1223-1226 In the Living Years

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: In the Ruins of Bibracte
221

He happily sits you at the loom and shows you how it works which is not at all like working a normal loom, but has something of the same rhythm to it. It is quite easy to create the mystical patterns needed to convert the silkworm threads into Muto Vis using this system, but hard for her to imagine making a bolt of fabric.

((Plus, he's only had 1 level of technological innovation, so the system isn't quite perfect yet.))

Rashid, at age 35, acts like a grandfather to everyone. He is a sort of sexless being. Trying to flirt with him is a bit like trying to kill the Buddha.

222

Luckily, "patterns" is Blanche's specialization in Weaving. Just for grins, let's see how she does. Dex 0 + Weaving (patterns) 3 + die roll of 8 = 11. Not too shabby.

Once it becomes apparent that Rashid isn't exactly responsive, she will flirt with the others (Gennon and the third man). She doesn't abandon or ignore Rashid, but she will smile, wink, etc at the others, talk to them as she's working, etc.

223

Blanche can spend the day there, weaving, talking and flirting if she wants. Working in a workshop, surrounded by coworkers, is probably an extremely novel experience for Blanche/Fiona.

What happens at dinner time? Does the mansion serve all the covenfolk in some great hall, or does each person fend for themselves?

224

((I had kind of assumed that, for the most part, people with families tend to fend for themselves, but there's likely a communal dining hall where people can eat together, where people who don't really have families or don't have the time or the ability to cook can not starve to death.))

Barring anyone tracking her down (like Alexei), she will continue to work at least as long as anyone else, feeling as comfortable as being around people affected by her Gift will let her be.

If anyone asks her about herself or her background, she will give answers. They don't necessarily add up, though, and if someone asks her the same question an hour or two apart, there's a chance they might get a different answer. And sometimes she gets confused by the question, pausing to apparently think really hard about the answer (such as "Have you ever been to Autun?").

225

Rashid's a war refugee. There is no talking about the past in his workshop. It makes his scars itch. Anytime anyone asks a question about the past, he interrupts it with a question/statement about the future.

[color=brown]"I'm thinking about going to Autun in the winter, talk to those weavers on Blossom Hill. They make a very impressive burgundy cotton."

That sort of thing.

226

That solves that, then, doesn't it? :smiley: She won't volunteer any information about her until at least dinner.

227

After dinner, Blanche stalls as long as she can. If it's a pub/tavern type setting where people gather, hang out until it's time to go home, she will hang out, singing and dancing if anyone would dance with her, basically closing the place down. When she's pretty much the last one there, unless anyone asks if she wants to go back to their place, she will either try to bed down in the great hall or (using her Survival skill) go out and try to find a place to camp for the night, out of the wind and snow where she can get a good safe fire going and hope for the best until Rashid starts up again (assuming he doesn't mind her showing up again to work the loom or whatever the next day).

228

((I'm assuming that she can spend her Moon working at the silkweaver's shop as an apprentice, if she wants. Could probably sleep in there too. The others don't.))

229

She may well do that, if she can't find someone to take her home at the tavern. She's done worse, she thinks...but when she tries to remember when, she draws a complete blank.

((I'm going to wait until the weekend to see if Alexei ever gets around to tracking her down before trying to wrap it up.))

230

Yeah, I would have liked for Sheelagh to learn that Blanche is Fiona :laughing:

231

((I lost track of this thread, sorry about that))

After getting reports from various covenfolk regarding 'Blanche's' antics and activities Alexei finally decides it's best to try something. He'd hoped that the effect would fade, but he didn't want his friend to be disgraced by a magical mishap. He gathers his staff and effects and heads to Fiona's home and raps his staff on the door around noon.

232

((S'okay, it happens.))

((I take it this is at least a day or two after, then?))

Moire opens the door. "Ah, Magus Alexei!" she says in her oddly-accented Latin, with a polite curtsey. "How may I help you?"

233

Alexei smiles and makes a bow. "I'm looking for Blanche is she about?" Alexei peers into the room to see if anything is overly amiss.

234

Moire is more or less blocking the cottage door. All Alexei can see is the foyer, which has pegs on the wall for hanging cloaks and a couple of chairs (one obviously giant-sized)

"Blanche?" Moire says with a blank look on her face. If Alexei starts to describe her, Moire looks like she remembers.

"Oh, yes. White-haired woman. Sheelagh said she came here yesterday afternoon, acted like this was her house, got lippy, so she threw her out. I was out running errands, so I didn't see what happened. If you're looking for her, I hear that she might be working in Rashid's shop."

235

Alexei's jaw drops. "Th-threw her out? Oh...my." for several seconds he stands there, his face getting red before he finally bursts out laughing. "Oh Fiona is going to kill me!" he declares between laughs. He takes some moments to compose himself before bowing and heading towrds Rashid's shop and walking in, looking for 'Blanche'.

236

Blanche is at the shop, dressed in a very nice silk cloak over a simpler, yet well-made, dress (I'm assuming that Rashid would have found something for her to wear when he realized that all she had was the white over-sized robe that he found her in). She's working on one of the looms, much like many of the other people there.

She spots him as soon as he enters the room and waves. [color=blue] "Alexei!," she calls in Latin.

237

Rashid is far too much a creature Dutybound to Islamic ethics to ever ask for his cloak back. After all, the Qu'ran teaches that material objects are but anchors that keep the soul from obtaining freedom. So he definitely hasn't said anything about it. And it is absolutely a tradition among his people to give any of their belongings to other people. Especially people in need.

Definitely hasn't said anything about his really nice cloak. That he worked really hard on.

He just sort of stares at it hopefully when he thinks no one is looking.

238

Blanche, once she has something to wear beside the silk cloak, notices that Rashid seems to want the cloak back that he loaned her in her time of need ((Per 0 + Folk Ken 1 + die roll of 7 = 8 )).

[color=blue]"Thank you for the use of the cloak, and for the dress," she says with a kiss on the cheek. [color=blue]"I'll return it to you, or pay you for it, once I figure out what's going on and get back on my feet."

239

Alexei nods and waves at 'Blanche' and heads over to her. "I see you are making good use of your time my dear." he looks around the shop then back into Blanche's eyes for a few seconds. The silence and stillness of Alexei begins to become disturbing before he finally reaches forward with his staff and touches her on the shoulder. "Fiona, remember!"

((Casting a Spontaneous spell: Restore Fiona's Last Moment, spending a Fatigue

Cr Me 5
R: Touch D: Momentary T: Individual
Put a thought or emotion in another's mind (the moments before Fiona had cast her spell in front of Alexei and the transformation to Blanche)
Base 4 R+1

1d10+29 → [2,29] = (31)
invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3753007/

Total 15 with 10 left for Penetration plus Penetration 3 if necessary.

240

Blanche simply nods, wondering to herself what Alexei is doing there, and starting to grow uncomfortable at him just...hovering over her like that, and trying to remember anything about him. Did he mean something to her? Did she mean something to him?

She starts as her staff taps her shoulder, then feels a little woozy as Alexei's spell, as simple as it was, breaks through the barrier that her calamitous casting had placed around her mind. The memory of her casting the spell starts a domino effect that restores her memory, not only of herself but of what happened as Blanche.

She looks at Alexei with shock on her face. [color=blue]"Oh, my...I think I owe you a big apology, my friend. I must have embarrassed you to death the other day."

She gets up and gives him a big hug. [color=blue]"Just let me know if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, Alexei."

She then turns to Rashid. [color=blue]"And you, Rashid. You...thank you. For taking me in, and showing compassion to a stranger that you found, naked and cold. That shows a spirit that's often lacking in people.."

She then gives him a hug as well, before turning to the other weavers. [color=blue]"Farewell, and keep up the good work," she says simply before she turns back to Alexei and indicates that she's ready to go.

As she and Alexei head back to her cottage, she smiles. [color=blue]"I need to learn to fight," she says. She pauses after entering the regio to perform her Parma ritual, then continues on.

[color=blue]"Please, come in," she says when she gets home. [color=blue]"I might need reinforcements when bearding young Sheelagh."