Union of the snake is on the climb

It's Kesenday, Aestry 15 12:39:10 1018. The full moon isn't up. The tide is low and ebbing. A light rain falls from a grey sky. It's warm and there's a slight wind from the southeast.

A08: Northern Bridge Over Tornmawr River

[Earlier...] A rich-looking young lady, of about 14-years-old riding a fine horse in company with two armored knights, comes across the bridge. As she sees the half-naked elf perched on the edge of the bridge, she gazes in sudden concern, and gasps, dropping the riding crop that she had been holding. Oblivious to her fallen crop, she says, "Sir, come down. It would give me nightmares to see you fall to your death! She, and then her knightly escort halt.

Ga'Elian turns around, still balancing upon the rail, and says, "Have no worry, milady. I am quite safe, and fully intend to dive into yonder river, as I have done before. I assure you, I will be fine." He returns to face the river, and... jumps. GAME: Ga'Elian rolls acrobatics: (14)+5: 19 Ga'Elian's dive is not only successful, but elegant.

The young lady gasps again, and spurs her horse onward, followed by her knightly escort, as she rides to the end of the bridge and down the bank, and disappears from the scene, leaving her riding crop behind.

[Later...] The forgotten riding crop comes "alive", transforming into a magitech serpent. It coils slithers slowly toward the edge of the bridge.

Aya has already forgotten the fallen sil, her attention turned to the conversation at hand. Her mouth opens to offer a comment or question when the discarded crop decides to move and change, unexpectedly. She takes a quick sidestep away from it.

Yelrona [..] is distracted by the snake's appearance. "Another one!" she cries out, hopping off the fence and onto her feet. "Don't let it get away!" She pulls out her rapier, preferring not to touch the thing... last time was deeply unpleasant.

Selerik looks completely confused by what is taking place. It is obvious who just got back into town right now. For lack of a better plan, he waits and watches.

Acting swiftly, the Xian reaches down to grab the animated thing. Completely by surprise, she even manages this, grasping the wriggling thing in the middle.

As soon as she makes physical contact with the thing, it dissolves in a nimbus of golden light, leaving in her mind the memories of a very old war golem.

The Jade Islander woman reels, clearly disturbed. "What the f--k!" She exclaims. In a man's voice. She puts a hand over her mouth.

Yelrona resheaths her rapier, looking first concerned, then uncertain, at the Xian. When she had touched the artifice frog, she'd found herself experiencing some truly hellish memories, but it doesn't seem to be affecting this woman quite the same way. On the other hand, the way it _does_ affect her is far stranger.

Aya witnessed the start of the latest series of unusual events in the city. Thus, she had no intention of touching the ...thing. The evaporation of the artifice widget isn't expected. Even less expected is the exclamation... or, rather, its pitch. She has witnessed many large males squeal like frightened children; not so much the reverse. She eyes the Xian snakehandler firmly and curiously. One brow lifts in silent quesiton.

"Excuse me," The Xian says, quickly, clearly flustered, and now too high. "Er, excuse me." There is no way to recover from this disaster --- clearly she has been putting on a voice the whole time. "Excuse me!" Finally she gets the original pitch and cadence right, and her face is visibly relieved. "The, er, stress of it." She sits back onto the stone parapet. "Oh, my."

Selerik is just slowly, ever so slowly, walking away. Yes, this seems like the sort of situation where distance is a good idea. Lots of distance.

Yelrona isn't exactly sure why Selerik is backing away, not that there's a shortage of reasons. "As far as I know," she calls out, "the snake is harmless. Or was. I can't speak to your laryngitis-plagued friend here," she adds skeptically.

"Something tells me it is more than a sore throat," Aya offers without looking away from the vocally-impaired one.

"Perhaps," the Xian woman says, very carefully. "There must have been some magic in that riding crop I found, for when I placed it in my hand it began to... no, wait." She looks down, crestfallen. "I remember a war golem's memories, now. Perhaps /that/ was /its/ voice."

Yelrona blinks. "A war golem's memories? How... odd." She pauses for a moment, wondering if she wants to explain anything to this... person... who is clearly being deceptive about more than just their motives. Ultimately, though, she decides that whatever game the apparently transgender woman was playing, she stands by her original judgment of lack of inimical intent. "There was a frog last night," she explains, "that similarly disipated when I touched it, and also delivered a payload of memories, but they were... darker."

"Interesting. Do you have, or has anyone shared, any ideas on how to counteract this..." Aya gestures vaguely while seeking a word "...event?"

Selerik doesn't leave the bridge, having hit what they deem a safe distance. Probably out of earshot though, once again looking out at the water below and blissfully unaware.

GAME: Setiawan rolls Bluff: (13)+13: 26 The Xian woman begins to speak in the man's voice again, in slightly clipped tones. "There was war," she says. "And there was only war. The pantheon of light, the pantheon of darkness. Violence, fear, hatred, and we constructs. We constructs, on either side, ordered to fight and defend and kill and protect. And fight."

GAME: Yelrona rolls sense motive: (16)+8: 24

Yelrona shrugs to Aya. "Not as far as I know. We reported the 'event' to the Guild, but they didn't seem to know anything. But apparently it wasn't an isolated incident." Too late, she thinks "That girl! The riding crop was hers, maybe she knows something?" But the girl and her knights are long gone. She nods at the Xian's explanation. "I wonder if it has something to do with the golems in the fight yesterday. And the demons, maybe," she adds, thinking of her own memories. "Now _that's_ a disturbing thought."

Aya nods to Yelrona, then rolls one shoulder at the now-somewhat-conspicuous one. "All of that is expected. That's what they were built to do.""

The Xian looks blankly at Aya, and says, in her original balanced pitch: "I don't know what you mean."

Yelrona is surprised by Aya's comment as well. "_What_ were they built to do?"

Aya looks between both, both brows arching. "They were built to serve. Fight, defend, and whatever else they were told to do."

"Then what," the Xian says, to both of them, and not really expecting an answer. "Is the spirit of one of them doing in a /riding crop/, of all things."

Yelrona looks increasingly confused, then a piece of light-emitting metaphorical artifice appears over her head. "Oh! You mean the war golems! I understand now. Yes. And... well, and demons were made to cause fear and suffering, I suppose. I thought you meant the snake, and the frog. And -- right, what... she... said," she agrees, shaking her head. "I don't understand any of this," she adds, "but I'm starting to get used to that."

"I have no idea why," Aya admits, "but was it truly a riding crop? It could have been trying to disguise itself."

The Jade Islander's ears prick at the word 'disguise'. It may be a reflex. "I don't know," she says, cautiously. "It turned into mist when I touched it. It was a very /convincing/ riding crop. And that young girl was holding it, wasn't she?" Yelrona nods. "She was. Or she certainly seemed to be, anyway."

Aya rolls her shoulders. "We could debate the why for hours., but I'm more interested in the how, so that the issue can be corrected."

"This is beyond my knowledge or experience," the Xian admits. She is visibly sweating, and maybe a shade pale. It's a good thing she's sitting. "I feel like cr---" Suddenly she falls forward from the wall, face first.

You say, "Mine, also. It's -- " she cuts off as the Xian begins to slump, and moves quickly to catch her."

Aya watches as the ...individual tips over. Maybe they do have some sort of disease, after all. All the more reason not to catch them.

The ... girl? ... is caught by 'Rona, but she seems to be in a dead faint. Clearly, the magitech thing went to her head. Either that, or it's heatstroke. At any rate, she seems to be unconscious for the moment,

Yelrona lays the Xian on the bridge carefully, lightly checking their clothing for anything unusual as she does so.