video ( username: kamisatoayato )

[acquirement]

{ it’s later in the day after the guilds have opened, giving him enough time to firstly speak to the power holders, but then assemble his notes into what could be considered concise enough to share with the public. olwen had clearly had worries of overwhelming people on arrival, but without information in place it’s impossible to actually assess the situation and make their own choices on what to do. }

Greetings. { and at first glance, it seems as though the man who appears partially in the camera doesn’t know how to use it. only part of his face shows, along with the tell tale sign of someone holding onto papers in their hand. his voice, at least, will be recognisable for anyone who has met him before. } I have information to share regarding our situation, since I imagine many of you are rather busy, I’ll try to keep this as short as possible. For any of you who may have doubts about my sourcing of this, all the information I will present here is free for anyone to search for themselves in the library or by asking the power holders themselves.

According to the history books Amberfall library has on this world, no one can remember the world being anything but the seasonal segments and the neutral ground in the centre, though they have obviously adapted and grown over time. As for the seasonal powers, they appear to be blessed to humans who entered a particular segment, though not everyone was blessed with these powers. Magic differs from these powers, and people here can learn that with practice.

Now, the topic of interest is the ‘Tragedy of Greed’. This describes a group of people who were overly eager for more and wished to have the powers of all the seasons. They would absorb powers from others, essentially murdering them, until one day one of them was able to possess all four. It’s quite extraordinary how grotesque this next section is, so I’ll save the commentary, though a warning of how their powers went berserk and caused destruction will hopefully be enough to deter those of you who may have been considering this. I should note, this happened to all of those in that group who managed to steal powers from others. For those who hear this message and fear the worst, I can confirm that Olwen ensured that there was magic involved with our summoning that will stop any of us from doing the same.

{ he takes a pause, and a sharp smile is visible on the camera - still partially obscured but it’s there } We wouldn’t want anything bad to happen, now would we?

Next, the Darkness that inhabits this world now has been sealed to stop it from spreading, but obviously that is not enough to restore balance. Anyone who has been curious enough to step further afield has likely seen for themselves the state of the segments, which is why we have been brought here to help.

As you may have noticed, many of the locals are apprehensive of us being here and fear the worst. For the time being, it may be best for those willing to help them feel more comfortable, aid them however you can. Time is likely the only means we have for their unease to fade.

Unfortunately, as they have said, the summoning itself is entirely random and there is recognition that there are many of you { not ‘us’ } will never have experienced danger like this before. I’d like to recommend that a support group be created for those that are worried about what they can do to help or how their safety can be ensured going forward. Experience in battle should not be the only skills that are honed, after all.

Meanwhile, I’d like to suggest that those of us who are able to explore the segments do so in groups to ensure safety. From what Olwen could tell me, there are still a lot of unknowns there and concerns of how we can proceed until more resources can be built. Please do not listen to Sawyer if he encourages you to go alone to show your bravery, if anything that would only show your foolishness.

Ah, goodness me, this was awfully long. There are more details I uncovered about the Fairies, Sirens and Mermaids of this world, but as they seem less important at the moment. Feel free to contact me if you wish to learn more. Of course, you can read all about this yourself at the library if you would prefer.

{ ooc: details were obtained through reading through many books from the library and speaking to the power holders

TL;DR: anyone who wants to try and steal powers from others won't be able to. let's help those that are worried/scared as they aren't used to this danger i'm so sorry this is so long skdjgdg }

Comments

[acquirement]

{ considering this is someone he actually knows and trusts, he'll actually shift the angle of his phone for this conversation. besides, you know how these things are, lumine, after helping stop a wedding full of politics and schemes, there's so much hidden under the surface that has to be uncovered. }

It wouldn't do to not present all the information I have when perhaps many people here may not even know where to begin. Though, I wouldn't say guaranteed, but there does seem to be reason to trust that these seasonal powers differ enough.

[glidinglight]

It would certainly be a wasted effort to bring us all here just to have it all happen again.

[ Unless that's actually the aim all along. She's not a hundred percent convinced it isn't, still, but based on their previous conversation, he probably can already guess that. ]

Interesting that there seem to be similarities between this Darkness and the Abyss, don't you think?

[acquirement]

It would be, it doesn't sound as though the summoning process is that easy.

{ but as she thinks, it may be worth it if it's for entertainment. they can't allow themselves to trust that easily. }

I think you'd know more about that than I would. { as much as he's had dealings with the fatui and the abyss do like to show up, she's the one who has delved more into it.

honestly, he has his hands full with inazuma. }

[glidinglight]

[ She thinks about it some more. ]

... Actually, it reminds me less of strictly the Abyss and more of Marana.

[ Which is not strictly related to the Abyss, but Forbidden Knowledge and the Abyss seem to share a link.... But surely the "Darkness" and "Marana" resembling each other was coincidence. Or the result of multiple worlds being more alike than different. It would be too great a jump to think that they actually had anything to do with one another... And yet, the Black Tide, Darkness.....

Lumine.exe has stalled at the 50% loading mark. ]

[acquirement]

{ and he'll wait a moment, she's clearly considering something in great detail here. }

Would you like to elaborate, or shall I keep waiting?

{ he doesn't know everything about what she gets up to in sumeru??? }

/2

[glidinglight]

[ how dare you give her that PA look, mister. she's no thoma, you're going to get sassed back! ]

Oh? I didn't realize the Commissioner was so impatient. Since you can't wait--yes, I'll elaborate.

[glidinglight]

In Sumeru, there's a phenomena called "The Withering," also known as "Marana," also known as "The Black Tide." An area that become infected by Marana become referred to as "Withering Zone," and this infection corrupts the surrounding area. Most of the vegetation will die, but some of it will simply be changed into hostile, magic-possessing entities that have to be dealt with in order to purge the Withering. It also attracts monsters, and the bigger it grows, the more powerful the effects of the Withering Zone becomes, enough so that normal people can't enter them without getting extremely sick or dying.

There's more to it than that, but the important takeaway is that the Marana has the power to make a place completely inhospitable and deadly. That sounds a little like this Darkness, don't you think?

[acquirement]

{ he's a busy man, lumine, he can't wait forever.

inazuma has its own fair share of bizarre conditions, but this is something quite different to that. and she's right, there is a lot of similarities there which is rather concerning. }

And I assume by 'normal people', you mean those who don't possess a vision? { which adds intrigue on its own. while there are many of them who have one, the amount without far outweighs it. } But it does seem suspicious. We'd likely have to investigate the segments to see how closely related it actually is.

[glidinglight]

[ This isn't Inazuma, sir, you shouldn't be that busy. ]

That's correct. But even those with elemental affinity can and will succumb to the effects of the Withering if they remain in contact with it for too long. So, if the Darkness here functions like the Withering, and we're the ones being asked to go out into it, even if the magic Ellipsa has granted us provides us some protection, and even if someone doesn't encounter monsters or destructive weather in the Segments, doing what we've been called here to do may still prove incredibly risky. Especially for people who aren't seasoned adventurers.

[ She hasn't said it in so many words, but he can probably piece together what she's suggesting: maybe they've been brought here to be expendable foot soldiers so that the native Ellipsans can continue to live in safety. ]

[acquirement]

{ lumine you literally just sat and listened to his tl;dr monologue of information he found out in a week. he also got sponsorship for ayaka and kaveh's festival, and has been job searching. this man does not know how to rest. }

I see your point, and have suspected as much given the answer I got regarding how far they've come so far. That's why we must remain cautious.

[glidinglight]

[ Time to enforce mandatory rest. ]

Agreed. What was their response as to their progress so far?

[acquirement]

{ good luck }

It seems as though they're trying to build resources to tread further afield, and those aren't ready to be used yet.

[glidinglight]

[ listen if she can survive both ei and 168 samsaras, she can make this man relax, dammit

or at least force him to go to the spa ]

Interesting. So they want us to clear the way for them to build more? Or do the building? Or both?

[acquirement]

{ the spa would probably be quite nice. or even just a nice walk. he has simple tastes, it's not exactly like he needs a lot to feel relaxed. }

I imagine both. If it's just the four of them, I imagine they haven't been able to cover much ground. And, if I'm honest, it seems to be more like three rather than four.

{ sawyer seems like he'll try and duck out as soon as he gets the chance. }

[glidinglight]

That's interesting, isn't it? You'd think they'd be quite unified in things. But that last one...

[acquirement]

Not everyone is good at dealing with responsibility.

[glidinglight]

You think that's all it is?

[acquirement]

Not likely, but it is likely at least part of it.

[glidinglight]

she nods

Well. Thank you for your efforts so far. It's a good first step.

[acquirement]

A first step, but there's still a lot to uncover. I'll let you know if I find out anything else.