eswareinmal | Chapter 4 - 11th of Rebirth's Decline

[The orb shows Giles, sitting in one of the fields on the outskirts of Schwanheim, but he's not looking back at the orb, nor showing any sign of his surroundings.

No, instead, he's looking at the mirror he found around his neck, when he woke up before the battle. It's hovering in the air, spinning very slowly, and shadows flicker across its silvered surface. But they're clearly very interesting shadows - Giles doesn't take his eyes off the mirror, even as he addresses the orb.

The only other notable feature of the scene is that Giles is wearing gloves, and occasionally and completely subconsciously tugs on the edge of them, as though reassuring himself that they're still on his hands.]

Um, apparently there is another kingdom, across the thorns. Or, um, there was. We have no way of knowing if it's still there, simply because...well, we have no way of knowing what's happening beyond the thorns.

But I thought, well, if we could get back in touch...

[He draws in his breath sharply, as though troubled by a grim thought. The mirror slowly stops spinning, and then falls to the ground with a soft chiming. Giles curses softly under his breath and picks it up, polishing its bright surface industriously with a sleeve.]

...apparently, um, whatever I am now, it involves the capacity to scry. I'm not sure what the extent of this new talent is, yet, but I thought I'd try and find out. Perhaps, um, if I can get good enough, myself and, and whoever else has this ability, we might be able to combine our talents and, and contact the rest of the world. For assistance, or for information...well, there's no way to know.

This, um, this might seem a silly question, but do any of you mind if I look in on you from here? Knwoing the name of who or, or what I want to see, that seems to help me get a lock on it. As such, I thought I'd ask your permission first, before I went snooping around on whatever you were doing.

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Oh, really? [Giles looks quite pleased, and a bit relieved, at this news.] Well, um, isn't that coincidence - I, I was actually something of a researcher myself, back home, a-and everyone's been calling me a "sage" around town, and, and they seem to be the ones who'd know.

Up until very recently, however, I'd been a ghost, and so...well, research hadn't been an option for me, I'm afraid.

I've been looking through the castle's library, but it's crap for anything that's helpful. Fifty copies of "How to Succeed in Royalty Without Trying" and another dozen "The King's Guide to Win Friends and Influence People" but nothing on proper history or even anything on the countries we trade with.

I know we trade with other countries! I've helped get together exports and open shipments of imports! And there's nothing about them in the castle! Unless the advisers have their own library of helpful things that they won't show me.

I wouldn't put it past them to have done so, in this place.

But, um, sorry - if you wouldn't mind clarifying, do you mean you've found past trading records or, um, that you've found evidence that trading is still taking place? If it's the former, um, I'd say a trip out with them is in order.

I know there's trading going on now. If we weren't getting coffee beans from somewhere more tropical than this, we'd have nothing left to smith because it would all be imbedded in whoever tried to talk to the blacksmith.

And from what I've heard, traders are gone for at least a month. What I wouldn't give for an airplane right around now.

We should have one of the people who still lives in the castle go exploring for relevant books.

There's a girl named Alayne that does. We, um, we met in the library for a bit of work before the battle. In terms of this place, she seems to be considered a princess. Can't imagine they'd let her go anywhere else.

...and, um, while I can't offer an airplane, I can conditionally offer a man who can teleport. Provided he's at least had a look at where he's going.

Useful once he's already been somewhere and can go back and forth with ease, but not so much help for the first trip down. Still, useful.

I've been trying to scry out some way to contact people from other places, but haven't been having luck there either. This whole place seems to be made to drive a researcher mad.

Seeing a place through the orb...or, um, presumably a scrying mirror...also allows him to teleport out, actually. It's a useful ability, although it predictably exhausts him if used too often.

Anyway. [Back to processing this new information.]

...so. We, um, we know other places exist. That much is confirmed. We can even trade with them.

What we don't know is, um, why we - us, the heroes, specifically, in this case - can't contact them, or why they haven't made any attempts...that we know of...to assist us with the thorns. Have they even placed guards on them, or are they trusting to the fact that the thorns appear to be specifically our problem?

For all we know, they're just as poorly run as this place is and have no idea we're even here. What it really comes down to is how we can contact anyone else to see if they know anything.

I hope someone will, but I'm not really holding my breath.

You, um, you mentioned that you were considered a "sage" as well, in, in terms of this place and its roles. [Giles taps the mirror, looking at her curiously.] Did you get anything like this, or, um, develop any spontaneous scrying abilities that you know of?

My mirror is on the wall, mostly used for checking the weather. I haven't gotten a chance to try and fine tune control to see if it can really be helpful.

Chapter 4 - 11th of Rebirth's Decline - [Orb]

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