text; un: stargazer - forward-dated to 23rd

[leicesters]

So, did anyone else make time to speak with our lovely friend Gwion?

If you did, what did you make of all this? Did she tell you anything interesting? Is this just another wacky and wild trial from Celliwig to test us, or do you think she's the real deal?

We're short on time, but let's use it wisely and compare what everyone knows. Even if you don't trust her, any information can still be valuable.

Comments

Text | un:lightningblossom4

[roseeclair]

I did. She said that she had a vision of Merlin getting trapped in the Hall's mirrors and Arthur's eyes not being his own. (I'm thinking brainwashing or possession...) I think she's being honest.

[Which is why she's already on her way to the Hall of Mirrors as she's typing this.]

[leicesters]

That's what I heard too. Did she tell you anything else? What made you think she's being honest?

[roseeclair]

The source of her powers and how they work, other signs she knew this vision was real, and she spoke of Celliwig with respect. If this was a trick, she wouldn't be this detailed, and blaming Celliwig for this would be easy. But she really cares about them, even Glewlwyd. She's worried about Arthur and Merlin too.

voice; un: hello

[luminatus]

I think she really saw somethin'.

She said Merlin was trapped and the mirrors were funny and the King's eyes were all wrong...

Uhm.

[Rustling.]

I mean there are probably spirits and whatnot that aren't happy with Celliwossits letting us back in. Maybe one of 'em got over that bridge before they put up a barrier or...

...Or snuck inside in the King.

voice; un: stargazer

[leicesters]

She told me that too, so it seems her story is consistent, And if Merlin is trapped, it stands to reason he wouldn't notice there was something wrong with his king until it's too late.

So you think we're looking at a case of spooky ghost possession, basically?

[luminatus]

Yeah.

Sometimes evil spirits are real good at taking over someone's identity when they possess 'em.

He mighta been possessed since we were attacked at the river.

text; un: wolfcountry

[impostorsyndrome]

I talked to her.

As far as I can tell, the only way we're gonna get a firm yes or no on whether we can trust her or not is if we manage to poke a hole in her story and confirm she's lying. So this is a good start. So far, no one's said anything that jumps out to me as suspicious.

But if she wasn't lying, or if she was lying and didn't screw up somewhere we can catch, all we're gonna end up with is one woman's word. We're not gonna come to a unanimous agreement on whether that word can be trusted or not.

But I think that can work in our favor.

[leicesters]

She's asking us for help in the first place exactly because she's one woman, so holding it against her seems almost besides the point, in my opinion. She can't do anything on her own, and no one else is going to believe her.

I'd be very surprised if we ever came to a unanimous agreement on anything, given what a diverse set of people we are, but I can see your point.

[impostorsyndrome]

I'm not holding it against her. She could be one woman trying to cause strife, one woman who's convinced of what she saw but mistaken, or one woman who really is giving us a dire warning. Either way, she's doing the only thing she can.

It's just a matter of figuring out if it's the first one. There's literally no way to tell between the other two until we break down the door.

voice; un: rokumon

[garyoutensei]

Why do I find myself unsurprised you're getting involved in this?

[ She wasn't going to pretend she knew him intimately, but he definitely struck her as the type to not let things lie... Just what she needed; another guy like Anji in her life. ]

voice; un: stargazer

[leicesters]

I'm perfectly sure I don't know what you mean!

[Said in an innocent tone of voice that suggests he knows exactly what she means.]

[garyoutensei]

Whether she's right, or she's wrong, it's trouble, so I guess it's gonna involve me one way or another. [ Said with a groaning sigh. ]

Might as well throw my lot in with you.

text; un: saber

[excalibeam]

I have.

She spoke of Merlin trapped within an infinite reflection of mirrors. If true, this is the least surprising bit of information. I do not know much about this world's Merlin, but mine has a bad habit of being trapped by magical means.

[ Cough cough, Avalon, cough cough... ]

She told me that mirrors had a sinister energy to them, describing them as possessed. In addition, she states that the light in Arthur's eyes becomes the same as this energy.

[ A pause. ]

In addition, she recognized my identity and gave her more recognizable name in kind. Gwion is her birthname, but she is also known as Taliesin, a name I recognized.

[ Right, not everybody knows about Arthurian Legend here... ]

As she is of a different world than mine, her story is likely different, but the tale of Taliesin matches with the abilities she claims to possess, even if only somewhat.

[leicesters]

Well, now I have to ask. Who are you if you have a Merlin in your world, and you also know Taliesin?

[excalibeam]

[ Well, no reason to hide it. ]

Artoria Pendragon. As you may have guessed, I am the 'King Arthur' of my own world.

Taliesin was a bard in my court. Differences between the figures here and the ones in my world are likely, however the tales of Taliesin—or rather, Gwion—tell of an elixer of wisdom. A version with the abilities of a seer is not far off.

un: ardenbury

[sighsheavily]

The vagueness leaves much to be desired, but I do admit what I am reading here seems quite similar to what was addressed to me.

[leicesters]

Are you going to go along with what she says, then? Or err on the side of caution on this one?

[sighsheavily]

I've little choice in the matter; I'll be riding into the city within the next few hours.

Text; Anonymous

[angel_of_death]

I've been at the edge of the Land of Rot for almost the entire month.

What's going on now?

[leicesters]

Interesting vacation spot. Or were you there for another reason?

[angel_of_death]

For work. The wards were breached earlier in the month. I've been tidying up the resulting mess.

[And he'll just start reading over any response to the initial entry that happens to be left public. There's more than one way to get information about whatever this is.]

text; un: resolver

[gunmettle]

We chatted a little. Don't claim to understand this magic crap, but she seemed to believe what she was saying.

[leicesters]

Was it convincing enough for you to want to help her?

text; un: manslayer

[hitokiri]

lotta magical shit i dont get but if someone tells u the most important guy u got is maybe about to eat shit why wouldnt u cover ur ass and check just in case

[leicesters]

Very eloquently put. Are you on board with what she's saying?