The Smoke Rises...

[-Lacie-]

PLEASE NOTE: This piece is the continuation, or "next chapter" of "Scattered Insanity" for a frame of reference, and/or history.

The Crypt was in horrible condition; dust and bits of wood scattered all over the floor. There seemed to be some odd bits wedged in some of the steps, but they were covered by the most unusual dust. It had a shadowy fog just above anything it lay upon. The smell was that of the sea which alcoves in a cave. It was multi-colored and the texture was that of fine-grain sand.

She collected as much of the dust as she could, and put it into a large bowl. That's when she heard the Cauldron almost... whisper to her.

"We... need that. Bring the dust here."

"Ok! I've lost it!"

She turned swiftly towards the dust, moving the grains quickly in the large bowl. They began to lift and glide in the stirred air towards the Cauldron. There was no way or enough time to stop the bowl's contents from reaching towards the Cauldron, laying on top of the murky fluid inside it.

"Well hell... Sure, you can have it then! I mean I was just gonna study it and crap!"

She threw her head back, her long curls tossing about in the air. Some of the particles landing on the locks. Looking back at the Cauldron, she notice the black goo was beginning to stir, ever so slightly, but there was movement.

"OH! Well why didn't you say so!"

She started mumbling something about if a damn Cauldron needed some dust off the floor, it should have said something earlier, then she tripped over something, dropping her to one knee. She removed a handkerchief and dabbed at the blooded kneecap, wiping off the blood, then tossing it into the Cauldron. The Cauldron absorbed the bloody cloth, then the Cauldron seemed to mimic the vibrations of the growls and mumbling sounds she made. A slow wisp of smoke began to rise in a twirling motion.

She sat down, her eyes blinking quickly as she grabs for her journal and tearing a few strands of hair out trying to get her quill.

Journal Entry XXX - Only takes a Spark.

While cleaning up after the hidden chest's removal and subsequent destruction, the Cauldron seemed to be sparking back to life. The first item it seemed to greatly desire was the dust from the contents of the destroyed chest. I had little choice; the dust went on its own. I've also added a .... touch of myself.

The smoke rises...

I send out the call for the members to assist. Each will, no doubt, be able to Sacrifice something in or of themselves. Please seek me out in the City.

NOTE: The Mysterious Sphere is also a prime concern still. All efforts need to be made towards the Sphere. I respectfully request any and all assistance.

~Lacie~
Screchethan Kabal

[-Lacie-]

For some reason, the City felt like a dark, deep Night had fallen around her shoulders. The skies were darker, the air was more still and there was an odor that resembled burnt hair that permeated all around her.

She whispered to herself, "It must be time...it ~has~ to be time" But she wasn't speaking to or about the Cauldron. This was... something else.

So many things were becoming a blur to her. The Skies, the Planes, her Arts. The only thing of certain was that something was terribly wrong and needed to be corrected... immediately, if not sooner. It was only when she was teaching that she found any solace or peace at all.

The journey would be a difficult one, but that didn't bother her. The concern was the affect it would have ~on~ her. She hadn't fed in such a long time, that any slight imbalance to her constitution could send her into a whirling vortex of emotion. But that wasn't what she feared so greatly....

"A shape-shifter, I've ne'er been." she whispered as if someone was there and didn't need to hear her.

"I guess we'll just have to see what happens. What's the worst, hmmm???" That thought terrified her. She didn't realize the emotions were already welling up inside her. She only felt a burning desire to complete the process.

She had seen it in others of her kind, who tried to alter themselves. It rarely came out well. The rush of emotion, the scattered thoughts that mortals felt when these foreign emotions took hold. The whole process was simply horrifying.

She looked at her Blast, giving it almost the type of smile a mother gives an infant child.

"I will miss you most, methinks. Come, let us play one last day, for a while. I will retrieve you as soon as I can."

Journal Entry XXXI

The Cauldron is set to ignite anytime. I need only a couple of ingredients to set the Cauldron ablaze. I will attempt this as soon as I deal with this raging Fire within me. It must be done and done soon. I don't know if I can hold out much longer. At least my family will be around me.

I just hope the Maddness doesn't take o'er... that might lead to....

The quill seemed to make a large streak on the parchment, a short prayer followed but was written in an arcane tongue. She closed the journal, accidentally leaving it on the ground inside the Kabal.

The Azure glow about her... began to fade.

~Lacie~

[-Lacie-]

The Night ... full, the stars align, The Smoke... rises.

The Kabal met, as was requested. They needed no encouragement, the goal was plain and needed immediate attention. The Fire within her rose to the depths of her new focus, it didn't disappoint. The Fire Within...


Journal Entry XXXII

The primary goal of igniting the Cauldron was greeted by most of the active members of the Kabal last eve. We gathered and assessed the situation and then proceeded to add the final, necessary ingredients necessary to get the Cauldron ablaze. Dakkoth had the incantation prepared, and was able to recite it before the City seemed to cast him out abruptly thereafter.

Magnilia became extremely... entranced by the Cauldron and joined me on the pedestal to do the final ignition of the Cauldron, of which, I am sincerely grateful. Her assistance, along with the others, made the ignition process much easier.

Now that the Cauldron is ignited and functional, the real work can begin. The excavation of Teng's rooms are of a paramount priority and should be worked on in any few spare moments of any Kabal member's dream. I will leave notes in the Crypt detailing goals, how to assist, and necessary ingredients*.

*Ingredients need to be of the best quality, in order to produce best results. Please see me or one of the other members for details or update.

The Smoke Rises...

~Lacie~
Screchethan Kabal

[-Lacie-]

It hit her and hit her hard, square between the eyes, the Ajna. She knew too much, all at once. Her Insight was failing and all she had was the Fiery Rage of her focus. "My new focus." Instead of complimenting each other, it seemed that the Fire Within was being fueled by the Air, the whirling vortexes she had offered so freely. And at first sight, no words yet spoken.

She traveled the City by sheer instinct. Knowing where she was needed. Who needed a teacher? A guide? When to hunt. Where. It was as if her own core was pushing her along an assigned path. The path of... Lucidity. Insanity was easy. You knew its path, the course, how to cope... or not.

No, this was different. There was clarity of thought. Usually clarity was only achieved after hours and hours in the Unknown, and she hadn't been there for mont.... But as she stood there, looking at him... it all became so clear, she could barely see anything else."Only the truth of it, the Dream, the City, my new... Focus."

She never expected to see him again... ever. But there he was. Both her hands lay on unsheathed Blades.

"I could slit his throat and be rid of him here... and now." Her nails dug into the hilt of each Blade.
"Nay, he can't speak that well like that." Her fingernails ease off each, but only slightly.
"Oh, right. Sure, we'll have a listen to him first, eh???" Was that an inflection change in her whispered voice?

Pleasant, as usual. Ok, there goes Flag #1. White cloak. Ok, no accounting for taste. Not a hair out of place. Too bad, I liked his hair a bit... wind-swept. Speaking to him was like taking a large step back, back in time. To a place we both would rather not venture. Alright, snarky comment, finally. Flag #2. We actually didn't have to speak uttered words to each other.

The whole conversation had transpired when their eyes met. The words only uttered, it seemed, for the benefit of those who were standing in the same room. They were ~thankfully~ not able to hear the fragments and images passing between the two of them.

But, for the time-being, that didn't matter. Time was short and there was much to prepare. The locks renewed and secured, new keys issued. The only ones in now... were the only ones to be trus....

They needed to understand the ~other~ part of the challenge before them. They were Resilient and could handle the risks, the dangers. The rewards were waiting to be gathered. All we needed would be a few... ingredients. They would come, inquire, fulfill.

[-Lacie-]

Things were starting to come apart, not in the way one's enemies might relish, but in an Alchemic fashion. The Fire Within burns thru the Air, clears debris and turmoil, reveals the true nature of the Elemental forces which bind others together in complex knots. The Fire Within clears the Earth, scraping it clear of vines which choke-hold growth. The Fire Within allows for the smallest of seeds to get a chance at the sun... to grow... to flourish... to, in turn, choke out the others who try to get in its way ... to the top of the canopy.

"The truth had to be told. The outcome of such... would be left for the survivors to scribe. Tis nay m'concern at this point." She spoke with the determination that her TWO focuses had bestowed upon her as she picks up a quill. The old parchment was crumbling in her skeletal fingers as she laid it flat on the stone floor. A new page in her journal turned, she begins to copy the arcane tome onto a fresh page. Whispering, "Dare I scribe this?", she puts quill to parchment.

JOURNAL ENTRY XXXIV

TO-DO LIST

1. Make sure Trisha has the Sphere & understands how to use it.
2. Show Dakkoth the Divergent Device & explain... re-explain the process to him.*
3. Publish historical information about the Entropy Coalition.**

*Review Distillation, Divergence, and Separation processes. Separation is the THIRD operation in the alchemy of transformation. Skipped steps. Symbols of Separation = Swords. Needs to start with Silver. Show him what he's missing. Oh! And filtration! Show him!!!!

**Since I may be one of the last survivors of that era, I need to make what I know... public. This isn't a want or desire.. but a chance to preserve the historical record. See attached.

She sets the quill down awkwardly on the step. The quill turns upward, and pricks her finger. Unaware, she presses the page of the journal open to reread it. A whole drop of blood presses into the thick, porous parchment

~L~