The Heart of the Dragon IC

[Thanqol]

"Cool," said Vulcan. She produced her phone and took a few photographs of the room for Time focuses later.

Then she tossed a coin into the centre of the magical effect to see what happened.

[Anarion]

Cat and mouse then.

Flouresce makes for one of the buildings, angling hopefully to get into the shadowform of whatever warehouse the girls were in. He chants words of fealty, liegeship and command as he goes, quietly as he can, and thrusts out his will to set off another alarm spirit, perpendicular to the beast and behind the first triggered alarm from his current perspective.

((command spirit, 1 success))

This time, the spell doesn't work, and the wisp, noticing Flouresce, flies over to him and starts signaling as well. With the strength doubled, the shadow monster again begins moving towards Floursesce's general direction and is now inside the compound and not very far away [about 5 turns in game rule terms.]

"Cool," said Vulcan. She produced her phone and took a few photographs of the room for Time focuses later.

Then she tossed a coin into the centre of the magical effect to see what happened.

The coin lands on the floor and stays there. Absolutely nothing unusual happens to it at all. Looks like this magic circle has to be activated.

[the_druid_droid]

The coin lands on the floor and stays there. Absolutely nothing unusual happens to it at all. Looks like this magic circle has to be activated.

Mara smiled crookedly. "Any bet on what the magic words are?"

[SiuiS]

Jesus, that thing is fast.

Something needs to get done, but what? Not sure of the actual entryway, Flouresce continues feeling for the warehouse door, thinking. Destroy the alarum, throw it back off track? Stir up Ill will for guardian, bit best choice. Continue sounding alarums? No endgame available, they woul all find me eventually.

Flouresce's thoughts turn to the sticky notepad in his bag. His eyes unfocused, he considers the options.


((Turn one, wasted thinking.))
HP: 8
MP: 3
WP: 5(?)

[Anarion]

Mara smiled crookedly. "Any bet on what the magic words are?"

The magic words apparently were not "any bet on what the magic words are."

Jesus, that thing is fast.

Something needs to get done, but what? Not sure of the actual entryway, Flouresce continues feeling for the warehouse door, thinking. Destroy the alarum, throw it back off track? Stir up Ill will for guardian, bit best choice. Continue sounding alarums? No endgame available, they woul all find me eventually.

Flouresce's thoughts turn to the sticky notepad in his bag. His eyes unfocused, he considers the options.


((Turn one, wasted thinking.))
HP: 8
MP: 3
WP: 5(?)

The creature continues moving towards Flouresce [nothing changed in the turn.]

[Thanqol]

Mara smiled crookedly. "Any bet on what the magic words are?"

For the fifth time today, a slight amount of additional skill at Time would have been disgustingly useful.

"I don't know," said Vulcan, "So we're going to set in motion the possibility to find out."

First, Vulcan checked with Time Sight to make sure nobody was looking back in time at this moment. If she was content that they weren't, she'd carefully cut out a single hair and submerge it in the stone beneath her feet using magic. It was a Seer trick she'd learned in Berlin; hide a single hair or drop of blood inside your enemy's sanctum to give yourself a powerful Scrying connection later.

[the_druid_droid]

"Neat trick." Mara nodded appreciatively. "I'm guessing we may have to come back though, if we find out anything interesting."

[SiuiS]

Flouresce wonders, not for the first time, what it would take to see through walls.

His mind made up, notepad in hand, he enters the warehouse, looking for whichever contiguous space contains his liege woman and gentlelady captive, watchful for surprises.

[Thanqol]

"Neat trick." Mara nodded appreciatively. "I'm guessing we may have to come back though, if we find out anything interesting."

"S'pose. Got some stuff, it'll do for now," said Vulcan, starting to limp towards the door. "Do we have time to check anywhere else or are we bailing out?"

[Anarion]

Flouresce wonders, not for the first time, what it would take to see through walls.

His mind made up, notepad in hand, he enters the warehouse, looking for whichever contiguous space contains his liege woman and gentlelady captive, watchful for surprises.

Inside the warehouse, in shadow, is almost serenely quiet. The place simply isn't used by people with any frequency and has almost no resonant weight to it.

With his magic active, Flouresce can see Mara and Vulcan working at a magic circle, and there's Neon still curled around Mara, as per the last direction it was given.

"S'pose. Got some stuff, it'll do for now," said Vulcan, starting to limp towards the door. "Do we have time to check anywhere else or are we bailing out?"

From Vulcan and Mara's perspective, everything is completely normal and silent. The wards/bans can be exited with no trouble and the area seems perfectly quiet. You have no idea what Flouresce was freaking out about.

[SiuiS]

Magic circle? That's... Odd.

Flouresce speaks the words to open ways and steps through the gauntlet, feeling it peel back like puckered scar tissue as he presses through the membrane.

He quirks his eyebrow as Mara finishes wriggling her foot into her shoe. "Did I miss something?" and then, "What is the circle?"

[Anarion]

Flouresce speaks the words to open ways and steps through the gauntlet, feeling it peel back like puckered scar tissue as he presses through the membrane.

[That still costs a mana and you need to roll in case you fail. Gauntlet strength is still 3.]

[Thanqol]

Magic circle? That's... Odd.

Flouresce speaks the words to open ways and steps through the gauntlet, feeling it peel back like puckered scar tissue as he presses through the membrane.

He quirks his eyebrow as Mara finishes wriggling her foot into her shoe. "Did I miss something?" and then, "What is the circle?"

"You tell me. Prime up, chop chop," said Vulcan, giving Flo a slight push in that direction.

[SiuiS]

[That still costs a mana and you need to roll in case you fail. Gauntlet strength is still 3.]

((customer distraction. Five dice, 9,9,6,3,1 in order. Edited out mana expenditure, didn't have time to add in essence draw from NNR. Mana at 2 now.))

"You tell me. Prime up, chop chop," said Vulcan, giving Flo a slight push in that direction.

((if appropriately unlucky, Flo could fall face first over his mysteriously-untied lace into the circle. Lemme know))

Flouresce grunts non-commitally, and shrug through his exposure to the revelry aura through long acquaintance. Shoulders roll, hands flex, headphones slide up, over ears, cupping gently. Hunkered down at the edge of the circle, he half-closes his eyes and holds his hands out like warming them by a fire, listening.

Spoiler

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[You would roll your dice pool for space sight and your dice pool-3 for prime sight. I'm not looking at your character sheet at the moment, so it's either a rote or gnosis+arcana.]

Unsure if willpower or high speed help here. I also used high speech when casting the prime"sight" rote, do I roll those two dice as well?

HP: 8 (armor 3/3, 4/4 spirit)
MP: 2
WP: 4

[Anarion]

[There's no casting, so I don't think high speech is usable here. You're rolling the base pool for the rote minus 3 for the penalty. You can still spend willpower to concentrate really hard if you want.]

[SiuiS]

((Willpower burnt; 2 successes [8, 10]))

[Anarion]

The effect on this circle is a combination fate/space spell as already noted. What the fate magic is doing is serving as a sort of locator effect for the teleportation. The destination is variable and is most effective when it is unknown to the caster manipulating the circle. Instead, the caster activates the circle with an item and a goal in mind and the circle will transport the item in such a way as to best serve the goal desired by the caster.

It might also be possible to add advanced time magic to the circle in order to allow the fate spell to select both a destination and a time for best results, but it is not currently enabled with that capability.

[SiuiS]

Flouresce whistles. "Genuinely impressed. It's a sending circle, not summoning. Works without anchor, clear idea. Send something where it weds to go to further your goals."

Flouresce stands up, rolls his neck. He taps his fingers on his leg, finding the rhythms in the resonance. Once he has that, he stores it away for whistling or humming to keep it in mind.

"There is a potent fear spirit outside, in Shadow. Might not be able to cross the gauntlet. Might be able to. Not touched by Supernal magic but working in tandem with local alarums. More important, this warehouse?" he gestures around, arms wide, "naked. Empty. Almost no resonance. You've defined it since you've been here as much as it has had since construction. Either it's been scoured or this is a dead end."

[Thanqol]

"Well, obviously it's been scoured, because this place is fortified behind two layers of Bans and contains an enormous ritual sending circle," said Vulcan, rolling her eyes. "Strange that you can't come in here with weapons or clothes... why wouldn't they want those going through the circle? Also, did you get the activation phrase?"

[SiuiS]

"... Nno, I think this is not the usual tool. Creating elaborate diagram, requires matter, ten minutes, schematic. Can you postcog? Or at least time stamp?"

After a few breaths, "No. No activation phrase, yet. No 'the Way' either. Guard spirit, nice fellow, Tried to stab you.

"Spell is... Difficult. Occluded, possibly. Or obscure. Going to try something, may require time. Can see self out if you lure shadow demon away."

Spoiler

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Going to try an improvised Analyze Magic Item-style effect on the circle, which Flo surmises will work slightly more efficiently if it is a permanent circle, and will at the least tell him yes/no on it being a thing that's been here for permanent use.

This uses the resonance rules already referenced, so I want to stress that I'm looking for something else, something unrelated to its specific effect and components as such. Supernal vision shows (to use a D&D comparison) school, caster level, spell level. I'm looking for 'item? Y/N', trigger methods, circuits, built in traps or code loops, back door programs, Easter eggs.

Flo is now at mana 1 and wary, if you're all right with the idea. Prime 1 + gnosis 2 = 3 dice. Five successes. Really, universe? Couldn't have gotten that on the actual scrutiny roll? You suck.

[Anarion]

"... Nno, I think this is not the usual tool. Creating elaborate diagram, requires matter, ten minutes, schematic. Can you postcog? Or at least time stamp?"

After a few breaths, "No. No activation phrase, yet. No 'the Way' either. Guard spirit, nice fellow, Tried to stab you.

"Spell is... Difficult. Occluded, possibly. Or obscure. Going to try something, may require time. Can see self out if you lure shadow demon away."

Spoiler

Show

Going to try an improvised Analyze Magic Item-style effect on the circle, which Flo surmises will work slightly more efficiently if it is a permanent circle, and will at the least tell him yes/no on it being a thing that's been here for permanent use.

This uses the resonance rules already referenced, so I want to stress that I'm looking for something else, something unrelated to its specific effect and components as such. Supernal vision shows (to use a D&D comparison) school, caster level, spell level. I'm looking for 'item? Y/N', trigger methods, circuits, built in traps or code loops, back door programs, Easter eggs.

Flo is now at mana 1 and wary, if you're all right with the idea. Prime 1 + gnosis 2 = 3 dice. Five successes. Really, universe? Couldn't have gotten that on the actual scrutiny roll? You suck.

With extended analysis, Floursesce is able to determine that the circle is activated using high speech in a chant that roughly translates to "rulership over fate, take what is offered where it is meant to be."

The circle itself has only been used once, but magic sight can't reveal how long ago it was made, though scientific investigation of some of Vulcan's samples in a more mundane manner could probably give you the time of the original use [as could time magic...if you had any].

It seems like it is possible to specify a location for the circle if you want, with the simplest way to do so being to actually write the location down on whatever you're putting in the circle.

There are no traps, but the spell was designed for use with physical objects, not people. It might work just fine with people, but it could do weird things, like dropping them onto the middle of a highway right in front of an oncoming car. Use with caution.

[the_druid_droid]

"S'pose. Got some stuff, it'll do for now," said Vulcan, starting to limp towards the door. "Do we have time to check anywhere else or are we bailing out?"

"Well, nothing's come to eat us yet, so maybe Neon was just lonely after all." Mara shrugged, and turned to find Flo stepping out of Twilight.

"Oh, hey. Been there long?"

[SiuiS]

Flouresce takes a second to wonder at exactly what MAra means by her question, before he assumes it is a platitude and moves on.

"Device is, if not recent, then near-mint. Used once. N-R-F-B. I have the activation phrase, but my Atlantean is poor. It seems the device can be directed, through written instruction. Label the package, send through magic post."

Flo talks slower, in a less clipped fashion now that things have calmed down (and he isn't directly talking ot "the Seer"). "Have we found any clues? Or just used mystic appraisal?"

[Thanqol]

"Nothing concrete yet, this is just a ritual chamber. I'd like a chance to look for a library - assuming you haven't set off an alarm?" said Vulcan.

[SiuiS]

"Business now. Bitchiness later." He chides "Set off three alarums, no noticeable connection. Unfamiliar with the territory, may be natural occurrence. Considering returning later for study.

"Anyway. Device can receive instructions, coordinates. Device can send objects, does not preclude creatures. Fate aspect not made for living things however – traffic accidents or roof jumps possible. Considering sending Nights-Neon-Rhythm. Incorporeal, flies, bypasses most issues. One problem, no personal Scrying access. Could send a sympathetic item and scry yourself. Need to determine Fate trigger first however."

[the_druid_droid]

Mara nodded at the description, but kept glancing toward the entrance.

"Just quickly Flo - do you know what those alarms did? This place merits more investigation, but I'm not thrilled about the possibility of taking on a few dozen shock troops to do it right now, if that's what it comes to."

[Thanqol]

Vulcan gave a long, drawn out sigh. "Two vulgar spells and three alarms. I can see why you guys are on the losing team,"

"No, while this is an interesting effect and very worth knowing that they have access to, it's not a priority. Mark it for later and let's get moving," Vulcan grumbled, starting to limp away.

[SiuiS]

Mara nodded at the description, but kept glancing toward the entrance.

"Just quickly Flo - do you know what those alarms did? This place merits more investigation, but I'm not thrilled about the possibility of taking on a few dozen shock troops to do it right now, if that's what it comes to."

"ah, no. English convention, alarum not alarm. Motes. Were working with knight of fear, no awakened influence. Not intelligent enough to warn sorcerers directly, so no time pressure. House warden knew you came through fifteen minutes ago.

"Still, expected follow up. Nothing in shadow. Strange, should have been followed. Knight would have no way to know I had breached gauntlet. Will check on that. Anything more you two need from me?"

[Anarion]

Vulcan gave a long, drawn out sigh. "Two vulgar spells and three alarms. I can see why you guys are on the losing team,"

"No, while this is an interesting effect and very worth knowing that they have access to, it's not a priority. Mark it for later and let's get moving," Vulcan grumbled, starting to limp away.

As Vulcan beings to limp out of the warehouse, she doesn't notice much out of the ordinary. Being extraordinarily sensitive, she does notice that it's just a little bit colder at the front of the warehouse than it used to be.

Flouresce notes that none of the spirits giving alarms followed him inside, but the darkness from the shadow beast is still visible overhead to his spirit sight. It's apparently stalking amidst the warehouses.

[SiuiS]

"something is off."

Flouresce pulls down his headphones, and rolls his shoulders. "<What did I miss that you wanted my attention for, friend?>"

"<The Dancer and Seer had removed their scales to pass the walls of magic.>"

"damn." Flouresce scans the girls, before looking up to the skylight again. His heart wasn't in it. "<Need to recharge, Neon. Sorry for the mood swings.>" focusing on their bond, Flouresce draws in Neon's draconian essence, then chaining Spirit Gold into the process draws in the captured alarm essence, before returning the dragon-tinged energy as the thrumming electric spirit shudders, its form buzzing like an out-of-synch movie channel.

Mara would feel pin pricks and an electrified tingling before the dragon lets go and ripples about in agitation. Never a comfortable process, for either.

Flouresce steels himself as duty and guardianship drip into his pattern, suffusing him. "I'm going to investigate. Be careful outside, Mind may not work."