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reach the residents
● ● ● REACH THE RESIDENTS
For any questions you want to ask Viveca or Degar and receive an IC response, please direct them here. Please indicate in the subject line who you are trying to contact.
// VIVECA
Hi, what can I help you with?
// DEGAR
Today was gonna be the day, but they'll never throw it back to you. And by now, you should've somehow realized what you're not to do.
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[ no? okay
he's just so proud of it! ]
Okay, okay, business first. So the way I understand it, orbs don't really refuse bargains, not if they're free to take one. Why would they, right?
The thing with little Xoria, she'd already made the initial contract with it, and once you commit, you can't take it back or undo it if it doesn't work out the way you want it to. It kinda became one of those, 'be careful what you wish for' things, you know?
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But... what your saying is that if you make a bargain, you can't undo it, even if you offer to make a second one- someone else has to do it?
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Ooh, probably. Maybe. Truthfully, I haven't checked — but if you're lacking handbells, let me know and I'll make it happen.
[ you know, by way of dearest darlingest viveca. ]
Uh-huh. Not until the power of that orb deems the contract complete, and sometimes they don't. They sure didn't when they bargained with Xoria. The orbs work in annoying ways, don't they?
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[ and it's kind of a dick move to pick on a kid like that, too. ]
You know, truthfully I don't really know how that part works. [ he's got his best guess, and it still winds up with the orb being the one pulling the strings, but. ] The orb that contracts with you upon your arrival to the station has more power — or a different power — than the 'shards' that we're trying to collect.
I'm willing to hedge my bets that the contract doesn't disappear so cleanly, though.
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Of course not. It could never be that easy. [Just one more reason to see this through to the end.]
Also- I've been thinking, after the last mission. Do you want a copy of Remi's notes? They're about the method he developed to travel between worlds, so- if something goes wrong on a mission, and you can't teleport us back the usual way, would having them help you?
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[ on both counts. but he's happy that sabriel can follow along, just two magic-users talking shop or whatever.
man. it's been a while since he's done this. ]
Oh! Uh — yeah, I mean, it couldn't hurt to have a back-up, huh? [ and she has a point. ] Sure, I'll take a copy. Lets hope nothing of that magnitude ever goes wrong on a mission, but I guess one can never be too prepared.
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[Talking about the details of magic is something familiar.]
I'll send them over. And- I have a request. Can you get me a copy of On the Making of Necromantic Bells and Other Devices by Abhorsen Lerantiel? There's a great deal in it about bindings that incorporate multiple types of magic, to restrain entities of great power. I don't plan on making any necromantic bells- you have nothing to worry about on that account.
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[ but, you know, he's been making preparations. ]
Thanks, Sabriel. [ he's admittedly curious about these notes, now that he's thinking about them. ] Huh — I'll see what I can do, but what are necromantic bells? What do they do?
[ guess who doesn't read everyone's files? ]
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[Because if you can't destroy something, the next best option is to seal it away for as long as you can.]
Necromantic bells are- my bells. The set of seven that I use to bind and banish the Dead, although there are also panpipes with the same powers, just in a weaker form. There are seven of them- Ranna, Mosrael, Kibeth, Dyrim, Belgaer, Saraneth, and Astarael.
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[ hmm! maybe this'll be something he dives a little deeper into, for his own personal music education. but that is an interesting aspect of magic he doesn't usually deal with. ]
Well, don't be too disappointed if the magic isn't compatible with the orbs. Not all of it is, which I'm sure you've probably seen.
[ she's practically an old vet on these missions at this rate. look how far they've come! ]
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[Somehow, that doesn't surprise Sabriel, although it is concerning- and reminiscent of Free magic's ability to corrode some spells.]
True- Remi was able to seal an orb, but he also had access to one for nearly a decade- he had plenty of time to study it. And even then, he couldn't stop it from making bargains.
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[ note to self: send sabriel some tracks later. 👍 ]
And those pesky little orbs have a way of spinning ones words to suit their own needs too. Pair that with their real binding contracts, and they can really complicate a situation. Which, you know, they love.
[ they thrive on chaos, after all. ]
But that doesn't mean it can't be done. Keep 'em in check, I mean. And the big jar I've got here in the North Wing — [ which is how he (pleasantly) describes this containment area ] — has been holding up pretty good so far!
[ he just hopes it's strong enough to last, the more orbs they collect. ]
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I see. So far, save for Xoria and Welford Branson, the orbs have generally honored the spirit of the wishes people made, even as they also twisted them- and the price they extract- to suit their own purposes- like how Remi's magic ended up in his niece, so he had to keep paying the orb, and his sister got the idea of using her daughter as a weapon.
[And even in Welford's case, he'd been happy while the illusion lasted.]
I assume the orbs giving people what they want is just a sales tactic- a means of making sure people keep making bargains, instead of deciding the orbs are more trouble than they're worth and locking them away somewhere? Not something they're actually bound to do, beyond honoring the exact words?
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And that's what makes 'em really dangerous. And why it's super important that we collect them as much as possible, as fast as possible.
It's a big task, but you guys have shown you're more than capable so far.
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We've succeeded so far. But I worry about what might happen if we encounter someone who's unwilling to give the orb up.
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When the time comes, you guys will figure it out.
You've already been through some pretty tough situations so far, haven't you?
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Yes, but... We've always been able to negotiate with whoever had the orb before. Except for Cheruvia and the Highest One, but Entr'i took care of the latter, and with the former- we got lucky.
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[ unfortunately he's got no real advice or answers for how to avoid one of those worst-case scenarios.
they kinda come with case-by-case solutions. ]
Oh — and thanks. I got the file.