Wilder had returned from the swamps with a number of gemstones to offer - a lumpy piece of charoite, a flat and round piece of hanksite, a yellow cat's eye, and a smoky quartz point, all brimming with magic and potential. She had spent some time afterwards offering her own magic before stepping back to take a breath.

She sat and watched others approach with their offerings, nervously flicking her tail. Hopefully, this wasn't a terrible idea for all of them.

6 Points total from Don't Follow the Lights and another 6 from Alternative Methods = 12 Total

Tema had returned with a companion in tow, a rather surprising find for a gem hunt. She approached with confidence, laying out her treasures neatly to be eaten up by whatever weird orb the Masked one held, never to live again... It was almost sad, but she had much bigger things to focus on.
"Here we are! Three hopefully magic gemstones, and another assistant for the cause."
Though she did not yet know that the monkey paw held no magic, she was rather glad to be delivering it to someone else's care. It looked... No, she was just on edge from ignoring the whispers for too long. That had to be it.
"Do we have enough yet? I'm rather eager to see what you've found for me!"
She wondered, only for a second, what would have become of the given stones if she had raised them. Such is the curse of a would-be mother, she supposed. If only... No, she was done with those memories.
Almost as an afterthought, Tema offered a spell once more, just to be safe.

"speaking" and corruption

One magicless 'sinister-looking' monkey paw, one fledgling-level milky quartz skull, and one Master-level Hambergite with skeleton still attached!
4 Points from gems, 4 points from magic = 8 Total Points!

Reverend shuffles closer, returning from wherever he had searched for shade. "I... and another... have put forth our magic," he says, voice tired from the desert lamps and magical exertion. But he had done what it could to help.

That's all he wanted to do. Help. It had been what its father had taught it.

But there was the other issue - payment. The Collector was offering a reward for its service. While Reverend would have done it either way, if he was going to receive something... well, he probably wouldn't say no. He'd spend time to think about it, quietly lost in its own thoughts behind its empty eyes.

Reverend is turning in the spell casts offered here! The casts from Reverend total 12 points, if The Piano has to come forward separately.

Heathen

____________________________________________

Survival is awarded to the worthy

By the time Heathen had made the journey from the Crucible to the Dunes, he was fuming. No combination of words could express his anger, his discontentment, his seething red-hot rage for his lack of treasure to offer. He wanted a prize! He wanted to see the power of the stranger before him, and to witness whatever great power they were about to unleash together! Now, he had lost his chance. Or so he thought, at least.
Well, if he was going to go out with nothing anyway, he may as well try to answer his own questions.
With a steady stride, Heathen approached the masked one to offer more magic, on one paw hoping to earn his prize through the offer, and the other...
Well, the other paw reached for the Masked Merchant's robe.

"Spoken words!" And thoughts Compared to actions!

OOC Notes: 1 Point for a previous spell cast in this thread, +1 for this spell, if the orb picks it up :)

The promise of a reward close at hand, its long tiring journey through the Crucible seemed a bit more worth it. The Piano rolled forward, offering up the non-gemstone items it had found clasped in its strings. It didn’t know which had magic and which did not, but it figured the Merchant would take what he needed.

”I eagerly await the fruits of our labor,” it greeted. ”I wish for… an orchestra, to perform with me in concert.” The words left it feeling a bit breathless. Such a thing had only existed in its imagination… could the Merchant really make it come true?

[6 pts from spells here: /showthread.php?tid=11612&pid=104287#pid104287]
[3 + ??? pts from purify cup plus cuirass, pouches, and various items in the pouches that may or may not be magical it’s just holding them all out ]/showthread.php?tid=11610&page=2

Fleas trotted back awkwardly, her head tilted to the side. Like a dog with an overlarge stick, she lugged the lifesteal spear back. She spat it at the Masked Merchant's feet.

"There!" She barked. "And thats ALL im givin ya!" Fleas said, teeth exposed in a a threat. After all she'd been through, especially her brief stint in The Piano's mouth, she wasn't in the best of moods. Her snarl abruptly stopped. She spared a thoughtful look to the sky, then leveled a devious glare onto the masked merchant.

"And y'know what, goin through that canyon gives me an idea. I've got my request, merchant. Saw enough damn stones out there. How bout you restore life to them stones I found? Give them a head start. I wouldnt mind goin back to get them all, neither! More than make up for all the ones you've been feedin t'that weird orb y'got."

Fleas sat, smug and self satisfied. If the merchant made her do his dirty work, then she could make him do hers!
((Spear origin!))
/showthread.php?tid=11610&pid=104352#pid104352

Sergei came up hesitantly, almost shy in his avoidance of the others. His head was down, his ears were back and his eyes--thin slivers of their whites showing--rolled to and fro to look at them. His approach to the Merchant was quick and almost surreptitious, and he handed over the single stone that he had gathered with clear trepidation.

"I would like something... to keep the Hive away," he said quietly. Then he backed off, head low, bristling a little at the sheer size of the crowd.

AWAKENING THE DREAMER

Part I - A Catalyst

Each item was taken, tucked away into a seemingly endless robe; each spell absorbed by the Catalyst--bar one.

The magic of Heathen's Hindsight shuddered, half-connecting before the stone drew it in and consumed it. There was only an instant's vision, but even that was enough to drive a weaker mind to madness.

Black. Infinite black. Pinprick points of white, millions of miles away. Empty. Darkness so deep, so cold, it seemed alive: seemed to swell, spreading through the stars, consuming, relentless, infinite. This was reality. This was all there was. Everything else: a simple distraction, a flash of color that meant nothing. Meaningless. The dark would consume it, like-

The vision snapped away, the overwhelming despair that came with it fading as suddenly as it had come. The Merchant stared down at Heathen. And then--his hand delved into his robes. He spoke as he withdrew what might have been a necklace with drop pendant Citrine stones, or perhaps a loose tiara. "A Catalyst... of its own. It turns magic... into storm." He set this on Heathen's head, if allowed, and... left it there, turning to the rest of the gathered Gembounds.

"There is... enough, now. It will... be done. You may accompany me... but first. Your rewards."

He began to shuffle between them, offering out quiet words and, sometimes, physical items, to each Gembound waiting. Despite the disparity between the wildly different items, almost all were made of an ominous looking black metal that settled dread in the heart simply to look on it. It was perpetually cold to the touch, Heathen's necklace included.

_________

Coyote was handed a thin black chain with a glass orb pendant, in which a miniature storm flashed and raged. "You will draw... the storms. They will not... harm you... as badly."

V-Onyx-Two was approached. "You will be named... Emissary to Centaurus. I will speak... with your Master."

Wilder was granted a black coil of metal in the form of a collar or the like, with a slender black metal snake with bared fangs and tiny amethyst eyes. "You hold the magic... to use this. To share the burden... now, not only of injury... but pain... of other sorts."

Tema was handed a jagged, confusing-looking Oilstone: one that seemed as though it were meant to be symmetrical, a spine-like body part, but... wasn't. "It will not break," was all he rasped.

Warrior was given, likewise, merely a few words. "You must be... remade. This, I will do... after the sleepers are awoken." Then he moved on.

Samael was handed four cold black metal rings, each with a pearl depicting a different phase of the moon. One was full, one half, one new, and one was an eclipse. "Each allows... a different shifting... of light and shadow."

Fleas was greeted with a stare. "I see no... stones. If they are elsewhere... bring them to me... I will ensure they do not break. I will not give of myself... to return them to life."

Sergei was handed a black chain bracer or cuff, links forming a band, with a shining and polished piece of Skystone set into it. "This will hold... Order at bay..."

The Piano was handed a simple boombox, of ancient make. The steel was rusted, the plastic cracked and yellowed, and the volume knob was missing. The brand name simply said, WORMS, and was 'printed' in the same cold, dark metal as the various jewelry had been. "It will enhance... music played."

_________

The Masked Merchant then moved off, shuffling for the cooled, glass-walled hole in the sand. He walked for it, this dark maw in the sand, and vanished inside it.

This quest is now Complete. Gembounds may join the Merchant in the follow-up thread in Centaurus.

An achievement will be handed out within the next week. See below for enchanted item details; items will be added to character inventories shortly. Characters may now exit this thread. The next part takes place here.

The Piano may post and claim its reward as though it were here previously, and the Merchant's post will be edited to include its reward. Done. Reverend will need to find a way to locate the Masked Merchant to ask for a reward once they decide on one. If anyone else was missed, please GM tag this thread or let GMs know!

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Lightning Catalyst A necklace or loose tiara with several small Citrine drop-pendant-style stones. Enchanted, and also wreathes the bearer in a faint aura of harmless static shock sparks. Made of ominous-looking black metal that is always cold to the touch. ELEMENT: MAGIC LEVEL: 70 DURABILITY: 65 SPECIAL: Enchanted. Casting any spell (with intent) while wearing this item will instead cast Bolt. Casting a Low Intensity spell will cast a weaker version. Casting a High Intensity spell will charge a more powerful shock. MATERIAL: Black Metal and Citrines ATTACK: 0 DEFENSE: 0 WEIGHT: 1 EQUIP: Necklace, Tiara, etc. ADDED: N/A Currently owned by: Heathen

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Shackled Storm A thin black chain with a glass orb pendant, in which a trapped storm in miniature is constantly raging. Dark clouds and flashes of lightning churn within. The chain is always cold to the touch and somehow eerie to look at. ELEMENT: MAGIC LEVEL: 70 DURABILITY: 50 SPECIAL: Enchanted. The wearer will find stormclouds gathering wherever they go, altering the weather of the caves and tunnels they travel so that bright, warm light is rare. Critical Failures of Electric-element spells cast while wearing Shackled Storm can no longer seriously harm the user. MATERIAL: Black Metal, Glass ATTACK: 0 DEFENSE: 0 WEIGHT: 2 EQUIP: Jewelry (necklace, bracelet, etc.) ADDED: N/A Currently owned by: Coyote

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Martyr's Serpent An ominous-looking, black chain collar with a black metal snake. The snake's eyes are purple amethyst. Allows use of Failed Timeline in a different manner when worn. The metal is perpetually cold to the touch, though not uncomfortably so. ELEMENT: MAGIC LEVEL: 70 DURABILITY: 90 SPECIAL: Enchanted. The wearer may choose to use the Failed Timeline spell, if they have it, to assume half of the emotional burden of a target for a time. When activated, the serpent's eyes will glow, and it will inflict a stinging bite upon the wearer. This will dull sharp, immediate, intense emotions on the target while inflicting the remainder equally on the caster, but if the source of the anguish is not removed, it is likely to return naturally. MATERIAL: Black Metal, amethyst ATTACK: 0 DEFENSE: 0 WEIGHT: 2 EQUIP: Jewelry (collar, necklace, etc.) ADDED: N/A Currently owned by: Wilder

★★★☆☆☆ Lunar Rings A set of ominous-looking four black metal rings that are perpetually cold to the touch. Each has a cut pearl atop it representing a phase of the moon. The Full Moon glows with soft white light. The Half Moon does likewise, but half the pearl is black. The New Moon gives off no light, and is black. The Eclipse is black, with a thin ring of glowing white around it. ELEMENT: MAGIC LEVEL: 80 DURABILITY: 70 SPECIAL: The Full Moon ring greatly enhances all spells that increase or utilize light, but does not affect shadow-manipulating or -increasing spells. The Half Moon ring slightly improves all Light-element spells. The New Moon ring greatly enhances all spells that deepen shadows, but does not affect Light-increasing or -using spells. The Eclipse ring allows the wearer to reverse the lighting in a thirty yard-diameter area around them, from dark to light, light to dark, or mildly tweaking average light levels. MATERIAL: Metal, Pearl ATTACK: N/A ADDED: N/A DEFENSE: 0 WEIGHT: 1 EQUIP: Ring Currently owned by: Samael, Fafnir, Mirrikh

★★★☆☆☆ Guardian Sky A cuff or collar made of ominous black metal chains tightly linked. A shining Skystone piece, polished round, is set into a round setting on the band. ELEMENT: none MAGIC LEVEL: 120 DURABILITY: 70 SPECIAL: The cuff, worn or not, has an aura of power that dampens the power of Order for a distance of three yards in all directions. Within this narrow area, the fungus that carries Order quickly wilts and dies, and the power of Order spells are dampened. Lessers infested by Order are made very uneasy in the presence of the stone. MATERIAL: Metal, Skystone ATTACK: N/A ADDED: N/A DEFENSE: 0 WEIGHT: 4 EQUIP: Cuff, Necklace, etc. Currently owned by: Sergei

☆☆☆☆★★ Backup Boombox An old boombox made of slightly rusted steel and cracked, yellow plastic. The volume knob is broken, and it always plays at maximum volume. The brand name, WORMS, is printed in an ominous black metal always cold to the touch. ELEMENT: MAGIC LEVEL: 60 DURABILITY: 40 SPECIAL: Enchanted. It needs no power source, and will only generate sound when other music is first played nearby. It will automatically form a backup accompaniment to this other music. An Other roll should be rolled to determine sound quality, from horribly crackling, distorted, muffled or staticky on a Crit Fail to beautiful, clear and emotional on a Crit Success. MATERIAL: Steel, Plastic ATTACK: N/A ADDED: N/a WEIGHT: 1 EQUIP: None, carry Currently owned by: The Piano

@Fleas @The Piano @Heathen @Tema @Wilder @Samael @V-Onyx-Two (Warrior, Sergei, Coyote)

Light and shadows were not the magic that came to Samael most readily, or at least he had never sought to try such a magic before. Still, the six inch tall fairy accepted the rings in exchange with a nod of gratitude.

These would be good gifts for his children, when they decided to hatch. He wondered which would want which with an affection that came easy to him regarding his children, for all that they were unhatched and might continue to be so for a long while.

Perhaps the child of Terror would like the one that dealt in darkness, or if it was very magically inclined, the one that dealt with magic in general.

But maybe that one could potentially cloak themself in shadows and hunt no matter where they were, taking the qualities of the predators that were both their parents.

The child of the serpentine being connected intrinsically with the oil that only the dead had otherwise, that one might appreciate being able to bring light, he thought. That way, they would balance dark and light.

And the child of the won stone, the Golden Charger's pink topaz... That one was smallest, still. His size. It could use the darkness to flee, or light to quite literally light the way. Or however that child wished to become.

These were his initial thoughts, and he did not know which would be realized or which would not.

In several cycles time, two of the children would choose as expected upon hatching, if for different reasons than his original thoughts.

One would not hatch then, but he would wait for its choice. He always would.

Samael would care for his family as best he could.

[Exit Samael]

Seeing the incredibly interesting things everyone else was getting, V-Onyx-Two couldn't help but sort of wish he had chosen a different reward.

He was also disappointed that the other Forge who had begun this had not returned. Zoisite, Garnet. Strange.

Still, he stood a little straighter, heart pumping just a little faster. He really, really hoped that the Masked Merchant held up to his part of the bargain... and he really hoped, too, that Master Vargas would actually listen to him, and accept what he had to say.

Realistically speaking? He had no idea whatsoever what place in the cave's hierarchy, if any, the Merchant occupied.

And I had better start thinking more seriously of a name, he realized, blinking. On the outside, though--other than that startled glance--he maintained his arrogant facade.

costume credit - big-ashb on flickr

exit Onyx-Two