2020-08-12: Digging Deeper
- Log: Digging Deeper
- Cast: Loren Voss, Lan Lilac, Leah Sadalbari
- Where: Sielje City
- Date: August 12, 2020
- Summary: Leah, Loren and Lan head into the Academy's libraries in order to do a little research on the Ley and Crest Magic. What they find out complicates matters somewhat.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
The best place to go for answers on Crest magics -- and the Ley -- is of course the Academy itself.
Major Sadalbari joins the two of them perhaps a day after they arrive and make themselves comfortable (which is to say, establish their cover story -- scholars from Guild Galad conducting research on the nature of the Ley). After that it's just a matter of making a formal request for access to their library, one which the staff is all too happy to comply. And with that business out of the way...
The academy looks like you would expect an academy to look, if of course you were of the surface world. To Loren's eyes it just looks archaic, stuffed full of old creaky-floored corridors leading to rooms crammed with books once they're ushered into this particular library.
Or, well, at least this room is crammed full of books. If he's not mistaken this isn't even their entire collection of materials on the Ley. ...As befits one of the leading authorities on the subject of this particular magic, he supposes.
And then, they're simply left to their own devices, with the instruction to take care with the books and not remove even a single one from the room. The aide can be spoken to if they need help finding something (and the finding aids are also available of course!)
Having a pretty good idea of some of the things you can do with Crests and Symbols that you can't do with Ether, Loren just assumes that they've magicked the books somehow to tell.
"Guess we should get started," he remarks, once the aide is out of earshot.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
Lan has, whether or not it's to her credit, never set foot into an actual school before. The children of Little Firelight learned at their parents' feet or sometimes in small groups whenever an elder felt it necessary to pass on some information. Books were a scarce luxury, read and shared and re-read until they fell apart.
And a place like Sielje has hundreds, thousands of them. Right here on the shelves!
Well, it makes sense, really. If you've got the power to magic up a town that floats over and empty void and has endlessly falling snow, a room full of words on paper shouldn't really be that big of a flex. Even so, Lan is a tiny bit envious.
She isn't sure where to begin, honestly. At least the aides should be able to help them...?
Lan has the same notebook she's been scribbling in for a while now, and the long dress she's been using as a disguise. Nobody would believe she was a scholar in the clothes she normally wears! "So... where should we start? Just... 'L' for leyline?"
<Pose Tracker> Leah Sadalbari has posed.
Leah Sadalbari has in fact been to this school before. Studying surfacer artifacts and legends naturally brings one a few places; perhaps her familiar face made things easier, even. So now that she's actually arrived...
Naturally Leah has no intention of stealing any books. Not when she can take photographs of relevant passages, anyway. Not that she probably would, anyway. Leah certianly isn't doing anything to disabuse Loren of the notion that the books are On Magic, so to speak.
"Yes, we should," Leah answers. "And given their organizational scheme... Yes, I see--these are numbered instead of only lettered. But you're on the right track--'Ley'. Here... This section."
"In particular anything to do with poisoning, sickness, or direct exposure to Ley energy is most relevant."
She is in scholarly type attire, and... well, her hands aren't going to hurt the pages anyway. No skin oils!
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
It's not that Loren's anti-book by any means -- Lan would have seen his smallish collection in his bedroom back in Etrenank. This is probably the largest collection he's seen in one place (even in Etrenank, even among the First Class, there are ultimately space limitations in homes, and places like Jugend and other schools prefer digital texts) and it mostly just makes him wonder how they keep them from falling apart. Is it magic? It must be magic.
"It's organized by topic area," he pipes up, because he's a nerd and he knows these things. Arranging an entire library alphabetically is asking for trouble. "I don't know their organizational-- right, okay. So it's in this section?"
He follows along after the Major, tilting his head to one side as he skims the titles of the books on the shelves.
"'The Essentials of the Ley'... hmm, maybe. Or what about 'Ley Theory'?" He pulls it from the shelf and flips through the pages. "...No," he says, sliding the overly-technical book back onto the shelf.
Onto the next. "...I can't read the language that title's in."
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
When in doubt, ask anybody who's been here before. In this case - Leah! "Okay," Lan nods. "Let's see... Maybe there would be something in a book labeled 'Very Dangerous'..." The book itself or the contents thereof?!
And... honestly? Books fall apart eventually. Probably even magic ones.
"We would've had to build an entire new house to keep all of these in," Lan sighs, hesitating for a moment before reaching for a thin volume labeled 'A Leyman's Guide to the Channels'. She flips through it with fairly delicate hands. "...This just says to treat the lines with respect," she frowns after some more perusing.
"If you can get poisoned by the Ley, why wouldn't that be right in the front of just about every book?" She puts back the one she'd picked out and leans forward to check the spine of the book Loren has found. "...I don't recognize it. How about you?" She glances back at Leah, happy enough for now to just fall back into the role of the companion. It's easier than analyzing her feelings.
<Pose Tracker> Leah Sadalbari has posed.
Leah seems to wonder less; she is calm, as she is always calm, comfortable among study in a way that may be striking. Indeed, that might be the best word--comfortable, with all these books and bits of information.
Though she may not be the nerd Loren is.
She too skims titles, considering. An overly technical book; an overly basic book. "Maybe," Leah says of danger. Buuut...
"In normal circumstances, you can't. Very rarely will someone be exposed to the level of energies necessary to make that happen; ordinarily that energy just hums through the air and the earth, as it were. ...It's the same as how you can drown in water."
"Hm, this language..."
Leah considers it. "I recognize it. This means... 'Muse in Detail: Water in its Varieties.'"
"...Might be useful but would take me time to go through. Let's see... I think looking at these..."
"If you can find something regarding physical manifestation or spell empowerment, that might be ideal."
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
"How should I know?" Loren grouses, taking a moment to grimace at the books as if they have feelings that can be hurt by glowering at them hard enough.
It doesn't work very well.
The Major, of course, has an answer for them.
"It doesn't take much water to drown in, though," Loren remarks, though after glancing over at her momentarily he shakes his head. "...Sorry. I guess it's not normal to run into that much of it."
Manifestation of spells... spell empowerment.
"Or... maybe something about Leypoints," he says, skimming the shelves again.
He pulls one free, then hands it over to Lan as he passes her.
It's a text on magical theory, as it relates to Crest Sorcery. "Maybe this is what she wants," he says, wandering down a ways.
He's silent for the next few minutes following, browsing books then returning them to the shelves as he continues to surf the shelves. He eventually has put a good deal of distance between himself and the two women.
This has to have happened to someone before... right?
'Mysteries of the Ley', is the next title he pulls from the shelf; he flips through a few pages, then a few more, then outright settles on the floor to read through a lengthier section.
"..."
'The hazards of the Ley cannot be underestimated,' the section in the book continues. 'Overexposure can lead to several negative outcomes for the unwary. This generally does not come about from standard use -- even Leylines do not contain enough concentrated energy to cause significant harm, though the practitioner should use care when channeling energies direction from one of Filgaia's Leylines.'
'Rather, the greatest opportunity for harm amongst the careless comes from exposure to a Leypoint. Consider it like plunging one's hand into hot water -- if held in too long, the body begins to overheat and even scalds. It is important to limit the time of exposure. Particular physical symptoms of early overexposure of note include a burning sensation, nausea, impaired motor reflexes, and headache.'
Reading the book, Loren has gone particularly still.
'Prolongued overexposure may lead to significant impairment of motor coordination, memory loss, and burns. If left unchecked, this may proceed to coma and possible death.'
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
"Mmm. I guess you're right..." Lan reads her way down a shelf, spine by spine. She's still much faster with surfacer script than with Solarian. Research like this is... very much not what she's used to. But three heads are better than one! Almost certainly! "If you're the ony one who can read it and it could be useful, it might be worth looking into while Loren and I go through the more... basic stuff," she offers. "At least it's worth putting in the 'to-read' pile, right?"
There're a lot of works on theory, and almost as much on 'the basics, but by different authors'. Lan hadn't had a clue that there were so many ways to learn the same thing. It's a little intimidating, honestly...
Going down on hands and knees to check the lowest shelves, it takes a little experimentation to figure out how best to shuffle along in a skirt. "Spell... empowerment..." she mumbles to herself. The Way of Ley, The Apprentice's Guide to Crest Mastery, and Drawing Up the Earth mock her, among others.
"...Hey, where'd he go?" she asks herself after a few minutes of no griping from Loren.
<Pose Tracker> Leah Sadalbari has posed.
The Major often has answers. It's a feature of her position. ...But the books don't probably have feelings. Ley points, though--"Yes," Leah agrees, both to Loren and to Lan's comment on the to-read pile. "Indeed. We have enough time; I should be able to go through it and glean a few things from relevant passages, anyway."
As Loren makes his distance, Leah continues looking through books. ...And at Lan, for that matter, though naturally that must be because she may have found useful books. No other reason.
"This way," Leah answers the matter of where Loren went, with a nod of her head. She walks over to him, and.... There he is, very still, reading a book.
Leah waits approximately three seconds before she reaches out, gently grips the book, and takes it on the open page, flipping through.
"Hmmm..."
"Useful information, though not identical..."
Leah offers the book to Lan, keeping it open to that page so that she can see the relevant section, and then turns to Loren.
"What are your thoughts?" Leah asks him then.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
He hasn't gone terribly far. Catching up to him proves an easy task--
--as does pulling the book from his grasp. His gaze turns up to meet the Major's and he stares at her, wordless for a moment.
Still silent, he rises to his feet as she shows the book to Lan, his gaze away from the both of them.
It takes him a moment before he says anything.
"...The symptoms don't match. Not entirely. The headache and burning sensation... I remember that. But not the rest."
Loren glances back at the both of them. "And if I had it severely enough for memory loss, I shouldn't be able to walk. I should have burn marks on my body."
He focuses on the Major alone. "Major... what's going on?"
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
There's no other reason in the world that Leah Sadalbari, the Watcher, would keep an eye on Lan Lilac, a Solarian asset assigned the codename Spicule.
None at all, right?
She gets up to follow the Major to where Loren's found something worth looking at in greater detail. Thank goodness, because skirts are a pain and being on the floor in one is an even bigger pain. "Huh? Did he find something?"
Leah holds the book up for her to read; Lan takes it carefully and follows the prompt. "'...Impairment of coordination, memory loss, and burns. If left unchecked...'" The blood wants to drain from her face. No, it can't be. Because it's been so long. If he were going to go into a coma or something, wouldn't he have already done so?
She lowers the book, a finger slipped in where Leah's had been to mark the page. "I don't understand. Does that mean he just got lucky and only got some of the symptoms? Or he wasn't in there long enough to get burned, but..." She trails off, trying to do the math in her head.
"...Was it the Ley that you fell into?" she asks. After all, Lan wasn't there.
<Pose Tracker> Leah Sadalbari has posed.
Leah is willing to wait the moment it takes for Loren to speak up, as she puts her obvious attention on him again. She has not gotten anything close to on the floor in her search because of course she hasn't. Instead she waits, and then--
"So, a partial match--an unusual case, potentially. It is of course possible that it's simply an unusual case..."
But, she doesn't have to say, she doubts it. She looks between the two of them thoughtfully. "As you say, Lan. There is something other than raw Ley exposure at work here, though I believe that it is part of what is going on."
"What difference is there from normal Ley exposure, to your exposure? That is the ultimate key to understanding what has happened. That will explain why you have some symptoms, but not these others. I can't imagine it was shielding of some sort; then the effects would be blunted more universally."
"No, there is some kind of ongoing low-grade exposure that we're missing, something that draws out the symptoms over time and causes them to worsen. Let's look into suggested remedies, and start there."
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
"I didn't fall in," he hisses at Lan, something about this place keeping him from raising his voice. Instead, he clarifies, "I came into contact with an outburst at a Leypoint, I think. Something..." Loren pauses, wrinkling his brow. "Something happened. There was..."
It had crawled unfurling unwinding behind the
He blinks, returning from a briefly blank look. "...I don't remember."
What is the difference, the Major asks.
"But I can't have gotten some kind of... low-grade exposure. That would mean coming into constant contact with the Ley, and I've been places where it isn't." A long pause follows. "...Right?"
Another pause. "I came into contact with the Ley," he reiterates, thinking back. "But also the Primarch." But there had been a span of time between the two.
Lan, who still has the book, has access to the suggested remedies. They include of course 'rest' for mild cases, but...
More severe cases require a more forceful approach.
Exposure to the opposite element, for instance. Magical leeching. There is some theorizing on Elw medicinal treatments, but no confirmation of what they might be or entail (probably herbs). Spiritual ritual has been said to function but there are no confirmed cases of treatment.
If the patient isn't terminal and the symptoms aren't progressing, time may suffice.
But it's on the order of years.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
Leah has a way of making things sound so reasonable. Unfolding complicated things, smoothing them out, laying them all into a row. It's comforting - or it had used to be, anyway. Now it's... well, it's not really disturbing. It's just ...unusual for someone to be able to cut through so much red tape, isn't it.
That's it.
She opens the book again, reading further down the page. "There're some treatments listed in here. I don't know if most of them are for real, because some seem kind of... well, vague, but-- oh!" Spiritual ritual.
Could it be that accessible?
...Probably easier than gathering a million herbs, anyway. She's choosing to ignore the part that says nobody's made it work yet. If it never worked at all, why would it be listed in this book?
"See this part?" Lan turns the book around again, holding it for Loren and then Leah in turn. "Rituals. Or I guess we could try finding a, a magic vampire."
<Pose Tracker> Leah Sadalbari has posed.
Something happened, yes--Leah watches carefully to see how Loren's demeanor moves this time, and thus she catches the blank look, like she catches so much. It is unusual to be able to cut through as much red tape as she can. There are many unusual things about her.
"The Primarch," the Major agrees. "The Ley, and the Primarch, both."
"Treatments listed?" Leah asks, and reads the section Lan points out, considering her words and her particular involvement, for that matter.
"I don't think we want to rely on the goodwill of the 'vampire' that comes to mind," Leah comments. "But rituals... Yes, ritual has power. Maybe if we include some of these elements mentioned here..."
She is getting ideas, at least. But where on earth would Solaris find spiritual type rituals? If only they had people who knew about that sort of thing...
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
"The Ley and the Primarch," Loren echoes, looking troubled. "But, wait, if that's the case... what did the Primarch do?"
Perhaps he would be better served asking 'what is the nature of the Primarch'.
Or, 'what is the nature of Muse', perhaps?
What, in the end, does water do?
But those thoughts are far from him now.
Lan reads out a series of potential treatments for Ley exposure, and a few of them are right out.
For instance, trial-and-erroring herbs is not happening. And he doesn't think he has 'years'. And--
"I'm not letting a, a vampire," and here he might actually be thinking of Erzebet Lefanu, "drain anything from me," he says, shaking his head emphatically.
Exposure to the opposite element, though.
"So, fire? Does that mean a Leypoint, or a Leyline, or...? Does that mean, like, jumping right in? That doesn't sound healthy."
Or a ritual. Which may not even work. Folding his arms over his chest, he exhales sharply, and closes his eyes.
DG: Gwen Whitlock has left your party.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
"Maybe both so close to each other was just too much. Being so close to a Guardian is an intense experience, but... it's nothing like this." Lan lowers the book once they've both finishing looking at it, tucking it away at her side after memorizing the page number. "Even one on top of each other seems... like it wouldn't do this." So Leah has to be right. There's got to be some kind of influence sticking around. Something riding along with Loren, maybe something in Damzena itself, or... or something...
The idea dances just out of her reach.
Easier then to think about rituals, which Lan - while not a strict adherent thereof - is still well-versed in. "...We could try a purifying ritual blessed by Moor Gault. Burn it out of you - er, spiritually, not for-real burn it."
The fire medium is a solid, reassuring weight at her hip. Even if he's not her patron, surely Moor Gault wouldn't just leave them hanging if she asked for help?
<Pose Tracker> Leah Sadalbari has posed.
What does water do? There are answers to that question. Few of them would be comforting now. Those thoughts are not so far from the Major, with the book she intends to review. As for the vampire...
Well, there was that report. They know there's that one. Best not, though. Can't rely on her to be helpful. "Fair," Leah remarks there. But fire...
"No, I don't imagine jumping right in; that would give you a compounded problem. Though the use of a Leyline or Ley Point could be a factor in a solution."
She nods, though. "But a Guardian is 'natural'; a Primarch, supposedly, is not. This could be a difference. However..."
Leah nods, at that. "Yes, Moor Gault is a powerful essence of flame, and your skills I assume include rituals that might work for him as well, given that you bring it up."
Leah has... views on the Guardians. Different ones from most Solarians.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
Loren shudders, involuntarily, and thinks of the stone tablet in his bag back in their rented room here. Would the same thing happen if you were in the presence of a Guardian and a Leypoint? ...Would it be possible with just the Medium alone, or would it take the summoned or otherwise 'present' Guardian?
Except, as the Major says, it might be that a Primarch counts differently. Maybe because they're artificial -- maybe they don't align with the planet somehow.
And even then, it feels almost like there's a third factor.
At least a third factor.
Lan suggests letting Moor Gault burn it out of him.
He takes a step away from her, as if by sheer reflex.
Logically, he should take it. He knows it's spreading. But--
"No. I don't want-- at least... not yet," he says, shaking his head. "I want to," and he looks at Lan for a moment, as if he's considering his words carefully, "I want to try something else first. There's still time."
Probably. He chances a look at the Major, as if he were expecting her to order it, perhaps.
Then again, he knows he's being selfish. Still-- giving a Guardian that level of control over him...
He's gone tense, his attention on the nearest bookshelf rather than either of them.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
Lan was thinking less about an actual vampire and more about... er, an energy vampire of some sort. But it's a bit of a moot point if they don't know any!
She nods to Leah's suggestion. "There are a a few different types of purification ritual," Lan explains. "Most don't call for an actual Guardian to be present, but this is such a big deal that I don't think anything less would even work." Nothing a layperson could do, and possibly nothing even a trained shaman could accomplish without a Guardian's help. "This is deep," she sighs. But it's not impossible! After all, her mother trained her well--
Except that Loren acts like she suggested electrocuting him or something! She frowns mightily when he actually steps away from her. You brat, she thinks again, only... as usual, there's a thread of sympathy woven in.
But only a thread.
"It's, it's not like I'm going to actually set you on fire you know!" The half-second he spends considering his words doesn't entirely escape her. What was he thinking about, she wonders. Why be careful about what he wants to say, unless he thinks it'll break her conditioning -- or hurt her feelings? She goes quiet, but Lan is still unhappy.
Lan is silent for a few long moments. "...Fine. I think it's the best option right now but if you... don't trust" me "it, then we'll look for something else. ...Okay?"
<Pose Tracker> Leah Sadalbari has posed.
No vampires this time. For now.
"Hmm," Leah responds to Lan, thoughtful. "Yes, it certainly requires a decisive solution. If you're capable of invoking Moor Gault for this purpose..."
Deep is fine. Lan is good at things. But--Loren steps away. He considers his words, and Leah...
Well. The Major watches Loren and Lan in that moment. Silently. She doesn't speak up until after Lan does.
"Something else first is fine," Leah says. "Provided that we can find such an alternative. It would take time, regardless, to prepare for such a ritual."
"I'll let the two of you look for such alternatives if you like; I'm going to take some time to study this text on Muse, while we have the time."
She pauses. "But if we're to deal in Ley energy, and concerning the Guardians, aside from Lan the best person I can think of to assist is the head of the Wayside Outreach: the Hyadean Riesenlied."
"Something to consider. But we'll keep Lan's solution in mind; one way or another, we will solve this... And the ways I can draw upon personally are unideal for our purposes."
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
"I know it's not real fire," he says, with only a hint of petulance.
But he doesn't elaborate on why he's being gunshy about this particular solution.
He just... can't. Or 'doesn't want to', which would be the more accurate explanation. He doesn't want to let one of... those touch the very core of his being. He doesn't want to be at their mercy. He doesn't want anything less than control, if it comes down to him and the Guardians.
Only the Major's strong recommendation has kept him from outright disposing of the Medium he has in his possession.
Even more than he fears the Guardians, he fears her.
He half expects her to order him to do it now.
But... that doesn't happen. Confusion is the order of the day when he looks back at Major Sadalbari.
Then at Lan.
"If... we don't find anything else," and Loren pauses again here as if he's uncertain the cure is better than the disease, "then... fine. I'll do it. But I want to make sure, first."
He has to be sure.
It's then that the Major makes a surprising recommendation.
"One of... them?" He remembers Riesenlied. He remembers her for reasons that asking for her assistance may make the act awkward. "But they're... not even..." But of course, the Major has a better sense of these things. "...Fine. If they're willing to talk, anyway." He pauses. "I... I'm going to ask Anaitis-- er, Lieutenant Sura. Also, I mean." He glances away, as if flustered.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
Of the two of them, Leah is and always has been the more dangerous. But that doesn't erase the strange familiarity and fondness that she felt while under Myyah's conditioning... just alters it, tilts it, until Lan finds it easier not to think about such things if it can possibly be helped. She'll just have to be as careful as she can...
While trying to account for the fact that until lately, she was a fundamentally honest person.
"Just don't be stubborn and wait forever, okay?" she finally acquiesces. "Even if it'll take me a little while to prepare for it, I don't want you to lose anything else."
Lan takes the book over to a nearby table. "I'm going to copy this down, and then I'm going back to the inn to meditate for a while. Maybe the Guardians will tell me a different method." Hopefully one a little less... ominous than whatever Leah is planning.
And then if she's still stressed, Lan can make more snow cream and just eat her feelings.
<Pose Tracker> Leah Sadalbari has posed.
She could've ordered it. But she didn't. Why? It wouldn't be above her to simply require the Best Thing for a subordinate, or beneath her for that matter. But that isn't what happens. ...She just watches Lan's reaction, Loren's reaction, and his conditional...
"Yes," Leah says of Lan's acquiesance. "We will have to make this decision sooner, rather than later."
Leah smiles at Lan. It probably isn't comforting.
But then, "Yes, one of them. I doubt she would refuse you, though those close to her would likely prefer to avoid dealing with us altogether. Nevertheless, she's a good lead." Pause. "...Hm, yes. The Lieutenant may have something interesting to offer."
That's not ominous.
"...Fair enough. Do take care, Lan. It's easy to get lost in the Academy."
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
"I know," he replies with a sigh, shoulders sagging. "I'm already..."
But he doesn't finish that thought, not with the Major looking at him just yet and the very real threat that he could be strong-armed into a ritual he has major reservations about participating in if he looks like he's worse off than he is.
...But actually, isn't the reverse true? That he's worse off than he looks?
He doesn't want to think about it.
In the same way Loren's been avoiding talking to Anat about what's really been going on. He doesn't want to think about it. He wants to pretend he has more time, more options, more...
But he's going to have to. Because eventually he's going to be out of time, and at least, he needs to explain himself to Anaitis. And then, maybe, ask for their help.
He just nods at the Major's assessment, then glances off, away from her. "I'm going to look around, too, Major," he says. "Maybe there's something else I can find. If nothing else, at least I can learn about how this works."
'This', apparently, meaning the Ley.