beleos: (Default)
beleos ([personal profile] beleos) wrote in [community profile] kenoslogs2023-01-13 05:00 pm

⏳ THE SCORCHING ISLE: Oracle Event One ⏳


ARRIVAL
All Bearers have heard whispers of them - the Oracles. Mysterious and unknown entities of an abstract nature, they serve as the heart of each faction’s cause - both as a means to an end and a very real stepping stone in achieving their objectives. To claim an Oracle means growing ever closer to victory: to see your homes restored as they were, or to herald in a new one of your making.

So you go.

A Cornerstone has been set up for each faction; one for the Zenith and one for the Meridian in Yima’s manor and Heliopolis, respectively. They warn you that upon transportation, your safety cannot be guaranteed and there is no telling what waits for you beyond - to be prepared. To make sure you have whatever you deem necessary with you before you go, as there is no telling when - or how - you will be coming back. CONTINUED HERE...

NOTES

  • Upon your arrival, you woke up with an HOURGLASS NECKLACE. Please refer to the Time Mechanics on the OOC Summary and bottom of this post for details on its usage.
  • The COURTYARD is frozen in time. Player Characters and the Great Tree are the only signs of moving, free life in the courtyard. During the intro, time magic does not work.
  • Characters are free to investigate but cannot move beyond the courtyard if you choose a prompt during the intro. You may mingle among your fellow Bearers or speak with [MR. TIBBS] if you so choose. (Also? LOOK AT HIM HELP)
  • Iconoclasts and Stargazers will notice Aspect benefits/detriments now.
  • All characters will be weak for the 24 hours - think like mild flu - and unable to leave until Mr. Tibbs has dispersed them. This is the time in which any threads with the NPC will be carried out.
  • The INTRO concludes with said dispersal of PC’s once interactions concluded. They will be sent to a location around the castle of your choosing; they are free to move about freely from here. Your prompts can start with you waking alone or in the presence of others - whatever you’d like!
  • Your character will innately understand how to use time magic from this point forward. It will come naturally to them, like a skill they were born with.


  • CASTLE: OVERVIEW (p a s t)
    The Scorching Isles is home to the Atirat, a people of sea-dwellers who have the ability to walk on land. (Think mermaids with the ability to shift back and forth between human and mermaid forms.) As such, much of the Scorching Isles is covered in large bodies of blue water and glistening pieces of ice to accommodate their lifestyle.

    THE CASTLE, however, is what dominates the landscape and it's where the Shard-Bearers will be spending their time. The white castle with colorful glass windows is obscured by a thick layer of clouds and fog. Nearly every location on the island has a thin layer of fog that rolls through it, which gives the entire Island an inescapable chill. The castle has artfully built rooms with a CAVALCADE OF DECORATIVE ICE, lavish mirrors, and white plants accented with blue decorations. Several portions of the castle are submerged due to the aquatic nature of the native residents.

    And everywhere you go, you find them - STATUESQUE BODIES FROZEN mid-movement. They are haunting reminders of the power in your Hourglass - the very real power to decide their fates.

    The castle has many winding paths to explore, as castles often do. There are sleeping quarters, HALLWAYS, a wine cellar, and a few large rooms presumably for diplomatic affairs. Players can use these rooms at their own leisure for whatever purposes they see fit. (Exploration, combat, or supply gathering.)

    However, many of these rooms will require some strategy to access their full potential! Atirat were much more comfortable being underwater than many Kenosians may be. Therefore, rooms of higher importance may be COMPLETELY SUBMERGED or require swimming through an underwater pathway to reach them. Very minimal supplies will be kept out in the open for all to reach. More desirable supplies - such as warm clothing, small weapons, treasure, and the like - will be located past or within one of these flooded areas.

    Players may gather supplies within and preserve their Sand or use their Sand to make other rooms accessible and gather whatever lies within! The larger the asset you attempt to unfreeze, the more Sand it costs - and the more drained/vulnerable you will be as a consequence, so choose your path ahead wisely.

    Currently, a pervasive fog is preventing you from wandering beyond the Castle's limits. Should you try to venture past it, your Sand will rapidly be stolen and you will find yourself suffering the same fate as the islanders if you don't move back to safety quickly... However, if you ask Mr. Tibbs what lays beyond the mist - he will tell you about the thriving farmland, the once-bustling village surrounding the castle, and the beautiful coral reefs beneath it. Sadly, they're beyond your reach - but maybe if the Bearers decide to unfreeze them when the week is up...

    LIBRARY (s a f e z o n e)
    The ROYAL LIBRARY - A treasure trove of knowledge, history, and glimpses of a fractured past scattered throughout. The lower floor of the Library is void of much reading material and contains several intricate-looking art pieces on decorative pedestals.

    A spiral staircase dominates the center of the room, with its once delicate structure overtaken by sheets of formidable ice; it leads you toward the upper levels where a sea of books awaits. There are isles and isles of books, most perched on intricately carved shelves. Many books lay in piles or are discarded onto the floor, and scattered papers are common throughout.

    Curious Kenosians may pick out books from the shelves and read on various topics, but players may also pass through this room on their way elsewhere. This area will function as a safe haven where violence and the taking of others' Sand is not allowed; do not disturb the books or Mr. Tibbs won’t be happy!

    NOTES

  • Characters who wish to receive a book with lore specific to the island may comment [HERE]. You will be RNGed a book from a pre-written list of topics. The books may give you a deeper look into the island, its inhabitants, and its history! (Only 1 book per player! Please assume all other books they read are about commonly-available topics.)


  • THE EATING PARLOR (p a s t)
    There are no basic amenities on the island. No hot water, no warm beds, and no salacious magazines (that you know of. heh heh). That would make the Eating Parlour a wise stop for anyone. After all, this could be the perfect chance to procure some provisions!

    The EATING PARLOUR has all the equipment one would need for meal preparation. Dried plants hang from the ceiling, and the walls are lined with mason jars filled with every strange manner of presumably edible thing (Is that a head over there? Hmm… maybe you should check).

    The parlour also comes with a garden under a massive windowed dome so that the inhabitants could have fresh produce at hand. Many plants have withered, but there are some salvageable plants if you know how to look for them. But beware… Some of the plants have a strange blue glow. These plants can spell potential disaster.

    If someone should make contact with these glowing plants, they will crumble into glass shards - glass that will quickly burrow its way under the skin and curse that person with Blight. Blight will make all resources within that person's vicinity slowly age and eventually crumble to dust. (Which I relate to on a personal level tbh.) Iconoclasts will be immune to its effects.

    NOTES

  • Please see the "Blight" section below for more information on its effects.


  • TREASURE ROOM (f u t u r e)
    Faint singing can be heard coming from this room. Once you hear the song, it dulls your senses and leaves you in a haze. There is no stopping your feet from guiding you to it through the doors and into the Treasure room. The door slams shut at your back, sealed with a wall of ice and magic.

    Players will find themselves lured to an icy chamber bordered by a ring of cold blue fire. There is a deep pond that surrounds the platform you’ve found yourself standing on. Beyond its glassy surface and crystal clear water, one can glimpse all manner of treasures - from crowns, jewels, ornate statues in various statues of repair, scepters, spears, and books that seem impervious to the water's cold chill.

    As you come to your senses, you will find yourself frozen in place and at the mercy of a large statuesque being before you. This beautiful and horrifying figure in a perpetual song is the SIREN, the only Atirat you’ve seen in person. She measures nearly 20 feet (6 meters) from her head to the tip of her long-finned tail. She cradles an icy shard in her arms, singing to it as if it were a child.

    She sits serenely in front of a large hourglass filled with white sand, which is bordered by a spear and a lance. Emblazoned in faint text at the base of where she sits reads: “The future lies in our hands.”

    NOTES


    Welcome to the Siren’s Chamber! Players must use their wit, charisma, or some good ol' fashioned elbow grease to escape the room or break the Siren’s magic. The Shard that the Siren holds contains dormant time magic that players may activate by using the Sand within their necklace. Players can access the future in 5-second intervals and use whatever they find in that time period to escape their predicament.

    For example, if they activate the shard by using their time magic, that shard will begin to glow blue. The room around them will shift, and it could change to a point in the future where there is a sword nearby. If you can grab it, now you have a weapon! When the 5 seconds are up and time returns to the present, you will still have that weapon on your person. You may also try verbal communication if you’d like. If your character is someone who would try and talk their way out of a situation diplomatically, they may give it a try!

    It is up to player discretion/creativity to think of a scenario you’d like. Each “future" does not have to be the same across player encounters! What one group experiences may be tailored to the player wants (because branching timelines exist). Let your imagination run free!

    HALL OF MIRRORS (p r e s e n t)
    Should you reach the rightmost wing of the massive castle Library, you will find a door hidden in the very back of one aisle against a wall; it looks as though the door used to be concealed by magicks that have since dissolved.

    The stairwell leads down and into darkness. Once you reach the bottom, shimmering light cast from an unknown source beneath sheets of glistening ice will illuminate your new surroundings; you are in a maze of mirror-like ice. This labyrinth is silent save for the quiet creaking of shifting ice that may disquiet you and leave you uneasy regarding the stability of this area… but it holds beneath your feet.

    Mr. Tibbs had told you that the “Kaleidoscope” - where your Sand is counted - rests through here, so eventually, you must brave the journey. Is it a trick of the light? Maybe the product of an especially active imagination…?

    Did you just see one of your reflections move without you?

    NOTES

  • Please refer to the OOC Summary for details on the Hall of Mirrors!


  • THE BLIGHT and TIME MECHANICS

    BLIGHT

  • Blight is an infliction that will age supplies and infect people with a creeping disease that steals their Sand. For objects, this includes weapons, food, and items like cloth. It will take a few days to deteriorate things beyond use - so watching your supplies and acting accordingly is in your best interest. Generally, it will make it more difficult for PC's to get by given that their already scarce resources will dwindle and deteriorate - especially since it's 'contagious' through touch.
  • The Blight will not act quickly enough to severely hamper infected persons, but repeated exposure will cause effects to a person's body - notedly protruding VEINS in the face and extremities, a lower body temperature, and increased agitation. These effects start out mild and grow more severe with each 'dose.'
  • Characters must touch an object/person that is Blighted to become inflicted with Blight themselves. When that happens, it will become easily identifiable as Blighted from the faint blue, shimmering outline around the infected subject, as well as the WITHERED, FROSTBITTEN or ashy appearance it takes as it progresses.
  • However, there is one single perk with Blight. (Or is it a perk?) Players will feel reduced impact by the cold surroundings, making the climate around them somewhat more hospitable. Beware of falling victim to a chill you can't feel...
  • TIME

  • To use your Sand, each character is granted access to and innate knowledge of a spell they channel from their Shard that automatically manipulates their Hourglass. This allows the remote control of Sand (aka gathering and dispersing), as well as the ability to pull Fragments of time from Shards.
  • Fragments are literal pieces of you taken from your Shard. They manifest as memories or images displayed on little shards of broken glass (think of the memory being played out in real-time on the mirror's surface), and can be crushed to convert into Sand automatically, either voluntarily or by force. The only stipulation is that the parties must be close to one another, and the Fragment must be exchanged while both Bearers are still. This means someone has to give it to you, or you need to immobilize them before you take it - one way or another.
  • Once the Fragment is crushed, the memory and associated time of that person's life is lost and your character will suffer amnesia until the Oracle is claimed. How deep this goes is up to you; they could lose a large chunk of time - even all their memories surrounding a person or place for a big payload of Sand, or they could lose very little for a meager net gain.
  • Sand is automatically gathered or distributed by your Hourglass and added/subtracted to your running total. No need to micromanage. Convenient!
  • Please note that using Sand to unfreeze anything (resources, a door which can be then opened, etc) is an unpleasant experience. Each time you use Sand in this way, your character will be left feeling weakened and flu-like for an hour or two, which will leave them vulnerable. This effect stacks and scales up to outright KO-ing them for a few hours if they go crazy, so unfreezing too large of an area is off the table!

  • NOTES
    • An OOC POST will be coming shortly explaining how Sand is going to be tallied and the Oracle claimed.
    • Should your character attempt to unfreeze any NPC's, please respond [HERE]. NOTE: unfreezing NPC's may result in physical violence with CW's for severe mental instability/illness and a potential reference to self-harm.
    • HAVE FUN!!!
    CODING
    kenosevents: (Default)

    [personal profile] kenosevents 2023-01-19 05:26 pm (UTC)(link)
    The handwriting will not match. However, the books are definitely related.

    The researcher in this book will mention that they are an observer who is writing down the experiments they see. They are not the person who is performing the experiments because they are not capable of using time magic. No item has been invented at this point to allow them to wield it for themselves, but the magician claims to be "working on something" that would allow them to do so.

    It would become abundantly clear that the person using time magic for these experiments is the author of Book 11, and he is clearly mentioned by name as the magician that Gu Yun "spoke" to.




    A minor OOC note for clarity: The people in the Kingdom were normies outside of a couple of people who could use magic. After this book was written, it was deemed "safe enough" for certain normies to be given a "mirror shard" of their own. This would allow them to be able to access time magic in a limited capacity and be able to do things like grow food or age livestock to a point where it could be consumed. I just wanted to include this so it's not so cryptic or anything. Let me know if you have any more questions khslkfds
    salvageable: @pesa21 ⇾ (pic#15332067)

    [personal profile] salvageable 2023-01-19 05:33 pm (UTC)(link)
    NO THIS IS GREAT THANK YOU SO MUCH 🥰
    sharmat: ▸ WE KNOW THAT IT'S OVER NOW (pic#16182815)

    [personal profile] sharmat 2023-01-19 05:41 pm (UTC)(link)
    (voryn, standing as tall as set and at least as wide, finishes his preparations only to encounter more when liem offers to illuminate a piece of jewelry. he opts for an earring, certain that his head will rarely move while swimming, which should cast a more reliable light. it's plucked from his items and handed over with a nod.)

    My issue lies not in my fortitude but in my ability to swim, Lord Set; I was never taught to do so but later learned on my own to stay afloat. This is where my magic comes in, (he announces, reaching up to grasp liem high along the shoulder.) I can improve your stamina for a time, and I can make you resistant to the cold. While the spells last only sixty and thirty seconds each, with your teleportation, this should be plenty of time.

    (set's claws will tie things together nicely, confident in their journey as painted fingers come away from his ally to brace against the wall.

    he is honed by war. he is calm and in control. his foot is guided into a skim of the water to test how cold "cold" is for the parameters of his spell and flinches back with a long-suffering scoff.
    ) N'chow, it is an ungodly temperature. Would that we could simply blast a hole in the wall and save ourselves the trouble. Stay close to me, Liem, for I need to touch you for these protections to activate.

    (the etchings are checked again, then set is addressed with an open gesture.)

    Lord Set, are you interested in these as well? It may help to stave off the cold when you emerge... at least until I can construct a fire beyond this. If not, then by your leave.
    prizeneck: (62)

    [personal profile] prizeneck 2023-01-19 05:45 pm (UTC)(link)
    Where was—[Mamoru frowns, as if upset that he doesn't have a cute little otter to pet]— what was the wizard's name again?

    Where was he, then?
    joyd: (✝ your touch)

    looks good!

    [personal profile] joyd 2023-01-19 05:47 pm (UTC)(link)
    [The week wears on them all. He can't remember the last time he was committed to such a long excursion, or mission, even at the Earl's beckoning — back home at least he had the freedom to come and go as he pleased most of the time. He could hunt Exorcists at his own leisure to his own schedule, so long as the deed was done. In this place, on this frozen island, it feels like they're all prisoners waiting for the game to end. Tyki isn't excluded from that category. Fatigue was worn him to shreds alongside the cold, and as he walks the halls now searching nooks and crannies for signs of life, it isn't because he much cares for whatever supplies may still sit unclaimed.

    He's in a bad mood, and he knows it. Perhaps his endurance wouldn't have been so challenged if not for the drain of simply existing here, but there's only so long he can spend in the Library before motivation pushes him onward. Motivation, and the weight of his own spirit, intertwined with something more than human. Something ravenous for satiation after too many close-calls without success.

    The noise is a racket, loud enough to draw Tyki's attention immediately as if it's asking to be found. So he walks in, expression stony, tall and lean in formalwear, surveying the boy in front of him. (Are those... dog ears? Well, he's seen stranger.)]


    Don't worry, I'm not looking for supplies. All yours.

    [Gold eyes lower to the hourglass hanging around the boy's throat.]

    I'll just be taking a bit of your Sand. It'll be quick; I have a delicate touch.
    joyd: (✝ throw this away)

    [personal profile] joyd 2023-01-19 06:02 pm (UTC)(link)
    [The noise disrupts his sleep more than the collision, as Tyki rouses with a groan and sits up, propped on one elbow. His jacket falls off his face to reveal squinting eyes, messy hair, and a scowl — more than a little miffed to have his slumber unceremoniously interrupted. He has to look up from his makeshift bed, though, to find the cause.]

    What sort of question is that? Sleeping. [Stated like the most obvious, factual thing in the world.] I'm not about to find my bed in a frigid room somewhere else in the Castle. Why are you here?

    [Give him a few minutes for the crankiness to wear away. It would be better if he had some coffee or tea to assuage it... but that may be asking too much from this place.]

    Looks like you dropped some books. You should be more careful with your things. Or make them actually useful as tinder for the fire.
    joyd: (✝ around every corner)

    [personal profile] joyd 2023-01-19 06:19 pm (UTC)(link)
    [His brow lifts in response, mirroring her expression with the curve of a smile, more of a question than anything. One that's answered when she takes the chair in front of him. It's the first anyone has accepted the offer for a game, so he's pleased, ignoring a deeper part of him that feels a little like a puppet mimicking a script. He used to play all the time for fun; it shouldn't be different now.]

    Oh, do I? That's how you know the sleep was good.

    [Shuffling the cards with a practice that betrays experience, he leans back in his chair, one long leg crossed over the other.]

    So what are you interested in betting? Since we can't really play the traditional way.
    joyd: (✝ penetration)

    [personal profile] joyd 2023-01-19 06:40 pm (UTC)(link)
    [A tall fellow, carrying such a demeanor that it makes Tyki almost nostalgic, for a moment, of his own kind. The sentiment surprises him. All he shows for it is a loose, close-mouthed smile and a gesture to the open chair, already pulled back from the table in welcome to his guest.]

    That depends on what you're willing to bet. No catch, though, otherwise.

    [Poker is a simple game, in Tyki's mind. What makes it complex are the odds, and whether his opponent is willing to cheat. As he himself intends to do.]

    Have you ever played?
    oomfies: 𝑜𝑜𝓂𝒻𝒾𝑒𝓈 (💕 midnight.)

    eating parlour

    [personal profile] oomfies 2023-01-19 07:04 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Amos is looking.. Particularly, understandably, feral this morning. And she can relate — Lottie has been a special sort of miserable during this trip outside of.. Well, the obvious. Even if she feels fantastic, a little more chipper and a lot more energetic, it doesn't mean her terrible immune system won't flare up.

    It's the reason why her cheeks and nose are so pink, why she sniffles every so often, why her skin is a lot drier, and particularly tender, when she knocks against the ice cold surface of the wall. He's already spotted her, but that knock knock ('ow', is mumbled under her breath following that) is more for her own benefit. Lottie thinks it makes things feel less.. Tense. Less, you know, dire.

    There's a box, tied plainly with a ribbon holding it secure, in the hand that isn't poised to wave. ]


    Hey..

    [ She clears her throat, ]

    Is it cool if I hang? I don't wanna interrupt your stuff if you wanna be alone..
    joyd: (✝ a minute to breathe)

    i can't believe you decided his tits were out for me

    [personal profile] joyd 2023-01-19 07:23 pm (UTC)(link)
    [He turns, partially, to look upon the stranger at his back. There's no recognition in his eyes, nor in the other's face — he can't say whether they have met, but the clipped way he's spoken to is enough to summon a thin-lipped smile. The stranger is tall, though it only complements a presence that seems to fill the space around them, broad and grand in the tenor of that voice.]

    Depends, I think, on what your goal is. And which side you've sworn yourself to. Hm? [Tyki is careful with the mask of his composure; beneath it, there is a sheen of sweat across his brow from the effort it has taken to come this far. More than that, he is agitated, casting occasional glances over his shoulder at the many-mirrored reflections of his own face.] Have you noticed? It's a maze.

    [Hence what appears to be his own endless circling, fatigue sore in the bottoms of his feet by now. It feels like he has been here for hours.]

    We aren't alone, either.
    kenosevents: (Default)

    [personal profile] kenosevents 2023-01-19 08:18 pm (UTC)(link)
    It's because....

    [ He scoots close. Closer. Closer still. Very dangerous proximity here. Are you comfortable being this close to an otter, Amos? No telling what he will do.

    He whispers the most secret of secrets: ]


    ~Magic~!

    [ And he disappears with a POP. To where? It's uncertain. But Amos will still feel a gaze on him. ]
    kenosevents: (Default)

    [personal profile] kenosevents 2023-01-19 08:33 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ Mr. Tibbs' little bear-like ears droop and he lets out the most pathetic squeak. That was so mean Gen how dare you? Mr. Tibbs is worth everything look! at! him!!

    But you can't keep a ~magic~ otter down for long. He perks up after a moment of sad, and 'swims' backward in the air. ]


    Tsk, tsk. People on this island weren't frozen on purpose.
    lachtara: (Classic)

    [personal profile] lachtara 2023-01-19 08:59 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ On that note, he takes a seat in a nearby chair. Having somewhere to rest is a welcome respite from all else. It's been such an exhausting excursion to come here. Usually, he would rather not be so involved. Observing from a distance worked just as well.

    He sighs and then looks in the direction of his newest acquaintance. Though he's more than capable of healing himself, maybe seeing what one of the Meridians can do is not such a bad thing. ]


    Your name?
    lachtara: (Coyness)

    [personal profile] lachtara 2023-01-19 09:02 pm (UTC)(link)
    His eyebrow simply arches at the mention of a book about otter care. Was that a joke, or...?

    In any case, he seems more than willing to move on to the other suggestion. "As we are unwilling participants in this game, I should like to know more about the island and its people. Perhaps what caused all this to transpire in the first place."

    It's likely not written down exactly if the entire populace is incapable of movement but perhaps they could find a hint of what occurred leading up to this incident.
    lachtara: (Flair)

    [personal profile] lachtara 2023-01-19 09:17 pm (UTC)(link)
    The 'gift' is eyed warily. There's a moment of contemplation as he considers the motivations behind such a gesture.

    Without a word, he flicks a wrist in the air. The offering of sand disappears in a streak of light, reappearing to fill his own hourglass necklace a little further. Then he makes to leave.

    It could speak volumes that he would even accept such a thing. He would make no assumption that this is anything but transactional for ridding the room of his illusion - a mere coincidence.
    salvageable: @pesa21 ⇾ (pic#15332067)

    [personal profile] salvageable 2023-01-19 10:26 pm (UTC)(link)
    they were. does that tell you all you need to know?

    are you in the library now?
    appeale: (but every pound i shed speaks volumes)

    [personal profile] appeale 2023-01-19 10:44 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ the figure with its long, dark hair does not disappear on a doubletake; it's still there, with its back to Sooyoung, a reflection where Rudbeckia ought to be. but when Ruby turns to look behind her at whatever Sooyoung is seeing, the figure in the mirror doesn't move. the reflection begins to shift, as if to follow Ruby's movements, and then it stops—refusing to show its face.

    her own face turned towards the mirror, Ruby is fortunate that Sooyoung can't see her expression in that moment. ]


    Ah... Could it be that it's showing us different versions of ourselves? [ that's obviously what is happening here, and it's such an obvious mirror trope, but what she means is— ] Did you ever have long hair, signora?
    salvageable: (pic#15563152)

    [personal profile] salvageable 2023-01-19 10:51 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ THINKS ABOUT IT. ]

    One of them was rather lively.

    [ Since they attacked on sight as soon as they were unfrozen. Dokja has to give credit where credit is due. He doesn't think he would have been so nimble if he'd been frozen for who knows how long. ]

    But they both seemed fine physically. We left them in the care of a healer, so maybe if they recover enough, they'll be able to tell us something.

    [ Poor Anders who is saddled with babysitting duty. ]
    salvageable: (pic#16166586)

    [personal profile] salvageable 2023-01-19 11:23 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ It's a bonding experience, Anders, they are now stronger allies for having dumped strangers on him.

    As for Dokja, he looks very much interested in hearing more about this fear of magic. Growing up, he'd only ever been mystified and engrossed by stories detailing the fantastical, and then when it had become real life for him, it had been like a dream come true, so don't think they're getting away from this topic even if there's a brief pause to answer that question. ]


    Myself, [ he answers easily, as if the experience hadn't been wholly traumatizing. ] I need to stop walking through the hall of mirrors.

    [ The joking nature of his tone hints that he will not, in fact, be doing that. But! Back to talking points that aren't about him. ]

    So you come from a world where it's normal to fear magic?
    whatlore: (10.)

    [personal profile] whatlore 2023-01-20 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
    Do you think they [they being the fight-horny people] knew something we didn't? That's cheating.
    appeale: (i will not leave your side)

    [personal profile] appeale 2023-01-20 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
    [ this is what Rudbeckia is accustomed to. the expectation of obedience without protest or question, and the heavy weight of a gaze bearing down on her as she hurries to appease—it's a language that she comprehends far more fluently than any of the medicine-sweet assurances of kindness or camaraderie she's heard. he is clear about what he wants from her, and he won't hurt her so long as she adequately provides it. that's the closest thing to safety she's able to have. ]

    I found a scroll in the library that mentioned something waking up within the castle that changed people... but I don't know if that means the Blight, or something else.

    [ under Set's scrutiny, she approaches the desk and, without hesitation, slides a hand through her own hair to draw a Fragment from the Shard that sits at the nape of her neck. the fact is that there are very few memories she needs to keep: only those that remind her of the need to be cautious, and those that inform her performance. what would it matter if she lost anything else, no matter if it was gone forever? even for this one, the farewell she sends out in her mind is half-hearted.

    Sorry, Enzo.

    within her hourglass, the sand rises, only to disappear again as she lays her hands on the desk. the ice recedes, books and papers released from its grip, the desk's drawers no longer frozen shut. Ruby doesn't draw herself upright; she leans more heavily on the desk now, expression scrunched tightly, swallowing her nausea. Come on, you've had worse. Get over it. It's just like when you're sick, you just have to endure. ]


    Ugh... [ one deep breath, and then she steps back. her fingers tremble as she rearranges her hair, but her voice is soft and level: ] Um, do you think this is something more like a plague, or does it seem like a curse?
    whatlore: (11.)

    [personal profile] whatlore 2023-01-20 12:22 am (UTC)(link)
    [Never]

    Of course not. Impotence was clearly a serious issue for the people of this island. [It obviously was not] For all we know, this is a vital warning of an impending curse.
    whatlore: (5.)

    [personal profile] whatlore 2023-01-20 12:36 am (UTC)(link)
    [Kaeya be nice to your factionmates]

    Hmmm. Then again, they might be too embarrassed to answer any questions.
    youngprodigy: (⊨ there's no time)

    [personal profile] youngprodigy 2023-01-20 12:43 am (UTC)(link)
    Cid hadn't expected a response. He hadn't actually expected Emet-Selch to accept the Sand in the first place. So as Emet-Selch leaves he offers a very simple, "You're welcome."

    He joins the man only briefly, before walking in a different direction to continue exploring the castle.
    whatlore: (5.)

    [personal profile] whatlore 2023-01-20 12:44 am (UTC)(link)
    [ENCOURAGINGLY DIRE yeah that sounds about right.]

    And what are you focused on?