== > Be Irisen Cabalo.

****** Fine.

== > Explore your land.

****** It's the Land of Parties and Books, and you are already in the process of exploring it.

You exit your mansion-esque respiteblock and head to the south, where there are multiple, rocky gem mines just beyond the second pasture. They remind you forcibly of a tail Ciphre once told you about your ancestor.

It happened long ago, like all ancestor stories. You don't remember the exact story, though... but you know someone, other than Ciphre, who might.

canteringAndrogyny [CA] began trolling animatedGallivant [AG]

CA: ****** Hay Zenana!

AG: (Hey_Irisen._Are_you_in_the_Medium_safely?)

CA: ****** Yes, and you?

AG: (Yup!_I'm_in_the_Land_of_Music_and_Romance._It's_kinda_odd _though.)

CA: ****** My land's the Land of Parties and Books.

AG: (Ooooooh,_neat!)

CA: ****** So anyway I herd a story from Ciphre about my Ancestor

CA: ****** And your's too, I think.

AG: (The Baroness?)

CA: ****** Yeah, her.

CA: ****** I think there was this crown that she owned...

AG: :O

AG: (You_bet_there_was!_I_still_have_it!)

AG: (Was_your_ancestor_the_one_who_made_it?)

CA: ****** Yeah, he was!

AG: (I've_been_wondering_that_for _years!) :D

AG: (Hey,_if_you_want_I_could_narrate_the_exact_story_out_to_you,_

right_now!)

CA: ****** Could you? But how?

AG: (My_secret) :p

== > Be Zenana.

(Yaaaaaaay!)

You get out your crown and look over the gems. It's not the yellow one or the green one... might be the red one - no, that's a battle scene, yeesh. How about this blue one - it looks passably like cerulean blood.

Visualizing the gem in your mind, you place the crown on your head. Suddenly, you're the Baroness again, and you're in a hurry. You are running through some countryside, crownless, toward a large estate, surrounded by acres of pasture.

AG: (Yup,_this_is_it!)

AG: (I_found_the_memory!)

CA: ****** Found the memory?

AG: (uh...)

AG: (Anyway,_the_Baroness_is_running_toward_your_Ancestor's_house._I think_she_wants_something_from_him.)

CA: ****** The crown, maybe!

AG: (Maybe...)

You are now approaching the Manor House. Stepping across the lawn, you wrinkle your nose. You smell hoofbeast manure - yes, this must he it. The mansion of the Empress's Charioteer. You wish you didn't have to meet him, today of all days - but it's necessary. He has something you desire.

AG: (I_think_it_is_the_crown!)

CA: ****** Really?

AG: (Yeah,_and_the_Baroness_really_wants_it!)

AG: (I_don't_know_why,_though.)

AG: (Oh,_the_Charioteer_is_opening_the_door.)

You see the Charioteer open the door. He looks smug - but then, he always looks smug.

AG: (He_looks_a_lot_like_you!_Really_smug_and_everything.)

CA: ****** You think I look smug?

AG: (Of_course_I_do!)

AG: (You're_the_smuggiest_smugball_ever!)

AG: (It's_so_cute) ;p

CA: ****** I don't think smugball is a word... oh whatever.

AG: (Wait,_the_Baroness_is_talking_to_him_now.)

CA: ****** What're they saying?

The Charioteer opens his mouth to speak, but you cut him off.

BARONESS: (Where_is_it?)(I_need_it_now,_you_know.)

CHARIOTEER: ***** What are you talking about, my lady?

BARONESS: (Don't_play_cute_with_me.)(I_know_you_know.)

BARONESS: (And_if_you_refuse_me,_I_could_have_you_culled.)

CHARIOTEER: ***** You abilities to murder only apply to lowbloods. ***** I am a ceruleanblood. ***** If you really want me dead, it would have to go to the Detector's court, and, though your side would likely win, with you being a purpleblood and all, it would take years for the actual execution to take place. ***** My affairs would need to be settled, you know. ***** And, with me gone, who would take care of the ponies?

BARONESS: (Just_give_me_the_crown.)

CHARIOTEER: ***** Very well. ***** Follow me.

The Charioteer shows you into his Manor House. You must admit, it is tastefully decorated. If you like those oddly shaped hoofbeasts, that is.

He leads you down many flights of stairs into a sort of dungeon-workroom. There, on the table, is your crown. Gog you've missed that thing! You've had it for years.

CHARIOTEER: ***** So you stole this thing.

BARONESS: (Yes.)

CHARIOTEER: ***** From the Sorciere's court?

BARONESS: (Yes.)

CHARIOTEER: ***** Why did you have me enchant it like this?

BARONESS: (If_you_think_I'm_going_to_tell_you_that,_think_again.)

BARONESS: (I_wouldn't_have_had_you_do_it_if_I'd_had_a_choice.)

CHARIOTEER: ***** I suppose you would've gone to the Sorciere for magic, but, of course, you couldn't, since you stole her prized possession.

BARONESS: (I_don't_know_about_prized.)

BARONESS: (She_didn't_even_notice_it_was_gone.)

CHARIOTEER: ***** Mmmmm.

CHARIOTEER: ***** Remember our deal, Baroness. ***** You owe me a favor now.

BARONESS: (Yes,_I_know.)(Contact_me_when_you_need_anything.)

BARONESS: (Only_one_favor,_you_know.)

The Charioteer leads you back upstairs and bows you from his mansion. You give him a meaningful look, then sweep down the walkway and out of his sight.

== > Be Irisen again.

Now that Zenana finishes narrating this story out to you, you are flabberghasted. Your Ancestor could do magic? Ciphre never told you this! The Charioteer had enchanted the crown to do... something.

CA: ****** What did the Charioteer enchant the crown to do?

AG: (The_memory_didn't_say.)

CA: ****** But you said you had the crown. Has it ever done anything... unusual?

AG: (Nope,_never.)

AG: (Maybe_the_enchantment_wore_off.) (This_was_a_long_time_ago,_you

_know.)

CA: ****** Yeah, I bet that's it. Hay, could I see it, maybe? I mean, my Ancestor did make it.

AG: (NO!!!!!!!!!)

CA: ****** Huh? Why not

AG:(It's_very_fragile.)(It's_very_old,_you_know._I_never_take_it_out_of_my_hive.)

CA: ****** That's ok. I can just come to your hive. Won't my first gate take me there or something?

AG: (um._._._it's_not_clear_where_the_gates_take_us_to.) (It_seems pretty_random_to_me.)

CA: ****** Oh, ok.

CA: ****** Well, if my first gate does take me to LoMaR, see you soon!

AG: (Yeah,_see_you,_heh,_heh)

canteringAndrogyny [CA] gave up trolling animatedGallivant [AG]

AG: (heh_heh._._.)

AG: (heh)

AG: (heh)

AG: (OH_MY_GOG_I_JUST_LIED_TO_MY_FRIEND)

AG: (WHAT_AM_I_GOING_TO_DO)

animatedGallivant [AG] gave up trolling canteringAndrogyny [CA]

== > Explore land.

Yeah, you never really got around to that, did you?

== > Explore the land!

Right. You step out of your respiteblock and onto the soft grass around it. If you were a horse, you would be rolling around in it right now.

You are currently not a horse, but you decide to roll around in it anyways.

You roll down a huge hill of grass.

This is a great use of your time.

You sit there, looking up at the sky and find it doesn't hurt your eyes. It's amazing. You spread out your arms, the grass weaving between them and engulfing you.

Suddenly, a creature leers down at you. It is a imp of some kind, possibly not a very powerful one.

It also looks remarkably like a meowbeast.

... huh.

Strife time!

== > Kill it!

You get out your strife specibus, cannonkind, and summon your party canon. It lands on the imp's head and it explodes into grist. You pick it up and go on to challenge every imp in the surrounding area. Some are prototyped with other things, such as a deer, a duck, a hat, and ... you know what? You don't really know why anyone would prototype a imp with any of that.

It doesn't really matter. They are now gone and you are now rolling in grist.

There's an app called gristTorrent, if you wanted to share some with your allies.

The problem is you really don't want to at the moment.

Huh. Well, you should probably alchemize some things, but your house is up on the hill and that is so far away...

Nah, you're going to go complete some quests first.

Is that an Ogre over there?

== > EY, go AFTER it, HMM?

Well that's definitely not the narrator. Someone is trying to contact you.

> COME on, GO after THE darn OGRE!

You go the other way.

> HIC what ARE you DOING

You continue walking away. This guy is a screwball, whoever he is. If only you could get him out of your mind. The voice is quite faint, though. You can only barely make out what he's saying. As you move onward through your land, the voice fades to a buzzing, and then not at all. He'll be back, though, you think.

You think about different things as you walk. Not "the deep stuff" but little things your friends have told you that hint at... something. You began to get the sense of...

> YOU idiot

Damn! You just lost your train of thought completely.

WHO IS THIS GUY

== > Be this guy!

No!

You are now another screwball.

By that we mean Ninfia.