RP: Junk and Dreams
It's Tariday, Aestry 26 12:47:57 1018. The full moon isn't up. The tide is high and rising. Towering white clouds drift slowly through the blue sky. It's hazy and hot, and the glare of the sun seems to drain the color from the landscape.
A02: Old Clunk's Junkyard
Ga'Elian walks into the junkyard, a MOST unlikely place for him to go, and yet he had been here before, tracking demons. Still this place bears almost no resemblance to his native and beloved wilderness. He is here to respond to the proprietor's request for help. He stand looking around with a dumbfounded expression.
Yelrona follows Ga'Elian into Goblintown. From there, finding her way around is easy... it's just a matter of following the signs, and understanding the somewhat convoluted ways of Goblin speech. She looks around the space and sighs. "Well... at least no killer metal ducks this time, I hope."
Ga'Elian chuckles then says, "Let's hope not. I don't mind ducks at all, but the sort you're talking about? Uh, no. I suppose they wouldn't'a asked for help if this place could clean itself up, though."
"No, I imagine not." She looks around, intimidated. "I honestly don't know where to even start. I mean, it's a junkyard! How do you clean up a junkyard?" It's not as bad as she makes it sound, admittedly. The truth is, the demonic memories she picked up here are making her a bit on edge.
Ga'Elian laughs and says, "Well, I certainly couldn't tell what is trash and what is treasure to the likes of an artificer. It's all just a bunch of toxic waste as far as I'm concerned. I suppose we'd better ask the owner. Besides, he probably wouldn't just want a couple of elves to start rooting through..." he gestures to the mounds of metal with a disgusted look, "this."
"No, he certainly would NOT, and neither would I!" comes a curt voice from a nearby metallic figure Yelrona had thought a discarded construct until it begins moving. "Yer more volunteers, eh? Scrabbling for that artificer's discount? Well, all right, ye don't need to bother the man in charge. Ye can get started with that pile there," he directs.
Yelrona goes where indicated, a pile of what seems to her undifferentiated junk. But on closer inspection it seems to be a collection of metal and ceramic disks, some mostly intact, others fragmented into near uselessness. She begins to form four piles, separating them by material and state of damage.
Ga'Elian watches as a section of the junk comes to life, then rolls his eyes. "uh, right then" and he digs in to a pile of what looks like robotic arms and legs, sorting them into a series of bins by steel vs brass, and arms vs legs. After a few minutes he stops and removes his armor, weapons, and tunic, and puts them in a neat pile by Erithamiel, who is resting a little ways off. As he returns to the task of brute manual labor, the sweat on his hairless torso accentuates the definition of his lean musculature.
Yelrona raises an eyebrow as Ga'Elian strips. "Well, at least the scenery is improving," she says with a grin, and the skeptical construct walks off muttering something about animal life forms. Catching sight of the mark on his back, Rona asks "Have you learned anything more about that mark of yours?"
Ga'Elian smirks back at Yelrona and says, "Yeah. Seems I was right. I went to the temple of Mahal, and they recognized it right away. Told me it was a mark of the Stag's favor, and that He is granting me divine assistance in the natural places of Ea to mask my presence and live off the land. Pretty awesome, really. They seemed to think it was, anyway."
Yelrona nods. "That sounds convenient, if nothing else. Though you seem fairly skilled at both on your own."
Ga'Elian shrugs, "Oh, sure. But there are some folks and some creature that are pretty sly and catch on to lots o' things most people miss." One of the arms he picks up flexes and grabs his upper arm as he tries to toss it into one of the bins. He quickly pulls it off and tosses it anyway.
Yelrona drops the plate she was looking at as the arm comes to life, and draws her rapier as it shatters on the ground. Then she re-sheaths it sheepishly. "Sorry. Guess I'm still a little jumpy."
Ga'Elian comes over and puts his hand on Yelrona's forearm by the hand holding the rapier. He says, "Thanks, but I'm quite alright. It was nothing. You, on the other hand looks beyond startled. Are you alright?" He stoops down to clear away the broken plate, clearly inside her 'personal space'.
Yelrona is startled by Ga'Elian's approach, especially by his hand on her arm. She stiffens at first, then relaxes when she sees he isn't grabbing her, then steps back as he stoops down in front of her. "I'm fine," she says. "It's just... well, I don't know how you do it. Fight the demons, I mean. The first one I saw, I just ran... and when they attacked this place, or the one we fought together... well, to be perfectly honest, had I been alone I would have done the same. Even that charged artifice thing... harmless, but I've had dreams of Hell ever since."
Ga'Elian rises and says, "Me, I guess I just think of them as prey, and me as the predator. They are even less a part of Ea than this... junk, and worthy to be exterminated, together with them that bring them here. As for your dreams, I know you've had an unpleasant past with the church of Niessa, but I think She could pacify your night-visions. Maybe you should meet with the Thinning Veil folks. Shagara the oruch is one of them, if I recall." He returns to the pile of robotic appendages, but keeps glancing at Rona.
Yelrona thinks about that for a while, sorting plates. "Perhaps," she says finally. "Prey, huh? I like that. I'll have to work on that." She frowns. "Are we any closer to identifying the source of this demonic attack force?"
Ga'Elian nods "I haven't heard any further information. Then again, I've been ranging around between the city and the wilderness a lot lately. Most of the time I spend here lately is really in pursuit of more information about what was going on around Skyhold."
Yelrona tilts her head. "Skyhold is... a floating prison, yes?"
Ga'Elian nods, "So I hear. Apparently they keep it for the worst of criminals, or at least those they permit to keep living. It's in the Desolation—a very well named place, but a hive of villainy in its own right."
Yelrona nods. "So what has been going on around there?"
Ga'Elian tosses a bronze leg into a bin. "Seems a prisoner transport caravan went missing, but the official word denies it. Then a mercenary company went missing, too. Then, there's even been talk of someone, probably an Illothian, preaching in a pub about the wonders of darkness. It's all kinda fishy to me."
Yelrona nods at the summary, though she has little to add to it. "Darkness has its uses," she observes. "Real darkness, that is, Though I assume the preacher meant it in a more metaphysical sense."
Shagara is standing on a junk 'hill' of sorts. Standing on top of the hill, she keeps an eye on the pair down in the junkyard, and...in a way, keeps them safe by giving them an early warning if she sees something coming.
Ga'Elian nods, "Oh, I'm sure of it." He then notices Shagara perched upon the top of another pile, a little way off. He calls, "Shagara, hey, I didn't see you there. You got a minute?"
Yelrona doesn't notice Shagara until Ga'Elian greets her, absorbed as she is in the sorting work. When she does, she raises a hand in greeting.
The Answer from the woman is a dramatic leap into the air and a fairly graceful landing near the two of them. "Something I can help you with?" She says as she stands slowly. her face looks a little different now though....now there are light blue lines upon her face, mostly around her eyes.
Ga'Elian says, "It's funny you're here, I was just telling Yelrona that the Thinning Veil might be able to help her deal with some lingering demonic nightmares."
Yelrona says, "I've heard of the Order, but don't know much about what they do?"
Shagara looks from Ga'Elian to Yelrona and tilts her head. "That would be a little difficult, as you know, demons are made up of nightmares, corruption and the like." She says starting to walk around Yelrona. "Is it because of the recent activity when they took over the bodies of golems?"
Yelrona nods. "Yes. Or, well, related to the smaller artifice bodies that infested the city for a while, but I assume that it's all related."
Ga'Elian keeps chucking robotic appendages in various bins. "That's interesting, but can you do nothing?"
Shagara holds up her hand to Ga'Elian. "Answers cannot be given unless there are questions. They are related. I managed to see the end of the battle from afar, and get to the other golems too late." she then takes a longer breath. "The Order of the Thinning Veil concentrates upon the 'veil', or the barrier between awake, and sleep. As you know, Eluna is the goddess of dreams. As the veil becomes smaller, dreams become reality, and can promote better rest when you need it. Which is important why you need to face your fears.....and your nightmares." She then turns to Yelrona. "Which is why Ga'elian has asked for my help."
Yelrona seems skeptical. "So... what kind of help can you offer?"
Shagara says, "For now, assurance that Your nightmares are not real. Some of my faith say they can enter dreams to assist, but I do not posses that power yet." She then smiles a bit. "if I did, I would not hesitate. On another note, I could give you some meditation forms to use."
Ga'Elian smiles, "Well, there you go. It's all natural, of course, to be affected as you were, but it's not good to let it keep holding you back." His pile of arms and legs is all sorted now, and he goes to grab his tunic, then uses it to wipe the sweat from his face.
Yelrona seems actively unconvinced, but chooses not to argue the point. "All right," she says, continuing to sort items. "Your assurances are welcome."
Shagara leans over and picks up a metal ball. "One other assurance...." She says as she squeezes the metal ball.....and it SCREEEECHES as Shagara crushes it in her hand. "Allow me to be your avatar of your wrath in your dream...."
Ga'Elian stands and stares at what Shagara is doing.
"I... ah... yes, well," Yelrona temporizes. "That's very nice of you, I'm sure." She regards the crushed metal ball uncertainly.
Shagara smiles a bit. "A nightmare is an 'uncertainty' in your mind. If you do not fight it, you shall remain uncertain.....and scared. Nor will you get any rest.' She then drops the crushed ball. "My point is simple....it is your mind....YOUR body......and YOUR will. If you do not wish for something to be in your mind.....do not let it. If they will not leave.....remove them. Your nightmares are only as powerful as you ALLOW them to be."
The construct that gave the elves their assignment come back around to check and says, "What're ye fleshies doin' now? If yer done with yer tasks, either move on or move out. This ain't no pub," looking at Shagara, it continues, "Or monastery." It then turns and heads off elsewhere.
Yelrona sighs, losing a bit of patience. "So, that's very nice and all, but rather misses the point that the demonic memories that thing dumped in my head weren't metaphorical manifestations of my vague existential anxieties, but an actual arcane demonic phenomenon. You do make a good point, though," she adds to Shagara, "uncertainty is the enemy. And the way to reduce uncertainty is research."
Ga'Elian watches the golem come and takes its remarks as a dismissal. "Well, I think I'll go get something to eat and take Erithamiel fishing."
GAME: Shagara rolls knowledge/arcana+2+3: (13)+5+2+3: 23
Shagara takes a deep breath. "I may need to take you to the temple myself, Yelrona."
Yelrona frowns. "Whatever needs you might be feeling to take me places are your problem. But if your temple has something to offer, I might be interested."
Ga'Elian slips his tunic back on then says, "I'm certain she is only trying to help." He grabs his gambeson.
Shagara says, "I am thinking about taking you to the temple of eluna for that very reason. There may be more to this than we both think." She says softly. "No, I will not try to convert you, Yelrona. Your personal faith is up to you." She says before looking to Ga'Elian. "This may require meditation as well."
Yelrona sighs. "You know, all of this vague portentousness is precisely what irritates me about most church folk," she observes, thin-lipped. "So, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to go to Tarien's temple and talk to some of the Luckbringers there, and see if I can find someone familiar with demonic realms. I'm going to share with them what I remember of the images I was fed by that artifice thing, and see if they recognize any of that." She starts walking towards the junkyard entrance as she talks. "I'm happy to talk to other priests at other temples, and I'm happy to entertain other suggestions."
Shagara says, "Sadly, I am a simple monk, Yelrona. most of my power is currently internal. You mentioned dreams, so I offered to take you to the temple of Eluna to help with your dreams." She then looks to Yelrona. "You....just did a vague portent yourself, Yelrona." She then shrugs. "I won't force you to go to the Elunite temple for help. You must go where you are comfortable." She then bows. "Go in peace." And she starts to stride out of the junkyard."
Ga'Elian finishes putting on his armor and girding his weapons on, and says, "Well, at least she knows folks are willing to help." He, too, then rides out.