(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 10)

[Hello Purvis]

No, I misread. Does that really address the situation at hand, though?

[Oldmansour]

You mean the situation where you want to throw our plague in the woman's face and shut out any and all chance of her talking to us? I love how you immediatly assume this is a dead end, too, by the way.
How about you just calm down and we can try to do things in a way that won't get us labeled as a plague rat and run out of town, or burned?

[Hello Purvis]

I am pointing out that she is much more likely to respond to us if we don't beat around the bush, given she's very blatantly stated she feels she has better things to do with her time than talk with us. There is no assumption of dead ends or whatever, why do you think I've been pushing for meeting this person thus far? I'm pointing out that she's more likely to shut us out if we're evasive and coy about it, because it's just further wasting her time. We need to get her interested, and impress the immediacy of the situation. If we're run out as a plague rat, that means there's no historically known cure anyways and we've wasted our time to start with, so it's not really a worthwhile consideration in light of what I've said. I'm not sure where you read what you said about my position at all, actually,

[Hanzo K.]

There's a damn good chance the whole 'plague rat' thing will get us also run out of town itself. Or worse.

[Oldmansour]

I admit, that did confuse me. Coming to see this woman was your idea, so, I had no idea why you were trying to sabotage the meeting right from the get go.

There's a damn good chance the whole 'plague rat' thing will get us also run out of town itself. Or worse.

Also this.

[Hello Purvis]

As I said, if it gets us run out of town by this person, there was never a cure known to scholars anyways. Otherwise, the reaction isn't going to be burn the plague rat, it's going to be "Oh hell, that needs to be fixed."

But, that is enough of a point to consider in terms of irrationality that I suppose I can agree with Sour's idea for now.

[DracoOmega]

>"I don't know if it's unusual or not, kinda new around here. But I'm hoping you're the woman to talk to about it."
>"I'm looking for information on an old disease that once existed on Estval. One that infected both humanoids and crops."

>"Well, it's certainly one of the most unusual to come across my desk in quite a long time," she says, then tilts her head sharply to the side; it's a rather strange-looking gesture on someone quite so starchy in manner. "Both humanoids and crops, you say? I'm far from a specialist in diseases, but that does strike me as rather peculiar as well. Shall I gather by 'once existed', that it does not exist presently?"

[Oldmansour]

By the by, I should say that I'm not 100% against showing this girl the blight. But starting off on that foot was the wrong move. It's a bridge we'll cross if and when the need arises.

>"It didn't, for a long time. But it's since had what you'd call a resurgance recently. But no one in the affected area knew of a cure for it, or even knew much about it beyond the fact that it was very old. So I, on their behalf, hopped the fastest ship I could find and came out here looking for some answers, before a bad situation got worse."

[Hello Purvis]

Possibly: Show her the sword, see if she recognizes it? Stab her if she tries to run off with it

[DracoOmega]

>"It didn't, for a long time. But it's since had what you'd call a resurgance recently. But no one in the affected area knew of a cure for it, or even knew much about it beyond the fact that it was very old. So I, on their behalf, hopped the fastest ship I could find and came out here looking for some answers, before a bad situation got worse."

>The professor's eyes narrow and the crease in her brow grows more defined. "I've heard of no such thing, and we have an expedition in that area presently. That sounds like a rather grave situation to entrust to a single person, or to seek a consultation with a history professor about, no less. Why not a doctor? And frankly, that seems a rather curious fact to know about a disease, if you know nothing else. 'Old'? Why would one think it was old? I'd say that knowing a disease is old would require recognizing it, no?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Ah, you mean professor Kamishirasawa's group. There's no cause for concern there, they're well clear of the area in question. The only area at risk is Easthaven village. One way or the other, it'll stay that way, too."
>"As for the rest- Can I sit down?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Ah, you mean professor Kamishirasawa's group. There's no cause for concern there, they're well clear of the area in question. The only area at risk is Easthaven village. One way or the other, it'll stay that way, too."
>"As for the rest- Can I sit down?"

>Her eyebrow arches further. "A partial answer to one question while raising several others. Perhaps you'd care to try addressing the rest?"
>"You may, if you'd like."

[Oldmansour]

>"Thanks."
>Have a seat.
>We've got her attention now, eh, b'yes.
>"I'll try to keep things simple, the story's a bit complicated. I'll start with the 'old' part, if that's okay."
>"Precisesly one person in Easthaven recognized the blight for what it was; the local goddess, who also serves as the local healer. Apparantly it existed hundreds of years ago, during a particularly difficult time for the continent. She told me all she could about it, but if I'm honest, it wasn't as much as I would have liked. Bits and pieces that didn't violate the 'sacred trust of prayer'. She did tell me, however, that she knew of no cure for the blight, at least none for humanoids. She came up with a way to slow its progress, but not cure it outright. And none of the doctors I consulted in Braston even knew as much as she did."
>"But, as your secretary pointed out, I'm a Seeker. Finding things that other people don't think exist is what I do. And since I'd exausted every lead I had on Estval, I came here."

[DracoOmega]

>"Thanks."
>Have a seat.
>We've got her attention now, eh, b'yes.
>"I'll try to keep things simple, the story's a bit complicated. I'll start with the 'old' part, if that's okay."
>"Precisesly one person in Easthaven recognized the blight for what it was; the local goddess, who also serves as the local healer. Apparantly it existed hundreds of years ago, during a particularly difficult time for the continent. She told me all she could about it, but if I'm honest, it wasn't as much as I would have liked. Bits and pieces that didn't violate the 'sacred trust of prayer'. She did tell me, however, that she knew of no cure for the blight, at least none for humanoids. She came up with a way to slow its progress, but not cure it outright. And none of the doctors I consulted in Braston even knew as much as she did."
>"But, as your secretary pointed out, I'm a Seeker. Finding things that other people don't think exist is what I do. And since I'd exausted every lead I had on Estval, I came here."

>The woman nods slightly, her eyes remaining fixed on you all the while.
>You take the offered seat; the professor's head cranes smoothly around to follow.
>"And so you came to a history department," she says simply, once you've finished your explanation. There is a touch of dubiousness to her voice.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, one of the clues we have is this here sword I've got. By siphoning off the faith energy inside it, she was able to make some medicine that holds the disease's effect at bay for the time. But we don't know how long it'll be effective, so she told me to bring it with me to get more information about the writing on the blade. Mind if I unsheathe it so you can take a look?"

[Oldmansour]

>"It seemed a sensible place to check for any other incidents of this matter in recorded history. There might be records here of that event, or the species involved, which could tell me what Minoriko couldn't."

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, one of the clues we have is this here sword I've got. By siphoning off the faith energy inside it, she was able to make some medicine that holds the disease's effect at bay for the time. But we don't know how long it'll be effective, so she told me to bring it with me to get more information about the writing on the blade. Mind if I unsheathe it so you can take a look?"

>"Mind the furniture," she says dryly.

>"It seemed a sensible place to check for any other incidents of this matter in recorded history. There might be records here of that event, or the species involved, which could tell me what Minoriko couldn't."

>The eyebrow retreats slightly. "Well, I suppose that isn't an entirely contrived line of reasoning, but I can say immediately that I've never heard of such a period as you describe. I suppose 'particularly difficult' is a non-specific designation, though when 'diseases of crops' is used in the same context, one thinks immediately of famine and I am reasonable certain there have been none of any magnitude since Easthaven's founding. Would it be an imposition to ask for a more specific timeframe than 'hundreds of years'?"

[Hanzo K.]

>Unsheathe Kumokirimaru carefully, and lay it on the desk for her to inspect.
>"Well, we know it was from sometime before Easthaven was founded. Precisely when is a bit of a snag."

[DracoOmega]

>Unsheathe Kumokirimaru carefully, and lay it on the desk for her to inspect.
>"Well, we know it was from sometime before Easthaven was founded. Precisely when is a bit of a snag."

>You carefully unsheathe your sword and lay it on the professor's desk. Her eyes studiously follow both blade and bearer until the angle between the two becomes too large. With a last glance in your direction, she cranes her head smoothly around to scrutinize the weapon.
>"This is Freelands Archaic," she says in a surprised tone, nearly interrupting you mid-sentence. "Where did you get this?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"I found it in some caverns that run under the isle."

[DracoOmega]

>"I found it in some caverns that run under the isle."

>"Truly?" She leans in close to the weapon. "Assuming it's authentic, this is quite extraordinary; there's virtually no sign of age or damage whatsoever. Which, I suppose, does call said authenticity into question, but I'm hardly qualified to make an evaluation. I do, however, know several people who are and would undoubtedly be very excited to have this in their hands. Where were these caverns located?" She frowns slightly. "Ah, but I suppose I digress."
>"Regarding the question of time," she says, turning back to you, "I'm afraid you've left yourself rather little to work with. Easthaven was founded scant decades after the first permanent settlement in Estval, so if this outbreak occurred before Easthaven existed, that would of necessity place it virtually contemporaneous with the first recorded migrations. I actually happen to be rather familiar with those records, yet know of absolutely none that imply the presence of a notable disease on any sort of appreciable scale. Certainly, I've seen no records of aid shipments, either of medicine or food, beyond what one would expect for a fledgling colony; parts of the Outer Freelands were rather less self-sufficient in their early days, you understand. Is it possible you could be off by a few centuries, perhaps?"

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "That's what I was thinkin'. Minoriko said it's probably a relic of the indigenous folk who were there long before. Near as I can tell though, they just up and vanished. I'm thinkin' they might've gotten brought down by that disease, and it's only just now reappeared. That cave I found had what looked like a Shrine Gate near where I found it. I was gonna investigate that further, but then I took a header off the bridge into the river below, which is where I found this little treasure."

[Hello Purvis]

Are we going to mention a tsuchigumo is involved? We seem to be dancing around it.

[Oldmansour]

I'd been wondering about that myself. I think we should. If not every detail, then at least we met her. It could put us in the right timeframe, and we could learn something about Yamame and her people.

[DracoOmega]

>Nod. "That's what I was thinkin'. Minoriko said it's probably a relic of the indigenous folk who were there long before. Near as I can tell though, they just up and vanished. I'm thinkin' they might've gotten brought down by that disease, and it's only just now reappeared. That cave I found had what looked like a Shrine Gate near where I found it. I was gonna investigate that further, but then I took a header off the bridge into the river below, which is where I found this little treasure."

>"Well, there's an interesting theory on what became of the Freelands Archaic culture," she says, arching that eyebrow again. "There's certainly nothing approaching a consensus on their ultimate fate, and little enough evidence on which to even stake a conjecture. Though if this supposed disease were isolated to Estval, it does little to explain the depopulation of sites elsewhere."
>She shakes her head. "This is all certainly quite beyond what we have any detailed records of. Freelands Archaic is rather outside my specialization, but I'm aware enough of developments in the field to be confident when I say that."

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"What do you know about tsuchigumo?"

[DracoOmega]

>Nod.
>"What do you know about tsuchigumo?"

>The professor leans her neck in towards you and seems almost to squint. "About what?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Tsuchigumo. A sort of spidery youkai, likes to tame spiders as pets and such. I'm assuming you don't know of them, then?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Tsuchigumo. A sort of spidery youkai, likes to tame spiders as pets and such. I'm assuming you don't know of them, then?"

>She shakes her head. "I'm afraid the name doesn't mean anything to me, no. Is this connected to your original query in some manner?"

[Oldmansour]

>"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."