2585/Leve: Levin an Impression

Leve: Levin an Impression
Date of Scene:	05 July 2015
Location:	Hydaelyn Reborn <ARR>
Synopsis:	Yda and Papalymo request and receive assistance to investigate a disturbance amongst the Tempered Sylphs of the Black Shroud.
Cast of Characters:	255, 666, Lyria Mason, Sanary Rondel, 815, N'raha Tia, 826

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Alwyn Highwind (815) has posed:
Notice from the Scions of the Seventh Dawn (posted on numerous bounty and adventurer boards, including the Syndicate Network)!

Leve: Levin An Impression
Location: Sylphlands, East Shroud
Type: Escort
Urgency: Very High
Difficulty: Unknown

Enclosed Message: Papalymo and Yda, two members of the Scions, have requested an escort into the Sylphlands, a region of the East Shroud, to investigate the behavior of the hostile Sylvans in the area. Something seems to have agitated them terribly recently, to the point it's left an imprint in the Aether, and the friendlier Sylphs don't seem to know what's going on either. Please come prepared for combat against magic-wielding foes.

Alwyn Highwind (815) has posed:
    WELCOME TO THE BLACK SHROUD.
    You've heard this a dozen times. Magical forest, watchful presences, energy in the air, yadda yadda. You've all been here before so we'll skip over presentation.

    The Hawthorne Hut, a small somewhat fortified Gridanian holding, is where you were told to meet Yda and Papalymo... but they're not here. Instead, as you arrived (through whatever means; Warp Gate, Aetheryte, your own methods), you find a note glued to the Aetheryte Crystal, sealed by a symbol resembling an eye surrounded by runes, recognizable as the logo of the Scions, per the request for help.

    As such:

    Whoever reaches for it and opens it finds that it consists in only one line: "Yda ran off ahead, please meet us at the bridge. -Papalymo"

    In finer print, near the bottom: "That idiot."

    Fortunately, both Bertram and Alwyn should know of the bridge up north that leads into the Larkscall, just near the border of the Sylphlands. It's not a long trek, once people are gathered!

    For reference, the weather is foggy. Lightning illuminates the sky through the trees now and again, thunder echoing through the forest, but it's not raining at least.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    Some kind of problem agitating the local beast tribes is immediately a point of concern; while Setsuko does not know this herself, members of her faction native to this world /do/ - and after having come to help once aready, she's willing to come and do so again, however her blade might be of service.

    "So there's a danger they could summon one of these 'Primals'... what exactly are they? The last time I was here, I put on a show of power to... quell a situation, let's say, and I was mistaken for one." The swordswoman has once again arrived via the Hawthorne Hut warpgate, but it seems that their contacts have gone on ahead. Rather than hop astride a mount as so many locals might do, however, she's quite content to walk the distance from there to Little Solace. But even if others do opt for mounted travel, it's not as if she can't keep up.

Lyria Mason has posed:
Lyria Mason is back at Black Shround once more she knoes the deal of the job she's brought her drones but this time? Remora is here but it's looking on edge. For now they might. She's got her goggles down as it helps a little with the dog by keeping it directly out of he eyes. she hears about the talk of a Primal and shudders slightly. If it comes ot that it's gong to be very bad day for everyone."

Mirielle Edelweiss (666) has posed:
    Mirielle is here, astride her magical (and thus not actually real) chocobo-creation with black feathers. It does wark convincingly! And does so, as she rolls into the area of the Hawthorn Hut. She checks the note, and presses her glasses up her nose. "Ah. It appears that I am not the only one with a penchant for drawing off from the main group foolishly. Thankfully, that notion has been rather firmly beaten out of me." She notes, before finding someone - anyone - to party up with for the ride to meet Alwyn and the Scions party. Thankfully, mounted, she's not getting any exercise - which is pretty much where the Calculator wants to be, with respect to doing things.

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
"Ahhh, Yda. Never change." Bertram says after reading the note, clearly amused. He picks up his staff and waits for others to arrive, clearly intent on showing others the way. He looks to be in a good mood. He answers Setsuko's question with a brief summary, "They are powerful entities composed of condensed Aether, summoned by the faith of the Beastmen tribes and copious crystals. They're dangerous not just because they're powerful, but because most people who get near them end up being devout followers of those primals. As such, we must needs prevent their summoning, or if that's not possible, disperse them as soon as possible."

Once everyone has arrived, he starts walking in the proper direction. "Pray follow me, I know the way, and I'm on good terms with the Sylphs who haven't been touched by the Lord of Levin's influence. It's not far, a malm at most, unless Yda has pressed on beyond the bridge. I wouldn't put it beyond her."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Well it's good that they're helping these folks out today, really, cause Bertram said N'raha should be talking to them anyways. And so, dressed in his finest dingy looking plate mail, the miq is following along side the others. "Ah, that's because really, summoning the Primals is how the Beast Tribes work. Something happens and they call up their god and then crap starts off. I mean, the Primals are just plain bad news."

    His tail droops a little bit as he fidgets with his axe. "It's like... They aren't just a representative of their people, they're a corrupted piece of the Elements or something like it? I-if that makes sense?"

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Today's job: Look into that second Eorzea under the guise of investigating some... Sylphans? Silbans? Something unfamiliar. Whatever's going on, gathering more intel is never a bad thing, and Sanary shows up ready for action! Sort of.

     So maybe she's a little late, but it doesn't take that long for the axe cleric to catch up with the group. Instead of wearing her usual clunky suit of armor, she's wearing the Lagombi set today for easier movement!

     And ear flaps. "Hey! Ach.. Sorry I'm late. Got a little lost, but.. Ah. I miss anything?" She's got one hand resting on the gunaxe at her hip while letting the other dangle freely, glancing from unfamiliar face to unfamiliar face. Mirielle gets a recognizing nod, though!

Alwyn Highwind (815) has posed:
    Alwyn is in fact here! He is however beaten to answering the questions being asked. Some of them, anyway.

    To those who are new, Alwyn offers a Linkpearl. These have been modified to only work for the first person to touch them, thanks to the Union. (+radio/init Bluh=20132.0, +radio/key Bluh=0.23102)

    He'll also say hi to Sanary! That's a new face.

    "I don't know much about Primals myself. I guess what those two said sounds right? I'd rather never find out, aheh..." It's not that he doesn't think it'd go a great length to fulfill his desires, if he slew one, it's that maybe he's not ready for that yet. Maybe.

    ROUGHLY ONE MILE LATER:

    As the group headed north, they went through small, cramped clearings, passed by a section of the forest where giant angry boars and walking hostile trees are a thing, and finally came upon a wooden suspended bridge over the river bisecting this section of the Shroud in two. To the right, a large waterfall, beautiful, leading to a higher plateau of the forest. To the right, the river just continues on. Ahead, a wooden bridge! ... with two people on it, surrounded by about a dozen small, purple, plant-like humanoid creatures, not unlike the Sylphs encountered on the way to the Larkscall.

    Yda is a standard Hyur, in a white and red vest, with plated red sabatons and a white hat, a black plate over her eyes and a set of fancy glasses raised over it. She's got large metal knuckles over each hand. With her is Papalymo, a short blond Lalafell in black and silver robes, armored yellow gauntlets, a staff, and the same fancy glasses hanging around his neck.

    "I do wish you hadn't insulted them," Papalymo complains.
    "They were going to attack us anyway!" Yda replies.

    The Sylvans are readying magical attacks, it looks like!

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Oh right, he left that part out. N'raha's words echo a bit under his helmet. "And yeah, if you get Tempered, that's it for you, you belong to the Primal forever. That's... it's awful. The Flames... well. They put those folks out of their misery."

    But then there's the Scions, and that's a lot of angry maybe-Sylphs. N'raha's eyes flick around under his celata, and he shoves the visor back down over his eyes. Right. He hefts his axe, his tail flicks deciseivly, and he starts striding long steps across the bridge. The catman limbers out that axe, does a fancy swing, and a blast of energy lances out to swat at one of the magical purple things, mostly getting its attention more than anything else. "BACK ME UP, GUYS! GET IN THERE!"

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    Information on these Primals is... worrying. They're powerful beings summoned by worship, composed of pure magic, and capable of turning people into followers, permanently. Setsuko frowns softly. "And this 'Lord of Levin', he's one of those corrupted elem-" Their walk-and-talk is cut short, when the demigod catches sight of the people on the bridge ahead. Explanation on this particular Lord will have to wait.

    Like a bolt from a crossbow, Setsuko breaks into a dead run. From 'walking pace' to 'keeping up with speeding freeway drivers' in a heartbeat, and off she goes. The two are surrounded, a human and a... rather smaller being, trapped in the horde of sylphs accosting them in the middle of the bridge. If they're gonna save them, they'll need to break through. So that's exactly what Setsuko does.

    The demigod darts right past N'raha's target to the next nearest, her blade clearing its sheath in a simple but impressively swift movement. Iaijutsu techniques might not suit her style in most places, but she's found ways to work them in - like 'blitz-charging a caster plant-thing and slashing before it can attack'.

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
Bertram responds calmly to Setsuko's unfinished question when they arrive. "Yes, he is the Primal of the Sylphs." Then he gets to the important task of support magic. Within moments, glowing blue fields of aether briefly surround people Bertram deems allies, fading away to invisibility only to re-appear when something impacts them. It won't stop any attack, but the White Mage's Protect should reduce the impact of any attack, magical or physical, that passes through them.

"Up to your usual tricks, Yda? Pray show some restraint next time." Bertram says jovially, he doesn't seem to be too concerned just yet. Of course, he's not in the front lines. "We got your note, Papalymo. I hope you don't mind if I give it to Yda after we're done here?"

Mirielle Edelweiss (666) has posed:
    Sanary is given a quiet little nod, and maybe a smile, though with her rather shady look and little accompanying smile it may in fact look like she's plotting something horrible.

    She probably is, but it's not horrible for SANARY.

    The buddy system is real, though, as she joins her coworker on chocoback, to the area.

    As they arrive, and Yda prompts the sylphs to action... Magical attacks? Well, there's something for that. Skidding her chocobo to a halt, she begins casting -- and Bertram lands the Proshell before she does, causing her to have to refocus her magics to a different spell. She rears back her hand, the white magic giving way to a sickly green as she lobs a ball over Setsuko's head, erupting in a cloud of eerie silence.

    If the sylphs wish to cast, that may make it harder! Of course, Setsuko's more direct and singular approach may also yield more tangible fruit.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     That didn't take very long. The hike wasn't the most pleasant thing with all the sweating and the heat retention in that fuzzy outfit Sanary's in, but at least there's ambient noise to listen to and a co-worker to linger around so she doesn't feel so out of place. That potential plotting smile just goes right over the healer's head, though.

     Or maybe she just recognizes the lack of horrible plotting in her direction. Who knows? The sweating is mostly forgotten by the time the group comes across their targets. She raises an eyebrow at N'raha as he charges in with the axe, eventually letting out a hearty laugh before charging into the fray herself.

     "Another one, eh? Alright... Let's bust right through 'em!" Unstrapping the gunaxe from her hip and the charge blade's kite shield from her back, the healer does very little actual healing to start with. Instead, she's aiming to just barrel right into a Sylph with the shield itself.

     And if she actually manages to pin it down or against something solid? She'll just start bashing away with the shield.

Alwyn Highwind (815) has posed:
    "That's unfair, two on one!" Yda protests.
    "Do give it to her, but I would not expect her brain to be able to read at this point," Papalymo answers Bertram, without skipping a beat.

    N'raha's thrown axe slams into one of the Tempered Sylphs; the small purple creature impacts the ground past the bridge, struggling to rise to its feet again.

    With a clean charge-in, Setsuko finds herself alongside the two Scions, slashing at one of the Sylvans. Its casting interrupted, the now heavily wounded being falls back, floating to the safer ground past the bridge.

    Bertram's own spells, as usual, will go a long way to prevent otherwise only mildly threatening spells from striking truly decisive blows.

    Mirielle's own contribution is unique, the grenade bursting and silencing most of the casters straight up. This cuts their casting short, their purple lightning stopping for the most part.

    Sanary smashes into a Sylph, and then pummels it with a shield. Before long the little creature is completely unconscious.

    Yda grins, and a quick one-two from her fists sends a silenced Sylph flying. Papalymo's own contribution is a burst of fire, which disperses a number of them. Alwyn presumably spears one somewhere in all this.

    Moments later, the remaining Sylphs just BLITZ OFF, into the deeper woods. Papalymo dusts himself, Yda tries to speak-- and finds herself silenced. The little Lalafell laughs.

    "Miss, pray tell me what wonderous technology that was, that I may have the Scions purchase a crateful just to deal with Yda."
    Yda makes obvious annoyed gestures, including stomping her foot down and crossing her arms to silently hmph.

    "Do forgive her haste. I am Papalymo, and this is Yda. We are a member of the Scions, though I fear if you ask around you will find only little information on us. We study the Primals and other related problems, in the hopes of defeating them through brains rather than brawn. We hope one day to present the city-states with more long-term solutions."

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    Setsuko remains in a ready stance, sword drawn, until she's fairly sure the sylphs are no longer a danger. "...Setsuko Kaminagi," she replies after a moment or so, sheathing her blade and turning to face the two Scions. "Major in the Union Armed Forces. I'm from offworld, but I'm here to help. ...and I apologize if my presence is disconcerting," she adds. "I can't easily conceal my power. I know people here tend to be fairly magic-sensitive." Resting one hand on Zanjintou's sheath idly, she turns to look further into the forest. "What are we here to do, this evening?"

N'raha Tia has posed:
    The young miqo'te lifts up his visor as he watches the Sylphs rush off, grinning under the helmet and waving goodbye to the now exunting creatures. That said... buh. Tempered. A little shiver runs up his tail as he hefts his axe back over his shoulder and lifts a gauntlet in greetings to the Hyur and the Lalafell.

    "Ah, hello, I'm N'raha. It's nice to meet you both, very much!" He bows as well as he can in the armor, before looking up at Setsuko and her... presence. Twelves, that's still formidable.

    He looks back at everyone else and waves people over to meet the Scions. "Come on, shold be good now!"

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
"As I'm sure you were aware, I already know you two, Yda, Papalymo, but I don't think I know everyone here does, so I might as well. I'm Bertram Silent, a conjurer. I've helped out the Scions a few times in the past. Mostly concerning the Sylphs." Yda and Papalymo, at least, would know that Bertram is on quite good terms with the Sylphs of Little Solace. Bertram then decides to show mercy, and casts Esuna on Yda. "I didn't mean to gang up on you Yda, sorry. I just thought some caution wouldn't hurt." He eyes Papalymo, "Respecting your allies wouldn't hurt either." He folds his arms, clearly not interested in brooking defiance on the topic.

Alwyn Highwind (815) has posed:
    "We are here to study disruptions in the local Aetheric fields," Papalymo explains, before launching into exposition. "In all places but those touched by the Void does Aether flow in Eorzea. When areas exhibit higher amounts than normal, not only can it sometimes become observable, but it is always a sign something is amiss. More often than not, such a gathering of Aether is the telltale sign a Primal is nearby, or nearing summoning. Then the city-states deploy dozens of adventurers and soldiers, half of them are lost in the conflict, and we call the matter resolved until it happens again. Very bothersome, overall."

    Yda, now unsilenced thanks to Bertram, sticks her tongue out. "These Sylphs call themselves the Sylvans, and they were shouting about Lord Ramuh before we even got here. They're so Tempered a blacksmith asked us to study their make."

    Papalymo frowns, looking at Bertram. "Do you see what I have to put up with?"

    Pointing past the bridge, he resumes: "Anyroad, the Aether near the Sylphlands has been spiking recently. Someone or something has agitated the Sylphs that deny Gridania's want for peace and an alliance, and knowing them it won't be long before they call down the thunder. At least, that is the theory. We are here to ascertain this. To that end we must stride in deeper, and find out what they are doing."

    Yda slams a fist into her opposite palm. "And we'll take a whole bunch of them out, too! Maybe they'll rethink their course of action."

    Palapymo FROWNS, turning to look at Setsuko instead. He lifts his large, weird, mechanical, bulky visor-glasses up to his face, looking at her. "Power indeed. It is different, but also not. Had we time I would ask you to study you, but it will have to wait."

    He turns to look at the group. "Questions? And by the way, Yda, all of that was important, so don't forget any of it, you'll be tested." It's her turn to frown.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Sanary grunts lightly as she looks up at the fleeing Sylphs, furrowing her brow for a moment before re-strapping her gear to free up her hands again. "That was... Fast." She almost sounds disappointed, but it's dismissed with a quick shrug, and the healer keeps her boot pressed against the unconscious Sylph's face while turning to the Scions and the rest of the group.

     "Right... Uh. Sanary Rondel. Healer, Ally of the Confedracy-" That's certainly not going to cause any potential trouble down the line. "-and healer slash security for the Murasame Zaibatsu. Also an offworlder like... Setsuko, you said? Heard there was some work, though, so. Good meeting all of you."

     She grins briefly and brushes her nose off before scooping that Sylph up, cradling the creature surprisingly gently considering how savagely she had beat it just a few seconds ago. "What do we do with this guy? I... Think it's still alive?" She's careful not to shake it too much, though, keeping a fairly firm cradlehold on it just in case. She laughs lightly at Yda's plan of action, although she doesn't say anything on whether she approves of it or not.

     Judging from the smirk, though, she probably approves.

Alwyn Highwind (815) has posed:
    "It is Tempered; unfortunately, killing it is the only way to undo the spell," Papalymo answers, somberly. Yda offers a more humane: "We could lock her up near our base. It's not much, but if we ever find a way to undo Tempering, or if we ever need a test subject..."

    It's certainly not ideal but it's all they have for now.

Lyria Mason has posed:
Lyria Mason has been keeping bac for most of this on tear guard till this point and they deal with the Slyphs. She seems very concerned she knows where this might begoing and she odes not like it.

"So you looking to solve the edlrich horror problem hummm?"

She seems curious about the idea of people working on a long term problem.

"I'd be willing to help with that if I'm able to."

She does not bring up how she knows to deal with Tempered persons it's not pretty but ther's little that can be done right?

"What do you want us to do with anyone ehose Tempered should that occur?"

She also moving to fall iwnt With Sanary a bit for the moment.

"A quick death is all we can do, or hold on to them for an attempt to free them somehow."

She moves to set a hand on Sanary's shoulder

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
"Yda, I think that would only make them more likely to summon Ramuh." Bertram objects patiently, folding his arms before explaining. "Those Sylphs tempered by Ramuh keep the unusually gentle attitude of Beastmen, they're just far more hostile to outsiders." He looks around the group, before pointedly adding, "Outsiders like us. As long as we don't intrude on their territory or attack them, they won't have any problem with us. Since we're already doing one, I don't think we should be doing the other, too."

He takes a step further into the Sylphlands, "So while we investigate what has upset them, we really should try to make sure not to upset them more. We're trying to prevent the Lord of Levin's return, not to cause it." Then that last group of suggestion causes a deep frown, "While I don't object to fighting in self-defense, capturing or killing disabled Sylphs, even Tempered ones, is going to look like an attack, not self-defense. I don't think it's wise."

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    Setsuko's gaze turns to Papalymo briefly, and there is in her the faintest hint of mischief, for just a moment; she decides to tell the lalafell thaumaturge the truth. "I can save you the time: it's divinity. I'm half god." She takes a step or two further on the bridge, looking into the sylphlands with her superhuman sight, just to simply see what she can see. "Bertram is right," she adds absently. "Leave the unconscious one there, let it be. We're no longer defending ourselves when we start taking prisoners." She lets out a soft breath. "My magical senses are dull at best. I'm capable of flying, but I don't know what kind of defense the sylphs will have against airborne opponents, or what flies above the forest canopy here. It would be easier to go on foot, but they'll know we're coming."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    N'raha's eyes flick back and forth and he's just sorta watching all of this before... something clicks.

    "Oh. OH. Bertram, were these the friends you were talking about? I... Hallo! Again!"

    A look at Setsuko, and the Miq murmurs. "Considering the sylphs and Ramuh command the power of the thunder and lightning, I'd... maybe taking flight might not be the wisest course of action, ma'am."

Mirielle Edelweiss (666) has posed:
    Mirielle looks at Yda. Tank? Mmm, brawler at the least. Someone who punches things. Of the 'easygoing' variety. Then, Papalymo. Mage. Powerful? Almost certainly. Instead of a support caster, he seemed to be a direct offensive caster. Potentially a Black Mage?

    She goes on analyzing the two, off in her own little world of numbers and data points. Outwardly she just seems to drift off, staring at the Scions with an unfocused gaze, one finger seeming to tally in the air.

    Finally, she snaps out of it. "Oh, ah... Yes, that sounds doable." She murmurs, probably entirely out of context.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Another brow-furrowing. What's Sanary to do? "If... Betram, you said? If you're right about that, we'd probably have an agry Ramuh or... Whoever coming after us. But if we leave it here, it'll might come after us anyway. Hn..."

     At least there's another familiar face around. She nods towards Lyria at the touch to her shoulder before staring at the Sylph again, a low hum escaping the healer. "Way to put me on the spot. Mm... Probably don't want to be walking around with it, either."

     And then her eye lights up! Figuratively, that is. Coincidentally, it happens at the same time Mirielle speaks up. Still holding onto the Sylph carefully with one arm, she reaches into her pocket before stopping and turning to N'raha.

     "What about a low flight? Or... If that's no good, we could bury it halfway so only the head's sticking out. Then we can pick it up or release it later."

Alwyn Highwind (815) has posed:
    Both Yda and Papalymo take a moment to confer, and then nod. Yda is the first to speak up. "Sounds fine. Just make sure she's REAL sleepy," she says towards Sanary. "Or tie her up. Or bury her, sure. They'll come for her eventually."

    Papalymo speaks next, to Bertram. "My apologies, it's been a while since we've had to deal with the Sylphs very much. To be honest, I'd much rather we didn't need to come here at all."

    But that's not really a choice they were given. He looks next at Setsuko, surprised. "Half-divine, you say? That must come in handy, but pray mind your manners in our lands. It would be easy to misunderstand your power."

    Yda is the one to say hi to N'raha specifically. "Hello cat!" Headpat. She's... yeah she's... yeah. Yda. Papalymo brings a hand up to cover his face.

    "Let us get moving," he says. "Please, before she embarasses me to such a degree I throw myself off this bridge."

    The path ahead isn't too treacherous, at least. In the woods one can see the wildlife of the Larkscall; Malboros, Ochus, giant trees and mushrooms. Purple Sylphs seem to flutter between tree trunks, watching the group but not acting on it. As they reach a large archway into the Sylphlands, the fog covering the upper layers of the forest turns purple slowly, eerie but safe. Large natural constructions are present, likely the Sylvans' homes or outposts, glowing purple and orange from the magical lighting.

    MAGICAL SENSES: Those who can see magic can feel larger quantities following a path to the left. Scattered clusters of concentrated magic are present near the 'housing'.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    "It's already been misunderstood at least once," Setsuko replies to Papalymo. "I was here a short while back to help with a poacher problem. I put my power on display, and I was mistaken for a Primal. I try to avoid causing problems if I can, but it was necessary. They were planning to kill captive people and animals."

    When they do finally proceed, she opts to take a place at the head of the group, acting as the damage sponge should anything come at them. Once or twice she closes her eyes briefly, reaching out with her magical senses, but... "The ambient magic here is fairly strong. I'm having a hard time telling one thing from another." There aren't many places with ambient aether as strong as Eorzea, and the Sylphlands in particular are home to a very magical race on top of the elementals. "Does anyone have an idea which way we should go?"

N'raha Tia has posed:
    CATTE. HEADPATS. Yda's hand will swat his celeta, but N'raha doesn't mind. He does murmur a bit though, to Papalymo as they walk. "Ah, Bertram says I'm suppossed to talk to you guys, ah, some time." He leaves it at that though, there's other present.

    The place feels a little familiar from the other night when the Garleans showed up, and the Miq's hands slide to grip at his battered axe once again. It's a balm right now, a needed one. He was never good at feeling /magic/ perse, but the Aether here is oppressive, compounded with the group around them. This was... Mmmmm.

    Setsuko's back out in front, and N'raha dutifully takes up a spot next to her, maybe a little behind.

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
"I'm definitely sensing a lot of aether." Bertram adds, and being more familiar with the capabilities of Eorzeans than those of offworlders, he instinctively asks them for aid. "Don't you guys have those Sharlayan devices that let you track aether? Maybe those would let us see more." As a warning he adds on, "Everyone, pray don't move for the center of this aether when it's been noticed. Odds are it's their crystal stockpile, and they might believe we're trying to steal it if we do."

He overheards N'raha's murmer, and adds on in his own soft voice. "Based on what he's told me, he may have something in common with both myself and the Antecedent." A subtle thing to say that should tell the Scions enough without being quite transparent to others.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     That's all Sanary really needs. She sets the Sylph down briefly to dig out a slightly less than Sylph-sized hole fairly quickly, then sticks it right in before filling that hole up with only the Sylph's head visible from the hole. Even weird purple lettuce need to breathe, after all! Maybe.

     Just in case, though, she packs that dirt in nice and tight before following the group once more, sticking close to Lyria and Mirielle. Co-workers and students need to stick together, after all!

     "So these Primals... They're the godlike beings around here, right? Tempering things, making 'em all crazy?" Grunting lightly as she keeps a hand on her weapons again, Sanary glances around at the group's surroundings a few times before chuckling and glancing at Setsuko. "Probably wouldn't hurt to keep that sort of thing hidden, yeah. Hn... Think I see some houses that way."

     Looking over at the housing, the axe cleric squints a bit before gesturing in the direction of it, an uncomfortable groan escaping her moments later. "Kinda... Getting some weird feeling from that way, too. Kinda... Heavy."

Lyria Mason has posed:
Lyria Mason is honestly glad for the moment Sanary is here. She is however taking in this world's different after all and the nobles know more for the moment. aT the mention for someone mentioning they are half divine? Gets a slight eyebrow raise. However she's aware of people like Arthur so she doesnt' freak out. she's also more concerned about the monsters on the path. Well near hte past if they don't come after here? She does not pick a figh with them.

Alwyn Highwind (815) has posed:
    "Is that so?" Papalymo questions Setsuko, unsure if he should frown or smile. "A noble reason to use such powers for certain, but I'm not sure if I can endorse knowing use of such a fear amongst residents of Eorzea. Were the Scions found to agree to the use of powers similar to Primals to frighten the masses, even criminals, t'would be a reputation we could not shake off."

    Yda shrugs, smiling. "Who cares? It keeps bad people from doing bad stuff. Long as we tell the city-states not to worry about it and that it's all fake, no harm no foul, right?"

    Both of them lower their glasses to take a look, before shaking their heads. "There is too much Aether here. It is like staring at a light while trying to decide where to go. There are places where the light is stronger, but..." But, their equipment isn't fine-tuned for this yet. Oh, if only they had access to a white-haired Garlean defector superscientist. But what are the odds of something so specific happening?

    Yda nods to N'raha, as well. "Bertram's friends are our friends, so sure!" Arranging a meeting with the Scions wouldn't be too difficult, sometime.

    Papalymo hands his pair of glasses slash visor to Bertram. "See for yourself, if you'd like. I must concede this technology has yet to fail us, but as time passes it feels more and more like we are behind the times. I hate to say it, but we may need to see about expanding the Scions' resources and aid."

    To Sanary, Papalymo answers: "To some people, I suppose they may be called gods, just like the Twelve and Hydaelyn. I can assure you they are not our gods, however. The Garleans seem to think the whole of Eorzea worships the Primals, but in their blind zeal they do not see how hard we fight them. What is a god, though? How powerful must a being be to earn the moniker? History is filled with lone, heroic adventurers who took the Primals down by themselves. Are they, too, gods?"

    At Sanary's behest, Yda grabs N'raha and drags him forward towards the large, glowing 'building'. "Come, then, let's check that direction out!" As soon as they get close, the sight of crystals, about the size of a fist, littering the ground here and there in the grass is difficult to miss. Each is glowing, charged with various amounts of Aether. Obviously, this is a secondary stockpile they mean to move to the primary one.

    "WALKING ONES! They would steal our thunder from us!" comes the sharp cry of a Sylph, as a flock of about six suddenly appear. Their attention turns to Setsuko, and anger seems to swell. "The rival one! She comes to steal our forest!" "Kill the walking ones!" "The glasses ones are their guides! Blind them!"

    Sparks of purple and dark lightning fly between the creatures; torrents of electricity fly towards BERTRAM and YDA, the ones currently holding the devices. Setsuko likewise gets focus, as a single, but very large, bolt of lightning is hurled in her direction, with enough impact to hit everyone else around her, if it isn't stopped.

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
As soon as the group draws enmity, Bertram is already acting. Proshell should still be active, so instead he starts by Medica, the timing such that the wave of healing energy should spread from him right after the Sylph's attacks hit. He's still hit, of course. Beyond hurting him, the electricity's aftershocks have the nasty side effect of occassionally rippling through and making him spasm briefly, interrupting his casting should that be allowed to linger. "May Rhalgr stike down the one who riled them up." The Ala Mhigan curses, a somewhat unusual occurence usually reserved to matters involving the Garleans.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    There is a faint smile on Setsuko's face, just briefly. "Then it's good that I'm not a Scion. If I need to speak to people in positions of power about myself, I'm perfectly willing." For the most part, she remains silent, although there is one moment where she feels the need to speak up. "...A god is more than just power. Having power does nothing but make you powerful. To have godhood is to be something... More."

    Whatever else she might have to say, however, is stifled by their discovery of aether crystals - and the Sylphs guarding them. Angry shouts prompt her to draw Zanjintou into a ready position, but something in what they say...

    'Rival one'.

    "...gods." She's the reason they've gotten riled up.

    There's a snap and a sound of rushing air, and Zanjintou grows out to its full size... only to be held aloft in the position of a shield, eating the lightning bolt directly. It passes right into and through her, drawing a fierce hiss of pain, but the demigod stands her ground, and... does nothing else. "I am no threat to you! I am not here to steal or conquer, and I have no need of your aether crystals!"

N'raha Tia has posed:
    There's planning and talking all around and N'raha is smiling and trying to keep up, really, he is. But a lot of this is way over his head. Maybe he should have paid more attention when he was trying out for the arcanis-

    Oh gods he's being dragged by Yda. The miq catches his own feet, thankfully, the padded leggings he's wearing catching a bit on bramble as he trucks his way alongside the monk. "Well, I suppose that would work out, in the future, wouldn't it? I mean, the talki-"

    MORE LIGHTNING! The miq barely has time to register the idea that this was a proper crystal storage dump before the sylphs start to blast at them with Lightning spells. Nothing for it now. He grunts and moves to interpose himself as best he can, the Protect holding for a moment before the barrier crumples and he gets zorted right through his metal armor. There's a sudden wash of numb, but he recovers and hefts the axe again, picking a bunch of the casters and swinging his axe downward, a shockwave lancing out to try and goad the bunch into aiming at him.

Lyria Mason has posed:
Well things were going well enough right?

"I see where your going with that it would posion the water for good."

She was relaxed somewhat but not entirely so. If there was one incident with Tempered natives there were likly more. She pause as a group of Sylph com for them. She looks up pulls her cutlass and is going to go to work as she attempts to get clear of the blast. She's also drawing a pistol in her other hand and starting to shoot.

"More poor wretches whose souls have been devoured."

Lyria comments as she joins the battle.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "So it's not that, then... Hm. Ever try talking to 'em about that? The Garleans, I mean. Unless you're fighting them for... Some other reason." Sanary strokes her chin as Papalymo speaks, keeping herself from grinning too much at being so much taller than the tiny, tiny man. Boy. Probably a man of his race. Still. So, so tiny.

     She doesn't have quite that much time to wait for a response, though, as more Sylphs begin their attack! Getting that shield ready in front of her again, she braces herself for the shock and... Still buckles over at the sudden jolt.

     Having armor that's susceptible to lightning probably isn't helping much. Still, standing in the back has its advantages, at least, and she's quick to switch her focus to draw energy out of herself to start healing Bertram while also providing him with a boost to his natural recovery. She's not charging in just yet, though, watching for the Sylphs' response to Setsuko first.

Alwyn Highwind (815) has posed:
    It's funny that Bertram should say that.
    What with Setsuko being right there.

    With the swordswoman taking the hit straight on, the impact is lessened for those around her; it doesn't seem to stop the Sylphs, though. Their replies range from "The rival one, she lies!" "Judgment will be passed on all outsiders!" "JUDGMENT!" "JUDGMENT!" "JUDGMENT!"

    N'raha shields Yda, although she's not entirely helpless either. Where some of the bolts slam into the Protect spell, others are straight up punched out of trajectory by the girl, as she takes a more defensive stance up. "PAPALYMO, IT'S CRYSTALS!"

    In the back rows, the smaller mage frowns. "As we feared. They've begun working to call the Lord of Levin to them. It could take them weeks, or months, but we'd best not hope for the latter and prepare for the former!"

    Lyria's shots will at least disable one of the Sylphs, sending her crashing down. Hopefully not dead, more likely just unconscious unless Lyria was aiming to kill.

    To Sanary, Papalymo shakes his head. "The Garleans listen not. Obsessed by conquest and power as they are, all they can see is that we are savages, good only to conquer, enslave or worse. Frankly, they are no better than the Primals they so detest. Is fanatism to a cause not the same as Tempering, in the end? The Garleans may as well serve a Primal, but his name is a title, passed on to successors. Would that they could be convinced to leave."

    Heals from Sanary will come in handy for Bertram, too; not to mention if Sanary uses her shield for more than herself.

    Finally, Papalymo decides: "We should leave. We have found what we came here to do; to slaughter them even in self-defense would only make matters worse. We will have to come back and keep an eye on the situation from the shadows; when they have gathered enough crystals that we can locate their main cluster, we will have a brief window to act before it is too late."

    In the meantime though, MORE LIGHTNING.
    The Sylphs are very good at that; everyone gets their share, while they chant for JUDGMENT and DEATH TO THE RIVAL ONE.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    The expert has called for a retreat. "Everyone, fall back! I'll cover your escape!" Wielding Zanjintou as a shield, Setsuko takes another step away from the group, deliberately setting herself as, for lack of better terms, a lightning rod. Taking as many of the lightning bolts as she can herself, no matter how painful it gets; and even though every instinct screams, 'they're trying to kill you, do what you have to', there still lingers a vain hope in the back of her mind that by refusing to attack them, she'll demonstrate that she isn't a threat.

    Even if her regeneration's going to be working overtime after this.

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
"Let's go." Bertram agrees, and then he starts spamming the mightiest spell in the white mage's inventory. Repose. Magical energy to drive the sylphs to harmless and temporary sleep. Between casting he takes steps back, increasing his distance from the hostile sylphs. "Papalymo, N'raha, Yda, if you could stop by the Hawthorne hut, say..." He lists a series of suggested dates, "We can walk to my cottage, and have a discussion about that other thing, I think it would help N'raha."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Gods, this is bad. Well, not unexpected at this point, given what they'd seen, but still bad. N'raha staggers at the force of the lightning, but just blinks to see Yda parrying spells like that. How did she do that? A little thought to ponder as the retreat is called. This is a bungle alright, all the way bad-ish.
    The Miq sees Bertram calling out those reposes, and starts backing up safely away from the drowzy Slyphs, still trying to keep himself between them an the group as he goes.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "I dunno.. Crazy stubborn, maybe, but..." Grunting and twitching as another blast of lightning jolts her even through the shield and armor, Sanary redoubles her focus on the more immediate threats. "I'll... Gotta talk with some people later."

     She'll have more time to consider the strange world discrepancies later. Stomping once to try and shake off the pain, she nods at Papalymo before stepping forward again. "R-right. We'll keep you guys covered!" Moving closer to Setsuko to try and cover whoever the lady of war's not in front of, Sanary start directing some of that energy from herself into the Setsuko to help pump up her natural regeneration and energy recovery even further!

     "Would be a lot easier if we just shot 'em, but... Hell, this is working, right?" She laughs while bracing the shield in front of her, all keeping her other hand raised towards Setsuko to help direct the flow of the energy into the one acting as the primary lightning rod.

Lyria Mason has posed:
Lyria Mason had not been shooting to kill well this time. She listen for a moment as the Garleans come up and she tils he rhead for a moment. She now is trying to shoot at the others that are still spamming lightning at them.

Alwyn Highwind (815) has posed:
    On one hand, Setsuko's refusal to fight is certainly a point in her favor. On the other hand, it's also a show of power; she is withstanding their best, and the teamwork of the invaders is nothing short of commendable. Healers doing their job, most of all.

    Alwyn (I totally haven't forgotten I'm at my own scene) protests as N'raha is invited for tea, chirping in with: "Hey, I like tea too! And cottages! And talks. I have no idea what you two are going on about but it sounds better than cleaning stables for pocket change!"

    Papalymo would stare at Sanary if they weren't mid-run right now, so she mostly gets a confused statement. "I don't know who you mean to speak to about this, but if it's Garleans you consort with, miss, what you'll get is self-righteous speeches about their superiority and right to rule all of the land. We've tried, believe me! And we've witnessed them killing heaps of innocent people just to establish ground in Eorzea."

    That, though, isn't really his specialty.

    It won't be long, though the careful healing and redirection of attacks to the people who can take them to the face, before the Sylvans stop chasing the group and return go their abode. Past the wooden bridge, Papalymo will come to a stop, exhausted, and Yda will pick up him (despite struggling and complaining at the fact) to sit him on her shoulder.

    "Great! That went better than it could have!" she says.
    "It could have gone even better if you hadn't called one of them... what was it you said again?" Papalymo asks.
    "I said I should have thought to bring weed killer."
    "Yes, that. Sigh. Anyroad, thank you for your assistance, all of you. I'll pay you when we're back at the hut. It won't be much but it should cover your time."

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    The healing from Sanary leaves Setsuko in much better condition than she'd expected to be. Nevertheless, by the time they finally hit the sylphs' leash distance- I MEAN escape across the bridge to safety, she's showing burns in a fair few spots of open skin. But they can relax at last, and these burns won't take long for her body to regenerate. "I don't need payment," she replies to Papalymo, shaking her head. "My military position already pays me far more money than I actually use. I came to help an ally, nothing more."

    Of course, this provides a chance for the lalafell scholar (but not Scholar) to get a better look at her, and in particular her sword; the demigod hefts it up, and with a snap and a /fwoosh/ the four-yalm blade dissipates and the hilt collapses back in on itself, restoring the weapon to a more normal-looking katana. This she returns to its sheath in a smooth, practiced motion.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Oh man, nope N'raha doesn't have anything that fancy in the slightest, not even a little bit, not at all. The Miq's breath is coming easier now though as he posts up aross the Bridge, looking to Alwyn and Bertram and the Scions.

    A little faint grumble of assent. "...I'll take her money if she doesn't want it."