errenis | for blumenthal

Since the link between the Tapestry Entrance and the study is out until they can figure out how to repair it, it's made a few detours necessary. Caleb had never visited the Dining Hall or the Carving Farm before though, so there was still plenty for him to take in. Every room in this extraplanar maze holds something either fascinating or horrifying. Often both.

Of course, being forced by the destruction of the red door to take the black door to get out of the Tapestry Entrance had forced them into combat almost immediately with the mysterious wailing creature the Nein had previously avoided. That thing was pretty fucked, but Caleb had concluded quickly that they could save themselves a lot of pain by blocking out the sound of its cries, and cast Deafness on both himself and Yussa. It still hadn't been an enjoyable fight, but between the two of them they'd put the thing down, and now it is one less thing that could try to kill them in the future.

"A little more than four hours," Caleb answers without looking up from the map. He's tracing the known paths between the rooms branching off from the study, then the ones beyond. It's both exciting and intimidating to know that all they've discovered so far is likely only a small percentage of the Folding Halls. There is so much more to see--and no doubt much more danger to uncover.

"Assuming we want to go off map and do some exploring, I would suggest we see what else branches off from the Diamond Entrance," he says, glancing up to catch Yussa's eye without moving away from the map. "I also have a hunch that there must be another route from the bedroom, probably well hidden. That it only connects here and the Fleshmend Facility seems off."

Caleb too is dressed for adventuring, but unlike Yussa, that doesn't mean a dramatic change from his usual attire. Just the addition of his elven chainmail beneath his sweater, really.

"No, I'm quite certain the bedroom has multiple ins and outs," he says almost absently as his fingers trace the room in question. On the one hand, a direct way in and out is far easier to guard, but also far more difficult to escape. Surely Halas had other ways of doing so, fail-safes and traps like they've run into elsewhere.

He looks at the Diamond Entrance when Caleb mentions it.

"Perhaps it's best we back track and then go forward. Back to the dining hall, then take the known route to the guest chambers and then the Diamond Entrance." He traces the lines along the map as he speaks. "Hm, or we can go from here to the garden."

The garden has its risks, but as long as they don't dally or start throwing around spells unnecessarily, they should be fine. It's the most direct route.

"The garden would take us straight there, but it is also a much larger space," Caleb muses. "And I worry that it is regularly patrolled by the magehunter golems." And being found by one of those in that chamber especially would be a dire situation for a pair of wizards alone.

Finally Caleb stands up straight, casting a glance around the mostly empty room. He knows by now what items are gateways and which are traps, but this space still makes him wary. He has a half smile for Yussa anyway as he leans a hip against the desk.

"Doubling back is probably our best bet. That or attempting another search in the bedroom."

Yussa folds the map again and carefully tucks it away. He doesn't seem perturbed by the nearly-empty library. The Nein had ferreted out most of the dangers in here and Yussa has removed all of the books, save three, and those three were left for good reason. He looks across the desk at Caleb, golden eyes bright.

"The way we came, then. Shall we?"

He scans the room once more, then heads back to the false shelf that hide the door to the dining room. There is a thrill that comes with exploring this place, knowing well that it's called the Archmage's Bane and that it is not an exaggeration. There is much here designed to attack or track magic use, but with an extra set of eyes and Caleb's own experiences here, they are better positioned to avoid or dismantle those.

There is danger here, but also confidence that they can get out again. Or that Wensforth will send someone in after them.

Caleb joins Yussa by their exit, lifting a hand to his shoulder for a gentle squeeze before they pass through. He can feel the other wizard's excitement, and shares it, but he is also glad he is no longer making these excursions alone. Together they're capable of a great many more things than they would be alone. Watching Yussa cast in combat earlier with the calculating familiarity of someone who has been in similar situations many times had been an experience. While Caleb would much prefer they not encounter anything else they need to fight, he wouldn't mind seeing that side of Yussa again.

Backtracking proves to be a quick and efficient route, as they pass through the dining hall without needing to stop and examine it, already knowing where to find the exit they need. Caleb has never examined the guest quarters closely, so he slows down a little as they pass through. But all four doors that lead off the central hallway in this chamber, presumably to the actual guest rooms, are closed. He is deeply wary of them being trapped, magically or otherwise.

They pass into the Diamond Entrance through the silver archway. Across from them is an identical archway with gold trim, the one Caleb knows leads to the garden. Above them is the strange and disturbing relief of the twisted tower encircling a humanoid figure. The turquoise marble beneath their feet is nearly shiny enough to reflect it. While at first glance the pair of archways are the only obvious doors in this diamond-shaped room, Caleb knows enough about this place not to trust anything to be what it seems without further examination.

"It may be that these really are the only routes from here," he says, pacing to the center. "But these entrance chambers are connected to so much of this demiplane's structure that it seems a waste to only link two rooms."

Yussa wants to look through the guest quarters more closely, and if they can get back that may be a safe place to rest. Maybe.

For now, he is focused on the more immediate plan. He moves further into the center of the Diamond Entrance when they arrive, hands clasped loosely behind his back since he does not currently have belled sleeves to hide them in. Yussa moves slowly to examine the door to the garden, eventually using his hands to trace parts of it. He returns to the door they just came through, examining it similarly.

"Halas liked switchbacks and dead ends, but he also had a fine appreciation for symmetry," he says after a moment. He peers over his shoulder at Caleb. "I suggest we each examine the other two walls. There may well be hidden entrances with the same general placement as these."

At Yussa's suggestion, Caleb is quick to nod. "That does seem likely," he agrees. Two obvious doors and two hidden ones would fit neatly, according to Halas' preferences.

He takes the south-facing wall (how his mind even decides how to determine north in here is a mystery to him) and walks it from end to end completely, examining at first with only his eyes. The walls are the same reflective turquoise marble as the floor, and seem nearly seamless. He glances up at the relief on the ceiling again, the faceless figure and the structure of the tower depicted around him. Like a twisted tree bent back in a U shape, smaller branches spreading from the main trunk, tiny doors and windows and gears carved into its surface. Symbolic of Halas himself and his creation, obviously. Caleb gets the sense that this is meant to be the main entrance, if there is one. It feels much more like an antechamber than the tapestry room.

He considers the shape of the archways. Symmetry. His fingers twitch at his side, itching to weave through the somatic for Detect Magic, but it can't be that easy, surely. If it is an elaborate illusion, then perhaps Dispel Magic? Sometimes the obvious solution is the correct one. He thinks back to a page with an arcane signature torn out of a book, sheepishly handed to Essek, who cast a simple Dispel to reveal its hidden contents. Caleb had been so embarrassed. He'd completely been overthinking it.

Not to be stumped in a similar way again, Caleb comes back to the center of the wall, the place he would find the center of an archway if it reflected the other two, and raises a hand to cast a base-level Dispel. Something flickers, a ripple in his arcane senses as much as in the wall in front of him, brief but noticeable. Nothing reveals itself, but it is enough to prove that there is more than meets the eye. Maybe he just needs to cast up.

"There is something here for sure," he reports aloud. And if he's found something, he's willing to bet that Yussa has too.

Yussa follows a similar pattern of examination, doing so more by sight than touch on the first pass and the second. He doesn't expect he'd feel anything, even if it's there. He feels the brief flare of energy as Caleb casts Dispel. He peers over his shoulder in time to see the ripple, but it doesn't seem to have enough power behind it to reveal anything. He makes a quiet, considering noise and turns his attention back to his own wall.

He steps back a bit more and, with a bit more aggression, he casts Dispel at a significantly higher level. While he knows he will have to play by Halas Lutagran's rules in other rooms and with other puzzles, he certainly is not going to be waylaid by mere illusion.

Less a ripple this time and more a vibration, the spell hiding the door gives way, revealing the gate. Yussa looks back at Caleb.

"This way first?"

And that is all the diminutive archmage says before he strides through the opaque energy separating them from the next room or passage. When Caleb follows through, he will find Yussa Errenis, Archmage of Tidepeak, standing still as stone. Before them stretches a long pathway. On every side of them is the Astral Sea. At the far end of the path - difficult to say how far - is another archway with another glowing, opaque opening.

Rigid and standing as tall as he can, Yussa takes it in. He is aware of movement beyond their path, dark shapes moving through the Sea. It's difficult to tell if they are small and nearby or massive and far away.

"Clearly our colleague Halas had a fondness for the Astral Plane," he says dryly. Yussa does not quite manage to mask the tightness in his voice. He suspects there is some barrier between them and the plane, but he is not entirely prepared to test that.

The power of the Dispel Yussa releases is palpable, and even knowing that he could accomplish the same, Caleb still feels impressed. The way he casts is powerful and commanding, and he is all brusque confidence as he strides through the revealed gate, assuming he'll be followed. Caleb is a simple man, and Yussa Errenis is hot.

"This way first," he repeats, bemused, and follows.

The hall he enters is significantly darker, and Yussa has paused only a few steps in. It takes Caleb only a moment to recognize their surroundings. The Astral Sea, strangely beautiful and equally eerie, is unmistakable, and it surrounds them on all sides but for the path beneath their feet.

"Ja, that checks out," he murmurs.

Yussa can be a difficult man to read at times. This is not one of those moments. Caleb can see how he is holding himself, drawn up and tense, and his voice is sharp-edged with discomfort. There is no need to wonder why. Caleb takes a few strides forward, putting himself a pace or two in front of Yussa. He makes a show of reaching out, and though he doesn't connect with a physical barrier, he knows what it feels like to touch the energy of dreams. He feels nothing.

"Either this is purely aesthetic, or there is an arcane barrier separating this plane from that one," he concludes. "I do not feel the, ah...the buzz." How to describe it? "The sense that with enough force of will, I could bring anything I dreamed into existence."

Yussa tries to shake the feeling as Caleb moves ahead of him. He takes a deeper breath and lets it go slowly. Upon true reflection, he realizes he can observe the same sort of barrier Caleb is describing. Yussa has not attempted to visit the Astral Sea since his last experience here, but he knows what it is like to be bodily in it.

He takes a step forward, and another, to catch up with the younger wizard.

"Indeed," he says dryly. "I understand the... draw of possibility." He understands the obsession, the desire to be close to a place full of potential if one has the will to make something happen. He nods his head in the direction they are meant to go and begins walking, trying to keep his pace steady. He focuses on their goal ahead.

Still... it's difficult not to look. He'd entered this place with such confidence the last time. He did something he has done dozens of times before. Once or twice he pauses and stares into the Sea, as if searching it. The memory encroaches on his mind after nearly twenty minutes of walking. Yussa doesn't stop again after that. He would like very much to be on the other side of this.

When Yussa begins to move forward again with determination, Caleb falls in behind him, remaining close. He stops when Yussa does, allowing him to take his time. He knows what it's like to be forcibly reminded of horrifying experiences.

The compulsion is there to reach out and touch Yussa, to lay a hand against him reassuringly, but he ignores it for now. Perhaps that also would be too reminiscent of that time. He remembers so clearly reaching his hands inside Yussa's faintly transparent form, touching the very essence of him--his mind, his soul, whatever essential piece of him had been captured by the city's consuming madness--and banishing him back to the prime material plane. To himself.

They haven't talked about it. They don't have to. Caleb would never ask that. Yussa is so strong, but he must have been shaken to his core. Even with all the two of them have shared since, how they have grown so much closer, it would take a great deal of trust on Yussa's part. Perhaps even more than he's given him already.

They continue walking. Caleb says little, because Yussa doesn't seem in the mood for conversation. Eventually it comes to an end. The gate on the other side grows closer, looms, and finally they pass through it.

Caleb winces, blinking rapidly against the brightness of the next room. But it is only harsh compared to where they have come from. This space is bathed in what seems like natural midday sunlight. It's a wide circular chamber that stretches up at least three floors, though they are a continuous upward ramp, like a spiral. Judging by the paintings hanging framed on the walls, this is a gallery.

Yussa follows Caleb through the door and immediately puts his arm up, trying to block the bright light to give his eyes time to adjust. After walking through the Astral Sea - or an approximation of it - the sunlight is welcome. Slowly, he lowers his arm. He backs up to the nearest wall, strangely grateful that there is a wall, and for a moment he lets himself lean against it.

He would rather not do this in front of Caleb, but of all the people living in this world, perhaps Caleb Widogast is the one who would nearest understand. He takes a shivering breath and tries to control the exhale. Without saying a word, Yussa crouches down, knees to his chest and hands folded over the back of his neck, keeping his head down as he breathes. It will pass. This moment will pass. It is inconvenient, at best.

At worst, it is a slippery slope into memories he's grappled with since Caleb freed him. Yussa's hands move, sliding to cover his ears even if he knows the screams he can hear are in his head. This will pass.

Watching Yussa put his back to the closest wall and then slide down it, folding in on himself, stirs a powerful blend of emotions in Caleb. Affection and empathy, and a protective urge that seems almost ridiculous, but it isn't. Why shouldn't he want to protect his friend from harm, no matter Yussa's own capabilities?

Caleb follows, kneeling in front of Yussa's crouched form, which seems even smaller now. He places warm, gentle hands on his knees and lets his thumbs rub in slow, soothing circles.

"You aren't alone," he says, quiet but firm. "I am with you, Yussa. You are safe." As safe as it is possible to be in the Folding Halls, at least. "Do you want me to come closer, or stay right here?"

He does not flinch. Caleb's touch is intimately familiar and Yussa has felt him in ways few others likely have. He has not forgotten the feel of this man's fingers brushing through his very essence before banishing him back to the material plane.

Yussa keeps breathing, aware that Caleb has joined him even before warm hands rest on his knees. He focuses on the motion of his thumbs, the gentle pressure, the familiar presence, the sound of Caleb's voice. He breathes.

"Stay," he says quietly. He might like Caleb closer in a moment, but for now this is what he needs. Eventually, one hand moves to rest over Caleb's, not stopping him, but inviting another point of contact.

"To feel so much anxiety over a place of dreams and potential is--" Even with more than two centuries of life to draw on, Yussa isn't sure what to call it. He lifts his head, meeting Caleb's gaze. "I have faced many things, but that was... unique."

Caleb gives a soft hum in acknowledgement, and doesn't stop the slow, soothing movement of his thumbs even when Yussa's hand comes to rest over his. Uncovering his ears is a good thing. So is talking, and looking at him.

"But it is not the Astral plane itself that is the problem, ja?" he murmurs. "It is difficult to describe the sheer horror of what we faced there. Cognouza was...well, you know. It was corrupted to the point where applying logic or sense was futile. It could not be understood. Like a nightmare."

Ducking his head down, Caleb brushes his lips in a light kiss against the back of Yussa's knuckles. "No one could blame you for being anxious or unsettled by reminders of what you experienced. Least of all me."

"Even nightmares have... something," he murmurs. "Cognouza had a will of its own but that will had gone mad. And it pulled things into it. Minds held captive and all sense of predictable reality ripped away. Bound in one, eternal maelstrom of torment."

Yussa bows his head again, rests his brow against his knee as Caleb's lips brush his hand.

"And for time unknown to me, I was part of it."

Upon returning to the Material Plane, Yussa understood it had been a matter of days: long for an astral projection and while he'd been in the Astral Sea, the passage of time dragged out. Perhaps it had only been days, but it felt far longer. In a place where willpower made things real, Yussa's own intellectual strength and force of will meant nothing once Cognouza fully had hold of him, all of that meant nothing. Once his mind, his essence, had been compromised and started to unravel, there was no getting free.

"Like all memory, it will shift as the event gets further away." But, for now, it's still relatively fresh in his mind.

"It will," Caleb agrees, even if he can't quite say the same. For him, many things do fade eventually, just not as quickly as for most people. But the things he remembers regularly, the things his mind can't help but cycle back to--those moments are still far too clear.

He remembers the red eyes dotting his body, and is grateful yet again he'd never been fully ensnared in Cognouza's net. The kind of primal fear and helplessness and emptiness and depersonalization that Yussa must have experienced while linked to that twisted collective consciousness--it is quite literally incomprehensible.

"I cannot imagine what it was like," he says, brow furrowing. "You are strong, my friend, to have survived and made your mind your own again. I am so glad that you are here with me."

There is a part of him that would like to curl up against Caleb and stay there for a while. But he cannot bring himself to do that here, and certainly not right now. He can't decide if it is easier or harder that Caleb has some inkling of where he was and what happened. If his understanding makes seeking comfort more difficult for Yussa.

It doesn't matter right this moment. He reaches to stroke his fingers over Caleb's cheek in a small show of affection.

"We should continue," he murmurs. He squeezes Caleb's hand, then slowly pulls away so that he can stand up. Whatever he feels or whatever has welled up in him, they cannot stop here. There is more yet to discover, and he would like to find somewhere safe to rest either ahead or ensure they have a route back to the guest suites.

Yussa waits until Caleb is standing, then gently grips the other man's shirt to get his attention and hold him still.

"Thank you."

He leans up to give Caleb a kiss, brief but warm, then pulls away to continue into the space they've found.

When Yussa decides that he wants to move on, Caleb gives him the space to stand again and reorient himself. He's right. They shouldn't linger in an unfamiliar room before they've examined it. Though it doesn't seem dangerous, that means virtually nothing here. Something could change at any moment.

Caleb gets up too, but Yussa stops him before he can move away. His gratitude strikes a familiar fond chord in Caleb, which only resonates more as the elf leans up to kiss him. They meet partway as Caleb leans down, and though it lasts only a moment, the warmth lingers.

With a smile so soft it is mostly in his eyes, Caleb trails after as Yussa begins to take in the room around them.

"I do not know anything about art," he says, "but it is exciting to think that all of these pieces are pre-Calamity." There must be plenty to learn from the images depicted. This is a wealth of cultural knowledge, at the very least. And knowing Halas, that probably isn't all it is.

"I know a lot about art," Yussa muses as they both take in the gallery. "And I am intrigued to see what Halas has collected. I have to wonder if some of these are commissioned specifically for this place, or which have been collected. I suspect a number are enchanted."

He folds his hands behind his back once more as he gets closer to one of the landscapes. He considers a moment, then casts Detect Magic. Might as well see what they're dealing with.

The number of paintings just within his radius that light up is... not surprising. It's not quite as many as Yussa first suspected.

At least one of them does. Caleb follows the movement of Yussa's hand as it flicks casually through familiar somatics.

"What are you seeing?" he asks. He suspects quite a few must be enchanted--and at least some of them trapped. "We should steer clear of any with an evocation or conjuration signature." He'd rather not be caught unprepared when one of these portraits shoots a fireball out of its eyes, or something worse.

The two of them begin to make their way up. Rather than stairs, the floors are connected by ramps with a slow, easy incline. As opposed to being evenly spaced, the paintings are in groups on the walls. Possibly organized by subject, artist, or date Caleb would guess, but he can't know for certain without looking more closely.

"Several of the paintings in our immediate area lit up," he remarks. "I'm seeing conjuration and illusion mostly."

Yussa wouldn't be surprised if there were more dangerous magics embedded into some of these paintings, but there are fewer than he anticipated.

"Perhaps, given that this is off the Diamond Entrance, it was a space meant for other people to see," he muses as he walks with Caleb. "Gateways might be protected, but there might well be fewer traps, as well."

A gallery like this is meant to be seen, and if they take the Diamond Entrance as the main entrance, it's entirely possible - and likely - that Halas hosted other people here. Yussa leaves the ramp to look at a collection of portraits and he makes it a point to look very unimpressed when he recognizes a few of Halas himself.

"Illusion? Interesting. We should have a closer look at those." Caleb is incredibly curious aobut whehter the illusions are meant to conceal something, or if they're more for visual effect, a blending of arcane and mundane art. As Yussa says, this space, accessed through the impressive Astral Sea corridor, seems meant to be viewed.

Yussa's mildly sour expression as he gazes up at a cluster of portraits brings a wider smile to Caleb's lips. "Our man Halas looks a little younger here than the one in his study," he muses. "Same sense of fashion, though. Zemnian wizards have not updated our style in several ages, it seems. This red robe ensemble would not be out of place anywhere in Rexxentrum today."

He winks as he shares the joke with Yussa, a wizard who clearly has opinions on style, for which Caleb is exceedingly thankful. Even in his far more simplified adventuring attire, Yussa is a vision of seemingly effortless elegance.

"It's one thing to be timeless, another to be badly ostentatious," he says as he examines the portrait. He finds some of the accessories gaudy, likely meant to show off wealth but drawing attention in the wrong ways. Yussa's own style is absolutely elaborate, but he likes to think the impact is far better than this. There is no elegance here, no sense of aesthetic.

And perhaps his opinion is colored by his distaste for the man in general. While he is impressed with the Folding Halls and all that Halas accomplished here, he has seen things that make even his moral compass move.

Yussa looks over at Caleb and a flicker of a smile flashes across his mouth.

"I much prefer your style to his. You clean up well." Caleb may prefer simple styles, but he wears them well and he has a charm that Halas utterly lacks. Yussa continues on this floor, walking slowly to take in each work as he would in any other gallery. They pass a grouping of paintings of various animals, many of them in motion. One of the illusion spells still at work.

Yussa isn't entirely sure what he's looking for, but he feels he'll know it when he sees it.

Caleb will gladly take that compliment. In fact, his heart does that little leaping pitter-patter when Yussa smiles and tells him he cleans up well. Gods, what even a little praise from this man does to him.

Some of his curiosity is sated as they continue. Many of the paintings with a magical aura are obvious; as Caleb had suspected, the effects of the illusions work in tandem with the art. Caleb thinks this effect is best utilized in landscapes, in a subtle sway of trees in an intangible breeze, or scenes with a wide focus. He particularly likes one of a colorful marketplace with figures moving through it on a timed cycle. It's clever.

He's a little less of a fan of the oddly pornographic piece depicting a nude woman laying on a sandy beach in shallow water apparently being lovingly embraced by some sort of betentacled sea monster. Honestly, the sea monster isn't the problem here; it's the woman's strange proportions, just off enough to be unsettling, and how he can't stop himself from wincing at the idea of sand in tender places.

It's as he's tearing his eyes away from this piece with a grimace that Caleb realizes something he should have clocked a while ago: there don't appear to be any other doors in this chamber. By all appearances, the door they entered through is also the only exit.

"Either this is a dead end, or our way out is hidden," he says, turning a fresh eye on the room with this in mind.

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