Wilfred Pathwarden I quickly join Walid, motioning to Vyolt to follow.
Walid Al-Malik Just before I go through the door, I take a last look back, curious as to who constructed this tomb and emplaced all the skulls in the walls
Vyolt Vyolt is too distracted by the shiny things. He picks a few up.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) As Vyolt attempts to pick up the gems, his hands pass right through them.
Vyolt "Huh?" He tries again a few times.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Swiping at the gems, bits of rock and pebbles fly around. His hands pass through the gems effortlessly, however.
Walid Al-Malik "This is curious... Wilfred!" I call to him
Vyolt "Hey, these gems are some kinda Ghost Gems!!"
He said Ghost Gems very dramatically.
Wilfred Pathwarden I turn around and respond to Walid "What is it?" I look at Vyolt "Ghost gems? How strange"
Walid Al-Malik "This bears investigation... Could be excrucian forces at work." I try to pick a gem up.
Wilfred Pathwarden I look to Walid "Careful, your hands are flesh. Vyolt's are not"
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Walid's hand goes to grab a fist-sized emerald on the ground, and passes through it.
Walid Al-Malik "That is very odd. I can't even feel them."
Wilfred Pathwarden I try to tap one with my staff.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The staff clinks against a ruby wedged between a few rocks.
Wilfred Pathwarden "My staff can touch them. How strange." this required even further examination. I try to pick one up with my hand this time.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Wilfred's hand closes around the ruby, the surface smooth and tough.
Walid Al-Malik "Well? Can you tell what is special about that one?"
Wilfred Pathwarden "I'm not sure" I hold the ruby out to Walid "Try it yourself."
Walid Al-Malik I try to take the ruby
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Walid's hand passes through the ruby as if it wasn't there at all.
Walid Al-Malik "Wilfred, what about the other gems? Can you touch them as well?"
Vyolt Vyolt takes a closer look around at the walls, paying attention to the skulls now.
Wilfred Pathwarden "I will try." I declare confidently. I kneel down and try to pick a different kind of gem, still holding the ruby
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The old man's hand grabs a gleaming amethyst resting on the cavern floor.
Vyolt notices that the skulls are all sorts of shapes and sizes, but are all clearly human.
Wilfred Pathwarden "This is very odd." I hold the amethyst towards Walid "Again, please"
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Walid's hand doesn't even seem to notice the amethyst as it passes over Wilfred's.
Vyolt Vyolt tries to pick a gem, energy-wise, instead of physically.
Walid Al-Malik "I think it's safe to assume these 'gems' only care about Wilfred."
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Vyolt's crackling body passes through a diamond on the ground.
Vyolt "Maybe we put these gems somewhere! I saw that in a video game once." Vyolt wonders.
Wilfred Pathwarden "If you can find a place to put them, Vyolt, I'll try my best." Like the outstanding Librarian that I was, I had also played videogames. For research reasons, of course
Vyolt "Uhm..." Vyolt scans the room. "The skulls, maybe?"
Wilfred Pathwarden I look at the skulls and grimace "Well...I hope no one minds..." I was not fully convinced that this area was completely safe. But...I had to know
I try to fit the ruby in one of the skulls' eyes first. If that fails, I'll move to the mouth
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The ruby clinks against the bone of the skull's eye socket ineffectively.
As he puts it against the skulls' jaw, nothing happens.
Wilfred Pathwarden "Sorry Vyolt, I don't think that's what we need to do here."
I remove the ruby from the skull's jaw
I begin to look around the walls for anything else
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Around the dark stone of the wall, there are numerous indents in which the skulls sit. They seem to have been dug with rather simple tools, as the holes are crude and rough on the inside. There also appears to be no exit or entrance around, aside from the hole in the roof and the door in the wall.
Wilfred Pathwarden "Hmmm, maybe." I attempt to lift a skull out of the indent
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Wilfred pulls one of the skulls out of the wall, and it feels unnaturally heavy in his hand.
Wilfred Pathwarden "Very curious. It weighs more than it looks." I declared as I shook the skull a little.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The skull is very rigid- the jaw seems almost locked in place.
Walid Al-Malik "Are these real skulls?"
Wilfred Pathwarden "Good questions" I examine the skulls closer
Drufle (Hollyhock God) They seem real enough, given what you know of skulls. They seem like they're polished, considering how they're shining in the light coming from above.
You can't see through the cranium to the inside, and the foramen magnum has apparently been sealed off with some sort of metallic plate.
Wilfred Pathwarden "Metal? Who would go through all this trouble?" as I hand the skull to Walid, I get another idea. "Hold on, see if you can actually touch this."
Walid Al-Malik I try to pick up the skull
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Walid grabs the skull- it is indeed heavier than he expected it to be.
Walid Al-Malik I inspect it closely "This is interesting. I can't see inside. Should we try breaking one?"
Wilfred Pathwarden "If you want to break it, be my guest. These skulls have already been tampered with." I examine the indent that the skull used to sit in
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The indent is very, very roughly hewn, as if it were carved with another rock instead of actual tools.
Wilfred Pathwarden I put the ruby into the indent
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The ruby sits in the indent. It's much nicer to look at than the dull gray stone around it.
Walid Al-Malik "Well, I want to see why these skulls were tampered with.. But I want to do it in a controlled fashion. Any suggestions?"
Wilfred Pathwarden "Well, One option is putting a door on it, but I'd like to save my strength..." I slap my forehead "Ack! Of course!" I whip out my Doormaster's Book "If there's at least a door hidden here, this'll find it!"
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Wilfred flips through a few hundred pages, and finally they stop at an image of a skull, the page titled "Doorways and Portals in humanoid skeletal structures."
There doesn't seem to be any information for the skull you're currently holding.
Wilfred Pathwarden "Ah, curses. If there is anything to find here, it isn't a door."
Walid Al-Malik "Well, as my brother always said, if a rampant weed won't yield, apply more force!"
I throw the skull to the floor
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The skull shatters open, shards of bone flying here and there. The metallic plate clanks to the ground, and the stone that was inside tumbles out.
Walid Al-Malik "Well, would you look at that, fellows... The skull was heavy because there was a stone inside." I apprehensively try to pick the stone up.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The stone inside is, shall we say, unusual to the touch. The surface is smooth, but your hand tingles as it touches the rock. It is very, very black, and it makes you a little uncomfortable.
Walid Al-Malik "Hm." I put the stone back on the floor, gently. "Something about that stone feels... strange. Off, somehow."
Walid checks whether the portal is still open, making sure there's a quick way out of the cavern.
Wilfred Pathwarden "Strange magics are at work here." I pick the ruby back up "Allow me. The gems react to me strangly, perhaps this stone will yield something else to me." I reach for the stone
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The portal behind you is still open. You can see the calm forest outside.
Walid Al-Malik "By all means, but exercise caution, habibi."
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The stone feels similarly odd in Wilfred's hand. It stings a bit, and its an eery pitch black.
Wilfred Pathwarden "Stings...very strange." I move my hand away from it "We should bring this with. Someone else might be able to help us"
"Unless you wish to speak to their spirits"
Walid Al-Malik 'I don't know that I wish it, but something like this, in prosaic Earth? Seems fishy to me. We have to do something, sooner rather than later, in my opinion."
Vyolt Vyolt isn't exactly listening to the conversation between his two companions, instead staring at the stone, giving it little electric pokes. "Oh, are we leaving now, then?"
Wilfred Pathwarden "No, Vyolt. We're are shifting our perspectives to the Mythic Earth, and you're the one to take us there."
Monday, September 15th, 2014
Vyolt "Ah, right, that!" Vyolt has done this many times before, and signals for the group to gather together as he prepares for the shift.
Vyolt Light bursts from Vyolt, and weird light visors cover his companions eyes. Then, the light changes from one colour to the next, rapidly, for a bit, and then just as quickly, the light show ends. "Open your eyes, we're here!"
Wilfred Pathwarden I didn't even have time to close them "Right, forgot you like it flashy." I stumble a bit while regaining my vision
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The world around the Nobilis is unusual, yet familiar. They are standing in a room that seems to be made of roots and logs. A pile of loose branches, hardwood, and other plant material lay in the center of the room in an eerily human shape. There is a hole above you, and sunlight is beating down. Two stairwells lead upward on either side of the room.
Vyolt "This version is much nicer!"
Wilfred Pathwarden I finally get my vision back "Hmm? Yes, I suppose it is." I look down at the human shape "Though not by much."
Walid Al-Malik I look around, noticing the stairs "Interesting, look over there..." I say to my friends
Wilfred Pathwarden I turn to the stairs "Ach, of course there'd be a way in. Next time, lets look in the mythic world before I make a door please."
"Come to think of it, my door is still up there. I can't actually destroy it..." I let out a huge sigh
Walid Al-Malik "Next time maybe when we see a lonely stump in the woods we can avoid investigating it at all."
"Now, what about the artefacts? Have they changed?"
I look around for the gems, if I find them I try to pick them up.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The gems seem to still be where they are, but they're quite brighter and have much more luster to them.
Including the gems in Wilfred's hand, in fact.
Vyolt Vyolt gives one a poke.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) They have a bit of a twinkle to them, as if they were sparkling in response to the new visitors.
Vyolt pokes at a little tourmaline on the ground, and it pokes back.
Walid Al-Malik "Mythic gems. D'you suppose they have life?"
Vyolt "!"
Wilfred Pathwarden "Well, we're here, and they seem to be alive. Let's see if we can start up a conversation"
Vyolt "Hello?!"
Walid Al-Malik "Greetings, o shiny spirits!"
Wilfred Pathwarden I turn to Vyolt and laugh "Relax Vyolt, it's just their spirits"
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The ruby in Wilfred's hand sparkles brighter, and glows a deep crimson.
They seem to be incapable of audible speech.
Vyolt Vyolt gives the gem a smile, and attempts to inhabit it a little.
Wilfred Pathwarden "Vyolt, these gems seem to communicate through light. A light based divination should help."
Walid Al-Malik "Well, let's see how they respond, a direct communication would be preferable."
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Vyolt enters the little tourmaline, and his mind wracks a bit as whatever is in the gem pushes back.
It is clearly not ok with you doing that.
Wilfred Pathwarden "Vyolt, please stop entering everything you see. Some cultures take offense to that"
Walid Al-Malik "Vyolt? Did you establish contact?"
Vyolt "Oh, I'm sorry!" Vyolt tries to sparkle an apology.
Vyolt does not speak Lightinese.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The gem sparkles back at him in a slightly less violent manner.
Vyolt Vyolt attempts to divine what is being said.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The sparkling seems to be representing some sort of fear, some sort of concern.
A plea for help, you think.
Walid Al-Malik Walid glances at Wilfred as he waits for Vyolt to make clear what is happening
Vyolt "I'm not sure what they're saying, but they sound like they want...help? Something is troubling them."
Walid Al-Malik "Ask them about the skulls, Vyolt. And the stones inside them."
Wilfred Pathwarden "Something?" I slowly look down towards the skull's dark stone
Walid Al-Malik "I shall attempt to call my moth again in case he could help."
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The skulls are no longer around-- neither is the black stone, for that matter.
Vyolt Vyolt tries to sparkle 'skull', 'black stone', attempting to get a reaction.
Walid Al-Malik I silently concentrate on the image of my pet moth, hoping that he will get the message this time and join us.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The tourmaline sparkles back in a confused manner. It doesn't seem to know anything about skulls or black creepy stones.
Vyolt "I don't think it knows anything about those..."
Walid Al-Malik "Where are they, anyway? And how can we help these spirits?"
Vyolt Vyolt sparkles an inquisitive 'Where?'"
Wilfred Pathwarden "You keep talking, I'll head upstairs and take a look." I turn towards the stairs
Walid Al-Malik I grunt in approval.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) All of the gems sparkle at once in a sort of flowing pattern, brighter over by the pile of plant matter.
Walid Al-Malik In the meantime, my moth does not appear to be able to, or he doesn't want to, join me.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) http://lippmeier.com/Images/Tree%20Hollow.JPG (29KB)
There's an idea of what the walls around you look like. Just not quite as constrictive.
Walid Al-Malik "Intriguing."
Vyolt "That shape..."
Walid Al-Malik I approach the pile of plant matter, and inspect it closely, without yet disturbing it.
Wilfred Pathwarden I begin walking up the righthand staircase. In the mythic world, that could matter.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTKBMNUh5Bh54zoQw2EwwZQWQZN22othpXuMYdefB1XUzoQ4GE1TQ (14KB)
Also there's the tourmaline.
Walid looks closely at the human-shaped pile of leaves, and notices a distinct root structure in it similar to a skeletal structure.
Walid Al-Malik "Vyolt, this looks like a person... Ask them, uh.. Ask them if this is what we need to help, or if it's that they want help WITH."
Wilfred Pathwarden I near the top of the stairs and slowly peak over the top, staff held in both hands.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Jeanne follows Wilfred up the stairs, baffled by the talking gems.
Vyolt "Talk to a pile of plants? I guess I can try..." Vyolt sparkles a 'hello' toward the pile.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) At the top of the stairs, you surface into a sort of forest, not too dissimilar from where you entered. The trees are taller, however, and cover less of the sky. Strange animals are running around the forest frantically at the sight of the human.
Walid Al-Malik "No, I meant the gems... Although anything could work, I suppose."
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The pile of plant stuffs is unresponsive.
Vyolt Vyolt feels a little dumb, but brushes it off and flies back to the tourmaline, sparkling a 'what' and maybe a 'who'.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The gem sparkles back something along the lines of "dead helper."
Vyolt "Dead helper..."
"It's dead?"
Walid Al-Malik "Maybe this 'person' used to tend to the spirits. But why is it lifeless now?"
Drufle (Hollyhock God) A nearby sapphire sparkles back in agreement, confirming that the helper is indeed dead.
A piece of lonely quartz says something along the lines of "killed years ago."
Vyolt "They're saying...'killed'."
Walid Al-Malik "I could try to bring the helper back, reversing his transition from living to dead... But I can't guarantee it'd work."
Wilfred Pathwarden I can no longer hear the others where I am. I stumble up the last of the steps and look around the mystic forest
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Wilfred hears a deep, male voice behind him. "Who are you?"
Vyolt "We could revive it?"
Wilfred Pathwarden I turn and stumble on one of the steps and look up towards the voice
Drufle (Hollyhock God) A great oak tree, now with knotholes for eyes and a mouth, has leaned down towards Wilfred with a puzzled look. "How did you get here?"
Walid Al-Malik "Maybe.. I'd like Wilfred's opinion first, though."
"It's not something I should ever attempt lightly."
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Jeanne is rather stunned at the matter, really.
Vyolt "Where'd those two go anyway?"
Walid Al-Malik "Tell the spirits to 'wait', I'll go up and see what's going on. You can then stay here or come with me?"
Wilfred Pathwarden "Err...I'm sorry. Ehem" I use my staff to get up "I AM
Wilfred Pathwarden the Third, a noble of Doors. This young lady here is Jeanne Ducercle, a noble of circles. We entered here from the Prosaic world."
Drufle (Hollyhock God) "Oh dear. A Noble, here?" The tree ruffles its leaves a bit, and creaks as it moves. "I haven't seen any of you around for quite a while. Is there something the matter?"
Vyolt Vyolt sparkles a 'please wait' and joins Walid.
Walid Al-Malik I climb the same set of stairs Wilfred did
Wilfred Pathwarden "The gems below these steps seem to be in trouble. Two more of my siblings are also down there, trying to figure out the problem"
Drufle (Hollyhock God) "Oh? The stone spirits? Yes, they've been down there for years, I had almost forgotten about them. They had fallen down in the hole many years ago, and our keeper went down to retrieve them. He never came up, though."
"We had just assumed that he was taking his time. Is he down there?"
Vyolt and Walid surface a few seconds later, and the tree looks more confused. "Oh dear, more of you?"
Walid Al-Malik "Excuse me?" I look around for the source of the voice
Wilfred Pathwarden I think for a second "Helper? Was the helper humanoid shaped?"
Drufle (Hollyhock God) "Humanoid? That's an odd term to use, but I suppose it is accurate."
Wilfred Pathwarden I turn to Vyolt and Walid "What did you find out down there?"
Walid Al-Malik When I finally discover it's a tree talking, I AM
immediately reminded of the helper.
"Did you say 'helper' just now? That's what we found... The gems say it has been killed."
Vyolt Vyolt is just -amazed- by this turn of events.
Walid Al-Malik "I may be able to restore it but I've never attempted to reverse the transition of life into death before."
Drufle (Hollyhock God) "Killed? Oh dear, that is most unfortunate. Did they say who did it? We have seen many beasts around these past years, I could not tell you who it was."
Walid Al-Malik "I guess we didn't think to ask..."
"But we can't communicate with the gems very well anyway."
Vyolt "I don't speak sparkle very well yet, but I think I'm improving!"
Drufle (Hollyhock God) "Oh yes, the rock spirits are a wily bunch. Little bundles of energy, I'd say."
Wilfred Pathwarden I look back up at the tree "Pardon me, great oak, but did you possibly see who, or what, else entered the cave below?"
Drufle (Hollyhock God) "Oh, I do not think that would be of much use. There have been many, many creatures to enter the cave in the years since he went down there."
Walid Al-Malik Walid remembers his manners "Pardon me, great oak, but I forgot to introduce us. This is Vyolt, a noble of energy, and I AM
Walid Al-Malik, a noble of transition. You have already been introuced to Jeanne and Wilfred, I gather."
Wilfred Pathwarden A wonderful thought struck me. I whip out my doormaster's book and flip through the pages, looking for these stairwells
Drufle (Hollyhock God) "Oh, Nobilis, yes. I was told of you by the young one here."
Wilfred flips quickly through the Mythic section of his book, finally landing on the page titled "Doorways and Portals of the Valex Forest."
Walid Al-Malik "So tell me, great oak, if that what I should call you, should I attempt to revive your helper?"
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Looking back through the past few years' worth of information, he can tell that most of the things that entered and left the room below were simple forest creatures, with a few magical beasts as well. Nothing intelligent, however.
"Oh, I do not think you could pronounce my name. I AM
often called the Lord Oak, however. If it does not inconvenience you, it would not hurt to have our keeper back."
Walid Al-Malik "I shall try, Lord Oak. Vyolt, come with me please, so you can translate the gems for me if needed."
I start walking downstairs, feeling self-important.
Vyolt Vyolt follows.
Walid Al-Malik Once I reach downstairs, I stop and look at the helper. "Well, here goes nothing..." I close my eyes and focus all my being on shifting the stage of existence of this helper. I try to think about the transition of life into death, and about reversing it, using all sorts of mental-visual metaphores and analogues.
Vyolt "Wait, maybe I should ask the stones who killed it first?"
Getting no response, Vyolt decides to ask around anyway. 'Who did this?'
Walid Al-Malik Walid is too focused to hear that remark. One of the side effects of having to define what stage shifts in what way.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The gems seem to be saying something like "Nobody."
Vyolt Vyolt tries 'What killed?'
Drufle (Hollyhock God) They reply, "The helper."
Wilfred Pathwarden I call down to Walid "Hey, Walid, could you divine some information about who shifted here?"
Vyolt "...Huh?"
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Meanwhile, the plant mass on the ground is slowly coming back together, reshaping itself into a more and more human form.
Walid Al-Malik Walid is still engrossed in attempting a fairly interesting miracle, and unfortunately fails to hear either of you.
Drufle (Hollyhock God) Embraced by the power of Transition, the body begins rising up, and eventually is on its hands and knees.
Walid Al-Malik As the effect transfers from thought to reality, the focus Walid has to pour into the miracle dwindles a bit. "I think it's working, Vyolt."
Drufle (Hollyhock God) It leans back onto its knees, and you can clearly see a face and human-like body forming.
Walid Al-Malik I open my eyes to behold my work
Vyolt Vyolt is a bit overwhelmed, unsure of what to say.
Wilfred Pathwarden I walk downstairs "How's it go...wow."
Drufle (Hollyhock God) The creature shakes its head, thwacking the side of its cranium with one of its leafy hands. "Sweet mother of nature, that hurt. The hell is goin' on around here?" It looks up at the four Nobilis standing around it. "Oh by the Imperators, who are you lot?"
Walid Al-Malik I sigh as the final forces of my miracle leave me. I AM
a bit short of breathe and so leave the speaking ot the others for a minute.
Wilfred Pathwarden I recover from my stupor "I AM
Wilfred Pathward the Third. These fine fellows are Walid Al-Malik, Vyolt, and Jeanne Ducercle. We are nobles of the Imperator Sauvage"
Drufle (Hollyhock God) He sighs, and slowly gets back to his feet. "Nobilis, huh? Should've known your kind was involved somehow. What are you doing here for? Got some wood to collect?"
Vyolt "Um, we were asked to help you out..."
Walid Al-Malik "That's a funny thanks for reviving you, my friend."
Wilfred Pathwarden "Good sir, you had died. The stone spirits were quite upset"
Drufle (Hollyhock God) "What, the gem guys? They don't die, they can wait a few decades for me to grow back. Seems like you expedited the process a bit, though."
"Not actually sure how I died, though. Usually takes something big to do that."
Walid Al-Malik "That's kind of the issue. The gems requested help themselves..."