⇨ EDEN PT. 2

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 86 - Day 88
Where: Eden
What: The Furies of Eden have been found and have agreed to ally with the carnival to achieve their mutual goals. Meanwhile, tensions in the city only get thicker. How much longer until everyone's cover is blown for good?
Warnings: Increasingly high chances of ritual sacrifices.

FRUIT OF KNOWLEDGE↴ Progresses has been made, but obstacles are approaching. As various characters fall under suspicion for their unusual natures the threat of backlash from the community of Honorables and Architects grows imminent. Several carnival members have fled to the Barrens, allying with the Furies of Eden, a rebel group bent on defying Lilith and taking Eden for themselves. Meanwhile, those still in the city are left with the aftermath. Information is still being cycled between the two groups, via various super powers and delivery methods. Sans has been freed from the control of his Architect and has left to find the rebels, but his delivery service is still being used to disperse information. You can assume to have been told about anything on this spreadsheet that's been addressed to the entire mailing list. ► TENSIONS GROW: As the days go on, the attitude of long term residents have only grown more suspicious and hostile. Several members of the new arrivals have gone missing, and it seems as if the locals are starting to suspect these absences are intentional rather than accidental. Some of the most ornery of them will say things that suggest that they think they've run off to join the heretics, but they will be hushed by those near them. However, no immediately violence is being imposed on people from the carnival's entry group. Not that you've seen, anyway. ► SAMYAZA'S INVITATION: Displeased by the atmosphere being created by all this distrust, Samyaza the Hare, Architect of Festivities and Music, has invited all of the remaining new arrivals to an exclusive garden party of hers. Everyone who is still in the city will be invited to attend, along with some choice members of the native population. The actual party will be happening on Day 88. Attendance is strongly recommended by the other Honorables. The nature of this even will depend on what occurs before it, and will be covered in more detail later in the log. The invitations go out on Day 86. ► HERESY UNVEILED: On the evening of Day 86, the city of Eden is alight with controversy - a band of Furies have been found! Hasma of Araqiel (the horse featured in Missing posters last week) has been caught within city borders, along with two Honorables of Eden who had been secretly colluding with her. The three condemned Furies have been bound and chained in cages in a public areas of the city, awaiting trial and punishment. It's a similar tone to criminals being locked in stockades for the civilians to mock, though the initial city mood seems more uncomfortable and nervous than angry. There is a horse, squirrel, and border collie currently imprisoned. ► RINGMASTER'S RETURN: On Day 87, the Ringmaster will be returning from her investigation. Specifically, she'll be arriving at the doorstep of the Furies in the Barrens, and will be entering to visit her associates within. Apparently, she's been spending all this time searching the barrens for entrances into the core of Eden, as well as trying to communicate with the Serpent. Neither have yielded major successes, however. Carnival members at the Furies base can ask interact with her through investigations.

Comments

[kingsroads]

When he hears Ignatius's voice, Strange doesn't even bother to hide the shock on his face. What the hell is Ignatius doing here? But then whoops, he can't really do much because he's stuck inside the Mirror. Yes, it's an all-powerful fae artifact. But he was kind of banking on the fact that it'd still work like other reflections worked!

This just completely turns around his half-assed plans: 'get away from the magical animals who can also mindwhammy you/screw you over like they screwed over Sans' shifts to 'get the hell out of this Mirror and go rescue Ignatius.' So, Strange takes off his coat and rolls up his shirtsleeves. With one hand, he's holding the fruit and his coat. With the other hand he reaches out towards where he hopes the exit is, attempts to flip on his Third Eye, and attempts to reach out with his mind and his magic again.

Alright, Silver Mirror, Strange thinks, knowing full well this is kind of silly but honestly not really having any other options. I'll gladly work with you later and, Ringmaster permitting, we can do all sorts of wonderful magic together. But for now, I would appreciate it if you let me out so I can save Ignatius and then help bring us somewhere safe.

[npcarnival]

For a while, everything is deathly silent. There isn't much sound inside of a thing created from images. Worse is that opening his Third Eye in here is essentially like staring straight at the sun - there's so much magic, so raw and old, absolutely everywhere... managing to keep looking into it would be a feat of will in itself.

There's no consciousness in the Mirror. It isn't like the Blue Rose, that seemed to contain this ravenous need to grow and prosper regardless of its context. There's no mind and no will to push back against, just a formless entity, comprised of the reflections of millions of other things.

Did Strange even walk into the Mirror? Or did he leave his body outside, empty?

What you can't speak to there is no reasoning with. Yet, Strange's own knack for magic is enough to gradually shift what he sees in the hazy void of mirror images, like flipping through channels on a television.

Finally, it settles on the room he was last, but time has passed and things have changed. Some of the Twelve are still standing around, gathered around the tiger and bear, who seem to be injured. Scorch marks cover the floor.

"Where did these creatures come from?" asks Araqiel, the stag. He seems to be weaving shut the wounds of the others with his antlers.

"It doesn't matter," growls the bear, Bezaliel. "We will be rid of them."

"Gently," scolds Samyaza the hare, from his side. "This changes nothing, as far as I'm concerned. If we know they can be this powerful, then all the more reason to be absolutely sure of our path before taking it. Give me some time!"

"She has a point," says Saraqael, a wolf with a coat like the night sky. "I wouldn't want you two to get hurt again subduing more of these things." There's an edge of wryness to what he says, as if poking fun at Bezaliel and Shamshel's injuries.

"Just make sure that the fire lizard doesn't escape again," Shamshel growls. "We were careless before."

"My kin," says Armaros, suddenly. "The man! It's back-"

And Armaros is looking right at the Mirror, and right at Strange.

[kingsroads]

Almost as instantly as he opens his Third Eye, Strange shuts it. He's been mad before. And he's wielded large amounts of magic before, large enough to bring magic back to all of England. But this...this is magic and a mental state of a different sort. Logically speaking, he should be terrified. But staring into a void like this has piqued Strange's curiosity more than anything else. The aftermath of that fuzzy feeling which he's certain is Creation helps as well.

It's like the mirror maze at the carnival, only a billion times better. That reflected one reflection infinite times. A small little part of Strange wonders if this reflects every reflection infinite times.

And then, there he is, staring at a spider. If he can hear them, then they most likely can hear him: Strange doesn't bother to shift the magic but also isn't making any attempts to actually leave the Mirror. He's trying to train his mind, to keep the confusion, awe, and slight bit of fear out of his voice and off of his face.

"Hello again," he simply states, trying really hard to seem confident and like he knows what he's doing. "Give me the fire lizard and I'll be on my way."

[npcarnival]

"Ha," Saraqael says, "This must be an illusion."

"Well... if you come out of the Mirror, we can show you where he is?" Samyaza offers sheepishly.

"Don't bother," rumbles Shamshel. "Whatever the Mirror has inside of it, it can take apart and put back together. Shamshel comes over, and places and ash stained paw against the glass, forcing her will into it like she would have any other time.

Strange will feel it pull against him, like the Mirror is trying to refract his image in hundreds of different directions, breaking it down into component parts, like beams of light in a prism. Yet, the same warm buzz as before holds him together. Creation holds his identity intact.

Yet, that doesn't stop it from being pretty damn uncomfortable.

[kingsroads]

This hurts. He can't help but grit his teeth in pain as he feels himself being pulled apart and yanked into so many different directions.

But that familiar feeling holds him together and keeps him from splintering. This isn't exactly what he had expected when he asked to remain himself, but Strange isn't complaining. He is taking back every bad thing he's ever said about Creation!

Once the pain fades, Strange looks up and gives Shamshel a mad grin. His hair's burning a little bit brighter thanks to Strange's anger at the pain. "That didn't work," he can't help but taunt. "So once again: give me the fire lizard and I'll be on my way."

[npcarnival]

"Shamshel, don't let yourself be driven mad by an image," Saraqael says, raising a paw. "If there was really anything this phantasm could do, it'd be doing it already."

"Unprecedented as this may be..." Armaros says, contemplatively.

"It seems that Eden may be under attack once again," Araqiel says softly, finishing his work. "We can only pray that Lilith will return from her journeys, soon. She would be able to end this."

"Who is the fire lizard to you, anyway?" Gadreel, the dolphin, asks. While most of them seem to be writing Strange off as some kind of trick, she is at least giving this a shot.

[kingsroads]

"I'm sure Lilith will be so happy to hear about how you let some human taint the Mirror!" Strange calls out, a bit annoyed that people aren't paying attention to him. Since he isn't going to use his Third Eye any time soon and therefore doesn't have to worry about setting his sleeves on fire, Strange moves to roll his shirtsleeves back down...but them remembers he's still got that fruit on him. Might as well enjoy a snack while trying to figure out what the hell to do next. Without really thinking, he brings the purple fruit up to his mouth like he's about to eat it.

Thankfully, Gadreel's question distracts Strange from eating the thing that he has absolutely no idea what it is. "The fire lizard is a friend of mine," he answers, as if it's obvious. "He's been hurt by this place too much already: I only want to keep him safe."

[npcarnival]

"You mean the Anointment," Armaros says, carefully. "Yes, his reaction was very strange. I suppose we know why, now."

Because he's some kind of creature, just like this one.

"Armaros, make sure this room is well protected," Shamshel says. "We'll keep watch over it for the time being. See if this... thing goes away."

At this point, the Twelve are largely going to start ignoring Strange, except in terms of being careful not to say anything information sensitive around the Mirror.

Though, they do mention the idea of questioning said fire lizard as well.

[kingsroads]

He is doing some very impressive magic here and nobody is paying attention to him? What gives? With an annoyed little 'hmmph', Strange turns back towards the reflections upon reflections that are the inside of the Mirror. Using his magic as best as he can to narrow down the results, Strange tries to search through the reflections for any sign of Ignatius.

While Strange tries to see if he can spot Ignatius, he puts his coat back on then takes a big ol'bite out of the purple fruit.

[npcarnival]

Strange won't find any reflections for Ignatius, but he does get the sense that he can possible visit other mirrors in Eden the same way he's doing with the Silver Mirror. Maybe he can contact someone else?

Eating the fruit seems to make the reflections a bit easier to comprehend, as well. It's like being better able to parse the Mirror's language.

[kingsroads]

In that case, he's gonna hang out in the Mirror and bother people/continue to fruitlessly (eyyy) try and search for Ignatius for the next few hours!

And just a couple of clarifying questions before putting a pin in this thread.

1: What's the extent of Strange's magic that he can use in the Mirror? Specifically, I'm thinking of linking two reflections together to let people travel between them or people being able to give him things/him being able to give other people items via reflection.
2: Can Strange leave the Mirror in the first place or is he stuck?
3: Stupidass question, but does the purple fruit he ate have a pit, seeds or anything like that?

[npcarnival]

1) He currently can't do anything except look through various reflections. The only magic he can really do while inside the Mirror is trying to command it to do things, with generally minimal results, besides the travelling around thing.

2) He can't leave the Mirror and he can't take anything into the Mirror either.

3) It has a silvery pit, kind of like a date seed, presuming he doesn't swallow it. (It's the size of a large pill.)