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The Collector had granted Rain a task, though he could hardly stop others from joining in. Whether Rain would welcome their aid would be another story: and Rain was the one with the strange, tuning fork-like device.

The fork's strange quivers would grow a little stronger along the western wall; but it would undoubtedly take time, and patience, to pinpoint its exact location. Whoever Rain had brought along--and any strangers that might join along the way--had time to search, together, and to organize themselves for whatever might come.

The quest Seven Devils (Polaris branch) has begun. While intended as a Collector quest for Rain and her allies, anyone may join at any time--but they may, or may not, be welcomed by Rain & company. Any conflict should be taken as in-character strife, and as part of the quest!

@Rain

Rain was well disguised -- now that they had their costume, they wouldn't have dared leave the safety of their home without it. Their face was totally covered by a mask made of a deer skull, antlers and all, stabilized with a length of cord made of intestine that the Queen of Lies had helped them tie on. They were wearing a gorgeous white fur cloak, made out of a pristine ivory deer hide, and had bracelets on each ankle that rattled softly made out of scraps of bone. Their gauzy hood was flipped up under the cloak like a lining, and all in all they looked rather handsome. They'd almost certainly still be recognizable if just by general shape, but it was a disguise nonetheless and a rather effective one at that.

They had a tuning fork clutched behind them that they were striking on things ever so often as it rang, and a small posse behind them. It was buzzing especially around the Western walls, and they began to look around for where specifically it might be -- although they were keeping an eye out for any other unsuspecting Gembound who might come along. "We could get a toy to spring the traps," they said idly, glancing back at their friends. Presumably, the others would understand their meaning.

@arwen @matthieu @marshmallow

Action. Thought. "Speech."

The fox happily strolled back into polaris once more, the buzz and thrum of the rooms power beneath his feat no longer a searing burn, but a welcome sting. he would never be a master at magic, no, but power didn't have to mean magic, or strength. knowledge, science, those were power too. and he was here, invited yes, but here nonetheless for knowledge. this could be a once in a lifetime event, and hell if he would miss another. fear had no grip on him here.

he padded up to rain, it taking a moment to recognize their body shape alone but was assured by their voice, and nodded in agreement. "a distraction would also do well, i'd guess." he said. "plenty of rocks around here, throw them in areas where the vibrations are stronger, if we get that far, maybe?" he offered, flicking his goggles down for inspection. he really did like these things.

@Rain (for visibility)

Won't you play a game with me?

ring around the rosie
pockets full of posies
ashes, ashes,
we all fall down

Matthieu did not stick close to the rain-walker. They slunk in the shadow of cliffsides and behind crystal overgrowths, only just in view. A scout along the perimeter. The twins looked different, too. Light warped around the adolescents to make them look like a peculiar Marsh Strider. Hindquarters where mandibles were, a rubbery neck replacing a torso. But the magic was new and inexperienced, and here and there you could see the silhouette flicker, a limb move slightly the wrong way. Unnerving.

They were back in the Core. Someplace the boy-bee spent nearly their whole life in, yet hadn't visited since the formation of the Court. Walks Like Rain finally decided to utilize the strange tuning device they gotten from the Collector, so here they were. Questing.

The claoked mantis spoke: "We could get a toy to spring the traps." They understood. Boy's head (disguised as a long-eared doe) nodded in affirmation. But something was amiss: amongst them was a pale fox, nodding along and talking to Rain like if he were an old friend.

Nerves fired. Internal conversation. Matthieu decided: they did not like this new presence.

"Is this the... toy?" the deer-faerie strided closer, their faux-hooves making eerily no noise as they approached. A striped neck leaned down to peer at him. Arwen piped up too. Bee cringed internally from how freely she gave her name out, even if it was a false name, prompting a reassurance from Boy: 'She is the Queen. If she wants to give her title, she can give it.'

Meanwhile the two of them just stood, watching, waiting to give any advice until later.

The Queen approached wearing a tunic of wooly deer fur, a hood drawn over her head and a belt securing it around her front to hide those features. Around her shoulders was a glorious mantle of gemstone antlers, and around her head was a crown of flowers, with the bones stretching out past the hood and her serene mask, painting the perfect picture of royalty.

Though... something was different.

Her hindquarters and lower body weren't that of a bumblebee any longer, and instead they were that of a skinless deer, easily identified as a tunnel runner. Each step was dainty and precise as she came up beside Rain, her hands clasped together.

"Greetings," she said softly, "It seems we have one with us already."

She peered at Forgraves, head cocked, curious.

"Who are you?", she cooed, "I don't believe we've met. I'm the Queen of the Court, or the Queen of Lies."

Marshmallow was perching on the tip of a gemstone antler, very happy with the makeover that Arwen had. She was simply happy to be here, and of course, she didn't really understand what was going on. Marshmallow looked like a little puffball atop the antler, and may be mistaken as a decoration. Or course if anything bad happened to Arwen she would attack. But for now, she was content to merely watch.

The room of howling wind had been a disaster. The room of stars wasn't terrible, but it certainly wasn't good either. The tropical ocean-room - well, that had been a delight at first. But, as with the rooms before it, it inevitably led to disaster for the wild dog too. So what next?

This room, apparently. And it didn't look promising. A... she couldn't tell what it was... muttered to a gathering of Gembound behind it, tapping some kind of buzzing contraption against the rock walls. What madness was this? Had she stumbled into a demon-worship cult of some kind? Mosaic resolved to keep a wary eye on the Cave Deer from now on. It would not do at all for them to suddenly gain intelligence and wreck the caves with their strange rituals. Some of them were wearing the bones and skin of their own species! How messed up was that?!

Thankfully, there seemed to be at least some normal Gembound among the deer cultists. Mosaic was in a good mood today; perhaps she was bolstered by the energy that hummed through this vibrant room. Crazy Lessers or not, Mosaic had to admit that being here felt good. She would try to bring them to their senses.

"HEY!" she barked, keeping at a safe distance (there was no telling how fast an angry kinslaying deer could charge, after all). "COME AWAY FROM THOSE WEIRDOS, IDIOTS! HANGING AROUND WITH SINISTER LESSERS ISN'T GOOD FOR YOU!"

Well, each cave Cerilaine visited just got better and better, didn't it? She quite liked the Spire and its color, she liked the feeling flowing through her, she liked the odd machine sputtering in the river. Machines- what odd things they were, weren't they? She'd studied this one for a long time, not yet daring to approach it with its dull rumble and moving parts.

And so, she adjusted her glasses and moved on, looking a bit more comfortable with wearing them compared to the first time she'd tried them on.

The distant gathering of beings caught her eyes as she wandered slowly. Hm- odd, she'd never seen one so big of so many different creatures. The leopard's ears flicked back momentarily as she considered approaching. Were they an odd herd? But, they were odd, and she angled towards them, taking in as much as she could from the distance she had.

There was a gembound that was built more like her, here. Not feline, but something close enough, and they were talking- and the others were talking, and she slinked in even closer, her ears pushing forward as she peered up at the older beings. Perhaps she could find a hook in the conversation, at risk of hovering like an awkward frat boy at a college party.

A call caught her attention, her head swivelling to look to the side, eyes wide and looking for who shouted. There. Sinister lessers? They didn't look like lessers, not all of them, and what kind of stigma was there about looking like a lesser, anyways? She'd met Cygnus before. Cygnus looked like other, non-speaking beings- or, at least, with antlers and hooves and a sort of similar body shape. Why couldn't these ones be like him, or even be lessers themselves that spoke?

Cerilaine's mouth opened briefly to call back, but she hesitated, thinking. No, she shouldn't come to the defense of utter strangers, but what kind of presumption was the fact that lessers were bad? Or- sinister lessers? Could lessers even be sinister? her eyes snapped to the clothing some donned before returning to Mosaic with determination. "If they were lessers, they'd be fleeing by now!" She called out loudly. There were a myriad of other reasons why they probably wouldn't be lessers, but she'd delayed too much in formulating the one answer.

The little tuning fork hummed, here and there, but it would take work to locate the source. There was not yet any sign of any activity, any real reaction to it; Polaris seemed as it always was, glowing and magical. The Spire in the distance remained uncaring of the shouting Gembound piling in.

Whoever bears the Tuning Fork must successfully (Barely+) roll to narrow down the location of the mysterious Stone to which the Tuning Fork is attuned. Other characters may roll to help search by any other means they possess.

@Rain @Forgraves @Matthieu @Arwen @Marshmallow @Mosaic @Cerilaine

Rain glanced to the others, catching the Queen's eye especially. "This one is called Specs by some." They sounded somewhere between proud and annoyed that Forgraves hadn't given his real name, but either way, it marked him as being intelligent. "... He is mine, for now. He will help us, and later I will help him." The words felt uncomfortable in their mouth, and they added in an insect-like chitter of their mandibles, "Strange that toys can offer gifts."

The creature's eyes turned immediately to the shouting beast, and they raised up to what was currently about half of their adult height. Rain hummed slightly, in the same pitch that the tuning fork did. "The other one thinks that we are lesser; may the tunes of Fate bless her." Rain glanced back to the fork, and got an idea. "But perhaps they will help us, at their leisure? We go in search of the greatest treasure." They struck the tuning fork against some things, and frowned as they looked for the rock that was making it ring.

No success, though. "The other ones could help us, if they wish to discuss an agreement -- but in insistence of quiet, I must be vehement." Rain sighed. "The ringing-thing sings so sweetly, but the thing we're seeking hides discreetly. Aid would be appreciated, because we are becoming more and more frustrated."

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ORIGIN

Game Master Dark

Rain

Forgraves

Matthieu

Won't you play a game with me?

Arwen

Marshmallow

Mosaic

Cerilaine

Game Master Dark

Rain