soulping | daisy

daisy

[Daisy struggles against the shadow's influence, but eventually it comes to a standstill. Abruptly, the shadow laughs, a howling evil cackle, and turns tail to run right into one of the mirrors. A cloud of darkness surrounds the mirror, and you can hear echoes of the shadow's laughter. An aura of power surges from it, and you can imagine a battle going on inside. If the shadow isn't subdued quickly enough, it may destroy Daisy completely.

If you decide to jump through the mirror, you will find yourself somewhere else...]

(( chan is #abicyclebuiltfortwo ))

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...

[Marigold pats his uniform down, futilely hoping he brought a snack along and forgot about it. No luck there.]

"I only have my own flesh and blood to offer."

[he's not enthusiastic about forking over too much of that, though.]

I will eat that, yes. Yes, yes.

[Well. Okay then. This may suck a bit, but he's already here and that lady clearly needed all the help she can get...

Since apparently blood can just seep right into this book, Marigold pulls back his sleeve. Then he uses the tip of the quill to slice open a cut across the back of his hand and let it bleed onto the book. This happens with a lot of pausing and wincing in between because he's not as cool as some of the people here.]

[Your blood drips down into the book, and it seems to surge with power. The writing grows larger on the page, writing the word "yes" over and over and over. The pages begin to turn at a more normal pace, allowing you to look through the book if you wish.]

[ooookay. Glad you're happy.

Marigold holds his other hand over that cut to try and stop the bleeding as he does look through the book.]

[You flip through the other pages of the book. There are a lot of pictures in this book, with very few words. You don't see scenes or memories, but you feel... impressions. You feel someone studying as hard as they can, reading and writing and reciting, day after day after day. Frantically memorizing history, trying to remember everything you can, using your native tongue as much as you can, because if you don't, then you're just throwing your culture away. You hear an angry voice, it spits at you, "Ma banal las halamshir var vhen!" (You do nothing to further our people.) You've heard it from your clansmen, from your friends, from the people you've fought for, the people you've worked so hard for, time and time again. They don't understand. They don't even try to understand. And then... you feel a sharp prick of anger, of snarling fury, as you vow to show them all what you're capable of. They'll see what you can do. They'll never underestimate you again. You'll show them what one elf is capable of. They'll regret ever scorning you. You want them to regret. You want them to feel guilt. You want them to fear. You want them to hurt.

The torrent of rage and bitterness quickly subsides, and the impression fades into memory, into nothingness. The pages flip back to the blank page. This is most likely the core of the shadow's power in here.]

[O h...

That felt weird. Those weren't his feelings, right? Right. Anyway. Apparently this is The Thing, or so he thinks, but...]

Excuse me? Is there something I should do with this... thing?

[let's ask that Mysterious Voice before we go and do something extreme like ripping it up or whatever.]

["It is yours, now. You have found the core, and so it bends to your will."

The large tome's pages begin to flutter again, faster and faster, until the book closes with an abrupt SLAM. The front cover is worn leather that was once quite fine. Intricate symbols are carved into it, some that have faded with (age?use?stains?). The title reads: Vir Solas. The whisper in the back of your mind repeats it, and you understand--The Way of Pride. Its power is now contained.

The tome then seems to shrink in size, and you find yourself drawn to the magical power it gives off.]

[Stares as it gets all energetic again. Jumps as it slams shut. Continues staring as it does more things books shouldn't do.

...Rrrreaches out to take it with his uninjured hand?]

[You have obtained +20 magic spellbook. You may use this to cast offensive spells only.

The darkness tendrils around the Eluvian seem to flicker and reach towards you once you pick it up.]

[this sudden understanding of... stuff is not how he thought magic or anything at all worked, but what does he know? he's an amnesiac.

He'll go check out the shadowy Eluvian.]

[The darkness tendrils seem to want to leap out at you, drawn to the magic power from the book.]

[That doesn't look very inviting. He'll just hold the book close and go to check out the shelves instead.]

[None of the books on the bookshelves are labeled. Well, technically they are. You can see faded gold lettering on the spines of the books, but they're far too long gone now for you to be able to tell what they say.

The books don't seem to be arranged in any particular order or size. The ones that don't fit in the normal shelving are shoved haphazardly in the nooks and crannies above each shelf.]

[What if he just picks a random one off the shelf for a look?]

[That's easily done.

You open a book, and start reading. Most of the words mean very little to you--sometimes literally; while all the books are written in Elvhen, your mind-interpreter doesn't bother translating everything. Most of what you can catch has to do with Elven history. One passage catches your eye, however:

"The human world was changing even as the elves slept. Clans and tribes gave way to a powerful empire called Tevinter, which--and for what reason we do not know--moved to conquer Elvhenan. When they breached the great city of Arlathan, our people, fearful of disease and loss of immortality, chose to flee rather than fight. With magic, demons, and even dragons at their behest, the Tevinter Imperium marched easily through Arlathan, destroying homes and galleries and amphitheaters that had stood for ages. Our people were corralled as slaves, and human contact quickened their veins until every captured elf turned mortal. The elves called to their ancient gods, but there was no answer."

There is something written in the margins, a scribble in a dark red ink: i will not forget my history, will not forget my peoples' plight, will not forget what we have suffered. and i will not forget that despite everything, we have endured, and that the world is no longer what it once was]

[well that's sad.

He'll put that book back and... look around the room. Uhh. What if he brandishes a candelabra at the mirror shadows?]

[Your fingers feel oddly cold as you put the book away. In fact, the candelabra's flame seems to shy away from you when you pick it up.

The candle itself doesn't do much against the shadows, however.]

[goodness, that's odd. He puts the candelabra back before it goes out.

Come to think of it, he vaguely knows what the spellbook he's holding does, but he hasn't actually opened it since it... changed. Let's do that.]

[The spellbook has... spells! Surprise! Pages upon pages of instructions on how to cast various spells. Each one has a maximum amount of casting times: you can cast a single spell up to three times before it needs to recharge.

You can search for a spell in particular, or you can even try to come up with your own and use the spellbook's magic power to harness it.]

[Gasp!!

Okay, but this is all really ????. He'll take the book's word for it, though. Marigold will look for... something related to light or warmth? He doesn't like those shadows and wants to chase them away somehow...]

[There are a multitude of fire spells. Fireballs and fire sprays and firestorms, oh my.]

[

THIS ALL SOUNDS REALLY DANGEROUS. But eh, oh well. Surely mirrors aren't flammable, assuming this stuff even works as he's imagining it will. Can he "gently" spray the shadowy one with fire?]

[haha "gently"

You shoot a fireball at the mirror and the darkness tendrils go up in flames, almost shrieking as they turn to ash.

The reflection on the Eluvian shimmers. Your way is clear.]

[whAT THE

...

okay, well, at least that seems to have worked. he looks both ways, decides to pretend he's done nothing, and moves along to the freshly de-shadowed mirror.]

Edited 2015-12-30 01:56 (UTC)

Re: THE LIBRARY

soulping - 2015-12-30 02:01 (UTC) - Expand

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