Ambrosia Software Web Board: The Wizard, the Cat, and the Bathrobe - Ambrosia Software Web Board

This is the OoC topic for Out of Reflection, Into Reality, the sequel to the OoC topic for Dark Mirror.

Table of Contents:
Synopsis
Cast List and Supporting Cast List
Timeline of Major Events
Maps
Reference Material

• Alternate Cythera
  
• Modern Cythera

Frequently Asked Questions

Cast List

Alt-Cythera
Avatara (Alternate) - Black hair and dark eyes, with a long warrior's braid. He was married to Moonshadow until she was murdered by Selax thanks to alt-Katerei. After failing to gain his vengeance, he struggles on, trying to find a purpose.
Firecat - A cat with strong telepathic abilities.
Katerei (Alternate) - Rescued and nursed back to health by Avatara years ago. In a fit of jealousy and fear, she suggested to Selax that he could win Avatara's assistance if his wife was no longer a distraction. Overcome by guilt and rejected by Avatara, she fell in with Iannah and learned the dark arts of assassination. Her recent plans to leave Cythera changed course when she unexpectedly met up with Avatara again, and saw a chance to make amends.
Rapierian - Necromancer who finds pleasure in other people's misfortune. He came into possession of an ancient book prophesying the conflict with the alternates and now seeks to end it. (After all, who can he laugh at if everybody is dead?)
Yomu - Cross between a thief and a brawler, tall, dark-skinned with brown hair, and collects lots of artifacts. He was possessed by Firecat during a confrontation with Selax.

Cythera
Beorn - Brown hair and eyes, no beard.
Katerei - Water mage, blue hair and skin, socially detached but kind-hearted if you can get through to her. Has slowly watched her friends disappear or get hurt, one by one.
Rapierian (Alternate) - Kind-hearted ranger out to save the world.
Selax (Alternate) - Power-hungry elemental bent on harnessing the power of the void, and willing to sacrifice anything and anyone to obtain it.

Character Experience


Supporting Cast (Organized by Affiliation)

Iannah's Crew
Iannah - female, mid 20's, squad captain. Ambitious and ruthlessly determined to prove herself, but respects her team members and can be diplomatic. Average height, muscular, auburn hair braided and coiled, wears light-coloured leather armour. Likes poison plants. Carries a poisoned knife, grappling hook, longsword, and lockpick set.

Bastian - male, mid-30's, second in command. Doesn't talk much but is fiercely loyal to Iannah. Wields a big-ass sword.

Elie - about 18, bloodthirsty. Reminds Iannah of teenage Iannah. Was injured in the skirmish with the Hand. Uses a shortsword.

The Hand
Jacob (Male Telepath) - leader of the Hand. Details here.

Ral (Male Lightning Mage) - blonde hair with hints of gray. He was a mage of Pynx in alt-cythera but he betrayed his fellows and sided with alt-wizard. He is powerful and skilled but a bit cocky and overconfident.

Krys (Young Female Telepath) - can "cast" illusions and read/control the minds of others. She is small and slim. When she was too young to remember Wizard murdered her parents after realizing the kind of psychic potential she had. He "raised" her as his own, as he did other gifted individuals, and trained her. Unlike most of her adopted siblings she survived and excelled. She remains fiercely loyal to her "father".

Kain (Male Pyrokinetic) - can create fire from thin air and cause inanimate things to burst into flames. In his mid-twenties, is a powerfully built man with dark hair and a well groomed beard. Kain killed his family with this power he couldn't control when he was very young. Wizard took a special interest in him. Taught him to control his powers. And showed the boy the beauty of being a sadistic psychopath. Chip off the ol' block. Kain is loyal to Wizard but is fond of Selax like a favorite uncle.

Scry (Female Blademaster) - senses her surroundings and sees a short time into the future. Also in her mid-twenties, is blind with long black hair and a red scarf covering her eyes. She was once a hero like Raperian fighting against Wizard to free the alternate Cythera. She wasn't as skilled as the ranger at staying hidden though. Her family was found and killed by Kain. Soon after she fought Selax and lost both eyes to an attack. Wizard then realized her hidden ability to see the future and awakened it within her, but just to be cruel he then twisted her mind and made her the slave of the man who killed her family, Kain.

This post has been edited by Avatara: 19 May 2013 - 12:53 AM

Timeline of Events

It is currently the twenty-fifth day of the story. The current season is late summer.

The events of the first two weeks are covered in more detail in Dark Mirror.

Chronicle of Major Events:
Just prior to Dark Mirror - Large animals, including predators, are found dead in the woods between Cademia and Kosha. The manner of death is somewhat unusual. The group sets out from Cademia to investigate.
Day 3 - Rapierian is blamed for the killings and imprisoned in Kosha, but escapes later that night. The group sets out in hot pursuit.
Day 6 - A secret plot to poison the mages of Cademia is uncovered. Shanadar, Katerei, and Yomu join the mysterious Beorn as they race to stop the assassins, only to encounter an alternate version of Avatara and Rapierian at the Judge's castle.
Day 8 - Cademia is attacked by an invading army. Large portions of the slums are set on fire. A giant golem creature appears and assaults the guards at the castle until it is finally defeated by the group.
Day 9 - Suspicious of the previous night's events, the group confronts the judge at the castle and discovers he is really an alternate Wizard in disguise. The strange Rapierian from earlier rescues them from the ensuing ambush and explains how a rift has opened to an alternate Cythera.
Day 11 - In a desperate attempt to stop the alternate Selax and Wizard from killing Alaric and wielding the power of the void, the remaining heroes rush to save Land King Hall. The alternates win, but Yomu manages to temporarily stop Selax from attaining the power of the void and allow the wounded heroes to escape.
Day 14 - Firecat reveals he has possessed Yomu.
Day 15 - The party splits into two groups. Av, K, and Rapierian are tasked with closing the gateway between the worlds. The others seek to stop Selax and rescue Alaric.
Day 16: Alt-Rapierian, Katerei, and Moonshadow return to Cademia.
Day 18 - Athes reveals Firecat's plan to restore the elements to alt-Cythera.
Day 19: Athes leads Avatara, K, and Rapierian to the portal. They cross into alt-Cythera.
Day 20: The heroes in Cademia learn that mages are being kidnapped across Cythera. Alt-Rapierian and Katerei set out for Pnyx to warn them.
Day 22: (Alt-Cythera): Avatara, K, and Rapierian reach Land's End Volcano and begin their entrance. (Cythera): after escaping an ambush, Alt-Rapierian and Katerei meet Beorn. Hoping to learn Avatara's fate, Katerei leaves with him. He informs her of alt-Selax's plan to reach the Void and of his own role in creating the connection between the two Cytheras. They begin their descent into the Seldane's undercities.
Day 23: (Alt-Cythera): The fire pillar is restored. The volcano erupts, forcing Avatara, K, and Rapierian to flee. They are rescued by Athes and taken to Ayrit. (Cythera): Katerei and Beorn and reach the undercity.
Day 24: (Alt-Cythera): Avatara, K, and Rapierian meet with Sage who further describes his plan to awaken the four pillars of alt-Cythera. He informs them that only his presence keeps Yomu alive and they agree to aid him. (Cythera): Beorn repairs the Amulet of the Dead, hoping to gain control of the undead. They are forced to flee by an unknown force.

This post has been edited by Selax: 12 October 2014 - 01:00 PM

Map of Cythera (courtesy of Katerei):


Map of Cademia (also courtesy of Katerei):


Additional official maps from the game are available courtesy of The Wizard.

This post has been edited by Avatara: 27 April 2013 - 05:41 PM

Reference Material: Alternate Cythera

A History of Alt-Cythera
In ordinary Cythera, Bellerophon and his party purified the Crolna with the help of Charax and used it to heal Alaric.

In alt-Cythera, Bellerophon and his party disappeared when they went to see Charax. Instead, Selax arrived at Land King Hall with the Crolna. Using it, he killed Alaric and the Undine lord that had corrupted the Crolna, for reasons unknown. Before he could flee LKH, he was intercepted by Magpie. Although Magpie was fatally injured, he managed to shatter the Crolna.

Immediately afterward, Ur-Sylph was released and a new war among the four elements ensued, decimating Cythera. At the conflict's end, all four elements were dead.

Regarding the Elements
The death of the elements is causing havoc with the land. At the Cytherian portal, Athes suggests returning the elementals' power to their source will allow elemental magic to recover and let the land begin to heal.

The absence of each element has an adverse affect upon the land:

• Fire - hot and cold become indistinguishable. The entire land is uncomfortably warm for most of the day and night. Temperatures around 80°F (~27°C).
  
• Water - water begins to dry up and become scarce.
  
• Earth - the ground becomes arid and inhospitable. Plants begin to die from lack of nutrients (and water).
  
• Air - wind all but disappears from the land. The air is heavy and still.

As both Avatara and Katerei rely on elemental power for their magic, both of them are affected by the respective lack of their elements.

This post has been edited by Avatara: 19 May 2013 - 01:26 AM

Reference Material: Modern Cythera

Cademia (ten years or so after the game)
Cademia is the oldest and largest city in Cythera, having been founded after humans first arrived on the island. It is located at the point where the river Sitia flows into the sea (see map of Cythera).

Frequently called "the Mother City," Cademia was once the center of government in Cythera. The Tyrants ruled here sometime after 100 (date uncertain) and until a period between 216, when Alaric killed the third Tyrant, and 219, when the mages returned and the current government system was established. The Tyrants great castle still stands in the northern part of the city.

Many of the noble houses have or had representation in this city. Currently, House Attis, led by Matron Thuria, is the most powerful house in the city, although House Comana briefly challenged its control. Houses Strymon and Nicander also had representation here, but it is unknown if this is still the case.*

Below the city are the largest sewer networks in Cythera. As large as Cademia is, it sometimes has problems with ratilizard infestations. Thus, a specialized guild—the Ratcatcher's Guild—exists within this city to deal with such vermin.

Of late, Cademia, old and no longer as important is it once was, has begun to decay in places. In some places of the city, many of the buildings are damaged and abandoned. The great walls that once surrounded the city are now crumbling in many places and many buildings are even built outside them.

Still, Cademia almost certainly remains the most important city in Cythera. The mint and other important buildings are still located here.


*This discusses the city after the game and so is somewhat speculative. In the game, Attis and Strymon are allied strongly enough to keep Comana from outright control, although that House has edged out Attis in terms of popular support. After Comana's fall, it can be assumed that Attis again has control in the city. Nicander's representative to the city is murdered in the game. Since this man was Nicander's next leader and the eldest of the House's two sons, it is highly uncertain whether or not another representative would have been sent. Whether Strymon's representative remains is not known at all.

Reference Material

Additional reference information.

So far...

(The events of Dark Mirror are summarized in the DM OoC thread. Warning: Spoilers for DM are revealed below.)

Fresh off a defeat in Land King Hall, the battered adventurers retreated to Cademia to regroup and plan their next move. The mysterious Beorn, revealed to be Selax trapped in human form, had stopped his nemesis [alternate-Selax] from seizing the crolna at the last minute, averting certain destruction. However, the Land King himself, still rendered inert by the presence of two Cytheras, was abducted by [alternate] Selax's forces.

Running out of time and with too much to accomplish, the group decided to split up at Cademia. One team would stay behind to try and rescue the Land King while the other team would set out on a mission to try and close the rift between the two worlds.

Rapierian and the alternate Avatara and Katerei set off to alternate-Cythera, but along the way they encountered Athes, a demon in service of Firecat. Athes revealed Firecat's proposal to try and return the elements to alternate-Cythera as a way to subvert Selax's power and heal the land. Thus, the three adventurers set out to the first font of elemental power, located in the depths of the long-dormant Land's End Volcano...

This post has been edited by Avatara: 13 November 2013 - 02:21 AM

Reserved for future use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about the story?

Good question. Try looking at this post.

What happened while I was gone?

Check out the timeline of major events. It usually lags the main story by a scene or two (for spoiler reasons), but it condenses most of the material into a brief summary.

What season is it?

Late summer/early fall. Think early September, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere.

What happens next?

You tell me. If you're concerned about stepping on toes, check to see if anything was mentioned on the last page of this OoC topic. Everything I know that isn't secret is usually posted here.

Reserved for furry use.

This post has been edited by Two Jacks: 30 August 2011 - 10:10 AM

DM2 is finally awake! Hurray!

One aspect that delayed the opening post was deciding on a fitting title. We wanted a title that fit the theme of the story, and that was grammatically correct. Some preferred the idea of referencing other literary works, while others preferred to avoid that. Some prefer an amusing title, while others prefer a poetic title. During these discussions, several really good title ideas were generated. I'm posting the complete list now, though note that this list is missing ideas that were generated in my absence:

Foundation of Fire
Final Fantasy
A Tale of Two Worlds
Another Trick of The Wizard
Dark Mirror II
Final Recursion
Foundation of Flame
Recursion of Fire
The End of the World
The Pony Chronicles
The TS at the End of the World
Friendship Burns
The TS Where Selax Gets Killed
The TS Where Selax Gets Killed - For Real This Time
Tides of Darkness
Beyond the Dark Portal
Dark Mirror II: Shattered Reality
A Wrinkle in Reality
A Wrinkle in 4/4 Time
A Wrinkle in The Wizard
A Dimple in 4/4 Time
The Wizard, the Cat, and the Bathrobe
The Never Ending Wrinkle in Reality
The Never Ending Wrinkles of Reality, a story about Wizard
The Lord of the Never Ending Wrinkle in Reality's Final Recursion of Flame
The Foundation of the Lord of the Never Ending Wrinkle in Reality's Final Recursion of Flame
The Fracture in Reality
A Breach in Reality
Crackling Reality, sponsored by Rice Crispies
Bringing Joy to the World
The Good, The Bad, and The Furry
The Wizard, The Cat, and the Portal
The Wizard, The Cat, and The Tunic
There and Back Again
Nothing New Yet
Seven Years Dark Luck
A Fracture in Reality
A Refraction in Reality
A Refraction of Reality
A Refraction into Reality
A Refraction through Reality
Final Refraction
A Recursive Refraction in log(n) Time
Chaos Theory
Hitchhiker's Guide to Cythera
Kaleidoscope of Possibility
Infernal Refraction
The Edge of Refraction and Reality
The Edge of the Abyss
On the Edge of Refraction and Reality
The Edge of Reflection and Reality
Swimming with the Sharks
Swimming with the Polyps
The Pool of Reflection
The Pool of Dreams
The Edge of Reality
The Apex of Reflection and Reality
The Brink of Reality
The Selax Supremacy
Tora! Tora! Tora!
I Ravage Selax (IRS)
I, alt-Cythera
Reflection Insurrection
Cythera: Generations
Cythera: The Search for Selax
Cythera: The Final Frontier
Cythera: The Wrath of Retsy
Cythera: The Voyage Home
Cythera: The Undiscovered Crolna
Cythera: Nemesis
Cythera: First Contact
Cythera: Encounter at Alt-Cythera
The Apex of Reflection
Into the Night
The Stench of Futility
The Perfume of Kitty Cats
The Pizza that is not Fresh
The Reflection of Dreams
The Struggle Behind the Mirror
Twisted Reflections
Struggle Past the Mirror's Edge
Res Reflexa
The Cosmopolitan
Shattered Mirror
Smash the Mirror
Tommy's Holiday Camp
Between Reflection and Reality
Out of Reflection, Into Reality
Dark Mirror II: Avatara has a kid, yall

I wanted to see when everyone had last posted in DM or OoR. Here were the results:
Sely - 08 September 2011
Kat - 28 July 2011
Tyry - 06 September 2011
Shorty - 30 August 2011
Nezmy - 29 August 2011
Wizzy - 23 December 2010
Valy - 20 January 2011
Koy - 27 February 2010
City - 30 August 2011
Day - 07 September 2011
Uno - 18 January 2010
Illy - 28 August 2009

This post has been edited by BreadWorldMercy453: 17 September 2011 - 04:58 PM

Here are the questions I still have about DM. Some of these questions may be intended to be answered in OoR, and some may be discarded ideas; but I think several were answered and I failed to notice. I'm not very good at noticing things. I've numbered my questions into 25 sets, so if you can answer any of them, I'd appreciate it!

1. Who killed and mutilated the animal corpses? Why? Why did they use different weapons on different creatures? Why did they remove the hearts and livers? (I've heard two different, contradicting, explanations for this, but neither seem to be confirmed anywhere in the TS, so I'm still confused)

2. Why did Silverfish's reflection in the mirror in the Comana guest room appear dark and webby?

3. Why was Wizard hallucinating after the failed Directed Nexus spell? Was it just feedback from the broken spell, or did alt-Wizard attack him telepathically?

4. How did Talos get to Cythera by boat? How did the sailors know of Cythera? How did he get to the shore without getting attacked by Scylla?

5. Why was the little girl Sara's heart removed after she was killed & before she was replaced?

6. Did Sorin (Sara's grandfather) really "trip" and break his neck?

7. Why does Avatara know how to stop alt-Rythan? What does he know?

8. Who were the three muggers who attacked Beorn in Cademia? Why did they attack him?

9. Why didn't Typhos remember attacking Garmr?

10. Was Beorn aware that Avatara & K were alternates, when he was traveling with them?

11. When Andru washed up on the shore south of Cademia, who were the two dead men who were with him?

12. How did Andru get to Cythera? Where was he going?

13. If the original plan was to assassinate the three Cademian mages, why did alt-Wizard decide instead to impersonate Berossus?

14. Before leaving the castle, Iannah asked Elie, "is it done?" Elie said it was. What were they referring to?

15. Why weren't the assassins informed that Berossus was no longer to be killed?

16. Why did Shanadar leave Beorn unattended in the hotel after dragging him all around Cademia the previous day?

17. Andru shocked himself by treating Forlong as if he was one of "them" - whom was he thinking of?

18. Why did alt-Selax block off communication with Firecat on day 8?

19. Why did alt-Wizard want to burn Cademia?

20. Who set the spider-silk trap that Ral, Kain, & Scry discovered in an alley?

21. Do I understand correctly that Creon's military group ambushed Cademia while Lysander's group went on to Catamarca?

22. Who were the "wayward children" Jacob said he needed to collect, distracting him from killing Talos with his freaky lightning arrows?

23. How could Avaltara have helped alt-Selax access the Void?

24. Why did the Hand begin to leave Cademia (heading South) then suddenly turn around and go back to the castle?

25. Who did alt-Selax and alt-Wizard suspect had summoned Golem?

1. Who killed and mutilated the animal corpses? Why? Why did they use different weapons on different creatures? Why did they remove the hearts and livers? (I've heard two different, contradicting, explanations for this, but neither seem to be confirmed anywhere in the TS, so I'm still confused)
Katerei, answered in DM.

2. Why did Silverfish's reflection in the mirror in the Comana guest room appear dark and webby?
You could ask him?

3. Why was Wizard hallucinating after the failed Directed Nexus spell? Was it just feedback from the broken spell, or did alt-Wizard attack him telepathically?
Feedback.

10. Was Beorn aware that Avatara & K were alternates, when he was traveling with them?
Yes

13. If the original plan was to assassinate the three Cademian mages, why did alt-Wizard decide instead to impersonate Berossus?
Alt-Wizard is...unstable. Also, the assassins only tried to actually assassinate two of the mages. You'll remember Iannah and crew were in the castle abducting the judge, not killing him.

14. Before leaving the castle, Iannah asked Elie, "is it done?" Elie said it was. What were they referring to?
Hiding the real judge. (Reread the posts with Iannah in the castle more closely.)

16. Why did Shanadar leave Beorn unattended in the hotel after dragging him all around Cademia the previous day?
Do you know how tiring it is to drag someone around?

18. Why did alt-Selax block off communication with Firecat on day 8?
Because real Wizard would have noticed.

19. Why did alt-Wizard want to burn Cademia?
He didn't. The underlings (specifically the "army") got out of control. You'll notice that other minions (like the Hand and the assassins) didn't exactly follow orders either.

22. Who were the "wayward children" Jacob said he needed to collect, distracting him from killing Talos with his freaky lightning arrows?
Probably the rest of the Hand. Kain, Scry, and Ral (who were obviously not doing what they were supposed to have been.

23. How could Avaltara have helped alt-Selax access the Void?
Secret.

24. Why did the Hand begin to leave Cademia (heading South) then suddenly turn around and go back to the castle?
Maybe their compass was broken?

Thanks for the answers, Tyry! A couple of follow-up questions:

1. Could someone find a link to this? I couldn't find any mention in the TS (but I miss a lot), and I'm still confused about why she killed them and removed the hearts.

18. Okay, good logical explanation. Does that mean Selax was blocking Firecat the entire TS?

This post has been edited by BreadWorldMercy453: 17 September 2011 - 05:55 PM

1. Who killed and mutilated the animal corpses? Why? Why did they use different weapons on different creatures? Why did they remove the hearts and livers?
Kat, and because the hearts and livers are icky and out of fashion.

2. Why did Silverfish's reflection in the mirror in the Comana guest room appear dark and webby?
Poor lighting and upkeep.

3. Why was Wizard hallucinating after the failed Directed Nexus spell? Was it just feedback from the broken spell, or did alt-Wizard attack him telepathically?
A combination of dehydration and a botox overdose.

4. How did Talos get to Cythera by boat? How did the sailors know of Cythera? How did he get to the shore without getting attacked by Scylla?
Talos's people do not come from the actual world of cythera, since the only thing in the world is the island of Cythera. His people posses boats like the ones from Avalon on the show Gargoyles. Meaning, they have the ability to cross the void and the sea. Like his armor, the boat is also enchanted and repelled harm or in this case Scylla. I just made that up but it's probably what r0k would say. Well maybe.

5. Why was the little girl Sara's heart removed after she was killed & before she was replaced?
Maybe the author thought the duplicates needed a piece of dna or something before the could dupe the original. Who knows. The heart thing though, those are so last year.

6. Did Sorin (Sara's grandfather) really "trip" and break his neck?
I'm sure this whole scene was just a setup for a character so I'm not entirely sure of it's importance. If he did break his neck he was once weak son of a gun. Usually people fall and just get concussed.

7. Why does Avatara know how to stop alt-Rythan? What does he know?
Maybe something Av and r0k agreed on back when the latter was still active. Probably why he's avoiding the question now. I'm sure there's some kind of back story that was never released and never will be unless r0k comes back.

8. Who were the three muggers who attacked Beorn in Cademia? Why did they attack him?
Ruffians trapped in a plot device. They were screaming on the inside.

9. Why didn't Typhos remember attacking Garmr?
Why I don't remember those names probably answers that question.

10. Was Beorn aware that Avatara & K were alternates, when he was traveling with them?
No, only before and after.

11. When Andru washed up on the shore south of Cademia, who were the two dead men who were with him?
They were alive men.

12. How did Andru get to Cythera? Where was he going?
Andru got to cythera via mild interest and minimal attention span.

13. If the original plan was to assassinate the three Cademian mages, why did alt-Wizard decide instead to impersonate Berossus?
Because he respected Berossus as a significant NCP and thought that murdering him was just too immoral. Even for him.

14. Before leaving the castle, Iannah asked Elie, "is it done?" Elie said it was. What were they referring to?
Hot pockets. Alternate Hot Pockets.

15. Why weren't the assassins informed that Berossus was no longer to be killed?
Take a look at the invading forces. Two armies, bot have trouble following or carrying out oders. Two assault groups, poorly informed or used. A malicious information system and two untrusting heads at the front. Top that off with everyone in it for their own gain (Alt wiz and selax seem to only really want to act alone most of the time anyways) and it becomes obvious that the enemies hierarchy is fragile to say the least, and it seem quite easily broken most of the time. So we can chalk the question up to bad leadership/communication/execution etc.

16. Why did Shanadar leave Beorn unattended in the hotel after dragging him all around Cademia the previous day?
While Beorn was in Shanadar's custody, he kept trying to escape. It seemed better to lock him up somewhere than to keep carrying him around, especially since he was incapable of movement and foul play was about in Cademia.

17. Andru shocked himself by treating Forlong as if he was one of "them" - whom was he thinking of?
Probably an enemy of his homeland. The scene made it out to be that Forlong wasn't a directly a part of whatever movement he was a part of, though he still felt the effects of it and apparently the hatred. Oh those darn angsty demons haunting his soul. /speculation

18. Why did alt-Selax block off communication with Firecat on day 8?
That was more of a side effect. Saltax didn't want Wizard picking up his presence since he was in the area, as well Wazird's. Also Firecate COULD break though it, he just didn't feel like showin' off OK? Selax cut himself off mentally for most of the TS meaning no one could find him. Fc couldn't tell where exactly he was, just that he was no longer in alt cythera, and in Cythera, until he came out into the open that is.

19. Why did alt-Wizard want to burn Cademia?
He saw it as the main hub of Cythera and without it much of the culture and society would be in shambles I s'pose. He is after control of the land after all.

20. Who set the spider-silk trap that Ral, Kain, & Scry discovered in an alley?
I assumed it was the time traveling guy. Or Iannah's group or some ally of that super dark evil guy r0k created.

21. Do I understand correctly that Creon's military group ambushed Cademia while Lysander's group went on to Catamarca?
Yes. Well they went to the forests near cademia, waiting for wizards order that.. sadly never came. :3

22. Who were the "wayward children" Jacob said he needed to collect, distracting him from killing Talos with his freaky lightning arrows?
He needed to pick up some orphans to trade for toys at the the toys for tots drive in lower Cademia.

23. How could Avaltara have helped alt-Selax access the Void?
Avatara is secretly the moon princess secretly reincarnated on Cythera. Some where deep in side Avatara is the Moon crystal (the source of his power). If the evil Queen Saltax can extract the crystal from Avatara, then she'll finally have enough nega-energy to be unstoppable and access the void. So once Avatara's fury blue companion, K, appeared and filled him on his secret destiny, The Moon Princess set out to fight evil, meeting the other sailor scouts along he way.

24. Why did the Hand begin to leave Cademia (heading South) then suddenly turn around and go back to the castle?
There was a change in plans, sabotage, or "I know better than the orders I've been given.". Either way they messed up and were scolded for it. I believe their reasoning was to track down time travel-man while he was still in the area.

25. Who did alt-Selax and alt-Wizard suspect had summoned Golem?
One of the heroes of normal Cythera, one of the alts that followed them from alt cythera, as well as someone from their own forces who might be trying to perform a coup. Selax I think wrote that he and wiz suspected fc, though because Fc made sure there was no evidence linking things back to himself, they just said they suspected their own forces..

There you go, all answered PERFECTLY.

Nezmy, you rock! Your explanations are perfect; I can ask for nothing more. I am both informed and greatly amused. Thanks

1. I don't recall how clearly this was addressed in-story, but here's what my notes say: K killed harpies and unicorns and removed their organs for medicinal ingredients. She killed ratlizards to withdraw their poison. The different weapons and excessive mutilation was an attempt to cover her tracks, so it didn't look planned and methodical.

Bonus answer: She poisoned the Kosha man, Alarus, as a mercy killing because he was already injured. (This was replaced with the death of the horse thief in my film script.) She dragged his body to a clearing so that the group would find him and return him home, hence the wolf teeth marks on his pants. The poison vial everyone thought belonged to Rapierian actually belonged to her.

Bonus answer #2: the glint that Yomu saw when he was flying over the forest early in the story was probably K.

10. Yes. It's alluded to when they're about to enter Cademia, just after Beorn mentions that Avatara is a wanted criminal.

13. Crazy old men need their kicks too!

15. The assassins answer to Selax. Wizard decided on his own to change the plans, and probably only informed his own followers, which is why Aremis wasn't surprised to find Wizard at the castle.

16. The second half of your question answers the first.

20. I don't know, but it wasn't Iannah's group since none of them use magic (which means Kain's anger won out over clear thought when he blamed her.) I'd guess it was Seralcard.

I like your story-post, Kat! ^_^

It's a little frustrating how obvious and sensible the answers seem when I read them, but these are all things I don't figure out while I'm reading the story. I'm the sort of person that likes every mystery explained, and then the explanations explained. I'm maybe the opposite of Tyry in that way.

Of course it makes sense that K was using the organs for drugs, and now it seems less creepy ^_^

I also agree with Nezmy and Kat that Seralcard set those traps - never thought of it before though!

This post has been edited by BreadWorldMercy453: 18 September 2011 - 12:40 PM

Sorry for the long delay in posting. I have had a very busy few weeks.

Regarding the strange liquid in the first part of the post, it is, of course, kesh. My reasoning is that this would be the most effective way for the alts to attempt to deal with a city of mages. This particular batch was brought from alt-Cythera but, due to the chaos surrounding the events in Cademia, did not make to LKH in time to be of any use.

Also, I had Rapierian (the necromancer) go ahead and join the group outside Cademia, if that does not inconvenience anyone. I think that he might go with whatever group heads to alt-Cythera.

If you haven't posted in the last month (in other words, if you're not Shorty), what's wrong? To think, I never appreciated hearing y'all's lame excuses, and now you don't even bother giving them anymore ;_;

I was waiting for you to post.

I was waiting for you to post.

I was waiting for Yu Sakai to post.