The day is warm, except here, in this one place in the lower city. The cold fountain has become an everyday miracle. People drop by to pick up cold water, and to marvel at how the snow comes down on this one particular spot.

Dorian stands near the fountain. Snow gathers on his coat as he stares at it. Curiousity, and annoyance warring to win the battle of expression on his face. "It just doesn't make any sense." he mutters.

Water leaks from under the fountain, from broken pipes, of course. So, some enterprising person has pulled away a panel of stone and that is how people are picking up their water. Cold, in the heat.

Filinia slopes into view, a scowl on her face. She has a big, heavy-looking bag slung over one shoulder, and she is making for the fountain.

Danielle has also made something of a ritual to come to the fountain each day to check for new developments. on the extremely rare iccasion when no one else is by, she may even try speaking to it "It doesn't I mean I thought perhaps the wind had carried the message as a bird of desire might but

..."

Dorian snaps out of his reverie, and looks towards the red-headed Lady, "Good Day Lady Danielle. I'm sorry I was woolgathering. What were you saying?" He then notices the person with the bag. "Hmmm, what have we here?"

Filinia dumps her bag down. "I leave it alone for one bloody week," she more spits than says. "ONE BLOODY WEEK!" That looks like some kind of answer for Dorian, even if it is not a direct one.

Danielle hms "the incident last week with the fountain. I was positing that it wasn't conversation but a present message like a magical bit of parchment, but why would the could stay about?"

Danielle adds to fillinia "Not our fault"

Filinia mutters, "I look like a give a damn?" to Danielle, and kneels to open her bag, which is kept closed by having two sturdy sticks lashed together. However, as Danielle says whose fault it isn't, she looks up, nods, and seems a little molified. Even Dorian gets a stare, and a nod, and a, "Mm."

Dorian gives the woman with the brown skin, and brown clothes an appraising look. His eyes do not leave her as he says, "Residuals from the spell? A lot of magic goes haywire around here." He shrugs, and gives a nod of greeting to the disgruntled woman. "I just can't say what this is about. I'm at a lost. I have been since I arrived here."

Filinia sighs. "Well, I'm here to fix the water. I can't do the ice bit."

Danielle nods "Too bad Kynan isn't about with the fire magic you know" She turns to Fillinia "The city have any enimies you know of I mean the kind you go to war with?"

Dorian watches the exchange the women are having. He brushes snow off of his shoulders as he listens.

Filinia says, "Enemies? I'm still worried about the wyverns, but no. My city's not been at war since it got conquested. Conkered. And this doesn't look like them, y'know?" She hauls out candles, pots, and and lengths of copper pipe from the bag. "I don't need the fire so much if I can cut off the water." Dorian gets a glance. "'ve-we met? I'm Filinia."

Sleet plays with Dorian's hair for a moment. The breeze ruffles the water coldly, and then moves on.

Dorian bows to Filinia, "Well met, Mistress Filinia." His gaze turns to Danielle, "Conquested? So, there has been a recent war? With Wyvern's? I see there is more here that I'm ignorant of." He runs his fingers through his hair, the look of mild annoyance returning.

Filinia assays a complicated shrug, made more difficult by the fact she is at a low angle, looking up. "Different people know different things. I... kinda remember bits. But not all the same bits, if you get me? I've only seen half a wyvern since I woke up again."

Danielle hms "I do remember a.."she nods as filinia explain. There's also the feet fairies on the beach. the ghost version of the royal carriage that hellrides too and from the fog., the ghost staff in the palace kitchen...lots of oodity precious little sense

"Yeah." Filinia lights her candle from an ember pot, with a little blowing. She is definitely listening to Dorian and Danielle, however, and they get a glare of interest.

Dorian ponders what he hears as he watches the tradeswoman go about her repairs? He shakes his head, and states to Filinia, "I'm sorry, My manners seem to have taken a back seat to my musings. I am Dorian." He looks from one woman to the other. "The big question is why? If this is as Amethyst states, Amber itself. What by Oberon's Brass Balls happened?"

Filinia says, "I'd shake hands, but I'm covered in oil. Still, you wanna, the offer's there." She examines her palm, crossed with stains. "I never heard of Amber, till I got here. Just The City for me, but some of the landmarks are kinda there. Here. Maybe." She peers under the fountain. "Oh.... uh... that ain't normal."

Danielle begins with answer to Dorian "Does anyone other than the direct descendants of oberon have the power."She tails off an looks at filinia "What's not?"

Filinia says, "Loooook. Under here." She backs away, pointing to the little stone chamber under the fountain's bowl. "Uh, you might wanna mind your clothes."

Dorian takes the proffered hand briefly. He gives Filinia a curious look as he steps back to give her room. "What's not normal?"

Filinia makes room for both to look in, but warns them, "The ice and stuff's made patterns. Looks outta my understanding."

"It's trrue Danielle might not relish getting her dress soaked but right right now she just wants to see, so she hikes her gown to her knees and peers to look

Dorian moves forward to look, but allows room for Danielle to observe. His gaze grows intense as he focuses on the patterns that Filinia mentions.

Danielle rolls with advantage 0 at difficulty 20, using occult.
The result is a failure.

Dorian rolls with advantage 0 at difficulty 20, using Occult.
The result is a success.

The chamber underneath has leaks, and most people have been using those to fill their bowls, but further back, and illuminated a little by the candle that Filinia has left just inside, there are ice-drawn symbols, sigils that can only mean magic, sigils that probably have little meaning at all, and tiny frost-ferns that dance across the place like a mathematical Jack Frost has been at work. Some of them definitely mean SOMETHING - they look like bindings. Others look entirely alien, or hauntingly familiar. To Dorian, at least, one passage is clear. 'We are weary of the long war.' It is notable because it is in several languages he 'knows'. That is, several things he can remember or almost remember studying.

Other things that Dorian can pick up include what might just be a map, if stars can be a map, or what could be just a set of water drops.

There are three people around the fountain in the centre of the square, where water is running out of the again-broken base. They are looking under the stone dais. There is snow falling on the fountain, but nowhere else.

Excitement comes to light in Dorian's eyes as comprehension dawns in his mind. "Do you see that, Danielle? The message? And the constellations perhaps? It could be I mean...."

Dirk walks down and is a bit cold. He mutters a few profane words as he shivers.

Danielle squints as if she could very well borrow a hole through the ice but ultimately shakes her head in frustration "I can't make any sense of it, but I believe you. I've gotten odd insights a time or two . You should get some parchment and copy what you see

Filinia sighs. "So... I'm not fixing it until you're done?" she guesses.

Dorian steps back, and says "Those are quite possibly, No, they are probably bindings. The spell structure is stange. It does clearly state that They are tired of weary of the long war. What war, and who I can't make out. And I do think that might be a map of some sort." He nods at her suggestion, "I would, but I don't carry quill, nor parchment." He turns at the sudden noise, "Hello Milord. How do you fare?"

Filinia says, "I got a scratch-board," and digs into her bag again. She pulls out a slightly pitted but largely workable bit of wood with a plaster facing, and a small spike of bronze attached to it by string. The idea of a problem getting solved or at least worked on seems to have perked her up.

Dirk says "I am really irritated. Before the rupture of what was once, I could shift into a black long haired feline and even in human form I never felt the weather. How are you?"

The sleet and snow begin to come down faster. Mostly-frozen water patters then blatters then batters at them, the fountain itself, and the ground.

Then the rain stops, veryu briefly, and several huge hailstones hit the fountain all at once. The splash pattern is, Dorian can be sure, exactly like the map part. To Danielle it is just a set of splashes. To Dirk, just for a moment, it looks a little like... like... like something...

What it looks like to Filinia one may never know - she was hunkering down into her jacket.

Dorian takes the proffered board from Filinia, and tries to use his body to protect what he is drawing against the elements. He replies to Dirk in a rather far off, distracted tone. "That's nice Milord. I'm doing well." He huffs a bit, "Merde, this damnable weather."

Dirk rolls with advantage 0 at difficulty 15, using no talents or gifts and spending will.
The result is a success.

Memory bounces into Dirk's head. There was a night in a bar, with vodka, and a close call with a steamer ship and an iceberg and then a whale strike and... and a lot of drinking after that, but there was a bar, and an old mirror, and a view of the mosaics on the ceiling, and the stars up there looked just like this pattern now, although it is already vanishing. A rough sea, a port in a storm, and an old man who served iced vodka and lived in the remains of a palace where he had nothing but sailors and ice bears for company. And that mosaic, and other such works, glinting forever.

Dirk says, "This rem"

Danielle was paying a bit more attention to Dirk while letting Dorian transcribe "Being unable to feel the e weather would be nice" she notes

Dirk says, "This reminds me of a mosaic of stars In a ceiling of a ruined palace. iced vodka and ice bears."

Filinia pulls an oiled cloak, as brown as the rest of her clothes, out of the bag, which is now mostly empty. Still, she shrugs it on, stays reltaively dry, and goes to help shelter the writing gear. Not the scribe, just the gear. She has priorities.

Dorian gets the pattern, and other symbols drawn on the board as best he can. He gives a quick look of thanks to Filinia as he finishes. "Mistress, I know this board is part, and parcel of the work you do. Could Lady Danielle borrow it briefly to transcribe this? It would be much appreciated." His eyebrow raises a bit as Dirk's words penetrate his mind.

Filinia gives Dorian a look. "I can make more," she says. "It's wha' I do."

Danielle hms "So it reminds you of constalations too...interestng" she takes the board from Dorian and places it in her satchel

Dirk says "an old man offered iced vodka in a ruined palace."

Dorian stands, and gives Filinia a bright, warm smile. "Merci Mistess, Thank you." As Danielle takes the board, he turns his attention to Dirk, "You've seen these constellations before then? That's something. Do you remember the name of the place? Any particulars besides frigid martinis and furry creatures? Who was the old man? Do you remember?"

Filinia puts things back into her bag. That too seems to be oiled, or else waxed, enough to keep things within dry.

Danielle blinks "The image in the fountain" she says that bing the most relevant memory thrtale triggers for her

Dorian stands, and gives Filinia a bright, warm smile. "Merci Mistess, Thank you." As Danielle takes the board, he turns his attention to Dirk, "You've seen these constellations before then? That's something. Do you remember the name of the place? Any particulars besides frigid martinis and furry creatures? Who was the old man? Do you remember?"

Dirk says "It was out in shadow near the shadow of my penguin farm. He would buy excess penguins to feed his bears."

Filinia gives Dirk a stare, and a shudder.

Dorian ponders this as he finds a seat. He produces a flask from his coat, unstoppers it, and takes a swig. He offers it up to his companions as he says, "Well, that's a start. Was this old fellow a magician of sorts? Did he have any special powers, or magic that you knew of Milord?"

Filinia takes the flask, takes a sip, hands it back.

Dirk says "I think he was a frost giant. But I could be wrong. He wore horns and was blue."

Dorian nods, "Okay, that is something that can be followed up someway, somehow." He looks back to the fountain, and takes another drink from the flask. "So Filinia, are you going to be able to repair that thing? I mean with this phenomena about it as it is now?"

Filinia says, "I was thinking I could move on to underpinning a wall back-down there." She jerks her thumb over her shoulder. "But I could. Only I was thinking it might be using the water, so if he's... a giant's friend? Maybe I don't wanna get on the wrong side of that."

Dirk nods. "it's hard to say. Shadow is deep and wide."

Filinia cringes a little. "Yeaaah."

Dorian gives a nod of understanding at Dirk's statement. "And varied, yes it is." He chuckles a bit, "Well, even in our impovershed state, a frost giant shouldn't be much of a worry. At least not unless that Giant comes with some very powerful friends, or unless he has tapped some Well of Power." He shrugs, "We will have to keep looking to find the answers. We are a bit closer now."

Filinia says, "Well, yeah, anyhow. I got a cracked wall to go deal with, so unless'n you need me?"

Dorian smiles again at Filinia, "I'd hate to keep a craftsman from their craft. I do appreciate your help Mistress Filinia. It was a pleasure to meet you."

Dirk nods "It was a pleasure. "

Filinia saunters off, bag over her shoulder.