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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3475292" data-attributes="member: 35788">Ischarus turned to Brandt at the sudden change in tone.  “What bothers you about the fact that we cannot speak the name ‘Whetting One’ once we visit the square at noon?”Brandt slowly shook his head.  “In truth, it is nothing in particular.  It is more that it just doesn’t make sense.  There is nothing that you are asked to do that raises any significant flag in my understanding of how magic is supposed to work.  You aren’t going to be reaching across any boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed.  You are going to be sending out a simple message that will only be perceivable by someone here in this world.”Rhema nodded in agreement and asked a question before Brandt could finish his thought.  “So, are you fearing that there is some dark disturbance already existing here in Tongra?  Perhaps we attracted attention our last time in Quehalost through the defeat of Charis’ father dragon?”Iasho seemed to make the mental leap to finish out Rhema’s thought before the others could draw the same conclusions.  “Are you suggesting that a force might have followed you all out of Quehalsost?  A force that was capable of destroying the villa?”Brandt shook his head.  “I doubt that such a force is present in Fingerdale.  It is remotely possible, I suppose.  However, it has been a month since the accident at the villa.  It’s actually been a year since you all returned from Quehalost with the dragons and Charis’ clan.  If a presence followed you back from Quehalost, surely we would have found out about it by now.  Even if that presence would have only come to Tongra when the villa was destroyed, we would have undoubtedly found out about it by now.  A presence capable of leveling this kind of destruction would have to leave some kind of trail in the course of a month.”Semeion smiled to Iasho and spoke softly so that he didn’t speak harshly against his elder.  “Besides, if there was a force that came from Quehalost and was capable of destroying the villa, don’t you think that it would want us dead, too?  Why would a force from Quehalost wait to attack the villa when it was as vacant as it ever gets?”Ischarus spoke next.  The tone in his voice betrayed that he didn’t honestly believe what he was saying but rather that he was simply speaking about a possibility.  “Well, perhaps whatever this force was came from Quehalost and didn’t need to kill us to prove its power?  Perhaps simply destroying our base of operations was enough.”Brandt frowned.  “I understand what you are suggesting, but I just don’t think that it is probable.  Sure, it is possible that what you are suggesting could have actually happened.  It is even possible that a force could slip from Quehalost into Tongra, although unlikely.  It is possible that such a force could be able to level this kind of destruction.  And if such a force would have merely wanted to destroy the villa, that is also possible.  But the question is really more along the lines of the feasibility of what you propose.”Brandt paused for a moment to catch his breath.  As he glanced around to the other five members of the group, he noticed that they were all focused on him and awaiting the rest of his explanation.  “You have all been to Quehalost far more often than I, and so I have to ask you to speak from your experience.  How many of the residents of Quehalost are going to be happy with simply destroying your house?”Semeion smiled smugly, and then his expression broadened into that of enjoyment.  “Well, we did just rescue Charis.  She’s not pure evil, and she’s from Quehalost!”The group enjoyed a hearty laugh after Charis issued a teasing strike at Semeion’s shoulder.  “Speaking from my own experience, I’d have to say that the average being in Quehalost would not have such murderous intentions.  But those with the power to be able to cross into Tongra unnoticed would likely desire our destruction.”Brandt smiled at the unexpected answer given by Charis.  “That is a very interesting perspective, Charis.  I guess we so often think about those with the power to control that we forget that there are innocents in the land.”Rhema nodded in agreement.  “That’s why we go out there.  We go because we remember the innocents.”Iasho again agreed with his daughter.  “And what better reason to act aggressively against us?  We represent a danger to their control over the innocents of Quehalost.  If they strike out against us, perhaps they believe they can scare us into staying in Tongra.  Each time we come, we spread a new story of hope.  If they can stop us from coming, they can exert greater control over their people.”Charis disagreed with Iasho.  “There is logic in that, Iasho.  But it is the logic of Tongra and the free lands, not the logic of Quehalost.  In Quehalost the law is domination and destruction.  If a significant power came out of Quehalost to deal with us, they would have attempted to destroy us.  The villa would have been the least of their concerns.”Brandt agreed.  “Of course there is always the possibility that something escaped Quehalost.  But the reality of the situation is that this is not the work of something from Quehalost.  If anything, Darkbringer should be proof of that.  If we can trust that Darkbringer is indeed a member of the Ephistaemi, then it is unlikely that this is the work of someone in Quehalost.  We are left with only more questions.”Semeion returned the conversation back to Brandt’s original questioning before Rhema and Iasho sidetracked them along the lines of thinking that the threat came from Quehalost.  “So if the threat is not other worldly and it is not likely to be from Quehalost, what does that leave?”Brandt nodded slowly in thought.  “That is precisely my question as well.  If the Phoenix command is truly as you say, then what is the danger of speaking the name before it’s time on the third noon?”Ischarus was not keeping up with the conversation.  “Wait a minute.  What are you saying about the Phoenix command?”Brandt allowed a look of sympathy to rise to the surface of his face.  “That’s just it, really.  I don’t understand it at all.  The only reason that speaking the name Whetting One before the appointed time is detrimental to your cause is if the command word was one of summoning.  Then, it is possible that speaking the command word before the conditions are met could countermand the spell.  But you all are not performing a summoning spell.  You are merely sending out a magic or even telepathic message.  Speaking the name should have no effect in the future.”Charis stood and began to pace.  “So, you are saying that it is almost as though someone wants us to believe that we are summoning the Whetting One, when really something else is happening?”Brandt nodded.  “Exactly.  There is no foreseeable reason to not speak the name.  Yet, until we understand what the unforeseen reason is we should respect the command anyway.  I believe that is how we should proceed.”Iasho smiled at the conclusion.  “So, even knowing what you know now you would begin the Phoenix command tomorrow at noon?”Brandt nodded.  “I see no reason to not continue.  The Phoenix command appears to be nothing particularly special.  By the rules of the Phoenix command we’ll have three days to research and prepare.”The party sat in silence for several moments, everyone nodding at the truth that was before them.  Assuming that Brandt didn’t find anything out before noon, they would be walking into the unknown.  Since the day of the double weddings, they had grown accustomed to no longer being able to understand their future.  It was a position they were not particularly happy about, either.[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]Ischarus turned to Brandt at the sudden change in tone. “What bothers you about the fact that we cannot speak the name ‘Whetting One’ once we visit the square at noon?”Brandt slowly shook his head. “In truth, it is nothing in particular. It is more that it just doesn’t make sense. There is nothing that you are asked to do that raises any significant flag in my understanding of how magic is supposed to work. You aren’t going to be reaching across any boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed. You are going to be sending out a simple message that will only be perceivable by someone here in this world.”Rhema nodded in agreement and asked a question before Brandt could finish his thought. “So, are you fearing that there is some dark disturbance already existing here in Tongra? Perhaps we attracted attention our last time in Quehalost through the defeat of Charis’ father dragon?”Iasho seemed to make the mental leap to finish out Rhema’s thought before the others could draw the same conclusions. “Are you suggesting that a force might have followed you all out of Quehalsost? A force that was capable of destroying the villa?”Brandt shook his head. “I doubt that such a force is present in Fingerdale. It is remotely possible, I suppose. However, it has been a month since the accident at the villa. It’s actually been a year since you all returned from Quehalost with the dragons and Charis’ clan. If a presence followed you back from Quehalost, surely we would have found out about it by now. Even if that presence would have only come to Tongra when the villa was destroyed, we would have undoubtedly found out about it by now. A presence capable of leveling this kind of destruction would have to leave some kind of trail in the course of a month.”Semeion smiled to Iasho and spoke softly so that he didn’t speak harshly against his elder. “Besides, if there was a force that came from Quehalost and was capable of destroying the villa, don’t you think that it would want us dead, too? Why would a force from Quehalost wait to attack the villa when it was as vacant as it ever gets?”Ischarus spoke next. The tone in his voice betrayed that he didn’t honestly believe what he was saying but rather that he was simply speaking about a possibility. “Well, perhaps whatever this force was came from Quehalost and didn’t need to kill us to prove its power? Perhaps simply destroying our base of operations was enough.”Brandt frowned. “I understand what you are suggesting, but I just don’t think that it is probable. Sure, it is possible that what you are suggesting could have actually happened. It is even possible that a force could slip from Quehalost into Tongra, although unlikely. It is possible that such a force could be able to level this kind of destruction. And if such a force would have merely wanted to destroy the villa, that is also possible. But the question is really more along the lines of the feasibility of what you propose.”Brandt paused for a moment to catch his breath. As he glanced around to the other five members of the group, he noticed that they were all focused on him and awaiting the rest of his explanation. “You have all been to Quehalost far more often than I, and so I have to ask you to speak from your experience. How many of the residents of Quehalost are going to be happy with simply destroying your house?”Semeion smiled smugly, and then his expression broadened into that of enjoyment. “Well, we did just rescue Charis. She’s not pure evil, and she’s from Quehalost!”The group enjoyed a hearty laugh after Charis issued a teasing strike at Semeion’s shoulder. “Speaking from my own experience, I’d have to say that the average being in Quehalost would not have such murderous intentions. But those with the power to be able to cross into Tongra unnoticed would likely desire our destruction.”Brandt smiled at the unexpected answer given by Charis. “That is a very interesting perspective, Charis. I guess we so often think about those with the power to control that we forget that there are innocents in the land.”Rhema nodded in agreement. “That’s why we go out there. We go because we remember the innocents.”Iasho again agreed with his daughter. “And what better reason to act aggressively against us? We represent a danger to their control over the innocents of Quehalost. If they strike out against us, perhaps they believe they can scare us into staying in Tongra. Each time we come, we spread a new story of hope. If they can stop us from coming, they can exert greater control over their people.”Charis disagreed with Iasho. “There is logic in that, Iasho. But it is the logic of Tongra and the free lands, not the logic of Quehalost. In Quehalost the law is domination and destruction. If a significant power came out of Quehalost to deal with us, they would have attempted to destroy us. The villa would have been the least of their concerns.”Brandt agreed. “Of course there is always the possibility that something escaped Quehalost. But the reality of the situation is that this is not the work of something from Quehalost. If anything, Darkbringer should be proof of that. If we can trust that Darkbringer is indeed a member of the Ephistaemi, then it is unlikely that this is the work of someone in Quehalost. We are left with only more questions.”Semeion returned the conversation back to Brandt’s original questioning before Rhema and Iasho sidetracked them along the lines of thinking that the threat came from Quehalost. “So if the threat is not other worldly and it is not likely to be from Quehalost, what does that leave?”Brandt nodded slowly in thought. “That is precisely my question as well. If the Phoenix command is truly as you say, then what is the danger of speaking the name before it’s time on the third noon?”Ischarus was not keeping up with the conversation. “Wait a minute. What are you saying about the Phoenix command?”Brandt allowed a look of sympathy to rise to the surface of his face. “That’s just it, really. I don’t understand it at all. The only reason that speaking the name Whetting One before the appointed time is detrimental to your cause is if the command word was one of summoning. Then, it is possible that speaking the command word before the conditions are met could countermand the spell. But you all are not performing a summoning spell. You are merely sending out a magic or even telepathic message. Speaking the name should have no effect in the future.”Charis stood and began to pace. “So, you are saying that it is almost as though someone wants us to believe that we are summoning the Whetting One, when really something else is happening?”Brandt nodded. “Exactly. There is no foreseeable reason to not speak the name. Yet, until we understand what the unforeseen reason is we should respect the command anyway. I believe that is how we should proceed.”Iasho smiled at the conclusion. “So, even knowing what you know now you would begin the Phoenix command tomorrow at noon?”Brandt nodded. “I see no reason to not continue. The Phoenix command appears to be nothing particularly special. By the rules of the Phoenix command we’ll have three days to research and prepare.”The party sat in silence for several moments, everyone nodding at the truth that was before them. Assuming that Brandt didn’t find anything out before noon, they would be walking into the unknown. Since the day of the double weddings, they had grown accustomed to no longer being able to understand their future. It was a position they were not particularly happy about, either.[/Sblock]</blockquote>

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