Previous Threads:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Valen+Quest

Where things are said: https://twitter.com/Riz_QM
Where things are asked: http://ask.fm/RizQM

Assorted Supplemental:
Current Abilities - http://pastebin.com/PchcdWpw
A List of Forgotten Things - http://pastebin.com/kPEscJ3h
Irue's Memoires - http://pastebin.com/sWnicrK7

Write-ups:
Kara's Day Out - http://pastebin.com/8ZbiSKLs
Adventures with Asche - http://pastebin.com/RNviCBJu
The Reclaimed Doll - http://pastebin.com/n6miP1qT
In Your Shadow - http://pastebin.com/EfeeHFAE
Friends Forever - http://pastebin.com/Yn0QaTVB
The Woman Beneath Steel - http://pastebin.com/pMGgiHC3

Misc notes:Change your story. Change everything about yourself. What you say, what you think, even what you look like, it doesn't matter. If it could be changed so easily, it never mattered in the first place.


Memo:
1.
2. Invite Marchovic on adventures next time there's a chance.
3. Mim said "When are you going to tell her?" Tell what to whom?

>>1103706
>Meditate (Which Mana?)
Luna

>>1103706
>>Call the children out

>>1103843
pls no

File: 1419854632498.gif (1003 KB, 250x251)

1003 KB GIF

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>1103843
1. Meditating to Luna!

>>1103885
2. Talking to Children!

...Alright. Dice gods guide us.

>>1103987
shoulda voted then anon

Well the fact you could hear them murmuring to each other was a decent sign that your hearing was still functioning. Tactile sensations were confirmed earlier, as you ascertained that this was indeed one of the least comfortable places you had ever slept, and the sweet smell of the forest was still present in the air.

As things seemed to be turning up without any issues, your mind began to turn elsewhere. You had attempted meditation en route, and it had in retrospect served to preemptively warn you of what you had accidentally found yourself forced to confront last night; This place was a lie.

Which is the best way you felt comfortable describing it. There was a distinction to be made between a lie and a fake, after all. You doubted you would have been able to sense any Mana at all if this place were indeed fake. However, you had spent most of your life trying without success to be able to sense anything... That you were suddenly able to was one of the more depressing details which convinced you that you were being lied to.

That it was a lie was important. Lies had meaning.

But that brought you no closer to rescuing Ari, or to unraveling what the purpose of this lie was. You had initially theorized that the distortions you had been experiencing were a result of the Fae's deeply seated hatred for Luna, but what if that was a fundamentally wrong conclusion? If you accepted that this place itself was a lie, then could it have been reacting to the invocation of Luna as the Keeper of Knowledge, rather than as a Mana? If there were any force capable of absolutely quashing a lie, then it would be something that would instantly know both the nature of the falsehood, the meaning behind it, and the truth of the matter.

You had experienced that first hand during your meeting with the Representatives. Mim had demonstrated the power of Luna's Dominion.

Then, even if it did bring about distortions, that might still be your best course of action. Though you had erred away from this initially, maybe these distortions were in your best interest if you wanted to unravel this place and get Ari out.

You closed your eyes, forcibly reigning in what uncertainty you felt about this decision as you exhaled.

Thus began the process of changing your thoughts. Putting aside your own preconceptions as you twisted your mind around to fully accept Luna's teachings. Luna's peace of mind. The Clarity it could show, and the certainty of its judgement.

...And no sooner had you begun, did you hear the familiar bird song skip a note. It was minor. Barely a blip in the background... But it was a sign of things to come. Every moment you delved deeper into meditation, the more distortions you heard and felt in the world around you.

It was distracting. Or more aptly, it was a cry for distraction. Its sole purpose to interfere with your focus, and stop you.

Like a broken record, sounds skipped and distorted. A familiar melody of nature that had been your constant companion for years, twisted and deranged into a haunting discord. The voices of the spying children were lost to you, growing ever more indiscernable from persisting white noise that had begun to bleed into the air itself.

Your eyes remained shut, studiously ignoring the visual corruptions. They were the easiest. It was only due to a great deal of experience meditating that you were able to focus past the sounds... But nothing prepared you for the sudden loss of feeling. Like the time crossing the bridge, when something solid had simply ceased let you phase through it.

>Stay the course
>Am I forgetting something...? (write-in)

>>1104377
Oh God. A Forgetting. We're done for.

But I can at least try.

"And it's about time that I start listening."
Irue said that before opening to the Fae. We're here not to find Ari on our own, but to listen to what the Fae have to say. And we still haven't learned anything. Even a lie can reveal things if analyzed, but for that we have to listen to the lie first.


And immediately a take two:

Sipder's Web couldn't detach us from our senses when we tried it. So maybe there isn't anything to detach. We obviously have senses, so we must not have the thing they detach from. In other words, the current us isn't an Irue in the Matrix, but an emulation of Irue that doesn't exist outside the Matrix. Clarity would destroy us.

>>1103843
Come on, Luna anon, put forward some theory too. Take responsibility. I don't want to have to play Rinnier Quest.

>>1104377
Can we meditate on the distortions instead and see if they're trying to tell us anything?

>>1104377
Well I too drunk for this.

Please save us other poster.

>>1104503
Distortions are not Mana anon.
Judging from the previous thread, they appear when Luna is mentioned, or when the world contradicts what we know. What it means, though, who knows.

>>1104377
>>Am I forgetting something...? (write-in)
Well shit, since there's no answer to meditation or is loss of feeling an answer? there's no Mana here?

>>1104503
Meditation as far as Valen goes is the act of deliberately aligning your thoughts in a way that better suits the way a specific Mana thinks, in order to foster affinity and communication.

So unfortunately you cannot, no.

Should I call it now, or do you guys want a little more time to think? Participation seems low tonight (probably because I started late), so I don't mind extending it a little longer.

>>1104527
Not exactly; the thing is there _was_ an answer to meditation where there shouldn't have been because Irue is unattuned to any Mana. But the end result should be the same: what answers to our meditatons is not the Mana that should do it.

>>1104377
Previously when we meditated Luna we could feel its weight and then we relinquished what it was after.

>>1104558
And that was right where this Shrine is.
Though I don't know whether Irue remembers this fact.

>>1104561
This was mentioned a while back, but Irue doesn't remember much about their time at this Shrine. The visions they had here in particular were taken, and subsequently, Irue is actually uncertain what Luna took in the first place.

Because Irue can't remember what they've Forgotten.

>>1104571
Pls no bully. We're trying as hard as we can.

I'm going to close the window in about 20 minutes. I feel like 3 hours is probably more than any other Forgetting, but I can't really justify extending it any longer than that.

Afterwards if none of the answers are correct, we will proceed with the default course.

>>1104588
11-9=2

>>1104592
I typo'd. The 3 is right next to 2!

>>1104377
I don't know what else to remember.

Clarity killed Dopplerue?
Luna's smell awakens bad memories in Fae?
Irue is "not different" from the Fae?

Window closed.

Writing.

File: simpsons_panic.gif (43 KB, 1024x768)

43 KB GIF

>>1104626

just woke up to this,
plz have mercy

you're just going to fight on your own?

You were beginning to fall, in more ways than one. The world itself was beginning to fray around you, and you could feel your sense of balance beginning to flounder as what was tangible or not wavered. Through it all, your eyes remained stubbornly shut; Ears deliberately deaf. You needed to focus, because you didn't have anyone else to help you now. Either you unravelled the lie now, or-

I don't plan to fight at all.

Your resolve flickered.

You... Hadn't come here to fight. In the first place, this wasn't somewhere you had been tricked into coming at all. When you had called out, they came forth to answer. Their many voices spoke near indecipherably, but they had answered your every question. For every demand you had made, they had tried to make allowance.

I'm going to trust that the Fae will lead me to where I need to be.

You took a chance when you couldn't understand anything else, and put your trust in the Fae. If this lie was the result, then you only had two choices. Without thinking, almost out of habit, you had chosen to reject it; Saw it for a lie and wanted nothing more to do with it. Wanted to do everything you could to unravel it, even knowing the dangers it posed... Because even before you had accepted the Fae's invitation to this place, they had warned you.

It was the 'Scent of Luna' which stirred something ominous, which they had dared not confront. It was a concept you didn't fully understand, but if it was carried by those with an affinity for the Mana, then it stood to reason meditation in accordance with it would work to create something similar, would it not? After all, meditation had ever been a method of fostering that same affinity in the first place.

...These distortions. Were they truly an unraveling? Or the signs of something beginning to rouse? Whether this place was a lie or not, it was the 'answer' the Fae had seen fit to give you. There was a purpose to it, and meaning both to their warnings and the unnatural oddities you had been experiencing since you arrived.

...It's about time that I start listening.

The resolve you had to invoke Luna broke. If it had ever been resolve in the first place, and not some misguided frustration with your circumstances... Or worse, fear kindled by your brief exposure to the emptiness which lay beyond the thin veil surrounding you. Fear that if you didn't tear apart this place, you'd be trapped here.

File: We have always forgiven you..png (7 KB, 342x220)

7 KB PNG

"Ser Valen, are you well? Has the fever receded? I'm sorry, we really don't have many better places, I'm sure your used to better..."

You hesitated to open your eyes again, only reluctantly cracking open one of your crimson eyes when you felt something cool gently press against your forehead. The attendant from before had returned, with worry written plain upon her face as one hand brushed back your hair to check your temperature. You swallowed dryly, realizing how hoarse your throat had become as she stood there, anxiously chewing upon her lower lip.

>Let her fuss over you
>Say something (what?)
>Comment on the children
>Other? (write-in)

No one saw that.

>>1104716
Did... did I do it?

>Comment on the children

>>1104716
>>Comment on the children

File: Spoiler Image (2.87 MB, 480x270)

2.87 MB GIF

>>1104718
Good job, anon.

>>1104718
>>1104721
Commenting on children!

Writing.

Then, a wild mass guessing time!

In thread 7 Riz said we have already met the Prophet. But before that point we've met a pretty limited number of characters. I've investigated them and came to the conclusion that the Prophet is... uncle Byrn

>>1103843
>>1104499
Thank the Stars you were here, both of you. I definitely wouldn't have let Luna get screen time today but it all worked out for the best.

>>1104733
And how did you reach the conclusion?

>>1104745
>And how did you reach the conclusion?
Well, it was either him or the slavemaster.

>>1104754
But why? Having met the prophet isn't the same as having spoken or interacted with them. They won't necessary have said anything even remotely prophetic either. So how do you figure? Is it because we haven't spoken with them much since or you find Byrn's jokes to be mysterious?

"I've slept in worse." You rasp, only to have a small cup of water held to your lips with a gentle insistence. The attentiveness almost reminded you of the times you had needed Asche to nurse you back to health when you had gotten sick... But rather than literally force the water down your throat, the bookish attendant was patient enough to wait for you to accept it and drink on your own accord.

...Though it seemed that neither of them were going to take 'no' for an answer.

"...Still," You continue, clearing your throat as the cool liquid soothed the parched passage, "I'm not used to sleeping with this many children around."

"I'm sorry...!" A flush crept up her cheeks as she bowed apologetically, "I'm sorry, I-I had other duties to attend to so I couldn't stay here to look after you. People in the Shrine get mad at me if I'm gone for too long..." Her head continued to drop, right alongside the volume of her voice, as her explanations continued. "They've been very patient with me insisting on caring for the kids, I didn't want to keep disappointing them, but I should have taken better care of you."

You had considered mentioning how the pillow was rough and the blanket was itchy as well, but she might actually start crying. You could still make out the presence of the aforementioned children lurking just beyond veil of flowering ivy which served as a divider for the room you were in, no doubt listening intently on the conversation.

Idly running your hand across the amateurly woven blanket that had been covering you until recently, you take note of the thick threads of fiber which had been clumsily crocheted together into one rather large, somewhat misshapen form. The pillow wasn't much better either, and now that you were calming down more, you realized that your bed was little more than a shelf-like stump which had been hollowed out for an occupant.

Between the presence of the orphans, and this roughly hewn living Had you even left the orphanage?

The attendant chewed nervously on her lip as she waited for a response, and the longer you took to think of one, the more uneasy she seemed to become.

>You could have taken me to the Shrine.
>Ask to start learning about Dryad
>Lie about what happened
>Other? (write-in)

>>1104765
>>Ask to start learning about Dryad

So I spent a little over 10 minutes trying to post that, and captcha insists it can't connect. Also my IP changed.

Test

I hate this.

>>1104765
>Ask to start learning about Dryad

>>1104768
At least you don't have half of your IP pool in the ban list for some reason

>>1104755
I assumed that the Prophet would be someone narratively important and not one of the faceless guests on our Rite. And the list of narratively important people we've met up to that point is pretty short.

Though now that I think of it, it's unlikely to be uncle Byrn either, since the Prophet was said to be travelling. I'm stumped.

>>1104771
It's probably much simpler; it's Maran. She IS the one dragging our cousin across land and country on a quest and have knowledge of future events and how they're supposed to play out.

>>1104765
>Ask to start learning about Dryad

ALSO! Since the children are eavesdropping:
>Tell her about Oakenbears and Nightgaunts and ask why we didn't see any in the forest. They're supposed to be quite common around here, after all.

>>1104774
Maran was one of my candidates, but the exact words of her talk with Caylen render this impossible.
Unless Caylen himself never heard the prophecy nor learned the Prophet's identity. It did seem like the meeting with the Prophet was conducted by Clara...

>>1104778
I've seen this before

>Come, I will show you the way to the ultimate evil's lair!
>walk walk walk
>Ha ha! It was me all along! I am the ultimate evil! You walked into my trap, you fools!

It should be the slaver in that case since they left and Clara rode after them and if they were meeting with the Prophet on that excursion it can't be Byrn since he was at home.

>>1104769
>>1104767
Dryad!

Writing!

Captcha issues again.

wow, meditating to Luna was a dangerous move. Good job Remembering though anon.

"So is it time yet?" You move the blanket aside as you swing your feet around to the edge. The sensation of packed dirt beneath your heels was grounding, even as you took a moment to test putting weight on your legs again.

"Oh, yes! Yes, I need to introduce you to everyone at the Shrine right away, I-I mean... If you're feeling up to it. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'll be fine, but no." You shake your head, "You agreed to teach me about Dryad yesterday. Can we start that now?"

"You still want to- Yes! Yes, of course, I'll do my best!" A myriad of emotions washed across the mousey attendant, "I'm... I'm not sure where I should start. Did you have any specific questions you were curious about? Should I just... Start somewhere?"

Specific... "What can you tell me about Nightgaunts?" This was where you had encountered them in the first place, and that night had been near permanently seared into your memories since. Regardless of your intentions back then, it had been your deliberate plan which led to the deaths of a great many of your knight's friends and family. That you had gone on to recruit the comrads of the people you had so blithely sentenced was something that followed just as persistently as any accusation.

And yet, try as you might, the things which you had used to destroy them remained suspiciously elusive. People who, by all rights should have known of them and been familiar in handling them, had simply given you blank stares every time you had asked. A habit which you weren't even disappointed to discover was remaining true to this very moment.

"I'm... Sorry. Those sound much too scary to be anything related to Dryad. Though I've never heard the name before... Hm." She glanced away, absent mindedly beginning to drag her thumbnail over the cuticles of her hand. "You said... They're in the forest now?"

"It's where I encountered them last." You shrugged, briefly explaining the details you had learned as to how to ward them away. "So I take it they aren't native to here?"

"No, or at least I've never encountered any." The attendant shook her head quickly, "Dryad has always done its best to keep the creatures of the forest docile. I can't imagine it would let something like that sneak in without warning any of us."

Well, you expected as much. It wasn't like anyone else had any answers for you, either. "What about Oakenbears, then?" You take a little more joy than strictly necessary in describing the more disturbing aspects of the thing you found yourself dealing with off and on these past few months. While the attendant only seemed to pale reflexively at your gorey description, your actual targets of harassment were faring significantly worse.

By the time you decided to wrap it up, several sets of footsteps had already made their out the door.

"...You won't find anything like that here." She swallowed nervously after your story ended, "Certainly, Dryad could make something like that, but... Oh, here." She stepped aside, laying her hand against the flowering ivy curtain. "This is Dryad." She smiled,"And... You're sitting on Dryad as well! The bed... I mean. Um." She coughed "The... Stump."

"Basic Mana theory?" You quirk a brow at her. "Mana are the Pillars of our world? They inhabit everything, and can be interacted with best through a medium that reflects them?"

"Yes!" She lit up proudly, "But... No, I mean... This is Dryad." She ran her hand against the ivy tenderly, leaving you to watch the small trail of buds which slowly unfurled in the wake of her movement. They diligently followed the caress of her hand across the ivy veil, with infant blossoms following the directions she moved in faithfully. "The oakenbear you spoke of... I have no doubt it is something Dryad is capable of, but I don't believe one has ever existed in these woods." She gazed fondly at the ivy, minute fines wrapping themselves around her finger tips. "I find it hard to believe such a thing existed at all..."

"There are different sides to a Mana." You suggest with a small frown, "Even if you've only ever seen Dryad's gentleness, that shouldn't rule out something more violent."

"No, no of course not." She shook her head, "Certainly, even Dryad must act to maintain a balance from time to time... It is just..." She withdrew from the ivy veil reluctantly, wringing her hands together as she struggled to find words to explain herself. "Dryad is... As vast as its love." She began slowly, "I understand what you must think, but Dryad can not... Does not afford itself the privilege of Apparitions. A-At least not the kind you're familiar with!"

"...I'm listening." One leg crosses the other as your fingers lace together attentively. Circumstances aside, this was the topic you had dedicated most of your life to studying. Learning about an enigmatic 8th Mana was something most of Artemis would turn green with envy over.

Unfortunately, your dedicated attention only served to put the nervous attendant on the spot, which necessitated her taking several deep breaths before she could gather the nerve to continue with an embarassed flush of rose coloring her cheeks as she offered a small smile. "Dryad is... Different from its siblings. It has more in common with L̵̸̛͟͢u͢͞n̛͢a̷̧̡͡ than anyone else." She spoke the name brightly, ignorant to the distortion it caused. "Though Dryad loves all of its siblings, it adores L̵̸̛͟͢u͢͞n̛͢a̷̧̡͡ most of all, and one trait they share is the... Difficulty in describing their Dominion." She bit her lip, "I... Can't hope to explain Luna, but Dryad is life." She stressed the word emphatically, as if doing so would just enlighten you to her meaning. "What you see is nature, but Dryad is the life within it. It is the body in which all else inhabits."

"Like... Wisp?" As far as you knew, everything she was saying applied to Wisp... Not whatever tree Mana Dryad had proven itself to be.

"Yes! ...No, not like Wisp. Wisp is... Something else." She seemed to shrink in on herself. "Wisp... Heals. It strengthens and protects. It recovers." She listed off the basic properties of Wisp you had long since internalized from studies, "Dryad... Gives life. Before something can heal, it needs to be alive. Before it can recover, it needs to live. Dryad is the beginning to all of that."

"So you see? The creature you're describing... Dryad would certainly be capable of it, but it isn't the sort of thing Dryad would ever make. It is a cruel, death driven thing. If what you've told me is true, rather than balance, it sounds as if it moves purely on its own single minded hunger, or malice. If such is the case... Then it cannot be an apparition of Dryad. Understand?"

Taking into account everything she was trying to tell you, then...

"No. I'm more confused than before."
"Uuu..."

>Ask about Apparitions of Dryad
>Ask for instructions on meditation(Dryad)
>Ask who else she was expecting to be with you
>Ask about Carona (what?)
>Ask about something else? (what?)
>Other? (write-in)

Going to leave this vote open while I pause the thread here. The skyfire has started to encroach.

We'll pick back up either later tonight, or monday - Whichever I can find more spare time in. Maybe both.

>>1104956
Wait. Where aspects of the nightguant things what Luna took from our Memory?

Are they like, Nega-Fae?

>>1104970
Luna didn't take anything from you concerning Nightgaunts. Irue remembers them vividly... Or at least, remembers the event where you encountered them vividly.

>>1104962
>Ask about Apparitions of Dryad
>Ask about Oakenrues
>Ask about Faedka
>Ask about Nymph's Wood
>Ask about the Goddess
>Ask for instructions on meditation(Dryad)
>Ask who else she was expecting to be with you
>Ask about Carona. Is there also a Shrine there? What is the relationship between the Shrines?

>>1104962
>>1104994
If this doesn't make Riz cry, I'll second.

>>1104962
>Ask about the Fae and their relationship with Dryad

>Tell her about our encounters with the Oakenrues, from start to finish including the staff and the monster Ari can control. Let's hear her take on them.

>Ask about Faedka, why are the Oakenrues giving it to you?

>"If Dryad /is/ life, what would happen if Dryad disappeared or was... forgotten by the Shrine? Would all things die or would they live without /life/? Let's say that a country, Teranford for example, lost its favor with Salamander. Another Mana would fill the gap and turn its deserts into their domain. Hypothetically speaking, which Mana do you think would be the first to take over Dryad's domain?"

>Ask about the Goddess

>Ask about Nymph's Wood, tell her what it did to our house (This is our explanation for why we arrived ahead of the rest of the group- we need answers)

>Ask for instructions on meditation(Dryad)

>>1104962
Forgot one

>Ask about Mint

File: loliko.jpg (175 KB, 630x609)

175 KB JPG

>>1104994
>>1105011
...Some days I wonder how Valen would have turned out if I had went with the traditional quest format, and only allowed one option per vot-

>>1105014
Another came while I was typing this.

>>1105000
>>1105017
Apparently, we made Riz cry

>>1105017
> Ask her about the Eastern Empire

They're still around, yeah?

> Ask about the Fire Country to the south

Or whatever is there at this time.

> Ask about any nearby ateliers

Aren't you glad to have another player? AREN'T YOU THRILLED?

>>1107640
That poor girl is going to have a heart attack and we're going to look like a clueless idiot, but who cares? As long as we get some decent, truthful answers... but what are the odds.

>>1110537
Good? They Fae probably did it this way to be as truthful as possible since they normally have trouble communicating for what we've seen.

>>1107640
>Aren't you glad to have another player?
I love all four of you!

anyway, window is closed. Gonna start writing. Soon as it stops giving me Captcha errors.

File: ScreenHunter_02 Jan. 31 05.45.jpg (10 KB, 347x146)

10 KB JPG

rip

>>1112673
I'm just barely at >>1105011 and there's three posts already, anon. It's not my bad sense of time for once...!

>>1112675
I think the chunk of questions were more of a "shotgun and see what Riz picks up", rather than an "answer all of these plz". I'm not complaining though; more answers are always good.

"Can you tell me more about what an apparition of Dryad would be?"

Now that the children had either fled or wandered off, you didn't feel as reluctant to start a more serious discussion about the things you had been wondering. It wasn't as if you had any particular intent of hiding it from the kids, but... At this point, keeping your dealings discrete and private was a long ingrained habit. Better you be safe, and certain of who your words reached, than regret it later.

"For example... Would the Fae be considered apparitions of Dryad?"

"Fae...?" the attendant laughed suddenly, startling herself with how easily it slipped out. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- I mean..." She coughed, a fond smile with a warm air to it softly at home across her lips. "Because it is the 'Fae' Forest, yes? I suppose you would have heard stories, but there really aren't any such thing as Fae here. It's a story we tell the children to scare them out of the woods at night."

It was difficult to not get frustrated when everything you thought you knew was being laughed at. More so when your family was supposed to have made a pact with something that-

...Wait, Fae were fairy tales in the first place. You already knew they were considered just local folklore; It's what you considered them as well, before they started wrecking your house and drugging you. "Do any of the stories involve some kind of alcohol? Or wooden golems?"

"Haha. Something like that, yes!" She clapped her hands together, quickly leaving the room before you had time to ask anything else. "One moment... Oh, where was it? I know I put it... Oh! Here, this is it!" When she returned, it was with a book that was as far wider than it was thick. Her approach never ceased though, and you began to recoil slightly as she excitedly intruded on your personal space in order to squeeze onto the wooden shelf next to you. "I often tell the children bedtime stories when they can't sleep." She confided conspiratorially, opening the well-worn cover of the book she had retrieved to reveal it was far from a scholarly tome.

Colorful drawings and large, easy to read script filled the aged pages. "What most people know of Fae comes from old stories like these... The ones you're describing sound similar to the Forgotten Dolls."

"The people of Carona have a tradition of carving dolls for their children." She began softly, "One doll for every child. It was never given lightly, and the crafting of it would start not long after the child was born. It was a symbol of protection, and Dryad's love. For a time, people believed that its presence would help protect the children from danger, or ward away bad dreams."

"So the children would grow up being taught that the dolls were their own personal protectors. Something to be cherished. On their eigth birthday, the children would finally be given their doll and told to make it their own." The attendant hesitated for a moment, turning the page after some thought. "I'm sorry if this is boring you. You see, none of this is actually true any more. After the establishment of the Shrine, superstitions like these slowly died out as people came to rely more and more on us for their affairs. Healers and medicine took the place of wards, and the practice of carving a doll... Largely fell to the side."

The next page was anything but an image meant to lull children to sleep, as a pile of discarded dolls was displayed prominently upon a forest floor. "In the story, we tell the children that the dolls were thrown away, and abandoned in the forest." Her smile grew more regretful as she ran her hand over the page. "While some families did place their dolls in the forest, it was never abandonment. Taken from Dryad, returning them to the Forest was done as a form of respect and thanks... In reality, it took several generations before the presence of the dolls in Carona finally dwindled away. There are probably still some families who kept one as an heirloo- Oh! Oh, sorry, the story! Right..."

She coughed lightly, pulling herself from the minor derailment. "As the story goes, Carona abandoned their dolls to the forest and never looked back. Their lives continued, and for a long time, nothing changed... Until some of their hunters began to go missing." The page turned, and you stifled your reaction to a surprised blink. "They say that a trait all Mana share is Jealousy." She explained somberly, "Apparitions are born of a Mana, but in time they can grow. Become more than just a simple reflection of their origin. As the story goes, the dolls eventually did just that, and their forms grew corrupted in ugly jealousy. They resented being abandoned, and would steal away any who wandered too deep into the woods at night."

"...Where does the alcohol come in?" Child's tale or not, this was more in line with what you had been running into... But it still wasn't accurate enough. "Did they do anything else?"

"Well... Technically it doesn't." The attendant admitted, gently closing the covers and folding her hands atop the book. "This is a story for children, and it's supposed to keep them out of the woods at night. In other versions of the story, the stolen people would be carved open and drained of blood by their family's doll, and this would place a curse on their family line for ah... um... childbirth...difficulties." She blushed awkwardly as she stammered out the final line, "The only way to lift that curse was for that family to find their doll again and break it open, then take the blood back."

"..." You stared at her flatly, until the mousey attendant started to fidget- Only belated realizing that she was still seated next to you. She uttered a hasty 'excuse me' as she stood, clutching the book to her chest. "Naturally, stories like these were put to rest after the Shrine came into existence." She continued with an embarassed pitch, "There's no such thing as a curse, and anything to that effect is merely an influence bestowed by the Mana... It was very simple for us - The Shrine, I mean - to ascertain nothing like that was going on."

"Were there any stories where the dolls took on someone else's appearance?"

"Uum... Maybe?" Her answer was anything but confident, "I'm sorry, all I really know are the children's stories. I'll ask my brother when he gets here, though. He'll definitely know!"

"Is he going to be here soon?" You get to your feet in an attempt to stretch your legs. "I don't know that I'll be here for very long."

"If you're here, he shouldn't be too far behind..." She replied doubtfully, "Last I heard, he was with the contingent of Ĺ͠u͘̕͞n͟͡a̛ attendants coming."

"...What?"
"I'm sorry?"

You looked at each other blankly for a moment.

"We were told a member of the Valen family would be travelling with them to join us. It's why I was surprised to see you arrive alone."

"...I see." She had mentioned she was expecting others when you met. It wasn't something you remember ever being a part of, b̷͘͡͡u̸͘͢͝t̸̀́͝ ̨i̷ţ͝ ̴͘f̶̸̛͢͝é̸́l̴̶̷͡͏t̵̕ ̧͞f̸̨̨a̧̨̨͢͏ḿ̢͝i͏̷̢͡l̷͝i̶̶̧͜͞a͟͝r̀͢͠.̸

...No, that was a lie. You shake away the insistent feeling that what she said was the truth, because you knew nothing about it. You woke up in the middle of the forest, not near any kind of Luna Dominion escort.

"Were there any other stories you heard? I'll try to answer anything I can."

You were more than happy to oblige her attempts to steer the conversation back to Dryad, though. "Well, for one, have you heard of anything called 'Nymph's Wood'?"

"Yes, of course." She nodded instantly, which was almost as shocking as actually getting an answer. "...? Is it not common knowledge where you come from?"

"No. In fact, until recently I'd never even seen it." If it were anything else, you'd have been willing to blame your isolation on this, but not this time. "Can you tell me about it?"

"You were sitting on it." She laughed kindly, "Nymph's Wood is... Well, the name is obvious, isn't it? A Nymph is a spirit of the trees. It's a tree which has been blessed by Dryad, and contains its essence... Most of the time it occurs due to an Adept's intervention, but there are also times when you can find it naturally. It's a sign of Dryad's blessing upon the land."

"...So if it were to, theoretically, grow uncontrollably to the point of destroying someone's house." You hedged reluctantly, only to elicit a silent giggle from the attendant. "Then I think there'd be little doubt that whomever lived there was truly loved."

"..." You sighed heavily, faced with a complete lack of response to a statement like that. There were too many retorts you could have made, but all of them just made you feel exhausted... And the attendant was doing her best to stifle her guilty giggles, even as she held up the book to cover her mouth. "I'm sorry, haha... I'd never heard of a reaction that strong before. I feel very sorry for whoever it happened to."

A grunt of vague acknowledgement was the best you could offer. "Then, theoretically... If Dryad is life, what would happen if it were to leave?"

"I... I don't understand?" Your morose question served to end what remained of her giggling adroitly. "I... I don't think Mana can leave, Ser Valen. It is the world; If one truly left, then the world slowly unravel."

"Then... What if it just left a specific region." You rephrased your question carefully, "What if someone offended a Mana so badly, it abandoned that entire region - Teranford, for instance. What would happen if Salamander left the southern deserts?"

"..." She opened her mouth hesitantly, but only ended up clutching the book to her chest silently in the end. "We're... Not that important, Ser Valen." She answered quietly, "If ever we truly offended a Mana so completely, it's more likely that we would be the ones buried beneath its wrath. The Mana are the Pillars of our World... We live upon their generosity and favor."

"Haa.." You brush your hair back, trying to think of some better way to word it. You knew the answer she had given you already, and it wasn't something you doubted the veracity of. The notion that Salamander had left the throne of its Dominion over some offense by mankind was patently absurd. Teranford would sooner be razed to the ground than that happen... But the facts remained valid all the same. "Then, what if a Mana lost its domain to another Mana. If Dryad's Dominion was usurped somehow, what would happen?"

"...Bad things." She answered after a moment of reluctant contemplation. "Very bad things."

"That's it?" You expected something... More. A tale of doomsday, or a foreboding warning that everything would die and life would be horrible.

The attendant shrugged sheepishly, looking down at the book hugged to her chest. "Thinking about it scares me, so I don't want to. I'm sorry."

An unexpectedly honest answer. You actually weren't sure how to respond to that.

"Um... I'm... I'm very sorry about what happened in East Heaven." She began timidly, breaking the awkward silence with another statement you weren't prepared for. "I don't know the details, but... I know you and the Queen must have been close-"

That was a lie.

"The Shrine will work very hard to make sure nothing like that ever happens again. That's why... Um, please... I mean, I'm sorry to keep bothering you, but please help me convince the others to help step in for the- A-Ah...? No, please- I'm sorry, don't cry. I shouldn't have said anything, I'm sorry!"

"...I'm not?" You blinked in confusion, only belatedly feeling your eyes begin to sting. "..." The attendant was continuing to apologize, but you ignored her. This was a lie. Why...? "I got something in my eye, I'm fine." You wiped your eyes dismissively. "Why did you bring up East Heaven, though?"

"Well... Your question. About the Mana trying to usurp each other, or leave... I thought you were concerned that another disaster might happen."

"What... Exactly happened in East Heaven?"

"You would know better than anyone else, wouldn't you?" She blinked curiously, "Weren't you there? With the Queen?"

"No, I-"

>Lie
>Am I forgetting something...? (write-in)

>>1112862
>>Am I forgetting something...? (write-in)
>Queen
The one referenced in the Atelier? Time to go digging...

This reply took much longer than expected and was basically the entire session length for tonight. Which is... A little embarrassing.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I have a long day of classes in the morning, so I'm going to leave this vote open again and call it a night while I go to bed feeling inadequate and ashamed.

>>1112927
Don't feel bad, that's a lot of writing for one session. And we need all the time we can get for Forgetting.

>>1112890
scratch that, that queen was La'Fiel royalty. time to look for East Heaven then, see what turns up.

>>1112856
Asche confirmed for a golem!
Working on the Forgetting now.

Thanks for the wall of text riz.
Now you better give me a chance to get home and work on forgetting things!

>>1112862
"This entire country was created due to the generosity of House Valen's founder, who in turn only had the land to gift because of their bond with East Heaven's princess"
The princess naturally became a queen. So this is the time period we're talking about.

>>1112862
Another interesting thing is La'Fiel rivals East Heaven in livable land. East Heaven is much bigger, but the monsters in its forests make most of the land unlivable.

Why would East Heaven give half of its useable land to Valen founder? Well maybe it wasn't half at the time. Maybe the monsters appeared later. That certainly would be a disaster. And seeing as it's Dryad that's working to keep La'Fiel's forests safe, this disaster could certainly be Dryad revoking its protection.

>>1112862
Fuck it, don't lie but deflect

> I would like to know what people THINK happened. It's important to understand what things look like to others.

And then just say that we find it painful to recall memories of it. She doesn't want to talk about Mana being usurped? We don't want to talk about East Heaven.

We could also go full disclosure if pushed and say we're from the future and shit. is. fucked.

She didn't want to consider what would happen if Mana got usurped? Well. We're fucking dealing with it.

But that should be a last ditch plan.

>>1112862
> The Fae loves us

> Dryad loves us

> The Fae fear Dryad

> The Fae HATE Luna

> The Fae are supposedly part of Luna?

Huh. Maybe we're wrong on that score, and the Fae are actually part of Dryad? Are two Mana fighting for our love?

>>1113167
I don't think so; the Fae were giving us Faedka to cleanse our Mana. We spent a lot of time out next to the Fae forest,and if the Fae are of Dryad, that would make us more inclined toward it, and thus not needing to be purged, right?

>>1112862
Something about Rival?

>>1113328
Unless the Fae are the end result of the Dolls and the fear being reabsorbed by Dryad, and as such avoid mana. Maybe they stole their life from Dryad, and Luna left because they were a danger.

>>1113371
>>1113328

Oakenbears find corpses to drain blood to make dolls which drain Mana from Dryad to become a corrupted aspect, Nymphs wood is the other manifestation which was kept in East Heaven and held back to prevent a cataclysmic conflict between Luna and Dryad over Humans, as embodied by the Valen's who are the Humanest Humans to ever Human.

>>1112974
>>1112984
This is likely to be what we're forgetting, but I'm drawing a blank as to how we're going to use it. It's good info but it won't save us from this situation.

>>1113371
>>1113413
>"I understand what you must think, but Dryad can not... Does not afford itself the privilege of Apparitions. A-At least not the kind you're familiar with!"

Oakenbears, Oakenrue, Nymph's Wood and this self-imposed ban must be connected. Why won't Dryad allow itself to have Apparitions? Did something happen in the past or God forbid, will something happen in the future that Luna forbade it? Prophecy.

Anyone else getting the feeling that we are going to experience the events we hallucinated when we released the Nightgaunts and rescued Maran? IIRC, it was some shrieking about how "they're not yours, you can't take them". The incoming Valen and Luna adept are coming to steal the orphans? Are we going to get involved and play the role we were given?

>>1113442
>Anyone else getting the feeling that we are going to experience the events we hallucinated when we released the Nightgaunts and rescued Maran?
I had no doubt from the beginning.

>Prophecy
Did you notice how many things are rooted in the time "nearly a decade ago"? The Prophecy is known to describe the events that occured since then. Irue's family died at that time. Nomadic army first appeared around that time. I think East Heaven closed its borders around then as well (I may be wrong on this account though).

>>1113459
By the way...

>>1112946
>Asche confirmed for a golem!

Let's assume this is true and that she was our sister's doll, since she is the one who found and "adopted her as a handmaiden", essentially making her her own. "On their eigth birthday, the children would finally be given their doll and told to make it their own." She doesn't visibly age and is almost mute and have extreme difficulty speaking. Sounds a lot like a certain something that is currently showing us a lie to tell us something.

Anyway, this means that our parents knew of the old Carona tradition and performed it, but they had twins. Where is Irue's doll? Why would they only make one, and leave the other child without Dryad's protection and love? This part doesn't make sense at all, so what are we missing? Is Asche a red herring again? Is the bracelet we wear connected to this? Asche certainly knows a lot about what it is. Is the bracelet the doll our sister made her own, in a literal sense?

>>1113479
The answer is simple, anon: Irue is a golem as well

>>1113489
I reached that conclusion myself after I sat down and analyzed The Reclaimed Doll. I was confident about it, Riz pretty much confirmed it. I began to worry about it after reading The Woman Beneath Steel, with Clara whining about twins. Now on second thought it never actually says she saw them as babies and you can reasonably assume that it could have taken years before she ever met the children.

So Irue is the homunculus from The Reclaimed Doll, Asche is Ariel's Doll and we don't have one because we're not even a person. This is about right?

>>1113495
That's roughly what I was thinking.

>>1113495
One addition though: according to the Asche POV writeup, Ariel "fixed" her after she was "broken". So I don't think Asche was made for Ariel, more likely found and refurbished.

>>1113506
Can you recall if this happened before or after she was in possession of the bracelet? Or she found it together with Asche and it's some kind of Apparition/Fae remote control?

>>1113507
There was nothing about the bracelet in the writer-up.

>>1113563
Yeah I knew that, I just didn't want to go looking in the archive to see if its possible to find a time line.

I did go back to the riddle in the Valen library however, since that's easier to find than every mention of the bracelet, in case it is relevant to the forgetting. It did happen ages ago after all, and well that's probably around where we are at the moment.

I think with some gymnastics (such as the author being the east heaven princess/queen the text can be related to the event the attendant is referring to,
>In its wake was ash and ruin, enough even to unnerve Lamiaceae. We had sought a miracle and found only disaster.

Mint blew some shit up and they're going here, aiming for the east heaven orphans. Some serious shit happens, enough to create mature shade apparitions. The answer won't help us get any information out of the attendant... but is that what we need? Do we have to come up with an excuse to salvage the conversation or does remembering give us the a-ha we need to learn the information anyway?

>>1113646
The Valen who is supposed to be coming here is called Ririn, not Mint. And that disaster seems like an event Mint didn't survive, but the writer obviously did. So if we suppose the writer was the Queen, it can't be the same disaster.

>>1113685
A curious thing though: Mint's grave is marked with an image of two rings. Our bracelet is composed of two rings.

>'In its wake was ash and ruin, enough even to unnerve Lamiaceae. We had sought a miracle and found only disaster. The fragments were more than their sum, and I regret that I had to leave this burden to her... But even until the end, she walked the path of a Conqueror.

Path of the Conqueror could simply mean using force and violence and, again assuming I am on the right track here at all, this can explain the dialogue snippets from the vision.

>"My children won't be next."

>"Your... Children?" Confusion, betrayal. "They're hers. They've always been hers. We're just-"
>'I don't want to do this.'
>'But...'
>'Won't let you have them!' You felt the anger in your body as the words shook you with each step. The same voice, the pain of betrayal still evident in its wrath, 'They're not yours!'

Conversation between Elly, the other Shrine members and the Valen & co?

>'I'll protect you.'
>'I won't let them take you. She'll come. She'll save us.'
>'We are her children.'

Elly to the orphans? "We are her children" doesn't sound like the words out of a child's mouth, more of a conviction than anything, Elly's faith in Dryad and its domain, it's like a final prayer isn't it?

Gotta nip the problem in the bud? East Heaven are the ones using Faedka to fuck up adepts and Elly said something about protecting Adepts. Maybe this company only purpose is to take the adepts away and purge them.

>>1113685
Where did you get Ririn from? The corrupted part where she introduces Irue? That text says ͏R̷̢ừén̸͠, Ruen. Ignoring the prophecy then, what do you think of this idea? Off track for the forgetting but if we can nail down the purpose of the visit maybe we can influence it?

>>1113688
What kind of rings? Finger rings?
From Reclaimed Doll:
>"Would you like a demonstration...?" The smirk on her lips revealed the expression of a shark who had smelled blood wading into its waters. She held the gem in her hand, a soft rainbow of light refracting from its crystalline edges.

The bracelet is what lets you control the homunculus, shape and program it.

What a stream of consciousness this became, I don't even know what I'm thinking right now

>>1113701
>Ruen
Damn those Luna-glitches! Still, it's not Mint.

>Path of the Conqueror could simply mean using force and violence
I'm pretty sure this refers to Conquering an Atelier. The writer even refers to an alternate way, which would be Solving it.

>What kind of rings? Finger rings?
It just said "two rings"
Our bracelet undoubtedly consists of two rings though, and I don't remember anything about there being a gem.

>>1113733
I had a vague recollection of a more detailed description of the bracelet, turns out it was referring to the amber replicas the oakenrues had. Amber gems are a thing.
Going to cut my losses here before I overthink something else and go on a nutty tangent.

>>1112862
>Am I forgetting something...? (write-in)

>>1113701
>>'In its wake was ash and ruin, enough even to unnerve Lamiaceae. We had sought a miracle and found only disaster.

>>1113646
>>1113685
I don't think we ever got the Valen ancestor's name, did we? Mint isn't them, but they certainly knew her, if that's who that one passage was about.

>You held the light green crystalline leaf in your hand, taking a startled step back as something wet splashed down across the stale pages.
It's also not the first time thinking about something in East Haven brought us to tears, involuntarily.

I think it's related to this, though what specifically I'm not sure. That was also kind of our only glimpse into East Heaven so far, unless I'M forgetting something.

>>1114473
Oh, don't worry; We're always forgetting something.

>>1114473
Mint was described as having red eyes, which is a distinctive charactheristic of the Valen family. She totally could be our ancestor.

>>1113506
Wouldn't Asche look like Ariel if she was her doll?

Isn't Asche the Homonculus and We're the doll, Valen through blood in truth?

>>1115651
Nowhere is it said that the doll has to resemble its master.

>>1115657
But it has to have their blood. Would the Fae recognize a Homonculus as a Valen?

>>1116111
It doesn't have to have the master's blood. It obtains their blood by killing its master if it was forgotten.

>>1116111
If you recall, using the homunculus is "playing god", a rumour was enough to stir a kingdoms royal family and court, and it was powerful/important enough that it lets you tell them fuck off right to their face and walk away. I'm sure you can put blood inside of it.

I'll be closing the window and writing when I get home from class later tonight.

If any of you have last minute attempts at the Forgetting (which a lot of you seemed to have forgotten you were doing...?) then this is your final chance.

>>1117078
All good, do your worst.

I will wake up tomorrow and despair at the updates, good luck guys.

>>1117114
I'm sorry anons.
I can't remember anything else.

Alright, I'm home. Getting something to eat, checking everyone's answers, and gonna start writing soon.

test

I regret having to leave this burden to her.

"We... Split up towards the end." You amend yourself slowly, remembering the message left behind in the Valen family's library. It had been crafted by the founder, and the level of care and effort that had gone into its creation was clear for anyone to see... But you had left it feeling little more than exhausted and bitter.

But even until the end, she walked the path of a Conqueror.

...Not unlike what you currently felt bubbling up within you now. No house had been made here yet, which meant you doubted that miserable tribute even existed in this place.

When next we meet...

They were never going to be a 'next'! The queen was already dead. It had been ten fucking years! What kind of Shade cursed denial had they been in!? If they were so hung up on what happened, why in Shade's name hadn't they just stayed with her in the first place!?

"...It was a mistake." You spat out hotly, feeling the words scalding your tongue for every moment you kept silent. "The answers weren't worth the cost."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you like this." The attendant whimpered a supplication in the face of your unexpected vitriol, and the pitiful voice served to snap you out of the rapidly deepening spiral of resentment you were starting to slide down. "It's not your fault." You assure her tiredly, "...But, what did happen that day? At the end, I mean."

"I wasn't there personally." She began, reluctant to stay on the topic that had sparked a reaction from you, "I was told that you and-" She swallowed nervously, but you simply sighed as she stuttered an apology and corrected herself again. "-that the queen fought the Atelier's Guardian before it could go out of control."

You had experienced an Atelier's Guardian before, and undoubtedly would have been slaughtered by it had you lost your patience in Solving the Ice Queen's Atelier... But what you did was the exception rather than the rule. Conquering an Atelier was a feat that entire teams of Adepts found difficult to accomplish without heavy losses and preparation, the fact that the queen... That Mint... was capable of doing it single handedly was honestly terrifying. Someone like that was more like a force of nature than a human. Whatever Guardian had been roused that time had evidently stood in a realm even above that.

But...

"...How is this related to my questions earlier?"

"I'm told the Guardian's death drove all the Mana from the area... I-It's only recently started to recover. For years it was... Empty." She explained sadly. "Is that not why you were asking?"

"..."

"I'm sorry, it's none of my business."

She withdrew her curiosity swiftly, unwilling to risk causing any more undue ire... But your speechlessness was born of confusion more than anything else. Most Guardians encountered were eventually killed, and nothing like that had ever happened. It would make sense if only the Shrine were the ones slaying the Guardians, but there would inevitably be random, uninvolved people like yourself who stumbled into Ateliers out of sheer bad luck.

What manner of titan had they roused?
...And if she had been alone, then what kind of monster was Mint?
Had the founder of House Valen been something comparable?
If they had been there, would she still be-

"Nn." You close your eyes forcefully, physically shaking that line of thought from your mind. There was nothing you could do to change the history of your house. There wasn't even any reason to be so emotionally involved in something that happened so long ago. You needed to focus on what was in front of you.

You came to save Ari, and learn what you could from the Fae.

"I'm sorry, none of this has anything to do with Dryad." You apologize to the attendant with a shake of your head. "Can we go back to that?"

"Oh! Yes, absolutely!" The attendant lit up tentatively, and you almost winced at how relieved she seemed to be to be moving away from that unexpected landmine of a topic and back towards her Mana. "Ah... Um, well, I'm not... Exactly sure what else you want to know. If there are no other questions, I can go ahead and help you start learning to meditate?"

>Accept
>Ask a question?
>Other? (write-in)

>>1118706
>Ask a question?

Ask if she's seen Ari around, both by name and description. Or if the name is familiar, or means anything to her.

>>1118803
Writing!

>>1113646
>>1118706
Good job anon.
I was sure Mint is our ancestor. I didn't even suppose she could be the queen.

>>1118706
>Ask how big the Mana-deprived area was
>Ask her full name, for later cross-checking
>Ask if Dryad dabbles in prophecies
>Start learning to meditate

>>1118835
Shit. I forgot, we should have asked about how Teranford is doing, if she's heard about them being affected in any way.

> MFW we return to our time and tell Rinnier she should try listening to Salamander instead of interrogating or asking questions of it.

My god did I nail the forgetting? I could cry right now

>>1119014
It's an exhilarating feeling, isn't it?

"So that disaster is what you've been taking in orphans from?" You had studied Mana most of your life, and this was the first you were hearing of something that catastrophic. "Just how large of an area was affected?"

"If I had to say..." You kind of felt bad for forcing her back to the topic she had been so excited to leave. "A large portion of East Heaven. It wasn't a simple radius, so the exact area would be hard to estimate. Some places weren't hit as hard... Others lost everything." The grip on her storybook loosened as she spoke, arms going slack with the weight that seemed to burden her just thinking about it. "We're still finding pockets which haven't recovered at all."

"...In the process of taking in orphans, have you come across a little brunette girl?" You had no idea where in this place she would be, but if anyone would know, then... "Her name is Ari. She would probably have been weak when you found her, and maybe scared."

"I'm sorry, there are a few other children, but I've never encountered anyone like that." The attendant's eyes softened, "Is she one of the orphans from the disaster?"

"No." She may have been an orphan, but it certainly wasn't due to some archaic disaster... Did she have any living parents, though? You never looked into the circumstances behind her slavery. "She's a friend of mine that's gotten lost in the woods. I actually came here hoping to get help finding her."

"I see." She was smiling at you in an unsettling way. You hadn't said anything to elicit that kind of fondness, had you? "You really are a good person." She breathed out determinedly, "I'll do my best to help you find her! If she's still in the forest, then I can definitely be of help!"

"I don't think I ever actually got your name." You had a hunch considering the loose lips of the kids, but it was more polite to ask, anyway.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, my name is Elly- Er... Eleanore. I forgot to introduce myself yesterday, I apologize."

"Elly." You repeat flatly, causing a blush to rise across her cheeks. "Y-Yes... The kids started calling me that, and um... I don't hear my actual name much anymore. N-Not that I mind it! Elly's a cute name! You can call me Elly!" Was this girl really okay to leave on her own...? "Do you have a family name?" You might be able to find someone related to her later, and...

You don't know what good it would accomplish, but there was a creeping concern that this helplessness may have been genetic.

"Jenseits." She answered demurely, "Elly Jenseits. It's nice to meet you. It's a little late, b-but I hope we can get along."

Oh.
Oh.

"...Is something wrong? Y-You don't have to call me Elly!"
"It's fine. Just remembering someone unpleasant."
"Oh... I'm sorry."

"No, don't worry about it." You sigh heavily, "They're nothing like you."

"Thanks...?"

You nod absently and clap your hands together, unfortunately startling Elly enough to squeak as she jumped. "Enough putting it off, I guess. Can we get started on the meditation now?"

"Oh! Of course! To begin..."

You listened intently to her instructions, which were... Less helpful than you would admit. When she had said she wasn't a very good teacher, it had been a depressingly accurate description, rather than low self confidence. Still, she struggled diligently to help you as best she could, and the two of you worked at it until later into the evening.

By the time night had come, she had left you to continue working on it at your own pace. It was a decision you had needed to assure her was fine, after slowly divining that the reason she had started to fidget was because she was torn between continuing to help you, and leaving to make dinner for the orphanage... But meditation was ultimately a personal experience, and it wasn't something that her being here constantly would help you achieve. She had given you the basic instructions, and from here on it was up to you.

Unfortunately, your time alone had all but come to an end by the time by the time she left, as it was also when the orphans began to wander back towards their 'home'. You had spent all day here... And in all honesty, probably using one of their beds.

"I don't understand..."

But it was Elly's desperate voice that finally drew you past the flowering ivy curtain that separated the bedroom from the rest of the small structure.

"I'm sorry." An apology came, but not from a voice you were familiar with. Deeper and more masculine. You stepped through the orphanage curiously, catching sight of the mousey attendant looking strickenly towards a somber man in hunting clothes. "By the time we got there..."

You followed their gaze across the dimly moonlit courtyard towards a covered wagon. Before you could say a word, Elly had rushed towards it frantically.

>Talk to the man
>Pursue Elly
>Look Up

>>1119159
>Look Up
>Then pursue Elly

>>1119223
Writing.

File: Oh.png (40 KB, 240x249)

40 KB PNG

>>1119155
I tried to cute'er up a bit.

You exchange a glance with the man, noting his downcast frown, before taking off after Elly instead. Whatever he had said to her, you'd find out quicker by following her.

Though scarcely had you begun to run after her did you find yourself digging your heels into the ground as the tell-tale sign of distortions ripped through your world, sending any sense of balance you had into disarray. Beneath the corruption, a heartbroken cry echoed violently into the refrain of white noise.

Something dripped from the back of the wagon, staining the ground with each heavy droplet. Under the pale moonlight, the deep red liquid almost seemed black, and had it not been for the distinctive coppery smell, you'd have mistaken the blood for what it was.

But it reflected a far more damning sight, and you looked to the sky to see a full moon staring down at you as everything came to an end. The sensation of sinking had already taken root, and all you knew was a familiarly terrifying viscous nothingness.

H̸̕͢͝é̵̷̢͜r̶͡ ̴͏̶͝t̴̢̀͠i̷̕m̧͢e̢̨ ͜į́s̛͜͡ ͡͏̕͢͠r̛͏̢̢͟u̴̸̸̴n̴̡͠͠n͏̕͞͏i̵̶̸̛ǹ̸͡͠g̨̡ ̴̛͢͡͡o̷̡͠ų̵̕͘t̨̛.̷̧̢͟

File: ValEnd.gif (1023 KB, 500x281)

1023 KB GIF

"You picked a strange place to take a nap! That's so like you, though."

You knew this person. Their name was...
-----

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Valen+Quest

And we are archived.

I'll lurk the thread for a bit to try and answer some questions if I can.

Apologies to all anons who participated in Valen Quest but died at their keyboards wondering when QM would finally stop.

To those who did not make it to the end, we will never forget your sacrifice.

Apologies this thread stretched out as long as it did. Have a link to help visualize the static distortions and corruptions Irue is dealing with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jbAemziPus

>>1119322
>had it not been for the distinctive coppery smell, you'd have mistaken the blood for what it was. But it reflected a far more damning sight,

I'm ashamed to admit, but I didn't understand this part.

>>1119333
...That's because I worded it wrong. I had two iterations of that statement

"Had it not been for the distinctive coppery smell, you'd have mistaken the liquid for anything else."

and

"Had it not been for the distinctive coppery smell, you'd have trouble identifying the blood for what it was."

during my editing, the two got mixed up.

>>1119340
So what did we learn about meditating to Dryad? As far as I understand it, meditating instructions should provide some insight into how the Mana's mind works.

>>1119322
It's wosserface that's messing about our cousin innit.

>>1119362
As explained by Elly, you learned that one of the most key parts of meditating to Dryad was an open mind and an open heart. This means unconditional love, acceptance of things you do not agree with, patience and forgiveness for those who wrong you, and the willingness to trust people inherently. Affection and care that is freely given and unguarded.

Elly has freely admitted that she isn't a very good teacher. Much of her attempts to help looked something sort of like so.
____

"Try to imagine someone you love! ...Now imagine they're everyone!"

"..."

"Um.... Try to think of life as a world full of things you might like!"

"..."

"...Every person you meet is a dear friend you just haven't gotten to know yet!"

"...I'll work on it."

"I'm very sorry. I've never had to think about how to do this before..."
____

And you can take the above scene as canon, if you want. It pretty much is.

>>1119398
I understand why you didn't put this scene into the post proper. It would've ruined the serious mood immediately.

I'm laughing out loud just imagining Irue trying to think of life as a world full of things they might like.

>>1119398
Irue if never going to accomplish this. Of the two people she loved one she feels betrayed by and the other died.

Anyway guys, let's talk. Who kidnapped ari and who is showing us this? If it is the same entity why would they stall us here and then warn that her time is running out? Will they not give her back or help us find her?

Are they assholes

File: The Many Faces of Fuck This.png (250 KB, 643x809)

250 KB PNG

>>1119277
This has been added to my concerningly expanding collection of Irue's faces.

>>1119420
Some people are more compatible with some Mana than others. You have the knowledge available to you already to understand something crucial.

But this isn't the first time you've lied, is it?

>>1119420
Uh, we fucking love Ari. And Kara.

We kind of dislike Rinnier but we respect her.

I'll fight you on the first two though.

As for Asche, well, she's been making it hard lately. Because she's a homo.

>>1119428
>You have the knowledge available to you already to understand something crucial.

It frustrates me to no end every time you say this because I have no idea what it is and believe me I've tried to find out.

>>1119428
Irue seems pretty compatible with the modern-day Fae: possessive, petty, goes to any lengths for people they consider theirs and bring disasters everywhere.

File: Spoiler Image (270 KB, 804x641)

270 KB PNG

>>1119475
Does it usually feel painfully obvious in retrospect once you do find out?

If it helps you any, whenever I say something like that, I've usually already confirmed that it is possible. My philosophy is that the most difficult part of reaching your conclusion shouldn't be about finding the answer, but realizing the relevant question that makes sense of the answers you've been given.

...So in other words, you'd probably understand it quickly if I asked you a specific question. I have faith that you would, if not instantly, then very quickly know the answer.

>>1119482
I feel like i mentioned this on Ask.FM at some point. It wasn't anything to do with the quest itself, but just idle advice. It is always worth it to think about what you know. You draw conclusions based on what you know, but that conclusion may change once you learn something new. If you never went back to reconsider, you'd never realize that the foundation you were working from was fundamentally flawed.

None of that has anything to do with you though, anon. You said something interesting.

I figured it out. The only person who has Irue emotional enough to cry is Mint.

Next thread we meditate to dryad when we get the chance, think of mint and use the bracelet as a focus.

>>1119708
I think that crying was a part of the Dryad's Matrix. Just like feeling we knew Tim when we didn't.

Either that or Irue is the founder's reincarnation or something.

I've just thought of something interesting.

>Dryad is all-loving, not jealous, adores Luna, does not create Apparitions.

>Fae are jealous, possessive, hate Luna, create something like Apparitions.

>Dryad is a Mana, basically a force of Nature. Mana communnicate with feelings and experiences, like we've seen from our contact with Luna

>Fae actually spoke with us, referring to themselves in plural.

>Mana exists everywhere

>Fae exist in a strictly delimited area

>Nymph's Wood is wood filled with Dryad

>Fae fear Nymph's Wood

What I'm saying is though Fae are in some aspects similar to a Mana, they are completely dissimilar to Dryad. I thought they were Dryad after being changed by whatever disaster happened, but what if not?

Maybe those members of House Valen that are buried in the forest have something to do with it.

Another thought: what if the Fae don't actually hate Luna? What if they hate specifically the memories Luna's mention reminds them of?
What if whatever happened wasn't actually Luna's fault? What if those memories are not of hate, but of shame and regret?

>>1119779
So, the Fae are corrupted Valen zombies? I can see that.

I think the biggest question is What happened to Dryad. Not only is the forest no longer Dryad's, no one even knows it existed. Surely there would have been records somewhere? I dunno if we really have any time left in here, but we should see if we can get someone to list all Mana. If one is gone/unknown in current times, who's to say there aren't more missing or changed?

>>1119520
>Does it usually feel painfully obvious in retrospect once you do find out?
Not him, but it is so painful I almost dropped the quest back when I was first going through it, and I refuse to look at the List of Things Forgotten; it's too disheartening.

>>1119725
Nah I don't think so. Why did we have this vision when we visited the place the first time and why are we seeing it again now? No one else did. It has a connection to us, in some way.

Besides, it won't be like when we meditated to Shade. This is probably one of the worst quests to say "what's the worst that could happen?" but honestly, at most we'll waste an hour or two and be frustrated that it didn't work.

After all this talk of things painfully obvious in hindsight, if we don't do it because 'meh it's probably wrong' and four months down the line find out that it was right, I don't know what I'll do to myself.

>>1120094
We send Kara out to hunt down Yuri and then he will give us the answers we seek.

>>1119520
>>1120100
Yes it does. Humiliating, embarrassing and painful.

>>1120171
Embarrassing and painful is right.

>>1120171
>>1120100
4. When entering the riverside ruins during your raid of the brigand camp, something seemed familiar about the ruins.
4a. You did not realize what it was. Because of this, certain flags were not raised.
4A. Remains relevant, so no answer can be revealed.


5. While interrogating Maran as to why she knew Ari's name, and about the prophecy, there were other details to bring up.
5a. You did not remember them. Due to this, certain relationships remained unchanged.

8. You learned that Fae exist from Alouette, and they live in the woods north of your house.
8a. You'll be mad when you realize what you forgot to bring up here.
8A. Hahaha...

ALSO

> So, the Fae are corrupted Valen zombies? I can see that.

Oakenbear eat corpses. WHY, if the Fae are corrupted Valen Zombies? ARE the Oakenbears & OkenRues connected?

>>1120171
16. When trading stories with Mim for boons, you had something else of interest available to you to trade.
16a. You didn't recall the diary you had salvaged from the Tier estate, so it was not presented as an option. This forced you to work with a smaller 'resource' pool when trading.

Can we add a reminder to offer this to Mim as an apology gift when we get back?

Also

29. In searching for a trace of Salamander in your house, you remembered the apparitions you slew earlier in the quest - and the location of one of their cores.
29a. The answer to this was almost saddeningly easy, and didn't require reading anything but the post it had been brought up in. Instead of getting the right answer, however, you somehow put together an entire laundry list of clues and hints regarding the nature of the Oakenrue, Fae, Teranford, and number of other things that you had been gathering for months.
29A. Seriously, what the fuck. How did this happen?

>>1130312
2. While in Carona, before you left, you had the option of trying to remember something.
2a. You had previously discussed wanting to acquire a stuffed toy for Ari during your trip. No one remembered, and thus Ari never received a 'Gift With No Strings Attached'. Certain flags were not raised due to this.

We should also get a gift for Ari. And one for Kara. Rinnier already got a Halberd.

>>1130336
Maybe we could get Rinnier a tiny carved Oakenrue.

Also we should see how Asche interacts w/ the Fae.

>>1130304
4 is probably the fact that the ruins were of a shrine.

8 is connected with the stream that serves as the broder of the Fae territory, IIRC

29 was the location of the Salamander Apparition cores

>>1130380
> ruins were of a shrine.

Dryad? Shade apparition was actually related to the regrets of the attendants when Dryad passed?

29 I just added in for fun because seeing Riz get mindblown once in a while is a fun change.

Maybe Ari is the Prophet? She did have an unusual rapport with the Oakenrue that turned into a Treant.

>>1130460
The Prophet is supposed to travel around. Ari was enslaved and too weak to walk until recently.

>>1130532
Travel around by getting dragged from slave market to slave market!

Haha yeah point.

Still. She's clearly someone with a Heroic destiny.

>>1119520
Memo:
1. Get gifts for all our companions. Miniature Oakenrue for Ari, Tellenford Diary for Mim, Choker for Kara, mini-Vacation for Rinnier we can make Priat take her out on a social date. Maybe set up something where the people of Carona can thank her for her work and help remind her WHY she does it.

>>1130312
>29a. The answer to this was almost saddeningly easy, and didn't require reading anything but the post it had been brought up in. Instead of getting the right answer, however, you somehow put together an entire laundry list of clues and hints regarding the nature of the Oakenrue, Fae, Teranford, and number of other things that you had been gathering for months.

That was funny. I don't remember how we went off on such a tangent but once the ball was rolling it was like an avalanche of "Oh, OH! DAMN GUYS WE GOT THIS!"

>2a. You had previously discussed wanting to acquire a stuffed toy for Ari during your trip. No one remembered, and thus Ari never received a 'Gift With No Strings Attached'. Certain flags were not raised due to this.

I remembered, but I missed this thread.

>>1130622
But Rinnier and Priat can't stand each other's company, you little devil.
Instead of a miniature Oakenrue, what if we make her a Doll for protection? Not sure if the magic will work since she's older than 8 but it will have interesting results nonetheless. For Kara how about a basket full of apples and plant an orchard around Carona? She gets apples, the citizens get work and the city will have a new product to export.