Re: Adensborough OOC - Dio and Kalon

[Dio the Awesome]

Let;s say the king wishes to meet tomorrow. That is mid day on day two, and the nobles meeting is happening one day one at night, so you should go ahead and post.

[Kalon Ordona II]

OK, sounds good. I'll try to have that post up by tonight.

[Kalon Ordona II]

Posted!
And it looks like you were right all along--I had missed a bit in your post where the messenger said for her to meet with the council in two days' time.
We could always have another messenger come and collect her early, though. Maybe the King is feeling some urgency. Maybe, in fact, Pelleas went straight to him?

Or maybe not. Actually *lightbulb!* duh!
OK, I'm going to edit my post.
I'll have Pelleas get Nathan to help. If Pelleas goes himself to the King, Harmon would know instantly, and the game would be up. They'll put their heads together and come up with Alicia. Sweet! This should work awesomely. ^_^

Edit:
Done. I think I managed to weave it in nicely. I was wondering how we were going to get our characters together.
You can go ahead and make Nathan talk if you need him to say something.

[Dio the Awesome]

I'll keep his dialogue to a minimum, but I think I can handle that. I'm going away for the weekend, but I'll try and get one up before monday, no promises though.

[Kalon Ordona II]

Sounds good. Have fun! ^_^

[Dio the Awesome]

I hope what I wrote was okay and within the bounds of your character. As we go on, I'm sure we'll get more comfortable writing each other's dialogue.

[Kalon Ordona II]

Oh yes, it was great! *nods vigorously*
Sorry, I had been meaning to post day before yesterday, then yesterday... stuff just happens. I'm off tomorrow, though, and Adensborough is near the top of my list.

[Dio the Awesome]

Yeah, stuff does happen. But as long as we stick with this to the end, it doesn't matter how long it takes.

[Kalon Ordona II]

OK so I've been working on the post, and the conversation took on a life of its own. It's become more in-depth and involved than I had planned at first, and I hated to leave you out of it, so here's what I have so far. Let's add to the conversation bit by bit in here, and I'll add stuff and post it when it's done.

Feel free to recommend changes, too, if you think Alicia would speak or act differently--or if I messed up anything about her age or appearance. The first half is just me catching up to your post; the second half is where the real stuff begins.

Spoiler:

[Dio the Awesome]

Sounds good so far. I grabbed the text where the discussion begins, and added my own words and fluff. There is a difficulty in trying to have both our characters have an active voice, so here is my proposal. When it is your post, I will write Alicia in as though she is any other NPC, giving you the active voice. When it is my post, the opposite should be true. The first edit I make in red should illustrate this nicely. Also, only the big edits are in red.

"I wish I had come to chat, cousin Alicia," Nathan said, somewhat downcast. "It has been a long time. It's just, ever since your..." he'd been about to say 'parents.' Nathan could see Alicia pause briefly, her hand froze halfway between the plate and her mouth, before she resumed eating as normal. He hadn't even seen her in the streets since then; he thought maybe she had become even more reclusive. This was his first real visit to her house in more than five years. "I guess it never felt the same, coming to see you like before." In his adolescence, he'd had a secret sort of crush on his vibrant cousin who knew everything. He'd eventually grown out of that until now it embarrassed him to recall the phase, even though he thought nobody knew about it. But as he got older and their age difference grew less significant, he used to visit her as a fond relative every once in a while, sometimes helping around the house so her parents could concentrate on their catalogues. Those were happy memories.

"What do you need, Nathan?" Alicia asked.

Nathan realized he was playing with his food. He took a bite of the chicken eggs, though he hadn't a mind for food just then. "I was just thinking," he began, without looking up. "Last night people were saying something about the King postponing the council meeting. I'm not really sure what to think about that. You're a scholar. I thought, maybe you'd know something about it? I hate to doubt our King, but, doesn't it seem suspicious?"

Again Alicia froze, this time the pause was much longer. She set down her fork and stared directly at Nathan. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with thought as she worked out her next words carefully, "I have just now heard about the irregularities in the council meetings." Her words held an air of formality, "But were I to make a guess, I would say the King must have a good reason for doing so."

(You probably want to edit this next bit. Post your next response, or even the next few lines of dialogue, and I will do the same).

Nathan shrugged, "I thought you might have a more objective view. And, I wanted to see you again." He wished that were more true. Lately he'd been so focused on Nyna, his studious cousin had all but faded from his mind, along with the rest of the world. Even with that excuse, though, he realized he ought not to have left Alicia alone for so long. Even though it hadn't felt as easy to visit her, it would have been the right thing to do.

[Kalon Ordona II]

Nice.
Okay, here's some more.
---------------------------------

"I wish I had come to chat, cousin Alicia," Nathan said, somewhat downcast. "It has been a long time. It's just, ever since your..." he'd been about to say 'parents.' Nathan could see Alicia pause briefly, her hand froze halfway between the plate and her mouth, before she resumed eating as normal. Her parents had died five years ago. Nathan hadn't even seen her in the streets since then; he thought maybe she had become even more reclusive. This was his first real visit to her house in more than five years. "I guess it never felt the same, coming to see you like before." In his adolescence, he'd had a secret sort of crush on his vibrant cousin who knew everything. He'd eventually grown out of that until now it embarrassed him to recall the phase, even though he thought nobody knew about it. But as he got older and their age difference grew less significant, he used to visit her as a fond relative every once in a while, sometimes helping around the house so her parents could concentrate on their catalogues. Those were happy memories.

"What do you need, Nathan?" Alicia asked.

Nathan realized he was playing with his food. He took a bite of the chicken eggs, though he hadn't a mind for food just then. "I was just thinking," he began, without looking up. "Last night people were saying something about the King postponing the council meeting. I'm not really sure what to think about that. You're a scholar. I thought, maybe you'd know something about it? I hate to doubt our King, but, doesn't it seem suspicious?"

When Alicia didn't respond, Nathan went on, his gaze still on the table. "I thought about asking my father, but," he shrugged, "I thought you might have a more objective view. And," he looked up, smiling, "I suppose I wanted to see you again." He wished that were more true. Lately he'd been so focused on Nyna, his studious cousin had all but faded from his mind, along with the rest of the world. Even with that excuse, though, he realized he ought not to have left Alicia alone for so long. Even though it hadn't felt as easy to visit her, it would have been the right thing to do.

Alicia set down her fork, looking down in her turn, her eyes sparking with thought. When she seemed to have worked out her next words, she looked directly at Nathan. "I have just now heard about the irregularities in the council meetings." Her words held an air of formality. Nathan noticed she was responding only to his main question. The spark in her eye, though, told him she also acknowledged the rest of it. "Were I to make a guess, I would say the King must have a good reason for doing so."

That was all Nathan needed to hear. He hadn't doubted Alicia, not really, but from what Pelleas has told him, Nathan thought it best to follow the lord's advice and be certain. Now he was, as much as anyone really could be. "Well," he said, "I may know what that reason is. I'm sure you know Lord Pelleas Selene?"

[his home is on first tier, so she would at least know of him. however she reacts, though, probably won't change what he says next.]

"Last night, Lord Harmon Gedain held a secret meeting of the nobles. From what Pelleas told me, Harmon is using the King's unexplained behavior to turn the nobles against him. They're planning to remove him. Pelleas is sure Harmon is after the throne, even though nobody says it outright." Nathan paused to let the information sink in. "The real reason I came here is to find a way to see the King," he confessed, "to tell him about Harmon's plot. I can't gain an audience soon enough on my own, and if I had Father do it there might be other dangers... so I thought of you. Pelleas didn't want to know your name, to keep all of us safe, but he thinks someone like you, a scholar, could gain audience with the king on short notice. We don't know how long we have before Harmon and the other nobles make their move."

[she might have some reactions laced into that explanation, too]

------------------------------

[Dio the Awesome]

That was all Nathan needed to hear. He hadn't doubted Alicia, not really, but from what Pelleas has told him, Nathan thought it best to follow the lord's advice and be certain. Now he was, as much as anyone really could be. "Well," he said, "I may know what that reason is. I'm sure you know Lord Pelleas Selene?"

"Of course." She says around a bit of egg, "Less stiff than most nobles. At least that is what I gather."

"Last night, Lord Harmon Gedain held a secret meeting of the nobles. From what Pelleas told me, Harmon is using the King's unexplained behavior to turn the nobles against him. They're planning to remove him. Pelleas is sure Harmon is after the throne, even though nobody says it outright." Nathan paused to let the information sink in. "The real reason I came here is to find a way to see the King," he confessed, "to tell him about Harmon's plot. I can't gain an audience soon enough on my own, and if I had Father do it there might be other dangers... so I thought of you. Pelleas didn't want to know your name, to keep all of us safe, but he thinks someone like you, a scholar, could gain audience with the king on short notice. We don't know how long we have before Harmon and the other nobles make their move."

Alicia sat eating while Nathan explained last nights events. After he had finished, she chewed her last bite thoughtfully. "This is disturbing news." She said at last, "I may or may not be able to get a private audience with the king, but I will be speaking with him soon. If the chance arises, I will inform him. That is really all I can say on the matter."

[Kalon Ordona II]

"I wish I had come to chat, cousin Alicia," Nathan said, somewhat downcast. "It has been a long time. It's just, ever since your..." he'd been about to say 'parents.' Nathan could see Alicia pause briefly, her hand froze halfway between the plate and her mouth, before she resumed eating as normal. Her parents had died five years ago. Nathan hadn't even seen her in the streets since then; he thought maybe she had become even more reclusive. This was his first real visit to her house in more than five years. "I guess it never felt the same, coming to see you like before." In his adolescence, he'd had a secret sort of crush on his vibrant cousin who knew everything. He'd eventually grown out of that until now it embarrassed him to recall the phase, even though he thought nobody knew about it. But as he got older and their age difference grew less significant, he used to visit her as a fond relative every once in a while, sometimes helping around the house so her parents could concentrate on their catalogues. Those were happy memories.

"What do you need, Nathan?" Alicia asked.

Nathan realized he was playing with his food. He took a bite of the chicken eggs, though he hadn't a mind for food just then. "I was just thinking," he began, without looking up. "Last night people were saying something about the King postponing the council meeting. I'm not really sure what to think about that. You're a scholar. I thought, maybe you'd know something about it? I hate to doubt our King, but, doesn't it seem suspicious?"

When Alicia didn't respond, Nathan went on, his gaze still on the table. "I thought about asking my father, but," he shrugged, "I thought you might have a more objective view. And," he looked up, smiling, "I suppose I wanted to see you again." He wished that were more true. Lately he'd been so focused on Nyna, his studious cousin had all but faded from his mind, along with the rest of the world. Even with that excuse, though, he realized he ought not to have left Alicia alone for so long. Even though it hadn't felt as easy to visit her, it would have been the right thing to do.

Alicia set down her fork, looking down in her turn, her eyes sparking with thought. When she seemed to have worked out her next words, she looked directly at Nathan. "I have just now heard about the irregularities in the council meetings." Her words held an air of formality. Nathan noticed she was responding only to his main question. The spark in her eye, though, told him she also acknowledged the rest of it. "Were I to make a guess, I would say the King must have a good reason for doing so."

That was all Nathan needed to hear. He hadn't doubted Alicia, not really, but from what Pelleas has told him, Nathan thought it best to follow the lord's advice and be certain. Now he was, as much as anyone really could be. "Well," he said, "I may know what that reason is. I'm sure you know Lord Pelleas Selene?"
"Of course." Alicia said around a bit of egg, "Less stiff than most nobles. At least that is what I gather."
"Well, last night, Lord Harmon Gedain held a secret meeting of the nobles. From what Pelleas told me, Harmon is using the King's unexplained behavior to turn the nobles against him. They're planning to remove him. Pelleas is sure Harmon is after the throne, even though nobody says it outright." Nathan paused to let the information sink in. "The real reason I came here is to find a way to see the King," he confessed, "to tell him about Harmon's plot. I can't gain an audience soon enough on my own, and if I had Father do it there might be other dangers... so I thought of you. Pelleas didn't want to know your name, to keep all of us safe, but he thinks someone like you, a scholar, could gain audience with the king on short notice. We don't know how long we have before Harmon and the other nobles make their move."

Alicia had been eating thoughtfully while Nathan explained last night's events. After he had finished, she chewed her last bite thoughtfully. "This is disturbing news," she said at last, "I may or may not be able to get a private audience with the king, but I will be speaking with him soon. If the chance arises, I will inform him. That is really all I can say on the matter."

"You don't understand," said Nathan, "I need to go with you, and we need to see King as soon as possible. Now that you know of this, I think it would be dangerous for the kingdom if either of us we went off on our own. And it will be dangerous for the city if we have to deal with the nobles as well as the repairs." He wasn't sure she grasped the seriousness of this. It was more than disturbing. It was not a question of if, but when. "We can't leave it to chance. The king needs to know now; we don't know how long we have until it will be too late."

[Dio the Awesome]

"I wish I had come to chat, cousin Alicia," Nathan said, somewhat downcast. "It has been a long time. It's just, ever since your..." he'd been about to say 'parents.' Nathan could see Alicia pause briefly, her hand froze halfway between the plate and her mouth, before she resumed eating as normal. Her parents had died five years ago. Nathan hadn't even seen her in the streets since then; he thought maybe she had become even more reclusive. This was his first real visit to her house in more than five years. "I guess it never felt the same, coming to see you like before." In his adolescence, he'd had a secret sort of crush on his vibrant cousin who knew everything. He'd eventually grown out of that until now it embarrassed him to recall the phase, even though he thought nobody knew about it. But as he got older and their age difference grew less significant, he used to visit her as a fond relative every once in a while, sometimes helping around the house so her parents could concentrate on their catalogues. Those were happy memories.

"What do you need, Nathan?" Alicia asked.

Nathan realized he was playing with his food. He took a bite of the chicken eggs, though he hadn't a mind for food just then. "I was just thinking," he began, without looking up. "Last night people were saying something about the King postponing the council meeting. I'm not really sure what to think about that. You're a scholar. I thought, maybe you'd know something about it? I hate to doubt our King, but, doesn't it seem suspicious?"

When Alicia didn't respond, Nathan went on, his gaze still on the table. "I thought about asking my father, but," he shrugged, "I thought you might have a more objective view. And," he looked up, smiling, "I suppose I wanted to see you again." He wished that were more true. Lately he'd been so focused on Nyna, his studious cousin had all but faded from his mind, along with the rest of the world. Even with that excuse, though, he realized he ought not to have left Alicia alone for so long. Even though it hadn't felt as easy to visit her, it would have been the right thing to do.

Alicia set down her fork, looking down in her turn, her eyes sparking with thought. When she seemed to have worked out her next words, she looked directly at Nathan. "I have just now heard about the irregularities in the council meetings." Her words held an air of formality. Nathan noticed she was responding only to his main question. The spark in her eye, though, told him she also acknowledged the rest of it. "Were I to make a guess, I would say the King must have a good reason for doing so."

That was all Nathan needed to hear. He hadn't doubted Alicia, not really, but from what Pelleas has told him, Nathan thought it best to follow the lord's advice and be certain. Now he was, as much as anyone really could be. "Well," he said, "I may know what that reason is. I'm sure you know Lord Pelleas Selene?"

"Of course." Alicia said around a bit of egg, "Less stiff than most nobles. At least that is what I gather."

"Well, last night, Lord Harmon Gedain held a secret meeting of the nobles. From what Pelleas told me, Harmon is using the King's unexplained behavior to turn the nobles against him. They're planning to remove him. Pelleas is sure Harmon is after the throne, even though nobody says it outright." Nathan paused to let the information sink in. "The real reason I came here is to find a way to see the King," he confessed, "to tell him about Harmon's plot. I can't gain an audience soon enough on my own, and if I had Father do it there might be other dangers... so I thought of you. Pelleas didn't want to know your name, to keep all of us safe, but he thinks someone like you, a scholar, could gain audience with the king on short notice. We don't know how long we have before Harmon and the other nobles make their move."

Alicia had been eating thoughtfully while Nathan explained last night's events. After he had finished, she chewed her last bite thoughtfully. "This is disturbing news," she said at last, "I may or may not be able to get a private audience with the king, but I will be speaking with him soon. If the chance arises, I will inform him. That is really all I can say on the matter."

"You don't understand," said Nathan, "I need to go with you, and we need to see King as soon as possible. Now that you know of this, I think it would be dangerous for the kingdom if either of us we went off on our own. And it will be dangerous for the city if we have to deal with the nobles as well as the repairs." He wasn't sure she grasped the seriousness of this. It was more than disturbing. It was not a question of if, but when. "We can't leave it to chance. The king needs to know now; we don't know how long we have until it will be too late."

Alicia abruptly turned to Cynthia, who was politely clearing the table, "Cynthia, could you be a dear and grab my rose wood box off of my desk. There's also a book on carpentry that I wanted to show Nathan."

Cynthia began to protest, "But Miss Hemrose, I would hate to mess up your study..."

Alicia waved her hand dismissively, "It should be right there in plain sight."

After a pause Cynthia bowed slightly and exited the kitchen. As soon as she was gone Alicia suddenly leaned forward hissed quietly, "No Nathan it is you who doesn't understand." She prodded the table with a finger, "There is no book about carpentry, that was a cover. I'm breaking a royal decree by saying what follows, so listen well. The King postponed the meeting with the nobles so he could meet with the scholars, all of them. For the last two years every scholar in the city has been devoting their studies to looking for magic. Turning lead into gold, flying people kind of magic. Tonight is the night all the scholars are presenting their findings directly to the King, and I daresay I have scant to show for it. Telling anyone what we are working on brings a sentence of exile, so Nathan I can't bring you to the King, not tonight."


EDIT: Made an edit. I forgot to mention there is no such book on carpentry. Add in your reactions as per usual.

[Kalon Ordona II]

Nice. I had a feeling she'd say something like that. ^_^

----------------------------

"I wish I had come to chat, cousin Alicia," Nathan said, somewhat downcast. "It has been a long time. It's just, ever since your..." he'd been about to say 'parents.' Nathan could see Alicia pause briefly, her hand froze halfway between the plate and her mouth, before she resumed eating as normal. Her parents had died five years ago. Nathan hadn't even seen her in the streets since then; he thought maybe she had become even more reclusive. This was his first real visit to her house in more than five years. "I guess it never felt the same, coming to see you like before." In his adolescence, he'd had a secret sort of crush on his vibrant cousin who knew everything. He'd eventually grown out of that until now it embarrassed him to recall the phase, even though he thought nobody knew about it. But as he got older and their age difference grew less significant, he used to visit her as a fond relative every once in a while, sometimes helping around the house so her parents could concentrate on their catalogues. Those were happy memories.

"What do you need, Nathan?" Alicia asked.

Nathan realized he was playing with his food. He took a bite of the chicken eggs, though he hadn't a mind for food just then. "I was just thinking," he began, without looking up. "Last night people were saying something about the King postponing the council meeting. I'm not really sure what to think about that. You're a scholar. I thought, maybe you'd know something about it? I hate to doubt our King, but, doesn't it seem suspicious?"

When Alicia didn't respond, Nathan went on, his gaze still on the table. "I thought about asking my father, but," he shrugged, "I thought you might have a more objective view. And," he looked up, smiling, "I suppose I wanted to see you again." He wished that were more true. Lately he'd been so focused on Nyna, his studious cousin had all but faded from his mind, along with the rest of the world. Even with that excuse, though, he realized he ought not to have left Alicia alone for so long. Even though it hadn't felt as easy to visit her, it would have been the right thing to do.

Alicia set down her fork, looking down in her turn, her eyes sparking with thought. When she seemed to have worked out her next words, she looked directly at Nathan. "I have just now heard about the irregularities in the council meetings." Her words held an air of formality. Nathan noticed she was responding only to his main question. The spark in her eye, though, told him she also acknowledged the rest of it. "Were I to make a guess, I would say the King must have a good reason for doing so."

That was all Nathan needed to hear. He hadn't doubted Alicia, not really, but from what Pelleas has told him, Nathan thought it best to follow the lord's advice and be certain. Now he was, as much as anyone really could be. "Well," he said, "I may know what that reason is. I'm sure you know Lord Pelleas Selene?"

"Of course." Alicia said around a bit of egg, "Less stiff than most nobles. At least that is what I gather."

"Well, last night, Lord Harmon Gedain held a secret meeting of the nobles. From what Pelleas told me, Harmon is using the King's unexplained behavior to turn the nobles against him. They're planning to remove him. Pelleas is sure Harmon is after the throne, even though nobody says it outright." Nathan paused to let the information sink in. "The real reason I came here is to find a way to see the King," he confessed, "to tell him about Harmon's plot. I can't gain an audience soon enough on my own, and if I had Father do it there might be other dangers... so I thought of you. Pelleas didn't want to know your name, to keep all of us safe, but he thinks someone like you, a scholar, could gain audience with the king on short notice. We don't know how long we have before Harmon and the other nobles make their move."

Alicia had been eating thoughtfully while Nathan explained last night's events. After he had finished, she chewed her last bite thoughtfully. "This is disturbing news," she said at last, "I may or may not be able to get a private audience with the king, but I will be speaking with him soon. If the chance arises, I will inform him. That is really all I can say on the matter."

"You don't understand," said Nathan, "I need to go with you, and we need to see King as soon as possible. Now that you know of this, I think it would be dangerous for the kingdom if either of us we went off on our own. And it will be dangerous for the city if we have to deal with the nobles as well as the repairs." He wasn't sure she grasped the seriousness of this. It was more than disturbing. It was not a question of if, but when. "We can't leave it to chance. The king needs to know now; we don't know how long we have until it will be too late."

Alicia abruptly turned to Cynthia, who was politely clearing the table, "Cynthia, could you be a dear and grab my rose wood box off of my desk. There's also a book on carpentry that I wanted to show Nathan."
Cynthia began to protest. "But Miss Hemrose, I would hate to mess up your study..."
Alicia waved her hand dismissively. "It should be right there in plain sight."
After a pause, Cynthia bowed slightly and exited the kitchen.

Nathan was sure the carpentry book was a cover for something. As soon as Cynthia had gone, he found out what. Alicia suddenly leaned forward hissed quietly, "No, Nathan, it is you who doesn't understand." She prodded the table with a finger. "I'm breaking a royal decree by saying what follows, so listen well. The King postponed the meeting with the nobles so he could meet with the scholars, all of them. For the last two years every scholar in the city has been devoting their studies to looking for magic. Turning lead into gold, flying people kind of magic. Tonight is the night all the scholars are presenting their findings directly to the King, and I daresay I have scant to show for it. Telling anyone what we are working on brings a sentence of exile, so Nathan I can't bring you to the King, not tonight."

Now it was Nathan's turn to falter in silence. This presented a problem. How could Nathan make certain the King was warned if he didn't do it himself? There was only a chance Alicia might be able to tell it to him tonight. But, as Nathan thought about it, another side of things presented itself. "Could the King already have guessed how the nobles would respond to his postponing the council?"

"Now that you mention it, I don't see why not," Alicia conceded. "If he hasn't told the nobles about our work..."
"...then that must be what the King was trying to hide from them," Nathan finished.
Alicia nodded. It made sense.

"That saps some of the urgency," Nathan said, a finger over his mouth in thought, "but we should still take steps. I won't endanger you by telling Lord Pelleas,"--Alicia's lips twitched with mild amusement at what ought to have been obvious--"but at least I can put his mind at ease and see what else he can figure out, knowing the implications, if not the details, of this new information." He trailed off, then a thought struck him. He looked up again at his cousin. "Do you know why the King is inducing this kind of research? It sounds like just a general pursuit, but might there be a specific goal?"

----------------------------------
you can play around with the interchange if you like. ^_^
feel free to suggest changes to the direction, if you come up with any ideas

[Dio the Awesome]

Nathan was sure the carpentry book was a cover for something. As soon as Cynthia had gone, he found out what. Alicia suddenly leaned forward hissed quietly, "No, Nathan, it is you who doesn't understand." She prodded the table with a finger. "I'm breaking a royal decree by saying what follows, so listen well. The King postponed the meeting with the nobles so he could meet with the scholars, all of them. For the last two years every scholar in the city has been devoting their studies to looking for magic. Turning lead into gold, flying people kind of magic. Tonight is the night all the scholars are presenting their findings directly to the King, and I daresay I have scant to show for it. Telling anyone what we are working on brings a sentence of exile, so Nathan I can't bring you to the King, not tonight."

Now it was Nathan's turn to falter in silence. This presented a problem. How could Nathan make certain the King was warned if he didn't do it himself? There was only a chance Alicia might be able to tell it to him tonight. But, as Nathan thought about it, another side of things presented itself. "Could the King already have guessed how the nobles would respond to his postponing the council?"

"Now that you mention it, it seems very likely," Alicia conceded. "He would have to be blind if he hasn't already glimpsed the dissent. If he hasn't told the nobles about our work..."
"...then that must be what the King was trying to hide from them," Nathan finished.
Alicia nodded. It made sense.

"That saps some of the urgency," Nathan said, a finger over his mouth in thought, "but we should still take steps. I won't endanger you by telling Lord Pelleas,"--Alicia's lips twitched with mild annoyance at what ought to have been obvious--"but at least I can put his mind at ease and see what else he can figure out, knowing the implications, if not the details, of this new information." He trailed off, then a thought struck him. He looked up again at his cousin. "Do you know why the King is inducing this kind of research? It sounds like just a general pursuit, but might there be a specific goal?"

Alicia turned to the hallway, listening closely for Cynthia, "I can only guess at the Kings motives. I personally believe this assignment to be trivial and fruitless. But hold the necklace that Cynthia brings back, and you tell me why the stone is always wet."



Alicia's ears pricked up and she shushed/waved at him, "Here she comes."

"Here is the box Miss Hemrose." Cynthia placed the box gently in Alicia's hands with a little bow, "I'm afraid I couldn't find the book you asked for."

Alicia shrugged and set the box on the table, "Thank you Cynthia. Don't worry about the book, I must have misplaced it. Nathan, you can come back later to pick it up can't you?"

"Yes I can something something." He said boringly.

"Excellent." She smiled at him, and flipped open the lid of the red wood box. There sat the stone necklace, small droplets of dew glistened on the fur lining. "Go ahead." Alicia urged, "Pick it up."

---

Fun stuff. I think we should try and end this soon. I already have some devilish plans for the the meeting tonight. I was thinking it would be interesting if Harmon is there at the meeting as well, and it was his idea specifically not to inform the rest of the council (or nobles for that matter) about the magical studies.

Some other random tidbits of lore I wanted to flush out.

What does the religion of The Maker believe? How did Genesis occur? I could come up with an origin fable, but where they simply placed on the mountain? Where they saved by the benevolent Maker from the devil below? How do we worship him? Are there temples? If so how many and where? That should be good for now.

What about history? By this I mean the actual history. Let us assume that man simply existed one day, and moved onto the mountain. There they developed magic (by what means and how does in manifest? Mana, meditation, prayers answered from the Maker himself) and used it to build the city. Over a number of generations (what is the current average life span? 50? 60? 70?) The magic gradually (Grew weaker, was forgotten, God ignored them) until it vanished altogether. I assume the records and history was either never kept, or destroyed by (fire, or the first instance of a part of the city collapsing) though I am personally leaning towards fire or never kept.

It is was fire, then we must assumed that either magic simple faded (explaining the current state of the water necklace) or God ignored them and so the humans had no way of reading on their old records and recreating their magic.

If they were never kept then we can assume that how to perform magic was simply forgotten, and could potentially be rediscovered if instructions on magic were found (giving the Kings search a decent shot at working).

I know this is a lot of text and half finished ideas. I wanted your thoughts on the matter because I intended on using some in my next post. Also red is my personal preferences.

[Kalon Ordona II]

The decision to have Harmon at the meeting will also decide the personality of the King. If Harmon's there, it means the King's stupid. If he's not, the King's smart. Pelleas already said he thinks the King should have more say; that leads me to believe the King isn't stupid. So, it makes sense that Harmon shouldn't be there. I have a feeling that the King knows Harmon, especially, has always been jealous of his throne, but the King can't really do anything about it because custom and tradition has held that the King's relatives become the highest standing nobles. He probably does know Harmon will try to twist this around, but he is certain the scholars will have turned up something that will enable him to help save the city AND stop whatever Harmon tries to do in short order. He's taking a gamble, though he probably also has a few contingency plans.

I think perhaps those contingency plans won't be enough, because the magic discoveries won't amount to what the King hopes, is my vague idea. BUT, the discoveries will give Alicia and Nathan the information they need to go on a desperate mission to save the city. Harmon will be on the verge of having completely taken over the city by the time they manage to sneak out, I'm starting to think. That's one way we could play it, anyway.


For the Maker stuff? I hadn't thought about it. I think we decided everybody just believes in some being up there who created everything and is generally watching over stuff. As for details? Hmm. I think perhaps, though the Maker is generally believed in, he isn't paid much attention in Adensborough. Maybe in other parts of the world he's either worshipped or ignored, depending on the country and peoples. Maybe the wizards fled partly to worship the Maker without the gaudy temples, and also to protect their magic. Maybe the orthodox churchfolk practice a kind of Theurgy, while the Adensborough ancestors had more elemental magic. Maybe they believe this, too, is a gift from the Maker and is subject to conscience, but the churchyfolk think it's evil for some reason, maybe. So Adensborough could have been an "all we want to do is go somewhere and worship the Maker in peace" type of situation.

The churchy magic probably uses meditation and prayer-answered stuff, while our guys do mana with prayer-like invocations that work just as well. Maybe they received the runes from some heavenly messenger and the runes have power, so it really was intended as another gift for mankind. They were probably struggling to survive or something, or maybe they were inventing machines and the Maker liked magic better, because it can have a system attached to govern its use, like maybe it won't work as well if it's used for icky things.

I can feel myself getting close to the real Secret of Adensborough, and I think I don't want to go any further. It's probably a single reason for all of why they left, what their power was, how they made this place, how the power was lost, and why the current crisis has been happening, and why there's no clue (except for the giant rune on the cave ceiling... dun dun dun dun. I think that'll be the key that brings the epiphany moment. SO THAT'S WHY.... or SO IT WAS _____ ALL ALONG... or something. dun dun DUN dunnnnnn).

I'm thinking the life expectancy is 60-70.


Okay, I think I'll add some more to what we have, and then post it.
I'll have Nathan look at it and marvel, and then wrap up the conversation, letting Alicia get ready. I'll add some stuff about what he's thinking and/or some closure. Then he'll leave and go to his house to get ready to work on the repairs some more. But when he gets home, there'll be a message waiting for him from Nyna to meet her later that afternoon. That'll give you time to post doing stuff during the day and then go to the meeting that evening, then go back to Alicia's to wait for Nathan or something--'cause I guess they'll agree to do that. So after you post I'll post Nathan having seen Nyna and passing along the information, then doing some more stuff until later, when he'll go back to talk with Alicia some more and see how stuff went.

Sound good? Any guidelines for what to put in the last bits of this post here, what Alicia'll say and do about the stone and stuff?

[Dio the Awesome]

Not really. I assume she'll just put it away, maybe have a clever remark. The say good byes. I'm not too particular.

I'd say more but I have to run for work.

[Kalon Ordona II]

Sounds good. Sorry, I would have had the post done by now, but we've been busy over the past couple of days. I'll try to get it up later. Top of my list.

[Dio the Awesome]

No worries

[Kalon Ordona II]

Posted!
Any changes to suggest, go right ahead.

That's 7/100 complete!
I can't wait to see what the other scholars found, if anything. ^_^

[Dio the Awesome]

I can't wait to find out myself, lol. I am beginning the next section.

[Dio the Awesome]

I just wanted to let you know I was still alive and working on a post. I've been distracted by my new job recently, which is the reason for my long writing drought. I hope to get a post up after the weekend.

[Kalon Ordona II]

Yaay! I figured it must have been something like that. What's the new job?

No huge need to rush. We're both dedicated enough to see this one through, I'm more than sure. ^_^

[Dio the Awesome]

I'm work as a Core Handler for the Energy Resource Conservation Board. It's very physical so the last week or so all I've wanted to do when I get home is vegetate. But I've been getting used to it, so I've been able to function at the end of the day.

[Kalon Ordona II]

Whoa, sounds cool. So you help make sure all the energy resources are being managed safely and fairly, that sort of thing?

[Dio the Awesome]

Yeah basically. But I'm more of a grunt than anything.

[Kalon Ordona II]

Awesome post! xD I'm thinking you might want to amend 'it's going to be a long night' to 'it's going to be a long day,' since that night is when she's supposed to see the King.

I'll start work on a post soon. I'll have some conversation and details during Nathan's repair work, and then I'll have him meet with Nyna to compare notes and information and so she can tell her dad Pelleas how things are going and what the plan is.

And from there I guess you'd have the meeting with the King, and then I'd show up early the next morning?
Just seeing if we're on the same page. ^^

[Dio the Awesome]

How are things coming? *Bump*

[Kalon Ordona II]

Posted! Thanks for the prod. The Fogathon had me swamped.

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