Sapphire:Sessions:20140607

Trace cannot sleep this night, so he walks the perimeter of the illusion. He notes that the vines he had pulled away show some tropism toward the stone markers. He gathers a half-bushel of vines and takes them to a lab inside the manor where he begins testing their properties.

A short time later Malcolm enters the lab, asks Trace what his question was, then grants permission to look inside the one secret room that Malcolm thinks is most relevant, but not before noon.

Mensep and Roo hover in the background as Chalker addresses Cor. "Why are you here?" "I'm curious. I have been on the sidelines in regard to the current discussion; I am re-evaluating my position." "But you know so much." "Yes..." "Are there any out-timers involved?" "A few; you seem to run across them quite often. They keep upsetting Dar; he is very protective of our dominions. Oh, and thank you for your assistance; the blacksmith will live."

Due to the problems he's had with the identification and password, Trace asks to go back to the bedroom where Chalker found the knife. He examines the room and its furnishings carefully, building up an impression of the knife's previous owner. Later, when he tries once again to divine the knife's password, he succeeds.

Three distinct groups of First Chosen occupy Chalker's dreamscape: Mensep, Roo, Cor, and Jax, the nearest; Asseraah, Aaoo, and Ooaup; Yasseph, Solash, and Santash. He chooses to focus on Ooaup (Aup), goddess of envy, and at this the first and third groups become defensive. Aup appears as a beautiful woman with long black hair. She addresses Chalker without preface. "You really should be the prince of the kingdom. You have all the skills." "Have I upset you?" "Only in that you don't realize what you could have, and that you thwart those that could help you." "Your talents help me immensely. Maybe I am not serving you to the best of my ability. I will get what's mine and what's theirs. Getting what I deserve -- there's too many variables." "Well said. You may yet be a diplomat. But standing in the way of what is decided puts you in danger." "Am I looking at your true face, or what I want to see?" "Do you want to see? You are seeing one of my true essences, but not the totality. With a thought from you I would stand in my physical manifestation." "I'm not stupid." "I would be personally glad to help you attain what you want and deserve." "Who has been selected to help me attain my goals?" Aup smiles and says evasively, "The others -- there is a dance. If you ever change your mind and wish to become a Chosen One, you would make a good avatar."

At breakfast, Chalker relates that he sensed ten of the First Chosen. He talked to Envy, but doesn't recommend it. "'Getting what I deserve' isn't a positive thing."

Trace tells Chalker that he has figured out the knife. It was made specifically for a non-mage's use. Trace writes down the three-syllable password and gives it to Chalker.

That morning's random gate exploration turns up a couple of well-preserved alchemy labs, one of which has a communications panel. Chalker directs Trace to these labs; Trace collects a good deal of equipment, books (written in Venettian), and even herbs and takes them back to his lab in the manor. In one of the labs Chalker finds a log book with a list of people's names, like a sign-in sheet. Stamped on the cover of the log book and carved into the side of a table are the words THE ZARCON.

That evening, Rory points out, "We need to take tomorrow off from gate exploration. We're getting into a pattern, and that mage might anticipate us." The last random gate of the day leads to a room on the coast of the Troubled Lands. Though the room contains nothing of interest, per Rory's suggestion they remain there for a good half-hour "to give the mage an impression." Rory says, "We should return here a couple more times, maybe set a trap."

Trace enters the secret room. Subjects covered by the many books include history (the Venettian Empire and its collapse), primers for several colleges of magic, and a thin volume titled Theory of Time and Dimensions. Trace calls Malcolm and specifically requests to read this book (since the guardian had granted him entrance to the room but had not explicitly said he could touch the books). Malcolm pulls the book off the shelf and lays it on a table, then gives Trace express permission to read any of the books, but not to copy or remove them. Trace eagerly peruses the book, finding basic Time and Gate spells, a theory of time and dimension travel, and a discussion of the "outer realities" (e.g. astral plane) and the connections among them. He replaces the book on the shelf and goes to bed, and sleeps well this night.

Chalker senses the first (Mensep, Roo, Cor, and Jax) and second (Asseraah, Aaoo, and Ooaup) 'circles' from the night before. He addresses Roo, who notes, "Envy does have an agenda." Chalker queries, "Am I seeing your true face?" "No; this is one to which I think you would be most amenable. I have always felt a good connection to you. You are a good agent of Fate." "For me to see your true face might be either transcendent or induce madness." "Yesterday, when you called for Aup, who did you see? Did you understand the significance?" "Yes, I understand. And I have seen more of Aaoo than I want." "You are beginning to have the start of wisdom." "You are making me less uncomfortable. Mensep and Cor make me more nervous. I can't put Jax in perspective; what he tells me is totally true, but he knows I don't understand enough. I think if I asked Cor the right question, he would tell me the truth. And then slap me." "Those who become avatars see more of our true essence, our true beings." Roo fades away.

The next day, Chalker explores the manor thoroughly, peering into and through the walls and floors. He would like to find the manor's control panel, but he does not set foot in any of the forbidden rooms. Rory works on his gate mapping, trying to make sense out of the system. He feels he needs more data points. Trace performs tests on the vine, learning that its magic-dampening effect is stronger when the plant is fresh. The quartz cube contains powerstones inside of it. The cube was formed using Earth spells rather than being carved from rock. It has a couple of Knowledge spells, and is presently attuned to detect Venettian gates.

The three return to the room (where they want to leave an impression for the pursuing mage to pick up on) at the same time of day as yesterday, for the same amount of time. Nothing is different about the room; there is no indication the mage has located or visited it.

Back in the manor, Chalker discovers what was once a stairway that is now filled in. It seems as though an entire sub-floor that the stairway once led to was moved somewhere else.