The Ultimate Conflict (Beyond Good and Evil) IC

[Realms of Chaos]

Core OOC Thread
Group OOC Thread

Fear:

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After existing as long as you, ignoring the screams has become second nature. Every second of every day, uncountable fears cry out in a horrid orchestra even you have lost your taste for. You can push them aside with but a thought, though you can still remember each one if you only focus on those screams. No, the only time you truly notice the screams anymore is when you find a space where they’ve been nearly silenced. This building, this haven, is one such location. Thousands of people run through this structure and yet their fears are minor and commonplace.

Naturally, you knew of these havens from the moment of their existence, from the moment is started to hush the fear of those around them. Only recently, however, has the organization warranted a personal visit. Haven has organizations on over a dozen worlds now and has been one of the few expansionary forces that has served to relieve fear. This is not their primary purpose, of course, but that’s part of why you’re here. Whenever any organization rises to this level of prominence, it is always prudent to check on their end goals. If their ambitions are a bit too lofty, after all, action may be necessary.

Melina Haakenstad:

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Oh, these flimsy eyes of yours. Compared with the eyes that you could be using, the eyes you’ve used so often in recent times, you might as well be viewing the world through foggy glass. As the brightness of the sun forces you to squint, you know well that your other forms wouldn’t have even noticed. You are in a town, however, and even the guise of the three draws attention to yourself every now and again. Besides, this is a town that knows Melina, one that you saved from certain doom long before you discovered the truth, before you received enlightenment.

It has been weeks since anything raised its ugly head for you to smash back down, weeks without monsters, wars, or uprising even beyond the horizon. These have been weeks of idle and fragile tranquility. For the past couple of days, however, something has been bothering you, a dark premonition lurking at the edge of your perception. Since this morning, you have felt a tangible pain in the pit of your stomach. The calm is about to give way to the storm. Something big is about to happen.

Nadiyidan:

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Truth be told, the structure was hardly necessary. You required neither protection from the elements nor a place to store your belongings. Even your small contingent of followers, strong of body and mind as they were, would have ignored the fiercest of storms to benefit from your wisdom and insight. No, the structure was hardly necessary. It was simply symbolic. Built by your followers with their own hands and minds, this was a space that they truly owned, that they truly possessed the right to turn over to you when they’d finished.

Now, you were surrounded by your few faithful, monks and psions and others who’d learned to harness their minds and bodies. Many came from the surrounding community but there were always a traveler or two, coming from afar to hear of your wisdom, to hear you. Far more than they were your worshippers, they were your students from across the many walks of life. In this deeply symbolic place, they had come to learn. This was not a temple as other deities possessed. This was merely a school and you were merely a teacher.

[greenpotato]

After finding a secluded spot Melina shifts the disguise of the three from the recognized trio to a man a woman and a little boy.
She then continues her stroll playing the part of happy young family, she should be enjoying this, a nice casual stroll with the sun beating down but that feeling in the pit of her stomach is preventing her. This feeling has her on edge, what could it be?

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She changes into the family just in case the feeling is a premonition of attack, a great disguise can be a great defense.
Disguise check: (d20+186)[193] Disguise
Because shes on edge I'm also going to roll a perception check to spot anything out of the ordinary (d20+89)[102] Perception

[Realms of Chaos]

All of the people seem to be doing relatively well in the town. The adults continue to work as they had for as long as they could remember while the children continued to play for as long as they could. Families much as the one you disguised yourself as walked down the streets with hardly a care in the world.

Looking around for signs of something afoot, you finally spot something up in the sky. You spot a speck of blackness floating motionless against the black sky. Though you've never seen anything quite like it, it doesn't seem to be alive and it feels strangely familiar.

[greenpotato]

What is that thing? Melina thinks as all six eyes squint upwards.
Realizing she is going to have to get closer to figure out what the thing is Melina changes form, abandoning her disguise in a horrifying display of wet, fleshy transformation. She turns in the spiked worm, calling Finglthyil and Arthyol to her as she does so and dropping a carving of herself just in case a quick retreat is needed. She fixes her thirty eyes on that black dot and begins to writhe up through the air towards it...

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Changing form into the spiked worm and excluding all visible villagers from the fear effect as I do so.
Calling legendary Dreadnaughts array from inside her stomach.
Dropping one of the wooden carvings of herself on the ground and leaving her Fine Travelling tentacle behind as a quick escape route.
Going to go straight towards the black dot making perception checks on the way, If nothing happens that makes me stop before I get within 500ft that is where I intend to halt.
(d20+107)[108] Perception ( I dont know if you want me to roll multiple but I will just in case)
(d20+107)[108]
(d20+107)[109]

Edit: Lol, two natural 1's

[Realms of Chaos]

While your transformation causes the average degree of distress among the populace, it allows you to regain access to more of your senses. Even focusing all of your eyes on the blackness in the sky as you approach, you have never seen anything like it. It appears to be nothing more than an oddly shaped polygon of pure darkness, though that fails to explain why it looks familiar. As you approach within 500 feet, the object suddenly starts to expand, extending itself in every direction to form crack-like lines across the sky.

On the bright side, you now know why this crack feels so familiar. It feels almost exactly like your own power.

Make a reflex save.

[greenpotato]

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(d20+63)[78] Reflex

[Realms of Chaos]

Melina:

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you evade the cracks as they spider through the sky. Seeing downward with an eye or two, you can almost watch as the city below you descends into hysteria.

Fear:

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The ground below you violently shakes, an earthquake you hadn't been suspecting. As the guards in front of the record room right themselves, you watch as one of their leaders calls to them and leads them elsewhere. You can slowly feel true fear washing over the people in this haven one by one. For that matter, you realize that you can feel a wave of simultaneous fear beyond the haven itself... a single wave of fear stretching across planes of existence. Even compared with the chorus of screams you're accustomed to, this is a genuine cacophony. Something is wrong. Horribly wrong.

Nadiyidan:

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Your meditations on the mind are suddenly interrupted. You can feel the noise of the earth around you move, shuddering in a large quake. In response to this quake, many of your students wander outside of the temple, where they seem to freeze in place. Their minds are moving but it would seem that they have a hard time telling what precisely they see.

[greenpotato]

Her instincts tell her to flick out of the way of the sinister crack as it reaches towards her but Melina's rational mind wonders what exactly would have happened had the black something touched her?

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Melina searches her memory for anything in her past that she either saw her heard tell of that is similar to this phenomenon.
Knowledge the planes (d20+44)[54]
Knowledge religion (d20+44)[55]

[Aluroon]

~The unchained mind is the-~ Her telepathy abruptly cuts off at the quake, though there is no outward sign from Nadiyidan of any distress at the thought of a quake.

She waits patiently as many are distrated by the events in the corporeal world, but her own mental processes quicken when the mind aura around her students changes. In the blink of an eye she phases through the roof of the building to see what has become of them.

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She moves straight up ~400ft. as a move action

[Realms of Chaos]

Melina:

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In the course of your life, you have learned quite a bit about the dark space where the nameless star had originated. You have heard of the vast gate, the portal first created to push past the edge of reality. You have heard of cerebral blots, areas of planar bleed where reality meets its antithesis and begins to destroy itself. Cracks forming throughout the sky, however, are entirely new. What would happen if you touched one you can't quite say. Also, the cracks don't seem as empty as they did at first glance. Hundreds of eyes and claws and far less recognizable limbs can be seen on the other end, fighting to break their way free from these cracks.

Nadiyidan:

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It takes you a moment to process precisely what you are detecting. You detect a rough disruption of the light above, yes, but the shape feels almost nothing like normal clouds in the sky. The interruption of light isn't shaped like any object you are aware of and doesn't seem to be actively flying or moving, save to spread itself further across the sky. Whatever it is, it possesses no form of mind and seems entirely mundane. You can feel a soft cracking noise as the object grows bigger up above you.

[greenpotato]

With no clue whats going on apart from her own gut instinct that it's bad, Melina hovers in her position. Keeping an eye both on the crack and what it holds and on the commotion on the ground she waits. With no idea whats going on there is not much else she can do.

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Activating my gaze attack as a defensive measure: 100ft range and causes daze for 1 round on a failed DC 43 will save
Just in case the things burst out and attack me

[Realms of Chaos]

Melina:

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The various eyes and features beyond the crack slowly go out of focus, covered in a deep black smoke that slowly seeps down towards the ground. Concealed within the cloud, however, are ocassional masses of delicate tentacles. whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be stopped by your gaze and will likely reach you before the town unless you plan to move.

Roll initiative and start going.

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(1d20+20)[21]

[greenpotato]

Seeing the creatures move towards the village below concealing their form in the smoke Melina prepares to open fire with the long, sharp barbs that protrude from the front of her worm-like form to stop the creatures before they reach the peasants below.

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Initiative (d20+26)[34]
Going to fire 16 spikes at the concealed creatures and regrow them as part of the same full attack
120ft range increment, but I'm not sure exactly how much closer than 500ft they are so you're going to have to subtract range modifiers. silly me, if the eye has no effect they are at least within 100ft
Attack rolls:

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49 damage +20 electricity or 147 +20 electricity on a crit, 19-20 threat range, x3 multiplier and auto confirm. I also have the clustered shots feat if that is going to make a difference here (damage of all attacks is added together before applying DR and Energy resistance)
I'll also have to leave it to you to work out inevitable strike bonuses but it should be pretty straight forward
1st (d20+73)[11](84)
2nd (d20+73)[3](76)
3rd (d20+73)[4](77)
4th (d20+73)[13](86)
5th (d20+73)[2](75)
6th (d20+73)[11](84)
7th (d20+73)[14](87)
8th (d20+73)[7](80)
9th (d20+73)[16](89)
10th (d20+73)[16](89)
11th (d20+73)[19](92) Critical!
12th (d20+73)[6](79)
13th (d20+73)[19](92) Critical!
14th (d20+73)[15](88)
15th (d20+73)[9](82)
16th (d20+73)[4](77)

[Cardea]

Fear

The cosmic irony of it did not escape him, he realized, as he walked on the sky, moving through air and clouds as through they were earth. But he couldn't enjoy the moment. His rib cage expanded and collapsed, in a reflexive sigh, and pushed forward with his mind. His form was encompassed by a shroud, his form disintegrating where it stood in the sky...

... and materializing a few hundred feet from where he felt the disturbance, in all his dreaded glory.

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Casting Greater Teleport. Arriving 250 ft. away from disturbance.
Anyone within 10 miles is subject to Aura of Fear from Harbinger of Endings. DC 51 Will Save (Piercing), or become Shaken. Additionally, all perceived light is one step lower.

[Realms of Chaos]

Melina:

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11 spines hit their marks while the others slip oddly thrught eh tangles of tentacles without so much as a scrath. Each group you hit stops moving, gently floating up into the sky with its black cloud, looking from a distance like a normal raincloud. The rest of the creature swarms over you, raking you with tentacle after tentacle as it continues downards

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swarm attack (40d6)[144] divide by 3 and subtract 20 for result of 28

Make fortitude save and will save

You may make an AoO.

OOC: Just doublechecking but you electric skin now hurts the creature for 20 electricity, right?

Fear:

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Well, it would seem you've arrived. You stand over a small rural hamlet, though there is nothing too fearful about the town itself or even lurking within its midst. No, the fear you have felt seems to come from a separate phenomenon above you, 250 feet straight up.

Hundreds of black cracks extend through the evening sky as if the heavens themselves were breaking. Oddly, this isn't one of the many portents of the end-times that you've been familiarized with. No, this would seem to be something else entirely.

[greenpotato]

It's ignoring me? Melina thinks as the swarm continues towards the ground, well I'd better go all out to get it's full attention before it gets to the village

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HP: 1128 AC: 122
Yes the creature takes 20e damage when it attacks me.
Due to her Wyld Affliction ability granted by the casteless exalted destiny Melina grows an additional tentacle when the swarm damages her.

AOO with Arthyol the Deceiver(15-20x2 crit):
(d20+73)[14](87) to hit (2d4+58)[2][2](62) damage
Fortitude: (d20+70)[6](76)
Will: (d20+51)[14](65)

If she survives whatever those saves were for she will fire again, this time with all 33 shots. I've added in point blank bonus:

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I'm also using the Deadly Aim feat (It's like a ranged power attack) to reduce my attack bonus by 10 and add +10 damage. Something that I figure should work rather well when combined with inevitable strike.
60+20e damage, 19-20 crit, auto confirm 180+20e on a crit
1st (d20+64)[12](76)
2nd (d20+64)[1](65)
3rd (d20+64)[11](75)
4th (d20+64)[9](73)
6th (d20+64)[13](77)
7th (d20+64)[17](81)
8th (d20+64)[2](66)
9th (d20+64)[19](83) Critical!
10th (d20+64)[8](72)
11th (d20+64)[4](68)
12th (d20+64)[15](79)
13th (d20+64)[20](84) Critical!
14th (d20+64)[13](77)
15th (d20+64)[14](78)
16th (d20+64)[17](81)
17th (d20+64)[9](73)
18th (d20+64)[16](80)
19th (d20+64)[3](67)
20th (d20+64)[17](81)
21st (d20+64)[4](68)
22nd (d20+64)[18](82)
23th (d20+64)[18](82)
24th (d20+64)[9](73)
25th (d20+64)[16](80)
26th (d20+64)[13](77)
27th (d20+64)[12](76)
28th (d20+64)[18](82)
29th (d20+64)[11](75)
30th (d20+64)[11](75)
31st (d20+64)[8](72)
32nd (d20+64)[15](79)
33rd (d20+64)[9](73)

The second part I'm not sure on the legality, can I make melee attacks with my sword as part of the same full attack as the ranged volley? If you rule yes here they are anyway (note that none of these attacks are granted by the ozodrin class and so do not count towards the limit in a round imposed by that class):

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Arthyol the Deceiver(15-20x2 crit):
1st (d20+73)[8](81) to hit (2d4+58)[1][2](61) damage
2nd (d20+68)[5](73) to hit (2d4+58)[4][1](63) damage
3rd (d20+63)[12](75) to hit (2d4+58)[4][4](66) damage
4th (d20+57)[16](73) to hit (2d4+58)[3][1](62) damage

Tentacle (19-20x3 auto confirm)
(d20+76)[20](96) to hit (d6+45)[5](50) damage +20 electricity Edit: Critical!

[Aluroon]

Nadiyidan takes a moment, content to observe the phenomina.

~Go~ She mentally advises her followers.

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Hypercogniton on an Int Check to try and figure out what she's sensing.

(1d20+40)[55] Int Check Result

[Realms of Chaos]

Melina:

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OOC: I'll say no natural weapons + natural attacks but spines + tentacle(s) is okay.
Launching a full volley at the creature, many of the attacks seem to miss their mark altogether, though a good number of small "clouds" are added to the sky. though a few seem to hit their target perfectly. Melina can hear faint whispers within the cloud but can't quite seem to make them out. for better or worse, the creature has seemed to notice your presence, growing darker as the tentacles swarm towards you once more.

(40d6)[151] divide by 3 and subtract 20 for a total of 30 damage
Another fortitude and will save.

Nadiyidan:

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Calling upon your mastery of all knowledge, you quickly seek the answer to the question at hand as your followers scatter.

Hypercognition:

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...angle of the twigs from the dying tree almost perfectly block out the noonday sun...

...a minor fracture. Try not to put too much weight on it or else...

...fixed vertical planes such as walls of force or ectoplasm, some of which may be made opaque when used by...

...even your strongest magics can't hope to imitate what I've seen...

...not all planar connections are portals. The vast majority, in fact, have different forms such as...

As far as you can tell, you are perceiving some manner of rough planar connection.

[greenpotato]

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HP: 1114
Fort (d20+70)[74]
Will (d20+51)[55]
Growing another tentacle when it hits me.

Full attacking:

Sword
1st (d20+73)[16](89) and (2d4+58)[63] damage
2nd (d20+68)[6](74) and (2d4+58)[63] damage
3rd (d20+63)[13](76)and (2d4+58)[63] damage
4th (d20+58)[9](67)and (2d4+58)[63] damage

2 Bonus Tentacles
(d20+76)[8](84) and (d6+45)[50] +20e damage
(d20+76)[19](95) and (d6+45)[47] +20e damage

Form tentacle
(d20+76)[1](77) and 46 +20e damage

and regrowing 16 spikes

I will then have my sword cast lightning bolt on the thing. DC 28 (10d6)[34] e damage, trying to aim along the cloud so that the line covers as much of the thing/s as possible.
Also, my armor will cast cure moderate wounds on me for (2d8+10)[19]

[Realms of Chaos]

Melina:

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The last of the tendrils, having congregated around you, are slain by your mighty sword before it even casts off lightning. Not a moment too soon, either. Somewhere in the depths of that creature, echoing off of endless eons, you believe that you've heard a deep gurgling noise, nearly like a laugh. The "laugh" sounds fairly familiar to you, having last been heard as you delivered the final blow. A soft voice, barely even present, seems to brush against the back of your mind, "...and with strange aeons, even death may die". With that, the view of your surroundings becomes clear once more as the last of the clouds float up into the sky. The cracks remain where they hang in the sky and the villagers below can see you quite clearly, having never seen the true nature of the clouds that approached.

[greenpotato]

The sinister hiss that is the mental voice of Arthyol invades Melina's mind with a roar of anger 'That is not possible we slew that %$#& together! Quickly Syeptuagul, follow him through the breach so that we may consume him!'
"How could it have lived?" she asks aloud.
'there is one way to find out, follow him!' Arthyol urges.
'don't be so hasty mistress, those below may need our help against other intrusions by this breach' Finglthyil retorts
'&%@# the peasants!' the sword finishes and her armor simply tuts a disapproving response.
While the danger of the unknown is great the taunt of what Melina perceived to be the nameless star is too great and despite her misgivings Melina writhes forward into the crack.

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going to move into the breach/crack thing to try and follow the creature, regrowing spikes before I do

[Realms of Chaos]

Melina:

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Passing through the crack, everything seems to break all at once. Space breaks down. Time breaks down. Even reason and logic seem to break down around you. Of course, you know that isn't quite true. Nothing has actually "broken". Rather, you have simply passed out of the realms where such concepts exist. You yourself have long been infused by the energies of this place (if it can even be called a place), enough so that the transition is only jarring by comparison with the world that you've seen for so long.

Behind you rests the closest to sane perceptions that this realm provides, a colorless wall of some sorts that extends to the end of your senses, filled with cracks as far as you can see. Other than the wall, nothing makes any sort of conventional sense. Living, dead, undead, and other forms of creatures roil through the amoebic sea, traveling in ways that bend the mortal mind. The tiniest and least significant specks of existence coexist with the largest of creatures (some of which are most definitely larger than the wall). You even seem to be inside a couple of them at the moment (though, considering their shape and position, you are generally outside of them as well). Searching for the nameless star, you can't perceive anything that quite meets that description, though even your superior senses can only pierce so many layers of the amoebic sea. You specifically see a few absences of the creature but his presence proves elusive. The cloud creature you met outside, seems to have fully left this realm.

Welcome to the Far Realms.

[greenpotato]

In an attempt to gain some clue as to what happened and where the nameless could have gone Melina tries to communicate with the creatures around her:
"Hello, can you understand me?" first in common, then undercommon followed by aboleth and finally beholder. Unless of course they respond to one before she runs through the full gamut.

If she does get any bites she will then ask "Where is the nameless star? What happened here?" not that she expects an intelligent or even intelligible response from these bizarre creatures.

[greenpotato]

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I might also tack on some knowledge rolls if you'll let me.
Knowledge The Planes (d20+44)[50]
Knowledge Religion (d20+44)[62]

[Realms of Chaos]

Melina:

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Surprisingly, your query in common gets a prompt response. "I'd be glad to assist," calls out a chipper voice. A young elf dressed in scholarly garb floats up through the layers to meet Melina. "Daruth Winterwood" the elf introduces himself, bowing to her as spiders fall out of his ears. Daruth stares distractedly at the spiders until Melina asks her second question, snapping him back to attention.

"Oh, I'm not familiar with the name. Few things here have any need of names, you know. Rather lonely having one, actually. I'm sure I can find it, though. I've fit Xaxox with a litany of portals." With this, Daruth nods vaguely towards a structure a few layers away, a vague mass that may or may not be a structure. "Xaxox has a name like me," he follows up cheerfully, "Keeps me company like that."

Knowledge (The Planes): The Far Realms are literally what resides beyond the outer boundaries of existence, a realm where anything, everything, and nothing occurs all at once. Known as the amoebic sea for its composition, the realm is morphic and wild and maddening. You are quite certain that no sane beings make their permanent homes out here (or, indeed, even endeavor to do so).

Knowledge (Religion): You can list more cults related to the far realms that you'd care to count. Some of the incurably insane find solace around insanity while others bow down before the godlike beings in this realm in the vague hope they'll be granted boons. Some of these godlike beings, known as elder evils, even travel to the material plane every now and then.

[greenpotato]

The fact that he is right at the opening is suspicious and so is the fact that he is a mortal in this place, perhaps he is an ally of the nameless, the very instrument of his invasion.
"You may call me Syeptugal, Daruth. Normally I would make some attempt at excuse for my unusual appearance but I suspect one who has spent any time in this place holds others to no standards of physical form. Nevertheless allow me to take a more comforting guise" And with that she transforms into the three, in their recognized shape of three women.
"That's better. Now, the portal I came through, surely you must have seen what created it? Or perhaps it was you that allowed the creature passage to the material plane with your knowledge of portals?" Melina asks.
"If we must retire to Xaxox to seek answers then let us do so Daruth" she says sweeping her arm towards the building below.

[Realms of Chaos]

Melina:

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Daruth seems to squint his eyes as he mulls over what you said. "Portals?" he asks, tilting his head to one side. "Oh, you must mean the cracks," he finally says, pointing back at the giant wall. Cracks of every size and shape fill this great wall. "Nobody... erm..." he seems to have trouble searching for the word, "Caused, caused. Nobody caused them. Sim-simply there. I think it's finally breaking."

[greenpotato]

"Breaking? What's breaking? The barrier between the far realm and the material plane? Do you have any inclining of what could be causing 'it' to break?" Melina asks.

[Realms of Chaos]

Melina:

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"Not the barrier," Daruth responds gazing at the wall with an expression of silent awe, "The whole thing."

[greenpotato]

"The.. whole thing? Do you mean the entire cosmos? I don't understand what could be causing such a thing?" Melina finds it a little hard to beleive that 'the whole thing' can just break. What about the gods? What are those lazy %$@*s gonna do about it?