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DragonMistress
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 Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 1:15 pm
Nightwalker Mansion is a new twist on an old idea...the typical dungeon crawl, given a new twist.
The basic outline of progression goes as thus:
1. Enter the mansion
2. Receive a goal (Or you can have a goal before you go in, there's plenty of loot to go around)
3. Explore
4. Solve puzzles, win fights, etc
5. Meet/fight the Mega Boss
6. Receive reward and get out alive
1. Enter the Mansion
The easiest way into the mansion is through receiving an invitation. For the purposes of this guild, let's assume everyone's acquired said invitation, either by stealing from someone else, being tipped with one at work, winning in a lottery, or finding it laying around somewhere. (In the world-setting, Nightwalker Mansion is moderately well-known, although security is very tight and very few people know about the INSIDE of the mansion. Invitations are exceedingly rare and an unused one (With the transport spell intact) could indeed be used as a form of currency, since so many people are so curious. All invitations expire on use, IE, once you go in, you need to A. have everything you might need with you, since who knows what you might find or NOT find inside the mansion and B. have a plan for how to get back OUT again with whatever swag you manage to grab.
2. Receive a goal
Obviously, you already have a few minor goals...getting through the mansion alive, getting back out, and of course I imagine you want something of some sort of value to you. This could be raw wealth...you heard a dragon slept in the basement and want part of the hoard...a rare magical artifact stored in one of the vaults, to bring your wife/kids back from the dead with...knowledge, from the vast library...or hell, just the adventure of it. Either way, your first 'encounter' inside the mansion will in many ways determine the path of your adventure. You will meet a strange creature who will ask you what you wish to receive. You don't need to tell him the truth and what you actually get may have nothing to do with what you ask for, but he WILL take your answer and use it to give you some form of definitive goal, such as "What you seek lies within a vault below the rose garden. You will need to obtain a key from the housekeeper to open it." Obviously, you don't need to follow his directions...and it really won't matter much if you do or not. If I want you to meet the housekeeper, you'll run into her sooner or later. If I don't, you won't. If you piss me off, you will wander dull, empty halls forever.
3. Explore, 4. Solve puzzles win fights etc
Once the door-greeter has received you into the Mansion, you are free to pick a direction to travel in. Summaries of the directions for each person RP'ing in the mansion will be listed at the bottom of my posts, IE, "Forward (into the garden), left (under the balcony), right (up the stairs), Back (to previous room)." Note that you may only have two directions (forward and back) or you may be given a wide variety. If I respond to multiple people in the same post, they will each have their own set of directions indicated if needed.
As you move through the mansion, you will meet a wide variety of people and creatures. Some will automatically attack you. Many will have interesting things to say if you speak to them, although more often they will give you bits of the story behind the mansion instead of direct clues relevant to your 'assigned goal'
There will be certain characters you will DEFINITELY meet regardless of where you go or what you do, also, heading to certain areas of the mansion will trigger certain encounters 'on demand' (you go in the basement, you WILL find a dragon there, you go to the kitchen, the cook will PROBABLY be there, however, there might be other people/creatures instead of or in addition to, or you MIGHT even find the kitchen empty). However, other encounters will be completely random...not only where and when, but who you meet and what they have to say.
5. Meet/fight the Mega Boss
Spoiler alert...it is EXTREMELY unlikely you will get out of the mansion without meeting the owner and being held held accountable for your actions in one way or another. Bring either a silver tongue to persuade her, something nice to bribe her, or a plan for how to fight her.
Here's the odds for said meeting: I'll roll a d20 (And I'll hide the post I did it in, so you won't know what happened). If you get a natural 20, you will automatically bypass her unless you make a specific effort to seek her out. If you get a natural 10, I will tell you you can ask for a reroll if you want and both 20 AND 10 will end in a bypass. Any other number means you have to EARN any rerolls and bypasses you want through RP (You will have to ask me for both, OOC).
Note that things like 'win' or 'lose' or 'escape without loot' or even 'win mega bonus prize' aren't being handled by pure chance. You have to earn those through RP. As a note, though, if your bypass roll fumbles to a 1, you will have a high-stakes encounter...she will be in a foul mood, less likely to be bribed or bargained with and much harder to fight, but there will be a huge storyline reward available no matter how the encounter goes.
6. Receive reward, get out
Depending on how part 5 goes, you might not even need this section. But assuming you grabbed your swag and it survived the meeting with the megaboss, or by lucky chance you manage to escape her completely, now you have to escape the mansion with it. Hopefully by now you've figured out some basic information, like where you are, and what the security system is like, which will make this section almost laughably easy when you get to it.
YOUR ENTRANCE
The atrium is laid out according to the map above, whereby the red circle shows the approximate size of an average human, at the point and facing in the direction where they are deposited by the transport spells included in the paper invitations to the House. Naturally, there is not actually a red circle on the floor at that point. A chime, much like a doorbell, gives an audible warning to the House inhabitants that a visitor has come.
Yes, the entire atrium is done in a checkerboard of black and white marble. Very beautiful, but very disorienting, especially to newcomers. The vivid black and white geometric patterning basically makes it so the exact size, shape, and features of the atrium are very difficult to figure out upon immediate entry...the Atrium, in fact, is a three-dimensional optical illusion of checkerboarded space. Also, this emphasizes the fountain and staircase, the curves of which are easy to distinguish against all the right angles and parallels.
The fountain, with a white basin and a black border wide enough to sit on, is very literally the heart, soul, and voice of the house...there are gold-tinted mana orbs held by the jets, which illuminate the water, and thus provide the primary lighting source for the atrium (not to mention a few other hovering mana orbs and at least one ring bracketing the upper reaches of the spray area and fountain statuary), and the falling water cascades over several water keyboards and flutes, making a soothingly mellow-toned antiphonal melody that provides background sound for the area, and softens out the otherwise horrendously echo-y acoustics of the unrelieved stone. There is a row of silver cups kept on the ledge around the fountain, meaning the water is available for all who gain entry to the House to drink...provided that they are not of a race that reacts badly to silver.
Behind the fountain, the stairway spreads itself in magnificent grandeur, white steps and black risers in the inverse of the white walls and black rim of the fountain. The stairs sweep upwards from just behind the fountain, to a platform against the far wall, where the House Standard hangs-a sideways diamond-pupiled red eye, embroidered on beautiful silvery silk. From this platform, which is in and of itself almost large enough to support a string quartet, the stairs rise again, to a small landing on either side, where doorways filled with black silk curtains lead off into the rest of the House. The stairs continue past these landings, to climb up to a third story along the white walls of the atrium, where other doorways lead off into yet more areas of the House.
Held within the massive arches of the main staircase, however, are two statues...a handsome, smiling Devil on the left, one hand raised in coy beckoning, with a tail that twists into the darker, unlit areas underneath the staircase and sweeps in an onyx curve over the polished floor, and on the other side, a wrathful Archangel with spreading, glorious wings, one fist upraised to smite down all who approach too near.
Around the periphery of the octagonal room, white Roman columns stand in the corners, holding up the staircase where applicable, the domed and windowed ceiling where not. Each pure-white column is flanked by a pair of onyx statues, depicting various persons, in various poses.
The rest of the floorspace is empty, and behind the entry-point, the great blackstone-carved relic dimension door that marks the House as being a noble house resides, inert and resting.
Directions: There is a door behind the entry point, a door on floor level to both the left and the right (visible only on close inspection), a passageway hidden in the shadows under the staircase, a door each to both the right and the left up the staircase to the second floor, and a door each to both right and left farther up each wing of the staircase on the third floor, for a total of eight points of exit, one for each side of the atrium. However, staying in place to await the greeter is recommended for houseguests who want a largely non-confrontational crawl.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 2:42 pm
Oldon Seremir stood still with the piece of paper in his small yet sturdy hand. The words which he had just read seemed to dissolve into the paper and vanish before his crystal blue eyes. He stood 5 foot 5 tall and had shoulder length, mostly dark brown hair but for a flash of blond that ran down one side of his face. With him he had a reasonable size pack which contained a few essential - food and water being the man items but also a few herb extracts and healing equipment. He was dressed in a floor length tan coloured robe under which he wore dark, age worn leather trousers and a cream tunic tied at the waist with a darker brown sash. In the hand which was not holding the invitation was a gnarled black wood staff that rose at least a foot above Oldon's head. It was not for walking, as he was light and quick on his feet even through harsh woodland, but for protection. To his right and slightly behind him, a grey wolf sat - ears pricked high and ice blue eyes alert searching for any movement. Oldon had a special connection with Segan his Wolf. He had owned him since he was a boy learning the Druidic ways, he learnt to communicate with the wolves and other creatures, however with Segan there was no need for speech as their conversations were able to be completely telepathic.
It was then that Oldon decided to look about him at the strange room to which he had been taken. Being a Druid he was no stranger to spells but he had never before come across such a power transportation spell. He stared a few moments unblinking until he was forced to shut his eyes. The pattern of the room made it feel as if the walls were swaying first to one side and then the other. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again. He knew he had to get over the sensation if he had any hope of moving from the spot he was in. He tried to focus on the objects within the room and not the room itself. First his eyes fell on a beautiful fountain directly in front of him, then flicked to a large menacing statue of the Devil and then across to an equally disturbing Angel. Well Segan He thought across to his faithful companion I'm not sure where we are but we made it here in one piece.
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 9:18 am
For some moments, the room remained, static and unmoving.
Hello there, traveler and companion. Welcome to Nightwalker Mansion.
A few moments after the telepathic voice appeared, a black panther trotted out from the shadows under the stairs, lowering a broad head to pass underneath the Devil's coiling tail and padding closer to the pair until it could leap up onto the lip of the fountain and sit there. Up-close the creature seemed uncanny, unnatural somehow, as though it wore a glamor to mask it's appearance, but no magic trails, no ghostly after-images gave hint to what was being concealed. Jet black eyes, featureless as stone orbs, presumably watched the pair...unless the creature was, as it could well be, completely blind and moved by scent and memory alone.
You are correct if you think I conceal my true form, the voice continued. My race is too old for the minds of men to see, my language too ancient for them to hear unless I place the words directly into their memories. You may call me... A confusing flurry of sensations then, isolated and out-of-place against the harsh backdrop, the hot dryness of the sun on one's skin, the cool almost metallic sound of rushing water, scent of dust, taste of leaves, feeling of space and the tremendous weight of years piled up almost beyond being borne. ...or, Merlin, if that is more convenient for you. Tell me, druid. For what do you seek, within the walls of this...cursed/forgotten/desolate...House?
Tail tucked over forepaws, the creature sat upright, opaque eyes yielding none of what passed behind them...or was the entire construct a hallucination of a sort, as the pair's minds were subtly manipulated by what had as much as admitted to them, a master of the psionic arts? Certainly it was a race advanced in such things indeed if they named their children and themselves not with syllables and sounds, but with sensations, identities as integral to the ones they described as their own very soul. The panther nodded slowly, as though admitting that the thought was a correct one...it was not even present, in the physical sense, at all...merely an illusionary avatar to fit the mores of politeness and convention.
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 5:57 am
Oldon felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and could sense that the same had happened to Segan. He had watched the creature and heeded it with a nod. As it was talking to him through his mind Oldron decided he would keep it that way. Consciously he closed off all but the part of his mind in which he wished to have to conversation in as he did not want his every thought to be sent to the panther. What do I seek? Oldron thought to himself. Before he had left the village an item had been described to him by one of his elders and although he had made a mental image of what the item looked like it was probably not as it was in reality. What he sought after was a seed. It was not just any seed but a golden seen. A seed as big as a man's head and about as heavy. Upon the outside of this seed was carved words in the ancient Druidic language that whorled around covering it entirely. He did not know what the words said exactly but he new that they needed to be said - but not now - not until the seed was back in his village. The current dilemma was whether or not to tell this being the truth or to lie. In the majority Oldon was a good person and very rarely lied. When he did it was mainly to protect something or someone.
He decided that for now this creature posed no threat. He could sense no menace in his stance or in his tone. I am searching for a seed of gold, inscribed with words of my tongue of old. He remained standing in the same position which he had been when he arrived in the mansion except that he was looking into the cold eye of the animal before him and the hand holding the invitation had been brought to his side. Segan sat by his side. Every muscle in the wolf's body was charged and ready for action upon Oldron's word.
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:11 am
What you seek will not be in the dragon's lair, the panther replied immediately, then took a bit more time, probably examining and turning over the mental image that had been provided, sniffing at it and perhaps finding the residue of the original shaman, maybe even, in some hidden corner, that man's predecessor. In fact, I do not think it would be in this House. I will ask the Conclave of Earth when next the stars line up for such communication.
The panther's head tilted, and tail slipped over it's paws, as though counting against the crooked toes there. It will be seventeen days before I speak to the Conclave. You have until then to prove yourself worthy to receive the answer. Dark, furry lips curled upwards in a smile, obviously Merlin was pleased with the man's honesty. There is one in these halls that has gone quite mad and is beyond my touch. An assassin named Dag'sheera, a demoness in the form of a woman with four horns. A mental image accompanied the rudimentary description, this time depicting a creature with almost snow-white skin, tattooed with a red circle on her forehead and crescent moons below each eye. She wore dark robes, seemingly loose but crafted of nothing more than shadow, as were the daggers that hung skirt-like around her hips. Her true clothing was woven from the shrouds of wraiths for silence and to mask her aura, and clung tightly to her body beneath a cloth-covered armored corset. With the sensitive nose of a wolf to guide you, do you think you could find and eliminate her?
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 1:09 pm
Oldron took in everything Merlin had told him and the image of the demoness lingered in the forefront of his memory. He noted the places in her armour which could be weak and the places that it would not be worth trying. He quickly relayed what was going on to Segan and the wolf audibly snarled - the first real sound to be heard since they had arrived. Although Oldron was considered to be neutral good, such that he did not kill for sport or seal but he did not have too strong a conscience also being a Druid he did not have a God of such to justify his action, he found he was generally unable to kill without good reason. A good enough reason for Oldron normally was that it was attacking him or another good or defenceless creature. It was because he felt such a strong connection to living creatures and she was at least living in some sense. He was also certainly not the kind of person that would kill someone or something because of a personal vendetta. Tell me, Merlin, apart from her insanity what reasons are there to kill her? Then after a momentary pause he added Is there anything else you should tell me of her?
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 7:13 am
She endangers those inside the house, Merlin responded with the deep gravity of one who considered that reason enough. This House is a safehouse in the middle of a maelstrom. A blot in the eye of Hell itself. Our Warlord (the word resonated with the 'dragon' Merlin had mentioned earlier, as though the two were two faces of the same creature) must kill, constantly, without rest of cease, to keep this haven safe. And this one demon inside the walls could easily kill us all over time, and render her (warlord) efforts useless.
Merlin sighed, then settled himself downwards, lips curving upwards in a sad, taut smile, folding one paw over the other and looking for a moment into the shimmering water beside him.
I confess. It was my fault she was allowed in. I saw a chance at redemption in her mind. Few demons possess that. And we are few on trained warriors, which is why the dragon/warlord may have no peace save when the weather prevents attacks. A long, slow sigh, and then a shaking of his head mournfully. She intended to betray us, this House, of course. To sell our secrets to the outside. We thought we could remove the desire to do so from her. But it had been rooted too deeply. When we plucked out that string from her mind...it unraveled, completely. There is nowt there for us to salvage. If you can find another solution... The broad, flat head turned, staring once more into Oldron's eyes, paws flexing to reveal sharp claws for a moment. ...you may try it, of course. But she cannot stay here, and she cannot be turned loose Outside. And one other thing. You will be given a soultrap. When you kill her, you must trap her soul, or she will return to life and your work will be for naught.
Slowly, the panther roused himself, standing up to all fours and beginning to step down from the pedestal, pausing to turn and look back at Oldron with those featureless black eyes, like stones set beneath fur. Before you try redemption though. Know that I am powerful enough to change your memories as they are made so that you can hear and see me. I can write on your mind as others could a blank sheet of paper. And I am not the most powerful psion in this House, merely one of a great and teeming Pack charged with maintaining safety and security within this House. If my Pack declares that her mind is a wreck beyond salvaging means, that is not a condemnation to take lightly. The fact that she is beyond our touch at all is not a fact to take lightly. She is mad, yes, but that does not make her docile or stupid. What I have charged you with is an appropriate task given what I believe the value of what you seek will be.
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:31 am
The Druid nodded as he listened to what Merlin was telling him. He let his exterior remain calm and positive but in the dark recesses of his mind he wondered how he would be able to defeat this creature if the powerful beings of this house could not. He wondered how cleaning up after this mind-writer would be a fair exchange for knowledge of this seed that he had been sent to collect. Perhaps this creature new more about the seed than the elders had let him know. He pushed those thoughts to one side. He was not here to gain knowledge but to find the item for which he had been sent. He nodded once more, eyes locked on the dark cat and said cooly I guess I have no choice but to find this mad woman. I do not know yet what it will take to defeat her but I have been sent here for a purpose and I must fulfil it. Take note that I do not make a habit of cleaning up after the mistakes of others but I shall make an exception considering the strange circumstances in which I find myself. He paused for a moment to let the creature heed what he had. Before you give me the soul box and send my companion and I on our way, would you be so kind as to give us a point in the right direction out of this optical illusion? I have looked for a door but every time I remove my eyes from you my mind spins.
Segan made it clear that he did not approve of his friends decision but Oldron hushed him. He only wished to have one voice in his mind at a time, especially when one was as strong as this Merlin. I shall have this argument with you once we are done here he informed his wolf.
((sorry, life got a little hectic for a moment there))
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Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 10:39 am
Hell is Home to us who have taken the Devil's invitation, Merlin rumbled pleasantly to himself, turning and trotting towards the open-armed onyx statue, the transcendent and beautiful horned man with hands spread, palms showing, fingers slightly curved and executed large enough that the panther could conceivably curl up for a nap within the protective hold of one great hand. The...kitchen/place we stay...is this way. You will see more of the Pack as they come to trust you.
Trusting the pair to follow him, the panther ambled into the shadows, passing through the black loop of the Devil's tail and moving through wispy, gauzy black curtains that were as much one with the shadows as darkness themselves.
Once through the doorway, though, the hallway they entered was warm, lit by yellow-tinted light from glowing orbs held by statuettes hung on the walls, warm golden wood carved into elegant wainscoting, murals on the walls of a thousand strange and beautiful landscapes and a seemingly infinite, yellow-bordered brick-red runner down the center of the hallway. Merlin moved now with an odd, heavy noise, as though the illusion had caught up with whatever the reality was, and that reality was slightly larger than the panther appeared, and much much older. Bone and tendon creaked occasionally, and the sense of a weight implied by too many years had grown a little stronger.
It will not be so difficult to, as you put it, clean up our mess, Merlin purred to himself, thoughtfully, curling his tail around under his rear legs and eventually butting open the kitchen doors, tall double-hinged things likely to be found on a modern restaurant as much as in the depths of the Mansion. It is more that we all have our own jobs. If you are to be here, you must have one too. And janitorial is a very good job for one to start in. After all, as the humans say, it is all uphill from here. This is where meals are served. As a guest of the House, you may come and eat.
The "Kitchen" was a cavernous huge room, suited to the feeding of a small army, stretching off into the depth and rear of the House in an expanse of shining white tile and clean, glittering stainless steel. Amid the maze-like profusion of machinery and implements, a section near the double doors had been cleared, a round table settled into that place, wood-topped and surrounded by chairs and stools of several sizes.
Leaning forwards over the table, a small-boned girl, wearing a black corset, with dark-purple hair pulled up into a pair of pigtails, seemed to be working with an assortment of leather straps, gemstones, and a soldering iron of some sort. A fluffy white towel was draped over the chair behind her...white, that is, save for the vivid red splotches of fresh blood that oozed and dripped slowly out of open wounds on her back. As the door swung open, Merlin dipped his head towards her.
"What'sis, then?" the girl responded, raising one brow and managing to speak and snap pale-pink gum between her teeth at the same time. She was heavily made up in the usual lolita goth fashion, heavy dark eye makeup, mascara, purple lips, lilac blush applied in precise circles like the painting on the mask of a china doll. She pointed the iron at the pair imperatively. "An non o'this shite from Marl. I wanna 'ear it from y'self."
Aaaand, Merlin rolled the syllable as neat as speech itself, This is Eve. She is the Hostess. Don't mind the blood.
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2009 5:50 am
Oldron followed Merlin and Segan followed Oldron in turn, so close that he could feel the heat of the wolf's breath upon this leg. It seemed to be the most sensible way of getting out of the mind-bending entrance room. In any case the mysterious panther-like creature seemed to less scary now, less imposing in some way. As if their acceptance of the task had removed some kind of barrier. The Druid kept quiet as Merlin explained the order of the place an it seemed to make logical sense. However, he was not prepared for the kitchen. Although he had not seen the outside of the Mansion, he had not expected a room of such as size. He had also not expected the glare that radiated from all of the surfaces after he had accustomed to the soft lighting of the hallway.
As the girl spoke he felt suddenly lucky that he had travelled as much as he had for, though her dialect was strange to him, he could understand her well. His eyes flashed over her crafts and then as Merlin mentioned it over the towel. He had not at first realised that it was blood. Oldron nodded towards her, the traditional Druid acknowledgement, but as he did so he lunged forwards slightly so that it was half like a curtsy as well as the nod. This showed that he understood that she was to be respected. "M'lady Eve, I am Oldron Seremir and this is my companion Sagen" Sagen took a step forward as he was introduced such that he was now level with the Druid. It was the first time he had spoken aloud for a while and his voice was dry but still as deep and even as it always was.
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Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 4:39 pm
"Ah fine pair o'skinny fish ye be," Eve responded, returning her attention to the bits and piecework she was working on. "Yer necks. How big they be?"
Glancing over at the pair, Eve rummaged through a dish of dark scraps and shards of gems or perhaps very shiny glass that might, if held up to the light, show a red color. She pointed her iron at the panther, who had raised his nose to sniff at the corner of a counter before standing up on his hind legs, putting his forepaws on the smooth surface and, with only a minor and almost unnoticed moment of difficulty, pulled himself up. He curled there contently, eyes closing and starting to purr.
"Mar'l tells me yer ta be part o'the House staff fer a spell," she explained. "An we all got ta be collr'd." This time, the smoky-tipped soldering iron twisted to point instead at the choker she wore, a rather elaborate leather collar inset with a full row of marquis-cut rubies, each of which gleamed and shone and sparked with hot orange fire held captive within their depths, casting into sharp shadow a slim, upright diamond shape across the center of each, so that the red gems resembled burning eyes.
(At this point I'm going to assume your druid objects, because based on my understanding of him he would, and his familiar would be about ready to turn tail and walk out...if I'm wrong, let me know)
"Don' have a fit," Eve said, having let the druid vent his ire for a few moments. "S'no a di'rspect. E'en Marl 'as a coll'r an e's the Dam's 'ight an 'eft hans. Show'm, Marl."
The panther rumbled deep in his throat, before the back side of his head changed, the illusion near that part of his body being lifted away from the watching minds so that the could see a section of what lay behind it, a short patch of scales tarnished more black-silver than blue, although traces of color remained. But from that section, rising out of the ridged fore-skull hinted at by traces of profile, a pair of straight parallel back-swept black horns, rippled in smooth ridges like those of an antelope, became visible, along with the silver-plated ring set about four inches from the base on the left side. Set into the ring was a gem almost identical to those around Eve's neck, flaming and brilliant.
'Collar' is a very loose term, Merlin remarked, at the same time Eve said "See. Ev'n tha Mist'rss erself wear a coll'r, an hers be bilt onto a jack't."
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 1:54 am
((yeah that's fine he wouldn't have liked that suggestion much))
The Druid was still very unsure about the whole 'collar' thing and Segan was even less pleased. I have never worn a coller in my life the wolf's objections echoed in the mind of the druid I am a wild animal Oldron, not some mangy mutt . The Druid spent a short while reasoning with Segan. Even though he was linked with the wolf he did not control it. The animal had it's own mind, feelings and will, which mostly matched the Druid's though it was not so all of the time. Although they did not like the idea the pair did not seem to have a choice. They were sent on this mission and they had accepted Merlin's task. If wearing this collar was the next step forwards in completing this then they would have to do so. Never the less Oldron had a few questions of his own that he needed answered before he would agree. "If wouldn't mind Lady Eve, I would like to know more about these collars" He began as politely as he could, given that Segan's feelings were still raging "Firstly, what is the collar for? Second, when will it be removed? As I assume it will be removed once I have completed my time here. Third, and finally, what is in those fire crystals that I have seen on both your and Merlin's collars?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 3:11 pm
"Why fer ta identify ye, o'course," Eve said simply. "Ye c'n take em off anyhow ye please, yer not slaves." She twirled her soldering iron, and held up the darkened gemstone she had been fussing over. "They's tuned to yer soul an light up wi'th fire when ye touch em. If'n a gem's got the wrong tune t' won't light up. No lit gem...sshhhkkk." And she drew the tip of the soldering iron across the front of her throat, rather graphically opening up a bleeding scratch along the underside of her chin.
You don't have to have the gems, Merlin added. But the House guards may be...unpleasant...if you are caught without them."
"An o'course, any-one wit'out a gem's..." Eve shrugged. "...as we call it, open season."
Dag'sheera has such a gemstone, though, Merlin commented. We have not yet revoked the enchantment. Formal magic is not our specialty.
"Um..." Eve started to say, skepticism almost written into her voice and pose. A moment later, "Oh. Ye know abo't her already. She's a bit of a prob'm, yes. We don' of'n ave prob'ms like that."
For a moment, then, the girl merely pursed her lips, peering thoughtfully down into the pile of her materials that she worked with, making the gemstones and their settings.
"Marl an th' 'ub don miss a guess of'n," she finally said thoughtfully.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 1:10 pm
Oldron nodded slowly as he processed what the girl had told him. His face flinched ever so slightly as she sliced under her jaw as he was not expecting her to actually break the skin. "Very well, Ma'am" He resolved after the hostess answered his concerns. Segan had felt mildly relieved after the issues had been explained and although wasn't entirely pleased with the matter he had given in as it meant the safety of his companion.
"Yes, I have been told about this Dag'sheera. Though I am not yet sure how I am going to deal with her, I have accepted Merlin's request in order to obtain more information for my personal quest." He confirmed as his mink ticked over all that he had been told since his arrival. It had all been very fast and the volume of information near overwhealming "Of course, I have a plan of action forming as we speak." He added as his thoughts lingered on what Merlin had said 'We have not yet revoked the enchantment. Formal magic is not our specialty. '
"Tell me, does this place have a library?" His voice was softer and more far away than usual and his eyes focused out upon a distant point.
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Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 4:41 pm
"Ye dun know?"/You don't say, the pair responded in surprise. Merlin sat upright from his lounge on the counter, as though about to deliver a lecture, but Eve forestalled him.
(Aaaand I'm skipping the accent because it's going to be annoying for me to put in, and you to read, this much of it. So pretend her bad fake cockney accent is there.)
"The library here predates the Mistress's occupation of this House," Eve began, setting down the black-hued gemstone she had been working with and picking out some that were several shades lighter, a distinctly silvery hue instead. Arranging them before her, with a series of straps and buckles, she began working and speaking at the same time.
"In fact, I imagine the library helped the Mistress decide which house precisely to target when she came up here to the Malebolge. It's very unusual, you see, as the collection reputably contains...well...Merlin knows more about the contents than me."
A mental smile from the big not-panther, and he gently slipped into the conversation edgewise I'm sure you don't care for the specifics that much.
"Suffice it to say," Eve was continuing, "That only two other libraries known rival it for sheer variety...the Black Tower of the Antheon, and Heaven's Librarium."
The Nightwalker Library doesn't compare to them for volume, though, Merlin remarked with some amusement.
"Well of course not," Eve retorted. "You well know that both of the above have replications of every book from every culture for every time past present and future, whereas ours only has replications of a percentage."
A very SMALL percentage from some cultures, and now Merlin was all but laughing, apparently enjoying whatever was being led up to.
"And you get to explain how our library here knows which books to add and which to skip," Eve shot back, with a triumphant air.
I don't know, Merlin laughed. I told both of you, formal magic isn't my specialty. And the Nightwalker Library book-collector spellform is very, very old and very very formal. I should have liked to have met the man who set it, he added wistfully. He created an amazing subsentient magic that by some means I've yet to figure out evaluates the contents of a tome for the property humans call 'quality', without judging any other characteristic I've been able to divine. Heaven's library and the Antheon Tower may have more comprehensive libraries, but Nightwalker manages to collect only the best.
"What's amazing," Eve added, "Is that everyone agrees that it's the best, at least partially. My theory, since usually only older books are added, is that somehow the spellform 'polls' any given population and replicates whatever appears at the top of the poll for a certain amount of time. It also distinctly favors nonfiction works, especially those on scientific subjects."
Like any significant population evaluates the worth of ten thousand separate research papers on the metallurgical properties of tungsten, Merlin argued. And given the relatively low percentage of pornography that shows up, it can't possibly be JUST a popularity contest. Are you about done with the collars? We're going to be evicted in two minutes.
"I'm sure it's a lot more complicated than 'what are you reading today'," Eve returned, holding up a rather broad but elegant looking embossed leather collar with an ordinary, simple buckle to Oldron. "That's for Segan," she added. "You'll have to p***k a paw and give it a drop of blood before it glows. But it's ready for him. This one..." and she held up a second collar, somewhat smaller, but otherwise matching the one for Segan, "Is for you."
Almost exactly at that moment, there was the sound of a door opening from somewhere in the depths of the kitchen, and a moment later, a booming...surprisingly deep, really...voice trumpeted "Chef secret for dinner tonight. Everyone out!"
Aaaand that's why I whispered to you to wrap up the library explanation, Merlin commented, stretching his forepaws downwards to ease off the counter. Cookie's on a rampage today.
"Oh dear," Eve said, sweeping her clutter of work-materials up into a basket haphazardly and standing up. "Allright you two. Time to evac the area. We've had people go permanently missing from the kitchen when Cook's in a snit."
Yeah but dinner's always delicious, no matter what or who it might have been, Merlin responded with a big-toothed grin and an almost frightening level of acceptance of possible cannibalism. If Dag'sheera wanders in here now, that problem will end most interestingly.
"You make me barf," Eve retorted, holding the door open for Merlin, who looked back over his shoulder at Oldron and Segan. Come on. The library's empty right now and I've some reading to do anyway.
They went through the red-carpeted halls again, and a dining room with an exceptionally long table, for the moment dark but judging from the scuffed floor and worn chairs, the room was used well and often. There are two seating's for two meals a day, Merlin supplied. In theory the Mistress presides over all four. Of course, in theory, the kitchen is always open for snacks, too. Lowering his head, he butted yet another door, knocking it open and leading the way through what was apparently a service entrance to the library, because they appeared between two rows of bookshelves. It was extraordinarily dark back in the long stacks, and Merlin led the two by a mental touch through the cavernous stacks, heading towards a ruddy golden-tinted light that illuminated a central open area, littered with chairs and desks and tables, lamps extinguished save for one at which a man wearing gold-plate armor sat with an open book on the table in front of him, head in hands. He didn't so much as glance up when the trio walked past him, Merlin heading towards one wall in which a large hearth was set, banked coals glowing red-ly. The opposite wall, if it was even present, vanished into an obscuring dimness...and of course the stacks stretched out to both sides an indeterminate amount of distance, two stories high and magnificently buttressed, with a third-floor balcony area that looked as though it too was lined with bookshelves, but those were yet to be filled. Above them, the ceiling looked faintly as though it might be post-and-beam style, although long strips of windows gave a faint view of a blood-red sky and the downy grayish-yellow flakes of 'snow' that filtered out of it.
This is the library. There is a card catalog in that cabinet. One paw raised, pointing to the left of the fireplace, and Merlin ambled over to a basket of wood with the apparent intention of building up the fire somewhat. A ring of runes around the hearth glistened faintly, indicating that there was a certain protective element at work isolating flames from books, or vice versa. I will be here reading to my sister if you have any questions.
And with that, Merlin would build the fire to a cheery yellow roar, don a pair of spectacles that had been sitting on a manuscript, flop down onto a flattened green corduroy beanbag, and apparently begin reading where he had left of from whatever the last point was.
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