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Here is my character. I've left a number of details open ended for her to make her easier to work with in terms of story implementation. That being said she's still a bit out there so I hope she's acceptable.

I like a world with need for eccentrically dark characters. I think I'll pitch my hat in the ring for this one. I'll be getting a CS written up when I get the chance, likely by tonight at the earliest.




Trypano had been searching the grounds where each battle had taken place. Powerful forces had died this day and even missed scraps from those who had taken their bodies could hold great potential. She found some blood from one of the Ogauracs that fell, a solemn reminder that people of such rare breeds should not be made pawns for one's own conflicts. It was bottled in one of her enchanted vials.

She found a scale, one lone scale sitting in the site where the battle between Wu Long and the Emperors went down. It wasn't a scale from the other dragons. This was... Different. It held potential to become something more. She was not going to place this item somewhere out of her attention. Instead, she slipped it into her cleavage. Not something she commonly did not really out of modesty but largely because not much was so small as to be concealable there yet so valuable as to require concealment. She might of tucked it below the skin itself in an isolated oil pocket but such body horror might end up catching her fellow student's eyes, something she needed less of, not more.

Lastly she came upon the plum. A curious fruit. Given her history with fruit it was not something to quickly overlook. As she reached for it however her binding picked up something else in the area, something near. It was something... Or someone.

"Well spotted," a familiar voice quietly remarked in both of Trypano's ears, such that it sounded like it was inside her head. "Both me and the fruit, heh. These are to die for, and there's more of them on the island once those two are done... settling their differences. Here, try it," Xiuyang said as she invisibly lifted up the plum and offered it to Trypano.

"I've said some things in anger that I regret. Today was one of those days. For what it's worth, I'm not exactly thrilled with some of our allies at the moment, either." Trypano could sense Xiuyang looking around, spotting something interesting and picking it up. It was... a spoon, quite some distance from where the dinner had taken place, as though a storm had carried it away. It seemed to be imbued with magic of some kind and quickly disappeared up Xiuyang's sleeve. "I'm disappointed in myself, as well. I killed a man today. ...My first kill, and all I can do is keep going about my business, like an ant dutifully carrying its spoils back to the nest." It was the second time that day she'd compared herself to an ant. The first had been while speaking to the Ice King. He had no words of wisdom for her. She supposed that Trypano probably wouldn't, either.

"After today, I'm just not sure what else I can do, or if there is anything I can do. Maybe that's why I want to help you. You seem to have grand plans to contribute some meaningful things to the world. All I can do is move money around."

She heard her voice projected into her ears. It was inherently different from the methods others had used to speak into her mind prior. Thus, it had to be illusion magic. Alas, it's owner was no danger to her, not inherently at least.

She accepted the plum from her hand, holding it in her own as she looked down at the fruit whilst she heard her out. As she listened to her words Trypano her red finger nail traced along the surface with the surgical accuracy of a scalpel, her binding slowly opening it's face until the insides of the fruit were revealed. From it she removed the pit, holding the seed bearing heart of the fruit in one hand whilst examining the fruit's flesh in the other.

"Words are tricky things. You can say something and have twenty different come to twenty different conclusions off those same words." She answered back before lifting her nail up to her lips, tasting the flavor of the fruit she dissected. "Doctors no less than soldiers must approach the unavoidable truth: Their trade and death run hand in hand."

Her head turning she slowly faced Xiuyang, her eyes staring off even if she was looking straight towards her. "I do have plans, yes. I've seen much and gleamed insight into many truths, such as the knowers. Those are the things which produced those titanic appendages from the sky." The turned, looking back at the crushed land where the tentacles fell before turning to look back at the ruins of the palace where the others squabbled over the emperors gifts like bugs upon a rotting carcass.

"I do share some measure of distrust towards some of the others. As any good merchant knows a deal is only worth as much as the dealer's word." She looked almost pensive, given how reserved she oft was. Her shoulders seemed to sag and she sighed softly.

"I do thank you for the offer of aid. I may be... Moving soon."

Xiuyang let out a hollow snicker, watching as Trypano dissected her food. Really, she was foolish to expect any other reaction. "If you can think of twenty different interpretations of 'screw you,' then I may just bow to your wisdom and abdicate the title of wordsmith." The lighthearted jape improved her mood just slightly before the topic of death was inevitably brought to the fore again. "Yes, I suppose it was inevitable, just as my first failure to save a life, I must someday take one in the interest of preserving others. It still feels cynical, that human lives should be represented by beads on an abacus, or kept in a ledger."

Xiuyang's head tilted back up towards the sky, as if expecting to find another giant eye gazing down at them. "The Knowers, huh," she remarked flatly. She did get a rather judgmental vibe from the eye. Certainly, if she were looking down at the scene back at the Twin Emperors' table... well, from a god's perspective, she supposed that was nothing interesting. Like bugs to a carcass, indeed.

"Rumor has it your word is worth a great deal," she commented in reply. "Normally, I don't trust anyone—or you could say I trust everyone to act in their own self-interest. Making deals is about ensuring interests align. As for me, I'm not interested in tacking my name onto your life's work, or extracting royalties. My interest in your work is more personal."

Xiuyang raised a brow, not at the notion of Trypano expressing gratitude, but at what she said. "Moving? You mean your workshop..?" she speculated.

"Perhaps in the wrong company some may purposefully misinterpret such words as invitation." A faint smirk pulled at her lips, only to return to solemnity as the conversation continued. "I've seen it often enough during my training. Upon discovering you cannot save everyone nurses will either quit out of stress or elsewise grow callous as a defense mechanism. You cannot empathize with those you know may very well die. There are some pains you cannot alleviate no matter how much they beg you to. There are even times where in triage situations where one must make the active choice to stabilize someone's wounds while knowing that by not treating someone else their death is certain." A slow cold breeze crept over them like a frigid ephemeral slug. Only the briefest of pauses but longer yet in the mind's eye.

"It is difficult to shield one's heart to the world's horrors and not lose what little empathy that still affords you to care for the lives of others. It is a line thinner than any wire yet all the more important that the costs of individual lives are not trivialized, especially if one believes they are acting for the greater good." As she spoke memories came to mind of fellow students of medicine, both seniors and juniors working aboard the naval vessel she served on. She recalled how in their off time the nurses would talk of their patients, using such polite nicknames such as Screamers and Writhers, regarding their fellow humans as little more than chores and inconveniences in their way, as less than human. For all the image the public may have of medical professionals as soft, caring humanists the truth is that the more suffering one witnesses the harder it becomes to not grow numb to it all.

_
"Indeed, one would be a fool to believe someone would help an acquaintance in their pursuits without somehow furthering their own agenda. Even a kind samaritan gets something from aiding those in need, such as a sense of validation." She paused to let Xiuyang speculate on her statement on moving.

"Yes. My current lab is located deep below, somewhere well secluded and difficult to reach without a guide. Recent events have revealed that it's privacy might soon be in jeopardy, if not from other's I've dealt with in the past then from the scope of what I'm trying to create." She took a moment, turning and examining the pit in her hand like a crow with a glinting stone. "Depending on what certain studies may reveal I might need a legally owned location to act as a front, both so I can continue my work without harassment and so that I may stick my food in the door to the public stage when that time inevitably arrives." With that being said she turned her focus back over to the book that was their prior item of discussion.

"I do not believe in hording knowledge for it does the spellcasting community a disservice. While I must be cautious as to what knowledge I share due to the public's perception as well as to not draw attention from less philanthropic entities I am perfectly happy to share my discoveries. If you want when time comes you can consult with me regarding questions that will be asked and view the answers when the book is finally used." She offered. It was not a light offer given what she might stand to learn from this item but Xiuyang hadn't contested her on it like so many other students were doing with each other. An act in good faith deserved at least that much in turn.

"The best I can manage is to pretend not to care," she confessed, turning her head to watch as Abdel's struggle with Niallus reached a swift conclusion. With Jocasta and Ingrid both waiting to leap in if it turned sideways, she appeared to be mostly unconcerned—but her heart rate was still high as she looked on. "Never did learn poker face. Never had to," she japed, invisibly gesturing to the mask she wore at all times, still for unknown reasons.

"You're right. True generosity is an expression of power, that comes with its own satisfaction. If a fully selfless act is even possible, it's a feat reserved for gods. That's what I think, anyway. We humans can only get so close—but the attempt is still honorable, I think. There's value in struggling against our selfish nature," she said confidently.

She listened carefully as Trypano described her needs. "My father may be acquiring land in Revidia soon. He's certainly aiming for it—but if you have the means, there is certainly no shortage of secluded locations in the deserts of Torragon. My mother's family is quite wealthy. They may have some unused land that I could commandeer, if you only have the means to travel that distance quickly."

She paused, letting Trypano think on it for just a moment. "Have you heard of a mana type that lets their host transform into other people? It's not just a rumor. It's quite sought after by certain groups, but exceedingly rare and kept secret by those fortunate enough to have it. ...I'd like to learn how to do this using only blood magic, if such a thing is even possible. Human body modification through fleshcraft, to put it simply. As for what I intend to do with such a skill, it's much less sinister than what you're probably imagining," she said truthfully.

"There is value in struggling indeed. Even with all the violence and greed rampant in this era we've come so far from the days of old, whence knowledge was scarce and superstitions were all that people knew of the world." With that she turned her focus more towards the topic of more immediate concerns.

"That is funny, It's much less sinister than what you're probably imagining is something I often have to preface the descriptions of my work with myself." She spoke in some humor, though it wasn't far from fact.

"To answer your question however, yes. I've read about the Face Mimic manatype, though not much is truly known of it due to both it's uncommon nature and the frequency of which it's hosts conceal their true identities, making it hard to follow the histories of it's recorded hosts." She reached up and cradled her chin in thoughtful contemplation, considering Xiuyang's ambition with focused interest. "In truth I've sublimated my own blood type before for temporary access to the effects of other blood types before. It's a difficult process, I'm still working on overcoming the Law of Rejection in my effort to make the body accept foreign aid without completely shutting down it's natural defenses. As we've seen with sanguinaires however it's not impossible for manas to welcome foreign manas into the body. The sooner I discover the truth of manas the sooner I will be able to denature them, alter them on a fundamental basis. Once that is accomplished anything will be possible." She then removed her hand from her chin and looked back in Xiuyang's direction.
"For the moment I've set my focus on Hegelan brewing methods. Having examined their handiwork first hand I can deduce that they've succesfully denatured their manas, keeping them in some form of solution instead of in blood like most other types. Once I'm able to perfect the mixture I'll be able to start testing the manas themselves. As for the issue of location if I were able to have someone properly act as the face for such a business I could begin distilling the manas for distribution. This could create a source of revenue untouched by any of the major merchant families or even the lords themselves. I'd be able to pay off the cost of the properties and perhaps expand productions, especially if we were able to convince any of the merchant families to invest. If there's one thing merchants would pay heavily for it would be to possess the very thing nobility have kept a monopoly on for so many centuries: The power to wield magic." Having turned this conversation to one about money she then draws and releases a simple sigh, waving off the matter as it distracted from her true intent. Xiuyang had been quite forward in her meaning thus far, saying rather bold things for someone they've only spoken with briefly prior. They deserved a show of faith in kind.

"The money is far from my true ambition however, just a means of seizing independence so that the petty whims of those in power no longer jeopardize my freedom to work. I would discuss the grander, perhaps even grandiose, aims of all this but I cannot relay knowledge gained from The Forked Tower on penalty of death. In time however, I may find opportunity to discuss it further." She gave a simple disappointed shake of her head, having so much to say but forbidden to speak it.

_
"If flesh crafting is your main interest however there is a topic which may benefit both of us. I'm in constant need of bodies to test my magic upon but the dead offer less insight than the living, especially on matters that would make one that is living no longer alive." She left a quick pause before continuing. "I've been growing back both my flesh and the flesh of others more times than I can count. What I am seeking to accomplish however would be to grow another body from but a single piece of myself." She held up the pit of the plum as a visual prop, representing growing something new from an already existing body.

"I understand it may seem sinister to try and clone oneself the purpose is very much for the sake of medical advancement. While it would be useful to have more than one of me to conduct studies whilst I'm otherwise occupied the real use would be in generating husks devoid of consciousness but fully capable of living under their own power. This would allow us to test our magic free of the dangers both to our own lives or to the lives of others." She then looked down, lacing her fingers in front of herself with what possibly be uncertainty.

"With all that being said may I ask your thoughts on these plans thus far? I must admit this is the most I've spoken about my work so far, it feels almost... Unnatural to me." A personal confession. Her desire to open up to others definitely strained against her years of abuse, judgement and isolation.

So what changed? What changed indeed...

Xiuyang snickered at her humorous reply. Yes, she supposed Trypano had dealt with others assuming sinister intent on the regular. Such was the effect of the church demonizing blood magic. She quietly listened as Trypano gushed about her life's work. Her sudden enthusiasm was a good sign that their negotiations were proceeding well, though it gave Xiuyang the impression that she may be the first merchant to show any genuine interest in Trypano's work.

Her suspicions would be confirmed as Trypano began speaking about Hegelan brewing. That particular topic was somewhat alarming to her. "You're not wrong. Money is an obstacle as often as it is an asset, perhaps more so. Hegelan brewing... I must caution you that I have uncles who have disappeared while trying to learn that secret—and a Solari does not simply get lost while traveling in a foreign land," she emphasized, choosing her words carefully. Certainly, a Solari had their means to disappear when they wanted to. The time came eventually, however, to give one up for dead. "The Forked Tower. Damnable obelisk of arrogance," she remarked bitterly. Someday, she believed, the secrets therein would be public. It was unlikely to happen within Xiuyang's lifetime though.

"It's a shame the sanguinaires are unlikely to assist in this endeavor of yours now, either—but I understand the gist of what you're after. You want a location that's closer to civilization, so you can monetize your work once it produces something profitable. In that case, I'll see about pestering my father for my own little workshop. I'm sure he wouldn't bat an eye at me keeping a business partner in my basement, even if he found out," she said with a cheeky grin. "On the topic of ownership, if your 'cloning' can let me accomplish my goals, I'll see that it's yours."

Apparently, she decided she'd drink to that, and took another long swig of her liquor.

Ah yes, the dangers they would face. She was quite well aware.

"I understand well. An entire society built off of such secrets has much to lose should the entire world start running competing products." The air around them was cold and stale in the aftermath of the previous battle, dust still settling even now.

"I don't intend to gamble with the lives of others. If you should find the situation growing too dire I will understand if you decide to cease communications and conceal thyself." She gave a slight aside gesture with her right hand. "It's not a matter I plan to rush either. Many elements will need to be tested for efficacy, set up to enable production proper and of course obfuscate either of our hands in this. Timing and preparation, along with the discovery in and of itself, will be key in implementation." While she made effort to assure her it was no guarantee of safety. Any number of loose ends or unpredicted events could turn the entire effort on it's head or make them lose theirs.

"In regards to the effecacy of the cloning process it's entirely possible, just a matter of technique. What can be made of it will be a matter of study that I shall assist in should you desire. At the very least should the book live up to it's apparent reputation you'll have a measure of say in what we gleam from the answers it gives."
"As for the the property I do have enough money to set up a down-payment should that come into discussion. Various treasures I've managed to collect have padded my coffers well enough and I've been sparce in spending it on trinkets of war unlike many of my colleagues as you may have observed." She looked back at the group, gathering more weapons and tools to heap upon themselves in an effort to become chariots of war in human form. How easy power could twist scholars into would-be conquerors and assassins. She looked back to the pit in her hand, and the flesh of the plum in the other.

"If the location has a garden or yard a plum tree would be suitably scenic."

Trypano was ambitious—dangerously so. One might even say foolishly so. Yet, Xiuyang could not help but respect it. Learning that she was shrewd with her money was promising as well. Though, she also glanced back at the others, and thought to herself that perhaps she could benefit from spending more on trinkets of war. The staff she held in her hand surged with manas, and the mysterious gourd left to her by Mountain Spring had twice given her a boost of energy unlike any alcohol she'd ever tasted, but would those alone have changed Cold Soup's fate? She doubted they would.

"How shrewd. I'd assumed you wouldn't want your name associated with the property for the time being, and I'd sell it to you later when that's no longer an issue," she explained. "It's something to think about once there actually is land to discuss." She shrugged. "The rest sounds agreeable. Including the plum tree," she quipped as she glanced back toward the others again.

"Someone's coming. Shall we wrap this up before he hears you talking to yourself?" She gestured to Valerian.

"You are correct about the issue of papers. Whoever's name goes on there would be tied to what comes out of it." She offered a casual gesture in the direction she presumed Xiuyang was still in. "Paperwork aside, I'm the sort that doesn't like to leave debts unpaid."

On Xiuyang's last remark she didn't attempt to identify who it was that was approaching, instead casting her gaze out to the destruction that marked the land. There was no need to answer as her silence was purposeful, no longer talking to herself, so to speak. She would simply ruminate on matter both worldly and beyond, her expressionless face back to neutral.



Involved - @Emeth

Walter Ozwyrd


Day 1 Time: Dusk/Evening Weather: Light Rain Location: Harold's Academy, Outside the Ballroom Participants: Walter Ozwyrd
@A Lowly Wretch, Professor Incanowitz @Aeolian






It wasn't exactly easy to find his way around the academy even when it wasn't under attack by giant monsters. With the chaos and the need to stay low lest he draw interest from the many critter swarms that seemed to be rising out from the ni-seraph he quickly found himself back at his dorm instead of where he had planned to go in the first place.

"Aw crud, this wasn't the way to the dueling room. Might as well make a pit stop " He muttered, climbing gingerly through the broken glass into his dorm. Once inside he quickly dropped his books off seeing as their value was not worth the extra weight dragging him down in this crisis of a situation. As he was picking up his lighter the door slammed open. He whipped his head around to see not a fellow student but a pupa. It might of had humanoid features but there was no way he'd mistake that ichthyoidal stare for anything else.

With it's right index finger sharpened into a long organic needle, the very tip moist with something other than water, it spared little time gawking as it rushed Walter. With quick wit he changed the faint sheen of rain on it's body into something else: lighter fluid. As he fell away from the monster he gripped the spray bottle, hooking it off his belt and pointing it at the creature as it neared him, ready to slash.

"Time to fry."

With a strike of the light he sprayed a focused line of what was now also lighter fluid into the attacking pupa, the lighter setting the fluid ablaze as it travelled and met the surface of the creature itself which was also doused in lighter fluid. It seemed that it's momentum was carrying it forward still as it screamed forth at Walter. Falling to his back he stuck out a foot to push back the burning nightmare fuel, incidentally kicking the creature square in it's midriff and sending it tumbling over him into the dorm's fireplace.

Like a tightly wound spring Walter sprung back to his feet, taking witness to the screaming abomination as it tried to lift itself up and out from the metal grills that kept the firewood in. Letting his fingers fly with pure instinct he slipped the lighter back up his sleeve and instead reached for the fire poker sitting a mere couple feet away from the fireplace. Swiftly and with brutal repetition he swung the metal implement into the creature, foul goo reeking of brimstone scattering about until quickly the struggle was no more.

His pulse raced, his knees threatening to knock as they shook. Walter hadn't been one to seek altercations and yet for the first time he had just dispatched one of humanity's greatest enemies in live combat. He felt like a leaf in a tornado, the adrenaline in his blood bringing out a cold sweat in him. In his brief struggle the mask's tie had come loose, fluttering down from his face leaving him just as he was: Walter, here and now.

_
Of course his victory was short lived. The commotion had drawn a couple more stray pupa who were now approaching the open door to his dorm. With fire poker still in his off-hand and his spray bottle in the main-hand he quickly dove back out the windows he came in from. Hooking the spray back to his belt and pocketing the lighter he loosed more fog as he scurried away in no particular direction. As he fled he spotted something distant. The Seraphim... Inactive?

Wait, why is it not deployed yet? The very thing it's meant to fight is knocking on our door and it's just sittin' there!?

He rushed forth only to see the reason for this laying there half conscious, struggling just to keep from drowning in the rain. It was Professor Incanowitz, The seraphim piloting instructor. Those things were always a curious wonder, machines fit to stand toe to toe with the ni-seraphim, built from their remains.

He rushed up to the downed professor, hurdling the chunk of masonry laying between them and moving up to the older man's side.

"Hey professor! Don't die on me, y'hear?!" He ordered, uncertain of how to help him but sure of the fact that he wanted to. While perhaps not the professor he cared for the most he kinda liked the old guy. Something about having passion for his craft resonated with the young capitalist. That was all aside from the fact that someone needed to pilot the seraphim. If it wasn't to be the professor then Walter needed him to get him up to speed on how to pilot one of these things in the time it'd take him to get up in there.

Even considering piloting the seraphim in times like these was probably crazy, a terrible idea no doubt. Still, if he wasn't going to pilot the giant robot then who was?

No, really, Who? Walter was very accepting of volunteers, especially on offers from anyone who'd know better than he on how to pilot this thing.
Here is Trypano's casting stats. It's a work in progress for the moment.


Walter Ozwyrd


Day 1 Time: Dusk/Evening Weather: Light Rain Location: Harold's Academy, Outside the Ballroom Participants: Walter Ozwyrd
@A Lowly Wretch, Professor Grune @Aeolian






The light rain swept along the rooftops, painting the surface of the land in a wet sheet. Even the ends of his and the back of his jacket were not exempt. Even still he peered long from his perch, trying to glimpse something from afar. For an old woman she sure could travel. He started to wonder what he'd been expecting to see when a subtle tone started rising above the din of the concert below.

"Huh, someone practicin' vocals? Where-" His externally audible train of thought was answered before it could complete by an announcement broadcast. Professor Grune's warning could be heard echoing out before it was cut short by an explosion, an urgent premature exclamation point to her message. The explosion shook the area, breaking many of the windows and off-setting Walter's balance. Without much warning he slid across the slope of the slick rooftop, swiftly approaching the lip. With only a split second to react he caught the lip of the roof, his fingers starting to slide off the slick edges.

"Woah! I'm faaaa- wait, I can fly." He realized, letting go and just slowly drifting down past the roof's ledge to the first window he could see into. Past the shattered frame he could hear many voices. Some came from the Illuminaires trying to rally everyone, some from others trying to help and yet many others just fumbling about in a panic.

Walter had never seen the Ni-Seraphi nor experienced the war first hand. His childhood mostly was a hazy recollection of their family's efforts to find new footing after a rogue Ni-Seraphi attack left them homeless. Hearing the song on the approach might not of sewn fear into this plucky young youth's heart quite like it would the older lot's, spooky though it certainly was, but it did leave him with a couple questions, ones he hoped to ascertain by peaking over the roof's edge like a gopher taking a cautionary glance out from it's burrow.

_
And boy did he get an answer. These things were big! If their prodigious size wasn't enough of a hint at their inhuman nature then their silvery eyes and great wings made it quite obvious just what they were.

"Crud. This night just went from bland to downright deadly." He muttered, thinking his next actions through carefully. He might of heard something from the Illuminaires about finding shelter but the problem with that is that he didn't have the keenest idea on where those were. He kind of put the whole safety measures spiel in the back of his mind since he never thought it'd get used.

He had one idea, though it was risky and would aggravate the hell out of a lot of very large, dangerous enemies.

Focusing hard his magic pulsed through unseen space. It was truly remarkable, even in the limits of what it was confined to doing. All the very many Ni-Seraphi in his sight were slick with rain as they moved through the storm. Within seconds however they were now covered in sticky tar, the kind used to help weather-proof ships against the tides of the endless ocean. It was as if they had stepped through a curtain of the black adhesive, the transformation spreading across all visible surfaces of theirs in a wide and fast ripple.

He had no idea how they'd react and he had no plans on sticking around to find out. Ducking back down below the roof's lip he removed one of the containers from his back. Looking through a mostly transparent screen of tempered glass he changed the contents within into the formula he saw used in theater smoke dispensers. One day at the theaters and a healthy amount of curiosity had landed him this nifty recipe which was going to come in real handy in a moment.

Uncorking the cap he swiftly landed, coming down into a slide before picking up into a sprint. He raced towards the dueling room seeing is that was where Professor Grune gave her announcement from, or so he assumed. Now, was it a terribly bright idea to sprint for the area that just got hit by an enormous explosion? No, not really. Walter wasn't trying to avoid danger however. He was aware that he may have just gotten the Ni-Seraphi's attention and thus by following his Illuminaire's orders he'd be directing their attention right to where everyone was. At the very least he figured he could set up a smoke screen behind him, something to help hide the others during their escape while making his way towards people he knew for sure could handle themselves in a scrap. The sloppily spilling liquid splashing from the vessel in his hands certainly was spreading a great deal of fog right along his path. All that remained was to find the professor before any of the Ni-Seraphi could catch him out of cover.

Provided Professor Grune was still alive that is. She was tough, surely she'd still be alive despite all the carnage...

Wouldn't she?

Walter Ozwyrd


Day 1 Time: Dusk/Evening (Before The Ball)/(During the Ball) Weather: Light Rain Location: Harold's Academy, Main Ballroom Participants: Walter Ozwyrd @A Lowly Wretch, Myrion Stevar @Teyao, Patty Grumbel @Aeolian





Seemed he had himself one who'd fancy himself a tough negotiator, eh? Well, Walter was not one to let his pitch die on the first hurdle.

"Interesting for you 't bring all that up. Nobody said a thing about spiking the drinks at the drinks table, least of all me. After all, do I look like the kind'a guy who'd intentionally violate the sanctity of the law and subvert the student council's authority purely for the leisure of it?" He posed his question back to Myrion, undaunted by his pressure. It was true, he wouldn't go out of his way to subvert legal authorities for the heck of it. Now, for profit on the other hand...

"Tell 'ya what-" He reached into his satchel, digging around while letting his words carry for an awkwardly long moment, before producing from it both his ink pen and the tips jar. With a quick jot he wrote Please drink responsibly, (Insert legal drinking age here) and older only. just below the tips logo on the jar. "They'll be fairly warned. If I know they're minors I won't serve 'em either."

With that said he shoved his stuff back into his satchel, folding table still underarm, and started shuffling off away from the guy and off towards the crowd. "Like I said, gum under th' table." Were his parting words to the four eyed fellow as Walter vanished into the growing crowd of students, slipping out of sight as he made his way into a lonely corner of the hall to start setting up.



Later, during the ball proper...



Walter sat there, feet kicked up on his stand, chemistry textbook in hand and only a couple loose quarters in the tip jar. The night was still relatively young and most folks were still worrying about who they were going to dance with and what-not. Not ol' Walter though, he wasn't about the dance scene. If having two left feet and the dancing complexity of a one-block rubix cube wasn't enough he just never saw the appeal in dancing in pairs. He sure as heck was sure nobody would wanna be holding his clammy, grubby hands though dexterous they may be. He was more of a ragtime sort of guy, down to jam to a peppy tune over slow-dance focused ball music.

Of course he wasn't here to dance anyhow. He was here to study and make a bit of cash on the side. The music was just a convenient background track to read to. It was odd that the headmistress had left with the bald one, leaving the whole show in ol' Miss Grumble's hands. Didn't strike him as much of a party host, lest it was a tea party that is.

Such was why it also struck him as strange when she quietly got up and started floating on by towards an open ceiling panel. Given that he was also somewhat in the back of the ballroom hall meant it was slightly more obvious to him than to anyone else occupied in their own gossip or dancing.

Huh, if she leaves then who's gonna keep the rain from running in through that open skylight? He wondered. It wasn't too much of his concern but a curiosity nonetheless. Shoving both the book and the contents of his tip jar into his satchel he got up and inconspicuously drifted up behind her, keeping distance so he didn't disturb what she was doing but mostly just floating up to the edge of the skylight just to see what might of been going on outside.

Good thing I wore my hat today He tipped the rim of his hat up as the rain ran down the sides, soaking anything below.



Meanwhile, back in the garden during the negotiations...



Trypano was brought to follow a man of noticeably shorter stature than her to the verdant gardens of the Imperial Palace. A variety of fruits and vegetables grew, some foreign, others grafted to create new variants of a species. There was an orchard not too far off where similar gardening experiments had been done and brought to existence a variety of different coloured fruits. They were definitely giving the Suspended Gardens of Gandakar a run for their money.

“You are a bright individual, far brighter than most of your peers.” started the man wearing the distinctly purple robe as he reached for a melon that had been ‘bred’ to have little to no seeds. “Far brighter than most people, I should say.” the fruit was split, showing off the literal fruits of knowledge sharing and meticulous work. “But, alas, our limited vessels can only give us so much time to realize our visions for this world. So few potentials end up truly realized.” he offered half of the treat to the pale scholar. “We can offer you that time. Time and power. Our power.” he smiled and tilted his head expectantly. “You would be one of us, Trypano Somia, and no longer will you be constrained by not only your own limits, but those also imposed by those who fail to see the potential of your vision.”

She walked in the garden with one who by now surely knew her own crew and theirs had clashed. This was no doubt an attempt to sway her favor, no less than it would be with many of her other peers. As expected, Laughing Squid offered flattery before stating their offer. With little else spoken before he offered a sample of one of the garden's many fruits she took the melon half from his hand, now holding it in her own.

"A bright individual may believe themself bright. The brightest however knows how little it means to grade so vague a term in a linear capacity." Her blood red index nail on her left hand traced the rim of the melon, it's very edge leaving a fine line on it's surface. Subtly, beneath her unmoving mask she was acting upon the melon magically. Her eyes scanned the chronological passage of the melon itself, leaving faint impressions in the instant as she initiated a bio-chemical state of decay in the skin of the fruit, running right along the line she had left both physically and temporally.

"Intelligence is a quality one may recognize but all struggle to truly define. Is someone who can memorize any information they are presented inherently able to make the most of resources present to them? Is someone who can deduce the solution to any puzzle no matter how complex naturally orient themselves in an unfamiliar location? Is someone who can perceive every force present and calculate the very outcomes of every interaction able to understand what purpose any of their own choices holds?" The rot that had set in followed the line, roots stemming out from the central point of contact, each stage in this necrotic progression pinned along both a mental, physical and even magical map she was carving along the rim in a long ring.

"In the end I am not smarter than them inherently. Rather, the course of events have led me to perceive things they have not. The sum of my experiences has led me to different conclusions than theirs. Time and experience may be able to better inform decisions but every mind differs in innate variables which lead to different conclusions. One could a nearly identical life from birth and still act differently from the other. Only in the full measure of time can one say what choices hold merit over others." What had appeared to be a ring was slowly forming into a spiral, the edge passing just beneath the rot which was slowly subsuming the outer layer.

"I have seen things far different from what most would experience in their lifespans. I've been displaced temporally, seen the end of Sipenta itself, witnessed those who monitor activity along the timestream, spoken to beings with knowledge beyond that of any mortal." The necrotic spiral left behind at the start of the trace line echoed throughout the surface, the path thinning as it meets up with the current where the nail carves along the surface.

"For what it's worth I see no inherent wrongdoing in their philosophy. The more power one holds the more difficult control becomes, the more essential it is to maintain. You build up a status quo, taking every factor present and regulating it until all things strike a harmony. Alas, new issues arise, new problems in need of jurisdiction. The judgement is passed and then later tweaked again and then again until the issue is satisfied. All the while as life grows, as people grow, the system expands and things which were not previously problems turn imbalanced once again." With each passage of the nail the rot starts to layer onto itself, the darkening edges warping with decay the longer it spreads.

"Being as short lived as I am thus far I can only imagine likening such a task to a carnival trick I once saw over in Mycormii. The performer would spin a plate upon a slender rod, keeping it balanced with focus until it strikes a balance. Then the performer would balance a new plate upon another rod whilst maintaining the previous plate. Two spinning plate, each requiring attention to keep them spinning without losing balance. This act would continue until the inevitable conclusion wherein a plate would inevitably destabilize and fall. The more talented the performer, the more plates they could keep spinning. Without the use of magic I've only ever seen someone keep up to twelve plates spinning at once. With magic, I've seen up to one hundred and forty four simultaneously maintained by a single practitioner." At this rate the rotten juices were starting to leak down her arm, dribbling from the weak points in the decayed shell as with each pass of the spiral the rot travels deeper and deeper towards the ripe, pink core.

"I do not judge them for acting as they've deemed necessary. In the end it is not my place to tell the people of Rettan who is more deserving to lead them. All I can ascertain is that with each passing event all life draws ever closer to certain destruction. A landscape sheathed in lava, oceans turned to acid and devoid of even a sky." As the spiral turns ever tighter it reaches it's final bend, stopping on a singular point in the center of the melon. Placing a waypoint to cap off the temporal pins she's left in the timeline of the melon's decay she studies it across it's many iterations, using the rot as a physical signifier of it's temporal location.

"Perhaps in a different iteration I may take you up on this offer. In this instance however there are matters that require looking into." For but a brief moment she tore her gaze from her little test to look at Laughing Squid directly.

"Tell me, where do you think these issues began? Had the traveler really brought so much dissent as to provoke action from Wu Long, the church and even the Nikanese? Was it Wu Long who set so many things into motion with his machinations? Did either the church or the Nikanese slowly pluck at the strings until all this control came unwound, prompting this bout of chaos? Or perhaps it was something more integral, more intimate with the emperors themselves that changed? Why do you think all this occurred after knowing stability for so long? After all, even you must have begun to notice things after serving for so long." She asked him, probing the man even as she stared through into the very plane of existence of this decayed, rotten fruit she now held.

“You take an awfully long time to say ‘no’,” the one known as Laughing Squid had not moved his lips. In fact, he hadn’t really moved at all and stared at Trypano completely expressionless. The voice came from something closer than her. In her hand was the same fruit she had rotted away, except it was back, cut in half and perfectly restored. Except it had a mouth, one with thick pink lips and pearly white teeth, that spoke with the Squid’s voice. “for a being with so little time.” the melon then grew a pair of brown eyes and narrowed toward the pale scholar.

“HeeeeeHeeeeHeeeeee.” the half-fruit vibrated as it snickered. “Consider your position, and mine, young larvae.” the fruit licked its lips, causing melon-scented mucus to ooze out of it and spill, potentially onto Trypano’s wrist. “You should be listening to me. Not the other way around. And I recommend you heed my offer very carefully.” the motionless Black Guard infrequently looked over to the other fruits. They remained unchanged, for now. “Eternal life. Power that surpasses what you could ever achieve in your lifetime. Unobstructed research. All for just a teeny, tiny bit of cooperation.” the slush-like contents of the fruit briefly turned into an arm and hand, with index and thumb forming a C shape to illustrate just how small her role was. “But not only that. Stormcloud’s grounds would be made available, and permission to the Philosophers’ Archives of ReTan granted to you.” the fruit began to rot away as it had been just moments prior, until it was nothing, but it spoke a final line before it vanished. “A temporal scholar’s dream. Or Hell, any daring mage’s, I say! HeeeeeHeeeeee!” the fruit was truly no more.

“What will it be, then?” asked Laughing Squid with a placid smile.

Trypano looked on, her expression no different than it was to start. It was remarkable she didn't look more unamused with his deduction.

"My, you are terrible at negotiations, aren't you?" She answered flatly. "Here I was thinking I could at least get some work done." She cast her gaze back to the fruit he previously altered.

She cast the remains of the fruit aside, clearly tampered with and thus irrelevant to her experiment. "Another question for you then: What sort of fool would trust the word of one who's loyalties are traded as readily as the trinkets of a merchant?" No longer interested in this dullard who struggled to follow her logic she turned and started back towards the main dining room where (presumably) her colleagues remained.

"Act unto me or scurry back to your master's feet. You will do continue to do your duty just as I shall continue to do mine. Surely you can grasp at least that much." She dismissively waved him off, fully expecting him to try something as no doubt this was most probably a trap. The whole dinner was a trap, this much she expected. This bit was just... Annoying mostly.

Here she went thinking she might actually get to have a decent conversation for once. Even immortality can only build on what's already there apparently.



Involved -

Walter Ozwyrd


Day 1 Time: Dusk/Evening (Before The Ball) Weather: Light Rain Location: Harold's Academy, Main Ballroom
Participants: Walter Ozwyrd@A Lowly Wretch, Myrion Stevar @Teyao





Just as he was making his way over to set himself up a shadow cast itself over him, a person interposing themself between him and his destination. He looked up to see the humorless bespectacled face of what he could only assume was an illuminaire staring down at him.

"Weeeeeeeeeell... You see..." He stalled for time, his brain quickly sorting through excuses, discarding bad ones until something shuffled to the forefront. Curses! Humorless authoritarians stifle the free market once again. He swore internally, his face masking his internal turmoil with a nervous smile.

"Tessa made'a strong case for us t' show and she'd be super disappointed if we didn't. Trust me, if it were up 'ta me I'd be back in the dorms studyin' for class instead of out here, studyin' for class but in style." He explained. He couldn't count on this guy letting him off however, fellow seemed like a bit of a control freak given how he was buzzing about the floor just a bit ago, more in Walter's peripheral vision prior but it was drawn to the mind's forefront now. He stared back, gauging the guy's internal workings like he was a tall clock.

"If you think this ol' setup will disrupt things don't you worry! I'll be like a piece of gum under the table and stick out of sight. Positive-a-ly harmless! Guaranteed!" Selling his case he started backing up hoping the guy wouldn't press the issue much further.

It was at that moment he had an epiphany. Like the devilish Grunch plotting it's sinister deeds his smile widened into a devilish grin.

"Of course if I weren't allowed t' set up any tables here I could always just abandon the poor thing outside and just do what all the cool kids do: hang around the punch bowl and champaign towers. Nothing in the rules says there's no standing there is there?" He suggested, fully aware that while not outright stating it there was a definite subtext that he'd be plying his trade over at the drinks station, taking tips for concoctions made straight from catering's stuff instead of his own rain water.

"Real shame about leavin' my stand out but guess m' hands are tied." He feigned defeat and turned, giving a mock shrug. It was pure genius: either the guy lets him run his stand or else he drives up the risk of Walter spiking the punch bowl tenfold. It was an old catch twenty two, and not just the kind where you catch a twenty two inch snapper to sell at the fish market.




What they had set in motion was nothing short of a calamity. As they dispatched to aid the Ogaurac they were instead sent blind and caught out without their backup. Something held Wu Long up and thus she was required to buy them some time. A lie and a portal later they had to act. Using the portal as a chokepoint to divide their enemies they struck. Only, even with the aid of a new student and the Ogaurac remnants they were still outmatched against the white guards and Golden Monkey.

In truth she had gambled on something untested. She deemed the risk necessary but perhaps she had lacked faith in her comrades. Worse yet, she compromised her testing standards and gambled on something working without fully understanding it. There were many mistakes she had caught in those final seconds as Ingrid readied her fissile assault but it seemed the concoction strained her in an unpredicted fashion, that much she could deduce.

With little time left she used her limited grasp on temporal magic to plant a pin in this particular moment, something for someone with greater understanding to pivot against. This was perhaps what allowed them the extra second or two to escape as Wu Long set them up multiple portals, All while Golden Monkey escaped leaving Ingrid's attack to collide with a bomb of the other's making on their side of the portal.

Trypano saw the nearest portal but it was still too far to run, not with the scant second they had to sprint before detonation. Readying her magic she prepared something desperate before something caught the back of her dress. Apparently there was another portal just behind her, one she had failed to spot initially but Ingrid hadn't. The woman dragged her back, sending her falling into the spacial aperture right as it closed on their heels. In the distance an explosion rocked the very earth but they were not left at the epicenter. They were safe, at least for the moment.

_
Trypano stood, brushing herself off before scanning the environment, taking a count of everyone present as well as passively scanning their bio-signatures. All of them had escaped save for a few Ogaurac unlucky enough to not reach a portal in time. Still, they had wasted not only the lives of what was supposed to be an arm of their faction in the coming conflict but time as well as the element of surprise. Their enemy now understood more about them. This was unequivocally lost, if not the war than at least the battle.

"Anyone still injured do report for restoration." She announced generally, plying her trade to all who still required it. Five knew that some of the students needed it given the attacks they had to withstand in that skirmish. She paid no mind to the newcomer nor their fatal mistake. This was not the time to pass judgement upon their new ally, incompetent though they had proven themself. She instead turned her focus towards Wu Long himself.

"I gather something interfered with your passage to our destination?" She inquired, her voice neither accusatory nor sarcastic, simply analytical. Cold.

"I should hope that Maura still draws breath and is simply occupied elsewhere." She needed to keep monitor of every student present as it would be easy to get caught up in their own failure and lose track of loose actors. Regardless of her actual feelings towards her or her allegiances she was bound to keep her alive until they could be returned to the arch-zeno and give unto them their report of this situation. Such was the role of a Binder by profession, perhaps something not everyone who practiced binding amongst their midst remembered clearly.

"There is another matter to discuss. You and I need to speak, soon." It was a subtle indication that the topic of discussion would need to remain between them. Depending on his choice the others wouldn't need to know the contents of this discussion as it would cease to matter, provided it's still a possibility for them.

She disdained social subterfuge so but as with many things her personal feelings were irrelevant.



Involved - @dragonpiece,@Force and Fury,@YummyYummy,@pantothenic,@McKennaJ71,@Ti.
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