{ OPEN } I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard

[aceso]

WHO: Christine and OPEN
WHAT: One more mage with an unaccounted for phylactery is suffering.
WHEN: mid-Guardian
WHERE: The Gallows
NOTES: OOC notes and a general warning for pain and torture.

For those who take notice of such things, the usually busy Knight-Enchanter Delacroix has all but disappeared from public view. Every day, some spell is cast upon her, and because several have an area of effect, no one is safe if they're near her. She stays holed up in her office, trying to sort through paperwork and hoping it doesn't catch on fire. Her work in the infirmary and her research lab has ceased completely; she can't risk what she might do to the area or those within range.

But Christine still needs to eat, talk to collegues, and return home to Lowtown at the end of the day. And so she can be seen several times experiencing the affects of a terrible spell. The question is, will others be caught in it too?

{ ⚡ shock (aoe) ⚡ }
Avoiding as much of the Gallows as possible should be an easy task because she has an office, but Christine finds that runners are in short supply at the moment, and she has to deliver certain messages and reports herself. All is going well until she finds herself nearing the infirmary on the second floor. She merely wants to pass on some notes to people like Carlos and Sam before leaving again, but before she gets to the door a blast of electricity hits her body and arcs across the walls and floor. Her body goes rigid as the spell runs its course, finally releasing her (and anyone else unfortunate enough to be caught up in it) and causing her to hobble to the wall to lean against it for support. She mumbles an Orlesian curse word and closes her eyes. How much more of this can her body take?

{ ❄️ blizzard (aoe) ❄️ }
Anyone that has reason to be on the seventh floor of the central tower where the project offices are might be feeling a little frosty, and on following the chill, they might just freeze solid for as long as eight seconds before the spell ends. Once it's over, the hallway is still a little slick with ice, and following it will lead one to the Red Lyrium project head's office. Knocking on the door will result in a voice calling out, "Enter!" and the sight behind the door is an office covered in frost, with one very cold mage throwing kindling into the fireplace and lighting it.

"Were you caught in it?" Christine releases a sigh. "This is ridiculous. We can no longer sit here doing nothing about this issue."

{ 👊 stonefist 👊 }
Christine peers outside her office to make sure the coast is clear before she leaves for the day. Her gait is brisk and with purpose as she tries to escape back home as quickly as possible. Of course fate would be cruel, and as she's descending the stairs to the first floor of the central tower a large stone materializes in the air and slams into her ribs, sending her flying down the steps to land in a battered heap at the bottom. For a moment she's still, but then she makes a pained sound that at least alerts those nearby that she's still alive.

{ 🃏 wildcard 🃏 }
The other spells affecting Christine are Sleep (AOE), Paralyze, Fireball (AOE), Chain Lightning (AOE), Earthquake (AOE), or Entropic Cloud (AOE). If any of those tickle your fancy, hit me up via PM, plurk (megoom), or discord (megoom #2520) to hash out details and get a custom starter.

Comments

Shock, because Elros and ladies who zap him is a thing in FR apparently

[tar_minyatur]

Elros being more or less back to himself means an Elros who needs to feel useful, so he's in the infirmary helping when it happens. He probably shouldn't have reached out to her, but the gesture was instinctive and he curses as he wobbles back to his feet.

"Milady Christine, are you well?"

Also, ow.

[aceso]

For a moment she doesn't speak, eyes pained as she sees the result of her simply trying to walk out in public, living her life. Is this thing that's happening meant to kill her, or force her to isolate herself from everyone?

"I am sorry, Elros," she replies, filled with guilt. "I should not have come down here. It was only to deliver a note; I was not going to stay... but it makes no difference, I see. I can be attacked wherever I am." She heaves a sigh and gives him a good once over.

"Do you need healing?"

[tar_minyatur]

"An attack?" He manages a frown.

"Who is attacking you?" He blinks a little.

"Ah...not ...sure? Which probably means yes."

[aceso]

There's hesitation in her approach, as if she's worried what might come next, but when everything remains stable, she's able to take a look at him, searching for burns or scorches on his person.

"I do not know. It is blood magic being used on me from afar. The person or people responsible is not in sight."

[tar_minyatur]

He wobbles and sits and grins up at her wryly.

"I am feeling very crispy. Now I know why Adalia scolded me when I suggested she practice her lightning on me."

He frowns at that.

"That sounds disctinctly unpleasant. Is there nothing I can do to help?"

[aceso]

"Why would you suggest such a thing?" she asks, close to a scolding tone herself. Honestly, some men are too brave for their own good. Her eyes suddenly glow with a blue light, and the same light covers a hand as she passes it over any injured part of him in order to send healing magic into him.

"I doubt it. It is happening to many mages at the moment: all former Circle mages. It is because we all had blood taken from us when we entered the Circle, and it is being used against us now."

[tar_minyatur]

"It seemed like a good idea at the time?"

He grins at her and accepts the healing with a grateful sigh. He's not as badly hurt as might be - crispy, yes, but nothing serious, fortunately.

"That..." He frowns deeply. "That is Dark Magic, alright. I assume there are steps being taken to find the one responsible - is there nothing I can contribute in that area?"

He will totally stab this horrible person.

[aceso]

"There are suggestions floating around, but no solid plans just yet." She doesn't want to tell him about her talk with Inessa; about how they agree that probably the only way to find their phylacteries is to use more blood magic. Neither one would suggest it if they knew of any other options, and the wait now is mainly so they can see if anyone knows another way.

Finishing her healing, she steps back, folding her hands together. "There; are you feeling better?"

[tar_minyatur]

"Much." He sighs and stretches.

"Thanks. And if there are - please let me know if I can help, eh? You are a friend, I would hope, and I would be a poor friend if I did not try and help!"

[aceso]

The ease with which he calls them friends gets a smile out of her. Her history is such that there are few she can call true friends, but once she has them, she latches on quite tightly, and the person has someone who will always care and worry for them.

"You have shown yourself to be a true friend, yes. If anything comes up that could involve you, I will let you know, but I do not wish to put anyone at risk if I do not have to." Of course, people are already at risk just being around her, but she can't help that.

[tar_minyatur]

Of the twins, Elros has always been the impetous one with his heart on his sleeve. Elrond is the kinder, but Elros's passions run deep. If he hates, he hates, if he loves, he loves. Christine has been nothing but kind to him, so he returns that wholeheartedly.

"What is a little risk between friends?" His smile broadens at her acknowledgement of the friendship. "I do not mind, truly! Although if it's magic, I don't know how much help I'll be, I'm always up to trying."

[aceso]

"Do you not have magic in your world?" she asks. It's a concept that's hard to wrap her mind around. She doesn't know who she would be if she wasn't a mage.

[tar_minyatur]

"Not the way you do." He shakes his head.

"You mages can do all sorts of things I've never seen before. We have things that are like Magic, but Art is not quite the same thing. I've seen Maglor raise a river, but rivers do that anyway - he only asked the right way, and the river could have refused him. Elrond can heal, but he's always explained that it's... the body wants to heal. He only shows it how. Art is like that - we work with the world, and within it. It's merely a matter of knowing who to ask and how. I wouldn't ask the stones to walk, but they don't usually mind holding strong together - after all, that's what they are meant to do. If I want something that moves, I'd ask the wind, or water, if that makes sense?"

[aceso]

"Then... you are saying everything has a consciousness of its own? The river, the body, the stones?" It seems a little frightening; the idea that all these things have wills of their own. Christine would always be wondering what they were thinking about her.

[tar_minyatur]

"Eh. Consciousness it pushing it a bit far." He says thoughtfully. "Awareness, maybe. Memory, definitely. Of course, some things are more awake than others - in my world, you can blame the elves for that." He grins at her.

"They say, in the beginning, in the days when the elves first woke, they were curious and very very chatty. With everything. Eventually, some things started talking back, presumably to shut them up! Maglor knows the tales, if you want to hear them properly, for he heard them from his grandfather, who was one of those First and Unbegotten. But while we may call them elves - their name for themselves is Quendi - 'The Speakers'. Trees are especially fond of them. The green elves of Ossiriand, they say, pass messages across vast distances by trees, although I've never been able to hear them. My family being what it is, I'm closer to the water."

[aceso]

"I have heard of the elves here awakening trees in some manner as guardians, though I cannot recall their name. And of course there are the wild sylvans, though I do not think the elves awakened them." She shrugs it off, not entirely interested in the creatures unless they're going to attack her; then she'd like to know how to defeat them.

"I should be thankful that the forests here do not watch me as I travel through them, but with recent events being what they are, things are bad enough."

[tar_minyatur]

"Ah, but wouldn't it be helpful if the trees helped you keep watch? They don't sleep, after all."

He points out.

"Besides, they never really spoke to me, but trees are, so far as I can tell, quite friendly, really."

[aceso]

"I suppose that would be beneficial. I cannot really argue that. But on the other hand, what if they are turned to the enemy's side and spy for them instead? I do not think I could ever be easy knowing they are aware." So it's lucky that the forests of Thedas aren't all sentient, whispering gossip to one another.

"And what would these trees think of you making boats out of them?"

[tar_minyatur]

"Trees don't like the Enemy much." Elros says quietly, grimly. "They don't mind being cut for a good cause, although the Sindar taught us to take only what we needed, and to try and take the older trees first. And to ask nicely! But the orcs and the Enemy's armies, they cut trees and burnt forests just because they could. Oh, you can twist the heart of a tree! I wouldn't walk in the forests of Nan Elmoth or Dungothreb without a Sindar or Silvan to talk the trees down, but they don't serve the Enemy - they hate him too much."

[aceso]

Christine lets out a huff. "Ask nicely..." she says with a shake of her head. "Do they also ask the deer and rabbits if they can please kill them for food before they do? Or does no one in your world eat meat? Wait, do they have to ask the plants that grow if they mind being harvested?" What a strange world. Christine is glad she doesn't live there.

[tar_minyatur]

"Not before - but after, it's considered nice to say thanks. Of course, some of the wilder Avari tribes are much more strict about such things? Some of them do have ceremonies to ask for permission before the hunters go out, I think. And Maedhros says Celegorm's Hunters were the same, because they were sworn to Orome, the Lord of the Hunt. Even back in Valinor, they hunt - we do need to eat, after all! Mostly, its about being polite! You take only what you need, and you try not to take the mothers, or the young, especially in spring. There may be some folk who only eat vegetables, but most of us eat meat." Elros shrugs.

"It's... a respect thing. You don't go wantonly chopping down trees, you don't kill more than you realistically need. You say thank you, if you have the resources to do so, that sort of thing. Practically, everyone knows how it goes! We need wood, and we need to eat. The trees and the beasts, they know that - the beasts eat each other too, after all."

[aceso]

"It is a unique concept," she says, looking mollified now. She also can't say that the Avvar or Chasind perhaps don't do the same. Those that live closer to nature would probably show more respect, and if she wants to live among the Avvar someday, it's something she'll have to get used to. Her sheltered upbringing in an Orlesian Circle certainly didn't include saying thank you to their meals.

"You must miss home a great deal. I am sorry you have to be here while mages are having such magic done upon them."

[tar_minyatur]

"I suppose so? It's what I grew up with, so I don't know any different."

He shrugs at her with a wry grin.

"Although my upbringing was a bit of a mixed bag, they did try and get me as much exposure to as many people as they could. Good practice for diplomacy, you know? Although child-me found most of it quite boring, obviously."

Says the one who spent most of the quarantine pining because he couldn't get out and go down to the sea or the taverns or... anywhere, really.

"I do, but it's less home, and more the people, you know?" The cheerful mask slips a bit, his eyes clouding. "I've left my brother behind - and this time, in such a way I can't even get a message to him! But it can't be helped." He smiles at her again. "It isn't your fault someone is being a dick to you. And you guys didn't bring us here, so that's not on you either. That you take the time to help us settle in here and try to get us home - that's a blessing, and I thank you for it."

[aceso]

"I cannot say I would do well at diplomacy myself. I would not say I am hot-headed, but I tend to prefer agreeing to disagree than continue to argue my point if it will only fall on deaf ears." She has much more patience, but she's also incredibly stubborn. Diplomacy has never been something she's wished to engage in. It feels too close to playing the Grand Game.

"I often think how I would wish to be treated if our places were reversed and I was the Rifter in some distant land. I would hope for kindness and care. I am happy to offer it to you, Elros. You deserve it."

[tar_minyatur]

"Sadly, an all too necessary skill in my line of work."

Elros shrugs cheerfully.

"Turns out I'm pretty good at it? Or something. It can be pretty interesting. But I know the feeling. Sometimes, don't you just want to smack people?"

He tips his head to her. "It is still kinder than some here!"