Unexpected Results
Log Info
- Title: Unexpected Results
- Place: A15: Mithralla Merchandise
- Summary: Rune takes shelter in Mithralla Merchandise to escape the rain, and meets with Mikilos. The mage uses some remarkable magic to find information on her necklace, yielding some unexpected results.
A light rain falls from a grey sky. It's cool and there's a mild wind from the east. The shop windows are closed, but the door is propped open. Mikilos lounges behind the counter, carefully polishing a greatsword nearly as tall as he is, the decorative curves in the flame`burg needed careful attention.
Once again, it seems that Rune has been caught out in the rain. Thankfully, it isn't pouring like the last time, but in her attempts to get out of the damp weather, the rogue just so happens to find herself in the doorway of a particular shop. One that she hasn't frequented before. The rain is enough reason for her to decide to take a peek inside.
Drawing her hood back, the half-sil steps inside, shaking off a bit of the rain at the entrance before letting out a low whistle as she looks around. She is used to Alaryn's small, mobile shop, and this is something else entirely.
At first, she ends up looking at the maps of celestial bodies and the guides to planes, some measure of fascination on her face, "Huh... I wonder if there's anything on the Fey realm..." She murmurs to herself. Then, she gives a quick glance to the somewhat familiar face behind the counter. Realizing she'd just talked to herself in front of someone quite so important, "Uh... just, getting out of the rain." Her freckled cheeks redden somewhat.
Mikilos smiles and nods, his attention divided between the curving blade an the new arrival. "You're perfectly welcome to browse, though I fear the rain may last for a while. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. You mentioned something about Fey?"
Standing upright, the tall elf sets aside the rag and polish, covering the blade on the counter with a thin cloth and turning the whole of his attention to Rune.
There is a momentary look of curiousity towards the curved blade, head tilted to get a brief glance before it is covered up again. Then, with a sheepish expression, Rune rubs at the back of her neck, "I just saw your maps of the realms." She explains, motioning to them, "I recently had a trip to the Fey Realm. Quelynos is... I think what cor'lana called it."
There is a bit of hesitation there, as if Rune weren't quite sure if she should speak further on the matter. Then again, if anyone might have knowledge of other realms and the beings within them, it would likely be this man.
"You were at the Celebration recently." Rune had been the woman who'd asked question that had not been answered. The one in which the priestess passed out in conveying some message from some other force. "Apparently... I have some ties to a Fey being. One that wants me to meet them on Golden Sands."
Mikilos nods, frowning mildly. "A locket from your mother, if I recall correctly? Have you ideas as to what happened at the Celebration? I have some thoughts, but lack context to the situation. Also it would be more accurate to call Quelynos one of the many fey realms. They are, in many ways, infinate and chaotically diverse. Some parts are quite different than wherever exactly you visited. And of course other parts are very similar. One of the troubles with infinity, it gets repititious."
As if to answer his question, Rune reaches beneath her clothing and pulls out a necklace with a strange device on the end. It's about the size of a large locket, but there seem to be various pieces that keep it shut. Two of these appear to be loose, having been unlocked at some point or another. "My mother gave it to me when she passed. I've had some luck in getting two parts open but... I've been stuck on the last two." She explains.
When he asks for context, Rune's lip quirks slightly, "I can tell you about as much as I know. Apparently my mother was connected to some sort of Fey being called the Golden Fate. Telamon believes that she may be some sort of entity connected with fate and destiny." She raises her shoulders in an almost helpless shrug. "That's as much as I know. And all of that came after the Celebration. I can only assume that whatever spoke through the Priestess may have very well been that entity."
Mikilos nods thoughtfully. "As the ritual and angel sought to speak with the departed, and were unable to find your mother, I would have to assume your mother is not dead. Resurected, suspended animation, are several possibilities. Unfortunatedly I am not familiar with an entity called Golden Fate. I have some texts that may help, but Fey names and titles are tricky things."
The wizard eyes the locket thoughtfully. "Have you tried magical opening? A 'Knock' spell?"
This is not the first time that Rune has heard someone come to that conclusion, but she shakes her head regardless. "She is very much dead. I was there when she passed." A shadow of that grief passes in her eyes. "The running theory on that is that perhaps her spirit is trapped somewhere, or just hasn't fully passed to the Halls." Again, she can only offer a shrug, one that causes a few rain droplets to fall off her cloak and onto the floor.
As he looks at the locket, Rune slips it off over her neck. "I'm about as magical as a copper coin, but we had a mage with us a couple of years ago when we traveled in Am'shere. He couldn't make headway with it." As she turns the device, it becomes clear that not everything is a physical lock. "This one had a key. This one required being in the right place and saying the right words." Rune explains. "So there's some sort of magic in it. What kind or who made it, I haven't a clue."
Mikilos smiles. "I've been dead twice myself. It's not always a perminate state. But I agree something happening to her spirit is the more likely situation. As for the remaining locks, I'd assume them to be a sort of puzzle, with more unlocking as you learn more. That is, of course, just a guess. But with your permission, there's a few spells I'd like to try. The first two I suspect will do nothing, a simple Open/Close cantrip you could likely learn yourself with a bit of dediacted study. 'Knock' is somewhat more advanced, but still simple enough. And Legend Lore, basically asking magic itself for rumors about something. With the locket present, the ritual would take roughly half an hour. It might provided some details, or might do nothing of interest."
"I've been dead once, myself, but I don't plan on repeating that if I can help it." So Rune is well aware that it is not permanent, "However, I do know where her body is interred and I know that they didn't make any attempts to ressurect her. She died from some strange illness the clerics couldn't find a cure for, so they didn't expect it would even work." It's obvious that Rune is no healer, herself. So she is simply trusting what she was told from long ago. "That was sixteen years ago."
As he asks about attempting various spells on the locket, Rune's brows furrow. "You give me far too much credit. I don't have a magical bone in my body, which is why I pay other people to enchant things for me." She seems vaguely amused by that, and then continues, "Trekis tried all the spells she knew to unlock things, but I don't know the exact names of the spells. If you think they'd be avaialble to a relatively inexperienced mage, then she probably already threw those at it at some point."
Mikilos nods. "Simple spells could be effective from a powerful caster, or more likely the clasps are in a specific order. Or most likely of all, you're correct and the minor spells will do nothing. Legend Lore is fairly powerful magics, and CAN take weeks to cast. But having the physical object in question physically present makes things go much faster." The wizard heads behind the counter agin, fussing about a few moments to gather materials. Mostly a clear bit of countertop to work with.
There is something to be said for a mage's enthusiasm and how much it resembles a kid on their birthday. Rune had certainly picked an interesting place to seek shelter from the rain.
"Um... as long as you don't damage it." Uncertainty lingers in her voice as she steps a bit closer, twirling the chain of the necklace around her fingers in an anxious gesture. "It's really all I have left of her, so it's more than a little important to me."
Even so, one can't hide forever, and from everything Rune has heard, Mikilos is supposed to be one of the most capable spellcasters in Alexandros.
Mikilos nods firmly. "There are other magics I could try, but they likely -would- cause damage. These, I would be most surprised if there is any sort of damage. So yes, I will be very careful."
The first two spells are cast in short order, a few geastures and some murmured words. Common enough in a world of magic.
Legend Loretakes a little more preperation, with four small blocks of ivory placed around the locket, and small cones of incense between them. The wisps of smoke curl and twist over the locket, not quite forming letters or images, but hinting that they might.
"This... will take a while." the wizard murmurs "Help yourself to tea or scones, under the window." Indeed, a small tray of refreshments waits for customers next to a couple chairs by the window.
The spell is something only Mikilos alone should see, as ordinarily, the results of a legend lore casting are given to the spellcaster who worked the magic and said the incantation. But when Mikilos casts his spell, there's the sound like the cutting of string--
And Rune feels cold all over again, like the touch of the grave that she knows so well. The world's gone dark for her--
No. There's golden hourglasses full of sand and golden threads between them, everywhere that she can look. It's like a gilded spider web that has no beginning and no end... until it does, and there in the dark, Rune can see someone. A tall, tall figure, shrouded underneath a dark veil that covers all but half of their face, black-painted lips on marble-white skin curved into a smile.
"We are still waiting."
It's a voice that Rune's heard before, that deep and feminine tone. Back at the celebration, unmistakably the voice that came out of Lady Amalta before she fainted and was caught by the Hearthguard. But the way her lips move don't match the words, like she said one thing but the sound came out a different way.
And then she holds out a marble-white hand, such a stark contrast to the darkness. Within it she holds an hourglass but the sands within it do not flow--both ends halfway full and yet, gravity has no meaning for the contents.
"It is up to you to finish the story."
And then the vision passes. The warmth is back. Mikilos's shop is here. Rune is alive.
And the necklace remains intact, like nothing happened, and for Mikilos, it's like nothing was gleaned at all from the spell.
It's hard not to be fascinated by the works of magic, especially as Rune lacks anything in the way of magical gifts, herself. However, there is also an anxious fidgeting that takes hold, likely from the fact that the necklace hadn't been parted from her since her mother's death, not even when she, herself, had been killed. It feels like having some piece of herself missing.
And then, there is a feeling as if she were suddenly falling. Cold that is achingly familiar. It had been part of her since the day she took her new breath into a second life, but this is bone deep.
Yet, this time she is not lost in darkness. Instead, Rune can see those therads of light. Her eyes follow the threads, follow them to the palid face that half greets her and the strange smile that seems inhuman. The words from her lips that don't match the movement, and a heart-deep ache that has her calling out, "I don't know where to go!" Her voice is pleading, the call of someone who has been searching for answers for so long and they still lie just beyond her reach.
The hourglass, the sands that do not move, it is something her friends had said as well. But where and how?
Then, it is gone. Rune stumbles back, dropping to her knees as if she were a doll who's strings had been cut. Her breathing is rough, eyes wide. "Finish the story... but how?" A tear runs down one of Rune's cheeks and she quickly wipes it away, as if angry at herself for that emotion seizing hold.
What a strange sight for Mikilos.
Mikilos frowns thoughtfully. The spell should tell him -something-, if only that the locket belongs to Rune. To get nothing at all? Well, that suggests quite a bit, really.
Then Rune hesitates and stumbles. Clearly -something- has happened. A swift murmur ties up and ends the spell as the wizard comes back from around the counter. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I... I think so." The cold is gone, but the memory of it lingers, causing Rune to rub her hands together despite there being no need to do so. "That's... some powerful magic." She doesn't seem to realize that the spell gave him nothing, at least not at first. Brows furrowing, "You... didn't see what I did?"
When it becomes clear that is the case, Rune lets out a breath, shaking her head as she unsteadily tries to get to her feet. "I was... somewhere else. Someplace dark and cold. And there were these webs of gold, strings maybe." The half-sil looks up towards Mikilos, her expression still uncertain. "She was there. The Seer. The Golden Fate. Whatever they call her."
Raising a hand, Rune rubs at her head a bit, "She said 'We are still waiting', then showed me an hour glass but the sand wasn't moving." More confusion, brows drawn together, "She said... It's up to me to finish the story."
Mikilos blinks, frowning thoughtfully. "Golden Fate? That... I've read something on that... an old draconic text I think it was? A... pocket dimension, a demiplane, where a powerful fey made their own court."
The wizard rubs absently at his temple. "Along the lines of a Bag of holding, or my own Magnificent Mansion, but on a far grander scale." Mikilos sighs. "Where that demiplane is, and what exactly it has to do with you, I'm distinctly less certain."
Ever so slowly, Rune seems to be recovering from her strange experience. With the spell done, she steps over to retrieve her necklace, slinging it back over her head and then tucking it back underneath her shirt. Her hand rests over her chest, feeling better now that it has been returned.
"One of my journeys did lead me to Am'shere. That's where we found the words that unlocked the second piece of the locket." Rune explains, "So maybe that helps explain some of the connection to that place."
Like with so much, it isn't an easy answer. There is no giant sign saying: This way to answers. Instead, it is just another stepping stone on a long path. "It's... more than I knew wandering in here today, so that's something."
The smile she offers is tentative, still with that lingering worry and uncertainty behind it. "We're planning on going to Am'shere soon, so maybe someone there might have some information." The fidgeting kicks up a bit, her fingers toying with the edges of her cloak. Rune clearly doesn't want to go to Am'shere.
Mikilos actually has a giant sign out front, but it just says 'Mithralla Mechandise', but, context. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to be of more help, but am glad was able to do a little something." He considers. "The words, what were they? Perhaps they contain additional hints?"
"No, you were... a really unexpected help. Honestly, I was just planning on window shopping a bit since my funds are a bit low. Instead, here I am with more insights than I had when I got up this morning. That's enough for me to be grateful." And, to express that, Rune bows forward, her dyed hair shifting in the process before she rises again, giving the mage a brighter smile.
"Don't worry about not having answers. I've been chasing this since I was eight years, so I don't expect that I'll figure out what it all means that quickly." She shifts her weight a bit, the fidgety rogue not quite able to stand perfectly still, it seems.
"Oh, the words?" She makes an audible 'hmm' before shaking her head, "I'm afraid I don't really remember. It took me quite a while to become fluent in Draconic, and we found the cave about six months into my stay in Am'shere." Biting at her lower lip, thoughtfully, "Harkashan might remember, or he might not. He and I weren't as close back then, so I'm not sure if my silly quest would have been important enough for him to have taken that much notice."
Mikilos nods understanding. "If you do happen to remember, please let me know. But I quite understand a forgin language can be difficult. Once I started on a puzzle or mystery it's hard to let it go until a solution is found. But I am glad to have been of some help. Feel free to come back any time, if only to chat. And of course if you happen to run into a pile of gold, the store aspect of things will be here as well."
It's the comment about a 'pile of gold' that has Rune laughing softly, "Oh, trust me, I have a good number of people I would throw coin at if I did." With a smirk, she muses, "I don't really expect to be earning much while off in Am'shere. My work there isn't as likely to pay well as contracts from the Guild."
Her hand moves back over where her necklace sits beneath her shirt, tumbing at the edges of it through the fabric. "If I find out anything else, I'll let you know. It's... not something I plan on letting go, either."
Then, with the rain seeming to be easing up, Rune offers the mage one final smile and then pulls her hood up, heading out into the day with more strange things to consider.