| Logs |
2014 June 05
| Neverneverwhere |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
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| Realms: Taps Logs |
Love is Not A Victory March
When Buddy catches up with the caravan, he brings Rattler to Suraksha's vardo so they can put him into her bed. Their bed, really. Suraksha checks with Del to be sure the weight of her wagon plus herself and Rattler aren't too much for the placid Clydesdales -- Del's "big boys" -- pulling the largest wagon, which is providing support for hers while its axle is broken. Del snorts at her, and so the big tiger grins and thanks her, then goes trotting back to change, then hop up into her sadly lamed wagon. She curls up sleepily on her unconscious beloved and drifts off to sleep. She trusts her people to keep things rolling smoothly, and to wake her if she's needed.
No one comes to bother them until well past daybreak the next day -- and then it's simply Fantine peeking her head in somewhat timidly. When she sees that her lady and Rattler are still sleeping, she does her best to stay very quiet as she gathers up clothes for the little girls to change into. Suraksha wakes up and yawns some time later, then smiles down at her lover. How's he doing?
Rattler's either still very deeply asleep or still unconscious. His breathing seems regular, but Sura is fairly certain he hasn't moved from this position all night. Suraksha frowns a little worriedly at that, then slides carefully off him and out of bed. Since it's getting on towards late fall she'll pull on something warm and light along with warm boots that are easy to pull off, then go looking for Alan. She wants to know if Rattler usually stays out so long when he uses his abilities like this. He never has in her experience, but then... perhaps something changed in his recent past?
Alan is easy to find: he's talking with Sna'tha and Chanti about guard duty. They're posting heavy rear guards, just in case. The bridge has been pretty seriously compromised, but they don't know all the people Doris might have had in her employ. Suraksha waits for their conversation to be concluded -- the caravan's safety and security is primary! Once that's done she quietly asks Alan: when Rattler uses his powers strongly, how long does he usually pass out for, please? Alan frowns and says, "Passing out isn't really par for the course unless he's strained himself overly. Remember, this is the man that's basically been bossing the Mississippi around for years." The man rubs his unusually stubbly chin, "I wonder if something else drained him somehow."
Suraksha nods worriedly as she paces along next to Alan, "Must be, because he's still out, Alan. Any idea how to find out, or to feed him more power?"
Alan's pace picks up a little as he heads with 'Chana toward the wagon. He's deceptively laconic much of the time, but Roy is his charge -- even if they're playing 'just folks' right now, "Find a leyline. Put him on it. I wonder if that might be it. If the leylines have been disrupted or there wasn't one nearby..."
Suraksha gives Alan a puzzled glance as she trots along easily next to the wiry man, "How do you detect a leyline?" Suraksha's matriline may know about leylines -- the family estate rests on a powerful confluence of them, in fact -- but Sura herself has not yet been taught that information.
Alan says, "I... fuck, I don't know. Ask a Tap. I think Rattler might have just gotten used to having them to use." The man is getting somewhat agitated... and that's strange.
Suraksha gives Alan another puzzled glance, "Um, Alan? Are you... is everything all right?"
Alan stops and takes a deep breath, "Sorry. I'm just used to being able to deal with the things that threaten him."
Suraksha's eyes narrow thoughtfully as she studies the man. As they get to her wagon she says slowly, "Alan... in all the years you've worked for Rattler, have you ever seen..." She struggles to verbalize this odd thought, "Oh, like... like something that ruffles up emotions at the same time as it saps Tap energy?"
Alan pushes a hand through his hair and shakes his head, "I -- no. I haven't. But I also hadn't seen a fucking puppeteer turning people into toys."
Suraksha blinks at a sudden thought: if Tap energy is being somehow drained, it should show in the chakras, right? Though... Alan isn't a Tap. So this could potentially be affecting everyone, if it actually exists... hmm. She checks Alan's chakras first -- she knows him well. She nods slowly to herself as she thinks and examines first Alan, then her lover's chakras.
Alan's chakras as mostly normal -- except his Will chakra is dim -- well, dim for him, anyway. Willpower has always been one of his driving characteristics, if not the dominant trait. Suraksha blinks a bit startledly at that, a small, thoughtful, "hmm!" escaping her. She opens her wagon's door, turning and looking at Rattler's chakras as well. Rattler's chakras are all dimmer than normal -- in fact, quite a bit dimmer than normal. He doesn't look close to death, but the man normally flares unusually bright. That tends to be true for the more powerful Taps that 'Chana has met. Suraksha says flatly, "Alan... go get Sna'tha, please. Now. And..." She needs another Tap to compare this with -- is it just Taps that are really hurt, or is it everyone, or something else? "-and bring Dominic too, please."
Alan nods and moves off -- not scuttling exactly, but moving as quickly as he can while still ostensibly walking. Suraksha pulls up the single small chair so she can sit next to the bed Rattler lies on and hold his hand. She worries silently. What is going on here? Could the new Boston rulers have figured out how to siphon off everyone? Or... do people 'eat' from the leylines more than she ever knew? It's less than five minutes before Sna'tha and Dominic arrive. Dom is moving somewhat slowly, but he's an Earth Tap and not given to sudden bursts of speed. Sura looks up at the arrival of the others -- and immediately checks Dominic's chakras. "We... may have a problem here..."
Dominic is also dimmer than normal, and looks a little tired. Sna'tha is grim, "Alan sounded like you were being murdered. I have never seen that man so agitated."
Suraksha nods calmly, "Yes, that's the problem. Thank you, Dominic -- you've answered my question. If you'd like to go rest a bit, that's fine." She glances at Sna'tha, adding, "I've checked Alan and two Taps now, and Alan's Will is startlingly low for him. The Taps are all noticeably low on energy. Moment, let me check you too..."
Sna'tha looks... not much different than normal. Perhaps dim, but not worryingly so. Of course, her godsmother is one of the most balanced, strongest people 'Chana has ever known. "Noticeably low... as in that might be why Rattler isn't waking up?"
Suraksha nods gravely, "Yes, I believe so, godsmama. Also, even you are slightly energetically dimmer than I am used to." She sighs, rising to sit next to Rattler on the bed and nudging the chair towards Sna'tha; Dominic has tiredly smiled and headed out already. "So... when I asked how one might awaken Rattler, Alan's initial thought was to put him on a leyline. I find myself wondering: are the Boston folks somehow stealing from the leylines? Is that how they've become so powerful so quickly?"
Sna'tha sits and reaches over to lay her hand over Rattler's chest, brows drawn together, "Leylines are powerful, but they can be depleted if someone uses them excessively. Not the main ones, of course, but tributaries. For instance, the leyline that runs through Baton Rouge? Not likely to be affected by anything less than a horrific disaster. Roy has been using it for years to boss around one of the largest rivers on this continent. But I don't think that we're near any major ones just now."
Suraksha watches in silent worry, then frowns at her godsmother, "Then the question becomes: why is everyone tired and drained? It's not a fey thing -- they've been trying to court the fey, from what we've heard. I don't really want to go to Morganna for an explanation either, if we can avoid it. It's got to be something the Bostonians are doing... do you think? Or are you saying all the ley tributaries hereabouts have been drained?"
Sna'tha says, "I am saying that Rattler may have depleted himself not knowing he wouldn't be able to draw on the leylines. For the rest... I wonder if Doris' daughter still has some sort of strings being pulled."
Suraksha nods worriedly, "I don't doubt that's why Roy's out, but... why everyone else, including the regular humans? How could Eloise have any strings being pulled, too? Her mother is dead! Er, why is everyone else tired, I mean? We've not all extended ourselves, after all -- yet I'm willing to bet all the Taps and most of the humans will be tired looking."
Sna'tha says, "That's what I'm saying: I'm wondering if they're being drained. Or were being drained. Puppeteers have a strange ability... I don't know if they can possibly..." She trails off, "The people in this caravan are very attached to one another. It's possible that Roy may have caused this. If he couldn't pull from the leyline itself, he may have pulled from those attached to the leyline..." She shakes her head, "I think Alan is right. We need to find a tributary that hasn't been overtaxed."
Suraksha nods gravely, "All right. Do you know how to find a leyline, godsmama? Because I'm sorry, but I don't." She pauses, then adds confusedly, "Wait -- why aren't I worst hit, then? I'm the closest to him, after all...?"
Sna'tha says, "Child, I'm speculating on this. I could be wrong. I'm still concerned about Doris' daughter, too. It could be that she's the one pulling from people without realizing it. As for finding a leyline, I'd ask one of the Taps -- but I do have a map if that fails."
Suraksha nods again, her expression still anxious, "All right. I'm sorry, godsmama -- I'm just... really worried about this!" She sighs, straightening up and smiling tightly at Sna'tha, "Dominic's probably our best bet. I'll go ask him!"
Dominic is easily found again, and he is indeed still moving sluggishly -- as is every other human 'Chana passes. Suraksha worriedly checks him and gets him to sit down before he tries locating the nearest leyline for her. Some of the non-human caravaneers seem a bit tired as well, though to be fair, they have been going all night. Dom sits down and tries insisting that he's just fine! Just tired. But then, he's one of those folks that will give everything they have before realizing that they might need help as well. He closes his eyes and reaches out... frowns, and then takes off his boots to get his feet on the ground. Suraksha watches silently, her concern growing at how Dominic is behaving. She also quietly passes the word: camping for the rest of the day and the night at the next suitable campsite! She's concerned that people will start making stupid mistakes due to exhaustion.
After a few minutes Dominic says, "There's... usually one pretty close, but I can't feel it. It's not a big 'un, but it's pretty steady... usually."
Suraksha's voice is soft, "Pretty close to here? Or pretty close when we travel in general?"
Dominic blinks as if he's trying to parse that question and having problems. "Close to here. There are places there aren't any at all, but this isn't one of those places. There's one that usually flows right along that river we were at and it's got some small branches.... I can't feel the branches."
Suraksha nods slowly, her eyes thoughtful as she looks around... then she looks back at Dominic, "Can you guide us directly to the nearest working leyline, please, Dominic? Not back towards the town, but anywhere outwards from there?"
Dominic seems to think on that -- or maybe he's just feeling for the leyline, "I... yeah, I can do that. Feels pretty distant, though. Maybe a day's travel? Weird."
Suraksha sighs tiredly, "Well, botheration. All right. We'll camp as soon as we can, then head for the leyline tomorrow." She pauses, thinking... then gives Sna'tha a wry glance, "Or... would we do better to keep traveling towards it as long as there's daylight, godsmama?"
Dominic says, "Sleep might do folks some good. The one that should be here is maybe a half-hour's easy walk that way." He points off toward the west, "I can feel it like a dried up streambed."
Sna'tha seems reluctant, "I don't like making a decision with so few facts. This is... new."
Suraksha nods slowly, though she's still quite worried, "All right. A day's and a night's rest -- then we're off to the nearest leyline. We'll think better and more once we're there." She sighs unhappily after Dominic has plodded tiredly off, murmuring to Sna'tha, "Godsmama, can you and Fantine keep the bebes tonight? I don't want them to see their Papa unconscious like this."
Sna'tha nods, "Of course, child." She glances about, then adds, "I think... I think the humans at least need to be put on light or no duty. I've been looking around -- they seem to be hardest hit by far." Suraksha sighs and thanks her godsmother, then quietly starts passing the word regarding duties. It's only a few hours later that they're camped for the rest of the day and the night, and Sura feels her heart tighten up in worry as she pads quietly through camp and sees the condition of the caravaneers. This... is wrong. What is going on here?!
Sna'tha was right: the humans are hardest hit. The non-humans are mostly seeming fine, if a little tired -- though that could easily be because of the long slog: first getting the wagons moving and then going all night. The humans, though, look wan and almost anemic. In fact, Buddy is cooking what smells like liver and onions for that very reason and 'Chana hears him rumbling about needing some iron in them.
Suraksha murmurs quietly to the non-humans, explaining what's up and asking them to help out the humans as much as possible. They're all concerned and willing to help. The caravan is much like a family, after all, and they wouldn't get far not pulling together. Suraksha will, when she has a moment, also scan poor young Eloise. Is the girl unwittingly funneling ley energy away from the caravan? Sura would guess not, due to the simple fact of the various leyline "branches" being dry... but it doesn't hurt to check all the data available.
As she quietly makes the rounds of the non-humans, Sura also checks: have any of them ever heard of anything like this before? Rufus is the one that says, "I haven't seen anything like it, but we have stories. Sea-trolls. Draugr. They drove people mad. Sapped their energy."
Suraksha sighs and draws Rufus away from the others before she sits down with him, "Tell me the stories, please? Anything that will help us figure out how to stop this effect."
Rufus rubs his forehead as he thinks, looking sheepish, "I'll tell you what I can. Draugr used to be living, or so I was told. But they are inhabited by a bad spirit. Not a ghost -- something evil. Hungry. They hoard treasure, and animals that feed near their graves can go mad. Rabid. They visit people in their dreams, but they always leave a gift to show they've been there. Some small treasure."
Suraksha nods slowly, "All right. Are we talking gems, gold, jewelry? That should be easy enough to track down if it's truly them. I take it the dream visits are nightmares, yes?"
Rufus nods, "Usually nightmares, yes. Or at least disturbing. Sometimes dreams of dead loved ones. Yes, small things. Gems, nuggets of gold. Sometimes other things like buckles or buttons."
Suraksha frowns with a touch of confusion, "How... odd! Well, all right. Let's start quietly asking if anyone has had bad dreams. If they have, check for the treasure." She'll get some of the other non-humans in the know as well, so that the subject of bad dreams can be randomly brought up over dinner -- Sura doesn't want everyone in the caravan suddenly and confusedly agreeing they all had bad dreams, after all!
Rufus shrugs and looks apologetic, "I wasn't a scholar of the myths. I hope it helps..." he hesitates, "Actually, I hope it doesn't. Draugr were... how do you say? Bad news."
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