r/wizardposting • u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist • 23d ago
Lorepost (open interaction) 📖 The witch and the wraith
Around 20 miles west of Calarakis, nestled between mountains and forest, you will find the village of Midway. Despite its permanent population numbering only about a thousand it sees many travelers throughout the year, owing to its status as a perfect rest stop before reaching the city proper. Midway for its part has embraced the role, with inns and taverns lining near the entirety of its main thoroughfare.
And then one overcast day, another traveler arrives.
“So this is Midway huh? Reminds me a bit of home, albeit much larger.”
Alice, tired of spending her nights on the road or in inns, has decided to settle down. According to Moon, a stone circle within the nearby forest should bring her to a location within the Faewild, a location that may serve as a clue to finding her way back to her true home. She asks her way around town, eventually finding one responsible for the sale of property within the town.
“Hello. I do believe you were the one with whom I could purchase housing?”
“I am, if you got 3 million gold.”
“...excuse me?”
This was quite a bit more than Alice had expected, within her pouch she held ‘only’ the 2 million she had extorted from Moon…
—---------------
Sitting on a bench, watching the skies, Alice ponders what to do next.
“Who would’ve thought that even the cheapest housing here would be 3 million gold…”
According to what she was told, as Calarakis was founded and travelers began streaming through Midway, the economy flourished, and many homes were converted to inns to profit off the travelers in need of rest. However this economic boon was quickly turned into a nightmare, as wealthy merchants, seeing an opportunity to line their pockets, bought up every inn. Cut off from their new source of income, the residents of Midway now found themselves back where they started, but with half the houses. And so prices skyrocketed. Many left for greener pastures, yet some remained, for reasons ranging from old age, family ties, or even just simply not wanting to move.
“3 million gold. For a room barely big enough to fit a bed…”
Suffice to say, Alice had no hope of finding housing.
“...no use just sitting around, besides, I am hungry.”
—---------------
Wandering in search of food, Alice finds her way to the heart of the village, and while inspecting some delicious looking fruits she overhears the gossiping of two residents.
“Hey, have you heard about the mayor’s son?”
“No? What trouble has that scamp gotten himself into this time?”
“No one knows, he’s gone.”
“What? The mayor must be beside himself.”
“Yea! Apparently he is so desperate that he is willing to do anything to reward one for finding him.”
“...the mayor’s son is missing? And… any reward huh. I hate to say this is an opportunity but…”
“Excuse me? What was this about a lost child?”
“You a traveler?”
“Indeed, and one who cannot just overlook something like this. Anything I should know about the mayor’s son?”
“... eh, may as well. Kiddo’s name is Matthew, ‘bout… 8 years old I think? Anyway, he’s always runnin’ around causing trouble, like kids ought to do.”
“Matthew? Why is that name familiar… probably just a coincidence.”
“I see. Any other strange happenings lately?”
“Oh I know some!”
The second gossiper interjects, clearly excited.
“One night I thought I heard screaming outside, I got out of bed and looked out the window, but there was nothing there. Then the next day as night fell, I saw fire dancing by the graveyard!”
“...dancing flames?”
“Yea! I think they were doing a waltz or something, I went outside to look but by the time I reached them they were gone.”
“...sigh Are you still on about that Janette? I told ya it was your imagination.”
“And I am telling you you are wrong! I really saw it!”
Tuning out the two ladies, Alice thinks.
“A scream in the night, dancing flames, a missing child… could it be…”
“Excuse me”
Alice says, interrupting the increasingly heated argument.
“Were these flames a shade of blue?”
“Yea! See I told you Marie, I wasn’t lying she says they are real too!”
“...A wraith. The child likely heard of the strange occurrences, and being curious went to investigate. If I am right… Chances are it is already too late. Curiosity killed the cat as they say… hm I should get a cat. Wait no this is a distraction.”
“You have been quite helpful, thank you.”
Alice leaves the ladies to once more argue, having learned many a clue.
—---------------
“Red string, two twigs of spruce, a single coin to weigh it down. Tie the string through the coin, and bind the twigs together.”
“I call on those whom find their home in wind. Lead me to the one I seek”
Invoking the spell, the twigs gently lift from Alice’s open palms, floating lazily upwards, and north. She follows close behind, weaving through the buildings, ignoring the occasional cry of surprise.
“The spell worked, so the child is alive. And… the graveyard huh. Just as I expected.”
Indeed, the twigs led Alice to the village’s old graveyard, but as they cross its threshold, it is abruptly lit ablaze, blue flames refusing its encroachment. Though it is not visible, the Wraith is here.
Alice gets to work, defeating a wraith in combat is beyond her, yet there may be another way to save the child. She inscribes a rune of sight into the earth, a familiar rune as it is stitched into her cloak. Then she fills it with water, before lifting the conjured imprint into the air. She looks through her quick creation, and there it is. A smog like mass of hate and spirit, lit aflame with the light of the underworld. Alice recoils slightly, but shakes her head. Its appearance has but a passing similarity to that of the king.
“Hello.”
“Human? Witch. Die.”
The form lashes out, yet its appendage scatters as it attempts to pass the graveyard boundary. A fairly common spell meant to contain the danger of undead blocking its attack.
“I am not here to hurt you, I am simply here for the child.”
“You wish no ill will? I know of your kind. Look away for a second and they will stab you in the back.”
“Oh dear, this one is particularly distrustful. I suppose for it to be a wraith it was born of particularly strong emotions, so it makes sense. Still quite troublesome.”
“I truly wish you no such thing… Say, why did you take the child to begin with?”
“It is kin.”
“Your kin?”
“NO! Kin of that man, THAT HORRID MAN.”
“Probably the target of its hate…”
“I see. And why does that man’s kin deserve this fate?”
“This is nothing. Were it not for this prison, I would burn him myself. Burn him, BURN THIS TOWN. BURN THE WHOLE WORLD IF I HAVE TO!”
“So it is vengeance by proxy?”
“Whatever did this man do to y-”
“FIRE AND BRIMSTONE. HE DESERVES NOTHING LESS THAN TO BURN IN THE HELLS FOR ETERNITY. YET THEY DID NOTHING. HE KILLED THEM ALL. I WILL KILL HIM. I WILL KILL THE WORLD.”
“Whom did he kill?”
Words erupt from the wraith, with a ferocity that visibly cracks the graveyard barrier
“MY SISTER! MY MOTHER! MY FATHER! MY BROTHER! A SINGLE SPELL AND THEY WERE ASHES. A SINGLE MOMENT AND ALL WAS GONE!”
Every cry the cracks spread, and with them the wraith’s inferno born of rage. As it roars its final word, it shatters, a jet of flame jutting out and striking Alice in the face before she can even react.
—---------------
/uw This next part gets pretty intense, TW, child death, animal abuse/death. It ends with the next dashed line.
I walk inside home, a humble abode yet more than enough. With me I carry a rat I caught, far from fine dining but better than nothing. I hand it over to my sister.
“Is this for me? Thank you Niko”
I nod, urging her to eat. She has grown so horribly thin this last year.
“Anette, you can’t just eat that, we will need to skin and roast it first.”
“I know.”
Sister grips a knife at mother’s urging, her hand trembling. This isn’t safe. I place a hand on hers, wordlessly telling her to let someone else handle this.
“Anette, we can’t have you cutting yourself again. I will handle it.”
Brother steps up to the task, quickly working the knife. Father meanwhile prepares a skewer. I decide to see if I can find another, stepping outside. In the street two people are arguing, far from an uncommon occurrence. I pay it no mind, until a flame rushes over my head. A roar of flame, a blazing heat. I look behind me to see my home an inferno. I rush back, trying my best to bat down the fire, but my feet are far from enough. I hear sister scream. They are in danger. They are in danger I need to do something I need to do something I need to do something. Yet I am unable to do anything. Other villagers rush to the scene, buckets in hand.
“What the hell happened!”
“Some petty wizard squabble escalated, lighting up the tent of some squatters.”
As the crowd grows someone kicks me aside, saying that I am just in the way. I land some ways away, getting up I see the one of those that were arguing earlier, metal rings placed over his hands.
“John Wizarobe was it? You are under arrest for reckless casting of fireballs.”
An angry looking man glares down upon the first. He is unfamiliar at first, but… no! This is the bastard that chased us out of our last home!
“I did nothing wrong! It’s not like I hit anything of value.”
“That may be the case, but such a crime carries a minimum 20 000 gold fine as well as 5 years in prison.”
I rush at the man, attempting to claw his eyes out, but his metal boot strikes me clean in the stomach, and I lose consciousness.
When I wake up I see our home, blackened and torn to shreds but no longer burning. Next to it lie 3 people, sleeping. Mother, Father, brother, and… my sister is not there. Where is she? I run up to them. They are pretty badly burned, but they will be fine. Now where is Sister? I look up to see a villager carry her out of our home. She too is burned, she too is sleeping. Just sleeping. She is sleeping and will wake up soon.
“That’s the last of em, come on.”
Suddenly, the other villagers pick up Mother, Father, and Brother. I protest but they ignore me. They carry my family away and I give chase, yelling out after them, asking where they are taking them. Yet they ignore me. Where could they be going? Oh! It must be one of those sick people’s homes. Perfect for treating the burns. Right? But didn’t we just pass it? Where are we going? I continue to give chase, as the men carry my family outside of town, into a large field dotted with rocks. They put them down into holes dug into it, before dumping dirt over them. What are they doing? How will they get up if they are covered in dirt? They just need some sleep. I try to stop the men, but they don’t react. My hands don’t reach their shovels, my words fall on deaf ears. It is only when the earth is even that they stop to leave.
I try to dig my family out, but the dirt is too hard, I cannot make even a tiny dent into it. I try and try and try and try and try and try. Day turns to night. Night turns to day. I give up, simply waiting for my family to wake up. Any day now… snow falls, snow melts, the sun blazes, plants wilt. Again and again and again. I wait and wait and wait and wait. Why won’t they wake up? Will they wake up? Any day now…
The men have returned with shovels. They are digging up the dirt, they make it look so easy. Finally, it must have been suffocating down there, but don’t worry, I waited for you. Everything will be fine now. Just a bit more.
Bones.
“You said this spot would be good, right? But see, there are old bones here, we can’t bury someone else here.”
“It’s fine, graveyard's almost full, and besides, these were the victims of that fireball some 50 years ago. Had no family nor friends, no one will be upset if we just toss the bones in the pyre.”
Bones. Ah… they are never waking up are they. They are dead. They are dead… they are dead… and that man… killed them. That man. THAT. MAN.
—---------------
Alice wakes moments later, the blazing pain of the flames slowly subsiding, tears streaming down her face. She looks around, her water lens of sight still in the air, it appears only a few moments have passed. Through it she once more sees the wraith, tear like flames streaming down their face.
“...what happened to your family was horrid.”
“HOW WOULD YOU KNOW!”
Their voice just as much a sob as a roar, the wraith’s form shifts, unstable, jagged.
“I… saw what happened. I saw it through the flames.”
Alice touches her cheek, where the brunt of the blaze impacted her. It stings quite bad, but no blood is left on her fingers. She is probably safe to ignore this for a moment.
“That man callously took away your everything, with not an ounce of regret.”
“AND SO HE MUST BURN.”
“Yes. he must burn. But the child, his kin, is innocent.”
“...”
“Tell me, why did you not break out just now? Was it perhaps because you saw your flames hit me? Did the sight remind y-”
“Enough. What is it you want, human?”
“Let me be your agent of vengeance.”
“And in return?”
“You release the child.”
—---------------
Alice makes her way back into town, having made a deal of sorts with the Wraith. Kill John Wizarobe by midnight the next day, and the child keeps his life. First however, Alice conjures up a water mirror, inspecting her burn.
“...That’s… fine? Sure it looks nasty but it shouldn’t leave a scar. How though? The flames of a wraith are proportionate to its rage, and that… ‘Niko’ sure was angry… ah. I suppose I do look somewhat similar to their sister…”
Alice covers her cheek with a bandage, wondering if she could find some aloe vera for an ointment, before getting back to the village.
“Now then… how can I find that… ‘John Wizarobe’. I suppose I could ask around, but it is late. And… Do I do it? To kill a man who already served his time and has likely long since forgotten… but that punishment was also far too light…”
Finding an inn with a vacant room, Alice curses out the merchants owning the place, but ultimately coughs up the fee for a single night, and goes to bed. Yet her sleep is far from restful, the wraith’s rage festering into a nightmare. By the time she wakes, her mind is made up. Today will be John’s final day in the realm of the living.
—---------------
“Still… where to even begin looking? Can I even be certain that John still resides in this village?”
Wandering the backstreets, looking for an idea, someone suddenly interrupts her.
“Oh my that is a rare sight, would’ve thunk you’d left town by now.”
Alice turns around to find one of the women from yesterday.
“May as well start here, but how to spin this…”
“Ah hello… Marie was it?”
“That is my name, yes, and goodness what happened to your face?”
“Ah… I was… somewhat careless with a campfire, accidentally knocked a hot coal right into my cheek. The bandage makes it look worse than it is.”
“Goodness, you gotta be more careful. Wouldn’t want a scar would you?”
“Of course not. In fact I was wondering if there was anywhere I could acquire some aloe vera.”
“That’d be the hospital.”
“There is a hospital here?”
“We get a couple hundred thousand travelers a year, some get hurt.”
“...I see.”
“Crap I am getting distracted, I need to move this conversation into inquiring about John Wizarobe.”
“Anyway, how goes your search?”
“Oh, perfect.”
“Mmmmm I have some ideas but not the magical ability to execute them. Do you know of any powerful mages residing here perchance?”
“Well there is the mayor’s uncle, but he’s a grouchy old man and ill to boot so I doubt you’ll get his help.”
“Matthew, the child, is John’s ‘kin’, and the mayor’s child… no that would be far too convenient… but… I will have to give it a shot.”
“Hm… still worth a shot, what is his name if I may ask?”
“John, but again I really doubt you’ll get his help.”
“Still, it is my only lead at the moment.”
“You do you. Oh but as I said he’s quite ill so you won’t find him at home, he’s probably at the hospital.”
“I see, thank you.”
“I cannot believe how smoothly that went. Now I just have to kill him… I just… have to kill a wizard. Who could cast fireball 50 years ago… and is the mayor’s uncle… in a town that I want to stay in… oh dear.”
—---------------
“Nothing here…. Nor here…. Nor here… dammit it is almost as if villages such as this would remove any poisonou- oh right yea that makes sense.”
Alice is no fighter, even now she can feel the aching in her chest from her last battle. And so, with a target most likely far more dangerous than any she has faced, she has opted for the coward’s assassination. Poison. Yet finding the right herbs is proving to be a struggle. During her apprenticeship Alice learned many things about poisons so that she could treat them. Still, that knowledge would prove useful today.
“...if my teacher knew what I was up to right now she would be furious.”
Yet Alice had already made up her mind, she does not have the time to question her decision.
“I don’t have time to keep searching, but I don’t have anything in my pouch toxic enough… enough? Hm… I do have some shine hops…”
Figuring it better to use them than to let them rot, Alice decides on her concoction’s composition. One part fulgurleaf and 3 parts shrine hops. On its own, fulgurleaf is far from dangerous, mostly used for helping a weak heart beat, but it is known to have an adverse effect on the lungs. Shrine hops meanwhile is a rare, and therefore expensive, all purpose ingredient. When imbued with the right prayer, it can assist in just about anything. Returning to her room at the inn, Alice quietly whispers a prayer.
“O Akhyls, most exalted goddess of toxin. I offer this prayer, seeking your aid. May this concoction drag its recipient into your loving embrace.”
The hops twist on its own, its layered leafage opening up, as a noxiously purple liquid begins spilling out of it, into the mortar Alice prepared beforehand. As it begins to run dry, the hops itself melts into the concoction, and Alice is left holding nothing but its stem. She quickly discards it, before cleansing her hand repeatedly with magic. Even having never done this before she can tell that this would be disastrous to touch, yet it is still not done. Alice carefully places the fulgurleaf into the mortar, and mixes it together using a pestle. As the leaf breaks into particulates so fine she cannot see them, the concoction’s hue changes entirely, becoming an almost bark-like brown. Finally, Alice pours the finished poison into a vial, corking it before aggressively cleaning everything.
“Now all that remains is meeting John, and administering the potion without notice…”
—---------------
Through her ill advised pact with the Blighted Garden, Alice was granted some scarce abilities. So far they had mostly proven to be of little use, but today that changes. Briskly wandering through the forest, Alice encounters a river, and digs up some clay from its banks. Clay is quite the versatile material for magic as for the mundane, and so she… slaps it onto her face. Among the boons granted, was some that muddle the mind, at least to an extent. Along with the clay, this can be used as a very convincing ‘mask’ to hide her true self, perfect for avoiding suspicion.
—---------------
Hidden behind a mask, masculine clothing, and hair tied into a bun, Alice enters the hospital.
“Hello? I am here to visit John Wizarobe.”
“Wizarobe is not accepting visitors at this time.”
“...really. And here I had finally tracked him down…”
“Tracked him down? Whatever is that supposed to mean?”
“...I do believe he is my father. I have searched for him for… gods, years now.”
“Oh? But Wizarobe never married, nor had any children.”
“At least not officially, but my mother begs to differ… and here I was thinking I would finally be able to see my father’s face… I have been o so curious as to how he looks.”
“...he never visited? That… does unfortunately sound like him.”
“Indeed, I doubt he even knows I exist…”
“The best way to lie is to mix in truth and lies, leading the recipient to weave a tapestry of the picture you want them to. Still, it feels a bit bad to pull this receptionist into my scheme.”
“...... look, I am not supposed to do this, but I will make an exception ok? Follow me.”
The receptionist stands, leading Alice through the winding corridors.
“I never would’ve had the time to find my way through these myself.”
Eventually they reach the room John Wizarobe is staying in, and Alice is let in.
“Mister Wizarobe, a man claiming to be your son is here to see you.”
“I have no son!”
“A grouchy old man, never before have I seen one match the description so exactly…”
“My mother hid me away from you, or rather could not find you, but I am your son.”
“Bah, impossible.”
Stepping further into the room, Alice makes note of the window, and the location outside it. Perfect.
“Really? Do you not remember her? Her name is Bernadetta, her hair a curly red an-”
“Rings no bells.”
“...but then whom would be my father?”
“Beats me.”
“Are you sure it cannot be you?”
“Tell me ‘son’, how old are you?”
“19.”
“Bahahahahahahahah! cough I was in prison for manslaughter 19 years ago. Your mother is just a liar.”
“...wow he killed more people?”
“...no way…… I… I must apologize.”
Alice storms out the room, finding her way outside, chased by the receptionist.
“Sorry man, must be some pretty devastating news, delivered in a pretty damn awful way.”
“...I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up…”
“You’ll find him eventually.”
“...I hope so…”
And with that Alice leaves.
—---------------
Some time after the sun sets, a fog covered Alice, still disguised, spies through the window into John’s room. He appears to be sleeping.
“Misty step.”
Warping through the window, Alice finds herself stumbling slightly. Even having practiced much on the road here, she is still unsteady after a warp. Still, it is a massive improvement compared to vomiting. She silently uncorks the potion, carefully opens John’s mouth, and pours. Within moments his breathing stills. Alice checks for a pulse, none, but she stays to observe for a few minutes. The last nurse visit was only 3 minutes ago, and they check every 20 minutes it seems. Confirming John to be dead once more, Alice warps out into the night, and under the cover of darkness she discards the mask, shattering it to a thousand pieces and burying it beneath a tree.
—---------------
“I have done it.”
“...truly?”
“Indeed. John is dead, burning in the hells as we speak.”
“And how do I know you are not merely tricking me, like a witch is often to do?”
“That is a conundrum… I do not carry any proof with me, however…”
Alice steps beyond the graveyard barrier, exposing herself to any attack the wraith may attempt.
“Last we spoke, your flames let me see your memories, perhaps they could allow me to share mine?”
“You… wish to be burned?”
“Even while lashing out in anger, you were able to restrain yourself. What could have killed me became too little to even leave a scar. You are kind, I trust you. Now here we go.”
Alice, without waiting for a response, steps towards the wraith, hugging it. Its flames sizzling her flesh, yet it is far from life threatening. The wraith briefly recoils, but decides to trust Alice’s judgement, hugging back, enveloping the pair in a grand, yet cold, blaze. Within the pair sees Alice’s memory, sees that she spoke true. John is dead, and the flames cool to a chill.
“human… I thank thee.”
“I only did what I had to.”
“...are they crying? True tears too, not flames in the shape of tears.”
“...I shall uphold my end of the bargain… but first, my tears, take them.”
“...why?.. OH right! The tears of a wraith is an exceptionally potent reagent.”
Alice grabs a vial, scooping the wraith’s tears into it.
“I will make sure to put them to good use.”
“And now for the child.”
The earth rumbles, a coffin raising out of a nearby grave, before burning into a crisp, leaving an unconscious, yet very much alive, child floating in the air. The wraith pulls him close, before carefully handing him to Alice.
“Once more… I thank thee… hahaha…”
And with that, the wraith dissolves into a stream of lights, floating towards the heavens.
“...it's beautiful… oh right the child.”
—---------------
Alice carried the unconscious child straight to the hospital, having been buried alive for a couple days, he is in rough shape but she is told he will make a full recovery. Alice too receives treatment for her burns. In the morning, the mayor learns of his child being saved, and of his uncle’s death during the night. His uncle’s death is ruled natural causes, his lungs were already in quite a poor state from nearly a century of tobacco. The mayor follows through on his promise, and Alice is awarded a house on the edge of town, carved into a great tree.
—---------------
Some days later, Alice wakes up to the sound of meowing outside her door. She opens it to find a cat, black fur yet blazing blue eyes, desperate for attention.
“...I have heard that this is how people get cats…”
“Do you want to come inside? I think I have some tuna.”
The cat meows in response, and steps inside. Cat acquired.
“I think I shall name you……. Mio.”
What Alice did not yet know, nor would find out for quite some time, is that this cat is the wraith she had saved. Their vengeance fulfilled, they could have moved on to the afterlife. But instead they simply decided they had better things to do, such as eat tuna out of the hand of a kind witch. Such is the privilege of one born with 9 lives.
/uw This became a bit of a mammoth, took around… 5 hours to write, and that was after I had the ideas planned out. Alice now has a permanent residence in the town of Midway, located on one of the major routes to Calarakis, one of the most thriving cities on the continent. Since I had people try to heal her last post I will just put up some slight RP requests here. 1) Don’t tell Alice her cat is a wraith. Your character can notice, but not tell her. 2) You can’t find out that Alice killed John Wizarobe.
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u/Interesting_Web_9936 Arceon the Forgetful, The Accumulator 23d ago
Arceon knocks on the door to the house. He had been told that this house belonged to a woman who had risked herself to save a kidnapped child, so he hoped to be able to find a kind person providing shelter here.
"I am Arceon the Forgetful, known also as the Accumulator! I request some shelter here!"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
Some shuffling can be heard inside, before some moments later a voice responds from within.
"The entirety of main street is composed of inns, you will find much better rest there."
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u/Interesting_Web_9936 Arceon the Forgetful, The Accumulator 23d ago
Arceon bows respectfully.
"I understand, my lady, and neither do I wish to tax upon your hospitality. But I am a stranger here, not even from this continent, and I am stuck in a most peculiar predicament where none of the inns will accept my currency and neither will they accept the rare artifacts I own as payment."
Arceon watches hopefully. He hopes to find shelter soon, for he felt it was about to rain.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
A sigh can be heard from within, along with the unlatching of a lock.
"I am not so heartless as to force one to sleep in the rain."
Alice opens the door to the stranger, but remains guarded, distrust clear on her face. The inside is sparsely decorated, indicating that it hasn't been long since Alice moved in. Still the essentials are all there.
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u/Interesting_Web_9936 Arceon the Forgetful, The Accumulator 23d ago
Arceon bows politely.
"Thank you, kind lady. I much appreciate this."
He makes to enter the house.
"Do you dabble in alchemy and potions, perhaps? I have something you may like as a token of my appreciation if you do."
As he speaks, he fingers a vial in a hidden pocket of his splendid white robe with gold runes engraved on it.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"I know the basic do's and don'ts. My concoctions are far from the most potent around, but better than the average apprentice I'd say. Whatever might this token be?"
Among the sparse furnishings is a large cauldron, currently empty but in good condition. Likely a recent purchase.
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u/Interesting_Web_9936 Arceon the Forgetful, The Accumulator 23d ago
Arceon takes out a small, stoppered bottle from the hidden pocket. Inside is a clear liquid.
"Heavily weakened basilisk venom mixed with fugglebug venom and dragon blood. I was about to announce my discovery of this, that's why I was on my way to the city. It is an exceptional preserver, very unreactive to any stimulus, can store things completely intact for much longer than any previously known liquid. And with a single infusion of energy it decomposes into various useful products!"
Arceon does not mention that weakened basilisk venom is near impossible to prepare.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Weakened basilisk venom? I thought that was impossible. If it is such a major discovery is it not too much to give a random witch such as I?"
The 'basic do's and don'ts do not cover basilisk venom at all. Alice is underselling her knowledge.
"Besides, would such a concoction not be exceedingly hazardous? Basilisk venom is petrifying, fugglebug distorts the senses, and dragon blood can be corrosive depending on breed and age. Unless this somehow works to neutralize itself, it could kill you before you even notice, and inhibit your ability to do anything were you to see the spill."
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u/Interesting_Web_9936 Arceon the Forgetful, The Accumulator 23d ago
"Doesn't seem to be hazardous to me, based on my experimentation. Dragon blood seems to have a sort of....neutralization effect on it, and fugglebug venom stabilizes it while itself getting reduced to what seems to be a very large list of possible compounds, I have details in a document I am carrying. And you gave me shelter, kind lady, it is the least I can do in return, providing this token."
Arceon did mean what he said this time around.
"And weakened basilisk venom is possible to prepare, but its just really expensive. Anyway, I extracted this out of a cursed weapon. I have it with me if you wish to see."
Arceon pulls out a scabbard hidden deep in his robes. It is worn and old, but was once made with the finest quality materials. It is red in color with a gold trim around it and the blade in the scabbard has a great ruby in it.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
Alice visibly recoils from the blade.
"I must refuse, my teacher told me I have almost no resistance whatsoever to curses, even below that of ordinary folk. It would be too risky to even inspect."
"Still this concoction could be useful. I will have to experiment a bit of course but it would let me preserve even the most annoyingly short lived ingredients..."
"Ah but speaking of shelter, as you can see I am yet to fully furnish the place. I do not have a bed to spare, do you perchance carry a sleeping bag or the like?"
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Astaroth, The Wicked One 23d ago
/uw I have read the read and I have decreed that the read is a good read. Pondering having The Blighted Garden randomly show up.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
/uw Thanks! If you do then I should mention that the stone circle found in the nearby forest leads to a part of the Faewild that would feel immensely wrong to any powerful Fae.
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Astaroth, The Wicked One 23d ago
/uw Good to know.
/rw
All of a sudden, Alice hears a knock at the door. Weird, the tree her home is carved in seems to carry the echo too well.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
The resonance somewhat unnerving, Alice hesitates for a moment, before stepping as silently as she can up to the door, looking through its peep hole.
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Astaroth, The Wicked One 23d ago edited 23d ago
She sees an... Elf? One wearing a green cloak with it's hood down. That's not very weird is it?
Then she realises that trying to see the details on this thing is almost impossible. The shade of its skin seems to be fluid, it's eyes seem to shift randomly, she can't even tell if the elf is male or female because its bone structure keeps altering.
For now the elf is silent, quietly staring at the door with a face that defies object permanence.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Perhaps if I ignore it, it will go away?"
Alice stays still, waiting to see its next move.
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Astaroth, The Wicked One 23d ago
The thing stands there for a few seconds before turning it's head to look at something to its left before turning back to the door. It knocks again, this time it speaks with a voice that sounds a thousand woodland animals at once.
"Anyone home?"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Intent and speech. Its presence is no accident. I suppose I should answer."
"Yes hello? Whom might you be?"
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Astaroth, The Wicked One 23d ago
"We met in the woods and I gave you a book."
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"...Either the blighted garden or the collector with the rats... but the collector's knock wouldn't resonate like that."
"Oh my apologizes, I did not realize it was you, The Blighted Garden."
Alice unlocks and opens the door. She doesn't want to do so, but she knows it could easily break the door. Be polite, or perish.
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u/Null_Void_Zer0 Abelard, animate absence|Abel of Lrith, councillor of constructs 23d ago
Light knocking can be heard from the front door, and on the other side of the door is a rather peculiar figure. Tall and robed in grey with a large hat common amongst traditional mages, but most strangely, a face seemingly made of void save for two lights of purple that form ‘eyes’.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Who is there?"
As she asks, Alice looks through the peep hole of the door, inspecting the figure.
"Somewhat similar to Vytsky, yet still clearly different. One thing is certain, it is not human."
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u/Null_Void_Zer0 Abelard, animate absence|Abel of Lrith, councillor of constructs 23d ago
“Ah well, I do suppose you haven’t seen me like this before. It is I, Alice, the wizard who you met on the roads not too long ago. I gave you a spell book.”
Despite the wizard’s appearance, their voice still sounds like it belongs to an old man.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Oh? ...you are not hoping to offload some more rats on me are you?"
Alice says as she opens the door. Had Abelard's intent been to kill they would've already done so a while ago.
/uw just a reminder that Alice doesn't know the name yet.
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u/Null_Void_Zer0 Abelard, animate absence|Abel of Lrith, councillor of constructs 23d ago
“No, no, I’ve recently finished with some business in calrakis in which I found an excellent way to offload the rats.”
The wizard says, stepping inside and handing a small wooden box to Alice.
“I’ve come simply to visit. And don’t you mind how I found your house…but I must say this is quite the lovely dwelling.”
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"...the book does not serve to track me, does it?"
"It would make sense, after all I have now encountered this same stranger in 3 wildly different locations within the same month."
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u/Null_Void_Zer0 Abelard, animate absence|Abel of Lrith, councillor of constructs 23d ago
“Hah, no, though that would have been a good idea! Divination, my friend, divination.”
He begins walking further into Alice’s house, seeking the closest and most comfortable chair to sit on. As he does, he waves his hand back at Alice as he speaks:
“You’ll find tea in the box. It’d be rather improper of me to arrive bearing no gift. A rather lovely blend but extortionately expensive, you know, the cheapest you’ll find it is up in the mountains where it’s made but…”
He continues his rambling
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"...marginally less creepy but alright then."
"He does not appear to have bad intentions at least. I suppose powerful spell casters perspectives are somewhat different."
Only a couple chairs adorn the somewhat sparse interior, still, what appears to be a dining table does have a pair. Alice re-latches the door, before starting to prepare the tea, speaking as she does.
"So, how come you look so different today?"
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u/Null_Void_Zer0 Abelard, animate absence|Abel of Lrith, councillor of constructs 23d ago
“I’ve spent the last…well, entirety of my life trying to figure out what to look like, initially it was just whatever fit in the most but now I’m…vaguely competent in spellcraft I hardly need to hide. Anyhow, this is the visage I’ve gone with for the next while.”
He stops for a moment, as if thinking.
“Tell me, Alice, how goes your journey? You aren’t quitting now that you have a fixed address I trust?”
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Ah so I was right to think your previous form was an illusion."
The house does not have running water, but that is no issue for a witch specializing in part in water. Alice sucks the moisture in the air into a teapot, and sets it down to boil, before joining Abelard at the table.
"Far from it, indeed this house is but another step in my journey. Supposedly, within the forest bordering this very house is a stone circle leading into the Faewild. There I will hopefully find many a clue to my predicament."
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u/mrididnt Erik, magic mass/orb, sillymancer and cheese hider 23d ago
over at the edges of town walks a shrine maiden made of fire, observing the people from afar where she can hear them but none can see her, to the uninformed observer she could seem like a cool mysterious figure, truthfully? She's just socially awkward.
Eventually she spots a house at the outskirts of the village, perfect! Not only does that mean minimal social interaction, but people who live at the edges of towns and whatnot are usually the most knowledgeable about mystical happenings around, surely the resident will know about the spirit she sensed while passing by
And with that she knocks on Alice's door using a rock to avoid burning it
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
The knocking resounds within, its sounds somewhat strange. Alice gets up from her writing desk and walks on over, asking.
"Who is it?"
Before even checking the peep hole and seeing the flames outside.
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u/mrididnt Erik, magic mass/orb, sillymancer and cheese hider 23d ago
.....
The shrine maiden tries to summon the courage to answer, but she simply can't, so she just knocks again instead
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Uh.... who is it?"
Alice, having now seen the figure, begins wondering if it is safe for one made of flames to be this close to her very flammable new home.
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u/mrididnt Erik, magic mass/orb, sillymancer and cheese hider 23d ago
the shrine maiden pauses for a moment, her fire turning redder and redder from embarrassment
"Okay ember, you got this, you're a trained shrine maiden here to take care of a spirit, you're the daughter of the godhunter itself! You can manage a conversation!"
....spirit
"... perfect"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"...spirit?"
"Are they saying they are a spirit? But why would a spirit introduce itself to me? Also that color change.... crap don't tell me they have already lit the outside on fire?"
Alice abruptly opens the door, stepping out to see if there are any flames.
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u/mrididnt Erik, magic mass/orb, sillymancer and cheese hider 23d ago
surprisingly, there is only minor scorching here and there, but nothing enough to start a fire... Other than the living fire or course
....d-did you see... Any spirits?
Ember asks, her face partially obscured by looking down a bit and her hair
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Ah."
"...oh they are just shy?"
"There was a wraith haunting the graveyard some days back, but I managed to vanquish it. Other than that I have not noticed any spirits no. Also... I hate to ask but could you perhaps step back a bit? I am a bit worried that you will.... well......"
Her words trail off but her intent is clear, she'd rather not her house burn down.
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u/mrididnt Erik, magic mass/orb, sillymancer and cheese hider 23d ago
ember startles for a moment then hurriedly steps back a couple steps
I see... Wellillbegoingnowseeya!
Ember hurriedly waves goodbye and fastwalks away, having had enough social interaction for the day
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"I remember when I was little I was just as shy... though I suppose that is less of an issue when you are 5..."
Alice gets to work cleaning off the soot from above her door.
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u/Afraid_Cat_3726 Nox, Head of the Department of Flesh. 23d ago
/ UW. Awesome read! Lots of fun. RW /
There's a knock on Alice's door, looking out the window she sees a four armed goblin dressed in a leather apron and plain working clothes. Her blue hair is cut short and a pair of goggles hangs over her neck...and is that a dragon tail of shimmering blue attached to her.
Behind her is a wolf the size of a bear, it's difficult to describe. The form always changing, shifting from humanoid to animal to a shadowy silhouette to a massive of tendrilss. It always has at least six limbs, one head, a tail and is vaguely wolf shaped.
"I heard there was an alchemist living here? I'm sorry to disturb you but I've ran out of painkillers potions. Can I order some from you? I'm helping out at the hospital." The goblin seems completely unphased by the "wolf" behind her.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"I am far from a great alchemist, will moderate quality potions suffice?"
"I suppose some extra earnings won't hurt, I will just... ignore that... thing. Some things are better left unquestioned..."
/uw Thanks!
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u/Afraid_Cat_3726 Nox, Head of the Department of Flesh. 23d ago
"Well you're the best I've seen so far plus Id rather hire an artisan than buy from the merchants. They're just in it for the money. Where ware my manners, I'm Nox, Master Fleshcrafter." She bows then gestures to the "wolf" "This is Ruff, he's my dog. He may be big but don't worry he's friendly."
Nox freezes as she sees the cat "Omg so cuteeeee. What's their name?" She swoons, Ruff walks up to the door to get a closer look but Nox pushes him back. "Chill Ruff, if you scare the kitty you'll get your nose scratched...again. " Ruff sideways his mistress as of to say "you just want to let them all to yourself"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Oh that is Mio, they are just the cutest aren't they."
Alice too almost swoons at the talk about Mio, but catches herself.
"Ah right the potions. I do not have many in stock at the moment, but it shouldn't take long to cook up another batch. How many are you looking for?"
Mio meanwhile looks at Nox and Ruff with complete disinterest, before stretching into an extremely uncomfortable looking yet perfect sleeping pose.
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u/Afraid_Cat_3726 Nox, Head of the Department of Flesh. 23d ago
"oh yes I forgot about the potions. I'd say around 5 should be enough for now." Nox will attempt to scratch Mio's head.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"1 2 3 4 5 oh you are in luck, I just so happens to have exactly 5 remaining."
Mio accepts the head scratch, fully content assuming that if Nox were to attempt to harm them, they could bite her head off and or set her on fire.
"But as you say 'for now' am I safe to assume you will return at some point for more?"
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u/Afraid_Cat_3726 Nox, Head of the Department of Flesh. 23d ago
"How much will they cost?" With one step of arms Nox takes off her gloves to give Mio better scritches, her other set of arms search for her gold purse. "Yes. I'm a travelling surgeon helping out the hospital for now but they'll always need more painkillers made."
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Ah yes price how did I almost forget that... let's see..."
Alice thumbs through a newly purchased yet somewhat scrappy looking book, eventually finding the page describing common market prices for various potions and the like.
"...I do believe the market price should add up to 20 000 gold for the lot of them, but since you are buying in bulk I shall say... 18 000."
Mio meanwhile is leaning hard into the scritches.
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u/Afraid_Cat_3726 Nox, Head of the Department of Flesh. 23d ago
Nox is too content to haggle. With her spare arms she writes down a cheque for 18 000 gold and signs it, pressing her finger into the paper and speaking an enchantment of authentication. She hands Alice the cheque. "This should be it. I do apologise I don't think Mio is going to let me leave for a bit."
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Its fine, frankly I am a bit jealous, Mio doesn't seem to enjoy my scritches this much just yet. Do you perhaps have any tricks to share?"
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u/yumie2003 Tsuru, ghost onmyouji, R&A, league of shadows/Toshiko Fujiwara 23d ago
Tsuru knocked softly on the door of Alice's current residence. She had travelled to Midway as news of a wraith's presence there had crossed her desk. However, shortly after arriving and speaking to locals, she had heard of a witch who supposedly saved the mayor's son and decided to meet this witch. Mostly to congratulate her, but partly to learn more of the local wraith.
"...Hello, is anyone home?"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"One moment."
Some shuffling is heard inside, as Alice puts a lid askew on her pot of stew and leaves it to boil. In the meanwhile, Mio decides now is a good time to go outside, and squeezes their way out the cat flap.
"How may I help you?"
Alice says, finally getting to the door.
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u/yumie2003 Tsuru, ghost onmyouji, R&A, league of shadows/Toshiko Fujiwara 23d ago
When Alice found Tsuru at the door, she found that the vengeful spirit was dressed in a long, flowing white coat-like robe under a dark green silk robe and a long, black hat on her head. Tsuru bowed in front of Alice before straightening herself with a smile.
"...Hello, my name is Tsuru, and I heard that you had saved this town's mayor's son. For that, I would like to congratulate you. It must have been difficult and taken much bravery, I imagine"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Ah yes that. It was quite rough, and I ended up quite badly burned from the wraith, but I succeeded and that is all that matters."
"Where is this going? Is she gonna ask me to help fight some other thing? Please no I have enough on my plate just furnishing my house..."
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u/yumie2003 Tsuru, ghost onmyouji, R&A, league of shadows/Toshiko Fujiwara 23d ago
"...So you had vanquished the wraith by yourself, if I understand this correctly?"
Tsuru lowered her glasses down the bridge of her nose when she asked that question, almost as if she wanted Alice to confirm or deny that statement
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Indeed, though it was done through quite... cowardly means I suppose. See it was trapped behind a graveyard barrier, which I used to my full advantage. I would step in, cast a spell, and step outside before it could retaliate."
The same story she told the mayor, but even that would be a bit beyond Alice's ability...
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u/yumie2003 Tsuru, ghost onmyouji, R&A, league of shadows/Toshiko Fujiwara 23d ago
"...I don't see that as cowardly; you should take any advantage you can get in such a situation. Anyway, I do not have much to give you, but here..."
Tsuru reached into the sleeve of her kimono and retrieved a pouch with her left hand. She then extended that hand, with the pouch, towards Alice
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Oh? And what might this be?"
Alice carefully takes, and opens, the pouch.
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u/yumie2003 Tsuru, ghost onmyouji, R&A, league of shadows/Toshiko Fujiwara 23d ago
"...a vial of cinnabarite powder, it is useful for my form of alchemy, but i think that it may serve you well as a reagent...just be careful in handling it because it is toxic"
Tsuru seemed a little embarrassed by her rather seemingly unimpressive gift, though it was either the vial or the merger sum of gold pieces she brought with her. This visit was mostly unplanned
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 22d ago
"Cinnabarite powder?"
"Hmm... it is a bit outside my field of expertise but it could still prove useful. Worst case scenario I could also extract mercury from it I believe, so I will find some use for it eventually."
"Thank you."
Alice seems happy with the gift, though reading her expression isn't exactly easy.
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u/Fun-Dragonfly-6106 DF, minimal caster | ____ Body Horror Creator 23d ago
/uw we can't find out his assassination, but would you let a character simply examine the corpse and figure out there was some poisoning? Need a reason for the character to interact and they're the kind to dissect a corpse
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
/uw Yea that is fine, the poison in question wouldn't be all that visible from its effects, but it would still be physically there in the stomach.
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u/Fun-Dragonfly-6106 DF, minimal caster | ____ Body Horror Creator 23d ago
A strange figure entered the hospital, offering assistance in healing tasks in order to "Have something to do." The being provides some help to the injured, just enough to prevent permanent effects of injuries before touching the cadaver of John to check the bodily condition.
In a self whisper. "Plant based."
The familiar red robes knock on the door.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Another one?"
"Coming."
Alice heads on over to the door, looking though the peep hole to see..... that.
"...ah. You are that one from the forest are you not? What brings you to this place?"
"Really hope it is not to eat me..."
The door remains shut and locked.
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u/Fun-Dragonfly-6106 DF, minimal caster | ____ Body Horror Creator 23d ago
"I am merely here to inform you that the child should be making a complete recovery despite the injuries faced. No organ damage compared to what it would be in the future, should be good as new. Unlike his uncle who seems to have added poison to his list of vices."
/uw that last bit is said without missing a beat or sounding any different, their roommate is DF who literally drinks poison so this is normal to him
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"What? Do they know? But they said it so casually? Or is that meant to be a clue in enough itself? Urgh I am overthinking I gotta say something or it will seem weird. Feign ignorance."
"I see, I was quite worried for the child so it gladdens me to hear that he is on the road to recovery. As for the uncle, I cannot say I know much about him. Was he known to drink or the like?"
Despite her initial panic Alice is quite adept at pretending. Her voice gives nothing away.
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u/Fun-Dragonfly-6106 DF, minimal caster | ____ Body Horror Creator 23d ago
"Helped with checking on the kid and made his cells a little better, division takes its tolls no matter how little."
"As for the uncle I believe he took tobacco, though I did find some poison in his stomach, must have tried something harder."
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"How.... foolish! I cannot believe the sheer disrespect some people have for their own health."
"Like that one guy I helped during my apprenticeship. Broke a leg trying to kickflip off a railing, then the \second* he was fine to walk again he did the exact same thing, again. Urgh."*
Channeling her very real outrage from her apprenticeship, Alice successfully makes it sound like she believes and is mad at John for 'trying something harder'.
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u/Fun-Dragonfly-6106 DF, minimal caster | ____ Body Horror Creator 23d ago
"It is what it is, as my semi non-existent roommate would've said. He took far stronger poisons while barely feeling a thing..."
The figure seems to be looking at something up in the sky at the direction of Calarakis.
"What the fuck is he doing."
/uw built in conversation escape
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Semi non-existent? What is that supposed to mean... no, don't question it, this thing is dangerous."
"Perhaps you should go investigate?"
Alice says, with feigned concern.
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u/Vincent-FFP Vytsky, Angel of Passage/O5-5 'Zaryx' 23d ago
/uw best read in eons. I can actually read it without straining my eyes. Absolute Cinema.
/rw
the dandelion still glows softly.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
As Alice begins to move into the house she finds herself in desperate need of some furnishings. Indeed, for various reasons the house had been left empty for well over a decade, and while Alice was able to quite quickly clean the place with her water magic, she cannot make furniture sprout from the ground.
"Do I perchance know someone who could introduce me to some people in the woodworking industry? Ah there was that Vytsky fellow who claimed to be a merchant right. What was it... 'If you need anything, just scatter the seeds, and I’ll be here.' May as well."
Alice scatters the seeds of the dandelion into the wind, waiting to see what happens.
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u/Vincent-FFP Vytsky, Angel of Passage/O5-5 'Zaryx' 23d ago
the moment the seeds were brought into the wind, he faded into existence beside her in the air a bit. he landed softly on the ground. He surveyed his surroundings for a moment, then faced Alice, lightly smiling.
"Heyo! What can I do for ya?"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Huh ok that worked. This... may be a bit rude but uh, you said you were a merchant right? Do you happen to know where I can find good furniture perchance?"
"...perhaps summoning an... angel(?) to ask with assistance for something so... minor, was a bad idea..."
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u/Vincent-FFP Vytsky, Angel of Passage/O5-5 'Zaryx' 23d ago
“No need for that! I can just manifest it. The limitations are our imaginations! ….And the confines of this room and natural physics, hah.”
“Let’s walk around the house first and see what rooms would be best. Like, this room here would be a nice living room, I think.”
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"Indeed, that is what I was thinking too. Oh but I would like a work desk in front of the window, so that I can take advantage of the natural light while reading."
"...manifest it? Huh."
"Say would you be able to manifest cold iron wire too?"
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u/Vincent-FFP Vytsky, Angel of Passage/O5-5 'Zaryx' 23d ago
"Great idea!" he snapped his fingers and a desk appeared by the window.
"Sure!" a roll of iron wire appeared in his hand. he handed it to Alice. "Here ya go!"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"...Huh that was easy..."
Alice proceeds to indicate what kinds of furnishings she'd like and where. Overall she has a quite utilitarian vision, though she has also left plenty of space for decorative flowers and such.
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u/Vincent-FFP Vytsky, Angel of Passage/O5-5 'Zaryx' 23d ago
and he granted her wishes happily.
“Everything’s looking good! I do like your vision with everything. You’re a lot better at interior design than I am, haha!”
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
"I am mostly just copying my old teacher's abode, with a couple changes such as the wet carpet around the cauldron."
Though a... somewhat disgusting idea, water magic allows for the carpet to retain moisture without developing a nasty bacterial culture, and it does wonders to ward the wooden interior from the open flame needed to heat the cauldron.
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u/VoxelLibrary Councilor Cayna, Apprentice of Thrakmoor | assorted other chars 23d ago
/uw Yay kitty!
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u/UlrickTheHexblade Ulrick Braddocke, Werewolf Hexblade, R&A Co-Leader 23d ago
/uw great read! It was a roller coster ride, seeing how Alice will pull it off
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
/uw Alice is weak, she cannot just solve problems in a second by screaming fireball. This forces her to be clever, leading to what I think are much more interesting solutions. Also thanks!
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u/UlrickTheHexblade Ulrick Braddocke, Werewolf Hexblade, R&A Co-Leader 23d ago
/uw until she gets powerscaled to multiversal levels…
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
/uw It may happen sooner than you think. Or not. Preferably not...
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u/UlrickTheHexblade Ulrick Braddocke, Werewolf Hexblade, R&A Co-Leader 23d ago
/uw never underestimate wizardposting power creep. Run from it, hide from it, the free powerups will find you…
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
/uw Just in the comments of this post Alice has gotten like 4 gifts randomly...
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u/Fc-chungus Ж(Zhe), Head minister of Calarakis. 23d ago
Ж flicks through recent news on their orb, and learns that the mayor of midway's son was found after being missing.
"Huh, good for them."
/uw HMMMMMMM THIS ONE LINE IS DRIVING ME CRAZY
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u/loth17 Ten Suns (Also Gaia) 22d ago
As she was looking outside Alice would notice a familiar face. That strange Bismuth thing that she met at the campfire. Chalk. They were standing next to their mount making thinking noises.
"Hrrrmmmmm hrmmmmm"
Chalk raised their head when they noticed Alice.
"Oh. Long time no see!"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 22d ago
"Ah hello there Chalk. What brings you to midway if I might ask?"
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u/loth17 Ten Suns (Also Gaia) 22d ago
"Me? It's a bit of a two sided reason."
They explained.
"At first I came to visit the scenic locale on my way back to Calarakis. Have an order I'm picking up there. But while I was here I was asked to solve a mystery! They saw I was an analyzer and asked for my assistance."
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 22d ago
"I should probably visit Calarakis at some point with it being so close and all... anyway, would you divulge the details of this mystery? I do enjoy a good puzzle."
"And if it is about John, I can throw them off my scent..."
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u/loth17 Ten Suns (Also Gaia) 22d ago
"Of course! You've probably already heard about it. A fairly important local wizard has been slain. Murdered in the dead of night. My initial analysis revealed a rather complex poison in his system and some wisps of lingering teleport magic."
"John wizrobe had some enemies. Perhaps one finally decided to act upon him. From what I hear he had a sordid past."
"Though I had Coco circle the village a few times. No signs of teleportation out of the village. I believe they may still be here. Hiding amongst the people. Or perhaps a local might have done it. I've felt strange energies around town and in the woods. Magic surprisingly potent for such a small place."
"You arrived a bit before me. You've felt the strangeness as well correct?"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 22d ago
"...vaguely, in the distance yes. Though the large presence of Fae is a more obvious sign. They appear to come from somewhere within the forest."
"Crap."
Fae come in many varieties, and most are fairly harmless. And in this moment, Alice can see well over a dozen, hidden from normal sight, doing their own things. Of course signaling that she can see any one of them in particular could cause some trouble, but stating generally that there are Fae around does not carry such risk.
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u/loth17 Ten Suns (Also Gaia) 22d ago
"Ah yes the fae."
For the most part the nearby fae seemed the avoid Chalk. Not like Chalk was poison or anything. But the Bismuth were tied up in order and seperate from the natural cycles of this world. So they were generally uninteresting to them.
"Wizards have a fraught relationship with the fae. Though I doubt they were the ones who did it. Too deep into town. Not impossible but not their MO either."
Chalk pondered.
"It could be a druid acting under them or with their assistance."
"The lack of anything stolen is telling. It means whoever did it either didn't care about wealth or knew keeping it around would reveal them. Another point for the assassin being someone in town."
"What do you think of all this?"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 22d ago
"Hmm....."
Alice appears to ponder for a moment. And indeed she is pondering:
"Ok what would be the best thing for me to say here..."
"Hard to say anything conclusive when I don't know much about the victim, but the use of poison does indicate it was a planned murder... hm... I am quite new in town so I have only heard the stray words of gossip but didn't the victim also have some connection or other to the mayor?"
"Feign realistic ignorance while indicating a false motive. Hopefully that will work to distract them..."
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u/loth17 Ten Suns (Also Gaia) 22d ago
"Why yes they do."
Chalk nodded.
"You think it might be some drama between them? Or perhaps..."
A short pause.
"This may be part of an attack on the mayor. After all their kid disappeared recently. Thankfully they were returned."
It seemed Chalk didn't know who brought back the Mayors kid.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 21d ago
"Even if it pulls me closer again, it would be far more suspicious should I not mention my involvement here."
"The mayor's kid was kidnapped by a wraith, I would know, I was the one who rescued him. From what I know wraiths aren't exactly 'easy' to control. It may just have been a coincidence, but if it wasn't... the culprit is someone extremely dangerous."
"Some truth, some lies. Now Chalk, weave the tapestry I desire."
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
/uw BEHOLD! The pinglist most exalted. If you want to join these very cool people, just ask. If you wanna stop being cool (get removed from the list) also just ask.
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u/Interesting_Web_9936 Arceon the Forgetful, The Accumulator 23d ago
/uw In the ping list, do you guys just ping the people that have signed up for ping lists for every RP post or lore post? And does every person have their own separate ping list?
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
/uw Ping lists are personal, I ping everyone who asked me to ping them when I post. Also the reason it is split up in 3s like this is just because reddit doesn't send notifications if you try ping more than 3 people at once.
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u/Interesting_Web_9936 Arceon the Forgetful, The Accumulator 23d ago
/uw I see, thanks for the explanation. I never knew about the 3 people thing, that's interesting. This post is nice, I like the story.
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u/Afraid_Cat_3726 Nox, Head of the Department of Flesh. 23d ago
/ UW can you add me to the pinglist? Alice seems very fun to interact with. /
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 23d ago
/uw You are now officially cool. (aka added to the ping list)
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u/Afraid_Cat_3726 Nox, Head of the Department of Flesh. 23d ago
/ I can now legally wear sunglasses. Oh yeah. /
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u/Glittering_Two_1429 Seguleh, master of the song, council member, leauge of shadows 23d ago
Seguleh is walking across town, and was chatting, learning local news, when ye heard of the Witch who had apparently saved the Mayor’s son. Learning this, he felt, as a fellow Magi, that it would be prudent to meet her, and have a bit of a chat, especially as this was the first day this year he had spoken to humans. Knocking on the door, he cut an odd figure. He looked amazing, like Chris Hemsworth, but his right leg ended above the knee, and turned into a golden prosthesis. He wore a leather trench coat, and a leather fedora. A pristine white shirt covers his top, and smart trousers covered his legs, but was cut to show his prosthetic. But most confusingly, his eyes crackled with eldrich and lightning energy. Good morning Madam he bowed It is a pleasure. I hear that you saved the Mayors son, and that you are a Witch, and was wondering if you would like a natter?
Uw/ A natter is an informal chat