"Refusal to Comply"

"Refusal to Comply" is the sixth episode of The Shrouded Isles (arc). The group meets Xandal and are given a boat of sorts, on which they leave Tesir. 
== Plot Synopsis ==
The four walk inland, Ashe arguing with Markus and Gregor. She voices her discomfort with dying and points out that the rest of the world doesn't work this way. Markus argues she should adapt to how the Isles work, at least. She stomps ahead.
Kier walks past her and informs the others he was actually born on Tesir, in the very orchard they're in right now, and the water spiritfolk, Xandal, should be around. He says that the trees surrounding them are called 'upchucks'. He knows this because he named them, after eating one.
Meanwhile, Markus, having found a well, wishes upon it and throws a coin into it. The others catch up to him and suddenly hear a rumbling voice, displeased by someone throwing things down the well. Xandal surfaces from it. He addresses the three, thinking they're spiritfolk, asking them if he can help them with anything.
Kier, caught by Ashe when he attempted to run, says that they - not him! - would like a way to get to the next island. Xandal produces what he calls a lantern - a slip of paper - and hands it to Ashe. He tells them how to use it when Ashe and Gregor pretend they have a bad memory. 
Kier mutters that he could also give them something else to help them, since the came all this way. Xandal considers this and agrees. He says he likes to blacksmith now and then. To demonstrate, he takes Gregor's glaive and dives into the water with it, leaving Gregor extremely distressed.
Three hours later, Xandal emerges with the glaive and hands it to Gregor. It now has a wave-like pattern set into it. It makes Gregor feel an inner calm and be able to regenerate some wounds. Gregor is very excited about this. Xandal goes back to his well.
Kier, meanwhile, hands Ashe two sticks, saying they're an automated construct for backing away from people. She takes it as an insult and slaps them to the ground. They shake and then rocket up into the sky. Kier and Ashe argue for a while, Kier walking away afterwards, followed by Markus. 
Gregor and Ashe talk and Ashe admits the whole situation just makes her feel tense. They catch up to the other two and Ashe apologises to Kier. He appreciates her giving him a second chance and places another device in her hands. She slaps it away.
They eventually arrive at a house, which Kier reveals to be the one he grew up in. He breaks the door down, saying he's going to look for some spare parts to help accelerate the boat that the lantern makes and that it's alright for the rest of them to look around as well. He says that there used to be more humans around in Grius and that they disappeared one day, without him.
While looking around, Markus finds a magic circle of some sort underneath a pile of rubble. Gregor clears it out and Markus finds a trapdoor there. He opens it and climbs down. He finds a bookcase with some geographical studies and a desk. On the desk stands a bottle of some liquid, a letter and some papers. Markus takes the bottle and reads the letter. It was written by an Alarani mage, who believed themselves a 'slayer of gods'. The letter expresses their apology for their crimes against the spiritfolk and their wish for none to use the 'Iconoclasm' spell they've recorded on a piece of paper. Obviously, Markus takes this spell - it removes a spirit's ability to be reborn, thus erasing it completely.
The next paper he finds is about 'fogapples', the fruit of the trees surrounding the house. The writer says the spiritfolk were able to make incredibly potent alcohol from them and the bottle on the desk is their attempt to recreate said spirit. They call for their son to bring the fogapples back to the Isles. They organised everything they could find on the fruit into a book, which Markus takes. He comes back up the ladder.
He relays his findings to the rest of the group and the group finds out the mage must have been Kier's father, since it was him who built this house. Markus then shows them the bottle and tells Ashe that the mage wanted Kier to bring the fogapples to the spiritfolk. He does not mention the Iconoclasm spell.
Outside, Kier shows the others a device he's just made, saying he's going to attach it to their lantern so that it goes faster. Ashe argues that it could burn the boat down and leave them in the water, where the sea monster is. Kier says he has an escape plan in case that happens, but he realises that it'd be ineffective if the lantern burned down. He asks Ashe for suggestions. She says that since they don't even know where they are, she can't really say. Markus offers to locate where north is.
Three hours later, he does so. Kier produces another invention, a polymer that strengthens the lantern and makes it resistant against any fire that they can conjure. Ashe would like him to do a test on something else first, but when he refuses, she goes into the house, intending to sketch the surroundings and think about what to do. She tells the others not to blow themselves up. Gregor remarks there's no time, goes after her and picks her up, bringing her along to the sea shore.
They throw the lantern into the water and after some difficulties, inflate it. It turns out to be a wooden raft with a lantern. Kier asks for Ashe's trust with the polymer. She resignedly agrees, taking a seat on the raft. After the application of the polymer, Markus fills the lantern with fire and the raft starts to move to the next island.
== Trivia ==
* Kier and Markus say their age in this episode - 31 and 35, respectively. Markus' age is later said to be 'between 35 and 37'.
* Kier says that he makes his devices using a Grecian way that allows him to make everything out of spare parts, tape and whatever's lying around.
* Gregor attains level 4 and Ashe level 5 in this episode.
== Quotes ==
* Ashe: "So he did kill them! Even better, he did kill them!" I glare at Kier.
* Kier: "They got better!"
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* Ashe: "We're gonna get the glaive back, right? In one piece? Our friend is kind of attached to it."
* Xandal: "Yes! Even more pieces, if you want."
* Gregor: distressed noises
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* Gregor: "Guys! Look how many trees I can kill!"
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* Kier: "It was actually meant to break when she pushed the button. I just thought it'd be more fun if I automated it for her."
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* GM: Just then, Markus' head whips around. He senses the faint stench of ~Magic~.
* Markus: "Hm! ~Magic~. Mmmmmagic.
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* Gregor: With a wave of my Glaive of the Wave, I smack away all the rubble.
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* GM: A ladder extends into the dank basement below. You can't see much.
* Markus: Darkvision, bitch.
* GM: ..you can see everything.
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* Ashe: "Have you poisoned yourself yet?"
* Markus: "No, of course not. Not this time."
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* Gregor: sighs heavily "There's no time- there's- there's no time!"
* Markus: "There's really just not time."
* Kier: "There's no time."
Category:The Shrouded Isles episodes