un: a civil serpent | video

[inferus]

( Emilia di Carlo's hair has seen better days.

It looks suspiciously nest-like, and one of her sleeves singed and torn. The further she and Wrath walk back into the village, the more she feels it: the mark of hollowed things. The withered trees and the dying river beds. ... To say they have missed out on recent developments is an understatement.

But they do not come without news of their own. )

We were able to go very deep into the volcano and discovered something in the process.

( For this rare moment, Wrath appears to be somewhat disheveled as well. His hair is out of place. There's light scratch marks upon his cheek. His suit is singed. His sleeve on the right sight has been entirely burned away, revealing a muscular arm. In his pocket, he carries with him a piece of what they found though he has little interest in mentioning that out loud just yet. He wants to understand what it is first, and so he glances at Emilia with a grim nod and then supplies further: )

At the center of the volcano, an apparent naturally made mirror is being used as a cork to hold back a mounting level of lava, a potent flow of magic, and an unimaginable number of spirits. The pressure appears to be mounting.

( ooc: vi and i had a hiatus in april, and this help explains the absence of emilia and wrath during that time. EDITED the following day when i realized i missed a detail about the volcano. it was naturally made from a large pool of dark water. )

Comments

un: xianxian of yunmeng jiang

[weifinder]

Ah, with the way it's holding back, does it look like it's voluntarily moved to relieve the pressure, or is it the reason for the impending...

( here's a whole hand motion to indicate: VOLCANIC EXPLOSION. )

un: vast & furious

[valeas]

Whatever eruption it has been holding back, we believe it's the earthquakes that have started to crack at this mirror-like surface.

( she thinks back to it, that large pool of dark water crystallized. )

un: Black Prince; text

[blackscales]

Another mirror. There's certainly a pattern here. 'They appear to take and give, though the guiding principle is unclear.' That is how the Merchant described them. I wonder what this mirror has been taking, in exchange for holding back the volcano.

[inferus]

Perhaps it gains something from the magic flow and the spirits it holds back as well, perhaps it feeds off the curses of the village so near and the 'sins' laid out at its residents feet. It's difficult to say, but mirrors do appear to be a vital part of the magic of this world.

un: absterge

[downswing]

How long do you anticipate the shield to hold?

un: vast & furious

[valeas]

There were already loose pieces when we arrived at the cracked surface.

( She is not hopeful. )

voice; un: V

[techmaturgy]

[hm. sounds bad.]

What do you mean, unimaginable? Please quantify. Real numbers, thank you.

[inferus]

It was one potent flow of lava, spirits, and magic all melded together behind a dark mirror with its own magic - not to mention the heat of the volcano itself. It was impossible to count.

( They were only able to get so close to begin with because Wrath is Wrath. )

un: man's greatest treasure (voice) 1/2

[reparo]

[tiny gasp] You're back. [there's relief in the way she says it, though it is possibly as much aimed at wrath as it is as emilia because - they're valuable allies.

and man, you missed sex ed, emilia.]

un: man's greatest treasure (voice)2 /2

[reparo]

[now to business of sorts.]

Spirits contained in the volcano...wait - the spirits of the human sacrifices over the years?

[valeas]

We're back.

I'm so glad to see you're all right.

( ... relatively. business is important and she will get to it, but so is this. )

un: stormborn

[song_of_fire]

The spirits, are they causing damage to the mirror, or are they trapped there?

[Given all the sacrifices, she wondered if they were related to the spirits there.]

[inferus]

The spirits appear to be imbued with the magic of the volcano - indistinguishable from the flow now being held back by the mirror. They are willing sacrifices from the past but not willing to be destroyed by the volcano, as previously believed, but to be a vessel for some of the magic within it. In doing so, they were able to relieve some of the pressure and prevent an eruption but died in the process. Eventually the magic could no longer be contained within their bodies and returned to the core of the volcano.

[valeas]

( Emilia is nodding alongside Wrath, worrying her bottom lip. )

We believe the damage to the mirror surface was caused by the earthquakes. The surface itself, it looked like a shield, sealing the eruption of all contained within. Not just the lava.

un : dappled peals of the parted seas (voice)

[beitangmoran]

Yet another mirror. Curious. I wonder who put it there. No one here has mentioned a breath of it before, and if it's very deep into the mountain, it's doubtful anyone here did this. It probably dates back to the last eruption.

... Could the Beastmaster have come to replace the mirror? Or remove it entirely?

[inferus]

It appears to have been crystalized from a pool of dark water, which is what had originally been there. ( which does not rule out someone transforming that water into the mirror, but a mirror at least was not brought to it. whoever did this clearly had a great deal of power. ) Few could reach the area it is currently at.

As for the Beastmaster, I am not certain. If he is after the power behind it, I imagine it would be of interest to him, but the earthquakes appear to be cracking it, destroying it. Perhaps he realized, and he is here to collect when it's released.

un: ut malum pluvia | audio

[somebadnews]

[ Not that Five missed Wrath, or that he hasn't gone to his house several times hoping to share his theories and rant about how poorly everything is going, but... well, he's relieved to hear from him, so sue him. Then they have to mention another goddamn mirror. Just when he thought they were getting away from them for a minute. Again he has to think of how they absorb spirits, and he feels that uncomfortable twinge inside.

He's of the same mind as Moran in suspecting the Beastmaster at least knows it's there. Likely the Huntress too. ]

That doesn't give us much time. [ He doesn't want to think about another mirror breaking, and he's not thrilled about calling in a favor to stop it. ] If one of the warlords try to harness that magic...

[ How fucked are they, is what he's asking. ]

[inferus]

( WAH, Wrath missed you too, Five. : ') Wrath would not admit it, but he is glad to see Five in one piece. The volcano itself had its dangers, but the situation aboveground has been equally volatile and dangerous for a number of reasons.

He can only imagine what he missed while he was away. )

I imagine that is why they are both here. It may also be why they are fighting. ( If they both want the power inside of the volcano, it could be a point of contention between them. )

But you are correct. We have little time and fewer options still to divert disaster.

un: eclipse | audio

[soloritur]

[ They went into the volcano? He knows Lorna went with them the first time, and he wonders why on earth anyone would choose return. Except maybe they never left because they were trying to help. Something he should be doing a lot more of, and he tries to logic himself out of the apathy that he's been battling with.

None of this sounds good. He knows that much. ]

Thanks for the warning. [ He's been listening, so he knows that they've said they're alright. But he's also heard that same thing from Lorna when she could barely speak from her curse, so he takes it with a grain of salt. ]

You're not planning on going back again, are you?

[valeas]

( Emilia does bring some wounds with her, some partially tended to by the healers. What lingers of her curse will not be alleviated by any poultice. Her efforts have gone to replenishing crops to feed those her ancestor starved, but with these droughts... )

If it comes to that, we may have no other choice. Not many can go so deep into the volcano.

( Wrath himself was tested, and he is the actual devil. )

[traaaaaash]

Well, that seems safe.

[ She is being sarcastic. And slightly flabberghasted. ]

[inferus]

Entirely.

Our time here is extremely limited. ( It seems unlikely there is much they can do before it erupts. )

@taken for granite

[rumorate]

[Well that's certainly concerning.]

Do you think there's anything we can do to ... relieve the pressure before it erupts?

[inferus]

The issue is getting close enough to do anything at all. In the past, they have sacrificed people to absorb some of the magic within, which relieved the pressure for a time until the magic destroyed that individual's body and the soul and magic returned within the volcano. Obviously, that is not a permanent solution of any kind.

un: yuheng

[wooden_one]

[Well, that doesn't sound good.]

I am good with barriers. Perhaps one can be laid over the mirror for now, but it is unlikely to hold for very long if the pressure becomes stronger.

[But a little time was better than none, surely? Even though...as someone with a wood spirit core how effective would his spells be against something that was probably a fire elemental...?]

[inferus]

What type of barrier?

The pressure is pushing against one which is already quite strong. We would have limited time to get it down there, and it must withstand the heat of the volcano which at its core is unnaturally heated.

delivery.

[valeas]

( The volcano was unbearable with its confusing passageways, the itchiness brought forth by the heat, and its lingering threats. But no sooner they return to the village, what stays of Emilia's curse returns, and she all but recoils the longer she remains in proximity to Wrath.

And so she makes herself scarce.

But upon returning to his abode, with its braying fish and other oddities, he'll find an ointment has been left for him. It's a twig, in its own way, for the scratches. For a lot of other things. )

[inferus]

( Wrath is aware it's the effects of the curse which have Emilia recoil against him as the effects of his own have him envious of those she chooses to spend her time with. He does hate the feeling - his brother's sin seeping into his veins where it does not belong.

He has spent a very long time without her, aching for the hollowed out space within him left at her initial absence so long ago. Memories ripped away from her, moments that have been stolen by a deal made so long ago.

He finds the ointment left behind, recognizing it for the twig that it is. Wrath has never needed it before. His wounds have nearly always healed immediately unless inflicted on him by one of his brothers' daggers. Now there is still the light sting of wounds left upon him from the volcano, from her hands- the only person he would allow to wound him again and again if it meant having her near.

Wrath writes after he has placed the ointment on the scratches, surprised at how soothing such a concoction can feel. Having never been wounded, he is unaccustomed to the feeling, cool as it is. )

Thank you, Emilia. ( He doesn't say it but there is no one he would want at his side more to face all the challenges of this new world. )