#enchiiridion 01

[wingherc]

@enchiiridion

｢𓆄｣ "Whoa, hey, did I miss the renn faire in town or something?" A curious and genuine question from the heteromorph, if not a little rude...But, he liked to have fun!

"Or wait, are you cosplaying in public? That's a little cringe, man."

[adagaium]

"My good friend, Elminster, of shadowed-ale ... of Shadow... Dale? Yes, he! Him and the Seven Sisters... my guardians!" Volo babbled nonsensically, proud of himself for no particular reason. "Always there when I'm in- in a jiff. In a what-have-you. Danger."

Undoubtedly, the man sitting beside him is drunk. Exceptionally so. There was a part of Ardyn that found it endearing, and another part that found it mildly concerning. He'd built up quite the tolerance for alcohol over the years of his freedom, but perhaps that was not the same for his companion.

The man spoke of an old friend from a place that Ardyn had never heard about, and admittedly, he had encountered many things in this strange Beyond that he'd never heard of. Not that it was so bothersome, but he often had to take some small amount of time to formulate a reply, lest he make a fool of himself.

From what he was gathering, this man had allies who often came to his rescue, although from what, Ardyn couldn't say. Nor did he think asking would do any good- not with the man in such a state where he could barely complete a sentence. ❝ What a lovely thing, to have friends like that- ❞

If he really thought about it, Ardyn realized he was ... jealous. It had been quite some time since he had anyone who would come to his aid if he was in dire need of it- the people who had loved him were long since dead; two thousand years had passed since he had been among the people of Lucis as their healer. They loved him, truly, and even in his darkest hours, he loved them too.

❝ I do hope you were not in such peril often, ❞

It's friendly, because Ardyn was friendly- in his own way, a blend of the memories of so many people- his warmth was as genuine as his wrath. After everything, he still cared, and he wanted to be amiable, and he certainly didn't want this man collapsing- his ability to purify had been lost to him ⎛ as most of his abilities had ⎠ , so the best he could do was to subtly wave the bartender away when they approached with another round of drinks. ❝ Perhaps you will tell me more of your friends and your adventures, but I daresay it may be a sound idea to sober up a little beforehand. ❞

[inheritai]

[aiba] -> Your message has found me quite well, Mr. Geddarm. [aiba] -> In fact, I feel so well at this moment that I would like to share with you an amusing video starring one of my favorite forms of life: insects! [aiba] -> Behold!

[volo] -> GREETINGS TRAVELER !!! [volo] -> I HOPE THAT THIS DIGITAL MESSAGE FINDS YOU WELL !! [volo] -> IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED IT CORRECTLY, PLEASE RETURN A MESSAGE ENCLOSED WITHIN YOUR METAL ARTIFACT. [volo] -> IF NOT THEN PLEASE INFORM ME IN PERSON. [volo] -> YOUR MOST TRUSTED SCRIBE, ARCHIVIST, WIZARD, CELEBRITY, [volo] -> VOLOTHAMP GEDDARM.

[infernofcrged]

@enchiiridion liked for a starter !

a heavy sigh heaved its way through dammon's core , fidgeting uselessly with the electronic ' box ' ( phone . it's called a phone . ) that had unceremoniously been placed in his pocket . it had been a few days since he had arrived at the spirale , and with no clear out any time soon , dammon figured he might as well get used to his surroundings while he racked his mind for some way to get out of this predicament .

" damn thing . . " the tiefling muttered sourly under his breath , his fingers still not used to the intricacies of the numerous buttons and what each of them did . while attempting to select something , he had mistakenly turned the phone off .

dammon took a brief moment to recollect his patience , setting the phone down to briefly rub his face with his hands . he was normally a patient individual , but this ? how was this small box suddenly so infuriating ?

[doctornota]

@enchiiridion liked for an event starter

TO SAY LEONARD IS DISTRESSED would be an understatement.

He holds a distinct awareness that something is wrong with him, not just physically but emotionally, but does not know the cause nor the cure. More upsetting than that, he knows that the rest of the city is similarly affected. He finds himself sorely wishing ( not for the first time ) for the equipment available in the Enterprise's science labs, the expertise of her teams— what if these people are suffering, and he's not doing enough to fix it?

Maybe he should be at the hospital running tests on himself. He's already been doing that, but a ninth check over couldn't hurt. Head down and pace quickened, absorbed in all the what-ifs, he doesn't even see the man heading towards the apartments until he's bounced right off him.

"Shit, I'm sorry." He's at the other's side in an instant, hands smoothing out the front of his shirt and held to steady him - attempting to check his pulse, the dilation of his eyes - it's all very overbearingly hovering. "You alright? Need an ice pack? Some coffee? I can... god, I don't know, buy you a sandwich?"

[refliction]

@enchiiridion asked ; "Serious question, do your nipples sparkle?" from this meme .

For all of two moments, Astarion seems surprised by the question. Questions along a similar vein of thinking weren't at all uncommon for him, but if his nipples sparkled was definitely a new one. He takes it in stride at least, and decides to offer a.. the validity of said answer is up for debate, but an answer. He's got his fancy book out, surely he'd want something interesting over what's true?

"Yes, actually, but only when the moon is at it's fullest and all the stars have aligned. It's one of the more fun parts of being a vampire, actually - it's a shame it's so rare. I think moonlight quite suits me!"

[hggsbury]

He nods , turning his attention to the room before them. ❛ Of course - I'm sure it won't take me too long. ❜ It's much better than getting settled on dirt , after all. A roof over his head , four walls around him . . He was certain he'd never see anything like this again. The relief that washes over him is apparent , shoulders slowly relaxing the longer the two speak. ❛ It isn't familiar to me , either. ❜ Calling it an unwelcome change would be a disservice , of course , but he's still slightly wary towards all of this. It's almost too good to be true.

Wilson's quick to busy himself with assessing the apartment , opening every drawer and looking at every shelf. It's unlike anything he's seen before ( he had a house once upon a time , but that was so long ago , and this place is nothing like it ) and he needs to get any information about it that he possibly can.

When he's asked the question he turns back , letting out a soft chuckle. ❛ Ah - well . . ❜ Technically he's from Britain , but he was brought here from the Constant. The more he dwells on it , the more he realizes how complicated of a question that is. His eyes widen slightly as they speak so fondly of their realm ―― and he finally shakes his head. ❛ I can tell you that where I come from is nothing like that. Most of the food there already tasted like ash. I'm sure everything here will be much better. ❜ It's easier to say that than to explain how scarce food even was.

"Oh, how marvelous!" It almost seemed as though Volo had been waiting with baited breath; they clapped both their hands and smiled wide. "Worry not, friend; you won't have to do much! You just let me know when you've been settled--" Giddily, Volo entered, standing off to the side by the entrance. It looked practically identical to his own apartment ( and he supposes he should've expected as much ). "It's nothing like what I'm used to, this place."

He surveys the area, which is futile considering how similar their lodgings are. It's undoubtedly much cleaner than the inns Volo is more used to, and isn't as loud as they are, but he kind of misses that part about travelling around so much. He shakes his head to avoid reminiscing, something that gets dangerous when alone too long.

"Forgive me if this is not information you're willing to give," he starts, "but where do you hail from?" Their head tilted curiously. Volo was unfamiliar with most of Spirale's strange inhabitants; many humans, but many others decidedly not-- and nowhere within his Guide to Monsters. "You see, I come from a realm called Faerûn. Legend is told that, once one consumes Faerûnian food, food of other realms taste of ash. Is that true for you?"

[grymfared]

What a peculiar fellow. Malchior was adjusting to the new realm himself, but it seemed this man was rather ... well, how could he describe the aura he sensed from this man? He was prideful if nothing else.

❝ A famed mage? ❞ The more the man spoke, the more Malchior understood the situation. This man, mage or not, was rather desperate for food and shelter. He couldn't help but laugh- not with malice, but it was still rather amusing.

❝ I see, now! ❞

❝ You are used to traveling in a group, I'd assume? Do you want me to charm someone into offering some food and drink? ❞ He's joking, of course, because Malchior's not keen on making a mess when he's only just arrived to this new city- he'd rather build things from the ground up and hope that maybe one day he'd have some concrete answers- ❝ The people here seem to understand that there are times where we will be unable to pay for food or drink, but after that, I would think that we would have to find ways to make a living. ❞

❝ Very well, if you require an escort, I will travel with you. I admit, I have questions to ask, you said you are a famed mage- what is it that has brought you that sort of fame? I am also a mage, so it's nice to come across another. ❞

Waving his hand dismissively, Volo shook his head. "The lodgings provided are... fine." Did it have more amenities than Trollskull Manor? Sure. Was it warmer than the time he slept outside city gates once banished temporarily from Calimshan? Absolutely. Did it smell as bad as the Bog he grew up in? Not at all. But it wasn't going to be his home anytime soon. "I'm just looking for a place where a famed mage like I can set up his feet and enjoy a nice meal!"

Dramatically, he set his hand upon his chest, fist on his forehead <DC10 FAILURE!>, making his goal a little too obvious; he was looking for a free meal. Some taverns in Waterdeep would allow trade-ins of stories or commissioned guide-books, something he took advantage of whenever he was short of coin. And right now, he'd not a single copper to his name.

"If a bar is as fitting as you say, then would you be ever-so-kind to escort me to one?" In truth, he just didn't want to be alone. Travelling alone in his usual realm, he could handle; Elminster was always around the corner somehow, so he was never too far. But it seemed that no amount of praying to Mystra seemed to summon him-- or any other of her Chosen, for that matter ( aside from Fiyero's companion, but he hardly counted anymore ).

[swordsovereign]

❝ A writer from Faerun? ❞ Seofon can't help but smile at that. Faerun may not have been his homeland, but it's Fiyero's, and so it was nice to see someone else who hailed from the same place- ❝ I don't usually do interviews, but I guess I could make an exception, ❞

❝ Back where I'm from, people don't really write about the Eternals, we just have a reputation from what people tell each other- I'd like to think what we do speaks for itself, but without the rest of my crew here ... I guess this won't hurt. ❞ Now, the question became this- what on earth was this man going to write about? Seofon had written about his teammates once in a journal that the Captain and Lyria and Vyrn had found while searching for a missing mantle.

Lyria had scolded him for not taking his own section seriously to which he feigned offense ⎛ and maybe he did take at least a little offense to it ⎠ , and he'd insisted that describing himself as a beautiful boy around town was in fact very serious and very accurate ⎛ thank you very much! ⎠ ❝ What would you like to ask? ❞

@swordsovereign <3'd!

Volo had done what most would fear-- they ventured onwards! This next book was certainly going to be his most interesting. The population here was varied, lacked any sense, and this might just be the one thing he could hold over Elminster ( that is, if Elminster himself didn't find himself trapped here too ). Tapping their chin, Volo looked around for his first interviewee...

"You there! How would you like to be featured in my next bestseller?" He raised a brow in hopes of enticing Seofan. "I'll have you know, I'm one of the most well-known writers in all of Faerun--" ( half true; not for any good reasons ) "And I can confidently say, you seem an interesting fellow."

[godperi]

"Peculiar day is right," he comments, amused. Upon eventually freeing his hand, he holds it up before his face and observes it like he were just casually checking his fingernails. Volo's blue now meshed with his red, joining to make not quite something new but an interesting aesthetic nonetheless.

Enough of that, though --- he's now found himself rather interested in this book they'd mentioned. "Well, Volothamp--- Volo? I'm gonna call you Volo. Your impressive accolades have put me to shame!" Judging by his voice, though, he doesn't actually mind --- but he's still going to amend his comparatively lackluster introduction. "I am, in fact, the most powerful fairy there is... well, aside from my dad." A wave of his hand. "But I'm also a bit of a celebrity where I'm from, for even more than that reason alone. What a coincidence, huh?"

He hums, settling his chin back upon his fist. "Totally book-worthy, I'd say. I'll have to give it a read whenever you're done."

There is no shortage of wonder within Faerun itself-- and neither was there within Spirale. Volo continued to watch the ants as their newfound friend got comfortable on the bench; he decided to comfortably rest on his knees, observing the bloom of blue left on the ground. Once he realised he was being introduced to, his head whipped around at the hand offered, smiling widely.

"It is so wonderful to meet an arcane-adept fellow such as you!" They took Peri's hand in both of their own, shaking it excitedly. "Volothamp Geddarm, the realms' most trusted scribe, wizard, and celebrity! I not only study every creature-- I go through great effort to study everything I can!" There was that infectious grin again, as the shaking didn't cease. "I'm a well-renowned author, where I'm from. It's not only my job. It is also a great passion!"

A passion that has gotten him into plenty of trouble, of course. But when has he ever found himself dead for it? ( only trapped in the form of a frog or a statue, really; otherwise, in the bed of a fair maiden ... or so he tells himself ). "I intend to log this most peculiar day into my next book-- Volo's Guide to Spirale. I endeavor to capture every wonder and beauty of this city within its pages."

[hollowfaith]

「✧」 Now there was a question he hadn't considered. Being too caught up in what he was feeling, Aurelius hadn't given his color another thought besides to keep it intact. That hadn't worked as well as he hoped in the end.

"I remember it as a very pale shade of red..." he trails off, frowning. "Tending more towards pink, and a little dusty. Like a sun-dried rose." Was he describing it right? It'd be easier to pick it out from a row of paints, or point it out from something in their surroundings.

"I suppose it gave me new perspective—no, better clarity. I was pickier about details, and saw where things felt out of place. Inharmonious elements were made to concede to my standards...and I mostly succeeded."

Actually, he'd just ended up acting the conceited snob, but perspective was everything when it came to these narratives. From his own point of view, it'd been a positive, self-actualizing experience, and he said as much to wrap things up.

"All in all, I felt a sense of satisfaction in fixing unsavory things."

Volo preened under the praise, unable to contain the pride he felt. The job of chronicler hadn't been his first idea, but a passion that festered and grew into what's now a lifelong career spanning over centuries. One could fill a library with all the things he's seen in his time, but he will settle for filling a single bookshelf first. Guidebooks take a long time to compile-- not to mention all the months and even years of travel for decent research ( that he's been getting better at, if Elminster's words in his Guide to Monsters was anything to go by ).

Dutifully, with their tongue sticking out, Volo wrote down all the relevant details.

<DC15 FAILURE!> The top of the page featured Aurelius' name perfectly well, but when it came to the rest of what he'd said, Volo stopped writing just about the point when he'd mentioned νοσταλγία, scribbling out the poor attempt at writing those syllables and replacing them with a crude sound-alike ( he'd like to learn the language of this island, but he's been short of the resources as of late ).

"Fascinating! And can you recall the hue you'd turned at the time? How it made you feel?" This was the real interesting bit. Volo hadn't managed to learn very much of the paint's properties during his time covered in blue ( and a melancholic red ), most eager to get to the bottom of it. Perhaps it could reveal a secret of the island of which he could uncover in his book.

[ghosthalfa]

          danny sighed, unable to not feel like he was trying to explain what twitter was to his dad. but, still. the guy was asking nicely, and he could just about hear jazz snipping in his ear about being rude to people for no reason. so danny tucked his phone away in his hoodie pocket and stepped closer to avoid raising his voice, schooling his expression from clear annoyance into the general air of teenage exasperation that came with teaching someone older than him.

     ❝ I’ve been here for… five? Six months? ❞ give or take that fuzzy period in the middle, but the guy didn’t need to know about that. ❝ And pretty much everyone you meet here is gonna be some form of kidnapped, but how long someone’s been here kinda varies. We get new recruits every week or so, though. ❞ danny shrugged, a nonchalant motion. ❝ And people disappear a lot, too. Go home, I guess. Some of them we never see again, some of them come back after a time. Some are even repeat offenders. Apparently it’s all very normal for Spirale. ❞ he glanced at the man as he seemed to look around, eyebrows tipping together. ❝ Wait, do you mean literally? There’s a map on your phone, dude. ❞

"Oh, that is such a shame..." Magic was a mere fact in Faerun; Volo could not fathom a world where Mystra had no hand ( or any of the other gods, for that matter, but she seemed to be so intimately involved that it was hard to separate her from the history of Faerun altogether ). But he supposed there should've been the slight possibility he would've come across someone so... in denial.

"Perhaps you could assist me nonetheless?" Volo offered an awkward grin, one brow raised quizzically. He'd met all manner of strange individual whilst in Spirale so far; surely this boy could be one of use. "How long have you been stranded in this realm for? Assuming you've been taken like the many I've met! I could use someone with a good... sense for direction." He looked around his area for a moment, as though to take in the location. He'd have to draw a map...

[weavebcund]

IT'S A MYSTERY THAT STILL ELUDES GALE, what exactly it is that brings all of them together here. Why Fiyero, why Astarion? Certainly the three of them are close enough, but Jaheira? Gale had only met the woman once. He finds himself particularly intrigued by the concept of cyclical arrivals, lost at what the thread might be that connects any of them to this place, daring to wonder if perhaps more of their companions will appear. Better they all be here than to leave half, or less, of them behind to fend for themselves. Not that they aren't perfectly capable, of course.

He was not exactly including Volo in his count when considering the matter. Gale hadn't expected to see him again at all, to be perfectly honest, at least not for quite some time ( his reputation notwithstanding, being that the two of them ran in the same circles - Elminster's company, namely - he was an impossible presence to truly escape ) after he scampered off from camp. It takes a moment to locate him from a ways across the park once Gale hears the voice over his shoulder.

"Ah. It's you." He's not disappointed. He means it, he's not - just, you know, there's a lot of people who could be calling for THE Wizard of Waterdeep and some of them are of higher standing in Gale's personal book. But surprise, really, takes priority— though, on his level? Gale holds his tongue but most definitely tables that one for later commentary. "I must admit, I didn't expect to see you of all people here. I'd been toying with the working theory that the tadpole was somehow involved in all this."

Naturally he couldn't speak for any of the other poor souls stuck here, but as far as their little group - honestly, it had held up rather well for all of ten minutes. Jaheira he could count as a fluke, unfortunately whisked along perhaps due to proximity. But this? Well, this throws the whole hypothesis right out the window.

@weavebcund <3'd!

They were sure they were going to dedicate an entire chapter to this place in their autobiography ( The Great Adventures of Volothamp Geddarm -- to be released posthumously, to have the most accurate and updated information ). Volo attempted to whistle for a while, in the middle of the park, to garner some coin. Perhaps if they saved enough from scratch, they would be able to buy their way out. Alas, they would discover shortly, that all currency was trapped in the little metal contraption they'd yet learnt to use.

They must be sure to save some coin for Tymora in offerings, though, for when they managed to make their way back to more familiar soil. They'd come upon yet another miracle since arriving on the island-- one of those adventurers that they'd become acquainted with! Elminster's prodigy-boy! Mystra's time-bomb! Oh, how relieved they were to finally be around someone who could cast a damn spell! "Well, if it isn't the famed Wizard of Waterdeep! Finally, someone on my level."

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "Isn't independent publishing all the rage right now?" He managed to sneak glances of what Volo here haphazardly covered up.

Then, they mention something akin to spreading the good word, now...That sounded familiar. And Hawks was used to displaying bravado and exaggerating his own persona.

"Spreading the good word, you say? Well, it's not something I haven't done before." So, with a grandeur stretch of his arms, accentuated with the following flare of his wings, his expression turned coy, "Well, I've gotta read it first. Really drum up that PR and marketing behind it, especially if you go the indie route."

"I could be a useful asset in advertising this piece for you."

"Oh, I'm nowhere near done yet--" <DC10 FAILURE!> Volo protectively tilts his book away, but its notes are still very much visible. Turned to a page with VOLO'S GUIDE TO SPIRALE CH? written on the top. Some of the words from earlier are in there ( albeit clearly misspelled ), among a few things relating to the Golden Ward. There's a sketch of the buildings on the other page, with a date and time in the corner.

"It'll be on the shelves soon enough! I don't quite have access to my publisher here but..." Volo looks distantly in thought. "Bah, I don't need him. Or my editor. I'm a well-known name in my realm for my guidebooks. Perhaps you may be interested in spreading the word too?"

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "My bad, Bastilles and Basilisks wasn't really my thing." It was a miracle he even remembered a class from it, oh well!

"Ooooh, you're writing a book on Spirale?" Well, that has the avian fluttering over now, lazily hovering. "That's way more exciting than explaining cosplay to you."

"How far did you get? Can I read it?" He's really playing up the genuine and naive curiosity. Personally, he was more interested to see what accounts were documented so far. And maybe he wanted to gauge the general populace's opinion of this city.

"A common misconception, I assure you. I'm no bard. But a highly skilled wizard!" He seems a little annoyed at that. Was Marco Volo really all more well known than Volothamp Geddarm?

There's a very distinct look of confusion on his face. That's a lot of words Volo has yet to put meaning to but... they'll write those down for later research. Show... move-e... and all the other stuff. They squint at the notes curiously. This guys doesn't make much sense but at least he's nice!

"Bah, I'm not going anywhere. I'm just here to write for my upcoming guidebook to this fine city!" A strange one, really.

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "Ohh, def not cosplaying. Real life bard sitch, ok! Should'a saw that one coming."

"It's a hobby in a geekier subculter where you dress up as like your favorite character from a show, movie, anime, video game, all the like. Some cosplayers really go all out, it's kinda scary impressive." Hawks tried to explain it in as simple terms as he could to the stranger.

"But, uh, you're clearly not a cosplayer, my bad! Where ya headed? I can't imagine you're headed out for a coffee."

"Cos.. playing?" <DC10 FAILURE!> They tilt their head curiously, the feather on their hat following the movement. Notebook already in hand, they prepare to take notes. "Might I ask what that... is?"