I don't trust them. They're part of the cult. Why would they stick their necks out for us?
[and also why would they show up and reveal all of this stuff if they were cult aligned. it doesn't actually make that much sense, this stuff is just triggering her paranoia.]
I suppose the counter to that would be: why risk themselves at all if they had no intention of actually aiding us? It would be a foolish gamble to begin with.
[ but he gets her point, it's hard to trust their intentions. ]
... I am going to go on perhaps a bit of a tangent, but do bear with me? Quite recently, me and my companions had been investigating a cult ourselves. We were all I shall call it marked as members of this cult, but unlike the others who were brought under the sway of its leader through magical means, we retained our own minds. Thus, we were able to infiltrate within their bases of operation without arousing suspicion.
From there, we could investigate. Ask questions. Figure out their plans and how to best them. I imagine we should do similarly here. Even if they end up betraying our trust in the end, for now perhaps it is better to play along as if we are on the same side so that we may learn more.
[she does listen. maybe she should think she's being patronized a bit, and part of her knows she is, but she is curious enough to not stop him.]
...We have dealt with a cult, too. Though the kind that hates gods. One of their members found us, and he did all of the same things you're saying. Asked questions. Played along as if he was on our side. Earned our trust and our sympathies. You're saying we should do all of that. Act like him.
I do realize how it sounds [PSYCHOTIC] but I would argue it certainly can't hurt for them to be sympathetic to our plight. It seems they already are, even?
How did that ploy work out for your cult member? Badly, I assume.
[ he should probably have more concerns about how laudna just said she feels souls to her patron, but. he doesn't. at the moment. he's also done some Crap so I don't know, maybe he's just not in a judgment mood. ]
There was a time in my life when I was more afraid of losing my magic than I was afraid of death. That time may even be now, still.
In most circumstances, Mystra would not interfere in who uses her Weave, and possibly does not even have the power to stop them - after all, Karsus himself was able to use her Weave to plot her death for many years without interference.
But I have a condition. A symptom of this condition is that it consumes my magic.
Only in small amounts, and it exhausted me when I did. Until recently of course - but for that time, I had to quell the condition by, ah. Feeding it. Magical items of sufficient power, that contained enough of the Weave to satiate the storm within.
Not exactly stronger. I would describe it as this: if left untreated, it would continue to consume my magic in its entirety until that supply is exhausted, at which point it would, erm. Destabilize. An outcome that should be avoided at all costs.
As I consume magic, it allows the condition to feed upon that magic instead before feeding on my own; leaving me able to cast. Though certainly not to the heights I had achieved before. I was ... much reduced. Consider it like taming an Owlbear. If you continue feeding it meat, it may delay eviscerating you in favor of the easier meal.
Taming it... though in your metaphor, if it's a starving owlbear then it's at its weakest, too. Perhaps still too strong for you to fight it off, but by nourishing it, what else are you doing?
[i'm not sure exandria even has owlbears i don't think they've ever shown up, too copyrighted?]
Delilah. She's very demanding. But, you see, she's also stuck. She can't go anywhere else, because they killed her body and all of her backups. So she can't push too hard. She needs me.
... I ask only out of personal curiosity, but was there something in particular this Delilah was doing that attracted so much attention required from heroes and such?
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[ he will come sit down then, nearby. tara hops up onto the seat on his lap. ]
What do you think of our new overseers?
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[and also why would they show up and reveal all of this stuff if they were cult aligned. it doesn't actually make that much sense, this stuff is just triggering her paranoia.]
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[ but he gets her point, it's hard to trust their intentions. ]
... I am going to go on perhaps a bit of a tangent, but do bear with me? Quite recently, me and my companions had been investigating a cult ourselves. We were all I shall call it marked as members of this cult, but unlike the others who were brought under the sway of its leader through magical means, we retained our own minds. Thus, we were able to infiltrate within their bases of operation without arousing suspicion.
From there, we could investigate. Ask questions. Figure out their plans and how to best them. I imagine we should do similarly here. Even if they end up betraying our trust in the end, for now perhaps it is better to play along as if we are on the same side so that we may learn more.
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...We have dealt with a cult, too. Though the kind that hates gods. One of their members found us, and he did all of the same things you're saying. Asked questions. Played along as if he was on our side. Earned our trust and our sympathies. You're saying we should do all of that. Act like him.
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How did that ploy work out for your cult member? Badly, I assume.
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[ just dont do that bit. ]
If we can figure out a way to restore magic, we would be on a much more even playing field.
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[since she's being ghosted!!!]
Do you think we can do that? Restore magic? I suppose we can also do the "monster" thing. It's not as nice as my magic, but it's something.
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[ he doesn't want to live without it again. Another however long stretch of time cut off from the thing he loves the most in the world. ]
And yes, the "monster thing." Though we'll see how potent that proves to be.
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There was a time in my life when I was more afraid of losing my magic than I was afraid of death. That time may even be now, still.
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But I have a condition. A symptom of this condition is that it consumes my magic.
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[maybe Delilah has a similar condition. she's interested.]
So you couldn't use it at all?
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Did that make you stronger? What does it do?
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As I consume magic, it allows the condition to feed upon that magic instead before feeding on my own; leaving me able to cast. Though certainly not to the heights I had achieved before. I was ... much reduced. Consider it like taming an Owlbear. If you continue feeding it meat, it may delay eviscerating you in favor of the easier meal.
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Taming it... though in your metaphor, if it's a starving owlbear then it's at its weakest, too. Perhaps still too strong for you to fight it off, but by nourishing it, what else are you doing?
[i'm not sure exandria even has owlbears i don't think they've ever shown up, too copyrighted?]
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Well, they do say once you feed something, you'll never be rid of it.
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D loves a good magical item, too. She's always asking after them. So it's interesting to learn how it works.
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[ a joke to lighten the mood. ]
D is your mentor, then? The deceased wizard?
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Delilah. She's very demanding. But, you see, she's also stuck. She can't go anywhere else, because they killed her body and all of her backups. So she can't push too hard. She needs me.
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Who is they?
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Heroes of the realm, I suppose.
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... I ask only out of personal curiosity, but was there something in particular this Delilah was doing that attracted so much attention required from heroes and such?
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