Beyond the Sky - Session 19

On the 22nd the party gather in the entrance hall with Kallian at noon, waiting for the arrival of Kharsha Tir.
Prince Kallian: "Well, here we are."
"She told me I should expect her at exactly noon today, so she should be here any-"
A sudden loud noise ahead is heard, and the aforementioned Kharsha appears in a small arcane blast.
Kharsha Tir: "Perfect!"
Adrian: "(Much more precise than our own arrival.)"
Kharsha Tir: ""Ah, Kallian, there you are!"
Night Eyes: "(A carriage was not involved.)"
Prince Kallian: "Good morning, Miss Tir."
Arkune: "(And it's the right part of town this time too... impressive!)"
Prince Kallian: "We were just talking about you."
Valaire: "(Ah, this is the mage responsible for that incident...?)"
Kharsha Tir: "A-HA! It's the Lord that came to see me last week. "
Adrian: "A pleasure to see you again."
Kharsha Tir strolls up to the party, inspecting them.
Kharsha Tir: "And you have all your limbs in the right places!"
"I take it my technique worked then, right?"
Adrian: "The location was off slightly, but no misplaced limbs."
Arkune: "Slightly mis-aimed, but well enough."
Kharsha Tir: "Sorry about that. I DID tell you that I'd never done it before."
Adrian: "Was that a particular risk?"
Kharsha Tir: "...let's pretend it wasn't."
Adrian tries to suppress a scowl.
Valaire: "(My condolences.)"
Kharsha Tir: "Did you manage to punch Goring, at least?"
Kallian: "Miss Tir. They actually detained him."
Night Eyes: "Some force was put to use, however."
Adrian: "Solely because he resisted arrest."
Kharsha Tir: "Perfect~ Irandale needs a good kick up the derriere."
"So, Kallian, I've got a lot of incredible news for you today, I made a breakthrough with the eggs I got from these folk!"
Kallian: "We have reserved the usual wing of the library, Miss Tir, shall we head there now?"
Kharsha Tir looks to the rest of the group.
Kharsha Tir: "Are you going to come too?"
Arkune nods. "If you do not mind."
Night Eyes: "It is an important matter, and we will be leaving the city shortly."
Adrian: "I did say I wanted to hear about the results of your research."
Kharsha Tir: "Perfect! Let's head over then."
The party is guided, once again to the east wing of the library, to their usual room, the tables set up, with a small array of biscuits accompanying the tea, this time.
Kallian: "This is where it is today, Miss Tir."
"Please, let's all sit down."
Kharsha Tir: "Righty ho."
Valaire bows politely, taking her seat from the day before yesterday.
Kharsha Tir sits herself down on the couch, putting her book on the table.
Valaire: "It is truly fascinating how the refreshments differ each time I come here, my prince."
Night Eyes takes a biscuit as she sits, slowly nibbling at it beneath her mask.
Kallian goes to seat himself beside Valaire, paying attention to Kharsha.
Kallian: "I try to keep it varied."
Arkune: "The biscuits are a nice touch, sir."
Kharsha Tir: "So, then, I imagine you're on the edge of your seats to hear what I have to tell you."
Night Eyes: "Truthfully, I had forgotten the matter of the beasts."
Adrian: "I've been looking forward to it."
Kharsha Tir: "Forgotten them?!"
Night Eyes: "Political affairs are more my area of expertise. And they have been quite complicated of late."
Valaire: "Beasts? Is it these eldritch creatures I've heard bits of news about here and there?"
Adrian: "The last week has been rather eventful."
Kharsha Tir: "Still, forgetting something as incredible as these creatures is impossible for me."
"So, then. The results of what i found."
"I did a lot of experiments with these eggs, and eventually, I found that one of them hatched."
Arkune: "That... sounds mildly worrying."
"How big is the baby?"
Adrian: "...Had you expected them not to hatch?"
Kharsha Tir: "I did this by incubating it right next to the chasm."
"No, no, I was trying to see what would hatch them."
"An egg is harder to analyse than an actual living one."
Valaire: "Do they not hatch under mundane circumstances?"
Kharsha Tir: "It doesn't seem so. It seems they require a lot of arcane energy in order to even hatch."
Night Eyes: "I suppose they would need a lot of energy to awaken with those powers."
Kharsha Tir: "And out came a large red bird, with... quite powerful chirps."
Valaire: "You make it seem like it must be in an environment with sufficiently ample aether, rather than directly charging it yourself."
Kharsha Tir: "I'm very much sure of that, and it led me to my breakthrough!"
Kallian: "Is it about their origins, Miss Tir?"
Kharsha Tir: "Yes, yes indeed!"
Valaire: "I am quite interested in hearing more. I must confess that my usual sources of information are not arcane scholars."
Kharsha Tir: "There is a special technique we are able to perform known as planar analysis, in which we are able to attempt to determine a creature's plane of origin. Normally this technique isn't used a lot since most things occur on the material plane, and we've never been able to hold a creature still and not be hostile to us."
Kharsha Tir: "This is the first time we've had a... somewhat docile creature."
Arkune: "It's... peaceful?"
Valaire: "You are discovering a way to domesticate them?"
Kharsha Tir: "No, that's just a side effect. I'm looking for their origins."
Night Eyes: "Hm..."
Kharsha Tir: "I've discovered that these creatures are native to the Plane of Magic."
Night Eyes: "Just that one?!"
Night Eyes looks at Kharsha more sharply.
Arkune: "The plane of... magic? What is that?"
Valaire: "They are extraplanar, yet born here?"
Adrian: "That certainly explains some things, but raises a few other questions."
Kharsha Tir: "I imagine the egg was originally laid, or they were conceived, on the plane of magic."
Night Eyes: "The regent demigod at the Lunar Isle is said to have been visiting that same plane, no?"
Kharsha Tir: "Which, by this result, we can assume that all Eldritch creatures came from the Plane of Magic somehow."
"And yes, it is said in her dossiers, but she hasn't mentioned this. Perhaps she was hiding it?"
Kallian: "That's... incredible, Miss Tir. You have to show me this technique sometime."
Adrian: "What I'd like to know is what caused the outbreak."
Night Eyes: "Yes. We need to figure out what happened and put a stop to it."
Valaire: "So they are born on this plane, being more than adequate for meeting their needs for aether, and then transmigrate here for... living? Feeding?"
Kharsha Tir: "Now, this has led to my second breakthrough, though admittedly this was by pure coincidence."
"Quite a few years back, we had theories that the Chasm near Cliffside was actually some sort of... planar portal. The bottom was always black as the deepest night, no matter what time of day it was."
"A brave team of researchers embarked on a journey down to the bottom, with the aid of flight spells... but never came back."
Arkune: "Maybe they got eaten by a dragon?"
Adrian: "That's rather unnerving."
"...why a dragon, in particular, Arkune?"
Valaire: "Defeated by the eldritch beasts, or perhaps even the plane itself was toxic to them?"
"The mouse has been reading about dragons since the day before yesterday, Lord Adrian."
Arkune: "Well, dragons like to eat people~"
"Well, some."
Night Eyes: "Planar journeys do not sound like something mortals should undertake."
Kharsha Tir: "That's not the point. We... had assumed they were lost. It helped back up our points on the Chasm being a sort of portal, but..."
Arkune: "Did they return?"
Kharsha Tir: "Two days ago, we had reports that one of them had turned up, in Frennmyell, on a roof."
Valaire: "Alive or dead?"
Kharsha Tir: "Alive, miraculously."
"And... not mad."
Night Eyes: "Ah!"
Valaire: "Have you had a chance to ask them about what they remember? Has anybody?"
Night Eyes: "So, this does explain the widespread appearances of the beasts."
Kallian: "You don't think..."
Adrian: "So if it is a portal, the Plane of Magic is casually spitting creatures at us, in other words?"
Kharsha Tir: "Yes, that's exactly it!"
Arkune: "What's made it leak, though?"
"Planes aren't supposed to just sprout holes like this, right?"
Kharsha Tir: "Unfortunately... none of our other crew survived, they were not combatative at all, aside from this one man."
Valaire: "Even more curious that the creatures seem naturally predisposed to peace, meaning something is causing the ones that are aggressive to be so."
Kharsha Tir: "It seems that, very briefly, he has seen that there are small... rips, would you call them? in the world, that briefly open, and creatures simply wander through, before it closes."
Valaire: "Which still begs the question... naturally occurring, or artificially made by the wayward demigod?"
Kallian: "Indeed, Valaire. The one that hatched here doesn't seem hostile from what my Teacher says, but perhaps there is something on that plane affecting them?"
Adrian: "Can it be supposed to be naturally peaceful, or is this creature simply not grown enough yet?"
Arkune: "*Which* wayward demigod?"
Night Eyes: "Good question, Adrian."
Kharsha Tir: "The researcher who survived, Bernard, said that almost all the creatures were in a state of berserk."
"Only the ones he saw that were the largest and looked the strongest seemed to not target him."
Adrian: "That is alarming."
Kallian: "Does this mean there could be an affliction on the plane going round?"
Adrian: "So it may be something deeply amiss there?"
Kallian: "Maybe only the very strongest can overcome it."
Valaire: "Or perhaps overexposure?"
Night Eyes: "Or the largest and strongest may have intellect of their own."
Valaire: "Is it not typically the smaller creatures that are more intelligent within nature, though?"
Night Eyes: "I would not consider these creatures of nature."
Kharsha Tir: "Well, the only other notable thing he found in his travels was a huge, black mountain."
Valaire: "Perhaps not, but I would imagine drawing parallels to be the first step in a hypothesis rather than unfounded guesses."
Kharsha Tir: "And... there seem to be other outsiders there."
"Apparently he was either going mad or he was seeing Daemons."
Night Eyes: "That sounds like a likely source of the issue, then."
Adrian: "Indeed."
Valaire: "Daemons aren't supposed to be indigenous there, are they?"
Night Eyes: "I was very skeptical about that myself."
"They are not the first creature that comes to mind when you hear 'plane of magic'."
Valaire: "They are fairly close to the last. They have their own realm, the domain of Garadin, no?"
Arkune: "Aren't those usually on more evil-y planes?"
Night Eyes: "I'm not versed on the specifics, myself."
Kallian: "They're definitely meant to be on the Plane of War, alongside the Infernal Warlord."
Adrian: "Not a subject I'm familiar with."
Kallian: "Or at least that's what the books say."
Valaire: "I suppose then it is a blessing you have a brilliant yet beautiful arcane scholar on the payroll."
Kallian: "I'm very thankful."
Night Eyes chuckles.
Night Eyes: "I suppose so, yes."
Kharsha Tir: "He kept saying the mountain had strange red chains on it, Bernard did."
Adrian: "You've been extremely helpful in this regard as well, Valaire."
Night Eyes: "Yes, the picture is rapidly becoming quite clear."
Valaire: "Red chains certainly sound suspect."
Night Eyes: "Invaders and defilers."
Valaire: "Indeed..."
Kharsha Tir: "That was my original theory."
Arkune: "Why chain up a mountain though?"
Adrian: "...Yes, that cannot be right."
Valaire: "So the question returns to the missing demigod. Enslaved or in league?"
Kallian: "Perhaps the mountain is some sort of colossal creature they didn't want to fight."
Night Eyes: "Or a prison."
Kharsha Tir: "Lady Lunasa has been working in the Mage's Guild as far as I know, but has been more reclusive in the recent years."
Night Eyes: "Though, I suppose, the size of dragons withstanding..."
Kharsha Tir: "But I imagine that is due to Silske's rise and her wish to not be targeted..."
Night Eyes: "A 'mountain' would be a qualifying description, yes."
Valaire turns to Night Eyes in a moment of curiosity.
Night Eyes: "Dragons can reach the scale of villages and towns."
Arkune: "The biggest of dragons could indeed reach a size enough to be mistaken for a mountain... what a truly daunting foe one that size would be...."
"It would have to be very ancient though."
Kallian: "I remember reading that 'wyrms' could get to be that size."
Arkune: "As have I."
Kharsha Tir: "Interesting, interesting, I didn't consider that."
Arkune: "My impression is what term is used for the oldest specimens, no?"
Valaire: "...Our bumpkin certainly knows her dragons..."
Kallian: "Wyrms are actually said to be the progenitors of dragons."
Adrian: "...If something were to be warring with Arcana Hallowvale himself... that would more than explain the oddities, would it not?"
Night Eyes: "Yes, it would."
"I can imagine the side effects of any war in such a plane would be disastrous, too."
Valaire: "Hollowvale? Is that the name of the mountain?"
Kallian: "I don't think I've heard of a 'Hallowvale'"
Kharsha Tir: "I don't know that much, myself."
Arkune: "Same here."
"Is it a place?"
Night Eyes: "An ancient wyrm - enough to be the god of magic, as I recall."
"The plane of magic is his domain."
Kallian: "Perhaps if he were somewhat defeated... he may lose control of his plane and what happens there?"
Arkune: "Would that be bad?"
Valaire: "And then, what, Garadin moves in?"
Kharsha Tir: "I guess that could be a thing."
Night Eyes: "Perhaps Lunasa seems to become a fully powered god, and claim the plane for themself?"
"I do not know much of Lunasa, however."
Valaire: "It sounds like a bad thing if you ask me."
Kharsha Tir: "The point is, we now know what the plane is like and how to get to it!"
Arkune: "Jump down a bottomless canyon?"
Adrian: "It's having significantly troublesome effects and I see no particular benefit to planar uprisings, so yes, 'bad thing' sounds like an accurate description."
Valaire: "Jump down a canyon, end up on a plane full of savage beasts, and be forced to fight daemons strong enough to hold a god captive."
Night Eyes: "Indeed. I do not think we have near the resources to do that."
Kharsha Tir: "I know from what Bernard said, that there is actually quite a significant body of water there."
Valaire: "This, on top of our previous plan, which, I might add, was already just as ridiculous."
Kharsha Tir: "I imagine it is all the rainwater that managed to enter through the portal."
Valaire: "I am in no hurry to meet with my ancestors, in any event."
Arkune: "So jump down a canyon and then try not to drown?"
Adrian: "This is distinctly outside of our scope. If Arkune wants to jump down the canyon... I fully reserve the right to consider it a very foolhardy decision."
Night Eyes nods in agreement.
Arkune: "I would rather not."
Valaire: "Let's put that plan as something we can consider after we handle our existing suicidal plan, hm?"
Kallian: "Perhaps if we were more capable, or stronger."
Night Eyes: "I don't know, this may be safer than the issue that is south."
Kallian: "Maybe one day when I'm more learned, I can gather people to try."
Night Eyes: "But still far beyond our reach."
Adrian: "I have no intention of intervening, beyond exterminating these creatures if they continue to make a nuisance of themselves."
Valaire: "So perhaps we should focus on our efforts to handle the skirmishes on the border, and hold off on god-slaying for the time being?"
"Maybe when I can learn how to remake reality with my mind, we may stand a chance..."
Kallian: "That'd probably be wise. I have no desire to see you smooshed by Daemons and gods."
Adrian: "I'll try to make sure you get her back in one piece, Highness."
Kallian: "I, er, meant all of you, but okay."
Valaire: "Do not worry, my prince. I will keep our beloved Lord Adrian safe from harm. And his other retainers, if I have the time."
Night Eyes leans back, shaking her head.
Arkune: "I can protect myself well~"
Kallian: "Heh, that'll be good."
Kharsha Tir: "Now, that's the majority of my breakthroughs."
Pretty amazing, huh?"
Kallian: "Incredibly so, Teacher, you're amazing!"
Adrian: "That it is. And ominous."
Valaire: "Quite fascinating, really."
Night Eyes: "It is terrifying news. But I suppose anything that explains these beast appearances would be."
Valaire: "A war between gods, repercussions on our material plane, and our country mouse simultaneously showing enough brilliance to guess properly about the mountain yet enough stupidity to jump into certain death to find it."
"The world truly is coming to an end, isn't it?"
Arkune: "I'm not stupid enough to jump! I just noticed that maybe it was not a good idea."
Kallian: "The world is just more interesting now."
Arkune: "(Also I can't swim well in armour...)"
Kallian: "Would you sink like a stone?"
Arkune: "Perhaps... needless to say, I never really experimented much."
Kallian: "Maybe you should invest in lighter armour."
Night Eyes: "There is some practical use to the portal, at least. But this knowledge feels too much like a blade hanging over our heads for me to describe it as 'interesting'."
Adrian: "Indeed."
Kharsha Tir: "I'm sorry, maybe I should not have said so much."
Valaire: "I certainly don't mind, it was quite illuminating."
Adrian: "I prefer to know."
Night Eyes: "Likewise."
Kharsha Tir: "Okay."
Kallian: "I loved hearing about it, even if it does open up more problems than it solves."
Night Eyes: "It is exceedingly important information, and will help us. Ultimately, I did want to do something about them."
Kharsha Tir: "The bird itself is at least proving nice enough. Though we had to create a building for it to live without... breaking anything."
"Whenever it chirps, it blasts a wave of sonic energy."
Kallian: "Ouch."
Valaire: "So peaceful, yet destructive regardless. I suppose domestication is not the best plan after all."
Night Eyes: "I cannot see domestication of such beasts ever ending well."
Adrian: "I imagine that was unpleasant to first discover."
Night Eyes: "This world is simply not fit to handle them."
Kharsha Tir: "At least it doesn't actively seek harm..."
Valaire: "That may actually make it worse."
Adrian: "If they were domesticated, I suspect they would be turned toward harm before long."
Valaire: "If it were actively malicious, at least one can rationalize putting it down."
Night Eyes: "I am with Adrian, here."
"At the end of the day, some men will seek to twist these things for dangerous goals."
Adrian: "Horses are peaceful creatures, but can still be devastating when ridden into battle. Think what these beasts could do. I think it's best we keep them off our plane as much as possible."
Night Eyes: "Unfortunately, it sounds like the way to do that is to plug the holes in the plane."
Kharsha Tir: "That seems hard if they keep getting spat out at us randomly."
Valaire: "The solution is going to end up being freeing that mountain, isn't it...?"
Night Eyes: "I suspect so."
Adrian: "Probably. At the very least, I doubt much can be done from this side."
Kallian: "I suppose the best we can do is just deal with these creatures when we can."
Arkune: "What do you suppose magic-birds taste like?"
Valaire: "And now our mouse wants to eat the magical discovery of the year."
Arkune: "Hey, it's just a thought that crossed my mind."
Kallian: "I thought birds ate mice."
Adrian: "I'm not sure that would be healthy."
Kallian: "Careful, or these birds may turn on you, Arkune."
Arkune: "I mean, are things from that plane even edible to us?"
Valaire: "That depends. Can you eat aether?"
Arkune: "I suppose I've never really tried," chuckles Arkune.
Adrian glances at Kharsha Tir, chuckling,
Adrian: "You can borrow her to research it, as far as I'm concerned, if she's that curious."
Kharsha Tir: "Perfect!"
"She's sure to yield interesting results on psychology."
"Now, just to check, how open are you to having your brain examined?"
"I may also have you interact with the bird and you may be tested on with various spells."
Valaire: "The second-most important magical discovery of the year; 'How many times can a Mulvery endure a glass-shattering sonic blast before she decides to stop trying to pet the birdy'."
Arkune: "I'd prefer to stay here serving Lord Adrian~"
Kharsha Tir: "(Plus there's the things we put in her... That can wait for later.)"
"...oh."
"I guess there'll be other times."
Arkune: "Perhaps some day."
Kharsha Tir: "I'll be waiting for that day where you become my tes- my, -ahem- arcane assistant."
"My last one still hasn't recovered..."
Night Eyes: "(Maybe I should find a different title than scholar, Adrian.)"
Adrian: "(I can see the problem there, yes.)"
Valaire: "I'll see what I can do to remember how her country mind interacts to various incantations so I can report my findings. Won't that be lovely, darling?"
Arkune: "Oh? And just what sorts did you have in mind, Val?"
Valaire: "I certainly wouldn't want to ruin the experiments by informing the subject."
Valaire puts a claw to her lips mischievously.
Arkune: "(Sometimes I can't tell if she's serious...)"
Night Eyes: "(I would be careful around that one.)"
Kharsha Tir: "So, is there anything else you want to know about?"
Adrian: "Do they understand our speech at all, do you know?"
Valaire: [Ventriloquism, next to Kharsha's ear] "(I might have some interesting research material on how fire or claw wounds interact with various portions of the male anatomy, if you were curious...)"
Kharsha Tir grins at Valaire, before looking worriedly at Kallian, and then back to Valaire.
Valaire gives a half-mischievous, half-malicious smirk in response.
Arkune tilts her head to the side in curiosity.
Kharsha Tir whispers a few words, for a moment, looking at Valaire.
Kharsha Tir: [Ventriloquism to Valaire, in her ear] "(Please don't claw my student.)"
Valaire: [Ventriloquism] "(I would never harm someone who did not ask for it. I'm not a monster.)"
Night Eyes: "If we are done with the scholarly games, perhaps Adrian's question?"
Kharsha Tir: "Ah, Adrian, I don't believe they do, from what I've gathered."
"They seem to just be... augmented animals"
Adrian: "Inconvenient. Thank you, nonetheless."
Valaire: "Can they be spoken to with magic intended for animals?"
Kharsha Tir: "Aha! Now that we have tested."
"They do understand at least that."
"They... don't give very intelligent answers, at least no more than normal ones."
Valaire: "You desire to speak to them, Lord Adrian? Hmm... perhaps I can try asking around with some of my contacts."
"It's sadly something arcane magic is not helpful with, but the right scroll here and there might be able to help."
Night Eyes: "Hm, knowledge of magic traders in the region would be appreciated."
Valaire: "I must admit some of them probably do not wish their business to be so flaunted, and they know me well besides."
The party discuss more things throughout the afternoon, before dispersing to prepare for the journey ahead.