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wildestlogs2021-12-03 10:36 am
wildestmods) wrote in wildestlogs2021-12-03 10:36 am
Secrets and Stone
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.
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.
no subject
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.
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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.
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"Let's see if we're any closer to something at the bottom first. If we're not going to mention the disappearing stairs part so nobody panics and tries to follow us down here, then there's not really much new to add just yet - there's something down here, we're still looking."
Given that Saturday and a couple others who replied to his initial broadcast know that they're on the trail, he figures they'll have the sense to put two and two together if nobody comes back out, and at that point, there will probably be even bigger issues on the table anyway.
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Massive columns rise up around an area with a stone floor. Different designs are etched into the stone. Ensconed in the walls above are statues of trolls. These don't look like the petrified dead, they're all composed in a way that looks dignified.
All of them are wearing variations of the same armor, fitted to each of their bodies. All of them have the carving of an amulet in the chest of the armor. All of them bear the same oversized sword.
It's hard to tell what the area is on the other side. A training area? An arena? A memorial?
Do they dare cross the walkway?
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"Oh, this sucks."
Elle may love exploring, but that doesn't mean she's willing to forfeit her right to complain. This looks like a potential combat arena, so she shifts up to Crinos, her human-cat war form.
"It's not like we can go back, right?" she says to Lloyd with a weary, fang-filled smile, and starts to carefully move forward. She's prepared to grab him and leap if the walkway begins to fall out from under them.
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What they've seen of this society doesn't appear to have the kind of demented sociopathic turn that the D∴G cult had, but he's not going to assume that means they're in the clear.
His tonfas come out and to a ready, but not aggressive, stance as he follows.
no subject
Light streaks along the lines on the floor and up the walls, and the entire arena goes dark.
And then it lights up again, but with sparkles like stars in the air, and constellation symbols floating overhead. In the space of a breath it's beautiful. The walkway has disappeared but no attack comes.
Whispers fill the air. There is the sensation that a presence - or multiple presences are around them - but they are not hostile. If anything they project good will and an intent to help.
A wispy glowing light floats out of each one of the statues. Most hover overhead. One floats down to meet them. When it speaks, the voice sound male. Dignified. Well-meaning.
"Have no fear, strangers from strange realms. We mean no harm to you. We only wished to speak. Welcome to the void between world. We will release you from it back to the material world soon."
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The presences and voice cause her to relax, just a little. She doesn't let her guard down, but she recognizes a spirit when she meets one.
She leans down a bit and growls to Lloyd:
"Let's hear them out."
She doesn't think he would do otherwise, but she doesn't know him well enough to be 100% sure.
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To the voice, he asks, "Is this about why we're all here?"
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"My name is Kanjigar and I was once beholden to destiny, a champion of my people, chosen by Merlin's amulet."
He gestures to the floating souls.
"These are the spirits of my other fallen brethren. We once lingered here to offer guidance to our people and to each future Trollhunter as they were chosen, but the last one has moved on, to protect our people on their long journey. It's time now that we retreat to the void for good and move on to what comes after."
He inclined his head.
"But first we wanted to speak to you. We knew you were coming here. We have heard whispers from the spirits of this new world, about how you've been chosen for a great destiny. Like we once were."
His expression looks concerned.
"We don't the full details of this destiny, and these nature spirits are not the most forthcoming, but we have knowledge of something dire you must know, regardless of what you face. Something that concerns the fate of this world, your own fate, and the fate of our own wandering people."
He holds up a hand and the light around them constitutes into a strange image. It looks like a planet that is slowly drawing twine from other worlds, unraveling like balls of yarn.
"The is the Wilderlands, the world we've all found ourselves in. It is a world that has broken from an unknown cause - and that breaking will eventually be its downfall - and the downfall of the other worlds it is drawing from."
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"So our worlds are connected to this too?"
The idea that the people back home, back at anyone's home, could be threatened by this is a horrifying prospect.
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A pause.
"Or at least parts of them will. Something that will become catastrophic before long to the planets left behind."
They are shown a vision of a planet, stripped of a huge chunk of landmass, still being spiraled off through what looks like a world-sized pane of glass to a massive patchwork planet visible in the sky. People are evacuating from the edge of the missing landmass. Molten magma has poured forth from where the land has been ripped away. Only some sort of magical field holds it back from pouring over the surrounding land, but who knows how long it will hold.
The vision fades.
They are back in the practice arena, under the light of distant stars.
The image of the Wilderlands still rotates there.
"And as this world grows, only magic holding it together, it will weaken, and start to fall apart. There are too many incongruent forms of magic, some of them in conflict. As spirits, we can see its weak foundations, poised for future collapse. This world is just as at risk as the worlds it has drawn from."
The image of the Wilderlands fades away.
"However, regardless of this potential calamity, you should show caution. Though we have communed with other spirits enough to understand the nature of the damage, we know not what the Green truly intends for you, or whether they can be trusted at their word about your destiny. Their secretive nature is...somewhat alarming, even to other spirits. And while destiny can be a gift, it is also a burden, and almost inevitably also source of sorrow. By its very nature."
He inclines his head.
"As Trollhunters, we were all chosen. But even with something being decided for us, we still all had to decide how to forge our own destiny in the face of it. You must decide what voices you heed and how you face the journey ahead of you."
The spirits start to withdraw but instead of going off into their statues again, they start to float up into what's looking more and more like an open night sky, with far off lights that may be or may not be stars.
"I would answer your questions were that I had more time, but the void calls so strongly now. On my honor, that is all the information and wisdom we have to offer you. We wish we could help you more." Even as he speaks, his voice grows fainter and more distant. "As the Heartstone fades, so too do we."
He adds, "If you happen to see our people out in the world, know that they would almost certainly offer you aid if you need it. Especially the young Trollhunter. He is one of the best of us - and one of the best of you. A very noble young human."
He turns back into a little light and starts to rise up with the others.
"We wish you safe travels and luck in whatever threats you may face." Solemnly: "And we pray that in your own struggles, you come to a far better fate than we."
All of the statues look like people that fell in their prime, or even fairly young, not old age.
The little lights shoot off into the sky and disappear. The room goes dark and then light again, back to the way it was before. All the trails of light disappear from the walls and floor.
For good. They will never light up again. In the space of one calamity, a people has been displaced, and their honored spirit elders have been forced to move on, instead of offering future generations their wisdom.
The source of magic Lloyd felt is now completely gone.
From where they are, Lloyd and Elle can hear the stairs back in the stairwell clanking back out again so they can climb back up them.
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As the light fades, even with all that information, Elle is left with a single question.
"...Were they the ones powering the Heartstone?"
Because it seems that their power is gone, and that can't be a good thing.
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"The only real location we know of so far is toward to the desert, but who knows how people will feel about doing that. Either way, we need to share with the class and we'll figure it out as a group."
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"It sounds like the stairs are back. Let's get back up there."
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