[hider=Riva del Garda]Asher shook Justinian's hand, listening to his words. He seemed a little thoughtful at the mention of his element, albeit his last comment outright made him laugh. [color=salmon]"I would've mentioned if there was anything else. No disappearances, lots of strange noises since harpies like to sing at night but that wouldn't be strange to the townfolk, no missing pets. Sir,"[/color] He added hastily, realizing much too late that he likely wasn't being as proper as he should have been. [color=salmon]"All equipment is in the next tent over. Since the town's used to dealing with the occasional violent harpy, I'm sure you'll find everything there that you need."[/color]

He tilted his head and seemed to have something to say, his eyes darting to Bianca. When she nodded, he asked, [color=salmon]"So earth and...?"[/color] He looked at Theobald.

[color=salmon]"Fire,"[/color] Bianca answered.

[color=salmon]"Earth and fire. Was hoping for wind and gravity,"[/color] He admitted, scratching the back of his head. [color=salmon]"With no way to stop them from flying, we'll have to take care none of those rocks or flames hit the town. But hey, it wouldn't be fun if it wasn't a challenge!"[/color] He perked up immediately, clapping his hands together and striding over to the entrance of the tent. 

It was a bright day, with clouds lazily rolling over head. [color=salmon]"The main pack is [b]up on Garda Mountain[/b], the tallest one around here on the right side if you look over there,"[/color] He pointed it out. [color=salmon]"Our priority has been the safety of the civilians. So I guess it's up to you to go whack them around if you're thinking of going straight to the nest. Though, if you are, I can guide you there. Their attack will come in [b]two hours[/b] so if you're considering attacking, now's the time to do so. Otherwise, we can wait for them to come to us and set up an ambush."[/color]

[/hider]
[hider=Croia]Renata let out a tiny sigh as Sara claimed Jannick was kind, her experience saying otherwise. Her question provoked some thought, though Jannick preventing her from poking at Hollyhock caused her to scowl at him. At the mention of this new position, however, her jaw dropped. 

[color=khaki]“Chosen by the Chosen…I never would have imagined,”[/color] She told Jannick. The new information seemed to finally stop her in her tracks, eyes darting between each one of them and processing everything. She did lean away from Jannick a touch, trying to get closer to Hollyhock. Her dutiful Templar remained firm in his grip, making her look much like a child trying to get away from their parent even as she continued to lean away, complete with a pout on her face. 

Only when she stood straight for a few seconds did she turn back to Sara, bowing her head slightly. [color=khaki]"All harbor the blessing of Incepta that protects them, should they keep their faith. Harboring a blessing is as simple as breathing the air around us, to partake in the fruit that grows, to feel the waves of the shores,"[/color] She stated proudly. [color=khaki]"I suppose the spirits aren't necessarily children, but instead creations that She has placed here. They're terribly upset about something, why would they harm someone looking to understand why they're upset? By that logic, I will not be harmed should I enter the forest."[/color]

The knight scoffed. "Except everyone that has gone there ends up with their corpses dumped at the entrance," He stated. "Which is why we insist on barring your entry--for your own good."

[color=khaki]"And I insist that I will not be harmed,"[/color] Renata made an attempt to stomp over to the knight, only stopped by Jannick still holding her wrist. She brandished her free hand at the knight, pointing at him accusingly. [color=khaki]"And yet he who suffers from his little faith sees to it that the town continues to suffer! If it wasn't for your insistence on laced shoes like the [i]lazy[/i] bum you are, the blessing would be stronger in you! They're terrible! And I saw you throw down that wrapper on the grass! Not only daring to eat on duty but deciding to discard things at whim! Treat the earth as you have treated your body lest you let it fall to dismay, you absolute degenerate!"[/color]

The knight stared at Renata as Jannick dragged her back a step. [i]“Renata,”[/i] he warned sternly, glaring down at her. 

The blonde looked up at Jannick, anger simmering down a touch. [color=khaki]“I speak only in truths. Gaia is delicate right now,”[/color] She grumbled, though she did steal a glance to see if he was still looking at her. [color=khaki]“And did you see those laces? Atrocious.”[/color]

Letting out another huff, she straightened up a touch. [color=khaki]"Now, then. Shall we go? I can't imagine Holy Scions are only here to bear witness to an atrociously underdressed knight,"[/color] She changed gears entirely. 
[/hider]
[hider=Dumont]
Dr. Rhaveus listened intently as each Scion and Templar spoke, the pen hovering over his notebook scribbling madly, apparently writing far more words than were actually said. It continued to scratch at the notebook for several moments after Scion Maya finished, the professor deep in thought. 

[color=FFD187]“Interesting, interesting,”[/color] he murmured to himself, beginning to pace back and forth in front of the blackboard. [color=FFD187]“So the effect was prolonged for both of you, but only one suffered other ill effects…”[/color] 

He seemed oblivious of Sir Tyler’s accusation, fiddling with the button on his sleeve as he paced. His brow furrowed, and he looked as if something was not sitting right. 

[color=FFD187]“Do you recall if any other Scions present suffered the same symptoms as you, Your Highness?”[/color] he asked Lucas, not even sparing him a glance. Instead, he crossed over to a messenger bag propped up against the podium, muttering a spell as he rifled through it. A faint light pulsed in the mouth of the bag and Dr. Rhaveus produced a very well-used coil-bound notebook, flipping through its contents. 

[color=FFD187]“It’s just so strange…”[/color] he muttered again, eyes fervently searching the pages. At length, he finally looked up to his audience. 

[color=FFD187]“My apologies, Your Holiness…[i]es,”[/i][/color] he excused himself awkwardly, making a face, [color=FFD187]“It’s just that… well, I expected the symptoms to be much worse.”[/color]

He glanced back and forth at the book again, then waved a hand. As if from a projector, a scene materialized on the blackboard behind him, showing a white rat in a cage with a bulky machine pointed at it. The professor himself was visible in the background, clad in a white lab coat smeared with a dark fluid and fiddling with something on the machine. After a moment, he stepped out of the room, reappearing on the other side of a thick pane of glass. 

The scene had no sound, but the rat jumped as a component on the machine began to spin. Dr. Rhaveus watched from the window, transfixed. After a moment, the rat began to run frantically around the cage, climbing the bars; soon after, it fell to the floor of the cage, twitching and spasming until finally going still. Behind the glass, Dr. Rhaveus jumped for joy. 

The image darkened. [color=FFD187]“As you can see, in my first successful trial, the rat I subjected to artificial mana negation displayed the typical symptoms of mana poisoning: excited delirium, excruciating pain, and promptly, death.”[/color]

[color=FFD187]“Now, as I said, we don’t fully understand how our enemy employed mana negation to attack Scion Theodore. But I had been operating under two theories: either the enemy had a way to target specific individuals with their mana negating device, or that Scions are somehow uniquely capable of surviving the mana poisoning that results. Scions have been shown to possess unique qualities to their mana, so that hypothesis was not out of the question. However, I considered the former theory more likely, since there were no reports of anything unusual around the site of Scion Theodore’s disappearance. If the mana negation was not tightly targeted, I would expect it to have affected the surrounding area - killing any nearby plants, for example, or manifesting tainted mana.”[/color]

The professor closed the notebook, looking visibly uneasy as he resumed his pacing. [color=FFD187]“But I was troubled when I heard about the New Years events. For mana negation to have been deployed on that wide a scale, without directly harming any of the other attendees, is far beyond my capability to replicate. I suppose it’s possible for it to have been a targeted attack, but with the Scions so intermingled with the crowd - and in your case, Scion Maya, on the ceiling - I don’t see how they could have avoided [i]any[/i] collateral damage. Add to it now the fact that the symptoms were inconsistent among the Scions, and I struggle to explain it…”[/color]

[color=FFD187]“But it’s not all bad news,”[/color] he continued, looking to the Templars. [color=FFD187]“From what you tell me, it sounds like your armour nullified the effects of the mana negation. That’s excellent news - it means we aren’t completely helpless.”[/color] He nodded, almost to himself. He seemed to be forming a plan as he spoke. [color=FFD187]“It accords with my current understanding of Templar armour, as well. I’ll have to ask Dame Irina if I can borrow a sample to study…”[/color]

It took another moment of pacing for the professor to finally remember Sir Tyler’s objection. He looked up, surprised, as if the Templar had only just uttered the words. [color=FFD187]“I also thought it strange that Duke Colton would come all the way to Dumont just to speak to me,”[/color] he agreed, [color=FFD187]“but it actually used to be fairly common for Kaudians to seek out Doumerc’s universities. I suppose the timing was… unfortunate.”[/color]

He shrugged, not too concerned about the matter. [color=FFD187]“He was looking for information on the inheritance of Scion attributes - but rest assured, I didn’t tell him anything he couldn’t readily apprehend from any other scholar of mana studies. The study of Scion inheritance is an extremely active field in this country, especially at Ombres, where I usually work. He could have picked up any academic journal in publication and found everything I told him and more.”[/color][/hider]