Silas puzzlement increases. How could this be. Only his parens should be knowledgeable enough to make such an exact forgery.
“That’s curious… Some illusion perhaps?”
Still holding the amulet, Silas turns towards the woman again. With the other hand Silas gestures toward the other room, which he recognizes as a laboratory.
“So who’s laboratory is this then, I suppose it wouldn’t be yours if you just arrived as well.”
Zarkut looks over the documents, his confusion deepening. His handwriting? How could that be? He pages through looking for any notes in Basque. Not knowing how or why someone would forge his handwriting so it fooled even him, but if they did, maybe they'd know his mother tongue anyway...
"I have never heard that name, but perhaps it is."
Okeannetis puts on some clothing, and exits the door to the room.
"You're some kind if spirit, then? Or a faerie? As for where we are... That's a good question. A geyser of water doesn't sound like Durenmar. Nor does a hot day like this at this time of the year. I guess those answers lie beyond this door... I don't suppose you brought me here somehow?"
Aetherius will step outside the room, on his guard.
Plasmatoris stares at the little sprite, mind spinning. Ideas, disbelief, aesthetic observation of the pixie's form, calculation of likelihood. Ugh, she looks like a faerie. Aren't they parasitic creatures on the souls of humanity? Maybe she is lying, or maybe...Maybe I have no idea. Plasmatoris turns away and walks to the paintings, laid out. He looks them over, analysing them as he speaks.
"Tell me what you remember about me. And the familiar. How we met. If you have been a muse, then you likely inspired the unknown paintings." He looks them over, trying to decide if they are his style, and if he can determine their order of creation, to see the evolution of the style. He will look at the sculptured next.
"Where are we, Mimi? what do you know about these works? What do you know about my familiar? Can you get me something to write notes apon?"
Lares heads outside and sees a variety of people, a few children but the vast majority are between 10 and 25, leaning heavily to the middle. Skin colors range from european mediterranean to a dark olive to a very dark brown, and they seem to be divided by styles of dress as well. Except of course for the wooden people, whom he realizes are not just statues when someone talks to one of the figures and it follows them. In the center of everything is a geyser spraying water up into the air where it does not fall down but evaporates instantly, and at one end of the town is a set of animal pens with fantastic beasts you have never seen before, something that is a mix of lion, hippo, and crocodile, a sphinx you have at least heard legends of, and what appears to be a truly massive black unicorn with armored plates for skin walking out of one of the pens, a woman in her early twenties seems to be heading towards the unicorn.
Silas- there is no lab equipment in the kitchen, the lab is in another room.
Zarkut finds nothing written in basque.
Okennetis finds much the same scene as is described for Lares, except of course for the fact that she is the woman headed for the "unicorn".
The voice answers Aetherius "No, I'm not a spirit, I'm an Ibis. Water bird. Which right now is lacking in the water. And the only way I could have brought you here is if you are rather small and possibly tasty. What door are you talking about?" You exit the house to much teh same scene as the other two, except that you also spot a long legged bird nearby.
all the paintings look like your skill improved significantly before you made them. The sprite bobs over a mountain landscape "This is the first, of these at least, you had earlier works you gave away, you painted this one in the alps after studying in Paris, the next you created from a studio in your old covenant, from your imagination" the second depicts a scene of pigs dancing while storks sit in chairs watching. "That spawned some interesting stories, and faeries to go with them, let me tell you! Then there's..." she seems to know the exact history of the first 19 paintings, then falls quiet.
Giving up on the papers, Zarkut goes to the balcony, and looks around. As he walks over, he asks the ghost, "Al Zahut, are you recalling anything? Do you recognize this place?"
The ghost appears, shaking his head "nothing, nor do I remember having ever been anywhere this warm, though at least with no body I am not uncomfortable."
The woman in front of Silas stammers, "I assume it is yours. It looks like yours."
Silas looks rather unamused. He’s not making any progress with this being, and she isn’t making any more sense.
“Mine? But… Just stay here for a bit.”
Silas makes his way towards the laboratory. The owner would have left some evidence behind. He continues to clutch the amulet in his hand. Surely there must be some explanation to all of this.
Lares blinks in astonishment, taking it all in.
Amazing! Where the hell am I?
”Anyone here speak Latin?” he shouts.
He hesitates for a moment.
”Boarisch gäd aa,” he adds futilely.
Okeannetis stops when the man speaks in Latin "Yes, I do! My name is Okeannetis du Tytalus, and you are?"
Plasmatoris wanders through his gallery, and thought. She may be a muse, or a Faerie parasite. Or just as confused as he was. The style of the paintings seemed his, if much advanced. And the sculptures! Much better than he could do now.
He did a bit of scavenging - if this really was his, there should be a studio nearby. He wanted to get his hands on something to make sketches, or notes. Then he was going to find his way outside to look at this butterfly.
Assuming he can find a few tools is his art, he will wander out into the hot outside to enjoy the scene.
Lares seems extremely relieved, and almost runs towards Okeannetis. She sees a stout, shortish man roughly of her age, with a friendly smile, long brown hair. a massive beard, and noticeably ill-fitting clothes.
”Excellent news! Lares ex Miscellanea, at your service, dear lady.”
He lowers his voice slightly.
”It seems I am somewhat lost. You would not happen to be a local, would you? I could use some directions.”
Zarkut stares out at the strange vista, agog, drinking it in. After a diameter of mentally cataloging the various sights, he belatedly replies to the ghost. "Nowhere this warm? Isn't the Nile warm? I thought Egypt was a desert..."
Nicole looks uncertain as she answers "the year of our lord 1274? At least that's what I remember it being."
"By the Founder… 1274," says Argentius with a shake of his head. "How can this be? It should be 1181. Eusebius just accepted my masterpiece and unlocked the final step." He looks again at Nicole before stepping forward to explore beyond this room. He opens the door and steps forward into where it leads.
"I doubt you want to try to eat me, Ibis. And I'm talking about this door" he answers mentally as he steps out, before seeing the bird and approaching it. "Are you the Ibis?"
He mentally take in his surrounding, letting go an interjection of awe. He notes the presence of the two magi but avoids saying his name for now, unsure whether any of them are responsible for his presence here.
As Tastheus opens the door he sees a 10 year old boy with dark skin and dressed in white loose clothes that almost appear to be robes covering everything but his head and hands. He is continuing to talk in the language Tastheus does not understand.
Tastheus will leave the door open, and go change into a pair of adventuring clothes, those have the best fashion sense in his opinion. He strides out of the door, and goes down the nearest hall. He alternates between French and Latin, "Hello?! Is there anyone in this place who speaks Latin or French?!"
They look lost. All of them. Just as I am. Probably not the culprits, but fellow victims.
"Hello there. I speak Latin. I'm Aetherius ex Mercere. And you are?"
Silas finds a lab, complete with a lathe, and an altar which looks like it belongs in a church, but appears to be set up for magical work. On the altar are a set of lab texts, in his handwriting. The latest one refers to an experiment to "purge sinfulness" which was being conducted experimentally with divine vis that had apparently been acquired. There is also a small sword rack with three wands setting in it.
Plasmatorius finds doors to a breakfast room, a lab, two more galleries and a studio. In the studio he finds a paint brush made of cinnamon wood with pine needle "hairs" held in place with bronze fittings that he feels a strong connection to, as if it were a part of him.
Is Argentius heading outside or back towards his lab?
As Tastheus wanders through this otherwise empty building he finds a laboratory and a dining area, but no additional people inside the building.
Plasmatoris picks up the brush, gently running his hands along it, testing its weight and feel. Then he tucks it into a fold of his makeshift attire, along with the gemstone eye he's been carrying. "Mimi," he says. "I want to find other people. This situation is currently untenable. I also want to meet this butterfly, who seems to be my familiar. Can you lead me to them?" While in the studio, Plasmatoris finally picks up a small satchel so he can stuff things into it.
