EVENT | GUIDING LIGHT

[alderwood]

Characters: ALL!
Date: June 1st-5th, 2014
Location: Keeliai, all sectors
Situation: Following Evandau's announcement about the soul lanterns and new housing, the Foreigners are shuffled around while Malicant's agents try to complicate this as much as possible!
Warnings/Rating: Possible mentions of violence from the cultists, plus various characters' reactions to moving.

LINKS
Fire Sector | Earth Sector | Metal Sector | Water Sector | Wood Sector | Cultist Shenanigans | Speak with Eva & Celaunn | OOC Plot Post

The new Basswood Commander, Celaunn, stands watch outside of the building with one ready hand resting on the hilt of her sword while her protectorate goes inside. A prodigy of magic as she is, liberating all the Foreigners' souls right out from under Malicant has left Evastelei far more expended than any of them care to admit. She looks as tired and worn as Evandau sounded on the radio post, but she tries to cover it with good humour, much as can be mustered given the situation. Eva's sent out messages to the ones whose essence she's felt resonate for each address and upon arriving, carries the lanterns into the new units whether they're all present or not... she's a busy lady and when this is all done she might just sleep for a week.

"Couldn't rightly explain some of these set-downs," Eva says as she goes about hanging the lamps up in the central part of the house. For most of the units, this equates to the main living area, though sometimes in the kitchen or unfinished room -- the layouts on each building has variations, after all. "One of those things you just have to feel, I reckon. Never figured Evandau much for leaving new bottles of wine on the pillows after all, so this will have to do."

While she's in the buildings, she'll run her hands over the wards built into the walls, letting them light briefly with various colours of light depending on the purpose, a symbol-based language not unlike runic illuminating at her touch and then fading to invisibility again.

"Now for these," she'll continue once she's sure she has all their attentions. "These are the best I could do on short notice, what with the Creature throwing all his resource at breaking Eshai's spells. That's why none of you could get into the Throne Room few weeks back-- that was a right bold move on your parts, by the way. See if you can't talk tall and smileless up there," she jerks her head toward the front of the building to indicate Celaunn, "into learning something from it. Chilu's are too by the book."

She'll explain how the lanterns are strengthened by proximity of those whose soul they house, and the dangers of staying away from them (particularly in a Dreaming state) for too long. "You don't want the Creature coming to rip you out of here," she says, jabbing them in the chest for emphasis, a deep frown distorting the burned scar on the one side of her face. "Be something like putting your insides through a wind shearer. Don't recommend it, that's for certain. Are you paying attention? Don't be moving these anywhere. With the power of these, I can understand why Eshai wanted to keep them close but keeping them from you... well, it wasn't the only thing she and I disagreed on."

Once she's satisfied that they've got as much information as she can provide at this time, she'll remind them as Evandau did: these lanterns are their Keeliai anchors and should they be destroyed, it won't be a trip back to their worlds that they can look forward to. "Without these, I can't keep you from being lost for good," she'll add seriously. "Good luck with them."

Comments

[peacefullywreathed]

[Solomon, being so new to the area, hadn't collected anything he considered worth keeping. He's therefore the first in their new apartment, vaguely irritated at the need to move but also resigned to the necessity. He's far more concerned with certain other revelations.

[Which is why, when Tazendra enters, he himself is also examining his lantern with an extreme sort of focus, his hand lifted just short of touching it.]

Nor I.

[He sounds extremely grumpy. He extends his hand a little and shadows collect around the lantern's ceiling fixture, and swirl around the lantern itself until it's all but engulfed in darkness. Testing. Seeing whether he can actually feel the confines on the lantern with only his soul.]

[fearlessherosheart]

Do you have experience with the undead?

[ Tazendra recognizes the shadows as something magical, but isn't sure what it is. ]

[peacefullywreathed]

I am a Necromancer, so yes.

[There is a link there. He can feel it. The shadows gather around his feet like a cluster of eager puppies. With slow reaching wisps they rose around him as if they're black mist. His soul is still connected to his body, and that fact alone makes some of the tension seep out of him.

[Solomon relaxes slowly and with a sigh and vanishes the shadows, and turns to bow shallowly at the young lady. One of the first things he tries to divine is whether she's died before--or holds any items which involved a death.]

Apologies. I am Solomon Wreath.

[fearlessherosheart]

[ Tazendra was brought to Tu Shanshu upon her own death. While she carries a sword she's yet to put away, (remarkably) she has yet to kill anyone with it, unless one counts corrupted trees in a pocket dimension. The blade also is normal steel; nothing that can hold a death.]

[ Tazendra bowed back, almost exactly echoing the depth of Solomon's bow. ]

I am Tazendra, a sorceress.

[peacefullywreathed]

[That makes more people here who'd died than hadn't. Solomon was seriously beginning to wonder if he weren't already in some sort of afterlife, or would have if the state of the planes hadn't already been make clear.]

I see.

[He glances at the wagon visible through the doorway.]

Which discipline of magic do you practice, if I may ask?

[fearlessherosheart]

Mostly such spells as are useful in combat, with a focus on energy manipulation. I did spend some time considering teleportation, though I am still repeating tests to duplicate it in this plane.

[ The status of Tazendra's sorcery on the Turtle is always grounds for experiments, since it required substitutes for her normal power source and the artifact that makes sorcery safe(r). ]

[peacefullywreathed]

I see.

[Solomon's own shadow-walking still worked perfectly fine and for a moment he considered offering his services before dismissing it. Being a room-mate did not in the least oblige him to help her in her research.]

You've been here for a while.

[Still eyeing the wagon. Is she trying to pack her entire previous dwelling into the new? Wonderful.]

[fearlessherosheart]

Only a year and seven months.

[ Actually a year and two months; the Dragaeran year and month have fewer days. ]

[ Tazendra did leave most of the larger furniture, but she has a lot of cushions, wall hangings, and knick-knacks. ]

[peacefullywreathed]

Quite an impressive length of time.

[In spite of everything, in spite of the revelation of how their souls were contained, Solomon finds himself relaxing. At least he wasn't going to be alone in the apartment with Pleasant, and their room-mate had significant experience with the turtle. He manages a smile, and it even manages to be a gracious one.]

And what would you say is the best advice you might give to a newcomer?

[fearlessherosheart]

I recommend learning the local laws that the police forces take special interest in.

[ Read: don't challenge people to duels or pick fights with commoners and expect the police to ignore you. ]

[peacefullywreathed]

One might call that common sense. Is that all?

[fearlessherosheart]

Well, I have not travelled to a foreign country before. Perhaps it should not have been a surprise that laws are peculiar.

[peacefullywreathed]

Have you not? Where are you from?

[The chance was that she was from some version of Earth where the magic worked differently, but that was no guarantee.]

[fearlessherosheart]

The Dragaeran Empire.

[ Tazendra continues to be amazed that even her home planet is unknown to everyone in the Turtle. ]

[peacefullywreathed]

I see.

[He'd never heard of it, which was a vague surprise. He shrugged and turned toward his room.]

Don't let me prevent you from moving in.

[fearlessherosheart]

Ah, yes! I shall continue that without delay.