NameIess

Subversion stared blankly at the Lerasium. "What is that for exactly?"

Subversion waved to Tull cheerily, but remained where she was. "Oh, and if you take too long, I may start recruiting other people to get me the Plotblade, so don't dawdle."

Subversion read the contract, then nodded. "Very well." Reaching to the side, she summoned her Narrationblade in the form of a pen, then signed her name nonchalantly in glowing energy. "Here you go. Hold up your end of the bargain and I'll hold up mine." "This person, you mean? He is an old friend of mine, from the days before I learned the secrets of normalcy." discomfort flashed across ...'s face as he turned back to the old man "I cannot help you. I am not the man I used to be. I wish I could do something, but... I cannot." "You could testify in my favor. They would listen to you, if to anyone. Old friend, please. He has turned the whole council against me. Even now, their hunters draw ever closer, and I doubt very many beside yourself would ever trust me." The old man absently held some rice out to the side, feeding an invisible rabbit. "Please, help me. I cannot do this alone." "It was what I was made for." Subversion quietly summoned a complicated contraption of mirrors to see what Bacon was writing. The three pressed Platypus fiercely, sparks flying as their blades clashed with his. "Hurry up!" the voice snapped. "Do not give him time to use his powers!"

You don't have to give me either. If Tull protects them well enough, Subversion will probably give up eventually.

"Done. You want her to be more powerful than Qodi, I assume? I can do that." Subversion procured a pen and a flowing piece of parchment, then handed both to Beosta. "I assume you'll want to put all of this in writing." She will still have to steal it.

“Fine. What exactly do you want?” she wants the Plotblade because it aligns with her personality, not for any other reason

Subversion smiled benevolently. “Of course I can. I can give her any power you wish, as long as it’s not Narration. And the favor will hardly be difficult for a young woman of your talents. Just steal the Plotblade of Twists from that Tull fellow, and bring it to me. Simple. No other strings attached.” As soon as Platypus touched the figure’s hand, blinding pain shot through his entire being, and mist enveloped him. When his vision cleared, he was standing in a shadowed room surrounded by three cloaked figures holding Mordite daggers. “Kill him!” Said a voice that he recognized as belonging to the misty figure, and the three assassins leapt towards him, blades glittering darkly.

“Of course! I can do anything I want, or near enough to it.”

Subversion glanced at her. “Oh, hello. Would you like a new spirit animal thing? Or perhaps you would like your current animal to have its powers amplified? I could do it, if you’d be willing to do a small favor for me.”

… had been merely dazed., as the plate was far to fragile to penetrate his thick skull. “What? Did the new guy make a move to take over the organization?” “Worse than that. He discovered the existence of the Plotblades of…” the old man cast a sidelong glance at Selppaenip. “Of those Plotblades.” Subversion was suddenly standing next to Bacon, arms crossed. “I was having quite a good time watching from the shadows, thank you very much.” Let’s say she looks like a woman with black hair in a dress made of shadow.

"Er... Nothing. Headache." ...'s face was red, and his left eye twitched uncontrollably. A bite of Selppaenip's food disappeared off of his plate, in a totally normal way. Then the waiter took one of Selppaenip's plates and smashed it over ...'s head in a tota- Reality reasserted itself. The old man leaned on his staff grinning to himself. "I thought that would work. So you've got yourself an apprentice? A little odd way for a retiree to spend his time, don't you think? What was it you said, something about 'never going to have anything to do with heroics again'? Well, look at you now." "I'm teaching him to be normal, nothing else." ... snapped, cleaning his face off with a napkin. "Now could you please leave? I am retired, and I highly doubt anything you have to say will change that." The old man eased himself down into a chair and sat. "You might be surprised, old friend. Events have turned out worse than I feared possible." Subversion poked her head up above a distant ridge, listening intently. I wonder what Onyx would do if I introduced myself to that pair...

"Indeed." It seemed that a one-word answer was all that ... could manage at the moment. Selppaenip felt a tugging on his arm, then the old waiter began shaking him in a perfectly normal way, still speaking words too unimportant and ordinary to make out. The figure turned, revealing a shadowy face also made of shifting mists. "You seek the Dreamsmith? Then you must pass my trial." something that could have been a hand emerged from within the indistinct form. "Take my hand if you wish to do so."

“It… must be something in the kitchen.” Strain was evident in …‘s face. Their waiter came back and said something that didn’t seem important, probably just asking how their food was. He seemed insistent though, swinging a glowing staff… no, he wasn’t holding a staff. Why would a waiter have a staff? He did seem to have aged rather rapidly though. ”…so,” …’s hands were trembling slightly, but he raised his chopsticks to his mouth. “Young one. Tell me… what it is exactly…” he swallowed forcefully. “That you have seen.” He wiped sweat from his forehead, then set down his chopsticks and glared at the waiter for some reason.

At first it seemed that no one was there. Then TP noticed an old man, but he could hardly be worth thinking about. He was simply another ordinary person, walking into a Chinese restaurant with his staff, cloak billowing out behind him. Surely he couldn’t be the source of …’s concern. “I… he should know better.” … mumbled, tearing his eyes away from the door with difficulty. “Ah, is that our food? Excellent.”

... ordered his usual, and the waiter went off to get their order. "Are you watching closely? I..." ... trailed off, staring at the door of the restaurant. Inside the cave, a figure made of mist stood with his back turned. -- Tension hung over the council room of the Brave Adventurers. The wounded had been taken to the infirmary, including the Brave Adventurer himself, but the wreckage left by the battle still remained, and the high Council had to stand in the midst of it as they continued their meeting. "We have no choice. I do not like it any more than you do, but we cannot ignore the facts." The Honorable Judge spat out the words as if they burned his tongue, but he continued. "The Great Wizard plotted to claim these Plotblades without telling any council member, and his correspondence with the Dreamsmith is highly suspect at best. Furthermore, those intruders had more than just that one magical rabbit with them if my information is right, and they bypassed our defenses far too easily. I know they used Narration, but still, we should have had warning of their presence, even if our magic could not keep them out. The Great Wizard himself claimed that his wards would give warning before anyone unauthorized could break into this hall, even the Witherlord himself." "I don't like him." Muttered the Valiant One. "The Brave Adventurer, I mean. He would never have been elected if his predecessor had not retired so unexpectedly. Storms, if he'd announced it when he decided to retire, instead of waiting for months until the day before the election was held, even then we would have gotten someone else. I know that there was no way he could have influenced that, but still. It seems too fortunate. And now the Great Wizard, his greatest opponent on the council, proves to be a traitor and threat to the whole Thread? It's too... too convenient." "Like him or not, he is our leader. And like him or not, I agree with the Honorable Judge. The Great Wizard is too much of a strategic danger for us to ignore." The General kicked a muffin angrily. "Our response here was a disgrace! Our leader injured, along with a dozen other adventurers, and what do we have to show for it? Nothing! Not a single one of those intruders captured, though they attacked us in the seat of our power. Bah!" The room was quiet then, and tension rushed in to fill the silence. Finally, the Wise Scholar spoke. "There's no getting around it. We all know what we must happen. I move that we expel the Great Wizard from our number, and charge him with crimes against TLT, to be captured and brought here for trial under the council." One by one, the other council members nodded their assent. "There, that's done. I'll organize the manhunt for the Gr- for the wizard, as well as that for those intruders. Between this and the Plotblades, our forces will be stretched thin to the breaking point." The General shook her head. "Perhaps that's what he wants. Part of me hopes that these Plotblades are nothing more than a ploy to spread us further, weaken us for some sort of strike. If we could only be so lucky." With that, the council dissolved, each member making their own way separately from the room, the General shouting for a full casualty report and demanding that her officers meet her in the war room, the Wise Scholar trembling, the Ancient Flaffle resolute. One by one, All seven trickled away, till only the Valiant One remained. He sat down among the remnants of the Nonagonal table and thought upon the nature of lies. And if the Brave Adventurer had been conscious to see this, he would have laughed for joy. Because everything was proceeding exactly as he wanted. Soon, his plans would see fruition.

"Indeed. You missed quite a few things, including the blade at his side, several daggers concealed in his cloak, and his glowing red eyes." As ... pointed out these things, they became easily apparent. "I suspect he is some sort of assassin sent to kill me, but there is no need to worry. He will not be able to find me, and he does not care about you." ... walked into the restaurant, waving for Selppaenip to follow. "Come on. Let's order." The mouth of a cave yawned in front of him, ethereal mist leaking from it. -- The Brave Adventurer watched in satisfaction as the group of infiltrators was wrapped tightly in chains and slowly led towards the same small door next to the large sealed one that the Wise Scholar had entered through. Finally, we can get back on track. Although, perhaps these fools will be useful in luring the Great Wizard to us. That would be quite... convenient. Out loud, he raised his voice. "The General, what are your suggestions for the squad we send to hunt down the Great Wizard? You have seen his power in the past, and besides that, your strategic mind is mos-" A muffin streaked from the heavens and struck the Brave Adventurer directly on the head. Dazed, he slowly crumpled to the ground, mumbling something about the unfairness of life. Even as he fell, the Valiant One sprang into action, leaping sword in hand to meet the attackers head on. The rest of the adventurers were not far behind, some taking to the skies towards the attackers, others launching a variety of projectiles towards them. Arrows, spears, bursts of magic, and even a few muffins came soaring towards the party of prospective heroes. A particularly large blueberry muffin came hurtling for Nogard's face as his brother and all the rest of the first group was led off in chains. The Valiant One landed in front of Arranis, sword held confidently before him. "A Plotblade? You must be this group's leader. Surrender, and I will spare your life." The guards nearest the group cried out, spinning away from Tull and the rest, momentarily distracted by the new intrusion. @Through The Living Glass@The Halcyon Girl@Ancient Elantrian@Anyone else I forgot

"Very well. But before we go inside, let me show you something." ... pointed to a random person walking by on the street. "Tell me, what do you see when you look at that man?" -- The Honorable Judge gazed authoritatively at the sorry group of accidental spies "I'm afraid we can't get you a lawyer, unless you'd accept one from our organization. Sorry. Secret society rules and all. But do not worry, your trial will be as fair as it can be, under the circumstances." The Brave Adventurer snorted, dropping the now-visible rabbit into a cage held by an aide. "I find their stories ridiculous! Of course they know who the Great Wizard is! They're obviously spies for him, perhaps even assassins! And if you think I'll just tell you what the Plotblades are... well, I am not fool enough for that." He looked around the room again, then frowned. Not when that knowledge could be traced back to me, at least. "Still... Perhaps a little information would be appropriate. The members of our organization must have some idea of what they are looking for, if they are to find it before anyone else. Very well. These Plotblades... they are linked in a way very few are. They empower individuals in very different, but similar ways. If two people found and wielded them, then one or both of them would inevitably be destroyed by the other, but not until TLT was a ruin." He stared directly at the squirrel. "Does that satisfy your curiosity? Now, off to the dungeons with them! We must discuss our actions toward the Great Wizard, and have no time to dwell on the punishment of his lackeys." Brave adventurers approached the group warily, holding enchanted chains. "Please don't make this any harder than it has to be," one said, holding a spear in a firm grip. "Resist, and you'll only strengthen the case against you." @Immortal Platypus@SpiritOfWrath@The H A whisper entered Platypus's mind. Seek out Omen. He will guide you.

"If you think you can never be normal, then you are not watching closely enough. Do not look for what I do, but for how I do it. Now come on, we're close to our destination." The Dreamsmith, wherever he resided, felt the portent of Platypus's coming, and fired up his forge. -- The Brave Adventurer reached out and grabbed something from the table before him. He snapped his fingers, breaking the spell that gave the rabbit invisibility. "You see? He sends his spies among us! This is the final proof of his trea-" The Brave Adventurer, along with everyone else in the room, turned in shock to stare as first Tull, then Erif, then Yrank, then a talking squirrel appeared. Then the Valiant One sprang to his feet, Shardblade forming in his hands. "How dare you intrude here?" In moments, the group was surrounded by a sea of angry adventurers with swords drawn. The Brave Adventurer frowned down at them, still holding the rabbit in his hand. "Who... are you? Do you work for the Great Wizard?" @The H

At first, Selppaenip saw nothing out of the ordinary about how his master walked. Then, he realized that there was nothing out of the ordinary about how ... walked. No magical beings attempted to rob him, no crazy wizards approached with quests. ... simply walked down the street, humming softly to himself with his hands in his pockets. -- Instead of the quiet mutterings and gasps that had preceded the Brave Adventurer's first announcement, his accusation was met with absolute stunned silence. For a single breathless moment, not a single person in all the crowd could speak. Then the moment ended, and there was chaos. "Liar!" called one voice. "He would never harbor such evil plots!" Called another. "That old man's always had a shifty way about him. We must send adventurers to stop him before it's too late!" Was the answering cry from across the room. Then everyone was shouting at once, some few in support of the Great Wizard, some others against him, but most simply shouted for proof, for evidence to back up this accusation. The Brave Adventurer simply stood still, smiling inwardly and waiting for the hubbub to cease. Eventually, after much gavel banging by the Honest Judge, silence was achieved. The room was balanced on a knife's edge, many seeming ready to turn the council into a brawl if they did not like his next words. "I understand that these words are not ones that any of you wish to hear." The Brave Adventurer said, shaking his head solemnly. "The Great Wizard may have only recently acquired a seat on the council, but he was a founding member of this Order, and a personal friend of my predecessor besides. Indeed, although we had often clashed about minor matters of running the Order, I had nothing but the greatest respect for him, and to believe such treachery of any member of this Order, much less a founding member? I do not make this accusation lightly." He waved a hand, signaling to one of his aids standing on a high balcony. "In fact, I was not the first to make this accusation. No, the one who brought his concerns to me was the Wise Scholar!" A small door on the opposite side of the room from the great doors of the hall, sealed shut with their massive bars until the council ended, opened, and a small procession walked through it. At their head, the Wise Scholar stood, face filled with sorrow, and determination. As they made their way through the crowd, the Brave Adventurer continued. "I would not have believed an accusation of this magnitude from just anybody. But the Wise Scholar has known the Great Wizard since before the Order was founded, and has been one of his closest friends and allies for far too long to have any motives for betrayal. He came to me in the dead of night, greatly distressed, and told me of his suspicions. He had long made habit of studying his friend's powers, and as part of his research he tracked the movements of many of the Great Wizard's enchanted minions. In his research, he had discovered an odd pattern: His friend seemed to be tracking the movements of any quest that involved searching for forgotten weapons, particularly if there was a rumor that there might be Plotblades involved. Confused by this, the Wise Scholar went and confronted his friend, asking him the purpose of his actions." The Wise Scholar had reached the center of the room, eyes downcast. "I'll let him tell you the rest of the story." Spoke the Brave Adventurer, resting a reassuring hand on the Wise Scholar's shoulder. The Wise Scholar flinched at the contact, but spoke in a wavering voice. "He... he was silent at first, but then he told me... told me he'd been trying to figure out where the two most dangerous Plotblades were. He said that he'd learned of their existence long ago, and had been trying to find them ever since. I was shocked. I asked him why he'd kept this a secret from the rest of the Order. He said that they were too dangerous for us to have, that he couldn't trust that someone wouldn't try to claim them, and even if he could, he said that the only way to keep them secure was to make sure that as few as possible knew they existed." Clenching his fists, the Wise Scholar looked up at the gathered crowd. "I was... suspicious. I began tracking the movements of his fluffy minions more closely, in order to be certain of the truth of his words. However, I found that one in particular seemed to disappear for periods of time, beyond any realm that I could see. So I set forth a plan to intercept it without his knowing, and... I found this." The Wise Scholar withdrew a note from his robe, unfolding it carefully. He stared at the note for a moment, then carefully set it down on the Nonagonal table. "The note is part of a correspondence that my friend had with the Dreamsmith. It reads: 'Yes, I can combine the Plotblades and reforge them in the way you asked. It should remove the personality warping effect that they have upon the wielder and make them much safer to use.'" He bowed his head. "This confirmed my darkest suspicions. My friend... he plots to claim the Blades. Not only that, but he plans to take them to the Dreamsmith, who will reforge them, making them even more dangerous. I do not wish to say this, but... we must stop him. He must not be allowed to find the Blades." The Brave Adventurer nodded. "Thank you, Wise Scholar. I know this is hard for you, but we cannot ignore the Great Wizard's treachery any longer. We must send out a squad of our most elite adventurers to find him and bring him here for trial. Unless..." He turned slowly, moving his gaze across the room. "Perhaps, Great Wizard, you wish to save us the trouble? I sense some in this room who do not belong. Perhaps you are watching, through the eyes of your spies. Come forth, and defend yourself." @SpiritOfWrath@Ancient Elantrian@Immortal Platypus@Through The Living Glass

Two new ones have been discovered, and they are very dangerous. Also the Brave Adventurer is trying to manipulate things with potentially evil motives.

... quickly grabbed the dishcloth and stamped the fire out. "I see. I must tell you that this Plan Beast will make learning from me much more difficult. Normalcy is very difficult to achieve when you have a very abnormal beast following you around. However, it will not make it impossible. Not if you apply yourself. Follow me, and we shall get Chinese food. I know a good place that's not too far." ... put on his coat and walked casually out the front door It's a different one. An elected position in the Order of the Brave Adventurers. -- Somewhere far away, a room was filled with dramatic gasps and mutterings. The Valiant One stood, a look of confusion on his face. "Did we not already know this? Vengeance has been held by Platypus for some time. As for the other one... Is it Endings, perhaps? Or Unity? I do not see how this is such dangerous news that you needed to announce it in such a way." The Brave Adventurer smiled thinly and replied, keeping his eyes on the crowd. "Vengeance is the most powerful of the Plotblades, but it is not one of the two most dangerous Plotblades. Both of these Plotblades are so dangerous that any who could claim one of them would be unstoppable, or nearly so." He tilted his head to the side as if considering something. "It is possible that someone, wielding Vengeance with the utmost skill and power, could defeat one of these Plotblades. Individually, they each have less power than Vengeance, although they are much easier to use at full power. But if both of these Blades were found and wielded by the wrong hands, there would be no stopping them." The dramatic gasps and mutterings had grown louder, and even the members of the high council were looking uneasy. The Ancient Flaffle stood again, speaking loudly and projecting calm around herself. "Then we shall find these Plotblades and make sure that they do not fall into the wrong hands. We will put them under our protection. This order was formed to help avoid calamities like the one these Blades could cause, and we will do so." The Brave Adventurer nodded, acknowledging the Ancient Flaffle's words. "Indeed. If that were the end of it, I would not have called such a meeting as this. But I have still more dire news." He took a deep breath, pretending to steady his nerves. "The same source that confirmed the existence of these Plotblades has confirmed to me that the Great Wizard has known of their existence since before he was elected to the High Council, and has kept it secret out of a desire to claim one or both of them for himself."

"The eyes you watch me with will not matter, but the mind behind them." ... nodded sagely. "Also, forgive me, but who is this TP?"

... carefully took a spoon and tasted the soup. A few minutes later... ... managed to stagger to his feet unsteadily, head still spinning. "I... think it would be best if we go out to eat. Watch me carefully, and perhaps you will learn the secrets to normality." The old man was unfortunately quite preoccupied with his current task, and would not be back for some time. One of the invisible rabbits that was watching the group climbed up on Gail's shoulder, considering whether her hair would make a good snack. -- The Brave Adventurer watched the gathering crowd with satisfaction, contemplating the stir his announcement would cause. The high council of adventurers assembled around him, one by one arriving with and settling themselves down on their elegant chairs around the nonagonal table and regarding the crowd of regular adventurers that packed the edges of the room. Their expressions were disapproving, which was no less than the Brave Adventurer had expected. The Unseeable Thief arrived, bringing the number of present Council members to six. Perfect. If all goes well, that fool the Great Wizard won't even know we're meeting until it's too late. He stood, and addressed the rest of the council. "Shall we call the council to order?" The Valiant One stood quickly. "We cannot begin! The council is not yet fully assembled! The Great wizard and the Wise Scholar are still not present!" "I am aware, but my news cannot wait. I am the acting Brave Adventurer, and I tell you that this cannot wait. The council must act as soon as possible, or doom will befall the entire thread." Reluctantly, the Valiant One nodded, then sat back down. Around the nonagonal table, the other council members nodded as well. The Ancient Flaffle stood, and spoke the formalities. "The council of the Order of the brave adventurers is now in session. Brave adventurer, what is your news?" The Brave adventurer stood, opened his mouth, then paused, pretending to hesitate. It wouldn't do to seem too eager to spread news of this magnitude. When he continued, he did so confidently, in a clear voice that carried to the watching adventurers. "I have the direst of news. I have received reliable information that the two most dangerous Plotblades, the Plotblades that would tear TLT asunder, do in fact exist."

I could see it being an effect of Hoid’s holding a Dawnshard, giving him greater mastery over Investiture.

"No, it's not. I-" ...'s phone buzzed, and he looked down at it in, surprised. Then he shook his head. "Thought I made it clear that I was done with all that stuff." He muttered in a low voice, then turned back to Selppaenip. "Anyways, I'll show you the normal way to cut vegetables." Putting a carrot on the cutting board, ... took the knife from Selppaenip and chopped the carrot neatly, then dumped it into the stew. "There, see? Now, try your hand at seasoning the soup. All the spices are up in that cupboard there." The old man shook out of his trance at the words 'rabbit bridge'. "Ah, sorry about that. Here's the schematics I used for the last one." He handed Nogard a large blueprint. "And here's a list of where I sourced materials from. Don't worry about the magical ones, that was just to make it invisible. Don't need all that preparation anymore." He handed Nogard a rather large scroll. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be going. I've got a rather important meeting to attend. Be back soon to check on your progress." With that, the old man tapped his staff to the ground and was quickly carried out of sight by his invisible rabbits. Just make a character and hop in somewhere.