(IC) Festival of Heroes - Tears of Amber - Main

[EdgeGrinder]

This is the continuation of (IC) Festival of Heroes - Shattered Jewel - Main.

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Umbear smiled as Ais sputtered and studdered.

Looking around he saw his size was no longer needed and dismissed the abilities. Still large, Ais still fit on his shoulder nicely.

"Like I said, I stumbled over them earlier today. I figured you might like them. "

He began walking back to the group. Looking around he inhaled looking up at the tower.

"Im a simple Ogre... Things like this are confusing... Arcane magics... Towers of Power."

He once again pulled out the Mana Crystal in his pocket attuned to Water. Thinking about it he looked back up to the Tower.

"... thats... probably permanent..."

[Andrew Markham]

Aurix looks around, then shrugs and begins to speak. "I've swept the perimeter. The earthquake was centered on the East Tower, and is clearly not natural. It created a circular tear in the earth. Shortly after the quake, when the midnight bells stopped, this column of energy came up out of the earth, enveloped the East Tower, and hit the skies. I've identified it as being Abyssal energy- that's the realm of demons- and it's being caused by something...similar to a breach between the realms, but not quite the same. My impression is it's something either ancient, evil, or both. In any case, the Abyssal energy has inundated the mana crystal, changing its nature. I checked the perimeter, and I don't see any sign of a rift opening between the realms, or of any intruders on the castle grounds. In fact, things are too quiet. I was just suggesting that we secure the area and see if there have been any other incidents elsewhere in the city."

[EdgeGrinder]

Yama disappeared into the shadows as Qetesh gave her answer.

---

As things began to calm down, Geiravor, Brynhildr, Ignatius, abd Unwin gathered the others.

Unwin was very preplexed. "How in Midgar did this happen to MY tower?" he grumbled.

Ignatius looked up and down the tower. "It's going to take a LOT of power to dispell this thing." he growled.

"Might be." Brynhildr agreed with Umbear.

Suddenly, a flock of messenger birds all swooped in and landed around Unwin. At first, he was overwelmed by the sheer number, but soon, he quickly began collecting messages and reading them, one after the other. "My agents from all over the city are checking in. All clear around the city. They are asking about us here." he announced.

Geiravor looked around. "Where is Hervir?" she wondered aloud.

[paladin_artea]

"She teleported to her own tower, in a panic I might add," Maraks replied, looking a little anxious himself, "If you wish, I can go check on her."

[Wolfykins]

Camille whistled. "That's... huh. So that's what that is," she said, nonplussed.

Aurora gazed up at the tower, coated in roiling black and crackling red, brow pinched.
"The Abyss is... chaos and evil combined in all the worst ways. I suppose if that black stuff is harmful, it would be similar to a magic weapon with both the anarchic and unholy properties. I would say those who are good and hold the law dear, would likely suffer the most from contact with it. But that's just a guess... conjecture. Normally, such properties would have no extra effects on someone on the center path. But this... this is beyond... well... anything... that I've ever seen. I can't imagine it would be healthy for anyone to touch, unless they embodied the essence of the Abyss," she said, sounding slightly awed.

Aistriú's stomach dropped when Umbear shrank, and she gripped the material on his shoulder like her life depended on it, pale skin whitening further.
"Hhhhoo," she breathed. "Wow, alright... um... wait, what? What do you mean, Umbear? What's permanent? The black stuff on the tower? Or the contamination of the crystal?"

[Andrew Markham]

Aurix turns his attention to Lord Unwin. "Lord Unwin, did you have any staff working in that tower during the festival? Anyone being housed there? If so, they're likely being affected by the energy as well."

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Umbear stood there looking at his mana crystal. Then he would look back up at the big one.

"Let me test something..."

Holding the Mana crystal in his hand he pointed up and unleashed a maximized Blizzard Blast, drawing upon the Crystal to feed the Burn that would be inflicted upon himself, attempting to determine if using up the water power in the crystal would drain the energy from it, and make it neutral again.

"speaking of.... Ais... how would you like... to come along with me on adventures?"


As the blast of ice flies into the air the crystal in his hand crumbles. He frowns deeply.

"If thats any indication... u might not be able to purify the mana crystal of Abyssal energy.... you may have to drain it and replace it"

[Wolfykins]

Aistriú watched his experiment curiously. "What sort of adventure did you have in mind? You going to go get more crystals?" she asked.
"Why do you say that, Umbear? What was different about the crystal you just used? It was a different blue than the ones atop the towers are... or, rather, were, I guess."

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Umbear looked to Ais.

"That was a Crystal that had been attuned to water, just like the crystal up there has been attuned to Abyssal energy. I may take a trip to get a few more crystals to try different experiments. To see if I can find a different way to possibly... un attune them."

He thought in pondering.

"I was offering... to have you join me on.... exploring... and when you hear about one of your.... odditties... I would come with you in exchange...ya know?"

[Wolfykins]

"Hmm, maybe. We should probably talk about that when we're not on the verge of a crisis though," Aistriú said with a wry chuckle.
"So... wait, you did something to a mana crystal to convert the energy into water energy? Huh, that's interesting... What did you do to accomplish that?" she wondered. "What would happen if you did whatever you did for two different energies? Like, what would happen if you took a crystal you'd changed to water, and repeated the process with something like fire or wind? Would it be both? Neither? Would the new energy supplant the original?" Her fingers twitched against her books, and she glanced at the stump of her other arm in consternation.
"I need a self-writing pen," she muttered. "It's going to be difficult to take notes, now."


"I dropped the crystal in a well in the mine, hey. That's how it got attuned," Torilee piped up.


Aistriú paused and looked at the brownie, her expression shifting from one of intrigue to one that seemed almost pitying.
"A well. Just... a normal well? I would think if a mana crystal was so susceptible to change as that, then rain falling and wind blowing would've changed the big ones on the towers," the danthienne replied, just managing not to scoff.


Torilee shook her head. "No, hey, it wasn't a 'normal' well. Aurix said it was an elemental saturation point."


Aistriú brightened. "Oh! That's interesting! Alright, so my other query is the same, though I can phrase it in a more articulate manner, now! What happens if you take a crystal that's been dunked in one elemental saturation point, and dunk it in a saturation point of a different element? Do they combine, negate, or overwrite?" she asked.

[Milosh13]

Droktoktor looked to the others after the crowd had dispersed and said, I will return in a moment. I need to change into something better suited to the situation. The catfolk then opened a gate portal and as he walked through, it closed behind him.

Gate to room, requip, gate back to the other heroes.

After a few minutes the catfolk reappeared dressed in his adventuring gear.

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Umbear nodded as his two fey friends began talking back and forth.

"That is a very good line of reasoning and question. Brynhildr, do you have any Mana crystals lying around, if not, Ill take a trip back to the cave.... I could take everyone here.... but it takes longer for me to get us there.... 30 minutes there and back. We can saturate a few of them with water energy and then place in the abyssal energy area to see how a pre saturated mana crystal responds to new energy."

[Andrew Markham]

Aurix answers, "The answer is overwrite. The new saturation point overwrites the old one. In this case, it's a moot point while that Abyssal energy is still enveloping the tower. We need to seek out its source...if it's something that can be stopped. Anybody here have the ability to sense what's going on underground, or knowledge of whether there are tunnels down there?"

"Point number two is- was there anybody inside? If so, how has this affected them? Would it just kill them? Transform them? Or are they in need of rescue? Does the energy block access to the tower from INSIDE the castle? We need to figure out whether we're under threat now, or we're going to be in the near future."

Taking his own thoughts to heart, Aurix tries to contemplate answers to his own questions.

Knowledge Planes: (1d20+32)[36]

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Umbear nods.

"Itll take me a little time, But I can commune with nature, but that wont tell us anything if the caves are crafted, instead of natural. Would you like me to try?"

Umbear looks to the group.

"Is there anyone who can do something a bit better?"

[EdgeGrinder]

"There were just a few guild alchemists left in there. Most of the rest were here tonight." Unwin replied with a hint of worry. "There is a system of tunnels that connected to the catacombs, sewer, and various underground facilities and basements. Few of those tunnels are still in use, but I suspect the Thieves' Guild might now a bit more about that." he reported.

"Sure, we have some unused crystals." Brynhildr answered.

Geiravor listened to everyone carefully before speaking again. "Sounds like the rift is deep underground. If that is the case, whatever might be coming up has a ways to go. Right now, our primary concern is what might be coming out of that rift. It might be a while before we can get to it. So we have time to figure out entry points. Anyone have any thoughts on the topic?" the Princess asked, looking around at everyone before looked up to Hervir's tower. Her eyes widened as she realized something. "Hervir studied the long history of Juvelnord and maps of the city. She would know what we are looking for. Markas did say she teleported to her tower. She is probably already working on a solution." the Princess added.

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Umbear speaks up.

"I think Unwin has a very good point. We should contact the Thieves guild and get their assistance in the caverns underneath the city. During this time period it would not suprize me if the thieves guild leader would recall all the members to a central location to distribute orders about what to do in this crisis. "

Umbear looks back to Aurix.

"Already did experimentation with the Mana Crystals Rix? Can power be leeched off the crystal to neutralize it? or does it have to be over written?"

[Wolfykins]

"Markas, didn't you say Hervir was in a panic?" Aistriú asked, brow pinching with concern. "If she has answers, and seemed upset to the point of panic, maybe we should go check on her... she didn't strike me as the type to panic easily. Plus if she actually has answers as to what's causing this, then us speculating and experimenting is largely a time-waster," she pointed out.

[Andrew Markham]

Aurix looks to Umbear. "Draining it won't change the energy source. The refined crystals recharge and the unrefined ones break, like yours did. For now, let's not focus on the crystal. Nothing we can do with it."

"If we need to get Hervir, I recommend Markas and I go. To my knowledge, I'm the only other person who knows how to access the Magic Repository, and she might be in there. Plus I can either fly or teleport. In the meantime, I recommend we keep watch over the castle grounds. Expect anything."

[EdgeGrinder]

"We all need to go to Hervir's tower. The volume of texts she has might require several pairs of eyes. Besides, I am worried about her. There are enough soldiers and guards here we can leave them them to it. We can rush back if necessary." Geiravor replied.

[STDM Grizzly Ad]

As the group gathers they hear the cadence of marching boots and hoofbeats. Any who turn see Gorrun marching leading 109 additional units. 40 carry sword and shield, 20 carry long pikes and short swords, 20 carry longbow and quiver with short swords and 20 are mounted on horseback with longswords. The rest are officers leading each group. They arrive just as Droktoktor gates back to the group. (1d20+15)[25] Spellcraft to ID.

[paladin_artea]

Markas just listened patiently as the others discussed what could have been going on at Unwin's Tower as he had no expertise in magical stuff. "Before we go further, just in case there's trouble, I have presents for those who may need them," Maraks grinned as he put his bag of holding on the ground and pulled out various items. "Got these on the same adventure we rescued Ais and got the cockatrice eggs Hervir needed. Ais helped me ID most of these...here we go..."

Spoiler: items being offered

Show

A simple-looking gold ring. (Ring of Freedom of Movement)
A silver ring engraved with a repeating pattern of a shield with a cross. (Ring of Protection +4)
A gold ring set with 9 garnets. (Ring of Delayed Doom)
A cloak embroidered with images of falling stars and pale moons. (Cloak of Major Displacement)
Wand of Haste (50 charges, each charge lasts 5 rounds)
Wand of Archon's Aura (50 charges, each charge lasts 5 rounds)
An exceptionally clean, pure-looking dagger in a simple leather sheath. (+4 Neutralizing Dagger)

"Also she wasn't able to identify these, so if anyone can help with that I'd appreciate it."

Spoiler: unidentified items

Show

A brass bottle with a lead stopper bearing strange runes
A 1-pound, featureless gray stone, perfectly smooth and flawlessly polished (Unknown ioun stone)
An exquisitely forged katana in a masterwork sheath.
A light crossbow with a faintly yellow-green tint along the bolt track.

"And finally I think I'll give this one to our dear princess," Markas said, handing Geiravor a crystal ball.

Spoiler: Geiravor only

Show

Crystal Ball of Detect Thoughts

[Andrew Markham]

"My Lady, so far as we know, the West Tower should be safe. We need heroes here, in case something comes from that Abyssal column. Plus not all heroes are well suited to research! Surely you, me, and Markas should be sufficient to check on Hervir's safety. If we truly need more help after that, I can ask Jaylyn to relay the message."

[Wolfykins]

Aistriú cleared her throat. "Excuse me, um yes, I'd like to go to the West Tower," she said, raising her hand. "I happen to be an archivist, so, I think I'd be useful there!"
"Yes, but, if I make a bond with someone who's not going, like I did with Gorrun at the farm, then I'll know the emotional state and health of whomever I bond with. So I'll know immediately if there's any trouble with my partner, and I'll know unerringly where to find them. Unfortunately, there is no telepathic connection with it, so it's not like it makes for an easy way to pass messages, but it's still something," she pointed out, shrugging.

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Umbear smiles.

" I'll volunteer for that ais. "

He looks around.

"I'm not exactly suited to study research. I'm more a... Talking researcher"

[EdgeGrinder]

"You don't understand, Aurix." Geiravor sighed. "Hervir just went to her tower alone while the Abyss opened up beneath our feet. I-I-I was just trying to keep my composure, but I am really worried about her." she said trembling. She was on the verge of tears. "She is doing something risky to defeat whatever it is that is coming. She needs me and the heroes. The fight isn't here right now. The fight is where Hervir is." she explained.

[Andrew Markham]

Aurix takes a long look at Geiravor. She had started off trying to make excuses about research and books, and suddenly this? Aurix felt the presence of a state secret...but then, he figured, that's her right as monarch. "All right. You, me, and Markas, that's 3. I can teleport 5 more, or two of you larger folks, if you'll just take my hand. Ais, you wanna link up with Umbear? Keep things safe down here, will you, buddy? Princess, are we trying to stop her or help her? Do we need to be ready for combat?"

[Wolfykins]

Aistriú nodded and focused on Umbear for six seconds. Then she looked up and said, "Alright, it's done." She carefully climbed down Umbear and walked over to stand next to Markas.

[STDM Grizzly Ad]

Gorrun places a large hand on Droktoktors shoulder Would you be able to do that again? Create a gate through the planes that is?

---

As Geiravor issues her command Gorrun turns to his men. Ravenclaw, you're with me. The rest of you form a parameter along here. No one gets close to that column. Silverleaf, send me a message at the first sign of trouble.
He turns to Geiravor I'm with you your majesty, where you go I go. He turns then to Aurix. We can use the Castle's portal system so that we don't deplete your resources.

[EdgeGrinder]

Geiravor looked to the General and nodded. "Exactly. Someone recall Jaylyn." Geiravor ordered. She looked back to Aurix. "Stop her, I think. I just hope she's not using magic too powerful for her." she replied to Aurix.