[Quest] Archi-Mage-ic (Closed)

by **Fallacy** on August 5th, 2012, 6:41 pm

Summer 90 512 AV

There was much talk all around Alvadas, rumors floating around about a new building which appeared seemingly overnight. Well, that was normal, and anyone who would hear such things wouldn’t be surprised, for it is the nature of Alvadas. However, the rumors stated that building had marks of the famous crafter Andres Towers, most famous for his contribution of Towers Idol Slanderer to Alvadas’ fine streets, and that the building wouldn’t just let anyone walk up to it. Great gates surrounded it, and those who tried to climb the barrier around the Manor only found that they would be climbing forever on. The top of the gates seemed to only be just out of reach for those who attempted to climb them, always so close yet so far away.

Many people tried to get in because even it wasn’t the famous Andres Towers manor, then they could still possibly meet the owner of such a find abode. Though the rumor that it was in fact Andres Towers manor brought more than just the hopeful to the place. The Womiyu, government agents of the highest order, assembled there. Their presence both threatening and welcome, for with them here the prospect of order was to be upheld and any underhandedness would be foolish to play out under their watchful eyes.

Not only the Womiyu, but archeologists and history buffs of all sorts and makes flooded the gates trying to get in. They swarmed and together they festered the outside gates, trying anything and everything to get in. Spells were slung, glyphs were drawn, Illusions were made, and offerings were given, all in the attempt to gain access to the exclusive manor.

It was when every trick in the book was thought up of, when everyone started to lose hope of gaining any ground with the walls that something happened. Out of the sky, blowing over the fence fell letters. Yes, letters fell from the air. The envelope in which they were contained was sealed with stamp of an over decorate “T”, the same sign Towers used to brand all his work with, but otherwise was blank. There would be a scramble for the letters, and that is when the second weird thing of the day would happen. Any who caught the letters would find themselves take an almost translucent state, and anyone or anything which tried to touch them would go through them. If they would look at the letters, the envelope would begin to fill itself out with personal information of whoever caught it. In big and embossed letters the envelope would state the person’s name, and then it would open itself. If they bothered to read it, the letter would be an invitation inviting them to the manor, but nothing more.

The gates would then open, who would be permitted to step forward?

OOC :

by **Dakota** on August 6th, 2012, 5:04 am

Dakota stood behind more of the experienced archeologist and historians she was a no one and she knew it. She didn’t deserve to see such a strange place she was not of the right race and did not have the right amounts of money to ever afford that type of luxury. As she watched people come and go attempting to climb the gate and make offerings she wondered why the gate would not open. Did some rich socialite wish to finally show off his mansion? She knew it mimicked the Andres towers design but she wasn’t convinced that it was the same one. No one couldn’t simply hide it the man was a legend someone would have read about it or seen it before.

Dakota walked up through the crowd and wrapped her hands around the bars of the gate and looked inward sighing. “Well at least we got to see it.” She said to no one in particular but herself and turned to leave when there was a loud roar of excited screams and she was shoved into the gate as letters fell from the air. Dakota closed her eyes as people fought over the letters keeping her back against the gate not wanting to be hurt and start losing ichor. However as if some strange wind had guided it a letter simply floated down in front of her the crowd had not seen it or they would have dove on it pushing her out of the way. Dakota opened her eyes slightly sensing something and saw the letter on the ground at her feet.

Bending down slowly a bit of her long silver hair falling in front of her face she slowly picked it up and looked it over. It had a large stamp with a large letter T she had no idea of the history that it was indeed the same sign as Towers brand. “I doubt some rich person would enjoy a dinner party with a Nuit.” She breathed as she watched the letter begin to fill itself out with her name and area she was from.
Dakota watched in amazement but a bit of sadness all this hard work to be wasted on her who ever had made this was going to be disappointed perhaps they needed someone to carry coats or were looking for someone to laugh at or mock. The rich had odd taste of what they liked doing and most were cruel however she decided she would take a look anyways.

Opening the letter up she didn’t find anything about what they would be doing but was only a invitation to enter. “Well good luck keeping all these people from rushing in as soon as this gate opens.” Dakota froze as she pushed her hand right through the gate her hand going right through the metal like some sort of ghost. “This isn’t good.” She breathed as she slowly pushed her foot through the metal bars of the gate watching as her leg touched nothing. Looking back at the crowd she stuffed the letter in one of her pockets and took a deep breath and pushed forward her whole body going through the metal.

She could hear the crowd yelling about her going through but she didn’t bother looking back she walked forward towards the door her hands shaking nervously. She stopped near a bridge and looked back to see if the letter did the same for anyone else she really didn’t want to go in to someone’s house alone and have the whole house disappear she would be doomed. She took the time to examine the area more closely and try to see if there were any signs of life around or anything of interest worth making notes of.

by **Kuvarakh** on August 6th, 2012, 8:32 am

Kuvarakh had not intended any grand adventure this day, but naturally, his curiosity ensnared him as surely as the proverbial cat. The building to his left, 'That must be it!' he thought, with a surge of excitement. In his two plus years here, he had never seen that building. And he had seen them all.

Those times when his house had found its way into the trees, he had taken some time to survey everything beneath him, and this building, this grand, palatial estate, had never been present...until now.

He weaved his way in through the crowd, hoping for nothing more than a gateside view. In fact, he had some trepidation that this house may just vanish from the face of the city as quickly as it had arrived. People were definitely trying to fight their way in, though. 'Curiosity? Celebrity? Daring? What drove people to such grand trespass?' he wondered.

Then he got that grim laugh he often enjoyed. People getting what they wished for, and running in fear of it. Papers, envelopes? falling from the sky, blowing over the high fence. The people surging into each other as they pressed forward to get theirs. Screaming and casting them off as the innate magic made itself evident.

Their bodies becoming instantly translucent and ghostly. The fear of the unknown drove panic into the crowd. many about to grab a floating prize recoiled in terror, seeing their neighbor turn ethereal while possessing one. The effect ending as instantly as it manifested upon release of the paper.

Suddenly, Kuvarakh found himself with elbow room to spare and any one of a dozen such envelopes within easy reach. His mind flashed through a rundown of the many aspects of his duty as temporary head of his order. Primarily, the conflict of availability to its members, versus possible discovery of new forms of magic.

Eridanus would return any day...'What would he say if he found that his interim leader had shied from discovery, for no more purpose than to sit at the desk for another day?'...No, there really was no choice, no decision, to be made.

He saw a few others straighten their newly incorporeal backs and step right through the gate itself. A irrepressible grin forced itself across his face as he picked up an envelope, sporting an elaborate capital 'T', and watched his flesh grow semi-transparent. The gate opened, seemingly just for him, though others had entered through the spot before him. As he stepped through, he saw that the envelope had unfolded itself, revealing an unmistakably addressed and worded invitation, made out personally to him.

by **Nas** on August 6th, 2012, 11:39 am

Nas now lately paid a tad bit more attention to rumors and got out more often so he heard about the manor and that it belonged to someone important so he walked around till he found its location.....for Today as he was curious about this.
This day wasn't hot to him at least so he wore his brown cloak and mask as he moved on the streets with other people interested in finding the manor.

Finding dint take this long around half a chime not bad for randomly searching around after he left the group, he just walked through a strange alley then passed a strange shop and finally he passed one of the entrances of the garden before seeing a crowd gathered outside a manor hrm this must be it..i hope oh well i will ask someone walking up to a young man on the edge of the crowd he asked him "hey there is this the manor everyone is talking about?" the young man barely even looked at him he just nodded "yes sir i think this is it everyone is trying to enter now so it might be best to wait a bit"

Standing close to the wall a bit away from the crowd in front of the gates, he looked around he saw many people all swarming they were so noisy trying to enter at once he caught some people whispering about the Womiyu.
He dint trust nor like the Womiyu so he was glad they couldn't enter he didn't like them for so many reasons yet this manor was strange why had it received so much attention thinking for a moment where he knew the name of the previous owner according to some people he asked it Andres Towers ah of course the creator of the Idol Slanderer heh that must have been embarrassing for him so this is his house.....did he animate it too? snapping out of his thoughts he watched as people tried to enter and still failed he had nothing to do but wait he disliked to rush things and besides he couldn't do anything now but keep his eyes open perhaps he could try finding a back entrance.

As he thought about that a letter came from the gates? as he tried to pick it up from there but it eluded he grasp as he tried jumping a bit he managed to catch it it dint write anything outside as he examine it a bit, he noted that people were panicking for some reason moving his attention he saw others who were holding the letters were transparent to touch hrm its an invitation?.
Looking again at the letter he noted it had his personal information as it opened it he read what was written it was indeed an invitation to the manor if possible he pocketed the letter before moving on he dint want to hold it forever how curious i wonder why we were invited to the manor.

Looks like he could enter by the gates or the wall he would prefer the latter but it might be better to show good matters so instead he walked up to the gates passing others like a ghost he was already dead so this situation appealed to his sense of humor now he would enter the manor he took a step hopefully he would be able to enter and find out why they sent out those invitations perhaps he should ask about the trick to make him transparent.

by **Shyam Kuromiya** on August 7th, 2012, 12:22 am

Shyam had heard the rumours. Although the name Andres Towers meant nothing to him the mysterious building fascinated him. Before leaving the city he needed to find atleast something here that was worth learning and this building provided that. It could was surrounded by an air of mystery that beckoned to him and he knew that if he did not take this opportunity he would regret it. He hurried through the dark streets, hoping that he would not encounter any annoyances. He did not have the time nor the luxury for interferences, for somehow he knew that his window of opportunity was very small and closing with every second.

He jumped over a barrel that was in his way, stumbling slightly upon landing before he regained his balance and he pushed on harder wanting to make up for the lost seconds. He turned a corner ignoring the screams and sounds he heard in the night, focusing solely on reaching his destination.

After turning the last corner it appeared before him, the building that was the source of rumours and speculation. He didn't stop. but he continued towards it at a jog. There was a large number of people in front of him. He pushed through them gently, shoving when they refused to move. They glared at him but he ignored them instead focusing on what was before him. The building was beautiful. Truly a work of art, but the mystery of the building overshadowed the beauty for him.

He walked up to the gate and the large steel gate and touched it. He felt a barrier pushing back at him not even allowing him to put his hands through the spaces between the steal bars. He saw some people trying to climb over it but it seemed like they were climbing yet they stayed in the same place. From the way they behaved it seemed like they actually thought they were climbing so the thought there was an illusion spell put on anyone who tried that. There were powerful mages around him and they were unable to get in so for someone like him who did not even know the simplest spell, it was impossible to imagine breaking that illusion.

He walked up and down the length of the wall looking at it touching it. He did not think he would be able to do anything but he wanted to engrave this feeling into his mind for when he started to learn magic. Suddenly letters started flying from over the gates. He felt that he needed to get one and with the sudden pushing and shoving that accompanied this, he felt knew his chances were low in getting one. He whistled two times. A low pitch and a high pitch, and Aesir swooped down from above where she had been circling and she caught a letter for him. He put his hand out of the Katinu holding his hand in above him. She dropped the letter in his hand, after which she proceeded to rest on his shoulder.

Suddenly he turned translucent along with Aesir. She tightened her grip on his shoulder slightly but was otherwise undisturbed. He ignored what happened and focused on the letter instead. It was sealed shut with a large fancy "T". On the front of it his name and Aesirs were slowly filled out along with his birth place. As a living place it said the Wolf's Den but that was just a temporary abode. It did not interest him but he dcided to keep the seal intact. Reaching into his pouch he took a knife, and he slowly cut under the seal trying not to damage it as much as possible. The letter only contained an invitation. He considered it for a slight second before he closed it putting it back in the envelope and in his pouch.

He then walked up to the gate. He had seen a silver-haired girl walk through it, and he postulated that it shoud be possible for him as well.Cautiously he put his hand to the gate only to see it pass through it. This will be fun. Let's hope that we come back alive... Hopefully Aesir can get through as well. He pushed on further slipping through the gate and into the compound with Aesir safely on his shoulder, towards whatever that awaited him.

by **Anton** on August 7th, 2012, 6:20 pm

When it came to elbowing contests where the average contestant was at least 5 and a half feet tall, Anton was, to put it mildly, a definite dark horse. He was struggling to even navigate safely through, let alone take part, without drowning in a sea of stampeding giants that seemed to have no care beyond grasping for one of those coveted envelopes. His body - his face, shoulders and neck in particular - had long taken the abuse of knee and boot and shoe and the very frequent clash of sweaty, squeezing bodies far, far heavier than his own as he continued his daunting quest for not only survival, but actual envelope-scented success.

The stage for his current backbreaking humiliation was set back beneath the temple...

"This is a listener's job!" He had argued. "I'm a silencer."

"Yes you are!" Huntell had then replied, in that some frustratingly patronizing tone that suggested he was a toddler that had just learned how to walk. "Your point, rookie?"

"The point is that I should be joining the rest of them out there. In the open and in the uniform. Not stuck in this..."

He jerked a finger at his get-up: An all-white wool assemblage that included a cap, coat, shirt, scarf and pants. He was the very picture of an overdressed winter-ready kid, ready to brave the snowbound summer that was Alvadas's currently chilly climate.

But more annoyingly, he looked like a baby harp seal.

"I think it's adorable."

Anton's predictable death glare was met with a smile, a squeeze on the cheeks and a light pat on the head.

By Ionu, he was going to kill the man eventually. Or at least, when he least expected it, kick him really, really hard in the shins.

"They work with us, see?" Huntell ventured again after awhile. "Not for us."

"The listeners?"

"Yes. They are an organisation unto themselves. With their own agendas and their own messes. They give us what they think we need, when they think we need it. We get chips of information. Scraps to barely get by. It keeps up reactive rather than preventive. Sometimes it's enough. Other times..." He trailed off for abit. "Well, people get hurt. Alot."

They shared a brief moment of silence, before Anton broke it.

"So I get to be the pet listener for this."

"Your age is convenient."

"A recurring convenience?"

"It won't be a habit. The dress, on the other hand, might.."

One day, Huntell. One day.

"I've got some work down below, so you're on your own, squirt. And uh, Anton?"

"Yes?"

"Lay off abit on the magic."

"Look, about last time, it wasn't my-"

And so here he was: Flattened into the ground by the people he had sworn to defend. A bottom feeder. A scavenger on the fringe of a kill; always watching, rarely eating till the end.

But scraps could fall during a feeding frenzy...

He saw it in the tangle of pants and feet. He saw it there, ignored and untake and begging to be wanted. It had slipped through the gaps and now it was his.

He took a deep breath, and threw himself forward....

And attained translucency.

And shortly after, passage through the gate.

by **Fallacy** on August 9th, 2012, 3:38 am

It would seem as the crowd fought to get the letters that the ones who did get them would go unnoticed. It was as if once the letter was touched one was forgotten about, set aside, perhaps shielded by illusion? Whatever the case was they now found themselves able to cross past the gates, and with that the manor was in sight. Though as they walked towards it, the manor seemed to be getting farther and farther away, was this another trick of Ionu?

Trick or not, the party now found themselves walking through a thick jungle-like area. The trees sprouted, obscuring the view of the manor. Vines welled, and licked, snaking upon the open road. If one was not careful he could easily trip over the multitude of creeping plants which littered the area wrapping around the trees and going even deeper into the forest. Some even seemed to move on their own. If this manor did belong to the one and only Andres Towers then of course powerful magics would be lying in wait, guarding the secrets of those who choose to walk to the manor. Why then the invitations?

Upon walking quite a ways the group would find themselves at a bridge. Old and ancient it seemed, yet still able to bear the weight of the party if they so choose to cross it. At the other end of the bridge stood a sign with many arrows which pointed in all different directions, even back to where they came. Most of them were unable to be read, but the ones that follow could be discerned out. Written entirely in ancient tongue a sign that pointed to a path hidden out to the right of the group said “Greenhouse”, to the left path it said “Stone Garden”, the middle path said “Northern Peak”, yet none of them pointed to the Manor. If anything, the middle path should lead straight to the place, but instead the sign simply said Northern Peak, whatever that is.

OOC :

by **Kuvarakh** on August 9th, 2012, 5:24 am

Kuvarakh turned to the others, "I suspect there is not unanimous inclination to declare a 'leader", he began, making quotation gestures with his fingers, "but are we of a mind to stick together?"

He looked over his invitation. "It has been some time since I attended a social event, but I know it was not expected that all guests would arrive at once, all together. So I don't believe we will give offense if we DO split up. Of course, there is always the "strength in numbers" policy. I, for one, feel that, as an invitee, I should trust there is no ill intent. But I realize I have no authority to impose my views on any of you."

He went on as he crossed the bridge, droning blandly as he ran his hand along the top of the low stone wall of the bridge. At one point, a small pebble-sized bit of the stone broke loose in his hand. On an impulse, he pocketed it. 'It may serve as a focus to find the bridge again', he thought. he was also curious to see if the stone would still be in his pocket later.

He turned back to the group a second time. "I will go out on a limb here. My name is Kuvarakh and I am an hypnotist. I will share whatever information I find with any who ask and show a willingness to reciprocate. I am going to go to the Greenhouse. Now, if we all choose to share information, we will learn more by splitting up, assuming there is no malevolent force intent on our demise."

by **Shyam Kuromiya** on August 9th, 2012, 3:17 pm

Shyam observed the group that he was going to be with for the remainder of the little excursion. From what he could see, 3 of them were Nuits, and the little boy was human. The scent that they gave off confirmed that. He smiled slightly at this. He never thought that he would ever be in a group such as this.

The place that they were moving through disturbed him greatly. Not only the view changed, but the scents as well and it was disturbing him greatly. This could prove to be a huge problem for him as he relied heavily on his sense of sight, smell and sound, and with the former two being obstructed, and there was also the distinct possibility the latter could fail him as well. These thoughts unnerved him greatly. The Nuit spoke then. He understood the gist of what he was saying, but the use of all those complex and unnecessary words annoyed him. The idea of staying in a group was smart, but he wondered if that could backfire of they were to be trapped together. He decided introducing himself would be for the best.

I am Shyam. I do not do anything exactly. I like to do everything. I will go to this "Stone Garden". Does anyone want to go with me. Oh and my common is not perfect, so I do not understand things sometimes.Even if noone went with him he had Aesir with him and she could prove to be helpful. The heat and humidity made wearing the Katinu an annoyance and he contemplated leaving it behind, but discarded that thought almost instantly. He leaned back against the tree while waiting for the others to speak their thoughts.

by **Nas** on August 9th, 2012, 4:51 pm

Nas had gone by the gate without a problem with the rest of the grou just as the enviroment shifted he noted the changes as he was paying more attention at the enviroment around them than what they were saying as they walked the path still he started paying more attention to the group when he noted the bridge as it dint seems stable to him and perhaps they should find another way.
Thats when he noticed that the archeologist was there as well.
Looking at the signs he noted the writing was a bit old and he couln't read what was written there, but it was fine there were three paths to take Nas just hoped none of the signs had a danger ahead or warning certain death written on them.

Still he dint care about sticking together as Kuvarakh said, but as he dint know what he might find so he noded to his words "my name is Nas nice to meet you all i dont have any expeptional skills and i dont care much about where to go, but we should choose wisely what path we take as the trail leading back here might dissapear like the change in the scenery that happened".He was curious if anyone else had any input on what they should do walk one of the paths for sure but which one.