lostcarnival | ⇨ THE ATHENAEUM

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⇨ THE ATHENAEUM

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 47 - Day 58 ish
Where: The Athenaeum
What: The carnival arrives at book world. First week, they'll be performing for magical manifestations of book characters. Second week, it's time to hunt (for books, in the library.) Around Day 58 some stuff will occur.
Warnings: Reading is mandatory.

FAERIE TALES↴

Though the carnival will be performing for its guests in the first week, they are welcome to search the Athenaeum while they are off duty during that time. The manifestations of story characters will be out in full force during performance week, with animals, people, objects, and even locations growing out from various tales. Most are distracting at worst, and will be curious to check out the carnival. Some, however, can be as dangerous as they were in their stories of origin. You know what to do.

► IT'S TIME TO ROLEPLAY: The best way to deal with book ghosts is to follow their narrative to its logical conclusion - turn the tables, work the story so it ends in your favour! Naturalistic and narratively satisfying plotting will have the manifestations following your lead. However, push too hard and introduce too many plot holes, inconsistencies, or illogical plot twists, and they will reject your reality utterly, becoming quite aggressive in the process. You can also use your natural abilities and powers to fight them in a traditional sense, but in the Ringmaster's experience, it's best to fight reality benders by bending reality right back at them. If you aren't careful, it's possible to be dragged fully into a story's reality, and then things get really messed up.

► IT'S ALSO TIME TO READ: The carnival came here for a purpose, and that purpose is to research. Specifically, the Ringmaster is looking for information on the Queen's Miracles - the set of ancient fae artifacts that the Blue Rose is one of. The carnival needs these artifacts to defend itself, but nobody knows where they've been for thousands of years. That's what the books are for. However, nothing is stopping you from pursuing knowledge for personal reasons. The halls are open to your perusal, and only your heart can guide you to the book you truly seek. Check the plot post to see what's allowed, and sign up to find plot info or other important game information below.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Well, it's wholly unexpected but of course Tiachren is rushing for his love. book Syrlya looks conflicted between them, a deer in headlights expression on his face, until there's enough sounds of struggle that he rushes to Tiachren's aid.

Syrlya yanks his blade free. As Strange disrupts the ground beneath the Courtier's feet, Syrlya waves his hand and one of those purple clocks appears under their feet, with a print of some winged bug. Whatever it is, it causes the Courtiers to howl in pain, crumpling and falling over each other.]

We will have to fight our way out, to--[Syrlya cuts off as he ducks a fireball whizzing dangerously by his head. At the bottom of the visible ramp is a tall Sylvari, glaringly bright orange with two daggers in hand. Another Elementalist.]

[ That's a fireball. Strange spots the fireball whizzing close to Syrlya's head and then just takes off running towards it. Obviously, let's not get the plant person set on fire: Strange is viewing this as a problem that he's got to solve over Syrlya.

But the fact remains that there's still a few Courtiers standing...hopefully Syrlya can keep him alive while he attempts ranged combat. ]

Can you give me cover? [ Strange yells, as he casts a fireball to throw in the direction of the Elementalist. ] I can cast a storm, that might help.

[The fireball bursts into an explosion of smoke as it reaches the Elementalist, making it difficult to see the damage. Syrlya, however, knows better than ti underestimate them.

Syrlya looks to Strange and holds his hand out, and around Strange appears a sizable purple bubble. It'll reflect the Courtier's projectiles no problem, byt nothing will stop them from walking in.

That, Syrlya thinks, is what he needs to cover. So once the bubble is formed, Syrlya rushes out of it and down the ramp.] Do not hold back, Strange!

[There's no room for mercy here. As the first few Courtiers attempt to orient themselves, Syrlya thrusts his blade again, striking one at the vulnerable neck and trying to wrestle their sword from them.

And there's the commotion behind them as well.] Ysvelta, no! Come back!

[Unfortunately, neither Syrlya nor Tiachren are equipped to stop her short of physically knocking her out. Damn Mesmers.]

Edited 2018-05-09 18:50 (UTC)

[ He's putting faith in book Syrlya and Tiachren to take care of Ysvelta. Because as soon as the bubble's formed, Strange shifts his attention entirely. His hands are pointed towards the sky as he starts muttering a weather incantation.

It only takes a few seconds for things to start changing. The sky grows darker, the wind starts to pick up, and it starts to rain and thunder. Strange is centering the storm around the Elementalist, near the bottom of the ramp: the full force of the driving rain, wind, and lighting is around his being while the rest of the Courtiers (and also Syrlya and Strange, whoops) still get some of the wind and rain, though not as intense.

The downside to this is that all of Strange's focus and attention is on keeping the storm going strong and relatively small. He's not paying attention to the rest of the Courtiers, either Syrlya, Tiachren, or Ysvelta. ]

[The storm, at least, forces the Elementalist to move to avoid the lightning strikes. It won't completely stop the fire, but it creates more interim between him launching fireballs that makes it a little easier for Syrlya to hold out.

This had been a terrifying moment when Syrlya had first experienced it. He was young, untested, and it'd be the first time he actually had to kill another person--even a Courtier. He can't experience that kind of tenderness now, though, and his fight with the Courtiers is efficient and brutal.

The book spirits of Syrlya and Tiachren come up from behind, flanking Strange's sides. Tiachren is a first to charge down, lending aid to the fight. Book Syrlya hesitates, his grip on his blade reluctant as he turns to Strange.]

[ Strange is concentrating, keeping the storm going while he tries to awkwardly shift things with one hand so that the book's covered by his coat. After all, he's getting a little wet also. The lightning continues to focus near the Elementalist, trying to keep the man off his toes.

And then, there's book-Syrlya, next to him. Strange looks over and notices that hesitation. Right. He's still so young. It's possible that this is the first time he's actually seen combat. Strange stops casting for a moment, putting all his energy into just maintaining the wind and the rain to drive back the Courtiers. ]

If you don't want to fight, then don't. Find another way to help.

[ And that's really all the advice Strange can offer at the moment as he feels the spell slipping. He starts murmuring the spell again, as a gust of wind pushes towards a group of Courtiers. ]

[Book Syrlya's gaze is downcast, for a moment, then shakes his head.] No, this is my responsibility. I will not leave you to fight this battle for me.

[Noble intentions are easy for the book to recreate, given the subject. So the spirit takes his blade and heads down to meet with the real Syrlya and Tiachren. There is an obvious difference in skill, the spirit having a mediocre control of his magic and swing. Tiachren is much more adept, but Syrlya himself is much more direct.

Strange probably won't have any issues in the back, under the feedback bubble. He's turning the battle enough to easily disadvantage the Courtiers, and none of them are yet getting up to try and come at him directly. Some arrows and a fireball are tossed his way, but they rebound back through the bubble exactly the direction they came.

But in a few seconds, Syrlya disappears from the crowd in a wave of his magic, around the corner to deal with the Elementalist and the lagging cronies directly.]

[ As long as it's needed, Strange will keep the storm going. Rain continues to pour down on everyone. It's plastering Strange's hair to his face, but that's not stopping or slowing down the magic or the storm. It's a pretty good distraction and, considering that he's trying his hardest to place the lightning near the Courtiers, occasionally it incapacitates or picks off one of them.

Strange looks up and...hmm. Syrlya's gone. Probably invisible, so he's not too worried at the moment. He holds off on the lightning for a little bit, sending some gusts of wind instead. At least if that hits him, it would be easier to recover from. ]

[The wind does make it harder for scrawny Mesmers to stay on their feet, and book Syrlya nearly falls into a Courtier's blade. Not quite, though.

The presence of the Courtiers is easing, at least. There were only a couple dozen in the encampment, after all. And seeing their numbers fall, the Elementalist is suddenly much less restrained about setting everything on fire to get to them.

The feedback bubble around Strange disappears, suddenly, leaving him vulnerable. A long jet of fire spews outward and mercilessly cuts through a staggering Courtier to try and reach the spirits. They both scramble out of the way quickly.]

[ Strange can't really do much about the bubble vanishing. After all, it's hard to tell where real-Syrlya is, partly due to the chaos, partly due to the storm. As the jet of fire spews towards the spirits, it comes close to Strange as well. He panics, concentrates, and puffs into a plume of purple smoke. The book he was holding falls to the floor as the jet of fire passes through where Strange's head would have been.

The spell falters a bit as the storm lets up. After all, Strange can't cast while he's in smoke form. He quickly solidifies again a moment or so later, once the fire's passed. With one hand, Strange bends down to pick up the book while the other hand gets pointed towards the sky again. He's muttering under his breath, trying to get the spell back under his control. The storm continues but now it's mostly rain over wind and lightning.

Which, considering that Elementalist over there keeps trying to set everything on fire, might not be so bad. ]

[It does dampen some of the damage, at least, and Syrlya's preventing the Elementalist from being able to cast any large, slow abilities.

There's another burst of fire as their fight turns back around the bend. It's hard to tell who's getting the upper hand--Syrlya may be pushing the fight around, but he's really on the defensive having to phase through and avoid flames and strikes from daggers. Both spirits run to help immediately, perhaps because this point in the narrative they would have been facing him. Syrlya and Strange fill in someone else's role, who was quick and subtle.

So with the other three distracted, one of the few Courtiers left lets them try and combat the Elementalist, while they charge at Strange with a sword. Think quick.]

[ Oh shit. Strange only has one hand free, so he's not as quick a dodger as he would like: he tries to twist out of the way butthe sword hits him in the side. He winces as he drops the book, as the hand that was at the book goes to his side. He's already bleeding so fuck it, Strange turns to smoke.

He moves himself towards the Courtiers' heads, trying to get around their noses and mouths, hopefully disabling or disorienting them. Strange's smoke form is dangerous if inhaled, but he's got to stay around their heads for a while before the effects of the poison set in. ]

[Well, that's unexpected. Not the turning into smoke to dodge, but that the smoke is purple and suffocating. The Courtiers don't seem to know do except try and fail to get away as the poison fills their lungs. At least it makes the rest of them easy pickings, but that may be up to Strange as the book spirits are helping Syrlya turn the battle on the Elementalist unless he calls for help.]

[ If the strategy works, don't change it. He can hold his smoke form for a few minutes before Strange starts to get a bit lightheaded. He can only hope that Syrlya and the other spirits can take care of the Elementalist. Strange continues to try and gas the Courtiers, remaining in his smoke form as he stretches himself out further, trying to incapacitate as many as he can.

It's not like they're really people, he tells himself, as he focuses on sending some of his smoke down the throat of one of the Courtiers. They're just parts of a book, he reminds himself as he starts to gas one of the other ones. ]

[Syrlya is significantly less conflicted about the implicit murder happening here. Thankfully, three on one is enough to overwhelm the Elementalist, and he's run clean through with a couple swords and lets out an agonized cry of death.

That story continues from there, but for the book that seems to be enough for its spirit to be appeased. All of the illusions stop, and then in a whirlwind dissipate and disappear back into the book. It leaves both of them among the shelves, tense and wet but successful.

Syrlya sheaths his blade, briefly attempting to dust himself off before giving up with his wet clothes.] Well! I won't be opening that one again.

[ As the scenery dissolves around them, Strange reforms. He's sitting on the floor, back against one of the bookshelves, also soaking wet. Breathing heavily, Strange moves his hair out of his eyes. ]

If Lambert ever gives me shit again about my lack of fighting skills, [ pause, pant, breathe a bit, ] I'm counting on you to come to my defense.

[ because alright, Strange could have done that better than he did. But he likes to think he held his own for someone who got thrown into the deep end rather quickly. Though, now that they're out of the book, that doesn't mean Strange is going to let up on questions. ]

How does the story end?

[Syrlya moves to grab the book again, checking the water damage on it... well, it's not as bad as it could be.]

I agreed to go with Tiachren to appeal to Ysvelta once last time. [He settles the book in his arms as he turns to Strange, somber. This was years ago, but it was still a tragic circumstance. And at the time, he had been so young.] But there is no returning from falling to Nightmare, and she was not inclined to let us leave with our lives.

[So, they were forced to kill her.]

[ It's a sad ending: one which unfortunately, Strange came to expect. As soon as the story started and they heard Ysvelta's side of the story, Strange had a feeling that it wasn't going to end up happy. To get that confirmation isn't great, but it is what it is.

Of course, nosyass talksalot over here has even more questions about Guild Wars 2 worldbuilding. ]

What is Nightmare? All I've gotten is that it changed Ysvelta somewhat...probably that Elementalist as well.

[ Strange only has that idea because the Elementalist seemed dead-set on murdering them. ]

It's... [Syrlya pauses, furrowing his brow. He's reluctant to call it a reflection of their 'true nature', because he feels the Sylvari have come very far in distancing themselves from their dragon origin. Plus, that would only provide the court with vindication.

But it's also difficult to explain uncontrollable mental compulsions that can warp your sense of priority or personality to someone who absolutely doesn't experience that.] Think of it like a poison to the mind. Nightmare is a blight on the Sylvari that twists our nature to depravity. Once you begin to feed it, it becomes more difficult to cease until it consumes entirely. Those that fall become absolute in their desire to spread chaos, and there is no recovering them.

[ That all sounds a bit like being enthralled. Strange is about to 'well actually' Syrlya's description of Nightmare before he remembers that every time he's tried to mansplain or 'well actually' something from someone else's world, it's ended up with a dumb fight and him sulking. So, Strange keeps his mouth shut on that. ]

Is it only unique to Sylvari or can the other races contract it as well?

No, only the Sylvari experience it. I suppose because of its connection to the Dream. [He taps the side of his head.] The Dream is the origin of our people and Dreamers come from a place of goodness. The Nightmare is its, unfortunately, connected opposite, and the Nightmare Court seeks to expand its influence.

[That's kind of a familiar notion isn't it.] Our people come from a very different place than the other races. To many of them, we simply sprung up overnight.

[They literally did, but the tree had to grow first.]

[ Strange keeps himself from making a bad 'ha ha, plant people sprung up overnight' joke. Instead, he mulls the Dream over. This is all a bit over his head so he's going to do what he normally does when he doesn't understand things: ask a ton of questions. ]

I still don't really understand how the Dream works. Is it a physical thing? A mental compulsion? How does it originate an entire race?

It is more... metaphysical. Another realm of existence our consciousness originates in and connects us together. Physically, we are born of the Pale Tree.

[He finds where he... thinks this book came from, and shoves it between a couple others on the shelves. Then he glances back over to Strang.] The memories of all Sylvari return to the Dream, and nurture those to be born. But the connection lessens once we Awaken.

[ Well that's...something. He's still a bit confused about this Dream and a 'realm of existence that the consciousness originates in'...but, he's got a feeling Syrlya would be just as confused about Christianity. Strange gets to his feet as he looks over at the bookshelves. Hopefully that's where the book goes. ]

If the Dream is what nurtures Sylvari and helps you become you, then why the hell would Nightmare want to counter it? Can Sylvari be born from Nightmare as well?

Some Sylvari are much closer to it, the same way I suppose some humans are inherently terrible. The Court wants to turn all of the Dream to Nightmare, and corrupt our whole people to their beliefs. [He frowns. It's obvious from his tone he doesn't have a lot of respect for them.] They use Ventari's Tablet as an excuse, claiming it is a poor representation of our people because it was written by a Centaur.

[He threads his fingers together, trying to find a better explanation.] Think of the Dream like a pond. A little poison, and the spread will dilute and leave most of it unaffected. But the more you pour in, the more toxic the whole thing becomes.

⇨ THE ATHENAEUM

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