͋͐̋́̾̈̈́͏̛͙̝̗p̮̟͎̝̥̬͎̊̑̕͠i̵̛͇̍ͤ̆̋ͯ̚d͙̝͕̝͇̯͈̱̣͂̍e͈͓̗̬̣͕̟̿ͫ̏͆͗ͫr̡̼̤̠̮̀̐ͣ͌'̻̣͓̰̝͈̌͊͋̇ͭș̜͕͖̲͖͓̿͗͗̕ ͓̞̬̭̪̣̈ͤ̌̎̏W̶̡̥͕̰̙̑ͫͩ̄̄ê̷̡͇̩̻̎ͬ̂̑̂͠b͉̠̝̻͍̗͕̓̏͢͜͞
̛͟͢͡Á̴̕ ͟Ś̴̢͠p̸͏͟i͘͡d̴̵̡e̵̡̡̛͝r̶̸̸͏'̨͏s̨͟͟ ͜͝W̵͟e̶̸̛͢͞b̢̡

>roll 1d100

Rolled 11 (1d100)

>>1084270
Shit. Is high or low good again?

>>1084276
The answer would cause you, specifically, despair.

>>1084278
That's what I'm here for.

I... I still need 2 more rolls.

Rolled 46 (1d100)

>>1084270
Oh god what have I done

>>1084319
Should I try again? I could use my phone.

>>1084329
I want to believe a third will show up!
But that would be lying to myself, so do what you think is best.

Rolled 18 (1d100)

>>1084342
A third is here!

>>1084348
Goddamnit I knew using my phone would be a terrible plan.

>>1084276
>>1084325
>>1084348

Starting with the next thread we're apparently playing as Rinnier.

>>1084356
Nah, it's time to play as Kara. Punching problems for GREAT JUSTICE!

Never listen to my plans they are all terrible. I'm probably responsible for like 50% of the bad things that have happened to us.

Except for ShadowRue. I had no hand in that.

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>>1084348
>>1084325
>>1084276

> When you roll 3 times and the QM decides he has to end the thread while he writes what goes wrong.

Only in Valen Quest.

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I'll have to make an edit of this image starring Irue.
If she lives.

>>1084422
We're probably just going to lose humanity.

>>1084492
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9D2mvoMKLE

>46

Something was wrong.

This wasn't going like it should. Where normally you could disassociate your senses from your body, now you felt like you were pulling at steel cords. The gift gained from the Atelier strained in vain, as the binding coils wrapped ever tighter in response. The world around you was distorting, thin air and empty space bleeding away from specific angles only to reveal nothing beyond them; A painting being torn from its canvas.

Beyond lay the abyss between interfaces, where you existed without sensation. A negative zone without feeling. You had been here before, you came here briefly every single time you had set yourself to weaving 'A Spider's Web'. Always briefly, for it was a space of transition, where nothing was meant to linger. It contained nothing, it was nothing. The closest approximation to stagnation you could conceive; Emptiness so absolute as to lose yourself within its infinite expanse, where even your own thoughts wouldn't resonate within you any longer. It was not where things came to die, so much as the state of Death itself.

S̡̛͘ ̵̢T̷̸̡̡̛ ͡͝͏A̵̶̛͢͡ ̷̧́Y̨̧ ̶̷͠͝W̷̢͟ ̵̷́͠͠Í̡̛̕͜ ͢͟T̷͘ ̴͟͝͠H͜͝ ̀͠M̵̶̡͜ ͝͡E̷̡͘͠

And within that inky black, you felt a viscous substance subsume you. It seeped into every crevasse of your being, clinging to you as you sunk into its unfathomable depth and felt the pressure warp you. Stretching, distorting, twisting, and crushing. It molded the wrinkled and fading world with its presence, filling the gap with an intangible existence that was far less maddening than the nothing you had been forced to stare into.

͘͝P̸͢͠͠ ́͡L͢͠͡ ̛́̀͟͠È̷͢͞ ͡͠A̸̡͟ ̢́́͝S͡͏̢̢̧ ͢͟E̴͢͞

Voices without meaning babbled distantly, the walls of the orphanage slowly recovering around you... But you knew them for what they were now. Their presence was weak, and misleading. You had sensed the falseness of this world before, but now you fully understand just how much of a lie it was.

̵̸̡͢D̢̢́́͢ ̶̨̢O̡̕͟ ̧̛̛̕N̶̵͢ ̛͘͢T͘͏̵̀ ̷́́͟͠L̸͞ ͞͞͏̡E̢̡͘͜ ̷̴̨̛Ą̷͘͝ ̴̸̧́͢V̷̴ ͏͝͏E̷͟ ̶̛͢M̸͘͜ ̶̕͏͜E̢͟

"Dinner's ready!"

Your eyes snapped open, feeling a cold sweat coat your body as your body rebooted. Sound was the first to come, and in time you could see again; Blurry shapes coming into focus as light streamed back into your crimson irises. A deep, shuddering breath brought feeling back from numbness, and you were once again whole.

"Irue... Ar̀e̕ ̸y̴òu alri͞gh͜t͟?̧"

You swallowed hard, looking up to acknowledge the attendant as she slid a small bowl in front of you, and stare into the abyss in her eyes as she frowns at you in concern.

"-Ar̀e ͟yo͞u̴ alr̴i̴ģht?"
"-A̕r͠e̸ ͢yo̸u al̶r̕i̛g͞ht?"
"-Are you alright?"

The distortions end, and soft brown eyes begin watering as the attendant drops her bowl to rush to your side. "Oh Dryad, Wisp, oh no, no no no, was it the vegetables? Were the mushrooms poisonous, oh no- DON'T EAT THAT." The clatter of pottery smashing against the floor heralded your body giving up a final time, joining the chorus of scared children and a crying girl as you felt yourself being clumsily lifted...

...And the last thing you remember was the dull impact of accidentally being dropped.

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

And we are archived.

I have class in a few hours, so I'll get back to any questions I can answer a little later today!

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.

>>1084524
I won't even ask the traditional "How hard did we fuck up" question. Because evidently we fucked up pretty hard.

>>1084516
wasn't the spiders web a gift frome luna?

>>1084685
No. It was something we unlocked via an the atelier we beat. Undine atelier.

>>1084685
See: >>1084694
It was one of three gifts you gained from Solving the Ice Queen's Atelier, which was the legacy of an Undine aspected Aeon.

>>1084553
The web has fascinating implications here. Regardless of how you rolled, you'd have been exposed to some of what happened - The primary difference would be whether or not you were even able to use 'A Spider's Web'.

Even your failures can teach you things, though. For better or worse, this trial has only just begun, and serves as a deadline for figuring out a fair bit of the mysteries in Act I. Deadline in so much as it the answers will be thrown in your face either as confirmations to your theories, or blindsiding events... And it will be too late to play damage control or affect their outcome.

What I'm gathering for now is that Dryad/Fae can't affect our Spiderweb Sense, so using it reveals to us the illusory nature of the surroundings. This leaves the question of where the hell we really are if Spider's Web picks up *nothing*.
Or maybe the nothingness means we can't access Spider's Web from the emulation at all and were seeing the proverbial "texture not found" message.

It's also interesting that the Valen family has a pact with Fae which apparently do not exist. Of course, everything we're experiencing is fed to our perception by Dryad, but I don't see why it would lie about Fae existing.

>>1084733
>tfw the QM got tired of our inability to piece together clues

>>1084516
I suspected using the Web was a risky idea here. We probably took San damage, didn't learn anything, got a nice knock on the head, and I suspect we've lost our chance to learn about Dryad in the near future. Ah, well; par for the course for us.
>>1084685
I think you're remembering when Luna took our memories of [FILE NOT FOUND] last time we meditated to it.

>>1084747
>QM got tired of our inability to piece together clues

Things have admittedly come to a head, but time hasn't run out yet. Consider this your Final Exam for Act I, because moving forward, things will only continue to expand. This is Act II, and the events of our past must become the building blocks for what is to come.

For those who may remember, this is a statement on a similar scale of meaning to bmy answer ack when an anon in thread 7 asked when the exposition would stop and we'd start doing things.

...I wonder if that anon stayed in the quest long enough to be held accountable for what was Forgotten. They always kind of stuck with me, so I'm curious what their thoughts on how things turned out are.

One day I will have to reread this quest.

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>>1084896
Inspired by this thread, have another Irue reaction face.

>>1084998
Too manly.

>>1085004
Irue IS supposed to be androgynous anon.
My poor art skills have nothing to do with it, honest

Rereading Thread 7
>You've actually already met the Prophet
My face when

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>>1085008

>>1085093
But this expression won't make little children cry on sight.

>>1085008
Androgynous doesn't mean guy in a wig.

>>1084998
...Kind of reminds me of the simpsons?

>>1085093
Is cute!

I've saved both regardless, though. I feel like I'm gradually accumulating reaction faces for Irue...

>>1084926
I keep seeing anons claim they're trying to ebook Valen, but I don't think anything's come of it. I feel like the entire first Act could be compiled as a volume, though.

>>1084752
Wait.

Are we supposed to try and stay human? Can we intentionally go the other direction?

>>1087869
To become what anon?

>>1087869
>Can we intentionally go the other direction?
Yes.

You will be held accountable for what you become, however. Whether that means becoming a monster, or otherwise. I had notes made in advance regarding some possible outcomes based on the choices you've been making. Several of them include permanent interface-screws, while others are likely to lead to unavoidable schisms - or difficult conflicts - with people you know.

Though to be perfectly clear, don't take this as some kind of backhanded "stay human or else you get punished" comment. When I say "what you become", I am including what kind of person you grow into.

So relax. Follow your dreams. Stay true to the path you've chosen, and become the best you can be.

>>1087896
We're going to punch the sky.

>>1087896
I am always to late...

Does this mean we're not going to get our chance to sit down with everyone and clear the air between us?

We're never going to let Irue leave her autistic mire huh

>>1091204
We suck at talking to people, so clearing the air would probably just make things worse.

>>1091204
It's not always misunderstandings that cause problems. You're perfectly capable of making enemies just doing what you think is the best course of action.

...Also I'm not sure what air there is to clear, really? If it's regarding Mim, then assuming you make it out of this trial, then you will have time to sit and talk with her. She'll be waiting for you. She'll keep waiting, even if you never make it out.

>>1091207
>spoiler
I know that should be creepy, but it just makes me happy that /someone/ cares about us enough to miss us if we never make it back.

>>1091516
I'm sure Ari would miss us too. And probably Caylen as well.

>>1091529
Caylen might eventually notice that we're missing but I doubt he'd must much thought into it. Ari would be fine as long as someone was taking care of her. We've never been any good at personal relationships, I'd assume due to our Aunt and Uncle banishing us to a forest mansion. We have more enemies than friends.

>>1091207
Ok, I have a computer again.
Maybe I used the wrong words. It's not about Mim, I think we solved that about as well as one could have hoped for considering the circumstances.

I've mentioned it a couple of times, what I want to do is sit down with the Testaments and Asche at the earliest convenience and just tell them what's going on from Irue's perspective. About the Fae, about what we've learned about our circumstances and our suspicions. We keep choosing the dangerous and self destructive ways forward and we willingly use A Spider's Web at every corner when we know it is not only addicting but is making us inhuman. For some reason we accept that risk but we're afraid of telling the truth to our allies. Tell them about what solving the atelier did to us, tell them about doppelrue.
Let's fail spectacularly at conveying our thoughts and emotions to humans instead of failing spectacularly at staying human.

I much rather that things happen because all parties have the facts and make informed decisions, not because Irue keeps closing herself off due to her inability of basic human interaction.

>>1091904
I support this motion.
This will also allow our more competent allies to help us.

>>1091904
Everyone has their own agenda. We need to be careful about who we trust with what. Reiner has a mistrust of anything Shade. Kara's brother will end up us hearing anything we tell Kara. Asche makes me nervous, my instincts tell me to not trust her.

>>1091974
You're paranoid, we know that. Where has our isolation and stubborn secrecy gotten us? Nearly died in the woods, nearly died in the tier runs, nearly died in the tunnels beneath the town, destroyed a town, crushed a barmaids dreams, became a monster, probably ruined the relationship with our cousin, paranoia towards our aunt means we don't know anything about our own life, social or political situation and on top of that we left a behemoth under carona without telling anyone about it.

Like if you take a step backwards it's kind of obvious that this approach has far from optimal results.

We have two problems, one is our current predicament and the other is lack of information, knowledge and trust. Three of these can be solved by talking to people.

>>1092621
Communication is important, I know. But our primary skill isn't combat, it's politics and knowledge. Unfortunately anon sucks at both of those, yields our current issues. But by playing things close to the chest, we minimise blowback from our actions back onto us. Low risk, low reward. For instance, we tell the Testaments that we made the Jin apparition that destroyed the town. Reiner is angry at us for on behalf of the people. Kara doesn't care, but leaks it to her brother, who files it away as possible blackmail. Ari also doesn't care.

Or say we tell them about DoppleRue; Reiner is alarmed, and becomes slightly more guarded around us, never quite sure who she's talking to, and becomes more uneasy about the golems. The others either know or don't care.

I'll admit, a lot of this is the more extreme end of things, but the principle stands. And, I suppose at the root of our conservative nature is that we can't really fall back on "kill everything and sort it out later" like you can in most quests.

>>1092853
>And, I suppose at the root of our conservative nature is that we can't really fall back on "kill everything and sort it out later" like you can in most quests.

Says who? It's honestly how we've handled a lot of this quest.

>>1094699
In fact, the first thing we did was kill a salamander over a sandwich and then we bit Roderick and assaulted the gutters. Then we killed oakenbears and the bandits and a snake and that wisp guy and the major and Roderick and half the town and Kara's old pack.

>>1094762
Some of that was self-defence, and some unintentional homicide, but anons do rather like to employ violence.