EVENT #21: SPECTER - IC LOG

[abraxasmods]

Event #21 - Specter

OOC Event Log ⦁ Nocwich

In light of the odd happenings throughout September, it might take a few days or longer for you to notice that yet more is going on. Perhaps you catch your neighbor walking out of their house in a daze at midnight, or the bartender tells you his wife went missing two days ago. Maybe the fisherman claims he found his friend staring into the lake in horror before wading into the water and nearly drowning.

Whether you investigate further or dismiss the stories, you soon find yourself confronting some hauntings of your own.

Participating in the hauntings is optional! For players who wish to opt-out, characters can help others or attend the Eifstide festivities. You may also play with the onset aspects only. The hauntings do not need to escalate beyond the onset stage.

Haunting Echoes

For some of you, the incidents don't stop with your neighbors. They begin to impact you, as well. Indeed, after the eerie effects of the Heralds, you might even think they've returned. However, you realize this appears to go beyond Gods or spells. Instead, it's as if the land itself is crying out...the echoes of which you are absorbing.

How affected you are depends on how vulnerable you might be to such specters, the number of regrets or fears you have, and how much of your past follows you into the world of Abraxas.

Onset

Whether it begins while you're awake or asleep, or both, the effects are subtle at the start. You might shake it off as a lack of sleep or a trick of the light before you understand what's truly going on.

◎ Waking Visions

If awake, you'll notice it first in shadows and reflections. Mirrors and windows are common sources, but it can be anything where you might glimpse yourself in its surface: the blade of your sword, a polished dinner plate, or the side of some steel machinery.

What do you see? Is it the face of a terrible monster? Your own corrupted features? Someone you lost who's returned? It might not be a person at all. You might catch a splatter of blood across the sawblade you're using that isn't there. You may see your eyes bleeding when brushing your hair in the mirror or spiders crawling from the ceiling.

Alternatively, your glimpses might be surprisingly pleasing rather than frightening. As you apply your makeup, you find it looks incredibly nice - a surprise when you normally struggle to like how you appear. Of course, as you walk by a shop window later, you realize, to your confusion, that your lipstick is smeared, as though applied wrong. How could that happen? What's your real image? You may need to ask someone to discern the reality.

None of these tricks will last long. They could be accompanied by whispers or be solely visual.

◎ Lucid Dreams

While dark and frightening imagery can occur in your dreams, other aspects may be involved. For instance:

If you often have trouble sleeping, you'll notice that while you've more easily started falling asleep, you also dream immediately. You may find it difficult to tell when you're awake or not. You "dream" of sitting down to read a book...then discover that the pages are bleeding or the ghost of someone you lost appears over your shoulder. When you jolt awake, you're right where you dozed off on the same couch, book in hand. Everything is normal once more.

If you're prone to nightmares, you might experience something unusual: your dreams begin to take on some oddly cheerful aspects. Bright flowers bloom where you usually dream of corpses, or your stormy skies become sunny. The incongruous images might cause the scene to feel more unsettling. They can either overtake the dream or appear in subtler ways.

Most significantly, regardless of your experiences when asleep, they are strangely vivid. Further, you have to wonder, are you seeing glimpses of someone else's dreams overlapping with yours? Like ink bleeding through a page, the imagery creeping into your dreams could belong to another Summoned and vice versa. As the days continue, you might even see that person for brief periods.

Escalation

As the hauntings grow stronger, the effects equally increase in frequency and intensity.

◎ Whether they're visions or dreams, the brief and unusual flashes grow more frequent, last longer, or increase in intensity. Soon, you begin to see things that aren't there. You start to question reality. You find yourself in places you don't remember traveling to. Perhaps you end up at the market stalls with no memory of how you got there...or somewhere more dangerous, like the ocean or the forest. It may be that you're sleepwalking, or you could simply be following a nonexistent figure without realizing it.

◎ Other Summoned begin to see what you do. Eventually, they become drawn into your visions or dreams - or you into theirs. Your visions start to blend into a surrealist experience and you become trapped in the scene. You realize that danger lurks nearby, but your ability to affect or control your environment is limited. After all, you don't know that this is a dream. It feels so very real, though you may recognize that some of what's happening shouldn't be possible. You'll have to rely on each other and your wits to make it.

When inside a waking vision or lucid dream, characters will not know that it's an illusion regardless of how impossible the scenario or events might be. They'll behave as if the stakes are real.

Players can write the dreams and visions however they wish. The danger can be genuinely serious or something lighthearted that characters treat solemnly. For example, characters could be attacked by a monster or they could be fleeing from a giant chihuahua that's a manifestation of somebody's fear of dogs. The atmosphere of the thread is entirely up to you!

Dispelling

As you navigate the illusion you're trapped in, you eventually stumble across an Arcana sign. By now, you're familiar with the symbols. The one you see depends on what choice you made during the previous event: it may belong to you, it may belong to the person you're with, or it might be that of Justice - the Arcanum of Zorne, the Herald of Last Blood.

It'll appear anywhere: floating in the air, hidden in a vault that needs to be cracked, or held in the mouth of a dangerous animal. Regardless, you understand instinctively that you must retrieve it and that it's the only thing that'll help you. There could be multiple Arcana signs if the others with you manifest their own, but only you can activate yours.

There won't be any doubt which one is yours, either. The symbol's shape will carry an identifying mark somewhere on it or around it that you know inherently belongs to you, such as runes in your native tongue, your family crest, or equivalent.

The moment you reach for it, it begins to heat up until you can hardly stand it. Then it shatters, leaving behind the very thing you need to break free of this vision or dream once and for all.

See the Plotting Post for an OOC explanation of how the dispelling mechanic works and the impact of previous choices.

Eifstide

Although the incidents can be disturbing, the majority of Abraxas is either unaffected or only mildly affected. Most are preoccupied with the upcoming Eifstide celebration. Additionally, Nocwich has opened its doors for the Summoned to enjoy their version of Eifstide. They intend to provide a brief haven for any who want to get away from the troubles of war for a bit.

Of course, this doesn't mean everyone's safe. If you catch your neighbor walking off in a daze, you should probably try to help. You might also hear about a child who's run off and gone missing or somebody operating dangerous magical equipment at the lumber mill.

For aiding locals, players are free to come up with scenarios on their own. Situations may occur in the major three territories or Nocwich. If you have any questions or require further details, just ask!

Eifstide in the Major Territories

Thorne

Throughout THORNE, the cities and towns turn red and orange with decorations befitting the season, with garlands hanging between lampposts and awnings. Carved gourds are placed on windowsills and in entranceways of homes and businesses alike, with the gentle flickering of magical flames inviting family and friends to come in and enjoy a cup of warm cider. Eifstide is a happy fare, a time to gather and share in the company of the people you care about the most and share what you have with strangers.

Children run around in cobbled-together costumes of old clothing and hats, mimicking the university students of Hayle or the scarecrows that now stand as décor throughout the town. This year, though, they may ask for something from you to add to their costume: your trusty hammer, a feathered hat, or your scarf. They'll also Roam from house to shop to market, asking for Blessings in the form of treats and toys from anyone they see. The most popular blessing is the dolls, whose outfits and designs change year to year. Possessing the prettiest or best-made doll is a sure status symbol in the following months.

The spirit of the season peaks during the street fair on the final night. A plethora of seasonal goods like pastries and sugared nuts, jars of preserves and pickled vegetables, and crafts made from natural materials are sold for cheap so that patrons of all classes can enjoy them. Shop to your heart's content! The night concludes with the releasing of the lanterns into the sky, a symbol of carrying the light of summer into the darkness of the incoming winter.

In Nott and Borrel, the festivities are nearly the same as that by Castle Thorne, if with a more nautical flair. There's far more seafood available, and popular costumes include sailors and mermaids. They send their lanterns over the sea, and it's common to give little strands of unsellable pearls as a blessing.

Additionally, Queen Lia is rumored to be visiting Nott this year, but without the usual royal fanfare or her husband. She can be spotted in town, dressed plainly and giving Blessings to the children or encouraging her own children to explore the sights. Nonetheless, as the Queen of Thorne, she's followed by a few guards wherever she goes. While they do their best not to intrude, they're not difficult to pick out.

The Free Cities

In THE FREE CITIES, the weeks leading up to Eifstide provide a boost in local trade and commerce. Even with the unprecedented inflation due to recent conflicts, the markets are full and lively as citizens of every standing buy up all the party supplies that they can. Dark costumes depicting older periods in history are always popular while the grim decorations often contain a touch of humor like smiling skulls or signs that cheekily say "wish you were here" over a tombstone. Despite the dark and mysterious energy, Eifstide is undeniably a celebratory affair in the Free Cities. Locals may ask for assistance in hanging decorations or carrying supplies from the markets and storehouses. Just don't be surprised if a few good-natured pranks happen along the way. Usually, this involves children jumping out of bushes in "frightening" costumes or making scary noises from behind the trees.

Recent incidents aside, local museums continue with their plans to host macabre exhibits and art walks. If you have your own pieces to contribute, donations are highly encouraged. This year also includes a ghost tour in each city. The tour in Cadens follows the final path of a platoon defending the outskirts, Aquila's tour follows the exploits of a charming con man who met his end fleeing from authorities, and the tour in Libertas follows the sad story of a starving artist who famously cut off their drawing hand to force themselves to paint in a new way. Tours are scheduled regularly and can be joined at any time with only a small donation!

Parties held in individual homes are also popular. They frequently spill out into the streets and strangers are usually invited inside - including the Summoned. Laughter can be heard from dusk until dawn. Seances and spirit boards are common. Ironically, the spirit boards are twice as popular this year due to the eerie phenomenon that occurred last month. It seems all the frights and rumors have only made people more eager than ever to try their luck, hoping that it means they'll be able to contact a real ghost for once. You might be asked to join as an observer or direct participant.

Solvunn

In SOLVUNN, Eifstide is a somber occasion. In contrast to the festivities of Thorne and The Free Cities, the end of the harvest is when death walks amongst the living. The lighthearted attitude about getting the work done before noon is almost gone, its residents working harder and longer hours as if a fire was being lit under their feet. Children may take time from lessons to help and any volunteers from the Summoned are welcome and almost expected. Whether it be harvesting crops, turning the earth, delivering goods, or tending to livestock, everyone must do their part before proper preparations can begin.

In the days leading into Eifstide, wreaths of branches and bone are carefully crafted and hung upon the doors and walkways about houses and any buildings where animals sleep. Lines of salt or soot are placed in front of the door and the hearth. The work can be done by any family member or friend but a Summoned's hand is considered blessed, so your involvement would be pivotal to the particularly pious.

Daylight hours are spent in small groups with family and neighbors in quiet contemplation and reverence. The elders ask for Summoned volunteers to assist with warding rituals. You can decline if you wish, but locals will doubtlessly feel more secure seeing you smudge with sage around the Settlements. At night, all stay indoors and don the masks they created the days prior. This is to confuse any gods and spirits should they not be deterred by the wards on the doorways.

On the night of Eifstide, all gather at the center of the Primary Settlement where the Council members perform sacrifices of small animals born the week prior, each doing their ritual for the safety and prosperity of their settlement as well as for those who reside there.

Eifstide in Nocwich

Eifstide isn't as large of a celebration in Nocwich as Wintertide, but the Lunae and Ikorrans still observe a few traditions. For the werewolves of Luna, Eifstide is about hunting, while for the vampires of Ikorr, Eifstide is about memories.

Oleuni Square

Traditions in Oleuni Square are tailored for visitors rather than the culture of either Luna or Ikorr. As a result, you'll find a wide array of treats, drinks, and decorations not unlike what's available in your home territory with the usual Nocwich twist: glowing flowers, decorative bottles of blood wine, and appropriately spooky "dolls" knit from yarn spun using werewolf fur.

Tattoo artists will also offer discount prices for their unique glowing tattoos with set designs themed for the holiday season. If you pass by one of their booths, you'll be coaxed to take a look and consider getting a piece!

Taverns, inns, and gambling dens will also offer themed specially themed cocktails, including a delicious apple cider and spiced wine. All in all, the Square is bustling with tourists eager to leave behind the troubles of war and spend a few days enjoying themselves.

Luna

To prepare for the upcoming winter, hunting is an important part of fall. Thus, Eifstide in Luna has been structured around this need. The werewolves demonstrate their connection to Solvunn by also donning masks made of bone and antler during this period. However, rather than for any ceremonial reason, the masks are worn by hunting parties instead. They're seen as a symbol of good luck.

If you're interested in joining a hunting party, the Lunae will be happy to have you along. You'll be warned that it can be dangerous and that they won't slow down or stop if you fall behind. If you can keep up, though, you'll get the chance to hunt a variety of beasts in several forests around Luna. The most popular animal to hunt is the Fisceime. Wildly populous and destructive to the environment in large numbers, hunting them is an important aspect of maintaining the ecosystem.

Should you not be the hunting type, you can instead visit the Trail of Unseen Eyes. Here, masks from previous hunting parties over the years are displayed along a path that winds around all of Luna. Following this trail will take you to some beautiful views and popular spots in which you can dine or shop.

If you're the collector type, you can obtain a small booklet containing lovely sketches of specific masks and a small hint as to where they might be. Participating shops and inns will stamp your booklet if you can locate the shop displaying the mask matching the one in your booklet. Earn enough stamps and you'll receive a modest gift basket filled with cured meats, cheeses, and jams!

Ikorr

Due to the long-lived nature of vampires, typical concepts of spirits and the dead are not a part of Eifstide. Instead, Ikorrans revisit the past by sharing old memories. Many will use the opportunity to visit a friend they haven't seen recently or recreate an important event in their history. Couples might dine at a restaurant where they had their first date or a group of friends might dress in the same outfits they wore to a memorable party years ago.

Though your memories may not be as from long ago, you're invited to do the same. Why not recreate a fond memory with a friend?

You can also honor old memories by weaving a wreath of flowers using the unique glowing blooms that grow in Ikorr. Use colors and florals that remind you of someone or something important. You're encouraged to describe what you're making. It's considered not only polite to provide an answer when asked, but it's also courteous to ask others in return about what they're making.

Once your wreath is complete, you can take it home or gift it to someone. Those who carry a wreath in Ikorr will receive tokens from shops and stalls they visit. The tokens consist of small samples of desserts, miniature bottles of wine, beautiful colored crystals, and scented candles.

---

Comments

OPEN ❥ lucid dreaming - aurum vale

[aquaveiled]

❝ Soon after its discovery, miners from across the realm flocked to the Aurum Vale, driven by rumors that deep within lay endless veins of mythril. What they found instead was gold, but not the sort which would make them rich. Believing the substance precious aurum, miners unknowingly stumbled into deep pools of glowing venom thereafter known as goldbile. Not only did the liquid burn their skin, but the noisome fumes given off by the foul ooze cooked their lungs when inhaled, bringing on a quick, yet excruciating death. These truths, however, have done little to prevent new miners from braving the suffocating shafts, now even more driven to find what those who entered before could not. ❞

i. welcome to the worst dungeon

[ It's not a place she thinks of often, but it is a place that Himeka can never forget. How many adventurers had she joined or led through the labyrinth of rocky crags and poisonous bogs? It had been a test of mettle for her early in her career as a White Mage. The carnage, the smell...the toads.

It can be so much.

You might find that you wander into a land of greens and golds, lit by suspiciously glowing pools and bioluminescent flora, all enclosed in winding tunnels and large caverns. But you are never alone, there are a myriad of dangerous monstrous plants and animals that are keen to attack anyone that falls into their line of sight. What's more, is that they are much larger than the ones Himeka encountered back on her home world. And much, much smellier.

She's been through this so many times, she falls into the roles too easily. If you find yourself at the beginning at the top of a rocky path, Himeka is there to hand out a few boiled eggs. ]

Here, eat this before we go forward.

ii. beware of toad

[ But you may also find yourself wandering through the bogs as you try to find your way in between gigantic toads. Of course, if they notice you even for half a second, they will immediately turn and shoot a sticky tongue right at you and try to pull you forward into their waiting mouths!

Himeka, pointedly staying closer to the walls, calls out-0 ]

Watch out!

iii. bad breath: ultimate

[ Or maybe you have braved this horrible, stinky place and made it to the end, which Himeka continues to call "the final boss". Whether this makes sense or not, you find yourselves facing an impressive morbol. If you've been in the Free Cities, you might recognize it as similar to Carrot. But for some reason this one wears bows and a red dress.

It waves its tentacles and turns its attention to who it believes is the strongest-looking person around. Might that be you? You will have to be careful because it shoots out seeds that make you feel sick once you're hit and has some terrible breath that will make you lethargic, sick to your stomach, unable to use magic, amongst other things. Best to just avoid it, isn't it? ]


[ After any encounter, a conveniently placed chest will appear. Inside is a small orange crystal that bears The Fool arcana on it. Could this be...? ]

i.

[obscuris]

[ The first thing to hit him is smell.

He had been wandering, he thinks. Lost in a dream. Echoes of the past come to home to roost, haunting him in every look, in every sound, but the smell— the stench, a sickening rot, a suffocating pall, pulls him neatly from it. Away from his own ghosts yes, but into something he would argue is a great deal worse. The world lurches, its browns and greys bleeding into eerie greens and bright golds, the soft loam underfoot shifting into craggy rock, and Barnabas blinks once, and then once more, as everything comes to settle again.

He reaches one hand out towards the new rock walls surrounding him, thinking to test the reality of them, and then stops as a voice offers him some... food? Barnabas turns to face her, the red hair and pearlescent horns sparking some faint recognition, before his gaze drops to the boiled eggs. ]

Now is hardly the time.

[ And any appetite he had would have fled in the face of this truly awful stench. ]

[aquaveiled]

[ In hindsight, a boiled egg may have been in poor taste to offer--and not just because the benefits of consumption weren't optimal. The scent of boiled egg isn't out of place in the array of unique smells coming from the bogs.

Still, she's certain she prepared a bunch. It's important to always have food on hand, just in case. So she frowns a little and holds it out further to her new dark-haired companion. ]

You'll want it, trust me. Even a little boost can go a long way in this place.

[ Then, her frowns into a sympathetic smile. She settles the end of her cane on the ground to lean on it. ]

I won't lie and say it gets better, but I can promise I'm usually good at casting Esuna.

[ Usually. ]

[obscuris]

[ Barnabas ignores the egg. ]

Then this is familiar to you?

[ Though he would prefer that this not be the case. All manner of queer things have plagued him since he arrived in this wretched place and the mounting evidence is starting to point to it being the norm.

Barnabas casts another glance around. His blade, newly returned to him, has the power to cut through anything. He wonders if it would be enough to allow him to escape this. Though if all else fails, the situation could be worse. She certainly seems unperturbed by it, though that could be as much due to the strangeness of this place's inhabitants as it could the sheer frequency of such occurrences. ]

To what end? A trial?

[aquaveiled]

[ To turn down food is...a great offense.

She won't soon forget this. ]

Yes, this is Aurum Vale.

[ She says rather matter-of-factually as she slips the egg back into her satchel, to be offered to the next adventurer to wander in this godsforsaken place. ]

A trial?

[ There's something in her that wants to say "No, this is a Dungeon, not a Trial" but she's not exactly sure why. ]

Something like that, I suppose. We have to get to the end if we want to get out. This one isn't the easiest to do with a small party given the nature of some of our enemies, but...

[ She places her now free hand on her hip as she gives him a very pointed visual examination. What she is looking for, exactly, isn't clear. But he did bring a sword. So she turns her gaze down the stone path towards the ominous green glow. ]

I think we may be able to manage it. Would you like to give it a go or wait for others?

[obscuris]

[ Wait? With this stench? ]

We will proceed. Lead the way.

[ And now it is Barnabas' turn to give her a once over, critical eye picking her apart. She is not a soldier, that much is for sure, and she carries no visible weapons, but she did mention casting, and the aether around her is... strong. If he did not know better he would assume her one of his "world". Sanbreque, he thinks, with no small amount of amusement. They have always been partial to dragons. ]

Your... magics. What can you do?

[aquaveiled]

[ She could say you get used to it, but you really don't. It's awful each time.

Himeka nods, stepping forward and revealing her wooden cane from some nebulous invisible place. She doesn't use it to walk, instead resting the end on her shoulder as they near the edge of the bog proper. The smell is much worse up close. ]

I can heal or do damage, whichever we need.

[ She glances at his sword, then lifting her gaze up to his eyes proper and smiles. ]

Though I suspect the latter will be primarily your job. What should I call you?

[ The golden sludge bubbles. Plants that seem alive trudge about the swampy surface, but the most striking creatures are the large toads that seem wholly unaware of their presence. For now. ]

[obscuris]

Barnabas. And you suspect correctly.

[ It is like hitting a wall. The air is heavy, sticky, solidified into something almost tangible, and the smell is enough to make one dizzy. The creatures that are revealed as they approach the edge put him back on familiar ground. Like wandering along any coast on Storm.

Curling his hand around the hilt of Zantetsuken is also familiar ground. It's habit that has him testing the swing of the blade even though the blade was quite literally made for him, and the hum of its keen edge prompts a smile from him for a brief moment. ]

Your name. And—

[ A large ambling plant stumbles a little too close and spots them. Barnabas slashes his blade through the air once more, but this time dark energy scythes out and neatly cuts it in two. Unfortunately, this seems to draw the attention of a lot of other things. ]

—which way?

[aquaveiled]

Barnabas.

[ She tests the name out. He sounds as if he would fit in well around Limsa Lominsa, she thinks. It just feels very sea-farey. The Sea Wolves might like it, yes. ]

I'm Himeka.

[ Though she's leading--as a healer should decidedly not do--he's quick to doing his part, which bodes well. Her gaze flickers to his blade and she does a double-take. There aren't many weapons like that to be easily replicated.

But the oncoming horde of creatures has to take precedent. ]

We hug the wall to the left here and pray the worst won't notice us!

[ That's all the warning he gets before she breaks into a sprint. The sound of her footsteps is horribly squashy and nearby flora passes gas as if on cue. Being in the main cavern is decidedly worse than just lurking beside it.

Avoiding casting wide spells to avoid unnecessary attention, she makes sure that she keeps a Regen active on both of them, only pausing to top them off until they can pull the mob around the edge of the corner into the neighboring room. ]

Whew! I think we've got all the ones we can hand--

[ Just kidding.

There's a toad staring them down. ]

[obscuris]

[ Ducking and hiding are not things he is wont to do. Neither is running for that matter, whether he be running away from or towards, but it has been a season for firsts and one more will not change much. She darts off and he after her, picking off the creatures one or two at a time as they converge on the two of them. They seem fixated on him for the most part for some reason, but he supposes that is for the better; it is easier if all he needs to concern himself with is himself.

Especially with the ground so soft and unsteady underfoot. Golden sludge bubbles up around them as they pass and releases noxious fumes into an already unbearable atmosphere. It weakens, but there is also the cool light of her magic keeping it at bay. Magic that feels remarkably familiar. ]

Your magic—

[ The large toad puts an end to all conversation. She reaches it first but Barnabas moves, steps through space to land in front of her, blade lifting to cut it down—

And then stumbles as the ground shifts beneath him, leaving him off balance enough that the creature's tongue hits him, and then sticks to him, pulling him the rest of the way in.

How disgusting.

He cuts the tongue in two for its troubles. ]

[aquaveiled]

[ Those damnable toads really do make the worst of it. Well, mayhaps not as much as the Malboro, but a close second. They make the first pathway a test of fortitude and reaction times at the least, a test that Barnabas is passing much quicker than many of the sprouts she's accompanied over the years.

And that's a good thing considering they're underpartied.

Seeing that tongue sliced in half is extremely satisfying. The toad reels backwards in pain before jumping forward to try and land a seismic attack as it slams the ground like a wrestler. ]

You've caused enough trouble, thanks!

[ She declares to their slimy enemy. Healing white light suddenly shifts to something brilliant but painful as it slams back into the toad, knocking it back down flat into the ground. Its lost too much, gushing from the wound in its mouth and now internal bleeding from the impact of a spell and explodes in a very impressive and smelly burst.

Himeka wipes her brow. She's a caster, she keeps her distance. Usually. Mostly. ]

Did it get you?

[ She doesn't wait for an answer, conjuring up a little bubble to splash on him. Hopefully it helps clean Barnabas off a bit rather than just make him moist. ]

[obscuris]

[ He's at ground zero of the exploding toad so to say that it got him is a vast and infuriating understatement. Still, he uses the water splashing down from above to wipe clean his face, and then wicks clean his blade with a flick of his wrist. Unfortunately the rest of him will require a lot more than that to become acceptable once more; Barnabas is sure he will live out the rest of his days with this stench. ]

You are possessed of some powerful magics.

[ Powerful and familiar. Nothing like a dominant's power, no, nothing as... dense, as pure, but he would call her a bearer if not for her power.

And if not for her scales, of course. ]

You are unharmed?

[ He does not care much for the answer, but there is much truth to that saying of flies and honey. ]

[aquaveiled]

[ That is generally how Aurum Vale goes--whether the stench is physical or mental, it never really leaves you. The sympathetic smile she offers is all that she can do, other than an Esuna.

Just in case. It doesn't take off the worst effect available in this place, but any Healer refusing to use that spell would be foolish.

Her smile does brighten a bit at his appraisal. Though she fancies herself a Culinarian above all else, it is her magicks that have carried her. Himeka nods towards the weapon Barnabas carries in turn, ]

And you are possessed of a powerful sword.

[ Also, familiar. She can't imagine that anyone else but Odin would wield it. But...well, who knows? Maybe he fought Odin and bested him to the point he could claim it for himself. ]

Where did you get it?

[ If that is the case then it's a hell of a good story.

Himeka dusts off a bit of stray pollen or what have you from her shoulder before resting her cane casually on it. She motions for Barnabas to step into the "room" further. ]

Oh, I'm fine. It's not my first time encounter those fellows--although it is the first I've seen them burst quite like that. You must have an effect on them.

[ That's a compliment. ]

[obscuris]

[ His... sword? Barnabas glances down at it for a second, even though the shape of it is more than familiar to him. ]

It is mine. Bequeathed unto me as the Dominant of Odin. Certainly there exists no man who could forge such a blade.

[ Nothing else jumps out to meet them so Barnabas continues on in the direction indicated by Himeka, about to ask her who honed her skills, only to stop abruptly at the sight of a grotesquely oversized plant lurking menacingly under an outcropping of rock. Barnabas slants her a look, one that seems to say I know exactly what you're doing here but nonetheless he advances first, sure, careful steps taking him further into the room, assessing, before closing the distance in an instance to crash into the creature sword first. It bellows, a truly inhumane sound, and Barnabas weaves easily around its flailing limbs to score another blow. ]

Do not burst this creature as well. You have been warned.

i.

[notionalism]

[ He frowns at the egg, his confusion palpable — he's got ears and a tail, which is how he knows it's a dream, but he's more concerned about her and her horns and tail. He stares at the egg and then at her and then back to the egg, hoisting the large gunblade in his hand to rest on his shoulder before he takes the egg from her. ]

What's this for?

[archiholic]

To eat, most likely.

( Did Alhaitham think he would be free from Kaveh even here? Kaveh's voice comes from behind Alhaitham, peeking around the other man as he takes the offered egg from Himeka. There's... a little staring, but he's far more polite about it than Alhaitham.

And is, for the moment, ignoring the fact that he has rabbit ears and a matching tail. He's quite done with the added body parts thank you very much, even if his wings aren't here. Instead there seems to be a fairy -- glowing dendro green -- hovering around his head. Ah, Mehrak -- it's a comfort to know she's always around in some way or another. )

[aquaveiled]

[ He's got ears and a tail--shouldn't he be saying "you're welcome"? Although if he were hoping for scales and horns, she can understand the disappointment.

She nods to the second man in an affirmative. ]

Yes, it will give you a much-needed boost before we get going.

[ She offers another to make sure both of her companions are well-equipped. ]

And don't worry--I have 997 more if this takes longer than expected.