World Tree MUSH

Neviah has been spending a lot of time in her office lately. Adventure can wait. Now, however, she's put the word out, mainly to those who explored the wreckage of her world with her: She's drawn some conclusions.

Books are stacked high on the desk in her office at Cambridge University in late Victorian England, some of them old and bound in leather, others recent-looking notebooks with fresh dog-ears and bookmarks. The professor herself is sorting through a package of notes in front of her, sorting several pages to the top. She pushes a couple of large clay pots to the front of the desk; they look vaguely Egyptian, pretty typical of the items found in the crumbling cities of a world long forgotten. A jar of mint candies sits innocuously beside them.

"I have had a lot of time to look through the data we found," Neviah begins when she finally looks up. "And I have had some consultation with others from our world who have also been seeking what remains of it. I wanted to thank all of you for helping me. I have a paper ready to come out that will summarize my findings."

She smiles, a hint of colour at her cheeks. "I... wanted to share them. With Morrigan in particular."

    Dante's having way too much fun doing silly tricks with a bowler hat he's picked up. It's red matching the three-piece suit and overcoat he's wearing to the little presentation, said overcoat and blazer ditched and his sleeves rolled up.

    To his credit, he left his guns and sword at the door.

    "Hope I get some kinda credits for this, professor. Gonna need 'em if I'm gonna pass the course."

    An unassuming, rather conspicuously unbulky Doll stands in Neviah's office, listening to her speak. It's almost skeletal in appearance, though not in the 'skeleton made of metal' way, just, functional but not fully fitted.

    It's single optic gleams a soft teal. Instead of Justina's voice coming out of it, a more mature, matronly one speaks, >Who, exactly, are these others you speak of?< asks Minerva, curious about these mysterious other actors.

    Of course, Bi De hasn't met any of these people! It's a long story why he's here... but the kung fu master had wandered to this school and found one of the professors interesting, gotten deeply involved in a talk about philosophy, and decided to linger and see what else could be learned about the strange ways of humans outside of his beloved Fa Ram.

    So long story short, there was a large chicken here, wearing a fox fur vest. His voice actually comes from a crystal he carries on his person, making a vibrant, deep voice speak. "I see. I went on a similar quest for origins once." He doesn't say more than that, as it isn't his place to do so! But it explains why he's actually sticking around to listen despite not knowing Neviah.

    Right so, it's been a hot minute. Morrigan has largely been... Off doing her own thing, solving crimes in her mystery machine, the beat up old 2003 Ford Windstar van. Likely impersonating an OSHA Agent in the Spirit Chasers world.
    But right now? Right now the door to Neviah's office swings open and the smell of brimstone wafts in as the Warlock oozes into the room, slogs into a chair and proceeds to nearly ooze out of said chair. 
    Mary Contrary, her faithful shinki Familiar is, of course, perched on her shoulder and pats her on the head lightly as she settles in.
    "Neviah, you have a huge cock... In your office." She points out blandly, looking like she could use some tea or coffee or Bonk Atomic Punch or something. "... And it's talking."
    Morrigan Lor'osa: pointing out the important matters since just now.

"You will," Neviah assures Dante with a gentle smile and a dip of her chin. "At least, I have named everyone who helped me as I've written my reports."

When Justina questions, the professor looks up to the simple Doll. "A group of clerics, of a sort," she muses. "Others with an interest in preserving the uniqueness of our world. A world we have been able to put a name to."

She can't put a name to Bi De. Having a large rooster in her office is, shockingly, not the weirdest thing she's ever experienced. "He seems to be a curious visitor," she comments with a tilt of her head to Morrigan before giving the rooster a small, patient smile. "I hope you found them. For us, it has been a unique challenge. The world Morrigan and I come from has long since been absorbed by the World Tree, outcropping in only a few places across many other worlds. Finding any truth about its lost history has been elusive. Until now."

The professor opens up a sheaf of paper. A map has been sketched across it, outlining the basics of what looks like part of a continent, with a few indicators demarcating cities. "Based on the documents we've uncovered," she explains, "we know that the ruins we explored were part of a nation called Mulhorand. Its people were originally humans from this Earth, brought there from Egypt as slaves by another human nation, the Imaskari. The slaves eventually overthrew the masters and created a nation of their own. They rose and fell over the course of time but were quite an ancient nation within a very diverse world."

Her eyes turn to Morrigan. "The world was called Faerun."

    "Yaaaaaay, thanks teach." Dante says with fake-cheer that'd look at home in some mascot restaurant. He even flashes a double thumbs up as he sits with the chair backwards. He gives Bi De a brief sidelong glance, before making chicken noises playfully.

    "Bawkbawkbawkbawk." Looks like Dante's a natural at class clown. Peering at the map, listening. "Ooh, ancient aliens...this'll be fun to see how the academia sees it."

    Minerva's doll frame nods its head. The AI seems to be processing the information. >I see. Quite facinating Professor Younger. Could we perhaps meet these other clerics sometime? I think a closer connection between our groups, especially ones who can shed light on our findings more readily, would be beneficial in the long-term prospects of recovering more of your worlds history.<

    The AI looks over to Morrigan, then to Dante and Bi De... two she's familiar with, but the talking rooster is a new one, event to the seasoned exploration construct.

    For a moment, the haggard Warlock stares blearily at the talking rooster while her ever so helpful shinki roots through her backpack. Mary hands Morrigan a can of BRAWNDO THE THIRST MUTILATOR, and the warlock promptly pops the tab and takes a slow sip as she listens to Neviah as the professor starts to expand upon her findings.
    Morrigan looks to be doing some pretty serious mental math here. Humans taken as slaves by other humans, revolts...
    Then Neviah says 'Faerun'.
    It happens as Morrigan is taking a sip of BRAWNDO THE THIRST MUTILATOR and she swallows it down with a choke, sputtering noxious energy drink onto her sleeve as she covers her mouth to retch.
    "Holy shit." She says, throat raw with toxic caffeine, suddenly so much more awake. "You cracked the case? ... You cracked the case!"

    "The word means nothing to me," Bi De observes, "But the story is... if not familiar, has some resonance with my own world." A moment of melancholy passes over him, though he has no lips to express it with. So he mostly is appearing... curious. "With my own world far away, I am merely learning of others."

    Dante tries to tease about him being a chicken, but Bi De coolly turns about and gives an elegant bow, wings spreading. "I am flattered, stranger, but this Bi De already has one whom he desires to do such activities with."

Neviah moves out from behind the desk, fingers brushing over the map. "Not all of the humans in Faerun came from an Earth, I think. And there were many other peoples indigenous to there. But this proves that movement between branches of the World Tree was occurring even in far antiquity."

She nods pensively to the doll frame that she assumes Justina's seeing some of the broadcast from. "I think that might be possible, though I gather they tend to keep out of the limelight. I will ask them."

Morrigan, fortunately, doesn't get any soda on Neviah's notes. The professor's eyes are bright as she steps up to take one of Morrigan's hands in hers. "I'm amazed it was possible. This was only accomplished with help from you all. I've been trying all my life to discover something about this world, and... and now I know. Now /we/ know."

    Morrigan, still in shock, completely misses Dante hitting on the rooster and getting utterly shot down. And thus, Neviah takes Morrigan's hand, sticky with electrolytes and added sugars, and the Warlock just sort of stares with those eldritch green glowing eyes of hers.
    "... How is the academic community taking it?

    Dante makes a mock-gasp. "Oh, why I never. I was asking if you knew where the bathroom was!" He says, scandalized by such an assertion and twisting of his words. "How DARE YOU sir!"

    But enough making fun of British politeness. Dante does raise a finger. "One question: How did the humans on Faerun before...y'know, form? We going into some ancient alien stuff here where humans were seeded all over the place?"

Neviah seems to be brought up short by Morrigan's question. "...I'm not sure," she admits with a pensive frown. "The faculty has been standoffish about it. I've asked for additional funding, but I have yet to hear anything back. Hopefully it is just administration."

To Dante, she shrugs, holding her hands out at her sides for a moment. "I don't have all the answers yet. A lot of Faerun's history is still fragmented and lost. We know the basics, but finding the rest will involve finding more of those remnants, like we found of Mulhorand. But I have a plan for that."

Neviah plucks a sheaf of paper from the desk. There's a spark of intent behind her eyes. "I've been studying a great deal about how the World Tree interacts with dead and dying worlds, and cases where damage to a Bud or Branch was in some way restored. It might be possible to /bring back/ Faerun, to some extent. I would need to acquire World Seeds, though. They have the ability to alter the parameters of reality within a given world. One would not be enough on its own to bring back an entire fragmented plane, certainly. But if a World Seed can accelerate the growth of a world from a Bud to a Blossom, or from Blossom to Branch, then surely their powers could be reversed! If we could find enough of Faerun left to act as root stock, then...."

    Bi De gives a dry chuckle at Dante. "You remind this one of one of the Great Master's family..." He strokes his wattles thoughtfully, before returning his attention to what Neviah is saying.

    "I am not sure that the origin would be so easy to find. Sometimes records are lost, or even never recorded. My own quest took far longer than expected and still left me with more questions than answers, so I do not envy the road you took."

    But then about the restoration. "A bold plan. If these artifacts are so powerful, my experience with humans tells me that many would desire such an item. Any that are available would be... difficult to obtain, I am sure." He cocks his head to the side. "But then, is anything truly worth pursuing ever trivially easy?"

    Magic magic magic, seed tree root seed seed root root root root. Dante absorbs this information, unsure if he's really at all comprehending it.

    But he knows these things come wiht some kinda cost. "And say you find a way to make this work, but you don't like the cost? What then?" He asks. "There's a fine print to this stuff."

    "Screw them and their standoffish ways." Morrigan says, bristling. Before she's stricken by a very poignant question to ask.
    "... And where are we supposed to get these World Seeds anyway...?"

"Yes, it would be very difficult. World Seeds are very sought after," Neviah concedes with a small nod. "It would take an enormous amount of resources to acquire them. And I'd have to learn more about what it would do to the World Tree to alter reality that has been so ingrained across so many other parts of the arboreoplanar medium...."

She seems like she's about to answer Dante, but she's cut off by the click of her mail slot. A folded letter drops to the floor. With a blink, Neviah turns to the door and picks it up. "It's from the Dean," she remarks, unfolding it.

The surprise in her face steadily falls away, replaced by a stunned shock.

"Dear Dr. Younger," she reads, voice thin. "Upon review, the faculty are concerned that your impartiality as it concerns study of Faerun is in question. Your proposals to acquire World Seeds for a large-scale act of treeforming are radical and beyond the scope of a research university. At this time, we believe it best to...." She pauses and swallows hard.

"...to take you off the project and assign you to a teaching role for the time being. Please retain your research on the premises for reassignment. Yours, the Faculty of World Tree Studies."

    Morrigan waits.
    Morrigan listens.
    Morrigan smiles sweetly.
    "Where's the Dean's office?" She asks brightly as she slowly rises from her seat, taking another sip of her BRAWNDO THE THIRST MUTILATOR.
    "I'm going to torture him or her to death until their screams can be heard through all the halls as a lesson to the rest of the faculty~." She says WAY too chipperly.

    Dante stares at the note until Morrigan goes on the spiel. He takes a moment, and places a hand on her shoulder. "Normally, I'd be all for giving this guy some hell but let's SAVE the torture until it's a last resort." The grip on Morrigan's shoulder tightens a bit as Dante holds onto her. She'd have to fight pretty hard to get out of his grip.

    Of course, being a rooster wandering kung fu chicken, Bi De doesn't quite understand all the subtleties in that letter. He mulls over the obvious distress, but also holds a wing up, to forestall Morrigan if needed.

    "It would seem to me that these superiors have decided to take it upon themselves to limit your studies. My own Great Master never did such to me, but he himself had a similar story." He bows his head. "It seems to me that the others in this room are allies of you. When your Sect limits your growth, it is only natural to break away from them, and find your own path to grow into the sacred arts at your own pace." He lifts his head. "Though I caution you, taking a path alone can be dangerous and full of traps and temptation down the wrong path, it is that very adversity that leads to the greatest treasures, is it not?"

    Morrigan, still smiling brightly, continues to try and escape Dante's grip of iron. "Oh come on! Only a little maiming, then?"

Neviah flops back into her chair, the letter in hand. She almost doesn't hear Morrigan at first.

Then it occurs to her, and she looks up with a sharp blink. "That will only make things worse!" she gasps. "I don't want you two to end up in prison for me... and it won't change their decision. It might just make them double down on it."

Neviah exhales and drops the letter into her lap, but looks up as Bi De opines. She stares at the giant chicken for a long moment as a thought occurs to her.

    /I am taking advice from a God-be-darned cock./

"...You may be right," she murmurs, expression still heavy. "I can't let this go now... even if Cambridge will not support me, I've come too far. But...."

She trails off. The thoughts well up in a great internal cyclone in her mind. She can't vocalize them, but one stands out.

    /How? I'm too poor... too weak. I don't even have a god to be darned by./

        /...Unless.../

    "Morrigan." Dante says, with a tinge of steel in his tone. "Do not." He stares her in the eye for a moment before he glares at Bi De in a way that says 'Not. Helping.'

    God help us if Vergil meets this chicken.

    The glare is met coolly. "Killing those who lack the enlightenment of your own mind lessens you. Are they truly worth your time? It would be a stain upon your honor." Not that he knows Morrigan, but if he did he might not try that argument.

    Morrigan flails half-heartedly now, but still can't get out of Dante's grip. "But that's not faiiiiir!" The Warlock whines, petulant and irritated. While Mary Contrary keeps patting her consolingly on the head.
    "Neviah did all that work, they can't just hose her like that! Someone needs to be held accountable for this atrocity against academia!" She huffs, clearly still wanting to murder the dean and probably half the faculty. Before she pauses.
    "Of course they're worth my time... I have honor?"