Wynna's Research and Routines - A Hands-on Pursuit

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Re: Wynna's Research - A Hands-on Pursuit

Postby Obsidian Sea » Fri Apr 01, 2016 10:55 am

The library of Songhall pours knowledge from its shelves, and in the course of tendays, Wynna Blackwing earns a place of silent respect among the scholars there as one of few woman who pursue knowledge with the determination of a male counterpart. Her perseverance is rewarded with the discoveries of tomes aplenty that feed the hunger for knowledge: and yet even Songhall contains not all the knowledge of the world. Some things must be discovered; and peril becomes those who seek.

One periodical of only seven years earlier comes to the hands of Wynna Blackwing, speculating upon the rare gift of Sorcerers--



Little is known of those whose sin takes the shape of magic; there is no certainty in a Sorcerer's life, and whether the oversight be Mystra's or the circumstance Beshaban, it yet remains as an accident in nature that there are those whom to this world are born with the ability for magic. It is testified that such people are indebted to the Devils and Daemons of another world for their dark gift. Though it is not always the Sorcerer who communicates the desire for this power from their dark benefactors, still it stands as an edict in the history of our resilient nation that whosoever has inherited this talent cannot be trusted. We must - it is mandatory - mistreat them as anomalies, and survey them as threats. Sorcerers have ever been agents of Chaos, and though they are rare, still they are a problem perceptible even in singleness, for one such being wields the power which The Triad does not see fit to entrust in mankind.

Certain new sciences point to the constellations as the givers of Sorcerous strength. Those born when the stars move to form new shapes may find themselves affected by the changing of the stellar tides. If it is so, only the connotations of the constellations can be trusted to inform the wary onlooker as to what gifts a Sorcerer might inherent from their constellation. Yet we cannot shirk vigilance if we take this to be the reason for Sorcery, for if it truly is the cosmic signs that breed such anomaly into a person, it stands as a foothold in all logic that a Sorcerer must then be treated as a victim of the stars: one who is susceptible - if not the carrier - of lunacy.

Magic is the gift given to those diligent and responsible enough to comprehend it. It is the world's Wizards who are exacting and reliable in their use of the craft, though history shows us follies. Sorcerers have a most deep-seated resentment of those who wield The Weave with finesse, for by the side of such prodigies, the Sorcerer is as a child kicking and flailing. Therefore never do mistake Sorcery for a 'practice'. To practice suggests Art. Sorcery is, as the scholars continue to discover, a rarely occurring accident, and one which must be monitored.


Hres Tollwick, Master Magician
3rd Elient; The Fading
1356DR; Year of the Worm




Wynna Blackwing proceeds to find other tomes which pertain to the topic of Sorcerous tracing, although it is proven to be an imprecise and unreliable science. Bibliographies and references made in some of these tomes might direct Wynna Blackwing elsewhere within the library, where she might learn more knowledge of the planes. The majority of such knowledge contained within the library references to Daemons, though Wynna is privy to only the most basic tomes on the topic. A section of the library in which a more thorough investigation of Daemons and the practice of Daemonology is, for obvious reasons, under heavy restrictions.
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Re: Wynna's Research - A Hands-on Pursuit

Postby Ostheim » Fri Apr 01, 2016 5:14 pm

The self-styled scholar ultimately leaves Songhall with about sixteen halanth worth of tomes in her possession, to be ferried home to Sarshel for her exacting perusal. As she continues to take stock of what she has learned from the ruin on the edge of the Serpent River and further below, she obviously hopes to occupy her time with study into further broadening her field of knowledge. Of particular importance is research into the various and likely complicated history of nobility in the region, something she takes to after whetting her appetite on the history of the old keepers of Tregorian's Gate. Local history comes next in importance, and though she does not shelve her interest in the Planes and other esoteric lines of thinking, she seems to understand well that such revelations will not come simply or quickly.

She mulls over the wizardly account by Master Tollwick, but seems to be vaguely suspicious of bias as she studies it further, for rather obvious reasons. That said, it does seem to give her pause for whatever reason, though not any reason she seems willing to divulge to those curious.

Returning to her exceedingly humble abode in Sarshel's Old Quarter, she immediately sets to work flipping through her material in the comfort of her home, half-finished copies of her work-in-progress book lying on the desk of her bedroom in a messy sprawl. With Thelnam settled and her mind still working on deriving the proper answers to the mysteries of the sunken ruin, she seems to be working on thinking ahead to the next subject of her work. Where else may dark corners reside?

Until inspiration hits her, she seems content to luxuriate by the fire with one of her new books, obviously well-pleased by the privacy and pride she has in her own domicile. There's something to be said for the comfort certain liberties have afforded her as she proceeds.
Spoiler:
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Wynna Blackwing - Scholar of history, ruin delver, intrigue dabbler
Rannie Marrinson - Knight-Errant, Paladin of Sune
Teobald Grzywacz - Outentown peasant, ranger and adventurer

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Re: Wynna's Research - A Hands-on Pursuit

Postby Kilaana » Sun Apr 10, 2016 3:44 am

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When the charcoal lines on their paper begin to make little sense after hours of consideration, it is then that something in Wynna's memory shifts: The first thing that comes to realization is of how the elegant, flowing lines of the statues were marred by their more cumbersome-looking, squared-off plinths. The lines there were clean, functional, providing a solid but perhaps unnecessarily thick support for an otherwise slender ornament. Besides, each statues did not stand on its own; they were formed from the same stone as the pillar they leaned against, cojoined along their stiff, silent spines. There had to be another reason for these unusual supports - holding no inscriptions except an embossed pattern on the front of each base, a square within a square, ending in a third smallest bearing a tiny egg-shaped hollow that vaguely resembles a receptacle.

The second thing that would seem amiss is of the circle itself. Perhaps some firther thought may be afforded as to the statues' arrangement, and number.

(( With an Architectural skill check of 23 vs 27, Wynna can rely on her own intellect to further deduce what this design may mean. ))

Taking her enquiries about the painting to the locals, she is immediately met with disappointment in the Sailor's Star. The merchants, salt traders from Procampur who are looking for alternative supply routes than their usual Turmish sources, can divulge nothing. Art does not interest them, and they have more pressing concerns to look to.

At Jezebel's, it is a different set of opinions that Wynna entertains - sometimes loud, and often outspoken especially when it comes to a field where Art may be discussed for its sake and less so for its subject. Her companions for the evenings at Jezebel's fare no better than her as a whole, indulging on the excesses of wine, food and music, they seem more keen to make merry of the painting when Wynna attempts to describe it in detail. She becomes the recipient of many a tale of how the boar came to spill its jewels, but stories they remain, fiction created in the same breath as casual gossip is spread.

Lentian Klenthur at the Crowning Glory seems reluctant at first at Wynna's enquiries for she finds him busy that evening, though his spirits lift as the talkative girl attempts to engage him on a more personal level. He shares a few stories of how the various tapestries and wall-hangings in the Glory were acquired; most are gifts from generous customers both local and foreign, selected to fit the premise, unlike Wynna's find. At length, Lentian encourages her to seek an artist, known singularly as "Roulette", who frequents the west end of Sarshel's Old Quarter, locally known as the Windrose Square, on odd days of the week.

(( The area in question is not in the game (yet), but visiting it is still possible through Offline RP. ))
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Gwendolyn's attempt to decipher the strange glyphs draw on the power of the Weave, but the weakened parchment between her fingers does not carry any enchantment nor lingering traces of magic. Her familiarity with incantations however, might lead her to suggest that the simplistic form of the glyphs share a pattern in which spells are generally called. Nothing more can be gained from the scroll however, it is clear that the first half of it is missing.

(( Gwendolyn's Arcana skill check of 26 vs 35 is not nearly enough, and even so, perhaps consulting other people might prove rewarding, if one considers the place the scroll was found. ))
“Violence is the mark of the amateur.” ― Garrett, Thief: The Dark Project

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Stumped and Sick

Postby Ostheim » Thu Apr 14, 2016 4:06 pm

The lack of progress or clear breakthroughs was frustrating, to say the least. Already suspecting the temple to be of some religious influence, she's hamstrung by a lack of religious texts to reference their documentation in regards to the site. The Moon Maiden is her foremost guess, and she makes idle inquiries about Sarshel to present her findings to Maera Thlantyr if she can track down the half-elf. As for the architecture itself, she's thoroughly stumped by the structure of the statues and the construction of their stands; many a long night is spent looking over her drawings and scowling at them in befuddlement. Her recent trips to Songhall and forays into the Impiltur winter, combined with her late nights staying up, have done little good for her health, and the woman has become something of a recluse as of late, rarely leaving her home due to frequent bouts of sickness and fatigue. None of this has left her particularly keen on unlocking the mysteries of the place she visited.

Whenever Wynna is seen, it's usually bundled up in her winter leathers and fully cloaked, even indoors.

The one bit of insight she seems to have the willpower and mental acuity to make in her current state seems to revolve around the receptacle looking markings upon the plinths, as well as the circular nature of the statues. A few scattered notes are left about her desk, most of them rambling, possibly half-awake remarks on her thoughts. 'hidden area?' 'moon?' 'what goes in the eggs?'

'need to go back'

And so on. With the lack of breakthroughs and Samere's disappearance, Wynna has clearly seen better days.
Wynna Blackwing - Scholar of history, ruin delver, intrigue dabbler
Rannie Marrinson - Knight-Errant, Paladin of Sune
Teobald Grzywacz - Outentown peasant, ranger and adventurer

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Mysteries

Postby Kilaana » Sat Apr 16, 2016 12:35 am

The House of Many Tomes are indeed a fountain of knowledge, but not even a thousand annals can hold all of the world's secrets. A few journals document traveller's tales of the various members of Her clergy, but most are individual accounts of deeds performed by the Sisterhood. At least one record speaks of their Oracle, along with a short list of shrines and temples that dot this part of north-central Faerun, but compared to the mountain of other tomes that sit at her elbow, much of the information presented seems more inference than fact. It seems the cult of the Moon is an elusive one, and perhaps for good reason... Could this be why Wynna was approached to document these ruins in the first place?
“Violence is the mark of the amateur.” ― Garrett, Thief: The Dark Project

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Re: Wynna's Research and Routines - A Hands-on Pursuit

Postby Ostheim » Sun Apr 17, 2016 8:58 pm

After a visit to her abode by a certain Highblade sister, Wynna is rarely seen outside of her house for a few days. Sadly, she doesn't spend a lot of this time researching, reading only light fiction and other materials in lieu of her usual curriculum of scholarly tomes and notes. She gets next to no progress done on her findings as a result, regaining her strength after her dire sickness and bout with a particularly bad case of the common cold.

Presumably any findings to be made or research to pursue will be taken upon with greater vigor after she's healthy again.
Wynna Blackwing - Scholar of history, ruin delver, intrigue dabbler
Rannie Marrinson - Knight-Errant, Paladin of Sune
Teobald Grzywacz - Outentown peasant, ranger and adventurer

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Back to Normal?

Postby Ostheim » Thu Apr 21, 2016 2:58 am

Finally recovering from her lengthy illness, Wynna sets back into the routine of her research at a much reduced pace, taking ample time out of her nights to go out to eat, drink and socialize at the various inns and taverns about Sarshel. The Kingfisher sees the majority of her attention, and it's not uncommon for her to be seen sitting at a private table with the bardess Abigail Beaumont after her performances; the two seem to be well-acquainted with one another, both foreigners from the west. Probably much to the proprietor's pleasure, she also seems to take pains to invite any of her fair-weather scholarly acquaintances to join her there as they debate and speculate.

She also, though haltingly due to the weather, is oft seen heading out of Sarshel yet again, sometimes in the company of certain adventuring groups, mostly alongside the hedge knight Merney Valroc or the Tormite battle-priestess Serace Highblade. Eager to make up for lost time, no doubt, though she's frequently not terribly talkative about where they end up going.

The main thrust of her research remains concentrated for the time being on the matter of the sunken ruins she visited, though her long sickness seems to have given her plenty of time to come to certain conclusions regarding the old place. Theories, at the very least.

With Maera proving illusive for the time being, Wynna devotes the majority of her time looking into the older cults of the region, alongside more ancient practices of the reverence of the moon; specifically, she seeks out any correlations between the two. The statues will have to wait, she decides, until she goes back there to investigate them more thoroughly. Any of these cults that she reads about, she takes pains to seek out any references to matters more shadowy in nature, quite literally; remembering the attack upon her person by living shadows as she took the mysterious scroll from its hiding place, she has long concluded that it must be significant somehow. Though at first she was convinced this was a sign of Shar's influence in a place of Selunite worship, the total lack of holy insignia has rather left this presumption without more basis.

In addition to looking into her tomes for these clues, Wyn makes careful inquiry about the various circles of academia in Sarshel for other perspectives on the matter. Anyone that her possible-patron, master Rulovic, might suggest.

After long last, she sends a brief note to the man who set her down this path to begin with, informing him of her findings and theories of the place, giving the overall impression that she is still hard at work investigating. No mention is made of her sickness.
Wynna Blackwing - Scholar of history, ruin delver, intrigue dabbler
Rannie Marrinson - Knight-Errant, Paladin of Sune
Teobald Grzywacz - Outentown peasant, ranger and adventurer

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Ups and... mostly downs

Postby Ostheim » Thu Apr 28, 2016 1:49 pm

Some time after a curiously tense interaction with Rulovic that left the scholarly Cormyrian in a thoroughly ill-mood yet again, Wynna spends a few days clammed up in her home, taking few visitors beyond her steady friend Merney Valroc and the newcomer woodswoman Aleira Nemesk. Little progress or research is made over these days, during which Wynna practically stews in her own anger as she writes out a comprehensive report about the matters she has been pursuing for the noble man.

To make matters worse, the gossip-vine in the Sailor's Star inn practically devours itself on a rumor involving Wynna with another woman having an argument whilst seated at a table near the door. Though most say, being both adventurers, they were likely simply at odds over split pay or claims of treasure, others note that the argument had a thoroughly solemn note to it, with both women speaking in quiet tones for the majority of the conversation, only to become truly notable when the scholar was reduced to tears at the end. Evidence of her thoroughly stressed mood in the wake of Rulovic's condemnation of her, or something more scandalous?

The woman she argued with, regardless, was seen to excuse herself and has not been seen about since.

Her life seems to take on an unpleasantly whirlwind-esque quality as the days drag by after this incident; as though she were sick again, she's frequently seen bundled up in her white leathers and hooded to ward off the cold, though any keen eye would notice a variety of moods constantly at play on the thoughtful woman. A blank expression of frustration and sorrow tends to be the most common, but hints of airy smiles and pleasant daydreaming also find their way onto her face from time to time.

On the front of research, normally where the woman is far more at home, yet now is tainted by her interaction with Rensar Rulovic, Wynna makes a simple foray out to the sunken ruin yet again to investigate the enigmatic statues that have given her so much trouble. In her company is the ranger woman Nemesk, doubtlessly useful to the scholar for her skill in the wooded parts of the Vlasta region where the site awaits adventurers and ruin-divers. The pair remain afield for a long time after this as well, as Wynna explores about Vlasta in search of new places to document for her book. It seems she'll be covering the area surrounding this sleepy town next.

Image
Wynna Blackwing - Scholar of history, ruin delver, intrigue dabbler
Rannie Marrinson - Knight-Errant, Paladin of Sune
Teobald Grzywacz - Outentown peasant, ranger and adventurer

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Re: Wynna's Research and Routines - A Hands-on Pursuit

Postby Kilaana » Sat Apr 30, 2016 2:48 pm

The ruins, as they have stood for centuries, appear much the same on this third - or was it fourth? - visit. Most of the minutes spent examining the statues' architecture would tell her little else beyond what little Wynna could surmise from her research thus far. The rubble on the edge of the circle, half submerged and covered in moldish lichen, seem beyond repair but the smooth, small curves of a cracked bust would still be discerned under the broken pieces. Should measurements be taken, the gap between the pillars would have suggested that there were six of the columnar statues once - though at this point perhaps a guess is better than none.

It seemed like nothing else could be gained here. The two women turn to go, but at the last moment something is glimpsed at the corner of their eye. A miniscule glint at the foot of a statue, but it flashes in the wake of their lamplight, like a beacon in a shallow sea.

A step closer reveals its source to be a chip of rock no bigger than a thumbnail, a remnant embedded in one of the small egg-shaped recesses of a plinth. Its irisdiscent colours of vermillion, gold, green and dusky blue are an immediate giveaway: a piece of valuable "Northern-Star", or otherwise known by its more common trade name, spectrolite.

Image
“Violence is the mark of the amateur.” ― Garrett, Thief: The Dark Project

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A Perfect Day

Postby Ostheim » Sun May 01, 2016 5:05 pm

As is typical during the early days of the new month, Wynna makes the lengthy trip to Songhall through the dredges of the persistent winter. Walking alongside her and sharing her camp is, yet again, Aleira Nemesk; from Vlasta to Sarshel and now to Songhall, it seems rarer to find one of them without the other nearby these days. Fast and close friends, assuredly, the ranger woman doubtlessly benefiting from Wynna's city smarts and learning just as the scholar learns more of the wilderness in turn.

The two make a few trips about the mountain village, from the Sunite chantry, to the shops along the alley, to the Drunken Carp for a proper rest. The star of the trip, however, is of course the formidable library and pseudo-keep at the top of the hill, which Miss Blackwing visits during the night. There Wynna commits to her next round of research regarding the matters she has been so intimately involved in, as well as somewhat more... out of the blue research concerning possible druidic practice in the Easting Reach.

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She spends several hours (and upwards eight halanth) in the confines of the Hall before leaving, heading to the Pavillion for a friendly inquiry regarding any possible lectures occurring soon; it would seem she has an interest in getting involved in more of what Songhall has to offer, or perhaps make inroads with the locals.

Image

Following this, she heads back to the Drunken Carp to sleep off the rest of the night, leaving the next morning in Miss Nemesk's stalwart company. After a lengthy trip back to Sarshel, the two quickly part ways before the statue of Sarshel's namesake, formally saying their goodbyes before the ranger departs back into the wilderness and leaving Wynna to the familiar angles and stonework of her new home. With her, a new book or two to help her decipher the next piece of the puzzle.
Wynna Blackwing - Scholar of history, ruin delver, intrigue dabbler
Rannie Marrinson - Knight-Errant, Paladin of Sune
Teobald Grzywacz - Outentown peasant, ranger and adventurer


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