Secrets and Stone

[wildestmods]

Who: Need and whoever rescues her, Lloyd and 1 pal.
What: Learning from the ruins
Where: Different areas in Trollmarket
When: After the group discussion, shortly before the group will be made to move on.
Warnings/Notes: N/A for now.

Trollmarket is not an evil place, nor a place tarnished by hidden shadows.

It's a place where a good people once lived. It's a place that is losing its life-giving light as the stone dims, tragically losing something beautiful that touched the magic and life force of a world.

It's a place that was somehow ravaged by the sun by a people who found it to be poison.

There are a few things in the ruins that can help some of them learn a little more about the people that lived here - and therefore a little about the new world they found themselves in.

Comments

NEED AND CO

[wildestmods]

The gnomes are mischievous things. The love their shinies.

And they're intelligent enough to wait until Need is somewhere in Trollmarket, with none of the others immediately close, to sneak up and grab her. A little gang of them grabs her and starts carrying her along held over their heads, chattering some gnomish words that sound a little like "hup hup hup hup" as they carry her together.

They're deceptively strong, like ants, very good at cooperating, and very fast. They zip their way top speed towards a crack in a wall that no one else in the group will be able to fit in.

[hasapoint]

Uh oh.

Need's been generally monitoring nearby gnomes. Usually, Mindspeech means needing no translation. Not having that aspect has been frustrating! She knew from the start that they were people, but unlike any of the sentient races of Velgarth they weren't made by humans to think much like humans. Coming to understand more about them has been slow. She can get emotion and imagery well enough and understands she's being taken to A Place with shiny things in it, but language...

A pair have carried her off before but they hadn't been this coordinated and had gotten distracted, letting Sawbones retrieve her. This took a plan. There are things Need could do to make them drop her. There are too many to compel. They don't seem like they deserve to be wracked with pain or general unpleasant emotions, and she's curious, so she doesn't submerge them in memory either. She is not perturbed by being carried off. This is how being an inanimate object works.

:There may be a problem,: she says back to the human who had her last, quite calm and interested. :If there's a way you can take to get where I'm going, I can find out and guide you there. If there isn't, I can get one to bring me back eventually.: Probably.

[hourglasshalfempty]

Problem is an understatement. Raistlin hurries towards where he left Need, cursing himself. She'd said to leave her - she'd wanted to have a talk with Guts, and he'd been heading towards the makeshift healer's tent, and she'd said she would be fine, just set her on the rock near the big man's camp, and he'd simply assumed she wouldn't allow herself to be carried off by those strange little creatures. Gnomes, apparently. Not like any gnome he's ever seen.

There they are, skittering - too fast. He hitches up his skirts and breaks into a brief run, one that leaves him fighting off a cough as he skids to a stop, using the Staff of Magius to keep himself upright.

"Stop - " He doubles over briefly, concentration broken. Then he catches his breath and tries again, summoning the magic, letting it flow over the syllables he speaks as if they were a spell. Power makes his words more than a simple request.

"Stop! Put her down!"

[wildestmods]

It works on one of them and he lets go...

But the rest of the others apparently are unaffected and strong enough to keep going. Their minds are a little alien and he'll find he has to focus on one of them at a time to properly enchant them.

"Hup hup hup hup!"

But at least he has one of them to possibly influence to show him the way to the same place, let him keep up with them as they move, to arrive at where she's been taken as she gets there.

The gnome he enchanted wobbles on its feet, making chattering noises.

[hasapoint]

:It's all right,: Need tells him, a little surprised that he came so quickly after her, a little more concerned that he'll put too much strain on himself doing so. :I can stay in contact with you, I'm not going to get lost.:

She has a general plan of waiting until the gnomes have gotten where they're going, then picking one or more who seem receptive and asking about the trolls. Probably having to work in only imagery and emotion, but she can manage that.

[hourglasshalfempty]

:And if you end up somewhere without eyes to see with, again? I'd rather intercept before they throw you down a well or scarifice you to a bottomless pit or Lunitari knows what else:

The one gnome who had obeyed is still standing in front of him, looking up at Raistlin with a cocked head and peculiar, half-mad eyes. It chatters at him in its own language.

"Take me where the others are going," he orders it. The gnome jabbers angrily, and makes a lunge for his ankle. Raistlin steps back neatly, resists the urge to kick it, and lowers himself down to the gnome's level.

"I'm a friend," he says, working another enchantment. "I don't mean any harm. Show me where you and your friends were going," he coaxes. The compulsion is gone, now. "I'm sure you're very clever, and you've found all sorts of treasures. I'd love to admire them."

[wildestmods]

[The gnome chatters with less hostility now and waves a little hand for Raistlin to follow.]

[It starts leading him through tunnels and doors near walls that follow along with the path the other gnomes are taking. Their "hup hup hup"s can be heard faintly through the walls.]

[Finally, they come to rest. Outside the wall, Raistlin will have a few peepholes to see in.]

[Inside, is the gnomes' lair, a series of chambers and tunnels covered in all kinds of shinies they stole. On a little chair probably made for a doll, on top of a pile of shinies, sits one gnome whose hat flops more than the others. Sitting in another throne next him is some kind of Barbie doll in space age costume, as if she's his queen.]

[He rubs his chin curiously as he looks at Need and starts chattering at the others.]

[hasapoint]

:That's not the feeling I get, and I can keep it from happening anyway,: Need insists, though she can't and doesn't hide that the idea unsettles her.

The gnomes take her to that place she saw in their minds - oh, it's a throne room! Through their eyes all the gleaming things have a particular luster, and the lanky thin-limbed figure has some odd quality. Need regards the throne-gnome's emotional state and personality, what she can of it across the short physical distance and the larger gap of an unfamiliar type of mind, the kind that keeps an effigy of a miniature human woman as a sort of totem. He seems... yes, she decides, this one is excitable and short-tempered, but there's compassion there too, and she thinks more familiarity with humans. Need makes a judgement.

There are hands on her which aren't really suited to bearing her, probably wouldn't be even if they were human scale. She calls up the glow on her blade anyway, a soft version without the brilliant flash, that builds slowly into the words. If they can read any language, it will translate into that. WOMAN’S NEED CALLS ME, AS WOMAN’S NEED MADE ME. HER NEED MUST I ANSWER, AS MY MAKER BADE ME.

As gently as she can make her harsh, gravelly voice, she says, :Hello.:

[hourglasshalfempty]

Raistlin follows the strange little creature as it scampers ahead, periodically checking over its shoulder to make sure he's following. At certain points it seems distinctly impatient with the care Raistlin takes, but he's not risking breaking his neck no matter how hard it hup-hups. Gods only know how long it would be before anyone bothered looking.

He takes in the throne room in one look, focusing on Need in the center, and hisses from his peephole when she reveals herself.

:Is that wise?:

The little gnome besides him chitters, explaining something Raistlin has absolutely no hope of comprehending.

[wildestmods]

[The gnome leader holds up a hand to silence the other gnomes and then walks closer.]

[This gnome is wiser than the others. He's been exposed to more beings other than gnome kind.]

[He tries to talk to her. Even if he's hard to understand, even if the exact words don't mentally translate, his intentions come across.]

[There is a greeting. And a question. He asks if Need can truly understand others, if Need is able to think for herself. He's questioning her to figure out her level of sentience.]

[It does apparently matter to him.]

[hasapoint]

Remembering he’s had to get by on appeasing teachers and that she’s been encouraging him to question and defy her if he thinks she’s wrong, Need restrains the urge to make a sharp comment and sends Raistlin a wordless warmth. She loops him in on some of what she’s picking up, too, though that is going to be an unfamiliar input.

Need tries just talking to the gnome, on the grounds that she seems to know a common tongue anyway, and even if he can’t speak it he may recognize it. If nothing else it’s definitely a response.

:I can hear you. I don’t look like a person, but I am. My name is Need. I’m not here to cause you any harm.: With that she shares a sense of calm, listening awareness.

[wildestmods]

[Gnome Chompsky, the leader, turns and starts chittering at another gnome in annoyance - possibly the one in charge of the group that kidnapped need. He slaps him upside the head.]

[Then he turns to Need and offers what are clearly his deepest apologies. He directs some of the others to take her back where she came from.]

[If she wants to ask any other questions, now's the time.]

[hasapoint]

She lets her glow fade. It had been dazzling parts of the entourage.

:Thank you. I know this is your home. I regret that we’ve trespassed without speaking to you first, but we were chased by strange creatures. Can you tell me anything about them?:

She’ll describe the Nightrenders and masked women, but decides not to share any clear images of them. Her read on these people isn’t good enough to be sure they’ll understand what she’s doing.

LLOYD AND CO

[wildestmods]

There is a strong source of energy and magic down below Trollmarket. For someone with the ability to sense it, a path can be felt out, through thin alleyways and tunnels hidden behind brick walls that don't actually stretch the width of them, where it's possible to pass behind.

For Lloyd, it won't be hard to lead someone else along the way.

[cspd]

Sensing magic is still bizarre, but for someone whose first instinct is always to try and understand everything that's going down, it's not unwelcome. There are places where Lloyd catches little hints of something more to find - a sound that echoes differently, some wear and tear on bricks in the wrong places - but he can feel the signs even before he sees them, and what would've been a slow, deliberate combing of the premises before is a much more timely walk this time, slowed only by the pause to check for signs of life before he lets them traipse into a new piece of the tunnels.

"We're getting closer."

[millenyal_pink]

Elle is letting Lloyd take the lead, but is very much making observations of her own. Sounds and scents, mostly. She also has the ability to see in darkness, but it doesn't provide much color. She's making sure to watch their backs.

She moves silently. If Lloyd didn't know Elle was following, and if she didn't deliberately make herself known to him, he wouldn't even realize she was there. She's on high alert for threats. It wouldn't do for her them to stumble upon something, get into trouble, and never find out what's happening here.

[wildestmods]

They pass by another wall, through a doorway, and then there's a large spiral staircase leading lower. The staircase is made of large uneven crystals sticking out from the walls. They glow faintly with a a blue light, the only light in the stairwell.

The stairwell seems to go down quite some way.

[cspd]

Lloyd pauses at the top of the stairwell, taking in the sight and listening for any signs of activity below.

He prods the first couple steps with a foot before committing his weight; they look solid enough, but he didn't get this far by taking dumb chances.

[millenyal_pink]

Elle takes a moment to appreciate the scenery. It really is gorgeous.

"Do you want me to go first? I probably have a better chance of getting to safety if the ground falls out on us."

It isn't condescending, it's just a fact. Plus, she doesn't like the fact that they're walking into a bottleneck. Being in front would make it easier for her to defend from attackers in that direction.

[cspd]

Lloyd hesitates for a moment, but nods. "Okay." Her reasoning is sound, so the only reason to refuse that he's got is...a vague sense of chivalry, which is not actually a good reason for anything.

[millenyal_pink]

A vague sense of chivalry is a terrible reason for anything in Elle's opinion, unless it can be used to one's advantage in a given situation. This is decidedly not such a situation.

Elle slowly begins to descend, splitting her attention between making sure to step down carefully and keeping an eye and ear out for anything unusual. She tries not to go too slowly, but slow enough to be appropriately cautious. If there's any potential obstacles, such as a loose stone or a tripping hazard, she quietly calls it out for Lloyd to know to avoid them.

[wildestmods]

There are no hazards. The steps are stable.

But after Elle and Lloyd are deep down, too deep to easily climb back up the walls, the stairs start to get pulled back into the walls behind Lloyd.

They don't do it quickly, there is no risk of it outpacing Lloyd and making him drop. It's at a slow pace that matches his own. But if either of them tries to walk back up the stairs won't extend again.

Something wants them to come all the way down and doesn't want them to leave yet.

[millenyal_pink]

Well, that can't be good. Elle pauses for a moment.

"Well this fucking sucks," she says eloquently. "And it has 'trap' written all over it."

Elle's all for exploration, but she prefers a little more room to move. And to go places of her own accord, rather than by force.

"There's literally no other way to go but down, but I do want it on the record that I hate this."

Maybe it would be a good idea to start broadcasting this all on the mirrors so people at least know what's going on?

[cspd]

Oh.

Oh, crap.

Lloyd stares at the steps behind him for a moment, tries a few experimental steps to confirm that it's keeping pace with him. "Noted and seconded." (It probably even will be noted whenever he has a safe moment up top to jot some bullet points down in his notebook, even. Assuming he gets one. Lloyd is nothing if not meticulous about his case notes.)

He's having a similar thought about the mirrors, although there are also some caveats that come with that. "I think we should let somebody know what our status is, but I also don't want to cause any undue panic." He'd like to think that everyone is a responsible adult who won't go barreling into the underground to try and find them.

He'd like to think that, but he's not sure he really does.

[millenyal_pink]

"I don't know if we can limit the broadcast to specific people. I mean-- Saturday knows we were planning on coming down here, at least."

Fuck, she should've told Stacia. This is what she gets for being used to having an on-call Ragabash in her head. It's so tiresome to remember to tell people things in person.

"But if you want to, go ahead. Just keep it short and sweet-- we're exploring and detecting some magic bullshit. No need to sound off any alarms quite yet."

This is debatable, but Lloyd is right. She doesn't know these people well enough to tell whether they would just try and come after them and potentially get lost doing so, or fall down the big well-shaped space left by the retracting stairs. She doesn't trust them all not to be idiots, and sensible people like Stacia can only do so much to contain people's idiocy.