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Post by madandy on Apr 21, 2018 21:59:55 GMT
"Interesting." Emir puts his hand to his chin as he ponders out loud. "So the spear is linked to the city and then you to the spear. Perhaps... perhaps if mastery of Sha'ard could be passed on, if that heartbeat could be made another's, it might avert this doom. Or, at least, delay it until a better solution can be found.
"On the other hand, even if that would work, I doubt the matter shall be as simple as another giving their blood, as I should think much blood has been spilled upon it already."
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Post by SuperVaderMan on Apr 22, 2018 1:55:49 GMT
"My thoughts are similar," Nora muses aloud, still idly examining the spear. "If this Wishmaker granted power to someone who had none, then you should at least be able to pass it along to another, if not through Sha'ard then through a new weapon entirely. Though, I'm afraid that would too convenient."
Nora looks up from the spear to Zerain. "You said he sank this into the earth? Could you take us to that spot, where he did that? There may be another clue there."
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Post by Nocturne on Apr 22, 2018 2:01:50 GMT
Leyl nods slowly and starts half posing theories himself and half thinking out loud. "So then, is the calamity one that would be caused by... forgive me for being morbid and uncouth, but, if the spear was destroyed or you were to die, Zerain, is this what would cause the calamity?"
He shakes his head a little. "Either way, Nora has a good idea, I second that notion."
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When the world is falling apart, throw a little craziness at it!
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Post by Pandora on Apr 22, 2018 18:06:20 GMT
Zerain widens her eyes with a newfound hope, as Nora feels the elder's excitement through the quickening pulse of the spear. "Pass on this power? I have never tried, but if it is possible, then that would be wonderful. I agree, it may only extend my town's borrowed time, but it would be better than it perishing with me, and maybe someday in the future, Sarabaya will finally be released from this spell." Leyl's inquiry causes her to flicker with sadness, and she answers him with a humbled expression. "Yes, that is what I believe. I took the responsibility of Sarabaya's survival into my own hands once upon a time, and now its fate rests on my fleeting life. My wish - to protect this town and everyone in it by myself - became a double-edged blade. That is why I almost regret it."
Zerain rises from her seat and slowly makes her way to the doorway. "Now come. As you desire, I will show you where the wishmaker performed his miracle." However, Amina scrambles towards the entrance as well and tries to prevent her from leaving. "Grandma, you're not well enough to go out. You can just tell me where and I'll take them there!" Chuckling like she knew this would happen, the elderly woman merely pats the girl on the head and looks her in the eyes with a renewed fire. "Amina, my darling, this is something I must do. Stay here with Amani, and I will be back in time for tea." The twin-tailed granddaughter looks like she wants to protest, but ends up giving in reluctantly and moves aside. "Okay..." Zerain ponders for a moment and declares, "No fingers or toes crossed, now. You too, Amani," shooting a look at her other granddaughter on the bedding. The twins look at each other as if they've been caught red-handed and mumble, "Yes, Grandma." Satisfied, Zerain grins at them. "Also work on your tapestries." The girls collectively groan.
Though it takes some time for the steady-paced woman to guide the trio to their destination, somewhat because Zerain kept getting greeted by the townfolks who wanted to talk and catch up, eventually they stand at an intersection surrounded by houses within sight of the edge of town. "This area used to be part of the outskirts, but many people have built their homes here since then," Zerain explains, "Still, I know this is where it happened. I used to come out here often after the incident whenever I needed to reflect."
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Post by SuperVaderMan on Apr 22, 2018 18:54:20 GMT
Nora casually surveys the scene, unsure of what she's hoping to find. "I don't suppose this spear left a mark in the ground, somewhere?" As an experiment, Nora tries resting the butt of the spear on the ground in this area. "Do you two see anything?" She asks of her two companions. She looks to Leyl in particular. "And what do you think? You're always digging around in the sand. Does anything strike you odd about this place?"Granting +2 to Leyl and Emir's rolls
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Post by madandy on Apr 24, 2018 1:42:56 GMT
Emir looks around, searching for anything out of place. "I cannot say that anything seems particularly out of the..." He trails off, his head tilting suddenly, making his braids shift.
He looks over to the corner of one of the houses, where a few insects are buzzing around a cluster of bright yellow dandelions. He walks over and squats down in front of them.
"Hmm, this is perhap a little unusual."
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Post by Nocturne on Apr 25, 2018 15:16:59 GMT
In response to Nora, Leyl had to say, "Admittedly, I rely more on my dowsing rod than my own senses when searching for shards. I'll have a look around nevertheless."Then Emir spoke up. "...Or perhaps that's not necessary. Let's see what's going on with those flowers then."Leyl joined Emir in checking the dandelions. Occult Ed on dandelion patch: 12
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When the world is falling apart, throw a little craziness at it!
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Post by Pandora on Apr 25, 2018 23:06:51 GMT
"A mark? No, not that I remember," Zerain answers Nora in puzzlement, somewhat-anxiously watching the foreign woman handle Sha'ard. Nora's experiment of resting the spear on the ground doesn't trigger anything, either.
Leyl also doesn't sense anything special or magical about the bunch of dandelions that Emir has discovered, though he recalls that the species has often been associated with wishes. The elder also chimes in after they are pointed out, "Oho? I haven't seen these around before. Perhaps a traveler planted them here. I'm surprised they're surviving this far away from the oasis, however."
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Post by madandy on Apr 27, 2018 22:49:15 GMT
"It does seem unlikely." Emir says as he reaches over and touches them, taking one and tracing his hand down its stem, seeing how it connects to the ground. A couple more insects land on the flower he's examining and start moving around on it.
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Post by Nocturne on May 1, 2018 1:16:55 GMT
Leyl looked at the flowers with a puzzled expression. "I can't figure out if these flowers have some kind of special property... but what I do know is that these flowers, dandelions, are often associated with wishes. I believe we may be on the right track here."
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Post by SuperVaderMan on May 1, 2018 1:33:38 GMT
"Wishes?" Nora asks, looking towards the corner of the building. "Yes, that would be too much of a coincidence, right at this spot, this far from the oasis. Another breadcrumb for us to follow?" Nora asks aloud, glancing about at the dirt around the flowers, then finally resting her eyes on the building the dandelions growing next to. "Do you know who lives here, Zerain?"
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Post by Pandora on May 3, 2018 19:01:09 GMT
Zerain closes her eyes as she thinks, before coming up with the names Nora requested. "The brothers Latif and Khalid. They moved here fourteen years ago by themselves, so I don't know them well, but I believe they are workhands on Jinan's apricorn farm. Do you believe they have something to do with this flower?"
Although Emir had the keen awareness to notice the dandelions in the first place, it isn't until he handles one of the plants that he discovers what it is that bothered him. At the very base of the stem, hidden underneath the wide leaves, his fingers touch a liquid not unfamiliar to anyone in the group: bright red blood, apparently fresh.
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Post by madandy on May 3, 2018 20:18:16 GMT
Emir's eyes widen as sees the liquid. "They may, but I do not know that it is likely - unless, of course, this is their blood." He takes his hand away to show the others. "This... this could mean... well, a number of things. It could be your blood, Miss Zerain, or perahps the blood of the land or... hmm..." He trails off as he tries to think about what this could mean.
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Post by SuperVaderMan on May 4, 2018 3:15:53 GMT
That reveal certainly gives Nora pause. "What in the world...?" Nora breathes, moving in close to inspect the blood herself. After a couple moments, she takes a step back to consider what this could mean. "...No. I wouldn't expect this to be Zerain's. If it's anyone's, it should be the Wishmaker's. He's the one who bloodied the spear and sank it into the earth, and these flowers are supposedly his symbol. Though, Leyl knows more of this than I do. Whatever this is, we're definitely on the right course."
Kneeling down, Nora mentally probes the puddle of fresh blood, lifting a droplet into the air and bringing it close to Sha'ard. "Would you mind if I tested something?" Nora asks Zerain. If she gives her consent, Nora tries to apply the droplet to the spear's shaft.
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Post by Nocturne on May 4, 2018 23:18:30 GMT
Leyl wasn't too taken aback by the revelation of blood at the stem of the flower. He'd been expecting something, but was just unable to see it himself. As was often the case since they began travelling together, Emir's keen sight proved a boon in that situation. Taking a closer look himself, Leyl tried to see if he could figure out anything useful from the flowers with a new perspective. Warily, Leyl, then looked on as Nora went straight into testing things. Occult Ed on Dandelion Patch (and Blood) Once Again: 20
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