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Post by Jeska, Voice of Eternity on Aug 31, 2015 10:49:48 GMT -8
Contrary to speculation, the isle of Tolaria was not -completely- lost. After failed temporal experiments, it had become shrouded in devouring mists that would jump people forward by weeks without their knowledge that any time had passed, or worse, age people by years after having only been gone a few hours. These experiments occurred at what was once a legendary school and research facility founded by Urza, but like much of Dominaria, it too was destroyed during the Phyrexian invasion and much of the island was blown up in an attempt by a grieving Barrin to prevent them from defiling the memory of his dead wife and daughter. After all of that though, magic has still continued to emanate from the Pendrell Vale for centuries. Whether by some fluke of the temporal mist or a protective barrier cast upon it long ago, the mysterious Tabernacle still stands. Some mages have taken to worshiping it, spreading the paradoxical demand for it to be left alone. Visiting it though was a dangerous pilgrimage taken only by a brave few. It is here that the aether of other planes, of other possible realities, of other courses of time that never occurred now gathers; a veritable beacon in the Blind Eternities to those who would follow it. You arrive outside of this cathedral. Walking through the surrounding mist is generally not advised, and you can feel an otherworldly will inviting you to enter the church through its large double doors. |
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Post by bloodscribbler on Sept 14, 2015 13:27:41 GMT -8
Outside the doors of the church, a single tree stood, tall and proud despite the swirling mists around its canopy. At the foot of the tree, nestled in the roots, sat a single being dressed in feathers and bones sewn to leather and beaded cloth, her eyes closed with her four arms resting on her lap. She appeared outwardly to be sleeping, though opens her eyes when any approach.
Inside the church, leaning on one of the pews, was a tall woman with red hair, her clothing tight to her body. "Where have you brought us now, my wolf?" she asked of the man nearby.
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Post by Jeska, Voice of Eternity on Sept 16, 2015 22:38:06 GMT -8
The usual sights one would expect from a church were all present. Vaulted ceilings, stone pillars, stained glass. It was certainly old, but none of it looked used. Quite literally none came for mass, no preists worked here; and yet there was no dust.
Except at the altar. It appeared set up to display a book, but said book was missing. Where it once lay was outlined in dust, clearly visible from the pews.
Outside, in the otherwise still air, a chipping sound seemed to come from the tree behind the meditating orochi, like somebody was driving a blade into the wood.
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Post by Fleshwarper Sariss on Sept 20, 2015 15:01:57 GMT -8
The being had gone to Tolaria expecting to find a school and research masterpiece in order to continue their work. What they found instead was a lost and shattered piece of forgotten ephemera that would have been disappointing, had disappointment been a feeling they wasted much time on. Moving quietly with an idle detachment from their surroundings, they saw a cathedral standing before them. Never a person of faith but intrigued by what knowledge potentially lay there, they approached.
Glancing at the tree and the being with four arms, they seemed to pay them little mind. The being themselves didn't appear threatening, armed with a book, a spike, and little regard for ought else. They disregarded the chopping sound when their foot touched stone.
Entering the church, they looked upon the innards. Folk were here, the cathedral trappings, the dust on the altar. A quiet hum came from their body as they stood there, gathering information. They seemed content to stay near the back and observe. From their waist the book floated up and opened itself and the being waved their hand, flipping through pages until they got to a certain point. Taking out a stylus, they began writing down notes and thoughts as they looked upon the cathedral's trappings, such as they were.
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Post by Bondranx on Sept 22, 2015 15:15:08 GMT -8
Stepping out of the air in a burst of light the Auriok took a look around at his surroundings. He had finally figured out how to planeswalk away from Ravnica and this was where he ended up? The place was desolate, but not uninhabited, there were clearly others around. His hand went to the blade at his side as he made an assessment of possible threats. He looked at the one with four arms but didn't sense a threat from it.
The sound of chopped wood caught his attention however.
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Post by ashidlun on Sept 22, 2015 19:51:07 GMT -8
"Well, My Bat, I figured your insight would do well here, seeing as this place has an unnatural pull to me and all." Delmi stood beside her, annoyed, confused, and all around uneasy. He frowned, he couldn't really explain what he was feeling inside this place, it was intense though, and it was very real. He looked to the woman beside him and thought for a moment, thinking long and hard about his next choice of words, whether they were inspired by amusement or not, he smirked and said "Picking up anything? Maker knows you must have some form of enhanced hearing." He grinned as he waited for her reply, but turned his attention to the altar, and the fact that it was the only place with any form of dust.
He wondered, why there, of all places? That should be the center of cleanliness, if what he understood of churches was true. He took a look around, trying to see if he could spot anything else, anything odd or out of place, and also took deep breaths through his nose, taking in the scent of the place. Something was unnatural, and he would find out what it was, and now.
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Post by Jeska, Voice of Eternity on Sept 22, 2015 21:06:21 GMT -8
While Bondranx made his assessment of the meditating snake-lady, the cause of the sounds coming from the tree in the same direction wouldn't go ignored. Little wood chips flew into the air as if from a phantasmal force, exposing the lighter colored phloem beneath into familiar line-patterns: Letters, for anyone with knowledge of their shape.
"T E Γ"
was already there, the third letter still being formed.
---
Meanwhile, the mysteries within the church began to reveal themselves. Each planeswalker present had some heightened awareness of their surrounds: Sariss with Vedalken sight, Requiem with psychic sense, and Delmi with his feral nose; and each one offered clues. The stained glass windows letting light in to the aisles and transpets each depicted a person (or two). Those that weren't broken, anyway. A few of them looked notably familiar - a four armed snake woman, a blue-skinned partly-metal sage; and the one window with two characters showing both the lady with red hair that now stood among the pews and the terrifying wolfman snuffling around near her.
Delmi would pick up on more books here besides the one apparently missing. Paper and leather and ink, all bound tightly; aged but well kept. It was now just a matter of finding them. Requiem would have her attention drawn to something else though, and not just the presence of others within the cathedral. A voice would speak to her, a female voice, but it was one with no source and certainly not her own.
"...You have been called..."
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Post by Fleshwarper Sariss on Sept 25, 2015 17:08:39 GMT -8
Sariss wasn't one at all for fate or being summoned by a higher power or anything preordained and yet the stained glass windows that were intact were quite compelling. The lady with red hair and the wolfman caught their attention for the moment before they walked forward. They made their way to the altar where the book was missing and frowned, Closing their journal, they put the stylus and the book back on their belt and frowned. If this was where the knowledge had led her then where the hell was it?
Sighing as if matters of greater import should be planting themselves firmly in their brain, they went over near one of the broken glass windows to examine it and the others. Their eyes glowed softly as they walked to and fro, not seeming to really give a second thought to the others present. Lofty, flighty, damned arrogant Vedalken and their ways.
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Post by bloodscribbler on Sept 28, 2015 23:32:19 GMT -8
Sana attempted to keep her eyes closed as long as she could, though the sound of wood being chipped away from the tree behind her wormed its way into her thoughts. Sighing, the Orochi unfolded herself from the ground, standing to her full impressive height, and looked around the tree. With no person there, the shaman swore quietly, then looked up to see the man there. Her eyes narrowed, and she eyed his hand on his sword. "If you mean me harm, then you will find my ssstrength to be great," she said, pitching her voice to carry to him.
"Foolish wolf, my hearing is no more than yours," the vampire said, looking around. She gazed for a moment at the Vedalken, then to the windows. "As for other senses, though..." she added, frowning. The voice sounding in her head surprised her for a moment. "Who's there? Answer me!"
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Post by Bondranx on Oct 6, 2015 6:26:12 GMT -8
Looking over at the one speaking to him he quietly speaks. "I only attack to defend myself and those around me, leave me be and I won't harm you." He looks over the building where he hears voices and turns back to her. "Have you any knowledge of the plane we are on that you would share?"
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Post by ashidlun on Oct 7, 2015 13:14:52 GMT -8
Delmi did indeed smell out the other books, but before he could mention it to Requiem, he jumped and said "God dammit woman! Don't do that! I'm right beside you, yeesh." Delmi frowned at her, she wouldn't just do that out of nowhere... something was amiss, there had to be a point to him sniffing out those books, and so he went exploring, walking towards the altar and mumbling something about other books being there. He stood there, and thought, where the hell could those books be?
He inspected the area further, pulling on the scent to try to discern an exact location, this was already getting weird, how was this place so damn clean? He also noted a... Metallic smell, he frowned and took a quick peak around, and noticed the strange being musing over the windows, particularly, the broken glass ones. They smelled more of metal than what he would've liked to admit, and this worried him to a massive degree. He would approach the being later, after he found exactly what he was looking for. He took another long breath to try and pinpoint the books again.
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Post by Jeska, Voice of Eternity on Oct 10, 2015 0:46:42 GMT -8
The tree continued to carve itself, perfectly content in being dismissed; yet, ironically, that event would provide a somewhat cryptic answer to the question posed by Bondranx. The voice of a female child, thus clearly belonging to neither of them, came from nearby where Bondranx was standing. "Why are you carving your name into the tree?"To which came a reply as well; a still young sounding and more heavily accented voice, but definitely male and again with no apparent sources. "Urza said that our training at the academy is all part of some greater plan. That we're supposed to each make our own mark in history. So I am! ...Just more literally," he spoke, the end of his second sentence done in a mocking tone of the one he was implicitly quoting. It seemed like the first voice wasn't convinced, though. "You're so weird. C'mon, the others are heading into the church. Hurry up or you'll get in trouble again!""Yeah, sure. Maybe Barrin will come up with something less boring this time."With that, the last chunk of tree bark was chipped away, revealing the spectral child's name in full: " TEFERI" ; and the sound of hurried footfalls progressed towards the arched doorway shortly afterwards, vanishing at the threshold. --- The search for the scent inside made headway, as a door set in the wall of one of the transepts led into what appeared to be a study. The contents seemed sparse, non-religious in nature, and poorly labelled; but potentially informative. Resting on top of a desk was a "Tolarian Academy Student Progress Log"; Piled off to one side was an encyclopedia covering a particular continent and its history, "Sarpadian Empires, Vol. I - VI", and posted to the wall above the desk was perhaps the most obvious clue as to their whereabouts: A map depicting most of Dominaria, circa 4205 AR. (This label was scrawled in an upper corner on the back of the weathered parchment) --- Sariss at least would reap some reward for closer inspection: A glimpse outside to the rear of the church, where a small grouping of flowers grew amid ashen-grey blades of grass. Flowers with black petals and purple stamen. It wasn't as exciting as carmot perhaps, but ironically just as legendary. --- Requiem stood accused of shouting at ghosts, but the voice in her head seemed all too real. Especially because it replied. "I am Jeska... and your worlds are in grave jeopardy," was what she heard. The longer the ghost spoke, the clearer it became. |
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Post by Fleshwarper Sariss on Oct 19, 2015 23:05:54 GMT -8
Sariss at least would reap some reward for closer inspection: A glimpse outside to the rear of the church, where a small grouping of flowers grew amid ashen-grey blades of grass. Flowers with black petals and purple stamen. It wasn't as exciting as carmot perhaps, but ironically just as legendary. The metalmage's eyes widened and glowed brighter. There was no way that was... Darting outside, the normally stoic figure was much more animated now. They ignored the woman seeming to talk to herself and the warrior far too obsessed near a tree. Going to around the back of the church, they knelt near the flowers. Black Lotus. The Dark Ones had told them nothing about its necessity but they knew what this flower meant to a lot of folk. It would be myopic to think they couldn't use this for some purpose. From their palm extended a blade of metal, blue blood coating it temporarily. As they lifted up the first Lotus, they made a careful extraction along it, trying not to damage the flower or the petals. They didn't notice the grey grass around her, or maybe they didn't care. But they was far too preoccupied with this discovery and not focused on much else. A serene gaze came over their face as they carefully began setting the flowers into their pack. Mind already flourishing with ideas on how to use this plant. If they didn't find the knowledge they originally were drawn here for, at least they'd come away with more than enough for their time and trouble. |
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Post by ashidlun on Oct 21, 2015 22:01:30 GMT -8
Delmi frowned, and walked towards the scent, ignoring Requiem for the moment, he went inside the doorway(after finally discovering it) and peeked about. Finding the books, he grabbed a couple and looked through them briefly, he looked at the map and stared, surprised at first, then looked at the scrolls and books more closely, finding what he was looking for, he grabbed all the books he could grab, he paused and looked at the map, then growled. He moved towards the map and as carefully as he could, took it off it's place of residence. rolling it up, he shoved it into his shirt and walked out with the book. While going back towards Requiem his thoughts had began to wander...
It had been some time since he first jumped worlds and used his spark, he knew where he was, but this confirmed it, he did know how to jump planes and worlds. He entered the original room and looked to Reki, then thought to himself how strange it was that he had chosen her as his own, even if they did not openly state it as such. He also looked around and noticed the metal-smelling... thing, had left the room. Wonder what they found that made them leave... Anyways, he looked back over to Reki and said to her in a voice that dripped with excitement "Bat, I know where we are now." He waited for her to acknowledge him before he dared walk any closer.
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Post by bloodscribbler on Oct 31, 2015 2:01:43 GMT -8
Sana frowned, opening her mouth to respond to Bondranx when the voices started. Spirits? No, there were none around, not near the tree.. She shook her head as the memory faded away from around them. "Ssstrange place..." she hissed before turning back to the stranger. "I am asss much a ssstranger in thisss land asss you ssseem. Perhapsss our quessstionsss will be anssswered inssside?"
Requiem scoffed a little at the disembodied words. "My world has always been a danger. Tell me something relevant," the vampire said aloud. When Delmi approached her again, she glanced at him, then tilted her head, indicating that he could approach her.
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