audio | username: raven master

[pulvisetumbra]

( You might remember this voice: )

Good afternoon. To our newcomers, I introduce myself as the Merchant. You have heard of me. I have heard of you. To our elderly additions, I note you have prevailed against the odds to persist among us. A triumph.

( Dry laughter. ) Further pleasantries at a later, more forgiving time. For now, it will not surprise you that certain gestures have been entertained. Crude, direct and mercenary.

Absent a contact point, Unhalad’s lieutenants have left word with several port masters, who have conveyed his message. He believes you have been well positioned to access Anurr’s forces and woodland allies. He asks for any remnants of the mirror his brethren sent aboard the vessel Imperious and for assistance to cleanse the woods of Anurr’s supporters. In exchange, he offers free passage from Sa-Hareth once the storms clear and a letter of recommendation that will ease voyage across the eastern provinces commanded by his brothers. He threatens the full force of his allies, if you do not comply.

( A moment’s peace, to let that sink. ) I expect our forest visitors have kept Lord Anurr better informed of your whereabouts and affiliation. He has addressed my liaisons to request your assistance to shut in the salt mines and the source of Unhalad’s local force replenishments. He too offers to facilitate your departure from Sa-Hareth, once he gains the terminals, financial provisions and free return to the citadel, should you wish it done. He threatens nothing, but notes that you are alone, and have been alone for some time, and where has it brought you? ( Laughter, outright) To me.

( Second verse, same at the first. Silence is a strength. ) Quite. Given the limitations of these creatures, you will forgive me for excluding any physical evidence of these interactions.

If you want counsel: you have sustained neutrality for the better part of two months. Your position to do nothing has been self-serving, but clear. Do not stray course at the last hour. If you intend to proceed otherwise… alert me. I shall endeavour to broker the relevant agreement, so that you may at least benefit from your gumption.

You will otherwise be pleased to know I expect to receive the pertinent passport papers and two potential routes for your strategic departure within days. Until then, good day.


( ooc: feel free to use the Merchant’s or other character posts to debate the course of action! The Merchant will be scarce. If most/any characters plan to side with Unhalad, Anurr, either warlord or even both of them, designate a character to let the Merchant know. Address messages to the him this time! )

Comments

un: deft hand of little deaths [Voice]

[scrapgege]

Ah, Master Merchant, excuse me, but what exactly does that mirror do? I couldn't even figure out what the curse on it was?

It's a bit rude to call people elderly though, it's not like we can help how old we are...

[pulvisetumbra]

What is a mirror, old master?

[scrapgege]

A passageway.

Mirrors are powerful, I know that. But I've never known one that would do what this one does.

[pulvisetumbra]

And what do you believe it does?

[scrapgege]

It took things, but it didn't really steal them? We got them back after a while. But then the lake seemed to give them back too, to other people, and a lake is another kind of mirror. An even more powerful one, because water has more energy.

[pulvisetumbra]

The mirror of the Imperious was broken. With its body unfettered, its abilities could only do two things: disperse, or be transferred.

[scrapgege]

And they transferred to the lake... and some people got called to the lake like we were to the mirror, so the lake probably took something from them, as well. Or borrowed.

It's still weird for the memories to be in several different places at once. This is very strong magic. Tampering with reality like that... I don't know many people who can do that. And the people I know who can do it aren't here.

[pulvisetumbra]

And what manner of memories were they?

[scrapgege]

.... I don't know, normal ones?

[Xie Lian is not the right person to ask this question to.]

[pulvisetumbra]

Of course.

[scrapgege]

I know someone who forgot his name, and his magic didn't work for a while afterwards... I didn't pry too much, though. Was there anything particular? it didn't seem to discriminate much.

Although... that man they captured in the forest, he asked for a mirror. Like he wanted to forget. so I have to guess it takes away bad things?

.... But not all the things it took from me were bad, though, so I'm not sure.

[pulvisetumbra]

And what do you imagine is bad for the people stirred from death?

[scrapgege]

... I don't think I'm the right person to answer that question, sir.

But I know there are many situations in which people would prefer to be dead than live a half, cursed life.

[pulvisetumbra]

And therefore, what would they wish extirpated from them, if they are cursed?

[scrapgege]

If it's the curse, then they'll die.

... And the curse will move on to something or someone else.

[pulvisetumbra]

Precisely. Namely in...?

[scrapgege]

Apparently, any reflective surface seems to do the trick. So it's never ending. Some of them probably amplify it while others weaken it, but... it never goes away. I don't know who started this or how, but it's very, very evil.

... Sir, do you always ask questions you have the answers to?

[pulvisetumbra]

Some reflective surfaces.

I am attempting to help you think.

[scrapgege]

Water is very conducive to these things and magic in general. And people cannot live without it. They will always interact with bodies of water. If the curse is in the water, as well as circulating through mirrors, and destroying the mirrors just puts it back in the water... there's no way to stop it, is there?

... I don't suppose you have a Water Master here?

[pulvisetumbra]

The mirror's power wasn't transferred to your water.

It was transferred... to something within.

[scrapgege]

The body? The dead but not decaying body? They carry the curse within themselves? But... aren't they from the other side?

[pulvisetumbra]

The... other side?

[scrapgege]

Well, that body, he's the chief before Anurr, isn't he? So even though his people killed him, he was on their side. And Unhalad's people are not fans of Anurr, so they're not on the same side, aren't they? So why would Unhalad's mirror curse go to the body of someone who is linked to Anurr, unless there's a relation here...

... Or were they all the same people who just split along divided loyalties? The way you spoke about it, it felt like Unhalad came from another place. That he wasn't from here.

[pulvisetumbra]

Forgive me a question of unkindness: if you were a man robbed of your arm through the trickery of your leader. Would you wish him well?

[scrapgege]

No, probably not.

I'm just trying to understand where this curse comes from and how i can jump from a mirror to a body, or vice versa.

Cursed objects can affect people. Curses will jump from bodies to bodies if they can. But it has to start somewhere. It sounds like you're saying the curse of being undead originated with Anurr. But now Unhalad has those mirrors and is using them to do the same thing. How did he build those mirrors? Ho do the mirrors get the curse in the first place?

.... And if all of these people have just been slinging the same curse back and forth to one another for hundreds of years, what does that have to do with us? Do they think they can use it to steal our powers and make themselves more powerful to fight the other side? Use their mirrors to suck them out, and then transfer them to someone else? By ... replicating them somehow, since we didn't lose them permanently?