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Post by Rowan on Apr 8, 2021 18:11:30 GMT -8
"Um- one is asked Sir Icarus about. It's about a Changeling that has so many ghosts attached to them that the room drops in temperature and Twilight freezes over. He told me he'd ask you about it." That much was fine, right? He'd told the same things to Icarus before. "The other is about um-" Should Rowan say anything? Realistically, he had no idea where to even start. "I was wondering about the beads. I got a good look at them before, and I only understood the surface stuff. It's like a melting pot of Weird that's somehow linked to the underworld, right? But it's also poisoning Glamour? Honestly I'm stumped."
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Post by The Wyrd on Apr 8, 2021 18:19:47 GMT -8
"Yeah, he asked me about that. Golden's a living anchor to a bunch of ghosts, which doesn't occur naturally..." Blink. "Unless he has been killing a ton of people, which doesn't seem likely. A Gravewright or a Kithshifter pretending to be a Gravewright could be attaching them to him. So to me, the question is who did Golden Boy piss off?" He shrugged. "That's a really long list of people. Guy's got a tough history in the Freehold from when he was a kid, but that's all before my time."
"As for the beads, they're an exception to the Freehold's Wards. What do you want to know about them?"
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Post by Rowan on Apr 8, 2021 18:26:14 GMT -8
"He was talking about a space between the underworld and Twilight, but it's all gibberish to me."
Blink. He was just. Going to tell him?
"The Wards seem to be too good, honestly. I've never read about anything similar. There's the Sentries that Control F4 Glamour and you can't use Contracts outside the Hold. So like. The question that comes to mind is. What is the cost? Because there's no way there isn't one."
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Post by The Wyrd on Apr 8, 2021 18:30:40 GMT -8
"The cost? Mobility. We've got very good Wards -- the Sentries in particular are pretty awesome -- but if you leave the Freehold during the term of your Oath, you owe something back to the Wyrd for using magic. The beads temporarily give you a loophole. Very few Lost move around a lot on account of the extreme danger of travelling. If someone's highly motivated to go somewhere else, they usually just let their Oath lapse before going."
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Post by Rowan on Apr 8, 2021 18:35:28 GMT -8
It couldn't be that easy. Was it wilful ignorance, or did the Beast simply didn't bother checking deeper? Surely if it were so simple, other places would do it too.
Why was his Hollow attacked the second he started asking about the Oath? Golden Boy was also poking at places of power. Maybe Dormarch wasn't telling him everything.
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Post by The Wyrd on Apr 8, 2021 18:37:48 GMT -8
Dormarch's openness and his chill had something in common - it was complete. While it was certainly reasonable to expect that a Squire didn't know everything about the Freehold's supercharged defenses, the Gravewright was not trying to deceive him. The conversation wasn't over, and Rowan got the sense Dormarch wasn't done answering questions if he had more.
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Post by Rowan on Apr 8, 2021 18:42:45 GMT -8
"Fair enough." He fiddled with his bottle before continuing. "I heard about what you did while we were gone. I wish I would have helped. I can be a Gravewright too, but I don't know anything about ghosts. Not that I'm asking you to teach me."
"I just wanted to say it was impressive."
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Post by The Wyrd on Apr 8, 2021 18:48:41 GMT -8
Dormarch flashed a smile.
"Thanks, man. Honestly, if you want to learn to do the important part of what I did, I could probably teach you. There's a Steed Contract that lets you get animalistic claws, senses and speed. You ever heard of it? Beasts can use it to also not tire. You can imagine how helpful that was in a week-long siege, hey?
After what we went through, we could always use another Gravewright who doesn't need to sleep -- whether that's a real one or a Kithshifter. Gotta tell you though, it's not really healthy for sustained use. I probably slept for like five or six days after that run, but in a crisis, it's really useful. It's the least I can do after what you did for us."
He'd heard what Rowan had gone through in the desert. What a fuckin' nightmare.
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Post by Rowan on Apr 8, 2021 18:54:15 GMT -8
"Yeah. I um- I have it." Was that weird? People labelled him as a nerd a lot, so most were surprised when Rowan dashed at double time. "I'm pretty good with Steed, actually."
He paused. "Why are you nice to me? Most people I meet aren't, or they just straight up don't care. Is it the desert thing?" He didn't want pity. More than anything, Rowan didn't want people to pity him. He paddled again to turn to float and chanced a glance at the tiger. It looked really cool, even if it was a little out of place. When in Vegas.
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Post by The Wyrd on Apr 8, 2021 18:58:38 GMT -8
Dormarch looked impressed at the Steed thing. His question earned a chuckle. Mirthfully, he replied.
"Rowan, I'm a hobo monk couch-surfing with a rich sex demon and a Bengal tiger. Who the fuck am I to judge anyone? We see a guy who is putting his ass on the line for his Court and his Freehold. Maybe shit doesn't always work out, but at least you're out there giving it your all. It's more than a lot of people do."
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Post by Rowan on Apr 8, 2021 19:14:31 GMT -8
"You're a monk?" Rowan scanned for either a crucifix or iron knuckles and Taoist imagery, trying to decide which one would be more impressive. 'Stop deflecting. They're being open with you.'
"To be honest, it's collateral. I'm mostly running from that normal life you told me about." He met Dormarch's gaze and held it, for the first time in the conversation. "It's unpredictable, and I'm bad at it and no one cares enough to ask me about my birthday. At least out there, they need my brains."
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Post by The Wyrd on Apr 8, 2021 19:16:13 GMT -8
"One day, I'll tell you about my Tao: Humanity, and what I do around here."
The cat swam between them, slowly paddling like a tiger-flavored pupper.
"When's your birthday, Rowan?"
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Post by Rowan on Apr 8, 2021 19:19:32 GMT -8
"November thirteenth," he mumbled. "It's fine. It doesn't matter. All I'm saying is that I'm putting my skills where they're needed. And no one needs a Snowskin for the normal stuff."
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Post by The Wyrd on Apr 8, 2021 19:33:08 GMT -8
"Gravewrights, either. But I like that. My skills aren't what Arcadia made me. Nor are yours. I'm Frank Dormarch, and I do what I want because I'm just a guy." He gestured to Rowan. "You understand?"
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Post by Rowan on Apr 9, 2021 21:16:56 GMT -8
"It's not about skills it's." He moved his hands around to help him organize his thoughts. "I come across as tepid on the best of days. Because of what Arcadia made me. I can do scary just fine, but socializing takes some much energy that it's not worth it most of the time."
"It doesn't matter how well I say something, people still take offense."
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