• Event • [Westwind Ruins] From Deceit to Candor

[Doran]

When Vivian stated that the sky hadn’t been able to come up with anything to show her and that she was quite happy with her life right now, Doran raised an eyebrow very lightly before he nodded. “That’s something that a lot of people might envy you for”, he remarked before he turned to listen to what Nicol said. The man had posed an interesting question. He wanted to know if the Lightning Knights had come to investigate the strangeness of Westwind – which made him wonder about another thing.

“Have the Lightning Knights investigated Westwind in the past, if you don’t mind me asking, Vivian?” he asked her in a polite tone of voice, aware of the fact that there might be some things that someone like him, someone who was not a Lightning Knight, might not be allowed to know. Faith had been here before though and seen all sorts of strangeness. He considered it to be unlikely that she had been the only one to look into that matter.

In Scalvoris, the Council, the Elements or both would almost certainly have been on it, for example.

What the spectacles revealed, Doran decided, was most concerning. The people of Westwind seemed to have gone about their life like any other people, and then, one trial, everything had just stopped. They had just stopped their lives and remained rooted in place, until the light had faded from their eyes. It seemed like a terrible way to go to him, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder what had caused them to simply stand there.

What had they seen? Had they seen things in the sky as well, or was an even darker power at play here?

Faith, he observed, listened to his explanation of what he’d seen and acknowledged it, but she didn’t say anything. She seemed to be more interested in Nicol at the moment. He remained convinced that it would be prudent not to be too trusting in a place like this one, but he couldn’t help but wonder if what he had seen might be the greater concern, until Nicol mentioned that the sky had promised him the return of his daughter. The man hadn’t explicitly stated that she had died, but it was obvious, regardless.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Nicol”, he said in a sincere and gentle tone of voice and inclined his head before he added, in order to let the other man know that he understood. “I lost a child as well once. Would you mind telling me what exactly you saw in the sky? How was your daughter returned to you?” he wanted to know, because the exact nature of those visions might give them a hint as to what was going on, and because he was curious. How was Nicol’s daughter supposed to be returned to him?

He couldn’t help but feel for the other man, but at the same time, he was aware of the fact that there were people that would do anything in order to bring a dead loved one back. He knew how desperate he had been when his child, and then his lover, the one who had been a star in Syroa’s perversion of a play during the Mummer’s Ball, had died. He had moved on and finally accepted that they were gone, but had Nicol truly done so?

When Nicol replied that he had been to Etzos to check in on an old student and abruptly produced a Doran action figure, the Mortalborn’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Where did you find it?” he wanted to know, his tone of voice tinged with obvious curiosity now. “I’ve been trying to get my hands on one of them. For some reason, people never deigned to give me one of my own action figures”, he admitted in a fairly light-hearted tone of voice.

He had never enjoyed the kind of fame that he had had in Etzos – people had worshipped him for what he had come to consider his biggest mistake – but the action figures had always amused him.

He remembered how Llyr had told him that he had found such an action figure in one of Marshall Webb’s drawers. They had wondered if he took the action figure to bed with him at night …

The fact that Nicol had a Doran action figure, that the sky had promised him the return of his daughter – and that the Champion of Famula was here now – was almost too much of a coincidence, the Mortalborn decided. And then there was Faith’s statement that the building looked like the Spire. “What is Vri’s door, if you don’t mind me asking?” he wanted to know before he inclined his head and said, “I agree that there is strength in numbers. I’d rather not split up when there is such strangeness going on.”

As he said that, he let his gaze sweep over said building in particular, in order to see if there was anything unusual about it. Faith wasn’t sure what it was. He doubted that Ralaith’s spectacles would reveal much about its purpose; perhaps, he would be able to find out how long it had been there though.

The age of a structure could be a clue as well.

He wanted to say that investigating the building would be prudent in his opinion, but that they should stay outside for the time being and investigate its surroundings first lest there was something about the building that had caused the strangeness, something that was dangerous, when Faith posed another question. She wanted to know what Nicol had taught his student. He was not sure why she had posed that question – he didn’t know that she was wondering about his being a necromancer – but her next words made it obvious that something was going on, and for that reason, he stayed back and listened closely, the same calm and curious expression on his face as before.

No matter if Nicol turned out to be ultimately harmless or not, it would be good to get to know the man that had joined them in any case. They needed to be able to rely on each other.

[Vivian Shiryu]

When Nicol asked if Vivian was a high ranking knight, she nodded, figuring that if he knew that, there was no reason to attempt to cover it up. When he asked if the Lightning Knights have come to investigate the ruins, however, she shrugged. "Not in force. One of the Slueth's wanted this checked out though, since we've had two wars in the past couple Arcs, so we're wanting to make sure we aren't in for a third." she said, not mentioning that Vivian herself was the Slueth in question. Granted, since she was wearing armor that was only attainable one rank prior to Slueth, that was probably a poor attempt a misdirection. That didn't even occur to her, however, as Vivian had never been particularly great at misdirection. "I am sorry to hear about your daughter." she said, genuine sympathy in her voice, when Nicol mentioned what the sky had lured him in with.

When he asked what got her up in the morning, however, she gave a slight smile. "I have kids, I have my duty as a knight, and I very much enjoy my job. Why ever would I be bored?" she asked, her tone amused. When Faith commented on Vivian's dedication to her duty, she nodded at the healer. "It usually is. "Get out of bed or the city will drown in fire monsters" was a pretty good motivator." she said, her tone somewhat sarcastic. When Doran commented on her contentedness being something many would envy, she shook her head. "Only until they know the details. My job involves a great deal of danger, and most people would very much prefer to avoid that sort of thing." she said, before shrugging slightly. "While dying doesn't particularly appeal to me, I've never been afraid to risk my life, so I that doesn't detract from things." she said, her tone calm.

When Nicol said he'd gone to Etzos to visit a student, it seemed to set Faith's nerves on end. Faith was smart and had a lot of resources to deal with deception and misdirection, so Vivian was largely content to let her take the lead on this matter. Research wasn't her specialty, though she'd help with that as she was able, and so she remained quiet as Faith and Doran focused on matters mental. However, she did send Fins, her warden Diri, out scouting to see if he could find anything or anyone unusual. Outside of that, she kept her powers to herself, since she was aware that Faith had, at least, the same Gwelliph powers she did, and none of her other powers would help with this situation.

[Pig Boy]

“It would depend on the nature of the task one undertakes. Numbers can be as much a hindrance, even in cases where one I fact-finding. Splitting up, we might cover more ground and thus gather more varied information.” Nicol shrugged, thinking that his logic was sound. But then, he was an aging curmudgeon and used to working on his own.

Nicol perked up at the mention of Vri’s door, and almost seemed on the verge of asking what it was before Faith ventured an opinion on what got Vivian up in the morning. Duty. “I stand corrected then,” He said to Vivian, “You are indeed blessed to have anything left worth defending.”

When Faith asked about his daughter, he bowed his head, his face contorted by darkness as if tormented by old memories. “It was a blameless death, a long sickness that took her as she lived in Caervalle Town, when a plague swept through. She passed peacefully by all accounts, but I couldn’t bear the loss. I sought Zuuda mediums, Bellinos diviners, but none could speak to my daughter. She was beyond their grasp, not a ghost, so perhaps she found her place in eternity…”

Nicol looked up toward the sky, looking with an intensity that seemed liable to rend the sky open once more, to show him that promised heaven. “I want to find her. To go beyond, and bring back that light into the world.”

For a while he was silent, as Faith addressed the others in their party, asking if they had a preference to where they went.

She pointed toward the building that they’d been discussing and examining. Then, when she asked about his old student, his face drew to blank neutrality. “I taught them to fear magic. Of course, I failed.”

“I trust…” He began when he said the words that he could trust her, “I trust you. I taught them magic, though I tried to dissuade them. Magic is dangerous. Too dangerous to be handled by the young and reckless.”

There was an odd look in his eye, as he seemed to see beyond Faith then, at that moment. Doran had asked how his daughter was returned to him, and he answered honestly, "She was returned from beyond, and brought to this world, I managed it by the power of a Visitant's portal."

When Doran inspected the building, moments prior, he'd be able to tell the purpose of it had been something akin to worship, though the worship wasn't inclined toward any specific Immortal or Induk or worldly being that he could identify at this distance. As Doran asked where he’d found the action figure, Nicolturned to him and looked at the building they had been examining behind Doran. “You can have it if you want it. But only if you want it.”

This said, he vanished in a resounding echo, which was mirrored some point in the distance. Those who were masters of detection would be able to tell

where the resounding crack of rupturing energy sounded from.

.

In the echoing after-effects of the portal, which pushed all three of the people off their feet, the words could be heard from Nicol, "...If you want it..." The Doran action figure from Etzos had been left on the ground, where he'd been only moments before.

Fins returned with a little bit of information as Vivian sent them out. A large explosion of rupture noise occurred where Vivian was, and where the steepled building was. Fins related this to her, and additionally would ask Vivian if she was okay.

[Faith Augustin]

117th Vhalar 721

"A door in the Spire," Faith said, assuming that Doran knew the place in Rharne she meant, "Which they hadn't been able to open. The door had two indented hand prints on it, and there was what the people at the Spire, the scientists there, believed was a riddle." She smiled slightly, sadly, at the memory. "It said "I am the thing that binds and the thing that breaks,
To know me truly you must be equals in all things
You must come to me alone, but you can only move forward together
Know me and pass" and they thought it was a riddle. It wasn't, of course, it was a requirement." Her expression, usually carefully neutral, pulled slightly and a flash of deep emotion filled her eyes. "We put our hands on it, one in each indentation, and since we met the requirements, the door opened." She shrugged slightly and took a brief second just to gather herself. Faith missed her husband desperately, but there was no time for such here.

Nicol's explanation of his daughter's death caused a slight frown from Faith. "You saw a Zuuda? Whether she had passed on or not, the Zuuda could contact her," Faith said this with absolute certainty. It was one of the first abilities gained, after all, if not the first one. "At her grave." The more the man spoke, the less Faith believed or trusted him. However, when he said that he wanted to go beyond and bring her back, Faith shook her head. "You can't," she said. "No one can. Once the soul is gone, it is gone." She met his gaze, for a moment. "What was the name of the Zuuda?"

A Visitant's portal? Faith looked up suddenly, sharply. That was a very dangerous idea, the notion of mixing magic and the after life like that. She was about ready to ask another barrage of questions when the man dropped the doll and then the noise was as loud and as overwhelming as it was sudden. Faith found herself stumbling backwards and landing, unceremoniously, on her butt. "Don't touch that!" Faith said as she saw the Doran doll. Scrambling to her feet, she stood and turned her gaze to the doll itself.

"I don't think he'll have gone far," she said. "This place offers him too much. I need to check this doll" And, indeed, she did just that. If it was necromantic in nature, she could "sever" it from the magic which controlled it and Faith would not hesitate to do so.

She wanted to look for Nicol, but she got the feeling that there was no point looking when doing they would do on any given day (namely, investigate) might well lead them back to him anyhow. She looked at Vivian and Doran, her face grim. "I suspect," she said softly. "We should go there. What do you think?" She was more than happy to defer to them in this. But, just in her mind, she checked in with PB and with Shule. Had anything changed about this place - namely the amount of death or the feel of it. Now that Nicol was no longer directly in front of them, what had changed.

Just in case.

OOCSo sorry! I thought I'd replied here! Oooops

[Doran]

Doran furrowed his brow very lightly when Nicol revealed how his daughter had died. He could see the look of pain and torment on the other man’s face clearly, and he understood it, because he had been much the same way once upon a time. He had come to derive some comfort from the fact that those that he had loved were at peace now. He treasured the time that he had been allowed to spend with them in this mortal world nowadays, rather than mourning their loss forever, but it seemed as if Nicol had never reached that stage of acceptance.

There was something about Nicol that put him on edge, but at the same time, he wished to take the other man’s pain away and assure him that it would get better, that there’d be a new hope, a new tomorrow, and that he’d eventually be able to look back on the time with his beloved child with a smile on his face. “How long has it been?” he asked in a soft tone of voice. “When those I cared about died, the light left my life for a long time, but eventually, I realized that there are still things to enjoy, and that there is still so much beauty in this world”, he added, aware of the fact that his words might not have much of an effect, and that Nicol’s pain might simply be too deep and all-encompassing.

He had noticed how intense his look had been when he had turned his head towards the sky.

He inclined his head when Nicol revealed that he had taught his student to fear magic, and failed. Nowadays, Doran was somewhat wary of those that bore a spark – he had learned too much about magic in order to think otherwise – but he did sound like a responsible teacher at least. Magic was dangerous at the best of times, and it was appropriate to warn a potential student about what they would be getting themselves into.

When Nicol revealed that his daughter had been returned to him by the power of a Visitant’s portal, he raised an eyebrow. He had questions now, he had to admit, and more than just a few, but he never got the opportunity to ask them. Shortly after Nicol had offered the doll to him, with words that seemed a little strange to him and made him wonder, he vanished in a resounding echo, an echo that seemed very familiar to him and that was mirrored in the distance – and that pushed him, and his two companions, it seemed, off their feet.

“It seems as if he won’t team up after all”, he remarked in a dry tone of voice, stating the obvious, as he rose to his feet again and glanced at the action figure. “I won’t”, he replied as he heard Faith’s warning. “What do you think is the matter with it?”

“A Visitant is a revealed Rupturer”, he explained a moment later, mostly for Vivian’s sake – he was positive that Faith knew something about magic, even though, or maybe because, she was the Champion of an Immortal that strongly opposed it. “It seems as if Nicol is a Rupturer, although I couldn’t tell if he’s already revealed. It seems as if he’s in or on that steeped building now”, he continued furrowing his brow very lightly before he asked, figuring that Faith, being who she was, might know, “Do you have any idea where the souls of those that don’t become ghosts go? I can’t help but wonder if the sky lied”, he remarked.

“Provided that bringing a soul back were possible – you said that it isn’t, but Nicol doesn’t seem to realize that, or want to realize that - a rupturing portal alone likely wouldn’t be sufficient”, he continued. “The girl’s body is likely long gone. He’d need a way to create a vessel for her soul, as I doubt that any Immortal, or a Blessed of one, would be willing to aid him. Do you …” he asked as something occurred to him, something that he didn’t like at all. He looked around to make sure that nobody else was nearby and lowered his voice, so that they hopefully wouldn’t be overheard. “Do you think that he might be a necromancer?” he finished and added, “We’d best be on our guard from now on.”

“Unless a second person is supposed to bring the girl back, of course”, he mused, as Nicol’s words hadn’t been entirely clear to him in that regard.

“I agree that it would be prudent to take a closer look”, he decided when Faith said that they should go there. “I have the ability to look into the past of things. When I inspected that building, I found out that its purpose was that of worship, but not inclined toward any specific Immortal or Induk, or worldly being that I could identify at that distance. I think we should examine the building before we attempt to enter. I might be able to see more from up close. I shared what I learned about how the people of Westwind died with you”, he continued, turning to Faith. “I do not know where that death came from, and if it was connected to this building.”

Having said that, he let his gaze sweep across the area once more. If Faith, Vivian and he did indeed end up heading to the building, he would keep his eyes open for anything that seemed unusual on the way there.

There was something about Westwind that he didn’t like at all.

[Vivian Shiryu]

When Nicol said she was blessed to have anything left worth defending, Vivian shook her head. "I think we're still on different pages. Are innocent lives not worth defending, by sheer virtue of their existence? I believe they are. So are the lives of the soldiers I command and fight alongside." she said, her tone calm. She listened quietly as Nicol spoke about his children, as she didn't have anything really to say in response to it. She wasn't, unfortunately, possessed a particularly good bedside manner. She was a soldier, death was part and parcel to her life and she'd grown rather numb to it. She could, however, imagine the pain she would feel if she lost her own children, so she could empathize to an extent.

The Nicol vanished in the roar of a Rupturing Portal and Fins reported that there had been a similar roar from inside the steepled building. Vivian frowned at the report, lowering her hand to her sword. "I'm fine, Fins." she said, her tone calm as she turned to the others. "Either that was a kidnapping or he ran off after he let slip about that Visitant's portal." she said, her tone calm. Then she turned to face the steepled building, drawing her sword, now much more in her element. "Either way, the other end of that portal was in that building and we've got trouble." she said, her tone cold and calm.

She nodded at the information Doran gave on Rupturers. "I encountered Rupturers during the war with Ellasin, but my information was limited. It's good to know more about them." she said, her tone calm. Unlike the other two, Vivian was a mage herself, a Lucis Runewright, and so she did not fear mages or magic. But she hadn't studied them either, as she'd never been a particularly scholarly sort. Vivian was, by comparison, a blunt instrument, very good at fighting and little enough else. She wasn't bothered by it, though, as she considered it for the best that people like her served as soldiers and protectors, as they were made for battle the way Faith was made to heal.

When Doran brought up the need for a body for a soul to inhabit, Vivian nodded. "Necromancer is a possibility. But kidnapping someone or buying a slave would provide a body just as well, provided you aren't concerned about the soul that already inhabits it, which makes it possible we're dealing with a hostage situatio as well." she said, grimacing slightly. "Fins, take a look inside that building. We need more information." she said, sending her thoughts to the little shark dog that was her companion.

She nodded at the suggestion they go to the steepled building. "I'm having Fins take a look inside, we should take a look at the outside and see if we can get in without taking the front door. If he's trapped it, you two are especially vulnerable, and I don't want to have to explain why I let you two take a rigged crossbow bolt to the eye or some such." she said as she started towards the building. Vivian's armor would protect her from most traps, and she raised her hand to close her visor as she approached. If all else failed, she could go in through a window with Palenon, but it was worth the check otherwise.

[Pig Boy]

Doran asked how long it had been since his daughter had died. Nicol's face twisted in slight pain. "It's been decades. She was grown, but that doesn't make it hurt any less." He growled.

"It depends on the definition of innocence." Acothley said, "If you think the lives of hardened soldiers are innocent, then you are truly deluded."

As Faith asked the question, which Zuuda he'd spoken to, he left with his parting shot. "Grenadine Frask." He smirked. She would know the name, Frask, and possibly even made the connection to Carter. But this wasn't one of the Zuuda she'd heard of during the War of Death and Souls, as Famula's general. Either she wasn't involved in it, which was unlikely, or else was missing.

Then the whole conflagration of ether expelled the three from the portal, while pulling Nicol into it. And he was transported away, but not before leaving behind the action figure of Doran.

Faith checked the piece for necromantic magic, severing it from whatever connections it might have to that magic. There was no release of necromantic ether, however, and it was not enchanted or otherwise altered into a Fetch or similar golem. It appeared entirely normal, well apart from being an action figure, a carved doll with reticulated limbs that resembled someone she knew well.

PB sniffed the air when Faith asked him to check if anything had changed, Shule did as well, but shrugged. PB said to Faith, "I'll take a gander ahead, eh love? Just give me a sec and I'll see if anything's changed over there before you lot go skipping ahead."

So the spirit PB, Shule, and Fins went ahead as directed by Vivian. To check out the steepled building and see what they could see.

For a few moments, there was nothing different. No word or signal yet from any of the spirits. When any of the two who sent forth spirits tried to contact their spirits, it'd feel strange. As if they were sending thoughts or words to an earlier? younger? a past version of the spirit. As if just trying to reach out to them was a sensation similar to speaking to a memory.

No answer from any of them, however.

As they waited, and watched, the skies overhead broke open once more, far above the steeple of the building. It was obvious that something big was happening, and might have already gotten out of hand as images filtered in through the portal high above the skies.

They would see much of the same things they'd seen before, but feel as if they were closer to those dreamed of moments, whatever they might be.

There were voices all around, speaking in low voices. If one had the detection skill (master or above), they'd hear the chanting of names. Not words, but proper names of people, from the sound of them. Only one of them that was spoken was one that they'd heard recently. Grenadine Frask.

[Faith Augustin]

117th Vhalar 721

"Frask?" Faith said and would have asked more but events turned in the moment, as they were prone to doing, and they were blown off their feet. She called out a warning, but the doll didn't seem to be something which needed it.

Still, Faith was cautious. There was nothing right about what was happening here and so, they sent the diris ahead.

And then that was most peculiar indeed. Doran asked a question about where the souls of those who didn't become ghosts went and Faith gave a slight shrug. "To the best of my knowledge, there are limited options," she said softly. "Vri takes you, you become a ghost, your soul is destroyed by flaying, or your soul is trapped in a well or specific necromantic thralls." Faith looked at him and her eyes showed her confusion over that aspect of what the man had said. "Whatever else he is, he's a powerful mage. I can - if we wish it - stop magic in the area completely. All magic - including items. Just something to keep in mind."

The spirits were quiet and Faith reached out to speak to PB, then to Shule. Her brow furrowed at that and she spoke with a sense of urgency in her tone. "Something's not right with PB or Shule. Like their... maybe it's a drain on their ephemera, I'm not sure. But yes, we need to move." She would try and pull Shule and PB back to her - PB via her Bellinos mark and Shule via her Lovalus-granted powers. If needs be she would activate the Warden-granted ability which allowed Shule to become her armour - if that was what she needed to do to bring her back, that was what Faith would do.

As they did, they heard voices and Faith listened carefully. "Names," she said softly. "Names. And Grenadine Frask is among them." Faith listened carefully - were there other names?, ones that she might recognise. Thinking about it, Faith used her intuition here, and she looked at the place with an investigator's eyes . There was, she was sure, a place to head a specific direction or thing or something which would open up this investigation and send them on exactly the right track.

So, she looked for it and, when and if she saw it, she honed in there and said. "It's this way." with the kind of certainty born of fanatics and mad folks.

For, after all, who said that you couldn't be both?

OOC: She's using her Tier 2 ability hunch <3