katoomba ♔ while I formulate denials of your effect on me

[moonheart]

♬ Watching You Go - Ghosts

WHO || Alanna, Jaime, Faith, Fiona, Jordan, Adi [Closed]
WHAT || The Knights investigate a shady temple of Mystra.
WHERE || Katoomba, Australia
WHEN || July 24th [forward dated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, don't worry about maintaining tagging order.

The Knights take off for Katoomba, Australia, to investigate a tale of a temple to the goddess of magic Mystra that was erected very suddenly and mysteriously, seemingly unknown to other Mystran clergy in the world.  A bizarre tale of a cleric being chased out with gunfire, and a missing bookseller with a connection to the church have left Wynn worried about what might be going on within the walls of the temple.  It is constructed a short distance from the actual city proper, up the river.  

Comments

[trebond]

Just a bit of equipment. My shield — it's a bit of a hassle to carry around constantly, but I thought I might have want for it if we do find ourselves at odds with the temple owners.

[ She pulls at the fabric of her bag, exposing a bit of a bright red shield with a lioness rampant painted across it. Her hand falls away after just a moment. ]

And a bit of magic of my own. If they aren't as dangerous as I fear, my hope is that the Mystran priests could perhaps give me answers on the subject of a blade that came through the Veil with me.

[ Even if the ones in the temple are useless, perhaps Wynn's contact won't be afterward. Worth checking. ]

[moonheart]

A magic sword? [ OOO shiny ] What's it do?

[trebond]

I'm not certain. [ Because Roger ain't around to use the returning properties and Alanna sure ain't squeezed the dark magic out of it yet enough to make it return to her because she's fucking terrified of the thing. ]

The magic in it is something truly evil: likely that belonging to the sorcerer who forged it. [ She looks at the hilt of the sword, sapphires and diamond inset in it. The pattern is painfully familiar, but she can't quite place why that's true. It's maddening. ] Belle hasn't been able to learn anything about it, but perhaps a more practiced sorcerer or cleric might.

[moonheart]

If it's evil, is it a good idea to lug it around with us? Maybe it's one of those swords that have an evil person trapped inside them.

[trebond]

I've had it in the castle for months without issue. I can't guess there's anything truly trapped. My greatest concern is in those without magic trying to touch it. The magic is powerful, I don't care to speculate what it might do to those who have none to try and control the blade.

[ Spoiler the answer is

explode them.

This is exactly what she should lug around with her obviously. ]

[moonheart]

Wouldn't it just... not do anything?

[trebond]

Not from my world.

[ Alanna shakes her head. ]

That much uncontrolled and evil magic ... it's part of the blade. It's not simply some enchantment placed upon it. I can feel it when I hold it. I've got to use my Gift just to wield it—it's why I've only tried a few times.

[moonheart]

Your Gift meaning your magic, right?

[trebond]

I do. It's what we call those who come by magically naturally in Tortall because it's given by the gods.

[moonheart]

So kind of like clerics here? That's where my mom's magic comes from, anyway.

[trebond]

Exactly like a cleric. I do believe our Great Mother Goddess may even be the very same as the Great Mother that this world calls Chauntea. Both are associated with the harvest, though in Tortall, the Great Mother is the ruler of all the gods. [ Alanna's hand moves to close around the ember pendant around her throat. The goddess had given it to her with one another when she was still Jon's squire—a charm to detect the presence of magic, and one to ward off — well. One she wouldn't be using any time soon. ] She's beautiful.

[moonheart]

I don't think I know very much about Chauntea. My family worships Lurue, mostly, the goddess of good talking beasts.

[trebond]

'Good talking beasts.' What precisely does that include?

[moonheart]

Oh, you know: unicorns, pegasi, talking owls... Lots of things!

[trebond]

Immortals, then. [ At least—that's what they call them in Tortall. They're not truly immortal, not all of them, but the catch-all fits regardless. ]

[moonheart]

Huh? Unicorns aren't really immortal. Just really really old.

[trebond]

Where I come from, that's how we refer to them. The Immortals aren't truly immortal, but they're a far cry closer to divine than the rest of us. Both sorts of unicorn suit the mould. Most of them will live centuries, or until something stops them.

[moonheart]

"Both" kinds of unicorn?

[trebond]

Of course. There's the harmless sort, like the stories children tell, and there's the great beastly ones. Flesh-eaters, they say. Hard to know which are simply stories in the end. No one sees Immortals: they're all trapped in the Divine Realms.

[moonheart]

Flesh eating unicorns? Are we talking about the same thing? Big white horses, horn on their heads...?

[trebond]

Of course. What is it you think the horn is for?

[moonheart]

Alicorns have healing properties. That's one reason people like to hunt unicorns.

[trebond]

Well, I can't say anyone in Tortall has seen one to hunt it, but I can guarantee that the legends are quite clear about the dangers of some of the beasts.

[moonheart]

Well, yeah, they're dangerous. But only to the bad guys.

[trebond]

I'm not certain flesh-eaters discriminate.