{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

{ blizzard }

[aceso]

Christine knows she isn't the safest person to be around right now, but if the pattern holds, nothing else should afflict her today. She already experienced what she now knows was a paralysis episode in her office, and with any luck, she'll be free for the rest of the night. It's beyond frustrating that she has to count on those doing this keeping to an established pattern; like she just has to put up with this from now on. Clearly, she isn't going to continue on like this without doing something about it, but with the recent Rifter illness, things had to be pushed back.

Now that things are becoming more settled, she wants to talk to Sam about her symptoms and her talk with Inessa, but the blast of cold air and snow shooting out from under the crack in the door has her alarmed enough to burst in without waiting for him to answer. As a result, her body freezes in place for a few seconds, frost gathering on her hair and clothes. When the spell ends, she shivers, closing the door behind her lest any neighbors see.

"Sam! Are you all right?"

chain lightning

[nadasharillen]

It's been a while since she's seen Sam, and recent events have reminded Nari that seeing someone you care about again isn't always a given. So this time, when they pass near the infimary, she means to see if he has time to stop and catch up. She's raising a hand to wave him down when there's an immense flash and CRACK, and sees his back arch with the force of the lightning blast. She only has time to shout his name in alarm before her skin registers a pressure change and electricity runs through her in its mad race to the ground with a vicious full body impact that squeezes the air from her lungs and snaps her teeth together as her vision darkens.

Nari comes back to her senses on her knees, dizzy and tingling, the stench of burnt ozone in her nose, and is immediately crawling towards her friend.

"Sam. Sam! What--"

[el_tybs]

In general Sam enjoyed cooler weather, but this was ridiculous. Not only was he not dressed for such weather - sporting just a pair of slacks for sleeping - but it was in his home, too! Snow clung to his bare shoulders and hair, and their was a fair amount piled around his bare feet.

The shock and surprise were enough that he doesn't notice right away that Christine had entered the premises, his teeth chattering once he's able to move again. Once he seems to get over the initial shock his eyes focus and he blinks wildly at his friend. "C-c-chrisssss...?"

Before the thunder

[el_tybs]

Sam doesn't come to his senses quite as quickly. He registers that he's on the ground, flat on his back, but he cannot hear past the ringing in his ears and his body refuses to move. It feels similar to when he had been hit by a bout of paralysis, but this is way more painful, the air having been forced out of his lungs and struggling to gain it back.

After a few moments his muscles do seem to relax and he takes a deep breath, eyes still squeezed shut. "... ow..."

[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."

[home]

[samahl]

Having snow fall indoors is new, and extremely worrying. He had been simply trying to check on Sam and Jim and suddenly everything is freezing.

"SAM?" he calls, and then tries to open the door to get to his lover to make sure he's all right. He usually has much better control of his magic.

[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.

[el_tybs]

There isn't enough snow to completely block the door, but certainly makes it more difficult. When Cyril finally does manage to get inside he's greeted with a very undressed - bare except for a pair of slacks - and very upset mage. There were a number of reasons for this, but most immediate and easiest to spot was certainly the winter wonderland their home had become.

He's shaking enough that he cannot even manage a word, but he does make some sort of noise upon seeing Cyril.

[samahl]

Cyril doesn't speak either. He will eventually process all of the things going on that are upsetting, but right now all that matters is that Sam is distressed. All he wants is to protect his lover.

He goes closer and moves closer to touch Sam, wanting to press closer and comfort and warm him up. He would have grabbed a blanket, if they weren't all covered in snow.

[el_tybs]

To his freezing skin, Cyril's touch comes as somewhat of a shock due to the temperature difference, but it is very much welcomed. It gets the mage moving again, at least enough to bring his hands up to try and warm his arms, but not really managing very well.

He's already been having a rough week, but this just adds a whole new layer to things. His frustration shows; brows furrowing as if trying to hold back tears. Mind you he really doesn't need to try since he's too cold to manage a tear at the moment.

[samahl]

"I'm going to find something for you to wear. I'll be right back," Cyril promises. He only pulls away to find a robe or a cloak that he can put over Sam, and then he's right back. He doesn't just wrap the garment around Sam, but moves close to him and wrap it around them both. That way, he can share his body heat with Sam.

He looks up at the human while they are pressed close together. "Can you move? We should get away from this snow..."

[nadasharillen]

'Ow,' he said, 'Ow' is good. Satisfied that Sam's heart hasn't stopped, Nari ceases her crawling struggle toward him and changes direction to push herself back against the nearby wall where she lets her head loll to one side, the surface dutifully holding her up.

"Ow," she agrees. She'd heard something was going on with the mages, but this was the first she'd actually seen it. And definitely the first she'd been caught in it.

Actually, it was the first she'd ever been hit by a spell, save by Sina in practice, and Sina's magic had been of a gentler variety. This is probably why people were scared of mages. The elf rolls her head the other way so she can look at Sam.

"We have to stop meeting like this," she says with a small, strained, but still cheeky grin.

[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]

It's only when Cyril covers him and leans up close that Sam actually realizes how violently he was shaking. Yes, getting out of the snow would be a good idea. Problem was mustering enough strength to actually do that, the cold seemingly having stripped him of it.

"M-maybe-e. Can'tt re-eally feeel my legs."

Once the shock starts to ebb away from his mind and body, Sam eventually starts to think a bit more clearly, using his magic to heat his hands so that he could start warming himself. Not feeling so much like an icicle, Sam allows Cyril to slowly move him out of the hazard area.

[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."

[samahl]

Cyril's room is a room in the house that was spared the worst of the storm - which is probably a good thing considering the delicate items he has in it. It helps that he keeps his door closed. He takes Sam across the hall to his room and settles him on the bed.

He wraps the blanket around him, making sure to cover his legs, and then strips off the tunic he was sleeping in to crawl in next to Sam. Skin on skin contact is always best to warm someone up.

"What happened?" he asks, once he knows for sure Sam is settled in a place where he will feel warmer.

[el_tybs]

Sam doesn't have the energy to move so he cannot see the grin, but at this point he can hear the cheekiness in Nari's voice. He can appreciate the joking tone, glad that she can still joke, but at the moment he doesn't find it very funny. Course all he can manage in response at the moment is a low groan.

It's after a few minutes that Sam finally shifts, mostly to turn his head to the side and open an eye to where he thinks Nari is. "You ok?"

[nadasharillen]

From where he's lying, Sam can see her outstretched legs. They seem fine, at least.

"I'm... something," she replies wryly with a cough. "How about you? What in Ghilan'nain's green grove is going on?"

[el_tybs]

He's pretty sure Nari has a fine set of legs, yes, but he's a gentleman and not checking her out- oh wait. Yes, they're doing just fine.

"Gilannane?" He's not meaning to butcher the name, but with his current hearing it's a bit harder to make out the pronunciations. "I'm... something also. Feeling numb in some places and pain in others. ...not completely sure, but apparently myself and several other mages are having issues with spells just going off."

[el_tybs]

Skin on skin contact was the best way to warm someone up, but sitting in damp pants wouldn't help. If Sam was in his right mind at the moment he would have known to have removed those, even at most it was for just sparing the bed from getting wet. Since he is not, he just sits there dumbly, huddling against Cyril the best he could to soak up the heat he was giving.

"Jim disappeared," he says softly. That isn't what he is asking probably, but it seems like the logic, in his mind, place to start.

[nadasharillen]

Spells just going off. Nari's mind (still buzzing with the shock) conjured images of fire and ice, eruptions of branches and thorns, force, and rock, and all the elemental fury of magic and she shuddered, the horrified clench of her muscles briefly doubling the ache left in her body. "Creators." She thinks of pulling her legs to her chest, but the idea of moving was a strong deterrent.

"Are they your spells, or are they coming from somewhere else?"

[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?"

[samahl]

Cyril starts then, stunned. When Iskandar had disappeared, a part of Cyril's mind had thought that it was possible for the same thing to happen to Jim, but he had wanted to put those thoughts away. Now, though, for a moment all he can do is stare.

"Sam..." he says after a moment. "I... I'm so sorry."