• Closed • And What of Chuckles and Wilma the Wonder-Weed?

[Woe]

45th of Vhalar 722

Woe was busy in the kitchen of the oft-neglected townhouse in Scalvoristown. The place was well enough kept, probably attended to by Sage, who'd chosen to stay on and live there, making it her primary residence and also serving as a bit of a house sitter. Woe imagined she was probably disgruntled at this point, with he only appearing when he needed help training his animals or else his dragonling experienced a strange tic or cough that he couldn't identify. His appearance were rare enough that he felt a touch self-conscious, and wished to remain silent for the most part as he hurried about the space.

He had in mind to bring Doran something again this time. Last it had been a box full of tea blends. Now he thought to bring something more refined and interesting. Appropriate to the season, as well.

There was brewed apple cider on the counter, something he'd picked up from Beacon's market on his way to the town. This was put into a kettle, and then with some sticks of cinnamon, special herbal blend to bring out the sweetness like ginseng and ginger. He hoped that wasn't objectionable to Doran's taste. Some people did have a burning hatred for ginger, but Woe only included a dash of it in the mixture on the kettle.

He left it to heat, and absorb the essence of the various herbs in its pot.

He had such a rushed journey, as he sat in the arm chair near the kitchen, he might've been forgiven for dozing off in it. Only the whistle served to awaken him, and probably alerted the other occupant of the house into the bargain. He snapped into action, grabbing the kettle off the flame and then dousing the coals. The smoke, coupled with the whistling of the kettle and Woe's rushing like a mad bull seemed to create a stir in the floors above the kitchen. Woe knew then he'd woken up Sage. So he didn't dash immediately, but stood still for a few bits for her to get dressed, and then to face the music.



Sage arrived sure enough in the bits that followed, dressed in hunting leathers and a woolen cloak. her clothing had green accents, a she seemed to prefer whether for practicality, personal taste, or both, he never knew. She stood with her hand on her hip as she leaned against the threshold. A signal in Euthic that he wasn't entirely sure of, except to say that it probably was Euthic sign. "Well well. What did the bat drag in?"

"Hello Sage." Woe said, smiling through his angst. "I... I didn't mean to wake you, but was in town and preparing some mulled cider for a friend."

"I'm a friend." Sage said, smiling mischeivously. "Thanks!"

"Oh... I..." Woe began to say, but then changed courses radically, seeing no way out of bringing Sage along with him on his errand to Doran's place. "I wanted to ask if you would join me. I have a friend, you may know the Devout, Doran Thetys? He apparently has acquired Effigy. I thought since I have business unrelated to that, you might enjoy learning more about other dragons?"

Sage eyed him carefully. Then shook her head, as she poured herself a little thumb out of the bottle he'd brought along for the mulled cider. "Caught you in the act? It's okay..." She took a swig of the cider, and winced. "A little too sweet and spicy for me."

"Good though." She winked at him.

"But you will join me? I think Devout Thetys would be interested to hear about your own experiences in the lair of a slumbering Dragon."

"I doubt it." Sage shrugged, "But maybe he will."

"I think he will, Doran has a very interesting way of looking at things that may seem pedestrian and ignorable to the rest of us." Woe took up the bottle, corking it again as its contents continued to chill. "So you will?"

With a small mention and indication that she'd be riding on the back of Soz again, she agreed. And they flew off, toward Doran's Lighthouse.

They arrived at the entrance, leaving Soz a good ways behind. The dragonling breathed a cloud of shadow, to take shelter in. Yet, once Woe and Sage came to the door to knock on it, it poked its head out of the cloud, its green eyes taking in the view of whoever answered.

[Doran]

Some people likely thought that Doran’s life was far too busy and wondered how he managed – he was a Dean in Viden and the Devout of Scalvoris, and he taught alchemy and swordsmanship in both cities on top of it – but Doran found the life that he had now relaxing and pleasant. It was a good life, and far preferable to what he had had when he had been the Hero of Oscillus, that misguided, broken man. All the work barely felt like work at all because he did something that he loved, something that he was passionate about.

That particular trial, he was sitting at a table on the deck behind the house and revising his lesson plans. He preferred to do so outside where he could feel the breeze on his face and could smell the nearby ocean – that close to it, the air was salty and smelled cleaner somehow. Around him, the leaves of the trees slowly changed color, and some of the bushes bore berries. Neither his employees nor he possessed the knowledge to garden properly; whatever was in the garden had been left behind by the previous owner or just started to grow one trial.

When he worked for the university or the Council, Doran usually wore fine suits; in his own home, he was dressed more casually though, in black pants and a black shirt, with a blue vest, but no suit jacket and no tie or anything like that. He also spoiled himself a little, something that he had not done before. There was a cup of fine coffee as well as a bowl with raisin cookies that his mortal cook Elias had baked on a tray in front of him. He had just pushed his papers aside and grabbed one of them when Woe and Sage arrived, unknown to him – the front door was some distance away from where he was now.

~~~

Unlike his employer, Elias noticed Woe’s and Sage’s arrival. When Woe knocked on the door, the mortal – a dark-haired Etzori of about fourty arcs of age – opened it almost immediately, only in order to make a step back when the dragonling poked his head out of the cloud. He knew that Doran had a similar companion, but it was still a great surprise.

A moment later, Elias cleared his throat and told Woe who he had met before, “Lord Doran is currently behind the house. I will inform him of your arrival immediately. Ma’am”, he said to Sage and inclined his head politely. He couldn’t help but wonder who she was – the Egg’s wife or just one of his employees? – but he realized that it would be inappropriate to ask. Woe Morandi’s private life was none of his business.

So, provided that Sage and Woe didn’t have anything to say, he quickly left to get Doran, casting one last glance at the dragonling as he did so and shaking his head slightly.

Before long, Doran himself appeared. Upon seeing Woe, he smiled lightly, inclined his head and remarked, “Mister Morandi, it’s good to see you again. I still remember our shared investigation quite fondly. What brings you here, if I may ask?” he wanted to know and paused for a few moments in order to give Woe the opportunity to answer before he continued,

“I was just enjoying a small snack on the deck. If you’d like, your companion and you are free to join me”, he said and nodded at Sage before his gaze fell on the dragonling.

Unlike Elias, he didn’t step back, or looked obviously surprised. He was too disciplined for that. He simply raised an eyebrow very lightly before he remarked, “I see that you have a dragonling as well. I’d very much like to hear more about your own experiences with dragons sometime. Shall I ask one of my employees to give your dragonling something to eat? Harold is quite used to such beings by now”, he added in order to reassure Woe – not everybody was competent when it came to dragonlings, after all.

[Woe]

Date- Location

As Elias addressed both he and Sage, Woe wondered at the honorific that Elias styled Doran with. Lord? Was Doran now a part of the nobility? Not of Scalvoris, surely, as they had no aristocracy. Perhaps he'd been given a title in Viden then? But Woe wasn't about to pry Elias for the information. He would wait for a good moment with Doran to ask him about it, if his curiosity persisted in the wake of whatever conversation they'd have.

As Elias left them, Sage turned to Woe. "So this Doran, he's like you? He has a dragon gift?"

Woe shook his head, "More than that, if rumors can be trusted, he bears the effigy of one."

"Like you." Sage stated flatly.

"Yes... er yes like me." Woe admitted. He did wonder which dragon had given its gift to Doran. That much was unknown to him, and surely would be of interest to Sage herself.

It didn't take too long for Doran to arrive at the entrance, where they waited for him. "Hello Lord Doran." Woe said, uncertain of himself and his etiquette, if it was proper to refer to him in such formal terms. "This is Sage. She's... She's my er..."

She smiled, sticking out her hand to offer to Doran. "I'm his assistant of sorts. I help him out with his menagerie. Including his dragonling..." She jerked her other arm to indicate with a thumb the dragonling that peered out from several yards out, behind them. Soz was still ensconced in her shadowy cloud, with her head sticking out, peering at all that was going on.

"Soz likes red meat and greens, if you have any." Sage stated, "If you have any toxins on hand, she loves adding those to her meals... Not to worry, toxins do not harm Kutzeldaurs."

Woe recovered from his stint of awkwardness, in introducing Sage. "I brought a gift," He said, handing over the bottle of mulled cider that he'd prepared earlier. "It's best served hot, but can also be served cold if you wish. I was hoping we could speak about matters of mutual interest regarding the council, and also of the investigation. I regret not touching base with you last season, and wanted to rectify that if I can. Although I suppose the truth will wait without moving. What happened with the sisters is still in the past."

Woe cleared his throat. "I think we'd both enjoy some lunch, if you'd be so gracious. Thank you."

Sage was the next to speak, "I have heard that you have a dragon gift, and effigy. I'm very interested in learning all there is to about dragons of all kinds..."

Woe explained, "She's something of a dragon enthusiast."

"We can talk about it inside, if you'd have us?"

[Doran]

“I’m pleased to meet you, Sage”, Doran replied in a calm and polite tone of voice and proceeded to shake the woman’s hand. “Harold, the employee that I mentioned to you before, helps me with my own menagerie. The two of you might have something in common. If you are interested, I can introduce you to each other so that you can discuss the finer points of handling dragonlings”, he offered. Having said that, he cast another glance at the dragonling while he listened to her explanation.

He stood still and tried to appear friendly and non-threatening so that the creature would realize that it could trust him. Judging by what he had learned so far, dragonlings were fairly intelligent, so it was entirely possible that Woe’s companion was observing him as much as he was observing it – or her. Apparently, he realized, his winged visitor was female.

Upon hearing that the dragonling that was named Soz – which was an unusual name in his opinion to say the least – ate toxins, he furrowed his brow slightly before he remarked, “I can see if I can find anything suitable in my laboratory. Is there a particular brand of toxins that she prefers?” he wanted to know. “I have some medicines that could be considered toxins as well as certain toxic chemicals”, he offered. He wanted to be a good host; and besides, he was curious about Soz and her habits.

Apparently, not all kinds of dragonlings were the same, in spite of the fact that they had a lot in common appearance-wise. His Kaldvind would probably not appreciate it if he fed him toxins, for example. He’d never tried it, but he had the suspicion that he would just get sick.

“We could share this”, Doran offered and smiled slightly when Woe handed him the cider. “As for lunch – I was just eating some cookies, but …”

“Lunch is almost ready, my lord”, Elias who had been standing some distance away and listening quietly interjected. “I made beef, with broccoli, soy sauce and almonds. I can easily prepare two more plates”, he offered as it would be rude to give Woe something to eat, but not Sage. “Unless you have allergies? Mister Morandi? Ma’am?”

“I’d appreciate that, Elias”, Doran said to his servant and inclined his head before he turned to face Woe again and gestured for him to follow him. “Perhaps, you could tell me which council business exactly you want to discuss while we wait for Elias to bring our food?” he asked and raised an eyebrow. “As for our investigation, I’d love to continue it, if you have time. I quite enjoyed working together with you last season.”, he admitted and smiled very lightly.

“As for your interest in dragons, Sage”, he said, addressing Woe’s companion. “I’d love to tell you more about my expedition to the lands behind the barrier and my encounter with Frosvinndur. As for talking about it inside, if you prefer it that way, I can ask one of my servants to set the table in the living room for us, although it’s quite pleasant on the deck at the moment. I don’t have any direct neighbours, so people listening to us won’t be a problem”, he added in case Woe and Sage were worried about that before he asked, “Oh, and would you like to see my own dragonling later on?”

[Woe]

Sage took his hand and nodded at his invitation to share what she knew of dragonlings and their care with Doran's own stablemaster. "I'd like that. Maybe..." Woe thought for a moment she was going to ask to see the dragonling right away, but she must've stopped herself as she glanced at him, and then said little more than, "Yes!"

Woe shrugged at her, and let Doran take the cider. "It has alcohol in it, just fair warning." Woe said. "I don't typically drink early in the day, but I suppose a small amount might be alright. As long as Sage takes the rider's seat on Soz."

Sage rolled her eyes, but nodded. "Yeah, none for me thanks..."

Soz did indeed have a glimmer of intelligence as it regarded Doran. It's face had an intimidating mein to it, but also one of nobility. It embodied fear and courage in equal measure, it should be said. Two aspects that while not necessarily the same, often were complimentary to each other. Some people made the mistake of presuming they were opposites. But Woe knew better.

"Whatever fodder or meat you have for him will do, but she does like any kind of toxins to go with it. It helps with Kutzeldaur digestion, so I'm led to believe." Woe nodded and then they were let in, he followed after Doran. He was surprised as the swiftness with which the servant of Doran had prepared lunch. It seemed he'd not entered any sooner than the meal was prepared. It was remarkable, or perhaps bad timing? "I'm sorry, again I hope I didn't interrupt your day. I have a bad habit of arriving unannounced, so I'm led to believe."

Sage snickered under her breath at that. But said no more as they were led along through Doran's house.

"Yes, particularly the spiritual aspects, and issues involving the spirits. I think there might be a connection there, that I hadn't perceived immediately. But now that I think of it, Wanda the Wonder Weed, as it was described by the Memorial tree, seems spiritual in nature. I'm led to believe that Vega might have more information on this as a participant in that whole episode of the docks collapse."

Woe held up a finger to the air, and then went on, "Or, we can investigate that La Fleur woman at the library, to figure out if she has any relation to the sisters or to our former hostess."

Once they'd gotten to wherever it was Doran was bringing them, Sage would reply to his invitation, "Yes! I want to hear everything!" She blurted with youthful enthusiasm, at the idea of meeting with the dragonling of Doran's. "I mean, if it isn't any trouble, I'd love to meet your dragonling. What do you call them?"

If Doran was leading them to a dining area, Woe and Sage would take seats opposite each other, to make it easier to converse among each of them.

[Doran]

“I have a decent tolerance for alcohol”, Doran replied when Woe warned him that the cider had alcohol in it and allowed a light smile to cross his face for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders. He had not used to drink much before, but some of Llyr’s habits had rubbed off on him. These trials, he loved to relax in front of the fireplace in the evening, a glass of fine liquor in his hand and a book on his lap, usually on mythology or the great heroes of Idalos, some of whom he had had the pleasure to have met.

“As for interrupting my trial”, he said once they were in the tastefully furnished dining room, and Woe’s dragonling had been taken care of. “I don’t mind unannounced visitors at all. On the contrary, I appreciate a little surprise every now and then. Some of my most interesting visitors arrived unannounced”, he explained. Even one of his own patron Immortals had just shown up in his home one trial, but he didn’t elaborate on any of those encounters as they weren’t relevant to the matter at hand.

Instead, he gestured for his guests to sit down before he did the same. He sat with his back straight and his hands folded on the table in front of him, the expression on his face one of friendly curiosity.

“Wilma”, he corrected Woe in a calm tone of voice when he talked about Wanda the Wonder Weed.

“We could visit Mrs. Creede and talk to her”, he agreed and inclined his head very lightly when Woe mentioned that Vega might have more information. “There is someone with me who might be able to help us right now though.”

“Do you know Chuckles, the flame entity? Did you drink the vial when we attended the feast in Telka?” he asked. If Woe had done so, he would know what had happened in the Glass Temple and thus there would be no need to explain who Chuckles was.

“Shortly after our last meeting, I remembered something that he said”, he continued once he had given Woe some time to answer. “The men in the masks, they sacrificed to the ScalvFlame, believing that they could harness it. They sought to strengthen the chains around the Induks, but The Hat-Man Arlo killed the Death Forged Rose, and they did not succeed in their quest”, he repeated what the flame entity had said.

“The four exist in balance. But the Forged has another balance: life and death. In the Heart of Scalvoris, where the ScalvFlame lives, there is a central flame, the one that Wilma the Wonder Weed sought to extinguish”, he continued before he offered, “I can call Chuckles once we’ve eaten, in case you want to hear the story from him as well. Chuckles also accompanied the Augustins, Varlum and me to Frosvinndur”, he said and cast a glance at Sage who was so interested in learning about dragons.

It was just then that Elias arrived with their food. He set a porcelain plate down in front of each one of them, followed by napkins and fine silver forks and knives. If Woe and Sage gave the food a taste, they would likely find it delicious. Elias was a cook of far above average skill.

“Can you also bring us something to drink, please?” Doran asked his servant. “And empty glasses so that we can share the cider”, he added before he turned to his guests again.

“Of course, Lord Doran”, Elias replied and bowed.

“It took me a long time to come up with a name that is fitting for such a magnificent creature”, Doran admitted when Sage wanted to know what he called his dragonling. “Nothing seemed to be good enough. In the end, I decided to settle for something very simple, Snow, because he is a creature of the far north, a child of ice and snow”, he said and shrugged his shoulders before he ate some of the food.

“Did you know that domain magic doesn’t work behind the barriers and that Mortalborn slowly die?” he asked Sage once he had set the fork down again and raised an eyebrow slightly. Sage had professed an interest in hearing more about his expedition, and he was quite willing to accommodate her. “Mrs. Augustin made a potion for those of us that were of Immortal blood, but we only had a limited amount of it. That was not the only challenge we faced though. The waters were quite turbulent – the barrier that we crossed is located in the ocean – and it’s cold on the other side, and what more, the very air is different. Chuckles told me so. There was something different about him as well when we were there. Back then, I wasn’t as proficient at perceiving things that cannot be seen as I am now though.”

Having admitted that, he filled a bit of cider into the glasses that Elias had brought in the meantime.

“You also mentioned Effigy”, he remembered. “I bear Frosvinndur’s, Effilgy, of course. If it interests you, both of you”, he said and nodded at Woe. “I can show you one or two abilities. I have to admit, I’m also interested in how you and my powers differ though”, he admitted, addressing Woe. What was the other man capable of, how exactly did the different Effigies differ, and why were they different from each other?

[Woe]

Doran referencing his ability to handle alcohol was a slight amusement to Woe. While Woe had rarely been a heavy drinker, more an intermittent drinker, he now had the power to resist the toxicity of alcohol entirely by virtue of his gift from Kuvarakh. It would be a mixed blessing, he had to admit, for one who thrived on the effects of drunkeness, or even sought it out. But then, Woe doubted that Kuvarakh would mark one such as that. Not that Doran was one of those. Just an idle observation that sprung to mind as Woe considered the cider changing hands.

"I've only just visited Vega trials ago, to touch base on... another matter of importance between us." Woe said, clearing his throat, "I'd hate to overstay my welcome in Sweetsong, but I'd encourage you to visit her and enquire on these matters at your leisure. If there are other matters I can aid in investigating while you do that, perhaps we could split our investigation momentarily? I could for instance investigate the Scalvflame, or the Scalvoris Mountains for their location."

"No I never drank the vial... as far as I remember. If I did, I've already forgotten the details, so you might as well give me a refresher." Woe listened then as Doran explained what the masked men had intended for the Scalvflame. He then asked if Woe would like to question Chuckles. Woe wasn't sure what he could say to interrogate that Doran would've overlooked, as the Devout was known as a very effective investigator. Then again different perspectives were always useful. "Perhaps I'll have questions for him that may not have occurred to you? In any event, I'm intrigued to meet Chuckles."

"The balance? Yes, typically the elemental forces, the four winds... they are seen in groups of four across cultures that I've encountered." Woe said, thinking deeply on it. He had spent some time in Ne'haer, and so by osmosis had absorbed some information there. "The four corners, are on a flat plane of west, east, north, south, see? While life and death may reference up and down? The value of altitude, or z as it's known in mathematics."

"Just an idle thought, I don't know if it has any relevance here... But perhaps Chuckles can elaborate." Woe said to Doran.

Woe sampled some of the food that was brought out, almost entirely too promptly for Woe to not realize that the cooking had probably already begun before he walked in the door. He was suddenly more aware of how intrusive his visit may have seemed to anyone less gracious than Doran was.

"Snow is a good name. I'm famously terrible at naming things. Botany for my dog, Soz for my dragonling, Beans for my dragonet." Woe smirked, to think on the names he'd given them. "Names are just one of those things that grow on one. I've considered taking names other than Woe, after being freed from slavery... But in the end, I decided to own up to it. I think its suitable."

Sage was mostly, and uncharacteristically silent as the two spoke, but nodded at appropriate moments. "I would enjoy relating any information I can to my confinement with Kuvarakh, your Excellency." Sage didn't know if that was the proper honorific for the Devout but supposed it'd have to do. "And that's very fascinating about Frosvinndur."

When Doran expressed an interest in what could be done with Woe's effigy, he smiled. Suddenly, a pair of horns grew from his temples, long and dragon-like, they extended about half a foot before terminating at a sharp point. He had used his effigy ability of Solid Shadow to incorporate that feature from his shadow into his own body. "I have an ability to manipulate and create shadow. As well as toxins, fears, and courage."

Woe nodded at Doran, "Care to put on a demonstration of your own? Or is that not advisable?"

[Doran]

“Splitting our investigation, at least for a while, would be a good idea”, Doran replied in a calm tone of voice. “While you investigate the Scalvflame, or the Scalvoris Mountains, I could talk to Mrs. Creede again, or pay Rose, the librarian, a visit. I’m still not sure if she is in any way related to Raine, but she might know something or have books for us. She was quite helpful during the Forging”, he pointed out. Rose LeFleur was often overlooked in favour of the other people that had been part of those fateful events which just wasn’t right in his opinion. She deserved as much attention and as much fame as the heroes that had been out there, in the field, in his opinion. Her books had saved lives.

“Tell me if anything is unclear, or if I provide you with too much or too little information”, Doran remarked when Woe told him that he had not drunk the vial before he summarized what had happened in the Glass Temple, especially in regard to Chuckles.

Once he had finished, Doran considered what Woe had said about the number four. He was an exceptionally skilled investigator, perhaps one of the most skilled investigators in all of Idalos, but there were things that he didn’t consider, on a more or less regular basis.

Different people asked different questions and looked at a problem from different angles, which was one of the reasons why he was so glad to be working together with Woe.

Their skills and their perspectives complemented each other well.

“X and Y represent the first two dimensions, and Z represents the third dimension”, Doran murmured and stroke his bearded chin thoughtfully. He had never studied mathematics beyond what was absolutely necessary – which was perhaps strange for a scientist like him – but he knew at least that much. “I’m pretty sure that it’s relevant in some way. Almost universally, the number four stands four that which can be touched and felt while the number six deals with balance, both physically and spiritually”, he told Woe – while mathematics were neither his forte nor of particular interest to him, he was familiar with matters of symbolism and mythology.

The latter constituted one of his favourite pastimes.

“Same here”, he said when Woe admitted that he was famously terrible at naming things and laughed, a genuine laughter that showed that he was quite relaxed. Woe was worried about his visit being intrusive, but Doran certainly didn’t mind. “I haven’t named some of my animals yet, and I haven’t named most of my inventions either. Botany is an interesting name though. I’d love to hear the story behind it sometime, if there is one”, he remarked – Botany was definitely one of the more unique dog names he’d heard.

It was also far superior to “Rover”, “Bello”, “Buddy” and the likes in his opinion.

“You may share anything you like with Kuvarakh”, Doran said to Sage and inclined his head.

That being said, he turned to face Woe again as the man had apparently agreed to a demonstration. He was a very disciplined man and had seen a lot over the course of his exceptionally long life, but he didn’t know what to expect in this particular case, and thus his eyebrows rose noticeably when the other man suddenly grew a pair of long horns.

“Most fascinating”, he admitted and looked at Woe with interest. “Tell me though, Mister Morandi, what do your new horns have to do with toxins and the manipulation of shadows? And I hope you don’t mind the question, but are those horns heavy? Do they hinder you in any way?” he wanted to know. That was always an interesting question when it came to body parts that had been the result of magic, blessings or something similar. They didn’t always function the way their natural counterparts did.

When Woe asked him for a demonstration of his own, he complied immediately, pulled back his sleeves and extended his arms. Before long, crystalline claws that resembled a Kaldvind’s began to cover his hands. “I have other abilities as well, but for the purpose of this demonstration, I decided on something a little showier”, Doran explained in a very dry tone of voice. “Unless you happen to have crystals I can consume?” he continued and raised an eyebrow slightly – that was the other ability that could be considered showy in his opinion; he didn’t think Sage or Woe would appreciate being trapped in a crystal, for example. Some abilities just weren’t suited for a demonstration.

In any case, once Sage and Woe had taken a good look at the claws – he would even let them touch them if they wanted to – he dismissed them again and took a sip from his cider, finding the taste quite excellent. Eventually, he told Elias to set up a fire bowl nearby though.

He thanked his servant, and then he produced what looked like a stone heart and explained to Sage and Woe, “If I put this into a fire, no big or small it is, Chuckles will appear.”

“Let me know when you are ready”, he asked.



OOC: You may assume that Chuckles appears and address him – provided that Sage and Woe want to talk to him now.

[Woe]

“I’d like to focus my attention on the Scalvoris Mountains, given I’m based in Egilrun it is a more convenient locale for me to investigate. Although there are rumors, or perhaps I misheard something I saw once, that the Scalvflame is in the Scalvoris Mountains. I’m unsure either way about the former. So I will investigate the Scalvoris Mountains and Slag’s Deep as well.”

Woe thought that Doran had a good idea for what he should investigate. “Perhaps if you investigate the Scalvflame, it will lead our paths to cross again on this investigation.” Woe thought that Lefleur was an interesting point to investigate as well. Her name certainly couldn’t be coincidence, even if only a distant relation. And he was confident that Doran could get through to her, and find out the truth of it, one way or another.

“You’ve been nothing but crystal clear.” Woe assured Doran.

“That’s interesting… I’m not much of a scientist and don’t know much about geometry. To me, four represents the four cardinal directions, or perhaps the basic elemental forms of fire, air, water, and earth.”

He shrugged. He suspected that Doran would have more to say and had forgotten more about the elements as an accompliished alchemist than Woe would ever know.

Sage was mostly silent during their conversation ongoing, until Doran said she could share whatever she wished with Kuvarakhk, should she hear from him again. She nodded to him. “Botany was named for the perils we faced together in Quacia, against the Creep. The less said of that horrific entity, perhaps the better. Although I’m daresay a fire spirit such as Chuckles may have been of some help in the fight. I hired Balthazar Black to help in the fight, and we saved who and what we could in the process”

“My horns?” Woe asked. “I believe they’re tied to the courage facet of Kuvarakh. He perhaps paradoxically embodies both terror and courage. I have other powers derived from that facet of the dragon. I can remove fear upon touch. I’ve used this in dreams, to escape from nightmare creatures in the dream world. It also has the unfortunate and precarious effect of making the person touched lucid and into a dreamwalker. So I only use it sparingly in that way.”

Woe’s face betrayed nothing in the way of surprise when Doran showed him his ‘claws’ so to speak. It was undeniable, that his power was very showy and… “Impressive. They must be very sharp.”

He chuckled, “I don’t have any crystals on me, I’m afraid.”

Now it came time to summon Chuckles, and so with that, Woe posed just one question to start them off. “Hello Chuckles. I’m honored to meet a Scalvoris spirit.”

“My question for you is thus: What are the significance of those masks, and those who wear them who attacked Vega, the Albarech, and others?”

[Woe]

Without much fanfare or flash, Chuckles appeared to the two mortalborn. He seemed to ponder Woe's question a moment or two, and then began his answer. "We do not know why mortals wear masks. But those shapes, upon the masks on the assailants... They were worn by people sworn to protect the Scalvflame and the Heart once upon a time."

Woe frowned at that, wondering. "And they were turned from that purpose? How?"

"They were turned from that purpose by Wilma the Wonder Weed. Over the course of several mortal lifetimes.... Hmmm I'm not sure how much time passed in your mortal arcs, but several generations did pass for the corruption to reach full circle. Eventually the wearing of masks was done by those of Scalvoris, but then more people around the world began wearing them, as time went."

Woe nodded. Then they were gainined converts, or the outsiders had a part in the corrruption that played out over generations? This was interesting, and brought to light some of the points raised by the Crafters, who railed against the influence of foreigners. He wondered now if the Crafters had a point or if this was merely happenstance. Chuckles didn't seem to think it was important so Woe wasn't convinced it was either. Perhaps the Crafters were wrong.

"They tried to murder the Albarech and Vega because they needed their sacrifice to become teh Death-Forged rose. Because Wilma the Wonder Weed was dead."

Here, Woe had to be careful to phrase his question well, because he didn't want to risk leaving any important bits out. Spirits of nature had a strange way of describing things, and attributed importance and unimportance to odd things. He didn't want anything to be left out by carelessness or chance.

"Who or what is Wilma the Wonder Weed? Why did they corrupt these protectors of the Scalvflame?"

Chuckles seemed to ruminate for a moment, flecks of flame scattering over his surface, "Wilma was the corruption given form and Wilma sought to extinguish the Scalv-flame. Wilma was killed by Vega and was the <fire-demon*> that spoke into Vegas mind and killed the child. It sought an avatar but most were simply burned up when it tried to take them (like the child was). Vega fought it mentally and that meant that she could fight it physically. Wilma was the one who burned and ate souls and who fed on death.

Wilma is the death-forged rose."