Smuggler's Vale - Returning to Refuge Evening 2

[Ancelas]

Alain blinked and switched to sylvan. "Ja, I do. Is something wrong?"

[§~Samwise~§]

"Privacy." He replied and continued in Sylvan. "Keep in step." He said as he continued the outer patrol of the prisoner's, Mirrai on the opposite side.

He kept the level of his voice low, trying not to broadcast the information. "Mirrai, the other watch, is a bit of a conundrum." He sighed and quickly collated the available information into the correct order.

"She was running from something with her father? He sent her through a door(?) to return to her mother. That door landed her with Telemon just before his home was landed." He looked up from the prisoners to look at Mirrai again for a second before refocusing attention.

"The real weird thing ... she says that ever since she went through the door her memory has been jumbled and she gets a headache trying to remember." There was a pregnant pause. "But she does not know Hectapol as Ruin. She does not know about the battle between Preservation and Change and is adamant that would never happen. And she is under the impression that Wisdom has not died. I thought the memory thing was due to the magic blocking long range communication and arcane quick travel ... but this makes no sense."

He stopped talking and waited for Alain to widdle through all the information. This whole situation felt like a strange joke and who better to ask about it than the Sage with the most knowledge on the domain of Trickery.

[Ancelas]

Alain fell into step beside Taliesin and listened as he cast his glance over the surly duergar prisoners. His brow furrowed as he considered the information Taliesin laid out before him. "Hm... the extent of Ruin's influence on our world has yet to be determined, but so far it seems that certain spells are simply more difficult to cast, if they can be cast at all. Mental fog... that is a common side-effect to inter-planar travel. Stories of the feywild are rife with children forgetting their adventures, or adults waking up as though from a long sleep, and so forth. Doors are also a common element of planar travel, but unfortunately not specifically unique to any plane of another.

"What you say about the gods..." Alain pursed his lips. "Are you... certain that she was telling the truth? But then, what would there be to gain from lying? No, it would make no sense... but... hm..."

[§~Samwise~§]

Taliesin shrugged. "Teleportation circles were destroyed, so I assumed that whatever blocker was there affected all magics."

He looked up to Mirrai again and watched her before replying. "She seems genuine enough. And I can't place her accent. And ..." There was another pregnant pause as he tried to read Alain's response.((Insight 16+3=19))

"And she said she was taught exotic languages to for personal protection, Sylvan and Draconic. And she can read Celestial and speak a little Primordial. None of that really makes sense ... for personal protection reasons here."


Sylvan and Draconic. I can read Celestial and speak a little Primordial

[Ancelas]

"That is an odd selection of languages," Alain observed. "But... also an appropriate cross-section of various planar entities. If she knew Infernal, then she could very well speak to beings of any plane. Which might explain the... personal preservation situation."

Alain rubbed his chin with one hand. "It is... possible... that the oddities are all connected. Crossing planar boundaries would account for the memory issues, and if she were in a place where a number of planar entities crossed paths, then being knowledgeable in a few languages would be helpful. And... planar crossings are not always... straightforward. It is like crossing a river - sometimes the current is slow, and you emerge where you intend. Sometimes the current is swift, and you are carried downstream a ways before you can resurface, in which case... you may not recognize where you have crossed over."

[§~Samwise~§]

Taliesin furrowed his brows. "I'm not your son, you're going to need to talk in blunt terms. And tell me what you think is going on directly."

[Ancelas]

Alain winced. "You don't have to... Ach. Aren't there stories of elves walking into the woods and vanishing for years, only to come back as though no time has passed, among the Mareki? Though I suppose not, as such things would be a breach of protocol or some other such nonsenses..."

Alain waved his free hand dismissively in the air. "Nonetheless. It is possible for someone to lose, or gain, time when crossing the planes. Not always, not regularly, but... it's possible. So... it's possible our new friend may have lost a substantial amount of time, wherever she was. She may be Mobian, several centuries - millenia - removed."

[§~Samwise~§]

Taliesin shook his head. "More likely in Alurani lands than Mareki." He looked across the prisoners over to Mirrai. "Strange ... still." He sighed.

"So, that would explain a lot ... and likely means that she is alone now ..." He scanned the prisoners letting thoughts stew. "Is there some method to help her recover her memory? And is there a different year annotation pre-war that you would be able to validate?"

[Ancelas]

Alain let out a slow exhalation. "Oof. That is a tall order. I'm sure there was, but we are talking about... not just pre-Calamity, but pre-Fury. There's an entire Age between ours and the one she may be from, if your suspicions are true. I think... discussing such things with her... You may want to be... gentle."

[§~Samwise~§]

Taliesin gave a slow nod. He had forgotten in the rush to get answers that the Calamity had occurred in between and their current reckoning was still post calamity. "I don't know of any cities that existed pre-Fury ... do you?" He asked looking for any information.

[Ancelas]

"Let's see... The Illyrian cities were founded pre-Fury, and they remained through the Calamity. The White Tower was erected before the Calamity as well... Albion, the capital of Mercia, is also an ancient city. I believe those are the oldest in this part of the world."

[§~Samwise~§]

Taliesin listened and thought on what he was being told. He had never put much time into trying to figure out the timing of the exodus that had formed the Illyrian tribes. He looked over to Alain as he tried to think back to what he had learned to remember the cause of the exodus from Albion. ((History 18+5=23))

He remembered a little more than the base Illyrian tribes stories, but not much more. Dates were long lost and the factors that caused it had long since gone away.

"So, you hadn't actually answered one of my questions, and based on what you said ... Is there any means of helping someone regain or unblock their lost memories following inter-planar travel?"

[Ancelas]

"Oh, that. Well, when you ask such different questions, be sure to say which you wish answered first! These are fascinating topics, it is easy to be distracted. Now, clearing planar travel-induced psychosis or memory issues... it is tricky. I have heard of magic used to modify memories employed as a way to uncover what has been buried. Other magics are capable of restoring the memories by lifting the haze that lies upon the mind."

Alain ran a hand through his hair and squinted up into the the darkening sky. "Hm... Those are the two processes that come to mind, but I'm afraid I'm not personally familiar with either. Generally it is easier to find ways to prevent the process in the first place than it is to reverse it once it has happened."

[§~Samwise~§]

Taliesin nodded and let that settle in. (Arcana check 18+1=19)

"I think ..." He stopped himself mid-thought to reorder words. "Based on what you described I have something I could try ... I wont be able to try until after I trance. But it is something I can attempt." He stayed beside Alain and direct opposite side of Mirrai for the moment.

"Thank you for your insight, Alain. I have much to think on ... and she ... needs a slow re-entry." He scanned the prisoners, gauging movement. "I think I will catch back up to her-give her small talk and get her used to the idea of this land she is in."

[Ancelas]

Alain lowered his gaze and looked over to Taliesin. He nodded slightly. "That sounds like a good idea. If our suppositions are true, then... she has been through a lot recently, much of which is beyond anyone's expectation. I think small talk is a good idea."

He reached out and briefly patted Taliesin's shoulder before moving to head off.