[PQ] A scientific approach

There was the usual light shoves and rough-and-tumble banter as Tal worked with Sah, and maybe they were too busy trying to outdo each other to realize that the enclosures were a bit on the small side. When it came time to fetch the tumbleweeds and their mistake became apparent, the Messenger's scowl could have sent the sun to hide behind some clouds. "Well... shit. I didn't think the fuckers even got this big," he grumped to the mage. "Think y'can handle th'voidy one for a bit? Just try not t'let it touch you, if y'know what's good for you," he warned darkly.

Leaving Sah to handle the feisty weed with his ooOOOooo *~magic~*, Tal headed back to the pile of construction materials and gathered another load. This time his grumbling contained a lot more swearing as he retrieved his hammer and screwdriver and got back to work, enlarging both pens as quickly as he could while still maintaining their structural integrity, taking extra care to make sure the new sections were just as strong as the original areas.

---

Tal is a grumpy bean and leaves Sah in charge of the tumbleweeds while he works to enlarge the pens!

Sah

I am a being
of Heaven and Earth

Sah's eyes widened slightly as he watched the furious weed. "Neither did I." It was massive and resembled an angry hairball of shadow and plant. Strange, but not strange enough that should a cat have coughed it up, the Abandoned would not have been particularly shocked.

Leaving Talyson to enlarge the pens, the Wild Thunder regarded his angry debris. It likely wouldn't die if it as encased, right? Using his earth magic, Sah created a dome of earth over the furious weed, trapping it against the ground. That would hopefully keep it still until the pen was finished. If not, he was ready to set it on fire and be done with the creature.

~
Sah entraps the wayward void creature in a dome of earth magic so that it'll stay still until Tal enlarges the pens. (I it escapes, he's ready to burn it with his fire magic.)

Earth Manipulation: Can create and control the earth. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered

Regional Score bonus: +3 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +3 should be included)

Of Thunder and Lightning...
But mostly Lightning

Edmund's glass panel took far longer than anticipated to be ready, but it was eventually brought to him. Once he had it, the Ancient joined Ellyra in looking at the sketch. "Oh dear. Perhaps we should ask the architect to explain it to us before we begin? I can take notes." If it helped them both decipher the words and gain a higher grasp of the design, it would be worth the extra step. The Ancient was wary of moving forward with construction until they had a better handle of just what needed to be done. The void creatures were too dangerous and unpredictable to take such lax safety measures. ~ Edmund suggests that they have the architect explain the sketch to Ellyra while he takes notes on it. Edmund Reborn In Fire

You steal the air out of my lungs, you make me feel it

"That's a great idea!" Ellyra said to Edmund with excitement. She already helped some of the assistants gather materials needed as the architect worked on the sketch. When he handed it to her, Ellyra looked down at the paper and her face screwed up awkwardly. Then, she looked back to the NPC.

"I can't read." Ellyra lied, but with a bubblegum smile full of truth and innocence as she looked at the man and batted her eyelashes. She could read, in fact, quite well. The lioness hoped that the architect would not remember that she introduced herself as a nurse, for if one were to put those pieces together it would discredit one of the statements. Surely, nurses needed to learn to read and to hold that skill close to the chest. But she batted her eyes again anyway, hoping pity would rule over memory.

---

Ellyra tells the architect she can't read and hopes he will take mercy on her and verbally explain it!

Ellyra

Code blatantly stolen from the fantastical, wonderful Odd

Maea

It's not a demon at your door

Over at group 1, procuring a lantern was an easy request. Actually, after Maea had forwarded the message to an assistant, several lanterns were brought over, plus a few braziers.
"This should help," she said, while helping to disperse the heat sources around the dugout pen. Using flint and steel to create a spark, she used her fire magic to grow it into a flame and guided it from lantern to lantern until the pit was aglow with light and warmth. One by one the Hanging Snakes began to separate from Thalassa and slithered off towards the pools of comfort.
"Nice idea! Would you rather keep the fires going or take notes?" Pleased with their progress, Maea was eager to get going with the body of the test.

Group 2 found their diligence paying off. Enlarging the enclosures went smooth as butter for Talyson, and Sah might be pleased to note that within its dirt prison the Void Tangleweed scraped and scratched away against the dome without making much headway. The difficult part really came now, as both creatures needed to be moved!

In group 3, the architect was surprised to hear that there was anyone around who couldn't read - wasn't that a universal skill? - but since he was a gentleman he patiently obliged and explained in thorough detail the exact measurements and angles the builders had to pay special attention to. It was a bit boring to anyone who wasn't into architecture, but both Edmund and Ellyra would come away from the lecture with a better understanding of load weight and wood joints than before.
The assembly went smoothly at this point - all that's needed now is fetching the spiders and setting them loose!

---

Round 4
Experiment 1, turn 3


Group 1: Choose whether to keep the fires alive or study the snakes!

Group 2: Time to move the Tangleweeds into their new (temporary) homes! Describe how you go about it and decide who should take notes.

Group 3: With the enclosure completed, you are also ready to add your spiders. Decide if one or both of you should take notes once the animals are released!

It's just your shadow on the floor

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

A sigh of relief was expelled as the Hanging Snakes released their grasps on her. She quickly leaped from the pit and rejoined Maea, steering clear of the edge. Their next step would be the most important in building the foundation of their experiment. Having seen the Ancient manipulate fire on multiple occasions, she had no doubts that Maea would be better at containing the fire to prevent cooking their test subjects. Although she wasn't the most studious, Thal was confident enough in her observation abilities to take notes on their activities.

"Perhaps it would be best if you managed the fires." Grabbing a nearby notepad and writing utensil, Thal prepared to closely document the actions of the Hanging Snakes. She confidently smiled at Maea for reassurance before settling down to complete their research.

---

Thal is choosing to take notes.

Thalassa

You steal the air out of my lungs, you make me feel it

”Help me with these spiders.” Ellyra said to Edmund with that same bright, bubblegum smile. Once he was at her side, Ellyra started. She was careful to avoid touching the creatures at all, but took the doors of their little cages to the door of the newly fashioned enclosure. Once all the spiders were inside, she slammed the door behind them to keep them from escaping.

”Would you mind taking notes?” Ellyra whispered, leaning close to Edmund’s ear so only the ancient could hear her. ”I really can read, but I don’t want him to know that.” She admitted with a quick flash of her amber eyes towards the man who had helped them before.

---

Ellyra asks Edmund for help putting the spiders in, does, and then asks him to take notes!

Ellyra

Code blatantly stolen from the fantastical, wonderful Odd

Sah

I am a being
of Heaven and Earth

Sah could sense the void weed fighting against his magic, and each burst of dirt it tore away was quickly reinforced. Tal was quick to get the pens situated, and then it was time to move them. The Abandoned glanced at the two weeds and nodded, "I'll move the void one if you get the unaffected one."

The Accepted could carry the normal weed without danger, and using magic, the Wild Thunder should be able to do the same with the void-infected one. Calling forth his telekinesis magic, he let the earth dome drop just enough to wrap the furious weed in magic. Once he felt that he had a good grip on it, Sah used his telekinesis to lift the void creature and carry it to the pen where he would then place it down and hold it in place with his magic. It was risky but he'd been able to lift an ursur one with his telekinesis so he hoped it would turn out ok.

"Will you take notes?" Sah asked Tal as they worked to situate the weeds.

~
Sah uses telekinesis to move the void-infected weed and asks Tal to take notes.

Telekinesis: Can move large objects.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered

Regional Score bonus: +3 in all shrine visits, drops, PQ+s, KQs, etc. (You must post this at the bottom of any post where a +3 should be included)

Of Thunder and Lightning...
But mostly Lightning

Edmund readily stepped up beside his teammate to give her a hand, "Of course." He followed her lead in lining the cage door up with that of the enclosure to prevent any escapees. With a breath to steel himself, the Ancient opened the doors to let the spiders in before quickly closing both containers as soon as the arachnids were in the proper enclosure. He leaned back slightly as Ellyra then approached, angling his head to subtly listen. He nodded and flashed her a small grin, "I'd be happy to." The Ancient retrieved his paper and pen, getting ready to observe and note the spiders' actions. He had a feeling that it would be a rather violent meeting. ~ Edmund helps Ellyra with the spiders and agrees to take notes! Edmund Reborn In Fire

"Great," Tal agreed glumly to Sah's plan. Though moving the non-infected Tangleweed was definitely the preferred option, the courier had clearly been hoping that the hunter could handle both of the nasty critters. That's what Telekinesis was for, right? After all, even the regular Tangleweed's could still sting and numb people.

After spending some time in deep thought, the courier pulled a rope out of his Bag of Holding and retrieved a long piece of rebar from the pile of building materials. He fashioned a rough lasso and tossed it over the edge of the Tangleweed's enclosure  before pulling it snug around the plantimal's round, twiggy body. Then he opened it's enclosure and tugged it towards him, using the length of rebar to poke it when it tried to come to close. Using the rope as a leash to keep it moving in the right direction, and the metal bar to keep it from rolling onto him and going for an attack, Tal tried to maneuver it into its new pen.

"C'n do that," Tal agreed to the hunter's request after a moment's thought. He had a neat, clear hand quite at odds with his distinctive way of speaking, and once the Tangleweeds were situated he coiled his rope and put it away before drawing a small journal out and a pen. Standing where he could see into both enclosures, he started to write down what he saw. "I'd say if y'see the voidy one lookin' like it might escape, burn it down," he recommended to his partner.

---

Tal uses a combination of a lasso/leash and a piece of rebar to pull the uninfected Tangleweed towards its new pen without letting it close enough to attack. Then he takes notes!

Maea

It's not a demon at your door

For Group 1, what followed was a long, boring period of nothing. Once the hanging snakes has dispersed to huddle around the lanterns and braziers, they coiled together in long ropes and pretty much fell asleep. Thalassa would find no discrepancy in either health or behavior of the sweetgrass or the snakes; really, her biggest struggle was, just like Maea, to keep focus on their own task. Especially when a commotion started up in one of the other groups.

Group 2 successfully managed to transport their Tangleweeds to the pens. But while Talyson did an excellent job in noting down the behaviour of the Tangleweeds, Sah would have his hands full with controlling the Void Tangleweed. It kept slamming itself into the fencing, seeming hellbent on breaking out so it could get to its uninfected kin. With every impact came an ominous creaking sound, as the sturdiness of the pen was put to test.

Over by Group 3, everything started out alright. The crates with spiders were brought over and emptied into the container, but just as Ellyra set her crate down, a single Voidweaver Spider skittered out; it had lodged itself into a corner and now tried to scurry out of sight. An assistant who saw the critter gave up a frightened scream, and the immediate area erupted into chaos as people milled about, intent on either fleeing or killing the spider.
In the confusion, Edmund would find that the spiders within the container were exceedingly difficult to keep track of. Not only were they of uneven numbers now - but somehow a few Wine spiders seemed to have disappeared as well, and he had missed what happened to them.

---

Round 5
Experiment 1, round 4

Group 1 - nothing much is happening. Will you continue with what you're doing, or go to help another group?

Group 2 - That Void Tangleweed is a real menace! It's trying to break into the pen of its kin, and the fencing is taking some damage! Meanwhile the other Tangleweed seem more interested in escaping than being studied. So far you notice nothing out of the ordinary.

Group 3 - Oh no, a Voidweaver Spider is loose! Chaos is breaking out among assistants, and within the container a few wine spiders have disappeared. Explain how you manage the chaos, and count the number of spiders to see if anyone has escaped from the container as well.

It's just your shadow on the floor

Tal glanced over towards the chaos caused by the spiders and sucked on his lip, then shook his head and returned to writing down what was going on with the Tangleweeds. The infected one was aggressive. Dangerously aggressive. The way it threw itself against its pen couldn't be good for it, either. It looked like it cared more about getting to infect the other one than about its own health, willing to injure itself in the process if it meant spreading its void crap. The other one seemed to sense that it was in some kind of danger, the way it had rolled as far away from its brethren as its own enclosure would allow. Which, fair. Tal felt the same way!

"Stay focused, Jester," Tal called over to Sah, pencil scratching furiously at the notebook they'd been given. "Th'spiders are bad enough, but if this big fucker gets out, we're all in trouble. Trust me, if it gets its tentacles on someone they'll start hallucinatin' an' then we could have people tryin' t'fight each other instead o' th'voidlings." He grimaced but resisted the urge to look back. He trusted Edmund and Ellyra to be able to handle things with their test. "D'you wanna reinforce th'cage? Or take notes while I do it?" Tal was ready to toss the journal to the hunter and grab his tools again if Sah preferred to write.

---

Tal continues taking notes on the Tangleweeds but offers to let Sah swap in to handle the writing while the courier reinforces the cage, unless Sah wants to do it.

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

Thal didn't want to butt into other experiment groups, but the thought of a Voidweaver Spider being loose - or any spiders being loose - brought a sinking feeling deep in her chest. Although she was less than enthusiastic about assisting with s p i d e r s, she was even less thrilled about the possibility of them ruining her group's experiment. With an exasperated sigh, she looked to Maea and handed her the notepad. "I think you can handle the activities of these extremely overactive snakes while I go lend a hand. Just make sure you don't get too distracted and let the fires burn out or escape. Then we might really have something to document." Thal acted as if the Ancient would take orders on her own scientific investigation, turning around without waiting for a response.

Making sure her clothing was properly sealed against possible invaders, she trapsed over to group 3. She wasn't sure how many had escaped or how many they had started with, so she simply looked at Ellyra and Edmund with narrowed eyes of determination. "I'll try my best to move the attendants if one of you wants to count while the other focuses on the Voidweaver Spider." In this case, she wasn't necessarily trying to give orders, but she was not about to let this obviously incompetent pair put everyone - mainly herself - at risk.

The panicking group of attendants were screaming and running around so much that it was difficult to see where to spider actually was. In her booming "Captain" voice, Thal grabbed their attention. "Shut your mouths! Make sure you don't have any exposed skin!" Sweeping the area, she noticed the now-empty crates used for the creatures and supplies. She stood on one and addressed everyone again. "Get on a crate - share if you have to - and point - only point - if you see the spider. Let the team handle it." There was a chance that if they had enough attendants fearfully calmly locating the spider, the team could capture or kill it per their preference. Now they just had to find the sucker.

---

Thalassa chooses to let Maea focus on their experiment while she attempts to rally the attendants.

Thalassa

Things quickly grew out of control, and Edmund nodded at Thalassa as she approached, "I'll go after the spider." He turned to Ellyra, "Will you please count and make sure that we haven't lost any others?" There wasn't much more time to plan that ntat, and the Ancient rushed over and grabbed a set of flint and steel, quickly striking it enough that a spark emerged. That was all it took for his magic to latch onto it. A burst of fire appeared in his palm, and he chased after the rogue spider. Dodging panicked assistants, Edmund attempted to corner the spider enough that he could set it ablaze. Re-trapping was a possibility, but given the danger, elimination seemed to be the most responsible choice.  ~ Edmund attempts to kill the escaped spider with fire (that he makes using flint and steel)! Fire Manipulation: Can manipulate flames. Must be within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent Type: Dark | Rank: Upgraded Edmund Reborn In Fire