un: Black Prince; text

[blackscales]

Despite the spate of bear attacks, it seems we've had a reasonable amount of success here. A good thing too, considering our fox mask wearing friend was threatening to keep us all here if we failed and ruined his doll house.

[ Should he have mentioned that earlier? Maybe, but then people would be all concerned over it and not focusing on getting things done. Anyway, it worked out!

I spoke to him briefly, an attempt to persuade him to assist us in our efforts. It seems he can raise the dead too, to a certain point, which of course then allows us to cure them. A few points of interest, the child has an active connection to the volcano Ke-Sanwon. He told me he would have known if it had erupted. In addition, he believes himself to be the source of the sickness, and I agree -- although apparently his 'friend' never told him that. He also told me his 'friend' made it so the sickness didn't spread from here. Presumably this friend is The White Wanderer, setting things up so this curse was contained to only this city.

I suppose you could say that was a benevolent act, although I do wonder.

He also mentioned a recent conversation with this 'friend' where he asked what happened to his father. The child was unaware they knew each other, and equally unaware his father was looking for him. His 'friend' never told him, because 'that's not how it works'.

Less benevolent sounding behaviour. However, given this child is known to lie -- either deliberately or via faulty memory -- it is difficult to know exactly how much of what he says can be trusted, and to what degree.

He also appeared to want his umbrella back. Apparently it was a gift from said friend.

Comments

un: absterge

[downswing]

The child assisted.



( #vindicated #rightallalong #justiceforchild )

[blackscales]

With some reluctance, given he didn't seem to understand how we might fix things, but yes. Seemingly, he only believed his friend capable of any great feat. I did offer him the medicine too, in the hope it might cure his sickness. He only believed it would kill him. I cannot say if that is true or not.

[downswing]

A troubled mind. You made best attempt.

[blackscales]

My concern is what this child will do now. If this city was a containment for him and his power, we may have cured the people but the child is still the cause. If he remains here, they will all eventually grow sick again. If he goes elsewhere, then people elsewhere will become sick instead.

[downswing]

Scant alternative beyond his confinement.

[blackscales]

Assuming he could be held. He seemed to appear and disappear at will, and he was able to control this city. Holding someone like that would take some effort.

[downswing]

'Attempt the impossible.'

[blackscales]

All well and good, but we would need a plan. A place to hold him, for a start. A way to test whatever held him, to be sure he cannot escape it. A guard, perhaps an alarm systems should the White Wanderer come to 'free' him. Does the child eat? We'd need to know that, and be able to provide the appropriate food. I don't think he'd come willingly, so we'd also need a plan to get him into this holding place.

[downswing]

Let us locate him, before we propose captivity.

[blackscales]

A child who can vanish at will is difficult to find. Especially a child who dislikes those searching.

[downswing]

We have achieved more challenging feats.

[blackscales]

Quite true, but we'd need a coordinated effort. I saw the child last at the docks. I believe the implication was Clara saw him at the tower, though we'd need to confirm that.

[downswing]

We may inquire. She speaks freely.


( ...........far from a tight-lipped woman, let's say that. )

un : dappled peals of the parted seas (voice)

[beitangmoran]

Whatever turned him into what he is now, he remains a child at heart. he probably doesn't yet grasp the consequences and far reaches of some of his actions, and given how... not permanent death can be in this world, it probably doesn't impress a young man as much.

It does seem that Brother White snatched this child up for a specific purpose, doesn't it?

un: Black Prince; voice

[blackscales]

[ How much or how little a child truly understands is... admittedly, difficult for Wrathion to truly grasp. He was never a child in the truest sense of the word, and has had little interaction with others. ]

I do wonder about a purpose. It seems as if he left him here, used this entire city to quarantine the effects of the child's ability. It makes me curious about the White Wanderer's role in all this. Previously, I had considered he might be creating these undead creatures himself. Why do so only to quarantine the child? Unless it was temporary, perhaps? Or purely to study the effect, an experiment?

[beitangmoran]

It does seem he is creating them, even though we can't seem to discern the means. And he's associated with that dark water as well.

It could have been an experiment. If once again certain suppositions are correct, whoever that is might be associated with the research institute in Ellethia and be a scientist.

[blackscales]

The Merchant himself certainly seems to believe it possible. Without motivations, however, these hypotheticals flounder. It's one thing to be making overpowered undead children, but is it pure mad believe this is better than death? An attempt to save the child? An experiment, testing out something he means to do on a grander scale? A desire to raise an army? Without motivation, we cannot guess the next direction.

[beitangmoran]

We are indeed still working with too few parameters. We only have some disparate pieces that don't quite seem to fit together.

But anyway, from what you say, the child was left here alone? People did see the White Wanderer during the Unwinding, I think.

[blackscales]

At least for some time, I think. He spoke about his 'friend' in the past tense a lot, said he had to 'stay here and be good'. That implies his friend might have left, at some point, or perhaps been leaving and returning. I'm still uncertain how real what we saw in the unwinding was. Some of it seemed to be... out of time. Part of it was in the orphanage, which is now a haunted relic. It may not be reliable data over if he was here in our time in Serthica.

[beitangmoran]

Time and space certainly like to contort into impossible shapes, and also reality at times, it feels.

It might be difficult to bring a child along on many endeavors, even for what seems to be a very long-lived, maybe undead lich. Maybe this was just their version of daycare?

[blackscales]

Unpleasant, but feasible. He may have considered this a learning experience, allowing the child a 'safe' area to experiment in.

[beitangmoran]

That's rather terrifying to think about, given what his abilities seem to be.

[blackscales]

The experience has been unsettling start to finish.

[beitangmoran]

Quite. The people of Sa-Hareth also lived among the undead, but at least they were aware of it.

[blackscales]

I missed Sa-Hareth myself. If you have the time at some point, I'd be interested to hear about it. With people coming and going, it seems useful to make sure we keep this information disseminated well so it doesn't get lost. Everything we encounter appears to be connected to some degree.

[beitangmoran]

I'd be happy to. It was a bit of a surreal experience.