Previously, the heroes repeatedly fought an undead monstrosity which came to collect bodies, and Chakuq helped Dagran to craft a tuning fork singing the song of his people while fueled by mind-altering mushrooms. The resulting tuning fork resonated with Chakuq’s song, but also with a violet lyrium crystal that Dagran had acquired. Luca was introduced to the laboratory at the Circle of Magi that he was promised, and Emrys managed to convince Lord Andew to send Aubrey to live out the winter at his ancestral home, away from the maliciousness of the Beauclair delegation.
Eighth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262
(Silvermoon is waning, Bloodmoon is waxing, Darkmoon is in high sanction)All of the heroes had gathered in the laboratory at what felt like the bottom of the Circle of Magi’s campus. Emrys had forgotten to pick up a drum from the College of Bards, so the heroes were discussing on how to progress their research into the ritual. Luca was convinced it would require a bespoke warding circle, so he started drawing one. Shortly after he started the heroes heard the door at the top of the winding stairs open and saw the silhouette of a figure walking down, passing by the open archways along the interior wall.
Esmeralda d’Ortega, archmage and headmistress of the Circle of Abjuration, had heard about the heroes being assigned the laboratory and wanted to come and see what they were up to. The heroes had met her on their way from Egremont to Blackbridge, and she had replaced Dr. Arkenward at the head of the Circle of Abjuration when he was appointed the Royal Abjurer. Since then she had followed the exploits of the Heroes of the White Eye closely. When Luca explains their intention, she offered her help and expertise. Any good warding circle consisted of source of magic, how magic is drawn into the ward, and the protective elements that the magic fueled. As Luca spoke, she corrected and expanded the circle using charcoal from the furnace. Soon, she had discarded all formalities, and was on her knees, with charcoal-stained hands and streaks of soot on her face, engrossed in the work.
Luca added to the drawing, and Esmeralda asked more and more questions; Who would be involved? What were their strengths? What was the source of their power? This lead Chakuq to share about the resonance of his people’s song, the tuning fork, and the violet lyrium crystal in Dagran’s possession. Information was collected on each of the heroes;
Esmeralda turned to Emrys, and being familiar with him, quickly concluded what his source of power was; his sorcery, the chaotic magic at the heart of it, and his bloodline connection to the Mohiam.
When she asked Chakuq he carefully explained the song of his people was the source of his strength, that was in touch with nature, and that he relished the hunt. He believed that his resonance with the violet crystal was important, and that some answers may be found in the book he retrieved from the Newport library.
Neamhan claimed that her powers did not come from the gods, something Esmeralda accepted without question. Neamhan, too, was in touch with nature, with the skies, and with storms.
Quentin hesitated, and took a moment to answer. He stayed quiet through suggestions that it was his connection to the Raven Queen, and eventually resolutely said that it was his ancestry, his bloodline. When Neamhan asked Esmeralda whether she was familiar with the Blood of Alban, she said she was not, and she was too engrossed in the ward to ask after it.
Luca finally admitted that his power came from his obedience to his patron.
When the question came to Astrid she did not know how to answer. Neamhan angered her by repeatedly suggesting it was her motherhood that gave her power, but she rejected that and said it was vengeance. Exploring that a little, it was concluded that her strength was fury, channeled through her raptor totem.
Each of them got additions to the drawing on the floor, ley lines that channeled magic into the ward.
There was an ongoing conversation about Chakuq’s newfound resonance with the violet crystal, and whether the others might also resonate with a type of lyrium crystal. There were eight crystals, which corresponded with the different schools of magic, and there were two others; radiant and shadow. An attempt was made to discover the resonance of others, using a drum that was supplied by Ólafur, some fine, dry sand, and the tuning fork.
The the tuning fork caused the sand to dance around the skin of the drum. Eventually it settled in a particular pattern, rounded on one side with wave-like lines on the other, that Esmeralda seemed to divine some meaning from. This symbol was added to the ward. Luca used one of his spells on the drum, and again the sand jumbled to reveal a symbol, a bifurcated triangle. This too was added to the ward. Emrys did the same to reveal something which looked somewhat like a trident. Astrid let out a deafening screech, like that of an eagle, which echoed through the tower and left a sunburst pattern on the drum. Quentin, unsure of how to evoke the same response from the sand, cut his palm, dropped blood on the sand and touched his other hand to the talisman and raven feather around his neck. The sand formed in the shape of three overlapping, blade-like leaves.
Neamhan would go last, as she needed to leave the tower in order to find her power.
A few notable things were added to the ward; a place to represent the subject, Epidemius, a space to represent shadow, and a space to represent radiance. It was likely that many things would still be added, altered, and removed from the ward before it was fit for purpose.