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 Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 8:16 pm
Quote: Backdated to shortly before Halloween. Succeeds x.
Air quality on Scholomance grounds felt damp, heavy. A chilled stillness pervaded the space. The knight almost had to force himself through it - time and again, when the chill of winter settled in the lands, Scholomance felt himself grow leaden, weighted. Was it the injury to his hip? The skulking monstrosity that recruited Blaine for resurrection?
He banished the thought. "This is Scholomance. Saturn I should say, but the rings aren't visible this time of year. Come; that low building there is the Repository. We'll have proper room to talk there." He waited not for his partner's assent; Scholomance strode toward the short, gothic building as if driven to wrench himself from the fog. The impermeability of it left him on edge, and he knew of no better way to solve it than to escape indoors.
The building stood out against the heavy fog for how the etched double doors glowed to life in a brilliant blue. By now, Scholomance hardly cast the complicated architecture a glance; he spent enough time on trips to study the wonder that he'd immortalized their intricacies in sketchbooks twice now. Instead, he focused his attention on the noondescript depression in the center of the door, raised to about hip height. Carefully Scholomance removed one glove with his teeth and worked the signet ring from his finger. By pressing the ancient jewelry into the depression, fluted tubes glowed to life with that same cyanotype smoke. The doors soon swung open to bid them entry.
"I'll fill you in once we're out of this dreary weather."mewrose hope this works! i didn't want it to get too long
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 8:00 pm
Finn was only disoriented for a moment when he appeared on the unfamiliar planet. He looked around, taking in the scenery as his host offered an explanation as to where they were. So supposedly they were on Saturn now? It certainly didn't look like a gas giant, notwithstanding the fog. Unless perhaps it was some magical representation of Saturn? With magic involved (and by now all doubt had been dispelled that magic was involved), he had no frame of reference for what was and wasn't possible. But then again, he had mentioned the rings, which implied they were on the actual planet...Finn shook his head. Speculation seemed fruitless without more information, so he followed his companion towards the building looming a short distance away. The architecture was unlike anything he was familiar with, particularly considering they glowed blue as they approached. He watched with curiosity as the doors were unlocked with a ring, then swung open with no visible means of propulsion. The mechanism could have been technology, or could have been magic. It was impossible to tell. Then again, didn't someone once say "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"? Finn nodded at the other man's comment, then realized he wasn't looking at him and replied, "Very well." He was interested to see what further explanation would be given.
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Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2016 4:08 pm
When he entered, they stood among many desks and chairs, arranged as if an ordinary office space. The craftsmanship invoked victorian expertise, and the wood there only resembled maple. Scholomance wasted little time in picking a seat; so many stood empty, and he really only wanted to get away from the door.
He chose quickly, and pulled out a chair for his latest visitor. He himself sat directly across from Kithairon, and positioned himself sideways in his seat. Extended legs crossed at the ankles, and he laid a supportive arm across the back of his chair. "So, I guess this is where I lay it all out for you. You're a knight, or I should say a Page since you're at the very beginning of your knighthood. Pages move to squire, then to knight, at… So far as I can tell, their Wonder's discretion. And, if you're wondering what a Wonder is, you're in one.
"But that's… Really an oversimplification of matters. I'll try to start at the beginning, but bear with me; I've not often had to explain this before. Most people live and die as completely normal people so far as I can tell - no magic, no extravagant circumstances, nothing. However, every once in a while, you have a special individual who is different at the soul level, and has the potential to become a Knight. Knights are protectors of a kind, heralding from ancient areas called Wonders. So far as I've seen, there are knights for the nine planets in our solar system, and Pluto can be proud of itself for continuing to be considered one, plus there are knights of the Cosmos, of Polaris, and of Ganymede. More on that later.
"But what is a knight, and why do we care? Knights haven't been around for a thousand years, and suddenly they are - presumably because this entity called chaos is trying to swallow our planet, earth, whole. Or something. Without getting too far into the nitty gritty, there's an entity called the Code that lends us power by installing a piece of itself at the core of our wonders. I assume that, when it decides someone is ready, it decides to awaken them as a Knight in order to fight against this chaos. So, presumably, you've been enlisted into knighthood for that reason.
"And what the hell is chaos? Well, there are people who call themselves Dark Mirror senshi who cavort about draining people of energy. Like they're batteries. What they use the energy for, I have no idea. They're considered chaotic, however, and I haven't found a descriptive reason for this. My guess is the need for energy qualifies them as Chaos. Then there's the Negaverse, which is a militaristic organization that harvests and consumes souls, drains people of energy, and turns people into monsters. Literal monsters. As in, if you go back to earth and you keep an eye out, you'll find actual real monsters. And they'll try to rip your face off. Nasty business.
"So that's the absolute basic of basics so far. Do you have any questions about what I've said?" Scholomance imagined there would be several, as he asked about a thousand himself with an air of incredulity (and a little rage).
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2016 9:11 pm
Finn followed along into the building, looking around briefly as he entered. The decor was somewhat interesting, but not what he was here for, so he only gave it a cursory look before taking the offered chair. His host wasted no time in launching into what he'd apparently come here to say. Finn sat silently as the knight - other knight, it seemed - rattled off a stream of information that sounded like the premise of a fantasy novel. When the explanation halted, there was silence for a moment. Then Finn said simply, "Hmm." He was trying to process it all, but it was quite a lot to take in at once. He was expending a significant effort just to try and remember it all, much less understand it. So to give himself a little time to consider things, he said "One moment." Then he folded one arm across his chest, used it to prop up his opposite elbow, and rested his chin in the upraised hand. He sat that way for a few moments, his posture and expression speaking of contemplation. Knights, wonders, planets, chaos...while the terms were largely familiar, hearing them in an unfamiliar context was tripping him up. "Wonder," for example, was to him defined as a feeling of awe or curiosity, not a vaguely explained type of location that presumably involved magic somehow. He needed a way to keep things straight before he could properly make sense of them. After a time, he raised his head and asked, "Do you mind if I switch back to normal? I have a notebook with me, and would like to jot down some things to help order my thoughts." He didn't know the rules or customs of this place, and wanted to be sure it was safe to switch back. For all he knew, being a magically-influenced individual right now was the only reason he could still breathe on this planet. Strickenized BTW, I keep referring to Kithairon as Finn, because he continues to think of himself as Finn (for the moment, anyway), and I'm basically RPing from inside his head. I realize referring to a powered up knight by his civ name is probably a bit odd, so I wanted to explain it's a deliberate choice. (And I probably should have mentioned this earlier. >_>; )
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Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2016 10:29 pm
Kithairon took the information far better than Scholomance did when he first awakened. Currently he seemed more pensive over the information, so Scholomance sat back in his chair and waited for the man to finish his long silence. Arms folded behind his head, and he studied the other man. Who knew Pluto knights looked so quaint? Certainly not he; Kithairon's dress rivaled the high-class flourish of Mont Blonc or Takamagahara.
When he finally spoke again, Scholomance gestured outward in a whimsical shrug. "Feel free." The knight sat up again, and his chair's feet found the floor once more. "There's a lot to remember. But I suggest not including names on there - if you do, someone's liable to find it and put two and two together. Even if you think you're quite good at keeping your papers to yourself, things have a way of just… slipping out. Better not to take the chance."
Scholomance - the knight and the wonder - cared little for whether he remained in his Plutonian uniform or not. While he never took a true civilian to his wonder, he imagined that the magic came from the place itself and not the entities within it.
"Do you need me to repeat any of that?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2016 10:14 pm
Finn nodded at the advice. "No names, then," he agreed. While names would help him keep his notes straight should he look over them later, he knew too little about the situation, so being cautious seemed prudent. To the question he replied, "Once I get some notes down, I'll let you know." After a moment's concentration, he was back in the clothes he'd gone to class in: a practical sweater and slacks with an overcoat. His satchel reappeared as well, its strap still slung over one shoulder, and the bag hanging off the side of the chair. He adjusted his glasses and swung the bag into his lap so he could take out a notebook and pen. He didn't want to mix up his notes about this situation with his class notes, so he flipped to the back of the book. Then, using his satchel as a makeshift lap desk, he started writing. He didn't want to keep the knight waiting too long, so he stuck to just a few words and phrases that encapsulated the main points, just enough to remind him. Things like "Knight (page) - protector", "Chaos" and "watch - Pluto - artifact", though he did have to resist the urge to write "magic space artifact" for that. After a few more notes, he paused to look things over, his eyes darting across the page as he considered what was there. There was still very little about magic that he understood, and probably wouldn't until he had a chance to start to investigate for himself. If a piece of this Code was at his Wonder, then that would be the first place to look. But for now he wanted to get some explanation of in what way magic contradicted the known laws of science. "Alright then," he said, looking up at his host. "One thing at a time, starting with what I have the most frame of reference for." He glanced down at the paper, where he had not written "Saturn" or "Scholomance," partly because f the warning not to use names, but mainly because he had no idea how to write it. Instead he focused on the words "Wonder - planets - space travel?" "You said this place, this Wonder, is on Saturn," he said, gesturing to the area around them. He looked curious, and perhaps a bit puzzled, as he asked, "How is that possible? Unless every scientific instrument has deceived us, Saturn is a gas giant." He assumed the other man would understand what that meant regarding things like Saturn's gravity and atmosphere, and why sitting on the planet and having a conversation would be impossible. Strickenized WIP civ art! I'm assuming a small bag would disappear and reappear with his civ clothes, but let me know if that's not how it works.
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2016 6:15 am
"Right after the science of it, aren't we?" The knight pulled his mask down and grinned. "I don't blame you. Science informs us that… Well," he shrugged, "there aren't any other habitable planets in our solar system. And yet, all nine of them have knights. I expect the Earth Knights have it the best - they can probably visit their respective wonders a helluva lot more often than us - but that's a little beside your question. Earth has an atmosphere, and a surface. Saturn has neither of these. Or, at least, a very shitty atmosphere."
Scholomance licked his lips. He wanted a smoke while he sat inside the ominous wonder, but he forgot to transfer over his cigarettes. "So we've got a tricky dilemma here. Science says Saturn has no surface - there's obviously no way in hell that one can build a stone anything on it. And yet, I'm telling you that we're inside of a magical weapons manufacturing campus and breathing fine and standing on solid ground. I don't think these two things have to be mutually exclusive - we don't have to pick between science being right or science being completely wrong. My guess is that the world is natively the same as science sees it. Magic forms a pocket of surface and air - or the whole thing might have surface and air thanks to magic, I haven't exactly gone wandering outside of my shitty patch of marshlands - and on it, someone's built a Wonder. And magic also obscures itself, so through a telescope, we see the dead and useless gas giant with a shitload of rings. Which, by the way, look excellent on a clear day. I've also been through maybe one clear day since I've been here.
"I can't say that I'm right, but I figure I'm pretty close because there's a ruin on the Moon and no one seems to have noticed it through a landing and through high-powered telescopes. But I've been there; these people aren't stupid, so it must've cloaked itself." Scholomance crossed his arms on the table.
Leaning forward, he looked over the list of words. "It bears mention, since we're talking about Wonders not being visible to others… While you're in this form, magic affords you a bit of privacy. No one's going to recognize you while you're a Pluto Page, and when you're just a civilian, no one will know you as a Pluto Page. Unless they watch you power up, of course." Or power down, he thought as he studied the other man. He hoped he was smart about this.
If nothing else, the man went about these explanations carefully and without judgment from a scrutinizing science perspective. Scholomance was aware of precisely how much of his dissertations sounded like fantastical bullshit, and for most of his knight career, he still retained a scathing skepticism about it. Such a viewpoint wouldn't serve Kithairon well in his Page endeavors - if he chose to power up at all after this. His Wonder only enlisted his help; it could not choose for him whether to fight against anyone or anything.mewrose that's exactly how it works! and nice art!
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 9:00 pm
Finn listened carefully to the answer, but found it essentially amounted to "magic, probably." Not the most satisfying response, but the information that magical locations apparently hid themselves from view was interesting. More so was the fact that nobody would recognize him when in his Page form. That fact might make help him feel less self-conscious about walking around like that, should he ever want to again. So he nodded and jotted "disguise (place and self)" down in his notebook. He could have prefaced that with "magic," but then again he could have prefaced almost every word on this page with "magic." Well then, what else did he want to know? After a moment's consideration, he decided the best way to find out more about Wonders was to visit his own, which would have to happen later. Looking over his notes, he noted that Knights were supposed to be protectors, against something called Chaos. That was probably the next point to inquire about then; figure out what was against him before he decided what, if anything, to do about it. Looking up from his book, Finn said,"You mentioned an entity called Chaos, and two organizations associated with it. Can you tell me more about those?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 12:50 pm
The civilian's next question promtped a sigh out of Scholomance. He puzzled over how best to relay the information without immediately causing a bias; he wanted to avoid coloring someone else's view, but deliberate avoidance of word choice automatically stripped out any trust that the other person could parse their own opinions without great influence. Slowly he closed his eyes as he spoke.
"Chaos… Well, there's two distinct halves to the line in the sand, here. One side is called Order, for reasons still unknown to me, and that encompasses White Moon senshi and Knights. They're easier to categorize as not-Chaos, as their starseeds exist in an uninfluenced state, I suppose. I'll explain this a little more later.
"Chaos houses two distinct factions that I know of: the Negaverse, which you will likely see a lot of, and the Dark Mirror Court, of which I've met one person in my time as a knight. I'll start with the Negaverse first."
Scholomance sat up and steepled his fingers together. "The Negaverse answers to an entity called Metallia, which we know very little about beyond her status at the head of the army. The Negaverse is a military organization armed with agents, corrupted senshi, and youma. An agent, so far as I know, is a knight whose starseed has been covered in the chaos that Metallia sows. They're typically identified by dark attire, militaristic garb, and possession of a deadly weapon. Usually deadly, anyway. The corrupted senshi I've met all have long hair and cracks in their head and chest. One had cracks all throughout her body and she glowed orange in the center like a demented furnace. Nightmare fuel, that. And lastly, the youma look like… Well, pretty much anything out of a Hellraiser movie. They match descriptions of monsters, aliens, or sci-fi disasters.
"Each Negaverse entity is deadly in its own right. An agent can obviously inflict lethal damage with their weapon or rip out your starseed - your soul - with their bare hands. They can teleport at will. Their senshi are much the same way, though they wield magic instead of a weapon. Youma, so far as I know, can attack people physically and devour them. Negaverse agents and senshi spend a lot of time draining energy from civilians, which I imagine contributes to a goal of theirs. What that goal is, I don't know. While draining energy doesn't often end in death that I've seen, it rubs a lot of Order folk the wrong way. It tends to start fights.
"The Negaverse seems interested in our planet. Some have claimed to be protectors of the people, or that we - as knights - are meddling in alien affairs simply because we don't wear earth's symbol. There are counterarguments to this, but they get confusing and a bit overwelming for someone new to this business.
"I know less about the Dark Mirror Court. All I've gathered is that it's a group of senshi who gave themselves over to a different sort of chaos - one outside Metallia - and are trying to get back to their original planets. The goal itself makes little sense, so I am guessing it's a ruse to distract from the real endeavor. You see, White Moon senshi are able to get to their planets without the use of chaos, so committing to chaos and trying to get to their planets is backwards logic. What they do, how big they are as an organization, and who ranks on their bad side are all unknowns to me."
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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2017 8:38 pm
Finn waited patiently during the long pause following his question, and tried to refrain from speculating as to the cause of it. When the knight finally spoke again, Finn leaned over his book and started rapidly jotting down notes. There was quite a lot in this answer that seemed important to remember, so he was kept very busy writing, with little attention to spare on comprehending the information. Once the explanation was over, he sat back and looked over what he had written. It seemed there were five distinct factions of magical individuals - six if the monstrous-sounding youma counted - roughly aligned in three groups of varying intentions. By those numbers, it sounded as if the side of Order were at a disadvantage. Then again, he had no way of knowing how many individuals were in each faction and what their various strengths, weaknesses and abilities were. One thing seemed evident, so he glanced up fro his book to comment, "As with any conflict, it seems both sides have reason to feel they are in the right." He might have to seek out further information about the motivations of all parties at a later date. The basic overview would suffice for now. Well then. Now that he had a basic idea of what he was supposed to be aligned against, he ought to know what he was intended to do about it. So his next question was, "Then if we are intended to be protectors, how are we meant to do so? Fighting off monsters and so forth seems a little difficult with just a pocket watch."
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2017 9:37 am
Scholomance clicked his tongue against his teeth, his expression wrinkling with consideration. "I don't… Really think that our wonders put too much thought into how best to prepare us for battle. Blaine never once mentioned a war to me, so I assume that this conflict is relatively 'new' in the scope of our lasting knighthoods. But, excusing the wonder doesn't solve the problem of how to beat a barghest with a timepiece.
"For that, your best bet is to get really good at hand-to-hand combat and start hanging about with other knights. Spending time on your wonder is also advisable; despite feeling like I wasted many days here, the only times my wonder chose to impact me with more power were times where I was here. And, in obtaining more power, you generally get a more useful artifact. Mine was once a ring, then a cane, and now this." For demonstration, Scholomance gestured outward with his right hand. In it formed the hulking husk of the spinebone whip, coiled and ready for use.
"I will say though, out of all of these, finding other knights and banding together with them will be your most thorough protection. Sometimes a simple play of the numbers game is what keeps the enemy at bay." He certainly found significantly more safety in the presence of others, knight or otherwise. A lone entity proved a target by any willful aggressor, and he learned that lesson firsthand. Hopefully Kithairon would need no further stumbles on his path through knighthood and could learn sufficiently well off of other people's sorry mistakes.
"I think that's plenty to go on for now, however. Much more and my general manager will be wondering where I got off to, and he's already sick of my Houdini acts." He stood then, and dismissed his weapon.
Scholomance nearly offered his hand when he remembered a last piece of advice. "Sometimes a knight named Hvergelmir hosts … I suppose you would call them question-and-answer sessions. They're all concerning the basics of being a knight, things to think about, things to do. If you feel a strange call in your mind and answer it, it might just be that.
"Now, shall we?" At last he extended his hand in offer.
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 5:49 pm
Finn nodded at the offer to leave, and jotted down a last few notes before tucking his notebook back in his bag. He'd certainly received a lot more information than he'd been hoping for today; there was plenty to consider, and perhaps to cross-reference with other sources when able. The first of which would have to be his own Wonder, and he would have to make sure to visit it at the first opportunity. As he stood up, he said, "Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. It has been enlightening." He straightened his coat briefly before accepting the offered hand, so they could return from whence they came.
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