Mithar Keep & Frescot House IV: Magic babble lies within

[Rebonack]

[Into the Keep]

"I could show you the pictures right now, if you like," Geneva says as she begins fiddling with her PIPcolt. She'll remove an odd looking little device from her inventory spell, briefly connect it to her wrist computer via a cable, and then set the little machine on the floor.

It projects the pictures onto the nearest flat surface of sufficient size that it can detect.

How fancy!

"They're digital files, I don't have any physical pictures. Though I could get some printed out, I suppose."

She begins cycling through the various images of the Nexus from above. WAY above. So far above that the curvature of the world can easily be seen. There's a large urban center in each picture, obviously Inside. But in each picture it looks strikingly different. In fact, the world around the city looks different, too. Different bioms, different landmass, different... planet?

"I discovered that if you leave Inside from a different direction, you'll get pictures of the Nexus on wholly different worlds. Thankfully all the worlds that seem to connect directly to the Nexus have the same general composition, otherwise I would have run the risk of flying into a planet with an atmosphere made of chlorine gas."

Which would be awful.

The talk of traveling stores strikes Geneva as quite interest. "Really? I'm not sure how useful that sort of place would be to the study, to be fair. I need something I can iterate my tests on. A shop that only exists for one visit makes for a terrible sample size."

[Shadowcaller]

[Into the Keep]

The sorceress takes a quick look at the pictures before she replies. "I was more thinking of trying to identify one and possibly study whatever mechanics that makes it able to dimension travel." Or she could borrow the Tardis. "But as I said, it's a long-shot..." She takes a second glance at once picture, was was that three planets or one oddly shaped one? She had heard planets were supposed to be round...

[Rebonack]

[Into the Keep]

There should be one photo of the Nexus on a flat world in there. And another of the Nexus of a toroid (donut shaped) world. And one that appears to be a complex fractal of interconnected world-filaments. There's even a lotus blossom shaped world. But most of the pictures feature spherical (or close to spherical) worlds.

"It would be hard to study how it works if the place vanished after visiting it once," Geneva says. "Unless the person who owns it could provide me with a suitably detailed description of its functionality. What would be ideal is if we could find someone with a TARDIS like the one in the old Doctor Hooves television series. A machine that can travel freely through multiple degrees of freedom beyond the usual three would be an incredible help."

Sadly, Geneva has yet to meet any time lords in the Nexus.

If she did she would badger them to death with questions to the point of regeneration.

[Terumitsu]

[A Particular Practitioner's Pad]

Riss was quite content to stop at using her arm although if the sorceress took a second glance, she might note that a sizable portion of aether had been stored inside the arm. While not enough to bring the muse down to 'normal' she might potentially be easier to deal with, now.

The muse herself was focused intently on the garment being woven together in the middle of the frigid room. It was uncomfortable to stay in, yes, but she knew it wasn't going to approach a damaging or dangerous situation. Besides, she needed to make certain that everything would end up absolutely perfect. Or as close to perfect as a random universe allows. The garment itself was taking shape to that of a more traditional laboratory coat although, notably, still the same colors and hues of the dress it had been made of... For the most part. The sleeves, collar, hems, and button holes each had a shiny, metallic trim to them and similar metallic threads appeared to be interwoven throughout to where the coat shimmered when it caught the light just right. The collar itself seemed to be a little over-large and it and the underside of the fabric had several intricate rune systems stitched into them with a strange, almost glassy thread. It wouldn't take a second glance to tell that they were of the protective sort of array but it might require more examination to tell just what they were to protect from.

[Shadowcaller]

[A Particular Practitioner's Pad]

Alright, let's do this. Hopefully the aether had settled down a bit. "Riss, are you okay in there?" Cessie inquires as she slowly steps inside the lab. Riss might note that the frost that have formed around the lab appear to be melting near the sorceress.

[Into the Keep]

The what? "Yes, the difficulty would be to identify the shop before it disappears. But television show you say? If there is something I have learned from the nexus is that popular stories tend to be true here. How does one contact this Doctor in the TV?" She had learned that much of television at least.

[Terumitsu]

[A Particular Practitioner's Pad]

"Hm? I'm fine, why do you... Oh that's right." the muse replied, her voice still holding that same ensorcelling quality but without the same hidden barbs from before. "I was so focused on an idea that I didn't pause to consider how it might appear if I were to simply use the materials at hand... Literally as the case may be, if you would excuse the pun." she said with a half smile. She was entirely unaffected for someone who had just removed on of their own limbs which might be somewhat unnerving to those who didn't have the luxury to think of things like limbs to be expendable.

The lab coat seemed to be finishing up although it seemed as if particular attention was being paid to the standing collar, the end result of which might lend one to think of either an armored neck piece or perhaps the sort of thing expected to be seen on a typical practitioner of the dark arts. Or perhaps both. In either case, once complete the garment neatly folded itself and was gently propelled towards the sorceress' feet.. Or at least towards the door depending on if she had moved in the interim.

As for the... Remains of what had once been an arm now looking like so much uncured, pale leather that had been very unprofessionally cleaned (ignoring that there was still a very intact thumb left, of course), it was quickly consumed by a white flame almost as if it were a magnesium fire although it was uncharacteristically dim if that were the case. "Anyway, it seems like everything went well.. Sorry for breaking the glass to get this all together but it was just more efficient to assemble a projection for this rather than draw it all out." Riss said although her tone was more of one who felt that it had been a completely legitimate solution for the intended project.

[Rebonack]

[Into the Keep]

"I've noticed that myself," Geneva replies, somewhat uneasily. "Apparently MY home world was based on what's considered a television program, too. It really raises some interesting questions on the nature of reality in the Nexus."

And the nature of reality everywhere, really.

"I can look into that. Who knows, maybe there's a phone book directory for Time Lords?"

Wouldn't be the weirdest thing that's turned up in Nexus phone books.

[Gullara]

Kirin's Room to Out Front

The pair presumably go out front to look at the bootprints, and then the wall the person climbed to get in.

"I doubt we'll be able to follow this trail very far outside of the wall..."

[Out Front]

"Hm, yes, you're probably right." Despite his background, Xavier was never a hunter. "But maybe we could find some kind of spell that will help us track the culprit. We do have the piece of clothing, after all. It is worth a shot."

[Lost_Deep]

Out Front

"Yeah, sounds good." Kirin will head back inside to get the box with the piece of clothing in it, and then presumably head toward the library.

[Shadowcaller]

[Into the Keep]

"There is only one way to find out." Cessie didn't have a catalog herself, using the communicator instead. Besides, any sort of registry in the nexus seemed to behave... erratically. "But inform me when you'll start this project of yours, I know more people who might be interested in it."

[A Particular Practitioner's Pad]

She'd rather want Riss to excuse herself for that rather insulting comment earlier now that she seemed slightly clearer in the head, but perhaps she didn't even remember it now. Cessie takes a step inside the room closing the door after herself. No sense letting all this madness out into the rest of the keep. But perhaps she should do these experiments outdoors from now on. There was no sense doing them here anymore. "It's okay, I can just clean it up later." She turns to look at the floating object, careful to not get too close to it. "So what is it exactly?"

[Terumitsu]

[A Particular Practitioner's Pad]

"That? It's useless now. It was the projector of the circle you likely saw but given how the instructions had to change mid-way through the operation, the thin layer of wax I used to obscure the necessary runes has melted away now." Riss said, putting a hand to the stump of her arm to check that all excess fluids had been caught already. "Technically it could be used again if you wanted another coat but it wouldn't work on any surface aside from this unique flooring you have... Assuming that you don't want to incinerate the circle into the ground and cause potentially far-reaching soil damage to the local area, that is." the muse replied. "Other potentials being damage to foundations of a building among other things depending on the surroundings. Speaking of, is there a way I could get more of this material for personal use?" she asked. It would be nice to have a surface that she didn't have to worry about causing damage to without extensive preparations when making the more energy intensive circles.

Riss had been hoping that Cessie would ask after the coat first given how that was the entire reason why the little projector orb existed in the first place. Really it was just a glass ball with some wax on a string. How was that more interesting?

[Gullara]

[Back to the Library]

Back inside, Xavier pokes around the library, looking for something they can use. Thankfully, they won't be at it for too long. "Perhaps we can use this ritual. It enchants a compass to point to a target, rather than North. We might have enough to make it work." Xavier says, holding an open book for Kirin to see.

[Lost_Deep]

Back to the Library

"Sounds good," Kirin says, not having the magical expertise to read the spell itself. "Is there a time limit on it?"

[Shadowcaller]

[A Particular Practitioner's Pad]

"That? It's useless now. It was the projector of the circle you likely saw but given how the instructions had to change mid-way through the operation, the thin layer of wax I used to obscure the necessary runes has melted away now." Riss said, putting a hand to the stump of her arm to check that all excess fluids had been caught already. "Technically it could be used again if you wanted another coat but it wouldn't work on any surface aside from this unique flooring you have... Assuming that you don't want to incinerate the circle into the ground and cause potentially far-reaching soil damage to the local area, that is." the muse replied. "Other potentials being damage to foundations of a building among other things depending on the surroundings. Speaking of, is there a way I could get more of this material for personal use?" she asked. It would be nice to have a surface that she didn't have to worry about causing damage to without extensive preparations when making the more energy intensive circles.

Riss had been hoping that Cessie would ask after the coat first given how that was the entire reason why the little projector orb existed in the first place. Really it was just a glass ball with some wax on a string. How was that more interesting?

[A Particular Practitioner's Pad]

"Shouldn't you at least return your... arm? Since I was actually thinking we should go outside and continue our experiment." As far away from the keep as possible. "There are much more materials out there that you can manipulate while in this state. You could tell me more about that coat of yours while we go."

[Gullara]

[Library => Lab]

"None that are apparent. I imagine there are limitations, but we'll have to discover those for ourselves." Xavier tucks the book under his arm and nods. "Right then. You find a compass and meet me in the lab. I'll get things ready while I wait."

When Kirin gets to the lab, Xavier has the book open on a table with a number of items around it. Nothing looks all that noteworthy, but then again, it's not the flashiest of spells in the first place. "Ah, Kirin! Did you find a compass?" He walks over to her, looking very pleased with how things are going so far.

[Lost_Deep]

Lab

"Yeah." She hands Xavier a cheap compass. Not so cheap that it doesn't work, but... cheap.

[Terumitsu]

[A Particular Practitioner's Pad - Taking This Outside]

"Your coat, actually." Riss replied, allowing Cessie to lead the way. "I felt that it might be useful to have something like protective gear when working with potentially volatile materials so I made something that could emulate the same sound that your flooring made.. Or, lack of sound, you could say? I.. Can't exactly explain how it translates but... Imagine that it creates a pseudo skin around the wearer which can redirect forces directed at them. Personally I'd say it would best be treated as more of a haz-mat suit for dangerous materials than, say, armor against aetheric attacks but.. Well, I suppose it would work in a pinch if you didn't have anything else around. I just wouldn't expect it to hold up under prolonged assault. As a bit of a bonus due to how it works, I would expect the wearer to be able to mildly enhance their manipulations once they get used to the particular nuances of the coat's dispersal, though." she said, giving the sorceress the rundown on what was essentially a tricked-out lab coat.

"And I can replace my arm when I get home. Still have two grasping limbs left, after all, and I don't think I'll be in any dire situation where I'll end up needing four extra digits... Plus I suspect It's kind of a waste to ignore what's most likely my strongest limb at this point." she said, that last part half to herself. At any rate, it wasn't as if she could just make a new arm out of the ash on the floor. The bio-synthetic nature of it was rather complex and that wasn't even getting into the fibers that made up her nerves now... Although said nerves were pretty excellent conductors although she suspected that Cessie might take ill to the fact that most of the embroidering had been made up from them despite their already artificial nature.

[Gullara]

[Lab]

"This should work just fine. Thank you." Xavier takes the compass, grabs a piece of chalk, and heads over to the middle of the room. He starts to draw out a circle, one that resembles the compass on a map soon enough. When that is done, he places the compass directly in the middle. "Okay, perfect." He goes back to the table and retrieves the book and the scrap of cloth from Kirin's room. He places the cloth on the north most side of the circle. "Now for the words." Looking at the book, he begins a chant. It is in some language neither of them know. Hopefully it does what they need.

[Lost_Deep]

Lab

Kirin stands back and let him does his work. She doesn't understand this, as much as she would like to.

Maybe she should take classes.

[Shadowcaller]

[A Particular Practitioner's Pad - Taking This Outside]

Huh, that actually sounded very useful. The missing arm still freaked her out a bit though. "So... you have a lot of replaceable bodyparts? How does that work exactly? I'm completely clueless about body modification." Mostly since it made her a bit uncomfortable. She had gotten more used to it over time though. It was hard to miss all the images of Magtok everywhere. "How much of your body can you really replace?" When she really thought about it, it wasn't too different from what Arik had done. Perhaps Riss and her brother would have things in common? She glances at the arm again as if making sure it wasn't twitching, before she closes the door after her and Riss. Cessie then moves down the stairs and out the door without saying as much as a word, urging Riss to do the same. Better to get outside as soon as possible.

Living at the very edge of Inside, the sorceress often wandered out into Outside to document the flora and wildlife there. Now she was planning to take Riss on a similar tour where she wouldn't cause so much chaos.

[Lab]

It seems like it does as the compass suddenly starts to spin, pointing northeast, in the direction of Seaside. Huh.

[Gullara]

[Lab]

"Ah ha! See that, Kirin? It worked!" He snatches the compass up and holds it out for Kirin to see. "See here? North is that way, and the compass is pointing north east." He points emphatically.

[Lost_Deep]

Lab

"Great! I guess we had better get stuff together. It'll likely be at least a hike, and maybe a full roadtrip." If only there was someway to tell how far...

[Gullara]

[Lab]

"Yes, that is one weakness. All we have is a direction. But it should work well enough. Let's go prepare." Xavier agrees with her readily. And presumably they will go off to do just that!

[Lost_Deep]

Getting REady to Go

The next time Kirin sees Xavier, she waves him over. "You know... it occurs to me that we really aren't a good pair for this. I'm fast, but I'm not really trained in parkour. If we get into a fight, we likely don't stand much of a chance against someone with a gun or even just combat experience."

[Gullara]

[Ready to Go]

"Fight? My word, Kirin, I want nothing less." Xavier might just recoil from the very thought! "No no, I'm sure we can recover what was taken without resorting to that. And if we are attacked we will simply have to get out of that situation and figure something else out."

[Lost_Deep]

Ready to Go

"Fair enough," Kirin muses. Kirin at this point is wearing smart attire and a backpack. She's likely got a knife or two somewhere on her; in addition to being useful they're her option if lethal combat does occur. She can use her claws, but while sharp they are small enough they're unlikely to cause serious harm.

[Gullara]

[Ready to Go]

"Okay, I think we're ready. Let's get going. Hopefully we won't have too far to go." Not that they aren't prepared for a longer trip. It's hard to say without only a direction to go off of.

In any case, they head out!

[A Visit!]

Like so many times before, Sakura makes her way toward the Keep. Less normal, however, she doesn't have a single child in her arms or toddling next to her. It's almost shocking! No, the dryad is alone today. As usual, she stops by the garden and the greenhouse for a few minutes before walking right on inside the building proper. "Cessie, are you around?" She calls, though not so loud as she once might have. There could be sleeping kids for all she knows.

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

Actually, Sakura will find the sorceress in the greenhouse. It looks like something has happened there as some of the woman-shaped trees are gone, their pots along with them. The sorceress is standing watching one of the pots as a small water elemental seems to be slowly be slip down into the earth of one of the pots. She turns to look at her friend. "Ah, hello there." Cessie greets with a wide smile. "I just put the children to sleep."

[Gullara]

[A Visit!]

"Oh, hey Cessie." Sakura greets her friend with a warm smile. "That's good. I hope they're up before I have to go, though." Sakura always wants to see her favourite little kids. Aside from her own, of course. "What are you doing out he-" She pauses and looks at the line of trees, and the obvious gaps. "Are you moving the trees?"

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

Cessie turns to follow Sakura'z gaze. "No, it's just Arik that took a few of them for an experiment. Right now I'm trying to see if I can extract some of that energy through the soil with this elemental here." The sorceress explains. "He thought their energy could be used to enhance enchantments."