acatalepsy_rpg | ᴏᴏ4 ( ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ ) | sᴜᴍᴍᴇʀᴛɪᴍᴇ sᴀᴅɴᴇss.

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ᴏᴏ4 ( ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ ) | sᴜᴍᴍᴇʀᴛɪᴍᴇ sᴀᴅɴᴇss.

[ the weather is . . . insane, at the moment, given the sudden shift in every single quadrant of the temple making it spring, summer, winter, and fall simultaneously. roy has steadily been ignoring it, focused instead on collecting information, and preparing for the inevitable next world jump.

that being said: ]

I hope this place picks one season, soon.

[ tiredly, as he shakes the snow out of his hair. someone has recently been through the snowy abyss that is the winter section of the temple. it looks like, from the background, that roy is in the kitchen area. the fire-brick oven is just behind him. ]

At any rate, we've recently lost a slew of members, and we need to regroup, and calculate who is missing, and who is still here. We had a successful trip, for the most part. [ ilde's meltdown excluded. ] Hopefully our good luck continues. I think we've all come to the agreement by now that this place can turn on a dime.

[ roy pauses, again, before his face settles into something a bit more somber. having been here since the very start, roy is used to this song and dance by now. it's only a matter of time before people are sent home, and he runs a hand through his hair, shaking out the last of the snow. ]

So. Who have we lost? And who is still here? And does anyone have any bets on what is coming next?

[ at the very least, roy is here to listen. ]

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I wonder if this seasonal chaos is due to Astoria overextending herself to bring us gifts from home.

The Temple does seem to react to how she is feeling or what she's experiencing, if past experiences mean anything in this place.

[ it has to count for something, anyway. ]

People also showed up in Faerun outside of our own crew... who knows whether or not that was her, or a product of the world we were in, or both.

Whereas the place where we searched for Alcina reacted quite adversely to any use of Astoria granted power.

[To say that the experienced sucked would be an immense understatement.]

Astoria is not the only being in existence to have the power to pluck people from their own worlds. I was not in my own world when she brought me here. Perhaps such a being existed in Mirabar.

I wasn't home, either.

[ it's said a bit... tiredly. the acceptance and acknowledgment that there seems to be a slew of super-powerful lunatics running the universe has always been a bit hard to swallow, but here we are. ]

There's never enough time to properly investigate anything in this place. We're here, and then whisked off somewhere else. You almost have to wonder why.

[ what is being hidden here, and why are these specific worlds the ones being selected? ]

We will have to compare stories one day. I do still have most of the mead I bought in Mirabar.

[She knows that kind of tone of voice. And certainly the other world she'd been in drove people to drink. Surely talking things out over a cup of mead couldn't hurt now.]

A good point. Mirabar hardly seemed in need of saving the way that the Horologium did. Supposedly, Astoria senses a darkness when she chooses to send us to a place, but I do have to wonder if another party might be making her sense things.

I'm sure you're not the only one who lifted alcohol.

[ roy . . . did not, and is sort of kicking himself for the lost opportunity. but he did take quite a bit of other useful material, so - win some, lose some? at any rate: what ikaruga says last is the most interesting, and roy arches his eyebrows a bit. ]

Another party?

[ he's curious. go on. ]

Likely not, but I am the only one who's expressed any willingness to share on the network.

[Not that she blames people for wanting to keep a few things to themselves. She just happened to buy the mead with social intentions.]

Purely a theory, inspired partially by Alcina and partially by experiences in that other place I was in.

[She's not going to pretend she knows more than she does. However, better to think of possibilities based on available evidence than to remain in the dark with no ideas at all.]

[ . . . indeed. roy has been to other dimensions before acatalepsy, too, and the existence of otherworldly beings isn't a strange one to him. that being said. . . ]

Alcina has come up multiple times, but no one seems to know where she is. Or what happened to her. And Astoria herself isn't exactly a bastion of information.

[ which is frustrating, in and of itself. ]

But if Astoria remembers her, and nothing else, then she must have had some amount of impact on her. Or may be similar to her in nature. If so, then we may have an enemy, or an ally, depending on how well they get along. If we find her.

When a group of us went searching for Alcina, there was a point where we could go no further. What's more, actively using the power Astoria gave us caused intense pain at that place.

[She's not coming out and saying exactly what she thinks on the matter just yet. For now, she's just not sure of how much Roy knew about this expedition.]

[ . . . fascinating. ]

Do you think something was interfering with it, or do you think that may be where she is?

I think it was designed to serve as a deterrent or perhaps even a trap for Astoria. As soon as we stopped using the powers she gave us, the pain subsided.

[She neglects to mention she'd been ready to try again if it meant they could make progress.]

It's why I suspect a third party may be at work. Someone who has an interest in keeping Alcina and Astoria separated.

[ the theory causes roy to fall silent for a moment, his eyes flickering off camera. thinking, placing out the pieces . . . ]

Not the least alarming theory I've heard so far.

[ finally; quite the opposite, actually. ]

But if a third party is involved, who is it? Why doesn't Astoria remember who they are, if they even exist? And what is to be gained by keeping them separated? We would need to know who Alcina is, and what she is capable of -- and what they're capable of together, if anything.

[You're welcome, Roy. She's good at considering unpleasant possibilities.]

Astoria believed Alcina long dead until Alcina made contact with members of the Circle. She may believe the same of another being who wanted to interfere with her. Besides, she has been in isolation for how long now? That sort of thing can addle someone's mind.

[Ikaruga very much suspects that it has done just that to Astoria.]

I don't think a soul exists in the Circle that would disagree with the fact that her mind is a little addled.

[ including astoria herself, probably. but while his tone is dry, roy is thinking. ]

It's an interesting theory. Damn near impossible to prove, unless we manage to find Alcina. She may be able to give us more information about this world than Astoria was able to.

I believe the best clue to finding Alcina is back in that one place, but it is perilous.

[She sighs a bit.]

While Astoria gave me a useful enough power, I do wish I had my own magic. I've been able to cut through magical barriers before.

You're preaching to the choir, on that front.

[ a bit tiredly; with alchemy, roy would be a lot more useful in terms of actually being able to defend himself, and fight back. without it, and with astoria's power... well, he's had to adapt to his surroundings. which hasn't been a total failure, but he has to admit, alchemy would be useful. ]

I may not be able to cut through magical barriers, but I would be far more useful in a cave than I am now... but at any rate, we need to work with what we're given. Organizing another expedition, with that goal in mind, may be something to think about in the future. I don't know how much more time we have before our next jump, though.

Perhaps we may have the chance to do some shopping on the next world, too. You never know. There might be something useful that might let us get further.

It's possible, although the last world was entirely too generous. I wouldn't hold out for another opportunity like that.

[ but, you never know. this place is unpredictable as ever. ]

It's a good thing to keep in mind, at the very least.

Fortunately, I had the foresight to stock up on a few essentials. When I spoke to Astoria once and suggested she give us time to pack before sending us to a world, she suggested keeping essential supplies close by at all times.

[Carrying a backpack around everywhere isn't the best, but better to do that and have water and food on her than risk a situation like the Horologium's food shortage again.]

Good advice, for the most part. No one knows how much exact power she has over her own skills.

[ roy has taken to keeping a small pack around himself, but nothing is perfect, and he's been caught off-guard more than once. ]

I keep a change of clothes, minimum. Learning how to dry food is a skill I didn't think I'd need, but this place has taught me differently.

Perhaps when we get back from wherever Astoria sends us, a general survival skills seminar for all interested is in order.

Not a bad idea. Starting a fire without a lighter is a skill not many people are forced to learn, especially if you're from a more technologically savvy world.

[ curious. ]

Would you be willing to assist on designing something like that?

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ᴏᴏ4 ( ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ ) | sᴜᴍᴍᴇʀᴛɪᴍᴇ sᴀᴅɴᴇss.

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