《 video | un: iwannahexyouup 》

[incantates]

[ Please enjoy the communication-enabling device magically hovering in the air and capturing Magnus as he wriggles something that looks awfully dragon-eye shaped at the screen. It's 30cm of pure what the fuck. ]

Oh, don't mind me showing up uninvited in the middle of dinner. I just felt I should make a follow-up report to all interested parties on our recent expedition to the Sibilant Sands –courtesy of one depressed dragon lord named Cain, a plucky group of fellow curious minds, and a beautiful Shadowhunter who had to pick through bones with me for hours. I had my skepticism about dropping in on a pair of advertised coordinates with little planning, but, you know, I'm an adventurer at heart.

[ Lucky for him and everyone else who joined, it worked out about as well as mysterious expeditions into creepy wastelands could work out. ]

So... curious thing about this eye! Apparently, the magic imbued within makes it easier for the owner to parse through whatever illusory enchantments have been running amuck in Serthica. How did I learn this? Well, I advise you look away now if you're faint of stomach.

[ Magnus keeps his grip on the eye with one hand and uses the other to magically produce a small visual replica of what he'd witnessed in the form of a floating, nearly transparent screen, reflecting exactly what Magnus saw when he positioned the eye on the dragons that were loaned to them by Cain, who were brimming with good health, versus Lethe, who was... well, definitely not alive. ]

...Not pretty, I know, but it could have some practical applications on how we move forward unraveling the great mysteries of this world.

[ At least, he hopes. ]

Comments

un: absterge

[downswing]

You are certain, no illusion?

[incantates]

As far as my own magic can confirm,
I'm afraid not.
It's funny– I would have thought a lingering corpse would have a distinct stench by now
or at least be dry to the touch.

un: yiling laozu

[weifinder]

To those watching, the dragon who shows as being unhealthy and not alive is Lethe. Lethe is bonded to me, as of the weeks following Academy trials upon our arrival.

Cain expressed disbelief that any of us could be bonded to dragons, that it takes more time. I ask that all of you who are prepare yourselves for a similar realisation.

Magnus, will you join me in a thankless task? Beyond the observation of the peoples of Serthica, which will be due.

un: Black Prince; text

[blackscales]

[ He knows exactly what you're up to.]

You expect the answer to be any different?

[ Wrathion does not.

... Tell him if it is, though. ]

[incantates]

Oh, you know me. I'm never short of thankless tasks to carry out.
Do I ask what else you have in mind, aside from people and dragon-watching
to suss out the dead ones?

@mansbane | audio

[bravelyrunsaway]

What in the stormstruck skies did I just see?

[incantates]

In short, something that hasn't been alive in quite sometime. Kind of gruesome, but after a while, you start to get used to it.

I'm almost afraid to carry this back to the orphanage.

un: Black Prince; text

[blackscales]

[ ... Truly, 0/10 for this merry little broadcast.

Wrathion suspected on some level, but he didn't enjoy the demonstration. Also, the giant dragon eye removed from the dead dragon is doing nothing to help. ]

Then we now have two issues. One, how things that are dead are being kept animated. Two, what is maintaining this powerful illusion.
Perhaps the dark water -- it seemed to animate but it may just all be a complex, active illusion.

[incantates]

[ Magnus would give himself at least a 2/10 for presentation and effort. ]

Well, we know the illusion is powerful enough to fool all five senses.
I pointed it out to Lan Wangji, but it's strange that none of us felt or smelled
that something was off.
I can't tell if it's an actual illusion or we're the ones being mentally manipulated into
believing they're alive.

action!

[flatly]

[Alec, who cannot help but make an ew face at the eye every time he turns around and it's there (he's a very tough and stoic etc etc, but some things are just too big and wet and unblinkingly gross, okay), waits until the video presentation has concluded and Magnus has mostly switched to texting people to chime in. (If he sighed at the 'beautiful Shadowhunter' bit, that's neither here nor there.] Can all the dragons see through the illusions, do you think? Or was there something special about the one that used to have that eye? [Spitballing!]

[incantates]

[ Maybe he really ought to stop holding the giant, slimy eyeball, but he's sort of committed himself to this bit. He does, however, temporarily stuff it in whatever magical, mystical hammerspace exists out of sight just to spare Alec. ]

It's possible. Dragon eyes tend to carry with them a lot of magical properties, which is why they're such a popular potion ingredient, but I can't speak dragon well enough to ask them.

[ But that does remind him– ]

There is a young lady who claims to be the Mother of Dragons –Daenerys. I don't know if she can actually talk to them, but she'd be our best bet at communication, short of finding a dragon fluent in human.

un: wooden dice.

[strewth]

[Hffft- the sound of a man smoking. His accent is English, Scouse specifically.] Looks like manky bollocks.

[The dead thing, not the... you know, whatever.]

Could we manage to get a name for the magical relic of uncertain providence that's a little less bloody ominous? Thinkin' about image, like.

[incantates]

You know, I thought so too. I'm glad someone said the quiet part out loud.

[ It defnitely doesn't make him any eager to be holding the dragon eye at the moment. Maybe he ought to summon a pair of gloves for himself. ]

We could always call it something euphemistic like "Cain's lovely ball of fun", but I don't think that really mitigates how un-fun it is to look at living corpses.

[matermali]

[ She may not have a weak stomach, but she still doesn't like what she sees. ]

Whosoever claims the dragon's eye may witness where rot persists. Only for the dragons, or the people, as well? What else have you seen?

[incantates]

Ah, my favorite heiress, how lovely it is to hear from you again. I wish it was under way better circumstances.

I'm headed back to the orphanage, so we'll eventually find out about the people
soon enough, but I imagine, they'll be in a similar state. I, however, don't think it would be right to broadcast it if it involves any of the children.

[ It was harrowing enough showing the dragon corpse. ]

un: hide_and_seek } video

[makemeasong]

Uh...

[ Pardon Clara's ineloquence. He did warn her, and her stomach twists before she can take a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She's never seen anything like this before; she'll take a wild guess and assume most people haven't. ]

How do we ever know what to trust? If every sense we have can be tricked, then what?

[ She's mostly calm, but the holy shit in her eyes hasn't gone away. ]

video;

[incantates]

That's the beauty of being in a world with limitless boundaries and no real rules– we don't. I am not even sure how much stock I can put in a random dragon eye I found in a sand dune or my own five senses, but given all the clues we've received thus far, I'm more inclined to believe the dragon eye is at least showing us as honest of a vision as we can hope.

[ Or maybe he's just going off his own inherent beliefs about dragons having mystical powers. He might be a little bit biased in his assertions. ]

voice ► un: girl on top

[unas]

Do you think it can unravel it all?

[incantates]

Unravel it all by myself? Little ol' me? I suppose I could try. I mean, I have all this extra time to spare lately.

video, un: long rope

[eyeofthavnair]

[Well this is 500% relevant to his interests.]

May I examine this eye in person? I am...familiar with such artifacts.

[incantates]

[ The horns and scales give Magnus the distinct impression this person maybe knows their way around dragons. ]

Only if you promise not to run off with it. I could use a second opinion on its effects so I don't have to force my poor fiancé to fondle it with his bare hands.

un: song | video;

[spoilers]

[ The row of healthy dragons contrasting with the sole decaying might surprise her more than the revelation that Lethe is apparently already dead. She'd known that somehow they must be hiding their (un)dead among the living. But the clear signs of rot, to mask that...

More than disgust or shock, it's curiosity and anger that lights her eyes. ]

It isn't unexpected. But I'm not usually so...easily blinded.

[ Healthy distrust of magic increasing. ]

I'm sure you'll find worse if you keep hold of that thing.

video;

[incantates]

I'm sure too, but there's no reason why I should be having all the fun on my own.

[ Not that he wants to traumatize everyone, but it's probably not helpful keeping the undead and all the mannequins concealed either. ]

I've been trying to come up with a spell to pass the effects along to everyone else, but I think it will tax my magic too quickly, given the number of refugees from other worlds hanging around at the moment who would need access. I don't suppose you have a better suggestion?

un: ut malum pluvia | audio

[somebadnews]

[ Five doesn't want to admit that Una dragged him somewhere that wasn't a complete waste of time. Not that he'll say out loud that he went along. He appreciates that Magnus keeps his name out of his announcement, because he's convinced they'll give him grief any time he mentions handling a magical artifact.

He doesn't know if the scales he grabbed are useful, but the eye is... suspiciously convenient to find. ]

Cain tracked us down just to send us after it. He must have known.

[incantates]

I'm sure he did, although I'm still a little surprised the coordinates ended up being useful and not just there to send us on a trip to our untimely deaths.

[ His past experience with treasure hunts have rarely panned out well. ]

Any luck with the scales on your end? If they don't have any special effects, I know a few fun potions we could make out of them.