February 21st:

When Zeiss hears Snarg mentions bringing the refugees in here, he turns to him and flatly says :

"No. We have a frelling airship to hide from a whole continent. We are not bringing any refugees in here."

"And we still have our little problem down here to think about," Rory added. "I might as well just knock my head against a rock, transform and go kill everyone in town myself."

Snarg snorts derisively at Rory's comment but says nothing further. "What else are they going to do, just sit outside and bleed to death? They don't have anywhere to go. There's not enough aid to go around here. Some of them got hit pretty hard - especially those with a bit of elemental fire in their spirit."

Rory went quiet at that, and deciding he needed to relax too, he took a seat on the grass, uncapped a bottle of mead, and drank from it gratuitously.

Zeiss still stares at Snarg.

"Yeah, these refugees are hurt. And if anybody else discover this airship, or the devices in it, every organizations in Dereth will fight for it, causing the death of more people."

He stays silent for a moment. Then adds :

"If you really wish to help, it would be better to discover how we have been healed. After which we can try to replicate this effect elsewhere."

"Then let them!" he exclaims loudly. "It's better for ten to die fighting for a cause than for an innocent to bleed and die! Unless you know of a way to quickly get rid of everything in here without a trace, it's going to happen eventually. The Warden hasn't even sent anyone to help us or even said he would; I asked just yesterday and he might as well have blown me off! The little teleporter he sent didn't even stick around when we might have needed him. We just seem to be little toys to him. Look :there's people out there dying, looking for new purpose, and we've got both in here." He pounds one fist in to his other hand and snarls at the air. "I'm sure you'd have more people than you could handle signing up for a job here and taking back their home from Sho, Naverre, and whoever else has their claws in it."

Zeiss sighs, frustrated. He thinks for a few moment.

"These people lost their home because of the attack from Naverre and Sho. You want to help them because you understand how these refugees feel. Angry, desperate and vengeful. Am I right?"

"Does it make a difference how I feel? That's not going to change what they need."

"But that changes how I should consider you."

Zeiss sits back in his chair.

"There are hundred of devices in this facility that transform anyone who approaches them into a Tusker. How do you plan to prevent these refugees to go near them?"

"Hell, I'm already infected, and none of us even know when that happened," Rory said, speaking up from his comfortable chair. "So that's probably not such a good idea."

"Then we clear them out first! That's what we were already doing!" Snarg is clearly very frustrated, pacing back and forth while motioning wildly around him. "What's got you so up in arms about helping these people?!? We've finally got something we can clearly use this place for and you're still wringing your hands."

Rory got up from his chair and left the bottle in a cupholder, which had formed at the end of the underside of his arm below where his hand rested. A serious look scrunched itself up on his face. "You ordering me around, Snarg? That's unexpected, coming from a Gnoll who would have gotten slaughtered along with his clan if not for the careful thought behind the decisions of the group he's in."

Zeiss listens to Rory's objection. He adds :

"It will take us days to clear out all of these devices."

He observes Snarg walking back and forth.

"And what if there are other dangerous devices in this facility? We explored only a minuscule portion of it. And the airship? What will we do when they see it? All other nations will hear about it. And I doubt we could prevent the Aluvian army from taking it and using it to conquer all the continent."

"I'd bet good money you weren't any part of any 'good decisions'," he snaps at Rory, "Gnawbone would've split you in half while scratching his left armpit. You two are just making up excuses! A few days? That's such a small thing it isn't even worth talking about. We'll all be old and dead by the time you find just a little bit about these devices, but meanwhile you could be saving lives with this room! If someone decides to leave and rat us out after we help them, and if they even believe them, so be it. If Aluvia decides they want the airship and we can't fly it out of here, rolling over Sho and Naverre with it wouldn't get any second glances from me."

Rory grit his front teeth and scrunched his brow as Snarg spoke, and pulled in air for a long-winded retort before he finished. "Hey, you think I like watching them suffer? Now I don't have much sympathy for Sho and Naverre after what just happened, but it'll still take time for Aluvia to even figure out how to use that thing, and you can bet your hide the other nations will gang up on them before they even have the chance to use it. Besides, this is just what the enemy wants!"

"I never even wanted to come here, but I'm making the most of it, and you're here because your master ordered you to help us with whatever we need you for. I don't want to play that card, but I will, and if you don't cooperate I will beat your ass in broad daylight, before or after you reveal the very thing this world will tear itself to pieces over."

Zeiss frowns at Snarg. He then listens to Rory, weighing everything he was saying. Then he simply stayed silent.

"You know," Fierneceal half whispers.  "I know what a Stasis Weaving is, I've seen my brother do one before.  It'll preserve a spot completely, freeze it in time and the energies in it.  We..." she pauses.  "We couldn't use it on the whole facility, but we could use it just on this room.  I've seen a place like this before, and based on everything I can tell you right now this place used to be connected to a Ley Line in some way or another, and that energy gave it a jump start, but if you're listening to me then you get my point; this won't last.  So, rather then sitting here soaking it all up ourselves, let's get that Archweaver and Stasis this room, at least then we can help some people while we argue for 3 days."

Snarg rears back and cackles madly. "Just like a little pup growling and biting at something bigger than he is! Fine, Fiernaceal, let's get this prepared. No use wasting energy when someone might need it very badly very soon."

Zeiss glares at Snarg. He says nothing.

"I'm no pup, not anymore," Rory glowered.

"Enjoy your humor. If you act before you think later, you won't be laughing after I've shoved that metal jaw down your throat," he threatened as he left the room. Later, as everyone else was leaving, he reentered to retrieve his mead.

"Get your ass back in here," Fierneceal snaps at Rory.  "This concerns all of us, especially you."

"What? Aren't we leaving?" he asked as he walked back in and grabbed his mead for another swig.

She gathers her thoughts for a moment, frowning.  "I suppose we'll start a bit further back, hm?  You've all figured out that your 'ancients', the people who built all these things and ruled this continent before recorded history were the Scions, my people.  The... Scions, some of them built these four Lassels, Sanctuaries, we're not really sure why but they were literally built out of the Ley Lines, as in the energy of the Lines was morphed into physical form and crafted into the islands, arranged by the most powerful Weaving I've ever seen in my life."  She pauses as the memory overwhelms her for a moment.  "In any case.  The Scions who built these places had a system in place to shield them away from everything... physical, magical, all of it, that's why your people have never discovered them in centuries of time despite them being so close to your continent."   She pauses as the considers how best to explain.  "I... well I'm not completely sure how it worked, but it bound Scion souls, hundreds of them, to the Ley Line itself, keeping it in shape and powered.  They'd stay in these stasis beds, sleeping, until it was their turn to change out.  Only... well, something happened and all the other Scions went away, and no one ever replaced the ones in the pods."

She leans back and takes a bit of a breath.  "Well.  Gaerlan..." she shudders involuntarily at the name, "He... murdered them.  All of the Scions in the stasis cells, he butchered them with a knife, one by one.  That's what created these backlashes, all three of them, as the Ley Lines... disrupted, and revealed the islands to the world.  We... I... am still not sure why he's doing this, or the full effects of this, but I'm starting to think this is actually disrupting the Ley Lines themselves, which... well, I shouldn't have to finish that sentence, should I?"

She claps her hands together slightly.  "So.  I know the world's about to rip itself apart and I know these refugees need help, I know war... well no I don't know war and that's part of the problem, so who knows what's going on with all of these.  But," and at this her tone grows deadly serious, "I know the threat that monster poses.  So I'm going to this island that just unveiled itself, and I'm going to do the best I can.  I'd like Zeiss and Rory both to join me but whether you come with me or not... that's up to you."  She pauses, awkwardly, for a moment.  "If you have any questions I don't mind answering."

Fierneceal's explanation made Zeiss uneasy. It was a lot to accept, and also difficult to believe. But he had seen the airship and the Tusker transformation devices. If these Scions were truly capable of creating such things, maybe they could create islands. But one thing really caught his attention.

"...You want me and Rory to come?"

He looks at the human.

"Him, I can understand. He is from one of your islands... But... why me?"

He looks genuinely confused.