[Alvadas Quest, Part I] Reflecting the Illusion of Water

[Aselia Timandre]

Standing on the deck, Aselia curiously watched her fellow travelers and the bunch of interesting people that had gathered to welcome and introduce them. She was most interested in Alvadas and what it had to offer someone like her, someone who sensed lies as soon as they were released into the air. Would Ionu and his followers be able to fool her divine gift? She hoped Avalis supported her with skill and inner strength to survive that quest and get some new experiences from it. Still, although she found Ionu most fascinating, Aselia would always look up to the All-Seeing Mother first and foremost. That was what she had found out.

She watched three people introducing themselves. There were Saaren Curn and Doddel Asperenus, both scholars from Alvadas, with the latter being the higher ranked of the two. Aselia noticed that he also seemed to hold more self-confidence than his subordinate. Both, however, clearly held Ionu and His domain in higher regard than the captain seemed to do. Captain Ress. Subconsciously, the young Konti was searching for her truth sensitivity telling her more about those two. The captain seemed genuine enough to be left alone for the time being.

When the travelers started giving their names and professions, Aselia smiled. She shared a special experience with pain, had seen more of the quiet human girl than perhaps anyone else. And so, Aselia also treasured Pain’s name, a beautiful one, Elhaym Vormav, though she didn’t interfere when Pain was made fun of. It was her piece of cake, and only hers.

Then a young man introduced himself as Alichino, with a mischievous expression on his features. Aselia didn’t like that one. Holuri, the peregrine falcon perching on her shoulder, shifted uncomfortably. Aselia’s hand wandered up to feel the raptor’s feathers and to calm it, but Holuri’s beak interfered. Cursing under her breath, Aselia put the bleeding finger into her mouth. While listening to the rest of the group, Derric and Hadrian Aelius, of which the latter looked more interesting, she continued licking the wound like some wild animal would. She knew saliva would stop the bleeding quicker than a tourniquet could.

When everyone else was finished, however, she let the hand fall to her hip and spoke up. “I’m Aselia Timandre, a Konti hailing from Mura. My profession is falconry, but I’m also interested in Alvadas, Ionu and new experiences.” Dark violet eyes carefully observed the reactions. Konti were unusual, almost legendary on the Mizaharian mainland. She expected her presence on board to unsettle many of her fellow travelers, even without her special gift revealed yet. Despite the fact that she was still young, naïve in certain regards, Aselia was well aware of the danger.

Or was it all just a pretty, exciting game in her eyes?

Turning her head, she noticed that the group was dissolving. While passing her, Pain whispered a few warm words into Aselia’s ear. The Konti smiled back and commented: “I’m glad.” It was true; Pain now appeared more determined and self-confident than a few days before, in the bath house.

Then she watched the man named Derric following Pain into the captain’s cabin, Hadrian Aelius following the two scholars into their cabin and Alichino wandering behind the captain to see what he’d do to the lazy sailor. With Holuri still on her shoulder, Aselia let her hands disappear in the pockets of her infamously short white pants and looked up. The Azure Lady was such a beautiful ship, with its pale blue sails. The scholars had offered to answer questions, but Aselia was sure that they’d tell the group soon enough what the adventure was all about. For the time being, she felt like wandering around on deck. Perhaps she could even offer her help to the sailors? As much as she was interested in Alvadas, the journey over the Suvan Sea would be long enough.

Hoping to get a record of what Pain experienced in the captain’s cabin, Aselia aimlessly wandered into the direction Captain Ress and Alichino had gone. When nearing them, she noticed the disappearance of the captain, but overheard Alichino praising the sailor for something he had obviously done before. Hadn’t she caught the reflection of gold in the sunlight?

The Konti stopped near them, looking like she wanted to participate in the conversation, but said nothing. What were they discussing? Especially the young lad named Alichino, he seemed to be an interesting one – whether in positive or negative way, that would be determined soon.

[Cadence]

Pain and Derric The woman sat absolutely still while Pain and Derric spoke, her pale countenance resembling hard, immovable marble. Her gaze rested on Pain first. "Never that simple, girl. No such thing as a free ride. Everything has a price and you will pay yours. Soon.” The woman paused, her eyes acquiring a touch of the old glazed look. “There is a purpose for you here if you are not swallowed up by bottomless depths.” She squinted at Derric, leaning forward a bit so that the candle momentarily lit up her face. With the light hitting her at a different angle, her eyes appeared more amethyst than blue and her features more delicate…almost porcelain in their elegance. “Everything is the same. It’s perspective that’s different. Illusions are nothing more than perspective,” she mumbled. “And when perspective thins and disappears, everything will sink into monotony. Alvadas is not impervious to the sinking.” “Trouble is brewing in Alvadas. The people are unhappy with the scholars and the scholars are dissatisfied with the people. Ionu has not made her presence known for too long. People are getting restless.” She spoke hurriedly, as if driven by an unspoken purpose. Her eyes were glowing with a feverish light and the shadows that swept across her face with every movement seemed more dramatic. “You are part of the Plan – a resort, though not the first and not the last.”A strange smile spread across her lips and the woman began to laugh. It was a throaty gargle mixed with a high-pitched note of sheer abandon. She threw her head back to reveal a long, pale neck that looked ready to break if the woman tipped her head back just a little further. “The fools! They think- they think…” she managed between bouts of hysterical laughter. “It will not end well. I told them! I told them they should not bring foreigners into this. But now- now they will see!” Hadrian "Not presumptuous in the least. There is always a place for scholars in the Scholarly Abode of Illusionary Pursuits, if you wish to submerge yourself in the study of the physical and mental states of Alvadas. There are quite a few mages at the Abode who might be willing to teach you a thing or to if you were to-” Asperenus broke off upon Curn’s protesting squeak. “Master Asperenus, h-he’s a foreigner. You can’t tell him about the Abode!” Curn moaned, his face a mixture of misery and high-strung nerves. “Are you telling me what I can and can’t do?” the Head Scholar said, his voice suddenly coming out an octave lower. With his imposing posture, his knitted brows, and the menacing look in his eyes, Asperenus looked much less like a stuffy old scholar. “No, sir! No! Of course not. Please, carry on, sir,” Curn squeaked, burrowing even further into his chair. Asperenus cleared his throat before continuing. “As I was saying, the Scholarly Abode will always accept those worthy of admittance.” He paused for a moment, his face taking on a contemplative look. He reached into an inside pocket of his coat and produced a small wooden sculpture which fit snuggly into his palm. “There are certain things which you may wish to know – things that will shed some light on the purpose of this trip. You may think that we are simply promoting tourism to our wonderful city, but that is in fact not the case. There is a reason why we organized this journey and why we have allowed you – you five specifically – to join us. But not everyone may possess this information. So, I shall administer a test.” A suppressed moan could be heard from Curn, who now had his head in his hands and was trying not to tear at his hair. “Being a student of Zeltiva University, you must know a lot about tests. So, if you wish to understand why you are here, simply tell me what this is.” Having said his piece, Asperenus tossed the light, little sculpture to Hadrian and leaned back in the armchair. Alichino and Aselia “Perceptive, aren’t you?” the man said with a playful grin. “It’s too bad you are wrong. In reality, the coin has left my hand, but has never had the time to fall back into it. If you were only to apply yourself, you would see that it is still in the air.” And indeed, the coin was hovering in mid-air just above the young man’s outstretched hand. It flickered uncertainly for a heartbeat and then plummeted downward into the waiting hand. The sailor’s fingers closed around the coin just as his eyes fell upon Aselia. “Ah, milady,” he said, giving the Konti a charming smile. “I see you have been admiring my little illusion. Of course, illusion is only a form of art and beautiful ladies are always drawn to beautiful art.” Just then, he seemed to sober from his jovial mood. He glanced briefly at Alichino and then returned his gaze to Aselia. “It is a shame you have come here, my dear. This ship is not a place for a delicate lady. There is too much danger on this ship – too much raw illusion, if you will. It plays with your vision, your hearing, your mind… The Azure Lady is a chunk of raw power all on her own and what with the people who are aboard…” The man shook his head gravely, his eyes locked on Aselia’s as if trying to communicate something without words. Then, the connection was broken and he was back to his flamboyant manner. “But I am forgetting my manners! I am Perian.” he said, giving a small bow to Alichino and Aselia. “But you two – and the other three passengers – are a strange bunch, aren’t you? What is a Konti doing in the company of humans and so far away from the island of Abura? And what is an acrobat – if I am correct in judging you by your appearance and manner – doing on a boring, old ship?”

[Elhaym]

No free ride huh? Well, that figures. The old man had told her this ship was taking passengers free of charge, but he was a little rusty. Pain absently reached behind her back to the over sized backpack the wore, patting a thick pouch on the side that contained a small sack of Mizas. The next few words from her odd hostess' mouth garnered a little more attention? Bottomless depths? What, did they think she was so feeble she would fall overboard? Pain squinted in the darkness, leaning forward to examine the woman's face. She looked like she was on something. When she began speaking to Derrick, Pain busied herself by adjusting the weight of her pack on her shoulders. It was close to fifty pounds, not exactly pleasant on the knees... Pain reached down and blindly fumbled, finally finding Tanny's soft fur and guiding him closer to her. He maneuvered himself in between her legs, where he laid down. Pain's ears caught a few words... Illusions, perspective, sinking... what the hell was this lady going on about? Just what exactly had she gotten herself into? And then the woman seemed to lose it. Halfway through her rabid dialog, Pain twisted her body around to look for the door. To hell with this. But, with the candle flickering wildly and the shadows seeming to overtake the room she couldn't make it out. She reached out blindly, feeling for the door. All she could feel were walls. Wasn't it just here? Or had she moved around more than she thought? Pain snapped her head around just in time to see the woman's head roll back and expose her thin neck, ranting and raving as though she were mad. Pain tried to control her temper. She wasn't in Syliras anymore, though she wasn't exactly far... but the fact remained that she wasn't on her home turf anymore. Still, she couldn't just stand here and listen to this like it was an everyday conversation. She had to do or say something. "Alright, I don't know what the petch is going on here..." Pain said, trying to steady her voice and keep the frost from overtaking it. Pain spoke simply, and her speech was lethargic on a good day. However, when stressed or upset, her voice took on a tone of stark contrast to the lethargy. "... but I think you need to tell us just what the hell is happening aboard this ship."

[Derric]

The woman had succeeded in capturing Derric's full attention, a simple feat, yet one that those scholars from Alvadas failed to achieve. What she said made sense, yet it did nothing to deter Derric from his original intentions as far as traveling to Alvadas went. Sure, take the excitement away from something and it becomes dull, having experienced Syliras first hand, the magician understood that. But, Alvadas is different, Derric assured himself, Nothing will grow boring there, because the perspective will never disappear. He pictured the city in his head once again. Oh, how grand it looked, how irresistibly beautiful. Besides, he added, not willing to give into the woman's discouraging speech, even if there is a chance that the 'perspective may disappear,' isn't that only a stronger reasoning to experience it while I can? No, even if the strange woman was trying to keep him away from the city, there wasn't anything she could do to change his stance. Derric was adamant in the fact that he would make it to Alvadas. That's when things went weird. Derric was still mulling over her previous words when the woman spoke again. “Trouble is brewing in Alvadas. The people are unhappy with the scholars and the scholars are dissatisfied with the people. Ionu has not made her presence known for too long. People are getting restless.” The pace of her words picked up, her eyes seemed to light up. The performer's initial thoughts of the woman returned to continue and haunt his head. She was utterly insane. She spoke of a plan, stating that it was not the first, not the last, and then she turned even crazier than before. “The fools! They think- they think…” she spoke while laughing like the madwoman that Derric was sure she was. “It will not end well. I told them! I told them they should not bring foreigners into this. But now- now they will see!” "... but I think you need to tell us just what the hell is happening aboard this ship." the other girl stole the words right from his mouth. What was going on? "Yes, I agree with the lady," Derric was indeed scared now, and despite his best efforts, he was sure that at least some of the fear leaked from his mask of composure, "What is going on? W-what fools? Why won't it end well? And, h-how could you possibly know that we are going to fail?" Derric hadn't stammered in a long time, but if there were ever a place to be afraid, it was here. This wasn't a simple boat ride anymore, nor was it at all similar to a performance. The boat had taken on the feeling of a coffin, and Derric couldn't have hated that feeling more.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian's eyes flicked to Curn at his protestation, observing how easily the elder scholar asserted his authority. The young enchanter wondered if he would ever have that effect on other people, or if he entirely wanted to. It might be better to be feared than loved, but that was a philosophical question to which he had no sure answer. And then, out of nowhere, he was being tested. He felt the adrenaline rush through his body as he reached out to catch the wooden sculpture, glad that he didn't fail immediately by dropping the thing. His physical coordination was not high, and his familiarity with the Flux was not so great and ingrained that he could speed himself up in the blink of an eye to make up for slow reflexes. When he turned the thing over in his pale, long-fingered hands, he was reminded of mathematics classes dealing with topology, of strange loops, Möbius strips, and Klein bottles, but this didn't seem like one of those, though such mind-bending objects would likely delight the scholars of Alvadas. After a few moments, it seemed his vaunted intellect and education had failed him, because he could not ascertain what was so special about it. Finally, he resorted to other measures, blinking once to engage his Auristic vision, which flicked up to observe Asperenus and Curn for a moment before turning back to the object in hand for a closer, more intimate look.

[Cadence]

OOC:Several of you have expressed concern that the quest is moving slowly and that you are all basically tied to this thread and its events until its end. Fortunately, you’re essentially split up into three groups, with the actions of each group being independent from the actions of the other groups for the time being. So, here is what we’ll do: I will post a reply once each member of a given group has posted. (Derric and Pain grouped together, Hadrian on his own, Alichino and Aselia grouped together). The three mini story-lines will eventually converge into one, but for now, we can keep the quest going without anyone having to rush or be kept waiting. Pain and Derric The woman’s laughter gradually died down, leaving her frail shoulders shaking with the aftershock. She adjusted her hair with trembling hands, attempting to stack it back up on her head and failing. “Everything is going on. People breathing. Gears turning in their heads. Only sometimes the gears are a little topsy turvy. One speeds up and the others don’t turn at the right pace,” she said, speaking slowly and clearly, as if explaining an obvious concept to children. “And then the machine breaks, but some of the gears keep going on.” She fell silent, clearly expecting realization to dawn on her listeners. When her explanation was greeted by blank expressions, she let out a dramatics sigh and muttered, “Those scholars are the fools. They thought brining foreigners into the land would cure it, but it will only make it worse. You humans never understand anything the first time it’s explained to you... The machine breaks and the gears keep turning, all you can see is the illusion behind your eyelids. Some call it being crazy, but it’s not crazy.” She leaned forward, her black tendrils falling across amethyst eyes. “Just dangerous. Especially when you’re on a ship in the middle of the sea.” “There are two people on board the Azure Lady – not including the five of you newcomers - whose gears have slipped from their rhythm.” She smiled then – a striking smile full of pure white teeth. “I am one of those people.” Derric and pain gradually became aware of a strong, flowery scent that was filling the room. It was as if they had suddenly been transported to a flower shop, where the smell of every rose was intensified tenfold. But under that overpowering aroma, there was another smell. It was very faint, almost imperceptible. It was the smell of decaying flesh. “You smell it, don’t you?” the woman cried out, almost jumping out of her chair in excitement. “Don’t you?! It’s starting! It’s starting!” She bent down toward a drawer on the side of the table, rummaging in it with trembling hands. When she straightened up, she held two small, glass bottles in her hands. Carefully, she placed them on the surface of the table and slid them across to the edge closest to Pain and Derric. The bottles appeared to contain water and only enough of it for one or two sips. “Sometimes the cure for illusion is more illusion. Drink if you want the cure,” she said, a mad grin spreading across her face. The smell of decaying flesh intensified. It would soon overpower the flowery fragrance. If Pain were to attempt to locate the door, she would realize – as Derric already had - that it was nowhere to be found. Hadrian When Hadrian’s glance momentarily fell across the scholars, he glimpsed a wavering, nervous energy gathering around Curn and an assertive cloud of liquid burgundy around Asperenus. But where his focus really lay was on the object before him. The object’s aura extended about two inches from its surface, wrapping itself around the wood in tendrils of pale blue. It had a distinct hum to it – a sound that seemed to appear in Hadrian’s mind without ever traveling through air. The object was magical, that much was obvious. However, before Hadrian could learn anything more about it, Asperenus’s voice cut through his concentration. “Typical of young students,” he said, shaking his head. “When you are asked what something is, you dig right in and try to rip it apart with every skill you’ve got until you get to the essence. That is not necessary. Auristics will not help you here. In Alvadas, perception is often more important than essence.” He paused, giving Hadrian a level stare. “Tell me what this represents, what it means to you, what it may mean to others... Most things in Alvadas cannot be analyzed through magical means, nor can their nature be understood simply by looking at them. You must always begin from a personal stand-point when-” A high-pitched screech cut through the air – loud and scathing, as if pieces of metal were being scraped together. It lasted for only a few seconds, but it was enough for Curn to yelp and cover his ears with his hands, his face a picture of pure terror. “Master! It’s-” he began. “Silence!” barked the Head Scholar, causing Curn to begin tearing at his hair once more. “Do not allow yourself to be distracted, Hadrian” Asperenus added in a much calmer voice. "Carry on with your analysis."

[Elhaym]

Pain stood in a state of disbelief. She really couldn't quite comprehend the woman's cryptic words, and was further confused by her insistence on referring to herself and Derric as humans. What was she, exactly? The smells were beginning to overtake her, assaulting her senses and slightly nauseating her. She liked flowers, the way they smelled... but this was as if they were being concentrated and poured into her nostrils by force. There was one thing... a hint of decay. Tanny was up now, moving about her feet and tugging on his leash. Pain realized that if Tanny could smell the same thing she could, it must be even more agonizing to him as his sense of smell was far keener than her own. Pain reached to her feet and scooped her old Dog into her arms, the leash hanging down in a flacid loop as she patted the fur on his back to calm him. Her eyes darted around the room... to the woman, and her sinister smile. To Derric, who seemed quite frightened himself, and then to the room itself. It looked different, but maybe it was just the low light. No, it was different. Something strange was happening here. Finally, her gaze settled on the vial of water she had slid towards Pain. Pain's first instinct was to hurl the vial at the woman's head, and jump across the table and throttle her. A helpless young traveler she was most certainly not, and she could handle just about any situation if it came to blows... but something was tugging at her self conscious, telling her that cracking the woman's head like an egg wouldn't be wise. Pain had surmised that this woman was most certainly not her friend, but she knew what was going on. Like it or not, knocking a few of those straight teeth out of her mouth would not help this situation. And the smell was growing more intense. Not the floral attribute, but the decaying one. It was bringing about bad memories. Pain had murdered three men not a season ago, and one of them she had watched burn alive... the smell of oil and flesh alike smoldering was a smell she hadn't wished to smell again. Though the odor wasn't quite at that level of wretchedness, Pain's nostrils could feel the intensity of it growing stronger by the second. Tanny was whimpering now. To hell with this. "I don't know what the petch is happening on this boat, but i'll tell you this you old hag." Pain said, snatching the vial on the left and bringing it level with her mouth. Pain worked the vial's lid off with her fingers while keeping it palmed in her hand, and flicked it onto the ground. She tilted her head back, and drank a good amount of the fluid before bringing it back down towards Tanny. Pain gently tilted it, and her dog instinctively lapped the remaining liquid from the container. "... and that's that I damn well am getting off this ship, cause I have a lot more important things to do down the line than to play riddle me this with you and every other whackjob on this damn fool boat." This much was true. Pain was headed to Lhavit, and not for sight seeing. She had a mission to accomplish, her destiny... but she had to figure out what do here and now first. That's why she had taken the path of least resistance. Now, she stumbled backwards until she felt the wall touch her shoulder blades. She leaned there, clutching Tanny to her chest and eyeing Derric. He didn't look to be faring too well. She half expected to drop dead here and now from poison, but she waited... waited for whatever that weird drink she had just ingested to take it's course... whatever that would be.

[Hadrian]

The screech brought his hands instinctively to his ears, but it was gone so quickly that he almost could have imagined it. Asperenus bade him continue, and so he sucked in a breath, dipping his head in respect for the elder scholar's learning. "As you say. I will attempt to alter the way I have been trained to think," he said, though there had always been something of the maverick to his thinking, at least so far as his magical construction was concerned. "I..." He looked at it again, noted the aura, meditated on what that meant to him. "What it represents to me? It represents a challenge. There is magic to it, but its nature eludes me at the moment. It is a beautiful sculpture that bends the eye, alluring and hinting at secrets it chooses not to divulge or, if you prefer I not anthropomorphize it, what secrets its crafter chose not to divulge with ease. To me," he continued in the vein Asperenus had asked, "it represents Alvadas; a fanciful thing that is not what it seems. "What it might represent to others? I hesitate to speak for anyone other than myself, but perhaps it is a tool with some other purpose than confounding an enchanter and anthropologist too big for his britches." He spread his free hand and, with the other, held it out for the scholars to take. It was surely not a gift. "What is it, then?" he asked. "And what was that noise?"

[Derric]

He'd completely tuned out everything, except the bottle. Derric stared at what looked to be an innocent liquid with such an intensity that the smell of decay seemed to lessen. He was so focused that he failed to notice Pain's next actions. But, in his eyes, when it came to what could be a life or death situation, such focus was unavoidable. Thoughts raced through his head, and, to Derric's dismay, none of them especially pleasant. Every cell in Derric's body screamed for him to take the bottle and smash it against the ground, and he knew the logical choice would be to listen. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Why not? The liquid could be any sort of poison, why would it be so important, so seemingly essential, to consume? The performer, however, all ready knew the answer. If this woman had even an inkling of sanity left in her being, then she was their only hope to fixing whatever problem was at hand. Or, at least, whatever that problem may be. If there are any more answers to be found, drinking that poison will be necessary. And, that was that. If the city that he'd always dreamed of visiting was in danger, what choice did he have? With a swift movement, Derric picked up the bottle, downing it in a gulp, and wiped the remains with his sleeve. "Well... That wasn't too bad." He continued his attempts to remain confident, however the words held no true value. Derric had no way of knowing whether or not he'd be alive by the next bell. "All right then," Derric worked to regain the confident tone that he'd trained so hard to keep in all situations, "we did what you asked. I feel that it is only fair for you to answer more questions." There were a thousands things he wanted to ask. Who was the other person like her? What is the machine? What's that smell? But, he also knew that he was in no position to make demands. She had failed to truly answer any questions this far, and upsetting her too much could result in much worse circumstances. Derric chose what was probably the most obvious choice. The question that could lead to all other questions. Yet, at the same time, he'd be far more than relieved to have it answered at all. "Tell us then. What, exactly, is starting?" And, the performer thought, adding to the mental list that housed the hundreds of questions racing through his head, why did I just drink that?

[Cadence]

Pain and Derric The liquid was as tasteless as it looked and it was only after Pain, Derric, and Tanny had swallowed it that they began to feel a dull burning at the back of their throats. It was too mild to be called painful. The sensation was rather similar to the firs sip of alcohol. But what followed was not a drunk’s hallucination. The room jolted, every shape and color shivering uncertainly and settling back into place. Except, everything appeared a bit skewed, as if reality wasn’t quite sure where it had put everything before the jolt. The desk appeared to have slid a few inches across the floor and the room didn’t look quite as dark. It wasn’t that there was more light, just a lessening of the darkness. The strong odor that had been assaulting everyone’s senses just a few seconds ago had vanished, leaving the room smelling as if it had just been doused by a pail of water. “I am not so old,” the woman retorted in a hurt tone of voice. There was the feeling of moist cleanliness in the air, the kind one experiences right after it had rained… Except, it hadn’t rained, had it? There was no water dripping down from the ceiling. On the contrary, the water was coming up from between the floorboards. At first, all the humans could feel was something moist seeping through their shoes. But if they were to look down, they would see that small puddles were beginning to form on the floor of the captain’s cabin. “The storm of illusion is starting,” she replied matter-of-factly, as if the answer was the most obvious one in the world. “The other one on this ship who has the power to bend illusion to his will is doing so. He is attempting to have the minds of everyone abroad crumble under his will.” The woman smiled again, but this time, her teeth appeared sharper and much more deadly. “You have drunk an antidote of sorts. With luck, you will succumb to a different kind of illusion.” The woman stood up from behind the table, picking her robe up by the edges so that it would not come in contact with the wet floor. Standing up at her full height, she appeared younger, more elegant, and less shriveled. In the lighter surroundings, Derric and Pain could make out spidery grey veins running along the pale skin of her face and down her neck. The water was rising rapidly and by the time the woman had finished talking it had reached just below Pain and Derric’s knees. “I should have introduced myself earlier. I am Senessa Avenca if it matters.” And with those final words, the woman was gone. Once couldn’t say that the woman disappeared. There was no dramatic pop, no swirling mist, no obvious rearranging of the room’s djed... The woman simply vanished from Derric and Pain’s sight. One moment she was standing behind the desk and the next moment she was gone, leaving behind the subtle notion that she might not have ever been there at all. Meanwhile, the room’s water level continued to rise. Hadrian “Ah!” Asperenus exclaimed triumphantly, his usually impassive face splitting into a smile. “Indeed, this sculpture is a direct representation of Alvadas. It also happens to be one of the most prized possessions of the Scholarly Abode. It is said that the architects who built the foundation of Alvadas used this piece of wood as part of their blueprint for the city. Alvadas cannot be mapped. Its use of Djed cannot be documented. There is no three-dimensional model that can represent its buildings. This little sculpture was once part of a greater one that signified the essence of the city – the magic, physical proportions, and feelings that the architects wanted the city to convey. Unfortunately, there are only written records of the sculpture as a whole. Nobody has ever seen it with all the pieces in place and nobody ever will. It is speculated that the piece was broken into twenty fragments. Three are in the possession of the Scholarly Abode and five more are owned by certain people in Alvadas. As far as we know, this one does not possess any magical abilities, though it houses a singular amount of Djed.” The Head Scholar took back the little wooden sculpture and deposited it back into the folds of his robe. “In fact, we now use it to do exactly that – test prospective scholars. You’ll be happy to know that you passed, though not with flying colors, as the expression goes.” Asperenus’s brow furrowed at the mention of the strange noise. “That noise signaled the beginning of a storm. There are two people abroad this ship who process very impressive illusionary powers. We were lead to believe that they would not be showcasing them during this trip, but it appears that we were led astray. I believe that one of these people will work very hard to destroy us by means of this storm. The other person might try to protect us or she might not.” He spoke so calmly and matter-of-factly that the implications of what he said were almost lost. But even if Hadrian hadn’t gleamed the full implication of the matter, he would understand the seriousness of the situation by the terrified look on Curn’s face. “Are you saying we’re going to die?” wailed the deputy scholar, dropping all pretences at courtesy and deference. “Not at all. I am only saying that the raw illusion floating around this ship may overpower our minds and essentially break our understanding of reality,” Asperenus answered patiently. Just as he finished speaking, another sharp sound cut through the air, this one lasting longer than the first. The sound was followed by a series of bright, flashing lights that temporarily blinded everybody in the room. When the brightness faded, Hadrian was the only one left in the room. The scholars were gone as was all of the furniture. All that was left was a bare room, a glaring absence of a door, and a subtle scent of rotting flesh.