Seaside

[Morty]

[Hiep's Cove]

The house seems, to Verity's senses, small and comfy. Hiep will lead her to take a seat in an armchair. She then looks at the crystal.

"My soul was that beautiful, huh? And this will help you remember me?"

[Halae]

[Hiep's Cove]

"It's a memory, crystallized and saved for later, and then placed under wards to keep it stable and reinforced. Assuming I'm correct, a reminder will let me remember all the details of past interactions, so long as I actually process what's been edited. The structure of your soul is unmistakable, a work of art. As long as I remember what I saw that first time... well. You should be able to view the memory as well, if you like."

The necromancer offers the crystal up to the sidereal.

[TeChameleon]

[Under the Sea]

"An island crab, eh? I think I'd like to see that some day." Eddie said, continuing to work. "Mind you, on my world it tends to be giant turtles that are mistaken for islands- lazy buggers sleep for a decade or two, long enough that they have trees and vegetation growing on them. Don't ask me how that works. And then they get all huffy if somebody starts cutting down the trees or lighting fires on their shells and head for the seabottom, usually drowning any poor sods that park on top of them and sometimes even dragging their entire ship down."

Another container was yanked open. "Granted, that doesn't happen so much these days, with ships having radar and sonar and whatnot, carrying enough supplies to do the whole voyage in one go, and the world being well-mapped enough that temporary islands are a lot more obvious."

"So what else have you encountered in the deeps? I haven't done a lot of ocean work, so a great deal of this is new to me, and I'm interested."

[Earl of Purple]

Under the Sea

"Not much t' see now. Wait till it do migrate again, in... dunno. Not soon, though." Since right now it's just a small island filter-feeding from the action of the tides. "Lost cities, though I tried avoidin' 'em. Stuff moves in, merfolk an' such, an' they didn't always liked me. Sleepin' kraken. Spent a week'r so down too deep f'r sunlight, most the fish glowed. An illithid city sealed behind a glass dome. Had t' fight off enslaved merfolk wi' that, so I smashed th' dome. A 'ermit crab that did have half a ship f'r its shell, no idea what it woulda used wi'out a wreck." Frigate's seen quite a lot, as it happens. "Less now I've been in th' Nexus, though. I ain't fallen off a ship once since I first climbed out th' sea." This is really only the second job he's gotten that required naval expertise.

The last container on the seafloor at one point contained amphorae; unfortunately, given the rough journey and the fact it landed upside down, most are broken. "Th' sarcophagus ain't here. This one's got some chain in it, we c'n use that t' wrap around yer waist an' I can lower ye into th' chasm, so's I can pull ye an' it back up again. I be too wide an' inflexible t' be a good choice fer lowerin' down."

There is another option, but Earl is assuming Eddie looked in that container before he threw it several kilometers away.

[Morty]

[Hiep's Cove]

"I can't say I've ever heard of its being attempted, but your magic is different from anything back home." Hiep catches herself trying not to hope. Obviously it's not something anyone else can use... but any person who can remember her is a welcome gift. She reaches out to take the crystal. "So I really hope it works."

[TeChameleon]

[Under the Sea]

"Ah, too bad about the island crab." Eddie said. "Your world sounds fascinating, though- if you ever find a way back there, I'd love to visit it. There are always wonders to see and dangers to brave. And good for you taking out a city of slavers."

Eddie's voice was harsh. It might be an odd point of view for a golem, but he held slavers in very low esteem, and had he known about the illithid slavery being done by mind-control, he would have gotten downright angry.

When the last container was found to not contain what they needed, he waved a hand at Frigate's suggestion. "No need," he started to say, stepping over the lip of the chasm and simply walking a few steps down the wall, apparently indifferent to the 90 degree angle. Then he stopped, turned, and came back up.

"Oh. Right. Need to get the sarcophagus back out, and it's heavier than I can carry up a wall. I can just take the chain down, though, and come back up to aid with the hauling." Eddie said. He didn't bother adding that he would be more comfortable keeping his feet on the rock because of the way his abilities worked... and also he wasn't eager to dangle down a sea chasm like a worm on a hook.

The now-distant container hadn't held anything more interesting than bicycles- Eddie had, indeed, checked it before he threw it.

[Earl of Purple]

Under the Sea

Golems are very close to slaves, in some respects. It's one reason why Pontius doesn't deal in intelligent constructs; he wants to keep them firmly in the 'tool' position without accusations of them falling over the line into 'slave'.

"I c'n take ye t' see th' crab anyways, if'n ye'd like. I know where it be moved to now." It's just... not really doing anything and it's hard to tell it's a crab.

The underwater canyon is deep, and dark, and narrows significantly. Some of the containers have wedged across at strange angles, though Eddie can confirm they're ones he or Frigate already searched. There's some kuo-toa as well, mostly swimming around and working on salvaging the shipping containers, emptying them of basically everything and carrying it into caves dotting the walls. The fishfolk seem unconcerned about the darkness, no matter how large they are- and some are pretty small, probably children.

At the bottom of the chasm, two kuo-toa whips are waiting, each armed with their unusual mancatchers. There's a single container down here, and they gesture at Eddie, trying to direct him into a cave. It's a pretty odd cave; there's something inside that's glowing, and oddly enough it looks mostly dry- an air bubble magically anchored in the cave's entrance preventing the water flowing in and flooding it.

[TeChameleon]

[Under the Sea]

"I would like to see the island crab," Eddie said, "although it will have to wait for a time when I have gathered enough supplies for a longer journey; right now I simply don't have enough magic to nourish myself for that long, and would go dormant."

Eddie walked down the chasm wall, his brilliant eyelights stabbing out into the dark of the deep water, two spots like searchlights tracking his gaze whenever it fell on something close enough. The chain trailed behind him as he towed it, looking for the right container to hook it to.

When he found the fishfolk trying to direct him to a cave, he tugged twice on the chain, paused, then tugged twice again, paused once more, and did a final two tugs. The two constructs hadn't really agreed on signals, but the little golem hadn't really expected to be down here very long, and so hadn't seen the need. Hopefully the very deliberate pulls on the chain would indicate that he was still alright, but he wasn't sure how to communicate anything beyond that.

Then he let the chain go slack and walked down the wall until he was directly above the cave opening. Releasing his grip, he dropped down, somersaulting to land on his feet inside the bubble, minimizing the time he was in contact with the spell and hopefully not absorbing enough to disrupt it. It would be an infintesimally small amount, probably less than was being lost to cause the glow, but you never really knew with magic; some long-term enchantments were so delicately balanced that any unexpected alteration to the mana flow would cause problems.

Eddie's eye-lights are providing illumination out to about fifteen metres. If the cave goes deeper than that, he won't be able to see the end immediately; in any case, he'll be looking about, moving forwards if appropriate.

[Earl of Purple]

Under the Sea

Fortunately, that's in the Nexus, and potentially even nearby- its passage five years ago devastated this part of the sea, so it may be around.

Frigate tugs once back, to let Eddie know he's still there. Eddie passes through the bubble and it doesn't react; although now he's in the dry (and he truly is dry; no water passed through the bubble) he can see the glow isn't coming from the bubble-spell; there's some crystals beyond that are glowing, lighting the cave slightly. There's also a glow of fire from nearby, and several kuo-toa are here as well. They're sorting through the things they've salvaged, and they've dragged the sharks and sahuagin corpses through here as well. The sharks are being butchered, for their hides, meat and teeth. One of the whips follows Eddie through, taking a deep breath. "Our gills do not provide the ability to speak airbreather whilst submerged. We thank you for helping us, with the surfacer boxes and the sahuagin, but there is a question our high priest wants answered. Why are you, and your bulky companion, here?"

[TeChameleon]

[Under the Sea]

Thankfully the way that Eddie had entered left the water able to exit his nose and mouth as he dropped through the bubble, otherwise he might have been left hanging in place as the water inside him was blocked. He didn't breathe, but he still took in air (or water, or whatever) in order to vibrate it for speech.

The little golem made an odd rattling, almost gasping noise in return to the kuo toa's statement... although there isn't the slightest trace of discomfort, or even any real change of expression, on his face. Once he had cycled some air through his pseudo-lungs, he simply shrugged.

"We were hired by a land-dweller to retrieve a stone sarcophagus that sank in this shipment- the collection of boxes here- and I had hoped to collect any lost magical objects. However, your tribe has laid claim to everything already, thus by the laws of my people I have no right to the magic and will make no attempts to take it. I am hoping that you are willing to allow us to take the sarcophagus, as to the best of my knowledge, it has no inherent value, but is rather an historical curiousity."

Eddie didn't bring up any help given- in his mind, the help with the boxes was more a communication attempt than assistance, and took so little effort on his part that it hadn't occurred to him to do it differently, and defending them against the aggressive shark-men was what any person who was able to do so would have done, and thus wasn't even worth mentioning.

[Earl of Purple]

Under the Sea

Internal water is unaffected; otherwise the kuo-toa wouldn't be able to get in and out at all. Still might mean Eddie has to cough some up to talk, though.

"I don't know this word, 'sarcophagus'. I shall ensure the stone is arranged, you can have any of it you wish. Stone is something we have in abundance. And, for killing the sahuagin leader- which may well have been outside my capabilities- we shall give you some magic, as well. We would have buried it, as it is painful magic, but you taking it with you is even better." The kuo-toa clicks and whistles, to which the other fish-people start arranging all the stonework. It takes them a bit of time; the sarcophagus is there, the largest and heaviest piece of stone, a yellowish quartzite box with a lid of red granite painted yellow to match the stone beneath.

Another kuo-toa has returned with the 'painful magic', something glowing that's been wrapped in several layers of cloth to reduce the intensity of the light.

[TeChameleon]

[Under the Sea]

Eddie inclined his head to the kuo-toa whip, a shallow bow that was the precise angle for a minor nobleman meeting a mid-ranking cleric, at least in Tudor England- he had no idea what actual rank the whip held, but subconsciously erred on the side of generosity.

"I thank you for your kindness." he said simply.

Once the stone has been gathered, he quickly moves to the sarcophagus, giving it a careful visual examination for cracking or damage that might affect how it is moved. Satisfied, he nodded to the fishman.

"This is the item we need." he said, indicating the sarcophagus. Taking the glowing item when it was offered, he unwrapped it slightly to tie the cloth around himself as a makeshift sling. Then he picked up the sarcophagus, balancing it carefully as his connection to the Earth's magical field spread through the giant stone box, helping support it and hold it together.

And he walked out of the cave and wedged himself carefully through the narrow chasm, manoeuvring the sarcophagus carefully, thankful that his small bit of magic helped make it a bit more durable. And helped keep the lid on so that he didn't have to worry about that, as well.

Quickly reaching the point where the chain hung, he set the sarcophagus down carefully and jogged rapidly up the wall.

Appearing at the top in a swirl of buffeting water, he turned to Frigate.

"I've set the sarcophagus down just below us; I'm planning to attach the chain, then help guide it on the way up as you haul it. I won't be able to bear much of the weight at all, is that alright with you?" Eddie asked.

If Frigate answered in the affirmative, Eddie would go do exactly that so that the pair of them could bring the stone box back up to the level the containers had originally been on.

[Earl of Purple]

Under the Sea

The kuo-toa shrink away from the stone as more light emerges from its partial unwrapping, clearly uncomfortable with the bright light. It's not emitting heat, just light, and as a people who seem to be fully amphibious yet prefer dwelling in caves and at the bottom of the ocean, that probably explains why it's 'painful' to them.

"Aye, that be fine." Frigate's strong, and experienced at hauling chains; he's often had to haul an anchor up from the seabed. Their efforts attract attention from the kuo-toa, but besides watching none interfere. The chain is plenty strong enough to support the weight, especially if Eddie is beneath to offer help from below the sarcophagus (although that's not needed).

Once they've brought it up, Frigate will turn to Eddie. "Yep, this be th' sarcophagus we be after. If'n ye lead us ashore, I c'n carry it." Since Frigate is hopelessly lost right now, but still wants to be useful.

[TeChameleon]

[Under the Sea]

Eddie very carefully set the corner of the sarcophagus back down as unobtrusively as he could. He had just been about to hoist the thing when Frigate spoke.

"That could work." he said. He fished the map out of his shorts and glanced at it, confirming what he already knew. Tucking the plasticized map away, he pointed confidently.

"That's the way we came." he said. He set off once Frigate was ready, and as he walked, he unwrapped the glowing object he had gotten from the kuo-toa, curious to get a look at it.

[Halae]

[Hiep's Cove]

"I can't say I've ever heard of its being attempted, but your magic is different from anything back home." Hiep catches herself trying not to hope. Obviously it's not something anyone else can use... but any person who can remember her is a welcome gift. She reaches out to take the crystal. "So I really hope it works."

[Hiep's Cove]

Touching the crystal brings Verity's own memory to mind, the beautiful tapestry of Hiep's soul, brilliant and shining with divine power. It's a little hard to parse, as Verity's thought process is so different due to her experience with this sort of magic that it kind of hurts the brain, but all the same, that's her, unmistakably, and in a way that can't be replicated. Such a pure expression of self is a rarity.

Hiep may, in fact, gain some measure of enlightenment from this. She's likely never seen her soul and the way it flows, like in the memory, or at least not externally. Felt it, yes, but to have an accurate representation of the soul like this is damned rare. If Hiep is on the ball, she may recognize that Verity could help her advance her power as an exalt relatively quickly because of this, but for now the warded crystal memory does, in fact, carry the feelings and intentions of her relationship to the Sidereal. A raw reminder of who, what, and why.

[Morty]

[Hiep's Cove]

Once, there were…
...shadows in the window.
...footsteps at the gates of life.
...whispering at the door:
“Should I live or die? Am I living or dead?”

“To know the world is to choose it,” says the Void.

There is no maiden in the Scripture of Absence because it reflects how the Sidereal Exalted vanished from the world's eyes. Hiep can almost feel the arcane fate inexorably press down on this crystalized memory, but it's forgotten as she stares, transfixed, at the image of her soul. It's an irreplaceable miracle passed down from one Sidereal to the next, since a time long ago when the Maidens of Fate gave of themselves to raise up champions.

"It's beautiful," she admits. "Is it really how you saw me when I dropped my disguise?"

[Halae]

[Hiep's Cove]

Verity nods, her eyes closed with a smile on her lips, "It is. I've spent a very long time on learning how to see the structure of souls, and I've never seen anything so pure and divine. Even the one half-ascended man from my world I saw wasn't anything like this."

[Morty]

[Hiep's Cove]

"Exaltations are... unique." Hiep is still transfixed by the sight before her. "I don't really understand them myself. Not sure if anyone does anymore. But Mercury, the Maiden of Journeys, gave up a part of herself to create it. Others carried it before me and others will once I'm dead."

[Earl of Purple]

Under the Sea

"Wait till we be a mile yonder. That be glowin'; we be poor guests if'n we unwrap it here an' attract a beast from th' depths, we'll be leavin' it upon yon fish-men's doorstep." Frigate will try to stop Eddie from opening the parcel immediately, though he won't actually do anything- just say what he's said.

Regardless of if they wait or not, unwrapping the gift reveals it to be a large piece of cryolite, hard to see as its physical properties means it refracts light in a similar way to water. It's carved into a sphere, and enchanted to glow, giving off magical daylight. It's very bright, far brighter than the pre-existing lights of the deeps; Frigate's glowing eye and those of Eddie, if they glow.

[TeChameleon]

[Under the Sea]

As soon as Eddie heard what Frigate had to say, he quickly... and a bit sheepishly... re-wrapped the bundle until the pair were a good distance from the kuo-toa's crevasse.

The little golem's eyes are, in fact, glowing, and glowing extremely brightly, to the point that they're throwing twin cones of light like high-powered car headlights. Even so, the lights dimmed in comparison to the daytime brightness of the sphere.

Eddie gave the sphere a slightly dubious look. "Why would anyone need something this bright? It's too bright to be useful indoors. I mean, I guess you could use it for a searchlight or something, but... vampire deterrent, maybe? No idea."

[Earl of Purple]

Under the Sea

"T' mark a sun temple, or t' provide light fer a lighthouse 'r navigational beacon. Mayhaps sommat odder; unnerground farms, mebbe, where there be no natural sun." Sun temples rarely need an excuse to show off, and a lighthouse marking an oceanic hazard- cliffs, small islets, or migratory sandbars- would be both useful and explain how it came to rest beneath the seas.

Whilst the cryolite is unwrapped and giving off its light, something- as Frigate warned- sees the light and moves closer. An immense crustacean, twenty metres long, rising up from where it lurked in a shattered ruin and carefully gliding closer. The opee sea killer silently glides through the sea, eyes fastened upon the glowing rock in Eddie's hands, and will suddenly attack by lashing out with its long, gooey tongue to try snaring the little golem and wrenching him up and into its vast maw with its double row of teeth.

[TeChameleon]

[Under the Sea]

"See, this is why I'm glad you're here; I'm not much for oceangoing, and it helps to have someone explain thi..."

The sentence was cut off as the little golem was yanked right off the seabed- 350 kilos really wasn't enough to resist a crab that size. Eddie kept a careful grip on the cryolite light, as, if he got stuck in the crab's digestive tract for too long, he'd need everything he could get to not go dormant.

Teeth crashed down on Eddie... and shattered. Even weakened by being cut off from the ground, he was still absurdly durable. Crab chitin wasn't much of a match for enchanted granite.

Cradling the daylight orb as delicately as he could with one arm, Eddie lashed out with his other limbs, doing his best to wedge himself between some teeth well enough to allow him to kick free of the tongue that was still trying to drag him down the huge crab's gullet. If he could get clear of the tongue, he'd smash teeth until he could drop clear, angling to get under the crab on the drop so that it couldn't snare him with its tongue again quite as easily.

[quillpleasant]

Boy and Dog

A weird little building has appeared on the beach somewhere. There's a town not too far from here, so a beachside shop wouldn't be too strange a sight- harvesting all the fanciest shells to sell to tourists is a surprisingly lucrative endeavor. However, this isn't a shop- this is a Theatre.

Stepping out the door is a blonde boy dressed in dark baggy clothes, hot on the heels of a robed dog. Darko starts in surprise as he takes in their surroundings.

"Wow, I haven't been to the beach in forever! I didn't even know the Theatre could do this." He hasn't been to the sea since... well, not for a very long time.

And although he'd love to run down into the deep blue waters, he's here on super important business. "Okay Mister Terekhov, where to?" he asks, rubbing his hands together.

[Earl of Purple]

Under the Sea

After crunching down on Eddie a few times, the gooberfish spits the golem out and turns, swivelling one of its large eyes to look at the golem that proved so inedible. It's glaring and unhappy, but it doesn't seem especially intelligent.

"I be not knowin' what it be. Ye want I t' try shootin' it? Me last bolt did nothin'." Frigate's reloading his arbalest, which... probably won't be able to kill the monster. Perhaps if he got it in the eye, it might do some damage, but then again, perhaps it won't.

[[brackets lover]]

[Boy and Dog]

Jon is similarly disoriented by the sudden change in his surroundings, having to run about rapidly and sniff everything for a bit before he gets adjusted.

Accepting that the Theatre has worked its magic, Jon realizes that he's already at his vague destination, but unsure where in Seaside precisely he was. Thus, he would lead Darko onward along the shore, looking for that village where he met Lenny.

[TeChameleon]

[Under the Sea]

Eddie quickly re-wrapped the sun orb tightly and slung it over his back again, leaving the scene once again lit only by his eye-beams and Frigate's light.

"I'm wondering if it will leave us alone once it realizes we're not edible. I don't like just killing monsters at random- did that a bit when I was younger, getting rid of 'dangerous beasts' pro bono whenever I ran across them... problem was, even giant monsters have to have some kind of ecological niche, and... well, that kingdom was pretty unhappy when that year's crops were eaten down to the ground by the herbivores the giant monsters usually ate. Only thing that saved the kingdom from starvation was the fact that some of the monsters turned out to be a major delicacy in one of the neighbouring regions, and they were able to make a lot of money very quickly, then buy food." Eddie said, making a face.

"... of course, if it does come after us again, I do have a couple of ideas. But you wouldn't think something this big would get all bent out of shape chasing down what's not even a snack for it."

And with that, Eddie waited. If the gooberfish decided to come after him, he'd try to dodge, while keeping its attention on him by flashing his eyebeams at its eyes.

[Earl of Purple]

Under the Sea

The Naboo sea-predator, after a quick inspection of the construct pair, decides to find something a bit more edible and slowly drifts off. It's lazily moving its fins, not travelling very fast, since it is primarily an ambush predator and there's nothing here worth eating.

"I been aboard vessels attacked by similar beasts, though this'n be a variety I be unfamiliar with. A sea serpent killed by a broadside, a leviathan driven off wi'out bein' killed an' a kraken that dragged me vessel under afore chompin' the whole wreck down." Frigate watches the opee sea killer swim off, before swinging the arbalest back over his shoulder and picking up the sarcophagus once more.

[quillpleasant]

Boy and Dog

Darko happily follows along behind Jon, kicking off his shoes as he goes to walk barefoot through the sand. This place is great! He wonders just how far away it is from PREP, in case he ever wants to come here without taking the Theatre. He hopes it's close- there's something about the crashing of waves that's just very peaceful.

But as they go, the beach becomes less picture perfect- unidentifiable sea blobs and remnants of algal scum litter the place. Darko wrinkles his nose at the stink of salt and decaying fish. Of course, to Jon's more advanced nose the smell is more interesting than bad, carrying with it a whole host of information. Dogs have it good like that.

And amongst the more pungent odors, a familiar one- a musky animal smell with a hint of iron.

Cresting a small sand dune, Jon will see a makeshift tent set up on the edge of the sand, underneath a stony outcropping. Some driftwood has been lashed together in a vague triangle before being draped with sea-rotted canvas, making a shabby but serviceable protection from the elements. The remnants of a cooking fire smolder in front of it, with small, picked clean bones scattered in the sand.

And curled up asleep by the fire is Lenny. His suit jacket is bunched up to use as a pillow, and his matter black hair sticks up wildly. He seems to be dreaming, his legs twitching slightly as if he's running.

Coming to a halt alongside Jon, Darko takes in the scene with some trepidation. "Oh... is this your master? Or did you just want to show me a homeless guy?" There's something about this individual that doesn't sit right with him- and not just because of the smell.

[TeChameleon]

[Under the Sea]

"Ah." said Eddie after a moment. "I can see how you wouldn't like sea monsters very much after that."

He oriented himself briefly, then gestured in the direction they needed to go, starting to walk in that direction. If Frigate didn't follow him, he'd stop, but otherwise the little golem would resume heading for shore.

"You know, I've always sort of wondered what the sea monsters thought ships were when they attacked them. Even in my reading, I've never really come across any prey animals that a predator could mistake a ship for. Of course, like I said, I don't have much direct experience with the sea, so there's a lot I simply don't know. If you think that big... whatever it was needs to die for the safety of others, I'll trust your judgement- I'm pretty sure I can catch it at the speed it was moving at."

[Earl of Purple]

Under the Sea

"Nay. Ye be right 'bout unintended consequences, and besides, of three vessels what been attacked, one were destroyed. An' the ships here be ironclads an' steamers, quicker 'n faster 'n what I be used to. At that speed, I be doubtin' it be much of a threat." Frigate follows along as Eddie gets moving again. "Don't need t' think it be prey. Just need t' think it be competition, fer food or space. Th' sea serpent did a threat display afore th' cap'n ordered a broadside. Th' kraken were able t' eat wood, though I dunno if'n it could digest th' stuff." Having a massive sea serpent writhing alongside your ship before raising its head as high as it could and gaping its mouth as wide as it could is certainly intimidating, and the captain was terrified.