Fantasy The Sundering Star

[Verena]

The destruction of a fallen star would definitely weaken the demonic invasion but Raebyrn was also right about them needing an army to do so. An army massive enough to withstand an attack from the Equitor and well equipped to destroy the star. The Shield could not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. “Well aware.” Verena looked to the side, holding the scroll against her scarved chin and tapping her foot, thinking. She would report to Good Lord about this the moment she gets back, see if he can’t talk to some nobles about this matter. The best case scenario would be if they managed to unite some of the nations. Wouldn’t that be great? Sadly, Verena wasn’t in charge.

Even if they succeeded in forging some alliances, few would gladly give up manpower and leave themselves exposed following a rumor. “No one would give up an army because we asked them kindly. I need some sort of proof of this prediction. Is this it?” , she asked, turning back to face Raebyrn and Lyian and holding the scroll out in front of her. “You also mentioned you were from Venn'dar. Think we can count on their help? We can only do so much if they keep menacing the Empire.”

 

[TheLoyalAcorn]

Raebyrn waved a dismissive wave at Morinia's remarks. "That scroll will be a direct way to contact me. Write your question and in a days time I'll have an answer for you written on the scroll. It also allows me to give you... goals and such. When it's not in use think what you wish the scroll to hold, and it shall become that. I highly recommend you imagine it to be traveling papers to avoid any unnecessary... conflict."

To answer her questions about Venn'dar, Raebyrn looked to Lyian. "Venn'dar will be reluctant to help. Every Sundering, we just need to protect our islands. Why would we want to help? Our ships are better used to defend our shores... if you were to win a vote" a short came from Raebyrn and Lyian smiled as if he was told a grand joke. "All of Venn'dar would be at your disposal" a glance between the two caused the two to erupt in thinly concealed laughter. Raebyrn was the first to gather himself.

"You have a year." A quick glance of the scholar and musician. "This would equate to 3 years for you. Our calendar revolves around The Sunderings. I would recommend you go with haste. The longer you stay here... the lest your companions lose their steel and decide to hide here forever."

Lyian finished the last half of Morinia's question. "Everyone knows the Sundering have been getting worse. Venn'dar has built many new ships. Nysinia has never had as many Tempered Scions. The Kvitovian Enclave are leaving their homes to scour the world for artifacts and I heard Kvass your home has a new fleet of landships. The problem will be convincing them to unite under a shared banner."

Location: The Scholar's Palace
Interacting with: Verena

 

[Princess Roomba]

Chroma boarded the Morel Hover to Tropicalla just as she did at the end of every school year. Summer was starting and the dorms were closing, so she had to return home. The trip had been pretty typical, light pop music played over the car’s speakers as she swiped through Whimsigram. Quickly, the trip’s typicality faded, Chroma’s body surged with a powerful magic essence, and a bright light began filling the room. “AAAAHHHHHH” Chroma screamed, clutching onto her phone and the handle of her suitcase, shutting her eyes, bracing herself for whatever was going to happen.

Suddenly, Chroma appeared in the scholar’s palace near the other summons, still squatting and holding onto her suitcase, and still screaming with her eyes shut. She hadn't even realized she was no longer sitting in the Hover. After nearly a minute of screaming, Chroma opened her eyes, her scream dying quickly after.

“... Oh…” She rose to a full stand, still tightly clutching her belongings. She kept a puzzled and overall shocked face as she looked around her new surroundings “What happened to the Hover?..” After a quick observation at the group of people staring at her, noticing the dark looks of some of them and a large pair of weapons on the back of another, she hastily pulled her wand out of her suitcase and pointed it in their direction. “Who are you!? Did Morgana send you?!” she said firmly while taking a few steps back.

Spoiler: Appearance

Plot Twist, I don't have a pic of her yet, but I do plan on drawing one. In the meantime, here's a description of her. I based her physical appearance off of Flora from the Winx Club series (what I based her world on), so she has long chocolate colored hair with blonde streaks, green/hazel eyes, and tanned skin. Because characters form these types of shows were often portrayed like unrealistic supermodels, so is Chroma: she resembles a 5’11” Victoria’s Secret Model. Chroma's world also has a very late 90s / early 2000s aesthetic, so all of her clothing fits this theme, just with a slightly glittery and "magic pixie girl" feel. She is currently wearing a light pink and purple cropped T-shirt with a glittery star on the front, light blue flared jeans, and chunky heeled platform sandals.

 

[Verena]

“This will come in handy.” Verena acknowledged and let the scroll disappear into an inside pocket of her long coat. She didn’t even think about asking, whether any one of the outlanders would want to hold onto it. She could already imagine all sorts of mischievous uses for this kind of magic. Traveling papers was only one of them.

Verena couldn’t help but feel annoyed at the denial of help from Venn'dar. One moment they were talking about the end of the world, the other they were telling jokes. Seems everyone had their own way of dealing with disaster. “We’ll see how well that turns out when your islands are stomped over by mountainous demons.”, she grumbled quietly enough that no one else could hear. Verena imagined they would have about a year to prepare since the last Sundering was not all that long ago. In the meantime, they would have to get to know each other, want it or not, and get along while doing so. The training was also very much inevitable. Verena turned her head to look over the group once again, examining them head to toe.

The black-dressed man with the strange case still seemed a bit lost for words but there was definitely something about him. Verena had seen this sort of thin body stature and long fingers only on thieves and archers. The dark clothes, too, pointed towards this suspicion.

The just as confused girl he had exchanged a greeting with, Verena couldn’t quite read. While young and rather athletic looking, she didn’t exactly look like a fighter. Her clothes were far too clean and well made so perhaps a noble or even a diplomat?

The sickles-lady certainly looked like she knew what she was doing or she wouldn’t be carrying this sort of weapon on her. Sickles were perfectly unpredictable and could easily slit one’s wrists even when blocked, a lot like her own curved dagger. Verena was already looking forward to a small training duel with her later on.

Verena was already anxiously awaiting the last summon. However, nothing in this world could ever prepare her for what did finally pop out of the portal runes. When the woman appeared, screaming at the top of her lungs for nearly a full minute, Verena struggled to withhold the desire to sever the maniac’s head from her shoulders and put them all out of their collective misery. Thankfully, the holler eventually died down and Verena reached into her hood to rub at a still screaming ear, examining the newcomer.

If there was a competition to look out of place for their world, then this chick could win them all. The stick she threatened them with was pretty much the final straw. Verena turned to Raebyrn and Lyian with a pleading look in her eyes. “I don’t know what world these fools come from, but please tell me you at least have something decent for them to put on.”

 

[Meme Machine]

Calista had been dead quite, searching for anything else in the conversation. She simply listened. Watched the ghosts. Heard about different worlds and slavery and deaths and stars, and fallen? What were those? She had no idea. She looked confused, at least. But she tried to keep up as hard as she could.

 

[TheLoyalAcorn]

Raebyrn's heart dropped and looked at the runes of the last summon. Magic and a noble air. He looked back at her. He supposed he was close enough if her wand had anything to say about it. What he desired was not what he got. Then again the last group was made of great heroes and scientists of their worlds. That did little to help them.

"One feature of the scroll of course is only a magic user can change it. A good way to tell if your outworld allies have magic. Also... a much safer way of discovering" Raebyrn grimaced remembering how he found out he was a mage. Another scan of his summons and Raebyrn shook his head. "Unfortunately no, I have nothing more for you. You will have to find your own way on this quest."

Lyian heard this and calmly grabbed the burlap sack he grabbed earlier and casually slung it over his shoulder. A quick exchange of blinks was all that past between the two. It was an agreement. It would be too risky to sacrifice their artifacts on such a lackluster summoning.

"We will give you sometime to ask, learn or contemplate your situation. After that we will send you to Savos. I would recommend you pick which nation you wish to visit first. If you need us, we'll be in the west wing. Please fill in our new summon"

Another nod and the pair calmly strode away from the summons. The ghosts hastily moved away from the pair at their own inconvenience almost afraid of touching them. Once the pair left, all the ghosts turned to stare at Calista with many whispering to one another and pointing.

 

[Felis]

Marguerite resigned herself to sighing and nodding. It was frustrating to get vague answers, but even more frustrating to hear her apprehension about Raebyrn having elevated expectations confirmed. "One who could understand my world" - well, there was the idea that outsiders brought fresh perspectives to the table, but placing the "chance for hope" onto her... Marguerite was a bit perplexed by the sun rune in that regard, too. Book and eye - reading and seeing in various contexts - had fairly straightforward interpretations, but the sun... It was a beacon of sorts, yes, but if you wanted a "light in the darkness" or something to guide you, wouldn't you choose a star instead?

Still brooding over this in the back of her mind, Marguerite remained silent through the rest of the discussion between Morinia and Raebyrn as she tried to guess at the blanks. Equitor had some sort of... defense. Venn'dar sounded like an island nation, and apparently, it was unlikely winning the mentioned vote... It would be easier to keep track of all this if she had a notepad with her.

She twisted her earring again. Three years. This quest, for the lack of a better term, would keep her long enough that nobody would even care about her missed deadlines anymore because they'd be busy wondering if she was even still alive. The voice in the back of her head reminding her that the if in if she was still alive was in fact a valid concern didn't exactly tip the scale in favour of being at ease.

Marguerite's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the newest summon or more precisely, by the sheer loudness and duration of the girl's screaming. Initially, she appeared to be someone from Marguerite's world with a slightly... unique fashion sense, but when she pulled a flashy, vividly colored wand out of her suitcase and held it out in front of her, Marguerite wasn't sure whether she should assume that it was the children's toy it resembled. After what she had seen today, that thing might actually work.

"I don't think so," Marguerite replied to the newcomer's question - Raebyrn and Lyian had apparently decided they had already shared everything they wished to say. "They didn't mention any Morgana. You just got... kind of kidnapped in order save the world along with the rest of us, as far as I gather."

 

[Meme Machine]

Calista stretched her arms into the air, and searched across the faces of the other here like her. Or, sort of like her. They all probably knew what was happening. It had only been two years since Calista had escaped from that horrid coven, so she had no idea what was going on. Calista walked closer to the women who was dressed similar to her. The girl had a saber like weapon as well.

“Hello. I’m Calista. What’s your name?” She was very bold and straight to the point. However, she faltered when she realized that there was still blood on her hand. Not a lot, and it was from someone else, but still.

 

[Verena]

Verena scowled at the further instructions concerning the scroll. What a shame for it to only be usable by mages. She brought it out of her inside pocket again and looked at it for a moment, wondering. This kind of sorcery would certainly not be impressed by coin tricks but, on the other hand, they were apparently in another realm entirely. Perhaps here, she’d possess some sort of magical abilities that she didn’t before. Verena inhaled, closed her eyes and focused on the scroll, imagining it turning into the first thing Raebyrn had mentioned – traveling papers. However, upon opening her eyes, the scroll was just as empty as before. She exhaled a disappointed sigh. It wasn’t meant to be.

Verena was just about to hand it over to some of the other summons so that they could try their own luck with unlocking its potential when sickles-lady approached her first. At least now, she knew one of their names. “Calista… I don’t like to repeat myself but because of the shock you must be going through, I’m willing to make an exception. My name is Morinia.” She introduced herself for a second time now. Calista’s glare didn’t go unnoticed. Verena was usually careful not to get her hands too dirty but the poor pig did bleed quite a lot. At least he hardly felt a thing. “Never mind that. Here, take a look at this. See if you can’t turn this scroll into something useful. Think of a document, map or whatever comes to mind. Maybe you’ll have better luck.”

 

[Meme Machine]

Calista laughed as the girl called herself Morinia. Calista wasn’t confidant that that was her name. But oh well. Upon seeing that the girl thought that it was her hand Calista was glaring at, she laughed sweetly, and turned her palm so the woman could see the blood staining her hands as well.

“As long as it’s not our own, right? As for the scroll, I have no interest in using my magic....... it’s...... dark. To say the least. But I will try.”

Calista held her hand over the map, and tried to focus. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do; she barely had control in her home world. But nevertheless, she focused and imagined the paper with some form of map. Keeping her eyes closed, she waited until she might hear a reaction from the people around her to see if it worked. She knew she had magic; she just hoped it wasn’t as prominent here.

 

[Meme Machine]

Glaring at the scroll, Calista opened her eyes to see it had worked. But the paper had changed. Black vein like images seeped through the edges, and the map itself seemed to be written in blood. The pictures seemed a little warped. Not enough so the couldn’t read it, but enough to where it had an odd vibe. Calista looked down. She knew she shouldn’t have used her magic.

“There. It works.” She muttered the words half heartedly, and took a step back. She knew that it wasn’t how the map was supposed to be. It was her magic that made it like that. And she assumed everyone else realized it to, at this point.

 

[Verena]

“Oh!” It was only now that Verena noticed the other’s hand. Her knuckles were bloodied, in a way that would indicate she had recently punched someone. “I like your thinking. Better them than us. Nevertheless, please, give it a try. There is little that could go wrong, I’m sure.” Verena watched with interest as Calista focused on the scroll. The results, though, were rather shocking, even for her – a map but a twisted one, an evil one. It almost looked alive. “Dark indeed” Verena muttered while looking over the effect, not daring to touch it. “Can you reverse the effect? Think it away?”

 

[Ashside]

Charles ignored the dig at his intelligence, and his clothes, from the ninja since she at least seemed to understand the world enough that whatever the man with the staff had been talking about made sense to her. Which was good, because at least one of them had some context, and he noted that she’d be the go to for when it came to questions about the structure of the world.

Deciding that now was as good a time as any to simply engage in an activity he thought would actually be productive instead of wasteful. He didn’t bother with pleasentries with the new summon since he believed that it’d be better if the magical girl or whatever was dealt with by someone else who had more patience at this moment in time.

Instead he decided to examine his own runes to see if that would possibly provide some insight as to why he was summoned. Sadly they did not. In fact they didn’t even make sense to him. One was in the shape of a heart one might find on a valentine, and the other was what looked like a tornado of some sort. His right hand traced the symbols hoping to find something that he missed from just looking at them. Hell maybe they’d activate and they’d send him home.

Except nothing happened, and he learned nothing other than that his runes were about heart and a tornado. Since getting frustrated at what he didn’t understand wouldn’t lead to anything he decided to calm down by looking over the object inside his case. He placed the case gently on one of the tables, and flipped it open. He gave it a once over ensuring that everything he’d need for maintaining the violin was also present in the case, because otherwise he wouldn’t be able to use it for a while.

He’d was vaguely listening to what two of his fellow summons were talking about a scroll. The ninja, Morinia, and the mini-scythe girl, Calista, were talking about something regarding scrolls and magic. He didn’t quite get what they were talking about since he was focused on the maintenance of his violin, and after looking it over twice, and rechecking his supply three times he figured that he had enough to maintain it’s quality condition for another two to three weeks if used frequently, but if he was frugal with it he could practice at least three times a week, and not have to worry in a degrade in sound for a while. Satisfied with the condition of his violin he gently closed the case, before shifting his full attention onto the other summons, and even though he was pretty convinced on the existence of magic given the circumstances of his being here he had to resist gaping in surprise at the scroll in Calista’s hands shift and change before becoming something entirely different from what it looked like when Raebyrn had it.

 

[Meme Machine]

“My magic is dark.” Calista explained sadly. Her high happy face had seemed to fall, and she looked..... frustrated? Upset? Whatever emotion it was, it was not a good one. “There is nothing I can do to change it. Believe me, I’ve tried.” She clenched her fist tightly, so hard it almost drew blood.

Her dark curls hid her face slightly, and she saw the man that she had arrived after come closer to inspect the scroll. She sighed, and rubbed her temple with her free hand. “Well, it’s legible. That’s the main focus.”

 

[Felis]

Marguerite noticed the man with whom she had shook hands with move and looked over to see him open his case. It did contain a violin, after all! Her attention shifted back to the two women when Calista introduced herself, though. Right - names. They were apparently in the same boat now, so it would be a good idea not to have to address each other as "you over there" all the time.

"Marguerite," she said as she stepped closer. Nobody else had given a last name so far, so she didn't, either. When her eyes fell onto the map the scroll had become, though, her eyebrows shot up. "Ou la- Well..." Aside from the surprise of the scroll changing so quickly and, well, magically, the map was certainly something else, with those almost organic black images and blood red writing. Calista herself didn't seem very pleased with how it had turned out or the way her magic worked in general, but she was right - it was readable, and that's what mattered in the end, Marguerite supposed. And some magic, even dark, was bound to be more helpful than no magic, paired with no combat experience and no knowledge of the world they were supposed to save.

Marguerite eyed the parchment indecisively. Should she even bother to ask to try it out? Even on the off chance that she could command magic in this world, she didn't have any clue how to do so. She hesitated and glanced over to the violinist (she'd call him that until she knew his name, Marguerite decided) - maybe he wanted to try seeing if he had magic potential. Or even the girl with the gaudy wand - if that thing worked, she should have no problems with magic, after all.

 

[Princess Roomba]

Chroma stood there with her wand, the others staring at her with mostly confused looks, though a few of them looked almost disappointed. After a few seconds, they all turned away, practically ignoring her, though one of the girls did say that they did not know who Morgana was.

“Oh…” Chroma just stood there for a second, dropping her arm down and holding her wand to her side, crossing her other arm over to hold her upper arm. These actions were not commonly seen in Avalia, similar to their ugly outfits, and everyone in Availia knew who Morgana was, so Chroma’s confusion was currently heightened. Ironically, Chroma had helped saved Avalia with the Pix Squad numerous times and had been kidnapped multiple times as well, so neither of those components really phased her. Chroma decided to look at her phone’s maps to see where she was, but she had no signal. She waited to the side of the group as they chatted for a few seconds before interjecting. “.. Hey, can anyone tell me where we are? I’m not getting any service,” she asked while slowly walking towards the group and holding her phone up next to her, showing the ERROR SIGNAL LOSS screen. Her phone was a pink flip phone with a small yellow star-shaped antenna, and like her wand, it resembled a children’s toy.

 

[Meme Machine]

Calista gasped at the item, and almost snatched it out of her hands.

“What is that contraption? Is it a form of magic? If it doesn’t work here, in a realm of magic, then it’s not very creditable.” Calista looked skeptically at it, before placing her hands on her hips. It was obvious this girl hadn’t seen any form of modern science, much less dressed like it. She knew what magic was, even had some herself that she already knew of. She spoke differently to. As if she was a royal, or some other form of higher up. Though, due to her posture and accent, that clearly wasn’t the case.

 

[Verena]

“It’ll have to suffice for the time being.” Verena said and looked over the map. Raebyrn had asked them to pick a destination and she wasn’t going to take any chances of going somewhere random. She still had a job to complete at the very least. “This is Kvass.”, she explained and pointed at the largest area on the map without actually touching it. Verena wasn’t certain if the map wouldn’t bite at her if she did. “And this is Tyros, our first stop.”, she continued and pointed at a coastal city. When Marguerite introduced herself, Verena simply gave her a nod and eyed the young man in black and the newcomer, who was just approaching them. “That leaves only two.” The new girl was holding a strange glowing object that according to her currently didn’t work so Verena wasn’t too concerned about her safety. She suppressed her desire to examine it and instead focused on the task at hand. “You’re in Savos… or will be soon at least. I was just talking about that.”

Verena cleared her throat soundly enough to gather everyone’s attention and continued. “Like I was saying, our first stop is Tyros. Because you’re apparently not from this world, we might all land at different locations. If that’s the case, then it would be best if you seek me out. In order to do this, you need to get to a bar called Dragoon's Bite. Ask the locals for directions if you must but stay away from the alleys. Once there, sit at the bar and order a Viper’s Kiss. When asked who you're with, you tell them my name, Morinia. Also, ask for a blanket if you can.”, Verena said, looking over Marguerite and the newcomer. They really needed to cover up their otherworldly clothes as soon as possible. “I will find you so don’t go running off on your own. You are easy prey.", she finished, hoping they would manage to remember all of this.

 

[Meme Machine]

Calista nodded along with the instructions, her arms crossed and her hair bouncing as she nodded. She grinned smugly at the one calling herself Morinia. It was obvious this girl had an air of leadership, as she was taking control of the situation without entirely dominating the situation. Calista laughed slightly at the last part, concerning the blanket. The others, and probably herself a bit too, looked slightly out of place. Her brown clothes seemed monkish, and that may set people off. Living in a place where it was considered mandatory for executioners, it was odd for her to dress in anything else.

"Oh, I like her." Calista jabbed a thumb over to the girl who just finished speaking, and smiled widely. She placed her hands on her hips, and looked to the others. She herself was never a decision maker. She was more of a follower. But she would avoid talking to strangers if she could, unless they were the dead. Calista would most likely ask them for directions. However, she took note that Morinia didn't touch the map. To be frank, Calista didn't blame her. That map was...… disturbing. To say the least. Even though it was technically her magic. She had to many evil people praise her for it for her shadowish 'talents' to be ok.

"Although, if were being teleported again, is it going to hurt? It felt like I was being punched and thrown when I first came in." Calista had wondered if anyone lese had felt that, or if she truly had just been thrown across the room and punched.

 

[Felis]

Cartoon girl (hopefully Marguerite would be able to replace her poor attempt at another nickname with the girl's real name soon) apparently had a phone whose design matched her wand. It made Marguerite wonder whether they weren't from the same world after all, and cartoon girl was just a bit of an oddball, rather than possess magical powers. As she had assumed earlier, though, there really was no service in this library. Marguerite gave the other girl a sympathetic smile - they both were carrying fancy bricks now - and then tried to follow Morinia's train of thoughts again.

Kvass, Tyros, Dragoon's Bite, Viper's Kiss. This much should be easy enough to remember. Oh, and the blanket. Marguerite was relieved that at least one of the group had an idea how to navigate this Savos, so she was happy to leave decisions to Morinia in those regards. For the time being, it wasn't like she could make a meaningful suggestion for a course of action anyway, considering she still had only a general sense of their venture and the vaguest information about the world they were about to enter.

"Sounds reasonable," Marguerite said, trying not to dwell on her growing unease at being thrown into a foreign, unfamiliar and, considering Morinia's last statement, possibly less than pacific culture, armed with neither savoir-faire nor local knowledge nor physical weapon (not that the latter would do her any good). "Is there anything else we should know so we don't stand out any more than we already do? For example, any special customs or greetings or phrases and gestures to avoid? Like 'don't make eye contact when speaking to people' or... oh, wait!"

An idea struck her, and she unwrapped her scarf, then draped it across her shoulders like a shawl and knotted it in front of her. It was a broad enough scarf that it could form a mini-cape reaching just past her lower back if she adjusted it a little, and maybe hide the bright pink writing and logo on her sports bag if she carried it under the scarf, using the short straps. There was the issue of it being pastel yellow, but there wasn't much she could do about that. She did have her spare training clothes, but they were almost as flashy as the things cartoon girl wore.

"Does this help at all or am I just making matters worse, clothes-wise?" Marguerite asked. She knew her little restyling was the figurative drop in the ocean at best, but at this point, even that had to be better than nothing, hadn't it?

A little belatedly, she realized Calista had asked a question, too. "Hurt? I only noticed a light and then I was here. Maybe just luck, though," Marguerite offered with a shrug, though she hoped that her own experience was the rule rather than the exception. If transportation magic was supposed to feel like you were punched towards your destination, whoever had devised the spell was not a particularly benevolent person.

Interactions/Mentions: Princess Roomba , Verena , Meme Machine

 

[TheLoyalAcorn]

Raebyrn walked back to the main room with Lyian in tow. Hours had passed for them in which the pair furiously debated on the new group. In the end, Raebyrn relented to Lyian and the two returned unified on the next stage. Lyian always took his place away from Raebyrn but close enough to assist him. Raebyrn of course took center stage. The pair heard the last few words the scholar spoke.

"My friends! The time has now come to send you to Savos. Expect a... unique experience. Teleportation magic is infamous for... it's not so gentle treatment of its users. Most experienced user compare the feeling to being thrown off a cliff or the worst hangover ever felt. The best way to lessen such effects is a full stomach or a traveler's potion."

Raebyrn gave her a quick glance looking at her clothes. "You would have better luck taking clothes off the dead. Many nations don't have the dye required to give the common man exotic colors like yourself." His eyes narrowed at the fey. Her runes were fair enough. The three pillars of magic and by the looks of her, and the device in her hand. He got exactly what he asked for but not what he expected.

"The two of you might do well to find alternate means of dressing or rid yourself entirely of it to look like tribals. Young man at a glance you may be able to get away with your dressing. I would recommend the same if you come in contact with any... close observation."

A quick flick of the wrist a book flew into Raebyrn's hand and he turned the book as it opened by its self flipping to a seemingly random page.

Spoiler

"Many on the country side live a simple life like this. I would recommend dressing like countryside peasants while you travel. No matter how far you travel. This seems to be the fashion. The cities on the other hand well. That's where all nations show off their distinct fashion sense."

Lyian spoke up steering the conversation away from pointless talking. "Have you picked the nation you wish to go? Nysinia will have the soldiers you need. Perhaps you will return Serpent to your burrow?" Lyian gave a pointed look before fading back into the background letting his master speak.

"Lyian has a point have you decided on a location? The more time we waste the harder the journey becomes. What has the party decided?"
__________________
Ashside
Princess Roomba
Meme Machine
Verena
Felis

 

[Verena]

„It would be best if you don’t make that… hand holding? Hand shaking? Whatever you call it, we don’t do that. When you want to greet someone, just give them a small nod. However, as I said, stay away from the shadows and engage in as little conversation as possible.”, Verena explained and watched as Marguerite covered herself with the scarf. Before she could speak, Raebyrn and Lyian returned and took the words out of her mouth. It was about time they did. Verena listened absently about the commoners' fashion until they were finally asked about their desired destination. “Indeed we have – Tyros. It’s a tad bit risky but I indeed have some unfinished business to attend to. I’m sure your chosen ones will manage just fine.”

 

[Meme Machine]

Calista’s eyebrows raised, and she crossed her arms.

“I’m all for a wardrobe change, but I’m not wearing a skirt. A dress, I can work with. But not skirts.” Calista didn’t know why she had such a dislike for skirts, but she did. It was just a weird thing about her.

She turned and tilted her head slightly when the woman with the mask said that she had ‘unfinished business. That didn’t seem to comforting, at least to her. She sighed, and pushed her hair out of her face. She nodded to the leader person (Raebyrn, she thought it was) and Lyian. The second hadn’t seemed to happy about any of them coming, and Calista had a feeling this was not the first time people were summoned. Hopefully it was the last.

 

[TheLoyalAcorn]

"Tyros? A bold place to settle on. The last I heard, the city was alight with a disagreement with who should be in charge. There's opportunity for those who fortune favors" Raebyrn muttered the last bit more to himself than the party briefly lost in thought. Most parties had demanded to go to Kvass' capital city or the Kvitovian Enclave. "I heard there's a nest of snakes that found a burrow. I heard the good lord is always willing to pay for help even when its unwanted" Lyian spoke out and nodded in agreement for once with what the party was bringing to the greater plan.

Raebyrn waved his staff upon the party weaving an everlasting spell on them and explained its purpose. "You will now be able to speak and understand any and all languages on Savos that are human. It will drain a little energy from you. For a few days, it'll wear on you but you'll grow used to it. The written language is another story. You'll be unable to read anything unless you already have a foundation of learning" Raebyrn then continued to weave the spell on each of them taking care not to mess it up. His mind ignoring everything and everyone focused on the precise spell for the few minutes it took for the party. He finally spoke up an edge of relief from being done with the task.

"I can teleport you all reliably to a single location near the city. I can also risk a teleportation within the city. The worst that will happen is you arrive in the city separate and with no memories. At the best all together outside of the city with only a head ache. I trust you will all be in agreement not to risk your memory and teleport outside the city?" Raebyrn started to pull out the necessary gem to affix to his staff to help with his focus on such a weighty spell. Lyian moved closer speaking as if it were well rehearsed lines.

"Kvass is your first move. Many other bands have lost their way there. Whatever you do the Shield of the Sundered Wastes must survive this sundering. Seeker find the hidden truths, Spellbound find the forgotten words, Wanderer find the lost secrets, the lost search for the last song, and the Damned discover what is lost" with that a blinding light hit the group sending them spiraling down the rabbit hole and into the sweet embrace of Savos.

 

[Felis]

No handshaking, noted, Marguerite thought to herself as she gave Morinia a nod. That was some concrete information at last. Raebyrn was elaborating on what to do about clothing, in the way Marguerite was beginning to suspect was typical of him - talking as though everyone knew what he meant anyway. At least the illustration he projected was something she could work with. The clothes actually looked not all that unlike what rural people in her own world used to wear some... decades back? Dealing with antiquity had made the rest of her history knowledge a bit fuzzy.

A kingdom for a notebook and some time to do some reading on that culture. She sighed. Calista complained about skirts, but Marguerite was content if only they didn't have to resort to that "tribal" style Raebyrn had mentioned.

The conversation moved on to the topic of their next location, and Marguerite's ears caught on both "unfinished business" and "disagreement of who should be in charge". The first one could mean anything, really (she'd give Morinia the benefit of the doubt, even though her looks were a bit shady), but the second one couldn't be good. Even if it was a verbal, bureaucratic conflict only (and how realistic was that in a world where people openly carried swords?), it was likely it would complicate matters.

There was not much use in Marguerite contemplating it, though, given how little she still knew. What "snakes"? What exactly constituted a "foundation of learning"? Somehow, Marguerite had the feeling that Raebyrn wasn't going to give particularly precise answers even if she were to ask.

So she waited for him to finish the second spell and found he hadn't overstated the effects of teleportation. Whatever luck or adrenaline had her let disregard most of it the last time, this time dizziness and nausea kicked in fully. It wasn't unlike that time Telmo had taken her to a theme park outside of London, where she had discovered rollercoasters were not for her. As the lurching feeling vanished and Marguerite felt the ground under her feet again, it was replaced by a nasty throbbing behind her temples.

As she blinked the last remaining dots from the magical light out of her eyes and focused on the scene around her, Marguerite felt sick to her stomach again immediately. Yes, there was arguably a city a ways off (nevermind that it was burning), but that and the part of her that wondered why there were viking ships without sails out on the water couldn't hold her attention when there were so many corpses strewn around them. That was what Raebyrn had meant with "take clothes off the dead", apparently. It also illustrated the type of "disagreement" that had taken place quite well.

"Oh the cow... That's... something," Marguerite whispered half to herself and squeezed her eyes shut, fighting to keep some composure. Right. Don't think too hard. You need clothes. Just clothes. Of the type Raebyrn showed you. Preferably without visible bloodstains. Can't be that hard, now can it? Just don't look too closely... She counted to three before she turned her eyes back the nearest human body, a man lying face down only a meter or so away from her. A couple of red stains, turning brown in some places already, had spread on his shirt. Not this one, then.

The next corpse she let her eyes wander over was lying face up, and only the consideration that if she decided she wasn't up to this, she herself might end up in the same way sooner rather than later kept Marguerite from turning away immediately. Whatever weapon had hit this man had done so on his head, and from a few small drops on the shoulders and sleeves and part of the collar, his shirt didn't seem too bloodied.

"Morinia? Calista?" Marguerite asked in a faint voice. "If... if I take this man's shirt, do you think one of you could cut off some of the bloody parts of the fabric for me? I don't have... any sort of blade or anything."

Interactions: Verena , Meme Machine