[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

Dagny sits behind one desk, a twin of Shirley's. There's another desk in the room, too, but you can't see the surface because it's covered in tools and papers.

"Hello, Nathan. I am Dagny."

Dagny sits hunched over her desk. She's wearing a gray cloak, which hides her hunched body. Her face is stern but beautiful in a harsh, aquiline way. Her hair is light and cut fairly short. Her desk makes an odd crackling and buzzing sound.

"Shirley tells me you have information on the threat of the vines. Please state your information succinctly and thoroughly. I'm recording this conversation, so there is no need to slow down. You may assume I have access to any information that is common knowledge, or publicly available in any way."

And there she is.  Dagny.  The former warrior turned leader of Creshire.  Well, one of two leaders.  

"Pleasure to finally meet you in person, Dagny.  I'd recommend being...careful with this information.  I informed the Rangers that dealt with the Tangrowth that my party KOed yesterday, but I'm here to make sure you know as well, since you're heading this defense and this information is rather important.

"Something in the Skull Ruins has been disturbed by something.  Some sort of ancient power.  And now that it's awake, it's going to attempt to cover the whole region in vines.  With the help of those Tangrowth, which I expect are effectively near limitless in number, it might even manage it.  I don't know what this power is exactly, but there are apparently key figures related to it that I'm referring to as 'manikin kings.'  One of which I believe my party encountered yesterday just before we arrived in Stair City.  We were attacked by Tangrowth, but they were being lead by a Claydol.  Wearing a crown.  The Claydol attempted to steal my Kirlia's item by ordering the Tangrowth to use Knock Off and the vines to drag it away, towards the Ruins.  His item is a rare and powerful Clamperl Pearl that can boost the power of Psychic attacks.  I believe Claydol's interest in it might relate to its status as a 'king,' as the ancient kings, particularly Sarimanok, were interested in amassing both power and wealth, and the Pearl falls under both categories effortlessly.

"So, as for fighting these vines...beating the Tangrowth is only a way to delay the inevitable.  If we want to make a dent in the vines' advance, we need to stop the things commanding those Tangrowth.  The manikin kings, and whatever might be leading or manipulating them from the depths of the Ruins.  Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like that's going to be easy...the Claydol Teleported away when the Tangrowth it was commanding were defeated, and the Ruins are mostly inaccessible currently from what I've seen.  During the battle, Claydol was keeping its distance, pelting us with rocks and psychic attacks while giving orders from atop a cliff where only long range attacks would even have a chance of hitting it.

"As for how I know all this...it's rather sensitive information...I pieced some of it together after seeing a few of Kirlia's visions, but most of it came from...a different source.  I don't think it's information you'd want getting out, and it's certainly not common knowledge...you might want to consider turning the recording off...or at least limiting what others hear of this recording."

He pauses there. He summons Calam, pulls out his journal, and continues once Dagny's decided whether to turn the recording off.

Spoiler

"Dagny, this is Calam.  I met him at the Running almost a week ago, and that meeting was recorded on video from what my mom told me.  He was rather keen on showing me something at the time.  You know the stories behind his species, I'm sure.  Well, that Run was filled with Absol, and Calam here lead the charge, looking for me and Kirlia specifically.  We followed him, and he lead us to something rather...disturbing.  The Legendary pokemon Mesprit, sleeping behind an impenetrable barrier of psychic energy in a hidden cavern, with a message written in Unown lettering meant to be shown to me and Kirlia also being located in that very same cavern.  I have it written down in my journal right...here (he points to the first part of the message).  This message is where I got the term 'manikin kings' from, and it warns of both the vines and a 'disaster of stone.'  Three days after reading the message, Kirlia had a vision of a vine sprouting in the Skull Ruins.  That occurred just before the vines were first noticed covering the Ruins, from what I've been told, so those vines seem to grow incredibly quickly when they're both unimpeded and aided by Tangrowth.

"Anyways...the first part of the message mentions only a 'sharer of unselfish love' can stop the manikin kings for good.  And what puzzled me more was the second part of the message, which I've written down here (he turns to the last page of the journal)...it suggests that 'sharer' is my Kirlia.  I'm trying to work out what needs to be done to wake up Mesprit and stop these vines, but it's been...difficult.  The message is a bit vague...I looked a little into the Lake Trio's history here to try and find out if Uxie and Azelf might be in similar conditions, but Uxie apparently left the region right after Sarimanok was dethroned, and Azelf was headed to the east of Chicory Lake in some sort of rush before it disappeared for unknown reasons.  Mesprit, when it was last seen, was described as looking physically tired, which seems to indicate it's been sleeping in that hidden location for a long time...

"I've not told anyone else this information so far.  Creshire seems to be in deep, deep water if the might of Legendary pokemon is going to be required to stop this madness for good...but I think targeting the commanders when possible should slow the vines' advance more significantly than just KOing the Tangrowth."

Nathan pauses again.  That was probably a lot for even Dagny to take in...