(Open) Lilac last in the doorway bloom'd

[xiaoxiuya]

O the black murk that hides the star! O cruel hands that hold me powerless

Who: Shen Yuan and his CR group, plus anyone who wants a thread <3
What: Discussions of the March Forecast, Monthly Event-related events, or even entirely new ideas are all welcome! Feel free to PM me if you have anything you'd like to discuss beforehand!
When: Any time in the months of March or April, possibly beyond.
Where: Anywhere in Trench; Shen Yuan can most frequently be found near the Archives or his own home in Gaze, meditating under the guardian tree in Sanctuary, or wherever Outreach is providing assistance to the people of Trench.

Content Warnings: Currently N/A on 3/19, will update if this changes.

Comments

[xiaoxiuya]

"Mn." A rough time? Yeah, Shen Yuan really can't dispute that. "At least here, for all the hazards that attack our self-control and free will, none of the Pthumerians have tried to personally invade our thoughts and control our actions. It was not so, in the last world I lived."

"But trying to help the beasts is noble," he says eagerly, scooting a little closer to Nara'a as if he can convince him to tell him more through sheer proximity. "Have any of them been turned back into people so far? I know there were Sleepers who wished to try, but I haven't had time to look into their methods or see their results for myself."

[aetherweaver]

"No, they haven't. That sort of thing does happen at home sometimes and it's... quite a process to reverse. I imagine it is in your world as well, if it's even possible."

Scooting closer? Cute. He smiles a bit and nods. "I know there's been a few successes, but... it depends on the amount of corruption and how long someone's been a Beast. It seems to degrade the soul in some way. Allen would be the person to ask about that - he's very good at cleansing corruption." He leans in a little, shoulder bumping shoulder, and then realizes -

"Ah. Let me change." He doesn't have his casual clothes here, but he takes out a small crystal. A moment of concentration and - suddenly is in an entirely different set of clothing. "There. No hard metal." He pats his shoulder, an invitation for the other to lean in again.

[xiaoxiuya]

"I've spoken to Allen once or twice," Shen Yuan says with a small nod. "Mostly just asking permission to use a room in the Sanctuary for my own purposes. He seems so busy -- I wouldn't want to disturb his work just to satisfy my curiosity --"

He interrupts himself with a startled, yet delighted laugh as Nara'a changes his clothes in an instant. "Well!" he exclaims. "Isn't that handy?" One of his hands begins to rise from his lap before quickly checking its ascent and turning back, but his eyes still track between the crystal, Nara'a's new outfit, and his face with wonder and curiosity. "Does it do anything else? We had similar magic in the last world I lived, dimensional pockets hidden up our sleeves, rings and other jewelry that could carry concealed weapons or reagents -- but I've seen one that also worked like a quick-change button." He laughs again, his shoulder now pressed companionably against Nara'a's.

[aetherweaver]

"He's very kind. I don't think he'd mind."

He grins at Shen Yuan when he laughs. The crystal gets brought up and held in his hand - close to his body, but he trusts the other to not try to grab for it. "It does. It helps me channel my aether more effectively into spells. It also stores my clothing. But in this crystal are the memories of its previous wielders - not anything personal, mind you, but combat abilities. It... hm. Speeds up muscle memory learning, in a way."

The miqo'te holds it out for a few more moments before tucking it away into a pocket. "I have a few of those sorts of crystals with me - far fewer than I have available to me at home, but enough that I can change for what the combat situation requires. Just don't ask me to heal - I'm terrible with that." He laughs a little bit despite himself - he's comfortable with his own limits. He can't do everything.

[xiaoxiuya]

"Wow..." Sure enough, Shen Yuan makes no attempt to grab the crystal -- although an astute observor would not be incorrect in guessing that he might like to, in order to take a closer look and to examine it with his qi, he politely refrains. Instead he smiles up at Nara'a when he tucks the crystal away and says, "Isn't it amazing, how even very different worlds might have equivalent magical techniques, or artifacts, or pieces of technology? The only part of that I didn't understand was 'aether;' would you mind terribly telling me what that is?"

His face is lit up with wonder and curiosity. This is clearly not a man who shies away from loredrops.

[aetherweaver]

"It is. And... right. I keep forgetting that there are people I haven't told yet. Aether is the substance that makes up everything in my world, from memories and souls to the ground you walk upon. It's generally aligned with an element, and the practice of intentionally moving, channeling, and shaping aether is what we call magick. It comes in many forms - though the balance between the elements is extremely important. Enough shifts and draining of certain types of aether can cause a Calamity. It's... as it sounds, and it's happened seven times in my world."

He even remembers the causes of all of them! Though the Sixth was a particular area of study given its connection with mages and his time in the Thaumaturge's Guild.

[xiaoxiuya]

[sorry about the long delay, I HAD a tag all ready to go and then I accidentally deleted it >_<]

"Oh? That's certainly different," he says, looking and sounding delighted by the prospect. "Is it also considered a form of magick when matters changes from type into another, like when a fire burns wood? Or does there need to be a conscious will involved? How do the types of matter and energy you've encountered here in Trench compare to your home?" And then he laughs, covering his mouth with the delicate fingers of one hand.

"Forgive me, I don't mean to sound like I'm trying to interrogate you. It's just magic has always interested me, even though -- well, probably because I grew up in a world that didn't have any at all."

[aetherweaver]

"In a way, though you're right in that it's generally agreed to be when conscious will is involved. And... I've been able to use my aether just fine here. It's never been a problem, so I assume either there's aether here or something that's acting like it."

The apology gets a smile. "So you lived in another world that wasn't your own before coming here. It's... interesting, because I also went to another world. It was similar enough to my world, though there were some major differences. Including how they looked at certain elements... but that's a whole diagram's worth of story." He laughs a little bit, putting his fist in front of his mouth to muffle the sound. "And I've always been a bit of a nerd about magicks - the usual joke is that I can't help it, having the Scholar as my patron."

[xiaoxiuya]

"Oh, another traveller!" Shen Yuan says brightly. "I actually lived in two worlds before this one, one with magic and one without. And a good thing too, I think -- I expect I would have had a much harder time adjusting to this world, if my second life hadn't prepared me so well for the worst." But that's enough of that brooding.

"Who is the Scholar?" he asks next. "Are the patrons in your world like gods, perhaps? I suppose you've already picked apart all the differences between your world's set, and this one's." And he smiles invitingly. Go on Nara'a, tell him all about it!

[aetherweaver]

"I think it helped me as well - and someone from that world is here with me, actually. It's good to see her again. I had wanted to visit at some point soon and check on her and Ryne." Thankfully he can just step between worlds if he goes to the right portal.

Ah. Right. "They're gods, yes. Thaliak is the Scholar's name - all of the deities have titles, like how Menphina is the Lover. They all have associated elements as well as specific things they're prayed to for. So for example, the scholarly nation of Sharlayan has a giant statue of the Scholar pouring water right in front of the port. As for differences between them and this world's... I'm not totally convinced the Patrons here are gods. They don't really seem to be much in the way of helping people..."