07.10i Amber's Pattern

[Joshua]

On the pattern (as this is likely the only post for it, it seems a waste to make a second thread...) Harrune sees:

The church itself is empty. It's a medium sized church, like one might expect in a frontier town. And it is empty. There are no pews, no seating, and the hardwood floors are bare except for a small alter that sits underneath a seven foot across seven-pointed star. The stained glass windows are in a Mondrian inspired abstract pattern (although these have a circle in the middle).

A little investigation of the alter reveals it conceals a 1930’s style telephone. The phone-line goes underground, and then sorta vanishes. Using Pattern lens you can see the tendril head off into shadow. At the moment, the connection is inactive, thus not traceable*.

All Churches of the Four Castles are like this.
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*: Flux-pin construct connection to a manifestation.

[misfit]

Harrune looks this all over very carefully. Once he is convinced he has seen all there is to see at the moment he will use the power of the Pattern to move to the group by the door. He staggers slightly from the fatigue, but Alaror is there to help keep him steady. He quickly recounts what little he managed to see from the center (but not the rest of the walk).

"So, it seems that Lane, or his god, has found a way to communicate with other shadows. Knowing how they did that could be very useful. Unfortunately I don't know any more about who or what is at the other end. It does imply that this god is not in residence, but that doesn't mean that it can't come and go at will."

"The only course of action that leaps to mind at the moment would be to try to talk to whatever is on the other end of that line. I for one am too tired to take on that task tonight. If anyone has a better idea, I am certainly open to it."

[Spellbinder]

"That's a pretty direct approach...and let's whatever is on the other end know that we're on to him/her/it/them...whatever. If you could track it through the Pattern while it's active, that could work. But that would require very careful timing. It doesn't look like you can stay in there too long. Anyone else have any ideas?"

[Wyvern]

"That's odd," Alys says to Harrune. "You couldn't just look for the other end? From what I understand, you could easily walk to 'the other end of this connection'; I would have expected sight through the Pattern to be able to do the same."*

Alys turns to Spellbinder, "And there is your other idea: since we know the other end is out in shadow, someone with Pattern can walk to... 'A place to observe discreetly and verify whether or not this entity is Hivers' sounds like the right thing to look for. Or get Asai to go with you and you should get that last bit for free."

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* OOC: It can't. Alys' expectations are, in this instance, simply wrong.

[misfit]

"I did try to follow it to the other end. Unfortunately there was nothing to make it stand out. It is rather like trying to follow one black thread...in an entirely black tapestry. Had the connection been active it might have stood out enough for me to follow, but it was not. If you think you can do better..." Harrune gestures towards the Pattern.

He sighs deeply. "My apologies. That was unworthy. It has been a long and difficult day."

"As for your other idea, it could work if such a place actually exists. The other end could be in a place that it too exposed to view unnoticed, or it might be in an enclosed space like the Pattern here is, or the entity might not be there at the time. And of course this all assumes this line leads to that entity and not something else entirely. Granted, it leading to that entity would be the most likely thing."

"We should think about this before we just leap into it. I see no reason this cannot wait until morning. I for one need rest."

[Wyvern]

Alys shakes her head. "No, I do not think I could; it merely surprises me that attempting to follow the thread was all that could be done from there."

[misfit]

"Maybe there is a way to do more. We are all still learning. Unfortunately the only one who could teach us chooses to let us learn on our own. Also, walking the Pattern is draining, and the visions and visitations along the way tend to have a profound affect...or at least they have with me. That can be a major distraction from the task at hand. Maybe...maybe I'm just not the right person. Maybe someone else could do better."

[Wyvern]

"Possible," Alys shrugs again, "But unlikely. Far more likely that my expectations are simply skewed; it would not be the first time I have been wrong about the specific capabilities of Pattern, and it is unlikely to be the last."

[Spellbinder]

Spellbinder whistles. "Trial and error is never the best way to learn magic, but some times that's all you have. Sounds to me like you gave it your best shot and you'll need to rest before you can try again. Unless there's something I'm missing we should probably call it a night?" (During this Spellbinder continues to try, and fail, to keep his eyes away from the Pattern for any length of time.)

[Joshua]

Oberon will pat Spellbinder on the back. "It is... fatal to those who stop or step off of it. Probably best not to do it on an impulse. Although... There are plenty who have done so."