Unknown Forces
"Witnesses reported a woman with unusually white skin and jet black irises to her eyes. Her skull seemed somewhat elongated but whether this was simply the shape of her head wrappings or an actually bone structure was impossible to determine. Those of artistic persuasions seemed more intensely attracted to her side. Within a moment she had the most gifted artisans in the rooms seated around her. Physical contact with the woman seemed to have a remarkable effect - two key examples are Lady Larksong who seemed enraptured by the touch and Bluefinger Smith Salazar the Skilled displayed a similar response. A point of note, the Blue Lady insisted that he remove his gloves and allow her to touch his skin. A few moments later she vanished.
The Huntsmen reported similar events save that there being no artistically gifted members of the group they could offer no comments on that matter. The Blue Lady apparently appeared at almost exactly the same time suggesting strongly to me that she was not real - no one could be in two different places at the same time. Either she was an hallucination (my favoured theory) or there were two individuals."
From the report of Alchemist Monarch Mortimer
Lalenth is a place of rational thought. Our ancestors seemingly worshipped ancient primal forces they believed to exist but the advent of science and logical study found not a shred of evidence for their existence and the foolish practices soon ceased. They became convinced by only what they could measure, see and touch. The ancient people of Lalenth learned not to fear nightfall - there was no need, it was a natural occurrence. The ceased to fear summer would never come again; of course it would, it always had before. They no longer believed the dead could come back to hurt them and no longer made sacrifices to appease storms. When they encountered problems they could not solve they assumed not that it was some supernatural force but simply that they were yet to find the explanation. Occasionally, some crackpot would claim that there existed potent powers of which we were not aware, but they could seldom provide proof and were mocked and ignored.
For the most part, they tried to apply this logical rationality to the strange appearances of the Blue Lady. Her behaviour and abilities were inexplicable and wonderful. At her first appearance she was rumoured to have displayed great powers of healing. She then appeared again, in broad daylight, within the Autumn Hall. It was early in the morning but she was still seen by almost fifty witnesses, all of whom reported the same sight. This time she made no attempt to communicate. She merely stood silently for a short period and then vanished. This was a spark to a powder keg. This time, commoners had seen her clearly. Various groups sprung up, trying to predict or replicate the appearance of the Blue Lady. Thread Weavers, Alchemists and militia investigators crawled over the Autumn Hall like ants; none able to put forward any sound theories. Fear began to percolate through the educated population and although the Council of Six made no statement, their silence was telling.
Following this appearance she appeared twice more; once in the Fifth Arch, just outside the door to the Iron Skillet and once at the entrance to the Star Chamber. Her appearance in the Fifth Arch was very similar to her appearance in the Autumn Hall; she stood for a few moments and then vanished. Only her third appearance showed any variation to her "usual" behaviour. The Lady appeared at the doorway of the Star Chamber in front of approximately seventy-five witnesses who were gathered there for a banquet. Most pertinent, there were a number of Thread Weaver's present and also Lord Grunfeld, Proconsul Aeolus and Lord Larkwood. From there, she walked through the streets until she reached the Water Gardens in the Third Arch. By this time a crowd of some hundreds had gathered. For a time she simply sat before standing suddenly and staring up - her usually benign face twisted into what can only be described as a grimace of pain - then she began to unravel. Piece by piece she disintegrated and vanished. From that day, she has not been seen again.
Now she had vanished from perception again, Lalenth began to settle somewhat. A small number have insisted that she will return again and began to hold meetings to try and find ways to encourage this. More have tried to forget the occurrence; they find it too unsettling to their long held view of life. Most simply looked askance at the superstitious and assumed what generations of Alchemist's had thought in the past; "There is a rational explanation. We just don't have the methods to determine it yet." This 'rational explanation' is still eluding the populace but it cannot be denied that these events made Lalenth's logical heart shudder.