Miskton/Logs/20220611 Visions

Event Name: Vision Meeting

Event Instance: Prime

Real Date: 2022-06-11

Game Date of Event: 442-02-05

Point of View: Miskton

You exclaim, "Okay, I think we should probably get started, then. Thank you all for coming!" You say, "We have a number of visions to discuss this evening, and I think at least one or two references back to things discussed in previous meetings will be in order." You ponder. You ask, "Let's see... How about we get one of those out of the way, first?" You say, "I'll start with the most recent vision..." Hanryu grins at Xelten. You say, "The sky crackled and warped, bending between night and day, and I heard shouting behind me. Turning, I saw three women building a complicated spell pattern, discussing technicalities and minutia beyond my understanding. They spoke of reinforcing arrays, oscillating redundancies, spike capacitance, and frequency conversion. Working together, they began to shape a spiraling orb of nested geometries and light. A furious whisper could be heard through the howl of the creation, the stretched word "you." The trio funneled energies into the orb, causing it to flare wildly. The pattern seemed to sigh, hissing a long "do," and the women shouted warnings to one another as they pulled and shaped their magics. Shifting dramatically, the energies collapsed into a tight cube, angrily howling "not." As one, the women thrust their hands forward, the cube spinning madly, and the vision faded." You say, "This bears similarities to a vision that was discussed a couple of meetings ago..." You turn a page in your astronomer's journal. You say, "Three men sat before a forge, trading turns pumping a bellows as they argued about nothing of consequence, conversations well tread and meaningless in their familiarity. When the time came, they disagreed that the metal was ready but masterfully cooperated in the transfer of the crucible as they poured brilliant blue liquid into a complex mold. Bickering about the quality of the pour as they waited for the material to cool, they each gathered their tools -- mallet and tongs, chisels and files, lens and crystal -- and watched as the form settled. After some time, the mallet was swung and the mold shattered, revealing a complicated looking component cast in a silvery-blue metal. They continued to argue as they set to work shifting the piece slightly, bending and twisting, removing material and channeling energy, and the coals slowly cooled as their craft continued. The vision faded." Tirost ponders. Ayrell nods at Yraggahh, obviously agreeing with his views. You say, "When that vision with the three men was first discussed, the idea that the might represent some of the Immortals was brought up." Zorthuric ponders. You say, "In this newer vision with the three women, however, I'm less sure." Xelten searches around for a moment. Xelten raises an eyebrow. You say, "Primarily because of the apparent presence of the phrase "you do not have permission". Or at least, part of it." Nefis fades into view. Muttering a foul-sounding phrase, Nefis slowly waves his hand in an arc through the air. A faint trail of sickly umber energy streams out from the sigil on the back of the gauntlet, leaving a short wavering tail like a comet behind it. Nefis gets a twisted frozen-bone wand ensnaring a faceted Syrin's heart from inside his leather belt. Nefis points a twisted frozen-bone wand ensnaring a faceted Syrin's heart at Nsar. A sheet of slippery ice forms beneath Nsar! Nsar slips and falls backward, slamming his head on the ice. Nefis gestures, drawing his hands out and back fluidly. Between Nefis's hands, ichorous yellow-black needles twist into existence, like suppurating wounds in the air. They are drawn into a circle facing Nsar. Nsar's ka'hurst shield is jerked slightly. As if assailed by an invisible beast, Nsar's skin is ripped and pulled, violently shredded from within. Nsar is knocked completely senseless! "Burn him! Burn him!" You hear the cries echo around you as everyone in the vicinity immediately gives Nefis a wide berth! Nefis puts his wand in his leather belt. Xelten folds his arms across his chest. Nefis gestures, drawing his hands out and back fluidly. Between Nefis's hands, ichorous yellow-black needles twist into existence, like suppurating wounds in the air. They are drawn into a circle facing Nsar. Nsar's ka'hurst shield is jerked slightly. The air pressure in the area fluctuates wildly. Long bloody strips of skin liberate themselves from Nsar's body and hurtle away in gruesome spirals, leaving behind little but flensed red meat. "Burn him! Burn him!" You hear the cries echo around you as everyone in the vicinity immediately gives Nefis a wide berth! You blink. Tirost nods to you. Nsar gasps and regains control of his breathing. Nefis reveals himself. Eyst frowns. Yraggahh's eyes darken with thought, and his tail grows very still. Nsar comes out of hiding. Nsar stands up. Aluwyyn blinks at Nsar. Nefis jumps at Nsar, entangling himself with him, dragging him down as both tumble end over end, coming to a stop with Nefis on top. Nefis gestures, drawing his hands out and back fluidly. Between Nefis's hands, ichorous yellow-black needles twist into existence, like suppurating wounds in the air. They are drawn into a circle facing Nsar. Nsar's ka'hurst shield is jerked slightly. With a horrendous suction noise, Nsar is bodily lifted and held afloat. Cracks form in his flesh, in the semblance of parched earth under the sun, exposing the blood and muscle beneath. Amid screams he becomes flayed in one horrific instant, unseen forces tearing broad swathes of skin from his body and scattering them with wet plops. Nsar is knocked completely senseless! "Burn him! Burn him!" You hear the cries echo around you as everyone in the vicinity immediately gives Nefis a wide berth! You frown at Nefis. Nefis angrily says, "Pardon the interruption, but messages must be sent to traitors and Apostates." Nefis stands, pulling Nsar up with him. Nefis reveals himself. Nefis gestures, drawing his hands out and back fluidly. Between Nefis's hands, ichorous yellow-black needles twist into existence, like suppurating wounds in the air. They are drawn into a circle facing Nsar. Nsar's ka'hurst shield is jerked slightly. Nsar's skin is momentarily pinched outward in several places. A panicked scream pierces the air. "Murderer!" You notice the nearby citizenry staring at Nefis briefly, before most quickly run off in fear. "Burn him! Burn him!" You hear the cries echo around you as everyone in the vicinity immediately gives Nefis a wide berth! * Nsar is slain before your eyes! Elizzibiana says, "Seems everyones uppity today." Elizzibiana sighs. Nefis sneers at Nsar. Aluwyyn furrows his brow. Nsar's corpse begins to shake violently, sprouting new mass to replace its lost organs. The convulsions reach a fevered pitch and then abruptly stop when Nsar's eyes snap open! He drags himself upright, wracked with pain and gasping for air, but clearly alive. "Burn him! Burn him!" You hear the cries echo around you as everyone in the vicinity immediately gives Nsar a wide berth! Yraggahh asks, "What is the definition of an apostate in this case?" Marcul shakes his head. Nsar says, "My apologies." Arcane Malcontent Nsar drifts south. Zorthuric exclaims, "By the moons!" Tirost frowns. You gaze off to the south. Aluwyyn quietly says, "That was...interestingly disturbing." You hear someone sigh. Ayrell frowns. Eyst casually observes the area. Yraggahh shrugs. Marcul says to you, "Please, do continue." Aluwyyn gazes at you. Zynell asks you, "So not the immortals as per the permission statement?" Eyst mutters something into the air about a mess. (Miskton looks up from glancing at the blood on the floor.) Ezerak whispers something to Ayrell. You say, "Oh, yes." Zynell smiles at you. Ayrell nods at Ezerak, obviously agreeing with his views. You say, "That phrase seems in the past to be related to Lunar magic practitioners in some way, though it's not entirely clear if it might be Traders or Moon Mages." You say, "My impression from that vision was that the three women were doing something to test that idea that they do not have permission to do something." Zynell nods at you, obviously agreeing with your views. Ezerak whispers something to Ayrell. Shaylynne ponders. Zorthuric says, "It seems likely that lunar magic is involved." Eyst says, "We've certainly had a number of visions about this phrase haven't we? I don't recall them all being involved with building things, of metal or mana." You say, "I'm not sure exactly how it ties to the vision of the three men, but they also seemed to be working with something magical in some fashion that was quite complicatec, and working as a trio." You say, "Though the work the men were doing seemed to go a bit more smoothly. It's hard to say what the end result was going to be, of what the women were working on." Tirost nods to you. You say, "The cube spinning so madly might have been expected, or might have been something going out of control." You say, "I might guess that someone is working on some extremely complicated magical project, that some beings are not going to be pleased with." Xelten asks, "Are not we all?" You grin wryly. Tirost asks, "Were the other visions that featured the sentence, 'you do not have permission' also associated with magical experimentation?" Marcul holds up his hand and tilts it side to side in a so-so gesture. Eyst tugs at the tip of his mustache distractedly. You turn a page in your astronomer's journal. You hear the weary voice of Cyrril ask, "The three aspects of Kertigen, perhaps?" Zynell asks, "Is there a cube type thing that is closely linked to lunar magic?" Cyrril wearily says, "If I'm not mistaken, Traders use a device that looks quite like a cube." Tirost nods to Cyrril. You say, "The Immortals were a thought for the first vision, but with the appearance of this newer one I'm now not so sure." Zynell ponders. You say, "It's possible. I'm not familiar with all the details of the relationship between the Traders and the Negotiants, and how their magicworks." Zorthuric asks, "Didn't the Traders buy their magic from the Arbiter?" Zynell asks, "The men were making a complicated device... what were the other permissions visions? one was the lady with the memory stealing?" You say, "In some fashion, I believe. They actually seem to deal directly with entities known as the Negotiants, however." Zynell angles her ears forward, gazing curiously at you. You say to Zynell, "There have been quite a few visions of that sort, going back some time at this point, and taking a number of forms." Zynell nods. Aluwyyn humbly asks, "Have requests been sent to the trader guild to discuss this?" Eyst says, "As I understand, when the traders attempt something without permission from their patrons it does not end well. Though perhaps the significance would be them getting around this in some form." Aluwyyn humbly says, "Seems we need some of their input." Aluwyyn furrows his brow. Zynell asks, "May be worth adding those two and compiling the list for a few folk to examine if you have not done so already?" Xelten asks, "Who among their guild would be considered a magical scholar, their craft being so young?" Cyrril ponders. You say, "I've sent word to Guild Leader Cialen here in Shard in the past about visions that seemed to be related to the Traders guild, although in that case the connection was a bit more direct." You say, "And compiling the visions about permission is a good idea, but I think for the moment we should move on, in the interests of time." You turn a page in your astronomer's journal. Zynell says, "Can always make a posting requesting a scholar from the trader guild." You say, "In the next vision..." Zynell nods to you. Hanryu searches around for a moment. You say, "I found myself in the gallery of a lighthouse overlooking the ocean. Several islands dotted the horizon, bathing in the rich red light of the setting sun, while Katamba and Yavash rose low over the waters. The lantern slowly rotated, casting a brilliant beam outward, and as I idly watched its path, one of the islands wavered and vanished. I blinked in confusion, and a flock of seabirds made its way out to a shoal to fish for dinner." Aluwyyn gazes at you. You say, "I walked around the walkway, noticing several tall cedar, gum, and cypress trees along the coast. Several of the trees collapsed into little more than scattered dust, vanishing." Cyrril looks thoughtfully at you. You say, "A faint *tink* echoed from the lantern, and the lenses shattered, the pieces dissipating as they vanished. The sea breeze smelled of salt, and the vision faded." Shaylynne says, "Cedar and cypress sounds like M'riss." You nod. You say, "And being able to see both the setting sun and the moons rising over the water does make me think it to be somewhere out in the islands." Eyst ponders. You say, "I'm not sure of the locations of all the lighthouses out there, if this is an actual specific lighthouse being seen in the vision." Shaylynne ponders. Hanryu says, "It's almost as if the vision is... of a vision. With the various bits of it dissipating as they are observed." You ask, "It's a bit hard to follow the pattern. Entire islands vanishing, then trees, then just pieces of broken glass. Something getting weaker as it approaches?" Tirost takes a sip of his wine. Eyst nods. You say, "The sunset and rising moons were prominent, but I can't say that they bring much meaning to mind immediately." Zorthuric gazes heavenwards expectantly, but lowers his eyes unfulfilled. Tirost asks, "Are the disappearances caused by the lantern's beam?" You say, "I didn't notice a direct correlation." You nod in understanding as Marcul fills you in on some of the obscure details of Astrology you desperately need to know. Raistan peers quizzically at Hanryu. You say, "The island vanishing and the lens breaking could be related to the lantern's beam, though." Eyst says, "It did sound as if the island might have been in the lantern's path." You say, "The trees I'm less sure on." Shaylynne says to Tirost, "Or the lights playing tricks, an illusion." Tirost nods to Shaylynne. You turn a page in your astronomer's journal. Tirost says, "The light of the lantern rotates. The island vanishes. The speaker walks around the lighthouse and notices the trees vanish, and the the lens cracks and vanishes." Mewawl whispers something to Elizzibiana. Elizzibiana nods to Mewawl. Tirost says, "But as Miskton says, the relationship between the lantern and the vanishing things is hard to determine." You say, "Let's see, next..." You say, "Walking along a muddy path, the air took on an oppressive humidity and filled with the sound of bird and insect call. As I wandered, I heard the rushing of water and came across a waterfall, a dangerous drop onto moss-covered rocks. Unable to progress further, I noticed a ring of dark stones covered in moss interspersed with white wildflowers. As I knelt to examine the structure, the stones began to glow, and the waterfall stopped, droplets frozen in midair." You say, "The outline of a brilliant white spiral stairwell extended into the ground below. With some trepidation, I slowly walked down the luminous structure. The vision faded." You say, "I can't say I make much of that, other than perhaps an area with some similarities to that in the vision might be uncovered." Zynell asks, "Sounds a bit like the volcano one?" Hanryu whispers something to Xelten. Tirost glances at Zynell. You say, "Things hanging in the air and not falling have featured in visions in the recent past, though that was usually dirt and stone, rather than water." Xelten gives Hanryu a slight nod. Zorthuric asks, "It might be a reference to elemental mana?" Eyst nods to you. Tirost nods to Zynell. Shaylynne says, "I don't know if I could trust a staircase going into the ground under a suspended waterfall." Shaylynne shudders. You say to Zorthuric, "Could be. I've certainly got another vision to discuss that appears to deal with elemental subjects..." Eyst says, "That is what I thought of first, despite the focus on the mysterious stairwell." You say, "My impression was that the stones are an activation device of some sort, and if it's causing a waterfall to stop flowing I suppose it would likely be using elemental mana." You say, "As for that other elemental related vision..." You turn a page in your astronomer's journal. You say, "I found myself walking along a broken street, cobblestones irregular and shifted, the lamp posts rusted and sagging. The buildings lining the road bore broken windows open into darkness and were covered in winding ivy and moss, with birds nesting on ledges and in gaps in the masonry. Nature had reclaimed this city." You say, "A pair of children ran around the corner and froze when they saw me. They stared at me cautiously for a long moment, then, eyes going wide, pointed over my shoulder. They dove into an open building, and I followed." You say, "The air began to chill and reek of ozone, and I could hear the heavy, sharp footfalls of something too many limbs approaching. A small hand covered my mouth, and I heard someone whisper "Be silent." You say, "Frost coated the damp, mossy bricks and the crackle of electricity passed by. The vision faded." Eyst ponders. You say, "I can't say I'm familiar with any creatures that would combine electricity and intense cold, but it would seem to be something with a strong elemental connection." Hanryu thoughtfully says, "Certainly a few ruined and reclaimed villages and towns across the realms, but I'm sturggling to think of any that are inhabited off the top of my head." Zalinyar ponders. Eyst says, "Reminds me of the vision of the antlered man." Zalinyar scratches her head. Tirost asks, "How old was that last vision you spoke of?" Shaylynne asks, "Dirge?" Xelten says, "It evokes in me curiosity over what would be the offspring of differing elementals." Xelten chuckles to himself. You ask Tirost, "Sorry, which one?" Eyst says, "Covering of the mouth for silence and the possibility that something else was there." Tirost says, "The one with the children and the smell of ozone." You say, "Oh, very recent." Tirost nods to you. You say, "For something with lots of legs and electricity, there was a vision some time back of what seemed to be an electrical elemental in spider form, but I don't recall any sense of cold appearing in that vision." Tirost nods in agreement. Tirost asks, "And that vision contained a reference to the taste of copper, did it not?" You nod. You say, "That one seemed likely related to Zengmodaleth, I think." Tirost nods. You say, "This one, apparently not. I'm not sure where that street represents, but it would seem to be somewhere at least a bit more mundane than that." Tirost gazes thoughtfully at you. You turn a page in your astronomer's journal. You say, "One more new vision to discuss this evening, and definitely on the disturbing side of things." You say, "I found myself seated in a large, dark auditorium, a single blazing beam of light pointed at a resplendently dressed woman standing in the center of an elevated stage. She wore a stunning flowing green dress, and a large amethyst hung around her neck. Her lips were painted a striking red and her eyes blackened by midnight kohl. She looked directly at me, captivating me with her gaze, and she began to sing." Marcul smiles at you as he patiently enlightens you further on the practice of Astrology. You say, "Her voice was unlike anything I had ever heard, weaving an aria in an unknown language. As the melody built, I smelt something vile nearby. The enchantment broken, I turned from the singer to study my surroundings, realizing I was seated between a pair of corpses that were rotting into the luxurious chairs. I leapt to my feet in horror, frantically glancing around, and realized the entire audience was composed of corpses in various states of decay." You say, "The woman stopped singing and coldly said, "Miskton, we aren't finished." The vision faded." Tirost laughs softly, trying to hide his amusement. Shaylynne grins. Raising his red wine to you, Tirost gives you a toast. Cheers! You chuckle. Mewawl shudders. Xelten says, "On the bright side, you were apparently not a corpse yourself." Aluwyyn blinks at you. You say, "Not yet, at least." Xelten says, "Yet." Xelten smirks. Hanryu teasingly says to you, "And your visisions are typically so chearful." Majelaket quietly says, "Always knew the bards were up to no good." Aluwyyn glances at Majelaket. Zalinyar chuckles at Hanryu. Eyst says, "I suppose be wary of any upcoming performances." You say, "I have heard someone raise the possibility of Kerenhappuch. The woman wasn't dressed in her iconic skirt, but it's not impossible. There are other Immortals that could potentially fill such a role, as well." You say, "Or other beings, perhaps. I definitely got the impression that I was looking at more than just a mortal woman, at least." Hanryu asks, "Green dress and ametheyst, is that a combo that rings a bell for anyone?" Aluwyyn shakes his head. Marcul smiles at you as he patiently enlightens you further on the practice of Astrology. Xelten says, "I defer to Ayrell on fashion sense." You say, "Or possibly something with the combination of green and purple in general." Ayrell chuckles at Xelten. You say, "Though the red lips and blackened eyes might also be of relevance." Tirost takes a sip of his wine. You say, "Oddly, the color of her hair was not something that stood out to me." Tirost says, "The song in an unknown language stands out as well." You say, "My general impression was one of people being lured in by something and kept enthralled until they eventually die." Hanryu says, "Almost like the beautiful woman, fancy dresss, flashy makup, was designed to distract you from the ... other compnay." You nod to Hanryu. Eyst says, "A good point considering she also clearly speaks in your language." Ayrell says to Hanryu, "As they do." Hanryu chuckles. Zalinyar nods to Hanryu. Tirost grins at Hanryu. You say, "We have a little bit of time left, so I would like to bring up one more thing." You say, "A vision that was discussed at the last meeting." Zynell angles her ears forward, gazing curiously at you. You say, "I found myself in a dark forest standing before a campfire. A man knelt before the flames, gripping his left forearm and staring at his hand, straining in agony and effort, his muscles bulging and sweat pouring from his body. His left hand shook, clenching, the knuckles cracking and tendons creaking. The man snarled and said through gritted teeth, "We will show them. We will show them all." You say, "He wrestled his struggling hand down slowly slowly into the flame, and as the flesh began to blacken, several eyes opened along the palm and looked around frantically. Red pustules bubbled and popped, and a sharp-toothed maw opened along his wrist and began to scream. As the appendage burned, it seemed to drink in the flames, changing and twisting, and soon the man began to scream instead. The vision faded." Eyst gives a slight nod. Tirost says, "Ah, I remember that one." You say, "I think, in this, we may have a good example of how visions can differ from the actual events they represent." Elizzibiana raises an eyebrow. Eyst says, "I should be going, a good discussion as always." Eyst nods politely to you. Shaylynne nods. You say, "I'm not sure how many of you might have been present at the ritual held by Nefis shortly after the last vision discussion meeting." Shaylynne says, "Same here, thank you MIskton." Elizzibiana shakes her head. You say, "But while the actual location of the ritual was a cave rather than a forest, and the exact actions taken differed, there were many similarities between that ritual and the vision." Tirost ponders. You say, "He cut his hand and bled onto the fire, rather than thrusting his hand into it, but it seemed like the being he was attempting to contact did manifest itself through his hand, painfully twisting and distorting it." Tirost asks, "What was he attempting to do? Contact a demon and draw power from it through necromancy?" Zalinyar says, "Sounds like it." You say, "Contact a demon and get a response and recognition from it." Tirost frowns and nods slightly. Yraggahh says, "I must depart to the west. Thank you for your knowledge." Yraggahh nods politely. Hanryu says, "Yea, I gotta get off to Boar Clan myself. Thanks for hosting." You hear the weary voice of Cyrril say, "There was no element of power-request as far as I am aware. It was an interrogation of the possible mechanisms of contact." You say, "Yes, I think we should probably wrap things up now." Ayrell says, "Yes, I should be on my way as well." You say, "Thank you all for coming." Cyrril wearily says, "I am also off to the same." You say, "And I look forward to hopefully seeing you again next time." You smile. You carefully mark your place and close your astronomer's journal, securing the clasp. Ayrell says to you, "Thank you for hosting." Ayrell smiles. Cyrril bows to you. You put your journal in your scholar's valise.