Interlude - Safe Spaces

[CautionCat]

"If you would like to. I am sure a jar with some moisture would work well enough, tucked away in your bag." He led her to the ruins, making sure to pick a good path with the fallen rubble everywhere.
"You have a special box, don't you? Or is that full?"

[opius]

Crossing beyond the threshold of the well-settled stone pile, the duo entered into the remnants of what may have at one point been an intersection. The ground gave way into a collapsed but functional waterway- one which lead into a deep tunnel too dark to see beyond. Across from them the open, collapsed doorway of another hall or room stood- some dim light visible from beyond the wreckage. From their vantage point, they could make out remnants of finer stonework. Crumbling arches, shattered columns, tile floors long since cracked and buckled in the dim light.

Along the slick and damp stony surface, a green glow emanated from patches of pale green moss. The sound of trickling, running water echoed and reverberated off the walls and ceiling while the scent of moving water remained somehow fresh despite the seemingly archaic surroundings.

[Ancelas]

"It's getting full, but I may be able to fit a few more samples in it..." Vanya carefully moved forward, picking her way over rubble, reaching out to grab Verdi's hand to steady herself on the damp stones.

"This is astonishing... and you found this place on accident, while Karn was carrying you all through the water pipes?"

[CautionCat]

"Yes, we were trying to find a way to the lich, a back door if you will, and Karn surfaced here. It was simply a pause to catch some air, that portable hole only lasts for so long..."

Verdi lead the way, and stopped by some moss that seemed to grow thicker in one area. "We avoided a lot of conflict. The lich was quite the challenge..."

[Ancelas]

Vanya picked her way carefully forward, joining Verdi at the patch of moss. She knelt to investigate it closer. "I can imagine... Alina is rather cavalier about them, but they are generally vile creatures. Decades ago, a lich came to power in Southern Gilneas and sought to invade the country. Thankfully it was pushed back before it got too far."

After pausing to consider for a moment, Vanya looked over at Verdi. "Although I suppose not all liches are terrible... the baelnorn we're travelling with are fascinating creatures..."

[opius]

As the duo spoke, their voices reverberated against the damp cavern-like walls. There was little noise other than what they brought with them.

Inspecting the 'banks' of the collapsed waterway brought the duo closer to the faint glow. Mutually gifted with dark vision, they could discern the faintly glistening, thin layer of a lichen-like moss. A lattice like structure naturally formed in the plant fibers, and where the 'strands' intersected the glow was strongest.

It gave the surface where it glowed an almost starry look.

[CautionCat]

"Eh, they don't exactly seem like liches... not in the same way, anyway. They seem to be powered by a power source of the Light plane? Rather than... taking life to live longer..." Verdi squatted next to Vanya, watching as she inspected the moss. His tail lightly swayed at the tip.

"Lia seems very interested in them... She spent a lot of time with Adhanu and Caolead. Be it elven relations, or the fact that they live beyond their normal life span... I'm not sure. I haven't quite talked to that one."

[Ancelas]

"Look at that," Vanya said softly, leaning against Verdi and raising a hand to point at the crossing lines of moss. "The fibers cross and the light gets stronger... like a field of stars... I've never seen anything like that before." She smiled, studying the latticework, and looped an arm around Verdi's to keep her balance.

"I wonder... if there's a way to raise the dead in a way that draws upon a more positive force, do you think it may be possible to transition a necromantic spell that has already been cast to draw upon that source? Mm... that feels like a rather complex question... Auntie Edith may know..."

[CautionCat]

"I wonder if that's intentional or coincidence." Verdi observed the moss, before Vanya asked some really interesting questions.

"Oh... I wouldn't know, no. Edith might, Lia would probably be interested in that. If there is a way to redirect that magic, that would make things interesting."

[Ancelas]

Vanya nodded. "It would be interesting to experiment with Jackson and Frederick. The longer we remain connected, the more I sense they are capable of..." Vanya pulled out her herbalism kit and use the tools to carefully take a sample of the moss to store away until later examination.

"You said there were carvings here as well?"

[opius]

Vanya found the uppermost layers of the lattice-like moss were soft, supple, and slimy. With a nick and a scrape the lattices peeled with little effort. The stone beneath was not left bare after her sample was taken, however. In the dim light her dark vision could make out clearly a layer of still living moss which was firmly anchored to the stone- dry, hard, and only barely distinguishable from the bare rock.

If these were equivalent to roots, the patch taken would certainly grow back over time- ultimately unharmed.

Interestingly, the sample she took appeared to glow more brightly once removed from the stone. The color of light was more of a yellow than the dull green which permeated the room.

(A quick question for Vany- do you think you would have avoided touching the moss to collect your sample, moving carefully? Or are you being more adventurous, reckless, and hands-on?)

[Ancelas]

((Vanya has worked with plants before, both poisonous and non - she would be VERY careful and avoid touching it.))

[opius]

((very well, proceeding))

[CautionCat]

Verdi nodded, and stood to direct Vanya to the carvings. "Rua was very interested in them. They're over here..."
"Interesting that the moss gets brighter after it's picked. I wonder how long it lasts... That would be a good alternative to torches."

[opius]

Verdi lead Vanya across a series of stone slabs jutting from the slow running waterway and toward the collapsed archway in an adjacent wall. The duo saw a faint light emanating from within, aetherstone torches which glowed like pale moonlight. Once beyond, the two entered into a stone hallway long overgrown with green moss. The crumbling columns and roof blocks on the floor suggested the place had begun its collapse with time, but a the moment the room was still and seemed sound.

To the left they passed an indentation in the wall which housed one of the moon-like lights. A basin of water was directly beneath it, reflecting the glow. To the right they passed one arched hallway with a collapsed entrance. Further in on the right was a hallway which Verdi would remember from before.

Once through, they entered into a larger chamber- what looked to be a gathering hall or a place of worship. Numerous water basin lights peppered the walls, and despite crumbling supports the room was more or less preserved- untouched by the devils or the once master of this place. Verdi continued to lead, taking Vanya through a large archway. The floor beyond the arch was black marble, and the smaller room within was well preserved.

Along the walls of this small room were glyphs and pictographs carved into the walls. All in sylvan, they depicted some kind of disaster. A journey. And the Tear of the Moon upon a pyramid of stone. A historical recount in a language which, between the two of them, only Verdi quite understood.