[DTA 28/03/22] Amble's Drinking Problem (CW) + Fungus Chat
Mar 28, 2022 21:33:34 GMT
Velania Kalugina likes this
Post by james p on Mar 28, 2022 21:33:34 GMT
[DTA 28/03/22]
Amble has been sent reeling by events of the last 2 weeks. He travels to DH (from FE) for a change of scenery, to see if that will help.
Before setting off though, he makes and sells a cantrip spell scroll, without incident (now that the "thief" has been dealt with!).
He also copies 2 more spells (Invisibility and Maximilian's Earthen Grasp) from his fellow Wizards during a second study session with Lolli, Veridian, and Glint - discordapp.com/channels/428484059174404096/955563403122987038
Before he leaves, he also has time to catch up with an old friend...
From "Spore Fool You..." RP thread with Velania (James - Velania Kalugina thekantasexpanse.boards.net/user/300 )
----------------------------
"Uh. Velania. Hello again, I was hoping that I might bump into you..."
The nervous energy that has been recently brewing up in Amble seems to have reached a new level of intensity.
"About what happened last week ... I've been thinking on it, and I'm worried that it might not be the last of things. I'm thinking that we should probably think about getting a few people of higher authority involved.
What scares me most, is that when the Infection spoke, it said:
'I do not matter ... I am just an offshoot of the main growth.'
There is more out there...
Not only that, but I encountered ..."
[He pauses briefly, struggling uncharacteristically to get his words out]
"Death this week ... in the form of a Kruthik. Coll thinks that it might have hatched from an egg that was brought into the first accidentally by adventurers, and then washed away down ... deep, deep down under the bedrock.
Velania, can we be sure, absolutely sure that we might not have accidentally let loose something similar with those spores?"
[He pauses, eyes wide, and takes a quick sip from a hip-flask, which is new, licking his lips nervously]
"Amble!"
[Velania starts, glad to bump into her new friend. Upon seeing Amble's furrowed brow, Velania's ready smile drops.]
"You look like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. Sit with me a moment?"
[Velania gestures to a tree a few paces away from the main road leading into Fort Ettin.]
"I like to bring my tea outside here. It's a little quieter here than in the hustle and bustle of the Main Hall, and a beautiful, peaceful spot to watch people coming and going."
[Velania sits and studies Amble. She notices him fidgeting with his hip-flask.]
"You are processing a lot all at once. Perhaps we should deal with one thing first. You said you faced death this week. That is no small thing to shrug off. If you feel comfortable sharing, please tell me if you need to talk more about that."
[Velania pours out her tea – a light, floral infusion – and subtly pushes a second cup toward Amble. Amble takes the cup gratefully, if somewhat distracted by something not visible to the outside world.]
"We were stuck in a tunnel deep underground. That in itself wasn't a problem for me - us Brockskins are made of sterner stuff than that. But we were fighting a Krushik which was casting spells at random from the scrolls that it had consumed. It cast a darkness so thick that even I couldn't see through it.
We fought it for a long time, but mostly we had to hold back for fear of hurting one another."
[He takes a small slurp of tea]
"Eventually, together, we had brought it down to its last reserves. I was rocking on my feet, my bones stiff and brittle with ice from its previous magical attack. I summoned up a last mote of energy, and smote it swiftly - thinking that I could finally put an end the danger.
What I failed to foresee is that this action would trigger the most powerful backlash of Arcanic energy of them all ...
A sort of awful ... withering ... that sucked all water from us. The others were also hit, for which I feel responsible... but not so hard as I. Frozen and worn down as I was, I couldn't move fast enough to dodge, or to mitigate the blast in any way.
I came to moments later, I presume, but to me it could have been any length of time. I had never thought before that dryness could feel so harmful, wrong, and absolute...
Last night, when I slept, bits kept coming back to me. It felt as though I had been trying to sleep in a tent in a far off desert during the day - and then I woke up, parched once again. My belly couldn't hold enough water to slake my thirst.
I feel bad, for the others as well, because none of them would have been there if not for me."
[He stares morosely at his already empty cup. His other hand starts to reach towards his hip flask again.]
"A Kruthik, what on Toril is that? … No, on second thoughts, perhaps I don't need to know. It sounds ghastly. And the magic that blasted you must have been terrifying. I hope everyone else was alright afterwards?"
[Then Velania sighs heavily, staring in the direction of the Training Ground for a moment.]
Almost to herself, she murmurs, "Feeling responsible for others can become a tremendous burden. More to yourself than anything else. It makes you truly vulnerable."
[She blinks rapidly, then straightens up and turns back to Amble.]
"But it is also a beautiful thing too … in its way. And right now, I'm trying to focus daily on the things I feel grateful for. I know that sounds simplistic, but it does help. I promise."
[She pours the last of the teapot out.]
"Anyway, I hope you're properly hydrated again … Sorry, that was a terrible joke."
[She shrugs weakly, but there is a twinkle in her eye.]
"We were pretty careless, weren't we? Poking around a magical infestation and not taking proper precautions. Are you worried that … we might be responsible for something else happening, like the Kruthik?"
"Thanks Velania. It's good to talk. They say that 'a problem shared is a problem halved' ... by my arithmetic that isn't entirely accurate, and it's actually a lot more variable than that ... but regardless of the precise mathematics, it was certainly very helpful, and much appreciated.
Thank you for the tea, as well."
[He smiles, and and drinks a bit more, then his smile fades again.]
"Yes. That's exactly what I'm worried about. What do you think we should do? Should we let anyone here know?
I wanted to head off to Daring Heights for a change of scenery, and to clear my head, but I don't think that I'll be able to leave with a clear conscience without letting people know that they might be at risk - and how to protect themselves too."
[He downs the rest of his tea, with surprising alacrity for such a small fellow]
"You know the people around here and the adventuring lifestyle much better than I do. Who would you suggest that we tell?"
[Velania thinks only for a second before she nods to herself.]
"Coll. I think we should go to Coll with this. Have you met him before? He hears about everything that goes on, and if problems need solving, he is usually the one hiring people to sort them out."
[Velania drifts off for a moment; she frowns.]
"No, even if he's got a lot on his mind at the moment, he'll know who else to turn to." She turns to Amble with a proud smile. "He knows absolutely everyone."
"Meanwhile, I think Daring Heights will be the perfect change for you. It's much noisier than here, though. Do you know where you're staying yet? And how are you with city life?"
"Yes I have.", replies Amble warmly, "He's a real gentleman. You're right, I'm sure that he would help us out - or know of what should be done next. I did mention about it to Veridian earlier too, but he's such a busy man that I don't know if its significance fully sank in or not. Maybe I'll leave a note for him too, just to be sure...
As for Daring Heights, I have spent some time there previously. I tend to stay in the Three-Headed Dragon. City life seems as good as any to me, although I do quite like taking some time out to myself, in the Academy with a good tome - whenever I get the chance."
[He takes out his hip-flask, knocks back its remaining contents in three quick glugs, and then holds the empty vessel upside-down, eyeing it ruefully]
"Oh dear... Time for a top-up already.", he says, flatly.
"If Veridian knows, so much the better. But, as they say, many hands make light work. So perhaps we should let Coll know right away!"
[Velania glances down at Amble's flask, opens her mouth to speak, then changes course.]
"It's been a rough week, so I think the atmosphere at the Three-Headed Dragon will suit you well. There are always friendly faces there."
[Velania gathers herself together to head into the Great Hall.]
"Amble, it might not be your thing, but I serve at the Temple of Selûne in the Castleside district. You needn't serve the Moonmaiden to be welcome there. Come in any time if you want a tea, or just a cool, peaceful place to sit and get away from it all. It will be great to see you."
"I couldn't agree more, and it's a quality pair of hands that Coll has to offer, for sure! Thanks for the offer as well, I should like to visit the Temple - is it there that you reside when staying in town?"
[He shakes his empty hip-flask one more time, looking increasingly on edge.]
"I don't suppose that you've got anything on you for my flask - to help me out? Otherwise, I could ask Coll about that too, while we're letting him know about that other thing..."
"As a matter of fact, yes, I can help with that."
[Velania whispers a quiet prayer and gestures over Amble's flask. Within seconds, it overflows, before she cuts off the magic with a snap.]
"Only water, I'm afraid."
"Oh!", says Amble, hopping with excitement (or could it be annoyance?!) at Velania's trick,
"That's exactly what I was looking for ... although it's also rather a problem right now. I'll just ... I've just got to, um ..."
All of a sudden, the normally very relaxed gnome jams the lid on the flask, dashing off a little further into the undergrowth, yelling over one shoulder:
"I'll be back shortly!"
[Seconds later, splashing sounds replace those of breaking twigs and scampering feet.
It would seem that the forest at least would benefit from a little more water today, but it was unclear whether or not Velania's gift had just been discarded in a most churlish manner (and with none of the politeness and subtlety that is usually the watchword of this man).
True to his word, Amble reappears, looking awkward, and not a little sheepish, and yet apparently drinking from the flask (or at least going through the same mechanical motions). He approaches, looking somewhat more relaxed.]
[Velania observes him with a pensive smile.]
Is he drunk or just eccentric? she wonders.
I guess I don't actually need a clear answer to that - at least he's kind, she concludes. Even to that indifferent owl of his.
"I'm so sorry Velania", says the gnome.
"It's that thirst I mentioned. Since my last excursion, I really can't seem to shake it - and certainly not for lack of trying!
I don't know if this thing helps or just creates even more issues; ..." [He indicates the hip flask]
"... initially I thought it was helping - to be able to keep myself constantly topped up with water, and hydrated ... but now that I've started, I really can't seem to make myself stop - I just start feeling so dry as soon as I do.
Of course, the problem is that what goes in, well ... that is to say ... nature insists on keeping these things in balance, and that means that I'm constantly having to dash off to someplace quiet."
[He pauses, with a sigh]
"I thought that drinking more would help, but it has become really problematic: I can hardly finish more than a few chapters of a good book now, without my reading being ... interrupted."
[His face reddens]
"Anyhow, like you said, let's go and find Coll, and Veridian if he's about as well"
Amble has been sent reeling by events of the last 2 weeks. He travels to DH (from FE) for a change of scenery, to see if that will help.
Before setting off though, he makes and sells a cantrip spell scroll, without incident (now that the "thief" has been dealt with!).
He also copies 2 more spells (Invisibility and Maximilian's Earthen Grasp) from his fellow Wizards during a second study session with Lolli, Veridian, and Glint - discordapp.com/channels/428484059174404096/955563403122987038
Before he leaves, he also has time to catch up with an old friend...
From "Spore Fool You..." RP thread with Velania (James - Velania Kalugina thekantasexpanse.boards.net/user/300 )
----------------------------
"Uh. Velania. Hello again, I was hoping that I might bump into you..."
The nervous energy that has been recently brewing up in Amble seems to have reached a new level of intensity.
"About what happened last week ... I've been thinking on it, and I'm worried that it might not be the last of things. I'm thinking that we should probably think about getting a few people of higher authority involved.
What scares me most, is that when the Infection spoke, it said:
'I do not matter ... I am just an offshoot of the main growth.'
There is more out there...
Not only that, but I encountered ..."
[He pauses briefly, struggling uncharacteristically to get his words out]
"Death this week ... in the form of a Kruthik. Coll thinks that it might have hatched from an egg that was brought into the first accidentally by adventurers, and then washed away down ... deep, deep down under the bedrock.
Velania, can we be sure, absolutely sure that we might not have accidentally let loose something similar with those spores?"
[He pauses, eyes wide, and takes a quick sip from a hip-flask, which is new, licking his lips nervously]
"Amble!"
[Velania starts, glad to bump into her new friend. Upon seeing Amble's furrowed brow, Velania's ready smile drops.]
"You look like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. Sit with me a moment?"
[Velania gestures to a tree a few paces away from the main road leading into Fort Ettin.]
"I like to bring my tea outside here. It's a little quieter here than in the hustle and bustle of the Main Hall, and a beautiful, peaceful spot to watch people coming and going."
[Velania sits and studies Amble. She notices him fidgeting with his hip-flask.]
"You are processing a lot all at once. Perhaps we should deal with one thing first. You said you faced death this week. That is no small thing to shrug off. If you feel comfortable sharing, please tell me if you need to talk more about that."
[Velania pours out her tea – a light, floral infusion – and subtly pushes a second cup toward Amble. Amble takes the cup gratefully, if somewhat distracted by something not visible to the outside world.]
"We were stuck in a tunnel deep underground. That in itself wasn't a problem for me - us Brockskins are made of sterner stuff than that. But we were fighting a Krushik which was casting spells at random from the scrolls that it had consumed. It cast a darkness so thick that even I couldn't see through it.
We fought it for a long time, but mostly we had to hold back for fear of hurting one another."
[He takes a small slurp of tea]
"Eventually, together, we had brought it down to its last reserves. I was rocking on my feet, my bones stiff and brittle with ice from its previous magical attack. I summoned up a last mote of energy, and smote it swiftly - thinking that I could finally put an end the danger.
What I failed to foresee is that this action would trigger the most powerful backlash of Arcanic energy of them all ...
A sort of awful ... withering ... that sucked all water from us. The others were also hit, for which I feel responsible... but not so hard as I. Frozen and worn down as I was, I couldn't move fast enough to dodge, or to mitigate the blast in any way.
I came to moments later, I presume, but to me it could have been any length of time. I had never thought before that dryness could feel so harmful, wrong, and absolute...
Last night, when I slept, bits kept coming back to me. It felt as though I had been trying to sleep in a tent in a far off desert during the day - and then I woke up, parched once again. My belly couldn't hold enough water to slake my thirst.
I feel bad, for the others as well, because none of them would have been there if not for me."
[He stares morosely at his already empty cup. His other hand starts to reach towards his hip flask again.]
"A Kruthik, what on Toril is that? … No, on second thoughts, perhaps I don't need to know. It sounds ghastly. And the magic that blasted you must have been terrifying. I hope everyone else was alright afterwards?"
[Then Velania sighs heavily, staring in the direction of the Training Ground for a moment.]
Almost to herself, she murmurs, "Feeling responsible for others can become a tremendous burden. More to yourself than anything else. It makes you truly vulnerable."
[She blinks rapidly, then straightens up and turns back to Amble.]
"But it is also a beautiful thing too … in its way. And right now, I'm trying to focus daily on the things I feel grateful for. I know that sounds simplistic, but it does help. I promise."
[She pours the last of the teapot out.]
"Anyway, I hope you're properly hydrated again … Sorry, that was a terrible joke."
[She shrugs weakly, but there is a twinkle in her eye.]
"We were pretty careless, weren't we? Poking around a magical infestation and not taking proper precautions. Are you worried that … we might be responsible for something else happening, like the Kruthik?"
"Thanks Velania. It's good to talk. They say that 'a problem shared is a problem halved' ... by my arithmetic that isn't entirely accurate, and it's actually a lot more variable than that ... but regardless of the precise mathematics, it was certainly very helpful, and much appreciated.
Thank you for the tea, as well."
[He smiles, and and drinks a bit more, then his smile fades again.]
"Yes. That's exactly what I'm worried about. What do you think we should do? Should we let anyone here know?
I wanted to head off to Daring Heights for a change of scenery, and to clear my head, but I don't think that I'll be able to leave with a clear conscience without letting people know that they might be at risk - and how to protect themselves too."
[He downs the rest of his tea, with surprising alacrity for such a small fellow]
"You know the people around here and the adventuring lifestyle much better than I do. Who would you suggest that we tell?"
[Velania thinks only for a second before she nods to herself.]
"Coll. I think we should go to Coll with this. Have you met him before? He hears about everything that goes on, and if problems need solving, he is usually the one hiring people to sort them out."
[Velania drifts off for a moment; she frowns.]
"No, even if he's got a lot on his mind at the moment, he'll know who else to turn to." She turns to Amble with a proud smile. "He knows absolutely everyone."
"Meanwhile, I think Daring Heights will be the perfect change for you. It's much noisier than here, though. Do you know where you're staying yet? And how are you with city life?"
"Yes I have.", replies Amble warmly, "He's a real gentleman. You're right, I'm sure that he would help us out - or know of what should be done next. I did mention about it to Veridian earlier too, but he's such a busy man that I don't know if its significance fully sank in or not. Maybe I'll leave a note for him too, just to be sure...
As for Daring Heights, I have spent some time there previously. I tend to stay in the Three-Headed Dragon. City life seems as good as any to me, although I do quite like taking some time out to myself, in the Academy with a good tome - whenever I get the chance."
[He takes out his hip-flask, knocks back its remaining contents in three quick glugs, and then holds the empty vessel upside-down, eyeing it ruefully]
"Oh dear... Time for a top-up already.", he says, flatly.
"If Veridian knows, so much the better. But, as they say, many hands make light work. So perhaps we should let Coll know right away!"
[Velania glances down at Amble's flask, opens her mouth to speak, then changes course.]
"It's been a rough week, so I think the atmosphere at the Three-Headed Dragon will suit you well. There are always friendly faces there."
[Velania gathers herself together to head into the Great Hall.]
"Amble, it might not be your thing, but I serve at the Temple of Selûne in the Castleside district. You needn't serve the Moonmaiden to be welcome there. Come in any time if you want a tea, or just a cool, peaceful place to sit and get away from it all. It will be great to see you."
"I couldn't agree more, and it's a quality pair of hands that Coll has to offer, for sure! Thanks for the offer as well, I should like to visit the Temple - is it there that you reside when staying in town?"
[He shakes his empty hip-flask one more time, looking increasingly on edge.]
"I don't suppose that you've got anything on you for my flask - to help me out? Otherwise, I could ask Coll about that too, while we're letting him know about that other thing..."
"As a matter of fact, yes, I can help with that."
[Velania whispers a quiet prayer and gestures over Amble's flask. Within seconds, it overflows, before she cuts off the magic with a snap.]
"Only water, I'm afraid."
"Oh!", says Amble, hopping with excitement (or could it be annoyance?!) at Velania's trick,
"That's exactly what I was looking for ... although it's also rather a problem right now. I'll just ... I've just got to, um ..."
All of a sudden, the normally very relaxed gnome jams the lid on the flask, dashing off a little further into the undergrowth, yelling over one shoulder:
"I'll be back shortly!"
[Seconds later, splashing sounds replace those of breaking twigs and scampering feet.
It would seem that the forest at least would benefit from a little more water today, but it was unclear whether or not Velania's gift had just been discarded in a most churlish manner (and with none of the politeness and subtlety that is usually the watchword of this man).
True to his word, Amble reappears, looking awkward, and not a little sheepish, and yet apparently drinking from the flask (or at least going through the same mechanical motions). He approaches, looking somewhat more relaxed.]
[Velania observes him with a pensive smile.]
Is he drunk or just eccentric? she wonders.
I guess I don't actually need a clear answer to that - at least he's kind, she concludes. Even to that indifferent owl of his.
"I'm so sorry Velania", says the gnome.
"It's that thirst I mentioned. Since my last excursion, I really can't seem to shake it - and certainly not for lack of trying!
I don't know if this thing helps or just creates even more issues; ..." [He indicates the hip flask]
"... initially I thought it was helping - to be able to keep myself constantly topped up with water, and hydrated ... but now that I've started, I really can't seem to make myself stop - I just start feeling so dry as soon as I do.
Of course, the problem is that what goes in, well ... that is to say ... nature insists on keeping these things in balance, and that means that I'm constantly having to dash off to someplace quiet."
[He pauses, with a sigh]
"I thought that drinking more would help, but it has become really problematic: I can hardly finish more than a few chapters of a good book now, without my reading being ... interrupted."
[His face reddens]
"Anyhow, like you said, let's go and find Coll, and Veridian if he's about as well"