⇨ THE ATHENAEUM

[ringleaders]

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.

Comments

[atouts]

Lambert isn't even a part of the story, so the chances of the man heeding him are, unsurprisingly, none. He does spare the witcher a glance, but that's all before he turns back to step over the body, towards Childermass. When it looks as though he has every intention of going after him, well, it should also be unsurprising that he moves to fire the pistol.

Only the man raises a hand, waving it, and that'll be the last thing Lambert recalls before the world unfreezes again. There's a hiccup in time, even if it's only a few minutes gone between then and now. The man, gone, and Childermass, his pistol pushed aside. If he'd been bleeding from the face same as he had before, that might have been healed, but that wasn't a thing this time around.

It leaves Childermass lowering the weapon and looking around, utterly confused, right up until Vinculus — previously extremely dead — sputters and sits up, spitting something out and immediately gasping for air.

"Ah..." With that happening, there's no delay in Childermass getting back on the usual route this story takes and pocketing the gun before walking towards the now very much alive man. "There we are. See? Not dead at all."

[whattaprick]

As the stranger steps forward, Lambert's hand goes to his sword, yanking it out of its scabbard. He has no intention of seeing Childermass be attacked in front of him without doing something about it, and even as the magician raises his pistol, he's baring sharp teeth and preparing to rush forward.

Then the world stutters, and Lambert's left blinking -- and the man is gone.

"What?" He wheels around to look at Childermass and the now-conscious vagrant, brows furrowing. He's alive, as Childermass says, but -- "He was fucking dead a minute ago! And what happened to the other one!?"

[atouts]

"He couldn't have been," Childermass says matter-of-factly, though he does only stop to loom over the coughing, confused storybook Vinculus rather than leaning down to help him up. There's time. This isn't exactly real. Lambert mentioning the 'other one' has his attention instead.

The witcher will be unfortunate enough to find that Childermass can only give him a puzzled frown over that. Whether it's the story following a part he simply isn't aware of — or, in this case, making sure he follows it — or that the Raven King's spell is strong enough to even contest this, well... It's not like Childermass can say. He doesn't even remember.

"Other one? Lambert, it's just us and a horse out here..."

[whattaprick]

“There was a man,” Lambert snaps, rounding on Childermass with drawn sword even as the revived Vinculus looks between the two of them in confusion.

“He was right here, don’t you remember? Pale, black robes, long hair. You were going to shoot him.”

[atouts]

If anything, waving a sword around like that has Vinculus scooting away through dirt and grass, still bewildered at whatever's going on. This leaves Childermass to, unsurprisingly, frown at Lambert. As odd as it was that he has his pistol out...

"No?" He sounds a little uncertain at first, but then he follows up with a firmer, "No and I think I would remember someone like that. I never shot anyone out here."

[whattaprick]

"He called you his servant."

Lambert looks from Childermass, to Vinculus, and back, his expression growing more frustrated. There's something here that isn't right, but he can't put his finger on it. Unfortunately, Vinculus scooting back like that is a good way to get his attention, and he descends on the man, leaning down to grab him by the arm and hoist him to his feet.

[atouts]

Confusion flickers across his face, disrupting the frown.

"That doesn't sound like Mr. Norrell," Childermass says faintly, unable to process just who else might claim him as a servant. As much as he would profess to serve the Raven King loyally, expecting the man himself to show up and say so has only ever been an impossible dream, one that refuses to cross his mind even now.

But then Lambert is dragging Vinculus to his feet, to which the man gives a shout — cursing at Lambert — and struggles up until Childermass brings his attention back to bear on him.

"Oh, quit it. We aren't here to harm you, just retrieve you. You've been an awfully hard man to find."

And to that, Vinculus just stops, stares, and then cackles over the entire ordeal. If Childermass is seeking the original book, he'll tell them, he's out of luck. The words have all changed, he claims! And it's at that point the story begins to fade away, evaporating back into the library, the form of the gleeful vagrant the last thing to drift away.

[whattaprick]

Unfortunately for Lambert, things don't gain much more clarity after that. Though he tries again and again to ask Childermass about the man in the book, the witcher gets no satisfying answers, and before long they're both caught up again in the search for more information on the Miracles, and it's all too easy to put from his mind.

It's not until later, much later, that he comes across a book about the Raven King. He doesn't think of it much -- gets it from the Curator on a whim, figuring it'll make an entertaining gift for one or another of the magicians at some point -- but it's forgotten with all the rest, left gathering dust on the edge of his desk.