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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3378169" data-attributes="member: 35788">The woman paused for a moment.  Her eyes and her lips twitched as though she were deep in thought.  “Opheiluka del Zhatul.” She paused for a moment before explaining the response.  “I figured that I would answer the easy one first.  Most people just call me Ophee for short, though.”Charis smiled at Ophee and replied, “Well, Ophee, now that we know your name, can you tell us what we would need to accomplish for your master in order for him to arrange for us to meet with a knowledgeable representative of the Ephistaemi?”Ophee returned Charis’ smile.  She was well aware that Charis had been the most agreeable of the four up to this point.  Charis didn’t seem to care to hold on to the inherent skepticism that burdened the other three.  “Unfortuantely, I do not know his exact terms.  Knowing my master, however, it’ll likely involve some sort of quest.”Ischarus allowed a soft snort to pass through his nose in response to the woman’s explanation.  “A quest?  Is that all the more original your master can be?  What great artifact does your master desire?”Semeion smiled at Ischarus’ cynicism.  “And how many idiots has he sent after it already who have never returned?”The cynical comments allowed Ophee to laugh in an attempt to break the tension.  She knew that she would need to earn the trust of the other three.  “No, my master does not work in terms of artifacts and power.  My master deals in herbs and potions.  The mage that I serve is primarily interested in sending out teams to retrieve plant and animal specimens.  I assure you, most of the tasks are really quite mundane.”Rhema wrinkled her eyebrows as the thought of picking leaves and flowers passed through her mind.  “An herbalist?  You serve an herbalist?”Semeion spoke harshly in response.  “Careful, Rhema.  My own master dabbled in herbs and potions and there was much more to his magic than love potions.  Master Sathwright’s magic was quite potent, but most people knew him only as a simpleton brewer.”Ophee nodded in response.  “Of course.  Wizards who can only make potions and pick leaves can’t even begin to make a living for themselves.  They have to have multiple experiences and multiple trades as an outlet for their magical powers.  I wouldn’t have you believe that the mage I serve is some simpleton potion maker.  But I would have you believe that the quests he uses for bartering are usually quite simple quests for the retrieval of plants and animal specimens.  His magic is potent, but nothing you should fear.”Ischarus’ face exposed that he was still not convinced.  “If your master’s magic is so potent, why on earth does he need to send away recovery teams like us?  Why can’t he simply retrieve what he wants on his own?”Semeion smiled in response to Ischarus’ question, but Ophee beat him to the explanation.  “My master’s time is very precious.  A great deal of the magical study that he is performing cannot simply be interrupted every time he finds a need or part of his supply runs low.  To venture out on a quest every time he needs something would make it impossible to maintain the level of concentration that he needs for his work and his research into the arcane arts.  He is better off sending collection teams into the world and paying them directly or bartering for services as he is offering with you all.  It is likely that you all can afford the time for a quest much more than he can.”Semeion added more to Ophee’s response than what she probably cared to admit about her master.  “Not only that, Ischarus, but if Opheiluka’s master is a true mage, he has likely had to ignore a good bit of his physical body in exchange for his magical arts.  You see how frail I can be at times.  If the wizard in question is much more advanced than I am, his body may be even more susceptible to problems in the world.  The more he neglects the path of adventure, the more he will lose touch with how weak he has become in relation to everyone else.”Ischarus and Ophee both nodded in agreement with Semeion.  Ophee nodded in admission to the truth.  Ischarus nodded out of his desire to trust Semeion’s explanation more than Ophee’s explanation.  Ischarus summarized just to make sure that he understood.  “So, what you are telling me is that Ophee’s master may have devoted himself to his research so intently that adventuring is not really feasible anymore?”Ophee replied to Ischarus in a serious tone.  “Yes, that is exactly what your own mage is telling you.  And while you certainly didn’t hear it from me, I can confirm the truth in your mage’s comments and concerns.  My master is no longer interested in adventure.  He is interested in the adventures of other people and how they can enhance his magic.”Charis was tired of being out of the conversation, so she decided to take the conversation back to its original intent.  “So, what kind of quest is normal?  Picking clover out of a field?”  Her tone was hopeful, although there was a hint in her voice that she knew the truth was not so simple.Ophee laughed again.  “Well, sometimes those kinds of quests fall upon myself and the rest of the staff under his employ.  However, the majority of the quests that he barters out to a group such as yourselves are a bit more involved.  Of course, you must understand that ultimately my master is most concerned with the return of the specimen that he desires.  He has become quite adept at ascertaining the skill level of the questing party and matching them up with an appropriate task.  After all, if he sends a party onto a quest that they are not skilled enough to accomplish, then all is lost and his purpose is not furthered.”Rhema nodded in agreement.  She was beginning to soften and become swayed by Ophee’s logic.  “That makes sense.  Of course, that assumes that we can trust your master’s motivations and the fact that the need is true.  If we can be guaranteed that the need for the quest is legitimate, it follows that your master would not desire to see us perish.”Charis added her own opinion in support of Rhema’s conclusion.  “Of course!  And what reason would this mage want to see us perish?  If this wizard is truly strong in his magic, I doubt that any of us could have stood against a direct attack.  If the wizard wanted us dead, there are more direct methods than sending us on some impossible quest.”Ischarus frowned again.  “True, but those methods would be more traceable.  If we die on a quest, it is simply an accident.  If he uses magic to do away with us, it is murder.”Semeion chuckled.  “Well, we have an interesting conundrum, then.  Do we trust a mage who sends in his servant at our time of greatest need with the biggest cliché in the book?  Or do we turn down the offer and realize that we may never find out the answer as to why the villa was destroyed?”Iasho spoke.  He had been quiet and standing in the background for the entire conversation.  However, he knew that he had a large stake in the matter.  “If you quest for another, it is unlikely that you can also quest for the villa.  You might lose a season chasing after an answer that may continue to elude us.”  His tone was serious and a quiet fell over the group for several seconds.Semeion inhaled deeply through his nose after contemplating Iasho’s words for several seconds.  “That may be true.  And it is certainly wise counsel, Iasho.  However, if we do not find the reason for the villa’s destruction we may simply be involving ourselves in the construction of another target.  If we do not stop every once and a while and weed out the enemies of the villa, we may continue to lose buildings, people, and resources.  How many of these episodes can we endure before the operation of the villa grinds to a halt?”Ischarus once more nodded in agreement.  “He is right, Iasho.  Wisdom tells us to distrust the one who comes with the ideal solution to save the day when we are in the bleakest hour.  But logic tells us that to blindly continue forward and ignore the Ephistaemi will only invite more trouble.  I hate going against wisdom, but for the sake of the lives of the people at the villa I fear we must side with logic.”Rhema was swayed by Ischarus’ words, although she was already well on her way to accepting Ophee’s proposal anyway.  “I agree.  The thought of losing a single season is not desirable.  The thought of losing this season every year is even less desirable.  We should explore this option.”Charis drove the final nail into the coffin that housed Iasho’s argument.  “Besides, is there any danger in simply listening to the mage’s offer?  How can we refuse something when we honestly don’t know how difficult the quest may be?”Iasho pursed his lips and inhaled.  “Then it sounds as though you have made your decision.  Go with Ophee and seek out this mage.  And go with my blessing.”[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]The woman paused for a moment. Her eyes and her lips twitched as though she were deep in thought. “Opheiluka del Zhatul.” She paused for a moment before explaining the response. “I figured that I would answer the easy one first. Most people just call me Ophee for short, though.”Charis smiled at Ophee and replied, “Well, Ophee, now that we know your name, can you tell us what we would need to accomplish for your master in order for him to arrange for us to meet with a knowledgeable representative of the Ephistaemi?”Ophee returned Charis’ smile. She was well aware that Charis had been the most agreeable of the four up to this point. Charis didn’t seem to care to hold on to the inherent skepticism that burdened the other three. “Unfortuantely, I do not know his exact terms. Knowing my master, however, it’ll likely involve some sort of quest.”Ischarus allowed a soft snort to pass through his nose in response to the woman’s explanation. “A quest? Is that all the more original your master can be? What great artifact does your master desire?”Semeion smiled at Ischarus’ cynicism. “And how many idiots has he sent after it already who have never returned?”The cynical comments allowed Ophee to laugh in an attempt to break the tension. She knew that she would need to earn the trust of the other three. “No, my master does not work in terms of artifacts and power. My master deals in herbs and potions. The mage that I serve is primarily interested in sending out teams to retrieve plant and animal specimens. I assure you, most of the tasks are really quite mundane.”Rhema wrinkled her eyebrows as the thought of picking leaves and flowers passed through her mind. “An herbalist? You serve an herbalist?”Semeion spoke harshly in response. “Careful, Rhema. My own master dabbled in herbs and potions and there was much more to his magic than love potions. Master Sathwright’s magic was quite potent, but most people knew him only as a simpleton brewer.”Ophee nodded in response. “Of course. Wizards who can only make potions and pick leaves can’t even begin to make a living for themselves. They have to have multiple experiences and multiple trades as an outlet for their magical powers. I wouldn’t have you believe that the mage I serve is some simpleton potion maker. But I would have you believe that the quests he uses for bartering are usually quite simple quests for the retrieval of plants and animal specimens. His magic is potent, but nothing you should fear.”Ischarus’ face exposed that he was still not convinced. “If your master’s magic is so potent, why on earth does he need to send away recovery teams like us? Why can’t he simply retrieve what he wants on his own?”Semeion smiled in response to Ischarus’ question, but Ophee beat him to the explanation. “My master’s time is very precious. A great deal of the magical study that he is performing cannot simply be interrupted every time he finds a need or part of his supply runs low. To venture out on a quest every time he needs something would make it impossible to maintain the level of concentration that he needs for his work and his research into the arcane arts. He is better off sending collection teams into the world and paying them directly or bartering for services as he is offering with you all. It is likely that you all can afford the time for a quest much more than he can.”Semeion added more to Ophee’s response than what she probably cared to admit about her master. “Not only that, Ischarus, but if Opheiluka’s master is a true mage, he has likely had to ignore a good bit of his physical body in exchange for his magical arts. You see how frail I can be at times. If the wizard in question is much more advanced than I am, his body may be even more susceptible to problems in the world. The more he neglects the path of adventure, the more he will lose touch with how weak he has become in relation to everyone else.”Ischarus and Ophee both nodded in agreement with Semeion. Ophee nodded in admission to the truth. Ischarus nodded out of his desire to trust Semeion’s explanation more than Ophee’s explanation. Ischarus summarized just to make sure that he understood. “So, what you are telling me is that Ophee’s master may have devoted himself to his research so intently that adventuring is not really feasible anymore?”Ophee replied to Ischarus in a serious tone. “Yes, that is exactly what your own mage is telling you. And while you certainly didn’t hear it from me, I can confirm the truth in your mage’s comments and concerns. My master is no longer interested in adventure. He is interested in the adventures of other people and how they can enhance his magic.”Charis was tired of being out of the conversation, so she decided to take the conversation back to its original intent. “So, what kind of quest is normal? Picking clover out of a field?” Her tone was hopeful, although there was a hint in her voice that she knew the truth was not so simple.Ophee laughed again. “Well, sometimes those kinds of quests fall upon myself and the rest of the staff under his employ. However, the majority of the quests that he barters out to a group such as yourselves are a bit more involved. Of course, you must understand that ultimately my master is most concerned with the return of the specimen that he desires. He has become quite adept at ascertaining the skill level of the questing party and matching them up with an appropriate task. After all, if he sends a party onto a quest that they are not skilled enough to accomplish, then all is lost and his purpose is not furthered.”Rhema nodded in agreement. She was beginning to soften and become swayed by Ophee’s logic. “That makes sense. Of course, that assumes that we can trust your master’s motivations and the fact that the need is true. If we can be guaranteed that the need for the quest is legitimate, it follows that your master would not desire to see us perish.”Charis added her own opinion in support of Rhema’s conclusion. “Of course! And what reason would this mage want to see us perish? If this wizard is truly strong in his magic, I doubt that any of us could have stood against a direct attack. If the wizard wanted us dead, there are more direct methods than sending us on some impossible quest.”Ischarus frowned again. “True, but those methods would be more traceable. If we die on a quest, it is simply an accident. If he uses magic to do away with us, it is murder.”Semeion chuckled. “Well, we have an interesting conundrum, then. Do we trust a mage who sends in his servant at our time of greatest need with the biggest cliché in the book? Or do we turn down the offer and realize that we may never find out the answer as to why the villa was destroyed?”Iasho spoke. He had been quiet and standing in the background for the entire conversation. However, he knew that he had a large stake in the matter. “If you quest for another, it is unlikely that you can also quest for the villa. You might lose a season chasing after an answer that may continue to elude us.” His tone was serious and a quiet fell over the group for several seconds.Semeion inhaled deeply through his nose after contemplating Iasho’s words for several seconds. “That may be true. And it is certainly wise counsel, Iasho. However, if we do not find the reason for the villa’s destruction we may simply be involving ourselves in the construction of another target. If we do not stop every once and a while and weed out the enemies of the villa, we may continue to lose buildings, people, and resources. How many of these episodes can we endure before the operation of the villa grinds to a halt?”Ischarus once more nodded in agreement. “He is right, Iasho. Wisdom tells us to distrust the one who comes with the ideal solution to save the day when we are in the bleakest hour. But logic tells us that to blindly continue forward and ignore the Ephistaemi will only invite more trouble. I hate going against wisdom, but for the sake of the lives of the people at the villa I fear we must side with logic.”Rhema was swayed by Ischarus’ words, although she was already well on her way to accepting Ophee’s proposal anyway. “I agree. The thought of losing a single season is not desirable. The thought of losing this season every year is even less desirable. We should explore this option.”Charis drove the final nail into the coffin that housed Iasho’s argument. “Besides, is there any danger in simply listening to the mage’s offer? How can we refuse something when we honestly don’t know how difficult the quest may be?”Iasho pursed his lips and inhaled. “Then it sounds as though you have made your decision. Go with Ophee and seek out this mage. And go with my blessing.” [/Sblock]</blockquote>

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