{OPEN} The Troubles with Magic

[el_tybs]

WHO: Samouel Gareth and OPEN
WHAT: The strange blue sickness is gone, and so is a certain Rifter. If things weren't bad enough, Sam is experiencing some bad magic
WHEN: Mid-Guardian
WHERE: Kirkwall
NOTES: OOC notes. Injuries, depression, people get caught in magic gone wrong. Etc.

There is a long sigh of relief as the quarantine ends and a cure for the blue sickness is administered. Everyone can go home. He and Jim can go back home, and put this crazy experience behind them, get some much needed rest. Things go back to normal, or at least what has been considered 'normal' to this point.

Relief and contentment only last so long though.

{Disorientation and Blizzards: Home in Lowtown}
He was missing.

Sam was frantic since the moment he woke. Furs and blankets were tossed across the room, the mattress haphazardly leaning at an angle against the bed frame from which it had been shoved off. He seemed as if he knew where he was, but at the same time completely lost.

Kirk was missing.

And Sam... recognized their room, but seemed completely lost. It was after a few more minutes of frantic searching - mostly turning in a circle - before his senses seemed to catch up to him, his eyes less frenzied, more focused. His breath caught as he finally saw the state his bedroom was now in. His body lost it's previous energy from moments before, back finding a wall and slowly sinking to the floor.

That's right, his room, not their room.

Jim had simply disappeared. Sam had only momentarily looked away from his lover, heard his name being said, but when he had turned back, Kirk was gone. Logically, maybe because of the shard or maybe the cure for the sickness, Jim had been sent back home. Course there was relief that he had went home, but at the same time it was a heavy and sharp pain to his heart.

That happened days ago, however, with Sam having mostly secluded himself in the bedroom since. As much it hurt, it didn't make sense why he had become so disorientated and had forgotten how Jim was suddenly not here. Maybe he just needed to get out of the bedroom? To just not be here at this time?

Eyes still red and puffy, with some dark circles, Sam slowly made his way down the stairs to the kitchen. At reaching the bottom step he shivers, a wave of cold suddenly hitting him. He blinks at that, eyes turning towards the fireplace to see that the hearth was alight. That didn't make sense- Then there is a knock at the door. Even though he isn't really feeling up for visitors he still goes to open it.

Before he can reach the door though, Sam makes a noise as suddenly the entirety of his home is swept up in a blizzard, knocking things off the walls and counters, and everything becoming covered in a sheet of snow and frost. It lasts for several long seconds, biting at exposed skin, and it ends just as quickly as it starts, leaving the mage rather startled and extremely cold.

{Stonefists at the Infirmary}
It perhaps a week after the blizzard incident that Sam finally decides to get back to work. He's not seeing as many patients as before, taking the much milder cases at the moment, deciding he needs something to focus on. And mostly to get out of the house.

"Be with you in a second," he says, back turned to the tent flap as he finishes organizing his supplies when he hears someone at the opening. He's just about done, starting to say something else when a large stone appears somewhere over the cot before rocketing right into the mage. It hits him squarely in the side and with enough force that it sends him flying into the side of the tent, which in turn tears the cloth from its poles, making everything crumble down to the ground in a heap.

Sam makes a noise, more of a wheeze, from somewhere under the cloth, making no signs of getting up.

{wildcard}
Other spells Sam is experiencing are Paralyze, Mind Blast (AOE), Fireball (AOE), Chain Lightning (AOE), Earthquake (AOE), and Entropic Cloud (AOE). Feel free to start with one yourself, or hit me up via PM, or plurk (Tybs)

Comments

[aceso]

"It is all right," Christine says in her mothering tone, moving to brush off his shoulders and hair. "Come sit by the fire. You were attacked. Blizzard, I think, or perhaps cone of cold." Though judging by the radius of snow, probably the former. "I will get a blanket from your bed, if the snow did not spread there. Just build up the fire and warm yourself."

[el_tybs]

The tone definitely helps with him trying to stay calm, which for him wasn't usually that hard to do, but lately he's been balancing on a wire. "At-t-tacked?" he asks, teeth still chattering, looking down at his feet which were starting to go numb.

At the mention of fire he nods and turns, making a disgruntled noise when he notices that the hearth was now out. It didn't look like there was snow in it, so at least starting the flames again wouldn't be too much of an issue - he hoped.

Shuffling over to the living area, muttering something about the snow, Sam huddles himself against the fireplace and starts to try and get the fire going.

[aceso]

Christine's never been upstairs, but it's not hard to find the bedroom to take a blanket off the bed. Only when she enters, she sees the furs and covers thrown around haphazardly, and wonders at it. The mattress is all askew as well. She doesn't want to assume why the bedroom is in such a state, so she grabs a big fur from the floor and heads back downstairs, the top layer of her hair now slightly damp from melted snow.

"Here we are," she says soothingly, laying the fur over Sam's shoulders. "Focus on getting warm first. Then we can talk."

[el_tybs]

Sam doesn't think twice about Christine going upstairs. First of all, it was kind of hard to think clearly with his body screaming to be unthawed, but even if there hadn't been a blizzard, it didn't occur to him that there was anything incriminating. Course if it is brought up he would have to suppose that the room being as it were would raise questions.

It takes several tries, but by the time Christine returns from the bedroom the fire is once more going, Sam curled up nearly in it as he tries getting warmth back into his body. He doesn't even realize she's back up until the fur is being placed on him, jumping ever so slightly. "Th-thanks, Chri-istiine."

[aceso]

"Of course," she answers, moving to sit next to him and warming her hands in front of the fire. For several seconds she's quiet, turning her hands so each side gets some warmth, but eventually she speaks.

"It is happening to you too. The spell attacks."

[el_tybs]

'You too' she says, which means either she was experiecing similar things or she knew others being attacked as well.

"Wh-who's attacking me? And w-why?"

[aceso]

"We do not know who, and only have theories as to why." Christine pauses to draw up her legs and wrap her arms around them. Since he doesn't know, she wants to break this to him gently, yet in as straight forward a manner as possible. But first: a question.

"You do not know what happened to your phylactery after the Circles fell, do you?"

[el_tybs]

There is the longest pause as Sam turns and stares at Christine after she asks such a question. Even though his eyes are a little unfocused it is clear that his attention is completely on her.

"N-n-nno... Ever-ryone said Ostwick was in shambles..." There was never anything mentioned about phylacteries now that he thinks about it, but he had assumed that with the fighting that they all had been destroyed. Even as he says this it is quite obvious that he sees where Christine is going with this.

[aceso]

Nodding slowly, Christine gives him a sympathetic look. When Inessa asked Christine the same question, it had been easy to connect the dots, even though she thought hers had been destroyed along with all Orlesian mages whose phylacteries had been housed at the White Spire. How else could she be targeted like this?

"They have our blood, Sam. Whoever is doing this. It is the only way these spells could be cast on us from afar. Inessa and I have spoken on this, and it is only Circle mages who are experiencing these attacks. The weakness in my legs? The episode where I could not move? I know now. Those were Weakness and Paralysis spells."

[el_tybs]

There are a few long moments in which Sam holds his breath, as if steeling himself for the answer Christine is about to give him. When he hears exactly what he's expecting he releases it in a shaky breath. It's a lot to take in on it's own, but more so considering the current circumstances. Breathing still shaky Sam curls in on himself a bit, arms holding the blanket closer to himself, nose buried in the edge closet to his face.

[aceso]

"We will discover who is doing this. Somehow, we will make it stop." She places her hand on his shoulder, speaking seriously and with a focused gaze. Things had to be put on hold while the Rifter illness was happening, but now they can focus on solving this.

"As far as we can tell, it happens once per day, sometime during the day; not after nightfall. Inessa and I have been adjusting our schedules accordingly. You should too. No infirmary work or being near the forge while this is going on."

[el_tybs]

"Once per day?" It isn't quite a shout, but his voice is elevated, with a slightly horrified expression. He was to expect blizzards once a day now?

After a moment Sam gives a loud huff and raises his hand to rub at his eyes. He eventually nods, agreeing to that idea; taking time off from the forge wouldn't be that hard, but the infirmary? "Are there enough people to take over in the infirmary for all of us to shift to evenings?"

[aceso]

"Yes," she answers, making no mention of his raised voice. He is just learning about this, so of course he has a right to be upset about it all.

"There will have to be. We cannot endanger our patients or the infirmary itself. They will have to be surgeons, or apostate healers who were never in a Circle."

[el_tybs]

He's thankful that she doesn't, because honestly it was becoming increasingly harder to stay completely calm; one issue rolling into another.

Sam is quicker to nod his head in agreement this time. Even if they were going to be short staffed it was safer for everyone if they weren't present while they were walking bombs. It was at that moment he turns to look at the frost and snow still in his house. "... It's not even safe for me to be in the house."

[aceso]

"I have had that thought myself, and yet there is no way Church would not complain most heartily if I tried. He would simply come to wherever I am regardless of the danger." A look of utter fondness for him crosses her features for a moment before she comes back to the moment.

"I am sure Jim would do the same."

[el_tybs]

If possible he looks even more upset after Christine says that, enough so that he looks away to stare at the fireplace. "Yeah, I'm sure he would," he starts, words low. "But Jim isn't here anymore." That's all he manages to get out before silent again. It didn't make sense to keep it from Christine, after all her and Jim had been rather close, but it was still fresh and hard to deal with - and now he had this to deal with.

[aceso]

"What? No!" she exclaims, utterly shocked. A hand lifts to her mouth in alarm. Jim is gone? She highly doubts that means the two of them broke up, which means he is yet another rifter who has mysteriously disappeared. Not as a result of this illness; they figured out how to solve that in time. But simply back to his world once more. It's something she's terrified will happen to Church, because if he goes back, he'll no longer exist.

"Oh, Sam," she murmurs, scooting close to him and wrapping both arms around him. "I am so sorry."

[el_tybs]

He was trying to keep it together, barely so, but with Christine's reaction and her moving over to hold him, he just crumbles. His shoulders shake, a mix of the lingering cold and his emotions though there are no tears (he's too drained for those), as he leans into Christine, burying his face in her shoulder rather then the blanket

"It's been a few days. He was sick for so long and when he finally got back... I didn't even get to say anything." Which wasn't Jim's fault in the least of course.

[aceso]

Stroking his head, Christine nods a little, trying to compose herself for his sake.

"A cruel twist of fate," she murmurs gently. "I wish I had known sooner, but I understand you not wishing to speak of it." She thinks were their places reversed, she might do the same thing, and simple bury herself under the blankets.

"Is there anything I can do? When did you last eat? I could make you something."

[el_tybs]

Having contact with someone he's close with felt good after locking himself away for the better part of the week, giving a heavy sigh and leaning into Christine's stroking. There's a bit of guilt of having her have to worry over him, even though she's been going through these issues with the phylacteries way longer - even if they hadn't known it was that weeks ago.

"N-" Just as he's about to say something his stomach grumbles, protesting when it hears something about food. Now that he was calmer - or as calm as he could be momentarily - he supposes he hasn't eaten much at all during Kirk's absence. "A... while ago? I think the kitchen is frozen right now though..."

[aceso]

Christine leans back, glancing down towards his stomach and settling a questioning look at him. That doesn't sound good. He surely hadn't meant to go so long without food, but heartbreak could be one of those things that makes a person lose sense of time.

"Then I will just have to thaw it all out. It will not take long." Which she doesn't know for sure, but with her determination, she assumes the ice will bend to her will.

[el_tybs]

He wants to argue that she doesn't have to, but he really cannot. He hasn't been doing a good job of feeding himself at this point and at the moment he doesn't really have the strength to put in much of the effort to get the food now covered in ice.

"I'll... take you up on that I guess then."

[aceso]

"Good. I would really hate having to argue with you about it." She rises from her seat and heads into his kitchen, carefully walking through as there's still ice and snow in there. A small flame in the palm of her hand helps melt through to the food itself, and she does her best to get a quick platter of simple foods together for him. Hopefully they don't need thawed.

Returning to him with the plate, she works on tending to the fire to build it up a bit more.

"Let me know if you wish for something else. These were the first things I could find."

[el_tybs]

Even though Christine is away for a short time, it is enough to let Sam grow silent and fall into his thoughts; a back and forth on his most recent events. When she returns Sam comes to with a small shake of his head, smiling slightly at the offered food.

"No, no. This should be fine." Honestly his stomach was fighting him for something more then what was being offered, but likewise feeling sick to his stomach. Course not eating wasn't an answer with present company.

"Um... there is one thing I would want. Perhaps... some clothes?"

[OoC: Super late, sorry. We can definitely wrap this up.]

[aceso]

Christine gives him a warm smile, though sadly such things can't keep a person cozy warm. She'll have to settle for actually fetching him something warm to wear.

"Easily done. I will be right back." And with that she heads back upstairs to get him probably far too much. There's going to be at least two pairs of socks and multiple shirts to wear under sweaters. Brace yourself, Sam. You will be waddling around with your arms stuck out by the time she's done coddling you.


[ ooc: yup, wrapping up here sounds perfect! ]