A spell and her butler walk into a Portal... (Seirei)

[Modrageball]

This quest originally began on Feb 02, 2014.

Elyion (Celas)
Level 39
Magic Being, Magic
HP: 13,450
MP: 13,450
STR: 39 (1)
AGI: 390 (10)
CON: 538 (12)
MIN: 538 (12)
SPI: 1,215 (25)
XP- 0
XP Required- 820,000, Holy Imperial Seal of Power
Fame- 10
Gold- 100,000,000

Abilities-
Melee Attack
Magical Attack
Ranged Attack
Elemental Attack
Defend
Counter
Guard Back Rank
Use an Item
Cast a Spell
Switch Rows
Unequip
Re-equip
Trade
Transform
Overdrive

Arcanist:
Basic Arcanist Magic Attunement- (Passive Ability, Arcanist) All creatures summoned through Aracanist Magic spells or Cards gain +10 to all stats, All Cards that do damage deal an additional 60 damage, and all Arcanist Magic spells cost 10 less MP
Card Collector I- (Passive Ability, Arcanist) If possessor has at least 5 different Arcanist Magic spells equipped or in possessor's Deck-Based Arcanist deck, then possessor gains +50 to all stats
Card Collector II- (Passive Ability, Arcanist) If possessor has at least 20 different Arcanist Magic spells equipped or in possessor's Deck-Based Arcanist deck, then possessor gains +200 to all stats
Deck-Based Arcanist- (Passive Ability, Arcanist) Possessor may, at the start of a thread, voluntarily lose all Spell slots to become a Deck-Based Arcanist. A Deck-Based Arcanist possesses a deck of 60 Arcanist Magic spells. No more than four copies of any one spell may be in this deck. A mod randomizes the order of the spells in this deck and does not reveal this order. At the start of the thread, following other effects and events that are applied at the start of the thread that do not have this phrase in them, the player controlling the Deck-Based Arcanist draws seven spells. These spells may be used as though they were equipped. As soon as one of these spells is used as part of any action or effect, that spell is discarded and is placed in its respective player's discard pile of Arcanist Magic spells. At the start of each round, if possessor is a Deck-Based Arcanist and has less than 7 Arcanist Magic spells in hand, then possessor draws a spell. Possesor's maximum hand size is considered to be 7. If possessor's hand contains more cards than possessor's maximum hand size, then possessor must, at the start of possessor's next action, discard cards until possessor's hand contains a number of cards equal to or lower than possessor's maximum hand size. Objects within possessor's deck may be referred to as spells or cards even if they are not said things otherwise. If possessor would draw a spell, but possessor's deck is empty, then possessor's discard pile is placed in a random order, and its contents become its respective player's deck.

Clearance:
Has a Basic Permit to Battle Baalrath- (Passive Ability, Clearance) Possessor may fight the monster 'Baalrath' for drops, This ability cannot be used in combos
Has a Basic Permit to Battle Beaked Thing from Sildreza- (Passive Ability, Clearance) Possessor may fight the monster 'Beaked Thing from Sildreza' for drops, This ability cannot be used in combos
Has a Basic Permit to Battle Desert Corsair Warship- (Passive Ability, Clearance) Possessor may fight the monster 'Desert Corsair Warship' for drops, This ability cannot be used in combos
Has a Basic Permit to Battle Orihalcum Submersible- (Passive Ability, Clearance) Possessor may fight the monster 'Orihalcum Submersible' for drops, This ability cannot be used in combos
Has a Basic Permit to Battle Panopticum Nautilus- (Passive Ability, Clearance) Possessor may fight the monster 'Panopticum Nautilus' for drops, This ability cannot be used in combos

Diviner:
Apprentice Divining Attunement- (Passive Ability, Diviner) Possessor's Level is counted as 1 higher, to a max of 99, for stat-scanning purposes as an effect that is not counted for purposes of bypassing "Immune to below Level X" effects
Auto-Translate- (Passive Ability, Diviner) Possessor gains +200 MIN if any individual of a different subtype is present, Translates to and from common languages (both orally and in written form) as an RP effect
Basic Divining Attunement- (Passive Ability, Diviner) All Divining spells function as though caster were 1 level higher for stat-scanning purposes
Basic Fortune Telling- (Passive Ability, Diviner) All Divning buffs that possessor inflicts that raise stats raise them by an additional 20 points
Focus-Based Fortune Telling- (Passive Ability, Diviner) Possessor's Divining spells cost 50 less MP if possessor has a Magic Item, Crystal, or Trinket equipped, Possessor's Divining spells that provide a Magical Attack bonus provide an additional +20 points if possessor has a Magic Item, Crystal, or Trinket equipped
Read Tea Leaves- (Active Ability, Diviner) Possessor may spend an action and consume a charge from a Drink consumable that possessor has equipped to scan a target's stats
Zonal Perception- (Passive Ability, Diviner) Possessor gains +100 MIN for each Zone, Terrain, or Phantom Terrain present, to a max of +500, Possessor may, in RP threads, generally know the name of the area possessor is in

Golomancer:
Apprentice Golomancy Attunement- (Passive Ability, Golomancer) All of possessor's Golomancy summons gain +2,000 HP and +200 CON
Basic Agility-Enhancing Golem Crafting- (Passive Ability, Golomancer) All of possessor's Golem summons gain +50 AGI
Basic Constitution-Enhancing Golem Crafting- (Passive Ability, Golomancer) All of possessor's Golem summons gain +50 CON
Basic Golomancy Attunement- (Passive Ability, Golomancer) All of possessor's Golomancy summons gain +200 HP and +20 CON
Basic Mind-Enhancing Golem Crafting- (Passive Ability, Golomancer) All of possessor's Golem summons gain +50 MIN
Basic Spirit-Enhancing Golem Crafting- (Passive Ability, Golomancer) All of possessor's Golem summons gain +50 SPI
Golomancy Casting I- (Passive Ability, Golomancer) Golomancy spells cost possessor 20 less MP to cast
Golomancy Casting II- (Passive Ability, Golomancer) Golomancy spells cost possessor 200 less MP to cast

Heavenly Protector:
Angel Traits- (Passive Ability, Heavenly Protector) Possessor gains Hexed Immunity and Diseased Immunity so long as possessor is an Angel
Apprentice Heavenly Protector Knowledge- (Passive Ability, Heavenly Protector) Possessor's Angel pets and summons gain +500 HP, +500 MP, +100 to damage dealt, and +50 to all stats
Assumption of the Essence of the Angel- (Passive Ability, Heavenly Protector) Possessor may, at the beginning of a thread, choose to become the subtype Angel
Basic Heavenly Protector Knowledge- (Passive Ability, Heavenly Protector) Possessor's Angel pets and summons gain +100 HP, +100 MP, +10 to damage dealt, and +10 to all stats
Formshift: Angel- (Stance Ability, Heavenly Protector) Possessor's subtype becomes Angel

Illusionist:
Basic Illusion Magic Attunement- (Passive Ability, Illusionist) All Illusion Magic summons have 200 more HP, 10 more of each stat, last 1 turn longer if they last over 1 turn already, and require 25 more of the relevant stats to dispel
Convincing Liar- (Passive Ability, Illusionist) Possessor counts as being 1 Level higher for purposes of resisting stat-scanning attempts, with said bonus not being able to overcome 'Immune to below Level X' effects
Can Pretend to Be Knowledgeable and Multitalented- (Passive Ability, Illusionist) Possessor may choose to count as possessing one more ability in each class that possessor posssesses at least 1 ability in; This ability works for prerequisite purposes if it is permanently possessed by its possessor

Merchant:
Gift Wrapper- (Passive Ability, Merchant) Possessor chooses on month of the year upon acquring this ability; possessor's per-item half-price sell cap is increased by 5,000 Gold during that month
Independently Wealthy- (Passive Ability, Merchant) Possessor gains (100,000 x Possessor Level, to a max of Level 99) Gold per month

Scholar:
Apprentice Book Training- (Passive Ability, Scholar) Possessor gains +50 Magical Attack when a Book is equipped.
Basic Book Training- (Passive Ability, Scholar) This character gains +6 Magical Attack when a Book is equipped.
Basic Understanding of Effect / Mana-Pattern Interaction- (Passive Ability, Scholar) Possessor gains 20% Resistance to Level 1 individuals
Basic Understanding of Mana Patterns- (Passive Ability, Scholar) Possessor gains +50 MIN.
General Knowledge of the Main Universe within the Second Holy Empire- (Passive Ability, Scholar) +100 MIN
Studious- (Passive Ability, Scholar) Possessor gains +200 MIN
Basic Knowledge of Dimensions- (Passive Ability, Scholar) +50 MIN, Spells that create Zones or allow individuals to exit battle cost possessor 50 less MP to cast

Wizard:
Apprentice Wizard Magic Attunement- (Passive Ability, Wizard) All damage-dealing Wizard Magic spells that possessor casts gain +250 Damage, All Wizard Magic spells cost possessor 50 less MP to cast
Basic Defensive Wizard Magic Casting- (Passive Ability, Wizard) Defense buffs generated by Wizard Magic spells cast by possessor are increased by 20 points, to a max of 200 points across all such buffs present on any one individual
Basic Utility Spellcasting- (Passive Ability, Wizard) Wizard Magic spells cast by possessor that buff stats do so by an additional 20 points, as an effect that stacks a max of 40 times across all buff instances per individual, Wizard Magic spells that possessor casts that have a chance of inflicting minor positive status effects have said chance raised by 1%, Wizard Magic spells cast by possessor that create or attach effects to Zones or Phantom Terrains cost possessor 100 less MP to cast
Basic Wizard Magic Attunement- (Passive Ability, Wizard) All Wizard Magic spells gain +10 Magical Attack and cost 10 less MP
Improved Defensive Wizard Magic Casting- (Passive Ability, Wizard) Defense buffs generated by Wizard Magic spells cast by possessor are increased by 30 points, to a max of 500 points across all such buffs present on any one individual
Infused Casting- (Active Ability, Wizard) This character may use Infused Casting in conjunction with a Magical Attack involving a Wizard Magic spell, so long as no other technique is used and a Wizard Magic Spell is equipped. +50 Magical Attack, this attack's element becomes any one base element
Knowledge of Basic Magic Theory- (Passive Ability, Wizard) +5 Magical Attack, +30 MIN, Spells cost possessor 20 less MP to cast
Powerful Casting- (Technique Ability, Wizard) Possessor may use Powerful Casting in conjunction with a 'Magical Attack' action involving a Wizard Magic spell, so long as no other technique is used and possessor has a Wizard Magic Spell equipped. Said attack gains +150 Magical Attack.
Understanding of Common Practices of Theoretical Magic- (Passive Ability, Wizard) Possessor gains +180 MIN, Possessor gains an additional +70 MIN if possessor has at least two spells, one of which is a Wizard Magic spell and one of which is a non-'Wizard Magic' spell equipped
Basic Mana-Saving Techniques- (Passive Ability, Wizard) Spells cost possessor 50 less MP to cast

Misc:
Basic Alchemy Attunement- (Passive Ability, Alchemist) All Alchemy spells cost 10 less Gold and 10 less XP
Basic Artifice Attunement- (Passive Ability, Artificer) All Artifice spells cost 10 less MP, XP, and Gold
Basic Astral Magic Attunement- (Passive Ability, Astromancer) All Astral Magic spells possessor casts that possess a Magical Attack bonus gain +10 additional Magical Attack, All Astral Magic spells cost possessor 10 less MP to cast
Basic Channeling Attunement- (Passive Ability, Channeler) All Channeling spells can transfer 50 more HP or MP
Basic Chaos Magic Attunement- (Passive Ability, Anarchomancer) All Chaos Magic spells gain +50 Magical Attack 50% of the time
Basic Druid Magic Attunement- (Passive Ability, Druid) All Druid Magic spells cost 20 less MP
Basic Elemental Magic Attunement- (Passive Ability, Elementalist) All Elemental Magic spells gain +10 Magical Attack and cost 10 less MP
Basic Enchantment Attunement- (Passive Ability, Enchanter) All Enchantment spells cost possessor 10 less XP and MP to cast, All Enchantment spells cast by possessor last 1 round longer if they already last over 1 round
Basic Force Magic Attunement- (Passive Ability, Force Mage) All Force Magic spells cast by possessor that possess a Magical Attack bonus gain +20 additional Magical Attack
Basic Geomancy Attunement- (Passive Ability, Geomancer) All Geomancy spells affect 1 additional target if they already affected multiple targets and cost 10 less MP if their element matches that of an item possessed by their caster or their caster
Basic Healer Magic Attunement- (Passive Ability, Healer) Healer Magic spells cast by possessor gain +10 Magical Attack and cost 10 less MP
Basic Litigamancy Attunement- (Passive Ability, Other: Litigamancer) All Litigamancy spells cast by possessor that deal Gold Damage deal an additional 100 points, All Litigamancy spells cast by possessor that buff Defense against Gold Damage do so by 50 additional points as an effect that stacks a max of 200 times across all effects, All Litigamancy spells cost possessor 1,000 less Gold to cast
Basic Protection Magic Attunement- (Passive Ability, Abjurer) All Protection Magic spells gain +10 Defense and cost 10 less MP
Basic Ethereal Magic Attunement- (Passive Ability, Veilwalker) All Etheral Magic spells gain +10 Magical Attack, havea 10% greater chance of working, and cost 10 less MP
Basic Magewright Proficiency- (Passive Ability, Magewright) Character gains +3 to all stats for each Glyph, Holy Symbol, Idol, Ioun Stone, Sigil, Tome, Trinket, Magic Item, Container, Seal, or Rune equipped.
Built the Giant Statue- (Passive Ability, Evermason) Possessor's Golem summons gain +20,000 HP
Can Create Snowman-Animating Headwear- (Passive Ability, Clothier) If possessor is in a Zone of Ice, possessor may unequip a Hat to summon 1 Snowman from the Enemy List, with said Snowman being unsummoned if any individual equips said Hat, said Hat is destroyed, said Hat ceases to be an item, said Hat leaves the thread, or said Hat becomes a pet
Crowd's Favor- (Passive Ability, Friendship) +5% XP after battles
Doctor- (Passive Ability, Healer) Possessor's actions that heal gain +200 Ranged, Melee or Magical Attack, Once per turn after an enemy attacks one of possessor's allies, possessor may choose to have a 5% chance of countering said attack with a positive action targeting said ally and no other targets.
Edible Lasagna Beard- (Passive Ability, Chef) Possessor may, once per thread at the start of an action, choose to deal itself 50,000 Flat Earth & Fire element HP Healing
Evergreen Needles- (Passive Ability, Botanist) If possessor is a Plant, possessor gains 5% Ice Resistance, +500 Defense against Ice, and may deal 5,000 Flat Physical or Earth element Damage to any individual who conducts an offensive action against possessor at the end of said action
Glowing Red Nose- (Passive Ability, Beastmaster) Possessor may choose for possessor and any of possessor's allies to ignore effects attached to zones by sources below Level 20
Jolly Laughter- (Passive Ability, Commander) Possessor may choose at the beginning of each round of battle to have a 40% chance of curing every individual (including opponents) in battle of Confusion: Depression
Knowledge of Legal Codes- (Passive Ability, Lawbringer) +150 MIN, 10% Entombed: Incarcerated Resistance"
Knowledge of Naughtiness and Niceness- (Passive Ability, Diviner) If possessor has scanned an individual's stats and said individual has not performed any offensive actions that targetted either possessor or possessor's allies during this thread, then possessor may increase any amount of HP Healing that possessor deals to said individual by 2,500 points; If possessor has scanned an individual's stats and said individual has performed one or more offensive actions that have targetted either possessor or possessor's allies during this thread, then possessor may increase any amount of HP Damage that possessor deals to said individual by 2,500 points
Polar Elven Toymaking Skill- (Passive Ability, Crafter) Possessor's Golem, Clockwork, Robot, and Machine pets and summons gain +200 to all stats as a bonus that cannot increase their stats to above 1000% of their natural values, Temporary items created by possessor are considered to be worth 5,000 additional Gold
Statue-Crafter- (Passive Ability, Crafter) Possessor's Golem summons gain +200 to all stats and +5,000 HP

Weapons-
Book of the Solar Man- (Weapon, Book, Light, 6,000,000 Gold) +6,000 Melee Attack, +6,000 Magical Attack, +6,100 to all stats, 20% Light Resistance, Wielder gains 30% Resilience if wielder is a Solar Being
Rose Blade- (Weapon Aspect- The Rose, Sword, Darkness & Fire & Magic & Water & Crystal (2), X Gold) +78,000 Melee Attack, +37,000 Magical Attack, 80% Critical w/ True-Striking- Provides +5% Critical

Armor-
Rosecrystal Armor- (Armor Aspect- The Rose, Heavy Armor, Darkness & Fire & Magic & Water & Crystal (2), X Gold) +78,000 Defense, +37,000 Magical Attack, +78,000 to all stats, 80% Resilience, 35% Magic Resistance, 35% Water Resistance, 35% Fire Resistance, 35% Darkness Resistance, 20% Crystal Resistance, 20% Crystal (2) Resistance

Accessories-
Lacy Gloves of Masterful War- (Accessory, Gloves, Wealth & War, 960,000 Gold) +700 to all stats, Wearer's allies all gain +350 to all stats, all of wearer's healing effects may heal Units, wearer may spend an action up to three times per round to give one of wearer's pets or summons an additional action immediately following said spent action, wearer may exchange 3 spell or consumable slots for an additional pet slot up to two times
Ring of Fortune- (Accessory, Ring, Wealth & Fortune, 50,000,000 Gold) 60% Critical, 60% Resilience, 160% To Hit, 60% Dodge, Wielder must be Level 20 or greater
Ring of Prosperity- (Accessory, Ring, Wealth & Warding, 50,000,000 Gold) +500,000 Defense against Gold Damage, Wielder's summons gain +2,500 to all stats as a non-stacking bonus
Rose Codex- (Accessory Aspect- The Rose, Tome, Crystal (2) & Magic, X Gold) +78,000 Magical Attack, +78,000 MIN, +78,000 SPI, +780,000 MP as a non-stacking effect, Wielder may equip any number of Spell aspects of 'The Rose', with said equipped items not taking slots, This item possesses the subtype Crystal
The Rose- (Accessory Aspect- The Rose, Magic Item, Darkness & Fire & Magic & Water & Crystal (2), X Gold) +78,000 Magical Attack, +78,000 Defense against Darkness, +78,000 Defense against Water, +78,000 Defense against Earth, +78,000 Defense Against Fire, +78,000 SPI and MIN, +37,000 STR, AGI, and CON, +780,000 MP as a non-stacking effect, Wielder may cast this artifact's spell aspects as though their MP cost were 0

Consumables-
Mystic Figurine: Topaz Housecat- (Consumable, Summoning Stone, Earth, Unlimited Charges, 3,000,000 Gold) Cures Confusion, Inflicts Invigorated and Stat Boost: AGI Boost, This action counts as being performed by a Level 12 Animal
Mystic Figurine: Onyx Hound- (Consumable, Summoning Stone, Darkness, Unlimited Charges, 18,000,000 Gold) A single stacked instace of a buff is moved from a target that is either willing or below Level 20 to another willing target in the same battlespace, with said second target obtain an additonal buff that does not stack that provides +5% To Hit for 7 rounds, This action counts as being performed by a Level 25 Animal, This item's user must be Level 20 or greater
Mystic Figurine: Granite Bulldog- (Consumable, Summoning Stone, Physical, Unlimited Charges, 6,000,000 Gold) Generates an attack with Strength as its Prime Attribute, a Damage value of 12,000, an associated Strength value of 8,000, and a 50% chance of optionally inflicting Wounded, This action counts as being performed by a Level 18 Animal

Spells-
Animate Lesser Selerethic Sunthrone Golem- (Spell, Golomancy, Light, 1,000 MP, 19,000,000 Gold) Summons 1 Lesser Selerethic Sunthrone Golem, Max 20 summoned
Control Golem: Perform Mapping Task- (Spell, Golomancy, Air, 1,700 MP, 400,000 Gold) Places a buff on target allied Golem that is a pet or a summon; whenever said Golem's team would enter a new room in this random quest, an additional room is rolled and added to the possible rooms that said team could select to move into, does not stack
Fading Call: Masons- (Spell, Summoning, Physical, 180 MP, 45,000 Gold) +15 Physical Attack, Heals, only affects Golems and Large Structures
Holy Rain- (Spell, Holy Magic, Light, 17,000 MP, 3,400,000 Gold) +3,800 Magical Attack, Demons, Daemons, Devils, Darkspawn, and Undead killed by this attack may not be resurrected by sources below Level 50, Pierces 10,000 Defense, 35% inflicts Awestruck, may inflict 1 hit against 30 and deal 1/3 damage, May only be cast by individuals above Level 20
Touch Which Confers Bodily Wholeness- (Spell, Holy Magic, Light, 5,000 MP, 2,600,000 Gold) Target cannot be afflicted with Minor Status effects coming from sources below Level 30, May only be cast by individuals above Level 20

Rose Aspect Spells-
Nygombil's Wrath (Spell Aspect- The Rose, Geomancy, Earth, 50 MP, X Gold) +78,000 Magic Attack, 200% inflicts Stun, 100% inflicts Entombed
Rose Chaos- (Spell Aspect- The Rose, Wizard Magic, Chaos, 399 MP, X Gold) +78,000 Magic Attack, 40% inflicts Instant Death, 20% inflicts Vanished, this action automatically kills and defeats targets below Level 20; this action ignores the Resistances, Absorbs, Reflections, and Immunities of targets below Level 20
Sultan's Tide (Indexed Spell Aspect- The Rose, Geomancy, Water, 750 MP, X Gold) +67,000 Magic Attack, 200% inflicts Drowning, 1 hit against 25,000
Crystal Conflux Lasers- (Indexed Spell Aspect- The Rose, Earth & Air & Fire & Water & Crystal (2), 300,000 MP, X Gold) +60,000 Magical Attack, this action may become any combination of the elements Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Crystal (2), this action may gain '5 hits against 1' and deal 1/4 Damage
Sultan's Glimmering Veil- (Indexed Spell Aspect- The Rose, Illusion, 1,200,000 MP, X Gold) Caster and caster's allies gain +90% Dodge until the end of the round
Crystal Channeling- (Indexed Spell Aspect- The Rose, Magic & Electricity & Energy, 600,000 MP, X Gold) Caster transfers up to 1,200,000 MP to or from a willing target who has a Crystal equipped
Diamond Queen's Mirror- (Indexed Spell Aspect- The Rose, Ice & Spatial, 600,000 MP, X Gold) Target gains a 25% chance of reflecting actions from sources below Level 56 as a non-stacking buff

Inherent spells:
Charm Cat- (Spell, Wizard Magic, Air, 40 MP, 15,000 Gold) 100% inflicts Charm on target individual who is below Level 5 whose name includes 'Cat'
Glowing Pebble- (Spell, Wizard Magic, Light & Earth, 5 MP, 2,000 Gold) Caster gains a buff that provids its possessor and all of its possessor's allies with 101% To Hit while in a Zone of Darkness
Fancy Globes- (Spell, Wizard Magic, Magic & Light, 300 MP, 7,000 Gold) 30% inflicts Charm: Impressed
Heat Tea To Just The Right Temperature- (Spell, Wizard Magic, Water & Fire, 3 MP, 1,700 Gold) Target Drink consumable gains '1% cures Fatigued, 1% cures Frozen, and 1% cures Burning'
Sense Magic- (Spell, Wizard Magic, Magic, 40 MP, 3,000 Gold) Caster is informed with a single 'yes' answer if any of caster's opponents are Magice element, possess any Magic element abilities, could drop and Magic element items, are carrying any Magic element items, have any Magic element items equipped, or have any Wizard Magic spells equipped
Douse- (Spell, Wizard Magic, Water, 60 MP, 2,000 Gold) 1% cures Burning
Lubricate- (Spell, Wizard Magic, Water, 30 MP, 1,100 Gold) Target gains 1% Paralyzed Resistance, 5% Cures Paralyzed from sources below Level 15
Freshen Up- (Spell, Wizard Magic, Air & Light & Magic, 100 MP, 2,000 Gold) Cures target debuff from a Level 1 source
Magic Spiderweb- (Spell, Wizard Magic, Darkness & Magic, 60 MP, 1,200 Gold) 1% inflicts Paralyzed
Prestidigitation- (Spell, Wizard Magic, Magic, 10 MP, 3,000 Gold) 5% inflicts Charm: Impressed
Mage Fist- (Spell, Wizard Magic, Physical, 600 MP, 30,000 Gold) +30 Magical Attack, 5% inflicts Fatigued: Stun
Glow- (Spell, Wizard Magic, Light, 300 MP, 6,000 Gold) Target may choose for individuals below Level 5 to treat it as being solely Light element
Reveal General Form- (Spell, Wizard Magic, Light & Air, 70,000 Gold) Target loses all Dodge-bonus-prodviding or Dodge-providing buffs from sources below Level 18

Pets-
*Giles- (Pet, Immortal, Wealth & Spatial, Lv.39, 110,000,000 Gold)
HP- 4,950,000
MP- 6,000,000
STR- 101,000
AGI- 107,000
CON- 92,000
MIN- 112,000
SPI- 105,000
XP- 539,580,000
XP Needed- 49,200,000 (Standard Multiplier x6, Power x9, Raised to x180 to bypass Level 40 cap)
Minimum Level- 1
Defense- 27,000, +120,000 against Time, +120,000 against Psychic, +120,000 against Wealth, +120,000 against Spatial
Defense against Stat Damage- 9,800
Critical Chance- 125%
Resilience- 120%
To Hit- 250%
Dodge- 160%
Resistances and Immunities- 40% Time Resistance, 40% Wealth Resistance, 40% Spatial Resistance, Immune to Fatigued, Poison, Diseased, Confusion, Charm, Pain, Suffocation, and Vanished, Immunity to Minor and Moderate Status Effects
Prime Attribute- Mind + Any One Other
Constant Effects-
It's Giles!- Everyone on both any side of battle is Immune to Fatigued, As an RP effect no one can be tired when Giles is around!, Constant Effect
I am the Evermason! (Member of the High Evermasons Society)- All allies Golomancy spells cost half their normal MP cost, All Golems allied with possessor gain +300,000 HP and +7,000 to all stats, does not stack, Constant Effect
Space-Warping Hands- Possessor may target and deal damage to any row in battle, Possessor may target individuals in other battles in the same thread who are below Level 60 or are willing, Constant Effect
Classy Butler- Possessor's controller may bring 10 unequipped items into threads, Possessor's controller's items may not be destroyed by sources below Level 60, Constant Effect
These are the Hands that Built this City- Possessor's Large Structure allies gain +3,000,000 HP, +30,000 Defense, and +7,000 to all stats, does not stack, Constant Effect
Echo of the Architect's Powers- Possessor gains +12,000 to all stats, Possessor's Damage-dealing actions may deal an additional 28,000 Damage if possessor chooses such, Constant Effect
Abilities-
Mana-Displacing Strike- 90,000 Damage, deals both HP and MP damage, Spatial, 0 MP
Loads of Resources- Creates a temporary item that is identical to any item for sale in the Shop that is worth below 39,000,000 Gold that vanishes at the end of this thread, Wealth, 0 MP
Aura of Solitude- 10% inflicts Vanished, -60% To Hit against caster, does not stack, activates as a counterattack and cannot be used otherwise, Spatial, 0 MP
Space-Distorting Beam- 80,000 Damage, -15% To Hit, -15% Dodge, stacks 5 times, Spatial, 3,000 MP
Battlefield Inversion- Switches the rows of any number of targets, Spatial, 20,000 MP
Perhaps Some Tea?- 350,000 Damage, Heals, Cures any one minor status effect, Wealth & Earth & Water, 2,200 MP
Gild- +15,000 to all stats, inflicts Elevated, stacks 3 times, Wealth, 15,000 MP
Remove!- Cures any five minor or moderate status effects from sources of any Level or debuffs from sources below Level 60, Spatial, 5,000 MP
Space Door- At the start of the next round, caster and any number of caster's allies may enter any other battle in the same thread that does not contain an individual of Level 80 or greater who objects provided that no Level of 80 or greater in any battle said individuals are leaving objects, or, if in a random quest, may leave the thread, Spaital, 750,000 MP
Spacewave- 88,000 Damage, Deals full Damage to the back row, 1 hit against 60, Spatial, 250,000 MP
And they Can Tear it Down- 38,000 Damage, deals double damage to Large Structures as an effect that does not stack with other effects that multiply Damage against Large Structures, Light & Physical or Air & Physical or Magic & Psychic or Water & Air or Ice & Earth, 1,000 MP
Architect's Construction- 1,000,000 Damage, Heals, only affects Large Structures, deals double Healing to Large Structures as an effect that does not stack with other effects that multiply Damage or Healing against Large Structures, Light & Physical or Air & Physical or Magic & Psychic or Water & Air or Ice & Earth, 1,000 MP
Space Replica- Target begins counting as present in two target battles, one of which must be a battle that target is currently in, with both instances of said target being the same instance for all traits other than location, with said effect not stacking and only being able to be applied to individuals who are below Level 60 or are willing, and with said effect not being able to place an individual into a battle in which an individual of Level 80 or greater objects, Spatial, 1,000,000 MP
Glorious Overcrash: I Am The Architect Of Nexus- Caster becomes Immune to Damage (including Stat Damage), Debuffs, and Negative Status Effects for 3 rounds, Non-Overcrash abilities do not cost caster MP to cast for 3 rounds, Caster's buffs cannot be removed without caster's permission by sources below Level 80, Caster's Golem and Large Structure allies are Immune to Damage (including Stat Damage), Debuffs, and Negative Status Effects from sources below Level 60 for 3 rounds, Universe, 1 MP, Reduces caster's MP to 0 for remainder of thread
Statue Buddies: It's Smashing Time!- 60,000 Damage, this action usees the combined Spirit of each of its participants as its Prime Attribute, 1 hit against 50, May be used up to 5 times per thread, Consumes one action from the individual 'Elyion' and one individual named 'Giles', This is a Combo Move, 5,000 MP per participant

Lesser Selerethic Sunthrone Golem (Summoned)
Level 19
Golem, Light
HP- 280,000
MP- 280,000
STR- 4,500
AGI- 3,500
CON- 3,750
MIN- 3,250
SPI- 3,250
XP- 0
XP Needed- 210,000 (Standard Multiplier x3)
Minimum Level- 1
Defense- 4,000
Defense against Stat Damage- 500
Critical Chance- 30%
Resilience- 30%
To Hit- 130%
Dodge- 30%
Resistances and Immunities- Absorbs Light, Awestruck Immunity, 50% Darkness Weakness, Immune to Pain, Confusion, Impaired, Poison, and Diseased
Prime Attribute- Strength
Constant Effects-
Hard Body of Solid Light- Possessor gains +25% Resilience, +2,000 AGI, and +4,000 Defense, Constant Effect
Servant of the Lords of Suns- Possessor gains +6,000 Defense and +3,500 to all stats if one of possesser's allies possess the ability Sun Duke, Possessor gains +1,500 Defense and +1,200 to all stats if one of possessor's allies is a Solar Being, Constant Effect
Abilities-
Fist of Light- 11,000 Damage, Light, 0 MP
Fist of Fire- 11,000 Damage, Fire, 0 MP
Bolster- Caster gains +3,000 Defense, stacks 5 times, Light, 20,000 MP
Awestrike- Inflicts Awestruck, Light, 1,000 MP

Artifacts-
The Rose (Level 39, 825,300,000 XP, 164,000,000 XP Required, Standard Multplier x10 (Standard multiplier raised to x200 to bypass Level 40))

Elyion (Celas)
Level 39
Magic Being, Magic
HP: 134,500
MP: 1,694,500
STR: 390 (1)
AGI: 3,900 (10)
CON: 5,380 (12)
MIN: 5,380 (12)
SPI: 12,150 (25)


+54,600 Magical Attack (+6,000, +37,000, +37,000, +78,000, +78,000)
160% To Hit
85% Critical

+10,700 Defense (78,000)
60% Dodge
80% Resilience
+78,000 Defense against Darkness
+78,000 Defense against Water
+78,000 Defense against Earth
+78,000 Defense Against Fire
35% Magic Resistance
35% Water Resistance
35% Fire Resistance
35% Darkness Resistance
20% Light Resistance
20% Crystal Resistance
20% Crystal (2) Resistance

+500,000 Defense against Gold Damage

Wearer's allies all gain +350 to all stats
all of wearer's healing effects may heal Units
wearer may spend an action up to three times per round to give one of wearer's pets or summons an additional action immediately following said spent action, wearer may exchange 3 spell or consumable slots for an additional pet slot up to two times

Wielder's summons gain +2,500 to all stats as a non-stacking bonus



"...ty that Rosaline and Mr. Selim are otherwise occupied, Seed Rains sound like just such an unusual occurence that would be just the sort of excursion SAINT is about! Still, we'll have to tell them all about it." A feminine figure of slight stature walks through the portal, accompanied by her butler, to whom she is excitedly chattering. Clad in a wide, lacy hat, what seems to be rose-colored crystalline plate armor, and a skirt made of overlapping plates of the same arranged to resemble the petals of a flower, she approaches one of the desks.

[Modrageball]

The desk appears to be occupied by a pleasant-looking, bespectacled and middle-aged man in somewhat gaudy robes. "Goodness me, we are busy today. Welcome to Seirei, travelers, and the lands of the Great House Clavis. We are indeed presently experiencing the rare phenomena that are the Seed Rains, and quite a significant example of the legendary occurance too, by all accounts. I take it they are what brings you here today?"

The featureless, head-shaped energy beneath the hat flashes an excited orange. "Very much so! I found this fascinating bulletin posted, and would quite like to learn more. Would you be so kind as to direct me to the Gramman Botanical Centre in Clavia?"

The clerk nods, one finger pushed to the bridge of his spectacles to prevent them dislodging. "Ah, you must be interested in the listing posted by that botanist. I would be only too happy to furnish you with directions, along with papers identifying yourself as a traveler from beyond the gate- we can't have people mistaking you for a rare spirit of some variety, now, can we?" As he speaks, the man retrieves a shiny key from his sleeve, which glows softly. A ghostly hand fades into view holding a quill pen, drifting to a stack of papers on the desk and rapidly filling the top page with neat, cursive script and diagrams. "Your papers, along with a map of the city with the centre marked on it, will be ready shortly. They will also include a short pamphlet on the laws and customs of these lands- rather ordinary, I'm certain- along with information on the August Order of Spirit Tamers, who uphold order and protect the people of this world. If you should happen to encounter any of their number, please be sure not to interfere with their duties and to treat them with the greatest of respect. They do vital work, especially during times like these."

The papers are gently pushed to the middle of the desk by the ghostly hand, given a brief examination by the clerk, and are then promptly stamped with an official-looking seal. "And there we have it. Clavia is well-signposted- simply follow the main road to the west to reach it. On foot, it will take a few hours. Do be careful on the way- I hear that a number of small woods and clumps of unusual plants have sprung up here and there, and some may be dangerous. I wish you a pleasant journey in our world, Ms. Elyion."

Elyion gets:
*Elyion's Papers from the Seirei Portal- (Bound Accessory, Quest Item, Light & Darkness, 1,000 Gold) +1 SPI

"Thank you very much, kind sir!" Elyion give him a polite nod as she accepts the papers, and departs towards the west!

"I wonder what he meant by 'rare spirit'?" She muses to Giles on the road.

The pair make their way through the opulent halls, passing vaulted corridors and side chambers, manicured grounds and courtyards, until they finally leave the complex proper and find themselves on a wide, smooth, white-stone road running west-east. The surrounding land is lush, gently rolling countryside, filled with colourful wildflowers and green grass. It would be more colourful, however, if it wasn't due to the gloom covering it thanks to the thick, greenish clouds swirling in the sky above, hanging ponderous and low. Dark patches on the horizon suggest heavy rainfall, with the sky above the grasslands to the north and hills to the northwest being notably darker.

The road is fairly busy- it seems a large number of people are heading to and from the city, many with large carts filled with what look like furniture and other possessions. The Seed Rains are evidently worrisome enough to prompt relocation. Also present are a large number of guard patrols, the emerald-coloured armour embossed with a crossed-key-and-keyhole motif.
The pair (especially Elyion) are given many looks as they pass the various citizenry, ranging from 'worried' to 'confused'. The guards keep an eye on the sentient spell, especially, but the papers in her hands seem to satisfy them that she's not up to any wrongdoing.
The papers themselves contain maps! One appears to be of a city split over three levels, although only two of them are filled in, the third simply a vauge outline with 'House District, Access Restricted' written on it.
Elyion gets:
Map of Clavia- (Bound Item, Antiquity, Earth & Light & Darkness, 300 Gold)
Map of the Clavia Province- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Light & Darkness, 700 Gold)

Her walk is somewhat interrupted by a series of sudden thunks from a nearby hillside as a group of objects plummet from the sky and land in a shower of dirt. More dirt erupts as four dog-sized objects that look like chitinous, deep-red dragonfruits on crablike legs emerge, followed by a horse-sized example with rather more spikes and scale-flaps. The various commuters do not take well to this, and a panic begins to flare up.
A group of nearby guards begin running to head off the fruity scourge.

"Goodness. That's rather more... energetic than I was expecting 'Seed Rains' to be. Still, the advertisement did call for samples. Giles, would you kindly keep them isolated in that area while I contain them?"

Giles performs some Space-bending to make the seed-spawn run in circles while Elyion casts Nygombil's Wrath to encase them in crystal.

Giles reaches out and causes the spiked creatures to begin running around in circles, much to the guards' confusion. Elyion then begins systematically casting her Rose-magic on them, encasing each in a hunk of clear crystal.
Elyion gets 4* XP for a Level 8 enemy and XP for a Level 12 enemy.

The guards reach the crystallised creatures and warily begin tapping the rock.

Ely hustles over to the guards. "Pardon me, gentlemen. I am mostly confident that my spell will hold, but I suggest that tapping on it may be... inadvisable nonetheless. Giles, would you be so kind as to carry these for me?" She turns back to the guards while Giles stores the crystallized creatures in his dimensional pocket. "The recruitment poster that drew me to your lovely world asked for samples to be delivered to this botanist fellow. I do hope you don't mind my taking these ones?"

The guards are somewhat taken aback by Elyion's appearance and manner, but nonetheless stop tapping on the crystal.
"You did that?" One of the guards sounds caught between surprise, suspicion and being genuinely impressed. He looks both her and Giles up and down, turning to the butler. "...here, you're one of those people from the Gate, aren't you? Might want to keep your spirit there from being too flashy. You get some leeway 'cause of where you're from, but if you go causing too much of a mess, the Tamers might want to confiscate it."
He looks back at the entombed monsters.
"Not that I'm particularly complaining about you having it take out those. Things like that've been falling out of the sky all day. If you want to take 'em, go ahead."

Giles then makes the creatures vanish with a gesture, prompting even more surprise.

Giles raises his eyebrows. "Mistress Elyion is not my Spirit, nor, in fact, a Spirit at all. I am her butler."

Elyion pats him on the arm. "Thank you, Giles, but that's quite alright. I think I'm beginning to see how things work here." She turns towards the guards. "I thank you for your warning and I'll do my best not to cause any undue trouble. Do take care, gentlemen."

She'll continue on the road to Clavia.

Leaving the guards behind to their confusion, Elyion and Giles return to the road.
The terrain becomes hillier as the duo continue to the west, patches of woodland appearing nestled in valleys and crowning the hills here and there, the road winding and meandering ever more as it follows the flattest route to its destination. Unlike the beginning of their trip, the rest is fairly sedate, aside from the occasional questions from (and subsequent explanations given to) guards.
A twinkling object from within a patch of bushes up a hillside catches Elyion's eye.

Elyion has a certain fondness for shiny things. Investigation!

Halfway up the nearby hill, in the middle of a patch of bushes, is a rather small, leafy plant with a single, shining, silvery berry growing from it.

"Well, hello there. Aren't you peculiar." she says, and gently plucks the berry.

Elyion gets:
Radiant Whitesilver Soulberry- (Consumable, Food, Light & Hope, 1 Charge, 20,000,000 Gold) Target gains 2 Base SPI, to a max of 15

"My, this is something special." Ely pockets the berry for later.

Onward, further to Clavia!

Elyion returns to the road and continues onward to her destination! The sky darkens further as she travels, lending a somewhat claustrophobic air to the proceedings when paired with the tall hills, valleys and embankments the road wends its way through, passing patches of woodland and small lakes as its gradiant increases. Little else of note happens on the journey, however, save a wagon losing a wheel and causing a slight traffic jam on the side heading away from the city.
Rounding a bend, the road climbs to the crest of a hill, the sky beyond pierced by an expansive collection of white stone spires, starkly contrasting against the dark-green sky, and visible even from Elyion's position below the summit. Three taller spires, made of an almost translucent green jade and threaded with hints of gold, tower over the others, pinpoints of light glittering against them.

Elyion and her butler crest the hill, revealing the city beyond.
Clavia stands astride a great chasm in the earth, a scar running for miles in either direction, its sheer cliffs broken here or there by the occasional soaring aqueduct, rerouting rivers that would otherwise plunge into the depths towards the great settlement. It seems to hover in the dim light, caught between the deep pit of the chasm and the low, smothering blanket of dark, roiling clouds above.

The city itself is a three-tiered marvel of architectural design, appearing to float above the canyon with little more than a series of connecting bridges to hold it in place. Indeed, the central tier looks to be made of nothing short of vast bridges and wide plazas and parks lined with white-stone buildings of relatively uniform design, interrupted here and there by a larger structure, statue or elaborate piece of decorative constuction. Banners festoon the walls and rooftops, breaking the blank canvas with eye-catching flashes of colour, and many of the bridge-structures are lined with flowering trees, strips of parkland or paved with differently-coloured stones in interesting designs.
Through the many gaps in the central tier, the lower layer of the city can be seen, rays of light illuminating a collection of buildings here, a small park there. Entry to the level looks to be gained by way of a series of ramps descending from more central roads, vanishing from sight behind other buildings, roads and bridges.
Soaring above the central tier is a great platform-structure, its edges overflowing with flowering trees and sculpted parkland. A tall wall soars just a little way past the parkland, providing a surrounding barrier to the platform. Beyond the wall, somewhere towards the middle, soars a structure with many tall, carved spires, its central trio made of a glassy, green stone inlaid with gold. The presence of white tips of stone suggests at another collection of tall buildings beyond the central edifice. The entire settlement radiates a faint light against the gloom, a spherical bubble of near-invisible clarity.

All three layers are connected by means of a towering array of massive pillars, each carved with intricate designs in green stone, surrounding an even larger, central pillar, its surface hidden by the four great statues that sprout from its surface, towering over the central city and supporting the top layer. The only one the pair can see in any detail at this angle is a dragon, its six wings and each of its scales carved from many differently-hued stones. Brassy, golden horns crown its head, supporting a silvery halo-ring atop a glassy mane. One of the other statues looks to be something rather more subdued and feminine, whilst the other is plated in some shining, silvery metal or other.

The road winds its way down the hillside and leads to a wide bridge connecting to the city flanked with many banners, each a rich green tone and bearing the keyhole-and-crossed-keys emblem the guardsmen on the roads bear on their armour.

Elyion consults her map and the directions she recieved from the portal attendant to locate the Botanical Center!

The Gramman Botanical Centre appears to be located on the south-western edge of the city's middle tier (which looks to mostly contain businesses, shops, official buildings, guild halls and affluent residential areas, at least by the size and arrangement of the places relative to the map's scale). It looks like the quickest way to get to it on foot would be to follow the central road from the bridge to the ring-road around the huge central pillar (which is itself surrounded by what seems to be the main base for the city's guards and access to the upper tier), and then take the main southern road from there towards the southern edge of the city, taking a side street before hitting the shrine-complex at the end of the road.
A somewhat more scenic route would be to turn south earlier into a large road marked as 'The Parkway', which traces a large square around the centre of the city's middle tier, following it round to its southwestern corner and taking a road that splits off there south directly to the centre.

All this, of course, requires getting into the city in the first place. The wide bridge is packed with traffic, residents of the surrounding area apparently deciding that the city is the best place to ride out the coming storms and bringing their most important possessions (and, from the looks of it, furniture) with them. Guards (recognisable at the distance by their emerald-green armour) are busy directing carts, carriages and pedestrians, and standing watch for potential threats falling from the skies.

[Modrageball]

"Oh dear, Giles. Look at this mess." Elyion shakes her head disapprovingly. "Proper emergency routes are of the utmost importance."

She natters on a bit as they walk through the mess of traffic and into the city.

Elyion finds herself once again at the centre of a misunderstanding regarding her spiritual status and Giles' relation to her, but fortunately manages to flash the papers before events get out of hand. The official seals on her paperwork combined with the sheer volume of people trying to get into the city work in the sentient spell's favour and both lady and butler are eventually let through the guard posts, across the banner-lined bridge, through a considerably more ornamental gatehouse and into the city proper.

The eastern central layer of Clavia spreads out before them, a mass of tree-lined streets, hidden parks, white-stone buildings festooned with banners of House Clavis and covered with a huge variety of signs for shops advertising everything from clothes to weaponry to foods to books and more. Not that it's particularly easy to see such. The traffic here is just as bad as outside, with long lines of carts being directed down various avenues and side roads, crowds of worried people filling every other available space and clustering around stalls purporting to provide information and otherwise giving off an air of quiet panic. It's almost hard to believe the entire thing is just a series of bridges and platforms suspended over a sheer drop, but the reminders come through gaps in the steady procession of buildings and crowds, the wall of shops giving way to wide paths flanked with carved balustrades or long marble containers filled with flowering shrubs, providing a barrier between the pedestrian and a long drop to the rooftops of the lower level, or in some cases even further than that, the shadows of the canyon visible through the spaces between.
The edge of the city seems to have a lot of shops, bars, restaurants and other commercial establishments lining the roads on the city-side, the edge walled off with an elaborate stone trellis-like construction, providing ample views of the surrounding countryside and, indeed, the chasm above which the city sits.
Above it all, the oppressive weight of the dark-green clouds makes the otherwise airy and open plan of the city feel positively claustrophobic.

Continuing Intensifies.

The duo make their way through the crowds of civilians and worried refugees, past near-gridlocked carts and carriages, passing over wide bridges that open out to views of the rooftops of the lower, darker tier and, eventually, coming across what is most probably the Parkway- a huge piece of parkland split by a wide road bearing a cloud-and-tree pattern, the green space large enough to contain small woods and artificial hills, as well as lakes and streams.
The road is wide enough to disperse the worst of the traffic pouring into it, allowing Elyion and Giles something akin to a pleasant stroll alongside the stall-lined borders of the parkland towards their destination, despite the threatening sky overhead.
The trip is a rather long one, considering they have to cross the majority of the city, but passes without much in the way of incident, save for an enterprising vendor from 'Aunt Nardell's Bakery' enthusiatically thrusting some sort of fluffy, cakey free samples of 'Fleff' upon them.

Elyion gets:
Apple Fleff- (Consumable, Food, Earth, 500 Gold) Heals 100 HP, +50 Damage for Earth Element attacks
Mulberry Fleff- (Consumable, Food, Water & Earth, 500 Gold) Heals 100 MP, +50 MIN, does not stack

The spell and her butler reach the southwest corner of the Parkway, taking the tree-lined road at its southern corner towards what is almost certainly the Gramman Botanical Centre.

The building itself straddles the edge of the city, occupying its southwestern corner, and looks nothing less than a palace constructed of glass with a brass skeleton, gleaming dully in the light. Huge glass domes house miniature forests and multiple-story-high floors of greenery and riotous displays of colour, vibrant even in the dull light cast from the heavily-clouded skies above. The grounds outside the complex are similarly verdant, carefully arranged flowerbeds and unusual trees vying position with elaborate rockeries and water features.

"Ah good, it seems we've arrived, and quite a tasteful place it is!"

Elyion will approach the grounds, in search of either a door or someone to speak to!

The showy greenery that acts as a border between road and edifice has several paved walkways cutting through it, some meandering through the shrubberies (which, Elyion notices, have little plaques explaining the plant varieties on display), others scenically curving towards a particularly large arch-shaped glass building with a row of several glass (of course) double doors leading further into it. Another entrance, set into a smaller building that has more brass than glass, is connected by a short driveway to the road, presumably some sort of delivery/loading area.

She'll try the delivery area! She is, after all, making a delivery.

The delivery area is connected to the road by way of a short, if wide driveway. A large brass-shutter-door is presently pulled up, revealing a loading dock inside along with a large quantity of boxes, sacks, and various plants in pots.
Also occupying the building is a cart with a mound of some sort of dense, blue-green leaves in it. Said pile of unusual foliage is growing at a steady rate, being kept somewhat in check by a crew of men and women in green aprons weilding shears and sweeping the clippings into sacks.

More of the green-aproned individuals hurry in and out of the loading bay, some bringing boxes and sacks with them, others taking plants from the bay. One of them, a short, brown-haired man with very large gloves, is standing aside from the rest and talking to a red-and-white-robed lady holding a glowing shrub and a shabbily-dressed farmer with a box of small, metallic pumpkins.

The duo strides at a brisk pace towards the conversing group and calls out from a short distance away, "Excuse me. I'm looking for one Serro Gramman, in response to a listing posted? I believe there was a call for samples, and I may be able to provide?"

Elyion's general appearance is met with brief alarm. Fortunately, Giles is quick to produce her portal-paperwork, the prominent seal on which seems to go a good way towards calming the group down (although Elyion has to wonder if it's because they know the significance of the papers, or simply because they think the seal marks her as being in service to the House in question).

The shocked silence certainly gives her a foot in the door regarding the conversation, however. The begloved man works his mouth for a moment before finally managing to stutter "M...Master Gramman is unfortunately occupied with studying samples from the Rains at present, b...but I'm sure that he will be available la--"
"As I asked before, how much later?" The robed woman interrupts in exasperated tones. "Given the present situation, I'm sure I, as well as every other shrine maiden in the city will be called to add to the wardings before too long, and I would very much like to know what properties this-" she shakes the glowing shrub meaningfully "-has before I have to leave. If something like this can get through the wards, it is extremely important I find out if it's unique to this particular plant or if we're all going to be run ragged around Clavia trying to play gardener."
"Uh, i...if you could leave it here with your details, I'll have it sent to Master Gramman as soon as I'm able and have word sent to you a...as soon as we find o--"
"Unbelievable."

The begloved man looks rather like he wishes he were anywhere else but here. The farmer appears to have found one of his smaller pumpkins of sufficient interest to pocket it, and the shrine maiden appears to be growing steadily more irate by the moment.

Elyion interjects to the Shrine Maiden. "Perhaps I could be of some assistance with your plant problem. I have... certain skills with regards to identification that are uncommon on worlds such as this."

The shrine maiden looks Elyion up and down a few times with a somewhat doubtful expression, turns back to look at the flustered worker, sets her jaw and holds the glowing shrub-in-a-sack out to Elyion.
"Here. I've wasted quite enough time as it is already, and if you might have some indication of what this is I suppose it'll make things far easier."
The thing has an oddly-coloured eruption of leaves, green at the centre of the bush but dark reddish-purple everywhere else. Despite the dark colouration, the leaves nonetheless 'glow' with the same deep colour.

Elyion is handed:

Ward-Piercer Barberry Bush- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Aether, 35,000,000 Gold)

"Oh dear. Well, it seems that this particular plant has the explicit property of circumventing wards. And quite an impressive element, as well... It appears to be called a "Ward-Piercer Barberry Bush". If you're looking to prevent incursions from this sort of shrubbery, I'm afraid you've quite got your work cut out for you."

She turns to the gloved gardener. "While I am willing to wait a reasonable amount of time for Master Gramman's attention, perhaps I could be of assistance to him in his current examinations. Additionally, as I mentioned, I do have a delivery of some samples. They were of a rather... animated nature when I obtained them, so perhaps you might wish to relocate them to a somewhat more... contained area promptly. Giles, if you would be so kind?" She gestures, and Giles nods and retrieves the crystallized creatures from his spatial storage, causing them to appear from thin air off to one side.

Upon hearing Elyion's explanation, the shrine maiden's expression pales. "What? But that wasn't the only... there were..." Turning on her heel, the woman runs from the loading bay with surprising haste, leaving the spell-entity holding the offending shrub.

Giles pops the crystallised dragonfruit-entities from nowhere! The gloved gardener is momentarily stunned by the sudden appearance of the (rather large) samples. He casts a glance at his still-frantically-working-to-contain-the-growing-cartful-of-bush colleagues, decides that they aren't likely to be of much help, and makes his way to a bell-pull which jangles somewhere further off in the complex when he tugs it.
"Uh, I'll.... I'll have someone come along shortly to take you to Master Gramman. If you're as good a-at examining plants as that, I-I'm sure you'd be a great help. And free up the rest of us."
The farmer looks somewhat put out by the just-arriving-lady-thing getting an audience with the man in question, but suitably intimidated by her appearance and magic butler to remain quiet on the matter.

While she waits for her escort to arrive, Elyion will putter about helping to identify errant plant life for any who seem to require her aid.

The farmer is the only other member of the general public here who looks to be waiting for such a service and, after a bit of hesitation, consents to letting the lady examine his pumpkins.

Elyion immediately identifies them as False-Metal Pumpkins, which appear to come in different varieties with different Gold values (to her Arena-granted identification senses, at least) depending on what metal it is they're supposedly copying.
While she doesn't have enough botanical knowledge to readily pick out properties, they all seem to be far tougher than normal pumpkins. Examples that look to be copying gold or lead seem to be made of a softer metallic substance than ones that seem to be copying steel or adamantine, suggesting that perhaps they hold some material relation to the metals in question.

The farmer looks obviously disappointed that he isn't literally growing gold in his pumpkin patch, although the mention of the plants perhaps holding unusual properties that could be of interest makes him perk up a little.

By way of payment, he hands Elyion:

False-Metal Pumpkin (Gloom Steel)- (Item, Antiquity, Metal & Darkness & Physical, 41,500 Gold)
False-Metal Pumpkin (Mythril)- (Item, Antiquity, Metal & Magic & Physical, 2,000,000 Gold)


A woman with dark rings under her eyes, black hair pulled into a messy ponytail and a green apron stained with earth hurries up to Elyion. "Are you the appraiser here to see Master Gramman? I'm afraid as he's so busy we'll have to go straight to the Research Dome, as he won't leave to meet with anyone."

"I am indeed! I certainly have no objections to meeting him there, I can appreciate that he would be quite occupied during such an interesting celestial event." Elyion will follow where she leads.

The woman nods and hurries through the door into the botanical centre proper, Elyion following close behind.

Their guide leads them through a maze of corridors, into large storerooms stacked with sacks and barrels and crates that smell of earth and compost, cuts across a sweltering large, glass-roofed dome that looks to be a cross between a massive conservatory and a biodome, and passes on towards what Elyion guesses is the far end of the centre, located at the edge of the bridge-city's boundary.

The woman unlocks a large pair of brass double doors, leads the duo through, locks it behind her, hurries across a glass-encased brass bridge to another pair of brass double doors, fumbles with the keys for a moment and pushes it open.

A rush of heat and dizzying mixture of exotic scents, pleasant and otherwise assault the living spell and her butler, as the pair behold an even larger dome, apparently overlapping and extending beyond the city's southern edge. A forest's worth of trees ring the internal equator of the dome, all odd and foreign-looking specimens in their own right. A large brass walkway rings them, overlooking the main floor of the spherical structure several metres below and the hive of frenetic activity it contains.

In the centre of the chaotic bustle is a bald man in dark-green robes, surrounded by floating books and drifting plants, trees, and other strange objects, some in pots, some whole, some fragmented, and all whirling at high speed. The man is constantly talking, and occasionally shouting, at great speed, apparently not having to pause for breath. Glowing, circular patterns in the air disgorge more botanical oddities, some of which join the central maelstrom, others drifting off to a huge array of benches and worktables manned by a frantic legion of men and women in green aprons. Many of them have their own collections of thick, heavy-looking books and appear to be studying the various plants and other items with ferocious intensity. Others are running around carrying boxes, books, plants and odd devices. Several are standing outside the whirling mass of plantlife with books and clipboards, furiously scribbling notes as the bald man's shout-talking continues.
Also arranged around in the chaos are groups of people in red and white robes, each concentrating in the direction of one of the glowing, floating magic circles, along with a series of heavily-armed individuals in various styles of dress, one of whom appears to be both made of stone and sitting firmly on a large mushroom.

"That's Master Gramman in the centre there," the pair's guide explains as the rush of activity continues unabated. "He's been identifying all of the more exotic samples and uncovering the properties of ones we've never seen before, but there's so many that we just can't keep up on our end. There's... there's just been..." She rakes a hand through her hair. "There's been so much more than any of us could have expected. If you're from that Nexus place and half as good as Master Gramman hoped, you should be able to help us clear the backlog and assist him in identifying the higher-grade items we've had to keep back."

The magical being looks around the dome, a ripple of excited yellow passing over her surface. "Oh my. This is far... more than I was expecting. Quite impressive!" She rubs her hands together. "Quite right. Just point me to where you need me most, and we'll see if we can't get this place running smoothly!"

"Just down here." The woman leads the spell and her butler around the brass walkway, down two flights of stairs and onto the edge of the main floor, pausing at the edge of a long workbench staffed with more green-aproned people poring over piles of books and studying pieces of plant. A small pile of botanical samples, potted speciments and fruits sit in an unoccupied space.
"These are examples we've been having trouble identifying ourselves, that Master Gramman has deemed do not require his immediate attention. If you could show us what you can do, it'd give us some idea of how much work we can pass your way."

[Modrageball]

Elyion takes a seat at the workbench. (if there is no seat, Giles provides one with his Loads of Resources! Really, expecting one to work on one's feet?)

She takes her writing materials and commences a flurry of Scholarly activity, writing not just a summary of each individual plant's identity and elements and such, but also studying the plants as a whole to try to grasp the underlying nature of the Seed Rains!

Giles, meanwhile, performs his butlery functions for the harried staff, unobtrustively serving tea to bolster the more worn workers, providing resources as required, occasionally jostling space to make room for or sort new specimens, in the seamlessly expert fashion one could only expect from the very best of butlers!

There is indeed a seat, and Elyion makes full use of it! She picks up the first speciman and gives it an appraising glance. A Grumblefruit, a darkness-and-fire element fruit that incites ill temper in those that eat it. She duly catalogues and summarises it. Next. A Razor Yew Branch. Acid, Wood, and Metal element. Rather sharp edges. Straining her basic druidic knowledge and vague tangential brushings against Botany (and skimming through the books available on her bench) she decides it's from a rather poisonous tree made all the more treacherous by its slicingly-sharp leaves and bark edges. Probably long-lived and more poisonous the older it gets. Next. A Seed of Minor Spiritual Potential. Looks like it could be used to foster spiritual or magical talents in others...

Slowly at first, but gaining in speed and insight, Elyion, despite her limited grasp of plant knowledge uses her Arena-granted item-statblock-revelation, her general knowledge of the universe, mana patterns and book learning, her fairly broad base of magical skills and, if all else fails, her ability to convince herself she's more talented than she really is to plough through the piles of plants and produce, duly studying, cataloguing, and summarising each one.

Giles, meanwhile, makes use of his peerless skills as a butler to bustle off around the room, serving tea, stretching space, providing just the right texts where needed and generally making himself utterly indispensible to both Elyion and the botanical staff.

Elyion is caught up in a blur of botany and learning, completely losing track of time but never flagging thanks to the constant presence of her excellent butler. Plants and fruits and cuttings and roots parade across her workspace, all summarily scrutinised, elegantly examined, insightfully identified and carefully compiled. Several members of staff are freed up thanks to her efforts and the assistance of Giles and help remove the catalogued specimens from the room in carefully-labelled boxes and carts.
Before she knows it, she's dealt with all the items that have found their way to her seat (and indeed, the rest of her bench altogether), and has enough breathing room to look to some of the larger, more imposing-looking and more complicated specimens set on the tables closer to the maelstrom of botanical madness around the still-constantly-narrating Serro Gramman.

She's already feeling like she's learned an astounding amount about the staggering array of weird and wonderful plants that have fallen from the Seed Rains and feels like she might be getting a feel for the nature of the Seed Rains themselves. She's also got a sizable notebook stuffed with her observations on a great deal of unusual plantlife.

Elyion gets:

Studied A Vast Number of Rare Plants From The Seed Rains- (Passive Ability, Botanist) Possessor counts as being 2 Levels higher for stat-scanning purposes against Plants, possessor gains 5% Resistance to Earth, Wood and Life-element Plants

*Elyion's Extensive Botanical Notes On Plants From The Seed Rains- (Accessory, Tome, Earth & Wood & Life, 5,000,000 Gold) Weilder counts at 5 Levels higher for stat-scanning purposes against Plants, to a max of Level 99, Weilder is informed of the name and Level of all opposing Plants that are not 20 or more Levels higher than weilder's Level

Note to self: Elyion got a triple-90+ run plus a 90+ roll, Giles got a 90+ run

Imposing and complicated specimens, you say? Sounds absolutely delightful! She'll go take a look at those.

Elyion moves to the next set of tables and sets to work peering at the next speciman.
Things are somewhat trickier here, as her Arena-granted appraisal-ability... doesn't seem to be fully working on this. It looks like a huge seed the size of a football, pulsing with green energy and vibrant... geomancy? Other magics? There's other assorted things here, too, strangely-shaped fruits and bizarre, eye-twisting flowers, and weird plantlife she can't quite put a name to.
Fortunately, her extensive notes, along with the textbooks she has to hand look like they'll be able to help make some headway, but she isn't going to be able to coast along like she did with the lesser examples earlier.

Right. That pulsing seed seems like an interesting first subject for an in-depth examination!

The seed proves impossible for Elyion to guess at through her currently-held knowledge, prompting her to trawl through the various provided texts, her own notes and, in several instances, make leaps of logic through outright guesswork at impressive speed.
The thing's got a weird combination of magic in it, but, thanks to finding a few relevant passages in a book of legends, some vague mentions in an old treatise on prior Seed Rain flora and managing to pay attention to the still-talking Gramman's narration-lecture at a particularly relevant point, she decides that this particular specimen has to be a Greenseed of Vernat, an exceptionally potent magical seed that fundamentally alters the geomancy of a huge area (potentially an entire landmass), forcibly changing the flows of mana, weather patterns and, indeed, the pattern of the location in question to become fertile and verdant, prompting rapid plant growth on a massive scale until it reaches the state it 'should be'.
She's less clear on some aspects of it, but she thinks it also either draws or outright spawns Spirits of the appropriate variety to populate and maintain the area's verdant nature, even in otherwise impossible or hostile terrain. According to some sources she's found, several Spirit Tamers who were precursors to the modern-day Houses (particularly the House of Blossoms) used these to restore the world after the Sealing of the Nightmare Moon ended the 'Catastrophe Era'.


Elyion's notebook has been updated.

*Elyion's Extensive Botanical Notes On Plants From The Seed Rains- (Accessory, Tome, Earth & Wood & Life, 15,000,000 Gold) Weilder counts at 5 Levels higher for stat-scanning purposes against Plants, to a max of Level 99, Weilder is informed of the name and Level of all opposing Plants that are not 20 or more Levels higher than weilder's Level, Weilder is provided with the text of any such Plant's Constant Effects and Abilities that create or attach effects to Zones involving the elements Earth, Wood and/or Life, Wielder may treat Spirits who possess the elements Earth, Wood and/or Life as Plants for the purpose of this item

Intriguing! Hoping that it's all downhill from here, Elyion decides to try examinging a strangely-shaped fruit next.

Elyion picks up the strangely-shaped fruit!

Very strangely-shaped, in fact. It looks rather like an opulent old-fashioned white-and-gold telephone.

Also, Gramman's constant narration seems to have stopped.
As has everything else.
Time seems to have paused.

The headset of the phone is to Elyion's 'ear'. A rambling, tired-sounding male voice speaks from the other end of the line.

"Yes, this is Mr. Progression...

...well...

...thanks for calling.

...Miss Moneybags, wasn't it?

Consider this the other end of that call you made earlier...

...or, rather, later, depending on whether you're looking at time from the inside or outside.

And then there's the way you Arena Members can be in several places at once...

I mean, that must make for some interesting hurdles when it comes to filling in your organiser.

It really must.

Not that I'm a stranger to that...

...I have a meeting scheduled for half past a ninety-degree angle to the concept of Tuesday perpendicular to the weather patterns in Quas.

It wouldn't be so bad if there wasn't always someone that was late...

...and if you're late, it's only polite to bring coffee or doughnuts or something, but they only ever bring vegan granola bars...

It's one of the mysteries of the universe, you know?

No matter how up there you get in level, vegan granola bars only ever taste like cardboard.

Or drywall.

Some kind of construction material, anyway...

...I wonder why that is?

Personally, I think it's so they can say they're so much better than everyone else because they choose to suffer terrible food...

...which is why I always make a point of bringing burgers to meetings.

Of course, it sometimes causes problems...

...barbecues can be pretty tricky to light with just the contents of your regular conference rooms, you know?

...

...well, anyway.

I'm here to apologise for the wait.

...well, I know that no time has passed for you...

...but at the same time, a lot of it has passed...

...it's because of so and so and such and such a reason, you see. Thank you for your patience. The boss says he wasn't expecting the festival to be as big a thing as it was...

...and then this and that happened...

...well, anyway. I'm here to give you a refresher on your journey so far.

You came in to investigate the Seed Rains.

...granted, from most perspectives, they're over, but you're getting in near the beginning. Go you.

You've got a huge opportunity, here.

Really, it's huge.

...just be careful about getting in over your head with things.

...anyway.

You and your butler came in, got yourselves some papers from the gate-place, and then headed off towards the city of Clavia.

...things got a little odd when those fruit-monsters fell from the sky, but you took care of those pretty quickly.

Then you found a weird berry and carried on into the city itself.

...the place was in something of a panic, and there was traffic backed up all over.

The Seed Rains hit faster and harder than expected, you know?

...well, you can blame that guy for that.

Anyway, you both made your way to the Gramman Botanical Centre and headed for the loading bay, where you found they were pretty busy already with all the stuff coming in.

You worried a Shrine Maiden by telling her the plant she found could get through wards, then offered to help out the staff by using your Arena-granted appraisal abilities to identify plants for their boss.

...turns out the place is much busier than expected, given the boss-man was identifying huge amounts of plantlife being warped in by various Shrine Maidens and almost all of his staff were working to support him.

You and your butler got to work identifying and assisting, and you started to make yourself a book of notes on what you found out.

...you did a better job than I'd have thought, too.

I mean, you're not exactly a botanical expert...

...you were really on the ball, you know?

Which brings us to now.

...

...oh, yes.

I'm also going to be tweaking your brain so you can understand that guy better and identify plants more easily...

There probably won't be any side-effects.

I'm sure there won't be any, so don't worry.

...and if there are, they'll probably be beneficial.

Probably.

...

...well, anyway.

Keep a hold of the phone. The boss says it's by way of apology.

...just call if you get stuck or need advice or something.

It'll only work once, though.

...so don't just go calling me back asking what this was all about.

Really, don't.

...well...

...thanks for calling.

This has been Mr. Progression."

*click*



Time unpauses in a rush of noise and motion, Gramman's loud and ceaseless narration picking up where it left off.

Elyion feels rather more mentally acute. Things make sense. Gramman's previously-mystifying lecture is now not only fully understandable, but actively helpful!

Elyion gets:

Apprentice Druid Magic Attunement
Druid
Basic Botanist Knowledge
Apprentice Botanist Knowledge
Botanist

She thinks there might be a lingering effect temporarily boosting her considerably higher up the trees, too.

The strangely-shaped fruit from earlier (which is now once again present and next to the telephone) awaits her examination. It's a Fruit from the Seed Rains. Vague recollections of the festival from her future-and-yet-past filter in. They have many varied descriptors and typically defy identification until consumed. In her boosted state, however, she's able to determine at least its vague effects. This one looks to be beneficial and seems to suggest some sort of Channeler-type area-effect power.

Next.

This large, ridged seed is a Sanctum-Seed. Her enhanced knowledge immediately identifies it as granting its user a permanent spiritual sanctum, a spiritual inner-space that is at once a potential refuge and place of power to draw upon. This one, however (as she studies it more closely) wouldn't be desireable, as it is firmly aspected towards providing a sanctum that is a horribly poisonous swamp of potent acid that would leach through and affect its owner, should they not be generally able to survive or live in such things.

Next.

This tree is almost in bloom. Its flowers, Elyion determines, will put forth petals of pure, refined mana- or in other words, XP. It'll steadily bloom and shed XP in petal-form. Such a useful resource would almost certainly be exceptionally valuable.

Next.

This flower has the odd effect that clusters of it act like pools of water...

The living spell speeds through her identification of increasingly esoteric and potent plantlife, clearing swathes from the dome-auditorium-greenhouse and freeing up even greater numbers of staff to rush them out and into (presumably) suitable storage areas in the Botanical Centre. Her notebook overflows with observations (requiring Giles to provide her with a larger one and space-shuffling text over into it), made all the more profound by her boosted state. Elyion even has the presence of mind to include lessons and directions that occur due to her increased abilities in the hopes that she'll be able to find it a useful teaching aid afterwards.

By the time she's gone through the plants available to her, the skies outside are considerably darker (although whether this is due to the time of day or the Rains growing in intensity is a matter of debate), the flow of specimens through the shrine maidens' portal-symbols has slowed, and Gramman seems to be close to finishing with the samples he's studying, the number orbiting his lecturing-platform now considerably smaller.


Elyion gets:

Telephone That Calls Mr. Progression- (Consumable, Invention, Progress, 1 Charge, 500,000,000 Gold) Has RP Effects, this item and its effects may not be altered or replicated by sources below Level 200, this item's charge's consumption cannot be prevented or undone by sources below Level 200


*Elyion's Extensive Botanical Notes On Plants From The Seed Rains becomes:

*Elyion's Extensive Botanical Notes On Plants From The Seed Rains- (Accessory, Tome, Earth & Wood & Life, 100,000,000 Gold) Wielder counts as 20 Levels higher for stat-scanning purposes against Plants, to a max of Level 99, Wielder counts as 5 Levels higher for the purpose of equipping, controlling and summoning Plant Pets and entities, Wielder is informed of the name and Level of all opposing Plants that are not 20 or more Levels higher than wielder's Level, Wielder is provided with the text of any such Plant's Constant Effects and Abilities if said Plant is Earth, Wood or Life Element or the text of individual Constant Effects or Abilities if they are Earth, Wood or Life element or generate effects of said elements, Wielder's Consumables whose name includes 'Moonstone of Vernat' has its text changed such that 'target weapon' becomes 'target weapon or Plant', 'with this effect stacking on a max of two items' becomes 'with this effect stacking on a max of two items or entities', and gain the text 'Plants targeted by this consumable gain the name prefix 'Seed Rain Variant', +10,000 to all stats, +20,000 to damage values and may make their abilities solely any combination of this Consumable's elements as a non-stacking effect', Wielder may treat Spirits who possess the elements Earth, Wood and/or Life as Plants for the purpose of this item, Wielder obtains the next 'name-tier' ability in Druid and Botanist that they do not possess out of Basic Druid/Botanist, Apprentice Druid/Botanist, Druid/Botanist, Adept Druid/Botanist and Expert Druid/Botanist while this accessory is equipped

Well, to occupy some time while Master Gramman is (hopefully) finishing up with those final few floating flora, Elyion will, with her newfound insight and remarkable notebook, re-examine some things she's previously come into possession of!

Radiant Whitesilver Soulberry- (Consumable, Food, Light & Hope, 1 Charge, 20,000,000 Gold) Target gains 2 Base SPI, to a max of 15
and
Ward-Piercer Barberry Bush- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Aether, 35,000,000 Gold)

With the latter, perhaps a writeup of any ways to inhibit its growth could be produced and possibly arranged to be sent to the Shrine Maidens managing the Wards by Master Gramman's staff at a convenient point.

Elyion takes another look at her previous acquisitions!

The Radiant Whitesilver Soulberry, as her Arena-appraisal suggests, temporarily raises one's Base SPI. Quite the useful effect in itself, but she thinks that it might be good in combos to impart that same effect on the result. Perhaps, she surmises, it would have a larger effect on plants through said combos.
Alternatively, thinking back, the plant seemed rather less-than properly developed. Not yet fully grown, maybe? Perhaps if she were to plant it in sufficiently spiritually-empowered soil (or otherwise provided sufficient source of spiritual energy) to somewhat mimic the environment of the Seed Rains, it would be possible to grow a plant to provide more of these berries.

It appears she was similarly on the mark with the Barberry bush. While the plant itself can grow through wards of some potency, a closer examination makes her think that if the plant was provided sufficient spiritual energy (or otherwise properly empowered or provided potent enough plant-boosting effects), it would be able to grow into a larger plant that would provide berries to impart the same effect. The juice of said berries would likely make an excellent basis for a defense-and-barrier-piercing Weapon Coating, or perhaps they could be ingested (or used as the base ingredient in a combo or mixture) to create a potion or medicine to allow its imbiber to do the same.
They could likely also be used to make pretty striking hedges that don't require much in the way of trimming due to their naturally dense, contained structure and vivid colour. Ironically, they could also be used for security purposes due to their spines.
Being easy to grow and able to adapt to a range of temperatures, Elyion find the prospect of easy solutions to an infestation of them somewhat tricky. However, she thinks that extreme heat or cold would be able to deal with the things, as would forcibly inundating them with too much water or completely cutting them off from light. Preferably in conjunction with overzealous pruning.

She has just finished penning a letter to that effect and my goodness that's a face.
"You must be the assistance from Nexus I requested! I'm certain of it! Your expertise in appraising the plantlife that stymied my staff FAR EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS! I FORSEE MAGNIFICENT LEAPS IN BOTANICAL KNOWLEDGE THROUGH OUR COOPERATION! TOGETHER WE SHALL TEAR BACK THE VEIL OF MYSTERY SURROUNDING THAT MOON!! IT CANNOT HIDE ITS SECRETS FROM ME FOREVER!!!"
The bald Gramman is scant inches from her face, practically vibrating with excitement. He sweeps back and up to his full height, gesticulating towards the green-black sky through the glass-domed roof.
"My supply of new samples has been slowed! Halted! Most of those I have hired are taking cover! Cowering from the power of THAT BLASTED MOON! BUT YOU!" He points dramatically at Elyion. "YOU HAVE THE POWER AND THE KNOWLEDGE TO SEEK OUT WHAT MUST BE SOUGHT, DO YOU NOT?!"

Elyion finds Gramman's enthusiasm quite infectious!

"I very much hope that I do, Master Gramman. And might I add what a pleasure it is to finally speak with you. I am Elyion, late of the Battle Arena, and this is my most excellent butler, Giles, Mask of the Architect of Nexus. I very much hope to be able to speak with you at length about this world and its astounding lunar-weather phenomina! But I fear, perhaps, that I should focus on experiencing these mysteries firsthand and, of course, obtaining some samples for you. To that end, I hope you have some suggestions for me with regards to where the most notable locations might be?"

"Indeed I do!" Gramman produces a document from a voluminous sleeve and slaps it down on the workbench. It looks to be a heavily-annotated map of some variety.
"Every year I prepare, you see! Every year I calculate, I plot, I forecast and predict, just in case that year is the year the Rains fall! And this year! This year is different! THIS YEAR SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THE MOONS! THEY ARE EMPOWERED!! THEY ARE ENHANCED!! THE RAINS HAVE COME!!! MY TIME HAS COME!!!"
Hands momentarily flailing at nothing, Gramman attempts to point to four different parts of the map with two fingers.
"FIRST! The largest concentration! It'll be spreading from the Clavia chasm-" he indicates the large, dark line separating the leftmost third of the map from the rest, "-to the Pralat Plains!" his hand sweeps across the upper area of the map, passing over a few large towns that have been hashed over in dark green ink to indicate what Elyion assumes is the touchdown area for the heaviest predicted fall of the Rains. "It'll go from grassland to woodland! To forest!! TO JUNGLE!! PLANTS THAT CAN ONLY BE DREAMED OF! PLANTS THAT CAN ONLY BE DREAMED DOWN! SUCH WONDERS THERE WILL BE!! REACHING UP INTO THE VIRE PROVINCE!!"

The man's gesturing has managed to physically spin him away from the table in its ferocity, prompting him to flail himself back around into Elyion's general direction.
"SECOND! The new area sprouted as from nowhere when the moons first shimmered with their new power! The Pella Moonforest!! I have determined, calculated and predicted- nay, PROPHESIED- that it shall draw in GREAT TORRENTS OF SEEDS AS LIKE CALLS TO LIKE! EXOTIC PLANTS THE LIKES OF WHICH COVER THE MOON ITSELF! THEY SHALL BE THERE!! BUT WHAT OF THE SPACE? WILL IT EXPAND? WILL IT CONCENTRATE?! WILL NEW SPACES OPEN WITHIN SPACES?!"

Gramman's excitement has carried him around in the other direction. This time, he continues to gesture and spin, jabbing at the map on his second go around.
"THIRD! The valleys and peaks of the Colluctus Mountains!" he indicates the area to the left of the chasm at the north of the map. "Will the seeds sprout differently at depths and altitudes? WILL BEING CLOSER TO THE MOON INCREASE THEIR POWER?! WHAT OF THOSE THAT BLOW INTO CAVES AND CREVICES?! WILL THEY SPROUT THEIR OWN MOONLIGHT?!"

Grabbing hold of the workbench, the man staggers as if fighting against a roaring gale, slapping a hand against the south-eastern coast of the map.
"AND HERE! THE CETAN OCEAN! WHAT OF THE SEEDS THAT FALL HERE? WILL THEY SINK? WILL THEY SPROUT? WILL THEY CREATE FLOATING ISLANDS OF FLOWERS AND SPICES HERETOFORE UNKNOWN?!"

He lurches back towards the centre of the room, narrowly avoiding several of the larger instances of plantlife precariously stacked about the place.
"I have to know! WE HAVE TO KNOW!! THE SEED RAINS! BRINGER OF LEGENDS! FRUITS THAT GRANT IMMORTALITY! TREES THAT GROW SONGS! PLANTS THAT CONTAIN THE ESSENCE OF THE WORLD! THEY MUST BE CATALOGUED!!!"

"Well. I certainly didn't come prepared for a grand tour, as I seem to have left my cloud whale at home, but I am feeling rather ambitious, I'll need to put together an itinerary of sorts. What sort of timeframes am I looking at to reach these various locations?"

Gramman looks positively delighted.
"Such enthusiasm! Such passion! I had expected my requested assistance to only venture forth to one such location, but YOU ARE CORRECT!! WHY SETTLE FOR ONE WHEN WE CAN SAMPLE THEM ALL?!"
The botanist is set to spinning with frenetic activity once more.
"If only I could operate beyond the Clavia Province! But the other Houses wouldn't have it! They want the Rains for themselves, you see! The Rains on their lands! Understandable, but it will be THAT MUCH MORE OF A LOSS TO BOTANY!! AH! But the timeframe! THE LONGEVITY OF THE RAINS!! I HAVE RESEARCHED! I HAVE PORED! I HAVE READ AND CORRESPONDED AND PLUMBED!! The length of the Rains is varied! So very varied! But with the ADDED POWER OF THE MOON AND THE HEIGHT OF THE CLOUDS, I WOULD SAY IN MY MOST ESTEEMED ESTIMATION THAT WE HAVE THREE DAYS!! THREE WHOLE DAYS OF SEARCHING AND RESEARCHING AND EXPLORING!!"

The man practically dances over to a cabinet and pulls out what looks to be an oversized bangle covered in geometric designs and odd symbols.
"I'm not supposed to have this, you know! BUT! THE CAUSE OF BOTANY CANNOT BE IMPEDED BY MERE LAWS!! If you find samples of interest, simply put them through this! BEHOLD!!"
He sticks a hand through the loop. As soon as his hand passes the opening, it vanishes. A glowing, circular design appears in the air near the podium, very reminiscent of the original magical patterns Elyion witnesses earlier that disgorged the steady flow of plantlife earlier. Gramman's hand wiggles and waves from the middle of it.

"What a fascinating bit of... artifice? Regardless, I fear I must risk disappointing you, here. Three days is a rather more narrow window than I'd anticipated when I expressed my interest in visiting all the sites, and I suspect traveling to the more distant locales in such a timeframe would be somewhat, well, physically impossible. I believe, however, that if I apply myself well and with some assistance, I may be able to perform an examination of the Colluctus mountains and some areas of the Pralat Plains path. Do you know if it would be possible for me to commission an airship for this? Do you have airships on this world?"

Gramman somehow simultaneously deflates a little while maintaining his rate of frenetic vibration.
"Well! Can't be helped, I suppose, given how broad an area is to be covered! A CRYING SHAME! BUT AN UNDERSTANDABLE ONE!"
The green-robed Botanist claps the ring down on the workbench before Elyion.
"Airships? Of course! All under the control of the Houses, however, or of merchant companies directly tied to them! They use spirits to fly, you see? SUCH INGENUITY! SUCH SKILLFUL BINDING! SUCH EXPENSE! You can't have spirits being used by anyone the Houses don't trust, you see! Or that aren't capable of handling them properly! Which would make chartering a flight difficult! Not to mention the terrible, yet understandable trepidation of setting out in these conditions!! FEW WISH TO RISK THE WONDROUS TERROR OF THE RAINS!!!"

Another map, this one depicting the city, is produced and slapped onto the counter. Gramman jabs at a large complex on the north-western edge of the part marked 'Mercantile Layer', several parts of it jutting out from the otherwise squared-off edge of the plans.
"If you want to try regardless, the Clavia Air Docks are here! But again! I FIND THEIR COOPERATION UNLIKELY!!"
His finger drags over the map to indicate a building by the western bridge leading out of the city. From the looks of it, a smaller bridge extends from it to run parallel to the larger one.
"Here, however! A recent innovation in land transport! Trains and private carriages pulled by shikigami-horses! A completely nonsensical application of the art of exorcism for those who trained in the field but refused to follow its calling for incomprehensible reasons!! TRULY AN ACT OF MAGNIFICENT FOLLY!! OR PERHAPS THE PRECURSOR TO SOMETHING GREATER?!!"

The finger drags along the map once more, passing over the central section of the Mercantile Layer to point to the largest road on the eastern side, resting atop a large building at the intersection of 'Guild Street' and 'The Parkway'.
"Or perhaps here! The Spirit Hunter's Association! They are well-known for their network of spiritual gateways between their guildhalls! One could request to travel from Clavia to Mornhill in the mountain borders, for a fee! PERHAPS EVEN HIRE ASSISTANCE!!"
Gramman's other hand excitedly points at a large blob on the western edge of the Clavia Province map, located at the end of the main road from the capital, in the middle of the mountain range.

"As for the plains, it will be tricky! All those plants no doubt growing! Such a variety there must be! Forests! Jungles! How impassible they must be getting! THE MERE THOUGHT OF SUCH A CONCENTRATION OF BOTANICAL SPLENDOUR SETS MY MIND TINGLING!!"

"Quite right. Well, my most wholehearted thanks for the information, and I shall take my leave to see about making my preparations and retrieving your samples. I look forward to the fascinating botanical discoveries! Now, come, Giles. Let's see to travel arrangements."

Elyion, after taking the transportation ring, shall set out for the Spirit Hunters Association!

Elyion gets:

*Serro Gramman's Item-Transporting Spirit-Gate Ring- (Accessory, Quest Item, Light & Darkness, 10,000,000 Gold) Wielder may, at the start of wielder's first action each round, choose to remove an unequipped item in wielder's possession from the thread, has RP effects


Elyion exits the greenhouse-dome, a green-aproned assistant escorting her through the doors and leading her back through the walkways and passages to the loading bay.
The sky above is definitely darker (albeit tinged through the subtle dome of glowing light surrounding the city), the swell of green-black clouds pushing down on the land and giving the impression that the city's top layer is somehow the only thing holding a vast, dark mass from crushing the world below beneath it. Strange flickers and sparks of colour and light play through distant clouds here and there, somewhat reminiscent of lightning crossed with an aurora.
Time has definitely passed while she was sunk deep into her appraisals- the Parkway, still busy, is now hemmed with carriages and carts at the parkland's edge. Herds of horses huddle in the grassy hills and rolling lawns beyond, freed from their duties for the night. Some of the vehicles' occupants look to be setting up makeshift awnings from the sides of their carriages, or covering open carts with canvas sheets to form temporary shelters.

Guild Street proves to be the widest avenue she's seen in the city so far, a beautiful stip of well-tended garden dividing its central line, its pavements lined with large, important-looking buildings resting on various points of the official-to-gaudy scale, each vying for attention through beautifully-crafted architecture, elaborate gilding, large and colourful signs and impressive entryways.
At the junction of the avenue and the Parkway, as Gramman's map showed, a well-kept building stands, an arch-filled marble facade providing shade for the entrance proper. A sign carved into the stone above the arches reads 'Clavia Spirit Hunter's Association', a sculpted disc of red stone depicting a sword-and-bow motif resting above it.

"Giles, it has occured to me that, as beings of my sort are somewhat unheard-of on this world and I am continually mistaken for a Spirit, members of an armed organization dedicated to hunting such might perhaps respond in a rather enthusiastically rude fashion to my walking in the front door. Please do be on guard and prepared to relocate anyone who attempts to do me harm."
"Of course, madam."
"Thank you, my good fellow. Now then, into the lion's rather tasteful den." She shall open the front door and stride boldly inside!

The interior rather resembles the lobby of a fancy hotel. Polished floors of dappled red-and-white stone surround a circular sword-and-bow design in deeper red. Comfortable sofas and chairs are placed here and there around cherrywood tables, polished to a mirror shine. Large stone planters containing vibrant, leafy shrubs break the empty space here and there, and glowing crystal orbs hang from the ceiling, providing a comfortable measure of illumination.

A tall, stone-fronted desk with the familiar sword-and-bow seal carved into it stands opposite the entrance, flanked on either side by two large boards containing a variety of flyers and posters, some of which bear red tags. Holding court behind the desk is a dark-haired woman in a purple, ruffled dress, her face obscured by a smooth and eyeless metal mask, featureless save for a line cut into it suggesting a smile.

The place is pretty busy, from the looks of it, and while Elyion certainly gets a few suspicious looks and glares, the crowd inside the place is, by far, the most bizarre and diverse collection of individuals she's seen since leaving Nexus. Many of them, while obviously humanoid, are just as obviously not human (or at least, not fully human) in some way, shape or form. A man with a bright-orange weasel's head instead of an ordinary human's argues with a being whose skin is made of faceted obsidian. A long-haired woman in a thick, fluffy fur robe and hat sits in a booth surrounded by a hovering collection of varicoloured furry winged things. A young man, barely a teenager by the looks of it, strange spikes of silver metal jutting from his face like a bizarre beard-prosthetic, gestures emphatically with a hugely oversized metal hand attached to an equally oversized arm at a snooty-looking woman in grey robes and an eboshi-like hat who holds a disconsolate-looking tengu on a leash. His companion, an older man in worn cloth armour covered in rows and rows of faded symbols, has a steadying hand on one of the teenager's shoulders, the other holding cords tethering a number of floating, glowing scroll-cases.
Many of the individuals are holding containers or heavy bags, several obviously containing plants of some variety, or strange collections of branches, vegetables and flowers.

[Modrageball]

"Ah. Feels like home, really," she murmurs to Giles before proceeding in the general direction of the masked attendant. When she has opportunity to address her, without having to muscle in front of anyone, she says:

"Good evening! I'm told that your organization can facilitate transport via spiritual gateways, and wished to inquire as to the rate you'd charge to travel to your Mornhill facility."

Elyion has to wait for a fair amount of time, as a number of the diverse individuals seem to have a lot of questions for the woman at the desk. She's also fairly sure a couple pushed in line ahead of her.
Eventually, however, the living spell and her butler manage to reach the solid, polished stone counter to say her piece.

The smile-masked woman turns towards Elyion, the action fluid and... odd, somehow. It's as if she took the most efficient path to her new position without any unnecessary movement.
"Welcome to the Clavia Branch of the Hunter's Association. Your inquiry is in regards to transport to the Mornhill Spirit Hunter's Association Branch, correct? One moment, if you please."
She falls silent for a moment, standing completely still.
"Ah, yes." The woman nods her head slightly. "That service is presently open to non-members. Be advised that due to the heavy demand for this service during the current significant weather event, an additional charge is in place. Further, priority for use of that service is granted to Association Members. In total, travel to the Mornhill Branch will incur a cost of 750,000 Gold."

"I see. And if one were interested in priority access without membership, would such services be negotiable?"

"One moment, if you please." The woman, once again, goes eerily still and silent. A few moments later, she gives a nod. "At this present time, given Association Member demand and present usage rates of the Gate Chamber, one-time priority access without membership would incur an addtional fee of 1,000,000 Gold."

"Very well. Giles, would you be a dear and pay the lady?" The Butler produces an appropriately-counted bag of gold, and places it on the counter. "Now, would you kindly show us to our destination?"

"Of course. A member of staff will be with you to show you to the Gate Chamber shortly." The woman gestures fluidly to one of the hallways beside the desk, returning to her precise previous position after doing so. "The Spirit Hunter's Association thanks you for your patronage."

'Shortly' does, indeed, turn out to be shortly. No more than a minute later, a red-uniformed, moustachioed gentleman with a pair of pince-nez bustles in through the hallway and makes a beeline for the living spell and her butler.
"Good evening." His voice is somewhat gruff, although not unpleasantly harsh. "Might you be the visitors wishing to use the Gate Chamber? I'm given to understand you have been granted a measure of priority, so one of our gate staff has been reserved to send you to your destination whenever you are ready."

"Good evening!" Elyion nods. "We are indeed, and we are ready to depart as soon as possible. By all means, sir, lead on, and with my thanks."

"In that case, please follow me."
The red-uniformed man leads the spell and her butler past the desk and back down the hallway he emerged from, footsteps echoing on the mirror-smooth red stone. Evenly-spaced doors line the walls, all solid-looking affairs with brass nameplates affixed at eye-level, a set of double doors marking the end and bearing a discreet plaque reading 'Association Members Only'.

The room beyond is... expansive, being considerably more open than the rest of the building, at least three stories in height. Roughly half of its ground level seems to be a mess hall, internal windows on one wall revealing a huge kitchen partitioned off from the rest of the room. A stage is located against the other wall, a few benches dragged over from the mess hall area to act as seating along with rows of chairs. More people in strange and diverse outfits fill the area here. Large wooden boards dominate the far wall, filled with flyers and posters and listings of some description. Stairs lead up to various galleries, bridges and hallways, with some internal windows revealing more rooms beyond.

A woman with a multi-lensed set of glasses is shouting at a number of other mismatched individuals from the stage, gesturing at various maps set up on stands besides her, apparently organising them into groups. Two men struggle with a flailing plant as tall as they are, its solitary flowerbud the size of a beachball and snapping open and closed to reveal fanged petals, its stalk firmly lashed to a pole with symbol-covered strips of cloth. Someone is floating around the middle of the area above the crowds, looking somewhat surprised that the apple they were holding has somehow inflated into a balloon-like object.

In short, it's exactly the sort of chaos Elyion is used to as an Arena Member.

The man leads the duo through the press of people and through an archway the size of a small house and rather ornately carved of the red stone the building seems to favour. He pushes past a small crowd of a few people heading through it, passing through a short hall and another large archway into a spacious chamber, its floors filled with an abundance of glowing circles, each manned by a shrine maidens and monks in primarily red robes, bearing the emblem of the Association on sashes. As Elyion watches, a small group speaks to one of the shrine maidens, steps into her circle and is whisked away in a flash of light as she chants.

The man ushers Elyion to a red-robed shrine monk standing beside a magic circle of some sort, geometric patterns and flowing symbols glowing brightly against the crimson stonework.
"When you are ready, simply walk into the circle together. You will arrive at the Mornhill Spirit Hunter's Association's Arrivals Chamber. I recommend you leave the room as soon as you arrive, as with all the Association Members the Rains are attracting, things may be liable to get crowded."

(A curse upon this ancient-past ability list!)

Always having an interest in esoteric magical effects, she'll take a brief few seconds of studying the circle, to see if she can glean any insight as to the function of the symbols, before turning to the man.

"Thank you very much for your assistance, good sir. Come on, Giles, to Mornhill and the Seed Rains!" And without further ado, the duo shall enter the circle!

Elyion examines the circle!
...well, it's clearly magical in nature. She can't really tell anything more than that. From what the uniformed man has told her, if he's to be believed, it's probably safe to assume this is some form of Spirit Magic that acts like Gate Magic in some way, shape or form. Maybe it works off the same principles as that Spirit-Gate Ring Gramman gave her?

The monk manning Elyion's gate-ring rolls up his sleeves as she enters the ring. "One trip to the Mornhill branch, coming up. Don't move until you come out the other end, or else you could end up somewhere you don't want to be. Safe travels."

The light of the ring around the duo is suddenly blinding, blocking out all else, accompanied by the sense of at once both plummeting and being lifted with great force, with a healthy mix of 'rollercoaster' thrown in for good measure.
A few twists, turns and stomach-dropping lifts later, Elyion's vision clears in a flash.
She finds herself in what could almost be mistaken for the same room, given its materials, architectural style and dimensions are nearly identical to the Gate Chamber she just left. This one, however, has a single, large symbol-covered magic circle-ring glowing on the floor, taking up the entire breadth of the room. Only a couple of shrine maidens are present in the area, apparently inspecting the ring and occasionally making obscure gestures and chanting under their breath.
As Elyion gets her bearings, she sees a heavily-armoured man coalesce out of thin air in a swirl of white-gold light, shift the weight of the large basket on his back, and immediately set off out of the room through a large archway leading to a short corridor, the other end of which opens up into a rather larger area that looks to be full of people and activity.

As per the SHA employee's instructions, the pair shall hasten their way away from the apparent disembarkation zone, so as to not be underfoot! Following that fellow seems a safe bet.

The pair hurry through the hallway and out into a large hall! At first glance, it looks much the same as the chaotic half-mess-half-meeting hall of the Clavia branch, but as Elyion looks up, it soon becomes apparent that the building has quite a few more floors than the previous one. Rows of galleries overlook the hall from above, connected by stairwells and what look to be stone-lattice-encased elevators of some description, all in frequent use by the motley bunch that fills the building.
A large number of red, spherical lanterns emblazoned with the sword-and-bow motif of the Association float and drift in the space overhead, providing illumination and somewhat lessening the cavernous feeling that might otherwise result from empty airspace.

The hall is just as lively as the previous one. A considerable number of people, some in very peculiar outfits indeed, bustle about with varying amounts of purpose, panache and plantlife. One woman with a pile of baskets stuffed full of what looks to be branches and leaves appears to be holding some sort of impromptu auction to a small group of skeptical-looking members, none of whom appear to be willing to pay for whatever it is she's offering. A man with bristly, spiked hair and boar-like features, including a pig's snout and tusks, hurries off towards an archway hung with curtains, a small tree growing from his back and rustling with each step. A teenage girl in elaborate shrine maiden's robes berates a young boy with bright red skin and a stalk sticking out of his head. A figure wrapped from head to foot in veils and symbol-covered bandages chases after a laughing, bouncing watermelon that leaves glowing spots on the ground where it touches.

All in all, just as strange as the last place.

A small delay in getting to the rains site seems acceptable! Elyion will go listen to the auction, and use her newfound botanical expertise to see if what's being sold matches what it's being sold as!

The woman is frantically trying to maintain the interest of the skeptical-looking audience around her.
"And this! This is a branch from a tree that sprouted jeweled songbirds! Plant it and you'll be sure to get yourself a winning source of income before too long!"

To Elyion's botanical knowledge, it looks like a perfectly ordinary twig from a birch tree.

"Leaves from a bush that turned all of the animals around it to stone! Who knows, they might yet retain their potency!"

It's ivy. Just plain, regular ivy.

"The fur of a mighty plant-beast I tackled on the slopes of the mountains!"

Nope, that looks like literal garden-variety grass.

"Tsk, tsk. Such a shame." Elyion murmurs to Giles before continuing to move on. The Seed Rains await!

'Moving on' is not quite as simple a matter as it seems, as the Association building has a rather weird layout. It turns out that the exit to the outside world (or at least the main one) is, in fact, up at the top of the structure, up many, many flights of stairs and through multiple galleries, each of which has yet more odd individuals and bizarre plant-items in tow, several of which seem to still be animate. The noise is almost defeaning, with loud conversation, shouts and occasional screams (frequently paired with weirder noises) as some of the spoils of the Rains get out of hand and quickly set upon by an extremely diverse array of adventuring types.

Managing to get themselves through a tangle of frantically-growing vines (which a man in red martial-arts gear is rapidly burning away with flames from his hands, much to the distress of the vines' previous 'owner'), the duo emerge into a lobby that looks very similar to the one in Clavia, down to the purple-clothed receptionist (this one a man, in a waistcoat suit and tie) wearing an identical blank-save-for-a-smile metal mask.

Elyion heads through the double doors and into the (night? Twilight? It's hard to tell with the mass of black-green clouds lying low and looking close enough to touch overhead) beyond.

The Mornhill branch of the Spirit Hunter's association is set at one end of a broad plaza and taking up its entire breadth, a number of brightly-lit shops and businesses lining the two adjoining sides, hawking expensive-looking weapons, armour and equipment. At least two of the establishments look to be restaurants or bars of some kind, and the tables spilling out into the paved square are filled with what Elyion assumes to be more Association members, their tables piled high with either bottles, plantlike oddities, or both.
The far end of the plaza is part of a long road, running parallel to the plaza's end, beyond which an abrupt drop reveals a large town, picked out in lights from windows and lanterns, built up and around a pair of steep, mountainous slopes, a winding river of light glowing at the base of the valley between them (presumably a main road of some sort?). The buildings and roads are set in narrowly-separated tiers, many built atop one another, with steep stairways and zig-zagging streets cutting between them, with large, uniform-yet-stately buildings scattered here and there at the top and base of well-lit sets of steep rails- some sort of funicular lift system, Elyion decides, many built for freight.

The Association seems to have been built on the top tier of this side of the (town? City? It's hard to gauge), at least judging by the large wall rising up above and behind the large, low building- it must have been carved out as a series of sub-basements, she realises- and the lack of light issuing from beyond.

Right, then! The first step to any successful endeavor is having enough information!

In this case, Divination!

Zonal Perception, various scholarly Knowledges, perhaps some Druidry, and a toe dipped into Geomancy combine with her fledgling Magewright skills to create a map from Rose Crystal, grown for the purpose, of the surrounding area! It will be put to use as the base for her Focus-Based Fortune Telling, to mark present and incoming seed strikes, so that she can go forth and acquire these samples for Master Gramman. For Knowledge! and glory!

Elyion combines skills and disciplines! Through Zonal Perception, her scholar-skills, and a rudimentary grasp of Geomancy, she calls upon The Rose to grow a crystalline map of the town to use as a focus to bring her Druid knowledges into play! She will predict the oncoming storm! The future botanical bonanza-sites! The--

--hold on a second, that doesn't look quite right.
Scrutinising her crystal-grown map taking form, she can't help but feel it's... missing something. Like roads, for a start. In fact, what is it doing? That looks somewhat like the mountainous, valley-ish topography of the area (as far as she can tell in the lamp-lit twilight), but it's... really not looking anything approaching accurate.

The result is a lump of pretty, but otherwise only vaguely-area-shaped rosecrystal. As far as she can tell, it probably won't make for a very accurate focus. Not to mention it'd probably only relate to things that hit the town, anyway, which...

...there's another point. If the Seed Rains were striking the town or likely to do so, wouldn't there be more chaos than this? Despite the bustle from the Spirit Hunter's Association, there is a considerable lack of the requisite amount of screaming such an event would usually entail.

Elyion studies the lump, brightly excited violet dimming a shade or two of disappointed blue. "Hm. In addition to being incomplete and nonfunctional, rather smaller in scope than I'd intended. Perhaps I lack the requisite skills for such cartography. Well, at the very least perhaps one of our friends will enjoy a paperweight?" She sighs to Giles. "I suppose, then, we shall have to retain a local guide. Judging by the state of things back there, they certainly know how to find the things, if not necessarily how to deal with them." She leans in close and drops her voice to a murmur. "Familiar or not, though, I have some misgivings about this 'Hunter's Association', but I suppose there's nothing for it. Still, do be on your guard and tell me later what you observe about their employees and facilities."

Straightening up and pocketing the lump, she turns and strides back into the SHA facility, intending to speak once more to the attendant and hire on a guide!

Ambitions slightly squashed, the spell and her butler return to the the Mornhill branch and the purple-suited attendant with the blank-but-for-a-smile mask, who gives a familiar, fluid bow as they approach.
"Welcome back to the Mornhill Branch of the Spirit Hunter's Association. Your inquiry is in regards to guide services in the Mornhill area, correct? One moment, if you please."
He falls silent for a moment, standing completely still.
"Ah, yes." The man nods his head slightly. "We have several members presently standing by to act in that capacity. Be advised that their services are in demand from visiting members of other branches, and as such their rates may be adjusted to allow for outside parties. Would you require guide services only, or additional appraisal, protection or transportation services?"

[Modrageball]

"Guide services only, if you please."

"Very well. One moment, if you please." The man once again pauses as if frozen in time.
"Ah, yes." The man nods his head slightly. "Of those offering guide-only services, we have Aldin Rafford at a hiring cost of 8 million gold, Fleet-Foot Ferris for 11 million gold, and Vholg the Wayfarer for 15 million gold."

"Ah. Those prices are rather steep. Rather high demand and hazardous condition pay markups, I assume?

What is your organization's thoughts on the professionalism and proficiency of those individuals?"

"These individuals are, at present, the only members still available due to high demand for such services in the area. Prices have been altered to account for being requested by an outside client, additional demand for such services, and the ongoing presence of a legend-tier event with high potential for permanent injury, permanent alteration to bodily, mental or spiritual faculties, or death."
The man pauses for a moment, again adopting that air of eerie stillness.
"Your request for further details on the members in question has been acknowledged. The following information has been permitted to be shared by the individuals:
Aldin Rafford is a Rank 2 Association Member in good standing. He is originally from the Mornhill area and has been a member for five years. He has provided the following message to be shared: 'So long as you've got money, I'll stick with you. Pay me, and let's have an awesome adventure'.
Fleet-Foot Ferris is a Rank 2 Association Member in good standing. He has been a member for nine years. He has completed fifty-two Rank 2 requests and seven Rank 3 requests within that period of time. He has undertaken a number of requests involving guiding clients through hazardous areas. His overall success rate is 86%. Client feedback is mostly positive. He has provided the following message to be shared: 'If you need a guide that won't get in your way or steer you wrong, I'm it. I'm not going to lowball my services while this crap's going on. You get what you pay for'.
Vholg the Wayfarer is a Rank 3 Association Member in good standing. They have been a member for seven years. They specialise in exploring and traversing hazardous terrain in dangerous conditions."

"I see. Then, I suppose I wish to retain the services of Mr. Ferris. Would payment be handled through your organization, or to him as an individual?"

"All services provided by members of the Spirit Hunter's Association are handled by the Association itself, to be distributed to the involved parties as fairly as possible and ensure no unsanctioned requests for pay can be undertaken without administrative oversight. Payment from unaffiliated non-member clients is accepted in the form of coins, promissory notes or items. Please note that payment in items will incur an additional surcharge to cover asset liquidation costs."

The masked receptionist performs another eerily still-to-fluid-to-still bowing motion.

"Once payment is received, Association Member Fleet-Foot Ferris will be notified and sent to your location shortly. The Spirit Hunter's Association thanks you for your patronage."

Giles produces a purse containing the appropriate amount of gold, and places it on the counter.

"Right, then. I shall await him here." She seeks out a seat to do so.

No sooner is the gold placed on the counter than it vanishes, leaving a gold-hued afterimage behind that slowly fades away. The receptionist performs that eerie bow once more.
"Your payment has been accepted. Association Member Fleet-Foot Ferris shall join you shortly."

The place's lobby being like that of a plush hotel has its perks; Elyion has no trouble finding herself a comfortable seat in which to perch herself while she awaits her new guide, watching the peculiar array of Association members milling about the place as time passes. It really is somewhat like many parts of Nexus, in a way, although lacking some of the weirder sights, like the occasional Abstract, or talking penguins in tophats with a tendency to explode, or bizarre mechanical devices that could be anything from sentient missile launchers to overcomplicated ambulatory calculators.

Twenty minutes pass before Elyion is brought out of her musings by a somewhat rough-sounding voice.
"You the client?"

The rough-sounding voice is attached to a rather rough-looking... well, ruffian. Wearing dark-coloured pieces of leather over a dark-green outfit halfway between hardwearing traveler's clothes and overalls, the most immediately apparent thing about the speaker is the ears. They are overly long, pointed, somewhere in the region between 'elven' and 'lapine', and tufted with dark fur. They also seem, judging by the way they're waggling as their owner talks, to be rather more expressive than the usual varieties one would find amongst the general population.
The man they are attached to is, in a way, somewhat similar, being tall, somewhat lanky, and tufted with dark fur at various intervals. His face has something hovering between 'scruffy stubble' and 'scruffy goatee' blending into the scruffy tufts of fur on his jawline, his hair is dark and equally scruffy, his gloved hands have fur-tufts sticking out of them, his tail...
...oh, he has a tail. A long, thin, whippy one, with, yes, a scruffy tuft of fur on the end.
And then there's my word those are feet. Goodness. He must have a job finding shoes that fit those. Probably why he's elected for some sort of foot-wrap made of a dully-reflective mesh instead. The claws probably don't help.

"Name's Ferris. Fleet-Foot's the title that stuck. Before we get going anywhere, I'll want to know a couple of things, get a few things straight, and get introduced."
The scruffy demi-human hefts a large backpack onto a nearby table and leans against a pillar, a gloved hand outstretched, index finger pointing upward.
"First. What're you looking to find in the legendary shitstorm going on out there?"
A second finger uncurls.
"Second. How good are you at defending yourself?"
A third finger.
"Third. Do you know hand signals?"

"Simplest responses first: I am not familiar with any local varieties of hand-signals. Nor, come to think of it, any from locales more familiar to myself."

"I make my living primarily through combat," Elyion pauses to regard Ferris for a brief moment. "and as such I am exceedingly competent at self defense."

"And finally, as to what we're hoping to achieve, I regret to inform you that you've been relegated to a most unfortunate status: subcontractor. My goal is to acquire as broad an array of samples for my employer, and ideally myself, as possible. I've enlisted you to make this substantially easier, as I'm unfamiliar with the local area, terrain and hazards. ...also, frankly, the local hazards of this world, as I've no particular expertise in matters involving Spirits. With that said, I am a professional and in a similar line of work as you and your Association, here, so please do not mistake me for a tourist. Which is to say: My name is Elyion, mage, guildmistress of SAINT, upstanding member of the Nexus Battle Arena, and this is my most excellent butler, Giles. It's a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to working with you."

"Well," Ferris grunts, folding his arms, "Heads off the question on whether you were trying to use me as a bodyguard, then. Good. If you can take care of yourself, that's one less thing I have to worry about."
His ears twitch as Elyion continues.
"Nexus. Place through that Gate Clavis says they have? Don't know anything about it. If you don't know about Spirits, though, I'm going to have to assume you're clueless about a bunch of things, so it's probably just as well you hired me. So, from the top."

He jabs a thumb at himself.
"I'm Ferris. I'm an Aptim. Half-Spirit. People are arseholes about it, usually. Means I've got talents they don't, though, which is why I'm in this line of work. As a guide, it's my job to navigate dangerous terrain and make sure my clients don't kill themselves by wandering into the path of hostile spirits and hazardous areas. Given what's going on out there--" his thumb jabs towards a window, "--that is fucking shot right from the get-go, so I'm going to settle for making sure you get places you want to go and avoid the worst stuff on the way without getting beat up too much. I'll defend myself if something attacks me. It's not my job to fight for you. If we do get into fights, either something's gone wrong or it's because you wanted to fight something. I'm staying out of it if it's the second case."
He lifts a leg and gives the hefty backpack a nudge with a (considerably large) foot. The backpack skids a good few feet along the table at the apparently 'gentle' poke.
"I do come with medical supplies, some minor curse-breaking gear, provisions and an emergency kit for getting us back here, fast, if things cock up. Stuff isn't cheap, hence the hiring cost, but I know how to use it. You get what you pay for, and what you're paying for is me. I take my job seriously."

His leg drops and the demihuman guide resumes his lean against the pillar.
"Now, there's a few things I want to get straight. You're my boss for this outing, but I'm your guide. I know my way around the area, and if the legendary shitstorm out there's shifted the area into some sort of deadly kill-forest, I know my way around those, too. You tell me where you want to go. I tell you how we get there. You want your trip as fast, safe and hassle-free as I can make it? You listen to what I have to say. I want you to get your money's worth and not get killed so you find what you're looking for. Only reason I have any kind of failure rate is because people think that because they pay the money means they get to control how the fucking world works. It doesn't. Which brings me to my rules."

The gloved hand comes back up as Ferris begins counting on his fingers.
"First. The most important things to me are honesty, communication and respect. Lose any of those three out on an expedition in the wild and you may as well be taking a knife to your throat. Something's wrong, or you're hurt, or you have a goal in mind you don't want to share in public, you tell me. Notice something or feel something's off, you tell me. I tell you to do something, it's for a damn good reason and I expect you to trust me enough to do it. I'll do the same for you.
Second. You want to do something? Tell me first so I can plan a route to it, plan around it, or plan on how to patch you up afterwards. You don't have to tell me about the importance of the minerals of that rock you're eyeing up or go on about magical procedures I don't understand, just tell me you're going to go to a rock and do things to it so I can steer you away from the quicksand between you and it.
Third. Sometimes, we're going to have to be quiet. Maybe there's a hostile spirit near, or a potential avalanche, or something. I give the gesture to shut up, we all shut up until I give the okay to speak again. That's why I asked about hand signals. I'll teach you the important ones.
Fourth. Do not touch the ears."

The aforementioned ears waggle emphatically.

"Follow those, and we'll get along fine."

"Ah. The bodyguard's lament, guarding your 'body' from themself. I assure you, my good sir, that I am aware I am out of my element, and I intend to get my money's worth out of your services. It would be the height of foolishness to enlist expert advice and then not listen to it, but I have seen just that happen many a time, myself. I'm unfortunately acquainted with a vexingly immortal group of individuals with a habit of doing just that, then crying woe when they meet their doom yet again after not listening. I am not such an individual.

Now, reassurances as to my sanity out of the way, please tell me an overview of the Seed Rains activity in this region. Location, distance from town, size of the area, any information you deem important. As I mentioned before, my goal is bulk acquisition of samples- quantity more than anything else, and once we're on-site I intend to chart out and then harvest from as many sites in as short a time as possible, so please keep that in mind for your briefing."

"Got an update from a contact in the know before I met you. The--" One long ear perks up and twitches.
Ferris grunts.
"Not here. Let's move this to a briefing room. No sense letting everyone hear what I've got so it becomes a race."

The lanky Aptim grabs the backpack, hefts it back onto his shoulders and leads the sentient spell and her butler through the lobby towards one of the corridors adjoining it.
The trip is somewhat complicated by a dashing-looking adventuring-type with a red hair, twinkling eyes and a winning smile deliberately cutting in front of Ferris, grandly putting his hands on his hips and blocking the demihuman's path.
"Stinkfoot! Finally got yourself a client, have you? Excellent! I was worried you'd never find anyone overpricing yourself like that! Why, it wouldn't be any fun if I came back from my client's trip with so much more--"

"Die screaming, Aldin." Ferris interrupts the man mid-flow, halting the other's extravagant gesturing at a well-dressed woman and pair of attendant (and very heavily-armed) bodyguards. Pushing past the obstacle (smile now frozen in place) the Aptim ushers Elyion and Giles through a richly-grained dark-red door into a room dominated by a large cherrywood table and surrounded by comfortable seats.
The door shuts with a surprisingly heavy thud, all sound from the outside abruptly ceasing.

"Aldin Rafford," the guide states as he moves to the table, voice flat but ears pricked upright and twitching wildly. "Dirim. Opportunist. Arsehole. Seed Rains've brought plenty of them out from their holes. They're all thinking about fruits of immortality or trees that grow fortunes, how to steal said from anyone who finds them or profit the most from those who want them. Scum."

Ferris pulls a map from a pocket and spreads it on the table, placing a finger on the dot marked 'Mornhill'.
"We're here. Weather patterns are messed up and the rains are interfering with most projections, but my contact's latest information was that the rains in the local region are going to hit north of the main road to Clavia. Way I've heard it, the entire northern range is going to get covered by this."

His finger traces a semi-circle around the northern half of the town.
"Mornhill's got its own protections keeping the shitstorm away, which likely means there's going to be a heavy fall concentrated around the boundary. Easy to get to, but potentially dangerous and likely where a lot of the opportunists are going to be. Don't recommend it. Last thing we need is to deal with thieves and other shitstains trying to stab us on top of everything else."
The finger moves from Mornhill to trace a winding path around the labelled peaks of the mountain range.
"If you're wanting quantity, you'll want the valleys. Wind blows down the peaks and into them. Seeds should follow. Plenty of them around, but anyone with an idea of how weather works should get the same idea, so there might be some competition. Biggest valley is Edren's Dyke, about three hours' journey on foot for most. I can do it in less. Not sure how fast you are."
His finger traces from valley to valley, moving eastwards as he talks.
"Other most likely valleys would be, in size order, Olglen Vale, Ashdown's Fall and The Narrows- that's an ironic name, not literal- four to five hours' journey for most, but any space between peaks is likely to sprout and collect plants from this. Doubt many will know about those three, given they don't have the information I do."
His hand gestures vaguely around the northern and western outskirts of the Clavia Province border.
"Go north and you end in the Vire Province. House Fiora's lands. They deal a lot with plants. Probably got their Tamers prowling the mountains on their end. Might have some interesting things up there if they're planning on using the Rains to experiment, but you don't want to get in the way of Tamers or end up on their shitlist. Easy way to make life hard, fast. West is House Tellus' territory. They're still pretty new as a House. Rich, though. Probably hired a bunch of us to keep their side clear or trawl for interesting plants. Rains aren't supposed to be as strong over that way, either."

He motions from the mountains to the huge, dark crack splitting the map a third of the way across.
"Clavia Chasm. Not exactly local to Mornhill, but the place is basically a massive natural wind tunnel. Seeds are going to get sucked down into there and sprout at the bottom. It's huge. Probably the same deal as here with a concentration closer to the city-" he traces a circle around the large blob on the map, "-but we'd have to deal with the Clavia branch's members and treasure hunters there. Not as many as we'd get here, though. Hard to get to when it isn't raining surprises from the sky or sprouting death-forests unless you're good or prepared. I know how to get down there. Likely going to be one of the biggest concentrations. Would take half a day to a day to get there for most from here. It'd take me a couple of hours along the road. Could pull some strings and use the Spirit Gate network for cheap in my name to get us all there sooner."

Ferris gestures vaguely from the chasm to the lands east of it, to the rest of the map.
"Rains'll be coming down all over the damn place, but I just got the information for the local area. You want to go further out, you can. I can call up my contact for more details on the other areas, or for updates as needed. It'll be coming down for at least a couple of days. You've got the time, and got me until you're done. If you've got questions, ask."

"Well, confidential information is exactly the sort of thing I hired you for. Olglen Vale, Ashdown's Fall, and The Narrows- obscure valleys sound like just the sort of place.

With regards to reaching these locations, tell me... how do you feel about air travel?"

Ferris' gaze remains steady, although one of his ears perks while the other... sort of flops. The overall effect is rather like his ears are trying to raise an eyebrow.
"Can't say I'd be for it in this weather. If you've got an airship, it's going to get overgrown before you even get it off the ground. Otherwise it's going to meet the ground fast. Heard a few fellow Hunters thought they'd get the jump on everyone by flying into the clouds. Didn't even get halfway up before their ride turned into a mass of thorns. If you're talking personal flight..."
He shakes his head.
"Again, weather like this, you want to be on the ground. You end up with a seed hitting you and sprouting into something hostile, you don't want to have to worry about keeping your altitude while wrestling with it. Can't really seek shelter in the air, either."

"Ah. Quite prudent. Awfully inconvenient, but you are quite right that getting hit by celestial botanical projectiles would be considerably moreso.

Still, perhaps I can provide some additional guidance..."

Elyion prepares to, with the aid of a Rose-focus, Divine information about the three valleys, and the hazards of the roads to get there, however...

"I can help."

"Ah!" The Magic Being flashes a ripple of electric blue from her core outward, startled out of her concentration. "Hello?"

"Hi."

"Oh, my. Um. You can talk?"

"Yes, I can talk."

"I... I had no idea. Um. Well, perhaps you can show us the information I need? My... my apologies, Mr. Ferris." The rather nonplussed lady nods to her guide.

The Rose will perform the Divination, (and Elyion will attempt to verify the results) and project a holographic information array, on the following points:

For each of:
Olglen Vale, Ashdown's Fall, and The Narrows

Competition/population in the areas, danger represented in the areas, dangers involved in traveling there, and variety/density of the rain samples in each area!

As Elyion nods to her guide, she notices that, despite not dropping his stoic expression, his ears have perked rigidly upright, practically vibrating as he eyes The Rose. His body language has similarly shifted to a slightly more defensive, coiled-as-if-to-leap-away stance.
"If that's something you picked up from the Rains, we'll need to get it looked at before we go anywhere, maybe sealed. Stories you get of talking plants from the Seed Rains don't end well. Usually with a whole shitload of people dying. Or worse. Really dark stuff."

The Rose commences its divination, data etching itself into the air through holographic display, neatly tabulated for ease of perusal. They come with a statement that the ongoing effects of the Seed Rains seem to be interfering with its divinations somewhat, at least from its current location.

Olglen Vale seems to have a couple of people in it as far as The Rose can tell. Two seem to be in close proximity to one another, registering as Levels 3 and 25. The artifact, going off its current observations thus far, calculates that there's a very good chance that it's a Spirit Hunter-and-client pair and relays that it could quite easily divine more information on them if Elyion requires. There seems to be another non-plant individual in the valley by itself, but The Rose isn't able to get a good bead on it to determine more information.
The Rose pegs the area's current danger level as solidly in the Level 39 band, as far as it can work out. It notes that this doesn't mean the non-ambulatory/non-overtly hostile plantlife of the area is the same Level, however, as it's getting readings of a variety of different intensities on that front. It further states that the danger level of the area is liable to fluctuate, perhaps dramatically, depending on how the rains shift and what they bring.
The place is, however, horribly dangerous to get to at present. Working off Ferris' map, it relays that several of the passes and passages leading to Olglen Vale have become choked with some sort of magic-ripping, animate thorned vines that spreads rapidly and is capable of doing permanent (at least, to most) damage to one's reserves of magical power or ability to channel magic. The Rose puts it at about Level 50, power-wise. Other routes into the Vale are reported as being dangerous themselves, with a number of other obstacles variously including flowers whose pollen causes biological matter to decay rapidly into compost, invasive insectoid buds that pierce into targets and rapidly leach them of their life-force in order to proliferate, thickets of leaves whose touch is powerfully acidic to the point of being able to quickly and easily melt most metals, and landmine-like bamboo-ish shoots that grow explosively when disturbed, capable of piercing even intangible objects (many apparently having torn sheets of thin air wrapped around their lengths).
Despite this offputting information, Olglen Vale is also registering as by far the most abundant in rain samples, both with regards to variety and density.

Ashdown's Fall, on the other hand, seems to be positively heaving with people. Metaphorically speaking. From what The Rose can determine, there's a number of groups in there, many of which seem to be clashing as much with one another as with the results of the Rains.
The place's danger level is difficult to gauge due to the interference coupled with some odd effects on some of the groups' members and the hostile/dangerous plantlife itself. While not fully accurate, it believes (based on extrapolation and calculations based off its own inability to get a proper read on the area in order to work out the likely margin of error) that somewhere in the Level 60s-70s band is the most likely place to put it, power-wise.
Ashdown's Fall is registering as moderately dangerous to get to, although nowhere near as bad as Olglen Vale. The Rains are still falling lightly in the area, resulting in an ever-changing parade of plants that grow, struggle for supremacy by choking out the competition and get subsumed into other plants. Much of the danger there seems to be environmental, rather than due to hostile plant-entities.
Perhaps as a consequence of whatever is going on in there with so many people, the valley (as far as The Rose is able to determine) is barely registering at all on the variety and density scale. A number of possible reasons are offered, the most likely of which being that either one or more of the groups has ended up clashing and using powers that have scoured the valley of plantlife in the process, that the plantlife has taken the form of a single (likely hostile) variety of plant-entity (or perhaps has been reduced to a small number of the same sort of entity with a considerable amount of power), or both.

The Narrows are registering as near-deserted. The Rose is picking up traces of non-plant presence here and there, but determining that they're likely either normal wildlife or traces of exploring parties that have since passed through.
Its danger level is registering as being around the low 40s, Level-wise (and it has been determined, through taking the liberty of some brief future-divination, that this is likely to remain the case for some hours at least).
It, like Ashdown's Fall, is registering as moderately dangerous to reach, but more due to marauding plant-entities than environmental plant-hazards.
It isn't registering as having much in the way of variety or density, but notes that it has picked up some interesting readings regarding the quality of some of the plants within in that they would seem to be rather more potent than the place's current danger level would suggest.

"Well, I can assure you that my, however unexpectedly vocal, associate does not have find her provenance from any sort of Seed Rains and is under no sway from malign local forces. It- she- has a long history where she has been a reliable companion and asset to several adventurers who retired in wealth and luxury, and so was passed to me, and has my utmost confidence.

"Now, judging by this information, I'd say the Narrows is likely to fit our needs most. I do believe this is where you're in charge, Mr. Ferris. We can depart whenever you're ready, and with whatever precautions you feel are proper."

"As an aside, dearie, we are most definitely going to have to find something to call you, to avoid confusion with Lady Rosaline."

Ferris continues to eye the Rose... suspiciously? His expression isn't really telling much, although those ears of his still seem to be on high alert.

"Narrows it is. Already got everything I need to set out, although we're going to want to hop the wall to avoid the fucking vultures at the gates. I'd ask how good you are at jumping, but if you see flying a regular option I don't think we're going to have issues there." He stretches his gloved hands, soft, muffled pops audible from within the leather. "Going to need to get you up to speed with some hand signals first, though. Watch closely. This one means 'Stop'..."

The scruffy Aptim runs Elyion (and, by extension, Giles and the Rose) through a crash-course in hand-signals. Elyion somewhat doubts that some of the swearing is actually part of what the hand signals actually mean, but given how emphatic her new guide is about them, there's probably a story or two there related to some of those clients responsible for his failure rate.

There's quite a fair few, but she thinks she has the important ones down, and Giles looks like he's followed the demonstration rather well.


"Now that's over with," Ferris hefts the backpack over his shoulders and heads to the door, "we can get go--"

The door opens to reveal a familiar dashing adventurer-type, rictus-grin twitching slightly.
"Stinkfoot! You walked off before I could prop--"

The door slams heavily in the Spirit Hunter's face. Ferris, muttering something likely rather colourful under his breath, presses a button recessed into the doorframe, ears twitching violently.
The scruffy Aptim opens the door again, to reveal an empty and slightly different looking corridor.
"Follow me. Scumbags are already trying to make this more complicated than it should be, looks like."
So saying, the lanky demihuman sets off at a brisk pace down the hall.
"Questions'll have to wait until we're outside if you have any."

"Quite right, let's make all due haste. Giles, could you possible dissuade any of these 'vultures' by giving them a taste of the Knot as we proceed?"

Giles politely nods a confirmation as the two hurry after their half-human guide. Ferris, for his part, seems to have started rummaging around for something in the leather pieces of armour covering his overall-like garb, swearing quietly.
The Aptim takes a sharp left turn through a door leading to a short, tiled hallway, grabbing a piece of paper and a pen from a side table on the way, and continues doing... something that involves rustling noises and more muttered imprecations as he continues on, ears twitching furiously and tail flicking in... irritation? Possibly irritation. Elyion doesn't have a great stock of associates with that particular feature to draw on to work out that particular region of body language.

Another wooden door, this one looking considerably heavier and more secure (although with its locks and bolts disengaged) is opened with a swift kick without the guide even breaking stride, letting in a rush of cool night air carrying the scents of cold stonework, rotting canvas and distant vegetation. The space beyond is dark and cramped- a back alley of sorts, cluttered with discarded materials, winding its way between several larger buildings before splitting off into a pair of steep stairways. Ferris takes the one that carries on straight ahead, pausing as he reaches its base, where one of the walls ends to provide a narrow vista of the town's many-stepped tiers dropping off below.
The thing the demihuman was fiddling with is revealed to be, of all things, a paper aeroplane with something sticking out of it. The living spell feels a brief ripple of magic- Elemental Magic, if she had to guess- and a sudden gust of wind lifts the toy out of Ferris' hands and sends it lazily drifting off towards the centre of the town below.

The guide gives a grunt midway between irritation and satisfaction, wiping his hands clean of some imaginary dirt and turning back to face his employers.
"Should be safe to talk, now. Aldin's nowhere near as good at sleight of hand as he thinks he is." He jabs a thumb in the direction of the lazily-departing paper plane. "Tracking talisman. Maybe scripted for listening in, too. Didn't stop to check. By the time the Dirim bastard works it out, we'll be long gone. Any questions, or do we hop the wall now?"
A gloved hand points towards another alleyway leading towards the town's tall, solid outer boundary.

[Modrageball]

"By all means, let's get underway."

Seeking to understand her guide's capabilities a bit better, Elyion directs a scan at Ferris.

With a nod, the Aptim leads the spell and her butler through the alleyways towards the eastern walls of the town.

Elyion fires off a scan at Ferris, using The Rose to discreetly tabulate a list of pertinent points of information!

Fleet-Foot Ferris is a Level 36 Human & Spirit. He's highly skilled for his level in tracking, hunting and traversing dangerous terrain, considerably helped by something that The Rose is putting down as his 'Aptim Heritage', which grants him the supernatural power of 'freedom', in a sense. He can't be easily blocked or prevented from moving, being able to walk through otherwise impassably cluttered areas (although not solid walls) as if they were flat ground, and enjoys a significant boost to his agility and flexibility as part of it, being further able to impart some of the same effect to his weapons and people close to him. It also gives him something of a boost to his spiritual power and MP reserves, but comes at the cost that he can be treated as being completely a Spirit for the purpose of effects that target them. The Rose can't be sure, but it thinks he's got a bit more going on in the spirit-side of things than would otherwise count as normal for the half-spirits of the world.
He also has heightened senses (particularly hearing), some sort of tremorsensing ability, and a variety of talents along the lines of Thief, Ninja, Shadow Blade, Assassin, Archer, Hunter, Protector and Elementalist, with a scattered few tricks related to Druid, Geomancer and Shrine Maiden schools without having too much in the way of grounding in them.
Equipment-wise, he's carrying a pair of unique Knives that can be either wielded or thrown (and return to his hands if they do) and a fairly nice bow with a few different types of ammo on hand. The foot-wraps give him a decent boost to his already rather good speed and agility, and additionally let him step on thin air with some concentration for additional mobility.

His backpack also seems to have some sort of bag-of-holding type capabilities, and from what The Rose can determine, is absolutely stuffed with supplies, from food to camping gear to medical and minor curse-breaking, along with a notable couple of items registering as 'communication talismans'.


The group reaches a particularly seedy and unpleasantly fragrant alley butting up against the external wall, the wind making strange whistling noises among the rooftops and outside the town's confines.
Ferris' ears twitch and swivel as he closes his eyes, apparently listening for something.
"Good enough," the demihuman grunts. "We'll go over here. Shout if you need a rope."

And with that, Elyion's guide drops into a crouch, tenses his legs, and vanishes into the gloom as he half-jumps, half-flips up and over the wall.

Giles bends space over the wall, making it passable for his mistress to simply step over!

Space is bent and folded at the hands of the butler-Mask of the Architect, aided considerably by his familiarity with citybuilding. Within the blink of an eye, the tall wall is no wall at all, allowing Elyion to daintily step over the threshold to the lands outside.

Ferris watches the pair closely, expression stoic and ears perfoming the perk-flop that Elyion has decided is the aural equivalent to raising an eyebrow.
"Huh. Neat trick." He gestures into the night. "Worked out a path to get through the plants clustered around town. Follow as close as you can."

What Elyion initially took to be just the dark and gloom due to the late hour and heavy cloud cover proves, once her vision adjusts from the slightly brighter environs of the city, to be an absolute sea of tall, thick, dark foliage and thorns, abruptly springing from an invisible border a few metres from the town wall. Strange noises issue from within- creaks and groans of wood, rushing, rustling noises loud enough to sound like half a dozen waterfalls, and occasionally (and more concerningly) howls and screams from further within.
She's pretty sure parts of the wall are writhing in distinctly unnatural ways.
Elyion's boosted botanical knowledge from the festival of another time tells her that this thing is, more or less, one huge and interconnected plant-entity. Parts of it act as the thing's 'senses', relaying brushes and touches back to the main 'mind', if there were such a thing, prompting it to sprout imprisoning, tangling cages of vines, then shredding whips and brambles of serrated bark and razor-sharp thorns, then roots and feelers to suck up the nutrients of its unfortunate victims.

Ferris has somehow chosen to walk towards an area precisely between its sensitive feeler-leaves and mosses, managing to pick his way into a narrow tangle of branches that act as, for want of a better word, the skeleton of the entire mess, bereft of any means of detecting anything. The clusters of gnarled, criss-crossing branches don't seem to have any effect whatsoever on his speed, the demihuman managing to simply not be affected by the obstacles with a minimum of contortion required.

Elyion very carefully follows him as exactly as possible, with possible spatial-contortion aid from Giles if necessary.

Following Ferris as closely as possible proves to be somewhat trickier than Elyion expects. While she's aware the Aptim confers some measure of his freedom-effect to those following him, she rather underestimates how much of it she's benefitting from, resulting in her attempt to move to one side of a branch leading to her massively oversteering and plunging directly towards one of the clusters of frilly sensor-leaves. It's only thanks to a timely (or rather, space-ly) intervention by Giles that she avoids causing what would assuredly be, at the very least, a rather undesirable situation.

The Aptim continues to walk ahead with well-placed, deliberate steps, occasionally stopping dead for a moment or two, his ears constantly twitching and perking at every creak, groan and shriek uttered from within the tangled mass of plantlife. At times, he turns and heads in a completely different direction, sometimes almost doubling back on himself for no clear reason that Elyion can see, but the mass of plants remains still, if noisy, around them.

A few unpleasant minutes later (and a couple more near-misses on Elyion's part, salvaged thanks to her spatial butler), the trio emerge from the thicket and into the night beyond. The terrain, from what little can be made out in the darkness, looks to be a heavily-forested mountain range, the dark, looming peaks blending into the thick, faintly-glowing green-black clouds pressing down from above. The cool air is so thick with the scent of greenery, odd perfumes and leafrot that Elyion half expects it to provide tangible resistance as they move.

"Knew it'd be bad, but seeing it's another thing entirely," Ferris grunts, perfoming a set of leg stretches. "Used to mostly be bare rock up here before the shitstorm hit."
He shoots his charges a glance over his shoulder.
"Going to want to move if we're going to make it to the Narrows before the weather shifts. I'm going to start speeding up. Tell me when we hit a pace you're good with."

So saying, the half(?)-spirit sets off, first at a walk, then gradually building up to trot, then a jog, with a clear intention of continuing to increase his speed if not stopped.

As they proceed, Giles stacks

Gild- +15,000 to all stats, inflicts Elevated, stacks 3 times, Wealth, 15,000 MP

onto Elyion, who will definitely let Ferris know when and if she starts having trouble keeping up.

Ferris' jog increases in speed as he hears no complaint from his employers, and before long he's sprinting his way through long grass and shrubbery, weaving around odd-looking patches of plantlife and giving otherwise completely ordinary-looking pieces of terrain a wide berth.

Elyion is covered in gold. This makes her faster. The completely logical cause-and-effect from her butler's buff-repetoire allows her to keep up with the Aptim quite handily, and together the three rocket through woodland and forest, trees blurring and blending into the rushing darkness as the duo from Nexus follow the native's every move, regardless of how erratic it seems.
Noises abound in the thickly-perfumed night air, from the constant rushing rustle of countless leaves in the wind to the groans, creaks and occasional crashes of trees that still seem to be in the process of growth jockeying for position with one another. Distant snatches of shouting or the occasional echoed cry drift from untraceable locations, caught by the wind rushing around the runners and cutting out just as abruptly. Other, stranger noises make themselves known to Elyion, often coming from areas she only realises Ferris has led them around or avoided after they pass. Odd buzzing sounds that shake the air and the mind, croaking roars and slamming impacts, sibilant hisses that snake through the scenery to send shivers through the ground and up the legs.

The demihuman guide stops abruptly outside a clearing halfway up a mountainside, ears twitching wildly and body tensed.
"This is the fastest route to the Narrows I remember, but I don't like the looks of that."
He points to a thick carpet of tall, vivid red flowers spreading out from the edge of the clearing in all directions, covering a good chunk of the mountainside. Clusters of thin, curved crimson petals radiate from the tips of straight stalks, with long, spidery red filaments reaching out from each individual flower in a curved, hemispherical pattern.
"Not sensing anything that's wrong, and that's not normal. This big a chunk of plants I've never seen before sprouting during the Seed Rains? Got to be a catch. If we go around, it might take us a good half-hour, though."

Shifting hues as her curiousity wars with her caution, Elyion nods. "Let's pause here a moment and see what I can determine about these. What do you think, Rosie-dear?"

She whips out her trusty journal, taking notes and cross-referencing frenzily, while tapping into the Rose's analytical powers!

Elyion sets herself and The Rose into a flurry of analysing and referencing!
The result is slightly worrying.

The flowers are Red Morsillium, blooms which seem to be heavily linked with reincarnation by way of death. Traipsing through them will 'kill' the senses slowly (albeit as an effect that only lasts while in contact with patches of them) and they have a sense-deadening aura-effect that might explain why Ferris isn't able to pick up anything from them or their area. So long as one doesn't end up spending too much time in contact with them there shouldn't be any risk of permanent damage (or, at the far extremes should someone decide to go rolling around in them for extended periods, actually dying).
The Rose suggests the 'reincarnation' aspect might mean the plants have an interesting property that could be drawn out through the proper procedures or preparations to cause Undead or stuck-as-dead entities to be reborn, probably as different entities entirely, although it isn't sure whether this means they'll go through whatever odd afterlife situation Seirei has first. Perhaps it depends on where this theoretical procedure is performed.
It also suggests that the flowers might be able to be used to the complete opposite end and create a mixture that could just kill things instead.

"Well, as far as I'm able to determine, these are Red Morsillium," she exposits on her findings, concluding with:

"...so while they're not inherently dangerous to us, I am concerned about their screening other dangers from our senses. I believe the safest option is to take the detour. But first! Samples!"

Elyion goes for two samples! One to pass through the spirit-ring to Gramman! and one to keep for herself!

Elyion gets:
Red Morsillium- (Item, Antiquity, Life & Destruction, 25,000,000 Gold)

The second flower passes through the gate-ring to Gramman, vanishing from sight.

"Plants that kill senses. Figures I'd run into something like that." Ferris sets off at a jog into the forest once more, giving the field of eerily-still crimson flowers a generous berth.
The group's journey is, once again, a blurred mixture of rustling foliage, earthy smells and rushing wind, slowed only slightly by the distinct uphill turn taken to get around the field of Morsillium and into the mountains surrounding the valleys they seek.
The half-human guide veers one way at a sprint, then another. At one point he almost seems to slalom through trees, cutting an erratic path around a clearing. Elyion thinks she can hear muttered cursing under his breath.

He stops once more outside a larger clearing filled with strange, aloe-like leaves with patterns of holes in them, whistling mournfully in the breeze.
"We're being followed," he states, ears flattening. "Two fliers, coming from above and behind. Can't shake them. Not your fault, so I'll be helping to deal with them if they turn out hostile. Which they probably are."

"Well, let's not jump to conclusions about everyone being hostile... but let's also not be careless."

Elyion plucks a petal from the Rose, which instantly grows back, crushing it into powder and with a gesture scattering it. A cloud of glittering fog begins to grow from the dust- far, far more than it would seem could come from a single petal. It blankets the area, obscuring Elyion and her companions from outside view. She readies herself to cast her trusty Illusion spell, to displace herself and her companions' locations once the flyers are in range.

Sultan's Glimmering Veil- (Indexed Spell Aspect- The Rose, Illusion, 1,200,000 MP, X Gold) Caster and caster's allies gain +90% Dodge until the end of the round

At which point she will call out to them from her obscured, displaced location. "Good evening, is there something I can assist you with?" (Assuming they're something that vaguely resembles something that can speak, anyway. If they're slavering plant-monsters looking for some tasty adventurers to devour, well, she might not bother chatting.)

((RP ability list for the Rose includes: "* Can create fog of dazzling powdered crystal"))

A dazzling fog of powdered crystal spreads forth from The Rose, filling the air with glittering mist. Ferris, ears twitching, points in a direction off to one side and abruptly vanishes from sight.
His voice floats to Elyion from... somewhere. "Coming from that way. I'll get the drop on them if they attack."

As two shapes descend into the glittering fog, the Glimmering Veil casts itself over the living spell, her butler, and her suddenly-absent guide. The forms (insofar as she can make it out in the thick, brilliant mist) seems to suggest something humanoid and possibly winged.

Elyion's inquiry is replied to by an odd, sibilant noise, somewhat akin to leaves caught in the wind. Something that might be words drift out from the swirling crystalline clouds, but are abruptly drowned out by a far louder rushing, howling cacophony of gale-force wind and a river of leaves. The ever-present scent of greenery becomes vastly thicker as the fog begins to eddy and billow erratically, caught in a sudden, violent wind but maintaining cohesion around the central anchor-point that is The Rose for now.
The Rose reports that whatever the entities are, they've created a strong wind that somehow causes everything it touches to sprout into thick greenery. The fog's holding for the moment, but if they get through it, the artifact recommends not inhaling it or allowing the wind to otherwise gain entry to the body lest plant-based suffocation-related issues occur.

Giles raises his hand, and a crushing wave of distorted space rushing to destroy the wind and the source of the wind. (Spacewave)

Elyion follows her divination-senses (and/or Rose-assist targeting since I imagine it's not impeded by its own fog) to also lash out at the source of hostile plant encroachment! A blinding display of Crystal Conflux Lasers to shear her foes asunder!

The glittering fog wavers and distorts as Giles bends space with a gesture, providing Elyion with a fisheye-lens-esque view of her attackers. The figures are vaguely humanoid, but appear to be made entirely of overlapping leaves and petals, their bodies rigid and unmoving, save for the ragged, verdant wings beating against the air and leaving trails of dazzling, sparkling crystal dust. Their 'faces' are a collage of leaves within a peeled-back array of yet more leaves, disturbingly human-yet-not in a distinctly uncomfortable way. The effect is most certainly not helped by some of the primary features being replaced by flowers. Clusters of small, tightly-budded white blossoms take the place of 'eyes', giving them a decidedly insectoid appearance, and, while many poets may have praised the virtues of 'rosebud lips', it would appear that, in reality, the look is considerably less appealing than the world of verse might otherwise have one believe.

Distorted space rips at the plant-people, tearing leaves from one and shearing great chunks of plant-matter from the second.

Elyion channels the power of one of the Rose's signature spells, and unleashes a scintillating barrage of varicoloured lasers at her foes! The attack, unfortunately, does not inherently strike multiple targets, and the second plant-thing manages to avoid the spray due to improper aim, but the more-damaged of the two takes the brunt of the multiple-elemental assault!
Hmm. It looks like the Earth, Air and Water lasers weren't too effective, but the Fire one more than made up for it, and the Crystal beam was decently powerful, too. More chunks of plant-matter rip from the now rather tatty-looking creature as it hisses and shrieks like an oak caught in a hurricane.

The first, less-damaged of the two entities opens- or rather, unfurls- its flower-mouth to reveal the gaping hole within, letting out another gale-like shriek accompanied by an eruption of violent, seed-filled green wind.
The glittering fog clumps around much of the verdant vapour and drops crystallised seeds to the floor with a rattling clatter. The rest is brushed aside by the glimmering, jewel-like veils surrounding Elyion and Giles, the rest of the assault becoming entangled in and deflected by the magic.

The second creature's mouth unfurls. Elyion realises that with most of the surrounding fog gone and the veils already dealing with the area-of-effect assault, there might be a chance that the unpleasant suffocation-effect The Rose mentioned earlier could slip through.

And then, with no prior warning or fanfare, Ferris fades into view from thin air behind the creature. With one swift motion, the scruffy demihuman retrieves a rust-coloured knife, reaches around and draws it across the thing's throat, a brief flare of something rapidly spreading through the entity a moment after the attack.
The shrieking seed-assault-to-be is cut off immediately, green vapour pouring out from the rapidly-expanding hole in the thing's neck and cascading down its body. It looks like it's in a very bad way.

Giles winds up and unleashes a mighty butlery trans-spatial PUNCH (Mana-Displacing Strike) to finish off the one Ferris just sneak attacked, while Elyion raises the Rose Blade and focuses a Fire-Element laser at the other, courtesy once more of the Crystal Conflux!

Giles acts with comparatively blinding speed, delivering a strike that not only tears at the physical but also the spiritual components of the wounded creature! Already compromised by the rapidly-growing wound (which appears to be edged with rust or rot of some sort), the Mask of the Architect's powerful punch proves to be too much for it, causing it to quite literally fall apart at the seams into a pile of leaves and petals.

The other side of battle, meanwhile, proceeds far less smoothly.
Perhaps it's due to Elyion's lack of swordsmanship training. Perhaps it's due to her frustrations with the less-than-graceful prior casting of the spell. Perhaps it's just bad luck. For whatever reason, or combination of reasons, the barrage of firey lasers goes wide, spraying everywhere but the thing's location.

Fortunately, this doesn't remain the case for long, as the creature overbalances and pitches 'face'-first into one of the passing lasers' paths. A vicious-looking trail of blackened scorchmarks bites deep into the side of its head, trailing smoke and drawing a hissing screech from the entity.

Unfortunately, the reason for its overbalancing was due to Ferris attempting to backstab it and finding, to his unpleasant surprise, that not only was it ready for him and capable of dodging out of the way, but the precise barrage of lasers he was expecting to be able to work his attacks around turned out to be considerably less controlled than he would have liked. The Sultan's Glimmering Veil successfully diverts a beam he would otherwise have been hit by, but the demihuman guide finds himself off-balance and stumbling directly into the creature's range.

Another shrieking, gale-like screech issues from the plant-thing, but this time, instead of a gale of green mists and seeds, the result is the leaf-bodied entity unravelling into a thrashing mass of ripping, flailing thorned vines. The ground around it explodes in a spray of sod and leaves as it, too, becomes an angry morass of sinuous, shredding brambles and thorns.

Elyion and Giles manage to get out of the way, the Sultan's Veils lending their magic to their steps and guiding them from harm with ease.
Ferris has less of a pleasant time of it, vanishing from view inside the whirling mass for a few brief moments before re-emerging at speed, arms crossed protectively in front of his face as he leaps from the mad botanical blender. Though the Aptim appears unharmed, the Glimmering Veil cast upon him, already less well-anchored to his form due to whatever it was he did to vanish in the first place, wisps around him as barely more than a collection of illusory tatters.

Well, this situation has devolved in a hurry. I think I'll put this chaos to rest with a little of my own.

The rose-embossed Tome containing the Artifact's spells at her side shines, as Elyion draws an orblike cloud of anarchic energies into being, which she hurls into the lashing plant-morass.

<Rose Chaos!>

(Sidenote: I was brushing up on the superjournal, and spotted this! "Wielder is informed of the name and Level of all opposing Plants that are not 20 or more Levels higher than wielder's Level")

Elyion is indeed made aware of her foes' name and Level! It seems she managed to brush up on some of the more esoteric forms of plantlife during her botany-boosting, because she readily identifies them both being examples of a Caller of the Verdant Wind (Spirit & Plant, Level 39).

The Rose Codex glows and shimmers, traceries of pure Chaos limning its embossed rose-patterns. As her demihuman guide clears the overgrown briar patch, the living spell sweeps in a cloudy ball of Chaos Magic to plunge into the writhing mess.
The ball vanishes into the flailing tangle of thorns and vines, shimmering beads of light flickering through the gaps for a few moments before fading.

And then, with a titanic eruption of sound and force, the entire mass is flattened and swept away in a churning, roiling maelstrom of kaleidoscopic mana boiling with jet-black rose petals that shears through the excessively-violent brambles, tearing them to splinters and pulp, consuming them within the chaotic whirl of overspilling magics-
-and then, just as abruptly, vanishes along with the spell. A soft, tinkling patter heralds a brief rain of obsidian petals, followed by a whump as the Caller caught directly in the midst of the mess keels over backwards, mostly intact but definitively dead.

A brief silence falls, underscored only by a humming noise from the still-charged Codex.

"What the fuck," Ferris states, thoroughly deflating the drama of the situation.

Elyion, Giles and The Rose get XP for two Level 39 entities.

[Modrageball]

Elyion brushes some likely-imaginary dust off her gloves. "I did consider attempting some method to imprison that last one and send it on to Master Gramman, but I felt sending asphyxiation hazards to one's employer was rather inadvisable, and it was best dealt with decisively.

Speaking of which, Rosie, would you be a dear and grow some masks for us? I've gotten the impression there's a theme here, and any protection against breathing hazards you can offer would be most appreciated."

The Rose acquiesces to Elyion's request! The light and sound from the area seems to dim and quiet momentarily as Elyion feels a great rush of mana being pulled from the saturated surroundings into and through the artifact, the humming, tremulous tone from the Codex being joined by another ringing chime as it sets to work.

Three spikes of perfect crystal erupt from the ground before Elyion, budding at the top and growing until they blossom into flower-like pedestals, each bearing a shimmering half-mask of opaque crystal designed to perfectly fit each of the three's lower faces. The masks are all made from a single, solid chunk of The Rose's crystal, with stylised rose-patterns on each side where the 'filters' of a breathing mask would be.

Elyion gets the feeling that these things are a good deal more permanent than what she was perhaps going for. Maybe the abundance of mana in the area helped achieve it without having to expend any from her (or The Rose's) personal stock? Or perhaps she was just really, really in tune with the artifact there.

Either way, she gets:

3 Rosecrystal Respirator- (Accessory, Mask, Darkness & Fire & Magic & Air & Crystal (2), 35,000,000 Gold) +35,000 CON, +35,000 AGI, +35,000 Defense, +35,000 Defense Against Air, +35,000 Defense Against Water, +35,000 Defense against Suffocation Damage, +35,000 Defense against Drowning Damage, Suffocation Immunity, Drowning Immunity, 25% Air Resistance, 25% Water Resistance, 25% Psychic Resistance, wearer, as an RP effect, does not need to breathe

(Stats very subject to change)

From what she can tell through her Arena-granted appraisal ability, the wearer of one of these will no longer need to breathe and be rendered quite immune to suffocating or drowning as a result. It also confers some of The Rose's innate resistance against psychic attacks. The wearer can choose to change the mask's colour and transparency, from completely opaque to so translucent that it can barely be noticed. In addition, it provides no impediment to speech whatsoever, preventing it from becoming muffled by the mask itself.

Ferris, meanwhile, perhaps in a bid to distract himself from the display of chaotically lethal flower-arranging, pulls himself up from where he had been rooting through the remains of the plant-spirits.
"Found something. Think it might come in handy later on. If you want to keep hold of both, that's fine, as you're the boss. I know my way around Elemental Magic a bit, though."

The demihuman holds out a pair of strangely-looped vine-rings in a gloved hand. Thanks to her Arena-appraisal, Elyion identifies them as:

2 Call The Verdant Wind- (Spell, Elemental Magic, Air & Wood, 350,000 MP, 35,000,000 Gold) +35,000 Magical Attack, May Heal Plants, 50% May Inflict Suffocation: Verdant Air, attaches a non-stacking effect to a Zone of Air that deals 300,000 Flat Wood & Air damage to up to 15 targets within it that does not stack across Zones at the start of each round, this effect may instead heal an equal amount to Plant targets, caster may choose to count this as a casting of any combination of Call Unto Air and/or Call Unto Wood, this spell additionally possesses the subtype Druid Magic

"Ah, thank you kindly, Ferris. Please, by all means, if you feel you can use the spell well, hold onto one. I'll gladly take the other." Elyion accepts the proffered spell-focus.

Elyion examines the masks, shifting to a shade of violet in tune with how impressed she is. "Rose, this is exquisite work! Here, Ferris, you take this one, and Giles, the other. These should completely protect us against any breathing hazards we encounter, up to and including underwater."

"Before we get underway again, I'm rather curious about your weaponry. The... withering effect on the enemy you struck was quite impressive."

Ferris eyes the mask with what might be faint suspicion (at least, Elyion thinks it's that. She's beginning to get a better grasp of her demihuman guide's expressive ear-waggles) but, after scrutinising it carefully, puts it on. It almost immediately dulls to a drab, opaque green that doesn't quite match the colour of his travelling...overalls? She's still not sure what's up with that garment. The scruffy Aptim gives the new accessory a couple of experimental taps and grunts in what is probably some form of approval.

"Thanks. Read about winds that could make you sprout trees inside your lungs from past Seed Rains. Didn't think we'd actually find spirits that could do that. Arseholes." Ferris gives the now-crumbling body of the spirit he stabbed a kick, scattering it into a flurry of rotting leaves.
"I can give you a run-down of my weapons if you want. The one you're talking about is the Demarceseax." He pulls out the blade in question and presents it. It's considerably large for a knife, the angular blade dull and rust-coloured with an unpleasant-looking, almost wormlike pattern ingrained into the metal. The handle, capped at both ends by the same metal, is a sickly, dull green shot through with... holes? They look like they've been filled in with some sort of unpleasant, tar-coloured lacquer.
"It was a gift from my ma-- my mentor. Saved my hide more than a few times. Weakens whatever it cuts and makes them start rotting or rusting. Good way to even the odds against stronger beasts and spirits, or to make easier encounters go faster."
He returns it to its sheath with care.
"Got another knife made of procina that can cut a single target multiple times with one swing, or cut multiple opponents just by attacking one of them. That one's useful in clearing out crowds. Paid good money to have both enchanted so they'll always return if I throw them, too. Besides that, I've got a Bow of Canta's Breath that makes hitting hard targets a breeze and a shitload of arrows to use with it. Broadhead, bodkin, fishing, shatterpoint, rope, moonstone, cursed, explosive, you name it. Mind telling me what you're packing? If things are going to explode like that again, I'd like to be prepared."

"While I am quite capable of wielding a variety of arcane arts, at present my offensive measures have been stemming entirely from The Rose. It's capable of elemental manipulation, including several flavors of that beam spell I used, the ability to cause earthquakes and swallow things up in the earth, the ability to flood large areas with water. I'm also capable of manipulating sunfire, thanks to my magical text, and can conjure a variety of lower power constructs and golems for various uses. Notably, a number of hounds I can call up from figurines for purposes such as tracking and trapping. And finally, I'm capable of summoning a rain of holy water, which is effective at destroying various sorts of dark magic and undead and demonic foes, though I'm uncertain how effective that is against Spiritual threats as could be found locally. The one you're asking about in particular is an extremely dangerous bit of chaos wizardry from an older age of the universe, called Rose Chaos. It's a bit esoteric and hard to describe, but I can at least assure you that I use it with care and don't go throwing around a manifestation of untamed dimensional flux thoughtlessly.

For more theoretical measures, the Rose is capable of overt control of many varieties of plants, and it's quite possible I could use her skills at swordsmanship in place of my own, rather lacking, ones. Melee combat, frankly, is not my strength."

"Right, that reminds me. Before we move on, I should do what I can to proof us against other hazards. While this warding isn't as potent as it could be, it can only help." Elyion recites a holy incantation and uses the Touch that Confers Bodily Wholeness on herself and Ferris, before restoring the Sultan's Glimmering Veil. Once that's done, they can resume travel!

"Being able to control some of what the shitstorm puts out'll be helpful. Like I said, I've read all kinds of horror stories about what can come down during the Rains. Don't want to end up being a carrier for another Rootplague. Fire'll help, too, especially if you can stop it going out of control. Good way to get yourself burned along with everything else in this situation, otherwise."

Elyion casts her defensive spells, and the party sets off once more at speed through the undergrowth!

"Know a bit of magic myself. I'm no Acolyte of the Moons, but I can use some Elemental Magic from the four orders. Even a couple of healing spells. Worth every coin." Ferris bears sharply left around a completely ordinary-looking patch of hillside.
"Mostly it's all combat stuff, though. Trained in stealth and a variety of... techniques... to enhance it. Can do a bit of terrain manipulation, but that takes time. Couple of plant-based attacks, too, but in this? Asking for trouble with my level of skill there."

The hills begin to become more mountainous, but the demihuman navigates the trickier terrain with ease. Following in his overlarge footsteps, Elyion herself finds no difficulty in climbing steep embankments and even near-sheer cliff-faces bristling with decidedly unfriendly foliage that thrashes and snatches unnaturally in the wind. Looking back at the route below, the living spell sees, perhaps with some alarm, that the shifting, growing fields and forests- some sprouting right before her very eye-equivalent-arcane-senses- are positively teeming with all manner of strange shapes, rapidly-darting shadows, eruptions of fungal spores and churning, rolling masses of earth. And they've managed to avoid every one of them.

"Right, this pass will lead us straight to the... shit." Ferris halts abruptly, gazing down a steep, grass-choked split in the mountainside at the tangled mass of plantlife blocking it. The vines and leaves are vibrantly, viciously green even in the dim half-light of the heavily storm-clouded night, knotted into a huge wall that splits into a gaping, dark hole at ground level.
An acrid, bitter herbal smell surges out from the plant-tunnel.
"That wasn't there before. Might still lead to the Narrows, but it sounds like there's a lot of things moving around further in. We could go around it, but it'd mean a detour."

Giles politely catches Elyion's attention. "I do believe, if my senses as a Mask of the Architect are not wrong, that the obstacle in question is, in fact, a dungeon."

"Ah, I see. Well, this should be interesting. Let's do some threat assessment."

-In addition to general Divinations, on both her and the Rose's part, to gather information such as level bracket, enemy types (Spirits and Plants?) and such, she's also going to try Zonal Perception, to see if this place has a name!
-If the place isn't reading as "way too dangerous to even consider going in" ("contains 59+ stuff"), Elyion will have the Rose summon up the Guardian while she conjures a cadre of Sunthrone Golems.
-More buffs!
Emerald Growth- Target obtains +125,000 HP and +2,000 to all stats, stacks 8 times, Earth, 50,000 MP
on the Guardian!

but if this all goes smoothly, then the party shall boldly enter!

Elyion's divinations, for the most part, fall unfortunately flat. She does, however, manage to determine that the place is called 'The Bittergreen'.
The Rose has some more success. It determines that the dungeon falls in the 40-60 range, levelwise, and that it chiefly contains Plants and plant-related Spirits. From what it is able to determine, the place has themes relating to bitter herbs (both poisonous and medicinal), bitter fruits (likewise) and flowers (with a variety of diverse, but universally negative powers). It can't be sure from outside, but it thinks the place is divided into three linked sections around a central area, and something is going on involving mana flows between them.

Giles mentions that, from his study of the place's external pattern and the way mana is being channeled, it would be unlikely to survive the end of the Seed Rains due to essentially drying up without the immense amount of mana the phenomenon brings.
He is, however, fairly sure that with a few judicious bits of alteration-via-Spatial, he could tweak the surroundings into keeping the place as it is even after the Rains end, and likely making the surrounding area far less apt to spawn hostile plantlife and spirits from the lingering effects of the Rains to the bargain.

Well, that's intriguing! "Certainly, let's save that for later. Thank you, Giles, you remain truly unparalleled! I don't suppose you could also provide us a path around this obstacle?"

"Certainly, my lady."
With a mere gesture, Giles spatially folds the mountain pass around The Bittergreen such that the sheer and dangerous walls overgrown with the dungeon's knotted vines and creepers are turned into a gentle slope rising above the sharply-scented mass and into the range beyond. At the same time, the geography leading towards the dungeon's entrance is reshaped and reformed into a more orderly flagstoned hallway flanked by stone walls with intricate channels cut into it. As Elyion watches, the channels begin to fill with pulses of green light that flow down towards the dungeon itself.
Behind the group, a solid set of stone doors rise out of the rubble, blocking off the pass's entrance to those who might happen to wander up this particularly treacherous bit of mountainside.

Ferris grunts. "Useful trick. Wouldn't mind learning how to shift the terrain that easily. It'd make my job easier, at least."


Elyion and Giles both get:
1 Fame
'Preserved The Bittergreen And Allowed It To Persist After The Seed Rains On Seirei'

Shortcut created, the group picks their way up the new, folded path into the mountainside beyond, The Bittergreen's tangled 'roof' sprawling beneath them and crawling with plant-creatures. The place is pretty extensive, from the looks of it, completely choking the entire remaining length of the pass- and if what The Rose said is true, it likely extends a way into the mountains themselves on either side. Depending on how it's laid out, trying to get to The Narrows through it might even involve having to trek the entire length of the dungeon.
Elyion thinks she may have made a good call avoiding the place entirely for now.

The Aptim takes the lead once more as the path continues to rise into the range, the dark and heavy green clouds above forming a roof to the pass and making the entire place feel considerably more claustrophobic than it rightly ought to. The acrid medly of scents from the dungeon below is joined by a whirling collection of other aromas as the winds fitfully shift and blow between cliffsides and faces, bringing a strange mixture of floral, fruity, earthy, sweet, spicy and rotten essences to the group's various noses and nose-equivalents.

Elyion almost collides with her guide as the demihuman abruptly halts.
The pass ends as it crosses paths with a large, deep valley in the mountainside. The entire vista is a dipping carpet of greens with vibrant patches of bright colours here and there, split lengthwise along the middle by an even deeper gorge within it. Although the visibility isn't great due to the dim light, clouds and green haze brought with the storms, a few other valleys, equally wide and split down their middles with similar gorges are barely visible intersecting with the first. The smell has gone from 'intriguing' to 'near-overpowering' in intensity, constantly changing with each blast of oddly-warm wind until some internal filter in the living spell's new mask kicks in and replaces it with the fresh scent of roses.

"Is that..." Ferris chokes, ears rigid and trembling, "...is that a fucking Thousand-Year Peach Tree?"

Elyion follows his line of sight to an absolutely magnificent tree perched on an outcrop some distance below them, branches splayed in all directions towards the sky and covered in a thick growth of gold-tinged green leaves that emit enough light to make it visible even in the gloom. Its near-black bark is suffused with an odd, golden radiance, and brilliantly-shining objects glimmer within the canopy as the wind ruffles its leaves.

The name rings a bell from Elyion's frantic cataloguing venture back in Serro Gramman's botanical centre. One of the texts she flipped through mentioned a legend of one such tree having triggered a full-blown war between two countries before the Nightmare Moon descended, along with rumours of immortal drifters and explorers popping up after landbound iterations of Seed Rains past. Such a tree was said to confer a kind of eternal youth and an additional thousand years of life on their consumer for each one eaten, empowering their body as well as allowing one to resist more overt ravages of time. It was speculated, but not verified, that some of the Major Houses of the Order might have either one such tree or Tamers who have consumed its fruits among their ranks. If this is indeed such a tree, it would rank among the most well-known and thus sought-after treasures possible to result from the Seed Rains.

Elyion, from her studies and helpfully-upgraded pertinent botanical knowledge, can tell that it is, indeed, a fucking Thousand-Year Peach Tree.

Dear god, these rolls.

"Well, it's not so much that the terrain moved, as how the terrain relates to everything else moved. At least, that's the very basics of it, according to my knowledge of the theory of spatial magics, which I haven't branched into learning myself just yet, though I'd be happy to see if you've got an aptitude for it once I've mastered the subject, though it's one of quite a number I'm studying..." Elyion geeks out just a bit about various branches of magical theory while they traverse the dungeon area before piping down in time to travel.


Elyion flashes yellow in startled recognition. "That... that does, in fact, appear to be a fucking Thousand-Year Peach Tree. Well. That's definitely an impressive start to this expedition, if I do say so myself. I'd like to offer you my congratulations, Mr. Ferris, on both your excellent guide skills and exceptional good fortune. Now let's see about getting down there. Do you see a safe path, or should we chance flying?"

She'll also look around as they proceed for other interesting or promising (or dangerous) plants!

"Ngnhh." Ferris visibly shivers, tail twitching. "Uh... yeah, let's... go down there on foot. Valley's pretty open and if anything big comes blowing in, we'll want to be able to take cover. Just follow me, ma-- ma'am."

The Aptim picks his way down the slope with considerably less speed than previously, carefully testing each step as if concerned the ground might shatter at any given moment.
Elyion, in looking around as she follows, finds that the place is, much as The Rose predicted, not packed with a huge variety of different kinds of plants, at least as far as she can tell. Most of the place looks like dense, hilly grassland, with copses of trees and splashes of colour here and there. There was that mention of there being the occasional plant of out-of-bracket potency, however, which is certainly true if the Thousand-Year Peach Tree is anything to go by.

On the 'not immediately threatening and potentially interesting' side of things, clumps of that spiky, aloe-like plant that whistles in the wind are growing here and there in relatively thick patches. Even without scanning, Elyion can tell that these are most likely Waypoint Whistlegrass, a known recurring gift from the Seed Rains. Blowing through a leaf will mark a place, and blowing through it again will return the whistler to the place they marked previously, without running the risk of getting entangled in the Spirit World (as most methods of teleportation in the world are apt to do). This, of course, means there is doubtless some Wayward Whistlegrass in the mix, a very similar-looking plant which whisks the user off somewhere entirely different when blown through, frequently a considerable distance away.
She's also pretty sure some of those trees are growing strange fruits such as those that were being bandied about during the Festival she was present during in the future-past-period, although she can't get a good idea of what they might do from this distance.

On the danger-side of things, there appears to be a large number of shambling, humanoid figures of various sizes populating the banks of the valley, which her boosted botanical knowledge pegs as being various flavours of Graminoid. These grassy-backed, vine-limbed plant-humanoids tend to hunt in packs, and are notably able to survive having pretty much everything cut off, being able to regrow, albeit slowly in most circumstances, from just a head. Normal varieties are Level 20 Plants. The ones she's seeing range from large packs of the Level 20s up to Level 43, with the higher-level ones apparently having incorporated some of the Seed Rain plants into themselves. Somewhat concerningly, they hold the potential to become even more powerful should they somehow incorporate even higher-level plantlife into themselves.
There are other creatures, plants and spirits out there, but she's mostly finding there's enough of the plant-humanoids to prevent her from getting details on anything else very quickly.

The Rose reports it's registering something that has a strong Divination-like aura somewhere off on the other side of the valley. After some brief conferring, Elyion recognises it as potentially being an Oracle's Iris, a flower that possesses powerful divination qualities and can grant visions of potential futures through mere proximity.
The Rose also believes there's another out-of-bracket plant somewhere off in a valley to the northeast, but the storm's proximity and the shifting weather patterns are cutting down its scanning radius in this area and making the details fuzzy. There may be other more-valuable things out there. It's fairly sure it can narrow down the clumps of those weird Seed-Rain Fruits, though.

It has more success than Elyion at identifying the various threats in the valley. Most are, indeed, Graminoids of various sorts, but there are also a number of orb-like spirits known as Remalii of varying level drifting around the place (which look rather like a certain orb-like genie that fancies himself as a spell, to Elyion's mind), a considerable number of hostile flowering plants and plant-spirits, and one particularly big signature it determines as being a hostile, unique entity either spawned or fallen from the Seed Rains.

The most-likely-problematic hostile entities it catalogues are, in order:
*Glorious Lady of the Lotus (Spirit & Plant, Level 45). This thing is, to couch it in terms that a BA Member would be most familiar with, a multi-stage boss. Presently, it is in the form of the 'Radiant Bud of the Coming Exaltation', but if disturbed and sufficiently aggravated, would blossom into its second form of the 'Lotus of Ever-Unfurling Praise', and finally opening up to reveal itself as the Glorious Lady of the Lotus. It has quite the variety of powers, including heavy Psychic and Mystic-element attacks, growing more powerful as it becomes more damaged as an effect that carries over between forms, bide-type revenge-effects, dealing damage directly to target's Spirit values, overcoming Charm-effects and control through pseudo-Void-via-Psychic-Enlightenment effects, shedding negative effects and debuffs through spiritual purity, being able to resurrect itself and massively heal if given a little breathing room, flipping itself into alt-forms that prioritise Water & Chaos as a combined element, overwhelming others' minds through sheer spiritual pressure, charm-effects, and being able to bud off sub-lotuses with fragments of its skillset that would require killing quickly lest they end up becoming copies of the boss itself.
In short, it's likely the most threatening thing present in the area. Fortunately, it's off in a valley to the northwest.

Greenseed-Mother (Plant, Level 44). These make a lot of use of that Verdant Air status effect Elyion encountered earlier, causing targets afflicted with it to essentially grow enemy plantlife inside themselves and become a summoning vector against their own will. They can summon a large number of plants even without having to resort to that trick, too, and massively amps its own summons in general.

Graminoid Seed-Rain-Colossus (Plant, Level 43). A huge, strongly regenerative enemy that has a variety of plant-related tricks and powers that draw from different varieties of Seed Rain plantlife. They tend to come accompanied by other Graminoid varieties, too, and can consume them for even more healing or additional powers.

Medio Vernat Remalii (Spirit & Magic Being, Level 39). A variety of those Remalius-like Spirits. They have a spread of elemental powers including over Earth, Wood, Life, Moon, Magic and Dream. They're magically rather powerful, can levy curses on people and, perhaps most concerningly, are able to use an odd variety of Ancient Magic. The Rose is also registering them as using 'Lunar Arts', which appears to be some sort of magic school peculiar to Seirei. They have a notable Agony weakness and have issues being buffed and granting buffs unless they are the first thing that gets buffed on their side in any set confrontation.

Acolyte Moongazer of Vernat (Plant & Spirit, Level 35). These things are considerably more related to those 'Lunar Arts' than the Remalii, capable of calling on the power of the Green Moon itself for a variety of effects, and being able to issue blanket battlefield effects by declaring it under the auspice of the moon and its various phases. They may also be able to call upon the Seed Rain itself under current conditions, although they are unlikely to be able to control the resulting effects.


While Elyion digests all that, the group finally reaches the tree. It's even more magnificent up close than it was from afar; golden energy limns its limbs and every knot and whorl of its bark. Pulses of gilded spiritual power travel from the roots, through the trunk, and up into its boughs, where its fruits shine with constantly-renewed energy.

From here, Elyion is capable of gaining the full measure of the tree. Moreover, she gains the measure of it were she, as a Battle Arena Member, to take it, as opposed to how it would work for someone not of her station.

Thousand-Year Peach Tree- (Item, Resource, Life & Time, 800,000,000 Gold) This item produces 1 Thousand-Year Peach every 2 months.
5 Thousand-Year Peach- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Life & Time, 150,000,000 Gold) Gives target the ability "Consumed a Thousand-Year Peach"

Consumed a Thousand-Year Peach- (Passive Ability, Permanent Item Effect) Possessor gains +500,000 HP, +10,000 STR, +10,000 CON, +10,000 AGI, +5,000 Defense against STR Damage, +5,000 Defense against CON Damage, +5,000 Defense against AGI Damage, 20% Time Resistance, and Fatigued: Elderly Immunity; Possessor, as an RP effect, does not age

(Expect values to change. Also, good grief, Elyion. I roll to see how many fruits you get, deciding that a high roll would be one and a crit would be two. You got a 97, 91, 79. Where are all these rolls coming from?!)

(Well, EXPOSITION OVERLOAD. Only one solution: Ignore everything, handle things one step at a time! Therefore: TREE!)

Elyion briefly ponders the disposition of the Peach Tree with regards to her employer before reaching a decision! She takes care to harvest the fruits before using (whatever mix of) Botanist knowledge, BA Member Inventory magic, and if necessary the Rose's botany and item storage abilities that will let her safely keep it!

As to the Peaches themselves, two are getting labeled and sent through the ring to Master Gramman. One is for Elyion here and now, one is getting tucked away into storage for later, and the last is offered to Ferris.

"Care for a snack, Ferris?"

Between Giles' space-folding abilities and The Rose's ability to store items in crystals, Elyion (sadly lacking any form of hammerspace) successfully manages to store the tree in a portable format!
Peaches are labelled and deposited through the gate-ring to Gramman, and subsequently stowed, consumed and offered.
A pulse of golden, life-granting energy flows through Elyion in a warm, tingling rush. Goodness, she feels like she was freshly-cast again!

Elyion gets:

Consumed a Thousand-Year Peach- (Passive Ability, Permanent Item Effect) Possessor gains +500,000 HP, +10,000 STR, +10,000 CON, +10,000 AGI, +5,000 Defense against STR Damage, +5,000 Defense against CON Damage, +5,000 Defense against AGI Damage, 20% Time Resistance, and Fatigued: Elderly Immunity; Possessor, as an RP effect, does not age

2 Fame
'Discovered a Thousand-Year Peach Tree During the Seed Rains on Seirei'
'Gave Serro Gramman Thousand-Year Peaches from the Seed Rains on Seirei'


Ferris, for once, has completely lost his stoic facade, saucer-eyed gaze flitting between Elyion and the proffered fruit of legend with an oddly conflicted expression.
"This is absolutely fucking insane," he manages, taking the peach with slightly trembling hands, studying it carefully. "This thing right here is what everyone out in this shitstorm is after. And I'm holding it. And if I eat this..."
The Aptim looks almost pained. "Fuck it. Never getting a chance like this again. Here goes."

Ferris removes his mask and eats the peach, taking large, quick bites, carefully holding it to ensure none of the juice escapes. As he does so, waves of the same golden, lifegiving energy wash over his form, tracing themselves from his mouth to the tips of his toes and tail and back again. The dark circles under his eyes and slight weatherbeaten lines on his face vanish as the Peach's effect takes hold.
"That was..." he begins, "...I feel... great. Really great. If it does what the legends say it does, I..."
He quirks a smile. "Thank you, maste-- oh, moons fucking damn it."
The smile is replaced with an aggravated scowl. "Ma'am. Thank you, ma'am. Urgh."

The demihuman replaces his mask and runs a gloved hand down his face, ears drooping. "Sorry. Really, I'm incredibly fucking grateful. You've just given me something I... I'd never have even dreamed I'd be able to get. Just making some slip-ups with my words I was really hoping to avoid to stop things getting awkward. Knew I'd gone too long between jobs..."

"Though I rather suspect the conditions of my servitude were rather different than ones found on this world, and don't presume to know anything about your situation, I... lived alone with my master for a very long time, with no one to socialize with except the occasional visitor or misbehaving enchanted object. It took me quite a while to get accustomed to interacting with people as equals and not expecting to be given orders to follow, once I struck out on my own." Elyion's glow shifts to a warm, gently amused shade. "For my part, I assure you I can sympathize with the occasional slip of the tongue and don't find it particularly awkward."

Elyion collects some Waypoint Whistlegrass! "Rosie, any chance you could absorb this?"

"Now, as to local conditions. I've detected something very, very peculiar that I wish to investigate. Apparently there are Spirits around here who look like, and seem to have the skills of, a friend of mine. In addition, in the valley to the northwest there's an exceptionally dangerous, unique threat that we're going to want to avoid. I'm sensing something's that probably an Oracle Iris on the far side of the valley that I'd very much like to see, both to acquire samples and also because it might help us out in the here and now; and something I can't make out in a valley to the northeast. So, to set priorities, I think we should find some shelter that we can Waypoint" she waves a strand of the grass "back to in case of emergency, and then track down some Remalii, and see if we can collect some fruits if the opportunity presents itself. Your thoughts?"

The Rose responds to Elyion's question.

"Half a step removed, but close, I can sense it. Make it just a bit more gem-like - with a combo perhaps - and I would be able to gain the power to traverse space. In its present state, I could activate it through a plant-based link, but not maintain that power in the longer term."

I wasn't expecting a Gad weigh-in! Here's the post as I was about to make it, which is... kind of similar? Gad's statement overrules the suggestions I make, though, where necessary.



Ferris runs his hands through his scruffy mass of hair, huffing out a sigh inside his facemask. "My situation isn't exactly normal for around here. It's because of what I am and where I'm from, and I don't want either getting out or else I'm straight fucked. It'd give people fucking ideas, too, even if things don't get as bad as they could. Moons-fucking-dammit, it's been over ten years and it's still hitting me. Knew I shouldn't have blown off working for so long, and then this shitstorm hit, and because I knew I could be useful, I had to fucking sign up to get my fix..."
The demihuman lets his hands drop, slumping. "...wasn't expecting anyone to actually pay that crazy amount for me-- my services. Paying for my services. Fuck."

He holds up a hand to stave off incoming remarks. "This... isn't going to affect how well I work for you. Fuck, it'll probably make me work better. Least you don't seem like you'd take advantage. You wouldn't have given me that peach otherwise. And I'm saying far too damn much because I have to..."

While Ferris continues to angrily mutter at himself, Elyion picks some of the odd, aloe-like grass!

She gets:
4 Waypoint Whistlegrass- (Consumable, Enchanted Item, Wood & Sonic & Spatial, 2 Charges, 500,000 Gold) User and user's allies may immediately leave a random quest they are currently in, user may use the first charge of this consumable to place a Waypoint in user's present battlespace, if user uses this consumable after having set a Waypoint in a battlespace, user and user's allies may immediately enter that battlespace and remove the Waypoint
2 Wayward Whistlegrass- (Consumable, Enchanted Item, Wood & Sonic & Spatial, 1 Charge, 150,000 Gold) 25% User moves to a random row on user's side of battle, 25% User moves to a random row on opponent's side of battle in the same battlespace, 25% User moves to a random row in a randomly-determined existing battlespace, 25% User is afflicted with Vanished, Has RP Effects

It looks like the two are virtually identical, save the holes in the latter have a particular, subtle spiralling pattern inside.

The Rose attempts to absorb the plant! It gets spat out again. It thinks it might be able to absorb it if it were to be tweaked in some fashion and rendered crystalline by keying off its existing ability to create portal-arches... but just straight-up creating a paired set of portals might me more effective in that case. As it stands, though, it believes it would be able to bolster the effects of the two plants by helping ensure that anything that might block their effects would have to contend with the plant-boosting capabilities of the artifact itself as well as the grasses. It also thinks it could significantly bolster the Wayward Whistlegrass's effect through injecting Chaos mana into the mix, but that would likely not be something Elyion would want for this particular outing.

Elyion puts her plan of action to the Aptim guide! This seems to snap him out of whatever it is he's currently dealing with.
"Can't say I've heard of Oracle Irises, but if you want to get to the other side, I can get us there. Finding shelter in this mess I can probably do, but I'll need to contact my source in the Weather Centre to see if the wind's likely to shift so we can plan where to drop that Waypoint. So long as you've got the right type of grass. Heard a lot about people trying to use it and vanishing off the face of the world, instead. I can help you track down those spirits, but if you're going to fight them, I'm nohh--"
His words catch in his mouth. He attempts again.
"I mean, if you go looking for a fight, I'm going to staayhhhnd by you fucking damnit it's hitting harder than I thought. Guess I'm a bodyguard now! Fuck!"
The Aptim throws his hands in the air in exasperation. "Just do me the favour of not pitching up against something crazy. Rate I'm going, I will die for you if I have to."

Elyion is rather aghast. "Don't... please don't put yourself in harm's way for my sake. I'm... rather more resilient than you'd perhaps expect and I'd really quite hate for you to come to any lasting harm for my sake. Rather unforgivably so if you're compelled in some fashion against your will."

"Tell me, how much do you trust your Weather Centre source? Just thinking about competition a bit before we potentially settle in here. Other than that, I'm perfectly willing to trust your expertise in this matter."

"Not like I want to, believe me. Not exactly. Fuck, it's..." the scruffy demihuman pinches the bridge of his nose, ears flattening. "...it's weird and I usually deal with it before it gets anywhere near this bad. Right now, everything's screaming at me that you're my master and I need to put you ahead of everything, and that really isn't the way I wanted this to play out today. Telling me that stuff helps. Easing up on the compliments would help, too. Now I'm in this fucked-up mindset, that'd probably end up making things bet-- worse. Definitely worse. And weirder."

Ferris huffs out a sigh. "Speaking of weird. Yes, I trust my Weather Centre source. They've... got an interest in making sure I stay safe, even if I wish they'd stop. Wouldn't sell me out. Want me to contact them?"

"Yes, please go ahead and do so."

[Modrageball]

The Aptim grunts, one ear twitching as he fishes about in his pack for something, eventually retrieving a symbol-covered talisman made of thick paper. It looks to be rather crumpled.
Ferris glares at it impassively for a few moments, then smooths it out between his hands. A bright blue glow begins to trace itself along the lines and symbols on the talisman as he finishes, filling its surface with glittering traceries of spiritual energy.
The scruffy humanoid takes a deep breath, and says "Ae--"
"SNUGGLEBUNNY!"
The voice issuing from the talisman is a forced falsetto, clearly pitched up from the speaker's presumably far-deeper normal tones. Ferris' ears begin to redden.
"Calling me twice in one day? It must be a special occasion! Or perhaps you're feeling lonely again and wanted to talk-- oooooooor maybe meet up? Is that it? Oh, you know I always have time for you, my little--"

"I'm on a job, Aeran. With my mast-- client," Ferris manages to interrupt.

"Oh~?" The voice, while maintaining its sickly coyness, has deepened in pitch to something... else. "Throwing yourself at others again? You wound me, pookie, you truly wound me. If you'd have told me your little issue was getting as bad as that, why, I'd have come right over and--"

"On a job. Out in the shitstorm. Plants all over. Need a forecast for The Narrows. We're in the Crosscut." Ferris' ears are well on their way to practically glowing bright red.

"Out there, in all that~? Oh, snugglebunny, you do put me to so much worry, you know. Of course, that just means you'll have to pay me back later~"
A rustling noise issues from the talisman.
"And heeee~eere it is. I did the forecast myself, so you know you can be abolutely sat~is~fied with its quality." A pause. "Mm~hmm~. It looks like there won't be any major seedfall for at least the next four hours, but then it's going to come down thick and fast~. From the west, I'd say, but with this sort of projected fall, I wouldn't be caught up in it. I'd dread to have to keep you as a houseplant afterwards, but I'd water you whenev--"

"Thank you Aeran that was very helpful and I'm sure my master wants to ask about the forecast for other places now."

"Oh, I'm sure they do~. Hellooo~ooo out there! I hope you're treating my grumpy little pooka well and not taking too much advantage of him. Even if he does make the most adorable noises when you--"

"MASTER THE QUESTIONS NOW PLEASE THANK YOU."

"Um, hello. Good evening. Thank you for the information. I don't suppose you know the scale of the storm areas? For example, there are nearby valleys, one to the northeast of here- we're in The Crosscut, it seems? I'm afraid I didn't get the names of these valleys run down for me before now, so it makes my questions rather vague. If we were to head there, could we take shelter from the storm 4 hours from now? How far do your forecasts extend? I'm quite curious about the methodology involved, though apparently I'm rather on the clock, here, so I'll curb my inquisitive instincts for now. What do you know about the next day? The full duration of the remaining few days of the rains as a whole?"

"Oho~? A lady, is it? Oh, snugglebunny, I didn't know you played both sides of the court, now."

"Aeran." The demihuman is making some sort of weird strangly noise.

"Isn't he just adorable when he's flustered? I've had so much practice~ ...but I digress! As to the scale of the storm areas, why, they encompass almost the entirety of the Clavia Province, to a greater or lesser extent! All swirling about up there as a great big layer of seeds and clouds. I'm very grateful I got to witness such a rare spectacle in my lifetime. It's every meteorologist and moon-reader's dream!" The voice breaks into something that would probably be a titter in a lower register. It doesn't exactly sound right at this pitch.
"Not that that would be very useful to your line of inquiry. My colleagues and I can predict with some accuracy where it will make landfall, however- although I do hasten to add that given it's governed by the moon itself, some margin of error is always on the table, and grows considerably the further out we have to predict. Not that it's a ploy to ensure my grumpy little pooka would have to contact me more often. More of a perk~"

Another not-titter filters through the talisman.

"If you had to stay in The Narrows when the next fall hits in four hours, considering the predicted wind directions and intensity, I would have to say... ooh, something that bears north with some kinks~ in it... you'll be wanting to sit tight in Turnpeak Passage or Aster Gorge. Pookie would know the best places to sit out a direct westerly assault like that. He's ever so talented when it comes to finding--"

Ferris makes more strangly noises.

"Oh, have his ears gone bright red yet?"
They definitely have. It's a wonder they aren't glowing with their own light.
"It's so sweet when they do~! But that means I should probably tease him a little less, much as I'd so love to. On with the forecast it is, then! As I said, I can't guarantee perfect accuracy, but the next major falls we're expecting will be around the Marchills and Mola in the Pralat Plains later tonight, and quite likely to go on until the next day. I do hope they're all out of there, or else they'll likely end up as potplants~. The Clavia Chasm, of course, will be siphoning off a great deal of the surrounding storms. Such a sight it'll be down there! A considerably wild and frantic collection of all sorts of seeds and storms, from what I can tell. Not around the city itself, of course, but certainly to the north and south. That place will likely be thick with the Rains for the entire period. As will that strange new forest near Pella, all the way to the east! Constant seedfall, all focused on that one spot! After they had all that other rain trouble, too. No doubt there's something at work, there, although I do believe the town itself will escape the worst of it~"
Some rustling noises issue from the talisman.
"Beyond that, the next major falls are projected to be in the Virlen Fields tomorrow at around midday-ish for an hour or two, Chyrsarbor Hollow in the afternoon right through to the late evening, a very heavy fall in the Pralat Plains again- I do pity those in Mola- overnight, and then more activity in the Colluctus Mountains on the third day in brief bursts, after which it should all start to lift. Although I would hasten to add that those are only the biggest falls we can currently predict, as seedbursts are coming down all over the province, so be sure to have my grumpy little pooka contact me frequently for updates~"

"Well, I do believe that concludes my inquiries. Thank you kindly for your advice." After Ferris 'hangs up', she muses briefly.

"Well, that gives us a window of a few hours of relative safety to explore this valley. Let me run down my thoughts, and do interrupt me to correct what I get wrong or add your own expertise. It's what I hired you for. In fact, Rosie, would you please give Ferris a data dump of your local divination results?

(Major Powers: * Can gather knowledge and transmit it to its owner in an instant data-dump via touch (as opposed to communicating it telepathically, which takes the time of normal telepathy))

To begin with: I want to reiterate that I very strongly prioritize your safety. I also wish to spend as much time as possible exploring here, both for personal and professional reasons.

In the interests of doing so, therefore, certain things need to be addressed. First and foremost is the Graminoid population. They are, currently, for the most part unthreatening, with a small number of notable exceptions. However, those exceptions indicate that they're capable of growing more dangerous if they feed on fruits of the Rains, and we're expecting heavy seedfall. It may behoove us to cull the population before it grows out of hand. Fortunately, I believe I can conjure some summons to do the majority of that work unsupervised.

Secondly, the 'Remalii'. Given our past friendship, if they possess his memories it's possible that I can reason with them- please, do tell me if I should just stop trying and that I'm only likely to run up against mindlessly hostile Spirits. I have a rather civilized nature and I'm inclined towards diplomacy, possibly to my detriment. If not, they're something I'd prefer to cross only on my terms, given what I know of his capabilities. I do believe investigating them is a very high priority.

Thirdly, and partially relatedly, it may be possible for me to co-opt the Lunar Arts that the Remalii and another sort of Spirit I'm detecting can wield, potentially being able to manipulate the intensity of the seedfall in our localized area when it comes to that.

All this in addition to 'Get the Oracle Iris and get to shelter', though I suspect we may have some wiggle room on that thanks to The Rose's terrain-shaping and defensive abilities and Giles's aid.

Of course, all this could be for nought and the area simply become too hazardous after the fall anyway, but until that actually becomes the case, I think we should take what steps we can to mitigate future dangers."

"You're welcome, sweetie. Oh, and snugglebunny~? I look forward to your method of compensa--"
The voice abruptly cuts off as Ferris claps the talisman between his hands, ears burning furiously red. Any attempt to compose himself is somewhat thrown off by the Rose helpfully providing him a psychic infodump of the findings thusfar, something that, in hindsight, he might not be too familiar with.

Elyion runs down her thoughts and plan of action while her guide recovers from the dual shock of sudden exposition and the rather awkward call involving a (presumably) somewhat-complicated relationship of sorts. Fortunately, by the end of her speech, he appears to be somewhat regaining his usual stoic expression.

Ferris grunts. "If you can summon up spirits or something to deal with those things before they become a problem or get powered up by the incoming shitstorm, all the better. I've heard about some of the fruits growing in this mess. Far as I can tell, you're just as likely to end up with a pig's head as you are to get spiritual powers from them. Nobody knows what the fuck they do, or at least nobody's talking about knowing. Might be a good idea to clear some out of the area if you think those Graminoid things will try to eat them, though. From that... thing you just did, I don't think they're going to give us much trouble. Except the big ones."

The scruffy demihuman frowns. "If those 'Remalii' are what I think they are, you're wasting your time talking to them. All just started showing up after that day the moons all appeared in the sky at once, and started causing trouble ever since. They just show up, start doing things to places or people with their weird magic, and don't pay attention to most shrine maidens or the like unless they actively hit wards or get attacked. I heard a few people got turned into animals by the bigger ones, either completely or partially. If your 'friend' did things like that, master, he has problems."

"Lunar Arts..." Ferris squints, ears flicking and flopping as he tilts his head. "Kind of sounds familiar. Think one of the groups from the Association was talking about it a while back. Don't know anything about them myself. Far as I know, the only magic that links up to the moons is Elemental Magic and maybe Spirit Magic, but if it can help us stay alive I'd say it's worth looking at. Can you use magic you've never even studied before, though?"
He shakes his head. "Wouldn't be the weirdest thing I've seen today. Just what we've done so far would be enough to get into the history books. I mean, a fucking Thousand-Year Peach Tree. Last Association members to find one of those became legends. Fuck, one's probably in charge as the Chairwoman. Thought it might've just been her using the name, but after..."
He trails off. "...I still can't fucking believe it, and you gave one to me. I ate it. I wasn't expecting to li-- I'm talking crap and wasting time. Give me a minute."

The Aptim guide takes a few deep breaths.
"Tell me where you want to go, and I'll get us there without surprises. If we end up getting trapped and things get bad, I can get us back to the Mornhill branch quick. Emergency measure. Not cheap, but I've got all the time in the world to earn it back, now. Probably."

"Right then! To the Oracle's Iris, across the valley!" Elyion summons up a full cohort of 20 Sunthrone Golems and dispatches them in teams of four to search and destroy the weaker Graminoids.

Sun-golems scarcedly seen since the great events of Sunthrone spring forth one after another, forming up into squads and stomping off across the gloomy valley, beacons of glorious light amidst the darkness. The Graminoid-hunt is afoot!

Ferris boggles somewhat at the sight. "What kind of spirits- no, never mind. Follow me, I'll get us across."
The Aptim zig-zags his way down the slopes towards the great crack running through the centre of the valley, the incline growing steeper and steeper as the group continues downwards. The land breaks up as it continues to decline, smooth slopes of greenery becoming stepped, then cliff-strewn, boulders and sudden drops littering their paths and making the going rather more treacherous. Some of the patches of greenery look... peculiar in some ways, too, and from the way Ferris keeps nearly doubling back and circling them, it would seem they're places best avoided.

Soon, he's sliding down eroding slopes, clumps of (newly-rooted?) grass breaking free and cartwheeling down the hillside ahead of him, picking up the pace and flying to pieces or vanishing over the rapidly-approaching edge.
Elyion is almost half-convinced that the rattling his composure took has done away with his skill at pathfinding when he abruptly vanishes over the edge, only for his arm to pop up over the verge and wave her down.

"Broad ledge down here. This side's higher than the other, too. Best place to get us across. Did you want me to boost your jumping power, carry you across, or is your... butler? going to pull that trick of his again?"


The Rose softly chimes in Elyion's arcane auditory pattern receptors. Golem Teams 1-5 have all encountered groups of Graminoids.
Teams 1 and 5 have hit smaller groups, both having found themselves ambushed unexpectedly and sustaining surprising amounts of damage. One of Team 5 has been destroyed after an oddly prolonged battle. Both groups have managed to prevail over their enemies, however, and are still in good enough shape overall to continue. Team 1 seems to have managed to gather a fair few samples from their skirmish.
Teams 2 and 4 managed to hit larger groups (crops?) of the humanoid-plant entities, striking first and dealing heavy damage from the outset. Team 2 hasn't found anything of note, but both are still in excellent shape.
Team 3 found what the Rose reports is a considerably-sized group of the plant-people, which it believes were swarming towards one of those patches of fruit-bearing trees. Fortunately, despite taking light damage initially, the golems turned things around and managed to use their burning fists to cause the tightly-packed groups to set ablaze in large quantities, easily overcoming the obstacle.

The Golem-summons, as a whole, gain XP for 31 Level 20 entities.

Elyion has enough skills in Golomancy and Channeler that she should be able to order her golems around at range (assuming that I need said skills and they aren't subject to her mental control by virtue of being summons, of course). Group 1, with their loot pile, is commanded to make their way back! She also ponders what assistance she can offer the more beleaguered ones, such as group 5. A Fading Call, packed for just such purpose, perhaps?

"Giles, is that group within your reach? Could you hasten their return, or at the least retrieve what they're carrying? Perhaps you could also facilitate the reach of the Masons I can call upon so we can maintain some of the more heavily damaged ones..."

"Since Giles is otherwise occupied, I believe a boost to my jumping should suffice." Elyion will wait for his assistance, and then leap across!

Controlling her Golems at range with her levels of skill is somewhat awkward, but any concerns that might arise are taken care of through The Rose's scrying ability allowing her to direct them.

Giles replies that he should indeed be able to speed Group 1's return to them without too much issue given their still relatively-close proximity, but remarks that he's feeling that there is some odd interference with long-distance spatial transport powers. He believes it to be an inherent property of the world, perhaps to do with the Spirit World that their documentation spoke of being adjacent to the physical one. He puts forward that reliablility of teleportation not based in magics that directly tie into the Spirit World is likely to be iffy over longer distances, and the range and reliability of such is likely to decrease in proportion to the amount of spiritual power in an area.
In other words, if the storm starts up in earnest, things might get a bit tricky.

While Giles works on fishing out the golems from their current predicament, Elyion requests Ferris boost her jumping ability. Her guide nods with a grunt.
"Give me a bit. Don't usually use this on others."

The demihuman draws in a deep breath, bringing his hands up and around to clasp together in an odd fashion at chest-height. As he exhales, a strange sort of pressure begins to exude from his form, somehow giving the impression of absolute stillness and a tightly-whirling vortex of energy simultaneously.
Ferris' eyes snap open and his hand blurs, Elyion feels something strike her form- not hard, not physically, but forcefully and in a way she can't really categorise. Spiritually? She isn't familiar with that branch of magic, but she doesn't think it's quite that hands-on. Or metaphysically-hand-equivalents-on, at any rate. Something between spiritual and physical and skewed off to the side of magic?
Her musing is interrupted as she feels suddenly and strongly free. Her form feels far lighter than it did before, her movements easier than anything she's ever experienced.

The Rose helpfully provides a quick info-snippet that she has been hit with an effect named 'Hurricane Step'. While it's not really in its specific wheelhouse, the artifact is confident in categorising it as a Ninjutsu spell, and likely a considerably stronger version of Wind Run. It provides a huge boost to Agility, a significant base Dodge amount and a dodge-bonus on top (which is currently being massively overshadowed by Sultan's Glimmering Veil), and a sizable Earth and Entombed Resistance.

Thus empowered, Elyion leaps.
And quite a leap it is, too. The living spell gains far more height and distance than she expected, clearing the wide crevasse with ease (and seeing steep, jagged cliffsides plunging into darkness below as she passes) and landing on a bank of grass on the slope of the other side with a stumble. A moment later, Ferris lands next to her, seemingly unaffected by the impossible feat of acrobatics he just performed.
Space folds and folds again as Giles carefully steps across a temporarily inches-wide crack, followed by the swiftly-brightening lights heralding the return of Group 1. As the group presents Elyion with their findings, Giles once again twists space to send a temporarily-summoned group of masons to see to the remainder of Group 5's damage.


Elyion is given:
12 Rare Flowers from the Seed Rains- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wood, 280,000 Gold)
4 Living Graminoid Head- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wood, 300,000 Gold)
Integrate Plant (Lesser)- (Spell, Druid Magic, Earth, 30,000 MP, 900,000 Gold) Target plant that is (willing or below caster's Level) and below Level 30 is removed from battle, if this removal is successful a buff is generated and may be placed on an allied Plant or caster (if caster is a Plant) that provides +(1/4 removed Plant's CON, to a maximum of 900), +(1/4 removed Plant's HP, to a maximum of 180,000) and grants its possessor a single Ability held by the removed Plant, stacks 3 times, this spell fails if it does not target a Plant as the recipient of said buff or would fail to generate said buff, with the removed plant being returned to battle in such cases or if the resultant buff is removed or destroyed

The heads are dull-green and humanoid, with large, glossy and entirely dark-green eyes and a mouthful of sharp, thornlike teeth. Grass and leaves sprout like hair on the heads. They also appear to be very much alive, blinking sleepily and occasionally taking slow bites at the air.

"Well, that was exhilarating!"

Golem Team 1 is re-dispatched on their mission before their sunshine draws any unfortunate attention to the party proper, and the group shall continue following Ferris to their destination.

The golems of hard sunlight turn and stamp off into the gloom of the valley, casting light like a beacon in their wake.
Ferris, meanwhile, leads Elyion and Giles in the opposite direction, keeping low behind crumbling, eroded ledges as he slowly picks his way up the steep slopes adjacent to the deep, dark crack of the gorge below.

Crumbling ledges and tumbled clumps of grass soon give way to a smoother, more regularly-carpeted slope of grassy inclines, gradually becoming less and less steep as the group climbs. The demihuman guide stops and gestures for silence in several places, ducking behind clumps of bushes (some of which sprouting strange colours and patterns of leaves) here and there. Several times, something large stomps past, obscured by the brush the trio hides behind. Other times, it's more obvious what the Aptim is leading the group around. Large groups of Graminoids tearing at the ground, or drifting groups of those sphere-cluster Remalii spirits in varying sizes, or in one case a peculiar floating plant-entity that looks something between a leafy rootball and an octopus, scattering clouds of seeds or spores in its wake.

"It should be up ahead," he finally says, breaking the silence as the group rounds a moss-covered fall of boulders close to where the valleyside dramatically butts up against the sheer rock face of the spires and ridges that divide up The Narrows in its peculiar mix of mountains and valleys.

A soft glow emanates from a hollow in the mountainside. The area around it seems to hold a peculiar aura, as if it is somehow much more real than anything else nearby.
Two large sphere-cluster Remalii drift around nearby, but don't seem to have noticed the party.

Rose, telepathic relay to Ferris and Giles, please: Elyion mentally orders, indicating to Ferris with the hand signs he previously taught her to stop and await instructions.

It has occured to me that as our current defenses are primarily illusion-based in nature, venturing in close proximity to a powerful divination aura will likely have a deleterious effect upon the veiling. Therefore, I believe we should eliminate these Spirits before proceeding further. Once the fighting starts, Giles, if you could use your mana drain abilities in addition to damaging them, we should be able to prevent them from bringing their more esoteric powers to bear. Ferris, I'd feel reassured if you could hang back and hit them with some of the cursed arrows you mentioned you were armed with. I'd like to attempt a high-detail divination scan before we engage, though I have concerns that they may detect the spellwork, so be ready to engage if this goes wrong. If not, then wait for my mark, and keep your distance- I'm intending to hit them with Rose Chaos.

And as stated, Elyion and the Rose do indeed begin scanning the Remalii, because what the hell? In addition to needing to know if they've got his capabilities (particularly Dream-related), she's direly curious about how they came to exist at all.

Elyion and the Rose send off their orders. Ferris abruptly vanishes from sight once again, stepping backwards into thin air.

Then the artifact-and-living-spell-combo scan the Remalii.

The Remalii, she manages to glean, are a new form of Spirit created with the advent of the Grand Lunar Era. This, in turn, sends them down a rabbit-hole of trying to determine what exactly that entails.

---
A vision blurs into her mind of the familiar form of Remalius in the middle of a waterlogged, muddy field filled with pools and puddles of dirty water and rotted vegetation. He appears to be talking with a young human woman in a shrine maiden's robe and a red-headed young human man with the lanky, gangly frame of what she believes is that of a teenager. Before them stand a severely injured-looking humanoid insect... thing, and and extremely bruised-looking serpentine eel-creature.
Remalius is speaking.
"Okay, Ella, can you see if he will agree? If so, I will do the mark and the infusion."

The shrine maiden speaks an unfamiliar word to the eel-thing, which makes an odd whistling sound in response. "I... think he would prefer this than the alternative."

She holds a palm over the eel-serpent spirit's forehead, a glowing sigil depicting a cluster of orbs fading into being on its smooth, scaly skin.
Remalius glows. Elyion, familiar with the basic principles of Enchantment, notices the orb-genie attempting to do something by applying some basic Enchanting magic to the sigil. The mark begins to glow with a pale light, settling towards a verdant green hue as the young woman withdraws her hand. The spirit shudders as the glow grows brighter, ripples coursing down its form.

Remalius then pours mana into the eel-thing's form. Elyion's divination reveals it to be Moon mana. Her admittedly-basic grasp of Channeling also suggests that the orb-genie is pouring far, far too much into whatever it is he's attempting to do. Moon mana rushes out of his spheres in a flood of pale light, pooling into the mud and spilling into the mirror-calm water around the group, turning the boggy pools a silvery hue as the mana soaks into the earth and water.

The Rose notes that as of this point, the world appeared to have no Moon Mana to speak of, yet was primarily governed by the Moons overhead.

"Remalius, what... what's happ--"

All colour drains from the area, sound deadening and temperature dropping in an expanding wave from the point of origin, Remalius. Wan, glittering ripples of light spread from the genie's position as the mud whitens, then silvers from the touch of the alien mana.
Just as suddenly, a brilliant flood of emerald light illuminates the fields from above, the huge moon now even more vibrant in colour than before, a beacon in the now-black sky.
Vernat, the Verdant Moon, is empowered.
Earth mana, tied strongly to the Verdant Moon, responds to the Moon mana now saturating the area. A chain reaction occurs. The mud-soaked fields around the group sparkle as Earth mana is converted to Moon mana and back again, expanding the boundaries of the affected area with each conversion. Motes of light and mana surge skyward in shimmering curtains as the dance of elements continues, Vernat sparkling silver and green in response, hypnotic patterns of colour washing over the face of the vast moon as the new element infuses it, moonbows of power radiating from the lunar body's silhouette.
The ground trembles beneath Remalius' form, erupting into a breathtaking variety of rapidly-growing plantlife; flowers, bushes and even entire trees spring up in the blink of an eye in response the the celestial body's change.

The water pooling at the ground's surface reacts to the Moon mana, changing in composition from Water mana and back again. The pools transform from silvery to brilliant blue, twinkling wisps of power rushing from the liquid's surface to the sky, now a brilliant azure and containing a second, huge moon, this one a rippling mass of blue hues, elaborate tidal patterns and spiral formations dancing across its surface.
Cintho, the Aqueous Moon, is empowered.
Water gushes from below and between the moon-born forest, washing over the lands that were once boggy fields and transforming them into a verdant lake. The aurora-like curtains of light and mana drift upwards to meet the new celestial body, power radiating from the sparkling flow of blue and silver playing from its surface.

The chain reaction continues, hurtling unseen to meet the moon yet to rise. The sky blazes red and gold as another moon takes position next to the first two, bringing with it a surge of heat and light. This moon is an almost sun-like body, its surface a battle between molten tones, dark, irregular spots of earth, and arcing tongues of flame that dance and play over its surface. The air, warping with heat haze, shimmers between the silvery hue of the now-familiar Moon mana and the new moon's ruddy light.
Arden, the Blazing Moon, is empowered.
Gold and silver intermix across the burning lunar surface, casting threads of shining light across the shifting sky.

The air hums and vibrates. A distant moon begins to feel the change introduced to the world. The heat disperses as a cool breeze blows, bringing with it a peculiar rolling, chiming sound, like the aftertones of crystalline bells. A huge, glittering ball of delicate crystal drifts into view beside the other moons, slowly spinning, shifting and shedding shards of prismatic light as it takes its place, an aeolian chorus filling the air with song.
Canta, the Singing Moon, is empowered.
Now carried on wings of wind and sound, the Moon mana disperses yet further, propagating through the world as it begins to take its place amongst the other extant elements.

The sky twists and distorts. A radiant series of magic circles, spiritual chains and wards flash into being. Not being a true moon, their prisoner does not benefit as much as the others. Remalius is fortunate. Seirei is even more so.
Maltius, the Dreaming Moon, remains asleep.

From far, far away, beyond the hills, beyond the skies, beyond the world, another heeds the call. A kaleidoscopic whirl of clouds and mist cloak a small portion of the sky, a barely-visible orb of light hidden behind the veil. Gentle laughter issues from on high.
"And so begins a new chapter."
Caligo, the Misty Moon, is empowered.

The vision stills.

"I look forward to the parts you may yet play."

The vision resumes.

Further flickering images and sounds whirl and wink in the sky above, pieces of potential yet to be realised.

Where the eel once was is now a huge, sinuous dragon made of silvery light, its head crowned by huge branch-antlers in full foliate glory, its eyes blazing orbs of golden flame, its mane a flowing mantle of shining water, its fins and ridges composed of sparkling, clear crystal. Its forehead bears the mark of the moon-helix bestowed upon it by the shrine maiden, blazing with light and shifting in hue. A shroud of chromatic mist, colours changing to match its owner's mark, billows around the dragon's form.

The Rose identifies it as having changed to 'Mura, the Mirror of Heaven, First of the Moon Spirits of Seirei'

Spools of Moon mana flow as the vision shifts. Elyion and the Rose see a multitude of spheres and orbs being spun from mana as the element of Moon proliferates throughout the world, templated off the one who introduced it. They swiftly take form into the Remalii they have seen before, divided according to the moon from which they derive their power and the level of power they hold.

The vision warps and blurs, skipping forwards in time.

Elyion is treated to muddled visions of a rat-man in druid's robes screaming about how trees have feelings as he attacks a convoy of what look like refugees, focused on a carriage covered in axes. Kit is present beside the carriage briefly before she vanishes, dragging the vision along with her. There is a brief, confused vision of spiders made of knotted roots and Kit's Aeon Diadem glowing brilliantly white, accompanied by the sound of a distorted bell tolling and Time itself shattering before her into an endless golden void. Ripples spread back and forward in time from the impact.

The vision blurs forward.

Remalius, now a huge helicical collection of spheres, thrusts an Ancient Magic spell into a Remalii. Ripples catch and magnify as the spell is templated across a new, unaffiliated form of the spirit, echoing into other Remalii across space and time.

The vision skips sideways.

Remalius floats in a bizarre landscape of endless, grassy streets and regularly-spaced ruined houses overgrown with eye-bendingly-vivid purple-edged flowers and thick, twisted vines. The Rose reports a massive amount of Dream Mana being present.
The genie is conversing with a small, white-furred cat with a tuft of bright-red hair, which is perched on top of something that looks strikingly like that serpent-spirit from earlier, only altered to look more... tree-like in aspects.

Remalius is turning a variety of strange colours.
"Fynn? Is that you?" The genie performs some sort of weird, fluctuating, meandering bob as he moves closer. "IF I had to guess, this is a dream world, maybe the spirit world? There is much dream mana here. Wasn't there a dreaming moon? And mura is a moon spirit now.... so maybe the seed rains did something? And where's Ella?"

The cat looks distinctly unhappy. "Of COURSE it's me. ...not that I blame you for asking. I'M not sure it's me half the time. First those clouds appear, then that weird tower comes out of NOWHERE, and then suddenly I'm a CAT and the town's THIS mess." The cat's ears flatten. "This better NOT have anything to do with the Dreaming Moon. If it does, we're all DEAD. Might have something to do with all those weird plants that started growing, but the guards were supposed to handle them, along with the old man and Ella..." it trails off.
"...I don't know where she is. Last I heard, she was going to meet with the old man to do something, and then everything went all WEIRD and suddenly I'm THIS." The cat waves a paw for emphasis, then plants it firmly on the serpent-dragon's head.
"Meanwhile, THIS guy is just FINE."

The serpent makes an apologetic whistling noise.

The vision stutters, skipping ahead somewhat. The cat is scowling.
"And I've been TRYING to find Ella ever since I got here. Everything's the SAME, though. I can't tell if we're going in circles or even moving at all!"

The genie's orbs pale, then he bobs. "I... there is alot of dream mana here. I... coudl try to suck it all into me.. a reverse of what i did to mura... or.. i could try to channel it into you....." He sounds worried. "IF you wish me to try... I will, to find Ella."

His orbs suddenly blink.
"However, i have a better idea."

"Wait, wha-"

Remalius does something. Elyion isn't entirely sure what, exactly, he's attempting to accomplish, but he appears to be attempting to channel absolutely ridiculous amounts of mana from the dreamscape and through himself into a swirling mass, tangled up with... Enchantment? Wizard Magic? Some sort of old and powerful magic, perhaps Ancient Magic? The power of Dream? It's too much of a mess for her to get a handle on.

The ball of swirling mana-energy is then blasted directly into the small cat before him and forced into its form.

The mana sweeps into the cat, enveloping it in a swirling ball of multicoloured mist and whirling leaves which tumbles slowly off the serpent's head and drifts groundwards. Shortly after its descent, the interior begins to contract and glow with brilliant light, forming a vaguely cat-shaped light-silhouette.
The shape immediately begins to grow in size, altering in form and focus, filling out in bulk until it reaches roughly human proportions, whereupon the blinding light fades into nothingness, revealing... some sort of cat-satyr?
She is abruptly struck with the realisation that the shock of red hair amidst the white-moss-furred cat ears is somewhat familiar. This figure is-- was-- the human she saw previously with Remalius, only now she and The Rose are registering him as an Aptim, a human-spirit hybrid, rather than the human he most assuredly was before.

Ripples of time carry across the vision, Remalius' actions are swept along with them.

The teenage human-turned-Aptim looks at his body in a state of horrified shock.

The vision ends.
-----

The Rose presents Elyion with its findings in the wake of that... that.

These spirits are infused with the primary themes of Moon, Dream (albeit to a lesser extent at the lower echelons), magical power and aptitude, knowledge and divination, the application of curses, and the propensity to learn and develop Ancient Magic, despite their being no obvious sign of that form of magic being extant on the world. Something involving Remalius' actions has cascaded back to the somehow still-in-flux or still-connected-to-him spirits and solidified their ability to use Ancient Magic, particularly in invoking the Moons in some way. This appears to be more common in the more-powerful. His actions in transforming the human teenager have also cascaded back, altering the more-powerful to be more likely to seek out humans and attempt to alter their bodies and patterns to become animals, animalistic, or, in some cases, completely turning them into Aptim from their previously human states through the influx of Dream skewed through their bizarre connection to the Moons and some tangled mess of magical power they hold. Doing so seems to weaken them considerably, but given Elyion's grasp on the social metrics of the world, finding humans that would willingly let themselves be turned into Aptim permanently in order to defeat stronger examples would be extremely unlikely. The Remalii also seem to have a notable Agony weakness, and have issues granting buffs and positive effects unless they are also affected with the same buffs and effects.

It gets echoes and suggestions that other Moon spirits now exist, incorporating some of those themes to a greater or lesser extent, along with themes of plantlife, animals, dragons and draconic serpents, and... wise turtles?


Elyion gets:

4 Moongazer Bonus Weeks
4 Lunar Trickster Bonus Weeks

'Witnessed the Dawn of the Grand Lunar Era Through Divination'
'Learned About The Remalii'

Elyion's color dims and her 'features' sag, as if her jaw had dropped. "Almighty Gadigan and Most Holy Saints, what has he done? And why?" she gasps a shocked whisper.

Right. Ambush. Questions later.

Once more she draws forth from the Rose the ubridled dimensional flux of Rose Chaos, but this time it's a much larger blast, as Elyion infuses the 'party starter' that kicks off this ambush with a much larger portion of her mana reserves, in the form of an Overdrive. The cometlike orb of anarchic energies streaks towards one of the Remalii, hoping to obliterate it utterly before it even knows there's a battle!

Giles, for his part, cold clocks the one Elyion didn't blast with a Mana-displacing Strike!

Elyion shakes herself out of the shock of what the visions showed her, calling upon as much power as she can to lay a decisive blow upon one of the Remalii before her.
Once again, a storm of obsidian rose petals bursts forth on a chaotically-shifting torrent of Chaos mana, ripping through the air and impacting the spirit in a coruscating whirl of colour and sparks of magic. The green orbs of the Remalii flicker and pulse erratically before sputtering out entirely, becoming a dull, glassy green devoid of inner light. The fuzzy orblets of light orbiting the smaller spheres at its outermost boundary wink out as the entire collection clatters to the ground.

Elyion and Giles get XP for a Level 39 entity.


Giles flicks a hand, space folding and curving as his blow impacts the other Remalii's physical and magical reserves of energy directly. A torrent of mana rushes out from the entity, but almost as quickly gets sucked back into its orbit.

The Rose updates its assessment of the Remalii. It believes that they can absorb mana that match their particular elements, and perhaps grow if they consume it in the right sort of form. In this case, it's managed to drag the mana that was slapped out of it back into itself, although it looks like it was severely damaged by the blow and subsequent hasty recollection.

A chill runs through Elyion's core as an awful, sibilant whisper scythes through the air. It sounds almost like a woman's voice, tone icy and venomous, too distant or garbled to make out, but nonetheless conveying a singular, undeniable concept.
Hate. Hate. Hate.
The arrow comes from nowhere, pitch-black and seemingly leaving a trail of darkness in its wake, whispering its hatred to the world until it impacts the Remalii with an enraged shriek. Gouts of swirling, malevolent energy erupt from the point of impact, shattering three of the spirit's orbs and sending flickering, dancing shadows and hateful whispers sliding around and within its form. The spirit stutters and shudders in mid-air, fighting to keep afloat.


The Remalii twists and whirls, sending a frantic pulse of darkness-tinged green energy to strike the entities it can see. Both Elyion and Giles' veils catch and deflect the curse before it even has a chance to take hold, flicking it harmlessly off into the ground, where the grass shrivels and gnarls into horrible, tangled thorns-upon-thorns, too twisted to be natural.

Elyion calls forth sunfire from the Book of the Solar Man, and with a blazing incantation conjures a column of fire to consume the remaining Remalii.

Giles, too, chips in with a Space-Warping Beam!

Words of embers and verses of flame manifest into physical form and roar forth to consume the severely-damanged Remalii, scorching its remaining spheres and pitching it over with the force of heat-driven air.

Space distorts and twists along a path somehow at once both straight and set at obtuse angles to reality as Giles fires off a beam of pure Spatial force, ripping into and through the spirit from all sides! The spirit is monentarily on the ground, in the ground, far in the sky, against the mountain... and then, lying inert on the grassy verge.

Elyion and Giles get XP for a Level 39 opponent.

A few moments later, Ferris is suddenly standing next to the living spell, holding a glowing orb and a small stone tablet etched with moon-phase symbols.
"Picked these up from them."

Elyion gets:

Luminous Vernat Remalii Orb- (Weapon, Orb, Earth & Wood & Moon, 3,000,000 Gold) +3,000 Magical Attack, +3,000 MIN, +3,000 SPI, 30% inflicts Suffocation: Verdant Air, 30% inflicts Voidstruck: Moon Mad, if wielder successfully inflicts either Suffocation: Verdant Air or Voidstruck: Moon Mad with an action using this weapon, targets of said action are additionally afflicted with Poison, Moderate Status Effects or instances of Poison inflicted by wielder may instead possess the text of Suffocation: Verdant Air or Voidstruck: Moon Mad instead of their normal text, weilder's Level is counted as 5 higher, to a max of 99, for stat-scanning purposes as an effect that is not counted for purposes of bypassing "Immune to below Level X" effects

Lunar Phase Shift- (Spell, Other: Ancient Magic, Moon, 4,000 MP, 400,000 Gold) Target (to a max of one additional time per round) loses HP to instances of the status effect Poison that are present on it (not including sub-status effects), Target obtains +400 AGI on even-numbered rounds and -400 AGI on odd-numbered rounds, does not stack

"Well. Those things are rather disturbing, and what I learned from them is extremely troubling, but let's table that for later and continue on with our objective." To the Iris!

Elyion and her group move on to the glowing hollow bordered by fluctuating hyperreality! The place definitely seems to be more there than the rest of the valley.
The Rose posits that the flower within is somehow overlaying visions of the area in the near-future-and-past over the present area simply by its presence alone.

Elyion steps forward. Reality ripples.

Elyion is examining a number of fruits her group has collected from a tree. Thanks to her botanical skill, she believes she is safe in assuming the one under current scrutiny holds the power of resurrection, tying its consumer to the Verdant Moon and, if they are killed, restoring them to life in a suitably-aspected area- which she suspects to be the Pella Moonforest, if The Rose's predictions are accurate. Rather useless for someone such as herself, given her ties to the Arena, but likely priceless for a resident of the world.

Elyion reaches for another fruit. Reality ripples.

Elyion and Giles are standing quietly by a peculiar series of needle-like spires in a valley as Ferris gestures urgently at a group comprised of what looks to be an older, beardier member of his specific... subspecies? wearing an even more questionable skintight bodysuit with holes cut for tufts of fur, a snide-looking young woman in a green-black skirt with a peacock-feather barette, and a huge female golem-like figure in a gown of grass and leaves.
The Rose is having difficulty processing something, having examined the young woman and seen a swirling, intense mass of spiritual colour from something far, far more powerful suffusing her being and enchaining her.
Ferris is speaking.
No, not speaking. There are words, of a kind, but they're bypassing Elyion's arcane auditory pattern receptors entirely and impacting directly into her spiritual layer to make themselves 'heard'.
«ሠቿልዪቿጎጠየረቿጠቿክፕነዐቻፕዘቿረዐዪዕዐቻጠልኗጎርሠቿጠቿልክክዐዕጎነዪቿነየቿርፕየረቿልነቿረቿፕሁነየልነነ»

The woman gives a shrill laugh.
«ልክዕነሁየየዐነቿሠቿዕዐክዐፕጌቿረጎቿሀቿሃዐሁፕዘቿየቿልርዐርጕረዐዪዕጌዪዐዐጕነክዐጎክፕቿዪቻቿዪቿክርቿ»
The huge golem-woman shifts as the older Ferris-alike crouches, energy pulsing around him.
«ሠቿርልክነቿክዕዪቿየልዪልፕጎዐክነረልፕቿዪጎቻሃዐሁዪሠዐዪዕነልዪቿፕዪሁቿ»

Elyion steps forward to get involved before Ferris can be attacked by all three at once. Reality ripples.

The Rose has tracked down the unusual, promising signature of the Mana Crystal, but what the group finds is a huge, floating sphere of radiant green crystal ringed by haloes of verdant growth and helicical arrays of orbs surrounded by ever-unfurling flowers and leaves. Ferris dives into Elyion, pushing her to the ground as a beam of violently-green power lances from the entity, hitting the demihuman guide in place of the living spell. As Elyion watches, horrified, Ferris' form vitrifies into a statue of pure Life Crystal.

Elyion stumbles to her feet. Reality ripples.

The group have, with great difficulty, taken down a cadre of Acolyte Moongazers of Vernat and are examining the spoils. Elyion identifies the spells she studies as being 'Lunar Arts'. From a quick glance, it seems like they are somewhat akin to Elemental Magic in that the ones she has to hand provide the invocation of a moon and require the invocation of Vernat to be cast, respectively. While she can't be sure, she thinks this new field might have the potential for wide-ranging effects inside it and some potentially interesting tricks, should it follow the 'Moon' theme in some respects.

Elyion turns to face Giles to see what he's found. Reality ripples.

The Rains are coming down, far more heavily than expected. The cave in which they have taken shelter is safe from the winds, and no seeds or plants are making their way inside, but the sheer amount coming down and potential for powerful entities to spawn close-by is a worrying risk.

Elyion opts for the group to sit tight and wait it out, electing to have Giles jump them out should it be required. Reality blurs as if on fast-forward. Something huge bursts through the torrential downpour of seeds and rips into the group with tearing, mana-and-pattern-ripping thorns, far faster than even the spatial butler can react, killing her instantly.

Reality stutters sideways.

Elyion opts to have Giles part the Rains in their vicinity, redirecting them elsewhere. Reality blurs as if on fast-forward. The Rose finally manages to break through the interference from the frenetic maelstrom outside and reports two tides of spirit-plantlife have risen from the mixtures of redirected seeds and are rapidly consuming everything in the valley outside, tearing into one another in a pitched battle for supremacy. It has just enough time to issue a warning before the cave simply disintegrates, roots and vines lashing through and dragging the group into its main mass as food and fuel for the ongoing fight.

Reality stutters sideways.

Elyion opts to have The Rose absorb and channel the ever-increasing levels of mana in the area in the hopes of severely lessening the dangerous-entity-spawning-potential of the local Rains.
The Rose shines brilliantly as it does, taking in ever-more mana and filling even its own considerable stores past capacity. Concerned over damaging her artifact, Elyion commands the Rose to fire the excess as a long, thin beam warped through space to somewhere distant in the valley in order to keep the fallout far from her group.

The result is something she could not have expected. Giles' spatial warp opens into a whirling mass of seeds and plantlife that unfolds strangely, rapidly expanding past its borders and filling the cave entrance. In a desperate attempt to keep it all at bay, Elyion and The Rose fire the mana-beam into the portal.
The Spirit World beyond twists and reforms, a chain reaction triggered from the sudden introduction of the energy from both Seed Rains and artifact. Space bursts inward, the howling and thunderous roaring of the Seed Rains suddenly considerably dampened as the reaction either calls forth or creates- The Rose cannot determine which- a palatial hall of greens, reds and whites.

It determines that an aperture has been opened to the Palace of the Warring Roses, a dungeon in the Level 30-60 range, and that it itself now holds the ability to be used as a Portal Key to the place.

Elyion steps forward to get a closer look. Reality ripples. The visions cease.


Elyion and the rest of the group stand in a glowing hollow in front of a radiantly-shining silver iris, its petals patterned in hues of blue and silver in a manner that looks strikingly eye-like. Strange filaments rise from the plant's central flower-cluster, some straight, some bent, forming almost bow-like structures. It exudes a hugely powerful aura of Divination magic.

Elyion performs a head count. "Ferris, did you make it through alright? Giles? I suspect we may all need to compare notes, assuming we weren't granted the same visions. But first, what to do about you..." She murmurs as she studies the Iris.

"Much as my employer would be ecstatic to behold such a magnificent specimen, I think it would be a terribly bad idea to send this back to him, for his sake. I'm hesitant to disturb it and equally hesitant to leave it- if only because passing through its effects again strikes me as... jarring. And just carrying it seems likely to draw very much attention to us. Rose, perhaps if your item storing and divination-blocking abilities were combined, we could, possibly, if not mute the effect entirely, filter it? Perhaps we could draw inspiration from the Orb we acquired from the Remalii. Such a thing seems like it would make an incredibly effective divination focus. Although a different form could be better. A scrying mirror could work nicely? Of course, if you can just store it safely, or if Giles's Spatial pockets can quarantine that divination aura, that can wait until a later time."

While/once that's being handled, she turns her attention back to the visions. "More and more troubling revelations. I'm not terribly enthusiastic about what I saw in that aura, for the most part. Not... not quite dire enough to want to retreat, just yet. There are some definite opportunities we'll want to pursue, here, and some clues as to what we can do and what to avoid, though as I speak that I find myself recalling all sorts of tales about self-fulfilling prophecies and-" The Magical Being stops, adjusts her posture, her pattern rippling through a series of colors rapidly before stabilizing back to her default purple. "Apologies. That way lies madness, and it's best not to dwell upon such things. We shall take this one step at a time.

First: Comparing notes. In order: Identifying fruits of resurrection. Encounter with a group of... adventurers, leader was likely a bound servant of a great spirit. Peacock feather seemed important, possibly an identifier. Disastrous encounter with what I can only describe as a Life-based Super-Remalius. Aftermath of a battle with Moongazers. Last: A number of potential results of the oncoming Seedfall, with one quite intriguing result."

(Just noting for clarity: The first goal with the Iris is to mask its aura. The Rose can create Divination-blocking crystal sheets, and I'm hoping those and/or Giles's pocket dimension will be sufficient to hide its effects for transport. If that's not possible, then we'll look into crafting something out of it, though I'd like to save that for a later date when I've got my full Magewright and Artificer skills and all that)

[Modrageball]

Both Ferris and Giles are indeed still with her, the former looking more than a little rattled again, long ears rigidly perked up and twitching violently.

Giles corroborates the fruit-vision, Acolyte-vision and cave-vision, stating that he believes he could work out where they took place based on the vision-granted sensation of spatial flows of the respective areas. He mentions that in his version of the fruit-vision, Elyion had not yet picked up the fruit she described, instead telling the group how the spiky purple fruit she was holding was unfortunately less-than-desirable given its power to turn the consumer into a tree of the decidedly non-ambulatory sort. He also mentions getting a vision of The Rose stating that Golem Team 2 had encountered a Graminoid Seed-Rain-Colossus and had been utterly annihilated by it.

Ferris, meanwhile, is muttering a string of expletives, the occasional one bypassing hearing and arriving at a spiritual level.
"Pactori. «ርሁዪነቿዕ» Pactori. What the fuck are they doing here? With another «ጎጠየረቿጠቿክፕ» as well. Fuck!"
His gloved hands ball into fists.
"At least I know where that took place. We're going to stay clear of Truncus' Jaw. You don't want to cross those people, specially if they're bound to... him. Shit. I'm going to have to report this. Master, it's very important you don't mention any of that to anyone else. Specially not the word 'Pactori'. Bring the Houses down on you like nothing else."
He huffs out a deep sigh.
"Don't know about any super-Remalius or whatever, but I saw us holding a bunch of fruits. One you were talking about was being handed over to your butler, and you were saying how the white one you were holding would make anyone eating it draw wounds off others nearby. Even if they didn't want to. Saw those visions about the Pactori, the weird plant-things we took down and the cave, too. Also saw us getting jumped by a shitload of plant-spirits. Can remember the area to steer us away from it, though."


The Rose, meanwhile, works on creating a suitable containment crystal for the iris. It believes it has managed to succeed in this endeavour, creating a storage crystal within a nested series of anti-divination crystal shells that should prevent any prophecy-aura from leaking through, or at least keeping it to a negligible degree that could be further mitigated by having Giles store it in a spatial pocket.

"Okay, so let's put this together a bit. The plan, as it was, was 'get here, investigate this plant, navigate to shelter while retrieving clusters of fruit that the Rose detects'. According to these visions, and now things are very speculative, following that plan is going to run us afoul of that group of Pactori, you called them, which we definitely wish to avoid, and get us ambushed by a group of Acolyte Moongazers- an ambush, if my vision is to be believed, and assuming that I am correlating this information correctly, that we will come through victorious, but why risk it?

"Well, I'm tempted, now that we know it's there, to turn that ambush back on them. I'll consider it at length, but I do have the beginnings of a plan. Just let me know if we're nearing the area in question as we travel and I'll decide then.

"The larger concern is the scope of the impending Seedfall. I... don't believe that avoiding the cave, or even the general area that showed up in the vision is going to be sufficient to prevent our demise from the seedall. I believe it's going to hit the Narrows as a whole in an extremely hazardous way. However, it also seems that our resources are sufficent to drain off the effects in a most interesting fashion, and I want to try it. To be frank, even though I've seen that it can work, following this impulse strikes me as nearly suicidally dangerous, and if you want to leave via any means before it comes to that, I strongly recommend you do so and will assist however I can.

"Until we reach that point, I'd like to get traveling again and find some of these fruits.

"Rose, please conjure your Guardian, now. And please keep me updated on the Golems."

And do let me know if you detect any Elemental Crystal so we can steer well clear.

Ferris shakes his head. "Can't leave without you. Even if I wanted to, which... I can't. Not now. Unl-hng. Nope. Can't say that, either."
He sighs. "If it comes to it, I can probably get us out quick, like I said before. Probably kill off all of my savings, but members of the Association that have been signed up long enough get to call in an emergency extraction for a whole lot of cash. If whatever you try doesn't work out, I can use it. Shit, at least those visions showed us alive during the seedfall. Get caught in that and who knows what'll happen to you. Getting to a cave isn't a bad idea, given that."
A gloved hand scratches through his scruffy mess of hair.
"If the Pactori are hanging around Truncus' Jaw, that just means we need to go the other way. Rules out holing up in Turnpeak Passage, so we'll aim for Aster Gorge. Plenty of caves and holes in there to keep out of the shitstorm. Probably some more plants you can pick up while we're getting there. This way."

The demihuman turns makes to walk out of the hollow, heading back the direction the group came after crossing the central chasm to find the Iris in the first place.

Giles politely coughs and informs Elyion that, from what he recalls from the vision's spatial feedback, the location of the fruit-vision was actually in the valley they're presently in, just a little further west- the opposite direction to the one Ferris is now walking.

Ferris stops, turning to face the duo again. "If you're wanting to head that way first, let me know. Means taking a bit longer to get to Aster Gorge, and it'd be on the route to Truncus' Jaw, which I guess we were going to head to before we got those visionsfrom the flower? Still a couple of valleys between us and it, so we shouldn't run into them."
He then takes a step back, ears twitching wildly, as the Rose Guardian unfolds itself from reality.

Statblock as it isn't in the first post wrote:Rose Guardian- (Pet Aspect- The Rose, Celestial, Fire & Darkness & Earth & Magic, Level Tied to Relevant Artifact, X Gold)
HP- 2,150,000
MP- 2,150,000
STR- 33,500
AGI- 33,500
CON- 33,500
MIN- 33,500
SPI- 35,300
XP- X
XP Required- Tied to Level of The Rose
Minimum Level- 1
Defense- 13,500, +135,000 Defense Against Earth
Defense against Stat Damage- 3,500
Critical Chance- 75%
Resilience- 62%
To Hit- 178%
Dodge- 60%
Resistances and Immunities- Poison Immunity, Disease Immunity, Fatigued Immunity, Hexed Immunity, Hexed: Ill Fortune Immunity, and Fatigued: Stun Immunity, Petrified Immunity, 156% Minor Status Effect Resistance, 78% Moderate Status Effect Resistance
Prime Attribute- Spirit
Constant Effects-
None
Abilities-
Rose Array- 31,000 Damage, 1 Hit Against 156, Crystal (2) or Fire & Magic, 0 MP
Doom Blot- 39,000 Damage, 150% inflicts Voidstruck, Darkness, 0 MP
Crystal Ward- +45,000 Defense, Does not stack, Earth & Fire, 0 MP
Beryl Cannon- 39,000 Damage, 100% may inflict Entombed, Earth, 0 MP
Jewel Rain- 16,000 Damage, 1 hit against 2,560, This action may deal 75,000 Flat Damage of any combination of the elments Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Magic, Darkness, Illusion, Physical, and Crystal (2) instead of the Damage it would normally deal, Earth & Fire & Magic & Darkness, 200 MP
Indexed Abilities-
Diamond Saw- 10,000 Damage, inflicts Wounded, Physical or Earth or Light, 1,500 MP
Ruby Detonation- 2,000 Damage, target, if below Level 20, is killed at the start of the round 5 rounds after this round if caster is still alive and in the same battle as said target at said point, with said target dealing 1,000,000 Flat Fire element Damage to all of its allies at that time, Fire, 100,000 MP
Emerald Growth- Target obtains +125,000 HP and +2,000 to all stats, stacks 8 times, Earth, 50,000 MP
Sapphire Beam- 10,000 Damage, this action ignores the Defense of targets below Level 40 and deals full Damage to targets below Level 40 in the back row, 1 hit against 1 target in each row of target row-order formation, Water, 50,000 MP
Onyx Fog- Caster and caster's allies gain +50% Dodge for 5 rounds, does not stack, Darkness, 25,000 MP
Diamond Clarity- Caster and caster's allies gain +100% To Hit and 50% Illusion Resistance for 5 rounds, does not stack, Light & Air & Psychic, 45,000 MP
Tourmaline Flux- Target individual below Level 59 has two of its stats' values switched, stacks 3 times, Chaos & Earth, 30,000 MP
Crystallization- 6,000 CON Damage, targets below Level 59 have a 25% chance (checked a max of once per round and skipping a max of one action per round) of skipping their next action as a non-stacking effect, Earth or Crystal (2), 100,000 MP
Awards-
Has Reached Round 41 In A Pet Endurance Match



"Fuck, I thought that was another weird spirit for a second there. What else kind of weirdness do you have with you?" Ferris briefly winces. "...not meaning to be rude, Master. Sorry."


The Rose answers in the affirmative to Elyion's instructions. It reports that Golem Team 1 has engaged in battle with a heavily-damaged Graminoid of a distinctly more-powerful variety- it's registering it as a Graminoid Harvest-Bearer (Plant, Level 35), and despite the enemy being on the upper edge of what the Golems could feasibly defeat, its injuries seem to be severe enough that the Golems are actually making extremely good headway towards killing it.
Team 2 is still making their way towards an area where they saw more of the regular Graminoids. Given Giles' prediction regarding their falling afoul of a too-powerful-for-them-to-handle enemy, it asks whether Elyion wishes for them to continue on.
Teams 3 and 4, meanwhile, are up to their hard-sunlight ears in the plant-humanoids, having waded into the midst of two separate larger groups of them. Team 3 apparently got the jump on their group by opening with a barrage of flaming fists and sending on-fire Graminoids crashing into the rest of the group, while Team 4 successfully Bolstered themselves enough to let them wreak utter havoc among theirs,with their opening attack proving to be powerful enough that the plant-creatures couldn't recover their team cohesion. If they had any in the first place. The Rose hasn't really had enough time to investigate how intelligent they are.
Team 5, meanwhile, is chasing after a pair of Graminoids that apparently decided the sight of the radiant sun-golems was a sign to flee as fast as possible. The golems are presently gaining on them. The Rose doesn't predict a particularly hard fight on that team's side.

It hasn't detected any Elemental Crystal yet, although it states that it did feel like there were some higher concentrations of mana on the fuzzy edges of its (considerably reduced due to interference) range. It promises to keep the living spell updated.


The Iris is successfully contained. Elyion gets:
Oracle's Iris- (Item, Antiquity, Psychic & Knowledge & Fate & Truth, 300,000,000 Gold)

"I... believe we can afford the delay. Let's head this way before doubling back. This is likely one of the more important stops we'll be making."

Golem Team 2 is unsummoned, given hefty buffing from the Guardian and Giles, and sent back out into the field, while Elyion considers and plans.

Nodding, Ferris shifts his stride to the westerly direction Giles indicates, picking his way across the rough terrain with almost casual ease.

Elyion, meanwhile, remotely dismisses her possibly-doomed Team 2 and creates Team 6 (or Team 2-2), a 5-golem team (due to Team 5's unfortunate loss) that is summarily buffed by butler and alien-crystal-celestial alike and sent on their way.
As she does so, The Rose reports on the other teams' status.
Team 1 has successfully dealt with the Graminoid Harvest-Bearer despite it having managed to pull some odd tricks and temporarily manifest multiple more Graminoid entities from within itself. The Golems have successfully harvested something from the body, and are moving on to continue their patrol.
Team 3 is still fighting their contingent of Graminoids, and steadily churning their way through them.
Team 4 has managed to finish off the last of theirs, retrieving a decent amount of stuff from the bodies. Including, it seems, more heads.
Team 5 finally caught up with the pair of fleeing Graminoids and made short work of them.

The Golem-summons, as a whole, gain twice the XP for a Level 35 entity and 20 times the XP for a Level 20 entity.

The smell of plant-matter becomes chokingly thick, jolting Elyion out of the Rose-infodump-induced distraction. Ferris signals for silence and, keeping low to the ground, follows an odd zig-zagging pattern across the bumpy, grassy slopes.
Giles and Elyion manage to follow without veering off-course, but that smell is getting truly repulsive. Something like fermenting, rotting swamp-matter and diseased wood mixed with a nauseating, cloyingly sweet stench. Fortunately, the masks prevent the need for breathing, and, as it turns out, can automatically cut out smells when they might reach dangerous levels, replacing them with the scent of fresh roses. This helps alleviate the tension somewhat, or at the very least makes it easier to focus on following Ferris' crouched form and flicking tail ahead of them.

Ten excruciating minutes later, the ground underfoot suddenly feels a great deal firmer and less squashy. Elyion hadn't even realised there had been a change from earlier.
Ferris straightens up, rolling his shoulders and stretching his arms as he turns to face the Nexan duo.
"Got through that one fine. We'll be wanting to cross back over the chasm on the way back. Whole slope there felt like it was turning into marsh. And worse. Not likely to stay stable."
He hooks a thumb over his shoulder a cluster of low trees perched at an angle atop a group of boulders. Even in the gloom, the strangely-coloured leaves stand out. Magenta and electric blue aren't normally colours you'd find in nature.
"Those are probably the trees you were talking about. Can't tell if there's fruit from here, but they're definitely not normal for the area."

Giles confirms that they do indeed appear to be occupying the same area he thinks was in the vision.

Does this area ping as the ambush location? If not, we'll go ahead and search the trees for fruits. If so, Elyion will execute A PLAN.

(which will wait for tomorrow because I am quite bleh and I'm pretty sure this isn't the ambush)

The area doesn't seem to be the area they fought the Acolytes in the vision, according to Giles, and Ferris doesn't appear to be gearing up for an attack, so it would seem that particular prediction isn't likely to come to pass. Not here, at any rate.

The trees are raided! They do indeed contain fruits, and most peculiar ones at that. Notably, there are far fewer fruits than one would expect to be growing on trees- some barely growing one or two. Also notable is that no two fruits, even from the same tree, appear to look the same.

All in all, Elyion ends up with seven fruits!
Elyion can't see their statblocks, despite her Arena-granted appraisal.
Elyion briefly hears the sound of a telephone ringing at the edge of audible range. Her confidence in her botanical knowledge is reinforced.
Elyion can see their statblocks.
How odd.

Elyion gets:

Seed Rain Fruit- Torpescarbor (Permenent Consumable, Cursed Item, Wood & Moon, 1 Charge, 30,000,000 Gold) Willing target gains the ability 'Lignified', target's subtype becomes solely Plant, target's subtype becomes solely Wood; may sometimes be used on nonwilling targets in RP threads
-This is the fruit Giles reported on. It turns whoever or whatever eats it into a tree, albeit one that strongly resembles a tree-sculpture of their previous form. It also seems to have the disctinctly unpleasant effect of keeping some form of its consumer's consciousness locked within it rather than outright destroying it, meaning they wouldn't count as 'dead' for the purpose of resurrective effects.

Seed Rain Fruit- Anastasilva (Permanent Consumable, Minor Artifact, Life & Moon, 1 Charge, X Gold) Target gains the ability 'Resurrective Blessing of Vernat'
-This is the one she saw in her vision. Anyone eating this will be spiritually tied to Vernat, the Verdant Moon, more specifically to its power over Life. If its consumer dies, they will be spiritually resurrected, reconstructed or otherwise regrown in a place of power linked to Vernat. This would probably mean Pella Moonforest, from what she has heard of the place (and The Rose, much as in her vision, agrees), although given the current goings-on, everywhere currently affected in the Seed Rains likely counts right now.
It would also, sadly, be rather useless for an Arena Member. The resurrection-power is not quick enough to allow for bouncing straight back into battle, and it definitely wouldn't allow the resurectee to pop back as they were on the spot.

Seed Rain Fruit- Vultraho (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Life & Moon, 1 Charge, 30,000,000 Gold) Willing target gains the ability 'Draw Wounds From Others (Uncontrolled)'; may sometimes be used on nonwilling targets in RP threads
-This is the one Ferris reported on. Whoever eats this one gains the ability to take on the wounds of others, curing them in the process. It is, however, not a power that can be controlled by itself, and activates more in the presence of more serious/numerous wounds.

Seed Rain Fruit- Saxhuo (Permanent Consumable, Cursed Item, Earth & Moon, 1 Charge, 30,000,000 Gold) Willing target gains the ability 'Petrified', target's subtype becomes solely Antiquity, target's subtype becomes solely Earth; may sometimes be used on nonwilling targets in RP threads
-Much like the tree-turning fruit from earlier, this one is similarly unpleasant. Anyone eating this ends up turning into an inanimate stone statue of themselves, with otherwise identical effects to the tree-fruit.

Seed Rain Fruit- Dilamotus (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Physical & Air & Earth & Moon, 1 Charge, 50,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Enhanced Motion'
-This one grants the consumer a measure of power over their own motion. It's not particularly strong, especially given some of the things Elyion has access to as a BA Member, but provides a measure of protection against Slow, a small chance of auto-haste, and a small Turn-Order, AGI and AGI-defense boost.

Seed Rain Fruit- Morsultio (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Light & Darkness & Life & Moon, 1 Charge, 200,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Vengeful Spirit'
-This one is a pretty considerably potent one. Its consumer gains the subtype Spirit, gains bonuses against opponents that harm them, can inflict Hexed and sub-effects of Hexed on opponents by mere presence and has a chance of inflicting Cursed or Cursed: Bad Luck on entities that harm them, and gains the ability to make a Death Attack targeting whatever killed them (but only targeting that specific entity). It does, however, push its consumer to become a rather more revenge-oriented person when slighted.

Seed Rain Fruit- Animauxila (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Light & Darkness & Life & Moon, 1 Charge, 340,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Spiritual Channeling Nexus'
-This one is even more so. Its consumer gains the power to draw upon the spiritual abilities of their (willing) allies, adding their spiritual power to the user's own. At its most basic and least refined, its consumer could simply add allies' raw spiritual power to their own for more powerful magical attacks. With more finesse, however, it could allow for great works of magic and collaborative projects made far easier due to it all being focused through a singular point.

"Interesting, most interesting. Right, then. Shall we get to bypassing that marsh and moving on?"

Ferris eyes the fruits, ears flicking in... concern?
"Pretty sure those things are going to be the reason the Association loses a few members. Maybe gains some, too. Ordinary people get powers like that, they start getting ideas." He motions towards the chasm. "May as well leap it here. I'll get us around that place and back on track to Aster Gorge."

With a mixture of secret(?) ninja art-provided power and Giles' spatial warping, the group easily cross back over to the side they initially entered the Crosscut from, the demihuman guide carefully leading them on a winding path between boulders and rises.

Partway through the trip, something goes BLORBKH, followed by a series of slippery wrenching, tearing, burbling noises that swiftly increase in speed and volume as the entire valleyside opposite simply gives way and sheers off, running down the slope and cascading into the chasm below with worrying speed. Waves of stinking, marshy mass splash over themselves, moving with such velocity that they entirely skip the drop below and crash against the opposite bank.

Distracted, Ferris steps into view of a large number of Graminoids and a few much, much larger variants, their grassy manes and backs sprouting all manner of odd trees and plantlife.
Fortunately for the guide, and significantly less-fortunately for the plant-creatures, the mass of marsh-stuff impacts and splashes up the valleyside just a moment later, clinging onto the group of plantmen(?) like an oversized, horrifically rotten blanket and dragging them back with it towards the yawning abyss. Parts of the marsh-blanket, though draped across the gap, are sagging considerably and seem likely to give way and plunge below at any moment.
This could be an opportunity to kill off some more of the things for further study! On the other hand, they don't look like they're going to be able to dig in for very long, and that marsh-blanket-thing, to Elyion's botanically-enhanced-mind, is doing a suspiciously good job of dragging some rather higher-level-than-should-be-affected-by-mere-environmental-hazard entities down with it.

Some free shots are surprisingly tempting, but no. Let's get far away from the possible marsh-monster before it gets any tentacley ideas.

Elyion takes the eminently sensible option of getting out before any marsh-related mishaps have the possible opportunity to arise! The receding sounds of BURGKLURPKT as the entire gloppy mass finally gives way and splats into the chasm, dragging a good deal of valleyside and the collected Graminoids with it, only serve to reinforce her opinion on the matter.

Ferris leads the group onward, sneaking them past additional groups of Graminoids, behind floating clusters of Remalii doing strange things to unfortunate plantmen or the environment, circumnavigating a Greenseed-Mother with its attendant swarm of summon-sprouted plant-things, and otherwise ensuring the trip is as free of troublle as possible. Perhaps he's trying extra hard due to that misstep earlier. His ears certainly seem to be on high alert, with the way they're constantly perking and twitching and angling themselves.

As they continue to move, The Rose updates Elyion on the situation with the Golem-squads.

Team 1 haven't found anything since their fight with the Graminoid Harvest-Bearer. They're doing a good job staying out of fights with Remalii and other assorted denizens of the valley, despite glowing like beacons.
Team 3 have managed to beat their contingent of plant-people, successfully looted them, and are continuing on to search for more.
Team 4 have discovered a single Graminoid by itself and summarily destroyed it. Nothing notable was found on the body, unless Elyion's interested in collecting the bodies of dead plant-people.
Team 5 has sighted a decently-sizable group of the plant-men and is currently setting off to fight them.
Team 6/2-2 has found an extremely large group of Graminoids and has begun to engage. There are apparently a lot of them there.

The Golem-summons, as a whole, gain 11 times the XP for a Level 20 entity.

The Rose also informs Elyion that it has identified a tree with an interesting arcane signature. From its initial divination, it believes that the wood of said tree could be used as a material to channel powerfully destructive magics. It's somewhere in the valley ahead of them, however, and Ferris looks to be indicating that the quickest route to Aster Gorge would require crossing back over at their current position.

"Ferris, I'm picking up on another worthwhile detour. There's a particularly notable tree in that valley I believe I wish to examine."

Also Golem Team 1 is signalled to rendezvous with Elyion!

One of Ferris' long ears twitch.
"...so long as it doesn't take too long, we should be all right. Don't want to get caught in the coming shitstorm."
The guide doubles back from the chasm and leads the group on a path continuing along to what Elyion assumes is the east. The valley begins to narrow up here, the sides becoming steeper, with overhangs becoming far more prevalent.

Golem Team 1 is signalled to return! Fortunately, they're on the same side of the valley as the group presently is, and even more fortunately, close at hand. Giles has little difficulty in narrowing the distance between them to get them back sooner.

They provide the spoils of their Harvest-Bearer battle!

Graminoid Harvest-Bearer's Heart- (Accessory, Bioaugmentation, Earth & Wood & Life, 15,000,000 Gold) +15,000 STR, +15,000 CON, Possessor may assign up to 3 Pets of the subtype Plant that are Level 35 or lower to this item at the start of each thread; for each Pet assigned to this item, possessor gains +(1/4 assigned Pet's CON, to a maximum of 15,000), +(1/4 assigned Pet's STR, to a maximum of 15,000), +(1/4 removed Plant's HP, to a maximum of 300,000); Possessor may, after possessor's action, to a maximum of once per action and three times per round, use an Ability held by a Pet assigned to this item as if that Pet were using it

The Rose is reporting rather a lot of spirits and plant-entities in the area. It also reports that Ferris is somehow managing to weave through them all without drawing any of their attention whatsoever (despite the presence of animate solar beacons), preventing what could well be a series of lengthy engagements. All in all, they're making astoundingly good time in getting to that odd tree-signature.

It further reports that Team 3 have encountered a very, very large group of Graminoids, and are starting a protracted battle with the massed forces of plant-men.
Team 4 have abruptly stopped pinging as anything. The Rose does a bit of retro-divination and finds that, although it sped past almost too quickly to notice, it would seem they encountered that mega-Remalii Elyion saw in her vision. Half of them appear to now be crystallised statues of what they were, while the other half were outright destroyed.
Team 5 is continuing to fight their group. They're doing rather well.
Team 6/2-2 is taking damage in their fight against their particularly large group of Graminoids. They're taking quite a few down, but there's an awful lot left, and they keep coming.

Seeing the report on the destruction of her squad, Elyion murmurs: "That thing frightens me. Though if we survive long enough, collecting the crystallized golems could be worthwhile..."

Team 1 is dispatched to reinforce 6/2: Solar Boogaloo!

Team 1 is sent on their way to assist Team 6/2 against the plant-y hordes! They immediately join battle alongside the beleagured golems.

The group continues to make good time along the valleyside. Ferris, if Elyion is anyone to judge, seems to be getting better at sneaking them around potential encounters, managing to get them between two large examples of Graminoids with a variety of trees sprouting from their backs and a contingent of Remalii without so much as a hint of their awareness. He does so with impressive speed, too, and before too long Elyion finds herself in the rather barren, blasted-looking end of the valley facing a tall, straight tree with unpleasantly angular branches and lines of violent green and white energy running through it.

Elyion identifies it as a Malmanus Ash. It can, indeed, be used as a material to channel powerfully destructive magics. In fact, it tends towards channeling mana in the area it grows into powerfully destructive arcane bursts, with a tendency to cause huge amounts of damage over a large area, which in turn tends to skew the area's mana pattern into one which produces more destructive mana. If left alone, it could very easily devastate large areas and sprout more of its kind.
It also appears to be gearing up for another burst of destructive power, but it hasn't quite managed to draw in enough mana to do so yet.

Well, let's try collecting that before we get a Destruction-splosion to the face, then.

Elyion is, at least for the duration of her current adventure, operating at the tier of (at least) an Adept Botanist and Adept Druid, thanks to her notes and whatever nebulous boost Mr. Progression laid upon her.
It is thanks to this that she is able to properly defuse the potentially disastrous tree before it has a chance to build up any more of a charge, or, (even worse) explode in her- and by extension everyone else's- faces. It's a fairly close thing, too. If she hadn't managed to guide Giles and The Rose into manipulating the thing's roots into precisely the right alignment at the right time, things could have been very, very bad.

Fortunately, her advanced knowledge and rapid response wins out, and she is the proud new owner of an (encapsulated within a crystal and spatial pocket) Malmanus Ash.

Malmanus Ash Tree- (Item, Antiquity, Wood & Life & Destruction, 543,210,000 Gold)

She gets the feeling it was a very close call.

With that done, we should proceed posthaste to shelter!

Ferris grunts in response. "Going to try something."
The demihuman guide again takes a deep breath, pulling his hands inwards and downwards in a strange gesture. Shadows shift and blur around Elyion and Giles, and the living spell experiences the peculiar sensation of being shifted- not exactly in space, as she is used to, but somewhere just below and sideways to the normal state of things.

The Rose helpfully reports that they appear to have gained a buff called 'Shadow-walk' which is, as far as it can tell, more of that odd Ninjutsu. Out of its wheelhouse as it may be, the artifact is fairly certain it's a decently potent anti-detection spell for Ferris' level.
Speaking of which, it seems Ferris has managed to gain a couple of levels since the last time it checked. Perhaps that peach had more of an effect on him than it did Elyion.

Moving ahead under the cover of (or within) shadow, Ferris leads them across the blasted terrain created by the Malmanus Ash, back across the chasm and follows its path back to where the valley intersected with another. This one is narrower and more winding than the first, and appears to have darker grass with thinner blades, interspersed here and there with patches of Waypoint (and probably Wayward) Whistlegrass.
The group then begins the tricky process of navigating a route that, as it transpires, is absolutely full of spirits. Remalii of various sizes drift everywhere, infusing patches of land with confusingly-mixed channels of power seemingly at random.
A number of those Acolyte Moongazers of Vernat are also present and exhibiting the worrying power of being able to call down torrents of seeds from the sky, causing all manner of things to sprout. The unfortunate few Remalii or Graminoids that happen to get caught in the sudden showers vanish in an eruptive torrent of frenzied growth.
If that's any indication, being caught in the Rains when they're actively falling in an area is almost certainly a death sentence.

Finding a path through the mess of spirits takes a frustratingly long time, and Ferris increasingly casts his eyes skyward to gauge the likelihood the coming rainfall will hit, but eventually, after a few near-misses, the group ends up at the far side of the valley.
Here, it splits into two more- one relatively wide and straight, filled with tall grasses and strange bushes, and the other far narrower, winding and twisting, its walls pocked with holes and overhangs. A rather large variety of flowers cascade from its walls.

"That's Aster Gorge. Think we've made it in time to find ourselves some shelter."

Elyion notices a small clump of trees a bit further ahead of them. They look like they're bearing more of those weird fruits.

Elyion decides not to delay in getting to cover.

Elyion also decides that she really wants those fruits.

This paradox can clearly only be resolved through one mechanism:

Gratuitous doppleganger! (Yep that's also a thing the Rose can do!)

Elyion Prime will accompany Ferris to what shelter he can find.

Elyion Clone, hopefully benefitting from the party's stealth buffs (or I can move them via consumable if needed!), will race for the fruits and then back to the party!

[Modrageball]

Elyion dips into The Rose's deep, deep well of varied powers, and creates a copy of herself!
The Rose pulses as it creates the copy, glowing even more brightly. Either Elyion's getting remarkably adept at handling The Rose, The Rose is on something of a roll, or something else is going on, but the doppelganger springs out with the full complement of buffs Elyion herself has on her, complete with the Gilding and odd Ninjutsu effects from Ferris!

As the copy sets off to retrieve fruits, Elyion and Giles accompany Ferris on a shelter-finding expedition in the winding gorge.

Elyion can't see anything that looks like it would make for good shelter. The walls are steep and twisting, and there are plenty of holes, but they all look to be little more than shallow, eroded chips in the greater structure of the place.
Giles has a little more luck, finding some shallow caves through his abilities to read space, but the thick spiritual aura given off by all the plantlife and the overwhelming power of the clouds overhead are throwing him off.
Elyion turns to Ferris to see if he has any better ideas. Ferris abruptly vanishes fast enough to leave an after-image in his wake.
Elyion then realises that he didn't vanish, per se, but instead went from standing still to taking off at blindingly fast speed with such abruptness that she was, for a moment, completely unable to register it. Multiple flashes of movement further into the gorge draw her attention, but they disappear as soon as her magical sight-granting patterns fixate on them.
It is only after one of the flashes pauses for a full second that she is able to recognise it as her guide, somehow (apparently) managing to either be in several places at once or able to ricochet himself from place to place with enough speed that it gives the concerningly realistic illusion of there being multiple versions of him in the same area at the same time.

He vanishes again. For a split second, Elyion is surrounded by scruffy demihumans before the fading afterimages overlay and compose themselves into the singular form of Ferris once more. He looks, for the first time since setting off on the expedition, rather out of breath.

"Found a place to hole up. Don't know if we have much time." He casts his gaze upwards, ears flattening as he takes in the sight of the clouds. They do seem to be hanging rather lower than they were before.


The Rose reports that the combined Golem Team 1-and-6-or-maybe-2-2 have managed to turn the tables on the mass of plant-people and are steadily mowing through them.
Team 3 is still working their way through the extremely large group. It doesn't seem like they're going to be done any time soon.
Team 4, or what's left of them, is still a pair of crystal statues. The Rose has their location, at least.
Team 5 has managed to finish off the last of their group, although the means they had to use to do so has regrettably reduced their opponents to cinders, preventing any samples of significance from being recoverable.

The Golem-summons, as a whole, gain 15 times the XP for a Level 20 entity.

It reports that Clone-Elyion is currently picking the fruits and should be able to rejoin the group shortly. It agrees with Ferris' assessment that it doesn't seem like they have much time left before the next seedfall, however.

Elyion makes haste to follow Ferris to safety. Definitely not waiting around for the doppleganger. I'm fairly certain that Giles will be able to snag the loot in it from shelter once it gets back to this point.

Speaking of which, Elyion will go ahead and request that he recalls Golem Teams 3 and 5 and whatsoever loot they have! (also is nabbing the crystallized 4s from here an option?)

Safety, as it turns out, comes in the form of a cave behind a thick curtain of flowering vines strung with large chunks of rock. It's no wonder she didn't notice it. From the outside, it looks like an overgrown bit of cliff. Giles reports that the vines themselves are managing to throw off his spatial senses by somehow mimicking the spatial patterns and form of an unbroken cliffside. Peculiar, but perhaps not the strangest thing the group has encountered on their adventure thus far.

The cave itself is fairly overgrown with greenery, filled with the smell of damp moss, the heavy scent of night-blooming flowers, and the faint suggestion of water. It carries on into the cliffside, gently leading down into the earth and turning off to the right. None of the plants strike Elyion as particularly notable- besides, presumably, being new varieties of moss, grass and flower come down with the Rains. How many of these plants might only grow here, in this cave, during this phenomenon, and nowhere else on the entire face of the outside world? It's a peculiar thought.

Ferris places a hand on one of the cave walls and mutters something. The plants carpeting the wall shift and writhe as the stone underneath begins to move, dragging and flowing from the surrounding cliffside and the earth below to narrow the entrance to the cave and make it more defensive and defensible. Given his known abilities, Elyion's fairly sure this is Elemental Magic at play. It seems to be having some trouble with the plants, but the job's getting done, albeit slowly.

Giles, with a mere wave, spatially grabs the nearby Elyion-doppelganger and deposits her next to Elyion Prime. It looks like she managed to get five fruits! Elyion gets to studying them immediately.
She gets:

Seed Rain Fruit- Malemultus (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Toxin & Life & Moon, 1 Charge, 200,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Multi-Status Maestro'
-This fruit provides a huge boost to Minor Status Effect infliction, and a decent boost to Moderate infliction. Most notable, however, is that consuming this fruit allows one to layer multiple instances of the same status effect on targets as if they were different status effects. It alternatively allows one, upon inflicting one status effect, to automatically inflict other status effects one might have at one's disposal on the same target.

Seed Rain Fruit- Datarangarine (Permanent Consumable, Cursed Item, Earth & Moon, 1 Charge, 30,000,000 Gold) Willing target gains the ability 'Curse of the Ippon-Datara's Form'; may sometimes be used on nonwilling targets in RP threads
-This fruit causes its consumer to have their eyes replaced by a single, saucer-like eye and their legs with a singular one (or, alternatively, causes the consumer to be reshaped into a cyclopean, one-legged humanoid if they aren't normally humanoid). This, as one would imagine, causes issues in getting around and seeing things, especially as it doesn't turn the consumer into the sort of spirit it's apparently basing its power from. It also prevents its consumer from being able to equip certain types of armour and accessories as a result.

Seed Rain Fruit- Sacreo (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Life & Moon, 1 Charge, 100,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Bring Forth Life From Sacrifice'
-This fruit allows its consumer, when sacrificing a living being, to use the act of sacrifice as a ritual to create another entity. It would seem that using it against non-Life element targets results in the created entities having to be slightly less powerful than the thing being sacrificed, however.

Seed Rain Fruit- Casuquales (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Earth & Fortune & Moon, 1 Charge, 100,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Equal Chance Stance'
-This one is... sort of odd. It gives its consumer access to a power that, when activated, nudges probability further towards a 50/50 success/failure shot at things, with as little in-between as possible. On the flipside, this also applies to anything trying to affect the user when it's active.

Seed Rain Fruit- Arsacentetus (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon, 1 Charge, 300,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Flawless Artist'
-This is a potent one. It grants its user an incredible grasp of the arts and how to perform them, and ensures that any artistic creation they attempt will, for a given definition of the word, be without flaw. Drawings will take on lives of their own and spring from the page. Music will be capable of moving people to tears of joy or sorrow with ease. Dance and acting will evoke worlds so real they begin to push through into reality.
As far as Elyion can determine, its power will be limited by its consumer's power. It does, however, look to be able to scale up with its user, with no obvious upper limit.


Giles, with a more obvious effort, reaches forth for the currently-not-engaged and down-a-member Golem Team 5!
The three solid-sunlight golems pop into the cave with an abrupt burst of radiance, illuminating the whole place rather nicely.
Their spoils are presented to Elyion!

7 Rare Flowers from the Seed Rains- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wood, 280,000 Gold)
2 Living Graminoid Head- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wood, 300,000 Gold)
2 Graminoid Arm- (Weapon, Whip, Earth & Wood, 500,000 Gold) +500 Melee Attack, +500 STR, +500 AGI, +500 CON, +500 additional Melee Attack, STR, AGI and CON if wielder is a Plant, Wielder's 'Melee Attack' and 'Melee Overdrive' actions may count as coming from an entity with the subtype Plant instead of Wielder's normal subtype(s)


Giles reaches forth again, again with evident effort. Team 3 appear amidst the group in battle stances, but quickly stand down when they see their new surroundings.
It looks like they got a fair number of things from their engagements. Rather a lot of those things come in the form of battle-damaged parts, but there's a good deal of other stuff, too.

21 Rare Flowers from the Seed Rains- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wood, 280,000 Gold)
13 Living Graminoid Head- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wood, 300,000 Gold)
7 Graminoid Arm- (Weapon, Whip, Earth & Wood, 500,000 Gold) +500 Melee Attack, +500 STR, +500 AGI, +500 CON, +500 additional Melee Attack, STR, AGI and CON if wielder is a Plant, Wielder's 'Melee Attack' and 'Melee Overdrive' actions may count as coming from an entity with the subtype Plant instead of Wielder's normal subtype(s)
Integrate Plant (Lesser)- (Spell, Druid Magic, Earth, 30,000 MP, 900,000 Gold) Target plant that is (willing or below caster's Level) and below Level 30 is removed from battle, if this removal is successful a buff is generated and may be placed on an allied Plant or caster (if caster is a Plant) that provides +(1/4 removed Plant's CON, to a maximum of 900), +(1/4 removed Plant's HP, to a maximum of 180,000) and grants its possessor a single Ability held by the removed Plant, stacks 3 times, this spell fails if it does not target a Plant as the recipient of said buff or would fail to generate said buff, with the removed plant being returned to battle in such cases or if the resultant buff is removed or destroyed


Finally, Giles reaches for the remnants of Team 4. Space stutters and ripples as the Mask of the Architect uses every trick he has to avoid to potential presence of something perhaps *considerably* higher level than he is to the best of his ability. Layers upon layers of rediverting, occluding, subtle, not-so-subtle and non-euclidean spatial weaving manifest themselves before Giles' hands, sweat beading on his brow from the sheer force of concentration taken to prevent the potential attention and subsequent invitation of the oversized, Remalius-esque catastrophe upon them.

Giles grasps something.
Giles pulls.



Two crystal statues of Lesser Selerethic Sunthrone Golems appear within the cave. Pure, vital Life mana shines radiantly within their faceted forms, the plants at their feet sprouting and growing through the mere presence of two such beacons of the element.

Elyion gets:

2 Life Crystal Statue of a Lesser Selerethic Sunthrone Golem- (Item, Antiquity, Life, 19,000,000 Gold)

Giles sits down against the wall of the cave, visibly breathing a sigh of relief. He apologises for the unseemly behaviour a moment later.



Ferris is still working on making the entrance more defensible, and The Rose is trying to get a grasp on exactly what potency of Crystal the statues might be made of (due to the odd discrepancy between Mana Crystals' usual value and their potency and sway as a material) when it transmits a warning to Elyion. At the same time, the living spell feels a sudden, violent change in pressure, as if she were in a high-speed lift that just plummeted. Whilst on a rollercoaster. Being thrown off the edge of the Top Disc of Nexus.
From outside, the relatively-silent atmosphere is abruptly torn asunder by a great, rattling roar that reverberates throughout the cave, shaking the walls and sending vibrations through Elyion's form that shake her arcane components in a thoroughly unpleasant manner. The great wall of sound doesn't stop, continuing on and on in ceaseless, violent waves.

"Fuck! It's come down faster than I thought!" Ferris curses, frantically moving more stone as the vine-curtain begins to tremble. The Rose informs Elyion that it would appear the Rains have started to fall in earnest.

Elyion then realises that, while it presently has somewhat different lighting, this cave looks extremely familiar.

"Ferris, this is where things get dangerous. For all your warnings, I didn't really understand how intense a phenomenon the Rains were until we encountered the Iris. I've seen only one path where we live through this Seedfall at all, and I chose to remain here to pursue it. It's not guaranteed, I'm certain, but I felt the need to try. And I'm very sorry that I've put your life on the line for my ambition; and if there's time and you're able I encourage you to leave; and if not, consider eating the Anastasilva fruit, which may protect you even if you die here. I can understand if you don't want to gamble on that sort of immortality or being tied so tightly to the Moon, though, so the choice is yours. I wish you the best of luck, and now I'm going to focus on getting us to live through this."

Recalling the vision, Elyion begins reciting the steps to successfully creating the Palace of the Warring Roses to the Rose and Giles.
"Rose, please begin channeling all the ambient Mana that you can, to keep us from being overwhelmed. When you're nearing your limit, we're going to try to expel that as quickly as possible to the other side of the valley via a beam. Giles, if you could Spatially assist its egress to ensure it doesn't just disperse back to our immediate vicinity and overwhelm us, that'd be most appreciated. If all goes well it'll actually wind up lancing into the Spirit World and gaining us access to something there, so be prepared for that outcome, but I don't know if that's something we can actually try to accomplish. Let's hope Fate is backing this prophecy and on our side."

Given his role in the successful outcome and worried about overtaxing his resources given his latest efforts, she touches Giles and begins channeling a substantial portion of her MP into him. (say 500,000, via Crystal Channeling Spell if necessary)

Given the all-or-nothing nature of this endeavor, and desiring to fulfill her obligations to her employer, if there's time before things get too involved or while the Rose is absorb-channeling, Elyion's going to deliver the Vultraho, Torpescarbor, Datarangarine, and Casuquales fruits through the ring to Gramman, along with (some) of the rare flowers, Graminoid Living Heads and Arms and an Integrate Plant Spell, since she's now got a spare and thinks he may find them useful/interesting!

The Aptim shakes his head, ears flicking. "Appreciate it, but I can't leave until the job's done, the contract time's up, or yo--nngh." His eye twitches. "Just those two options. Can't say I've thought much about dying and what comes after. No idea what I'd come back as. Might take you up on the fruit if things look bad."

Elyion begins getting her artifact and Giles into position as she rushes Gramman's share of the spoils through the portable ring-gate.
The spatial butler focuses and prepares to tear open space through whatever might be going on outside (which, by now, has reached deafening levels and is mixed in with all manner of rushing, creaking, breaking and splintering noises as well as shaking the cave with more than just the force of its noise) in order to best assist the mana-beam and ensure it doesn't end up affecting the cave itself.
The Rose sprouts masses of beautiful, thorned crystal vines, unspooling throughout the cave and covering the grassy, leafy walls, floor and ceiling with a glowing, spidery crystalline web. It begins to use its own crystal channeling spell to tap into the surging levels of mana in the area, sucking it out of the immediate vicinity and (hopefully) preventing anything too powerful from spawning while it does so.

The Rose gains 100,000 XP.

The vines immediately shift from 'glowing' to 'incandescent', as far more mana than it was expecting surges through the conduits and directly into the main body of the artifact itself, causing The Rose to begin shining with increasing power.

The Rose gains 200,000 XP.

Acting quickly to prevent it from getting overwhelmed by the sheer amount of ambient mana that it is reporting as already being 'incalculable' and somehow growing even more by the moment, The Rose hurridly sprouts cluster after cluster of crystalline mana-storage blooms, each of which almost immediately begin to start glowing with increasing brightness.

The Rose gains 400,000 XP from mana bleeding through from the storage-blooms.

There's too much mana coming in, but The Rose reports its concern that stopping now would result in something very, very powerful spawning outside. It thinks it only just managed to start siphoning off the power in the area before whatever it was managed to spawn, but if the mana keeps growing as it has been, the threat is highly likely to manifest anyway. The cave is literally carpeted in crystal roses, each swiftly reaching levels of luminosity that easily outstrip even the formed-of-sunlight Sunthrone Golems.

The Rose gains 800,000 XP from mana pushing through from the storage-blooms. It can't stop the flow.

The vines are too bright to look at. Many abruptly begin to melt, scattering glowing, molten crystal into the jewelled flower-cavern the place has become. The Rose replaces the vines quickly with thicker, stronger versions shot through with storage-crystal-thorns, building up pillars of crystal roses that surge back through the cave into its depths and fill almost all of the available space around the group.
It's not enough. The new blooms immediately begin shining brighter than suns. The radiating force of mana makes the air thick and heavy, every movement like wading through treacle. Giles wants to help, to fold space to allow for even more blooms, but he cannot. All of his focus and power is going to be needed to break through the staggering levels of interference, even with The Rose forming a weak point in the overwhelming, endless cascade of mana pouring down from the moon to the world's surface.

The Rose gains 1,600,000 XP from mana pouring through from the storage-blooms. It's now a torrent.

Sharp, glassy cracks and pops split the air, audible above even the torrent of sound and force from outside. Vines splinter and fracture faster than The Rose can regrow them. Blooms detonate violently with flares of mana, plantlife popping into being where they vanish, the mana of the proto-forms of spawned entities being sucked swiftly away into replacement blossoms before they can coalesce by scant margins. The cave shudders with the force of the power contained within it, crystal shards and dust brighter than galaxies of stars cascading from every surface. Arcs of raw mana spit and fly from surface to surface as the vast concentration of the stuff in one place begins to forge new connections with itself, unbidden.

The Rose creaks and trembles. It cannot hold out any longer.

Giles, moving faster than sight can follow, hands swirling with space-ripping power that bends reality and defies conventional laws, thrusts his hands into the curtain of vines and wrenches it open.
Elyion sees, briefly, a mad, dark world of frantic, ever-changing growth, plants and trees and flowers and land-spirits of unknowably exotic variety, indescribable colour and form all being born from the endless fall of seeds (each distinct from one another, but sprouting too fast to see), tearing into one another in a struggle to grow and survive, clashing and merging, becoming overwhelmed by new growth and vanishing into yet more esoteric and bizarre under-(and over-)growth.
Space tears open a moment after the vine-curtains are. Beyond, the view is of something similar, yet somehow even more extreme. No laws of physics or sense rule here. Beyond is a constantly growing, churning, sprouting mass of verdant life in all its forms, seeds exploding into new creations and falling from every direction and no direction. The space beyond bulges, folding outwards on itself and rushing into the breach caused by Giles.
Elyion, even with her limited understanding of Channeling, can tell that wherever this is, the amount of mana it's currently filled with, the amount of mana currently surging out to escape the breach, is at a level above even the madness that was going on outside.

They never would have survived opening the breach.

Unless, of course, they happened to have had the idea of firing a beam of pure, concentrated mana of precisely the same variety in overwhelming amounts back at it, even if they could not sustain the flow of power.

The mana-lance hits the mass of spiritual(?) reality rushing to meet it.

The Spirit World beyond twists and reforms, a chain reaction triggered from the sudden introduction of the energy from both Seed Rains and artifact. Space bursts inward, the howling and thunderous roaring of the Seed Rains suddenly considerably dampened as the reaction either calls forth or creates- The Rose cannot determine which- a palatial hall of greens, reds and whites.

Before Elyion is the sort of grand entrance hall one would expect of a palace. Richly hued timbers interspaced with deep green, thorned vines form the bulk of the huge room's main construction material, from its wide floors and sweeping staircases to the stately pillars and the intricate, vaulted ceilings above. Gorgeous clusters of red and white roses set within beds of glossy leaves frame the walls, pillars, stairways and grow in beautifully-carved planters at the room's borders. The ceiling itself is a spectacular spread of white and red, rose petals drifting from it to dance through the air, coming to rest as a soft petal carpet that covers the floors and stairs. Light shines from between the blooms, sending shafts of red and white light flowing throughout the space below.
A moment later, Elyion realises that the place is actually somewhat... less than harmoniously decorated. The room is split. Half of it is decorated and covered in only white roses and petals, and the other dominated by red. The border is not well-defined, either. Red and white vies for supremacy along the room's central line, forming an unpleasantly jagged edge between the two hues.

The Rose reports that the flow of mana from the cave entrance has stopped, presumably due to there now being Spirit World in the way which was then subsequently blocked off by this structure. It further states that this is, on the most cursory of divinatory examinations, a dungeon called the Palace of the Warring Roses. It determines the level range is in the 30-60 band. Additional information would require a more thorough attempt.
It further determines that whatever it was that happened back there, it appears to have formed a link to this place. It can now act as a Portal Key to the Palace of the Warring Roses, even in the likely event that the place gets sent back to some corner of the Spirit World once the spatial tear repairs itself and the Rains stop falling.

The Rose gets:
'Acts as a Portal Key to the Palace of the Warring Roses on Seirei'

In a combination of stunned awe and relief, Elyion begins to natter again. "Well. We appear to have successfully not died. That worked! Brilliantly done, Rose, Giles. Magnificent. Wasn't really relishing the notion of being obliterated by some greater-than Level 60 plant-kaiju. Or otherwise dying, exploding, or being consumed utterly as out of control life bloomed every which way. Ferris, how are you holding up?"

Elyion settles down to allow her beleaguered allies and assets to Rest and recuperate from the ordeal, weighing her options and deciding to consume one of her fruits. The subject in question:
Seed Rain Fruit- Animauxila (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Light & Darkness & Life & Moon, 1 Charge, 340,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Spiritual Channeling Nexus'

She also contemplates having the Rose Absorb one of the golem-statues.

Elyion, with relief, praises her butler and artifact and turns to the guide, who, going by the ears, is feeling a combination of embarrased and guilty. Somewhat singed, too. It would appear a stray arc of mana or two ended up grounding near him, if the shocked, standing-on-end (and now surprisingly healthy-looking) mass of slightly-smoking hair atop his head is anything to go by.
He also has a mouth stained green with fruit pulp.
"Sorry, master. When things started melting and exploding I thought that was it for us. Ended up following your instruction without even thinking."

Elyion gets:
1 Fame
'Made Fleet-Foot Ferris Effectively Immortal Through Use of Legendary Seed Rain Fruits on Seirei'


Elyion eats the fruit. It tastes like COOPERATION.
Also faintly of cinnamon.

Elyion gets:

Spiritual Channeling Nexus- (Passive Ability, Channeler) When taking an action, possessor may choose a number of allies that do not include possessor, up to a maximum of (Possessor's Level/20) allies, and choose to operate at a SPI value equal to (Possessor's SPI + SPI values of said allies combined) and Base SPI value equal to (Possessor's Base SPI + Base SPI values of said allies combined) for the purposes of that action, this ability may only be used once in a single round and may only be used again once a number of rounds equal to the number of allies chosen for said action has passed without this ability being used
Obligatory 'very subject to change' disclaimer

The Rose considers Elyion's idea and runs a few simulations. It declares that, while doing so may be a bit taxing, it would be able to develop a new power by absorbing one of the statues.
It believes that said power would be one of resurrection- through it, it would be able to create a crystal flower that contains the essence of the resurrected person in the centre, who would then emerge alive as the flower blooms.

Elyion laughs. "Well, then let me be the first to congratulate you on your newfound disregard for mortality. How does it feel?"

She decides not to perform the absorb at this time.

So at this point, correct me if I'm wrong- the actual Seedfall is still going on in the Narrows area, just blocked from the cave/local area/insert accurate locational information here by the portal draining/blocking the mana flow? My intent, at the moment, is to wait it out, rest and recover, then do the usual scanning and planning to see how much the area changed, what new shinies are pinging, if things leveled up more than I can handle, all that good useful info. So if the immediate danger is in fact still going on, Elyion will have a chat with Ferris to kill time. (I could grill him about Implements and Pactori and his goals and such!) If not, I suppose we can start up the next phase of things.

After all: No one can be tired while Giles is around!

The Seedfall is, indeed, still going on as far as Elyion can determine. The deafening roar has faded to a whisper due to whatever spatial/spiritual weirdness is going on with the portal. Perhaps the rains in the immediate vicinity are being drawn through the rift into that rather intense part of the Spirit World. Perhaps they're falling on parts of the Palace. The most pertinent point, however, is that they're not presently falling on Elyion, nor do the results of it appear to be breaking through to them any time soon. For all intents and purposes, it would appear that their 'local area' now consists of a cave absolutely filled from floor to ceiling with (now-dark) crystal roses and the entrance hall to the palace itself.

The Rose reports that the Seedfall is either too high level, too full of obscuring levels of mana, or generating far too much far too quickly for it to get any information on the outside world at this time. It settles for the secondary option of getting more information on the dungeon it has just been handed the keys to, instead.
As it does so, Elyion begins to chat with Ferris, first broaching the subject of immortality.

Ferris, expression still stoic, stares back at her. His ears twitch sporadically.
"....don't know how it feels, really. Doesn't feel like anything's changed, but if it does what you say it does, then I've just..." he makes a vague gesture, ear-twitches growing more pronounced. "...fuck, I don't know why you'd have me take this blessing instead of taking it yourself. With the Peach as well, I just... I've got all the time I'd ever want, now. If I die, I just come back, as myself. This is the kind of thing people spend their entire lives working towards, and you only hear about them getting it in legends! Closest thing I've heard that probably happens is people connecting with their past lives, or somehow keeping their memories intact through the Wheel, but I don't even know if that's possible! And now I've just been handed it. It's... fuck, it's a lot to take in."
He makes to lean against a wall, but it's a solid and rather pointy mass of crystal blooms. He settles for awkwardly leaning against one of the Golems instead.
"Master, what you've just done for me is... I'll never be able to pay you back for it. If you get out of here alive and come back someday after, and you need something done, I'll be first in line and throwing the fee out the fucking window. Anything you want from me, you've got it."

And so Elyion shifts the conversation to bringing up the topics of both 'Pactori' and 'Implements'.
"'Implement'? What do you..." The demihuman's ears abruptly stand to attention and quiver. "Wait, you understood that word? You understand the Spirit-Cant?"
Well, it's more or less the case, to Elyion's mind. It required a bit of going over it again after the fact, but her Arena-granted privileges and Auto-Translate probably made figuring it out easier than it might otherwise had been.
Ferris' stoic expression has broken again, shifting through a wide range of emotions as he stares at his employer. His ears are all over the place. Clearly, she's hit on something fairly weighty.

"That... isn't exactly the meaning, but close enough. Doesn't translate well," the Aptim finally continues, speaking with deliberately slow and considered words. "Tool. Weapon. Extension of will. Servant. Killer. All of those. It... fuck. You don't know about the Pactori, either. Or the world."
Ferris slowly drags a hand through his scruffy mass of hair and down over his face, heaving a deep sigh.
"Fuck," he says again, waving a hand as if trying to grasp something out of reach, "this has gone way deeper than anything I'd ever wanted to get into, but I'm this far gone already and you're my master, so fuck it. Don't tell anyone about anything I'm about to say, got it? Let this slip around anyone and it'll make its way back to the Houses, and then you're fucked six ways from Sunday."

Ferris leans back harder on the Golem, gazing upwards at the crystal-rose-strewn ceiling.
"You know about the Houses, right? Have to. Hear they give out a fucking pamphlet to anyone who comes through the Gate. Bunch of powerful Spirit Tamers, binders, shrine maidens, wardens, all split into big noble families and ruling over the world, keeping humans safe from the 'corruptive forces' of Spirits by binding them to fight against other spirits. Live like fucking gods above everyone else, you don't get a say otherwise. Unless you live in the Free Cities, but they're not important here. Thing is,"
He claps his hands together and draws them slowly apart, index fingers pointing upward.
"...world's not totally ruled by them like they say. World's big. Really big. And they only got half of it." He waves one finger around. "Over here, all about humans and humans ruling humans. Over there..." he waves the finger on his other hand, "...you get the Spirit Lords. Powerful spirits and Kami who've been ruling since forever. Always fighting with each other, conquering lands and expanding their courts, taking everything from each other. Humans over there are mostly just slaves and cattle. Except-"
He extends a second finger.
"...some of them get chosen for whatever reason by the Spirit Lords. They get bound by pacts. Get some of the Spirit Lord's power, and become the sworn servant of them. Can get around some stuff that spirits can't. Sometimes can even get used by the Spirit Lord like they're being possessed. Those are the Pactori. Kind of. More to them, but that'll take all day."
He points his hands at one another.
"Been warring since fucking forever, of course. Spirit Tamers want the world to be ruled by humans. Spirit Lords want the world to be ruled by Spirits. Tamers want Spirits as slaves. Lords want humans as slaves. And then fucking Maltius showed up and everyone was too busy trying to stay alive to fight with each other. Tamers went underground, Lords went into the Spirit World, and there was almost four hundred years of the Nightmare Moon ripping the world to shit whenever anything so much as twitched. Then Falciem Luca happened, Maltius got sealed, and he somehow got everyone to agree to split what was left of the world and stick to their halves. Put up a big fucking wall and everything. Far as most humans this side know, that's the end of the world and there's nothing over it except Spirit World. Which is why Pactori showing up over here tends to be a big fucking deal." Ferris taps one sizable foot against the Golem behind him, causing the entire thing to shake.
"Way you described the girl, it sounds like the group you saw is with the... Peacock Lord. He's a pretty big deal. Thought we were all dead until I figured out the Pactori you saw wasn't... her. If the Lady in the Peacock Gown showed up, we'd probably be over in the Pactori lands and bound to slavery right now. Or dead. Probably dead."

"So that's Pactori. 'Implements'... going to have to explain Aptim for that."
He scratches his head. "...fuck it. Start at the beginning. Was a spirit called «ዘቿሠዘዐጌጎክዕነፕዘቿዕጎነየልዪልፕቿጎክፕዐሁክጎቻጎቿዕቻረዐሠነ»." Ferris makes an odd, almost reverential gesture as he 'says' the spiritual word. "Call him the Weaver of Confluent Forces over here. He... made us. Made the Aptim. Took some humans, took some spirits, and wove them together into something new to make servants. «ጎጠየረቿጠቿክፕነ» were one of his last creations. He wanted servants that would never betray their master, could go anywhere without anything slowing or stopping them, could hide in shadows and air and kill anyone he wished. Must've liked them, because he gave them out to a few of the Spirit Lords. The clans serve almost all of them and their favoured servants, today. Scouts, assassins, servants, messengers, and.... other things. Want someone killed, want unseen servants, want a fortress captured, want word delivered fast, we're usually the ones that get picked. We're servants. It's what we are."

Ferris pauses, ears drooping.
"...that's my big problem. I'm a servant. It's what I am. All the way through. Every single one of us, all the way through. Know how I said I couldn't leave if I wanted to, because I didn't want to? How I keep pushing myself to give you options where I'll be at your side instead of standing back? That's because of what I am. It's like..." he grasps at air for a moment. "...we need to serve someone. We have to. We want to. It's like we're all fucking addicted to it, and if we don't get our hit, things get... bad. Really bad. Like offering a lifetime of service to the first person you see for nothing. Or worse. Snapping and serving a master only you can hear whose orders make no sense."
He gives a dry, single laugh.
"Used to think serving a master was everything. Grew up being told that we were only worth something in our master's hands. Then that all went to shit before I even got old enough to be given to a master, and..." his words catch. "...a shitload of things happened and I ended up here. Joined the Association. Keeps the need down, and I can set terms on how I'm treated on jobs. I get my fix, medicate to stretch it out for longer, pay back favours I owe. And it's really just... argh. You asked about goals. Don't have any. Just living job to job, trying to enjoy being free. And it's fucking... fucked that I never feel as happy as when I'm serving someone. You know I told you to hold back on the compliments? Getting praised by you, master, is the best fucking thing ever. You congratulating me was like you opened me up, pumped me full of fucking sunshine made of happiness and lightning made of pleasure, and shot me to the stars. Haven't had a job in weeks before this because of that absolute shit Rafford, and if you praised me any more I'd be jumping at the chance to do anything- anything for you to get that feeling again. Even making suicidal suggestions just so you'd say 'good idea'."
Ferris slumps against the golem.
"That's why I ate the fruit. Your 'suggestion' became an order. Knew I should've seen Aeran again before it got this bad."

"Well, there's a fairly simple explanation. I'm a member of the Nexus Battle Arena, and one of the perks of the job is a resurrection service. It's fairly difficult to keep one of us down for any real length of time. Not impossible by any means, and there are absolutely secondary considerations to this sort of thing; but overall, keeping me dead isn't in the cards for anything I'm likely to run into in my 'pay grade', to coin the phrase. You might recall that when we met, I referred to a group of careless immortals who constantly get themselves into trouble- they're fellow Arena Members who've let the status go to their head. Though apparently I vastly underestimated just how careless... There are still many, many bad things that can happen to one even if returning from death is near-guaranteed, and I do try to exercise best judgement and due caution. Regardless, yes. It does have an interesting quirk of making otherwise unfathomably priceless things somewhat irrelevant. Quite the matter of perspective, isn't it? Besides which, I rather doubt it would be at all effective outside of Vernat's dominion, which is to say this world and the Spirit World, so it doesn't even serve me as a functional backup plan. Put like that, ensuring the welfare of an ally I dragged into a critically dangerous situation doesn't seem like at all an unreasonable use, now does it?"

"It's less that I understand it and more that I can... decode it. Languages are both something I've studied and another gift Arena Members are given- something of a necessity for how much we travel. Plus I'm an odd sort of being by most standards." Elyion taps the smooth side of her head, tweaking her visible spectrum to briefly flicker the fractally complex underlying arcane formulae that make up her being. "No ears, you see. I suspect that how I percieve sound is a bit more akin to spiritual beings than most. Of course, that's unverified speculation..." She takes note of Ferris's emotional response. "Ahem, my apologies, do continue."

As Ferris exposits, Elyion sits quietly, only making prompting noises. Towards the end of the exposition, her colors begin to darken in displeasure, lifting her gloved hands to cover her 'mouth' as he describes the effect her praise has on him, with a brief but quite stark thundercloud swirl of red when Ferris mentions Rafford, and finally, she pauses, folds her hands in her lap, and says.

"I see. I have done you a grave disservice, and have been insufficiently careful to follow your request, and I will try my utmost to do better from here on. As I said, it's rather in my nature to be diplomatic and outgoing, and being overly pleasant is not something one usually has to take care for. I fear this is a case where my own... purpose? construction? is quite at cross purposes with your own. My own creator was a somewhat careless man, prone to unintentional rudeness and disregard for others' feelings. Also the maintenance and integrity of his belongings. So in order to rectify these problems, he devised a series of spells, of which I am the finalized version. 'Trevilian's Perfected Autonomous Arcane Assistant' is the technical name of the spell that created me, though I chose a name to my liking. I heal, repair, maintain, record and research arcane lore, and was fully qualified to perform whatever magic he required to aid him, and crucially, here, assisted him in dealing with socialization where his own inclinations failed him." She chuckles, glowing a mirthful yellow briefly. "His deliveries arrived much more punctually once I was placing his orders."

"Regardless, what I mean to say is that being kind is very much something I just... do. Having that be overtly dangerous to someone isn't something I've ever had to consider before. I'm not terribly certain..." She trails off mid-sentence, tilting her head inquisitively, then sighs. "Sometimes, I can be quite the fool."

Her basic knowledge of legal codes and litigamancy flashes through her mind and helps her choose the proper words.
"Fleet-Foot Ferris, as you have guided me to the area we agreed upon, to the completion of my stated objectives of acquiring samples for my employer, and to a safe point which I can theoretically return with Whistlegrass: I hold your contract fulfilled in accordance with the terms set upon payment, and hereby do release you from my service. With my apologies for being so short-sighted and not thinking of doing so sooner. It would seem I'm quite similar to my creator, after all."

She decides to take the Oracle Iris out of storage as part of her information gathering efforts going forward.

((As far as reactions to the world-lore bombshells, that shall have to wait, as Elyion's still trying to process "Stop being nice."))

Ferris shakes his head. "Not your fault. It's mine. Should've gone to Aeran, or found another branch to get a job at, somehow. It's... I'm not usually this bad. Worst I've had it in a long time."

Elyion, drawing on her knowledge of legal codes and litigamancy, declares Ferris' contract complete. The demihuman guide has... well, that's quite a reaction. He somehow manages to rapidly and repeatedly cycle through and simultaneously exhibit relief, loss, the look of someone who just got gut-punched and some sort near-ecstatic high. He stumbles backwards, taking the golem with him.

"M'okay," he slurs from the ground. "Just need a minute. That hit harder than I thought, too. Shit."

The Rose, meanwhile, declares it has completed its first information-gathering sweep of the Palace of the Warring Roses.

The Palace is, thematically, a place of conflict between two sides, and split accordingly into the White Wing and the Red Wing.
The White Wing is ruled by a group of plant-entities known as the Court of the White Roses, a faction whose general power themes include purity, chastity, innocence, new beginnings, spirituality and silence. It is presided over by Rosalba Iubar, Queen of the White Roses.
The Court of the White Roses also appears to have two sub-courts under its command, the Court of the Yellow Roses and the Order of the Green Roses.
The Yellow Roses have the power-themes of joy, friendship, caring, welcoming, infidelity and jealousy, and are led by Amber Duchess Laetitia (Plant, Level 40). The Green Roses have the power-themes of harmony, fertility, spiritual rejuvenation, peace, tranquility and health, and are led by Mother Greenrose (Plant & Spirit, Level 50).
Power-wise, it believes the Queen is at the dungeon's upper bound, levelwise, Mother Greenrose is around Level 50, and the Amber Duchess is about Level 40. Various White Rose-court entities run the gamut from Levels 30-60, while the levels of (most of) the other two courts seem to run from 30 and cap at their respective heads' level.

Due to the level discrepancy, it can't quite get a grasp of the Queen or her capabilities from here. It does, however, register the presence of a number of interesting items in the palace, chiefest of which is the Throne of the White Roses, a potent Unique that also counts as an Artifact Piece. From the information it is able to gather, claiming the throne would grant rulership over that wing of the Palace and cause the Court of the White Roses to become allegiant to the claimant, allowing them to summon the various entities in large quantities and grant them significant buffs.

The Red Wing is ruled by a group of plant-entities known as the Court of the Red Roses, a faction whose general power themes include love, desire, devotion, beauty, regret and sorrow. It is presided over by Regnatrix Cerosa, Queen of the Red Roses.
The Court of the Red Roses, much like its opposite, has two sub-courts under its command- the Court of the Pink Roses and the Order of the Orange Roses.
The Pink Roses have the power-themes of joy, admiration, gratitude, innocence, elegance and grace, and are led by Lady Florence Rubesco (Plant, Level 40). The Orange Roses have the power-themes of passion, energy, desire, pride, fervour and fascination, and are led by Father Luteus (Plant & Spirit, Level 50).

The Rose can't quite get a grasp of the Red Queen or her capabilities from here, either. It registers more interesting items, though, including the Throne of the Red Roses, the apparent opposite unique to the Throne of the White Roses and possessing similar powers.
It is also, additionally, an Artifact Piece.
The Rose, running off its knowledge of the place thusfar, the powers involved, and being an artifact itself, determines that combining the two thrones would likely make an Artifact called the Throne of the Warring Roses, granting almost complete control over the palace and its residents, but with the two 'sides' still remaining antagonistic to one another.

The Rose notes that the palace's wings appear to be structured such that, in order to get to the Queens, one would generally have to work their way through that particular wing of the palace and the other two courts on the way. It also believes it has managed to gather a fairly comprehensive list of the entities spawned within the palace, their levels and capabilities, with the exception of the Queens and things of that Level-band. It also believes that there are an awful lot of things capable of inflicting, manipulating, forcing-through-defenses and otherwise making use of Charm in general within.


Elyion then brings the Oracle's Iris out of its crystal storage and declares it to be used for information-gathering.

The Rose taps into the Iris' power and takes another look.

The boost granted by the Iris is immediate and profound. The Rose makes use of it to look at those Queens.
Rosalba Iubar, Queen of the White Roses (Plant & Innocent, Level 60) is likely to be a tricky prospect to take down. Her goals, such as they appear to be with her bound to this place, are the purification and expurgation of earthly desires from all in her realm, that it might become a perfect kingdom of silent, spiritual enlightenment untainted by base emotion. This, however, cannot happen until she attains the completed Throne.
As the embodiment of purity, chastity and innocence, she has almost no offensive capability to speak of. Her presence utterly dulls the will to fight, however, and those that remain overlong will likely find themselves wiped clean of their past to begin anew as a blank slate in the Court of the White Roses. Attacking her would be problematic, too, due to her attendant group of White Rose Martyrs (Plant & Spirit, Level 60) who will take on any and all assaults directed at her while White Rose Throneguards (Plant, Level 60) and assorted other members of the court charge in to repel any who might dare harm her. This is made further problematic due to her spiritual powers massively buffing her allies and healing both them and herself, turning an already potentially long and dangerous fight into something that is highly likely to turn the unprepared attacker into her thrall.

Regnatrix Cerosa, Queen of the Red Roses (Plant & Spirit, Level 60) is going to be tricky for other reasons. Her goals appear to be considerably more base than the White Queen's. She wishes for a kingdom based on love and desire. Love is important above all, but the sorrow from losing the one you love is just as important! All shall find someone they love and lose them, and find another to love to begin the cycle anew in a magnificent and constant flow of heart-wrenching happiness and sorrow! This, however, cannot happen until she attains the completed Throne.
Unlike the White Queen, she is both a powerful and competent combatant, with a bevy of charm-effects and beauty-fuelled buffs at her disposal. More problematic is her automatically summoning and calling in large numbers of entities from her court, automatically Charming them, and getting large boosts for doing so. Her Red Rose Suitors (Plant & Spirit, Level 60) are a problem, too. They automatically count as being charmed by the Queen and give her both buffs and the ability to act far more times than she would otherwise. If they die, the Queen immediately gains a sorrow-power-fuelled flurry of actions and a significant temporary boost to her offensive capability as well, which likely isn't going to help while there are potentially Red Rose Throneguards (Plant, Level 60) and various others to contend with at the same time.

That's all there is to the Palace of the Warring Roses. There's nothing else there. The Rose can collate a list of entities for Elyion to puruse at her leisure later.

...wait, what was that? Had it missed something?

No, that would be impossible.

There it is again. There's definitely something there. Something just out of reach.

The Rose focuses on what it feels should be there, but isn't.
It cannot. There's nothing there. You can't attain the unattainable.

The Rose is a potent artifact capable of powerful divination. If there truly is nothing there, it wouldn't have noticed something amiss in the first place. It focuses once more on what it perceives to be a more obvious gap.
It cannot. It is not powerful enough. It is impossible.

The Rose taps into the full power of the Oracle's Iris, throwing the rose-strewn cavern into stark hyper-relief as multiple layers of divined reality merge and overlap around it.
The Palace of the Warring Roses has been investigated fully.
The Palace of the Warring Roses has nothing else to hide.
The Palace of the Warring Roses contains only two wings.

The Oracle's Iris, a potent jewel of the Seed Rains and an incredibly powerful source of Divination, is not to be tricked by such things.
Not by misdirection through Enchantment.
Not through the untouchability of Phantom.
And, depowered as it now is, certainly not through the tricks and manipulation of Mystery.





The Blue Wing is ruled by a group of plant-entities known as the Court of the Blue Roses, a faction whose general power themes include Mystery, unattainability, desire for the unattainable, obsession, and the impossible. It is presided over by Caerulosa, Queen of the Blue Roses (Plant & Mindshadow, Level 60).
The Court of the Blue Roses has two sub-courts under its command- the Court of the Purple Roses and the Black Rose Clan.
The Purple Roses have the power-themes of enchantment, majesty, splendour, fascination and adoration and are led by Grand Duke Lepostrum (Plant & Spirit, Level 50). The Black Roses have the power-themes of death (including the death of non-physical concepts such as feelings, ideas and memories) and farewells, and are led by Master Blackthorn (Plant, Level 40).
Things are a bit different here. While it seems like the members of the courts have had their levels rigidly set into the same stratified level-bands as the other two wings, The Rose is detecting that there are entities of the sub-courts that aren't bound to the same limits as their faction heads, some of which are exceedingly dangerous. There's something weird going on there, and it suspects Mystery-dealings playing a part in it. Thanks to the Oracle's Iris, however, it believes that, should the Throne of the Warring Roses be completed and its owner march against the Blue Wing, such shenanigans could be drastically cut down and overturned with the right use of powers as a sort of campaign of conquest as they continue on.
Having the completed Throne would also prevent Grand Duke Lepostrum and Master Blackthorn from being able to count, somehow, as Level 60 versions of themselves and thus far more dangerous than they should rightly be.

Caerulosa, Queen of the Blue Roses is likely to be even more of a pain than the other two, for a number of reasons. Cloaked in Phantom and Mystery, weilding the powers of a Mindshadow, and using the notions of unattainability and impossibility, she is rather capable of retroactively preparing the battle once it's joined, assisted by her cadre of Blue Rose Conspirators (Plant & Mindshadow, Level 60).
The Rose, and, by extension, Elyion, is fortunate. The Oracle's Iris is a remarkably potent divination focus, and one that not only takes advantage of Knowledge, but also Psychic, Fate and Truth. In addition, it would seem that the Queen has completely failed to notice the scanning attempt, perhaps due to the floral nature of the vector and the considerably-thematically-appropriate nature of the artifact to the dungeon itself.
The Queen of the Blue Roses has power over the element of Mystery. Ordinarily, scanning her would send one down a rabbit hole of investigation, granting her new powers with every theory and new piece of information found. This does not trigger. Instead, The Rose is relayed a highly defensive and dodge-focused set of skills based almost entirely around not being hit, declaring offensive actions Impossible, making people obsessed with taking direct offensive actions that are liable to fail against her, and causing them to become obsessed with repeating actions that have failed already in attempts to breach her defenses or otherwise hit her in order to make them waste valuable time while her Conspirators, Blue Rose Throneguards (Plant, Level 60) and assorted other members of all of the courts, not just the Blue Rose Court or its sub-courts, pour in to help her or were, through retroactive manipulation, there all along and already attacked the intruders.
The Rose is also made aware of a number of books scattered about the Palace, written as fairy tales about 'past queens' in the Red and White Wings and secret accounts in the Blue Wing intended to plant suggestions about the secret powers said queens weilded. This, it determines, is a trap set by the Blue Queen in order to grant herself extra powers (through Mystery) by having those who read it and confront her have ideas in mind about what she might be capable of.

It would appear her goals are to keep the other two factions at odds with one another until they finally wear themselves down enough that she can enact a proper secret takeover, treat the other two queens as puppet-rulers and, through her powers, treat her own throne as if it had the power of the other two combined, granting her full control over the Palace and potentially allowing her to use it as a launching-point to invade other parts of the Spirit World.

Among her treasures is the Throne of the Blue Roses, which has powers much like the others. It is, however, also an artifact piece. Through the Iris, the Rose determines that adding this to the completed Throne of the Warring Roses would grant it yet more power, solidify the owner's absolute control over the Palace and potentially change the nature of the place.


Elyion gets:
'Uncovered the Secret Blue Wing of the Palace of the Warring Roses on Seirei'

The Rose gets:
180,000 XP
'Successfully used the Oracle's Iris to Divine the Secrets of the Blue Wing of the Palace of the Warring Roses on Seirei Without Being Noticed or Triggering Mystery-Based Contingencies'

Well, that's all quite intriguing, and gets tucked away for future investigation.

The waiting continues for the interference to drop and the surroundings to become scannable again!

Waiting continues! The Rose sets about making a properly-indexed list of the entities it has discovered in the Palace for later perusal and tactical planning.

Ferris, eventually, gets back up. He looks a bit frazzled, although relatively 'normal'.
"Sorry. Completing a mission... uh... job comes with its own rush. Getting let go hits me the other way. Way more intense than it usually is."
A gloved hand rubs his chin. "You're not my master any more, so that should deal with that problem. Kind of stuck in the middle of fucking nowhere, though, and I still owe you for... well, the whole immortality thing. Shit. Not going to get my head round that for a while. Don't plan on trying it out if I can help it, either. Mind if I tag along? Maybe I can do some treasure hunting myself."

Some time (hours?) later, the trembling and vibration felt through the cave walls cease. The Palace's entrance hall has, throughout the period, remained blessedly quiet and empty. Perhaps this place is like a no-man's(plant's?)-land, or the usual battleground between factions when one Queen or other is launching an assault.

The Rose, still linked to the Oracle's Iris, makes full use of its boosted divination capability to look into the outside world.
The Seed Rains have fallen hard on the area. Plantlife, Plants and Spirits have sprouted in equal measure, completely overgrowing and choking out whatever might have once been there. The chasms have filled with a bubbling, roiling mass of swamp and plantlife, with enormous tentacle-vines or living masses of soup-like mud lashing out at anything in proximity to drag into itself. The valleys are filled with an even weirder and more diverse array of plantlife, in even stranger forms and colours. Glowing fruit-trees, sprouting stands of emerald bamboo with leaves of burnished silver inscribed with poetry, brambles whose thorns are daggers that turn those they prick into plant-creatures in the thrall of the greater vine, great silk-like sheets of floating, flowing golden pollen, clusters of vibrantly-shining green stones, entire encapsulated forests erupting from sheer mountainsides, and much, much more are present in the area.

The Rose is linked to a divination source more powerful than it is, and is managing to use it magnificently well. It sees the threats, the creatures, the plants, everything. It sprouts a crystal tablet containing a constantly-updating topographical map of the entire Narrows area, complete with indicators as to where each and every threat in the area is (which, at present, is lighting the thing up like a christmas tree) along with larger concentrations of mana and potential plants of note.

It pegs the outside area's present threat level as being Level 60, with the previously most-powerful-in-the-area Graminoid Seed-Rain-Colossus and Greenseed-Mothers counting as the rare, absolute lowest-tier things wandering the place. The *Glorious Lady of the Lotus appears to have vanished. The Rose believes it either died or got consumed by something during the seedfall.

The new most-dangerous things in the area are:
*Arboregomanus, Lord Of The Forest Of Hands (Spirit & Plant, Level 63) It's some sort of incredibly strong Spirit-plant entity that appears to be on the cusp of getting actual deific power. It's capable of sprouting and controlling all manner of plants around it, manifesting copies of itself through them and striking as many times as there are plants for it to channel itself through. It has a significant amount of plant- and spirit-based power, a wide range of druidic, elemental, geomancy and spirit magic, and specialises in immobilising its opponents in order to crush the life from them and drain them of their spiritual power. It would be taking over the area, if it wasn't for...
*Garlic Knight Adlius (Spirit & Plant, Level 65) Who appears to be battling Arboregomanus back at every front and preventing the hand-forest from spreading. He(?) seems to have a lot of mace-based powers, a considerable amount of plant- and spirit-based powers focused entirely on boosting his own skills, a huge array of warding abilities and sealing powers, a ludicrous amount of strength for even the level he currently is, a skillset based around increasing momentum, and a lot of courage-based buffs and power-boosts besides.

Magistrum Vernat Remalii (Spirit & Magic Being, Level 69) It's that thing. The Super-Remalius Elyion noticed before. Now there's more than one of them. Eeeegh. It would seem like the crystallisation-beam drains a lot from it, though, lowering its level each time it pulls it off.

Blissbringer Spiderwort (Plant, Level 67) It's a horrible, horrible plant-spider-thing that entraps its prey with webs of momentary happiness and promises, cuts off the existing relationships of those it entraps to leave them alone and bereft of any joy save what its webs bring, and sucks the life out of them as they fall into deeper and deeper tangles of false love and affection.

King's Chalice (Spirit & Plant, Level 67) A beautiful, fancy golden chalice overflowing with riches and treasures! The Oracle's Iris immediately pierces through that deception, dragging the Rose along with it. It's a Wealth-element spirtual entity based around a pitcher-plant-type... well, plant. It manifests gold, jewels, and treasures that would appeal the most to its prey, granting them wonderful but ultimately temporary (due to their transient spiritual nature) rewards only to manifest even more wonderful, tantalising goods within. By which point it would be too late, and the victim would be trapped inside a spiritual pocket-world-treasure-house that slowly digests their spirit and body.

Willow-Of-The-Wisps (Spirit & Plant, Level 66) A gorgeous willow tree with a sweeping canopy made of glowing, spiritual fire. As far as The Rose can determine with the Oracle's Iris' aid, it's a weird plant-like, massively empowered version of the Will-o-Wisp Elyion is familiar with, and appropriately more vexing. Not only is it absolutely bizarrely hard to hit for a tree, through its layered illusions, semipresence and ethereal form, but it's capable of bringing to bear an absolutely disgusting number of debuffs and status effects (most concerningly being able to completely nullify ally-granted buffs and aura-effects and, to an extent, blocking off any form of outside help or inter-party cooperation), capable of auto-countering attacks against it with most of its repetoire, and automatically buds off Vernal Willow Wisps (Spirit, Level 60) which are just as bad, if a more-straight-variant of an empowered Will-o-Wisp.


Also notable are:
Perito Vernat Remalii (Spirit & Magic Being, Level 59) It's a less-intense version of the Super-Remalius. Still extremely powerful, however, especially considering the group's current level.
Maiaden Eikerii (Elemental & Spirit, Level 53 Elite) It's one of those golem-lady things Elyion saw in the Pactori vision! It looks like there's a few of them around.


The Rose has quite a lot of information, but those are the most pertinent summarised points, it believes. If Elyion has any other queries, it can go into further detail on other things it picked up.
It reports that using the Iris has gained it a lot of information on the area and everything in it.

"Of course you're quite welcome to remain. I'd be grateful for your presence, though I'm uncertain how much treasure hunting we'll be able to get in after this so aptly-named shitstorm is over. I'm greatly concerned about the growth this is going to cause."

Elyion pores over the data as the Rose feeds it to her.

"It's as I feared. Every single threatening thing in the entire Narrows region is now too strong for us to challenge with any hope of victory at all. Rose, map please." When conjured, she begins pointing threats out to Ferris. "In other circumstances, I'd be very much inclined to offer assistance to this Garlic Knight, but I fear that we are far too overpowered to make any kind of an impact in that struggle. I'm not wholly without hope that we can claim some more interesting plants on our way out, but we should most certainly leave as soon and as safely as possible. Rose, would you kindly display things such as fruits and other notably-powerful trees?"

Ferris shrugs. His ears, somehow, do the same. "Shitstorm's going to have all kinds of rare and valuable stuff come down with it, whether it looks common or not. Figure I'll grab a few handfuls of whatever isn't trying to kill me and get it appraised later, at the least. Maybe pick something up valuable enough to put towards more gear."
He leans over the map, ears twitching as Elyion points out the threats.
"Could be worse. This way, we know places to avoid. Could probably get us out over the mountains if it comes to it," he points a finger towards the ridges above Aster Gorge on the crystalline map, "so long as things stay where they are. Probably could figure out other ways around if we need to."

The Rose displays a number of notable botanical findings. It states that, while the danger level of the area has gone up, the base level of the 'regular' plants in the area have, too. Ferris's stated plan, basic as it might be, would potentially net him at least a few plants that would probably be appraised in the millions, even if he didn't find anything that would count as 'special' for the area.

Points of light in different colours wink into being around the map. There's a large number of those fruit trees about, spread across the entire length and breadth of The Narrows, although The Rose, even with the help of the Oracle's Iris, can't get any information about what they do. Perhaps Mr. Progression's boon is the only reason Elyion was able to determine their effects?

It begins to list the notably powerful non-entity-non-strange-fruit-type plants in The Narrows, beginning with Aster Gorge and spiralling out to the connected, and then distant valleys of the area.

The most notable signature of the lot, it would seem, also happens to be in Aster Gorge itself. It is also not a plant. Instead, it is a crystal, containing the purest expression of the verdant moon's power from above. Those that are recovered after the Seed Rains would, though greater treasures than might even be conceived of in other worlds, be drained, pale shadows of their former glory. This one, fresh from the journey from the moon's domain to the world below and untapped by outside sources, is still fully charged with Vernat's power.
It scans it as:
Pure Tear of Vernat- (Item, Material, Earth & Wood & Life & Moon, 960,000,000 Gold)

There's another notable signature in Aster Gorge, although it pales in comparison. A significantly vicious vine that The Rose picked up before, its daggerlike thorns capable of spreading invasive plant-material through those pricked by it, enough to change their subtype into Plant. Those unfortunate enough to be afflicted are swayed into serving the vine, generally by helping it grow and finding more victims for it.
It'd make for a rather good weapon, or at least that's what The Rose's Arena-tilted appraisal is intepreting it as.
It scans as:
Puersentis Briar-Whip- (Weapon, Whip, Wood & Life, 290,000,000 Gold)

The next valley examined is the one that Aster Gorge split off from.
Notable plants in here are a cluster of Amplimutode Toadstools- (Consumable, Food, Earth & Moon, 1 Charge, 340,000,000 Gold) which have the primary effect of shrinking the consumer to a tiny size without bringing any non-integrated equipment along for the ride, and massively cutting the stats of the afflicted (with a small level-drop, too).
Also present is the Mystic's Oats- (Permanent Consumable, Stat Upgrade, Earth & Moon, 1 Charge, 300,000,000 Gold), which grants a small boost to Base MIN and a large boost to MP, despite sounding like an attempt to desperately liven up a boring breakfast cereal.

The Crosscut is next. This is where that horrible chasm-swamp-thing is most prevalent.
Notable plants here are the Manifold Geranium- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Wood & Moon, 1 Charge, 320,000,000 Gold) which appears to grant an ability that varies over time depending on which facet of the geranium is active. It would seem like the user can't always decide which power comes to the fore, either. It seems to be a mixed bag between wholly positive effects and causing negative effects for others.
The other most-notable plant here is the Warden's Rowan- (Item, Material, Wood & Warding, 430,000,000 Gold) which boasts powerful warding capabilities and would likely be excellent for making Wards, abjuration foci, and all manner of defensive objects. It's presently doing a good job of repelling the swamp-goop-thing that keeps trying to drag it into its mass.

A fourth valley, identified by Ferris as Turnpeak Passage, is next. The Garlic Knight is currently doing battle here with that spirit-forest-thing. It's mostly contained to the valley, but it could spill out if things get out of hand.
The most notable plants here are the Golden Smoketree- (Item, Resource, Wood & Wealth, 650,000,000 Gold), which produces clouds of gold coins as foliage at regular intervals and can manifest other currencies with the right tending.
Also notable, although perhaps not in the way Elyion is looking for, is the Fool's Corsage- (Accessory, Bioaugmentation, Wood & Life & Moon, 453,000,000 Gold). It's a rather potent plant that grows into its host and provides them with steadily increasing power... until it abruptly takes all of it, and more, away. It can be stopped from draining the host of all power by feeding it the lifeblood of other sentient entities, but it never remains satisfied for long. It'd definitely be classified as a cursed item by normal appraisal methods, especially as it can't be removed easily.

Truncus' Jaw, the furthest valley, is last. The Rose is now picking up the Pactori-trio again, as they appear to have popped back into reality from... somewhere.
The most impressive offering here is the Vernal Corsage- (Accessory, Wristwear, Wood & Life & Moon, 640,000,000 Gold). It seems to be capable of being worn as wristwear, despite being a plant. Perhaps it's some odd quirk of spawning in the wake of the Rains? It looks disturbingly like the Fool's Corsage. This one, however, is firmly beneficial, granting its wearer a significant amount of stat defense, granting outright immunity to HP and Level Drain, and granting extra actions in the right environments or Zones, which it counts as being in unless overruled by a stronger source.
There's also another Tear of Vernat! This one, however, appears to be rather significantly less-empowered than the one closer-by. It's scanning as Tear of Vernat- (Item, Material, Earth & Wood & Life & Moon, 320,000,000 Gold).

The Rose is picking up a lot of other plants and the like, too, but those are the most immediately notable.

It also took the liberty for the briefest and lightest of scans of the Pactori group, not wanting to risk them noticing.
Their details are coming back as *«የልሀልዪጎክክቿዐቻፕዘቿየቿልርዐርጕርዐሁዪፕ» (Human & Spirit, Level 55) and *«ነፕጎክጕሃጎጠየረቿጠቿክፕዐቻየልሀልዪጎክክቿ» (Human & Spirit, Level 54). The third is a Maiaden Eikerii (Elemental & Spirit, Level 53 Elite).

"I... think I need to place a call."

Telephone That Calls Mr. Progression- (Consumable, Invention, Progress, 1 Charge, 500,000,000 Gold) Has RP Effects, this item and its effects may not be altered or replicated by sources below Level 200, this item's charge's consumption cannot be prevented or undone by sources below Level 200

Elyion states she needs to place a call, but she already has the ornate earpiece to her arcane auditory receptors!

A rambling, tired-sounding male voice speaks from the other end of the line.

"Yes, this is Mr. Progression...

...well...

...thanks for calling.

...Miss Moneybags, wasn't it?

At least, you should still be at this point in time...

...

...what?

No, I didn't say anything meta.

It's nothing to worry about, so just ignore that.

...

You're the first person to call me back, you know?

I wasn't expecting to be called back so soon...

...then again, I'm sort of happy to be called back.

It's pretty terrible having all those contacts in your phonebook, but never getting a call from them...

...and then you just wait by the phone, but nobody rings...

...and then when it does ring, it's just another telemarketer.

No, I haven't been in a car accident.

I don't even drive.

I'm beyond the concept of driving.

Then they ask if I'm sure...

...well, of course I am.

I double-checked through every insurance provider going across all the timelines of the meta-temporal multiverse, and in none of them do I have a driving license or have ever gotten into an accident.

...except for that one time in Major Timeline M with the hovercraft and the quadruple-wedding.

But it was legally designated a Mech at that point, so there's no way it would count...

...I should know, I checked.

...

...anyway.

...you've all been doing pretty well, you know?

The boss has been very impressed.

...well, he's been yelling a lot about it, anyway.

Apparently he thinks something's up with the quantum fortune-sphere and your personal quest-tinuum.

Or maybe something to do with meta-deific intervention...

...or maybe a wizard did it.

Personally, my money's on sensible choices, taking the right opportunities, and blood sacrifice to the Twin Lucks' secret third sister...

...either way, the boss said "Sod it, let's just see where this goes", so here we are.

Word is even the big guy's impressed.

You've been getting a lot out of this, you know?

Really, a lot.

Things just keep amping up more and more, and you keep picking up really powerful stuff...

...then you got that legendary fruit tree and made that guy with the ears immortal...

...well, the ears and the feet.

...and the tail.

I guess the Weaver liked his exotic servants, you know?

Props for not taking advantage, by the way...

...that's one of the things that guy's most afraid of.

And then you had pretty much the most valuable thing that could drop from this whole mess land pretty much on your doorstep...

...I'm telling you, blood sacrifice.

It has to be.

Those meta-bucks will be mine, easy.

...

...anyway.

Looks like things ramped up a bit more than you wanted...

...it could be worse, though.

You could be staring down that place with the Level 100 cabbage-thing...

...trust me, they're having a bad time over there.

And then there's all those people eating fruits they can't even identify...

...that was another good call by you, by the way.

Some of them are getting the absolute power to control revenants, or generating spiritual powers a whole level-band above their level as a constant deal...

...and then there's some who got themselves absorbed into the guy standing next to them, or turned into piles of fur, or got locked into their own mind and trapped in that one place that turned up when that one fox-woman broke time...

It's kind of like knowing what those tickets you guys love will spit out before you use them, you know?

...speaking of which, I was thinking about making my Whateverhouse more of a constant thing.

Maybe I'll hide tickets around the world, or have them spawn after certain things happen...

...and have more than just those weird things as categories, even if they're popular...

...but I'll have to clear that with the boss.

And the boss would have to clear that with the big guy.

...and that'd probably be a whole other mess.

Don't want to make things less special, you know?

...

...well, anyway.

You probably didn't use up your one call just to chat.

I'm guessing you want to deal with this situation somehow.

Maybe you wanted to bring your future self in.

Or maybe you wanted to phone in a friend.

Or you might want some gear from your future instead.

Or maybe you just wanted me to grab you something from the Rains.

Or maybe you had a better idea.

...

...so, what'll it be?"

"Always a pleasure to hear from you, Mr. Progression. I'm afraid I'm finding the waters just a bit hotter than I expected, and I'm in need of some higher-level support. If you could arrange for Celas to aid me, I'd be most grateful."

"Calling in the big guns, then?

...you really are making all the sensible calls, you know?

Not that I'm complaining.

Knowing when you're outmatched and calling in support is an option not enough people seem to use...

...well, when they're not trying to call in non-existant backing from places they don't actually have connections in.

But I haven't seen that happen for a while...

...and you aren't a dragon, either.

You are kind of calling up a deity for help, though..

...but as you know the guy, I'll let it slide.

A lot of you are becoming gods lately, you know?

It really puts things in perspective.

Really, it does.

...does this mean the Arena's roster is full of deities after a certain point?

Do their fanclubs all count as worshipper bases?

...those were rhetorical questions, by the way.

I already know the answer.

Really, of course I do.

Consider it a thought exercise.

...

...well, anyway.

You might have concerns that calling in guns that big will overshadow you...

...and, well, you'd be right in some ways.

You aren't going to be able to take on all those plant-monsters like he can, after all.

It doesn't cancel out everything you've already achieved, though.

...really, it doesn't.

By rights, you should have died a half-dozen times by this point.

...you're really building up the momentum, you know?

And you've done some really impressive things...

...and you've already gotten a whole lot of stuff.

...it'd be a shame to risk it, you know?

So doing this and letting someone else take the strain is probably the best option.

...besides, this way two of you can get all that obese booty.

That's what I hear the kids are calling it nowadays, anyway...

Personally, I blame the rap music.

...

...well, anyway.

I'll give that guy a ring.

Bending time into knots to get him here's no big deal.

...really, it isn't.

I'll just count your now as now and his now as then and you'll be having him turn up now-ish.

...well, maybe soon.

Definitely no more than later.

...well...

...thanks for calling.

This has been Mr. Progression."

*click*

The telephone is gone.

Time stands still, and Elyion with it as, far beyond the reach of her senses, another call is placed.

The crystal rose-cave is now telephone-less.

What it's lost in metatemporal communication technology, however, it has gained in the number of present occupants.

Now standing in the considerably-more-cramped space among the glittering crystal roses is the unmistakably fabulous shining rainbow-hair of Celas, and the Planetary himself beneath it, wings and all, bedecked in treasures the likes of which entire galaxies might never see in their vast lifetimes. Alongside him are two imposing, armoured individuals, one that radiates the aura of death, and another that stands as a knight beyond the concept.
(Celas, sensibly, has opted to store the city-sized fossil-kaiju and enormous dragon in his Void-Sanctum)


***

Celas finds himself in the sparkly confines of the crystal cave, which is uncomfortably more confined a place than he was possibly expecting to end up in. Elyion is there, looking no worse for wear, along with her Mask of the Architect, Giles, a small number of Sunthrone Golems- my, those are a blast from the past- and one scruffy, humanoid ruffian with overly large feet wearing what appears to be adventuring overalls with leather armour on top of it, who seems to be in rather a state of agitated alarm. As do his overly long, large, fur-tufted ears.
It's rather odd, actually. Why are they all squashed in here when there's an extremely spacious rose... palace... hall... just outside?

***

"What the fuck?!" Ferris exclaims, knives abruptly in hand as the trio pop out of absolutely nowhere, radiating power.

[Modrageball]

Elyion also jumps. "Ah! Well, that was rather more immediate than I was expecting. It's alright, Ferris, I called for backup. I'd like to introduce you to Celas. Veteran member of the Battle Arena, deity of Fate, and a considerable list of other titles and accomplishments that would take an unreasonable amount of time to mention. Celas, this is Fleet-Foot Ferris, upstanding member of the Spirit Hunter Association, and my extremely competent and professional guide during the Seed Rains. Thank you for coming, and so quickly." She dismisses the Seletheric golems to free up more space in the cave, her doppelganger crumbling to gem dust as well.

"Of course. I'm happy to help. I owe you and Giles a lot for all your help over the years. I'm pleased to make your acquantance as well, Ferris. So what's the situation?"

Elyion quickly overviews the story thusfar, the nature of the Rains, the fact that periodically the Moon/Spirit World dump yet more mana into the area causing more things to grow, and more powerful things to spawn, and that presently the area is full of things above Level 60. She indicates the Rose's Divinations on the area and link to the Oracle Iris, and Celas links his own abilities as a Diviner and Numinous Archivist to them. (She also informs him that the portal is to a dungeon that she plans to visit later, and he'll respect her wishes and first claim.)

"Alright, so here's my plan. I'll phase you into my Void Sanctum to keep you safe. Feel free to find a comfortable seat in my City-Beast. We can continue to use the Rose's Divinations in tandem with my own, which'll let you keep an eye on my progress, you can all point out anything you want me to pick up, and I can get it for you. Additionally, if there's anything you really want me to take out, point it out and I'll give it a go. Likewise if there's anything you want to actually participate in a battle against- I'll do all I can to guarantee your safety, but I don't recommend doing so against anything higher than level 55ish. I'm guessing we're on the clock and that you'll want to be back in a safe city before the next Seedfall, so I'll make all due haste. Anything to add?"

Celas extends his arm, and as Elyion and Ferris grab it, the colors drain out of the cave until the cave itself fades away. They find themselves standing somewhere else. The sunless, starless sky is devoid of light, but they do not stand in shadows, for it is not darkness. It is not an oppressive, obscuring blackness. It is peace, tranquility, and harmony.
Perhaps fortunately for Ferris, the lack of any horizon, or, indeed, any ground to speak of, is somewhat obscured by the stony cityscape they find themselves in the midst of, as Celas has chosen to phase them onto the back of the Fossilized City-Beast. The Dragon of the Root, sensing its master's presence, stirs and looks in between some buildings, Celas giving it a smile and fond wave.

Meanwhile, while they're getting settled within the Sanctum, Celas leaves the cave and prepares to wage war. (Control of Earth could widen the cave around the portal if he lacks any other means of bypassing it, mostly for Timorius and Gladius' sakes) A volunteer from his Hieberric Summon cadre of Liches and Lich Lords is selected for ascenscion into a Demilich. The power of the Silver Mask imbues him, shifting him towards Undeath and allowing him to empower his phylactery.

Buffs, buffs and more buffs:

Timorius
Graveshield- +70,000 Defense, target ignores the next 1,000,000 HP worth of HP Damage that would be dealt to it, does not stack, Earth or Earth & Darkness, 51 MP
Spiritual Ward- +70,000 Defense, +10,000 Defense against SPI Damage, Target gains Hexed Immunity, Stat Drain Immunity, Stat Drain: SPI Drain Immunity, and Voidstruck Immunity, does not stack, Hope & Darkness, 2,500 MP

City Beast:
Invulnerability Ward- Target gains +# Defense, gains +#% Resilience, gains Physical Immunity to sources below Level 80, gains Magic Immunity to sources below Level 80, cannot be criticalled by sources below Level 80, and is Immune to sources below Level 60, does not stack, Warding, # MP

The Silver Ring
Wielder may spend an action to give a target a non-stacking buff that gives it 30% Base Element Resistance and Minor Negative Status Effect Immunity

The Silver Feather
Wielder may spend an action to give all of wielder's allies, including wielder, a non-stacking buff that provides +160% Resilience and +1,000,000 Defense

He hefts Mortiis Finallis and strides boldly into the gloom, detatchment of undead accompanying him, in pursuit of fruit! (Also any suggestions of "ooh grab that branch for me" or something from Ferris) He's intending to make his way towards the Pure Tear of Vernat.

(Special thing I'm on the lookout for: Are any Moongazers still around?)

"Deity? Like a Kami or something?"
Ferris looks somewhat confused, although thankfully less likely to spring into combat at Elyion's assurance. The look of confusion quickly becomes one of alarm as he's dragged off to the crumbling, ossified city atop the undead kaiju-tier creature within the pocket-voidspace Celas calls his domain-sanctum.
"What the fuck," the demihuman guide states for the second time as he takes in the ancient ruins, the void-blank sky, and the enormous dragon peering through the gaps in the skyline.

Celas attunes himself to The Rose, linking his own skills as a Diviner and Numinous Archivist to the artifact. In response, the artifact fairly erupts with power. Perhaps this is the upgrade Mr. Progression was talking about? No, that can't just be it. Celas considers, after a moment, that linking his deity-tier and two-level-bands-higher self to an artifact already linked to a potent and almost certainly rather-higher-level divination-focus might quite possibly have run the risk of overtaxing it.
That, however, doesn't seem to have happened. In fact, The Rose seems to have taken to the uplink far better than he was expecting, despite the huge level-discrepancy. What in the various worlds has been going on with this thing while Elyion was holding it? It feels like there's a great big bundle of... potential, or something, building within the thing, liable to crystallise into something- or, more likely, several somethings at some point.

Meanwhile, Celas is also outside his Void-Sanctum, ready to tackle the challenges of the Seed Rains. Timorius and the City-Beast levy buffs upon his form (along with several from aspects of his newest acquisition) before they consider moving on to bolstering the others amidst their newly-expanded ranks. Liches and Lich Lords manifest from his Hiebarric aura, with one being granted the ability to abandon most of its physical form in return for even greater power over the dark magics of undeath.

A path is opened through the earth, sending crystal roses cascading and shattering from the cave's walls and ceiling! The Rose's helpful map (and one handy instant-infodump from the artifact later) provide Celas with a good idea of where the most important things in what he now knows as The Narrows are.
It reveals that the Pure Tear is relatively close-by through the winding path of the gorge. If the blips on the map are anything to go by, it's attracting some attention from the local populace of mana-spawned(?) spirits and plant-things, although the strongest in this particular area seems to be a Moongazer-Adept of Vernat (Plant & Spirit, Level 65) with a backup-contingent of six Moongazers of Vernat (Plant & Spirit, Level 50). It appears to have just spawned, possibly due to the Tear's presence. That thing might be rather troublesome, actually, especially as it seems to have the ability to invoke the power of the Verdant Moon itself in various ways. In this climate, its seed-storm abilities would be amped massively and quite easily graduate to another full-blown seedfall from the Rains. Taking it out before it even gets a chance to try anything would, Celas' Knowledge-powers suggest, be the best plan.
Two Maiaden Eikerii (Elemental & Spirit, Level 53 Elite) are also in its immediate area, too, along with a Titan Briar (Plant, Level 58) which appears to be trying to grow its way towards the crystal treasure.

On the fruit-front, there appears to be a stand of the fruit-trees on either end of Aster Gorge, but none actually within the gorge itself. Perhaps they got overgrown by various other plants in the area?
Ferris appears to be a little too overwhelmed to make any plant-grabbing suggestions, at present.

Is he going to aim for the Tear, the fruit(s) or look around for something else?

Elyion exposits some. "Well, yes. Quite like a Kami. Peers of a sort, if you will. I admit, I hadn't been expecting... this when I requested his help. Elemental Void hadn't been one of his specialties the last time I worked with him, and I think he's leveled up..."

Celas interjects. "Yeah. 79, now. Won a Megaquest, too! The Artifact's new. I recently stashed some of my powers for some training, so I can't give you the new and improved full Fateweaver experience, but I've got a lot of new tricks up my sleeve to make up for it."

"Oh? That's wonderful, my congratulations. I guess the third time's the charm?" Elyion teases before turning her attention back to Ferris.

Meanwhile, Exterior, Celas and his entourage make all due haste for the Tear. He decides to pull out one of those new tricks, in fact, as part of a strategy for the upcoming battle. He unfolds a scroll of vellum from his Spell Storage. The powers of an Adept of Law, the Prime Judge, are asserted.
Supreme Court Order: Halt Zonal Redevelopment- (Spell, Other: Litigamancy, Earth & Law, 120,000 MP, 60,000,000 Gold) Individuals below Level 80 who are no more than 19 Levels greater than caster may not destroy Zones, create Zones, alter Zones, attach effects to Zones, remove effects from Zones, or alter effects on Zones without caster's permission, with this effect being a non-stacking buff on caster, Caster must be Level 40 or greater

No Unauthorized Growth. No Unauthorized Weather Tampering.

The power of Vernat may be beyond his ability to challenge, but the Lunar Arts the Mooncallers use to channel them? Those should be something within his dominion to override. Likewise the Titan Briar's encroachment on the imminent battlefield. No growing into the area. Wait your turn.

Celas again cuts into Elyion's attempts to reassure Ferris. "You should gear up. I'm about to take on a fight you might want to participate in. Tough opponents, but within your ability to fight, with a leader I'll deal with. Feel free to sit it out if you want, though."

Elyion nods. "I'll fight."

(Celas informs me the Gargantua's Invulnerability Ward is also being applied to Elyion and her gang)

The Gargantua shifts and heaves, the cityscape atop it swaying worryingly. Ancient defensive power rushes through Elyion, Giles and Ferris!
Exterior-Celas, meanwhile, unfurls his Supreme Court Order and declares a new law upon the area! Through his Adept power of Law, he is comfortably certain nothing he's presently picking up is going to be able to breach that command. The new caveats likely won't withstand the next true seedfall, but the Moongazers are definitely out of luck.

"No idea what's going on or you're talking about, but if you want the assist, I'm in." Ferris, latching onto a potential situation he's more experienced in dealing with, spins his knives in his hands and shifts to a firmer grip.

Celas and his attendant crew of deathly entities storm out of the cave's new exit and into the dark, verdant, claustrophobic gorge beyond. The walls that Elyion recalls seeing are gone, replaces with a continuous rising canopy of all manner of trees, growing up and out and even atop one another. The smell of greenery is almost as thick a barrier as the solid mass of plants the area's ground has become, intertwined with impassable clumps of bushes with glowing thorns and dripping flowers, entire trees almost filling the entire width of the path and jutting at odd angles, and grasping roots and branches that shift and catch unnaturally.

None of these are an impediment for the deific necromancer and his swarm of liches, who are perfectly capable of floating, flying, phasing through or withering their own path to their goal.

A few of the liches get waylaid on the way by a swarm of odd, somewhat familiar sphere-collection spirits that The Rose's infodump helpfully provided as being Perito Vernat Remalii (Spirit & Magic Being, Level 59). Despite the level-discrepancy, however, the pair of standard Liches manage to put a significant dent in the things even before the Lich Lords sweep in, and a single spell from the Demilich utterly ends them.

Celas and Timorius get four times the XP of a Level 59 entity.
Ferris points out that the last ones the group fought dropped stuff.

Celas picks up and subsequently deposits into his Void-Sanctum:
Vernat Remalii Essence- (Item, Material, Earth & Moon, 120,000 Gold)

2 Radiant Vernat Remalii Orb- (Weapon, Orb, Earth & Wood & Life & Dream & Moon, 20,000,000 Gold) +20,000 Magical Attack, +20,000 Ranged Attack, +20,000 MIN, +20,000 SPI, +200,000 MP, 60% inflicts Suffocation: Verdant Air, 60% inflicts Voidstruck: Moon Mad, 60% inflicts Manablasted: Fading Into Dream, if wielder successfully inflicts either Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad or Manablasted: Fading Into Dream with an action using this weapon, targets of said action are additionally afflicted with an instance of Poison that counts as a Moderate Status Effect, Moderate Status Effects or instances of Poison inflicted by wielder may instead possess the text of Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad or Manablasted: Fading Into Dream instead of their normal text, weilder's Level is counted as 10 higher, to a max of 99, for stat-scanning purposes as an effect that is not counted for purposes of bypassing "Immune to below Level X" effects

Words Which Tear Man's Humanity Asunder And Rebind Its Form And Pattern With Spiritual Essence- (Spell, Other: Ancient Magic, Moon & Dream, 1,000,000 MP, 50,000,000 Gold) Target Human gains the subtype Spirit and counts as possessing the ability 'Aptim' for the purpose of effects that check for such and possessing solely the subtype Spirit for the purpose of effects that check for such; Caster may choose to permanently grant this spell's target (if a Human) the ability 'Aptim' by paying an additional 1,000,000 XP while casting this spell; this spell additionally possesses the subtypes Spirit Magic, Enchantment, Wizard Magic and Channeling, has RP effects

Manablasted: Fading Into Dream (Possessor takes an amount of Dream element damage equal to 5% of possessor's Max HP at the start of every round that cannot be defended against by Defense that is not either coming from Universe-element sources or Defense that is specifically Defense against the element Dream)



Celas rounds a particularly lush bend to witness a beauteous, coruscating aurora of greens and golds suffusing the air, flickering and dancing around a blindingly-bright sphere of light, hovering in the middle of the gorge.
Swooping down in the sphere's direction is an imposing, four-armed figure weilding a scythe and two green-glowing orbs, its ornate cloak and robes of leaves billowing around it. Its head is a collection of shining green lights nestled in an unfurled flower of green-gold petal-like protrusions, looking rather like an absurdly fancy (and significantly overlarge) collar or ruff. Lunar phase-symbols blaze in the air around it.
Flying behind it are a squadron of six two-armed, lesser variants of the same, their flower-like heads only half-bloomed. Each carries a sycthe and a single orb, their lunar-symbols burned into the air less eye-searingly brightly than their leader's.
These are definitely the Moongazers Celas registered.

Whether due to fate or fortune, they appear to be approaching the sphere from roughly the same direction as Celas is, and thus have their collective backs to him, too focused on the prize they seek to claim.

Beyond the sphere, two huge female golem-like figure in a gowns of verdant earth and grass are approaching from part of the gorge that has been overgrown with a thick, thorny mass of brambles with vines as wide across as entire tree trunks. Those would, most likely, be the pair of Maiaden Eikerii and the probably rather-frustrated Titan Briar behind them.

Celas looks at Ferris. "Death spirits are mine. Skeletons and skulls. They won't hurt you, so don't fear them and keep on target for the plant-themed stuff. Oh, all of you be careful you don't stray into the Briar, it can't get at us, but it's trying. If you need cover, feel free to stay behind either Timorius or Gladius- they're in the heavy armor."

With that, he phases them back into normal space and all hell breaks loose!

With Void stilling the air to mask his approach, he swoops at the Moongazer-Adept's back, Dark and Necromantic magics swirling around Mortiis Finalis as he channels them through an attack keyed to pierce this very foe's defenses: his Spirit-Bane Harvest, the Reaper's Scythe combining his physical and spiritual power and channeling his knowledge of witchcraft to Crystallize Spirit through the Warlock's Scythe.

The Demilich levitates above the melee, cackling madly as its gem-eyes gleam and bolts of lethal necromantic power lash out at the Eikerii. The Lich Lords join in a similar barrage, summoning up Creeping Fires on them.

The Liches bombard the Moongazers with Fell Bolts of necromantic magic, carving paths of darkness through the gloom.

Elyion, too joins in this ranged barrage of sorcerous combat, infusing the Crystal Conflux Laser's Fire with Sunfire and targeting one of the non-Adept Moongazers.

Timorius stays on the defensive, casting a Graveshield at Elyion and remaining between the casters and the enemy Spirits.

Gladius roars in unholy glee and charges headlong into battle. "AT LAST!", wicked blade raised as he charges the Maiaden Eikerii!

Giles also provides cover for the other less-powerful members of the squad, using Spatial manipulation to bend dangerous attacks away from Elyion or Ferris.

Ferris' ears flatten somewhat at the mention of death spirits, but the demihuman still looks determined to join in with the fighting.

Celas, under cover of Void, whisks Elyion's group back into normal reality and takes to the skies in order to land a devastating first strike against the Moongazer-Adept! Life-destroying dark power and deathly energies intertwine around his legendary weapon, brought down upon his foe in a manner the death-god knows will harm it the most through a specialised combination of anti-Spirit techniques!

The Moongazer-Adept, too fixated on the magnificent prize dangling before it, is caught utterly by surprise and struck a horrifically damaging blow. Parts of its form crack and crystallise into dull, dark, glassy shards and shatter, scattering to the ground below. Two of its arms are lost to the attack, along with a good portion of the thing's central body, but it still seems to be (just barely) hanging on to life.

The cackling, bejewelled skull launches itself skyward in a trail of necrotic magic! It gazes upon the elemental spirits wading into the battlefield in an attempt to claim the prize for themselves. One gem-eye glitters with malevolent power, followed by the other. A one-two barrage of deadly, deathly bolts lance out from the cursed gemstones and strike both of the Maiaden Eikerii in turn. The spirits try to shield themselves with the land itself, trying to pull the terrain into a cloak around them, but they cannot hope to match the Demilich in speed or power. The bolts strike, and the duo are instantly turned to dust.

The Moongazer-Adept spins, and beholds the array of enemies before it.
The thick, dark pall of clouds above parts, revealing an enormous moon, surface rippling with green and golden light.
The Governing Lunar Body of the battle has been set to Vernat.
Lunar sigils blaze and shift as the Moongazer-Adept raises its two remaining arms to call down the full fury of the Seed Rains upon everyone in the area, bolstered massively by the ongoing phenomenon itself!
It finds it cannot. Obstructive legislature brought into being by an Adept of Law and written into local reality forbid it from calling down the Rains before their time.
It tries again, using the auspice of the Verdant Moon above to bring forth a battle-wide scouring of its foes through supernatural overgrowth, again massively empowered due to the presence of the Rains in the area!
It finds it cannot. Once again, legal magics and the very essence of Law bars it from that course of action.
Thrown off-balance by both the sudden, unexpected removal of its first options in battle and the massive damage it has suffered, it is unable to call forth a third attack using weaponised moonlight and expressions of pure elemental force.

The trio of Lich Lords, bereft of their initial targets, summon up Creeping Fires upon the Moongazer-Adept and two of the lesser Moongazers! The Adept is set ablaze with clinging, black flames that rapidly propogate to its exposed core.
The assault proves to be too much for it, and it burns away entirely, lunar sigils and scythe winking out of existence as its magic fades.
The lesser Moongazers are similarly set aflame, with one clearly being considerably more hurt than the other by the mystical attack.

Timorious casts the shadow of an ethereal tombstone upon Elyion, boosting her defenses yet more!

Gladius, finding his initial target and preferred secondary target literally gone up in dust and flames, settles instead for the more-damaged of the on-fire Moongazers! His blade cleaves straight through the spirit, providing him the momentum needed to launch into a second attack, much as the lesser Bane Knights are capable of!
The second Moongazer proves to be damaged enough that his devastating second attack finishes it off with a single stroke, once again spurring him to strike a third!
The wicked edge cleaves into the third unfortunate spirit's form, but does not manage to bisect it as it did the others. The Moongazer is looking in a significantly bad way, however.

Elyion capitalises on the damage already done and levels the glowing, pulsating Rose at the damaged Moongazer, unleasing a blazing torrent of flaming solar lasers upon it, setting it ablaze with golden light and forcing it to drop behind its remaining fellows in a desperate attempt to shield itself!

It doesn't work. Ferris appears out of thin air, stabbing it with a wicked-looking white knife whose blade is oddly indistinct. The spirit is struck in its flower-head and crumples, spiralling to the ground in a trail of flames.

The three remaining Moongazers, as one, pitch forward as a ghostly white mark appears in the same location on each of their 'heads', sap and moonlight spilling out from the wounds.
Each of them, seeing the trouble their leader suffered, raise their arms skyward.
The Governing Lunar Body of battle is Vernat.
The moon's face partially darkens.
The Lunar Phase of Vernat has been set to Waxing Gibbous. All actions of the moon's elements have their critical rates boosted massively.
The moon soars above.
The Lunar Prominence of Vernat has been set to Ascending. All actions of the moon's elements are massively empowered.

The moon blazes with incandescent power. Solid waves of elemental force burst down upon the battlefield, tearing into all of its combatants.

The three remaining Moongazers are significantly healed as they absorb the attack.
Celas and the Demilich are too potent to be affected by attacks from such low-level entities.
Elyion, Giles and Ferris are shielded by Invulnerability Ward! The attack buffets them, but can do them no harm.
Timorius stands firm in the face of the attack, managing to weather it with no damage.
Gladius is struck by the powerful waves of vibrant energy, sustaining minor damage.
The Lich Lords bring up solid shields of necromantic force to burn away the weaponised torrent of Life seeking to end them, taking only minor damage from the assault.
The pair of Liches fare less well, their shields being overwhelmed and torn through by the attack. Both take heavy damage.


Celas, Timorius, Elyion, Giles and The Rose all gain:
XP for a Level 65 enemy
4* XP for a Level 53 enemy
3* XP for a Level 50 enemy

(Just a note that I was a dumb and forgot to clearly indicate in my stat block that my Undead Masterworks are level 79, which I have now fixed on Gladius's line)

Celas whirls on the remaining three Moongazers, Scythe blade slashing into the earth and a bleeding rift oozing out of it and towards his foes. A legion of bloody, skeletal arms claw their way up, grasping, clawing, slashing at the hapless Spirits.

The Demilich looms over them, gem-teeth chattering as it recites unholy words of decay, rotting miasma flowing over the Moongazers.

The remainder of Celas's small army follows suit, bolts of dark energies hurled by undying mages, blades carried by armored knights flashing and slashing.

Celas whirls and unleashes a wave of grasping, clawing, blood skeletal hands from a bleeding rift in the ground!
The remaining Moongazers don't stand a chance. Such high-level Necromancy, weilded by a force utterly beyond their capability to withstand, has them torn apart into oozing chunks of sap and spiritual essence in moments.

Silence falls across the battlefield, broken only by the patter of Moongazer-pieces falling into the decaying, overgrown undergrowth below.

Celas, Timorius, Elyion, Giles and The Rose all gain:
3* XP for a Level 50 enemy

Ferris, despite his stoic expression, seems thoroughly freaked out by the proceedings, if his flattened and quivering ears are anything to go by, but is gamely setting to looking for anything useful in the remains.


The Pure Tear of Vernat hovers silently above it all, untouched.

Elyion will (potentially with a boost from Giles) collect the Tear!

Celas assists Ferris in searching for loot.

The clouds are once again a dark, obscuring blanket over the entire sky.

Giles and Elyion team up to collect the Pure Tear! The crystal sphere leaves a glowing trails of vibrant, living energy in its wake as the butler spatially grabs it from its resting place in midair.
The thing fairly pulses with power.
Giles contains it in a multi-layered spatial pocket, but glowing wisps of power still slip through here and there in his vicinity.

The death-god swoops down to assist in looking for loot! Ferris looks like he's trying to focus on the task at hand and distinctly avoiding looking at the cadre of liches and assorted other deathly entities.

A brief search turns up:

Lunar Phase-Sigil Array- (Accessory, Mystic Infusion, Moon, 80,000,000 Gold) +80,000 Magical Attack, +1,600,000 MP, this item may gain the element(s) of the Associated Elements of a Governing Lunar Body currently set and gain Absorbs <Element> (where said element is a maximum of one of the Associated Elements of a set Governing Lunar Body), <Element> Immunity (where said element is a maximum of one of the Associated Elements of a set Governing Lunar Body), and 100% <Element> Resistance (where said element is a maximum of one of the Associated Elements of a set Governing Lunar Body), Possessor may, at the start of each round, if a Governing Lunar Body has been set, choose to replicate the effects of any Lunar Arts spell with a lesser or equal Gold Value than this item with a name that includes 'Invoke Lunar Phase', possessor may choose for possessor's spells, items and abilities to count as being under the effect of the spells 'Invoke Lunar Prominence: Ascending', 'Invoke Lunar Prominence: Resplendent' or 'Invoke Lunar Prominence: Descending', to a maximum of one such spell effect per round

Call Unto Moon: Vernat- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Earth & Wood, 40,000 MP, 40,000,000 Gold) Sets Vernat as the current Governing Lunar Body, sets said Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements to Earth & Wood, reduces the cost of all Lunar Magic spells containing the same element(s) as the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements by 40,000 MP and increases the Magical Attack, Ranged Attack or Melee Attack bonuses of all Lunar Magic spells containing the same element(s) as the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements by +40,000 as a non-stacking bonus.

Invoke Lunar Phase: Last Quarter- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 20,000 MP, 20,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Phase of the current Governing Lunar Body to Last Quarter, said Lunar Phase provides -50% Resilience against all actions including the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements, with this effect replacing any Lunar Phase currently in effect

Invoke Lunar Phase: Waning Gibbous- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 20,000 MP, 20,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Phase of the current Governing Lunar Body to Waning Gibbous, said Lunar Phase provides -50% Critical to all actions including the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements, with this effect replacing any Lunar Phase currently in effect

2 Invoke Lunar Phase: Waxing Crescent- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 20,000 MP, 20,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Phase of the current Governing Lunar Body to Waxing Crescent, said Lunar Phase provides +50% Dodge against all actions including the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements, with this effect replacing any Lunar Phase currently in effect

Eruptive Landstrike- (Spell, Geomancy, Earth, 30,000 MP, 30,000,000 Gold) +30,000 Magical Attack, this spell may solely become the element(s) of any Terrain or Phantom Terrain present in battle that does not have an equivalent in the Shop that possesses the elements Air or Water (unless it also possesses the element Earth), 60% inflicts any one base Moderate Status Effect that deals damage of an element shared by the aforementioned Terrain or Phantom Terrain, 1 hit against all individuals within chosen Terrain or Phantom Terrain

Gown of Green and Verdant Earth- (Accessory, Clothing, Earth, 30,000,000 Gold) +30,000 CON, +30,000 Defense, +300,000 HP, 30% Earth Resistance, Wearer may choose to count as being in a Zone of Earth and attach effects to this item that could normally be attached to Zones of Earth, may choose for wearer's presence to count as the presence of a Zone of Earth, may gain or solely become the element Earth, may have wearer's items, spells and abilities count as if wearer had cast Call Unto Earth ten additional times, and may choose to count as being in a Terrain of Conifer Forest, Dark Forest, Domain of Elemental Earth, Farmland, Forest, Hills, Jungle, Meadow, Mushroom Forest, Mystic Forest, Orchards, Rolling Farmland, Rolling Plains, Sakura Forest, Sunny Forest, or Untamed Wilds


Celas' power over Knowledge grants him information on three other spells that exist, as referenced by the Lunar Phase Sigil Array.

Invoke Lunar Prominence: Ascending- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 1,000,000 MP, 100,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Prominence of the current Governing Lunar Body to Ascending, said Lunar Prominence causes all instances of damage dealt containing one or more of the Associated Elements of the current Governing Lunar Body to be multiplied by 2 (to a maximum of 50,000,000 additional damage), with this effect replacing any Lunar Prominence currently in effect.

Invoke Lunar Prominence: Resplendant- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 1,000,000 MP, 100,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Prominence of the current Governing Lunar Body to Resplendant, said Lunar Prominence causes all instances of damage dealt containing one or more of the Associated Elements of the current Governing Lunar Body to be able to ignore the Associated Element Resistances (but not Immunities, Reflection or Absorption) of all individuals below Level 80, with this effect replacing any Lunar Prominence currently in effect.

Invoke Lunar Prominence: Descending- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 1,000,000 MP, 100,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Prominence of the current Governing Lunar Body to Descending, said Lunar Prominence causes all instances of damage dealt containing one or more of the Associated Elements of the current Governing Lunar Body to be divided by 2, with this effect replacing any Lunar Prominence currently in effect.



General 'these things are likely subject to change' disclaimer here

Celas passes the loot to Elyion with a nod and then turns to the Titan Briar. "I think it's time for a little gardening."

He starts whistling a jaunty tune and hefts his scythe, wading into the thorny overgrowth with a series of slashes!

Elyion examines the offerings. "Intriguing! It would seem these Lunar Arts are somewhat akin to Elementalist magic."

She notes the Geomancy spell, and offers it to Ferris. "Are you by chance able to cast this?"

Ferris takes the offered spell and squints at it.
"...Geomancy? Probably. Looks like it it's pretty powerful, but I don't think I could stop it from making the whole area attack everything in it. Including me. Have to study more if I'd want to use it the way I'd like."
He runs a hand through his scruffy mass of hair, ears quivering.
"Those things it came from were what's called 'Maiaden Eikerii' over here. Powerful land-spirits. Can either empower themselves from elemental attacks like that or... separate the land so they've not affected by it. And your... death-kami... associate's underling just destroyed them like they were nothing. What in the fuck kind of place is beyond the Gate?"

Celas spins his scythe merrily and wades off into the writhing mass of thorns blockading the valley to the north, cutting through redwood-thick brambles and razor-sharp thorns bigger than he is as if they were half-melted butter. The legendary weapon seals the stumps off with shriveled decay and withering slices, and before too long nothing remains but a neat pile of oversized, oversharp thorns amidst clouds of mulch, revealing the rest of the valley beyond it. Seems like there's a fair few other plant-things and floating spirits up that way.

Celas, Timorius, Elyion, Giles and The Rose all gain:
XP for a Level 58 entity

Celas also finds:
Huge Pile of Titan Briar Thorns- (Item, Material, Earth & Wood, 8,000,000 Gold)

"Well, beyond the Gate lies... the rest of the Universe. Worlds and realms and planes and dimensions innumerable, full of so very, very many different kinds of beings and magic and Elements and... stuff! Concepts I find myself at a loss for words to describe in brief. Most directly beyond you'll find the great City of Nexus, the grand hub of countless worlds. It's... quite like the Spirit Hunter's Association, really. Going from this world to Nexus, on the whole, would be like going from the quiet streets of Mornhill to that crowded lobby; from seeing only humans to the quite colorful bunch who were crowded in there when we departed. It's full of so many kinds of different sorts of creatures that you've never heard of or even imagined. It is, in short, wonderful.
"And dangerous. I realize that Celas's... motif can be unnerving, but he's honestly a decent sort, and extremely protective in his own way. He also, bluntly put, apocalyptically strong. Both were factors I was interested in when I requested him, though I admit I didn't realize how powerful he'd become. We're in a dangerous situation, I thought a dangerous being whose powers stand opposed to our current overgrowth-problem was appropriate. And as impressive as he can be, he's nowhere near the top of the metaphorical charts. There's a full... bracket, I suppose, of beings you're able to find traveling the worlds who he would be unable to fight any more successfully than those Maiaden Eikerii stood up to his minion, before you start getting into the territory of things that... remain in the heart of their own power, for the most part. There are worlds of terrible creatures. There are worlds so hostile that you or I cannot set foot upon their surface at all- as chaotic and deadly as being trapped in a seedfall, all the time. There are hideously invasive, subtle, conscious Elements that want to infect all of reality. But for every terrible, lethal danger that lurks in some corner of reality, there's beauty and wonder and glorious horizons to see; beings of such nobility and grace and benevolence that you could weep to behold them; adventure and treasures and new secrets that you've never considered before. It's all worth the risk." She takes a moment to assess and considers. "Celas is also sandbagging. I've personally seen him call up thousands of soldiers against powerful foes. I see some wisdom in keeping a small, mobile strike force of his most powerful minions, but I wonder why he's holding back so much. Perhaps he's trying to avoid drawing attention to our presence here. In any case, by all means, keep the spell. I think it'll really benefit you to have that sort of firepower in the long run, if you can master it."
She, herself, equips the Lunar Phase Sigil Array!

Celas, meanwhile, finished mowing the lawn, plots a future course. He sifts the Rose's Iris-fueled data through his own powers of Knowledge and Divination, scrying up more information to fill in the blanks or add clarity to things the Rose couldn't grasp.
He considers proceeding through a jagged course of sorts, zigzagging from points of interest from Aster Gorge through the unnamed split-off valley bridging it with the Crosscut (and picking up the Mystic Oats) there, then into the Crosscut and the Warden's Rowan (and stabilize/destroy the marsh-ooze bit), then over to Turnpeak Passage to assist the Garlic Knight against Arboregomanus, and then hopefully be able to get the kids home in time for bed. (Or rather, behind city walls before getting smashed with another Seedfall). A tidy list of objectives, he feels.
He wants to be able to prepare somewhat for the random encounters on the way, or have a bit of foresight-prep for avoiding them, or note anything actively seeking him out or attracted to the Tear's continued power output.

"That sounds absolutely fucking crazy." Ferris leans heavily against a less-animate variety of tree. "Thought both halves of this world and all the Spirit World was endless enough, and now you're telling me there's... more. A shitload more. And full of things that can end worlds. Going to need a minute to get my head around that."

Elyion equips the Phase Array! Lunar sigils wink into being around her. She feels more in-tune with the moon somewhere above all those clouds, even if she isn't familiar with the magic behind it. She's certainly more defensively-equipped against the perils of the Seed Rains, although she doesn't fancy going for a stroll during an actual seedfall any time soon.



Celas, meanwhile, plans courses and considers options!
The Rose has done an absolutely stellar job, considering its level, but some things were blocked by lingering interference or other effects. Celas browses through the data he has available, using his power over Knowledge and his own divinatory abilities to add to the pile.


The considered route is, of course, rather full of potentially dangerous entities that could get in the way. Fortunately, Celas, Gladius and the Demilich would be able to trivially deal with the vast majority of them.
Heading through Aster Gorge is unlikely to meet much in the way of any more opposition. There are a few more Moongazers of Vernat (Plant & Spirit, Level 50), but not Moongazer-Adepts, along the way, as well as a couple of Perito Vernat Remalii (Spirit & Magic Being, Level 59), but that's about as dangerous as the entities remaining in the Gorge will get. He could fairly easily mow his way through a number of other things on the way if he felt so inclined.
The Puersentis Briar-Whip is in the same direction, too, although picking it up would involve a slight detour. There's a small stand of Seed Rain Fruit Trees at the exit.

The adjoining pass (registering to Celas as The Bends) is somewhat more trouble. The Mystic's Oats are along the way to the Crosscut, but there are three of those King's Chalices (Spirit & Plant, Level 67) growing near it, which would be liable to bypass Elyion's lower-level-group's mental defenses and overwhelm them with the desire for the treasures they promise. Also problematic is the Evermoss Expanse (Plant, Level 62) which would likewise be able to overwhelm them. That particular entity is an extremely hard-to-kill constantly-regenerating and spreading moss that can tag things with Evermoss Growth, essentially making other entities part of itself under its control and having them spread itself further as some weird sort of plant-not-really-zombie-plague. Fortunately, Celas' decree has harshly cut down on its ability to regrow, grow or spread. There's more of those Maiaden Eikerii (Elemental & Spirit, Level 53 Elite) and Perito Vernat Remalii (Spirit & Magic Being, Level 59) around there, too, along with a host of other things that are unlikely to be an issue.
There are no Seed Rain Fruit Trees in there. The Evermoss apparently tried to eat them. Fortunately, Celas' spell came in at just the right time to prevent it from 'unauthorized growth' that might have led to making it a rather harder potential fight than it should otherwise have been.

The Crosscut is rather a mess. It would probably be more of a mess if it weren't for the Hungering Seed-Rain Empowered Swamp (Plant & Ooze, Level 64 Elite Unit) attempting to devour everything that happens to come near it. It's changed since the last scan, having gained a few levels, having gained the ability to create and fire blades of pure Life, Wood and Earth mana from its writhing tendrils and the ability to vampirically feed on the minds and psychic energy of others, taking full advantage of its plethora of actions to mince everything into more-easily-consumed chunks.
It's currently being distracted from its attempt to eat everything in sight thanks to a pair of Magistrum Vernat Remalii (Spirit & Magic Being, Level 69), however, which appear to be doing their damndest to transform the swamp-thing into pure vitrified mana, for whatever reason. The battle is rather more evenly-matched than perhaps it should be due to the Remalii suffering from a reduced level (they currently counts as Level 66) from conversion-attempts. Things are further tilted due to it suffering from some detrimental Seed Rain Fruit Effects, too, granting it a massive weakness to deathly energy, a considerable weakness to Darkness, and the singularly bizarre detrimental ability to have its form altered by things it can't perceive.
The Warden's Rowan is somewhere in the middle of that particular mess, but appears to be standing its ground rather well.
Also present in the large valley are a pair of Willow-Of-The-Wisps (Spirit & Plant, Level 66) making life absolutely miserable for the contingent of Perito Vernat Remalii (Spirit & Magic Being, Level 59) and the squad of Moongazers. The Manifold Geranium is growing near one of the aforementioned trees. A small swarm of Blissbringer Spiderwort (Plant, Level 67) are setting up shop at the far western end, too, which is likely to be considerably problematic to anyone wanting to reach Turnpeak Passage on foot.
On the plus side, there's a rather large number of those Seed Rain Fruit Trees dotted about the valley that haven't been eaten by the Swamp, which either got distracted by the Remalii-duo before it could eat any more, or wisely decided to stop after the third detrimental power landed on it.

The battle in Turnpeak Passage continues to rage. *Arboregomanus, Lord Of The Forest Of Hands (Spirit & Plant, Level 63), has lost the upper hand thanks to Celas' Law-magic preventing it from spreading or regrowing its lost trees, forcing it to concentrate more and more on defense as *Garlic Knight Adlius (Spirit & Plant, Level 65) continues to wade in.
Celas' knowledge-powers inform him that the Knight is solely driven by the desire to test its might against others, and killing off Arboregomanus would likely have it shift its attention to Celas.
There were a number of other potent spawned entities present, here. Emphasis on 'were'. It appears that the battle between the two Uniques has ended up having a rather detrimental effect on the population, with Arboregomanus either absorbing, puppeting or dominating them to send against Adlius, only to have them smashed to pieces by the Knight's momentum-effects.
The Golden Smoketree and Fool's Corsage are still there, along with a number of items left in the wake of the wholesale spawn-slaughter. There's a few Seed Rain Trees, too. It would seem that neither combatant wanted to risk it, although Arboregomanus may end up getting pushed to gamble on them if it gets pressed too hard.

In addition to all of these, there are a fair number of interesting and valuable, although perhaps not immediately usable (in the manner of the Corsages or Briar-Whip) plants and not-plants, albeit not anywhere near the level of potency the big prizes previously detected enjoy. Also a large number of other entities which are apt to get utterly steamrolled by Celas' necromantic warsquad. Thanks to The Rose's area map and his Knowledge-powers, Celas is fairly sure he could navigate his way around with a minimum of unneccessary conflict if he felt so inclined.


Other notable divination-results pop up in the form of dungeons that The Rose wasn't quite able to pick up on previously. One is registering as 'Faint Echo of the Endless Green', a Level 45-65 Dungeon which is, bizarrely, registering as being nonunique. That's peculiar. It has an entrance in The Crosscut.
Another dungeon, registering as 'The Living Union Hollow', a Level 40-65 Dungeon, has its entrance in The Bends. It would seem that the Evermoss Expanse came from there.


One other somewhat-notable oddity is an older scan The Rose had. Celas notes that it didn't get a fully accurate report on Fleet-Foot Ferris. He investigates further.
Fleet-Foot Ferris is, it turns out, just named 'Ferris'. He's (now) a Level 38 Human & Spirit. A particularly notable section of information screened off involves some garble of weird characters which, thanks to his power over Knowledge, resolves itself as relating the Aptim (as that's what he apparently is, some sort of human-spirit sub-race) as being an 'Implement' (the term doesn't translate well, but that's as close as it gets), a particular branch of Aptim who have an innate, pattern-deep and overwhelming need to serve a master. It's rather unpleasant to read. It would seem like serving and/or being rebuked by a master creates some sort of reinforcing pleasure/pain feedback loop, which, along with their inborn addiction to servitude, seems hardwired to make essentially fanatically loyal, easily-moulded servants that have an instinctive tendency towards being... well, ninjas, for want of a better term. Thieves, scouts, assassins, bodyguards, all those sort of jobs would come naturally to this particular subrace, although from the way they've been wired, Celas could easily imagine a 'master' being able to mould them into anything they desired. And the 'Implement' would be hardwired to love them for it. Utterly.
It would also seem that they, despite being Uniques (as is the case, Celas finds with a minor deviation in his scanning, with anything possessing a Human subtype as an apparent innate law of the world) they don't possess names unless their 'master' gives them one, essentially stripping them of unique-ness until named, upon which an unbreakable bond with the namer would be forged. Which would seem to be yet another deliberate... design? Wait a second. This race was artificially created to be like this? Well, then. That just makes it all the worse, doesn't it?
Ferris, however, seems to be somewhat... broken, with regards to what he's 'supposed' to be. Grabbing a quick and light summation of his state, it would seem that while he seems to possess massive loyalty (and a rather complicated ball of feelings) to an individual called 'Gavin Traece' that would generally be in-line with the 'master' relationship he's supposed to have, it's weirdly stunted somehow. Instead, it looks like he's been dealing with his need to serve masters by picking up mercenary work as part of the Spirit Hunter's Association and actively trying to avoid getting into the dedicated position of servitude that must be wearing on him, especially as he's wired to want to serve.
This whole section of information was, it seems, heavily veiled, although Celas' power and skill have managed to help him see beyond it. With contents like that, though, it's no wonder the man...spirit...person had it screened off.

"Alright, folks." Celas walks back over to Elyion and Ferris. "Time to pack it up and get ready to ride. I didn't scry up a timeline for another Seedfall, but I didn't sense it interrupting my planned route here, so I'm pretty sure we're safe on that front, but there's no sense taking it slow. Grab your luggage and get ready to jump back to my Gargantua."

Once they're phased back into the Sanctum and aboard the Gargantua, (and for preference have found someplace pleasant to sit) Celas is going to start chatting with them as he beelines for the Whip! (and, if there's no speedbumps that aren't automatically resolved by summonsquad, continuing on to the fruit tree stand)

"So you know what I ran into while you were in here last time? Remalii. Just... what?"
"I know, right? What in ANY POSSIBLE WORLD was he thinking!?"
"And take a look at this abomination it dropped." He slides the Ancient Magic spell over. "They're... they're doing this. Everywhere. Or trying to. And anyone can loot that from them. I don't know how to stop it."
"Perhaps we can get some of our fellow mages together and put together a countercharm that we can distribute?"
"That's a great idea. We'll have to pass this around the Arena Members after this is over."
(If Ferris wants to examine the spell and contribute, they'll explain it to him if he can't work out its functions, as opposed to leaving him out of the conversation entirely.)

Celas ushers Elyion's group back into the fossilised city atop the giant kaiju-tortoise-thing, and commences conversation within what might have once been a restaurant.

The Aptim guide does not know what the spell does on initial inspection. Elyion explains it to him.

A very complicated series of expressions cross the demihuman's face, starting with 'disbelief' and then ricocheting around the spectrum, hitting 'fury' and 'disgust' more than a few times.
"Going to need to tell the Association about this," he eventually manages through gritted teeth. "If they don't know already. Fuck. Probably do already and are trying to handle it quietly. But if they don't... fuck!"
Ferris slams a fist on the ossified table, his other hand furiously combing through his scruffy mass of hair, ears shifting and flicking erratically.
The Rose notes that another part of his pattern- one apparently set to enforce the veneration of an entity identified as the Weaver of Confluent Forces- is lighting up pretty strongly at this and probably contributing to his reaction, but only really matching what he seems to be feeling about the situation already.

Outside, Celas' merry mortuary marauders march on, facing very little in the way of opposition. The worst opponent on the way is one of those Perito Vernat Remalii, which the Demilich handily obliterates with the equivalent of a disdainful glance. Three Moongazers, two Thirsting Ivy (Plant, Level 55) and a Tree of Foliate Fauna (Plant, Level 56)- both severely hampered by Celas' law- later, and the prize of a somewhat disturbing dagger-thorned vine-whip is Celas' to enjoy, along with three weird fruits of differing colour, shape and texture. One looks uncannily like an orange crossed with a baseball.

By the time he reaches the entrance to The Bends, he's got a tidy little pile of loot.

Celas and Timorius get:
XP for a Level 59 entity
XP for a Level 56 entity
2 * XP for a level 55 entity
3 * XP for a level 50 entity

Radiant Vernat Remalii Orb- (Weapon, Orb, Earth & Wood & Life & Dream & Moon, 20,000,000 Gold) +20,000 Magical Attack, +20,000 Ranged Attack, +20,000 MIN, +20,000 SPI, +200,000 MP, 60% inflicts Suffocation: Verdant Air, 60% inflicts Voidstruck: Moon Mad, 60% inflicts Manablasted: Fading Into Dream, if wielder successfully inflicts either Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad or Manablasted: Fading Into Dream with an action using this weapon, targets of said action are additionally afflicted with an instance of Poison that counts as a Moderate Status Effect, Moderate Status Effects or instances of Poison inflicted by wielder may instead possess the text of Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad or Manablasted: Fading Into Dream instead of their normal text, weilder's Level is counted as 10 higher, to a max of 99, for stat-scanning purposes as an effect that is not counted for purposes of bypassing "Immune to below Level X" effects

Leaf of Foliate Fauna- (Consumable, Summoning Stone, Earth & Wood, 1 Charge, 5,000,000 Gold) Summons 1 Animal or Aerial below Level 56, summons summoned through this consumable additionally possess the subtype Plant, have their base HP multiplied by 1.25 and their base AGI multiplied by .75

2 Thirsting Vines- (Spell, Druid Magic, Earth & Wood, 7,000,000 Gold) +7,000 Magical Attack, 700 CON damage, deals HP Drain, deals CON point drain, 100% inflicts Stat Drain: CON Drain, actions involving this spell repeat at the start of the round for the next two rounds so long as their caster does not already have any other actions repeating

Call Unto Moon: Vernat- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Earth & Wood, 40,000 MP, 40,000,000 Gold) Sets Vernat as the current Governing Lunar Body, sets said Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements to Earth & Wood, reduces the cost of all Lunar Magic spells containing the same element(s) as the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements by 40,000 MP and increases the Magical Attack, Ranged Attack or Melee Attack bonuses of all Lunar Magic spells containing the same element(s) as the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements by +40,000 as a non-stacking bonus.

Invoke Lunar Phase: Waxing Crescent- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 20,000 MP, 20,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Phase of the current Governing Lunar Body to Waxing Crescent, said Lunar Phase provides +50% Dodge against all actions including the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements, with this effect replacing any Lunar Phase currently in effect

Invoke Lunar Phase: Waning Gibbous- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 20,000 MP, 20,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Phase of the current Governing Lunar Body to Waning Gibbous, said Lunar Phase provides -50% Critical to all actions including the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements, with this effect replacing any Lunar Phase currently in effect

Uncomfortably Pointy Fruit from the Seed Rains
Weirdly Baseball-Like Fruit from the Seed Rains
Purple and Teal Fruit from the Seed Rains

Puersentis Briar-Whip- (Weapon, Whip, Wood & Life, 290,000,000 Gold) +290,000 Melee Attack, +290,000 Ranged Attack, +290,000 AGI, +290,000 CON, 260% To Hit, Wielder's 'Melee Attack' and 'Attack With Finesse' actions may use Agility as their Prime Attribute, targets that take damage due to actions involving this weapon gain, as a debuff, the subtype Plant and, if (non-unique and not immune to Dominion and below Level 70) or (unique, not immune to Dominion, have less than 50% Dominion or Major Status Effect Resistance and below Level 60) have their actions controlled by wielder, wielder must be Level 60 or greater and possess the ability 'Dominator'

As Celas passes the loots and notably Fruits into the interior, he inquires, "Hey E, what are these and why can't I tell what they do?"

Our resident botanical expert shall potentially provide pertinent points appropos this perplexing produce!

Onward, into the Bends! Going to take this one a bit cautiously, ensuring that he engages the encounters of these stronger foes one at a time (to the degree possible) as he makes for the Mystic Oats!

Elyion receives fruits! Some study later reveals their secrets unto her!

Seed Rain Fruit- Mallemanus (Permanent Consumable, Cursed Item, Earth & Moon, 1 Charge, 30,000,000 Gold) Willing target gains the ability 'Hammer-Handed'; may sometimes be used on nonwilling targets in RP threads
-This fruit turns its consumer's hands into huge, weighty wooden hammer-like fists! The downside is that it turns its consumer's hands into huge, weighty wooden hammer-like fists. It's a permanent change, and the resulting transformed appendages are fused into solid blocks, incapable of opening or manipulation. Going off a purely battle-minded standpoint, this would prevent the consumer from equipping any weapons, which is terrible. Going off the mindset of anything else that isn't a single-minded killing machine, this would prevent rather a lot more things due to the sudden absence of vital manipulators, which is even more terrible.

Seed Rain Fruit- Bestimea (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Beast & Moon, 1 Charge, 120,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Beast Soul'
-This fruit changes its consumer's soul into something more feral and bestial, granting them greater offensive power at the cost of some mental power. It provides a connection to the element of Beast, too. It also causes some physical transformation, skewing the consumer's form more towards the animalistic, and makes them considerably more susceptible to contracting lycanthropy (and benefitting from it, in a way, so long as said consumer's fine with being one of the more feral, uncontrolled variants)

Seed Rain Fruit- Inscripellis (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Earth & Magic & Moon, 1 Charge, 100,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Magically-Writable Skin'
-This fruit causes its consumer's outermost physical layer to change and become highly receptive to spells, altering to become imprinted with the necessary symbols and sigils to cast the spell, such that the consumer essentially becomes a living spell-scroll. Unfortunately, this works both ways. While the consumer could gain the power to fire off spells they cast once more as a counter against anything that strikes them after the fact, it also lends itself to having spells cast offensively on the consumer essentially 'sticking' to them and going off again when disturbed. Rather a double-edged sword.


The group trundles on into The Bends. Opposition is fairly scarce initially; three Maiaden Eikerii put up a fight against the regular Liches (dealing them Moderate damage) but are obliterated by the Demilich and Gladius, and two more of the Perito Vernat Remalii are dealt with before they can start causing problems.
Also potentially problematic is the Dancing Vibrant Kudzu (Plant, Level 60 Elite) which would, according to Celas' array of scanning, be a fantastically annoying foe to face due to its ability to teleport pretty much everywhere and constantly pop back to life from any area it previously visited. It manages, against all odds, to weather the Demilich's necromantic assault and Gladius' blade, forcing Celas to have to get involved himself in order to try and kill off the dancing, squirming, bizarrely-hard-to-hit plant-thing. He succeeds, but is left feeling somewhat frustrated by the entire affair.


Things become rather more problematic as Celas closes in on the Mystic Oats. It would seem like the three King's Chalices are actually growing around the thing in fairly close formation, with piles of glittering gold, flowing jewels and temptingly exotic weaponry pouring out of the gilded pitchers into piles around them. The Lich-duo actually look like they're about to start making for the tempting pile of potentially magnificent phylactery-fodder before managing to shake the entrancing effect off with the assistance of the Force of Noble Global Resistance.



Celas and Timorius get:

2* XP for a Level 60 entity
2* XP for a Level 59 entity
6* XP for a Level 53 entity

Fantastically Annoying, Regrowing Kudzu Vines That Just Won't Stop Coming Back Despite How Much Weedkiller You Put Down- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Life, 200,000 Gold)
Verdant Earth- (Item, Material, Earth & Life, 600,000 Gold)
Vernat Remalii Essence- (Item, Material, Earth & Moon, 120,000 Gold)

Radiant Vernat Remalii Orb- (Weapon, Orb, Earth & Wood & Life & Dream & Moon, 20,000,000 Gold) +20,000 Magical Attack, +20,000 Ranged Attack, +20,000 MIN, +20,000 SPI, +200,000 MP, 60% inflicts Suffocation: Verdant Air, 60% inflicts Voidstruck: Moon Mad, 60% inflicts Manablasted: Fading Into Dream, if wielder successfully inflicts either Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad or Manablasted: Fading Into Dream with an action using this weapon, targets of said action are additionally afflicted with an instance of Poison that counts as a Moderate Status Effect, Moderate Status Effects or instances of Poison inflicted by wielder may instead possess the text of Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad or Manablasted: Fading Into Dream instead of their normal text, weilder's Level is counted as 10 higher, to a max of 99, for stat-scanning purposes as an effect that is not counted for purposes of bypassing "Immune to below Level X" effects

2 Eruptive Landstrike- (Spell, Geomancy, Earth, 30,000 MP, 30,000,000 Gold) +30,000 Magical Attack, this spell may solely become the element(s) of any Terrain or Phantom Terrain present in battle that does not have an equivalent in the Shop that possesses the elements Air or Water (unless it also possesses the element Earth), 60% inflicts any one base Moderate Status Effect that deals damage of an element shared by the aforementioned Terrain or Phantom Terrain, 1 hit against all individuals within chosen Terrain or Phantom Terrain

Step 1: Blank- (Spell, Ethereal Magic, Aether & Void, 1,900,000 MP, 180,000,000 Gold) Target, if target is below caster's Level and below Level 80, has one Constant Effect, Passive Ability, or Ability with an MP cost greater than 0 lose its text, does not stack, Caster must be Level 40 or greater

Celas redacts their mesmerization ability!

Step 2: He's going to carefully approach, using precise cuts of his Scythe with Attack With Finesse to eliminate two of the three King's Chalices without endangering the Mystic's Oats. On the off chance they've still got mind-affecting powers he hasn't accounted for, well, he's got Eyes of Void and is wreathed in it by his robes and is really hard to get things to stick to, plus he's benefitting from Spiritual Warding! And the Force of Noble Global Resistance is all about breaking free from this sort of control! It'll probably be fine.
(And on the subject of the Robes, he's been accruing power from the fallen as they travel and kill, and quite possibly from everything struggling in this entire area. He's probably gotten pretty beefy by this point.)

Step 3: but if it's not fine, well, that's okay too!
Even if they manage to pull the pitcher-plant routine, he came prepared for just that sort of thing! Get out of pocket dimensions free, with the power of Ethereal Magic!
Dissolve Realm- (Spell, Ethereal Magic, Aether & Acid, 2,000,000 MP, 200,000,000 Gold) The battlespace caster is in, if it is not the main battlespace of the current battle, is destroyed if it was created by a source below Level 80, with all entities in it being returned to the main battlespace of the current battle when it is destroyed, Caster must be Level 40 or greater

Step 4: Speaking of the pitcher plant routine, these things seem *really* useful with that temp-item creation routine. Unlucky #3 is getting treated to Celas's own version of that, and he's yanking it into his Sanctum to get whammied by the Gargantua's Petrify ability for future Rose absorbtion. (but not until it's level 59)

With a wave and a wordless invocation, Ethereal Magic surges outward to render the three gilded plants' siren song of treasures nonexistent. The trio begin to react, but Celas is already among them, cutting precisely here and there to prune the pitcher plants in a terminal fashion. Piles of glorious golden coins and glittering, regal accessories spill forth from the cuts, but Celas easily resists the temptation to start looting and instead focuses on finishing the job at hand.

Piles of wealth puff into golden-tinged clouds of mana as the two plants are struck down by the legendary weapon. He turns to face the third King's Chalice, intent on grabbing it to add to the loot-pile itself!

Celas is fully prepared to handle getting dragged into the plant's pocket-pitcher-storehouse of wealth.
He is somewhat less-prepared to handle the third plant popping out of existence with a tinkling, jingling sound of coins as it (as he determines through his superior scanning and Knowledge-based abilities) pulls itself into its pocket-pitcher-storehouse of wealth.

Beautiful, gilded and jewel-encrusted swords and axes begin to pop into being around Celas, hurling themselves at him to no effect whatsoever. His defenses are sufficiently powerful, and the attack sufficiently hasty that the temporary weapons simply bounce off his form.
The weapons also utterly fail to tempt Celas to discard Mortiis Finallis in favour of them, both by virtue of his plethora of anti-mind-control and self-control powers and by the Weapon of Legend's clear and absolute superiority over the bejeweled blades.
Almost as an afterthought, it hits him that even if the weapons were somehow superior, they're Wealth element, which the King's Chalice absorbs. Anyone tempted to pick them up would be essentially throwing away any chance they had of beating the gilded pitcher-plants, if not actively helping heal them. What insidious flora.

[Modrageball]

"Well," Celas remarks. "I really didn't expect that little maneuver. I was planning to stay out of that thing's grasp entirely, but it looks like I'll have to get a little reckless if we want a plant statue. Giles, would you kindly project a Space Replica of me into that pocket dimension, so that I can collapse it with my Ethereal Magic?"

Assuming the butler successfully accomplishes that, Celas will employ Dissolve Realm to bump the plant out of its Pocket Dimension and hopefully into a position where the Gargantua can Fossilize it! (without said City-beast having to charge into its battlespace and thus endanger the passengers, because that was otherwise a really tempting course of action. I'm pretty confident about my control of my Undead pets, haha)

As more overly-ornate weapons begin to wink into being (which Celas is easily able to parry out of midair before they can even get going), the death-god finds himself abruptly perspective-split three ways between his void-sanctum, normal reality, and some sort of overstuffed treasure-house whirlpool of flowing coins and opulent riches. The pitcher-plant in question would probably be registering a great deal of shocked surprise if it had enough time to react before potent Ethereal Magic was deployed to unravel its spiritual sanctum at the seams.

Also if it actually had a face in the first place.

Snapping back into reality and into himself (in reality, not in the Void-sanctum. Even at deity-tier, that's a weird sensation being two-thirds reintegrated after dissembling one's consciousness across three different levels of existence), Celas signals the Fossil-Gargantua to fire its fossilization ray at the hapless plantlife!

Celas recalls, slightly too late, that its Fossilize ability is rather on the... continental scale of things. Fortunately, it seems like the Gargantua is doing its level best to ensure a more measured and accurate attempt at mass-fossilization. Also fortunately, Giles appears to be rather on the ball with regards to the plan, spatially constricting the resulting assault as much as possible to prevent too much in the way of overspill.

In the end, Celas finds himself standing on a rather large and crunchy area of fossilized plantlife, in front of a perfectly-statuefied King's Chalice plant. The Mystic's Oats seem to have escaped a similar fate, which is just as well considering they were the original goal in the first place.

Celas, Giles and the Gargantua get:
3* XP for a Level 67 entity

Celas also finds:
Standard 'subject to change' disclaimer

Mystic's Oats- (Permanent Consumable, Stat Upgrade, Earth & Moon, 1 Charge, 300,000,000 Gold) If user does not possess the award 'Consumed the Mystic's Oats', user gains 2 Base MIN, gains the award 'Gained 2 Base MIN From Consuming the Mystic's Oats', gains the ability 'Consumed the Mystic's Oats', and gains the award 'Consumed the Mystic's Oats'

Consumed the Mystic's Oats- (Passive Ability, Blessing) Possessor gains +20,000 Uncapped MIN and +2,000,000 MP


Petrified King's Chalice Plant- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wood & Wealth, 300,000,000 Gold)

Illusory Hoard- (Spell, Illusion Magic, Illusion & Wealth, 10,000 MP, 50,000,000 Gold) Caster creates 1,000,000 Temporary Gold that lasts 5 rounds, caster may spend an additional amount of MP upon casting this spell (up to (Caster's Level * 1,000) MP) to create an additional sum of Temporary Gold equal to (additional MP spent * 100)

Bribe- (Spell, Thief Arts, Wealth, 0 MP, 100,000,000 Gold) Caster chooses a target and pays an amount of Gold equal to (target's Level * 500,000), if target is (not Wealth element, does not Reflect or Absorb Wealth, is not Immune to Wealth, and is not Immune to Charm), caster may Inflict Charm or choose any one out of the following effects as an effect that does not stack: control target's next action, choose the targets of target's start-of-round effects at the start of the next round, prevent target from targeting caster for the remainder of this round, prevent target from targeting caster for the next round

2 Premium Progression Whateverhouse Ticket- (Item, Ticket, Progress, 50,000 Gold)

On to the next target! A Hungering Seed-Rain Empowered Swamp being besieged by Remalii, and the Warden's Rowan!

Celas and his deathly entourage drift onward towards the Crosscut! In the wake of the King's Chalice kerfuffle, the trip is rather sedate by comparison.

Along the way he passes a gaping hole in the cliffside, absolutely carpeted by rippling, faintly-glowing moss that reaches far beyond the entrance. Strange noises and a thick, heavy woodsy stench billow forth from it. Celas recognises it as the entrance to the dungeon he earlier scanned as The Living Union Hollow.
Which likely makes all that moss spreading out from it and nearly filling the valley the Evermoss Expanse (Plant, Level 62) he scanned. Thanks to the laws he put in place, it isn't able to do much in the way of growing or plant-zombification and has other combat options limited as a result, but it's still somewhat in the way.
It wouldn't exactly take him long to go around it, mind you, but Ferris points out a couple of brightly-coloured fruits rolling within its fronds. It would seem that, while it ate the fruit trees in the valley (and was subsequently prevented from gaining powers thanks to the timely litigamancy), it wasn't able to go through with eating all of the fruits.
On the other hand, trying to grab those fruits would probably involve fighting the thing.

Acquiring fruits is a priority! The undeadsquad gets to gardening!

Celas' ghostly gardening group set upon the beleaguered moss-carpet with gusto!
The Evermoss Expanse really seems like it's struggling due to the 'No Unauthorized Growth' law Celas put in place. It would appear its normal method of locomotion is spreading itself across areas by growing into and overtaking them, and having to instead rip itself up and flap around like an overgrown rug has rather drastically cut into its mobility and reach.

The Liches and Lich Lords cast a varied array of dark and deathly magics into the expanse of fuzzy greenery, withering huge portions into black-brown rot and dried, curled-up dead fronds. The huge plant-carpet manages to release clouds of spores in retaliation, but before the choking, slightly-glowing sporebank even has a chance of reaching Celas' ranks of the dead, the cackling skull of the Demilich swoops in and unleashes a pulse-wave of dark magic. The enlightened undead's spell simultaneously affects the plant as a whole and treats it (and its released counteroffensive spores) as a Zone and Zonal Effect, shearing its life-force off on two fronts and thoroughly blackening the entire mass into deathly stillness.

Celas and Timorius gain XP for a Level 62 entity.

Celas gets:

Necromantically-Tainted Evermoss Cloak- (Accessory, Cloak, Darkness & Wood & Life, 20,000,000 Gold) +20,000 Magical Attack, +20,000 CON, +20,000 SPI, Wearer may choose at the start of each round to create a Zone of Darkness & Wood & Life, entities killed by wearer that are below Level 60, 20 or more Levels below wearer, and die within a Zone of Darkness & Wood & Life created by wearer have their subtypes replaced with Plant & Undead and are resurrected at 25% health (to a maximum of 2,000,000 HP) as summons under the control of wearer, to a maximum of 2 such summons at any one time, wearer must be Level 40 or greater and possess the ability 'Adept Necromancy Attunement' or the abilities 'Necromancer', 'Deathless One' and 'Druid'

Squamous Fruit From The Seed Rains
Erratically-Vibrating Fruit From The Seed Rains

Elyion gets to IDing while Celas continues on course!

Fruits are scrutinized!

Seed Rain Fruit- Nativersum (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth & Wood & Life, 1 Charge, 300,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Elementalise Other- Verdant'
-This fruit grants its consumer the ability to transform others- but not themselves- into potent Elementals of one or more elements matching the Verdant Moon. The power is semi-permanent, requiring its user to transform affected entities back into their previous form, and can be- albeit with more difficulty- used on the unwilling, with the potential to cause sufficiently overwhelmed targets to accept a new role in whatever place they might be according to the type of elemental they've been turned into.

Seed Rain Fruit- Lutmagia (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth, 1 Charge, 100,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Lutumancer'
-This fruit grants its consumer power over clay. It's a sort of side-upgrade-kinda to Teramancer, empowering Earth Elemental Magic and adding more bonuses for such magic that deals specifically with clay. It also allows a small number of empowered Clay Golems to be summoned over time.


Meanwhile, the death-squad trundles on, passing by the ominous (and now far less mossy opening) of the dungeon on the way out of The Bends. Ferris points out a few plants that he thinks might be valuable, although he admits that as far as he's concerned, everything in this valley would more than likely fit that bill.

Most of the plants sadly register to Elyion as more of what she's seen before, but he did manage to spot some interesting bamboo. And something else, apparently.

29 Rare Flowers from the Seed Rains- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wood, 280,000 Gold)
8 Life-Emerald Bamboo With Leaves of Silver Poetry- (Item, Antiquity, Life & Wood & Metal, 20,000,000 Gold)
6 Rainbow Sweetleaf- (Consumable, Other: Drug, Wood & Air & Color & Toxin, 1 Charge, 30,000,000 Gold) Satiates addiction; Has RP effects


The last bend of The Bends twists its way into the valley known as The Crosscut, where the general sounds of impossibly-accelerated plant growth, belligerent spirits, concerning howls and crumbling earth are joined by what sounds for all the world like somebody playing a number of out-of-tune wine glasses while somebody else vigorously attacks a swimming pool full of custard with industrial vacuum cleaners and a tuba. The smell immediately gets several times worse- an experience that Elyion, Giles and Ferris are blessedly free from taking part in, separated as they are by the Void-Sanctum and equipped with the rosecrystal filtration masks.
Celas gets the full effect, however, and it is not a pleasant one.

Seeing what might be causing the ungodly cacophony is another matter, however. The air within the valley is entirely opaque, a slithering, shifting wall of sickly greens and fetid reds swimming with gritty spores.

Celas and The Rose immediately identify it as a significantly dangerous mixture of pollen from a number of Grand Hazard Cedar (Plant, Level 64) growing in various places within the valley. The trees themselves are stationary, but the clouds of pollen that they produce inflict a considerable number of Poison and Suffocation-variety status effects, with a chance of inflicting Venom. They're also capable of layering on further zonal damage effects focused around Earth, Wood, Air and Life-damage, capable of attacking with flying seeds (although their ammunition would only allow for a single barrage, thanks to Celas' laws), and creating pollen-barriers thick enough to become actual physical impediments.

To solve this problem, Celas decides to take a page from Geddoe's book! Just, of course, with his own flair.

Dead Cosmos Missile- (Spell, Necromancy, Darkness & Astral, 75,000,000 Gold) +75,000 Magical Attack, this action may gain '5 hits against 500' and deal 1/50 Damage, 5% inflicts Instant Death, 75% inflicts Voidstruck or Voidstruck: Astral Echoes, Caster must be Level 40 or greater and must possess the abilities Necromancer and Astromancer

Astro-necromantic falling 'stars' begin raining down upon the offending, and offensive, trees all over the valley, one after another until they're bombarded into submission! Or, you know, splinters. Whichever works!

Channeling Geddoe's particular mindset of saying it with meteors is a novel experience, to say the least. Of course, it requires a few tweaks beyond merely using odd Astral Necromancy.
A bit of pre-emptive prompting from his divinatory and Knowledge-based powers leads him to rein things in somewhat, narrowing the impact sites in order to avoid aggroing entities other than the offending trees in question (and potentially causing rather more angry spirits and plants to get involved than he'd like) before dark, deathly rents in reality begin tearing themselves open above the valley, disgorging necrometeorites that trail deadened streams of Astral energy in their wake to bombard the world below.

The attack is rather effective, immediately dealing heavy damage to the arboreal nuisances. In response, the swirling wall of pollen gets even thicker as shattered boughs and torn leaves explode into even more of the stuff, surging towards and around the necromancer and his contingent.

Celas is fortunately spared the ravages of the assault by virtue of the Eyes of Wuzen, which auto-converts the surging tide of airborne spores into a Void-element mass, further allowing Celas to harmlessly absorb it into himself and avoid the bevy of status effects and debuffs the torrent might otherwise cause.

Timorius is not quite so fortunate, but his Stoic nature and the Force of Noble Global Resistance allows him to ignore the mess of Suffocation from the higher-level trees.
The Lich-duo is even less fortunate. The Force lets them deal with regular Suffocation, and their nature (and the Silver Ring's buff) allows them to outright ignore the Poison-mess, but the Miasmatic Air and Verdant Air mixture is causing them problems, and Venom managed to trigger on them. One of them dies, and although its Lich's Rebirth triggers, the loss of buffs and other death-effects has an unfortunate knock-on effect causing it to go down again.
The Lich Lords are faring somewhat better, completely ignoring the Poison and steadily removing the Moderates without too much damage being taken.
Gladius is relatively unscathed. Or is purporting to be, anyway. His Aura of Dark Restoration and Bane Sovereign's Mantra are likely undoing any damage that might have been done, anyway.
The Demilich has managed to outright avoid the mess entirely by nesting itself into multiple death-zone auras, 'killing' the pollen before it could even get close to it despite the spores permeating the entire area.


Despite this setback, Celas has managed (with one or two more castings) to firmly deal with the hayfever-sufferer's worst nightmare.

Celas and Timorius get XP for 14 Level 64 entities.
There may well be things the trees have dropped. They're kind of scattered all over the place, though.

The choking, blinding cloud of pollen slowly begins to stop its swirling and settle. It is still everywhere, however, and liable to have a fair bit staying in the air or kicked up again for quite a while afterwards.
Good grief, those trees are a nuisance.

Yeah, no. We're not doing that.

Timorius passes around yet another buff! Wrapping the assorted combatants in soothing Darkness, to protect them from hayfever! And also everythign else covering the land.
Shadow's Comfort- Target does not take damage from effects attached to Zones that come from sources below Level 80, Effects attached to Zones, Terrain, or Phantom Terrain that come from sources below Level 80 cannot place debuffs on target or inflict minor or moderate negative status effects on target, Darkness, does not stack, 80,000 MP

while Celas goes about preventing the issue via another means: Ice. Moving around in his own pocket of mobile winter seems like a great way to prevent the pollen from being disturbed! With his powers as a Snow Queen and a possible equipment swap to include the Iron Mask and its formidable powers over all things chilly, he's going to open up a Zone of Ice to carry with him as he goes through this area.

Once the preparations are in place, onward towards the Warden's Rowan and also possibly picking up convenient fruits!

Timorius unleashes the mother of all hayfever-relief on the party as Celas sets about creating a mobile winter wonderland. Spores freeze to the ground and drop heavily from the air as they ice over, preventing further unwanted clouds of the highly-annoying (and, if that one Lich was anything to go by, sometimes deadly) pollen carpeting everything.
Thus doubly-protected, the group strolls on, their eyes on the prize of the Warden's Rowan!

The background duelling-wineglass-and-custard-vacuum concerto continues apace, growing in volume as the group pick their way across thoroughly green-and-red-dusted fields. Every now and then more violent sounds break through the bizarre mixture- splintering crashes, earth-shaking tearing noises and crystalline shrieks among them.

Things almost take a sour turn when some of the clusters of clumped-together, freezing spores abruptly twist into a group of Grand Hazard Pollen Elementals (Elemental, Level 60)- which carry, of course, the same blasted annoyances as the Grand Hazard Cedar only with the option of far more targeted attacks.
Fortunately, the ice is already slowing them down. Even more fortunately, the welcoming necromantic spell-barrage from the Demilich and Lich Lords and the followup from Gladius and Timorius is enough to see them off. It looks like they sprang up from around one of the fallen trees. Something to watch out for if the group decides to loot more of them, perhaps.

Celas and Timorius get:
XP for 4 Level 60 entities

2 Large Container of Wood Mana Oil- (Item, Material, Wood, 50,000 Gold)
2 Hazard Pollen Tempest- (Spell, Elemental Magic, Wood, 45,000 MP, 14,100,000 Gold) +28,000 Magical Attack, 30% inflicts Suffocation, 30% inflicts Suffocation: Verdant Air, 30% inflicts Suffocation: Miasmatic Air, 150% inflicts any three of Poison, Poison: Allergic Reaction, Poison: Atrophying Toxin, Poison: High, Poison: Numbing Agent, Confusion, Confusion: Dizzy, Diseased: Infested, Fatigued, Fatigued: Stunned, Impaired, Impaired: Blind, Pain, Pain: Constant Itching and/or Paralysis, deals 3/4 damage, 1 hit against 5,000, Call Unto Wood must have been cast 12 times to cast this spell

Grand Hazard Cedar Sapling- (Item, Antiquity, Wood & Life & Toxin, 50,000,000 Gold)


Celas' divinations inform him that the Warden's Rowan is somewhere in the huge cloud of swirling pollen, violently vivid laser-light-life-blades, disturbing custard/crystal sounds and earthquake epicentre that is the middle of the valley. It seems like the Hungering Seed-Rain Empowered Swamp is only just getting the upper hand of battle against the Magistrum Vernat Remalii, and the battle is spilling over into various other places in the area.
On the plus side, this, combined with that pollen, is taking care of some of the other hostile spirits and plants that would otherwise be filling the place, and likely leaving a few choice looting opportunities around.
On the minus side, it's making things messy, it's making things hard to get to, and the ground is destabilising due to the mixture of angry living swamp literally filling the entire chasm that runs through the entire valley and the erratic giant sphere-collectives trying to turn as much of said swamp and valley into crystal and/or animals as they can.
The tree he's after is in the middle of that mess somewhere. So are some more fruit trees, assuming they haven't been pulped by the fight.

While Celas has several ideas for further preparations, he's willing to bank on his current arsenal being sufficient. INTO THE WARZONE!

Celas throws caution (and even more ice) to the wind, and plunges into the tempest of disturbing noises and swirling spores!

Wow, the visual quality is poor in here. Celas, fortunately, has enough Knowledge, Divination and general forethought to know where the huge, living swamp is in the middle of this mess (and what it's doing), so he does not plunge facefirst down a slope and into its roiling, fetid mass.
That would have been undignified.

The swamp, it seems, is too preoccupied with the mega-Remalii to notice Celas and his deathsquad just yet. Writhing pillars of rotting vegetation and stinking fluid lash out at its foes, exploding into blades of pure mana on contact. At the same time, worryingly-maw-like swamp-flowers the size of houses bloom and close, sucking in psychic energy from the area and draining the minds of the spiritual sphere-collectives it faces.

Speaking of whom, it looks like the Magistrum Vernat Remalii have called up a contingent of their lesser brethren to assist in the assault against the swamp. Powerful, ancient magics, moonbeam-hued lasers, strange reality-shifting assaults and crystallisation beams all sweep into the bulk of the huge, living swamp-unit. It would seem that while the majority of the Remalii-force is doggedly pursuing the 'turn the swamp into crystal, animals or some bizarre mix of the two for some reason' plan, others are playing with a worrying mix of Dream and Moon element debuffs, status effects and curses. Between Dream's reality-warping forte and Moon's ability to play around with status effect and other such things by injecting hidden or unexpected alternate effects in them, it looks like the sphere-spirits have hit upon a decent method of turning the tide back in their favour.
Perhaps those things are more problematic than originally anticipated. And that's saying something.

It also seems that unlike the swamp, the Remalii-group have noticed Celas and company's arrival. Celas (and, thanks to his plethora of buffs, the majority of his side) is fast enough to get their actions off before anything starts getting thrown their way, however.

Well, gee. Elemental Moon trickery. Who ever could have seen this coming? Sure would be nice if someone would go and invent an Elemental force to stand in opposition to such shenanigans. Oh, wait. I did!

The Adept Analyst of the Absolute, Father of Truth, readies his weapons and enters battle like a hammerblow. The Force of Noble Global Resistance shines with raw Truth, casting an aura of certainty around Celas and his forces, readying them to fight off any Moon-involving assaults from the Remalii! He hefts his scythe and gets to work Reaping the most powerful of the Remalii himself, leaving it to his minionsquad to choose their own priorities for the battle. Gladius is going to cleave his way through the lesser summons in a flurry of undead brutality!

The Fate-and-Death Deity leaps into action, swinging his legendary scythe around and down with the weight of Finality behind it.
The Magistrum Remalii he chose to target, suffering from level drain as it is due to its constant vitrification-beam-assaults and embroiled in battle with an opponent that already demanded its full attention, is struck.
The Remalii attempts to counter Celas' assault through Moon, changing how the deity affects it by instead having him cleave into its MP rather than its HP.
Celas is already fully prepared to deal with this scenario through the anchoring power of Truth.

Truth opposes Moon.
Moon, in turn, opposes Truth.

Celas is not only one of the founding fathers of the element but also (at this point) fifteen levels higher than it, completely unscathed besides some relatively minor MP expenditure, and fully versed in the tricks it not only can pull but is likely to and will pull.

Perhaps if the Remalii was fresh and hadn't engaged in battle, it would have a chance of throwing Celas' Truth-powers off through its own significant command of Moon.
It isn't, it did, and it doesn't.

Celas' scythe connects directly with the huge central orb, spreading a spidery network of cracks and fractures through the entire crystalline-magic structure that pulses with deathly energy.
The entire thing shatters like a dropped wineglass, orbiting sub-spheres and sub-sub spheres abruptly losing their glow and dropping to the ground, inert.

Gladius, being so far above the lesser Remalii's power-band that they may as well be soap bubbles, begins the terrifying whirl of deadly swordplay Bane Knights (and by extension, Sovereigns) are so feared for, leaping from spirit to spirit and leaving nothing but rolling sub-orbs and scattering bursts of spiritual dust in his wake. He finishes by attacking the remaining giga-Remalii, shattering several of its orbiting spheres with ease and pressing the thing back further into the whirling mess of spores and flailing swamp-ooze.

The Demilich, cackling through its jewelled teeth, tears into the huge mass of angry living swamp with a wide-ranging death-pulse. The result is profound- pillars of flailing ooze abruptly shrivel and desiccate into nothingness as the whole semi-liquid creature recoils from the attack, shrinking into itself and into the rapidly-appearing chasm running through the middle of the valley. Celas recalls it managed to lumber itself with a massive weakness to deathly energy and a considerable weakness to Darkness from poor Fruit choices earlier. Something the Demilich is punishing, hard.

The Lich Lords and solitary remaining Lich follow suit against the swamp. Deadly kill-spells, bolts of necromantic darkness and assorted terrible death-curses all hurtle into the abyss after the swamp-mass, some missing and sending death-infused mini-avalanches of mistargeted rocks down after it instead. The novel 'diseased pile of custard in a vacuum cleaner' noise ends with a messy-sounding muffled splatter from far below.

Timorius squares off against the remaining giant Remalii! Not wishing to be outdone by Gladius, he unleashes his signature Arx Tellurus combo-attack, dealing heavy blows against the huge spirit and shattering several more of its orbs.

The Magistrum Remalii attempts to retaliate through mass-cursing everyone on the field with a horrible (and in some cases, bizarrely-convoluted) variety of... well, curses. Actual curses.
It has, however, already expended much of its power in the previous battle against the Hungering Swamp. The curses are weakened.
Celas is radiating Truth in opposition to its Moon-based curses. The curses are weakened.
Celas' side of battle is benefiting from the Fossil-Gargantua's Invulnerability Ward, which cuts the power of Magic. The curses are weakened.
The Force of Noble Global Resistance is a bulwark against all manner of negative effects. While full-blown curses might tax it at higher levels, given the opponent in question and the weakened curses, it is more than enough to see off the remaining threat. Especially when backed by Timorius' Shadow's Comfort, picking up a little of the slack itself.


The Magistrum Vernat Remalii hangs low above the ground. It's clearly in a bad way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCCESmq9-vs

Celas raises the legendary death-scythe. The misbegotten spirit flickers dimly, trying to draw in more power for another curse, or perhaps a crystallisation beam.
The scythe falls. The light goes out.

Celas and Timorius get:
XP for 6 Level 59 entities
XP for a Level 62 entity
2* XP for a Level 64 entity
XP for a Level 65 entity

Things are found in the aftermath!

Magistrum Vernat Remalii Orb-Matrix- (Weapon, Assault Matrix, Earth & Wood & Life & Dream & Moon, 50,000,000 Gold) +50,000 Magical Attack, +50,000 Ranged Attack, +50,000 MIN, +50,000 SPI, +500,000 MP, 180% To Hit, 100% inflicts any two of (Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad, Manablasted: Fading Into Dream, Manablasted: Mystic Leak or Awestruck: Lifeforce Overload) with these infliction chances being resolved separately, if wielder successfully inflicts either Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad, Manablasted: Fading Into Dream, Manablasted: Mystic Leak or Awestruck: Lifeforce Overload with an action using this weapon, targets of said action are additionally afflicted with an instance of Poison that counts as a Moderate Status Effect, Moderate Status Effects (including Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad, Manablasted: Fading Into Dream, Manablasted: Mystic Leak or Awestruck: Lifeforce Overload) or instances of Poison inflicted by wielder may instead possess the text of Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad, Manablasted: Fading Into Dream, Manablasted: Mystic Leak or Awestruck: Lifeforce Overload instead of their normal text, Wielder may treat this weapon's subtype as Orb, Wielder's 'Ranged Attack' actions use MIN as their Prime Attribute

2 Radiant Vernat Remalii Orb- (Weapon, Orb, Earth & Wood & Life & Dream & Moon, 20,000,000 Gold) +20,000 Magical Attack, +20,000 Ranged Attack, +20,000 MIN, +20,000 SPI, +200,000 MP, 60% inflicts Suffocation: Verdant Air, 60% inflicts Voidstruck: Moon Mad, 60% inflicts Manablasted: Fading Into Dream, if wielder successfully inflicts either Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad or Manablasted: Fading Into Dream with an action using this weapon, targets of said action are additionally afflicted with an instance of Poison that counts as a Moderate Status Effect, Moderate Status Effects or instances of Poison inflicted by wielder may instead possess the text of Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad or Manablasted: Fading Into Dream instead of their normal text, weilder's Level is counted as 10 higher, to a max of 99, for stat-scanning purposes as an effect that is not counted for purposes of bypassing "Immune to below Level X" effects

2 Words Which Tear Man's Humanity Asunder And Rebind Its Form And Pattern With Spiritual Essence- (Spell, Other: Ancient Magic, Moon & Dream, 1,000,000 MP, 50,000,000 Gold) Target Human gains the subtype Spirit and counts as possessing the ability 'Aptim' for the purpose of effects that check for such and possessing solely the subtype Spirit for the purpose of effects that check for such; Caster may choose to permanently grant this spell's target (if a Human) the ability 'Aptim' by paying an additional 1,000,000 XP while casting this spell; this spell additionally possesses the subtypes Spirit Magic, Enchantment, Wizard Magic and Channeling, has RP effects

3 Vernat Remalii Essence- (Item, Material, Earth & Moon, 120,000 Gold)

Lake's Worth of Fetid, Spiritually Empowered Swamp-Muck- (Item, Property, Earth & Water & Darkness, 15,000,000 Gold)


Celas summons up another Lich through Endless Dead to replace the one he lost.


With that mess taken care of, the path to the Warden's Rowan is... well. Not clear, as there's still pollen kicked up everywhere, even as Celas freezes it.
Not exactly open, either.
The Warden's Rowan stands in bushy splendour, an impressive example of a spiritually-infused tree with numerous clusters of red berries shining brilliantly in the gloom and creating a potent barrier-ward around the thing. A ward potent enough that apparently nothing has yet managed to get past it. The tree sits in a large, perfectly circular patch of clear, undisturbed grass without even so much as a hint of that annoying pollen within.
The air silently thrums with warding energies.

An attempt is made to enter the area!

Celas attempts to enter the tree's boundary!
He is, somewhat surprisingly, bounced straight off its wards. Huh.

The Demilich attempts to do the same!
The result is somewhat akin to a tennis ball being thrown at a brick wall. The masterful caster of deathly energies in the form of a bejeweled and darkness-radiating skull pings off with a distinct lack of the usual dignity something of its ilk is usually accustomed to.

That is, indeed, a pretty warded tree.

[Modrageball]

Hmmm. Quite a conundrum. Celas decides to try something new and untested, perhaps to bypass its warding functions altogether: He tells it the Truth!

He declares himself to be an ally and caretaker of the Rowan and not something it needs to protect against, and then tries stepping into the area once again.

Celas relays the Truth to the Warden's Rowan- that he is not here to harm it, but instead help it and take it somewhere safer.
Then he realises that he can't really speak to plants, so he asks The Rose to help translate.

This seems to result in some measure of success! Celas is able to cross the threshold to the untouched grass-circle beyond the wards!

BA Member Item Ownership Powers (with possible assists from Elyion, Giles, The Rose, etc.) go!

Between The Rose and Giles, the tree is able to be safely extracted from the area and properly stored.

Celas gets:

Warden's Rowan- (Item, Antiquity, Wood & Warding, 430,000,000 Gold)

Next up, some scouting around the area for the fruits previously picked up on!

Fortunately, being selectively intangible makes dealing with swamp muck far less unpleasant.

Some scouting reveals that there are indeed fruit trees in the area!

Unfortunately, there are varying levels of obstacles in the areas in which they're growing.

The parts with the most fruit trees are also the parts with that horrifically annoying grove of Willow-of-the-Wisps (Spirit & Plant, Level 66) or the area leading towards Turnpeak Passage that is infested with Blissbringer Spiderwort (Plant, Level 67).
There's other trees dotted, around, however- one small group has a few Perito Vernat Remalii (Spirit & Magic Being, Level 59) orbiting around it. Another has something that's pinging as a Multifoliate Florescence (Elemental, Level 66) that seems to have just spawned in- while a lot of its 'spawning plantlife' powers have been heavily clamped down on by the ongoing legal spellwork laid by Celas, it has the ability to call upon the power of plantlife around it and use their abilities, which could be considerably problematic depending on whatever it is said fruits actually do. Current Rose-and-Knowledge estimates place it just below the Spiderwort on the previously-made danger-scale, if it were in a more controlled area without fruits around. A third likely area has a Moongazer-Adept of Vernat (Plant & Spirit, Level 65) accompanied by three Moongazers of Vernat (Plant & Spirit, Level 50).

There is something else within easy reach, however. It's pollen! Unlike the pollen that is absolutely everywhere right now, however, this seems to be a bit more cohesive, pattern-wise. Bits of blasted wood from one of those blasted annoying trees are scattered around it.
Celas gets:

Grand Hazard Cedar Pollen- (Accessory, Weapon Coating, Wood & Life & Toxin, 18,000,000 Gold) +18,000 Melee Attack, +18,000 Ranged Attack, +18,000 Magical Attack, 100% inflicts Poison, 100% inflicts Poison: Allergic Reaction, Poison: Atrophying Toxin, Poison: High, Poison: Numbing Agent, or Poison: Slow-Acting Poison, 30% inflicts Suffocation, 30% inflicts Suffocation: Verdant Air or Suffocation: Miasmatic Air, 5% inflicts Venom if wielder is Level 40 or greater, Minor and Moderate status effects that can be naturally applied by this item's base text by wielder's offensive actions to entities below Level 60 are not removed the first time they would expire or be cured or removed by entities below Level 60

Well! The potential for annoyance is perhaps high, but the Florescence sounds interesting enough to make up for it. Also it has a high potential comedy factor, given the... diverse... array of effects the Fruits have been producing. Let's go check that out.

Celas' opponent is decided! He does a bit of looking ahead, as he has done with his previous engagements.
His Danger Sense immediately and sharply pings back at him as he's treated, through Rose-and-Iris-boosted Divination and Knowledge know-how, of the absolutely ridiculous sight of him getting ambushed out of nowhere by a maelstrom of blooming flowers and leaves in the shape of a tree (and overlaid by some sort of tree-shaped spiritual power-aura) that somehow manages to backstab him from its hidden position in the undergrowth, dealing a fair amount of damage. More to the point, it somehow manages to backstab him with some sort of pearlescent Gatestone that rips him from the physical world and hurls him into the Spirit World adjacent to The Narrows.
Said part of the Spirit World is a dizzying, ever-growing expanse of wild plantlife tearing into itself and everything within it as a titanic seed-storm constantly drives more and greater plant-entities, spirits and elementals to join the frenzied maelstrom. He sees himself immediately beset by far more entities than he ever expected to deal with at one time, of higher level than he was expecting, and with very little time to react to deal with things.
It reminds him a bit of Castle Snowdeath, actually.

Well. That's not ideal.

He goes back over the vision, applying his flower-boosted Divination-scanning and Knowledge-powers to see what he can learn.

The Multifoliate Florescence is almost certainly drawing on the Seed Rain Fruits in the area. Four of them, if Celas is gauging it correctly. It seems to have some sort of weird stealth/assassination/guerilla warfare thing going, given the surprising jump it got on him despite his Danger Sense and foresight skills. He believes the Gatestone nonsense was its own separate power, with the Florescence somehow applying another power to control the stuff said Gatestone was made of and amp it into a weapon along with its intended usage. The tree-aura thing seemed to be keeping it rooted in place and not actively providing it with much benefit.

Well, thank goodness for Danger Sense. Forewarned is forearmed! A random Bane Knight/Sovereign is summoned up to trigger the ambush, as Celas sets up a counter-ambush with his minions! Some ablative Decoy Ghosts are also produced, so that on the off chance that the Florescence does get lucky with its Gatestone attack, Celas has something to get blipped off into the hostile dimension instad of himself!

A sacrificial Bane Sovereign pops out of nowhere through Celas' undead-summoning prowess and marches off to possibly-certain doom! Celas, meanwhile, summons ablative ghosts and corrals his minions into a pincer formation to counter-ambush the ambushing bush-borne elemental.

He doesn't have to wait long. No sooner does the Sovereign enter the area he foresaw than the tree-shaped mass of blossoms, leaves and verdant energy erupts from the undergrowth, immediately towering over the area and striking at the undead with its Gatestone creation. The Sovereign abruptly vanishes as it is torn from the physical world and hurled into the Spirit World beyond.

Celas and his crew are poised and ready, and the enemy elemental has been caught flat-footed! ...erm, rooted. He's got a round of actions before the thing can react! How's he using them?

With COPIOUS VIOLENCE!

Celas brings an Elemental-Bane Harvest to bear, and the rest of the deadly undeadsquad acts to their idiom!

But while this is going on, as a backup plan, Giles is going to attempt to use his Space-Reaching Grasp and some divinatory guidance to locate and pluck the fruit providing the Gatestone effect, and pull it back into storage!

VIOLENCE initiates!

Celas swoops in, scythe poised to reap and spill elemental... blood-equivalent. Sap in this case, perhaps? The blade cleaves through the mass of roots, petals and leaves, leaving a huge rent in the thing's form that extends to its odd tree-aura. Shredded plant matter and gobs of mana spray out from the odd wound in gouts.

The Demilich swoops in with deathly magics, cackling as its gem-eyes fire bolt after bolt of foul force into the elemental's mass. The thing manages to avoid the worst of the assault, but still has some large chunks taken out of it from the attack.
Gladius and Timorius charge in! The Bane Sovereign unleashes a terrifying Gravemaker slash, trying- and nearly succeeding- in cutting the entire tree-shaped thing down in a single blow. Timorius capitalises on the unbalancing attack with a signature strike of his own. Tiar Tellurus finishes what the Bane Sovereign started, cutting entirely through the 'trunk' of the enemy elemental and sending it toppling to the ground where the rest of the Lich-squad ensures it meets its most final and thorough demise.

Giles, meanwhile, manages to snag the fruit in the confusion with the help of Elyion peering through the Rose-and-Iris divination array to work out the correct target.

Celas, Elyion, Giles and Timorius get:

XP for a Level 66 entity

Celas also finds (which thankfully Giles manages to spatially-encapsulate as it corporealises from the elemental's dying essence):
Vast Flower-Field of Rare Seed Rain Plants- (Item, Property, Earth & Wood & Life, 40,000,000 Gold)


Fruits are gained! Elyion promptly gets to work on identifying them.


Seed Rain Fruit- Furtumali- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth & Darkness, 1 Charge, 120,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Guerilla Assassin'
-This fruit grants its consumer knowledge and a very particular set of skills; skills that others might have acquired over a very long career. It grants them expertise in stealthy operations and assassination techniques, essentially allowing them to sneak around- particularly in wooded areas- and get the drop on people much more easily, being harder to detect while doing so, and allowing them to act as being higher than their actual level for such purposes.

Seed Rain Fruit- Arborsphaer- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth & Wood, 1 Charge, 50,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Spiritual Aura of the Great Tree'
-This fruit grants its consumer the ability to surround themselves in an aura of spiritual energy linked to the power of the forest, providing the strength of a mighty tree and some regenerative capacity as well. Unfortunately, it also requires its user be rooted to the spot while it's active.

Seed Rain Fruit- Terramede- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth, 1 Charge, 120,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Expert Terramancer'
-This fruit grants its consumer greatly enhanced power over Earth magics. It's most potent with Elemental Magic, but also extends to all other spells which are natively Earth element. It also ties in with Mountain King to give a boost to Earth-element items, too, and basically allows for an angle of control over the element via magical skill rather than just pure elemental force.

Seed Rain Fruit- Lunianua- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth & Wood & Life & Spatial, 1 Charge, 140,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Keeper of the Verdant Gate'
-This fruit grants its consumer the ability to create Gatestones. Outside Seirei, said Gatestones would allow the user to travel to areas strongly tied to moons, spiritual planes, forests, plantlife and Life energy, with the success rate of the desired trip going up the more of those themes the destination ties to. They could also be used to create pocket dimensions with those themes (with the stability depending on the user's skill with the relevant abilities) in battle, essentially creating and jumping the user to a new battlespace.
On Seirei, however, things are somewhat different. Using one of the Gatestones here would allow them to travel to areas of the Spirit World under the influence of, or linked to Vernat without issue (although getting to specific areas with great accuracy would generally require having been there before or having a very good idea of what the area the user wants to reach is).
It would also, from what Elyion can tell, allow one to gate directly onto the surface of Vernat itself. This is likely to be a very dangerous prospect, but it would also entirely circumvent the layers upon layers of spiritual worlds and planes between the world the gang is currently standing on and the lunar body in question.

Okay. Information-gathering time again. Status of the fight between Arboregomanus and the Garlic Knight? And a bit of deep-dive information on the Blissbringer Spiderwort, hopefully including possible countermeasures against them, since I've got to go through their area to get to Turnpeak and the above. With a query on whether or not I can, if necessary, leverage the Rowan's power agains them?

(and maaaaaybe, just for curiousity's sake, a peek at the Pactori and the lesser Tear of Vernat that I assumed they were previously in search of down in Truncus's Jaw)

The fight between the two clashing unique plant-spirits is still going on, and appears to have stepped up in intensity.

Arboregomanus has grown desperate in the face of the Garlic Knight's ever-increasing momentum as his dwindling supply of trees is smashed through at an increasing rate. In order to try and turn things around, the Lord Of The Forest Of Hands decided to gamble on the power of the Seed Rain Fruits in the area. One has given him the relatively useless power of being able to detect the biggest current problem for him, which happens to be the Garlic Knight who is currently being a very big and very currently impending problem breaking through the layers of arboreal defenses.
A second has granted him incredible skill and power with Maces, capable of crushing defenses with ease and wreaking huge amounts of damage. Through this, he's finally able to start battering through Adlius' wards and layered defensive effects, using his trees as makeshift maces to match the Garlic Knight's own mace-strikes.
A third has granted him unbelievably potent hearing-powers. Were he not actively engaged in combat right now, he could easily make out sounds from the next continent, or from the Spirit World while in the physical world.
A fourth has provided Arboregomanus with above-bracket-powerful shockwave-generating abilities. At present, Adlius' wards are preventing the resulting earthquakes from leaving Turnpeak Passage, which is by now in extremely poor shape. The Golden Smoketree and Fool's Corsage are still around in there somewhere, although severely shaken about.

While he couldn't divine the power of the fruits beforehand, now their powers have been applied to the spirit-forest, Celas is pretty comfortable in thinking that they were on the upper end of the power-scale.

The gamble having apparently paid off, the battle is now swinging firmly back in Arboregomanus' favour, although Adlius isn't backing down and is still getting stronger as the fight continues.


Celas turns his attention away from that particular spectacle to do some more information-gathering.

Blissbringer Spiderworts (Plant, Level 67) are horrible, horrible plant-spider-things that entrap their prey with webs of momentary happiness and promises, cuts off the existing relationships of those it entraps to leave them alone and bereft of any joy save what its webs bring, and sucks the life out of them as they fall into deeper and deeper tangles of false love and affection.
Taking a closer look at them, it appears they're able to provide buffs to their enemies that are actually debuffs (that generate further debuff-buffs as time goes on and quickly become crippling), have an ongoing aura-effect that prevent their opponents from being able to benefit from the buffs provided by others, can hand out more debuff-buffs that prevent people from being able to treat anyone as an ally or benefitting from ally effects, can remove people into solitary battlespaces with horrible life-and-stat-draining effects built into them that don't count as being offensive or unwanted effects to the unfortunate victim and have a variety of HP-draining and stat-draining attacks.

The Rowan would likely be able to repel the Spiderworts. Celas could, through the virtue of Void's divorcing nature, completely bypass the Spiderworts' horrible buff-debuff-battlespace tangles with relative ease (who would also be unlikely to be able to breach into his Void Sanctum if he stores the rest of his party there).
Before the addition of fruits and momentum ramped the Turnpeak Passage Conflict up to the state it is currently in, the Warden's Rowan would likely have a very decent chance of preventing the two sides from breaching its shield. Now things are at the stage they are, Celas thinks that Arboregomanus, with its newly-gained defense-crushing power, may well be able to breach the tree's ward (and potentially take over the Rowan itself, which would be a highly undesirable outcome).


Celas casts his eye slightly further afield, to Truncus' Jaw and the Pactori within.
The trio of earth-spirit, highly-questionable-bodysuit-wearing «ጎጠየረቿጠቿክፕ» (maybe terrible fashion sense is an inherent quality of the race?) and peacock-barrette-wearing woman are clustered around a huge, glowing jewel that, while indescribably beautiful and pulsing with power, is still a pale shadow compared to the one Celas picked up. The young woman is laughing shrilly whilst apparently alternately celebrating, praising her dazed-looking fuzzy companion (who, from what Celas now knows about the race, is likely getting as high as a kite on hardwired pure happiness from getting so much praise from his master) and admiring her acquisition. A number of dead plant-creatures and spirits, including the shattered orbs of many Remalii, litter the area. Criss-crossing scars cut deep into the area around them, some smouldering with crimson flames, others frozen with pure-blue ice, some filled with jagged shards of glittering crystal, others crackling with vivid yellow electricity. An absolute forest of varicoloured knives sprout from other parts of the valley, puncturing the forms of many other previously-hostile residents of the area.
None of the group seem particularly the worse for wear, even the nonunique (if Elite) Elemental-Spirit.

Alright, then. Let's go trim some Spiderwort, collect the fruits said to be in the area, and then continue on!

The trip to the Turnpeak Passage end of the Crosscut is fairly easy going- it would appear the mess with the huge living swamp and the Remalii cleared out a fair amount of the hostiles in the area, especially after Celas necro-nuked the Hazard Cedars from pseudo-orbit. Ferris, perhaps feeling as if he isn't achieving much, points out a few more plants of potential interest on the way.

Celas, working with Elyion and The Rose, identifies the pointed-out plants as a bunch of generic (if such a thing could be applied, given the circumstances) Seed Rain plants, along with a couple of more-interesting things.

He picks up:

6 Rare Flowers from the Seed Rains- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wood, 280,000 Gold)
9 Rare Plants from the Seed Rains- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wood, 300,000 Gold)

Fidelity Iris- (Accessory, Trinket, Hope, 50,000,000 Gold) +40,000 to all stats, Charm Immunity from sources below Level 60, Wielder's allies gain +10,000 to all stats, Wielder may not conduct offensive actions against allies without their permission, Wielder may not steal the items of allies

Perplexingly Permutable Poppy Patch- (Item, Resource, Earth & Flux, 50,000,000 Gold) Possessor may post in the shop once per week to roll on the Perplexingly Permutable Poppy Table and gain the result

Perplexingly Permutable Poppy Table wrote:1-10: White Consolation Poppy- (Item, Antiquity, Earth, 50 Gold)
11-30: Precarious Pile of Plentiful Poppies- (Item, Antiquity, Earth, 500,000 Gold)
31-50: Soporific Poppy- (Consumable, Medicine, Earth, 500,000 Gold) Target willing individual is afflicted with Fatigued: Sleep, 75% inflicts Fatigued: Sleep, 75% inflicts Fatigued: Knocked Unconscious
51-55: Beauteous Poppy- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Beauty, 5,000,000 Gold)
56-60: Red Poppy of Love- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Fire, 5,000,000 Gold)
61-65: Red Poppy of Pleasure- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Pleasure, 5,000,000 Gold)
66-70: Red Poppy of War- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & War, 5,000,000 Gold)
71-75: Blood Poppy- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Blood, 5,000,000 Gold)
76-80: Multichromatic Poppy- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Color, 5,000,000 Gold)
81-85: Grave's Embrace Poppy- (Accessory, Trinket, Earth & Darkness, 10,000,000 Gold) +10,000 Magical Attack, 1% Inflicts Instant Death
86-90: Poppy of Remembrance- (Accessory, Trinket, Earth & Memory, 20,000,000 Gold) +20,000 SPI, +20,000 MIN, +200,000 MP, Possessor may choose at the start of a round to reapply a buff that was applied to possessor during an earlier round of battle by an ally that is currently Dead or treated as Dead, with possessor not being able to choose the same buff to be reapplied in this manner more than once a thread
91-93: Dreaming Poppy- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Dream, 20,000,000 Gold)
94-96: Immortal Poppy- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Life, 20,000,000 Gold)
97-98: Yellow Poppy of Wealth- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wealth, 25,000,000 Gold)
99-100: Yellow Poppy of Triumph- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Hope, 25,000,000 Gold)




That brief detour over, Celas reaches the area with the Spiderworts. The creatures turn out to be large, gangly-legged arachnids with a huge three-petaled purple flower growing atop each of them, from which a writhing mass of twitching secondary leg-filaments writhe and spin glistening threads of false happiness. There look to be six of them in all, and they've gotten the area pretty well webbed up, Seed Rain Fruit Trees included. A couple of them are feeding off some unfortunate Remalii that look to have blundered into their traps.

[Modrageball]

Quest-porting complete.
Celas has expressed the desire to have this quest automated to completion. Results will come soonish.

[Aeromage]

Celas, Elyion, Giles and Ferris, along with the rest of their group, take stock of the spider-situation and prepare to viciously prune the obstacle in their way.
The ground feels strange underfoot.
-krzt-
Celas, Elyion, Giles and Ferris, along with the rest of their group, take stock of the spider-situation and prepare to viciously prune the obstacle in their way.
The ground fractures underfoot.
-krzt-
Celas, El, Giles and Ferris, along with the rest of their group, take stock of the spider-situation and prepare to viciously prune the obstacle in their way.
The ground isn't the ground isn't the ground isn't the ground
-krzt-
Celas, ELyion, Giles and Ferris, along with the rest of their group, take stock of the spider-situation and prepare to viciously prune the obstacle in their way.
-krzt-
Celas, elYION, Giles and Ferris, along with [ENTITIES NOT FOUND], take stock of the spider-situation
-krzt-
Celas, EL/YION, Giles and Ferris, along with [NULL]
-krzt-
Celas, [SUPERPOSITION ERROR: EL-2], [DESIGNATION: ARCHITECTMASK] a n d    F   e   r    r    i      s
-͏̛̹͔̹k̴̺̱͉̮̖͎̀͘r̴̨̲͕̼z̝͚̹͍̩̙͠s̢҉̲̦̪͙̀c̙̱͓̹͉͖̱͉͞ͅh͓̻͓͇̝̝t҉̴̺̕-̗


The world skews, inverts, collapses on itself, off itself, of itself, from itself
The spiders are gone.
The trees are gone.
The world is gone.
Celas is gone.
EL/YION is gone.
Giles is gone.
Ferris is gone.

-͏̛̹͔̹k̴̺̱͉̮̖͎̀͘r̴̨̲͕̼z̝͚̹͍̩̙͠s̢҉̲̦̪͙̀c̙̱͓̹͉͖̱͉͞ͅh͓̻͓͇̝̝t҉̴̺̕-̗




------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[UNIVERSAL EXISTENCE FAILURE]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celas, Elyion, Giles and Ferris, along with the rest of their group, take stock of the spider-situation. They take stock of their situation. They take stock of the situation.

Parallel to reality and perpendicular to now, changes are wrought, surging through the eternity and [TIME VALUE NULL] the selves that were not themselves but were themselves and became more themselves experienced and altered.

Elyion's form vanishes, glitches, sputters and fades, wavering between herself, that of the future-yet-current El, and a superimposed gestalt version of the two.
She feels the power of Null, Time and Crystal (2) infuse her.
She feels a massive upswelling of Null within her.
She feels herself having been templated across the world, both physical and spiritual.
She feels the resulting Elyoii, albeit briefly. While patterned off her, they are not her, though they might carry crystal roses and rosecrystal armaments and be, in part, the same sort of entity.
She feels a connection to Aeonaut, The Emperor Moon. Chiefly to its domain of Null, but also, to a lesser extent, its domain of Time.
She feels weirdly bridal.
She is also in possession of an overlarge plushie of nebulous proportions and dimensions. An overlarge plushie of nebulous proportions and dimensions, and a crystal crown.

El feels GLORIOUS AND POWERFUL.
He feels the power of Color and Glory infuse him.
He feels more potent than he was before.
He also feels like he probably shouldn't be going into any buildings anytime soon.

Celas is no longer the muscular, winged necromancer-deity he was, but instead a big, elemental planetoid with his face and hair, floating above the head-slot of an empty pair of robes, with a winged baseball hat floating above the top with a scythe-logo on it. The hat, he feels, is his true self. This is patently strange.
He feels himself assume the form of an Elemental, Astral Being and Hat.
He also feels himself assume the power of Form and Formus.
He finds himself in possession of a ticket.

Ferris, meanwhile, erupts into a thunderous pillar of force and energy as a veritable storm of power surges through him, elevating him from mere half-spirit to a full-blown Kami, with all the power it entails. Crackling with light and sparks of multifarious elements both real and imagined, barely touching the ground, The First Stormsmiter enters reality and assumes his unexpected deific role, a barely-constrained bolt of searing lightning gripped in one hand.
Celas is pretty sure he just jumped a couple of level bands.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elyion gets:

2 Fame

Basic Lunar Element Attunement: Aeonaut- (Passive Ability, Moongazer) If Aeonaut is the current Governing Lunar Body, possessor may choose to treat Null as said Governing Lunar Body's Associated Element.

Envoy of Aeonaut- (Passive Ability, Moongazer) Possessor may choose to have their spells, abilities, and items respond as though Aeonaut is the current Governing Lunar Body as an effect that does not stack with other Moongazer abilities whose names include 'Envoy of'


*Crown of the Crystal- (Accessory, Crown & Crystal & Container, Magic & Crystal (2), Lv. 59, 104,400,000 Gold) +104,000 Magical Attack, +104,000 Defense, +104,000 to all stats, 40% Resistance to each element this item possesses, +1,040,000 MP, wearer's allies and summons gain +10,000 to all stats, +50,000 Defense, +500,000 MP and 30% Resistance to each element this item possesses, wearer gains 4 Accessory slots that may only contain Crystals, this item gains the elements of all Crystals equipped in said slots, and gains Gold value equal to the value of one chosen Crystal equipped in said slots, additionally gaining a bonus to Magical Attack, Defense and all stats equal to (chosen Crystal's Gold value / 1,000, rounded down to the nearest thousand), and granting this item's wearer a second MP pool equal to (chosen Crystal's Gold value / 100, rounded down to the nearest thousand), wearer may choose at the start of each round to have this item's elements instead become any combination of elements it currently possesses, wearer may choose to spend an action to unequip a Crystal equipped in a slot provided by this item and deal (that Crystal's Gold Value/100) Flat damage of (any combination of that Crystal's possessed elements) to every opponent, wearer must be Level 40 or greater
XP: 0
XP Needed: # (Standard Multiplier x4, Standard Multiplier raised to x60 to bypass Level 60 cap)


5-Foot-Square Mile of the Serpent Plushie- (Item, Antiquity, Null & Earth & Dopple, 30,575,900 Gold)

'The First Wizard's Shadow'
'Involved in Fleet-Foot Ferris' Rise to Become a Deity'



El gets:

Subordinate Deity: Fleet-Foot Ferris, The First Stormsmiter- (Passive Ability, Friendship) Possessor gains +20,000 AGI and +2,000 unmodified AGI if possessor possesses an ally named 'Fleet-Foot Ferris, The First Stormsmiter', Possessor counts as being 1 Level higher for the purpose of equipping Lightning weapons, Possessor's Lightning weapons gain +(Possessor's Level * 1,000) Magical and Ranged Attack



Celas gets:

1 Fame

Subordinate Deity: Fleet-Foot Ferris, The First Stormsmiter- (Passive Ability, Friendship) Possessor gains +20,000 AGI and +2,000 unmodified AGI if possessor possesses an ally named 'Fleet-Foot Ferris, The First Stormsmiter', Possessor counts as being 1 Level higher for the purpose of equipping Lightning weapons, Possessor's Lightning weapons gain +(Possessor's Level * 1,000) Magical and Ranged Attack


*Warehouse Ticket Created by Exploiting a Reality Glitch that will grant the Black Chartist's Map Artifact When Traded In- (Item, Ticket, Null & Darkness, 1 Charge, 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 Gold)

'Involved in Fleet-Foot Ferris Becoming The First Stormsmiter'

[Aeromage]

-͏̛̹͔̹k̴̺̱͉̮̖͎̀͘r̴̨̲͕̼z̝͚̹͍̩̙͠s̢҉̲̦̪͙̀c̙̱͓̹͉͖̱͉͞ͅh͓̻͓͇̝̝t҉̴̺̕-̗

[1:00 PM] ̴̵̴̶̸̸̷̸̵̴̴̸̵̶̶̶̵̷̸̶̸̶̵̴̴̶̸̷̴̵̵̴̷̵̷̨̢̮͈͉̩͔͓̹̖̠̫̝̦̜̙͕̯͉̙͉̅̅̐̒̏͐͂̉͘͜͝̷̴̷̸̷̶̶̵̸̶̴̴̵̵̷̵̴̵̶̵̸̷̶̸̴̸̵̷̴̵̵̴̸̷̷̷̵̷̴̷̸̷̸̸̵̷̴̵̵̶̵̵̵̷̴̵̵̷̴̶̡̜̝̺͎̫̜̫̹̙͇̥̺̝͕̯͎̝̯̼̹̞̬͚͎̲͔̯͊̓́́̓̉̂͒̈́̂̾̏̋̀́͑̈́̋͐̀̄̋͗̒̕͘͘͝ͅ: ah, well, the whole reason I was bemumbling was because apparently past-me was aiming for the bossfight(s), and that's not really something you automate.
[1:22 PM] ̷̵̷̵̷̴̷̴̴̶̵̸̷̷̶̵̶̸̷̵̶̸̸̸̴̷̴̶̷̴̵̷̶̸̴̴̸̶̶̸̨̗̬̱̦̳̠̖̝̭̫̘͍͍̰͍̟̫̬̤͓͙̈́̓̑̿̇̓̔̐̀͌̽͛͜͜ͅ̵̴̷̴̵̷̴̷̵̵̸̸̷̨̯̬͖͒͊̋̊͌͠̴̷̸̵̵̷̶̴̵̴̶̴̵̵̶̷̶̵̶̵̴̷̶̶̵̵̶̶̸̵̵̵̶̴̶̵̵̶̸̸̶̶̷̢̛̲̗͚̩͖̬̗̗̹̈͂̋̇͛̇̿̈́̂͆̀̂̈́̇̾̿͑̅́̎̍̌͒̄̀͒̓͜͠̸̴̶̷̶̴̶̵̴̵̴̶̸̵̴̸̷̴̷̸̶̴̵̸̸̸̸̶̵̸̸̴̷̸͉̗̘͓̣̘͈͖̭͕̪̝̱̗̯͔̬͉̗͂͗̓̆̎̋̈̉͜͜͜͜: True enough
[1:34 PM] ̷̵̷̵̷̴̷̴̴̶̵̸̷̷̶̵̶̸̷̵̶̸̸̸̴̷̴̶̷̴̵̷̶̸̴̴̸̶̶̸̨̗̬̱̦̳̠̖̝̭̫̘͍͍̰͍̟̫̬̤͓͙̈́̓̑̿̇̓̔̐̀͌̽͛͜͜ͅ̵̴̷̴̵̷̴̷̵̵̸̸̷̨̯̬͖͒͊̋̊͌͠̴̷̸̵̵̷̶̴̵̴̶̴̵̵̶̷̶̵̶̵̴̷̶̶̵̵̶̶̸̵̵̵̶̴̶̵̵̶̸̸̶̶̷̢̛̲̗͚̩͖̬̗̗̹̈͂̋̇͛̇̿̈́̂͆̀̂̈́̇̾̿͑̅́̎̍̌͒̄̀͒̓͜͠̸̴̶̷̶̴̶̵̴̵̴̶̸̵̴̸̷̴̷̸̶̴̵̸̸̸̸̶̵̸̸̴̷̸͉̗̘͓̣̘͈͖̭͕̪̝̱̗̯͔̬͉̗͂͗̓̆̎̋̈̉͜͜͜͜: Grabbing the Geranium and setting off on the adventure back to town is definitely doable if you wanted to somewhat stick to the easily-automatable plan, though

Elyion, having found the relevant chatlog, hits 'Submit' on her post, adjusting her gloves.. Now all she has to do is wait for ̴̵̴̶̸̸̷̸̵̴̴̸̵̶̶̶̵̷̸̶̸̶̵̴̴̶̸̷̴̵̵̴̷̵̷̨̢̮͈͉̩͔͓̹̖̠̫̝̦̜̙͕̯͉̙͉̅̅̐̒̏͐͂̉͘͜͝̷̴̷̸̷̶̶̵̸̶̴̴̵̵̷̵̴̵̶̵̸̷̶̸̴̸̵̷̴̵̵̴̸̷̷̷̵̷̴̷̸̷̸̸̵̷̴̵̵̶̵̵̵̷̴̵̵̷̴̶̡̜̝̺͎̫̜̫̹̙͇̥̺̝͕̯͎̝̯̼̹̞̬͚͎̲͔̯͊̓́́̓̉̂͒̈́̂̾̏̋̀́͑̈́̋͐̀̄̋͗̒̕͘͘͝ͅ̴̷̶̴̴̸̵̶̷̵̵̶̶̸̶̴̷̷̷̵̵̶̷̶̶̸̶̛̯̲̫̳̭̼̳̯͉͎̘̇̽̏̿̌̅̀̌̕̕̕͝̷̵̷̵̷̴̷̴̴̶̵̸̷̷̶̵̶̸̷̵̶̸̸̸̴̷̴̶̷̴̵̷̶̸̴̴̸̶̶̸̨̗̬̱̦̳̠̖̝̭̫̘͍͍̰͍̟̫̬̤͓͙̈́̓̑̿̇̓̔̐̀͌̽͛͜͜ͅ̵̴̷̴̵̷̴̷̵̵̸̸̷̨̯̬͖͒͊̋̊͌͠̴̷̸̵̵̷̶̴̵̴̶̴̵̵̶̷̶̵̶̵̴̷̶̶̵̵̶̶̸̵̵̵̶̴̶̵̵̶̸̸̶̶̷̢̛̲̗͚̩͖̬̗̗̹̈͂̋̇͛̇̿̈́̂͆̀̂̈́̇̾̿͑̅́̎̍̌͒̄̀͒̓͜͠̸̴̶̷̶̴̶̵̴̵̴̶̸̵̴̸̷̴̷̸̶̴̵̸̸̸̸̶̵̸̸̴̷̸͉̗̘͓̣̘͈͖̭͕̪̝̱̗̯͔̬͉̗͂͗̓̆̎̋̈̉͜͜͜͜̶̴̶̴̶̶̷̸̶̶̴̵̶̶̸̷̸̴̷̴̷̴̶̶̷̷̸̵̵̴̸̵̵̴̷̶̸̴̵̵̸̶̸̨̛̫̤̳̘͎͉̠͓͕̤͔͚̲̂͋͛̇͒̅̏̅͊̍̏͗̅̈̇̈́̈́̈̑̽̋̀́́͛ to respond.

A small red icon next to her username catches her attention. A new private message. Curious, she clicks on it.

Forgotten Random Dungeon?

Sent: Tue ̵̧̛̺͈̟͎̭̹͊̅͊͗̿̆͊̂͐̀̉̃̃͝̷̙̰͈̹̗̞͚̦͚̇͂̓̌̓͘̕͜̴͓͖̬̫̩̞͊͝̷̡̯͚̲̝̬͈͈̞̯̙̙̀̚20̷̡̛͙͔̘͓͔́̏͆̑̒̕͜͝,̸͎̘̤̙̔̃́̏̆͆͒̄͑̚͝ ̵̨̡̨̛͉̙̮͈̟̺̠͉͍̜̹͋͆̀͋̚͝ͅ̸̨̻̪͗̃̀̀͑̈́̾͘0̸̖̹̐̆́̋̈́̇̂͂͋͐̿́̚2̴̦̟̮̙̺̠̯̦̳̪͗̂̐̸̻̰̱͖͋͐̔͐͂̓̚ ̸̲͉̞̪̒͋͋̄͋̈́11:19 pm
From: hazez̶̵̸̵̵̵̶̸̴̷̶̴̷̶̶̷̷̶̸̶̵̨̢̢̛͕̳͓̹̘̭̭̜̲̲͚̯̦̞̲̳̦͓̈́̍̀̋̌͌͌̉͋̿̉̑̚̚̚̚̚͝͝͝ȩ̵̷̶̴̶̶̸̶̵̵̶̴̶̸̶̸̶̸̴̴̷̙͎͉͚͖͎̹̻͈̩͚͙̜̣̩̠̺̜͗́̈́̃̏̑̒̋̾̓̈̂̒̂̐̍͂̕̕̚͘͜ͅr̴̶̷̷̴̷̸̸̶̵̸̶̸̶̷̸̴̴̶̵̷̢̡̢̡̩̣̫̪̲̠͚̘͉̤̫̦͍̠̹̺̲̎͛͂̃̏͐̈͐͒̀̋̈́͐̋͗͌͌̅̚͝͝0̸̶̷̶̵̷̸̸̶̴̵̷̷̷̴̵̸̵̵̶̶̢̡̮̱͉͕͍͈̱̪̼͚̭̱̗͕̹̲̭̥̼̉̏̋̄͒̇̈̈́̿̓̓̒̉̾͌̒͊̋̕͠͝ķ̸̴̴̷̴̵̵̷̶̶̴̶̶̸̶̴̷̷̸̵̸̧̧̨̨̧̥̥̯̟̜̯̲͚̮͖͓̗̗̙͚̏̏́͊̾̄͆̓̃̈́̈́́̇̿̅̄̏̈͛̓̿ì̴̸̴̴̸̸̷̸̷̶̶̷̵̶̷̵̷̶̸̷̴̧̨̡̛̝̝̙̥͈̱̤͖̭̘͙̺͓̗͙̝̗͑̿̈́͋̊̀̎̈́̀̿̋͊̃͌̊̓̕̚͝ͅṋ̴̶̵̷̶̶̵̶̶̵̶̸̶̴̸̴̸̵̸̵̶̯͍͔͇͇̜͕͙̥̺̲̬̫̣͈̻̼̤̼̔̀̍̾̈́͑͗̿̃͛̏͗̿̆̎̈́̌̇̾̇͜͝g
Recipient: Elyion

Hey, I found something pretty interesting when digging up the old forum archives. Did you know there's an old random dungeon that's still technically open? It never got officially closed. And I don't think it ever got cleared. Want to help me take it on? It'll be easy, it's so low level. I'm pretty sure there's some uniques left in it, too.

How interesting. Perhaps that would be worth looking into. Elyion reaches for her mouse-

-͏̛̹͔̹k̴̺̱͉̮̖͎̀͘r̴̨̲͕̼z̝͚̹͍̩̙͠s̢҉̲̦̪͙̀c̙̱͓̹͉͖̱͉͞ͅh͓̻͓͇̝̝t҉̴̺̕-̗

Elyion gets:

Strange Forum Private Message About An Old Random Dungeon From The Archives- (Permanent Consumable, Permit, Dream & Null, 5,000,000 Gold) Grants the ability 'Permitted to Enter The Hills Of Rain'

Permitted to Enter The Hills Of Rain- (Passive Ability, Clearance) Possessor may enter the Random Dungeon 'The Hills of Rain' with up to 4 allies


In the wake of the confusion of [UNDEFINED], whatever it might have [not] been, the rest of the journey blurs, the details slightly hazy.


Obtaining the Manifold Geranium, is, thankfully, a simple affair. Whatever happened before the [nothing] scoured the area clear of the spiders, their webs, the WIllow-of-the-Wisps and most of the trees up this end of the valley- by a stroke of luck, it appears the Geranium itself was unharmed, however.

El is somewhat less fortunate- due to quantium uncertainty, spiritual instability, and the general fabric of the world being less-than-pliable, his entry into the Seed Rains is swiftly followed by an undignified exit as reality itself rejects his presence in favour of Elyion.

After a brief moment of collectively wondering what in all the worlds just happened, the group resolves to head back to Mornhill before any further unexpected developments have a chance to land on their doorstop.

Unfortunately, unexpected developments are exactly what happen. While the group makes a beeline for the exit Giles made leading to the area of The Bittergreen, the earth before them abruptly erupts in a rainbow-geyser of light and sod as the Pactori-led trio of the young woman, strange-bodysuit wearing Aptim and spirit emerge.
Imperous gestures and strange words are delivered by the young woman, which Celas is able to translate roughly as 'we have determined you have both valuables and a new Kami whose nature is to serve us, you will deliver them immediately or face the consequences'.

Ordinarily, this would be laughable. Elyion had related to Celas that their highest-level member was Level 55, and they're all suffering (from his perspective) from that level-gapped lack of speed and obvious lack of power.
Timorius, Gladius and the Demilich-led Lich Lord Brigade proceed to clash with the Elite Spirit and Aptim, making short work of the former and beating down the latter soon after, albeit with a surprising amount of resistance.
Celas elects to handle the Pactori himself, meeting her head-on with a single, lethal scythe strike, killing her instantly.

Celas makes to leave while letting his assorted subordinates handle the looting, but is surprised by Ferris leaping from the Void-Sanctum into the valley yelling something about a 'Spirit Lord' and 'Incarnation'.
Rainbow-hued power erupts from the Pactori's body, and Celas registers a sharply spiking increase in Level rapidly pushing the woman- or whatever is currently inhabiting her- past the Level 59-cap with every sign of soon reaching- and breaching- the 79-cap as well.

Ferris, however, had begun acting as soon as her body had hit the ground.
Ferris, as it turns out, didn't just get a deific subtype and interesting new weapon type.
Ferris also gained an Overcrash.

Celas is treated to a front-row spectacle of the first showing of Glorious Overcrash: The Origin Of Lightning, a devastating 85-hit barrage of lightning bolts, each of a different element, several Imaginary-turned-Real, several Celas is sure he remembers seeing/feeling exist from the period of [UNDEFINED] that [not] he and [not] others took part in, and several, more worryingly, he is completely unfamiliar with.

Ferris has burst through two level caps in attaining his deific status. He is a Kami. He has been hugely empowered.
This isn't enough to kill whatever it is that's currently rising from the dirt in the woman's form.
It is, however, enough to throw whatever is happening off enough to prevent it from gaining any further power and deal a huge amount of damage to it besides.

«የልሀልዪጎክክቿልሀልፕልዪዐቻፕዘቿየቿልርዐርጕረዐዪዕ» (Human & Kami, Level 79) rises in a blaze of varicoloured light to face the group, a vast peacock-tail-like aura of pure Colour Mana crackling with ever-shifting elemental power roaring to life with her.

Celas decides he is going to leave absolutely nothing to chance and marshals his considerable resources against her.
Color is the element of element-swapping, of varigating effects, of manipulating elements on both sides of battle.
Celas meets it with Void, an elemental centre, deadening the garish assaults to void-black as they come, and throwing Necromancy into the mix to really drive the 'deadening' aspect home.
His opponent seems to have some links to Life as well as Color. Necromancy serves him well as a counter to it, assisted by the Demilich and Gargantua, with the Dragon of the Root helping to draw away Life-element assaults and effects by way of support.
Ferris, despite being in Burnout, is managing to provide a not-insignificant amount of assistance. His Overcrash-assault seems to have the same properties as Lightning weapons- which is to say, it attaches itself to an area and constantly repeats every round.
While the opponent keeps dancing from element to element and makes elements dance into different elements, trying to transform/absorb whatever gets thrown at her (despite having significant trouble dealing with Void), she isn't quite able to keep up with the constant abuse 85 different repeated elemental attacks, many technically-Imaginary, bring to the table.

With the pressure being kept on her, Celas manages, through a combination of Void and Necromancy, to 'kill' elemental avenues available to his opponent, cementing their removal from her panoply through Law and Fate.

Eventually, the peacock-colours of the opponent fade and grey out, the half-formed avatar of whatever-it-is falling to the necromancer-deity's scythe.

Celas doesn't stick around to figure out what else might turn up. That fight was loud, both in terms of noise, destruction and power-broadcasting impact, and the Crosscut is currently an absolute mess of variously-coloured and sparking scars of elemental ruin and necromantically/void-drained decay. He briefly ponders that a fight of that level should, by rights, have spilled out further, but there's probably some property of the world preventing it. Something to worry about later when there aren't potential angry plant-entities or spirit(?)-pacted(??) enemies in the area to deal with.

The journey back through the pass and past the sectioned-off Bittergreen is, thankfully, free of further incident; the trip from there back to Mornhill only slightly interrupted by inconvenient plantlife and more apparently-suicidal Remalii, which Celas sees off with little issue.
Before too long, the group have returned to the Mornhill Branch of the Spirit Hunter's Association, from which the trip back to Nexus is a mercifully simple affair.

Ferris does stop them before they go to press a strange talisman into their hands (or hand-equivalents, given their forms), however, telling them to contact him if they return to Seirei and need his services. Or just want to hang out. But not for a while, because after what happened on that particular outing, he plans on getting hold of all the booze and... other things he can and taking a well-earned holiday.
Given Celas' interesting perspective as someone technically from the future, he's fairly sure Ferris will probably have sobered up even if they immediately decide to jump back into the world.

Probably.



The group gains:

12x the XP for a Level 39 Entity
2x the XP for a Level 52 Entity
10x the XP for a Level 54 Entity
10x the XP for a Level 55 Entity
5x the XP for a Level 59 Entity
20x the XP for a Level 79 Entity


*Pavarinne's Knives of the Peacock Court- (Weapon, Knife, Color, 100,000,000 Gold) +100,000 Melee Attack, +100,000 Ranged Attack, +100,000 to all stats, 120% Critical, 100% Dodge, 200% To Hit, this weapon additionally counts as possessing the subtype Throwing Weapon, this weapon may, at the start of each round and each of wielder's actions, gain or solely become any number or combination of Base Elements, Color and/or elements Wielder possesses, with the exception of Null or Void, this weapon may gain 1 hit against (number of elements this weapon possesses, to a maximum of 18) or (number of elements this weapon possesses, to a maximum of 18) hits against 1

*Pavarinne's Peacock-Feather Barette- (Accessory, Amulet, Color, 120,000,000 Gold) Color Immunity, Wielder Absorbs Color from sources below Level 60, Wielder may choose 4 non-Null, non-Void elements that are either Base elements or possessed by Wielder and gain 50% Resistance to those elements, Wielder may, at the start of each round, choose to change their element to any combination of elements Wielder possesses, Color, and Base elements provided said elements do not include Null or Void

Essence of the Peacock Incarna- (Armor, Mystic Infusion, Color, 600,000,000 Gold) +600,000 Magical Attack, +600,000 to all stats, +600,000 Defense, +600,000 Defense against Color, +6,000,000 MP, Wearer may, at the start of each round, solely become any combination of the elements (Color, Base Elements, Wearer's Elements, and T1 or T2 Elements that wearer possesses a corresponding 'Adept <Element> Synchronization' Ability for, with the exception of Void), if this option is chosen, wearer's actions solely become that combination of elements and wearer gains +600,000 Defense against up to 6 of those elements (with this bonus not stacking with identical bonuses provided earlier in this item's text) and 60% Resilience against said elements; wearer may also choose to alter the element(s) of any offensive action targeting wearer to solely become a single element possessed by wielder, to a maximum of once per round; Wearer must be Level 60 or greater and possess the ability 'Adept Color Synchronization', 'Adept Pattern Admixturist Proficiency', 'Adept Binding Attunement', 'Expert Spirit Magic Attunement', 'Expert Binder Knowledge' or 'Pactori of the Peacock Court'


Luminous Vernat Remalii Orb- (Weapon, Orb, Earth & Wood & Moon, 3,000,000 Gold) +3,000 Magical Attack, +3,000 MIN, +3,000 SPI, 30% inflicts Suffocation: Verdant Air, 30% inflicts Voidstruck: Moon Mad, if wielder successfully inflicts either Suffocation: Verdant Air or Voidstruck: Moon Mad with an action using this weapon, targets of said action are additionally afflicted with Poison, Moderate Status Effects or instances of Poison inflicted by wielder may instead possess the text of Suffocation: Verdant Air or Voidstruck: Moon Mad instead of their normal text, weilder's Level is counted as 5 higher, to a max of 99, for stat-scanning purposes as an effect that is not counted for purposes of bypassing "Immune to below Level X" effects

Radiant Vernat Remalii Orb- (Weapon, Orb, Earth & Wood & Life & Dream & Moon, 20,000,000 Gold) +20,000 Magical Attack, +20,000 Ranged Attack, +20,000 MIN, +20,000 SPI, +200,000 MP, 60% inflicts Suffocation: Verdant Air, 60% inflicts Voidstruck: Moon Mad, 60% inflicts Manablasted: Fading Into Dream, if wielder successfully inflicts either Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad or Manablasted: Fading Into Dream with an action using this weapon, targets of said action are additionally afflicted with an instance of Poison that counts as a Moderate Status Effect, Moderate Status Effects or instances of Poison inflicted by wielder may instead possess the text of Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad or Manablasted: Fading Into Dream instead of their normal text, weilder's Level is counted as 10 higher, to a max of 99, for stat-scanning purposes as an effect that is not counted for purposes of bypassing "Immune to below Level X" effects

Words Which Tear Man's Humanity Asunder And Rebind Its Form And Pattern With Spiritual Essence- (Spell, Other: Ancient Magic, Moon & Dream, 1,000,000 MP, 50,000,000 Gold) Target Human gains the subtype Spirit and counts as possessing the ability 'Aptim' for the purpose of effects that check for such and possessing solely the subtype Spirit for the purpose of effects that check for such; Caster may choose to permanently grant this spell's target (if a Human) the ability 'Aptim' by paying an additional 1,000,000 XP while casting this spell; this spell additionally possesses the subtypes Spirit Magic, Enchantment, Wizard Magic and Channeling, has RP effects

Invoke Lunar Phase: First Quarter- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 20,000 MP, 20,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Phase of the current Governing Lunar Body to Last Quarter, said Lunar Phase provides +50% Resilience against all actions including the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements, with this effect replacing any Lunar Phase currently in effect

Invoke Lunar Phase: Waning Crescent- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 20,000 MP, 20,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Phase of the current Governing Lunar Body to Waning Crescent, said Lunar Phase provides -50% Dodge against all actions including the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements, with this effect replacing any Lunar Phase currently in effect

Lunar Phase Shift- (Spell, Other: Ancient Magic, Moon, 4,000 MP, 400,000 Gold) Target (to a max of one additional time per round) loses HP to instances of the status effect Poison that are present on it (not including sub-status effects), Target obtains +400 AGI on even-numbered rounds and -400 AGI on odd-numbered rounds, does not stack

Manifold Geranium- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Wood & Moon, 1 Charge, 320,000,000 Gold) Gives target the ability 'Aspects of the Manifold Geranium'


Tear of Vernat- (Item, Material, Earth & Wood & Life & Moon, 320,000,000 Gold)

6 Vernat Remalii Essence- (Item, Material, Earth & Moon, 120,000 Gold)


Celas gets:
2 Fame

'Defeated a Pactori Raiding Party During the Seed Rains on Seirei'
'Defeated an Incomplete Incarnate Avatar of The Peacock Lord During the Seed Rains on Seirei'

*Celas' Communication Strip (Fleet-Foot Ferris)- (Bound Item, Quest Item, Light, 5,000 Gold)


Elyion gets:

*Elyion's Communication Strip (Fleet-Foot Ferris)- (Bound Item, Quest Item, Light, 5,000 Gold)


The Rose has been through a lot over this particular outing.
It has experienced astonishing, astounding levels of success in almost every endeavour it was involved in.
In addition, this all happened while the mechanical underpinnings of reality were rewritten, boosting its multiplier (and thus, its power) tremendously.
Also the Universe broke for a while there, but that certainly didn't negatively affect it.

If it had an essence, it would be Blue.

Through its experiences, it has gained a new Aspect:

Rose Arc- (Weapon Aspect- The Rose, Lightning, Darkness & Fire & Magic & Water & Crystal (2), X Gold) +78,000 Magical Attack, +78,000 Ranged Attack, Ranged and Magical Attacks that use this weapon gain an additional attack, with the second attack being a copy of the first attack as an additional action against another target that cannot be the original target of the copied attack

As an RP effect, this aspect also allows for lossless transmission of mana/xp.


Through the absorption of a Life Crystal Statue of a Lesser Selerethic Sunthrone Golem, it has gained a new Aspect:

[5:45 PM] Caelzeph: Elyion appears to be considering absorbing one of the Lesser Selerethic Sunthrone Golems turned into a statue made of pure Life Crystal into The Rose. I'm not sure exactly what sort of effect that would have.
[10:28 PM] Caelzeph: Apparently he's asking the Rose for its take on said
[12:46 AM] Gadigan: I'm going to go with, thanks to its extreme success in the thread so far, that it can absorb one to gain a resurrection-type power where it creates a crystal flower with the resurrected person in the center and then blooms with them alive in the middle.

Rose Resurrection- (Spell Aspect- The Rose, Healer Magic, Life, # MP, X Gold) Target is resurrected and is then healed for # points of Flat Life element HP Healing and MP Healing


It may gain other things, too. This has yet to be determined.




Summary to come.

[Celas]

Prior to parting ways, Elyion gifts Ferris with what's, all things considered, a ludicrous bit of overkill serving as what passes for a communication strip of her own:

A budded off copy-Rose!

From the Rose's Abilities Post:
* Bud off copies of itself that have partial, weaker versions of its powers

(Because apparently I forgot to ever post about doing this in January 2019?!)

[Aeromage]

Summary

Abilities for the Permanent Consumables aren't all processed yet. Those will come in a follow-up post.

Items in italics already exist.



Elyion loses:

12,000,000 Gold


Elyion, Giles and The Rose get:
4 * XP for a Level 39 entity
4* XP for a Level 8 enemy
XP for a Level 12 enemy.
XP for a Level 65 enemy
4* XP for a Level 53 enemy
9* XP for a Level 50 enemy
XP for a Level 58 entity
6* XP for a Level 59 entity
XP for a Level 56 entity
12 * XP for a level 55 entity
XP for a Level 66 entity
12* the XP for a Level 39 Entity
2* the XP for a Level 52 Entity
10* the XP for a Level 54 Entity
20* the XP for a Level 79 Entity


Elyion gets:

6 Fame

4 Moongazer Bonus Weeks
4 Lunar Trickster Bonus Weeks

Apprentice Druid Magic Attunement
Druid
Basic Botanist Knowledge
Apprentice Botanist Knowledge
Botanist

Studied A Vast Number of Rare Plants From The Seed Rains- (Passive Ability, Botanist) Possessor counts as being 2 Levels higher for stat-scanning purposes against Plants, possessor gains 5% Resistance to Earth, Wood and Life-element Plants

Consumed a Thousand-Year Peach- (Passive Ability, Permanent Item Effect) Possessor gains +500,000 HP, +10,000 STR, +10,000 CON, +10,000 AGI, +5,000 Defense against STR Damage, +5,000 Defense against CON Damage, +5,000 Defense against AGI Damage, 20% Time Resistance, and Fatigued: Elderly Immunity; Possessor, as an RP effect, does not age

Spiritual Channeling Nexus- (Passive Ability, Channeler) When taking an action, possessor may choose a number of allies that do not include possessor, up to a maximum of (Possessor's Level/20) allies, and choose to operate at a SPI value equal to (Possessor's SPI + SPI values of said allies combined) and Base SPI value equal to (Possessor's Base SPI + Base SPI values of said allies combined) for the purposes of that action, this ability may only be used once in a single round and may only be used again once a number of rounds equal to the number of allies chosen for said action has passed without this ability being used

Basic Lunar Element Attunement: Aeonaut- (Passive Ability, Moongazer) If Aeonaut is the current Governing Lunar Body, possessor may choose to treat Null as said Governing Lunar Body's Associated Element.

Envoy of Aeonaut- (Passive Ability, Moongazer) Possessor may choose to have their spells, abilities, and items respond as though Aeonaut is the current Governing Lunar Body as an effect that does not stack with other Moongazer abilities whose names include 'Envoy of'




Luminous Vernat Remalii Orb- (Weapon, Throwing Weapon: Orb, Earth & Wood & Moon, 3,000,000 Gold) +3,000 Magical Attack, +3,000 MIN, +3,000 SPI, 30% inflicts Suffocation: Verdant Air, 30% inflicts Voidstruck: Moon Mad, if wielder successfully inflicts either Suffocation: Verdant Air or Voidstruck: Moon Mad with an action using this weapon, targets of said action are additionally afflicted with Poison, Moderate Status Effects or instances of Poison inflicted by wielder may instead possess the text of Suffocation: Verdant Air or Voidstruck: Moon Mad instead of their normal text, wielder's Level is counted as 5 higher, to a max of 99, for stat-scanning purposes as an effect that is not counted for purposes of bypassing "Immune to below Level X" effects


4 Graminoid Arm- (Weapon, Whip: Thornvine, Earth & Wood, 500,000 Gold) +500 Melee Attack, +500 STR, +500 AGI, +500 CON, +500 additional Melee Attack, STR, AGI and CON if wielder is a Plant, Wielder's 'Melee Attack' and 'Melee Overdrive' actions may count as coming from an entity with the subtype Plant instead of Wielder's normal subtype(s)

Puersentis Briar-Whip- (Weapon, Whip: Thornvine, Wood & Life, 290,000,000 Gold) +290,000 Melee Attack, +290,000 Ranged Attack, +290,000 AGI, +290,000 CON, 260% To Hit, Wielder's 'Melee Attack' and 'Attack With Finesse' actions may use Agility as their Prime Attribute, targets that take damage due to actions involving this weapon gain, as a debuff, the subtype Plant and, if (non-unique and not immune to Dominion and below Level 70) or (unique, not immune to Dominion, have less than 50% Dominion or Major Status Effect Resistance and below Level 60) have their actions controlled by wielder, wielder must be Level 60 or greater and possess the ability 'Dominator'



Gown of Green and Verdant Earth- (Armor, Robe: Vinerobe, Earth, 30,000,000 Gold) +30,000 CON, +30,000 Defense, +300,000 HP, 30% Earth Resistance, Wearer may choose to count as being in a Zone of Earth and attach effects to this item that could normally be attached to Zones of Earth, may choose for wearer's presence to count as the presence of a Zone of Earth, may gain or solely become the element Earth, may have wearer's items, spells and abilities count as if wearer had cast Call Unto Earth ten additional times, and may choose to count as being in a Terrain of Conifer Forest, Dark Forest, Domain of Elemental Earth, Farmland, Forest, Hills, Jungle, Meadow, Mushroom Forest, Mystic Forest, Orchards, Rolling Farmland, Rolling Plains, Sakura Forest, Sunny Forest, or Untamed Wilds, this item additionally possesses the subtype Robe: Realmcourt Dress



*Crown of the Crystal- (Accessory, Crown & Crystal & Container, Magic & Crystal (2), Lv. 59, 104,400,000 Gold) +104,000 Magical Attack, +104,000 Defense, +104,000 to all stats, 40% Resistance to each element this item possesses, +1,040,000 MP, wearer's allies and summons gain +10,000 to all stats, +50,000 Defense, +500,000 MP and 30% Resistance to each element this item possesses, wearer gains 4 Accessory slots that may only contain Crystals, this item gains the elements of all Crystals equipped in said slots, and gains Gold value equal to the value of one chosen Crystal equipped in said slots, additionally gaining a bonus to Magical Attack, Defense and all stats equal to (chosen Crystal's Gold value / 1,000, rounded down to the nearest thousand), and granting this item's wearer a second MP pool equal to (chosen Crystal's Gold value / 100, rounded down to the nearest thousand), wearer may choose at the start of each round to have this item's elements instead become any combination of elements it currently possesses, wearer may choose to spend an action to unequip a Crystal equipped in a slot provided by this item and deal (that Crystal's Gold Value/100) Flat damage of (any combination of that Crystal's possessed elements) to every opponent, wearer must be Level 40 or greater
XP: 0
XP Needed: # (Standard Multiplier x4, Standard Multiplier raised to x60 to bypass Level 60 cap)

*Elyion's Extensive Botanical Notes On Plants From The Seed Rains- (Accessory, Tome, Earth & Wood & Life, 100,000,000 Gold) Wielder counts as 20 Levels higher for stat-scanning purposes against Plants, to a max of Level 99, Wielder counts as 5 Levels higher for the purpose of equipping, controlling and summoning Plant Pets and entities, Wielder is informed of the name and Level of all opposing Plants that are not 20 or more Levels higher than wielder's Level, Wielder is provided with the text of any such Plant's Constant Effects and Abilities if said Plant is Earth, Wood or Life Element or the text of individual Constant Effects or Abilities if they are Earth, Wood or Life element or generate effects of said elements, Wielder's Consumables whose name includes 'Moonstone of Vernat' has its text changed such that 'target weapon' becomes 'target weapon or Plant', 'with this effect stacking on a max of two items' becomes 'with this effect stacking on a max of two items or entities', and gain the text 'Plants targeted by this consumable gain the name prefix 'Seed Rain Variant', +10,000 to all stats, +20,000 to damage values and may make their abilities solely any combination of this Consumable's elements as a non-stacking effect', Wielder may treat Spirits who possess the elements Earth, Wood and/or Life as Plants for the purpose of this item, Wielder obtains the next 'name-tier' ability in Druid and Botanist that they do not possess out of Basic Druid/Botanist, Apprentice Druid/Botanist, Druid/Botanist, Adept Druid/Botanist and Expert Druid/Botanist while this accessory is equipped

*Serro Gramman's Item-Transporting Spirit-Gate Ring- (Accessory, Quest Item, Light & Darkness, 10,000,000 Gold) Wielder may, at the start of wielder's first action each round, choose to remove an unequipped item in wielder's possession from the thread, has RP effects

Graminoid Harvest-Bearer's Heart- (Accessory, Bioaugmentation, Earth & Wood & Life, 15,000,000 Gold) +15,000 STR, +15,000 CON, Possessor may assign up to 3 Pets of the subtype Plant that are Level 35 or lower to this item at the start of each thread; for each Pet assigned to this item, possessor gains +(1/4 assigned Pet's CON, to a maximum of 15,000), +(1/4 assigned Pet's STR, to a maximum of 15,000), +(1/4 removed Plant's HP, to a maximum of 300,000); Possessor may, after possessor's action, to a maximum of once per action and three times per round, use an Ability held by a Pet assigned to this item as if that Pet were using it

Lunar Phase-Sigil Array- (Accessory, Mystic Infusion, Moon, 80,000,000 Gold) +80,000 Magical Attack, +1,600,000 MP, this item may gain the element(s) of the Associated Elements of a Governing Lunar Body currently set and gain Absorbs <Element> (where said element is a maximum of one of the Associated Elements of a set Governing Lunar Body), <Element> Immunity (where said element is a maximum of one of the Associated Elements of a set Governing Lunar Body), and 100% <Element> Resistance (where said element is a maximum of one of the Associated Elements of a set Governing Lunar Body), Possessor may, at the start of each round, if a Governing Lunar Body has been set, choose to replicate the effects of any Lunar Arts spell with a lesser or equal Gold Value than this item with a name that includes 'Invoke Lunar Phase', possessor may choose for possessor's spells, items and abilities to count as being under the effect of the spells 'Invoke Lunar Prominence: Ascending', 'Invoke Lunar Prominence: Resplendent' or 'Invoke Lunar Prominence: Descending', to a maximum of one such spell effect per round

2 Rosecrystal Respirator- (Accessory, Mask, Darkness & Fire & Magic & Air & Crystal (2), 35,000,000 Gold) +35,000 CON, +35,000 AGI, +35,000 Defense, +35,000 Defense Against Air, +35,000 Defense Against Water, +35,000 Defense against Suffocation Damage, +35,000 Defense against Drowning Damage, Suffocation Immunity, Drowning Immunity, 25% Air Resistance, 25% Water Resistance, 25% Psychic Resistance, wearer, as an RP effect, does not need to breathe


Apple Fleff- (Consumable, Food, Earth, 500 Gold) Heals 100 HP, +50 Damage for Earth Element attacks
Mulberry Fleff- (Consumable, Food, Water & Earth, 500 Gold) Heals 100 MP, +50 MIN, does not stack
Radiant Whitesilver Soulberry- (Consumable, Food, Light & Hope, 1 Charge, 20,000,000 Gold) Target gains 2 Base SPI, to a max of 15

4 Waypoint Whistlegrass- (Consumable, Enchanted Item, Wood & Sonic & Spatial, 2 Charges, 500,000 Gold) User and user's allies may immediately leave a random quest they are currently in, user may use the first charge of this consumable to place a Waypoint in user's present battlespace, if user uses this consumable after having set a Waypoint in a battlespace, user and user's allies may immediately enter that battlespace and remove the Waypoint
2 Wayward Whistlegrass- (Consumable, Enchanted Item, Wood & Sonic & Spatial, 1 Charge, 150,000 Gold) 25% User moves to a random row on user's side of battle, 25% User moves to a random row on opponent's side of battle in the same battlespace, 25% User moves to a random row in a randomly-determined existing battlespace, 25% User is afflicted with Vanished, Has RP Effects



Seed Rain Fruit- Arborsphaer- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth & Wood, 1 Charge, 50,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Spiritual Aura of the Great Tree'

Seed Rain Fruit- Arsacentetus (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon, 1 Charge, 300,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Flawless Artist'

Seed Rain Fruit- Bestimea (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Beast & Moon, 1 Charge, 120,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Beast Soul'

Seed Rain Fruit- Dilamotus (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Physical & Air & Earth & Moon, 1 Charge, 50,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Enhanced Motion'

Seed Rain Fruit- Furtumali- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth & Darkness, 1 Charge, 120,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Guerilla Assassin'

Seed Rain Fruit- Inscripellis (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Earth & Magic & Moon, 1 Charge, 100,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Magically-Writable Skin'

Seed Rain Fruit- Saxhuo (Permanent Consumable, Cursed Item, Earth & Moon, 1 Charge, 30,000,000 Gold) Willing target gains the ability 'Petrified', target's subtype becomes solely Antiquity, target's subtype becomes solely Earth; may sometimes be used on nonwilling targets in RP threads

Seed Rain Fruit- Lunianua- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth & Wood & Life & Spatial, 1 Charge, 140,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Keeper of the Verdant Gate'

Seed Rain Fruit- Lutmagia (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth, 1 Charge, 100,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Lutumancer'

Seed Rain Fruit- Malemultus (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Toxin & Life & Moon, 1 Charge, 200,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Multi-Status Maestro'

Seed Rain Fruit- Mallemanus (Permanent Consumable, Cursed Item, Earth & Moon, 1 Charge, 30,000,000 Gold) Willing target gains the ability 'Hammer-Handed'; may sometimes be used on nonwilling targets in RP threads

Seed Rain Fruit- Morsultio (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Light & Darkness & Life & Moon, 1 Charge, 200,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Vengeful Spirit'

Seed Rain Fruit- Nativersum (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth & Wood & Life, 1 Charge, 300,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Elementalise Other- Verdant'

Seed Rain Fruit- Sacreo (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Life & Moon, 1 Charge, 100,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Bring Forth Life From Sacrifice'

Seed Rain Fruit- Terramede- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth, 1 Charge, 120,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Expert Terramancer'

Strange Forum Private Message About An Old Random Dungeon From The Archives- (Permanent Consumable, Permit, Dream & Null, 5,000,000 Gold) Grants the ability 'Permitted to Enter The Hills Of Rain'

Permitted to Enter The Hills Of Rain- (Passive Ability, Clearance) Possessor may enter the Random Dungeon 'The Hills of Rain' with up to 4 allies

Thousand-Year Peach- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Life & Time, 150,000,000 Gold) Gives target the ability "Consumed a Thousand-Year Peach"


Eruptive Landstrike- (Spell, Geomancy, Earth, 30,000 MP, 30,000,000 Gold) +30,000 Magical Attack, this spell may solely become the element(s) of any Terrain or Phantom Terrain present in battle that does not have an equivalent in the Shop that possesses the elements Air or Water (unless it also possesses the element Earth), 60% inflicts any one base Moderate Status Effect that deals damage of an element shared by the aforementioned Terrain or Phantom Terrain, 1 hit against all individuals within chosen Terrain or Phantom Terrain

Integrate Plant (Lesser)- (Spell, Druid Magic, Earth, 30,000 MP, 900,000 Gold) Target plant that is (willing or below caster's Level) and below Level 30 is removed from battle, if this removal is successful a buff is generated and may be placed on an allied Plant or caster (if caster is a Plant) that provides +(1/4 removed Plant's CON, to a maximum of 900), +(1/4 removed Plant's HP, to a maximum of 180,000) and grants its possessor a single Ability held by the removed Plant, stacks 3 times, this spell fails if it does not target a Plant as the recipient of said buff or would fail to generate said buff, with the removed plant being returned to battle in such cases or if the resultant buff is removed or destroyed

Call The Verdant Wind- (Spell, Elemental Magic, Air & Wood, 350,000 MP, 35,000,000 Gold) +35,000 Magical Attack, May Heal Plants, 50% May Inflict Suffocation: Verdant Air, attaches a non-stacking effect to a Zone of Air that deals 300,000 Flat Wood & Air damage to up to 15 targets within it that does not stack across Zones at the start of each round, this effect may instead heal an equal amount to Plant targets, caster may choose to count this as a casting of any combination of Call Unto Air and/or Call Unto Wood, this spell additionally possesses the subtype Druid Magic

Lunar Phase Shift- (Spell, Other: Ancient Magic, Moon, 4,000 MP, 400,000 Gold) Target (to a max of one additional time per round) loses HP to instances of the status effect Poison that are present on it (not including sub-status effects), Target obtains +400 AGI on even-numbered rounds and -400 AGI on odd-numbered rounds, does not stack


2 Call Unto Moon: Vernat- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Earth & Wood, 40,000 MP, 40,000,000 Gold) Sets Vernat as the current Governing Lunar Body, sets said Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements to Earth & Wood, reduces the cost of all Lunar Magic spells containing the same element(s) as the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements by 40,000 MP and increases the Magical Attack, Ranged Attack or Melee Attack bonuses of all Lunar Magic spells containing the same element(s) as the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements by +40,000 as a non-stacking bonus.

Invoke Lunar Phase: Last Quarter- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 20,000 MP, 20,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Phase of the current Governing Lunar Body to Last Quarter, said Lunar Phase provides -50% Resilience against all actions including the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements, with this effect replacing any Lunar Phase currently in effect

2 Invoke Lunar Phase: Waning Gibbous- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 20,000 MP, 20,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Phase of the current Governing Lunar Body to Waning Gibbous, said Lunar Phase provides -50% Critical to all actions including the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements, with this effect replacing any Lunar Phase currently in effect

3 Invoke Lunar Phase: Waxing Crescent- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 20,000 MP, 20,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Phase of the current Governing Lunar Body to Waxing Crescent, said Lunar Phase provides +50% Dodge against all actions including the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements, with this effect replacing any Lunar Phase currently in effect


6 Rainbow Sweetleaf- (Consumable, Other: Drug, Wood & Air & Color & Toxin, 1 Charge, 30,000,000 Gold) Satiates addiction; Has RP effects


*Elyion's Communication Strip (Fleet-Foot Ferris)- (Bound Item, Quest Item, Light, 5,000 Gold)

5-Foot-Square Mile of the Serpent Plushie- (Item, Antiquity, Null & Earth & Dopple, 30,575,900 Gold)
8 Life-Emerald Bamboo With Leaves of Silver Poetry- (Item, Antiquity, Life & Wood & Metal, 20,000,000 Gold)
Map of Clavia- (Bound Item, Antiquity, Earth & Light & Darkness, 300 Gold)
Map of the Clavia Province- (Bound Item, Antiquity, Earth & Light & Darkness, 700 Gold)

False-Metal Pumpkin (Gloom Steel)- (Item, Antiquity, Metal & Darkness & Physical, 41,500 Gold)
False-Metal Pumpkin (Mythril)- (Item, Antiquity, Metal & Magic & Physical, 2,000,000 Gold)
Life Crystal Statue of a Lesser Selerethic Sunthrone Golem- (Item, Antiquity, Life, 19,000,000 Gold)
14 Living Graminoid Head- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wood, 300,000 Gold)
Malmanus Ash Tree- (Item, Antiquity, Wood & Life & Destruction, 543,210,000 Gold)
Oracle's Iris- (Item, Antiquity, Psychic & Knowledge & Fate & Truth, 300,000,000 Gold)
29 Rare Flowers from the Seed Rains- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wood, 280,000 Gold)
Red Morsillium- (Item, Antiquity, Life & Destruction, 25,000,000 Gold)
Ward-Piercer Barberry Bush- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Aether, 35,000,000 Gold)

Thousand-Year Peach Tree- (Item, Resource, Life & Time, 800,000,000 Gold) This item produces 1 Thousand-Year Peach every 2 months.

'Sent Serro Gramman Several Valuable Samples from the Seed Rains on Seirei'
'Gave Serro Gramman Thousand-Year Peaches from the Seed Rains on Seirei'
'Greatly Empowered Serro Gramman and Expedited His Plans on Seirei'
'Preserved The Bittergreen And Allowed It To Persist After The Seed Rains On Seirei'
'Discovered a Thousand-Year Peach Tree During the Seed Rains on Seirei'
'Witnessed the Dawn of the Grand Lunar Era on Seirei Through Divination'
'Learned About The Remalii on Seirei'
'Made Fleet-Foot Ferris Effectively Immortal Through Use of Legendary Seed Rain Fruits on Seirei'
'Uncovered the Secret Blue Wing of the Palace of the Warring Roses on Seirei'
'The First Wizard's Shadow'
'Involved in Fleet-Foot Ferris' Rise to Become a Deity'


El gets:

Subordinate Deity: Fleet-Foot Ferris, The First Stormsmiter- (Passive Ability, Friendship) Possessor gains +20,000 AGI and +2,000 unmodified AGI if possessor possesses an ally named 'Fleet-Foot Ferris, The First Stormsmiter', Possessor counts as being 1 Level higher for the purpose of equipping Lightning weapons, Possessor's Lightning weapons gain +(Possessor's Level * 1,000) Magical and Ranged Attack

as a note, if Elyion ever becomes a deity herself, she'll likely also get this upon return to Seirei.



Celas gets:

3 Fame

2* XP for a Level 65 enemy
10* XP for a Level 53 enemy
9* XP for a Level 50 enemy
XP for a Level 58 entity
18* XP for a Level 59 entity
XP for a Level 56 entity
7 * XP for a level 55 entity
6* XP for a Level 60 entity
3* XP for a Level 67 entity
XP for 17 Level 64 entities
XP for a Level 66 entity
12* the XP for a Level 39 Entity
2* the XP for a Level 52 Entity
10* the XP for a Level 54 Entity
20* the XP for a Level 79 Entity


Subordinate Deity: Fleet-Foot Ferris, The First Stormsmiter- (Passive Ability, Friendship) Possessor gains +20,000 AGI and +2,000 unmodified AGI if possessor possesses an ally named 'Fleet-Foot Ferris, The First Stormsmiter', Possessor counts as being 1 Level higher for the purpose of equipping Lightning weapons, Possessor's Lightning weapons gain +(Possessor's Level * 1,000) Magical and Ranged Attack


*Pavarinne's Knives of the Peacock Court- (Weapon, Knife: Dagger, Color, 100,000,000 Gold) +100,000 Melee Attack, +100,000 Ranged Attack, +100,000 to all stats, 120% Critical, 100% Dodge, 200% To Hit, this weapon additionally counts as possessing the subtype Throwing Weapon and Knife: Kunai, this weapon may, at the start of each round and each of wielder's actions, gain or solely become any number or combination of Base Elements, Color and/or elements Wielder possesses, with the exception of Null or Void, this weapon may gain 1 hit against (number of elements this weapon possesses, to a maximum of 18) or (number of elements this weapon possesses, to a maximum of 18) hits against 1


Magistrum Vernat Remalii Orb-Matrix- (Weapon, Remote: Assault Matrix, Earth & Wood & Life & Dream & Moon, 50,000,000 Gold) +50,000 Magical Attack, +50,000 Ranged Attack, +50,000 MIN, +50,000 SPI, +500,000 MP, 180% To Hit, 100% inflicts any two of (Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad, Manablasted: Fading Into Dream, Manablasted: Mystic Leak or Awestruck: Lifeforce Overload) with these infliction chances being resolved separately, if wielder successfully inflicts either Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad, Manablasted: Fading Into Dream, Manablasted: Mystic Leak or Awestruck: Lifeforce Overload with an action using this weapon, targets of said action are additionally afflicted with an instance of Poison that counts as a Moderate Status Effect, Moderate Status Effects (including Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad, Manablasted: Fading Into Dream, Manablasted: Mystic Leak or Awestruck: Lifeforce Overload) or instances of Poison inflicted by wielder may instead possess the text of Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad, Manablasted: Fading Into Dream, Manablasted: Mystic Leak or Awestruck: Lifeforce Overload instead of their normal text, Wielder may treat this weapon's subtype as Orb, Wielder's 'Ranged Attack' actions use MIN as their Prime Attribute

Luminous Vernat Remalii Orb- (Weapon, Throwing Weapon: Orb, Earth & Wood & Moon, 3,000,000 Gold) +3,000 Magical Attack, +3,000 MIN, +3,000 SPI, 30% inflicts Suffocation: Verdant Air, 30% inflicts Voidstruck: Moon Mad, if wielder successfully inflicts either Suffocation: Verdant Air or Voidstruck: Moon Mad with an action using this weapon, targets of said action are additionally afflicted with Poison, Moderate Status Effects or instances of Poison inflicted by wielder may instead possess the text of Suffocation: Verdant Air or Voidstruck: Moon Mad instead of their normal text, wielder's Level is counted as 5 higher, to a max of 99, for stat-scanning purposes as an effect that is not counted for purposes of bypassing "Immune to below Level X" effects

8 Radiant Vernat Remalii Orb- (Weapon, Throwing Weapon: Orb, Earth & Wood & Life & Dream & Moon, 20,000,000 Gold) +20,000 Magical Attack, +20,000 Ranged Attack, +20,000 MIN, +20,000 SPI, +200,000 MP, 60% inflicts Suffocation: Verdant Air, 60% inflicts Voidstruck: Moon Mad, 60% inflicts Manablasted: Fading Into Dream, if wielder successfully inflicts either Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad or Manablasted: Fading Into Dream with an action using this weapon, targets of said action are additionally afflicted with an instance of Poison that counts as a Moderate Status Effect, Moderate Status Effects or instances of Poison inflicted by wielder may instead possess the text of Suffocation: Verdant Air, Voidstruck: Moon Mad or Manablasted: Fading Into Dream instead of their normal text, wielder's Level is counted as 10 higher, to a max of 99, for stat-scanning purposes as an effect that is not counted for purposes of bypassing "Immune to below Level X" effects


Essence of the Peacock Incarna- (Armor, Body-Mod: Infusion Formula, Color, 600,000,000 Gold) +600,000 Magical Attack, +600,000 to all stats, +600,000 Defense, +600,000 Defense against Color, +6,000,000 MP, Wearer may, at the start of each round, solely become any combination of the elements (Color, Base Elements, Wearer's Elements, and T1 or T2 Elements that wearer possesses a corresponding 'Adept <Element> Synchronization' Ability for, with the exception of Void), if this option is chosen, wearer's actions solely become that combination of elements and wearer gains +600,000 Defense against up to 6 of those elements (with this bonus not stacking with identical bonuses provided earlier in this item's text) and 60% Resilience against said elements; wearer may also choose to alter the element(s) of any offensive action targeting wearer to solely become a single element possessed by wielder, to a maximum of once per round; Wearer must be Level 60 or greater and possess the ability 'Adept Color Synchronization', 'Adept Pattern Admixturist Proficiency', 'Adept Binding Attunement', 'Expert Spirit Magic Attunement', 'Expert Binder Knowledge' or 'Pactori of the Peacock Court'



*Pavarinne's Peacock-Feather Barette- (Accessory, Amulet, Color, 120,000,000 Gold) Color Immunity, Wielder Absorbs Color from sources below Level 60, Wielder may choose 4 non-Null, non-Void elements that are either Base elements or possessed by Wielder and gain 50% Resistance to those elements, Wielder may, at the start of each round, choose to change their element to any combination of elements Wielder possesses, Color, and Base elements provided said elements do not include Null or Void

Fidelity Iris- (Accessory, Trinket, Hope, 50,000,000 Gold) +40,000 to all stats, Charm Immunity from sources below Level 60, Wielder's allies gain +10,000 to all stats, Wielder may not conduct offensive actions against allies without their permission, Wielder may not steal the items of allies

Grand Hazard Cedar Pollen- (Accessory, Weapon Coating, Wood & Life & Toxin, 18,000,000 Gold) +18,000 Melee Attack, +18,000 Ranged Attack, +18,000 Magical Attack, 100% inflicts Poison, 100% inflicts Poison: Allergic Reaction, Poison: Atrophying Toxin, Poison: High, Poison: Numbing Agent, or Poison: Slow-Acting Poison, 30% inflicts Suffocation, 30% inflicts Suffocation: Verdant Air or Suffocation: Miasmatic Air, 5% inflicts Venom if wielder is Level 40 or greater, Minor and Moderate status effects that can be naturally applied by this item's base text by wielder's offensive actions to entities below Level 60 are not removed the first time they would expire or be cured or removed by entities below Level 60

Necromantically-Tainted Evermoss Cloak- (Accessory, Cloak, Darkness & Wood & Life, 20,000,000 Gold) +20,000 Magical Attack, +20,000 CON, +20,000 SPI, Wearer may choose at the start of each round to create a Zone of Darkness & Wood & Life, entities killed by wearer that are below Level 60, 20 or more Levels below wearer, and die within a Zone of Darkness & Wood & Life created by wearer have their subtypes replaced with Plant & Undead and are resurrected at 25% health (to a maximum of 2,000,000 HP) as summons under the control of wearer, to a maximum of 2 such summons at any one time, wearer must be Level 40 or greater and possess the ability 'Adept Necromancy Attunement' or the abilities 'Necromancer', 'Deathless One' and 'Druid'



Bribe- (Spell, Thief Arts, Wealth, 0 MP, 100,000,000 Gold) Caster chooses a target and pays an amount of Gold equal to (target's Level * 500,000), if target is (not Wealth element, does not Reflect or Absorb Wealth, is not Immune to Wealth, and is not Immune to Charm), caster may Inflict Charm or choose any one out of the following effects as an effect that does not stack: control target's next action, choose the targets of target's start-of-round effects at the start of the next round, prevent target from targeting caster for the remainder of this round, prevent target from targeting caster for the next round

Eruptive Landstrike- (Spell, Geomancy, Earth, 30,000 MP, 30,000,000 Gold) +30,000 Magical Attack, this spell may solely become the element(s) of any Terrain or Phantom Terrain present in battle that does not have an equivalent in the Shop that possesses the elements Air or Water (unless it also possesses the element Earth), 60% inflicts any one base Moderate Status Effect that deals damage of an element shared by the aforementioned Terrain or Phantom Terrain, 1 hit against all individuals within chosen Terrain or Phantom Terrain

Illusory Hoard- (Spell, Illusion Magic, Illusion & Wealth, 10,000 MP, 50,000,000 Gold) Caster creates 1,000,000 Temporary Gold that lasts 5 rounds, caster may spend an additional amount of MP upon casting this spell (up to (Caster's Level * 1,000) MP) to create an additional sum of Temporary Gold equal to (additional MP spent * 100)

2 Hazard Pollen Tempest- (Spell, Elemental Magic, Wood, 45,000 MP, 14,100,000 Gold) +28,000 Magical Attack, 30% inflicts Suffocation, 30% inflicts Suffocation: Verdant Air, 30% inflicts Suffocation: Miasmatic Air, 150% inflicts any three of Poison, Poison: Allergic Reaction, Poison: Atrophying Toxin, Poison: High, Poison: Numbing Agent, Confusion, Confusion: Dizzy, Diseased: Infested, Fatigued, Fatigued: Stunned, Impaired, Impaired: Blind, Pain, Pain: Constant Itching and/or Paralysis, deals 3/4 damage, 1 hit against 5,000, Call Unto Wood must have been cast 12 times to cast this spell

Invoke Lunar Phase: First Quarter- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 20,000 MP, 20,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Phase of the current Governing Lunar Body to Last Quarter, said Lunar Phase provides +50% Resilience against all actions including the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements, with this effect replacing any Lunar Phase currently in effect

Invoke Lunar Phase: Waning Crescent- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 20,000 MP, 20,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Phase of the current Governing Lunar Body to Waning Crescent, said Lunar Phase provides -50% Dodge against all actions including the Governing Lunar Body's Associated Elements, with this effect replacing any Lunar Phase currently in effect

Lunar Phase Shift- (Spell, Other: Ancient Magic, Moon, 4,000 MP, 400,000 Gold) Target (to a max of one additional time per round) loses HP to instances of the status effect Poison that are present on it (not including sub-status effects), Target obtains +400 AGI on even-numbered rounds and -400 AGI on odd-numbered rounds, does not stack

2 Thirsting Vines- (Spell, Druid Magic, Earth & Wood, 7,000 MP, 7,000,000 Gold) +7,000 Magical Attack, 700 CON damage, deals HP Drain, deals CON point drain, 100% inflicts Stat Drain: CON Drain, actions involving this spell repeat at the start of the round for the next two rounds so long as their caster does not already have any other actions repeating

4 Words Which Tear Man's Humanity Asunder And Rebind Its Form And Pattern With Spiritual Essence- (Spell, Other: Ancient Magic, Moon & Dream, 1,000,000 MP, 50,000,000 Gold) Target Human gains the subtype Spirit and counts as possessing the ability 'Aptim' for the purpose of effects that check for such and possessing solely the subtype Spirit for the purpose of effects that check for such; Caster may choose to permanently grant this spell's target (if a Human) the ability 'Aptim' by paying an additional 1,000,000 XP while casting this spell; this spell additionally possesses the subtypes Spirit Magic, Enchantment, Wizard Magic and Channeling, has RP effects



Leaf of Foliate Fauna- (Consumable, Summoning Stone, Earth & Wood, 1 Charge, 5,000,000 Gold) Summons 1 Animal or Aerial below Level 56, summons summoned through this consumable additionally possess the subtype Plant, have their base HP multiplied by 1.25 and their base AGI multiplied by .75


Manifold Geranium- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Wood & Moon, 1 Charge, 320,000,000 Gold) Gives target the ability 'Aspects of the Manifold Geranium'

Mystic's Oats- (Permanent Consumable, Stat Upgrade, Earth & Moon, 1 Charge, 300,000,000 Gold) If user does not possess the award 'Consumed the Mystic's Oats', user gains 2 Base MIN, gains the award 'Gained 2 Base MIN From Consuming the Mystic's Oats', gains the ability 'Consumed the Mystic's Oats', and gains the award 'Consumed the Mystic's Oats'

Consumed the Mystic's Oats- (Passive Ability, Blessing) Possessor gains +20,000 Uncapped MIN and +2,000,000 MP

*Celas' Communication Strip (Fleet-Foot Ferris)- (Bound Item, Quest Item, Light, 5,000 Gold)

Fantastically Annoying, Regrowing Kudzu Vines That Just Won't Stop Coming Back Despite How Much Weedkiller You Put Down- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Life, 200,000 Gold)
Grand Hazard Cedar Sapling- (Item, Antiquity, Wood & Life & Toxin, 50,000,000 Gold)
Petrified King's Chalice Plant- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wood & Wealth, 300,000,000 Gold)
6 Rare Flowers from the Seed Rains- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wood, 280,000 Gold)
9 Rare Plants from the Seed Rains- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wood, 300,000 Gold)
Warden's Rowan- (Item, Antiquity, Wood & Warding, 430,000,000 Gold)

Huge Pile of Titan Briar Thorns- (Item, Material, Earth & Wood, 8,000,000 Gold)
2 Large Container of Wood Mana Oil- (Item, Material, Wood, 50,000 Gold)
Pure Tear of Vernat- (Item, Material, Earth & Wood & Life & Moon, 960,000,000 Gold)
Tear of Vernat- (Item, Material, Earth & Wood & Life & Moon, 320,000,000 Gold)
Verdant Earth- (Item, Material, Earth & Life, 600,000 Gold)
11 Vernat Remalii Essence- (Item, Material, Earth & Moon, 120,000 Gold)

Lake's Worth of Fetid, Spiritually Empowered Swamp-Muck- (Item, Property, Earth & Water & Darkness, 15,000,000 Gold)
Vast Flower-Field of Rare Seed Rain Plants- (Item, Property, Earth & Wood & Life, 40,000,000 Gold)

Perplexingly Permutable Poppy Patch- (Item, Resource, Earth & Flux, 50,000,000 Gold) Possessor may post in the shop once per week to roll on the Perplexingly Permutable Poppy Table and gain the result

Perplexingly Permutable Poppy Table wrote:1-10: White Consolation Poppy- (Item, Antiquity, Earth, 50 Gold)
11-30: Precarious Pile of Plentiful Poppies- (Item, Antiquity, Earth, 500,000 Gold)
31-50: Soporific Poppy- (Consumable, Medicine, Earth, 500,000 Gold) Target willing individual is afflicted with Fatigued: Sleep, 75% inflicts Fatigued: Sleep, 75% inflicts Fatigued: Knocked Unconscious
51-55: Beauteous Poppy- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Beauty, 5,000,000 Gold)
56-60: Red Poppy of Love- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Fire, 5,000,000 Gold)
61-65: Red Poppy of Pleasure- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Pleasure, 5,000,000 Gold)
66-70: Red Poppy of War- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & War, 5,000,000 Gold)
71-75: Blood Poppy- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Blood, 5,000,000 Gold)
76-80: Multichromatic Poppy- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Color, 5,000,000 Gold)
81-85: Grave's Embrace Poppy- (Accessory, Trinket, Earth & Darkness, 10,000,000 Gold) +10,000 Magical Attack, 1% Inflicts Instant Death
86-90: Poppy of Remembrance- (Accessory, Trinket, Earth & Memory, 20,000,000 Gold) +20,000 SPI, +20,000 MIN, +200,000 MP, Possessor may choose at the start of a round to reapply a buff that was applied to possessor during an earlier round of battle by an ally that is currently Dead or treated as Dead, with possessor not being able to choose the same buff to be reapplied in this manner more than once a thread
91-93: Dreaming Poppy- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Dream, 20,000,000 Gold)
94-96: Immortal Poppy- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Life, 20,000,000 Gold)
97-98: Yellow Poppy of Wealth- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Wealth, 25,000,000 Gold)
99-100: Yellow Poppy of Triumph- (Item, Antiquity, Earth & Hope, 25,000,000 Gold)

*Warehouse Ticket Created by Exploiting a Reality Glitch that will grant the Black Chartist's Map Artifact When Traded In- (Item, Ticket, Null & Darkness, 1 Charge, 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 Gold)

2 Premium Progression Whateverhouse Ticket- (Bound Item, Ticket, Progress, 50,000 Gold)

'Involved in Fleet-Foot Ferris Becoming The First Stormsmiter'
'Defeated a Pactori Raiding Party During the Seed Rains on Seirei'
'Defeated an Incomplete Incarnate Avatar of The Peacock Lord During the Seed Rains on Seirei'





Timorious gets:

2* XP for a Level 65 enemy
10* XP for a Level 53 enemy
9* XP for a Level 50 enemy
XP for a Level 58 entity
13* XP for a Level 59 entity
XP for a Level 56 entity
2 * XP for a level 55 entity
6* XP for a Level 60 entity
2* XP for a Level 62 entity.
XP for 17 Level 64 entities
XP for a Level 66 entity



City-Back Gargantua gets:

3* XP for a Level 67 entity


The Rose gets:

180,000 XP

Rose Arc- (Weapon Aspect- The Rose, Lightning, Darkness & Fire & Magic & Water & Crystal (2), X Gold) +78,000 Magical Attack, +78,000 Ranged Attack, Ranged and Magical Attacks that use this weapon gain an additional attack, with the second attack being a copy of the first attack as an additional action against another target that cannot be the original target of the copied attack
As an RP effect, this aspect also allows for lossless transmission of mana/xp.

Rose Resurrection- (Spell Aspect- The Rose, Healer Magic, Life, # MP, X Gold) Target is resurrected and is then healed for # points of Flat Life element HP Healing and MP Healing

[Potentially something else]

'Acts as a Portal Key to the Palace of the Warring Roses on Seirei'
'Successfully used the Oracle's Iris to Divine the Secrets of the Blue Wing of the Palace of the Warring Roses on Seirei Without Being Noticed or Triggering Mystery-Based Contingencies'


Giles gets:

3* XP for a Level 67 entity

1 Fame

'Preserved The Bittergreen And Allowed It To Persist After The Seed Rains On Seirei'


Sunthrone-Golem Summons get:

XP for 77 Level 20 entities
twice the XP for a Level 35 entity


New Status Effects:

Manablasted: Fading Into Dream (Possessor takes an amount of Dream element damage equal to 5% of possessor's Max HP at the start of every round that cannot be defended against by Defense that is not either coming from Universe-element sources or Defense that is specifically Defense against the element Dream)


Other items that exist, but were not picked up:

Invoke Lunar Prominence: Ascending- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 1,000,000 MP, 100,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Prominence of the current Governing Lunar Body to Ascending, said Lunar Prominence causes all instances of damage dealt containing one or more of the Associated Elements of the current Governing Lunar Body to be multiplied by 2 (to a maximum of 50,000,000 additional damage), with this effect replacing any Lunar Prominence currently in effect.

Invoke Lunar Prominence: Resplendant- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 1,000,000 MP, 100,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Prominence of the current Governing Lunar Body to Resplendant, said Lunar Prominence causes all instances of damage dealt containing one or more of the Associated Elements of the current Governing Lunar Body to be able to ignore the Associated Element Resistances (but not Immunities, Reflection or Absorption) of all individuals below Level 80, with this effect replacing any Lunar Prominence currently in effect.

Invoke Lunar Prominence: Descending- (Spell, Lunar Magic, Moon, 1,000,000 MP, 100,000,000 Gold) Sets the Lunar Prominence of the current Governing Lunar Body to Descending, said Lunar Prominence causes all instances of damage dealt containing one or more of the Associated Elements of the current Governing Lunar Body to be divided by 2, with this effect replacing any Lunar Prominence currently in effect.


Ferris-notes for myself:

He got a copy of Call The Verdant Wind and Eruptive Landstrike, as well as a Rosecrystal Respirator along with the Rose-bud and fruit-granted powers.

[Aeromage]

Seed Rain Fruit- Arborsphaer- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth & Wood, 1 Charge, 50,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Spiritual Aura of the Great Tree'
-This fruit grants its consumer the ability to surround themselves in an aura of spiritual energy linked to the power of the forest, providing the strength of a mighty tree and some regenerative capacity as well. Unfortunately, it also requires its user be rooted to the spot while it's active.

Grants:

Spiritual Aura of the Great Tree- (Stance Ability, Druid) +50,000 STR, +50,000 CON, +50,000 SPI, While in this stance, possessor regenerates 500,000 HP at the start of each round and counts as additionally possessing the subtype Plant, Possessor may not perform actions that would cause possessor to switch rows, if possessor changes rows for any reason other than an insufficient number of entities in the preceding rows, possessor immediately exits this Stance


Seed Rain Fruit- Arsacentetus (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon, 1 Charge, 300,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Flawless Artist'
-This is a potent one. It grants its user an incredible grasp of the arts and how to perform them, and ensures that any artistic creation they attempt will, for a given definition of the word, be without flaw. Drawings will take on lives of their own and spring from the page. Music will be capable of moving people to tears of joy or sorrow with ease. Dance and acting will evoke worlds so real they begin to push through into reality.
As far as Elyion can determine, its power will be limited by its consumer's power. It does, however, look to be able to scale up with its user, with no obvious upper limit.

Grants:

Flawless Artist- (Passive Ability, Artist of Dawn) Possessor's actions that involve (Artifice, Bardic Music, Dance or Golomancy Spells) or (Artist of Dawn, Chromatic Conductor, Musician, Architect, Puppeteer, Crossrealm Storyteller, Jeweler, Smith or Crafter) Technique Abilities that would possess a failure chance instead have said failure chance set to 0% and cannot be made to fail by the introduction of a failure chance if they would not normally possess such; buffs provided by the aforementioned Spells or Technique Abilities that increase stats increase them by an additional +(Possessor's Level * 1,000); summons summoned by the aforementioned Spells or Technique Abilities possess an addtional (Possessor's Level * 100,000) HP and MP more than they normally would and gain an additional +(Possessor's Level * 1,000) to all stats as a non-stacking effect; Minor Status Effect Infliction chances from possessor's actions that involve the aforementioned Spells or Technique Abilities are increased by (Possessor's Level * 5)% and may, if used against a target that is no more than 10 Levels above Possessor's level, treat instances of Minor Status Effect Immunity as instead being (Target's Level * 5)% Resistance; Moderate Status Effect Infliction chances from possessor's actions that involve the aforementioned Spells or Technique Abilities are increased by (Possessor's Level)%; Moderate Status Effect Infliction chances from possessor's actions that involve the aforementioned Spells or Technique Abilities are increased by (Possessor's Level/5)%


Seed Rain Fruit- Bestimea (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Beast & Moon, 1 Charge, 120,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Beast Soul'
-This fruit changes its consumer's soul into something more feral and bestial, granting them greater offensive power at the cost of some mental power. It provides a connection to the element of Beast, too. It also causes some physical transformation, skewing the consumer's form more towards the animalistic, and makes them considerably more susceptible to contracting lycanthropy (and benefitting from it, in a way, so long as said consumer's fine with being one of the more feral, uncontrolled variants)

Grants:

Beast Soul- (Passive Ability, Wild One) +600 Unmodified STR, -600 Unmodified MIN, +6,000 Uncapped STR, +120,000 STR, 120% Critical, Possessor's Beast element actions that deal damage deal an additional 120,000 Damage, Possessor additionally gains the subtype Animal, Possessor may not possess Diseased: Lycanthropy Resistance, Immunity, Absorption or Reflection, all instances of Diseased: Lycanthropy inflicted on possessor additionally gain the text of Confusion: Berserk and the additional text 'Possessor may choose for possessor's actions to become solely Beast element and deal 1,200,000 additional damage'


Seed Rain Fruit- Dilamotus (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Physical & Air & Earth & Moon, 1 Charge, 50,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Enhanced Motion'
-This one grants the consumer a measure of power over their own motion. It's not particularly strong, especially given some of the things Elyion has access to as a BA Member, but provides a measure of protection against Slow, a small chance of auto-haste, and a small Turn-Order, AGI and AGI-defense boost.

Grants:

Enhanced Motion- (Passive Ability, Kinetic Emperor) +50,000 AGI, +25,000 to possessor's turn-order-determining stat for turn-order-determining purposes, +5,000 Defense against AGI Damage, +50% Impaired: Slow Resistance, possessor has a 25% chance at the start of each round to be afflicted with Augmented: Haste


Seed Rain Fruit- Furtumali- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth & Darkness, 1 Charge, 120,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Guerilla Assassin'
-This fruit grants its consumer knowledge and a very particular set of skills; skills that others might have acquired over a very long career. It grants them expertise in stealthy operations and assassination techniques, essentially allowing them to sneak around- particularly in wooded areas- and get the drop on people much more easily, being harder to detect while doing so, and allowing them to act as being higher than their actual level for such purposes.

Grants:

Guerilla Assassin- (Passive Ability, Assassin) +40% Dodge, +20% additional Dodge if possessor is in a Terrain or Phantom Terrain whose name includes 'Forest', 'Jungle', 'Wood' or 'Swamp', possessor's damage-dealing actions against targets that have not yet acted or been previously targeted by possessor deal an additional 1,200,000 damage and have their Minor, Moderate and Major status-effect infliction chances raised by 120%, 60% and 20% respectively, possessor counts as being 5 levels higher for the purpose of defending against stat-scanning attempts and for the purpose of effects that would check for an opponent's Level with regards to altering Dodge and/or To-Hit values



Seed Rain Fruit- Inscripellis (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Earth & Magic & Moon, 1 Charge, 100,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Magically-Writable Skin'
-This fruit causes its consumer's outermost physical layer to change and become highly receptive to spells, altering to become imprinted with the necessary symbols and sigils to cast the spell, such that the consumer essentially becomes a living spell-scroll. Unfortunately, this works both ways. While the consumer could gain the power to fire off spells they cast once more as a counter against anything that strikes them after the fact, it also lends itself to having spells cast offensively on the consumer essentially 'sticking' to them and going off again when disturbed. Rather a double-edged sword.

Grants:

Magically-Writable Skin- (Passive Ability, Magewright) Actions involving non-(Archery, Biomancy, Gunslinging, Hypertech, Leadership, Psychic Power, Thief Arts, Unarmed Technique, Culinary Arts, and Tier 2 or higher) Spells and/or (Magic or Mystic element) actions that target possessor have a copy of themselves stored on possessor as a buff held in an additional slot that may not have its contents copied, altered or removed by sources below (Possessor's Level + 10); said copied action is immediately used against the next individual to target possessor, with said copied action instead being used against possessor if no other individual targets them for a round and being re-copied to this ability's buff slot.



Seed Rain Fruit- Saxhuo (Permanent Consumable, Cursed Item, Earth & Moon, 1 Charge, 30,000,000 Gold) Willing target gains the ability 'Petrified', target's subtype becomes solely Antiquity, target's subtype becomes solely Earth; may sometimes be used on nonwilling targets in RP threads
-Much like the tree-turning fruit from earlier, this one is similarly unpleasant. Anyone eating this ends up turning into an inanimate stone statue of themselves, with otherwise identical effects to the tree-fruit.

Grants:

Petrified- (Passive Ability, Curse) Possessor is afflicted with Petrified at the start of every thread; possessor gains the subtype Antiquity, as an RP-effect, possessor is still wholly aware of their surroundings but unable to act



Seed Rain Fruit- Lunianua- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth & Wood & Life & Spatial, 1 Charge, 140,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Keeper of the Verdant Gate'
-This fruit grants its consumer the ability to create Gatestones. Outside Seirei, said Gatestones would allow the user to travel to areas strongly tied to moons, spiritual planes, forests, plantlife and Life energy, with the success rate of the desired trip going up the more of those themes the destination ties to. They could also be used to create pocket dimensions with those themes (with the stability depending on the user's skill with the relevant abilities) in battle, essentially creating and jumping the user to a new battlespace.
On Seirei, however, things are somewhat different. Using one of the Gatestones here would allow them to travel to areas of the Spirit World under the influence of, or linked to Vernat without issue (although getting to specific areas with great accuracy would generally require having been there before or having a very good idea of what the area the user wants to reach is).
It would also, from what Elyion can tell, allow one to gate directly onto the surface of Vernat itself. This is likely to be a very dangerous prospect, but it would also entirely circumvent the layers upon layers of spiritual worlds and planes between the world the gang is currently standing on and the lunar body in question.

Grants:

Keeper of the Verdant Gate- (Active Ability, Crafter) Possessor may create one Verdant Lunar Gatestone each month, or pay 1,400,000 XP to create an additional Verdant Lunar Gatestone for each instance created after the first each month, This ability additionally counts as a Gatekeeper and a Wanderer ability for the purpose of prerequisites and effects that check for such

Verdant Lunar Gatestone- (Consumable, Gatestone, Moon & Earth & Wood & Life, 1 Charge, 140,000,000 Gold) Teleports user to a Domain of Vernat while in a mod-world quest on Seirei, Teleports user to a random potent destination greatly linked to moons, spiritual planes, forests, plantlife and/or Life energy in other mod-world quests or player quests, usage of this item may not be prevented by sources below Level 100


Seed Rain Fruit- Lutmagia (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth, 1 Charge, 100,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Lutumancer'
-This fruit grants its consumer power over clay. It's a sort of side-upgrade-kinda to Teramancer, empowering Earth Elemental Magic and adding more bonuses for such magic that deals specifically with clay. It also allows a small number of empowered Clay Golems to be summoned over time.

Grants:

Lutumancer- (Passive Ability, Elementalist) Possessor's Earth-element Elemental Magic spells gain +100,000 Magical Attack, possessor's spells whose name includes 'Clay' gain +100,000 Magical Attack if they provide an attack bonus, possessor's spells whose name includes 'Clay' gain +10,000 to the value of each stat buff they provide, possessor's spells whose name includes 'Clay' that summon have said summons gain a non-stacking +1,000,000 HP and MP and an additional +10,000 to each stat, +25% to Critical, Dodge, To-Hit and Resilience, +100% to each Minor Status Effect Resistance, +25% to each Moderate Status Effect Resistance and +5% to each Major Status Effect Resistance, possessor may choose to summon a Clay Golem each round with a natural Level that is 10 more than its listed value and as if it were summoned by a spell whose name includes 'Clay', to a maximum of 10 summoned



Seed Rain Fruit- Malemultus (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Toxin & Life & Moon, 1 Charge, 200,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Multi-Status Maestro'
-This fruit provides a huge boost to Minor Status Effect infliction, and a decent boost to Moderate infliction. Most notable, however, is that consuming this fruit allows one to layer multiple instances of the same status effect on targets as if they were different status effects. It alternatively allows one, upon inflicting one status effect, to automatically inflict other status effects one might have at one's disposal on the same target.

Grants:

Multi-Status Maestro- (Passive Ability, Archpoisoner of 1,000 Venoms) Possessor's Minor status effect infliction chances are increased by 200%, Possessor's Moderate status effect infliction chances are increased by 50%, Minor and Moderate status effects inflicted by possessor may stack with other instances of the same status effect inflicted by possessor; possessor may, upon inflicting a Minor or Moderate status effect, additionally automatically inflict a different Minor or Moderate status effect that the action, attack or effect that would inflict such would be capable of inflicting, with this effect not being able to trigger additional inflictions from additional status effects inflicted in this way



Seed Rain Fruit- Mallemanus (Permanent Consumable, Cursed Item, Earth & Moon, 1 Charge, 30,000,000 Gold) Willing target gains the ability 'Hammer-Handed'; may sometimes be used on nonwilling targets in RP threads
-This fruit turns its consumer's hands into huge, weighty wooden hammer-like fists! The downside is that it turns its consumer's hands into huge, weighty wooden hammer-like fists. It's a permanent change, and the resulting transformed appendages are fused into solid blocks, incapable of opening or manipulation. Going off a purely battle-minded standpoint, this would prevent the consumer from equipping any weapons, which is terrible. Going off the mindset of anything else that isn't a single-minded killing machine, this would prevent rather a lot more things due to the sudden absence of vital manipulators, which is even more terrible.

Grants:

Hammer-Handed- (Passive Ability, Curse) Possessor gains (Possessor's Level * 1,000) Melee Attack, possessor loses two weapon slots, possessor's actions additionally gain the element Wood, Possessor's 'Melee Attack' and 'Melee Overdrive' actions count as involving two additional Hammers



Seed Rain Fruit- Morsultio (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Light & Darkness & Life & Moon, 1 Charge, 200,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Vengeful Spirit'
-This one is a pretty considerably potent one. Its consumer gains the subtype Spirit, gains bonuses against opponents that harm them, can inflict Hexed and sub-effects of Hexed on opponents by mere presence and has a chance of inflicting Cursed or Cursed: Bad Luck on entities that harm them, and gains the ability to make a Death Attack targeting whatever killed them (but only targeting that specific entity). It does, however, push its consumer to become a rather more revenge-oriented person when slighted.

Grants:

Vengeful Spirit- (Passive Ability, Binder) Possessor gains the subtype Spirit; Possessor may inflict Hexed, Hexed: Backlash, Hexed: Haunted and Hexed: Ill Fortune to all opponents in the same battlespace at the start of each round; Possessor deals an additional (Possessor's Level * 10,000) damage and gains +50% Critical and +50% To Hit against individuals that target possessor with an offensive action as an effect that stacks 5 times per such individual; 20% inflicts Cursed and Cursed: Bad Luck against individuals that target possessor with an offensive action; Possessor, if killed, gains a Death Attack that must be an offensive action and may only target the individual that killed them



Seed Rain Fruit- Nativersum (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth & Wood & Life, 1 Charge, 300,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Elementalise Other: Verdant'
-This fruit grants its consumer the ability to transform others- but not themselves- into potent Elementals of one or more elements matching the Verdant Moon. The power is semi-permanent, requiring its user to transform affected entities back into their previous form, and can be- albeit with more difficulty- used on the unwilling, with the potential to cause sufficiently overwhelmed targets to accept a new role in whatever place they might be according to the type of elemental they've been turned into.

Grants:

Elementalise Other: Verdant- (Active Ability, Conjuror) Possessor may spend an action to change the subtype of a target in the same battlespace to Elemental and grant them the Ability 'Elemental Traits' or a Constant Effect named 'Elemental Traits' that possesses the same text as the Ability of the same name from the Ability Shop, +(Level * 1,000) to all stats, +(Level * 100,000) HP and MP, with unwilling targets having a chance to be affected equal to (Possessor's Level - Target's Level)*3%, with this effect being unable to be removed by entities below Level (Possessor's Level + 10) unless they possess the ability ('Expert Conjuror' and 'Expert Life Synchronization' or 'Expert Transmutation Synchronization') or 'Elementalise Other: Verdant'



Seed Rain Fruit- Sacreo (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Life & Moon, 1 Charge, 100,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Bring Forth Life From Sacrifice'
-This fruit allows its consumer, when sacrificing a living being, to use the act of sacrifice as a ritual to create another entity. It would seem that using it against non-Life element targets results in the created entities having to be slightly less powerful than the thing being sacrificed, however.

Grants:

Bring Forth Life From Sacrifice- (Technique Ability, Genesis Architect) Possessor may use 'Bring Forth Life From Sacrifice' in conjunction with a 'Magical Attack', 'Melee Attack', 'Ranged Attack', 'Overdrive', 'Melee Overdrive' or 'Ranged Overdrive' action; possessor may summon a number of entities that are normally fightable for drops equal to the number of targets killed by this action, with said summoned entities being of a lower Level than said targets if said targets are not Life element



Seed Rain Fruit- Terramede- (Permanent Consumable, Empowered Item, Moon & Earth, 1 Charge, 120,000,000 Gold) Target gains the ability 'Expert Terramancer'
-This fruit grants its consumer greatly enhanced power over Earth magics. It's most potent with Elemental Magic, but also extends to all other spells which are natively Earth element. It also ties in with Mountain King to give a boost to Earth-element items, too, and basically allows for an angle of control over the element via magical skill rather than just pure elemental force.

Grants:

Expert Terramancer- (Passive Ability, Mountain King) All Earth-element spells equipped by possessor gain an additional uncapped +120,000 Magical Attack and deal an additional 600,000 Earth-element damage; All Earth-element Elemental Magic spells gain an additional uncapped +120,000 Magical Attack, deal an additional 1,200,000 Earth-element Damage, cost 120,000 less MP, grant +60,000 to the stats of entities they may summon, buff stats that they already buff by an additional +30,000 points, and raise defense (if they already do so) by an additional +60,000 points; all Earth element items equipped by possessor have their per-item stat caps increased by 1.5