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You snap your fingers, an attempt to get Mortia's attention. Despite the warning you received at the door she's crouched by a pool of liquid, in the midst of shifting slowly from blue to purple, and has dipped inside a small glass vial suspended at the end of a set of metal tongs. The sharp crack sounds muffled and distant even to your ear. It's a curious phenomena, the room is absolutely saturated with vys but you would not think that alone sufficient to prevent sound from carrying as normal. Perhaps some manner of enchantment placed upon the room?

Instead you reach out through the connections afforded to you by the brooch, rendered tenuous by your surroundings. You're robbed of the snatches of thought you're usually able to pick up from the link, but are nonetheless able to communicate. {Be careful with that. I'm unsure of what effect liquefied vys might have upon someone should they touch it, but the guard seemed to imply that it was less than desirable.}

{The guard is also a man without magical talent, do you seriously think he's the one we should be taking advice from in regards to what is clearly a potent alchemical ingredient?} Even through the frayed connection you're able to pick up upon notes of curiosity and excitement shading the thoughts of your companion. {I intend to make full use of everything there is to be found in this room, safety be damned.}

She pulls the vial from the pool and carefully plugs it with a cork, slipping it back inside her satchel. She withdraws a second vial and repeats the process, then once it's safely tucked away draws out a thin knife and a much larger glass vial. You watch, along with your assembled companions, as Mortia carefully approaches one of the vents and begins to gently shave off the crystallized vys which has accumulated at the edges of the vent. She collects each piece in turn, and then tucks that too into her satchel.

Finally, she withdraws a large, cone-shaped beaker with a cylindrical neck and grasp it between the same metal tongs she's used to manipulate her various other implements. Carefully, she twist the beaker upside down and holds it out above the vent to gather the bluish-green smoke streaming towards the ceiling. Once filled she quickly caps the beaker and drops it into her satchel with the rest of her supplies, apparently satisfied for now with the samples she's gathered.

{If you're finished exposing yourself to dangerous concentrations of magic,} This time your mind alights upon each of your companions in turn, drawing them all into the conversation. {I'd like to meditate as a group upon the artifact before us, to see if we might gain some manner of insight from it.}

(1/5)
Haha, I'm retarded.

>>414258
FUCK OFF JEW

reply to twitter fag

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Mortia heaves a silent sight, her head turning towards you. Her mouth moves, but you're unable to hear what it is she's saying. The confusion upon her face once she realizes her voice will not even carry across the six feet or so which separates you is evident, but she's quick to recover. {What you mean to say is that you'd like me to help you meditate upon the heart. I stand to gain little in the way of knowledge from the experience.}

{Says the woman who didn't even realize she could detect the thoughts of others until we dragged her out of that abomination of a realm we found her in.} You get the sense that Darzi is growing annoyed with Mortia, though it's hard to tell due to the Heart's effect upon the brooches. {You stand to learn just as much as we do from this experience. What is this artifact? What does it do? How does it work? The benefit to our understanding of Nature is tangential, so quit whining and get over here.}

Mortia seems suitable cowed, she offers no response as she carefully skirts around the edge of the chamber to stand beside Profectus. He says something to her which draws a slight smile, but you're unable to hear what it is exactly. Regardless you step closer to the enormous multifaceted gem at the center of the room and turn your back towards it, so that you face the door through which you entered and the rest of your companions. They join you at length, forming a sort of rough circle.

You close your eyes, and you require nothing more than to slow your breathing and ease the tension from your frame to slip into a meditative trance. The room around you is a solid mass of white, blinding you with its intensity. Vys floods into your reserves so rapidly that you're forced to channel Metal to prevent potentially harming yourself in some manner. As interesting as those swirling burn scars may be, you'd rather not suffer through their formation.
>Vys Pool: (72/72)

It's always difficult to determine the passage of time from within a trance, but you can say with some confidence that your reserves fill more rapidly than they ever have before. Once confident that your supply of magical power is restored, you allow yourself to slip deeper into your trance. The opaque wall of accumulated vys fades away only to be replaced by a vast collection of glittering lights. The vast majority are arrayed beneath you, the marketplace appearing as various impermanent constellations shifting across a black backdrop.

You focus more specifically upon the souls of your companions, noting that some of the damage wrought upon Profectus' soul has been repaired. When last you examined it in any detail great holes had been eaten through his husk and through the shell bellow. His husk seems to have mostly repaired itself, though it is not the smooth golden orb that it ought to be. There are points where the substance of his memories has been drawn close to the shell, and others where it seems to have ballooned outward.
(2/5)

>>414258
Autistic pedophile

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Turning your attention elsewhere, you make brief note of the guard standing beyond the door. His soul is relatively normal, though a canyon runs across the surface of his husk. Curious, but not really worth investigating at the moment. Instead your mind's eye is drawn to two figures you see on the floor immediately below. You recognize Yama immediately by his silhouette, a golden figure carved out of the background, looming above the second figure, whom you can only assume is Devika.

The first thing you notice about that strange little girl is the shape of her husk. It appears as though separated into two halves, and at the center leaves exposed the girl's shell. Which, you note, is little more than a spiderweb of black stone, so eaten through is it with holes. The shell within glows brighter than any you've encountered before, almost blinding, but despite its brilliance you're able to determine that just like her husk it has separated itself into two halves, each one orbiting the other. There's almost a hypnotic quality to the way they twirl around one another, you can't begin to imagine what it all might mean.

Still, this would seem to answer at least one of your questions about the girl. She is real, she does exist. You were not merely imagining her presence. In some ways that's a relief, and in others it's remarkably worrying. What in the name of all the Gods living and dead happened to this girl?

Curiosity sated for the moment, you sink deeper into your trance. The simulacrum of the night sky is shortly replaced by an endless network of golden threads. Each string composing the fabric of reality runs vertically, each one unerringly straight save where they cross paths with mortals. It's this distortion which forms the mortal mind which renders the market far below a great tangled web, picking out the mind of one individual from another would seem almost impossible in that chaotic mass.

Focusing instead upon those threads passing through the Chamber of the Heart, you note that there are two sets of distorted threads forming your own mind. Both sets bend outwards at first before curving back inwards, growing close to the point at which you think your soul lies before flaring out once more. They remind you almost of the shape of an hour glass. One layer flares out far wider than the other, to the point that the threads nearly intersect with the minds of Profectus and Darzi, seated to your left and right respectively.

(3/5)

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Channeling Nature magic, you find you're able to manipulate both layers individually, and indeed each strand individually. You tie your mind to all five of your assembled companions, and then cast your attention towards the artifact. You'd been so distracted that you hadn't noticed the artifact possesses a mind of its own, the threads surrounding the immense, multifaceted artifact twist themselves around the space in which it would lie. Unlike the threads which surround your soul, which remain more or less linear even if they curve outwards or inwards, the threads surrounding the artifact move horizontally. They're the first you've ever seen do so.

You can sense the thoughts of your companions, with your encouragement they to have managed to reach a trance deep enough to perceive the very fabric of reality. You watch as Mortia's mind stretches out towards the artifact, as do those of several of your companions. You do the same, and as your thoughts alight upon the nearest thread you become aware of just how vast this city truly is.

No longer are you confined to your mortal form. You reside within the City itself. Its walls are your body, the veins of magic running through its structure are your veins, and its heart is your heart. For miles in any direction the City spreads its roots, great tendrils which churn through the earth and bind it to the land. They absorb the vys from the air, filtering it towards the City but also dispersing it outwards into the fields. The crops grow strong because the City wishes them to, the jungle is kept in check because the City wills it.

The City had felt alive the very moment you stepped into Tel Lakud, though you now realize that the tower you presently reside in constitutes only a very small part of its overall structure. You can sense ever last man, woman, and child residing within, swarming across its rotten bones like maggots feasting upon the flesh of a corpse. Yet this corpse still possesses a Will, and by the machinations of its creators it is bound to protect these glorified parasites. Far, far below the surface you can feel a presence begin to stir, and become aware of the great confluence of vys sheltered far beneath the city. Yet, it is kept in check by some unknown force. This artifact you thought to be the Heart is merely a leech attached to its soul. Plucking at the strings which compose the artifacts mind reveals to you an image of a creature trapped within a vast cavern. It's a towering monstrosity of stone and metal, the chains which bind it sending great cracks through its flesh. It has no face, but its form is clearly that of a man.

(4/5)

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You watch as robed figures gather around the base of the pedestal on which it stands, its enormous limbs struggling against its chains but rendered powerless by the enchantments placed upon them. One among the robed figures steps forward and places a hand upon the great golden altar at the base of the pedestal, and magic surges into the creatures limbs. It's painful, so much so that you think for a moment you may be forced from your trance, but then you feel your consciousness expand. The jungle reveals to you its secrets, each tree whispering of the army upon the march. They speak of vast engines of war, and the underbrush bemoans the trampling of its kin under the feet of one hundred thousand men.

When the memory fades, you sit once more within the Chamber of the Heart. You feel as though on the cusp of a breakthrough, but the substance of what was learned her eludes you. Still the sensation of not only passing through the world, but becoming apart of it lingers. The way the jungle spoke, not with words but sensations, and the vastness of your consciousness in those few seconds of memory, have left an impression.
>Expert Nature Vatis (¾ Insights)

Your companions glance around the room, clearly disoriented by the experience which you all shared. You admit some minor confusion as well. Is the figure you saw in that chamber the source of the great mass of vys you saw beneath the city? Why would it possess the body of man, when your interactions with the Heart would clearly seem to suggest that Tel Lakud is the living corpse of some other, vast creature?

>You got what you came here for, an insight into Nature magic. Gather your companions and go visit Devika.
>Maybe you should avoid the strange little girl and her clearly malevolent guardian? Retire to your private realm for the night.
>Fuck sleep, you've got hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to cross. It's time to ditch this joint.
>Write-in

>>414282
>Fuck sleep, you've got hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to cross. It's time to ditch this joint.

>>414280
>You got what you came here for, an insight into Nature magic. Gather your companions and go visit Devika.

New companion.

>>414282
>You got what you came here for, an insight into Nature magic. Gather your companions and go visit Devika
L
O
L
I

>>414282
>You got what you came here for, an insight into Nature magic. Gather your companions and go visit Devika.

>>414282
>>Fuck sleep, you've got hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to cross. It's time to ditch this joint.

>>414282
>>Maybe you should avoid the strange little girl and her clearly malevolent guardian? Retire to your private realm for the night.
Stay away from demons

>>414282
>You got what you came here for, an insight into Nature magic. Gather your companions and go visit Devika.

>>414282
>>You got what you came here for, an insight into Nature magic. Gather your companions and go visit Devika.
But be very careful

>>414282
>You got what you came here for, an insight into Nature magic. Gather your companions and go visit Devika.
Tongue punch her fart box

>>414282
>Maybe you should avoid the strange little girl and her clearly malevolent guardian? Retire to your private realm for the night.

>>414282
>You got what you came here for, an insight into Nature magic. Gather your companions and go visit Devika.

>>414327
>>414298
>>414299
You wouldn't break your promise to an adorable little girl, would you? Think about how sad she'd be that the only person who can see her best friend decided to never visit her after swearing to.

Should we visit the chained guy when we come back from the jungle?

>>414336
Fuck off ircabal

>>414306
>>414296
>>414288
>>414284
>>414314
>>414319
>>414335
>L O L I
>O L I L
>L I L O
>I L O L

>>414283
>>414298
>Sleep is for pussies.

>>414299
>>414327
>Betray the trust of a child.

>>414341
>>>/hm/

So I think a spirit did something to her what do you guys think?

>>414357
who know~

>>414343
Let's ask master if he has ever seen anyone with a soul like that

>>414357
Wear the loli like a mask.

Gotta go eat dinner, back in a flash.

>>414357
I dunno how a spirit would be able to split her divine shard in half. Merely coming into contact with the divine shard is enough to obliterate any spirit or void entity, so splitting it seems out of the question. I think it's more likely that Devika actually has two people's souls. Perhaps her father or someone else sacrificed themself to keep her soul in reality.

Another idea is that she has two distinct personalities that are both her own but are metaphysically two different people. Recall that when we bound Chryssa's husk to ours there were few connections until we reinforced them. I think that the clear divide between husk halves and shard halves indicates that she is in fact two people and has two souls. I just don't really know how she ended up with the second soul.

>>414357
The spirit is leeching her shard.

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>>414379

>>414379
And he was never heard from again

>>414381
If she's two people then that likely means she was trying to absorb Mik's soul and a person with such a soul would be extremely dangerous.

>>414433
Or the souls being stored in the same container are volatile and trying to get out, and contain soul was fighting against that while she was touching us.

HOLY SHIT YOU ACTUALLY RAN

>>414441
Contain + Soul only protects our soul from being suck out now so that means you're likely to be wrong.

Aaaand back.

>>414274
>The shell within glows brighter than any you've encountered before, almost blinding, but despite its brilliance you're able to determine that just like her husk it has separated itself into two halves, each one orbiting the other.
This should be referring to the shard, not the shell. That's a typo on my part.

Shit, be right back. Gotta walk the dog.

>>414494
Post never ever

>>414494
>I have to walk the dog
There's a new one.

>>414494
What's next? Gotta 'water' your sister?

>>414509
It's been used before. Anons speculated it was his sister.

Aaaand back, for good this time I think.

>>414579
See you in an hour.

>>414579
show us a picture of your dog

>>414637
Woah hey. Perving on a man's sister is one thing, but leave his dog out of this.

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>>414637
Here yah go nigga.

>>414654
thanks

>>414654
He's a big dog.

>>414654

Unless its call Budda and you are a girl with artistic inclinations I call bullshit.

http://notmyaesthetic.blogspot.com/2015/05/blog-posts-i-wanted-to-do-but-never-had.html

>>414664
For you

>>414669
>>414654

Did that blog got remove seconds after post a link to it? Soma are are you that girl Elizabeth from Texas!?

>>414669
>>414696
Anon, it should be fairly obvious that you found Somouto's old blog.

>>414700
sheiiit

>>414282
First, mahannas altar please. I won't pass up this opportunity.

>>414714
Ah, that's a good point actually. I could tack this onto the post if people would like.
>Construct an Altar in the Chamber of the Heart.
>Don't construct an Altar

>>414717
>Don't gobble them dicks

>>414717
>Construct an Altar in the Chamber of the Heart.

>>414717
>Don't construct an Altar

>>414717
>>Don't construct an Altar

>>414717
>Don't construct an Altar

>>414717
>>Construct an Altar in the Chamber of the Heart.

>>414717
>Construct an Altar in the Chamber of the Heart.

>>414717
>Don't construct an Altar

Cat says that he wants nothing to do with Elaudia. I doubt he'd appreciate this

>>414717
>construct an altar in the chamber of the heart

>>414717
>>Don't construct an Altar
We're all anon :^) I like it

>>414717
>Don't construct an Altar

>>414717
>Construct an Altar in the Chamber of the Heart.

>>414717
>>Don't construct an Altar

>>414717
>Construct an Altar in the Chamber of the Heart.

>>414717
>Don't construct an Altar

>>414717
>Construct an Altar in the Chamber of the Heart.

>>414721
>>414722
>>414723
So you don't want more places to tele too? In case something happens to the portal?
>>414729
>>414728
>>414732
>>414738

>>414717
>Construct an Altar in the Chamber of the Heart
We're not in Elaudia yet. Maybe the last one we can make before then however.

>>414729
>>414728
>>414726
>>414723
>>414722
>>414721
>>414732
>>414738
Niggers trying to deny us them sweet tasty runes

>>414717
>>Construct an Altar in the Chamber of the Heart.

>>414718
>>414721
>>414722
>>414723
>>414726
>>414728
>>414729
>>414732
>>414738
>Don't do it

>>414744
>>414739
>>414733
>>414731
>>414727
>>414725
>>414724
>>414719
>Do it

Looks like you won't be constructing an altar.

>>414745
actually now that i think about cat said he wanted to chill for a bit, to consolidate

>>414745
wow I even forgot about runes. these guys are assholes.
Turning down free shit.

>>414717
>Construct an Altar in the Chamber of the Heart.

>>414745
Nigga the cat specifically told us to keep him out of Elaudia. He's not gonna give us anything. If anything, he'd invoke some random spirit jew clause and we'd end up owing him somethingg

>>414745
Can't say I know the reasoning why either. Perhaps the cat even might know what this all is, or was.

>>414717
>Don't construct an Altar

>>414761
Something tell me their would have been no harm in it either way anon. He could simply.. Not. Like when we constructed that shrine near all the corrupted vys. At least I vaguely remember that being a thing.. Could have been a banished quest dream though.

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>>414700

Sounds like it.

>>414799
That is perfect.

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You rise to your feet, and your companions follow suit. Having spent what is likely several hours in the presence of the artifact, you're eager to escape the Chamber of the Heart. The sensation of pins and needles dancing along your flesh is enough to make you feel vaguely nauseous, but the discomfort is far worse at your extremities. Your hands and feet are entirely numb save for the jolts of stabbing pain which shoot up your limbs with every slight movement.

Walking proves difficult, but fortunately Fulvia and Mortia remain unaffected by the absolute saturation of vys. They're able to help Profectus, who seems to be taking it the worst out of all of you. Darzi merely grasp you firmly by the arm, supporting herself as best she can while you hobble towards the door. It's with immense relief that you pass into the hallway beyond the vys encrusted doorway, the guard from before standing stiffly at attention while you limp past.

Benches line the hall, and it's only now that you understand why. You rest yourself gently on the stone seat beside Profectus and carefully stretch out your legs. Feeling has already started to return, but try as you might Water magic seems unable to speed the process. Whilst temporarily incapacitated you consider the possibility of simply retiring to your little corner of Mahana's realm, but you made a promise to Devika that you intend to keep. If only because you're curious to find out more about the girl and her condition.

“How long were we in there, out of curiosity?” Your question catches the guard by surprise, and though he relaxes his stiff salute he seems a little confused by the question. “Within the depths of a meditative trance, it becomes difficult to perceive the passage of time.”

The guard scratches his cheek, and the sparse stubble that grows there, before shrugging his shoulders. “I don't know, probably about three or four hours. My shift had just begun when you walked in, and my replacement should be swinging through any minute now. So yeah, four hours.”

“Three hours, fifty three minutes to be precise.” Fulvia chimes in from where she stands beside Profectus. He still looks unhealthily pale, but then again he always does.

After a few more minutes of rest you rise from the bench and set off down the hall. The darkened hallway through which Devika had previously directed you is only just around the bend. You manifest a ball of flame within the nearest lantern, but the moment you cut the flow of vys the flame is extinguished. As Devika said, they're out of oil. That's hardly a problem for you of course, with the barest exertion on your part a ball of light appears hovering above your right shoulder, illuminating the way forward.

(1/3)

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Hey Degenerates,
My name is Mikhael, and I hate every single one of you. All of you are weak, untalented, plebs who spend every second of their day doing stupid ass peasant shit and fucking goats. You are everything wrong in the shahdom. Honestly, do any of you even have more than one wife? I mean, I guess it’s fun making fun of people because of your own failings, but you all take it to a whole new level. This is even worse than jerking off to paintings of the shah's harem. Don’t be a spirit. Just try to kill me however you can. I’m pretty much immortal. I became a grandmaster of water, and ascended with metal. What are you a grandmaster in, other than “getting cucked by superior vatis samjan”? I also got 2 mistresses always ready for me, and have another horny horned babe drooling over me (She just killed me; Shit was SO cash). You are all faggots who should just kill yourselves. Thanks for listening.
Pic Related: It’s me and one of my bitches

The hallway is longer than you'd initially expected, and you end up passing many branching paths on your way. You keep the girl's instructions in mind, room nine hundred forty four at the very end of the hall. That would be more helpful if even half of these doorways still had numbers on them. Most are so rotted they're barely still hanging on their hinges, and some have collapsed entirely.

You peer into one room in particular, its door long ago fallen off its rusted joints. Manifesting a second ball of light, you urge it into the room. They're not exactly what you'd call expansive. It's a single room with two beds, a chest at the foot of each for storage, and a moth-eaten rug stretched across the floor. That's it. You suppose this deep inside Tel Lakud one would have no reason to fear the elements, but where would they cook their food?

Continuing on you shortly arrive at the end of the hall, and as promised there is but a single door with a few faded iron numbers nailed to its surface. Nine hundred forty four. They're rusted beyond belief, but remain hanging. You try the handle but find it won't budge. You try a little harder, and though the rusted metal complains loudly it still won't move an inch. Perhaps it's locked? You try knocking upon the door, and after a few brief moments of silence you hear the sound of a heavy latch being pulled back and the handle screetching.

You expect to see Devika waiting for you on the other side of the door, but instead it's Yama. The glowing eyes of his red mask bore into you, but your previous efforts to reinforce yourself protect you from whatever effect they might have upon your mind. The creature stands there in the doorway, blocking you from entry, until the jangling of bells marks Devika's arrival.

She slips underneath Yama's arm, smiling a gap-toothed smile. “You came!” She lunges forward, grabbing you by the hand and pulling you inside. Her guardian reluctantly slinks away, crouching itself in one corner of the room. You can still feel its eye boring into the back of your head as the girl leads you towards a squat table situated at one end of the room. You note that, though it's still only one room, the room itself is much larger than the one you'd inspected before. A handful of candles provide some dim light to see by. There's one large bed and a much smaller one sitting against the wall to your left, a curtain hanging between them to provide some separation. The table is arrayed next to a sagging bookcase, the thick codices upon its shelves seem to suggest they're mostly about basic magical theory. You were forced to read many of them during your earliest days as an apprentice, though you hardly remember their contents off the top of your head.

(2/3)

Devika forces you to sit upon one of the cushion, and then she eagerly seats herself upon the cushion opposite you. Your companions are left to stand somewhat uncomfortably in the center of the room. There's barely enough room at the table for you and the girl, let alone the rest of your companions. Devika hardly seems to notice them. She's too busy rocking impatiently back and forth, her attention focused solely upon you.

>You'll meditate with her upon one of the elemental schools. (Write-in)
>You'll teach her about metamagic. (Write-in)
>You'll teach her an effect. (Write-in)
>Before you do anything else, you should ask her what she knows.
>Ask her when her mother will be getting back from the market, this may take some time after all.
>Write-in

>>414858
>>Before you do anything else, you should ask her what she knows.
and then
>You'll meditate with her upon one of the elemental schools. Metal

>>414858
>Before you do anything else, you should ask her what she knows.

>You'll meditate with her upon one of the elemental schools.
METAL

>>414860
sure.

>>414858
>Before you do anything else, you should ask her what she knows.
>Teach her how to repair and reinforce her shell
>Consider trying to channel water magic directly into her divine shard(s?) to see if we can't repair them as was described in the shaping arts. if we do decide to do that, we should do it with our own soul first.

>>414858
>Before you do anything else, you should ask her what she knows.

>metal

Can we try to communicate with her shadow guardian? Maybe have ricky try to talk to it if we can't?

>>414869
Both the girl and the guardian might flip their fucking lids if Ricky's tentacles start coming out.

>>414858
>Before you do anything else, you should ask her what she knows.
>Ask her when her mother will be getting back from the market, this may take some time after all.
>You'll meditate with her upon one of the elemental schools. (Write-in) METAL
I also agree with getting Ricky to try and communicate with the creature, at least we and Ricky have an understanding an roundabout way of understanding him. He was also able to warn us about those creatures that only we could see in the mines.. So he probably already knows we're in the presence of this thing.

>>414860
>>414864
>>414869
>>414865
>>414894
>Metal

>>414869
>>414868
>>414865
>>414864
>>414860
>>414894
>Ayo lil nigga, whatchu do?

>>414868
>Fuck around with her weird shard.

>>414894
>When's your mother get home?

>>414894
>>414869
>See if Ricky can communicate with Yama.

Writin'

>>414858
>>You'll meditate with her upon one of the elemental schools. (Write-in)
>Before you do anything else, you should ask her what she knows.

Perhaps we should also find a way of being able to warn someone here incase of a army of beast people swarming into the country. Though I think their mostly unaware of their biggest defense.

>>414858
>>Before you do anything else, you should ask her what she knows.
>>metal

This is clearly the best option. Also, we should talk about our own kids. Zahak, Avalyn, and as of yet unnamed child.

>>414910
The fuck is Avalyn? It's Aaylin.

>>414851
(You)

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>>414910
>unnamed child.
Its not a child yet, we can always send meeseeks to abort it if we don't want a vengeful bastard after us in like 18 years

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>>414940
Thanks, you really brightened my day.

>>414900
I'll support the Yama and Ricky parlay

so if it is mik's kid do you guys have ideas for names?

>>414942
Dang, I forget the versatility of our little meesee box. We're gonna need to keep them in mind in the jungle.

>>414987
Arjuna if a boy, Fatima if it's a girl.

>>414987
greška
гpeшкa
нecpeќa

>>414987
fuck off namefag
>Notes:
>Using names or trips in this quest is highly discouraged. While it is impossible for me to prevent you from doing so, I ask that you not. I will also not count any votes made while using names or trips.

>>414987
Ḍrĕgana bhā'ū
Ḍrĕgana bahīṇa
The only acceptable names

>>414987
Fuck off namefag

>>415049
He's using the name as part of the latest onboard drama. Velo ran a relatively popular GoT quest. Got caught playing in his own quest pretending to be an anon. Tried to do damage control on the quest general as an anon, but accidentally kept his trip on, Now he's a laughingstock.

>>415009
Give one meeseeks the box, command it to release an endless swarm of meeseeks with each one commanded to chop down one of the elaudian trees

>>415049
>>415056
1. fuck off
2.i forgot to take it off since i'm in more the one quest
3.blame tricky and his rules

>>415063
Its not fucking hard to take off you goddamn mongoloid, matter of fact, why do you even have it on? Are you really so desperate for attention that you have to distinguish yourself to a bunch of losers on 4chan? Are you really that fucking depressing?

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>>415070

>>415058
Thanks for filling me in brah I feel informed

>>415070
We're not just depressing losers anon, were fa/tg/uys... Owe wait. Yea nevermind we are just depressing losers.

>>415084
Learn to fucking spell.
I apologize if you're legitimately learning english

>>415086
>criticizing spelling
>in a thread run by Soma

Right, well. Strange as this situation is you may as well get started. “What do you know about magic? It seems like you've done some basic reading, but can you actually cast?”

She nods her head rapidly. “I can heal bruises, and my Mother taught me how to move water. Also I can make the bugs leave me alone.”

So it sounds like some Water and Nature magic, but nothing else. Most people know at least a little water magic, so that's not too unusual. Fire would be its usual pairing in the western reaches of Pidjata, but you suppose it makes sense to favor Nature this close to Elaudia. Although you'd guess that she's only about ten or so years old, twelve at most. That's fairly early for someone to already possess minor aptitude in two schools of magic. “Did you have a tutor, or did you learn by yourself?”

The girl points towards the corner of the room where you know her guardian to reside. “Yama helped me. He's a really good teacher. Plus I had my Father's books and they made it a lot easier to understand.”

“In that case, I think I'll teach you the basics of Metal magic.” You sit up a little straighter, folding your legs underneath you in a meditative pose. “It's a very useful school of magic which has served me well. I'm a Grandmaster in the school, so teaching you the basics should be a fairly simple task.” Glancing around the room, you don't immediately see anything loose and worthless which you could weaken to act as a focus for the meditation. No matter. Reaching into your cloak, you extract one half of the gigantic ruby you've been keeping stored away for some time now.

The girl's eyes go wide at the sight of it, but you simply set it upon the table. Focusing your will, you use Earth magic to weaken the gemstone until cracks begin to carve their way across its surface. Once rendered brittle and weak, you turn your attention once more to Devika. “What I want you to do is mend the cracks in this stone. Focus upon the concept of a force which binds all things together, and reinforcing that concept in relation to the ruby. I will be offering guidance and weakening the ruby as you make progress, to ensure you fully grasp the concept I'm trying to teach.”

The child's face has grown serious now, and she sits in a pose almost mimicking your own. She squeezes her eyes shut, but channeling Nature magic you allow your mind to alight upon her own. The sensation of her mind is like someone digging a finger into the space behind your eyes, and you're momentarily overcome by a splitting headache, but with the liberal application of Metal magic you're able to suppress the sensation. That task accomplished, it requires only gentle urging on your part for Devika to relax. Though it takes several minutes she eventually manages to slip into a trance.

(1/2)

>>415086
I'm confused, what do you believe I misspelt?

>>415093
When the JEW posts, I'll get him too anon :^)

Once you feel the frantic chaos of her muddled thoughts subside, you allow yourself to slip into a trance of your own. There's no need for you to slip any deeper into your trance than the level of ambient vys. You've already taken the time to examine her soul. You watch as thin tendrils of vys stretch across the space between the girl and the fractured ruby, poking and prodding at the gemstone but not truly making any progress.

She hasn't quite managed to channel her vys into Metal magic, though she managed to get close on the first try. Not only does it seek to repair the fractures but create them as well. A subtle suggestion from you sees the girl carefully stripping away what few unneeded elements of raw vys clung to her magic, and at long last progress is made.

However, though the cracks are slowly mending themselves, she lacks control over the vys she is expending. Half of it is being channeled into the table rather than the ruby, and a fair portion is simply lost to the ambient vys which surrounds you. You try urging her to be more cautious, but after several minutes with little improvement to show for it you're forced to take direct control of the vys she's channeling. You focus her efforts upon the ruby specifically, but the very moment your control is relaxed her channeled vys scatters once more.

You try again, maintaining your control for much longer than you did the first time around. You're still carefully guiding her vys towards the ruby when you begin to erode the progress she's made, and this inspires her only to redouble her efforts. Fortunately, when you relax your hold over her spell it remains focused solely upon the gemstone, rather than dispersed through its surroundings. Perhaps she merely hadn't been focusing hard enough upon the ruby.

Devika seems to have more or less mastered the most basic aspects of Metal magic, but you force her to keep at it for another hour just to be sure. It's only once you're absolutely confident that she's mastered the art of mending damaged objects that you finally allow her to repair the ruby in full. Your eyes snap open in nearly the same instant that hers do.

The child's excitement is evident upon her face as she snatches up the once again flawless ruby. Well, flawless save for the rough edge marking the point where it was broken in half. She holds it up so that it catches the light of a candle, peering through its suddenly illuminated surface. Her grin proves infectious, and though Devika is a remarkably strange little girl you find yourself pleased to have taught her something about the practice of magic.

(2/3)

Glancing around the room, you ultimately find your companions scattered across the two beds behind you. Darzi, Profectus, Chryssa, and Mortia seem to have occupied themselves playing cards. Fulvia remains standing, situated off to one side of the larger bed relatively close to where Yama remains crouched in his little shadowed alcove. The creature is still staring at you, the dogged determination of an otherworldly guardian. You wonder if Ricky might be able to find some sort of common ground with the beast? “How long was I meditating?”

Fulvia responds with her usual certainty. “Two hours and thirteen minutes. It is just past midnight.”

Your attention turns once more to Devika, your host, and you can't help but wonder just where it is her mother went. It would not take this long to simply buy lantern oil. The girl watches you sadly, the enormous ruby clutched to her chest. “Do you have to leave?”

>Yes, you're afraid so. Your various task call you towards the jungle. Wish her the best of luck in her study of magic.
>Sadly you really must be going, but she can keep the ruby. Give her the other half as well. She can practice her magic by putting the two halves back together.
>Has her mother really only run off to the market? If she's an orphan, you might be able find her a home. There are certainly people here who seem to hang on your every word.
>Write-in

>>415102
>>Sadly you really must be going, but she can keep the ruby. Give her the other half as well. She can practice her magic by putting the two halves back together.

>>415102
>Write-in
She can come with us on our highly dangerous trek into Elaudia.

>>415097
>were
>Owe
>Yea
Plus grammar mistakes

>>415102
>>Sadly you really must be going, but she can keep the ruby. Give her the other half as well. She can practice her magic by putting the two halves back together.
>>Has her mother really only run off to the market? If she's an orphan, you might be able find her a home. There are certainly people here who seem to hang on your every word.
And the ruby will give her money, should she ever need it. Though I really am tempted to bring her with us.. It seems such a waste to let things end here. And I don't think her mother is coming back.

>>415102
>Sadly you really must be going, but she can keep the ruby. Give her the other half as well. She can practice her magic by putting the two halves back together.

>>415102
>Sadly you really must be going, but she can keep the ruby. Give her the other half as well. She can practice her magic by putting the two halves back together.
>Write-in
Can Make her some copies of the Meta magic and effects we know?

>>415102
>You're mine now
Shove her in the cloak.
Or you know just let her walk

>>415102
>>415108
Sure. I'll support this.

>>415102
This.
>>415108

>>415102
>>Yes, you're afraid so. Your various task call you towards the jungle. Wish her the best of luck in her study of magic.
>>Sadly you really must be going, but she can keep the ruby. Give her the other half as well. She can practice her magic by putting the two halves back together.
>>Has her mother really only run off to the market? If she's an orphan, you might be able find her a home. There are certainly people here who seem to hang on your every word.
don't spend too much time worrying about it though. Let her know that we have an important mission taking us into Elaudia, and that it would be much too dangerous for her to come with. Maybe say we'll come back to teach her more in the future?

>>415102
Supporting >>415108

>>415111
Is English not your own primary language, I'm just curious?

>>415108
>>415102
I'll support this as long as we can keep our giant gem.

>>415102
Bring her with us
>>415108

>>415102
>Has her mother really only run off to the market? If she's an orphan, you might be able find her a home. There are certainly people here who seem to hang on your every word.

This but . . . let's hold off with pushing her about her mother's whereabouts and say that we can make sure that someone comes by to help her learn about magic and teach her, and that we'll visit again when we leave the Jungle.

>>415102

If her mum is truly gone and not just off having a fun date night then offer to let her stay in our realm.

>>415107
>>415118
>>415119
>>415121
>>415128
>Really gotta go, but hey have this incredibly valuable ruby.

>>415128
>>415118
>>415139
>Did your mother really only run to the store for some cigarettes?

>>415133
>>415127
>>415126
>>415124
>>415108
>>415135
>>415137
>Hey kid, wanna come to Elaudia with me?

>>415128
>I'm out biotch.

I'll do a brief final destination vote, I suppose.

VOTE
1
To give Devika a giant ruby and leave her to figure things out on her own.

VOTE
2
To offer Devika the chance to join you on your adventures into Elaudia, where her father vanished some years ago.

>>415102
>>Write-in
Ask our master if he has ever seen anyone with a soul like that.

>>415147
2

>>415147
2

>>415147
1

>>415147
2

>>415147
1

>>415147
2

>>415147
2

>>415147
2

>>415147
2

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>415147
Tough call

>>415147
2

>>415147
1

>>415147
2

Right, I should probably post a reminder of this somewhere in the OP. As per the previous Final Destination votes, no new IPs will be accepted during Final Destination.

>>415147
2
Shit.. We may well regret it, worrying mostly about her own safety when we have Zahaak already to worry about. But I suppose we could always find a way to bring her back here, no? At least after we find whatever ruin the Triarch's wish us to.

>>415164
>>415161
First post with this ID

>>415172
Nigga. Final Destiny means no text.

>>415172
You fucked up desu.
Just the post number and your choice.

>>415152
>>415167
>1

>>415149
>>415150
>>415155
>>415157
>>415159
>>415169
>2

>>415169
Last valid vote.

We're taking the magical mystery loli along.

>>415180
Does that mean Yama agrees?

>>415180
I expect nothing less.

>>415147
2

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>>415180
Noice

>>415176
>>415177
Sorry guise

>>415147
1

>>415147
1

>>415180
Why would you people vote for this? Now we have to spend valuable time and resources babysitting this kid from Elaudian horrors.

>>415197
I voted this to avoid giving the giant gem to her.

>>415197
New waifu.

>>415197
because she's interesting, Mik seems to enjoy dealing with children (particularly ones that look up to him), and he never puts much thought into safety

>>415180
. . . . But we didn't bring the Undead kiddo because "It's too dangerous".

We should let her borrow our cloak for safety.

Where did we get that ruby anyways? I can't remember and it's killing me.
>>415205
I thought it was more because we didn't have any interest in him than anything else

>>415205
Ircabal is full of lolicons, that's why.

>>415208
We got it during one of our adventures with Zahak. The one we met a guy with flying boots.

>>415205
Vicitra doesn't have a fucking Void entity/Servant with him.

>>415211
Thanks

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>>415205

>>415214
Yea a large part of my reasoning was Yama being with her, being anathema to spirits. I think his presence alone could be useful.

>>415180
So what about Yama? Is Mik just going to invite him to hang out with Ricky in the cloak? I mean we could tell Ricky to teach him poker and It's not like he can come to the magical realm with us.

>>415227
Ahh.. You bring up a good point. And I'm not sure separating the two will be that easy.

>>415234
Kill Yama. He's an eldritch abomination, not her friend.

>>415235
Those two things aren't mutually exclusive. With her insanity she can probably communicate just fine with him. He probably protects her.

>>415209
>"lolicons"
i think the word you are looking for is pedophiles

>>415235
SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEONK.

>>415239
Yama probably is one of the reasons she is insane.

>>415235
But he could be useful.. And allowing her to wear the cloak while in the personal realm, with Yama in the cloak could solve the issue. Besides we're going to need him to protect her, or dead loli. Then her dad Elaudian mik comes out and tries to wreck us.

>>415235
>He's an eldritch abomination, not her friend.
Hey fuck you buddy, eldritch abominations can be friends too you know. See: Ricky.

>>415239
'Yama' is very likely getting something out of 'protecting' her.

>>415243
Fair point. But why have we not spoken to ricky about them yet
I BET SHE CAN TALK TO RICKY

>>415245
Is that a bad thing? Her insanity doesn't seem to have any negative impact on her day to day life.

she could translate ricky for us.

There is also the fact that her touching us made our tattoos go wild. That automatically makes her extremely dangerous

>>415258
other than the fact that she fed her mother to Yama and will murder us all as soon as we go to sleep

Since we are taking her with us we must keep track of where she is all the time and burn her when she does something suspicious.

>>415260
>>415261
These are fine. We basically never sleep and our magical skill will keep us safe from any unintentionally dangerous shit that Devika pulls.

>>415260
>>415255
OWE SHIT

>>415180
I take it we wont be able to take her into our realm since Yama would fuck everything up?

>>415277
Yama is just going to hang out with Ricky.

>>415260
I just realized we'll be putting our companions in extreme danger.

I bet Devika will have a great time meeting Zahak too. They'll probably get along well.

>>415283
Or she'll wig him out.

>>415281
>>415277
That's why we remove Yama from premises.

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>Introduce her to girl-whose-name-we-forgot that we left in Anthus
Might be fun. At the very least it would present new avenues to torment Demitrios.

>>415291
Her sanity wil be healed before that. or she'll be dead

>>415292
Oh, if she's survives, I think we'll be in for much worse. She'll be a teenager.

>>415291
its aylin, not hard to remember

>>415298
But is it WORTH remembering?

>>415301
We're her hero anon, don't be so heartless.

>>415305
I know Mik remembers, but I mean as players.

But yeah. We're going to have a whole bunch of murder hobo children in a decade or so.

>>415309
Murder hobo children all searching for papa Mik.

>>415205
unded kiddo is white nigger elf who don't know magic.

>>415360
Umm.. He was one of our brothers men. I believe he was Samjan.

Post never since we managed to derail whatever Soma was planning

You consider your options for a time. You could just walk away now, forget that you ever met the girl and put the experience behind you. Maybe you could even giver Devika the other half of the ruby, tell her not to sell it for any less than twenty gold and push for more if she's able. It's the largest gemstone of any sort you've ever seen, she ought to be able to get a good price for it.

On the other hand, can you really just let this opportunity slip through your fingers? This girl has perhaps the most interesting soul you've ever encountered. In all of your experiences tampering with that which allows mortals to influence the world around them, you have never seen someone with a split shard. Everything you know about the structure of the soul would seem to suggest that Devika ought to be dead.

{I think we should take this girl with us.} You can already feel Darzi's thoughts gathering themselves into a response but you're quick to preempt her. {Just hear me out. Everyone saw the structure of her soul, right? Her husk is split straight down the center, exposing her shell and shard to the elements. Not only that, but her shard is likewise split into two separate bodies orbiting one another.}

You pause, but none of your friends interrupt. It seems you at least have their attention. {That's not even taking into account the otherworldly guardian she has looming constantly over her shoulder. I could understand not taking Vicitra into Elaudia, he'd probably die within moments of setting foot in the jungle, but I feel like with Yama watching out for her Devika has a fair chance of surviving. Perhaps a better chance than we do, considering the nature of any interaction between a void entity and a spirit.}

{Your assessment does not take into account the fact that she is upon the cusp of losing her mind entirely, if she has not done so already.} Chryssa's thoughts filter calmly through your own, devoid of emotion. {I'm far more worried about the potential threat she poses to us, than I am regarding her chances of surviving the jungle.}

Darzi would seem to agree, judging by the notes of approval you're able to pick up through the brooch. {I agree with Chryssa. Bringing along a child would only slow us down, and more than that it would be wildly irresponsible. We're not just going on a walk in the woods, we're journeying to the opposite end of one of the most dangerous places in the world on foot.}

(1/3)

>>415379
>>415380
Well then.

>>415379
new record

{We can't just leave her here though, I mean it's pretty clear her parents have skipped out on her.} You're surprised that out of your companions, it's Profectus who leaps to your defense. {I mean, there was a layer of dust on the sheets of the larger bed. It's pretty clear that her parents haven't slept her for a few weeks at least. She's got a few candles and not much else to her name. We could give her some money, but really what would that help? She'd lived comfortably for a while but eventually she'd run out of money, and it's not like she can work.}

He's approaching the issue from a far more sympathetic angle than you were, but you suppose there's some sense to what he says. You're more interested in her soul than you are in the girl herself, but you admit it would be rather cruel to just leave her here all by herself.

{We don't know her parents have abandoned her.} Darzi seems hesitant, and it's clear the very idea of a parent abandoning their child leaves her ill at ease. {And if her mother really did just run down to the market, then we'd basically be kidnapping the girl.}

Turning your attention once more to Devika, you stretch your hand across the table. She looks down at the ruby and sets it down firmly in your hand. That wasn't precisely what you were going for, but you toss it into your cloak regardless. That done you reach across and rest a hand upon the girl's shoulder. “How long ago did your mother leave to buy lantern oil? Be honest, Devika.”

She pulls her legs up as though she's trying to hide behind them, arms wrapping around her knees. Still, she doesn't try to pull away. “Two months ago.” The confession comes reluctantly, but despite the fact her voice is barely more than a whisper it carries clearly through the otherwise silent room. “Yama has been getting me food and water, so I haven't been too hungry. I'm sure she'll be back soon.”

The outpouring of sadness and anger from Darzi is immediate and pronounced. Still, she doesn't seem entirely enthused about the idea of bringing a little girl into what may well be among the most dangerous places on the planet. {I still don't know if this is a good idea. Couldn't we just leave her with that guard who got us a meeting with the Sheikh? He seems to be doing well for himself, and I'm sure he'd do anything that Mikhael asked of him.}

Fulvia speaks up for the first time, the enormity of her mind enough to momentarily disorient you. {I think the girl would be more useful as an object of study. Dux Mikhael is right, her soul would appear unique based upon my limited understanding of the mortal soul and how it has been described thus far. That being said, we should watch her carefully. Her guardian may well prove hostile to leaving Tel Lakud.}

(2/3)

Mortia seems to have decided against voicing her opinion on the matter, she's merely been watching the proceedings unfold from where she sits upon the edge of the larger bed. Still, even the briefest examination of her thoughts reveals she's sympathetic to the girl's plight. She probably understands what it's like to lose one's mother, and she never knew her father. In fact, Mortia may prove a good mentor for the girl, should she survive Elaudia of course.

Having reached a decision, you turn your attention to Devika once more. “How would like to join me and my friends? We're going into Elaudia. It will be dangerous, and there's no guarantee that you'll survive the journey, but at least you'll have people to talk to other than Yama. Plus, I can teach you more about magic.”

She doesn't respond, merely nodding her head from where it's hidden behind her knees. You rise from your seat upon the cushion, and though Devika seems reluctant she eventually takes your hand and pulls herself to her feet. The bells on her dress jingle as you walk with her towards the door, your companions quickly falling into step behind you. As does Yama. You can feel the girl's guardian at your back, mere inches away from you.

>Find a room for the night. You'd rather not drag Devika and Yama into your realm.
>What's the worst that could happen? Drag everyone into your realm with you.
>Focus your thoughts upon Yama, and see if Ricky might know anything about the creature.
>Sleep is for the weak, and Devika should start getting used to the life of adventure. Set course for the jungle.
>Write-in

>>415388
>>Focus your thoughts upon Yama, and see if Ricky might know anything about the creature.

>Write-in
Find a helmet for Devika. Enchant it with Create+Air, then jam her and Yama into our cloak.

>>415388
>Focus your thoughts upon Yama, and see if Ricky might know anything about the creature.
>Explain the magical realm to Devika and why Yama can't enter it
>Try to convince her that it is the safest place to stay and that Yama can stay with our friend Ricky in the cloak. Leverage the existence of Zahak and the chance for her to meet him. Have her explain what she's doing to Yama to get him to stay in the cloak with Ricky

>>415388
>Focus your thoughts upon Yama, and see if Ricky might know anything about the creature.
>Sleep is for the weak, and Devika should start getting used to the life of adventure. Set course for the jungle.

>>415388
>>Find a room for the night. You'd rather not drag Devika and Yama into your realm.
>>Focus your thoughts upon Yama, and see if Ricky might know anything about the creature.

>>415388
>>Focus your thoughts upon Yama, and see if Ricky might know anything about the creature.
>Find a room for the night. You'd rather not drag Devika and Yama into your realm.

>>415395
support

>>415388
This >>415395

>>415388
>Find a room for the night. You'd rather not drag Devika and Yama into your realm.

>>415395
Also he has the right of it.

>>415395
I'll switch to this, then.

>>415395
>>415388
Supportan' kapitan

>>415388
>>Focus your thoughts upon Yama, and see if Ricky might know anything about the creature.

>>415388
>>415391
Oh, I guess this means I won't vote for this then.

>>415395

I bet Yame reacts violently to being separated from Devika

Zahak probably is hungry now.

>>415433
Yeah, that's right. Nothing eaten in the realm is substantive.

we should teach zahak string manipulation so he can create his own food.

>>415395
>>415396
>>415399
>>415402
>>415407
>>415404
>>415416
>>415414
>>415418
>>415420
>Ayo Rickster whaddafuq is this thing?

>>415418
>>415395
>>415404
>>415407
>>415414
>>415416
>>415431
>Explain the realm and why Yama can't enter it.
>Yama Can hang with Ricky.

>>415396
>Into Elaudia

>>415399
>>415402
>>415408
>Find a room.

Writin' for
>Ask Ricky
>Explain the realm.

>>415388
>Focus your thoughts upon Yama, and see if Ricky might know anything about the creature.

>>415442
Don't forget having Devika tell Yama to stay with Ricky. That's a key point. We can't be the one to separate them because we don't know what Yama or Devika will do. Devika has to be the one to tell Yama to stay behind.

We also need to impress upon Ricky that he can't eat Yama.

>>415442
Can't we do this while walking the hell out of here? It seems like we're going to try to find a solution outside sleeping here for the night anyways, might as well make some forward progress.

Have we consider the possibility that maybe Ricky may not take kindly to Yama presence? Or that he maybe extra harmful to our sanity and out health while inside the cloak or near us?

>>415459
I'm more worried that he's going to fuck with our stuff.

>>415466
Don't think Ricky would let that shit fly

>>415466
>>415475
Yama can join Ricky at the poker table and win our stuff fair and square.

>>415478
Ricky isn't just a master negotiator, he's also an experienced card shark, and a brilliant saucier.

As you pass through the hallway, you once again manifest the little ball of light to light your path. This time it bobs through the air a few feet in front of you, a fact which absolutely delights Devika judging by the way she watches the light dance about. You bring it a little closer, within arms reach, and just as you expected the girl tries to poke the little glowing orb. You have it pull away, and she goes following after it.

Eventually you reach the end of the hallway, and upon emerging once more into the comparatively well lit reaches of Tel Lakud you let the girl finally, at long last, catch the ethereal ball of light. You'd expected her hands to simply pass right through it, and then you could extinguish it and explain the method by which it worked. However, the very moment her fingers brush against the ball's surface the light is extinguished. The vys you'd been using to maintain it is left directionless, and so instead is lost to the ambient vys which suffuses the city.

You've never seen something like that happen, and you have fairly little idea what might have caused it, but you intend to find out. “What did you do just then?” You ask, careful to maintain a gentle tone. “Do you think you could do it again?”

Devika looks at you curiously, but nods her head. You generate another ball of light as you begin to descend the long sloping ramp towards the marketplace far below. This time you hold it steady in front of the young girl walking beside you, and just as before the moment she touches the ball of light it is extinguished.

Unlike before, you'd been channeling Nature magic so as to observe what happened at the point of contact. The ball appeared to your vision as a small concentration of vys, and Devika as a silhouette created by her reserves. When she touched the ball you witnessed a flash of light which was rapidly incorporated into her reserves. It reminded you almost of a Leech spell, but could a girl so young truly master an effect without the assistance of a tutor? Perhaps the phenomena is related to whatever it is that caused your tattoos to writhe across the surface of your skin at her touch.

You walk with your now expanded party through the relatively silent upper reaches of the Tel Lakud, and in the silence your thoughts turn to what exactly you'll do about sleeping arrangements. You only have five fairly small tents in your cloak, which you'd assumed would be enough so long as Darzi was willing to share with you. Of course, Fulvia probably doesn't need a tent since she doesn't actually sleep, so you could give hers to Devika. You could also just have everyone sleep in your tower, but then you're not quite certain what sort of effect Yama might have upon your realm. If he's like Ricky, you'd be running the risk of tearing open a hole in reality.

(1/2)

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Which reminds you, Ricky might not be able to truly talk but that doesn't mean he's unable to communicate. With your thoughts directed towards the cloak upon your back, you focus on the image of Yama and try to get across that you're asking a question.

The response is immediate. A sharp, high pitched, ear-splitting shriek the likes of which you haven't heard in quite some time. It's enough to make you stumble, pain throbbing in the back of your skull, but you recover quickly. Metal magic allows you to reduce the force of Ricky's unintelligible screeching, and it's a few seconds later that a semi-corporeal tentacle slides out of the black surface of your cloak bearing coiled within its mass a rolled up piece of parchment.

Plucking the length of treated hide from the cloak, it slowly recedes back into the cloak. Much to the abject horror of a woman you think might be a prostitute, judging by the way she's painted her face and the scant clothes she's wearing. Not that you're one to care what a lowly street walker thinks, that she-wolf probably fucks elves.

Unrolling the parchment, you find inscribed carefully upon its surface in black ink a diagram. At the very top of the list is a mass of tentacles you can only assume represents some manner of spirits. Then beneath that is what you think is a man with horns. An arrow passes between them, leading from the tentacled abomination to the man. Then from the man an arrow leads to an immense worm eating its own tale, the head bringing to mind that entity which invaded what would become apart of Mahana's realm after you fired that husk-charged shot from your pistol.

From the worm creature, an arrow leads to what you find to be a startlingly accurate depiction of Ricky. He was even really careful about the shading on his tentacles. You know, he's really a pretty good artist. Regardless, from Ricky is drawn a line to Yama, and from Yama is drawn a line to... well, nothing. You suppose it's not really important, since you think this handy little chart explains what you needed to know. Yama would be a Progenitor, you believe. At least that's according to Ricky.

(2/3)

File: Tel Lakud - Interior.jpg (1.33 MB, 800x1200)

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That doesn't entirely answer what would happen if you dragged Yama into your realm though. From what you understand, Progenitors are those entities trapped halfway between the void and the mortal coil. They're unable to interact with spirits, but they're also unable to enter the void. You suppose you could always just give it a shot, and be prepared to shunt everyone back to the base reality should things go awry, but that seems a little reckless.

>On second thought, maybe you shouldn't shove Yama into the cloak. If he's a Progenitor, that means he was banished from the void.
>What could possible go wrong? Try to convince Devika to have Yama enter the cloak, it's a better option than potentially damaging your realm.
>If he's not truly a void entity, should it be fine to drag Yama into your realm? Give it a shot, but be ready to abort if necessary.
>Write-in

>>415521
>On second thought, maybe you shouldn't shove Yama into the cloak. If he's a Progenitor, that means he was banished from the void.
Just ask Devika if Yama can be seperated from her if it's for her protection

>>415521
>If he's not truly a void entity, should it be fine to drag Yama into your realm? Give it a shot, but be ready to abort if necessary.
But then
>What could possible go wrong? Try to convince Devika to have Yama enter the cloak, it's a better option than potentially damaging your realm.

VERY IMPORTANT.

When we first met Mahana, we let Ricky's tentacles touch him. Mahana specifically said that he thought Ricky was a PROGENITOR as Ricky's tentacles annihilated his being. The implication of that is that a progenitor would have the same effect on Mahana. This means that it is a truly terrible, horrible, awful idea to bring Yama to our spirit realm.

>>415521
>>On second thought, maybe you shouldn't shove Yama into the cloak. If he's a Progenitor, that means he was banished from the void.

>>415521
>>On second thought, maybe you shouldn't shove Yama into the cloak. If he's a Progenitor, that means he was banished from the void.
>>415528
and this, very much this

>>415521
>>415528
Additionally we probably don't want to send Yama back to the void unless we can get assurance from Ricky that Yama will be fine there. I vote we ask Ricky if it's ok to send Yama into the void. If we don't get an absolutely positive response we should just have Yama stay in base reality and wait for us to get back. If that means not going to our realm with Devika then so be it.

>On second thought, maybe you shouldn't shove Yama into the cloak. If he's a Progenitor, that means he was banished from the void.

http://pastebin.com/sijmZSSf

This is the pastebin on Progenitors and spirits.
http://pastebin.com/sijmZSSf

If Yama enters our realm he will destroy it by his presence alone. Also it seems Yama isn't yet tainted by the mortal realm yet which makes me wonder if his interest in Devika is part of his means to make the transition.

>>415528
Ah, good catch.
>>415525
Ignore this, then, I'll go with >>415532

>>415521
>>If he's not truly a void entity, should it be fine to drag Yama into your realm? Give it a shot, but be ready to abort if necessary.
First get Zahaak the hell out of there.

>>415538

Mean to link >>415521

>On second thought, maybe you shouldn't shove Yama into the cloak. If he's a Progenitor, that means he was banished from the void.

>>415521
>On second thought, maybe you shouldn't shove Yama into the cloak. If he's a Progenitor, that means he was banished from the void.
And supporting >>415532

>>415521
>>Write-in
Let's ask Yama if he is a Progenitor or tell the girl to ask him since apparently she can understand him.

>>415541
Nigga. Are you stupid?
>>415528

>>415521
> See if Ricky is cool letting Yama crash at his place

I mean, if not then whatever.

Also, kind of leery of letting Devika into our Realm as well since Vys acts all fucked up around her.

>>415528
>>415541 my vote
>What could possible go wrong? Try to convince Devika to have Yama enter the cloak, it's a better option than potentially damaging your realm.
Changing my vote soma.

>>415552
>>415521
We could check if she can control it.

>>415538
>All spirits are True Immortals, meaning they cannot be properly killed save by other True Immortals.
Given what we know of Prthvi and Srsti, this is presumably because the only way to kill a True Immortal is to absorb their DE.
Which would explain why the gods were shit scared of Totemistry. It allowed mortals to kill (or at least, cripple) True Immortals by binding them to objects.

>>415548
Man, I hope not. But some anons have better memory than me.

>>415545
>>415543
>>415531
>>415529
>>415524
>>415539
>Maybe don't send Yama into the void.

>>415528
>>415531
>>415539
>Better not send him into your realm either.

>A smattering of votes for other things.

I also added the Hierarchy of the Cosmic Bureaucracy that Ricky just drew you to your inventory.

Writin'. This will probably be the last post. You'll ask Devika how she feels about being separated from Yama and explain you're realm, then I'll end with the set-up for the next session.

Speaking of, I kind of plan for a fairly long series of question/answer post, relatively short and punchy, which will determine the structure of your cult. I have plans for tomorrow, but in between those plans I ought to be able to have all that hashed out. It will probably be a sort of all day thing.

On second thought, it's almost 3 AM and I'm pretty exhausted. I'd rather wait until tomorrow, type up this post after I've gone through my morning routine, and kick off the Q/A session with it.

>>415562
>>415576
Goodnight Soma. Thanks for taking the time to run even though you weren't planning to.