abraxaslogs | MEANWHILE AT CASTLE THORNE

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MEANWHILE AT CASTLE THORNE

MEANWHILE AT CASTLE THORNE

Once the hour is up, the execution courtyard of Castle Thorne is a great deal emptier than it had been. The portals are gone with no trace and life is trickling back into those frozen by wild magic. The banners resume their fluttering, the sounds of the castle resume, and guards stumble as they complete steps they’d started. Throughout the courtyard and beyond there’s a general sense of bewilderment as time resumes.

It doesn’t take long for any of the Thorneans to realize what’s happened - they’ve lost a large portion of guests and prisoners. Some guards begin rushing out of the courtyard to search for any who may have lingered, lesser mages stagger in to lend a hand and investigate.

And many eyes turn quickly to those who remain. Any prisoners who have lingered are immediately seized and returned to the dungeons. Welcomed guests are rounded up and herded back to their rooms, where a guard remains posted at each door and will not allow them to leave. While they remain unshackled, it is clear that even welcomed guests will not be treated with impunity.

One by one, everyone will be interrogated regarding the events of the day.

Thorne is not happy.

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[ yennefer shakes her head. ]

Prisoner. It seems Ambrose's decision to imprison those he thought dangerous did not sit well with everyone. Once his powers were restored, he decided to release them on Ambrose at his first chance. But the two I appeared I hadn't seen before, or heard mention of, even in the discussions amongst the other prisoners.

[ the emerald eyes lock onto yennefer's, and she doesn't so much as blink, waiting for her to either ask or say what she's thinking. the look, itself, is probably a bit intense. yennefer has a lot of underlying tension, after having that taste of her magic. she wants it back.

the offering has yennefer slowly smiling, pleased that her risk is - now, officially - been worth it. it takes half a second later before her practiced look of thanks, of gratitude, slips on after. it is a relief, through and through, and yennefer is not looking to fight that. she lets out a breath, relieved. ]

That would be wonderful, thank you. And yes- Ambrose must have misread. And as you said, I was in a bit of a state. I don't fault him for assuming me dangerous.

[ Jolene returns the smile, warm and calm, and flicks a wrist at one of the guards. He starts at her sudden acknowledgement, having clearly been lost in thought. ]

Please go retrieve a new set of clothing for Yennefer. She's a Chariot. And some wine, I'm sure she's had nothing to drink since helping save the High Mage.

[ He trots off and Jolene focuses back on Yennefer, setting down her quill. ]

You'll have your magic back as soon as you leave the dungeon, though it may not be as strong as the adrenaline rush it was before. Give it a day or so. Other than moving you, is there anything we can do for you?

[ yennefer takes special pride is turning her smile to the guard that jolene sends off, knowing what she has faced down in these dungeons. that hatred in which those guards had turned on her. it feels a bit like justice being served, like the scales being balanced, and boy she enjoys the feeling. ]

That is very kind, yes, wine would be wonderful. [ she meets eyes with the guard, specifically, so he can see her very kind and not at all mocking gentle smile, before turning back to jolene. ]

You've honestly done so much, I would hate to ask for more. [ and yennefer actually is genuine, when she says as much. the promise of her magic, that has her eyes alight. consistent access. that had been her first step, and now that it is within her grasp, she doesn't wish to push matters, either. ]

Whatever knowledge or information I have of magic, I'd like to offer to Ambrose's work towards understanding the Singularity. But- [ she pauses, looking a bit like she's chastising herself. ] That can wait, of course. Thorne is recovering from an unthinkable attack on their defenses, I would understand if the study of the Singularity was put off...

[ Jolene might be biting the inside of her cheek to not laugh at Yennefer's face. ]

I'll absolutely extend your offer to Ambrose. I have no doubt we can find something for you to work on. And we haven't made any concrete decisions yet, but I doubt we'll pause for long. The Singularity is the most important thing in the world.

[ yennefer picks up on something going on there, and her brow arches. she is curious what jolene thinks is so funny, and while the look is - at first - quite benign, there is always a chance for it to become more dark, if she's not a fan of the answer. ]

I would hope so. A source of power of that magnitude, and with the key to unlocking it right at your fingertips... I would assume that the urgency around unlocking it would be higher than ever, now that the other kingdoms- or...countries? I'm not sure what you call them here- have access to it like they didn't before.

[ there is more yennefer can learn from this interaction, sure, but the truth of the matter is yennefer is satisfied. as far as she's concerned, she's gotten what she's come for. anything else, now, is extra. ]

[ It's really just that Jolene finds mocking the guards to be humorous. She has her own opinions on them and their treatment of the prisoners. ]

Kingdoms, although neither the Free Cities nor Solvunn have a monarchy. Sometimes you hear Solvunn called "the commune".

[ She exhales hard through her nose. ]

Actually, from the point of harnessing that magic, it's not Solvunn or Cadens - that's the capitol of the Free Cities - that we worry about. Solvunn is not aggressive or interested enough to pursue it, and the Free Cities tries to engage as little with magic as possible. Our worry is not any other nation, but rather those two independent actors, and they are most certainly independent.

[ ah, well, in that case, yennefer and jolene will most likely be great friends. and it's once yennefer gets that feeling that she will relax a bit more, curious as she watches jolene exhale. curious, as to everything she says - about the free cities and solvunn, the other individuals. ]

The commune...they're religious sort, then?

[ yennefer barely keeps the smile from her lips, a kind of laugh. she has her own opinions about gods and religions and the people who devote their life to them. but she won't say any of that until she knows where jolene stands.

yennefer tilts her head a little, thinking over the implications. jolene does not seem at all threatened by the concept that those individuals have split up their entire population of people who apparently have direct contact with their horizon. there has to be something more to it. ] I would assume a place whose intent is to destroy the Singularity would be more of a threat. But if you and Ambrose aren't worried about them...

[ a beat, while yennefer considers what she wants to jump to. ]

Does Thorne have a history with those two?

Mm, well, they have some sort of faith over there. I can't say I understand even a little bit of it, but... they certainly do believe in something.

[ It is clear that Jolene does not put much stock in faith, or at least not the faith of the commune. Her nose wrinkles with disgust at the very idea. ]

I understand where you're coming from, but the hatred of magic that exists in Cadens means that they're almost assuredly never going to be strong enough to conquer the Singularity, even if we never intervene on its behalf. They're barely willing to use portals out there, let alone use magic powerful enough destroy the very source of that magic. And they can't get close enough with their weapons to try and take it out physically.

[ She chuckles, wryly, and tilts her head to the side, as if she has to think about how to word her answer. ]

Only in that they've been poking around the edges of the kingdom for a while. Talking. A lot of suspicious talking. They were run out of Thorne for a bit, but we lost track of them in all the recent fuss. We have eyes in many places, but those two are wily.

[ yennefer allows herself a bit of a laugh at that. well, that's encouraging - that she and jolene seem to have similar ideas around faith and religions. and when she continues to explain a little further about the free cities and elsewhere, yennefer is even more glad than she had been before that she had not stepped through that portal.

the wry chuckle gets another curious look from yennefer. it does appear these two individuals are of a different nature, but the way jolene seems to be talking about them... yennefer can't help but want to know more. ]

Suspicious talking...? [ now that's interesting. yennefer's smile is that of a friend, more than trying to garner information, though she supposes both are moderately true. ] And are they more interested in the Singularity- since the other Kingdoms don't seem to be- or does their poking have more to do with Thorne itself?

[ The honest truth is that Jolene had fought against imprisoning Yennefer in particular. The idea of throwing a fellow mage behind bars turned her stomach. But she is not in charge, and Ambrose made his call. So she doesn't mind sharing a bit of information that really isn't all that top secret anyway. ]

Their idea of how the Singularity should be treated differs greatly from the rest of us, from what I've heard. But that's about the extent of it. We don't even know exactly what their idea is, just that they're trying to find - or convert - others who agree with them that we're all wrong.

[ now that would be interesting to note. something worth knowing, perhaps, when she stretches her legs out in the castle. the political leanings and associations among the mages will be something yennefer will have to come across in the coming days and weeks, but for now, she simply smiles. nods, appreciatively, as jolene explains. ]

And that's a very dangerous place to be, with chaos. [ or magic, as jolene knows it, but yennefer doesn't correct herself. she knows it all to be chaos, is most comfortable with the use of chaos. it's been easiest for her to understand the singularity as a source of power that doesn't call for the energy of the people using it, but in the wrong hands... ] Especially if you're uncertain of what they plan to do with it... [ yennefer sits up a bit in her chair, leaning closer to jolene with her next words. ]

I'm not certain how your magic works to a more detailed degree, here in Thorne, but would those two need someone here in the castle to open up a portal of that magnitude? Or is that something they would be able to do at will?

If I'm completely frank, it's terrifying. If they don't agree that we should harness it, or destroy it, or that we should leave it alone... then I have no idea what could they possibly want to do with it.

[ Jolene sighs and twists her mouth, considering what she thinks would be necessary. ]

All mages can create portals. Not all mages can create untraceable portals, but it doesn't surprise me that they were able to do that. What they shouldn't have been able to do was enter the kingdom undetected, and certainly not stop the kingdom as they did. That requires more power than a single mage could even possibly channel. Maybe if there were a dozen all working together... but not just two.

[ jolene says terrifying and yennefer considers, almost abruptly, what it must feel like to be in her position. to want to understand, to want to use this unbelievably powerful source of chaos and magic, and be unable to get close to it. to be unable to really understand it beyond the pages of a book only a man like ambrose can read. ]

There is always the more...zealous option. [ yennefer offers. ] That they believe the Singularity is a conscious being on its own, and they are...worshiping it, rather than seeking a means to use it or get rid of it. [ there is a second of thought here, before yennefer shrugs. ] It's taken much less than a powerful source of chaos to drive men to believe they are tools of the gods.

[ it's obvious by the casual way that yennefer speaks that she gives very little credence, or even respect, to the idea that someone could believe they are working in the interest of the singularity. but it is an option to consider. ]

If they've found ways to siphon and control more of that power from the Singularity through themselves, it's also possible they don't need a dozen mages to perform that feat. Perhaps just two. [ but that also brings up an entirely different idea that yennefer has only just been able to touch on, herself. she'll wait, to bring that up, she thinks - turning back to the conversation at hand. ] I assume you've already started an investigation into those who were present at the...what was it? An execution? [ yennefer had been down in the dungeons, during this. hadn't been permitted up and therefore hadn't actually paid much mind to the event itself. not until the portals appeared. not until she had her magic back. ]

It wouldn't be unheard of. Different sects that believe the same have risen and fallen over the years, usually because they accidentally get too close to it. There's a reason that the Singularity is considered neutral ground, after all.

[ Because any war fought over it would end in mass death. It's useless to actually try and truly stake a claim before anyone has ever worked out how to get close to it. ]

But that's precisely it. The Summoned are the only method to directly channel the Singularity that we've ever found. Which means that, if they actually are using themselves as conductors, they've discovered an entirely new branch of magic. A cataclysmic one.

[ She sighs and nods, rubbing at one eye with resignation. ] Everyone left, at least. We're pursuing other avenues with the others, but there are obvious limitations there.

[ yennefer nods, understanding where the concern is coming from. she'd known - at least tangentially - the reasons for why they were brought here. the level at which they were meant to be saviors, helpers, keys to unlock doors that have been deadly to these people. and then yennefer thinks of ambrose, of the dungeons, of the feeling of her magic, being cut off from her. she resettles back in her chair, the movements and shifting of reaction barely noticeable, if at all. ]

And now that you all have found ways to bring more of us... Summoned- [ an interesting phrase, yennefer isn't entirely sure how she feels about it, but she'll take the option to have a title at all. ] -here, it has pushed them to act on whatever it is their goals with the Singularity are meant to be. [ it's not stated as a question, necessarily, but yennefer watches jolene all the same. nods, briefly, at the mention of cataclysmic magic. it's not far from what she is dealing with back home, the kind of process that fringilla is attempting to use. there is a brief moment of panic, of remembering all that yennefer left back at sodden, but it passes just as quickly.

she gives jolene a sympathetic look at the resignation written across her face, but pauses, curious, at the mention. ] What sort of other avenues? Do you need more assistance?

Right now, our best bet is to work with you and the others who have remained. We cannot enter the other territories, but you all have direct connections to them no matter where they may be.

[ She sighs, twists her mouth and raises one hand in a gesture of acceptance. ] I don't personally believe that anyone who was in the dungeon at the time was involved in planning the escape. It would simply be too difficult, from a logistic point of view. Too many people would have to keep their mouth shut for too long. It would be of great assistance for you to convey that message to them, should you met them in the Horizon. That they have someone here who understands why they left and doesn't blame them. I intend to make it my business to permanently change some things.

[ yennefer is getting the feeling that jolene is planning on carrying the weight of all of this, the decisions and consequences both, and yennefer's expression softens marginally, nodding at jolene's request. ]

Of course. Whatever I can do to help- but coming from what I heard while in the dungeons, myself, I can tell you that most everyone down there were just as surprised by the chance for release. [ there had been rumblings that something was going to have to give, that the tensions were rising and something would break, but yennefer hadn't heard a single whisper of a planned escape. or at the very least, nothing beyond the intent to get out. plans, concepts, ideas - she hadn't caught wind of any of them. none worth noting, at least. ]

I will convey that message. I haven't found my way to the Horizon yet, but when I do, anyone who chose to leave will know at least that.

[ there is a bit of a sense from yennefer, here, that she doesn't have anything more for jolene - and that she seems to either be waiting for jolene's dismissal, or her next question over all. yennefer has gained what she came in here to gain, and seems at the very least content with that for now. ]

[ Jolene smiles and nods, grateful, and stands to lead Yennefer out of the room. ]

Thank you. Do let me know if you have trouble finding someone to introduce you to the Horizon. From what we have been able to see, the connection that the others have is enough to take the rest of you there without need for you to make the trip to the Singularity itself. But if that winds up being incorrect, I'll ensure a visit out there to you and everyone else who needs it.

Please, go upstairs and rest, relax. If you find Noelle, she should be able to show you to your new quarters. And again, thank you for everything, Yennefer. I look forward to working with you in the future.

[ yennefer's smile matches jolene's as she stands with her, following outside. she - of course - gives a last look to the guards, something prideful and pointed, just for fun. ]

I shouldn't have many problems, but I'll be sure to let you know. [ yennefer needs a bath, first. a new set of clothes. and then she's already made note of those she wants to follow after, faces she'd met out in the courtyard that she had a good feeling about connecting with.

she gives jolene one last bow of her head before they depart, her smile still warm, almost friendly. there is something to this mage that yennefer decides she may want to keep aware of, much more than she ever wants to have to be around ambrose. ]

Of course, and if you need anything at all - well. You should know where to find me.

[ and with that, yennefer will head upstairs to find this noelle - and to get her bath. ]

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MEANWHILE AT CASTLE THORNE

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thank you for your patience!

of course! c:

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