( voice )

[drizzle]

Okay, let’s begin! This is an important message out for everyone to hear. Please listen up! This could be a good way to practice this new way of communication for those not used to it yet!

[Speaks up the resident ex-telepath and environmental sensor of her world. She has been listening to a lot of the new voices in the area. No worries she has been ignoring those revealing secrets or daydreams or what have you.]

My name is Nike. I’ve been in this adventure to other worlds for a good while now. I bet there’s a lot of questions and concerns many of you have. The whole thing can be pretty bewildering for those not used to world-hopping or living in areas that aren’t as natural as this one. That’s why we’re gonna try to help everyone as best as we can. Like securing everyone’s next meals since, well, we can’t expect our hosts to always feed us or to ration the food stuff they first give to you since it’s difficult to determine how long we’ll be here for. Um, I think our resident leader is here too. Actually, he’s next to me right now. Do you wanna take the reins?

[There is a choking noise at 'resident leader'. Jay recovers quickly enough, though. No promises about not listening to your revealing secrets.]

Right. I've talked to a few of you about this already, but what we'd like to do is set up groups for hunting, fishing, and scavenging or gathering. We're looking for people who have experience with those skills and are willing to teach them to others--or people who want to learn from their fellow coven members. Those of you with particular expertise may be asked to lead a group.

That’s right! This is all a volunteer service as well. We know not everyone is cut out to be a teacher or leader, so we’re asking for those with these skills to speak up to help form a group to specialize in these specific areas. The more people we have, the easier it’ll be to gather enough food for everyone in the coven. We understand there are those that don’t have any survival skills and many of you are new -- we want to help you to better adjust to your situation before having you join or do anything. Our goal is basically to help everyone remain healthy.

[While helping create a sense of unity which all is pretty much hinted.]

Also, we kinda want to figure out the current population of our members are too. Gotta know the size to figure out what would be a fair amount of resources to gather and share. Jay is in charge of that area. Since he’s been doing that stuff from the very beginning. Let him know if you don’t have any survival skills and/or if there’s an area you wish to learn. All those with any of the survival skills we’ve already mentioned that would like to volunteer, let me know! From there we’ll try to organize all of the data and have the group leaders give out the rest of the details.

[What else should she add before signing off?]

Oh, yeah, if you have any questions, then let us know here. Thanks!

(OOC: If you want your character to join on this without threading anything up, then please use this for sign ups.)

Comments

[rebells]

Yes, that's right. It's good to meet you, Gaelio. I'm afraid I won't be able to tell you very much--we don't have much more to go on than the letter, although we have speculated. But ask me anything you want to know, and I'll tell you what we've learned.

[reckoner]

Thanks. [ ...though it doesn't sound as if there's much to learn. ] You don't have much more. [ Implying at least a little more than the letter. ] What else, then? Or, what have you speculated?

[rebells]

We've seen one particular example of the energy Qri wishes to collect--a bone from a lizard species called the Palai. How we got them is a long story, but--they amplify magical powers, and they work even on this world, when other types of magic don't.

[The comparison to Qri's own powers will be left implicit.]

Brie and Genette may have other examples if you ask them. Apparently at one point Brie had to rob a bank of magical currency.

[reckoner]

[ Implicit, but understood. Even if he hasn't got innate magic of his own. Even if it's all difficult to conceptualize.

A bank and bones. Hakuno had spoken of the Palai -- Gaelio raises his eyebrows, had they become grave robbers? -- but it was a long story, and by the sound of it, the details were less relevant. ]

So practice has held out the letter. Was there any indication of the effect of the bones on Qri?

[rebells]

Not so far. None of us have seen Qri, honestly. She stays in the caravan, and apparently she's in a coma. She tends to speak through Genette.

[reckoner]

Impressive what she can do while comatose.

[ And alarming. If they accept her as a force for universal order, then they want to sustain her. But if it isn't so -- ]

What do you speculate?

[rebells]

[There's a sigh--not directed at Gaelio, just at the situation they find themselves in.]

Either she's telling the truth, or she isn't. We don't actually know much beyond that she wants a specific type of magic for what could be anything, from the preservation of worlds to self-preservation to something more nefarious. There are a few things that stand out to me as suspicious, however. If Qri is so important to the fate of universes, why does she only have what help she could compel? Why forcibly bring people from other worlds here, and bind them to her? That had to take a significant amount of energy itself. She's not very forthcoming, either, which makes it difficult to put much faith in her.

[reckoner]

[ Nodding. ]

And what of the other elevated mages? If Qri is tied to all universes, would not the same have been so for those that have already died? As you say, this seems too haphazard and secretive an effort for a being of such importance and power.

You've tried to ask her questions through Genette? What have her responses been like?

[ And... though Genette does not superficially seem the type, they rely on her translations, by her letter. They trust her to be accurate and true. That may be trust misplaced. ]

[rebells]

When we first arrived on Aimintas--the world we were last sent to--we naturally wanted to know what our purpose was there, and what we would be doing. We asked Genette, but she had no answer for us. Qri didn't try to contact us until the bones appeared, and then only to tell us to collect them.

She doesn't seem able to communicate with us through proper speech--although I'm told it's different for Genette. I still find it inadequate, as explanations go.

[reckoner]

[ Aimintas, inhabited by the Palai. ]

That was the first world as well, correct? For us.

[ "Us," as in, not Genette and Brie. Those that followed. ]

Have you tried to ask anything else of her?

[ Of course, it is an inadequate explanation. Superficially sound and difficult to challenge, but inadequate. Gaelio mentally tallies the information, or lack thereof, his mouth a hard line.

It really isn't much. ]

[rebells]

Yes, that's right. Unless you count this "hub."

I've tried talking to her through telepathy--I'm told we may become accustomed to it, and therefore better able to speak with her, over time. She hasn't answered yet.

[reckoner]

Do you know how many Genette and Brie went to before us?

[ Interesting -- that through effort, they might reach her. Suspect, too. Where did the limitation lie? In their inexperienced minds, though she defined the ability by granting it? A being of such power must be able to understand, and if she responded to Genette, seemingly human...

sure keeping on with the questions, though, thanks for limitless patience, Jay. ]

What was the process of going to Aimintas?

[rebells]

Several. I don't know with any more specificity than that, although we were in Aimintas for two months, and Genette's been with Qri for a year, I believe.

As for the process of getting there . . . magic is the only explanation I have for it. We were gathered into a group. One moment we were on this island, the next we were somewhere else.

[reckoner]

[ Then, he might extrapolate five to six for Genette, and roughly seven total, but it was too premature for even a hypothesis, with too much information missing. The nature of each world and item might have differed, or having more or less people on it.

They couldn't even trust that Qri had not done this before, with different servants, different prisoners, a different cut of land. Qri or something like her.

Gaelio keeps silent for a moment, musing, stewing. Shiro had told him that some of their number had disappeared, that of those taken, they were largely fighters. He might as well ask Jay, too. ]

Do you have any theory as to why she's taken those she has? Have you recognized a pattern?