Head Like a Wormhole

[Sierra]

<El-Cideon> A week passes. Little of note occurs during this time; Rena spends a lot of time sitting in the sun, Hazel complains a lot, etc. The usual. The morning you're due to head back for your meeting, the communications sphere glows with an incoming message.
<Erin> A strange message? Erin must hear it.
<El-Cideon> It's actually just Myriam. "Hello? Erin?"
<Erin> "Oh, hello, Myriam! It's good of you to call just now, we're about to take some bold steps."
<El-Cideon> "Oh yes? Well, at least someone is. I had no notably good news of my own."
<Erin> "I do hope this isn't a prelude to notable bad news?"
<El-Cideon> "I've been monitoring the status of our mysterious adversary's current host. Her convent held her for several days, until someone thought to call in an exorcist. The attempt at spiritual cleansing went...poorly. The woman broke her bonds, beat down anyone standing in her way, and stalked out of the convent. At last check, she had set out on foot across Europe, to the northwest."
<Erin> "How long ago was this?"
<El-Cideon> "Two days ago. She's not moving with notable haste--procuring modern transportation does not seem to occur to her--but the direction is unmistakable when I can see her. Which is not as often as I'd like, as she's distinctly better at repelling my efforts now."
<Erin> "Why'd you only tell us she broke out now?"
<El-Cideon> "I wanted to be sure of where she was going before I said anything, as I assumed you wouldn't fancy a trip to fascist Italy. I now believe she's coming here, as no other destination along her current trajectory makes sense."
<Erin> "We'll need to change our plans. I'll let the others know- we'll try and get back as soon as we can."
<El-Cideon> "If you have pressing matters to attend to, I believe myself quite capable of stopping her if she comes to Britain. Which should not be for several days, at her present rate."
<Erin> "We have an appointment, but it might be anywhere from a few days to a few weeks," confesses Erin. "It's a lot to ask, but can you take her alive? Killing her would just send her to possess some other victim..."
<El-Cideon> "I'll try my best. I surely possess better means of doing so than the church, at least."
<Erin> "Alright. Good luck. I'll contact you when our plans are laid out." With that, Erin rounds up the others to inform them of this development!
<Brunilda> "Why do you think she's going to Britain?" Brunilda asks. "Would there be another link to the underworld there that the entity never had a chance to probe while working with the Germans, or something else?"
<Erin> "If she was able to trace Miriam's scrying, then she might be intending to go to the source," replies Erin. "I can't discount the idea that she might be after us, and Britain is where our homes are."
<Brunilda> "And it's certain she won't actually be a threat to Miriam?"
<Yomi> "Does Myriam need help with her?" Yomi asks. "Since Rena can't go with us, we could ask her to help out, and there are others who would be able to do that."
<Erin> "Well... Myriam seemed confident. I'm not sure I am, so making sure everyone knows and can lend a hand can't go wrong."
<Yomi> "Rena, then, and... we can ask Paula for help? Hazel, too?" Yomi suggests. "Lucia is also in Britain, so together it should be enough to handle anyone possessed, especially with Myriam providing magical support."
<Erin> "I don't think Lucia will be too keen, but Paula and Hazel could catch a plane back, then?"
<Brunilda> "Doesn't Uliana possess the same powers as the entity as well? Her presence would tilt the odds entirely... assuming confronting it didn't have a poor effect on her mental state," Brunilda suggests.
<Yomi> "It might be risky. We still don't really know why she was freed of the possession, after all."
<Erin> "And to say it as sensibly as possible, I'm worried she might go nuts and kill it. It's... probably not so difficult to actually dispatch the entity's current host, but that shouldn't be our aim."
* Brunilda nods. "Understandable," she agrees.
<El-Cideon> Shortly, everyone is gathered in the Magpie's central lounge.
<Yomi> "We have a slight situation, it appears," Yomi announces. "Our friends in Britain asked for our help in dealing with a possessed woman. We naturally want to stop her, so that we would have a chance of exorcising her."
<El-Cideon> "Possessed, huh?" Hazel says. "So, what's the plan?"
<Erin> "We thought it would be wise to send a couple of people back there to help out. The hope is that the unfortunate can be restrained, a daunting task, given her vast magical powers." Erin rubs her chin. "Any volunteers?"
<Yomi> "Knock her out, keep her contained. We'll see what we can do from that point. She'll need to be bound and gagged, based on previous possession victims, or she'll still be able to use some of her powers when she wakes up."
<El-Cideon> "I'll do what you tell me to do." Hazel shrugs. "Is this like that crazy guy who tried to kill Justine?"
<Erin> "The same entity, indeed."
<Yomi> "We believe so. The best part is that we also believe that taking this possessed nun captive means the possession can't jump bodies."
<Erin> "Actually, I'm not so sure about that."
<El-Cideon> "Oh. So I guess this is my fault for shooting the last one in the head?"
<Yomi> "If there's no other choice and your life is in danger, that's what you must do," Yomi tells Hazel, grimacing. To Erin, she says, "There is only one way to find out, and that's what we're trying to do, isn't it?"
<El-Cideon> "Alright, so who's going? Anybody you don't need to fly the ship, or what?"
<Yomi> "You could either take the ship, or I'll pay for plane tickets," Yomi responds with a shrug. "How about you and Paula? Do you think it would be enough? Myriam should be able to help out once you're back in Britain."
<El-Cideon> "Myriam? That's the witch woman you guys hang out with? Well, it should be okay as long as there's a witch involved. Hopefully she's as good as Justine."
<Erin> Erin frowns, and turns to Suzume. "Do I inspire that sort of faith?"
<Yomi> "So there's that. Are there any volunteers? Someone who thinks they can help?"
<El-Cideon> "Of course!" the miko says. "I trust your judgment more than most people I've met."
<El-Cideon> "I don't mind going home for a few days," Rena says. "It would be better than being underground the entire time."
<Erin> "Eh? Really?" Erin raises a hand to her lips. "I see. So, being a witch has perks I never considered..."
<Yomi> "Hmm? Did you say something, Erin?"
<El-Cideon> "It's not because you're a witch, it's because you're Erin," Suzume says.
<Brunilda> "I'd take a plane over a flying broomstick any day, still," Brunilda opines.
<Yomi> "Do those exist?
<Erin> "No," replies Erin, dismissively. "Fanciful rumours."
<El-Cideon> "But you DO have a cat," Suzume points out.
<Yomi> "Good reason to take the plane, then." Yomi nods. "Alright. Hazel and Rena will help Myriam out, for now?"
<Erin> "I'm more inclined to think the cat has me," notes Erin. "Besides, we can all make a concession to style."
<El-Cideon> "Sure," Hazel says. "It'll be better than babysitting a lunatic for another week."
* Yomi can't shake the thought that Hazel just wants to see a nun in bondage, though she doesn't particularly care about her reasons. "Paula, can we leave the babysitting duties to you, then?"
<El-Cideon> Paula nods. "It wouldn't be a new experience for me, no. I believe I can handle whatever mischief she might get up to here."
<Yomi> "Sounds like a great plan, then. We'll leave the communications orb here, so you'll be able to communicate with everyone -- us, Hazel and Rena, Myriam or even the Lodge?" She glances at Erin. "We left an orb there, didn't we?"
<Erin> "Of course. I'll let Grace know you're coming," replies Erin.
<Yomi> "We should be able to keep in touch, then. And you'll have enough pilots to take you away if there's any trouble on the ground, or we find another way out and need you to pick us up."
<Yomi> "As for us...." Yomi trails off, considering. "I'll pick maps, of the world and of what we know of Africa. And a handgun with an extra clip, if we end up having to show them something real they would want to trade for. How about you?"
<Erin> "Photographs. Of cities, and of the wilderness," replies Erin. She shrugs at the mention of weapons. "I can show them magic. If they want that as a weapon, though, they'll have to learn it from me, and that's an opportunity to teach a few other lessons."
<Brunilda> "I can make some simple irritant gas grenades to trade with them?" Brunilda offers. "Something they'll find immediately useful but have no way to replicate on their own so it shouldn't be too much of a long term danger."
* Yomi nods, and steps closer to Rena, taking her hand. "Use the orb to call if you need anything, anything at all," she tells her quietly. "And don't take too many risks, alright?"
<El-Cideon> Rena nods. "I will exercise my best judgment at all times, Yomi."
<Brunilda> OOC: tear gas is DC 21 to make, taking 4 hours for one use. I can take 10 for that, and it would surely be easy enough to take 10 on craft (mechanical) for physical grenades. Lets say I make five of them during the week before we go back? +20 mod for both.
<El-Cideon> OOC: sure.
<El-Cideon> Rena and Hazel head for the nearest airport, Paula stays behind to mind the ship, and the rest of the gang returns to the tomb. Janath still has a couple guards monitoring the tomb, and Khaled shows up to guide you back down without mummy attacks. This goes without incident, barring Khaled relaying his mistress's minor irritation at the tomb repeatedly being used as a way station. (more)
<El-Cideon> "This is so exciting!" Diane says as you reach the final room. She's dressed in a blouse and trousers, sensible traveling clothes. "An ancient tomb, and now what happens?"
<Yomi> "Now we use an ancient portal to go elsewhere!" Yomi says excitedly.
<El-Cideon> "Oh?" She looks around. "Where is it?"
* Yomi waits on Erin to do her witchy thing.
<Erin> "It's here," replies Erin. "We have to hold hands, and sing the British national anthem."
<Yomi> "How about we settle for just holding hands?" Yomi offers, holding hers out to Diane and Sayuri.
<El-Cideon> "I don't sing," Sayuri says. "That's not part of the routine. Let's just get this over with?"
* Brunilda rolls her eyes as she shoulders her bag and takes two hands. "I'm sure any country's anthem would suffice."
<Erin> "Spoilsports," complains Erin, muttering the command under her breath.
<El-Cideon> In a blink, you trade one dark cave for another. Diane gasps a little. "Oh my! That was sudden, wasn't it? How does it work?"
<Erin> "Space correspondance. That is, it's a form of magic," replies Erin.
* Brunilda is happy to fill Diane in on current theoretical wormhole physics in order to disabuse her of any notion that magic is simply a catchall for 'we don't know'.
<El-Cideon> "Well, whatever the explanation, I'm suitably impressed. Think of the public convenience if this could be harnessed on a greater scale!"
<Yomi> Struggling very hard not to laugh, Yomi decides to head out of the chamber and ensure that no hungry ghosts decided to make it their home over the week.
<El-Cideon> Yomi doesn't see or sense anything in the vicinity of their chamber, or out in the hallway.
<Yomi> "Let's go meet the nice demons?" Yomi calls out, satisfied that nothing in the immediate area is about to kill them.
<El-Cideon> roll 1d100
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d100 and gets 27."12 [1d100=27]
<El-Cideon> You walk down the slope outside the strange cliff dwelling, through the darkness, pass the crater at the railway intersection (Diane is suitably aghast at the mysteriously preserved carnage) and arrive at the outskirts of the city. Not far from the first buildings, you see a campfire, where Grish and her cohorts have set up shop in wait.
<Yomi> And once more, Yomi regrets not learning their language the first chance she got.
* Erin soon bestows the ability to converse upon the group at large, and approaches the party of bold adventurers forthwith! "We've returned, as promised."
<El-Cideon> "I bid you humble welcome back to our realm," Grish says. "The bright one is not with you this time, I see?"
<Yomi> "Bright one?"
<Brunilda> "Oh, this is marvelous!" Brunilda remarks upon having the words magically translated. "Can't even begin to imagine how it works, but it's marvelous!"
<Erin> "Distance is one thing that seperates us. Barriers of communication are another. But spiritually, we're all connected, so a spell of understanding is as possible as a spell of teleportation."
<El-Cideon> "The tall one with yellow hair? It makes no difference, I suppose. I was merely noting the change. Shall we proceed to the settlement? You will set out to the northeast from there."
<Brunilda> "Having a wormhole in one's head can't be healthy..." Brunilda mutters quietly.
<Erin> "You may understand things better not understood, but apart from that, it's perfectly safe."
<Yomi> "Sure," Yomi agrees with Grish. "So you've heard from your superiors, then?"
<El-Cideon> "Yes. You are to be the honored guests of High Priestess Lemmet and Primarch Gurik at the Palace of the Sun. A coach has been sent from Urgesh to convey you there personally. This is an unusual privilege--they do not often operate this far from Eridu, and usually strictly for official purposes."
<Brunilda> "Well, we surely represent an unusual situation, don't we?" Brunilda observes.
<Erin> "A coach?" asks Erin, raising an eyebrow. "Of the sort that levitates on tracks?"
<El-Cideon> "This is true," Grish agrees. "The coach waits with your guide at the settlement. I will escort you there." A nod to Erin. "That is correct. This will greatly reduce the duration of your journey and spare you potentially dangerous crossings of the wastes between the great cities of the empire."
<Erin> "Well, shall we get going, then?"
<El-Cideon> "Yes. Follow me, please, and be alert. I believe I have thoroughly cleansed the main cavern of the corrupted, but more natural menaces still lurk in places. Pit traps pock the cavern floor out in the darkness, so try not to stray from the rails." With that, Grish and her retinue set out along the track, following the rails to the south this time. (more)
<El-Cideon> roll 1d100
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d100 and gets 48."12 [1d100=48]
<El-Cideon> You walk along for a time in silence, stepping onto the loamy soil of the great cavern. Your progress is unimpeded, though after about fifteen minutes' walk you can all easily see...something pinned to a column by the side of the road. (more)
<El-Cideon> It's a humanoid body, though not Eridani and certainly not human. The skin is a dull gray that nearly matches the bedrock that composes much of the caverns. The body is short, perhaps just over four feet. The head is squat and squarish, and in place of eyes are a broad array of bristly sensory apparatus. The neck is bloated with mysterious folds and bags of skin. The figure is unclothed, and a clear adhesive holds it to the stone. Several puncture wounds mar the chest.
<Yomi> "Just what is that?" Yomi asks fairly bluntly, staring at the... demon?
<El-Cideon> "Howler," Grish says, stepping closer to observe the figure, drawing a mace as she does so.
<Brunilda> "That's the sort of adaptation to underground life I was talking about before, you see how it lacks eyes?" Brunilda comments as she studies the creature.
<Erin> "What killed it, do you think?"
<Yomi> "Or it was born that way," Yomi muses quietly, perking up at Erin's question.
<Brunilda> "Well, of course it was," Brunilda blinks. "Evolution can't happen in a single generation, after all."
<Yomi> "Ah, no. I meant to say it could have always been like that. There can be demonic races with... bristly things for eyes. Can't there be? I'm pretty sure they can."
<El-Cideon> "Greater cavern crawler," Grish says "The wounds are obvious stinger jabs. It may have laid eggs. We should burn this carrion before--"
<El-Cideon> The wounds on the creature suddenly suppurate. Something thick and black oozes out, followed shortly by a small horde of obsidian-carapaced insects that quickly set to chewing on the corpse.
<Erin> "Let me," offers Erin, crouching low to the ground and pointing a finger towards the offending horde.
* Yomi shivers, hoping that Erin is quick about it!
<Brunilda> "Without seeing its ancestors there's no way to tell, but given how the sensory apparatus..." Brunilda trails off and stares at the bugs swarming all over it. "My..."
<El-Cideon> "Oh my!" Diane chokes. "Is every day here this awful?"
<El-Cideon> The insects take no notice of their observers, engrossed in their first feeding.
<Erin> "Get out the way!" orders Erin, and a low-angled blast of lightning lances forth to eradicate the vermin, as well as fry the corpse to cinders.
<Erin> roll 7d6 bolt of lightnin', DC 16
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 7d6 bolt of lightnin', DC 16 and gets 25."12 [7d6=4, 4, 3, 1, 3, 4, 6]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+4
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+4 and gets 21."12 [1d20=17]
<El-Cideon> The corpse is crisped to ash instantly, taking a large amount of the insects with it. The few survivors fall to the ground and scramble away in all directions in terror. Grish stomps on a few stragglers.
<Erin> "Are the insects a menace to life, as well?"
<Yomi> "It's best to assume everything is, unless proven otherwise," Yomi sagely says.
<Erin> "I'm not sure I could get through the day with a philosophy like that..."
<Yomi> "You could pretend it's not true while I protect you, then?"
<El-Cideon> "The young are not. What they become may be--they are not aggressive predators of beings our size until adulthood." She gives Erin an appraising glance. "Your magical talents are impressive. Thank you for your assistance."
<Erin> "I don't want to get into the 'blast first' mentality that some of my contemporaries have been known for," replies Erin, frowning. "Ah, thank you!"
<El-Cideon> "After this display, I am quite content to incinerate anything we meet that can't talk to us," Sayuri says.
<Yomi> "It's not about blasting, but about preparing to blast someone at the first sign that they want to eat us," Yomi agrees with Sayuri.
<El-Cideon> "Exactly."
<Erin> "Well, there will be no more blasting today!"
<El-Cideon> "I would hope not," Grish says, walking again.
<Brunilda> "You can learn useful things even from dangerous creatures, though," Brunilda points out. "And there are more dangerous creatures in the world than you can ever hope to blast, so learning how to get along with them makes sense."
<El-Cideon> The rest of the walk is uneventful. The settlement is, as before, a stark contrast to the rest of the caverns in being thoroughly lit. "Priestess Munn awaits in the tower," Grish says. "She will guide you the rest of your journey to Eridu. This was the high priestess's choice. I am...less skilled in matters of diplomacy. Now...you requested a map of the empire?"
<Yomi> "If it is not too much trouble, yes."
<El-Cideon> "It is no trouble. We make our own maps of the surrounding tunnels. The empire is, well, far from our immediate concerns in a way." Grish ducks into a tent, returns with a roll of some leathery substance, which she spreads out on a nearby table. (more)
<El-Cideon> The empire, as displayed in yellow on the map, covers a broad arc sweeping far to the east. Grish's settlement is a minor note (seemingly added in a different hand than the rest) on the far western edge. Somewhat to the south of this is scribbled "Drun's settlement," and then, much farther, "Rift." The most prominently-labeled cities in the empire proper are Urgesh, Nishpur, Eridu (these three in a straight line stretching east) and Rukkem (between the latter two and some ways south). (more)
<El-Cideon> At the far eastern edge of the empire are Naruk and, almost but not entirely scratched out, Sklara. Beyond the border, near the former city, is labeled Kutha. North of the empire is a large blank area simply labeled Glass Warrens.
<El-Cideon> The figures penciled in at a margin suggest from Urgesh to Naruk in the east is a distance of at least two thousand miles.
* Yomi decides to at last see how their own maps mesh with these.
<Brunilda> "Is everything empty between the cities?" Brunilda asks, trying to figure out how densely populated they are considering the vast area covered.
<Erin> "Is this city part of the empire?" asks Erin, indicating Kutha.
<El-Cideon> The empire broadly covers the sweep of central and southern Asia, based on the numbers you see and your current position. Eridu would likely be in the vicinity of India, Urgesh perhaps near Palestine.
<Yomi> "We must have been near Urgesh before," Yomi muses, studying the maps. "Some of the tunnels were collapsed. If only we tried to get past that, maybe...."
<El-Cideon> "These are the great caverns," Grish says to Brunilda. "There are settlements in between, smaller villages, usually the remnants of conquered tribes, and various scout stations. But only the great caverns can support a city in the truest sense." (more)
<El-Cideon> "Kutha is not yet part of the empire," Grish says. "This is where the Dark One's followers huddle in the shadows, hiding from Ishtar's light. Our soldiers maintain a great fort at Naruk. One day they will sweep through Kutha and stamp out the Dark One's followers forever, though for now all known tunnels to Kutha have been collapsed, save a narrow bridge watched over by powerful enemy sorcerers."
* Yomi tries to corellate Kutha's location with their own maps.
<El-Cideon> Based on your previous assessments, Kutha would rest somewhere beneath southeast Asia.
<Brunilda> "How big a population can the average great cavern support?" Brunilda asks, recalling the small tribe they'd seen earlier as an example for the smaller settlements so she can work out a presumed total population.
<Erin> "What sort of magic do these sorcerers use?"
<El-Cideon> "The largest cities--Nishpur, Rukkem, Eridu--are home to upwards of twenty thousand Eridani each. The fields of Eridu provide an endless bounty, by virtue of Ishtar's blessing. Transport of grain to the other cities is a standard function of the coach you will shortly ride."
<El-Cideon> Grish traces silver lines between the major cities to illustrate this.
* Brunilda assumes twenty thousand for the largest cities, ten thousand for any that appear with smaller symbols on the maps, and fifty for the smaller settlements, and tries to arrive at a population based on that.
<El-Cideon> "As for the magic of Ereshkigal's thralls...Sometimes it is simply raw destructive force. Somewhat like you demonstrated," Grish adds, a tad uncomfortably. "Other times they will animate the dead and send them against us."
<Erin> "Vile creatures..."
<El-Cideon> "Yes. They swell their failing ranks in this manner. Only through such desperate measures have they prevented our total victory."
<El-Cideon> It's hard to get an accurate number based on available information, but Brunilda could estimate somewhere between a hundred and two hundred thousand citizens.
<Yomi> Whatever the goal, Yomi can't support raising the dead in its name, and a visit to Kutha seems to be in the future.
<Erin> Erin shakes her head. "Desperate people might do anything," she agrees.
<El-Cideon> "They have only themselves to blame for choosing to follow the Queen of Death," Grish says.
<Brunilda> "In their minds it's probably an act of devotion if their goddess venerates such," Brunilda observes.
<Yomi> "Their minds are wrong, then," Yomi mutters.
<El-Cideon> Grish fixes her gaze on Brunilda. "It is not encouraged to imagine what motivates the Dark One's followers."
* Brunilda shrugs and falls silent. If they want to wallow in ignorance, she doesn't feel obligated to help them.
<El-Cideon> "Are there other questions?" Grish says, with a glance around. "I am not well-traveled further east than Urgesh, but I have some knowledge of other places."
<Erin> "Is Rift the name of a city, or a natural fissure of import?"
<El-Cideon> "Both. It was the site of a great city before Ishtar and the Dark One clashed, eons past. Only recently rediscovered by our scouts, it is now a site of great destruction that continues to warp all around it. Unnatural creatures proliferate, yet its exploration is important for the rediscovery of lost artifacts and knowledge. (more)
<El-Cideon> "I hear rumors," Grish adds in a lower voice, "that Priestess Gloom flees in this direction and Priestess Drun has been ordered in pursuit. But that is no business of ours. Rebuilding this city is our only local concern."
<Erin> "Priestess Gloom?"
<El-Cideon> "A heretic who turned from the light to follow the Queen of Death," Grish says, with some vehemence. Then, more normally: "You may hear talk of her in the cities. I advise you for your own safety not to participate in such discussions."
<Erin> "I understand."
<El-Cideon> "I thought it only fair to warn you, lest you stumble upon the subject in ignorance. Support of the heretic will not be tolerated. Now...is there anything else?"
<Yomi> "We are as forewarned as we could reasonably hope for, I think. Thanks!"
<El-Cideon> Grish seems to conclude that the discussion is at an end, and turns towards the tower. Inside, admiring the golden statue, is another Eridani in white garb. Shorter and slighter than Grish, and her armor and weapon look less substantial and more ornamented than do Grish's. She turns as you approach. There is a gold circlet around her head, with an amber gem (that looks remarkably similar to your communication orbs) set in the center. (more)
<El-Cideon> The circlet seems to be set into her flesh somehow; it seems unlikely it could be removed casually. "Ah, honored guests of Ishtar and the Eridani. Welcome!"
<Erin> "Thanks! You must be Priestess Munn, then?"
<Brunilda> "Greetings," Brunilda returns, unable to keep from looking curiously at the circlet... that must hurt to put on.
* Yomi bows in greeting, for her part.
<El-Cideon> "I do have the honor of serving the Golden Goddess under that name, yes," she says, with almost jovial warmth and flair. "If you would all be so kind as to introduce yourselves in turn?"
<Erin> "I'm Erin. A witch, if you don't mind the term," replies Erin.
<Yomi> "Isayama Yomi," she responds to the prompting. "Just call me Yomi. I hunt wraiths."
<Brunilda> "I'm Brunilda, a scientist," the frumpy greying woman offers for her own part.
<El-Cideon> "Not at all," she says to Erin. "Many of our young women exhibit unusual powers before joining the priesthood. There is no shame in such things, once properly directed." A nod to Yomi in turn. "Then you find yourself in like company. It has long been an important function of the priestesses of Ishtar to strike down hungry spirits wherever they may be found. (more)
<El-Cideon> "'Scientist?' This title...eludes me."
<Brunilda> "I see to understand the mechanics of the universe," Brunilda explains. "You have people who try to discern how artifacts work, yes? I do the same, but for everything and not just things from the past."
<El-Cideon> "Ahhh, you tinker with machines and other strange devices? Perhaps a visit to Grumk's workshop may prove educational if we have time for such things in Nishpur."
<Erin> "The coaches we're to travel on- are you capable of constructing them yourselves?"
* Brunilda nods brusquely, "It would surely be beneficial for us both," she agrees.
<El-Cideon> "Not as of yet," Munn says. "Some skills are still lost to us since the great cataclysm. Those conveyances that remain are thus reserved for official purposes. You should know it is a considerable privilege to ride in one!"
<Yomi> "They are quite magnificent," Yomi agrees. "But much of the history about their makers is lost. Or it is with us, at least. How about the Eridani?"
<Erin> "The cataclysm? Ah, we're still quite naive as to your people's history," states Erin. "Perhaps you can give us a run down on the way?"
<El-Cideon> "Yes, we will have much time to talk. If you will follow me?" She walks out of the tower, leaving Grish with merely a nod, and walks around to the other side of the building where a familiar platform and aircar wait.
* Erin does so!
* Yomi likewise follows, curious whether their means for controlling it are the same as what Erin had used.
* Brunilda likewise follows to board their conveyance. To mix the speed of an aircraft with the ease of a train... figuring out how these work could vastly change the world's infrastructure. Except for the fact that wormholes neatly supercede them.
<El-Cideon> A small squad of soldiers, armed and attired much like Grish's escort, wait nearby the car. They board ahead of her as she approaches. Munn boards as well, then produces the expected control rod from a pocket and slots it in. The car's running lights flick on and it starts to levitate.
<Yomi> "Are the controls here in your language?" Yomi can't resist asking.
<El-Cideon> "They are in the old tongue, spoken before the cataclysm," Munn says dismissively. "Language wanders over time, doesn't it?"
<Yomi> "I suppose. I'm not a scientist."
* Brunilda takes that as her cue to educate Yomi on language drift, expounding on such wonders as the great vowel shift of the middle ages!
<Erin> "Are those the only languages you have to deal with? The modern dialect, and this old script?"
<El-Cideon> "Various savage tribes have their own dialects. Written languages, however? There is modern Eridani and the old script. And that used by Ereshkigal's followers on the curse stones and some other artifacts from the cataclysm, which for the sake of purity it is best not to understand."
<El-Cideon> Munn presses something on the console and the car sets off, away from the settlement, to the east. It quickly angles upwards and then north-northeast.
<Yomi> "Is it the first time that the Eridani meet people like us?" Yomi asks the next thing that's on her mind.
<El-Cideon> "Yes. Oh yes, it is quite a development! My superiors in Eridu are eager to meet you. You should feel greatly blessed to mimic the Goddess's form so closely, you know."
<Yomi> "Yes, I like the way I look," Yomi agrees.
<Brunilda> "It's not often I get that comparison," Brunilda agrees with a harrumph.
<El-Cideon> "Maybe you should try makeup," Sayuri offers. "And nicer clothes."
<Erin> "I suppose they must have many questions..."
<Brunilda> "Feh. My clothes are just fine for this sort of thing," Brunilda insists. "I'll leave the pretty-faces and alluring looks to the likes of you and Rena." The fact that Sayuri hates Rena hasn't been missed, after all.
<El-Cideon> "You two!" Suzume huffs. "There's a serious discussion going on here."
<Erin> "Yes, looks aren't all that important when they're so mutable, anyway!"
<El-Cideon> Munn ignores the various outbursts, merely responding to Erin. "Oh yes. What place do you come from? From how far away? Are there more like you? Merely a sampling."
<Yomi> "There are quite a few of us back home, but only some of us know how to reach your cities the way we have," Yomi responds. "As for where we are from... we were hoping to learn more of Ishtar and of your history before we went into that."
<Erin> "Far enough that the simplest thing to conclude is that we are from another world," replies Erin. "We come from Earth; I suppose we come from England in specific, which is a nation back home. As for 'more like us'..." Erin coughs. "Our combined worldwide population numbers in the billions, I believe."
<El-Cideon> A whistling sound, which after a moment your magical translation tells you is laughter. "Ah, exaggeration, surely."
<Erin> "It may be something you have to see a portion of for yourself to really believe..."
<Yomi> "We've won against our natural predators some time ago, which allowed us to expand. Think about what you could achieve, if you didn't have to contend with wraiths and the natural dangers here."
<Brunilda> "Grish said that the fields of Eridu provide a massive bounty to feed your other cities?" Brunilda asks. "Imagine if every inch of your caverns possessed that same bounty."
<El-Cideon> "Ah, well, we are in the process of expunging the corrupted and have largely done so throughout the empire. One day, they will be no more. No more obstacles to our continued prosperity." To Brunilda: "Yes, this is Ishtar's promise, and as long as we are faithful it will be so in time."
* Yomi nods at Munn's words. "We could help you with that, I think."
<El-Cideon> ~