CONSOLE: video

[justno]

I know I'm not the only one who noticed a bunch of people appearing and disappearing. I want to know where the damn spell comes from that's bringing people here. If it used to be the Emperor and it's not anymore, then who the hell's maintaining it? We should be more than a little worried that those people were a sign of some serious shit, that the spell might be unstable or ending.

Also, anyone else notice a fucking cult hanging out on top of the turtle's head?


[Private to Raine]
I asked you about learning some healing magic a long time ago. You think you can teach me?

[Private to Sherlock]
I got that shit you asked for.

Comments

Private; Text

[of_deduction]

Good. Bring it to the university lab and I'll start on analysing it straight away.
SH

action

[justno]

[Penny appears outside the university a moment later, quickly walking into the building and finding his way to the lab. He's not quite familiar enough to appear in the lab directly yet, although he's damn close. It doesn't take more than a few minutes to find Sherlock there.

He drops the bag in front of the detective and then takes a seat on a nearby stool, watching with interest.]

You think it's a parasite too?

action

[of_deduction]

[ Sherlock is at the lab bench, peering into a microscope as he's been doing for about a month now. He looks up at the sound of someone entering and gives the man a quick look over. ]

Yes. [ He states matter-of-factly before picking up the bag. ] I've tested two different batches now and the formula was different both times except the DNA-like structure and the Dust's aggression when introduced to an organic substance.

[ He gets off the bench and moves over to a cooler before pulling out a syringe filled with red liquid and several vials. ]

action

[justno]

[Penny spins around on the stool, following Sherlock, not caring much about the science but nonetheless intrigued by the process. Science and magic aren't all that far off where he comes from, at least not in the need for precision and knowledge.]

The aggression could be magic, but the DNA's weird. [He states the obvious.] You think it's from the turtle or somewhere else?

video

[backwordscompatible]

[You're definitely not the only one who noticed. Though Zatanna didn't seem overly worried. If still slightly reeling from a certain someone who reappeared and--as far as she knew--had yet to vanish with all the other temporary visitors.]

You sort of half-answered your question. The spell was Emperor Eshai's. She cast it years ago, and I always assumed it was Asti's presence that continued to fuel it, considering a lot of our abilities are tied to him too.

As to why we're not freaking out...it's happened before. A few times, that I can remember.

video

[justno]

Any pattern you noticed?

You and everyone else. I don't like assuming, because what if it's not? ..What do you mean our abilities are tied to him?

Re: video

[backwordscompatible]

Well...don't quote me on this, because not everybody who shows up comes to the Welcome Center...but it did seem the last couple of times like the people who only showed up briefly, most of them had ties to someone already here.

[Then again, it also wasn't unheard of for people from the same world to show up here too, so take that observation with a grain of salt.]

This one's a little harder to explain, because it has to do with some stuff that went down a few years ago. I was about fifteen or sixteen, I think, and Asti got really sick. Not like coma-sick, but somehow even worse. And the sicker he got, the weaker those of us with supernatural powers got.

[Her eyes lowered, and she shifted a little awkwardly in her seat. Not the most pleasant of memories.]

...it was bad.

video

[justno]

Specific time of year, weather, moon phase, anything like that? Is it possible someone else here was casting something big at the same time, messing with the existing spell?

Huh. [He can sense that sensitivity and won't be a dick about it.] Does that mean casting magic is pulling from his magic, or his life force?

video;

[purered]

This has happened a number of times before, so it may not be a sign of the spell ending. Possibly a sign of instability, or, perhaps, a jolt to jumpstart it and keep it self-perpetuating.

I am not aware of any cultists on the turtle's head - I think there'd be quite a fuss if they made themselves so visible now. Or do you mean the twins and their gatherings?

video;

[justno]

Any idea who's running the damn thing?

There's more than one cult.

Re: video;

[purered]

I rather suspect it runs itself now.

I'm not denying that, only I'm not sure what the twins are doing constitutes a 'cult'.

video;

[wrathfulkhan]

Short answer: nobody.

This whole thing could fall apart under our feet at any time. It's best not to think about it, really. It'll only drive you up the walls.

[Source: Personal experience.]

video;

[justno]

How 'bout the long answer?

video;

[wrathfulkhan]

It's rogue magic. As far as we can tell right now, it's hooked into Tu Vishan itself.

[no_light]

They've been there for a while, as far as I know. I don't see the problem. And I don't see anyone having answers about the spell that transports people.

[justno]

You don't see a lot, do you?

[no_light]

The turtle worshippers have been there since last year.

video;

[denyamenti]

The spell ending would be admittedly inconvenient.

[ Understatement of the year... ]

Re: video;

[justno]

Depends how it ends.

[Do they go home or get stranded?]

Re: video;

[denyamenti]

Point. I meant if it were to end and send everyone back to where they came from.

video;

[shroudofgray]

Do you think their being there bothers the turtle?

Re: video;

[justno]

I hope it doesn't. I also hope they actually go up there to pray and not to cast shit or mess with the turtle's mind.

private; video; oh my god i'm so sorry i didn't see this until now

[ruinsprofessor]

If you can touch the energies of the world, I can teach you.

[Which means she can, since they've established that he can, in his own way.]

I'll offer what insights I can on the rest, but I'm afraid it isn't much.

private; video; no worries!

[justno]

Anything helps.

[ruinsprofessor]

The spell passed through multiple hands before Eva died in her attempts to pull us out of the Dreaming, when we were trapped there after fighting Malicant. My current hypothesis is that the change to the structure of the planes altered something about the spell as well. To the best of my knowledge, the spell is no longer maintained. I can suggest some places for you to research, but there's very little concrete data.

This is, however, the third time people have passed through in such a manner. It seems to happen around the spring.

You saw cult members at the Turtle's head?