The sylvan library

[Iron Dragoon]

Alyssa shrugs.

"Easiest way. If they're part of the Court in some way, or they have a patron in the Court, hurting them out of hand would likely reflect poorly. After those tree... brothers... I began to assume everything here would be hostile and their wind seemed a straightforward attack. I was wrong, and mistakes should be accepted and corrected."

[Anastasia]

"Mm." Jarem murmurs as the tree prances about, chanting strange words. Emily and Ianvasah watch, while Jarem goes on. "Granted, but if you can also use that to your advantage, you'd be foolish not to."

[Iron Dragoon]

"Of course. It shows that while I have faults, I'm reasonable and willing to take responsibility and to make recompense. It shows responsibility and humility. But none of that changes the fact that the mistake was mine, and mine to rectify."

[Anastasia]

A long breath out at that, "Good." With a sidelong look to you, "I hate having to beat that into some cocky up and comer who is too arrogant or short sighted to see that."

[Iron Dragoon]

Alyssa puts a hand to her cheek.

"Oh my, it seems a certain someone has failed to be observant enough of me to learn my personality yet. Could it be he was distracted by his chasing of women to learn enough about those he works with? Perhaps a temporary ban in all the taverns and a warning lecture to all the young maidens on the islands might be in order. Purely to help give him enough free time and focus to amend this failing."

Alyssa sighs, "And to even consider having to beat something into such a delicate young woman as myself, how barbaric. Truly a lecture on the nature you've revealed might be in order."

[Anastasia]

Jarem's reply is a big grin. He takes your hand in his own and brings it up to his lips, kissing it. "Then I ask a thousand pardons, my lady. I meant no disrespect."

[Iron Dragoon]

"Well, I'll just have to have a more trustworthy cleric cleanse that now. Who knows what you're carrying. But yes, I suppose I shall forgive you, for the time being. Though I might leave the lecture to Lorathana and Ianvasah..."

[Anastasia]

As Ianvasah watches the dancing tree, Jarem shakes his head. "I think they're too busy watching the tree, or at least Ianvasah is."

[Iron Dragoon]

"I think I could convenience them to make time. But yes, that's quite an... unusual... divination ritual."

[Anastasia]

"That's not so bad," Jarem says, "I once met a seer who used chicken guts and cow guts to divine. That's one thing, the other is that she did it by twirling the intestines together like ribbons." A half smile is on his face, "It was a pretty good prediction, though."

[Iron Dragoon]

"Yech. Prediction of what? A mess? Still... I wanted to consult you about something from a battlefield point of view. Lord Melweather's unique ability is a great field of invisible scrying eyes. The perception from them seems not to cause him any undue stress, aside from not liking it. I've been toying with the idea of trying to replicate it for myself. I think if I could augment it with some better perception abilities, it'd make for a powerful advantage."

[Anastasia]

"Powerful, but you'd need magic beyond mortal limits for certain." Jarem says, "At least for any sort of range, and handling the many points of view would require fantastic concentration." He shakes his head a little bit, "Think you can actually replicate it?"

[Iron Dragoon]

"... Maybe. I'd have to know more about it, first."

[Anastasia]

"Done!" The tree calls at that, "I know what it is! It's all about the blood, of course!"

"Do tell," Emily says, clapping, "I want to know!"

"It's about the blood. Did you know that your blood contains who you are, and who all your ancestors were? When a man and a woman come together, the man's seed carries this information and joins with the mother's information as the baby grows inside of her. It's why blood is so powerful for divinations, scrying and reagents. It has so much information about a person, if you know how to understand it."

Emily nods, "And if you combine that with how souls are made?"

"Right again!" The tree agrees, "It's all very complicated, I'm surprised you know about it, young lady. But in this case it's all about his blood, his heritage. His parents each have a distant, forgotten ancestor that was not human. In this case, I believe it to be a spirit of order and a spirit of chaos. Meaningless with the blood so far diluted by the generations, but something happened to empower the blood and cause this."

[Iron Dragoon]

"Hmm... Is there a way to find out what the ancestors were and a way to control it? Or replicate it?"