Welcome to Gaia! ::

Overnight, a large mansion complex appears in the foothills to the west. Nobody knows exactly how it got there, because no work crews or suveyers ever came to the are, nor was any construction done. The building and surrounding environment appeared one morning with little fanfare. The complex covers enough room for a small town, all surrounded by an iron and silver fence. The gates are always open to any who would enter. Above the main gate, shaped from the same metal as the delicate looking fence, the name “Wonderland Manse” can be seen.

Inside the perimeter of the facility is a landscape fit for paradise. Several gardens dot the area, each with different kinds of flowers. From a garden of otherworldly roses to a dome grown out of the fragrant blossoms, which bloomed every night only to wither in the morning, any sort of flower imaginable could be found. There were several mazes constructed from these gardens where one could get lost for days amidst the blossoms. Aside from the gardens, small streams wove their way through the verdant grasses. The streams varied in width from those that could be stepped over to larger ones requiring bridges to cross. Many of the larger ones were well stocked with fish that never seemed to mind a curious face peering in at them. The water was crystal clear and anyone who tried to drink it would find it mildly flavored, depending on which stream they drank from.

Fruit trees grew throughout the property and always seemed to be in bloom. Anyone could, with enough searching, find any fruit that they wished hanging from the branch or vine, ripe for the taking. Animals wandered the property, though they rarely approached the human visitors to the place they considered home. Pavilions and statuary gardens were frequent sights as one wandered the grounds. Most were ornately decorated in a similar style to the main house. Each pavilion also seemed to have a large clock set inside, which never agreed with any of the other pavilions as to what the proper time was.

The house itself was quite large, made from white and black marble. The style was one that had gone out of fashion quite some time ago. It bore some resemblance on the exterior to Greek temples, complete with columns, carvings of heroic acts, and constantly burning torches. The primary difference were the windows that looked out from the sides of the building. Along the walls, there were many niches that each held a bust of an individual. Some looked like prominent figures from the past. Others resembled people known to nobody. A final few resembled people living at that moment in time, perhaps even the viewer. Nobody ever saw the same busts as another person.

Inside, the building seemed far larger than on the outside. There were servants always ready to help those who wandered in, and any who asked would be given a room for a time. The inside was as lavishly decorated as any royal castle, with tapestries, artwork, chandeliers, and the like. The rooms were each locked magically, allowing the resident and anyone they wished to admit in without a key. The rooms could not be broken into by force, and the only ones who could enter an otherwise locked room were the servants and the master of the mansion. Rooms were not the only things inside the building, however. Any need a resident could possibly want could be found. Dining rooms, exercise rooms, clothing stores, and the largest library anyone could ever imagine were all just a walk away. The library held books that nobody had ever read before, due to the fact that they hadn’t been written yet. These rooms were unlocked at all hours and usually minded by a few servants.

If anyone turned their attention to the servants themselves, they would find that most were somewhat confused about their life prior to working at the manse. Each one would describe a vastly different world where they had grown up and lived their lives, and then one day, they were working here as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Not a single one can ever say for certain just how long they’ve been there. They are all supremely competent at their jobs and treat the guests with respect unless given reason to do otherwise.

The central room of the house (inasmuch as this house can be said to have a central room) was the grand hall, where the master of the house sometimes spent his time hearing the concerns of those who visited. Chairs lined the walls of the very large room. The room itself was lit from above by many glowing crystals which were connected to the ceiling. The master’s throne was made entirely out of constantly spinning gears. Each one was made from a different material, from ironwood to silver to plastic. The gears spun at all times, including when someone sat down in it. While anyone was free to sit in the chair, it was supremely uncomfortable to anyone except for Erudemasa. On either side of the throne were wooden doors that opened into stairways leading down.

Both of these spiral stairways lead down into a chasm beneath the manse. Here, rickety metal catwalks were suspended over a vast lake of black liquid. Anyone who fell in there emerged at some random point in another timestream, stranding them beyond the world that they had known. Suspended in the center of the room was an enormous crystal, which would glow different colors at different times. The crystal was securely held and nigh unbreakable. This was the true center of power of the manse. It was well out of reach of anyone on the catwalks and there was no other way to approach it. The crystal itself had one feature of note. On one side, what appeared to be the upper torso of a person hung out of the crystal. The body itself was made of the same crystal as the rest. The head and arms hung down, making it impossible to see the features of the face. Some would claim that they heard this figure speak, but it could never be confirmed.

The final, and most important, feature of the manse was not something physical. Extending from the crystal to half a mile beyond the outer fence was a shimmering barrier. The wall created a slight distortion in the air, but did not bar anyone entry. Anyone who tried to pass through would find that it posed no obstacle. What they would observe, though, is that any superhuman abilities that they might possess vanish the instant they step through the barrier. Magic ceases to function, super strength no longer enhances an individual, and mental compulsion no longer may motivate individuals. This field of no powers extended to the realm of super-science as well, with robots having no more strength or endurance than an average human, no matter what their design or programming. The only exceptions to this rule are those required for an individual to live. Those only extended so far as to allow them to live inside the shield. A fire elemental, for example, would not find itself extinguished once it stepped inside. It would simply be unable to burn anything. Robots work inside, but any advanced weaponry they may have integrated or be carrying no longer works. Physical features that would give such an advantage also cease. A creature with six arms would only find itself able to use two of them (and not be able to switch which two) the entire they were inside the shield and an individual with wings would keep the wings, but be unable to fly. Those advantageous features that cannot be removed or disabled, such as horns or other spiny protrusions, simply become intangible to all but themselves. The nullification affects items as well, rendering magical blades, bombs, and the like ineffective inside (except as effective as a sword or a heavy object would be). The only individuals exempt from this effect are the master of the house and any that he specifically grants temporary allowance to.

A man wearing the clothing of a butler opens the door swiftly after Phia knocks on it. He smiles warmly towards the two guests. "Good evening, my ladies. We have been expecting you. If you would please follow me."

Without waiting for a response, the man turns and walks up the grand stairway in the entry hall. Assuming the two of them follow him, he leads them through several passages through the Manse, eventually leading them to a large double door. Bowing, he indicates that the women ought to enter.

The doors open into the great hall with the Throne of Gears. When Phia looks into the room, she sees that the only person inside the room is sitting on the main throne. He is staring intently at the newspaper on his lap before, suddenly grabbing a quill, dipping it in ink, and filling in one of the answers to the crossword puzzle as if it were the most important thing he'd ever done. Smirking with approval, Erudemasa glances up to see Phia in the doorway. He motions her into the room as he folds the paper up and sets it beside his chair. The quill and ink are shortly set on top of it. Erudemasa folds his hands in his lap before smiling.

"Hello, Phia. It's nice to meet you for the first time again. I assume, then, that you received my letter?"

"Well, a couple reasons. First of all, I wanted a guest here at the new place, and you seemed as good as anyone. Better, actually, because of later reasons." Eru responded, a laugh half-hidden in his voice. "The second reason is more important. This mansion is tied to your family in ways that you will soon come to understand. I trust you remember a few months ago when your mansion was attacked by several forces at the same time? The one where your husband died? It'd be a hard day to forget, I'd think."

"Really? I tend to lose track of time so easily. A month, a year, it's not really that big of a difference in the end. Anyways, I was there on that day. My companions and I attacked that day, intent on capturing the ancestor of Draeken in order to return him to his rightful place, death. So, we're there and, right as we're doing this, Truinthil attacks and hits D with that nasty soulrot stuff. Anyways, long story short, I stab him with the soul stealing spear and take Old D into there."

Erudemasa has stood and is now pacing around the room, illustrating his points with motions from his hands.

"So, I take the Old D soul out of the world to deal with it. I managed to get Sunny Delight to cut ever-so-precisely Old D's mind and soul away from all the stuff and power his soul had stuck to it over the years. I ended up using a lot of that power to make this place. As for what that has to do with you, there was something else stuck to that power and he's standing right behind you." Erudemasa's grin nearly splits his face as he motions for the women to turn around.

Phia tilted her head and quirked a brow as the strange man spoke. Her eyes glittered in jewel tones of violet and lime green as emotions passed through them.

"Behind-" Phia turned and looked to D, jumping a bit at first. "Bloody 'ell! 'ave ye been stand'n there the whole time?" She tilted her head and then stepped towards the ghostly image of her husband. "Tha' bloody clone knew this the whole time...didn't 'e?" She grumbled.

Laughing at Phia's reaction he nodded. "Yes, I've been here the whole time. But Light, it's good to see you again Phia. And if you're talking about Truinthil's clone...What did he know? What's happened since I've been gone? I would've liked to return sooner, but as that brat over there said, I'm stuck here for the time being." He shot a glare at Eru, but shrugged and looked back to Phia. "I'll be outta here soon I think. Right, brat?"

Erudemasa spun one of the gears on the chair as he contemplated Phia's questions. Long seconds ticked by, marked only by the sound of the chair, when he finally did speak, it was in a more serious tone that he rarely used. "A ritual of this sort, to remove a trapped soul from this sort of confinement, has been lost to history." Erudemasa shakes his head slowly. "There are no remaining copies in the current era of how to perform something of this sort. Removing a bound soul like this is difficult, but without the specific steps, it can't be done."

"Fortunately," for a moment, Erudemasa's face is split by a wide smile as he continues, "barriers of time like that make no difference to me. I needed to find some way to do this without Sundel knowing and I think I know how. There are several ritual steps that need to be taken before it can be done. I can't speed any of these up, because they are things the soul needs to do itself, or get others to help with."

Erudemasa took his hands off the chair and crossed them in front of his chest, an arrogant smirk on his face. This would have looked quite ridiculous on his 14 year old body if it weren't for the knowing eyes that shifted from Phia to D and back. "I, naturally, won't be helping with these. I am merely here to guide you. You've received my first and last direct intervention, which was to bring you," here, Erudemasa nods to Phia, "here. That is part of the first ritual, Connection. This involves the soul in question reconnecting with the actual world around. If he is to be removed from the crystal, he needs to interact with the world. He needs to meet members of his family, which is why I asked you to bring the children. He must meet allies and friends again and resume their acquaintance. More importantly, and much harder to actually bring about, he also needs to find foes, rivals, and mortal enemies. The more interaction there is, the easier the later steps will be. Draeken cannot, as I've said, leave the premises of the Manse, nor am I willing to contact the parties in question. Thus, the burden falls to the two of you to try and re-establish his place in peoples' minds."