isleofavalon | sixth shot ⊗ open september log

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sixth shot ⊗ open september log

🧙 WHO: Eustace and anyone
⚔️️ WHAT: various quests
🕒 WHEN: throughout September
🗺️ WHERE: various
⚠️ WARNINGS: none except for any potential violence that might happen in the combat oriented prompts

⊗ a: task - shear determination

[Shearing sheep...that takes him back and although it's been a while he heads over. Even if he can't, he can at least use his magic to try and help keep them calm. So for shearers, Eustace can assist some of the nervous sheep, quietly speaking to them and stroking their heads to keep them calm. And he'll also give some advice.]

You need to get all the way down to the skin and be quick about it, so don't hesitate. Be firm or it'll just come out jagged and you'll have to do it over. The faster you are the, less time they'll be like this and remain stressed.

And watch its right side—seems like it's more sensitive there. Could be a skin irritation, but we can treat it after it's been sheared.

[He'll call out any other such problematic spots a sheep might have. Sensitive leg, ticklish belly, don't be too rough, don't be too gentle—being able to hear and understand the sheep certainly has its benefits.]

⊗ b: task - cult classic

[If it's not one set of idiots it's another...

Having recovered from his injuries from last month, Eustace will take this as a prime opportunity to "warm up" and get back into it. Although there had been no deaths, it's clear the guy is being too reckless. Except with him sticking to the rooftops in the late evenings and around the places the incidents have occurred, it wouldn't be too unusual for him to be momentarily be mistaken. Especially when he's always wearing his own cloak.]

⊗ c: tdm - the fighting badass

[Zombies and undead... Well he's used to fighting them, but carrying back their remains? Not the most pleasant thing, but a job's a job and it's something he can do. He needs the exercise, anyway.

1. Combat. Although he'll plan on going solo, he won't helping anyone who is also dealing with the zombies. And wouldn't you know, lightning is fairly effective against them. Not wanting to push himself too, he's setting himself on a high point and sniping down the zombies, shooting lightning down immobilize and down them. Should he have someone that's more close combat, he'll be careful with his shots and let them finish it off.

2. Night watch. For the journey back, Eustace will be definitely guarded and alert on the captured remains. If camping out with someone, he'll secure the bags or boxes used to hold them and eye them warily.]

It would be better if there was some kind of sealing magic... Go ahead and sleep, I'll keep watch.

⊗ d: wildcard

[Considered the Take to the Skiesish prompts but he'd need some convincing to drink the vials. Should anyone want to take that up, I'll be game for any of the other prompts (flying, catching stars, giant bats). If interested in anything else not included here, just hit me up on

laenavesse or discord and we can work something out!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

No, any concern I had has already been covered from our last conversation.

[He's more than ready to go. Let's do this.]

Very good.

[let's do this, indeed. she does a quick spot-check of her inventory before nodding, satisfied, and gives Eustace a curt nod before heading to the door at the back of the office.]

Follow me, if you please. Close the door behind you.

[she'll lead him to a windowless, dimly-lit room of concrete. it's covered in strange symbology and lettering drawn up in chalk in different patterns. the only furniture within is a folding chair and a card table, set over near one wall out of the way.

as she walks in, her familiar glimmers into form, quietly following at her side, tail flicking away lingering glitter until its whole in shape. it looks over its shoulder toward Eustace with a thoughtful, almost bored expression behind its heavy lashes before its attention turns to its person, who has turned to face Eustace.]

When you're ready, take my hands and close your eyes; the light is very bright.

[He follows and closes the door as instructed. In the room he'll look around with some curious interest, noting the symbology and the sparse nature of it. If this is where they are supposed to travel from, it makes sense it would be like this. When her familiar appears, he only gives it a similar gaze in return before he looks over at Cecelia.]

...Understood.

[This boils down to a matter of trust, and he had double checked that she was indeed an ambassador as she claimed. So he has no doubt she will take him to the Calamity, but it's only natural there would a brief moment before he steps forward and take her hands. He looks at her for a moment more before closing his eyes.]

[she wastes no time, save for what she needs to compose and brace herself for the magical tax this transport takes. Cecelia closes her eyes, focusing energy on the bangle on her wrist. her familiar does likewise, and it's only a few seconds before bright light flares and flashes, bright even behind their eyelids...

...and then the sense of space dramatically shifts from the concrete enclosure to a vast, endless feeling of exposure. Cecelia naturally bristles, holding her latest breath as she opens her eyes, quickly scanning around for any obvious signs of anything amiss.

seeing none, she exhales, and her grip on Eustace's hands relaxes - though not entirely releasing him, in case he needed the physical anchor to adjust.]

...We are here. You may open your eyes now.

[The sensation of teleporting like that is definitely not something he could ever get used to. He's only ever rarely used the totems he's collected so far, and this felt like stronger magic compared to that. So he does stagger a little, initially bracing against her hands before he manages to get his footing and the grip loosens as he looks around.]

...This is...?

The precipice.

[and the endless expanse of space, interrupted only by glimmering flecks of the barrier of Morgana's magic keeping Avalon intact. a view of space unprecedented for a land with air and sky is open before them, and to his back is that dreadful sensation of emptiness, as the land simply...ends just a few steps shy of him.

it might be better this way, since he can see the expansive desert behind her - something of a normal frame of reference to give himself before turning his head to encompass it all.]

[That sudden drop is definitely unnerving even for someone like him, but he manages to keep his sense of self as he continues to slowly take it all in, making sure he doesn't move too fast to overwhelm his senses. He can feel the magic here prickling his skin, yet this view of space... He had never witnessed it himself but he wonders if this was what it was like for the others and he can't but look with a bit of wonder.

He then looks back to the desert behind her before looking at her properly.]

And this...is where everything started?

No.

[now that he regards her, she flicks her eyes past him, skyward.

she will point out into the field of stars, out toward one that shines brighter, more...splintered in a way the naked eye could somewhat discern.]

But that is where things may all end.

[after a beat, her hand moves, gesturing to a telescope a few yards away.]

You can see it more closely with that device.

[He looks up, eyes narrowing a bit as he looks at the one that shines strangely before looking at the telescope.

With only a glance back at her, he makes his way to it, studying it for a moment.]

Anything special to it?

[He's looked through telescopes before, but never know if there's something different about this one given the location and everything.]

That's the epicenter. The calamity in action, frozen for now. For how long...I do not know.

[only when he's fully focused on the telescope does she finally move, folding her skirts to sit upon the bench just behind the instrument. she bends to pick up a journal she keeps underneath - a log for each visit she makes detailing the state of things.

every note is exactly the same. and for now, that's a good thing. it may look like the writings of madness, but a record of stability counts for something.

...also, she'd go mad without the means to record, to cement some tiny fingerprint of value from herself into this world. as much as she must excise herself from places, she's still mortal-born, and her drive to make a difference is why she gave into becoming something of a ghost in long histories.]

You and others...whatever experiences you have to draw upon...that can help interpret what else can make it special.

Have you ever seen its like?

[The epicenter...

He still hesitates in looking through it, as if wary of what he might see. But he didn't come here to stop short and is determined to see this through. So although a bit slow, he finally looks into the telescope and...is just amazed at what he sees. Really, he's not sure he can even comprehend it, it's beyond anything he's ever experienced before. So when she asks her question... He steps back, mind deep in thought.]

...I'm not an expert and I only know what I've read in reports. But in my world there are different planes and dimensions that connect to it. There was one incident where some ancient immortals tried to rip through the dimensions to bring in untold chaos and changing the world, possibly even seeking its destruction. It was stopped, but should they have succeeded... I imagine it would have looked similar to this.

[at this stage, Cecelia holds very little hope anyone has much expertise in such disasters, so she doesn't feel too much disappointment in his words.

even so, she writes a few footnotes in the journal she'd brought with her regarding his words before moving over to the other journal she uses to track changes in this space.]

Mm. In this case, it's not immortal beings so much as something of an immortal item...or, perhaps, concept. Which isn't too far off, is it?

Given that they were trying to use something of an immortal item, I would still say they were not too different. In the end it's something to cause a giant explosion to rend reality apart and destroy the world as they knew it.

[oh? more connection than she first anticipated.]

And...that was halted how, again? Was it interrupted or not even triggered at all?

It was interrupted due to efforts of everyone working together, though... I suppose you could say there was some "divine" help, however I don't know the full details. Just that a dimensional rift appeared to help destroy and absorb what would have been the catalyst.

[Which...unfortunately doesn't help much here since unlike his world, the instigators actually succeeded.]

[she makes a thoughtful sound, her eyes down on the pages of her books.]

Such a thing...may not be quite as likely this time around. But then again, many beings are not restrained by the shackles of time, the way this disaster is.

...Yet because of that, many may not be interested in reaching out to assist. Not without proper repayment.

[...Time...]

...Is it not possible to go back in time before the disaster occurred? Perhaps through another dimension or timeline? Or would that be too much of a risk?

[Or maybe that's what she means. In theory, there could be a being capable of traversing through the dimensions and time is disjointed for everyone.

But messing with time... Even if it's a disaster right now, who knows what could happen if it's changed.]

I suppose it depends on how time is pinched in all of this. [she lifts her head, nodding up toward the distant explosion.] Any one of those folds or tears could be touching a different point in time for a different realm. The inciting incident...it may be possible to find, but depending on when this was caught at all, it may already be too late.

[her expression has grown more weary, despite the lingering sharpness in her eyes. this is her wheelhouse, and whether she conceals it or not, it shows.]

That's the problem. The speculation, the volume of possibilities. Nothing to dam a flood of what-ifs and how-tos.

[He follows his gaze, his brows furrowing. This is certainly beyond his scope, and once again he can only be remiss that he can think of numerous names from his world that could have provided aid, but alas.

In the end he just shakes his head.]

And I doubt it's possible to magically reverse everything, either. Cutting this world or dimension off doesn't seem feasible, either, as the current measures are about as close as we can get. [Again, if they had some kind of divine intervention that could literally pluck this world into yet a different more contained pocket of space... But that's probably oversimplifying things, not to mention likely impossible to begin with.] And yet we were all pulled here to...help restore magic? I'm still not sure how we're making any kind of progress, if at all.

[it's an annoying kind of comfort to hear the concerns she carries being spoken in someone else's voice; makes her feel less alone in this limbo. while the rest of the isle seems content to move day to day, antic to antic, she comes here, watching the sky, and wonders what more can be done.

and she's none-too-happy about being something of a magical battery against her will, too! magic is great, but...it was better when it was on her own terms, not tethered to a familiar.]

Restore, stabilize... [she shakes her head, her head tilting, lowering her gaze back down to her lap.] With no clear understanding of how much or for how long. Lifetimes may be necessary to stabilize and collect what's needed...!

[Eustace stares up into that confusing, ominous, magic black hole.]

...Is it not possible to draw magic energy from the Cataclysm itself? Or recreate...

[He shakes his head.]

No that would be too reckless and could lead into a worse disaster.

[her mouth tugs for a bit, expression a shade wry.]

And so it goes. We simply do not have enough information yet. And the mistress of magic here, Morgana...she doesn't seem terribly interested in dialogue.

[A small sigh as he looks back upwards.]

And this "Excalibur." Are they really putting everything on this one thing that hasn't even been found?

My understanding is that it was the one thing at the core of the whole incident in the first place, Eustace. [she's back to note-taking, but keeps her voice loud enough for conversation.] By chance have you heard of it before being dropped into the bay? It's a relic that seems to have multiple focal points throughout multiple realms - many of which are represented here even now.

In that case I must have misunderstood. This entire situation has been unclear and unnecessarily complicated to me from the start. [Another reason for his ongoing frustration with everything. It's not that he hasn't done his research, but it gets a bit muddy when trying to find a specific route. Having to try and learn an entire world's convoluted history doesn't help either.] But no, I have not heard of it.

[Well there is an Excalibur floating around that may or may not become relevant in some event with the Camelot based group but for now we play it safe and assume its eventual significance has yet to be revealed. Or something. ~~gachas man~~]

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