In the library of the Red Tower of Power...
Niklas is amazed by what you can learn from just reading a book once in a while, and thus continues in his intellectual pursuits.
Unfortunately, though, this is where the book gets a tad technical, deciding to introduce a series of strange symbols to stand in for various metamagical effects - though the book advises to get used to them, as they will be immensely useful in the creation of foci. The symbols are pretty complex, Niklas thinks, though he certainly can see how a nonlinear system of writing could help the perception of the idea of the text rather than the mere words.
And then the book starts talking about chants without properly explaining what they might be (although the author does make recommendations on what books to find chants and tips on using them in), which is where Niklas starts to feel a little lost. Hm. Maybe he should do some additional reading before tackling the rest of this.
At the docks of Mothdale...
Kevin starts to remember why he left this place not too long ago - all the damn danger from unlikely and inexplicable sources. Realizing that mystifying danger is something you don't face without at least a stout face-beating stick, he looks for a weapon - and he does find a rather nice board lying around nearby. He guesses that's kind of a weapon.
Now to check if you can beat faces in with it properly!
In a place of blinding white...
Not in the mood for conversation with the strange person in front of him, Scott tries to adjust his ghost-o-vision to filter out polarized light.
[Scott's will roll: 3-2]
Midway through, he recalls that he doesn't actually know what polarized light is, let alone how it works or how it might be relevant to his current situation. He, very much like the eminent scholars of his time, knows that light is actually made up of particles. Why, if it was actually a wave, how would shadows with solid edges be possible? So polarized light is obviously just some ludicrous gobbledygook he came up with just to try and cheat his way out of his blindness, and he suddenly feels ashamed at even considering the idea he had.
"Jeremy! Listen up! You're going to be the valiant test subject for my experiment, Jeremy. And I just want you to know that, if a hole appears, you are most definitely obligated to go through it. Understand, Jeremy? This is very important!" the soft voice tells him insistently. "Okay, then! Here goes!" it says, and Scott hears a distinct wobble followed by silence. How interestingly perilous!
In the streets of Mothdale...
Sigmund, supposing that perhaps he should look for things that are more permanent and less likely to move around and get themselves killed, tries to find the Second Shank, rolling along the streets, keeping an eye on the sky and himself close to a wall.
It takes a short while, but he does eventually reach the harbor - the ship is there, as is Kevin and a whole bunch of walruses that seem to be busily punching holes and ripping out panels from the side of the ship. They appear to be doing disturbingly well at this, in fact, and the ship has begun to lurch and sink in a very unsettling manner.
On the Second Shank...
Mark decides that he should probably tell the Artiste about those instructions he got and, despite his one-legged state, he still attempts to do so through interpretive dance.
[Mark's interpretive dance roll: 5-1]
Luckily, the ducklike shape of Evelyn proves simple to imitate in movements, as is the feeling of urgency and the concept of ships, which all seems to click just fine in the Artiste's mind. He doesn't seem happy, though.
"Dammit, Mark, I know all that already. Those were my instructions!"
The sound of rushing water seems to grow louder, and the ship's floor now has a pronounced incline to it.
"WE are SINKING! MOST UNFORTUNATE, that! Perhaps an EXTERNAL PERSPECTIVE will help!" the Captain says, then floats upward, phasing through the ceiling and disappearing from sight.
"Maybe he's got a point there," the Artiste says, and steps out of sight as well, leaving Mark alone on the slowly sinking vessel.
Meanwhile in the den, Morton drags himself over to one of the panels, inspecting it. Fortunately for him, it doesn't seem like he'll need any tools to mark this thing, as it's already got a yellowish line on the interior side. Filled with joy over this discovery, he moves over to Tailor Craig's room, only to find that there seems to be no cloth at all there. Somebody must have taken it, he guesses as he gets back to the den.
When he notices that the holes in the walls have gotten about twice as large (making the amount of water pouring in several times greater) and now have the mischievous heads of marauding walruses poking in through them, he begins to wonder about whether he has the hour or so necessary for the Single Thought Chant to spare, given how he seems to get the distinct feeling that the ship is now lower than it used to be.
Outside an artifact pet store...
Darren decides that maybe he should stop distracting himself with such things as helping the obviously demented populace of this strange husk of a city, and resolves to get back on track with that god quest or whatever. So he seeks out the engineers' graveyard, as that was where he was last pointed, and he knows that being pointed somewhere is important to act upon after the mandatory distractions have been engaged in with some measure of enthusiasm. Fascinatingly enough, it's not difficult at all to find - it's a rather large, shiny, glowing mausoleum on the far side of town, its perimeter patrolled by very nasty-looking giant insects.
Darren wonders if his questing so far may be of any help here, considering that he didn't really fully accomplish anything in all this time.
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Topic: Life Begins At Death - Epilogue: We Live And Live Again (Read 564799 times)