Iku Quest Drei - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

>"Personally, I would rather not cause an incident. We came here to deliver a message, not start a fight. Although I can very much sympathize with your wanting to, for once."
>"Meiling, imagine for a moment, if you can, what it would be like to have person after person refuse to believe a word you say; to accuse you of attacking them, when it is your own people who are injured, to tell you that everything you say is some sort of elaborate ploy. Imagine for the moment that I really am telling the truth. How do you think that would feel, after the dozenth time?"

>"We can do both things," says Tenshi.
>"See, you say that," sys Meiling, "But then there's the facts. Who's more likely to have something to hide about this? You or the Mistress? That answers itself."
>As she gives this explanation, the Celestial in maid's clothing steps out and approaches the gate. Meiling glances toward her. "Miss Patchouli-"
>Meiling clears her throat loudly and gives the Celestial a pointed look.
>"Ahem," says the Celestial, "Lady Patchouli would like to see them."
>"Alright," Meiling says, as she opens the gate. "Don't try to get any secrets, or we'll come down on you like a ton of bricks!"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Understood."
>Enter the gate and head towards the mansion
>To Tenshi, once comfortably out of earshot: "I'm beginning to wonder why I waste my breath."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Understood."
>Enter the gate and head towards the mansion
>To Tenshi, once comfortably out of earshot: "I'm beginning to wonder why I waste my breath."

>You head through the gate and toward the mansion. As you do, you notice a couple of celestials in the statue garden to the east, along with a faerie maid shouting at them.
>"Yeah," says Tenshi. "I gave up a long time ago."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I can say only that it will be extremely satisfying to finally discover the root cause and put an end to all this nonsense. Several hours ago would not have been too soon."
>Head to the library

[Hello Purvis]

>"I can say only that it will be extremely satisfying to finally discover the root cause and put an end to all this nonsense. Several hours ago would not have been too soon."
>Head to the library

>You head into the library, passing through an empty foyer. Tenshi looks around with a frown the library, making clear her lack of being impressed with it while watching a couple books moving from one shelf to another. You notice Petite down one of the aisles, staring hard at some volume she plucked from the shelf. Patchouli is still at her table, and save for a slight hint of char in the air, you would never have suspected what transpired here earlier.
>"Yes?" Says Patchouli, glancing up from her book.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I thought that you would want to know that I delivered your message to the rest of the people on the list. Eirin said she would do her best to attend. Renko seemed very excited at the idea, and assured me Maribel would be as well. Marisa, well... technically I only gave her part of the message before she started shooting at me, but she said she'd get the rest of the details from you herself."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I thought that you would want to know that I delivered your message to the rest of the people on the list. Eirin said she would do her best to attend. Renko seemed very excited at the idea, and assured me Maribel would be as well. Marisa, well... technically I only gave her part of the message before she started shooting at me, but she said she'd get the rest of the details from you herself."

>"I consider myself paid in full, then," says Patchouli.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm glad I could be of assistance."
>"On a related note, we've discovered something unusual about the islands which was overlooked at first. I don't know if you're aware of it, or if you have any idea what could cause it, but the islands' shadows are wrong. They're significantly fainter than they ought to be."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm glad I could be of assistance."
>"On a related note, we've discovered something unusual about the islands which was overlooked at first. I don't know if you're aware of it, or if you have any idea what could cause it, but the islands' shadows are wrong. They're significantly fainter than they ought to be."

>Patchouli heaves a sigh. "I suppose you're telling me about this because you want me to solve it for you?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I wouldn't go as far as that, necessarily. But you do know a great many things. It seemed at least possible you might know something about this, that's all."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I wouldn't go as far as that, necessarily. But you do know a great many things. It seemed at least possible you might know something about this, that's all."

>"Fine, give me the details," says Patchouli, her voice tinged with weariness.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm afraid there's little more to say than what I've already said. The shadows the islands are casting on the ground below them are very faint. Abnormally so, for something so large, that close to the ground. I think there's a definite possibility this is connected to why they fell, in some way."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm afraid there's little more to say than what I've already said. The shadows the islands are casting on the ground below them are very faint. Abnormally so, for something so large, that close to the ground. I think there's a definite possibility this is connected to why they fell, in some way."

>"If that's all you have to say," says Patchouli, "Then I couldn't begin to narrow it down in any way that is helpful. You've done no follow-up investigation on your own?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm not sure how to assess them other than visually. I can say that they clearly look wrong, but I don't know to ascertain anything else about them."
>"I've spoken with a few other people on the subject, although most of them were similarly mystified. It was suggested that possibly something of their island's essence was stolen, although I'm uncertain how this could be done. Similarly, it was suggested they might have been cursed. I did ask Hina if she would take a look at it, although I haven't heard back from her yet."
>"Did you have any other avenues for direct investigation you could suggest? I feel out of my element, unfortunately."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm not sure how to assess them other than visually. I can say that they clearly look wrong, but I don't know to ascertain anything else about them."
>"I've spoken with a few other people on the subject, although most of them were similarly mystified. It was suggested that possibly something of their island's essence was stolen, although I'm uncertain how this could be done. Similarly, it was suggested they might have been cursed. I did ask Hina if she would take a look at it, although I haven't heard back from her yet."
>"Did you have any other avenues for direct investigation you could suggest? I feel out of my element, unfortunately."

>Patchouli gives you a long look. "So. You haven't even gotten information back from someone who might actually be able to say something specific useful, and you come to pester me? I swear, even the people from outside were better than this."
>She sighs again. "I suppose it's just as well, I doubt it's a curse. Hina, I imagine, would be very quickly aware of such a thing. And no, no you wouldn't know how to gather any useful thaumaturgical information about them, would you? Can't have Celestials sullying themselves with that sort of thing, can we? I don't suppose there's any details about the islands you can give me?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"To be fair, I came here foremost to report the responses to your invitation. However, it seemed a pertinent question to ask while I would be here anyway. Regardless..."
>What do we know about the islands, both structurally and historically that might be potentially relevant to her request? Any ways in which we know they differ from terrestrial rock? Little things, like how they always have water for plantlife without rainfall, general movement patterns, etc.
>Relay said information

[Hello Purvis]

>"To be fair, I came here foremost to report the responses to your invitation. However, it seemed a pertinent question to ask while I would be here anyway. Regardless..."
>What do we know about the islands, both structurally and historically that might be potentially relevant to her request? Any ways in which we know they differ from terrestrial rock? Little things, like how they always have water for plantlife without rainfall, general movement patterns, etc.
>Relay said information

>"If it is as you say," says Patchouli, and lets the rest trail off.
>You tell her what you can about the islands. This includes their propensity to generate water as needed, what you can say about their movement patterns such as they are, and how larger islands have a way of attracting smaller islands to them. Patchouli listens attentively, jotting down a note here and there on a piece parchment off to the side.
>"Nothing about that suggests abnormal shadows," says Patchouli. "Though their propensity to make water is interesting. One wonders if it is connected to the miracle of Youkai Mountain? But that is an aside. My suggestion would be that you are considering this problem backward. Rather than wondering what happened to the islands to make their shadows so strange, perhaps the question is what happened to their shadows to make the islands so strange?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I had assumed the the altered shadows might simply be a side-effect of some change in the islands themselves. Are you suggesting the inverse? Could you elaborate a little?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"I had assumed the the altered shadows might simply be a side-effect of some change in the islands themselves. Are you suggesting the inverse? Could you elaborate a little?"

>"I am," says Patchouli. "If you can find nothing amiss with the islands themselves, save the obvious, then that may be where you should be looking."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Do you know, in general, what sorts of magic could affect shadows like this? Or what traces they might leave that I could search for?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Do you know, in general, what sorts of magic could affect shadows like this? Or what traces they might leave that I could search for?"

>"Unfortunately, not off the top of my head," says Patchouli, "Shadow-based magics are a little removed from what I do. But what you describe leads me to suspect it was a draining effect of some kind. Perhaps I'll research it, but I wouldn't expect too much since you left my familiar mopey and useless for the day."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Frown
>"I'm sorry to hear she's still feeling bad."
>"In any case, if shadow-based magic is outside your core expertise, do you know anyone who might be more familiar with them?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Frown
>"I'm sorry to hear she's still feeling bad."
>"In any case, if shadow-based magic is outside your core expertise, do you know anyone who might be more familiar with them?"

>Patchouli shrugs. "I thought it was supposed to be some sort of lesson, myself."
>"I don't think anyone does," says Patchouli, frowning. "It's certainly nothing Alice or Marisa would dabble into. I doubt the outsiders would have even had time to learn it is something that can be done. Eirin might, heavens know what she's dabbled into in her time. Byakuren is a very slim chance for the same reason, but I imagine such a thing would have been too suspicious for the likes of her."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"So, essentially, this is outside the expertise and even the knowledge of anyone you know of. That does, of course, raise the question of who in Gensokyo could be capable of this, if even knowledge of it is so rare as this."
>"When you said that you think they have been drained, would that imply that they are being drained INTO something else? To empower it somehow, perhaps?"

[communist unity (comm-unity)]

Metaknowledge says the only person coming to mind that would probably know about shadow-based magic is Nue. Tenshi might be able to give us a lead, but besides that, no idea how we can justify investigating her in-game.

[Hello Purvis]

>"So, essentially, this is outside the expertise and even the knowledge of anyone you know of. That does, of course, raise the question of who in Gensokyo could be capable of this, if even knowledge of it is so rare as this."
>"When you said that you think they have been drained, would that imply that they are being drained INTO something else? To empower it somehow, perhaps?"

>"Essentially," says Patchouli. "I'm certain there's something here, it's just a question of finding it. Well, that and actually wanting to find it to begin with. As to who could have done it, presuming we are on the right angle to begin with, I wouldn't know."
>"That would be logical," says Patchouli. "But it would also be inefficient."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"If you think that would be inefficient, can you speculate as to some other purpose for it? What else could they do with it? Let's assume for the moment that their objective was not simply to cause the islands to fall."

[Hello Purvis]

>"If you think that would be inefficient, can you speculate as to some other purpose for it? What else could they do with it? Let's assume for the moment that their objective was not simply to cause the islands to fall."

>"A trophy?" Patchouli says. "If so, they did a terrible job of it given you can still see something. Mmm...there may be a clue in that. Perhaps they weren't able to finish the job? Or they took all that they needed already. Hmm... I can't really think what else they'd want it for. Then again, I can't claim to know all the uses of a stolen shadow."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"No, I suppose not. I guess there's nothing more to be done but keep casting about for some shred of a clue as to who did this, or how. Or even what specifically they did, for that matter."

[Hello Purvis]

>"No, I suppose not. I guess there's nothing more to be done but keep casting about for some shred of a clue as to who did this, or how. Or even what specifically they did, for that matter."

>"With what you have given me, that seems to be the best path," says Patchouli.

>_