Seven Deadly Sins: A Concise Summary by Raine Sage

[ruin_mania]

[First, Raine traces an image into the journal.]

When we recently visited Lastlook, we found an odd carving with this symbol. Apparently, this was meant to be a warning. You'll be able to see the origin of this infection thanks to a journal found in the library that had apparently once belonged to another castle.

[Which she's diligently copied for future reference.]

Several months later, residents began to manifest signs of illness, followed by an abrupt personality shift into what the Earth-based Christian religion defines as "Seven Deadly Sins". They became consumed by the personality traits defined by the sins, and as we learned from the journal entry could be returned to their former selves with an application of the proper opposite "Virtue".

To cure this infection, we needed to find the following items:

HUMILITY (movie tickets) and PRIDE
CHARITY (blanket) and GREED
CHASTITY (locket) and LUST
KINDNESS (stethoscope) and ENVY
DILIGENCE (flashlight) and SLOTH
TEMPERANCE (spoon) and GLUTTONY

[She also copies the original instruction paper.]

The final piece of "Virtue" was a bit of a broken sled to represent Patience, and the solution that time really was to hit someone infected with Wrath with it. I suppose the impatient one was right about that much.

In the same handwriting as the original entry, the following poem was found which allowed us to locate these items:



To save our hearth and home
For the virtues you must comb
To undo the tie that binds
Of the vices of our minds

In the the room of ice and snow
The cure to Wrath it will bestow
The Virtue of Patience gone astray
A piece of wood from a broken sleigh

Where the washerwoman spends her days
It seems that Charity truly pays
A precious blanket, old and frayed
Soothes a Greedy victim's tirade

In a place where Lust can truly play
A locket is safely squared away
Behind a painting in the dancing hall
Good Chastity will reinstall

Kindness is the greatest cure
Enough to break Envy's allure
In the stores of the doctor's abode
A stethoscope will be bestowed

Temperance is the key to a healthy life
A spoon found in the same place as a knife
The kitchen is the place to seek
To make Gluttony's hold quite weak

In the secret room within the maze
Lies the cure to Sloth's long daze
A light to shine in darkest night
Diligence will make things right

The silver screen is the place to be
For Humility is great you must agree
Tickets to that evening's show
The vice of Pride will overthrow



I found these clues in particular to be very interesting. At the least, this suggests that Cair Draconis had a Seasons Room, a movie theatre, and a Lost Room of its own. Are these locations standard for all of the castles?

Moreover, and I do hope that Doctor Gene Brewer is out there somewhere to read this, I must criticize these methods of quarantine. To begin with, if a dangerous weapon is to be kept from others, leaving it in a location clearly marked on several maps is a terrible idea. The very Lost Room that one of these cures was found in had a picture of Lastlook in it, prompting investivation. Moreover, the virus was held in a cave that had vast amounts of treasure, which also prompted investigation. There were no warning signs that would be intelligible to someone who didn't know those symbols - it's always best to use clear pictograms in the event that those you are trying to warn do not read your language. [She'll sketch a few examples.]

Why, it almost seems as though someone subverted his original warning and was attempting to lure us there in the first place. How very rude.

Comments

Dictated; Filtered to Raine

[cyan_maid]

[Jane quietly read all you have to say about the virus, and when she finishes, she huffs.]

It sounds more than rude to me!

dictated back! also filtered

[ruin_mania]

Well, it's a bit of an understatement, to be certain. Still, somehow I doubt it was Dr. Brewer's intention. I'd say it's more likely there was other intervention.

Forever?

[cyan_maid]

Oh, I wouldn't doubt it, but I don't want to jump to conclusions and pin it on the castle.

yyy

[ruin_mania]

I wouldn't have come to that conclusion at all, actually. If it was the castle, why wait until after we'd come to a place where the virus was stored in the first place? Why not simply act as it usually does, and make the source of the infection completely mysterious?

No, given what appears to have happened to the residents of Cair Draconis, I'd say this castle was as surprised as we were.

Filter

[wilder]

[Zelos reads through all of it. Huh, it sure filled in a few holes that was missing before]

You know, I can't help but wonder if Cair Draconis made the virus to make up for a lack of energy or something.

Filter

[ruin_mania]

It wouldn't surprise me. They feed on emotion, after all, and there certainly was a lot of it generated from that infection.

Still, it's a shame it ultimately failed to resolve its own crisis.

Filter

[wilder]

Probably didn't think too far ahead with that one. [a sigh]

Least we'll know what to expect if we ever cross that bridge.

Filter

[ruin_mania]

I'd have to agree with that. Even Cruxis realized that a food course needs to be self-sustaining to some extent, or everything will be lost.

That's a good point. I think it wouldn't hurt to bring the Virtues along in case we do.

[waterproofed]

Hm... Somebody trying to lure us there to spread a deadly virus. Yeah, I can see that happening.

Hey, so, what did we decide about people who went on that trip but didn't get sick?

[ruin_mania]

It seems like a very subtle way to wage war, but effective. [Hey, at least for all the BS they had to put up with in Aselia, at least they never had any documented cases of germ warfare.]

It wouldn't surprise me if many were simply immune. Any plague has its survivors, after all. Additionally, the infection may not have been as strong against us for other reasons that haven't been identified yet.

[waterproofed]

That's pretty lucky.

[ruin_mania]

It is. Things would have gone much worse if not for a few immunities.

[theabjectauthor]

How very rude, indeed. Thank you very much for compiling all of this for us, Professor. My apologies for ... unexpectedly being out of commission for the remainder of the search.

[ruin_mania]

Ah, no, it's my fault for not being more cautious about the bird, I'm afraid. But your assistance was certainly appreciated.

[theabjectauthor]

That vociferous terror was a bird?! Heavens. The last thing I remember was that horrible screeching sound before the world came down on me.

[ruin_mania]

I'm afraid so. I think it was a friend of mine on a loss, who was only trying to help.

[wilder]

Heeeeeey!

My beautiful voice in any form is not vociferous or screechy!

[selfless]

Wow... You found out so much about it! That's amazing, Professor.

[ruin_mania]

It's merely a compilation of information from various sources, though I did assist in finding both the spoon and the flashlight myself. And who knows? It may come in handy for someone else in the future, much as Dr. Brewer's entries did for us.

[selfless]

I'm sure it will! They'll probably be really grateful when they find it.

[ruin_mania]

I certainly hope so. Imagine how much trouble we'd be in if we hadn't found the previous records!

[Just another reason it's important to record everything, Raine thinks.]

[psych0p0mps]

......
im not sure if this means the expedition was a success since we found out a whole bunch about this cair draconis
or a near catastrophic failure since it turned half the population into psychos

[ruin_mania]

I'd have to go with an overall success, personally. After all, we did return the infected ones back to normal in time, did we not?

[psych0p0mps]

yeah thats true
i just dont like the thought of what would have happened had we failed
from the sound of it we were one scrap of wood away from what happened to draconis
...
besides i hate turning into a rampaging lunatic every november
that had better not become a trend

[ruin_mania]

Oh, indeed. Though I think that it's foolish to underestimate the combined population of this castle, in any case. We're made almost entirely of people who are very driven and determined, and even exceptional by the standards of our worlds.

Though I do agree that sounds like an unfortunate coincidence, and I hopt it does not continue.