ORB - RD8

[tenuefarfalla]

[Cho looks a little surprised, though mostly fascinated. Her video shifts as she walks fully around the orb, and then ducks down to examine it from the bottom and goes up on her tiptoes to examine it from the top.]

Huh. Um. Hello. My name is Cho.

[The floofy dress and crown have long since been stuffed in a bag and Cho is wearing her Rowan traveling leathers. It's made her slightly more comfortable, but not much. What she really wants is information. There's magic in this world almost like the pull which first brought her to Rowan. If she can understand it, it may help her to keep the promise made to her fellow Worldwalkers. Save this world and, in return, gain the knowledge to find the way home? Sure. She'll make that trade all day long.]

I'm new to Einmal. Most recently by way of Rowan, or the bounded world, and before that Earth. I'm looking for a library, or a city hall of some sort. I'm looking for information on the magic of this world, specifically anything worked through spells or song. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

[sorcerous]

It translates well enough from world to world. If you know spellcraft, you may work it here.

[tenuefarfalla]

[Hey, check it out. Blue guy. And thankfully not all that surprising, really. At least he's kind of humanoid.]

Oh, yes, of course. I've tested a few simple spells.

[To demonstrate this, Cho traces an offensive spiral in the air and throws it at a nearby tree, which is suddenly mostly toothpicks.]

But there's always more to learn, right? There may be skills I can acquire here that I can't in Rowan, and then I'll be better suited to my task when I return.

[sorcerous]

[ Oh -- oh. Now he is interested. ]

Today is not a day for learning, Sorceress.

[ Only coincidence that he calls her by the right name, for he himself prefers the title Sorcerer over other words of magic. ]

We are under a shroud. The King is missing, and no one knows how to find him.

[tenuefarfalla]

[She's been called a Sorcerer as well. Though she does prefer the feminine title, you know, cause she's a girl.

But that's not even remotely important right now, is it?]

Oh my. What is-- Is someone searching for him? Are pocket dimensions possible in this world?

[sorcerous]

Anything is possible. More likely that he has been kidnapped by agents of chaos, in this city. After all, he is himself an agent of Order.

[ He pauses, considering. ]

Your powers; they are strong? Flexible? Or are you only able to destroy?

[somewhatpointy]

There's a monastery here that has a few books and things...but good luck getting any help there.

[tenuefarfalla]

[That sounds ominous.]

Why is it difficult to get any help?

[somewhatpointy]

The only person I found in there was the kid responsible for using magic to bring us here in the first place. He--and that place--weren't exactly a fountain of knowledge.

[Granted, it's not like he tried reading any of those books himself...]

[tenuefarfalla]

Oh. Well... [It doesn't sound useful, but maybe she'll take a look anyway.]

There's no great library here, is there?

[Can you hear the despair in her voice? She's a bookworm. How does a bookworm survive without books to worm?]

[shiromadoushi]

There's a library in the castle, but there's not much of value. I think the monastery has the only good books.

And I think most of the magic runs on gestures and words or will, though it's a bit varied with everyone from different places.

[tenuefarfalla]

That sounds like Magician's magic where I came from. Maybe Wizardry.

[Which means she's screwed, doesn't it?]

[shiromadoushi]

Really? I thought wizardry was more with specific spells or potions or the like? With Wisdom instead of Charisma?

[[Already in D&D terms. Good start, Bakura Ryou. Good start]]

[tenuefarfalla]

Not in Rowan. Witches are potions, Sorcerers can manage it usually, too. Specific spells is definitely Sorcery.

Wizards have uncontrollable and random probability magic. If they really work to hone it, they can discharge at will, but anything could happen. They could turn a building into pudding, they could create a talking chicken, they could cause everyone to smell cookies and taste pennies.

I've got a theory about balance, but I haven't been able to prove it yet.

[Cho's never actually played D&D, so you're safe.]

[shadow_sage]

'Bounded world'?

[tenuefarfalla]

Yes. A world, but not a planet. You could walk to the edge and touch the barrier that contained it.

[shadow_sage]

And on the other side of the barrier, vaccum?

[tenuefarfalla]

It's impossible to tell. There is no physical way beyond the barrier. The only way out of Rowan is by magical means, walkways to other worlds.

Vacuums didn't exist as anything more than a vague concept until a couple of years ago.

[greatsquirrelhunter]

Faolan can help! Faolan knows things!

[tenuefarfalla]

[Well, that sounds promising.]

That's wonderful. Who is Faolan? Where can I find them?

[Of course, just because something sounds promising doesn't mean it is promising.]

[greatsquirrelhunter]

[He beams] Am Faolan!

[Isn't that reassuring?]

[tenuefarfalla]

[Not really, no. But she's already shown such excitement at meeting a genuinely knowledgeable person, she can't look entirely crestfallen now that she knows it's just this child or she'll hurt his feelings.]

Well... that's good. It means I don't have to find him.

[See this smile? Yep. This is the smile of a woman who feels bad and is totally going to let you drag her all over the city because of it, if that's what you want.]

It's nice to meet you, Faolan.

[brosif]

You may be disappointed in the contents of the library

[Coming from Sif, that is quite the statement.]

[tenuefarfalla]

[Cho sighs and nods. there's really no one except a little boy who thinks she's got any chance with her whole quest for knowledge thing, and even he says the libraries are a bust.]

Yes, I've heard. Apparently this world is even worse off than I thought.

[brosif]

It is steeped in its own kind of bureaucracy. One that is very difficult for most to navigate.

[Meaning that you can't brandish a sword for an answer to every problem -- in this, Sif loses power. Nor can you brandish knowledge, locked up so carefully as it is.]

[tenuefarfalla]

All bureaucracy comes down to-- well, another B word. You just need to figure out the rules.

[Luckily for Cho, using a sword to answer problems is fairly new. Using the manipulative psychological maneuverings of the social and economical elite, that's far easier. She hates it, but it's still natural as breathing. Which kind of sucks. And it's probably why she woke up in the stupid dress and not the badass armour.]

So, what sort of favour do I have to do and who do I have to do it for to get a look at this monastery library? If they're so protective of it, it might be useful. [Beat.] You ever notice how often things go that way? They need your help, but they don't want to help you help them.