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eastbound2022-04-25 09:54 pm
blackscales) wrote in eastbound2022-04-25 09:54 pm
un: Black Prince; video
[ The arms-folded image of Wrathion appears to be in a very bland, dark room, stone with nothing much more than a few cushions.
Anyone who's spoken to him there will realise he's still in his cave, anyone else who's noticed he's been missing might be surprised he is actually still around.
He looks subdued, thoughtful, as he tries to get through what he wants to say. He's less tired than he was, more focus returned to him, but there's a faint air of frustration that wells up the further he gets into what he wants to say. ]
It seems we are running out of time to solve this mystery, given we're likely not long from the eruption now that earthquakes have started. The volcano is surely at the heart of it, and this House of Ravens they speak of.
So, what do we know?
The volcano itself appears to have strange, humanoid antlered residents. They're armed, hungry and violent -- but somehow reticent to truly reveal themselves, they only hunt those without a torch to ward them away. They have a camp in central chamber. Some manner of mutation has touched them, perhaps, from the waters? I hear they can cause that, although the dark waters erupting from the earthquakes also heal. I'm unclear what causes one reaction over the other.
Waters touched by the White Wanderer seem to ward the Beastmaster's influence, as do pieces from his shrines, but he was said to be sick. Is there something of his influence in this contrast of effects? Sickness and healing combined both? Or something else entirely going on here?
The camp made by the creatures in the volcano held a pile of skulls, from previous offerings. We removed them and buried them, although if that will truly do anything to delay this eruption I cannot say. The messaging here is mixed, many say Ke-Sanwon does not want sacrifices, although some clearly believe otherwise if recent events are anything to go by.
[ He frowns, lifts one hand to rub at his beard as he decides how to go about describing the next part. ]
The volcano itself is also strange. It has an... environmental effect, of sorts, allowing those within it to hear each others thoughts -- and the thoughts of those who went before. That it is a source of power is unsurprising, given that is why the Beastmaster and the Huntress both anticipate its eruption. The previous victims brought here were unwilling, and suffered -- cursing the villages and their families as they they died. Given the state of things, I would imagine they were successful.
In strange contrast to that, it seems locals suggest the Beastmaster doesn't like any sort of superstition -- that he doesn't approve of the sacrifices to Ke-Sanwon. So what happens to those he takes, then? It sounds as if they're unnaturally calm, I would guess subdued in some way. Perhaps they are taken to the House of Ravens directly, or away to some other location the undead lords use? Similarly, where do the missing children from the village go? There were no recent looking bones in the volcano, and they appear to vanish regularly -- every two to three years in small numbers. Less frequently than the Beastmaster's visits. The peculiarly snakelike creature who has been seen here doesn't appear immediately violent toward children, at a test, although villagers suggested she ate them none could admit actually seeing her do so. Her head is human enough but her body is not, exactly, flesh. More a composite of hair and bone. She flees quickly rather than staying to fight.
These pieces all fit together somehow. The sooner we find what we are missing, the sooner we can stop any more harm being done -- and stop ourselves causing any inadvertently.
Anyone who's spoken to him there will realise he's still in his cave, anyone else who's noticed he's been missing might be surprised he is actually still around.
He looks subdued, thoughtful, as he tries to get through what he wants to say. He's less tired than he was, more focus returned to him, but there's a faint air of frustration that wells up the further he gets into what he wants to say. ]
It seems we are running out of time to solve this mystery, given we're likely not long from the eruption now that earthquakes have started. The volcano is surely at the heart of it, and this House of Ravens they speak of.
So, what do we know?
The volcano itself appears to have strange, humanoid antlered residents. They're armed, hungry and violent -- but somehow reticent to truly reveal themselves, they only hunt those without a torch to ward them away. They have a camp in central chamber. Some manner of mutation has touched them, perhaps, from the waters? I hear they can cause that, although the dark waters erupting from the earthquakes also heal. I'm unclear what causes one reaction over the other.
Waters touched by the White Wanderer seem to ward the Beastmaster's influence, as do pieces from his shrines, but he was said to be sick. Is there something of his influence in this contrast of effects? Sickness and healing combined both? Or something else entirely going on here?
The camp made by the creatures in the volcano held a pile of skulls, from previous offerings. We removed them and buried them, although if that will truly do anything to delay this eruption I cannot say. The messaging here is mixed, many say Ke-Sanwon does not want sacrifices, although some clearly believe otherwise if recent events are anything to go by.
[ He frowns, lifts one hand to rub at his beard as he decides how to go about describing the next part. ]
The volcano itself is also strange. It has an... environmental effect, of sorts, allowing those within it to hear each others thoughts -- and the thoughts of those who went before. That it is a source of power is unsurprising, given that is why the Beastmaster and the Huntress both anticipate its eruption. The previous victims brought here were unwilling, and suffered -- cursing the villages and their families as they they died. Given the state of things, I would imagine they were successful.
In strange contrast to that, it seems locals suggest the Beastmaster doesn't like any sort of superstition -- that he doesn't approve of the sacrifices to Ke-Sanwon. So what happens to those he takes, then? It sounds as if they're unnaturally calm, I would guess subdued in some way. Perhaps they are taken to the House of Ravens directly, or away to some other location the undead lords use? Similarly, where do the missing children from the village go? There were no recent looking bones in the volcano, and they appear to vanish regularly -- every two to three years in small numbers. Less frequently than the Beastmaster's visits. The peculiarly snakelike creature who has been seen here doesn't appear immediately violent toward children, at a test, although villagers suggested she ate them none could admit actually seeing her do so. Her head is human enough but her body is not, exactly, flesh. More a composite of hair and bone. She flees quickly rather than staying to fight.
These pieces all fit together somehow. The sooner we find what we are missing, the sooner we can stop any more harm being done -- and stop ourselves causing any inadvertently.
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A somber look.]
It's not good news. A merchant, Yonsan, he collects the skulls of famed beauties, and hers was in his collection.
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I suppose the pertinent question is, was she alive before he decided she should be collected? Or did she die a natural death?
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Anui
have you drunk your fill?
The carving was written on a bolder beside a stream of the dark water. I'm not sure that it was a coincidence...
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I cannot say for certain, of course. But the animals who drank from it seemed to suffer consequences. Painful mutations, wild aggression...?
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Could we not collect a sample of the water and see what's in it? If it's been poisoned or cursed or something...
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I know of a source. A small font, in the forest. That is, if we are interested.
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[ Ah yes technically he did have dark water used directly on him listen it turned out fine it was the good kind?
'Hesitant to touch it' is not the same as 'never actually did so' -- technically someone put it directly on him? He did not reach out to touch it? Anyway don't worry about it. ]
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[SCIENCE! At last, an opportunity to get his nerd on.]
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ooc: im backpedallin y'all someone didn't read the whole plot like a dumb
It might be the latter, you know? Superstition turned into fanaticism - I've seen it bef - oh drat.
[She looks up from her notes and pulls a face.] This is embarrassing - I remembered wrong. There was a spot on the shelf for Anui, but her skull had not been collected.
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[ He's just saying, he may not have that skull but he does have some. ]
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We do not know for that matter what has happened to all of the children who have disappeared either. Perhaps they are connected in some way?
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[She shakes her head, thinking back.] I think he genuinely already paid for those skulls even though the people may not yet be dead. Though...who knows.
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[ Said with a mixture of distaste and amusement, because that is particularly audacious. To pay for the skull of a living person. For one thing, it does rather assume you outlive them. ]
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I certainly doubt it would be the owner of the skulls themselves.
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[ It just doesn't seem like a legitimate paper trail sort of activity to him...? ]
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Perhaps he did not keep invoices but. If the skulls were labeled...
[Which is terrible, for the record.]
It's likely he does have a ledger somewhere that might hold more information.