lostcarnival | ⇨ THE PRINCE IS DEAD

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⇨ THE PRINCE IS DEAD

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 178 - B1: Day 6
Where: The Carnival and sometimes on top of the Heart of Stone.
What: Now that the Prince is dead and gone, there's a lot left to sort out. As the remaining servants are liberated and those captured by the Prince are tended to, it's time for recovery and goodbyes.
Warnings: Nothing in particular.

HOME GROUND↴

At long last, it is over. The Prince is dead, and all of his stolen Names have been restored - all that's left to do is treat the wounds and move on. For the first day or two, the Ringmaster will be arranging passage for the servants that are left, all of which have remembered their names for the first time in years. The earth elemental that had been trapped and forced to serve as the Prince's manor, the Heart of Stone, is happy to help for the moment. It appreciates the Ringmaster's mercy, and is free after untold eons of imprisonment.

Yet, there are plenty of aspects that are far from simple. There are still servants left mad and transformed into beasts, with no easy way to change them back. The Prince's spells outlive him, and those bearing his poison and his curses will have a difficult road ahead of them. Though most of the bestial servants have been rounded up, and a large number that had been reduced to unmoving statues returned, even the Ringmaster can't return them to normal so simply.

The next week is for rest and for settling remaining affairs. If you want to bid farewell to any particular NPCs, or assure care is given where it's needed, now is the time to do it.

► A CURE: The Ringmaster will tell everyone simply - there is no simple way to undo another fae's magic. The Prince's powers were essentially on par with hers, which means that those who have been transformed to stone and those that were cursed into beasts and driven insane are not something she can trivially fix. It will take the work of the carnival and a couple weeks of treatment to shed the curse of stone, and the maddened servants are an entirely separate matter. She will do what she can, but for the most part she is arranging for the Prince's servants to be cared for elsewhere. At least for now, the Ringmaster will be animating the stone portions of people's bodies with magic, though those portions will still be a bit clumsy and numb feeling.

► THE NEW HEARTSTONE: In the absence of the prince, the Heart of Stone will be taking over the remains of the Prince's realm and preventing it from collapsing into void. As it turns out, the manor had been an earth elemental all along - a form of Wyld Fae almost on par to the Prince and Ringmaster themselves. How the Heart of Stone was enslaved is a long story presumably, but the Ringmaster considers it to be a sign of the Prince's own depravity. The Heart will be allowing visitors for the first couple days of this period through the portal, but keep in mind you are essentially just walking around on its body. At least the realm has a floor, now, instead an endless abyss surrounding it.

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It... is. [He absently flexes his hand, looking down at it.] I should consider myself lucky that using it did not cause any permanent changes.

[Except, you know, the blue bud that's started sprouting from the base of his ponytail as of a few hours ago, but Syrlya hasn't actually noticed it yet. Instead, he looks back up at Strange.] You've wielded such powerful magic before?

[ Strange will happily & rudely point out said blue bud whenever Syrlya turns around and he's actually able to see it. Strange can't help but notice Syrlya looking at his hand but, having no way to know about the fire or the Blue Rose just kind of attaching itself to Syrlya's hand, he's filing that away as Syr just looking at something while contemplating the power of the Rose.

Besides, they're talking about magic! Let's do that instead! ]

I have, though only for short periods of time. The first was when I broke the mirrors of England, bringing magic back into the world. The second was when I summoned a figure of myth and legend. And the third was when I attempted to gift the entirety of English magic to said figure of myth and legend.

You attempted to give all of English magic to someone? [Syrlya's attention snaps up. That sounds like a colossally terrible decision. No one should be walking around with that much magical capability that they didn't already have.] Why?

[ Strange can't help but grin at Syrlya's worried tone. Yes, it might have been a colossally terrible decision but who cares! It happened! It worked! ]

All of English magic comes from one man: John Uskglass, the Raven King. He was the one whom I attempted to give English magic to and the figure of legend I summoned in the first place.

[ And hot damn does Strange look so proud of himself about that fact. ]

It didn't work out as smoothly as I had intended. [ understatement of the century, all of English magic got shoved into the wrong person. ] But the end result was what I wanted.

[Ah, yes. Syrlya remembers him talking about the Raven King. A legendary figure that might be more god or spirit than mortal, so perhaps that makes more sense why Strange would attempt to connect that magic back to its source.]

What was the result you wanted?

The death of the faerie that kidnapped my wife.

[ Just said like it ain't no thing! No big deal! Turns out that the direct/indirect murder of a fae club has more members that Syrlya was expecting.

But as he mentions Arabella, Strange desperately tries to keep his voice level and voice calm. Being with her for a few hours only to learn that the Arabella he was with was a fake has rattled Strange more than he wants to admit. And now that they've succeeded, now that he doesn't have Arabella's final directive to save people to guide him anymore...he's actually got time to think about it and dwell about the ball. About Arabella.

That gem is the closest thing he has to Arabella being here. If he's going to think about her (and inevitably talk about her to Syrlya), he wants to hold that. So, without saying anything, Strange walks over to the shelf where he set down the gem. Unfortunately, the creepy wife gem is on the same shelf as Syrlya's bloodstone. And the still slightly sleepy Strange is only expecting one red object that radiates fae magic to be there.

As such, he's gotten a bit confused and he's straight up attempting to grab that bloodstone. ]

Ah. I see. [There's no judgement from Syrlya, who has used murder to deal with a lot of cruel and violent people and creatures. And they all saw what the Prince was capable of. He knew what the extremely magically powerful could do.

His gaze drifts aside as Strange approaches the shelf, completely off guard--until he sees him going for the level with the bloodstone on it. He shifts up suddenly and rushes over, not minding that he's sticking his arm in Strange's face as he grabs the bloodstone just before Strange does.]

Sorry, that's mine.

[ Well hello there, an arm is in his face. Strange blinks in confusion before realizing oh, there are two red weirdly fae things on that shelf and only one of them is his gem. Thankfully, he's a bit distracted by the bloodstone to go back to a round of brooding about Arabella. There is something new and something interesting and Strange wants to poke it until he figures out how it works. ]

That thing's fae as hell. What is it?

[ He's still trying to touch it. It's the fae magic he's come to associate with the Ringmaster, of course this is something he wants to figure out just what the hell it is. ]

I expect it is! [Syrlya leans back, holding his arm away to keep the bloodstone out of reach.] It is the result of my contract with the Ringmaster, and it is extremely dangerous.

[He holds a finger up in emphasis. Hold up a minute.] It is a conduit for magic. A replication of a bloodstone.

[ It is extremely dangerous = ALL THE MORE REASON TO FIDDLE WITH IT. Strange starts to move but stops as Syrlya holds up that finger. He listens intently before sighing a huffy, annoyed sigh. ]

Oh come now, [ he grumbles, not really realizing how childish he seems at the moment. ] Let me at least get a better look at it. Besides, it's hardly the first dangerous object I've dealt with

[ This is becoming a game of keep-away as yet again, Strange attempts to grab at the bloodstone Syrlya's holding. ]

Edited 2017-11-13 00:43 (UTC)

If you would stop trying to take it by force I will consider it! [Syrlya ducks, turning his back to Strange to bodily block him, It'll probably give him a clear view of the growing blue bud.]

[ Strange is about to go into a whine that sounds suspiciously like it could be replace with "but Mooooooom"...but then he spots the bud on the back of Syrlya's head, sprouting near the base of his ponytail. Strange puts his hands to his side and instead gives the back of Syrlya's head a suspicious and confused frown. ]

Are you certain that the Blue Rose did not cause any permanent changes? Because it seems your neck begs to differ.

What? [Syrlya straightens up, confused. He turns around partially to look at Strange quizically, bloodstone still held close as he raises a brow.] My neck?

[He reaches to rub the back of it, below his ponytail and the rose. All he feels are the edge of his leaves and the collar of his coat.]

Here, stay put for a moment. [ And Strange turns to the desk. He starts rummaging around for a moment before he grabs a small hand mirror. ]

I know a spell to freeze one's reflection. I just need to adjust the mirror and simply—stop moving! I cannot capture your reflection if your hand is in the way!

[ Whether Syr was moving or not doesn't really matter. Strange has the mirror lined up so that the rose is visible in the mirror. A moment or so later, he starts muttering the spell. ]

You could just--[Syrlya lets out an irritable sigh as he lowers his hand, rolling his eyes up as he waits for Strange to finish.

While he's waiting, and Strange can see it, the rose is slowly blooming.]

[ As the rose blooms, Strange can't help but let out a little noise of surprise. ]

Here, look at this. It's blooming now. [ He's finished casting the spell. With one hand, Strange attempts to pass Syrlya the mirror. Frozen in the mirror, as if it's a photograph, is the image of the back of Syrlya's head, rose visible and slightly blooming. With his other hand, Strange attempts to lightly poke the blooming rose, mostly to see just how it feels.

Show of hands, who saw this coming, it seems the answer is everyone. ]

[Syrlya snatches the mirror with his freehand immediately, turning to stare at it. It really is a blue rose growing in his hair. He lets out a squawking sound in his throat, fangs baring as he stares at the frozen reflection like he's a cat that just thrown into water. Strange is lucky he's getting away with touching it because both of Syrlya's hands are now taken up.

For a moment, at least, before he's turning back around to gently bat at Strange's hand with the mirror.] Oh, stop it.

[This is why you do not much play with powerful magic!]

[ Yep, this feels like a plant. As Syrlya bats at Strange's hands, he moves them away from the other man's head, trying to dodge the swipe. Of course, this opens up so many more possibilities that he feels he needs to at least mention or mull on. ]

I wonder why it started to bloom, [ Strange can't help but muse, still staring at the rose. ] It was just a bud until I started casting a spell.

[ Perhaps the magic had something to do with it? Or perhaps he was just lucky. ]

[It would be immature to accuse Strange of making it worse... but he thinks it for a moment.]

It probably would bloom eventually. [He's a healthy Sylvari, thank you!] Does it feel particularly magical?

[He's really hate to be an incubator for another one of those roses. Luckily, however, it isn't come across as any less inherently magical than the rest of him.]

Stand still for a moment.

[ whoooo time for some Third Eye bullshit as Strange stares at the rose, concentrating on it in a way that he wasn't beforehand. ]

It does feel magical. However, it feels the same sort of magical as everyone in the carnival feels. [ weirdo changeling magic. ] There isa sliver of some magic I cannot recognize in there. I think it's safe to assume that sliver is the power of the Blue Rose: it's enough to change you, but not enough that you can draw from it.

I suppose we will see if that's better or not. [He frowns, reaching to touch the bloom. That's enough touching that magical artifact, then.

Still, he remembers something else about it that hee knows will interest Strange, and it keeps his attention off the bloodstone.] It had many abilities innate to it aside from turning into a sword. Restorative magic, enhancing the power of my own magic... and some elemental magic but I was not able to figure it out in the brief times that I held the rose.

I wish I could have wielded it myself, [ Strange admits, with a little smile. ] If only for a moment or two.

[ Eventually, Syrlya will ask around and find out about Jonathan Strange's dubious history with items of great magical power. As it is, he can only daydream and get lost in thought. Restorative magic would be good enough, but enhancing the power of his own magic...the things he could do! ]

Still, I've a feeling the Ringmaster's shoved the thing away in her treasury, keeping it safe and sound and out of our grasps.

It is for the best. [He offers the mirror back to Strange.] She noted that it was very willing to synthesize with me, but even then I could feel the strain of so much magic coursing through my body.

[And obviously it's left some permanent effect on it. Who knows what would have happened had he held onto it longer.] I hope it is enough for her. I don't think we need another diplomatic affair with her 'allies' any time soon.

[ As he takes the mirror, Strange waves a hand over it. The image dissolves and the mirror returns to being a boring ol'normal mirror. And despite the fact that Syrlya is pointing out multiple obvious flaws with taking up the Blue Rose, Strange can't help but briefly entertain a fantasy of him doing so. He could easily break the curse if that were in his possession.

Still though: Strange can't help but bitterly laugh as Syrlya mentions the "diplomatic affair." Yeah, that went to shit fairly quickly. ]

I've a worrying feeling any other attempts at diplomacy would fail as miserably as this one did. Partly because of the people in the carnival, partly because the Ringmaster has so few actual allies to begin with.

Did she know what his real nature was? [He frowns and gestures out with his free hand.] He was looking for a way to control the situation from the start, and that does not even begin on his depravity.

[Because yeah, he kind of enslaved and tormented tons of people as his servants and clearly didn't care.]

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