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ST After bagging the rust-spackled shining ore and handing Corve the Orichalcum Smashfist that he'd found Xar separated from the other two to search for further components. Two more of the columns that Xar searched had evidence that they may be connected to Corve's past life. Another pair of statues depicting the former Corve. But also some other people appear several times. And there are Dragon-King relices.
ST The relics of the Dragon-Kings are all Pterok items, nothing Xar is very interested in except as raw materials.
Xar takes special note of the Dragon King relics, wondering if his past is intertwined with the solars more than he'd thought. He takes the pterok artifacts, hoping each time that the next will depict the Anklok
ST None do. But eventually Xar finds a clear crystal spike, obviously a relic of some form of crystalline technology he is totally unfamiliar with. A perfectly formed, perfectly symmetrical quartz spike six inches long emerges from a cluster of more usual, randomly formed black crystals. The black stones form a perfect, if pointy, sphere at the base of the quartz spike. Metal has been melted and applied to the sphere.
ST Around the base of the black stone points that form the sphere there are pools and traces of both Orichalcum and a silvery, rainbow-sheened metal. Starmetal, Xar things.
ST There is a black dot under the niche.
Xar "Hmmm very unusual." He touches the tip of the spike with a claw, wary of the blackness of the crystal.
ST The three non-dotted items in the column include a statue of an elderly man carved in Yellow Jade, obviously a Dragon-Blooded, probably a Fire Aspect from his clothing and flame-tattoos on his cheeks and hands. The other two are less interesting, a bit of some unknown cloth
ST And some sort of stone disc inscribed in coded Old Realm.
ST Touching the spike of clear crystal sends a few sparks of electricity coursing along the black sphere, but nothing else.
Xar checks to see if the dot reacted
ST The dot has not yet turned red or changed anything about itself. They seem to react only when items are removed. And Xar suddenly remembers that when he reached in to take the transforming amulet back out after Carmine returned it to the niche, he had to press past some unseen force to reach it..
Xar frowns a bit, then quickly grabs the artifact and tosses it, hoping the crystal doesn't shatter
ST The crystal, when it impacts the ground with a musical noise, does not shatter. It simply bounces twice and lays there. Each impact sends a charge of electric sparks through the black sphere.
ST The dot under the niche, predictably, turns bright red.
Xar idly waves his claw into the niche to see if that strange force is there
ST There is no feeling of resistence.
Xar walks over and picks up the artifact, now freed of its trapped niche, and turns it over in his hands
ST The artifact glitters with sparks as Xar picks it up. He suddenly remembers that the dot started flashing orange when Carmine returned the amulet. It wasn't until after she returned it that he felt the force repelling him. In his hands, the Artifact starts flickering stronger and stronger with power.
Xar cautiously sets it back down
ST As the device starts glowing, miniature forks of lightning bouncing back and forth between the black crystals of the sphere, Xar realizes that the dots are a security system designed to warn people when items are dangerous and protect people in this...museum? library? gallery? from any that may be activated. They glow red to alert that something dangerous has been removed.
ST When it is replaced, if it remains a danger, they protect it and those outside with the unseen force that tried to stop him from removing it. But he broke that. He ignored the flashing orange danger light and removed the item, breaking the shield that might have contained the explosion.
ST And now he has removed another dangerous item and the red light is warning him to put it back before....
Xar quickly thrusts the scary artifact back inside the niche!
ST The dot below the niche turns bright orange and starts flashing violently. But inside the niche, the item keeps sparking, sending flares of lightning arcs out from the black sphere. The forks impacts the niche's protective shield until it glows violet-white.
ST The clear crystal spike at the center of the Artifact is slowly turning opaque and Xar could swear he sees mist spreading out from inside it. But the lightning on the shield makes it hard to see
Xar ducks behind a nearby column, and covers his head!
ST Suddenly, with a shriek of Essence overloading and enchantments dying, the shielding protection around the niche explodes and the lightning storm around the artifact starts striking out, but it scorches nothing and does no damage. But the mist emerges along with it and it...takes form.
Xar peeks around the edge of the column
Misty Man takes shape out of the mist which, upon closer inspection, is more like...smoke. The old man with flame-tattoos on his cheeks and hands, dressed in yellow and orange. He stares at Xar'Rex with a curious expression and glides forward.
Misty Man "You! Tell me where I am!"
Misty Man "Speak, Dragon-King! I command it!"
Xar emerges from behind the column and bows politely, "You are in sunken Abundance, once the home of many in the skies."
Misty Man "Abundance could never sink, do not speak foolishness. I demand you answer my questions truthfully." The old man's voice rings with authority and the arrogance of one accustomed to being obeyed.
Xar "So it was thought, but the Black Viper Cult brought the strength of the Neverborn, and have done so. If you do not believe me, look for yourself."
Misty Man "What cult? What are you talking about?"
Xar "Me and my friends, we are looking for answers too. There is a cult, and it demanded things and said if it did not it would destroy Brume, one island at a time. We did not believe them, and so they showed us that they did not lie. Abundance fell from the sky."
Misty Man "Brume? Brume is not yet finished."
Misty Man "My sister only began construction last year. She will not finish for another decade!"
Xar "I think you have been away for a very long time."
Misty Man "You will explain yourself. You will explain everything. You are coming with me, Dragon-King." The old man nods sharply and waves his hands. The artifact, back in its niche, glows brightly and sends forth another cloud of smoke and another blast of lightning. This one, unlike the others, has an effect. It strikes Xar and sends agony racing through his body.
Misty Man Agony that is explained when Xar looks down and sees himself *disappearing* under the lightning's onslaught. Turning into smoke.
Xar growls, and tries to back away from the crazy glowing man!
Misty Man "I assure you, the pain is only momentary. You will recover."
Xar "Leave me! I do not wish to go with you!"
Xar "Corve!" he hollers
Misty Man And Corve's name is the last thing that Xar screams out before disappearing into a cloud of smoke and being sucked along with the Misty Dragon-Blood back into the artifact from which he issued.
ST Other then a faint single mark where Xar stood and the fact that the crystal device is laying flat instead of standing up, there is no evidence that Xar was ever there.
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