eastbound | Entries tagged with arcane: viktor

I know who killed Vataz and the others. It's--

[Her voice is strained. She sounds as though she's in pain and out of breath.]

It's complicated. We need to be cautious not to worsen the situation any further. Someone else was killed. A woman. Her death is what started it all. There's someone else I need to question; I'll be able to share more once I have.

[There's the soft thud of someone's back hitting a wall.]

For now, young men should stay out of the Wards and the Keep, if at all possible. The killer can't distinguish between its true target and other men who appear similar. And don't go down into the glacial lakes. It isn't safe.

[Another pause, followed by a wince.]

If any medical personnel are able to spare supplies, I could do with a bandage.

stephanivien

[ The video is a clear capture down in the forges, the device propped up on a worktable of some sort, with curled pieces of parchment and scattered writing sticks of charcoal scattered across the desk, though all details of plans are neatly swept out of view.

Instead, is centered a quite tall man with pointed ears, a hint of soot smeared across his cheek, while behind him lie large loam moldings, as well as a couple strangely shaped large metal components, nearly as tall as the man himself. ]

Greetings! My name is Stephanivien, and I am something of an inventor and maker of armaments by trade. With a gracious deal from King Deimar, I have begun the manufacture of several improvements to help those borne to the towers with defenses. However! There is only so much one man can do alone.

[ He moves closer to table, placing down both hands an leaning in towards the device. ]

Most immediately pressing, in this case, is the dragon problem facing the Southern Tower. Luckily enough, dealing with dragons in this manner is something I am unfortunately quite familiar with. I've been focusing on a modification of a previously existing design of mine, especially in light of the desire to capture over...[ He pauses, clearly searching for a way to say 'death', except the dragon is already dead. ] ...more permanent measures.

In light of such things I should like to request two forms of assistance! First, to any and all engineers, tinkerers, inventors or all else of the mechanical sort, I would be deeply appreciative of any willing extra hands and partners to brainstorm and build. You will, of course, be welcome to work on your own projects as well, utilizing the space, and as any worker of a manufactory, compensated for your efforts and time.

[ He pauses to sift through a sheaf of parchment just at the edge of view, before pulling out something that from the brief view appears to be something alike an employment contract. ]

Second! To any mages of skill, particularly those already among the towers: I am quite adept at the melding of machinery and magecraft, but there remain questions of both energy storage and also finer details in terms of how, exactly, we wish for this to operate. On the base level, it will be not dissimilar to a typical ballista, though augmented for the expectation of its target, but the design comes in more question with the desired bolt. My initial thoughts were something alike mechanical claw, with a requisite chain for attachment. However, I believe added magical character, as well as additional strength to both bolt and chain will be required if we take that tack as opposed to a more traditional harpoon.

[ He reaches up to pinch the bridge of his nose, briefly, smearing more soot across his face. ]

I'm quite well versed with the magic of my home, but not of that available to those here. Frankly, I will need to know what is possible for those of you who will end up manning the thing to sustain before I can get too deep into the manufacturing of it.

reparo

[ooc: backdated to Sand In Your Eyes (end of)]

Hello, Hermione here, currently writing this from the exit of Ra'esh's temple.

We've found water for the sandworms in a pool, in a cave. We also found a woman in that cave. Her name was Marath, she was alive, and she was tied to the altar and chained. We've set her free - and if anyone has a word of criticism about that decision, by all means, convince me why any living soul should be chained to an altar and left to rot and to thirst and to die. I'll wait.

Anyway, Marath's people are the ones who occupied Uruksithar. She claimed she was left behind because she warned them not to go into the desert. Once freed, Marath ran (rather athletic for someone of her condition if you ask me) and left myself and Vi locked in the temple.

Don't worry, we're out now. Keep an eye out for Marath, if you can. And don't drink the water from the cave if you make it there, it felt...oozy.

[ooc; If you'd like some context, here you go.]

allforthecause

[ Cassian is perched just outside one of the furthest tents of the caravan, out of the blazing sun as he reads over the vellum scroll in his hands several times, trying to memorize it. Only once he is done so does he put it away and pull the silver pendant out of his clothes to send a message to the rest. ]

So, I am still fairly new here. Finding my feet.

Surely there is a way to be useful? A way to earn a credit or two?

I’ve heard that there are things in the desert, that can be found by those with sharp eyes. But are they even worth the retrieval, I wonder? Who would even want them?

inkfire

I don't know much about this place or how these things work, but there was talk about leaving a while ago, and now we're staying for a bit, but we're gonna leave eventually. After all those smart people figure out how to cure all these folks.

We're taking one of those robots with us, right? Maybe a few? They look like they'd be useful.
Maybe of the dragons, too. That one lady has a dragon, so it wouldn't be that weird.

clavesregni

[Caitlyn enthusiastically shows off a small wooden box. Visible on the lid is an insignia of a Minaras governmental medical facility. Over Caitlyn's shoulder is a redhead looking wholly uninspired by this discovery.]

This was found following an altercation with a group of drunk individuals. One man was tall, must have been a little over six feet, with a blond beard, head shaved, and some sort of tattoo visible on his neck. Another was a few inches shorter, clean-shaven and close-cropped black hair, wearing a rather ostentatious, if tattered, blue coat. The third was a few inches shorter still, also clean-shaven, with long brown hair tied in a ponytail and several scars along the length of his forearms.

[Vi rolls her eyes as Caitlyn rattles off these descriptions. Caitlyn, oblivious, continues:] Does anyone know who these men might have been? If they could be identified, they could perhaps be located and questioned as to how a box belonging to a medical facility came into their possession.

[Vi mutters,] Probably going to sell whatever it is to the highest bidder.

[At the interruption, Caitlyn glances over her shoulder to respond to Vi. Her tone is less critical and more like she's excited to brainstorm possible motivations.] We can't assume that.

[Caitlyn turns back to the contents of the box.] Yes. Um. There are herbs inside, they smell-- [She takes a whiff, wrinkling her nose.] --earthy. Musky. And faintly of fruit. And... [She smells again, and a horrified look crosses her face, as though she's just smelled the most odious smell imaginable. She quickly moves the box further away from herself, looking at it as though it's done her a great personal wrong.] Urine.

[Vi shouldn't look so amused at the posh description, but she does.

Caitlyn holds up a few of the whole dried leaves and flowers: foxglove, wisteria, passion flower, and valerian. There is a small sack visible inside the box containing more herbs ground up.]

Are there any herbalists in the group who might be able to identify these? What purpose could these serve, either individually or in combination?

[Vi leans in closer and says,] And by the way, I need to talk to the resident hextech genius.

[ooc: for the herbalists out there, this combination of herbs leads to memory loss]

vdovy

does anyone have a spare droid i can borrow

may or may not be returned in working condition

edgerun

ANYONE KNOW WHERE THE BRAINS ARE ON THE DROIDS? WHERE THE BRAINS GO? WHO HAS ACCESS TO THEM?

OR ANYONE JUST WANT TO BUY A DROID?

chosenbylight

[Anduin appears on camera looking -- out of character, for those that know him, dressed in dark leathers and a large black trenchcoat.

Yes, he knows. He feels weird about it too.]

Greetings, my friends. As I am certain you are aware by now, various systems across Minaras are suffering malfunctions, ranging everywhere from brief glitches to complete breakdowns in the infrastructure of the city. What may not have been apparent at first, and why I come to you now, is that there are a number of droids who seem to have been affected by the outages as well.

In my role here in Minaras, the nobility come to me for... [He winces slightly.] I am a droid bounty hunter, to put things plainly. And there has been an increase in runaway droids, of late. I have managed to track several of them down and have them in my custody at present. Normally at this point, I would return them to their masters as requested, but I have -- concerns.

I have spoken with the droids in my charge. They do not seem to acknowledge that they have ever had masters to serve. Certainly not those people who hired me to find them. They have said that their services are not required, at present.

[Anduin hesitates, uncertain for a moment of how exactly to proceed.]

I am a priest, outside this city. I cannot claim to understand the workings of these complex machines. But something has changed them, quite suddenly. Droids are programmed to serve humankind. These droids do not appear to have forgotten who their masters are. But most troubling of all: from what I can tell, they are no longer registering to the droids as human.

Perhaps if we are able to understand why... We might come closer to understanding just what exactly is going on here?

((ooc: further information about/plotting for this little clue-roll can be found here, though anduin will be discussing what he knows so far below!))

beitangmoran

[Maybe Five thought Moran was joking when he said he would make an announcement. Turns out, he was not.]

Greetings, fellow travelers.

Now that we are once more on solid ground, I have no doubt our days will be very busy, but as it is, we still have matters to discuss pertaining to our previous trip.

The artefact that was used to call out the giant sea monster, a human tongue which has been ascertained to still be 'alive' in spite of being separated from the rest of its body, is presently under the guard of Master Five.

[See how he didn't say you stole it and tried to hide it, Five? That's his one concession to your pride.]

It is the second such artefact we are now carrying, following the heart that is in Master Kaneki's possession as well. And so far we cannot ascertain their origin, or if they might belong to the same individual or not. And given their power, the question comes to us of what to do with them.

There have been some in favor of destroying them, others wanting to study them. both are, at present, warded, but there is no telling that we might be able to keep containing them for any length of time, and we have all seen what happens when they are not contained.

Their relation to the mirrors, and the undead, is also still nebulous. I think we found out there was at least one mirror on one of the ships, but has someone found out if it was used and what for?

Lady Emilia also judiciously mentioned that they seem to have the ability to excite beasts, which was also a power the Beastmaster possessed, and the Beastmaster was the first we learned of the original and most powerful undead possible being made with mirrors.

I do not believe the fate of those objects should be decided by one alone, given that they can affect us all, and those around us. So what do you think we should do with them?

blackscales

[ un: black prince | audio ]

[ It's been days since the kraken first appeared and half of them were forced to commandeer ships to escape. Some might have already figured out why the danger seems to be receding, however slowly, and so there really isn't any need for some big announcement. Certainly not a whole-ass debate over what to do with a magical object that summoned this mess and nearly dragged them down to the bottom of the ocean.

Some would disagree, and one such red-eyed prince insisted on hunting down an old man who thought they'd settled this already.

The feed that starts is audio only, but the clear sound of Wrathion's voice is easily recognisable. He appears to be talking to someone else, and although his tone is neutral enough anyone who has spoken to him at length can likely discern the faint note of irritation in his choice of wording. ]

This... artefact is alive, dangerous. The mermaids are drawn to it. The wards on the box I have secured it back inside contain it, to some degree, but not entirely. I would still have preferred it destroyed, but if you are so insistent on keeping it I must strongly recommend people are aware it travels with us. This party now has two mysteriously living body parts. You don't consider that a concern they deserve to be made aware of?

[ The voice that answers is, for those that recognise it, Five. He does not sound in the best of moods. ]

There's nothing to say. I told you already, we don't know what happens if we destroy it. We don’t need to make this any more complicated, so the best option is to keep it hidden until we figure this out. [ A pause and his tone gets sharper. ] Trust me, I've —

[ At this point, Five notices Wrathion is recording him when he starts to hear an echo. There's a muffled "really?" and a long silence when the device shuts off. When it turns back on several minutes later they seem to have reached an agreement, and Five's voice suddenly sounds clearer. ]

[ un: ut malum pluvia | audio ]

You might have noticed that we're all still alive. We called off Vane's mission, the magic tongue he used to unleash the undead armada is sealed away safely, and everything should be fine.

[ There. All the relevant details. Happy, Wrathion? ]

Congratulations, we won. Now can we get the hell out of here?

traaaaaash

[ Listen. Eda, known criminal and owner of a flying bathtub, kinda wants to hit herself over the head for not suggesting this sooner. ]

anyone else think we should just steal a ship and bounce?

unas

( if you'd have taken a bet as to which starfleet officer ended up in the brig first you wouldn't have come out with this one. the fact that she's now back in the brig-- she's starting to really hate superstition )

Anyone that's allowed on deck want to tell me which direction the ship's pointing? Or what you see up there?
I'll even trade a story, something from your home for one of mine.

( she'd even take a story about the things that people have seen here but she's info seeking, find out where people are from, maybe when... she can't help the pirates but she can still be busy.

you could also potentially assume that she's a little bored )

silverneedles

[ The video opens with Wen Qing, dressed in trousers and a ruffled white shirt, looking fairly annoyed. She holds up an orange. ] This is an orange. There are barrels of them in the hold. Eat them. You don't need to have one daily, but make sure you're eating one every few days.

[ She glances away, mouthing something to someone just out of video range, and then she looks back to the communication device, flipping it around. Standing there is a sailor, unwashed and grimy. He's holding up a tooth, still bloody, and grinning proudly. This isn't the first tooth he's lost; most of them are gone, and his gums are bloody. Wen Qing continues over the camera. ]

This gentleman is a fine example of what will happen should you forget to eat them. [ The "do not forget to eat them" is heavily implied. She flips the device back, still frowning. ]

As Miss Eda mentioned, the sailors seem afraid of women so none of them will listen to me about the oranges. Someone pass on the message to them.

eternallywandering

I never knew being sick would work in my favor. [Guess who is rooming in a private cabin with the ladies?] I sleep with one eye open in case the crew decides to throw me overboard.

[He is trying so very hard to find the humor in...everything. He is also drinking any and all alcohol he can find. Shhh. It's fine.]

Daozhang Xingchen, if you can see this, please respond. Actually...

Anyone who stood in the way of the volcano, I want to talk with you.

Cheers. [He lifts a bottle.]

arsmechanica

[ After the partying is done, but before our merry band catches their ship out of town, here comes a message to the group.

Jens hasn't been...shy, or anything. He's also not been social, exactly - just kind of been there in the background, working at what he's good at and completely forgetting that proper introductions are a thing in most polite societies. Maybe you noticed him around, or maybe not - in which case: eighteen or nineteen, dark hair in a messy ponytail, usually a little bit dirty in the way that implies hard work more than lack of care. Nice to meet you all. ]

Hello, I could use some - er, let me back up a bit. I'm Jens, for those of you I haven't talked to. I'm a blacksmith, and I've just been given permission to, should I say, requisition whatever I might need from one of the forges here.

[ Deep breath. He's trying to be slow and coherent! But he is nonetheless over the moon about this. ]

I haven't been here as long as - well, most of this group, so I hadn't really gotten much chance to get myself set up to work here. So this is a great chance for me to make myself useful to all of you!

As long as, you know, I can...get it all carried out of here.

If anyone has a hand to spare, I'll gladly pay you back in repair work, making something, or buying you drinks somewhere down the line, as you prefer. We'll figure something out.

sacral

[ First, there is the sound of the sea — cresting waves, shimmering crashes. Then, the vast buoyed ache of wood loved too well by salt and sun. Voices boom, bark, and scatter about though none are distinct save one (who does not seem so keen on proper introductions): ]

I'm here on behalf of a man named Captain Samuel Vane — or Quicksilver Sam, as his reputation travels. I suppose you can also say that means I'm here on behalf of the man who calls himself the merchant. I hear you're already acquainted.

There is a group of you who travels east. I met some of you... in the forests, the village Ke-Waihu, but our paths diverged.

[ He is stern but an apology still lies beneath its surface. Still, he's here for a reason and so gets on with it. ]

Now, Captain Vane is ready to offer his vessel as a means to reach your next destination. He is also sailing east.

[ Here, his words slow and measure, though they remain heavy with what he doesn't say. ]

He doesn't desire money or goods in exchange for your [ our?? ] passage. Only safety... "sainted protection."

[ It's then that gulls cry overhead and across the crack of sail cloth. ]

Look for the Pariah.

techmaturgy

I have little to add to the information already disclosed by other individuals on this forum, so I will keep this brief, but it’s pertinent to note that I spoke to the Beastmaster, in person.

[And, it was kind of terrifying. But he doesn’t say that part. Please congratulate him for being brave.]

I can corroborate the existence of the child in question. I find it unlikely he still lives, but the Beastmaster plans to move on the House of Ravens, regardless. I’m not sure what he hopes to find, but it seems that all of the current threads of this situation converge at the volcano.

I don’t know much of curses, or ghosts, but I have some ideas, regarding the eruption. In my experience, the cooperation of magic and engineering produces a greater result than either working alone. If you are a magic user, I would be interested in hearing about your abilities.

chosenbylight

[Anduin may not be handsomely pursued by ghosts under the light of the moon, but the ruins of the Fetters make a striking background. A troubled expression darkens his face.]

As some of you may be aware, conditions in the village of Ke-Waihu have worsened in the past few weeks. I have seen animals mutate from drinking springs of the dark water, and now a drought is settling on the land. Rivers and wells are drying up, forests surrounding the village have become desiccated beyond recognition, and streams of dark water that are emerging near the fields have spread corruption into the crops faster than anyone can hold back the tide.

I have heard it whispered in the village that the solution to their woes might be to return to the old ways of appeasing Ke-Sanwon. As we have already apprehended one attempt to sacrifice a village youth to the volcano as it is, I shudder to imagine exactly what such a thing could mean.

[Anduin takes in a breath, letting it out slowly.]

The witches of the Fetters believe another cure may be to hand. It would seem that the dark waters are not the curse the villagers would have led us to believe.

Hyang-Tai tells us that these waters are some result of a fertilizing cure, shared by a visiting wanderer in white, that has since... "Regressed into a primal state", they have suggested. The witches believe there may be a way to restore it, such that it might heal the land itself. The dilemma, of course, is accomplishing this goal. They have proposed chilling the dark water into icy pools, or adding it to fresh running water. Indeed, I have a -- friend who encountered a similar pool himself. He had said that, at least while its waters were icy and cold, its waters healed him of his wounds. The fox spirits were gracious enough to lead me to a remaining spring in the forest, where I was able to add a sample and revive the surrounding glade. But much more needs to be done if we are to stand a chance of recovering the whole area of the volcano from such a state, and my own gifts are in healing, not this. I must ask for your aid.

I know we are not without our resources, as small a group as we are. Does anyone amongst us have a talent with water or ice magic, such that we might be able to accomplish such goals? Or -- I am no scientist, but perhaps there are other means of reaching such an end, without the use of spells?

[His expression hardens slightly.] As much for the crops as for those who we will spare, should the village decide to take matters into their own hands.

inferus

( Emilia di Carlo's hair has seen better days.

It looks suspiciously nest-like, and one of her sleeves singed and torn. The further she and Wrath walk back into the village, the more she feels it: the mark of hollowed things. The withered trees and the dying river beds. ... To say they have missed out on recent developments is an understatement.

But they do not come without news of their own. )

We were able to go very deep into the volcano and discovered something in the process.

( For this rare moment, Wrath appears to be somewhat disheveled as well. His hair is out of place. There's light scratch marks upon his cheek. His suit is singed. His sleeve on the right sight has been entirely burned away, revealing a muscular arm. In his pocket, he carries with him a piece of what they found though he has little interest in mentioning that out loud just yet. He wants to understand what it is first, and so he glances at Emilia with a grim nod and then supplies further: )

At the center of the volcano, an apparent naturally made mirror is being used as a cork to hold back a mounting level of lava, a potent flow of magic, and an unimaginable number of spirits. The pressure appears to be mounting.

( ooc: vi and i had a hiatus in april, and this help explains the absence of emilia and wrath during that time. EDITED the following day when i realized i missed a detail about the volcano. it was naturally made from a large pool of dark water. )

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Entries tagged with arcane: viktor

audio; un: hopscotch

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[ un: black prince / ut malum pluvia | audio ]

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001. ( the saltwater cure ) — voice.

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