[IC] Nature will gradually erase...

[rs2excelsior]

Darach seems impressed by Jarome's magic. "That's certainly easier than doing it by hand," he says, laughing a bit. "When I was a mere initiate, the priests had us doing the washing by hand. Any one of us would have killed for that spell!" Despite what he's saying, there's still a smile in her eyes. "In any case, thank you for the clean clothing."

Having relaxed his muscles a bit, Darach paddles out to deeper water and begins swimming across the length of the spring, propelling himself with long, lazy strokes. Although he is not a particularly skilled swimmer, he has the strength to largely make up for his lack of form.

[hannahbbug3]

After scrubbing down, the men head back to the room they were given, not chancing any potential dangers in the temple when the night draws in. Mallow is still awake when the group comes back, sitting beside Corrin's bed and arranging the broad leaves from the tiefling's own bed atop him to keep the summoner warm. He glances up and offers a smile and nod when the party returns, but stays quiet for the sake of Corrin and Mercuira alike.

The stone slabs are surprisingly comfortable, and the night passes without much event. One of the Wyrwood come by after the group has settled in and closes the door to the room so you all can rest without a breeze blowing through.

Spoiler: Although... (Perception Check)

Show

DC 25 to wake up in the middle of the night and hear a soft scratching at the metal door, which persists on and off for several hours.

When morning dawns, the party is awakened by one of the Wyrwood again, who simply comes by to open the door, letting the morning light stream into the room. Mallow looks like he hasn't slept much at all - he's only half awake at the moment, though, eyes closed and head resting by Corrin's shoulder, but when he hears the others start to move, he sits up and rubs his eyes, before brushing Corrin's shoulder with his hand. To his great relief, and likely everyone else's the summoner stirs, dark eyes blinking open slowly. He grimaces for a moment before he sits up, eyes closed against the light.

"Ach, my head... what happened? Where are we?" he questions, but he isn't answered before Mallow launches himself at the summoner in a full body embrace. Corrin's eyes open again and he hugs back, surprised but welcoming. He looks over Mallow's shoulder as the tiefling clings to him, smiling a little at the others. "...good morning, everyone," he says. "Can someone tell me what we're all doing in a place like... woah," he trails off when he gets a better look around the room and its glistening beauty.

Spoiler: Taicho is Sick

Show

And the tengu takes (1d2)[1] Str Damage, 1 Con damage, and is fatigued.

[rs2excelsior]

Darach rises early, surprisingly refreshed. Quietly, he begins his morning prayers and waits for the others to awaken. He has just finished calling once more on Theandrios to guide his hand and grant him power, using his newly refreshed magical energy to heal a few more of his own wounds, when Corrin awakens. "We are in a holy place," he replies to the summoner's question. Creatures constructed by the ancient ones found you and brought you here. They kept you safe."

[purepolarpanzer]

It's good to have you awake! As Darach said, we've been invited to this Sanctuary to help get you back on your feet and rest a spell while you recovered. It is excellent to see you again, Corrin. I must say you've given me some wariness about ever putting a set of wings on Hastur. Daedalus' weak attempt at a joke is met with a snort from Hastur, who simply smiles down at the other summoner.

[thelastorphan]

Taicho wakes and groggily mumbles something in his own tongue about how terrible he feels.

He then finds something to throw up in. Only heaving until his body becomes weak. I do not feel good. He says to no one in particular. After heaving a bit longer he sits back down. Breathing heavily and trying to steel himself against this sickness.

Noticing Corrin. It is good to see you well.

[hannahbbug3]

Corrin smiles at the group as the greet him, happy to see them as well. Only his expression fades when he hears the horrid noises coming from Taicho's side of the room. "You don't seem so well, yourself," he murmurs, concerned, before extirpating himself from Mallow's arms and tapping the tiefling on the shoulder. He nods in Taicho's direction. "Have you prepared your spells yet, Mal?" he asks, and the tiefling seems to snap to attention.

"Oh... no. Not yet. Hold on a moment, tengu, I might be able to help," he says, shifting off from where he had been practically atop Corrin to go sit in the sunlight, meditating silently. Corrin tentatively gets up, then, rolling his shoulders and testing his weight on his feet.

"Wow... I feel incredible," he hums, stretching his arms over his head. He smiles to Darach, Daedalus, and Hastur. "Remind me to thank those constructs, then. And, Daedalus, the wings aren't that bad - really, stuff like that almost never happens," he says. "But, then again, it's only a risk I run when I'm fused." He then sits down on the edge of his bed, tugging off his shirt. The 'why' of this is explained when he reveals two wing-shaped tattoos on his shoulderblades, with an exact copy of the summoner's rune from his forehead placed in between the dark wings. He takes a deep breath, places his hands on his shoulders, and closes his eyes. After a moment, feathers slowly climb from the ink patterns, unfolding into the wings that the party saw Corrin use yesterday. And once those have fully formed, which takes about a minute of time on its own, it only takes a second or so more for Finch to leap from Corrin's spine, taking the marks of the tattoo off Corrin's pale skin with her. Immediately, she is perched atop her summoner's head, worrying over him and grooming his hair.

[theasl]

Mercuira stirs as the others converse, yawning and sitting up in her leaf-covered bed. She smiles as she sees Corrin up and about, and her own wounds are healed and not bothering her either...though it seems Taicho is still feeling the effects of the slime they encountered in the tunnels...was that yesterday? It feels like it happened a year ago...

Spoiler: ooc

Show

[rs2excelsior]

Darach laughs a bit at Finch's appearance. "Hello again, little one," he says. "What manner of creature is she?" he asks Corrin, shaking his head a bit. He has gathered that she is likely some sort of outsider, bonded to the summoner, based on his experiences with Daedalus and Hastur if nothing else, but he's still not entirely certain how the entire situation works.

At Taicho's protestations, Darach's brow furrows and he goes over to the tengu. "I am sorry, friend, my training focused on tending to battle wounds rather than illness. I am afraid I have no magic that can help you. But, perhaps, I can remember a bit of my practice with non-magical methods..."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Rolling Heal to try and help with some of the symptoms, until Mallow can come up with a more permanent solution? (1d20+7)[21]
I finally have a rank in heal now!

[purepolarpanzer]

Finch need not be a creature that most could define, Darach. Our summons are shaped by our very will and experiences,
and can be tailored to fit each summoner's wishes and needs. While I have chosen to refine and strengthen Hastur's already formidable combat ability as a djin, Finch may be an outsider who's origins are far from what he is now. I am unfamiliar with his origins, but I'll leave it to Corrin and Finch himself to best describe their relationship and origins. Speaking of which... I cannot say I am not eager to learn more of your summoner's school, Corrin. I had thought I may be the only one of our abilities in the whole world after I learned it from ancient secrets long left in the dust. Daedalus felt a bit bad bringing this up so soon after Corrin's recovery, but in the wake of almost losing this knowledge he felt hungry to learn more, no matter how gauche it may seem.

[hannahbbug3]

Corrin smiles a little bit at Darach's question, but takes the time to pull on his shirt before he speaks again. He takes Finch off his head, stroking a hand over her wings as she nuzzles into his hand. "She's an Agathion," he says. "Let me see if I can quote from my teacher... 'Patient and enlightened liaisons of the good-aligned Outer Planes, agathion eidolons seek to vanquish evil and protect that which is good. An agathion eidolon seeks to bring their summoner closer to their own enlightenment'," he quoted. Talking about his teacher, then, brings him around very well to Daedalus' question. He smiles. "Right, of course. I was going to show you on a map... do you have one?" he asks.

[purepolarpanzer]

I do not. But my knowledge of geography is pretty vast. I should be able to find it based on landmarks and where it is in relation to other places. Daedalus is a bit crestfallen, but honestly thinks he can manage.

[hannahbbug3]

Corrin nods, but looks a little sheepish. "I'm afraid I'm not so good with geography - that's more of Mallow's strong suit. When he's finished meditating, he can probably give you clearer directions, though - we met around the time I left the school," he explains. "But, it's up north of here. You take the By-Summer road and then at this certain point, you break off and start heading into the wilderness a bit to this big waterfall... there's a tunnel behind it and it takes you down and around a big mountain, right through the middle of it, and spits you out in front of a big ruin. That's where the school is. It's... hidden because it's said only the worthy are capable of finding it. But you seem worthy enough to me."

[Gyrfalcon]

Jarome stretches and yawns, surprised at himself that he managed to sleep as long as he did. It was uncommon to pass a whole night in untroubled sleep. His good mood at waking up so well rested is dashed as Taicho begins vomiting extensively into the nearest container. While Corrin and Darach begin attending to their sick companion, Jarome quietly takes away the chamber pot and takes advantage of his magic to clean it up neatly.

By the time he returns, Finch has joined Corrin, and Jarome nods to the Eidolon politely. He takes note of the directions that Corrin gives, a place to visit and experience later, after they've dealt with these ruins and the zombie-creating vine infestation.

[hannahbbug3]

It takes around an hour for Mallow to finish preparing his spells, but when he does, he comes over to Taicho's side. "All right, heeeeere we go!" is all the warning the tengu gets before the tiefling's hands are on his shoulders and a rush of cleansing energy surges through him. Mallow certainly seems to know what he's doing - and only a moment later, the ill feeling in Taicho's stomach and head goes away. Mallow pulls away without waiting for a thanks to return to Corrin's side, sitting beside the summoner and draping an arm around his shoulder.

"We should get back to Vark," the summoner says to his companion. He looks up to the rest of the party. "Will you be joining us?"

[purepolarpanzer]

Mallow, would it be possible to receive some guidance in finding Corrin's Summoning School? He has given me some directions, but more geographical landmarks would go a long way towards helping me to find it should I try.
Daedalus brings over more paper and readies himself to take notes. Yes, it would be good to meet other summons and summoners. I am interested in investigating if their bond is strong like ours, as well as Corrin and Finch's.

[thelastorphan]

Thank you, Mallow. Taicho looks at the Tiefling and blinks. There is some affection there and gratitude though much harder to see on his avian features. I owe you a great debt.

Realizing Corrin is feeling much better. Corrin! I am glad to see you well. You are very lucky. The guardians of this place were very generous...are very generous. He still holds his stomach lightly, it takes a moment for the nausea to fully subside.

Addressing the others. Before we return to Vark we should have a look around, and the Voonith wanted to meet here yes?

[theasl]

"Oh! Yes, they did." Mercuira had forgotten about that, but now that she's been reminded, the voonith they'd met in the caves did say something about the Sanctuary - and they'd seen others around when they came in. I wonder if the ones we met the other day were there? Or maybe they went back to the mine... Anyways, she gets up from the leaf-bed and carefully gathers her gear, preparing to set out.

[rs2excelsior]

"The voonith were to meet us here... tomorrow? Until then, perhaps the Wyrwood would give us another day of hospitality? I would not mind a day to explore this place. Although if the two of you would like company back to Vark, I would be willing. We should be able to get back in time for our meeting with those... creatures."

[hannahbbug3]

"Don't worry about it. Consider us even - I never would have gotten Corrin back without your help," Mallow insists to Taicho, before looking up at Daedalus. "The school? Right... I think I remember where that was..." the tiefling hums, thinking a moment to himself. Corrin gives him a little bit of prodding, reminding Mallow "it's up around that place we first met!" and that seems to jog Mallow's memory.

"Of course. So, how you're going to want to get there, you take the By-Summer up to its northernmost point, right between Berry and Alliance. There should be this monolith around there, a giant pillar with some celestial written on it. Head straight north from there and you'll find a river running along through the wilderness. It's pretty shallow, so you can pretty much use the river as a road, if you need to," he says. "Then you'll come up on this deep pool, with a waterfall and a cave behind the waterfall to take you through the mountain. Keep to the left of the passage, if you don't have someone with detect magic with you. If you've got detect magic, though, there are marks all through the tunnels to lead you right to the school," he explains. "That's how I found it, at least."

He takes a moment of pause, before looking the group over. He seems to decide something to himself, before speaking up. He keeps his voice low, though, and puts his back to Corrin. The summoner's attention is fixed on Finch, preening her wings a little bit, so he's not paying attention, anyways. So Mallow continues. "If... you have the chance, and I really hate to ask another favor of you all... would you take the time to stop by Berry? Just... there's something that needs doing there. I can't speak of it, but you all are... good-hearted. You'll see it, if you go. I don't need to know, if you go or not. Just... if you pass that way."

[thelastorphan]

Should I get the chance to go to Berry and investigate I will consider my debt to you paid. Taicho pipes up after Mallow's little speech. Slightly embarrassed at his outburst but he is starting to realize that these people have not judged him yet.

[rs2excelsior]

Darach's eyes narrow a bit. Mallow seems a trustworthy fellow, but being so unwilling to talk about a problem which was apparently so obvious that someone passing through could see it was... strange. "If we are in the area, we will see what we can do." He studies the tiefling's face to see if he can figure out anything further about the issue.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Sense motive roll: (1d20+11)[22]

[hannahbbug3]

Whatever the problem is, Darach can tell easily enough that it's something that troubles Mallow greatly. The fact that he's not explicitly saying what it is could mean one of two things - he was either threatened into not saying anything about it, or the problem is so troubling to him that he simply doesn't want to speak of it because it is too painful. The tiefling's tail twitches as Darach studies him, but he says nothing further about it.

[theasl]

"Alright, if we head that way, we'll take a look. But we've got some unfinished business here as well, first." Mercuira doesn't seem bothered by the lack of information - he must have his reasons.

[hannahbbug3]

"Thank you," Mallow says again, some hidden tension dropping out of his shoulders. "If you don't get there, that's fine, too. I just... feel better knowing that you might," he says. He gives a small shrug, before flashing the group a smile that seems much more in place on his features than the faint concern that had been there. "We'll be in Vark for a while yet, I think. But we move around. Maybe we'll see one another again sometime," he says. That said, he returns to Corrin, letting Finch hop onto his shoulder and offering the summoner help in standing.

"I do hope we see you all again," Corrin tells the others. "But we should at least return to the town and tell them that things are under control and will be all right. If you don't swing by before heading on your way... well, good luck to all of you, and may darkness ever elude you," he says.

[rs2excelsior]

Darach nods to them. "You as well. I expect we'll be back by Vark at some point. Until then... keep yourselves safe. I don't know that we can count on the Wyrwood being in the area a second time. Theandrios' guidance go with you." He gets up, stretches, and continues his morning routine of weapon drills.

[thelastorphan]

Turning to Mallow. Again, thank you. I will be sure to say hello when we pass through Vark again.

Taicho admires Darach's dedication to his training. He also practices in the mornings. Do you mind if we spar sometime? Training with a partner is always a good learning experience and I feel there is much I could learn from you. Those words spill forth form Taicho before he can stop himself. It has been a long time since he had trained with anyone. Mostly having learned from old tomes he found exploring ruins near his home. I am feeling much better now. A quick cover for his embarrassment.

[rs2excelsior]

Darach is surprised by the question, but not unpleasantly so. "Sure, I'd be glad to. It is far better practicing with someone; even the best target doesn't dodge or strike back." Although I'm not too much good without a weapon, and well," he hefts his axe. "Not too easy to swing with this without doing some permanent damage.
I'm sure we can make it work." Darach hasn't quite gotten a good read on the quiet tengu yet, but he has proven himself as a good fighter. Maybe this would help him loosen up a bit.

[purepolarpanzer]

Daedalus eagerly shakes hands with Mallow and Corrin, then offers a finger to finch to shake as well. It was a pleasure to meet all of you. I do hope we meet again. I owe you a set of earmuffs, Finch. I'll leave them at the summoner's school if we make our way there,
and if not I'll certainly hold onto them for you. It'll be a matching set for you and Corrin. Daedalus smiles warmly at all three of them. Hastur also shakes hands with each of them, whispering a pleasant parting to each in the language of fire and smoke.

[thelastorphan]

I have some skill with other weapons though I assure you my body is tough enough to at least take the haft of your axe without much trouble. Taicho was happy to display such skills. My skin can be toughened at just the moment before impact. It is about the flow of energy in yourself. Ki it was called in the manuals I found when I was younger. It was rather enlighten-

Feeling like he may be over sharing a bit. You didn't really ask for an explanation, sorry if I start to ramble. I don't often have someone to talk to about such things let alone spar. Realizing that perhaps this is alright, Darach seems like an amiable fellow as do the rest of this group of travelers. Though if you are interested I have a few tricks I can show you and try to explain how they work. It always seemed to me not all that different from divine power. Just wrested from within instead of without.

[rs2excelsior]

"That would be most interesting," Darach replies. "I myself do not connect with Theandrios as more... traditional followers do. It is a somehow more inherent connection, as you said--partially from within, but still fueled from without, if that makes sense. I am fascinated to hear the different ways the Stars speak to each of us. I would be honored to spar with you."