Video | CALL Network | un: wardenka

[boundinblood]

[One of the biggest problems with research into her major projects at home is that simply saying what she's after is a gamble. The chances aren't slim that she'd be discouraged or outright denied help by virtue of what she asks being thought absolutely impossible, or too close to revealing a Warden secret, or borderline heretical. The Seven-Fold City has been the best place she's found to study, lacking any of these issues.

She's done as well as she could here, but now her problem is she can't readily make sense of new ideas without the framework of her home. She needs new input. Fresh, entirely unprecedented angles on the matter. And what better place than here, which barely seems to have even heard of Thedas?

She pans the camera deliberately over stacks of books on a table to show off her research. The volumes are from Tomorrow and Sorcery both, with a couple of field guides from Adventure thrown in, tomes on magic and medicinal marvels.]

All of this, and it's worth so little. [She turns the device around to show her face. She's well-rested, as opposed to the last time she'd contacted the network while binge-studying. There's no brightness this time, no spark of curiosity in her eyes. Instead, her expression one of inerrant focus. She's on a mission, but it weighs on her.] I need perspective. New ones. I was wondering if you all could help me. I'm working on two projects right now, and...I need some outsider's insight.

The first project is...well, it's hard to describe, but there's a slow-acting poison in my world. It can be treated to act even slower, but not nullified. It's less like a spider's venom and more magical, but...well, I'm trying to cure it. If anyone has any knowledge of magical illnesses, forces of corruption, or...oh, anything you think might be relevant, I'd like you to share it. It's, um... [She glances at the books offscreen.] ...bloodborne, if that's useful.

[She seats herself at the table the books are stacked on, her staff clinking lightly as she props it up against the stone wall beside her. The crescent moon tip catches the firelight of a torch nearby, glimmering gold.]

The second is much easier to explain, but, I'm worried its relevance is limited to magic. In my world, demonic and spiritual possession can only be cured by gathering the right amount of mages and materials, and having enough time to kill or drive off the demon in its own realm. Otherwise, the only way is to kill the possessed.

So tell me about possession in your world, and the ways you have to cure it. Maybe something will be useful for my world, too.

[She shifts her weight a little, glancing down as if self-conscious. The click of claws on stone approaches and a dog's whine comes from offscreen. She reaches out of frame to pet the animal, her voice taking on a slower, graver tone.]

I know this sounds like a lot. It is a lot. But I need to do this, I need to succeed. There are innocent lives depending on it. I'd appreciate any help you can give.

Comments

private | un: courtblanche

[cosmetological]

I know something about magic. And about poisons.

Enough to know that I'll need to get a little more specific information to be of much use.

private

[boundinblood]

[Katherine looks down at the notification that tells her she has a new message. While she does want to wait around to see who replies and catch them in real-time, this person may know more.]

Of course. What sort of information do you need?

private

[cosmetological]

If you've got a sample of the poison, that'd be helpful. Keep it as small as you like; I get that it's a dangerous substance but I need to get it to someone I trust.

As for the other one... there's a few ways that I know. And some things I can do personally. I'm not sure how helpful it'll be, though.

private

[boundinblood]

I can get a sample of the poison in its original form, easily enough. What kind of person is it going to?

[He may have said he trusts this other person, but Katherine's never met the owner of this username before now. She's a little leery on principle that it's going to a third party. Which is counterproductive, of course, to her goal. It's not exactly something she can help very easily.]

Anything is worth examining. I need ideas I haven't seen before.

private

[cosmetological]

The kind of person who regularly has his life get blown apart because he can't stand to see good people live in fear or die for other people's lack of decency.

He's a better person than me, frankly. But there are some things I can empathize with.

I can show you one of the rituals I've used before. And... I can show you what I can do. It has to do with manipulating life energy. Depending on how mixed with the host they are, I might be able to expel the outside influence.

[boundinblood]

[Sounds familiar. And good enough for her, considering she's desperate for ideas here.]

I'll get a sample for him, then.

I'm looking forward to seeing this ritual, but what, exactly, does manipulating life energy entail? It sounds as if it might be the schools of Entropy and Creation combined.

[Actually she's just testing the waters to make sure it doesn't get so heretical she could never use it without just making things worse.]

private

[cosmetological]

Uh, generally I put my hand on their skin.

Kind of a personal talent.

private

[boundinblood]

I don't suppose a spell delivered that way is too strange. We use our hands in all of our spells, too, but not so directly.

In what ways can you manipulate life energy?

[Because that didn't answer her question and now she's curious.]

[cosmetological]

A lot of them. It's one of my primary abilities.

[ ...which is why he doesn't want to talk about it. How does he end up doing things like this? ]

un: troubadourCatalyst

[thygospelevity]

I have trailed over the bright writings, as much as I've had the ability to acquire them. In wake of possession by spirit we call upon our greatest mediums, the maroonblooded spirit speakers, but they leave little impact. The greatest source of gift or curse lay within the sacred scatter relics, the juju, so it is writ. To my mother fuckin knowledge, no demon or being otherwise has cast hold over another without the use of these tools, or through control of mind like those rare cerulean empaths, or the indigo, like myself, bearing the gift of holy chucklevodoo.

[His eyes change for a moment, pupil-less and lit bright. They flash in colors of blue-purple and a vivid pink in rapid succession, distinctly hypnotic and unnerving. He blinks and it is gone. Just a quick demonstration.]

The voodoo of a true ninja is grander than simple psionic, for it provides us divine connection. It is said that the holy chucklevoodoo can reach a greater strength and domain than which we are presently kicking it at, but through great cost. It is fear, you see, that we hold and sense and honor. We help our fellow troll to face their fear and so find strength, but it is written that with all too much, ill can be done. There is rumor within the church that it may alter the very soul, scarring it forever, and thus no attempts have ever been made to try, nor cure.

[A sad thing to say to she when she is so dearly in need of help, but he is not without hope!]

My homie, Sam Wilson, names himself a high demon though. An angel most righteously fearsome, riding upon wings of steel in place of feather. Word and blood on Messiahs he will do no harm despite. He is a friendly angel! He ought know more of possession! [Kurloz beams, quickly going to pass a message to Sam to summon him in here.]

[boundinblood]

[Katherine visibly reels back a little when Kurloz's eyes begin to flash, and covers his eyes on the screen with her thumb when it starts to get under her skin - of course, just as it starts, it stops, and she returns her attention to what he's saying.

It makes about as much sense as she imagines trying to explain darkspawn in their entirety would to a non-Thedosian... But Kurloz is only a kid, she doesn't want to make him feel bad.]

Um... Right. That was a lot to take in! If it was as simple as removing any tools they could use, we would have done that already, I'm afraid. The demons I'm talking about don't need anything like that, they just...find a mind they think they can get into and trick their way into it.

[thygospelevity]

[He ain't insulted that she reels. He ain't hurt. Fear is fear is fear. He knows the voodoo is scary, especially to them what ain't got it.

He thinks with something of a frown after she gives her assessment. Cant take away tools, it's all trickery of the mind...]

...Has a ninja possessed ever once deceived the demon in turn? Perhaps that in its own is their tool, a mind to trick that they believe themselves safe within.

[boundinblood]

Not that I-...maybe? If they have, I've never heard of it.

[But then, the subject of freeing someone from possession isn't one where much research exists. It's starting to cast some frightening light on the Chantry, really...]

That might be worth looking into, but it's risky. Demons can be very clever.

[thygospelevity]

[Sometimes it's hard to tell what fear is and isn't his own. He's had his heart race over things that had nothing to do with him, adrenaline blazing bright, countless times. He's cried for others, brought his eyeliner to running without full experience to back it all. It took him time with the indigos to work it out, but this, he feels, is him.

And if it works, it'll be worth it.]

Suppose I assisted upon this endeavor. [He swallows.]

I could reach into the mind of the possessed. I could use my voodoo to force it out. If these mother fuckin unfortunates are already lost of mind, with no means out but death, perhaps here presents due reason to test the limits of fear. Perhaps the demon will have a mind of its own and, if it fears, I shall hold reign over it.

[boundinblood]

Um...well, demons can be affected by Horror spells but it doesn't really drive them out - I've never seen one flee its host entirely and once the effect wears off it's entirely back to normal.

[That is what he means, right? Just the suggestion of fear, like the Horror spell? Not...total mind control like blood magic can do, right? ...Admittedly, it would help if she'd totally understood what he was saying before.]

[thygospelevity]

I... I can do more than just scare it, sister.

[He looks downward. This isn't the sort of thing that's supposed to leave the church. But she needs help. She needs help to help someone else and that, he knows, is something even more difficult to bear. When the world around can do nothing, when they do not listen. Mituna understands but they are only six sweeps, how are they to stop what is to come?]

With the right use of fear, I believe I may act as guide, or perhaps a conduit to the unrighteous communion of them. [His daymares will worsen. They'll rise up upon him like a great beast of grinning maw. He might even seeing things through the night too. But a person will be saved.]

I may at least perceive what it is the demon fears, so that we may seek that very mother fuckin thing.

[boundinblood]

You mean...you can read their minds?

[She can't really pretend she understood everything he was saying about this "chucklevoodoo" earlier, can she?]

What kind of magic is this? How does it work?

un: apawstate

[purramedic]

[Of course this is the first thing that pops up when he's settled enough to figure out what's going on and how to minimally work this infernal device. Why wouldn't it be?

It doesn't take him long to ignore the broadcast. Sure, he might have some firsthand insight, and this apparently might not be Thedas, but it's still probably wise to avoid making the first thing he says to anyone here a confession about being a bloody Abomination.

Ironically, that's exactly what makes him return to the feed. That whole bit about "innocent lives" isn't something he can shrug off for longer than a few minutes. Thanks a lot, lady.]

I haven't heard of a cure other than death, but I do know a thing or two about possessions.

[This can't possibly go wrong.]

[boundinblood]

[And it would just figure that the first time she gets it into her head to take advantage of the lack of Thedosians in this place...a Thedosian shows up. One of the "innocent lives", however innocent you can call him, she's talking about, too. Certainly one of her strongest driving forces behind this ambition at any rate.

She clearly recognizes him, a smile breaking the tired stoicism from before for a moment at the pun in his username. And then it becomes a sadder smile, as if they've reunited at a funeral instead of on the most neutral ground there is. His own lack of recognition doesn't register as such at first. Maybe he's just playing it as passively as he can, after all, and the sorrow and regret coming over her only make it more difficult to notice. She might have been able to do something, if she'd been there. If only...]

Oh, Anders. I know you do - did you think they wouldn't report what happened to your commander? [Her voice wavers a bit, but she catches herself.]

I'm glad to see you really are still yourself.

[It had been one of the most heartbreaking reports she'd ever been given. But one thing had stood out to her - he had fled. Despite having no survivors to pursue him, he'd run away. And not to attack more - there was no more violence in his wake, at least, until the trail went cold. That required a presence of recognition one doesn't usually see in abominations. She'd held out hope, because of that.]

[purramedic]

[At first, the blank look on his face could probably rival a rock's, but it slowly grows suspicious. This person is very confused or very dangerous, perhaps both. He could almost pass it off as the former if not for the fact that she appears well aware of his identity and, of far greater concern, his condition.

Amell looked nothing like this woman, and she was his direct commander, with no one above her in the pecking order as it were. Naturally, it's impossible for what the stranger is saying to be true, but here they are. There's absolutely no explanation for her knowledge, and it makes him all the more nervous.

Still, if she really is privy to his secret, maybe it would be in his best interest at this point to figure out just what she's playing at. He's had to protect himself before and he'll certainly have to do it again sooner or later, though it's a shame he has to worry about it so much in this place. It was almost a breath of fresh air for a few minutes there.

Fortunately or not, he's accustomed to even that being stolen from him.]

Excuse me. I don't believe we've met.

[boundinblood]

[The fun to be had when worldstate circumstances leave the initial possession happening close enough to Vigil's Keep for the right people to see the immediate aftermath soon enough to figure A: it was him and B: it seemed very likely he was possessed. Katherine doesn't know by what, exactly. After all, it was a battleground, which means death. And lots of death meant, well...a spirit healer working his magic in an area with a weakened Veil would have been a prime target. (Not that the truth would come entirely out of the blue; she'd heard Nathaniel suggest that very idea to Justice once.)

But this, this is new. Katherine stares at the screen, taken aback. For a moment, her mind stumbles over itself for an answer. Possession shouldn't interfere with memory, should it? Connor had no memory of his possessed moments, but he knew what had happened before them, and this can't be Anders's possessor she's speaking to because that's...not the reaction of a demon meeting its host's friends for the first time. A demon trying to blend in would try to play along. ...Right?

In the meantime, while her brain is scrambling, her mouth isn't faring much better:]

Um...Anders? I know you can't be from before we met- in Amaranthine anyway. I mean, even then you recognized me from the Circle!

[Though, now that she's brought that to her already-rushing mind, how had he recognized her? With the torment the Circle was to him, her relative privilege within it had to have been frustrating to see.]

[purramedic]

[This is... definitely one of the weirder things that have happened to him. And he's made friends with demon possessed cats... Sort of.

She's certainly talking like the Commander, bringing up things only she, or perhaps those who were close to both of them, would know. But that's less reassuring to Anders and far more worrisome. If this woman has done anything to his friend... their friend, there will be a great comeuppance.]

Who are you? How do you know these things?

[boundinblood]

[That makes two of them - she's never had a friend just forget her like this. It hasn't occurred to her that the whole "multiple worlds" thing could also include variants of the same world yet. As it is she's very confused. And starting to hurt a little. And maybe panic. What happened to her Warden? To her friend?]

I know them because they happened? Because I was there?

[She searches his face for any sign of recognition, or for any sign of anything off. She swallows, tries to seem less frantic but doesn't entirely succeed. This is just too far outside anything she knows how to deal with.]

You really don't recognize me? Katherine Amell? Formerly Irving's own apprentice? Commander of the Grey? Your friend?

[Definitely did not succeed at not sounding frantic. When she trusts someone the way she trusts Anders, she's counting on them to not do things like this.]

[purramedic]

[This is all sounding more impossible by the second. Anders is almost impressed with himself for not lighting up yet -- he hasn't, has he? -- what with his exponentially increasing frustration and suspicion.

But then, on top of all that, there's suddenly concern. For all intents and purposes, everything she's said matches up with his experience, it's just the name and the face he doesn't recognize. He has more than enough reason to be wary, distrustful, but the distress in her voice and her face seem genuine. It makes him feel guilty enough to soften his glare into a neutral look at least.]

No, I don't. I know a Robyn Amell by that description. [Now he just seems to be getting tired the longer this goes on. Maker preserve him if he's performing his usual act and walking into an obvious trap, but he's actually starting to pity this "Katherine."]

[boundinblood]

"Robyn"?

[Katherine's own distress evens out some, in favor of utter confusion.]

There couldn't have been two Amells at the same Circle, we would have known each other. And our stories shouldn't be-...

[She deflates a little, begrudgingly acknowledging her inability to grasp the situation.

That's when her lap is suddenly invaded by the top half of a mabari hound who pries his head between her arms, shoving a wet black nose into the device with a heavy and kind of grumpy whuff - who's making his human upset?]

Thunder! Down, boy! Things are...weird right now, but he's still my friend.

[The mabari whines, not entirely satisfied. Rather than getting down like he was told, he lays his front end over Katherine's legs like a giant doggy blanket.]