Miskton/Logs/20230513 Visions

Event Name: Vision Meeting

Event Instance: Prime

Real Date: 2023-05-13

Game Date of Event: 445-05-30

Point of View: Miskton

You say, "Okay... We have a few things to go over this evening, so I think we should get started." You turn a page in your astronomer's journal. You say, "I think I'll start with a vision where we already have a pretty good idea of what it was in regards to." Jaelia nods. You say, "A fierce battle unfolded before me, a man in a sapphire blue robe elegantly dancing and dodging between several scuttlers made of white crystal. The scuttlers were unable to land a blow, though the man was only just narrowly avoiding the onslaught of pointed appendages and whip-like protuberances. Bristling with protruding spikes, the scuttlers suddenly managed to lodge several crauyarin darts into the man, who grunted in pain and leaped back to create space between his assailants, affording him precious seconds to weave magic and heal his wounds. Made whole once again, he charged forward." You say, "One of the scuttlers suddenly rearranged itself, its carapace swirling in a nested ring pattern, and it flared with blinding bright icy starlight, engulfing the man. When the light subsided, the man was horrifically frostbitten, his skin cracked and bleeding, and the scuttlers advanced once more. The vision faded." Nawain winces. You say, "I'm told that not long after this visions was first seen, there was an attack by a new variety of the magical constructs known as scuttlers." Elurora nods to you. Hanryu says, "I think I saw some of those beefed up skuttlers near snowbeasts." Gwenddolyn asks, "Where did they attack?" Elurora says, "Here in Shard." Gwenddolyn nods. Elurora says, "I admit at first I thought they were burning me, the frost was so intense." Elurora rubs her nose. You say, "Yes, I heard they've also been seen since then in the vicinity of the crauyarin scuttlers." You say, "The figure in the blue robe has also been seen in a number of recent visions, with the strong implication that he was an empath. And now demonstrating that he does know healing magic." Gwenddolyn asks, "There are no clues as to his race yet?" You say, "No, nothing that particularly jumps out." You say, "The next vision will require a little additional context, but I'll start by describing the vision." You say, "Tall grass caressed my legs as I walked through an expansive field, dancing fireflies surrounding me in a shifting constellation of wondrous light. Several bats wheeled and darted in the darkness above, catching whatever insect prey they could, their chittering blending with the pulsating drone of cicadas. The air was cooling in the darkness, but fragrant and comfortable, a light breeze swirling arou- something caught my eye above, but when I looked up, I could not spot anything unusual." You say, "Odd. I was certain there was something, a fleeting movement between the constellations." You say, "I continued walking and came to a tree line, following the pensive hooting of an owl in the cano- there it was again, the flicker of movement catching my eye above, but when I looked, the stars remained familiar." Nawain ponders. You say, "Unsettled, I stared at the sky, until the vision faded." You say, "There was a somewhat similar vision a little while back, of seeing something odd in the sky, but having trouble placing it." You say, "And then, recently, a new object appeared in the sky." Aluwyyn gazes at you. You scan the skies for a few moments. The Unknown is unobscured by clouds. Only recently formed or observed in the night sky, little is known about this object. It appears as a faintly visible smudge of hollow, pale light, and seems to be jittering in place. Hovering at the limit of your perception, the object remains an uncertainty. While guild astronomers assert that it is nothing more than the birth of a new star, their astrologer contemporaries warn of what may come. Jaelia nods. Nawain blinks. Nawain glances outside a moment. Suberri ponders. Elaun nods. Nawain blinks. You say, "If you take a look at the sky, keep your eye out for a faint smudge of pale light." Nawain says, "Bother. I should look up more." Aluwyyn raises an eyebrow in your direction. You say, "If you watch it carefully, it seems to be jittering slightly." You say, "Formally, it's being referred to as the enigma of the Nascent Unknown." Nawain glances up at the sky. Gwenddolyn says, "Maybe its a comet? Different than the Bloodworm." You say, "Which is a fancy way of saying that it's a strange thing which is growing into something, but we don't know what." You say, "The main theory from guild astronomers is that we're seeing the creation of a new star." Aluwyyn furrows his brow. Gwenddolyn says, "Wonder if it's actually a new moon." Hanryu asks, "This unknown, is it a collection of stars like the other constallations or a singular object?" You say, "If it was a new moon, I think we'd already be seeing some noticeable fluctuations in Lunar mana." Elaun says, "I would think a moon would be a bit...closer." Elaun says, "Like at least telescope range." Elaun says, "But even with a telescope, this thing is still quite mysterious." You say, "Hard to say at the moment, because of how blurry it is at the moment." Nawain says, "That's... distressing." Nawain gazes upward. Gwenddolyn says, "Well i mentioned a comet because the bloodworm appears every 400 years or so, maybe this is one that appears over 1000 years or something." You say, "Considering some of the other visions that appear to have had something to do with binding a star in some way, there may be reason to be concerned on that front." Nawain frowns. Gwenddolyn says, "Oh that's right, there were visions about trapping a star." Jaelia nods at Gwenddolyn, obviously agreeing with her views. Nawain asks, "Is this a Trader thing?" You say, "I think the general expectation is that whatever it is will become more clearly visible over time, so we should keep a careful eye on the sky." You say to Nawain, "Possibly." Gwenddolyn says, "Maybe the starlight is being used to power an air ship, a very large one." Nawain nods. You say, "The next vision may also tie into that general idea of a star being bound." You turn a page in your astronomer's journal. You say, "A well-lit and organized museum stretched before me, filled with magical and mundane artifacts, fragments of tablets and texts, strange and wonderful artworks. The woman in a wide-brimmed hat walked along the exhibits, her cataract eyes sliding over each item as her long and elegant fingers traced the contours and edges of the display cases, sometimes chuckling to herself, sometimes pausing and sighing wistfully." You say, "Standing before a lead glass case, she seemingly stared at the contained object within, a vibrating whorl of pulsating starlight, dripping with frost and occasionally morphing into several expanding rings before collapsing again. The woman gave a slight chuckle and produced a cigarello case from within her jacket, opening it with a click, and remarked to herself, "We sure didn't listen to that one." The vision faded." Gwenddolyn says, "So the woman with the cigarello is involved." You say, "That device appeared in a recent vision in a tidal pool, frosting over the water that touched it. And may have been related to some of the previous visions of light appearing in deep water." You say, "It seems to have moved from the ocean, to a lake, to a tidal pool, to being completely out of the water and sealed away." Gwenddolyn says, "The other visions of here were of something crashing into crossings, perhaps a large star crasher." Gwenddolyn says, "Of her." Gwenddolyn says, "The woman with the cigarello was in that one too." You say, "Though given that the woman with the cigarello is involved, the current state may not be something that is actually happening... It seems plausible she might be moving in alternate versions of the world, from some of the visions she's been seen in." You say, "As for her comment... It's possible she was involved in the actual star binding in some fashion. In which case the phrase "you do not have permission" definitely came up, and could be what was not listened to." Gwenddolyn nods at you, obviously agreeing with your views. You say, "Whoever she is, she's clearly capable at getting around, and doesn't appear to have much fear of any threats." Nawain says, "Could mean the crashed star-thing is an entity that she has spoken to before, and didn't listen to then, either." Nawain ponders. You nod to Nawain. You turn a page in your astronomer's journal. You say, "The next vision is rather on the strange side, although as I've thought on it more I've come up with at least one possible idea." You say, "I found myself walking along a dark corridor, moving through alternating shadow and torchlight. I approached a regal statue, carved of pure white marble, depicting a beautiful man whose face was encased in a cage of steel rings, arms held wide in welcome or supplication. As I approached the statue, a dull buzzing began to echo in my mind, and the statue imperceptibly moved, begging, welcoming, hoping." You say, "I wasn't sure where the knife came from, but I was suddenly gripping it tightly, and I swung it across the statue's bare stomach. The blade bit deeply, black ooze pouring from the stone, and the figure's arms slowly fell as a horrible wail echoed all around me. Pooling around my feet, the liquid was filled with stars, and I began to fall, and the vision faded." Gwenddolyn asks, "Star filled blood, ooze?" Jaelia asks, "Was the item in the case that kept shifting and changing, also surrounded by various rings?" Gwenddolyn says, "Perhaps what was caged was the star." You say, "The stars in the liquid made me think that perhaps the statue is also related to the bound star, when thinking about the rings around its face." Jaelia nods. Suberri quietly asks, "Could this also be related to Paladins?" Gwenddolyn says, "Maybe keeping it caged makes it turn into a statue." Aluwyyn rubs his head. Hanryu says, "The rings are interesting." Aluwyyn furrows his brow. Tascam glances outside a moment. Gwenddolyn says, "Not sure what the rings signify." Elaun says, "Umm." You say, "The idea of the things that the paladins had been looking into did come to mind briefly, but the stars in the liquid led me away from that." Suberri says, "The writings I've seen about the weapon used on the Basalt island talked about caging order." Nawain asks, "How many rings were in that.. Whatever it is that killed that demon? Hopefully not eight, right?" Elaun says, "What if like, the statue is a plane, ours or another." Suberri asks, "If that same order was imposed on something with the star could it not fit with both?" Elaun says, "And the wound is a rift and thats why it leaks star filled ooze." Suberri says, "An order beyond our mortal sense of justice and a more, pardon the pun cosmic order." Gwenddolyn says, "Interesting theory." Elaun says, "Leaking planes from an open wound." Gwenddolyn says, "A rift." You say, "The sense of desires coming from the statue make me lean toward it being a being of some sort." You ask, "The begging and hoping being a desire to be set free, perhaps?" Gwenddolyn says, "Maybe they are keeping the star caged to turn into something." Suberri says, "There is a theory the first Paladin Syal bonded to something and has been calling for help for some time." Elaun says, "I could see that being paladins still." Elaun says, "Yeah the bonding." Gwenddolyn says, "It was more like the hunger, not star related." Aluwyyn shifts his weight. Suberri says, "And back to the weapon reports. There were accounts of the paladin at the center being used as part of the weapon, it could be similar in that aspect that once the problem is solved the person is freed." Elaun says, "What about as a warning." You stroke your beard in thoughtful contemplation. Elaun says, "Like a warning of what kind of damage a weapon like that is capable of if in the wrong hands." Gwenddolyn says, "Whatever syal was bonded to was soul eating, like a devourer." Elurora asks Gwenddolyn, "Why do you think that?" Gwenddolyn says, "Because it appeared his soul was being fed upon." Elurora says, "Where are you getting that information? I've done a lot of research and haven't heard anything like that." Elurora smiles at Gwenddolyn. Elaun says, "Id never heard that from my dad, but his musings on the founding of your guys guild should probably be taken with a grain of salt." Elaun chuckles. Gwenddolyn says, "I will have to dig up my original notes, it actually was quite clear." Gwenddolyn says, "There was a source for that." Suberri says to Elaun, "My father did not mention it either." Elurora says, "If you find the source, I'd be interested to know. Everything I've found is very vague. Sir Oane's lecture on The Seven is very vague beyond that the Bonding happened." Elaun asks, "Wouldnt most things being powered by something else seem like consuming?" Elurora says, "And the vision Bards see in Emille's Tomb implies that he created some sort of prison or cage. It hints at prisons, but I don't think we need to get sidetracked by my theories on it." Elurora flashes a quick grin. Gwenddolyn nods to Elurora. Elaun says, "Thats a fun thought exercise." You say, "And then there's one more vision I have to go over this evening..." Elaun asks, "If Syal gets released and unbonded and plopped down in elanthia, who gets to explain to him whats going on and how does it go?" Elaun chuckles. Gwenddolyn says, "It makes one wonder if it is somehow related to the deal made with the arbiter to provide starlight as a source of trader magic." Elurora giggles at Elaun. You say, "I found myself approaching an oak table sitting in the center of a room, where a small boy and an elegant man sat at comfortable chairs, staring at a new game of chess. The elegant man smirked and said, "Do you understand what it is you ask?" The boy nodded and gestured to the board. The elegant man opened and remarked, "So presumptuous, your kind." The boy made a move, and the elegant man responded, continuing, "Daring to sit at the table." Jaelia says, "Regardless of how this is turns out, It is interesting to watch divergent pieces potentially converging." You say, "The game continued, the boy silent, considering each move and playing with caution, the elegant man responding with calculated assaults and deceptive defenses." You say, ""You know," the elegant man began, "even in losing your predecessors showed respect.", and he trapped the boy's queen." You say, "The elegant man began to chuckle, but was cut short by the boy moving his king, revealing a check on the now overextended elegant man's pieces. Narrowing his eyes, the elegant man stared at the boy, and the vision faded." Nawain grins. You say, "In a very general sense, my interpretation is that the boy represents some group of mortals, and the man represents some sort of extraplanar being or beings." Suberri quietly says to Elurora, "That sounds like father." Elaun nods to you. You say, "And the mortals may be about to pull a fast one. That doesn't necessarily mean winning in the long term, though..." Elaun says, "Could also be weaker extraplanar beings." Gwenddolyn says, "The game of war it seems." Gwenddolyn says, "Mentioning a king and a queen." Nawain says, "We can also gleen that if the boy represents mortals, mortals have played at that game before." You say, "Though, that could be a bit of my own biases, given how often we see things of such beings." Elurora nods to Suberri. You grin wryly. Nawain says, "And lost." Elaun nods to Nawain. You say, "It could also be a powerful organization and an upstart group." Elaun says, "Or a divergent guildmember and a guild." You nod. Gwenddolyn says, "The wording of sitting at the table and responding with calculated assaults and deceptive defenses." You say, "Somebody who has had power for a long time, and has had reason to believe those challenging them are no real threat. And somebody who found a weakness." Gwenddolyn says, "Leads me to believe it is war related." Suberri says, "I have a bit of an issue with this." Suberri says, "You cannot check with a king." Suberri says, "By doing so you would be placing your king in position to be captured." Gwenddolyn says, "That is what led me to believe it was war related." You say, "Moving the king out of the way could allow a check with another piece, though." Elaun says, "You can reveal a check." Elaun points at you. Elaun says, "That." Nawain says, "He moved his king, which.. yep. Revealed the check." Nawain nods to Elaun. Gwenddolyn says, "After the queen was cornered." You say, "Possibly having used it as bait first." Gwenddolyn nods to you. Suberri says, "I suppose with that thinking." Nawain blinks. Nawain says, "Someone taught the ogres how to use fire in Crossings. Apparently." Gwenddolyn frowns. Elaun says, "Placing the king out and setting up defenses with linear pieces isnt super uncommon." You say, "Well... I think we're just about wrapped up here. I have a moonbeam in Crossing for just another couple minutes." Aluwyyn grumbles. Jaelia asks, "Goblins and Ogres now?" You say, "And one in Theren, for those who want to head there." Nawain nods to you. Gwenddolyn says, "Theren please." You exclaim, "Thank you all for coming!"