(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 10)

[Hanzo K.]

>Pull a wry grin. "In fact, you could say she's why I took a header off that bridge in the first place. Stubborn one she was, a right piece of work. as nasty as any rowdy Oni when she got riled up by seeing I had this little treasure, let me tell you."

[DracoOmega]

>"I met a spider youkai near where I found this sword underground, and she had some interesting things to say. She seemed to imply that her people once lived above ground on Estval, but that the surfacers, that being the early inhabitants or perhaps the colonists from the central continents, had gone to war with them. Far as I can tell, the spiders got the worse of it."
>"As near as I can determine, they were responsible for the blight. So, if I can learn more about them, if there's anything to learn at all, that might bring me closer to understanding how this disease works, and how to stop it."

>"Well," she says, taking a rather poised tone, "I can say that if the colonists of Estval fought a war on their own soil, it was the briefest and most invisible of wars imaginable; there is simply no record of it happening at all. Nor, for that matter, do I know of any evidence that Estval itself was previously inhabited. There, I admit, I may not be exhaustively informed of all pre-colonial findings, but there are certainly no sites either physically expansive or widely known. If this subterranean shrine you speak of indeed dates to this period, its import to the field would be quite considerable."

>Pull a wry grin. "In fact, you could say she's why I took a header off that bridge in the first place. Stubborn one she was, a right piece of work. as nasty as any rowdy Oni when she got riled up by seeing I had this little treasure, let me tell you."

>She regards you with a slight note of distaste. "I see."

>She shakes her head. "In any event, you may well have encountered a spider youkai beneath the island's surface - they are rare, but not unheard of - and she may well have told you exactly what you've since repeated to me, but this does not necessitate that either of you have your facts entirely in order. And here, I think I may return to an earlier irregularity."
>She fixes you with a keen stare, her round golden eyes almost uncomfortably intent. "An outbreak of a rare and apparently incurable disease is not the sort of thing one expects to slip beneath the threshold of newsworthiness, particularly when it is urgent enough to beget the dispatch of messengers to other lands in search of some slim chance of a solution. You said all options on Estval had been exhausted; this takes time. Time enough for word of a brewing crisis to outpace the agents of its resistance, I should think. It also strikes me as rather disingenuous to dismiss the risks for their 'merely' being isolated to Easthaven. The significance of that town's agricultural exports is not to be disregarded, and anything which devastated harvests there would have a consequent and considerable impact on the food supply of numerous settlements beyond its borders. This, of course, is not even considering the other inimical implications of such an event befalling a settlement under the personal vigil of a harvest goddess." She cranes her neck in towards you. "Are there perhaps other details you could share which might clarify these matters?"

[Oldmansour]

>Steel ourselves. We've faced much harsher stares than this ones.
>"Outbreak is too strong a word at the moment. There's only been one case of infection, and steps have been taken to ensure there won't be anymore. The spider youkai I mentioned is the source of the blight. At first, I thought it was an ability unique to her, but from what Minoriko said, it may have been a racial trait. That was something else I was hoping to learn here, to see if there was any documentation of a race that had that particular ability."
>"Regardless, the blight she created isn't contagious, Minoriko was quite clear on that. It has to come from the spider, and that spider is no longer an issue. The most powerful mage on Estval personally saw to that. Marisa Kirisame, if you've ever heard of her."

[DracoOmega]

>Steel ourselves. We've faced much harsher stares than this ones.
>"Outbreak is too strong a word at the moment. There's only been one case of infection, and steps have been taken to ensure there won't be anymore. The spider youkai I mentioned is the source of the blight. At first, I thought it was an ability unique to her, but from what Minoriko said, it may have been a racial trait. That was something else I was hoping to learn here, to see if there was any documentation of a race that had that particular ability."
>"Regardless, the blight she created isn't contagious, Minoriko was quite clear on that. It has to come from the spider, and that spider is no longer an issue. The most powerful mage on Estval personally saw to that. Marisa Kirisame, if you've ever heard of her."

>You keep up an implacable exterior. Her countenance isn't particularly hostile, but you get the impression those eyes don't miss much.
>"I have not," she says, "but no matter. I'm also not readily familiar with any race of youkai that spreads disease as a racial trait; doubtless one could exist, but that is distinctly outside my field of specialty. If one of them had been a scion of some prominent Houses of this city, perhaps, but there I can say with great confidence that they have not been. Regarding this matter, I would venture you'd be far better served by a naturalist of some stripe or another; I can merely tell you that this historical outbreak for which they were supposedly culpable is not a documented fact, at least so far as the current state of our discipline is aware."

[Oldmansour]

>"That doesn't surprise me. I had a word with a couple of professor Kamishirasawa's people back in Braston. Enough to get an impression of just how fragmented information of that part of time is."
>Where was that herbology and alchemy building again?
>"And a naturalist was actually next on my list of people to talk to, depending on how things went here. Would I find one in the Flamel building?"

[DracoOmega]

>"That doesn't surprise me. I had a word with a couple of professor Kamishirasawa's people back in Braston. Enough to get an impression of just how fragmented information of that part of time is."
>Where was that herbology and alchemy building again?
>"And a naturalist was actually next on my list of people to talk to, depending on how things went here. Would I find one in the Flamel building?"

>"Oh, so you've already spoken with them?" She arches an eyebrow. "Well, no matter; you're quite correct, of course. We don't even know the absolute age of the Freelands Archaic sites we've found with any certainty. It's a matter of some contention whether they may even predate the Sundering. I myself lack the expertise to venture an opinion on that question."
>You were told it was along the path to the left of the exit from the library.
>"After a fashion," she says in a dry tone, "though not precisely what I had in mind. Certainly, if you had need of identifying a rare plant or esoteric concoction, I can think of few places better to direct you, but I suspect their studies of ethnology extend no further than that which concerns their primary aims; whether knowledge of youkai arachnids intersects with one of these, I cannot say. I do know that the library has several detailed compendiums on the multifarious varieties of youkai and other magical creatures that populate our world. I have had, on rare occasion, reason to consult them. I certainly don't recall either the presence or absence of tsuchigumo within them, but they may nonetheless be the single most authoritative resource available for this particular question of yours."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm less interested in fine details on tsuchigumo, to be honest, and more interested in curing that isolated case of the disease. That's why I was asking about them."

[Oldmansour]

>What's a Sundering?

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm less interested in fine details on tsuchigumo, to be honest, and more interested in curing that isolated case of the disease. That's why I was asking about them."

>She shakes her head. "Then I'm afraid I likely have no useful information to give you. Matters of disease and their remedies are well outside the bounds of my own knowledge, and the historical event you speak of is unknown to me."

>What's a Sundering?

>That's a good question.

[Oldmansour]

>"I see. Still, it was an avenue I had to pursue."
>"But, what of religious history?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I see. Still, it was an avenue I had to pursue."
>"But, what of religious history?"

>The professor nods very slightly.
>She raises an eyebrow at this. "What of it, indeed."

[Oldmansour]

>"I mean, is that outside your area of expertise as well?"
>Point to our katana. "As I mentioned before, this sword is powered by some kind of faith, a faith that holds the effects of the blight at bay. If I can learn more of that faith, perhaps a cure could be derived from it. Or would be known to the ones that forged it, or those who followed that faith."

[DracoOmega]

>"I mean, is that outside your area of expertise as well?"
>Point to our katana. "As I mentioned before, this sword is powered by some kind of faith, a faith that holds the effects of the blight at bay. If I can learn more of that faith, perhaps a cure could be derived from it. Or would be known to the ones that forged it, or those who followed that faith."

>"I'm not certain anything of substance is known about Freelands Archaic religious practices by anyone still living," she says, "and my area of specialization concerns genealogy and political history, in particular of the Houses of Val Razua, as well as settlement and migration patterns and some small knowledge of urban development as it concerns these. I assume you can see the rather tenuous connection this holds with much of what we've discussed thus far."

[Oldmansour]

>Nod. "Of course. I'm simply trying to be thorough."
>Offer a small grin. "Finding things like this may be what I do, but no one said it was going to be easy. I'm trying to come at it from every possible angle."

[Hello Purvis]

A random and unrelated thought I've had. Assuming we can get this monkey off our back, what do we do about the sword? I am rather liking the idea of donating it to this institution as a final middle finger toward Yamame's attempts to bury it forever.

[Oldmansour]

Like hell. This is a trophy of our first real mission, our first brush with death. And our first victory.
Plus, we owe our life to this sword. This stays with us, and when we get our own castle/airship/brothel/whatever we get at the end of this quest, Kumokirimaru goes on our wall, as the first of the great treasures we found on our adventures.

[Hello Purvis]

Here's the thing, though. If it's just on our wall, it's just some hunk of metal that's special to us. We donate, or barter, it, it becomes special to many people, and probably becomes a major focus of study that has books written about it's significance. And we the credit for finding it, and literally go down in history for it. Not to mention the enormous debt we're gonna be owed in exchange for such.

(Also I'm hesitant to call getting our ass beat, running, and nearly dying of the plague until saved by literal divine intervention then having Marisa clean up the mess as a victory. More of a not loss.)

But I can totally see where you're coming from with it being a trophy, but what is more important about a trophy, owning it physically or displaying it where it can be seen and appreciated by the many?

[DracoOmega]

>Nod. "Of course. I'm simply trying to be thorough."
>Offer a small grin. "Finding things like this may be what I do, but no one said it was going to be easy. I'm trying to come at it from every possible angle."

>The professor nods, and comes the closest you've yet seen to a smile. "Of course. The pursuit of the obscure and minute is something any true historian understands very well."

[Oldmansour]

>"Is there someone here I could speak to on the matter, or, do you think I'd be better served inquiring at a temple, or shrine?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'd expect someone here would be better, but...well...time is a factor, you know?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Is there someone here I could speak to on the matter, or, do you think I'd be better served inquiring at a temple, or shrine?"

>"I would be genuinely surprised if there is a single person at the Academy who can tell you any fact of consequence about the spiritual practices of those who created this weapon. Assuming it is an authentic heirloom of the Freelands Archaic culture, of course. I suppose it's not impossible that some shared traditions may have been passed down into modern religions and preserved therein, though I doubt their stewards would know of them as such. In any case, of this I know even less than I do of spiders, I'm afraid."

>"I'd expect someone here would be better, but...well...time is a factor, you know?"

>She frowns. "Yes, one thing rather unlike history, that."

[Oldmansour]

>"Then I guess I'll have to ask at the temples. Or at the best healer in town. Well, probably both, by the time I'm done."
>"Now, this may be a bit of a longshot, but, considering the reputation of the library here, I should ask. Assuming that there's answers to be found in there somewhere, is there someone on staff there that could point me to the right book in question? I'm afraid I don't have the time to comb through the place book by book right now."

[DracoOmega]

>"Then I guess I'll have to ask at the temples. Or at the best healer in town. Well, probably both, by the time I'm done."
>"Now, this may be a bit of a longshot, but, considering the reputation of the library here, I should ask. Assuming that there's answers to be found in there somewhere, is there someone on staff there that could point me to the right book in question? I'm afraid I don't have the time to comb through the place book by book right now."

>"As logical a course for pursing that angle as any I can think of immediately," she says.
>"I imagine most of the library staff would be both willing and able to direct your queries to specific bookshelves, though if tsuchigumo are as old and obscure as the other matters of which you've spoken, the most promising sources may themselves be quite old...." She pauses a moment. "In that case, and in the interest of expedience, I might recommend seeking out the head librarian directly. She can be a somewhat... reticent person, but her knowledge of the library's contents seems near categorical at times and she has sole access to some of the more restricted parts of its collection. At least one of the natural taxonomies I mentioned earlier is housed therein. Whether it offers a superior source or merely a more antiquated one, I cannot venture."

[Oldmansour]

Now at this point, I admit, I'm half tempted to look up this librarian. Like you, Purvis, I didn't think going from book to book to book was ever a good idea. However, if this librarian is as clever as the professor says, and knows her stuff as well as missy here says, she might be able to take us right to what we want. Or at least, tell us if it's there or not. And if it's not, then we should start looking up hospitals or temples, whatever's closer, because I'm not sure what else here on campus would be of use to us.

[Hello Purvis]

I'm reasonably willing to chance it, but we will have to be careful about tossing good time after the bad. If faith has kept it at bay, and we're really finding nothing medical about it, it may be time to go punch Kanako until a cure falls out.

>"I don't suppose I can get a note or somesuch from you to help illustrate the nature of the problem, and to show I'm not just some random idiot off the street seeking to waste her time, could I?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I don't suppose I can get a note or somesuch from you to help illustrate the nature of the problem, and to show I'm not just some random idiot off the street seeking to waste her time, could I?"

>"Certainly," she says, then stands up to go fetch a quill and paper. As she moves, you catch hints of what look like large folded wings beneath her tabard; the voluminousness of the garment does a fair job of concealing them while she sits, though you think she could also spread them out easily enough, if she chose. After retrieving the writing implements, she returns to her desk and begins penning a note with swift strokes and surprising flourish.
>"If she appears to give you the cold shoulder, I suggest you not take it personally. In fact, I would be considerably surprised if she reacted in any other fashion - it seems simply to be her manner. Though I suppose her predecessor was not particularly noted for her personability, either." She lets out a breath that almost approaches a self-effacing chuckle. "Perhaps it's bad form to speak of one's headmistress in such a fashion. Pay me no mind."
>With a final flourish of her pen and a last keen gaze at the paper, she picks it up and hands it to you with a polite nod.

[Oldmansour]

>Accept the note.
>"Thank you, for your time and for your help."
>Let us return to the library, to find said boss of the place.

[DracoOmega]

>Accept the note.
>"Thank you, for your time and for your help."
>Let us return to the library, to find said boss of the place.

>You accept the professor's note.
>"Of course," she says, "though would you permit me a few short questions before you depart? I would quite be remiss in my duties to let such an artifact as this pass through my office without further inquiry on behalf of my colleagues. Particularly so, given to whom this office normally belongs."

[Oldmansour]

EDIT: Better idea.

RE EDIT: No, I didn't have a better idea.

>"How short?"

[DracoOmega]

>"How short?"

>She frowns. "I suppose now may not be the most ideal of times for this, no. I simply wished to inquire in more detail about the location where you said you obtained this sword, and the structure you mentioned encountering. Any artifacts even approaching this level of preservation are quite priceless to the advancement of our field, you understand."