Into the Temple - Part 10
Log Info
- Title: Into the Temple - Part 10
- GM: Whirlpool
- Place: Felwood
Strands of shadow and emptiness have come together, now, shaping itself into a greater whole. Shards of opaline crystal seem to climb up from the floor, accompanied by crackling, crinkling sounds as it pulls together -- and that's just the first. Others too begin to come into existence. Living darkness, perhaps. Three, four, five of them now. They're humanoid in shape, but distorted and asymmetric in a way that can only trigger an additional sense of wrongness about them.
A gathering, rattling, hissing, clicking sound accompanies them. It's almost words, you can feel it, and it calls on you to try to understand what they say.
Fortunately, you don't.
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Disintegrate/Persistent. Caster Level: 20 DC: 30 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls ranged: (16)+11: 27 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d20+20+4: (1)+20+4: 25 (EPIC FAIL) <OOC> Ravenstongue says, "Rerolling" <OOC> Whirlpool says, "RPP deducted." GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d20+20+4: (20)+20+4: 44 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+12: (14)+12: 26 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Will: (19)+20: 39
Cor'lana sees Rune grappling with the effects of the mirror, and her eyes widen in shock. "Hold on, Rune!" she calls out, and she weaves magic together to try and shatter the mirror, that pale-green ray that she's used to tremendous effect before to unmake and unwind great and horrible threats to the world. As a large chunk of the mirror begins to distort and buckle, Lana's eyes go blank. She stares for a long moment--
And then she's back with her comrades, huffing and panting, the look in her eyes like someone who's peered into the abyss and managed to tear her eyes away from it. "No!" she says. "Something... Something's watching..."
She tries to rally. Cor'lana murmurs the names of the people she loves. "Telamon. Telamon. Telamon. Pothy. Pothy. Pothy. Nadina. Nadina. Nadina." Her family. Her friends. They are with her.
GAME: Eztli rolls 18d6: (69): 69 <OOC> Eztli says, "nice, dc is 25 reflex" GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+14: (2)+14: 16 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+14: (16)+14: 30
"Okay mirrors, and just, leave the little ones to me for now!" The makari turned small brass dragon growls, bounding to a spot where they're able to catch the shadowy apparition in a line of searing fire, that seems to go through one of them, but another to almost go around the flames. "Are those mirrors going okay? What are they even doing, here?"
GAME: Silmeria rolls knowledge/religion: (20)+14: 34 <OOC> Silmeria says, "Okay. Swift action -- Judgments of Justice and Smiting (Magic, Good, Adamantine), Standard Action -- Cast Flames of the Faithful. Make a justice speech in the process." GAME: Silmeria casts Flames of the Faithful. Caster Level: 11 DC: 15 <OOC> Silmeria says, "My gun is now also a FLaming Burst Gun."
The events of the past little while have been... let's call it A Lot. As an agent of the Grey Harpist, Silmeria had to be here, had to lend her aid toward snuffing out this affront to those gods not cloaked in night. But one glance into the mirrors, and she was... trapped. Bound by her need to understand, to comprehend, and it took her a long, long while to come to the truth of this trap; one literally cannot comprehend the incomprehensible.
One can only act.
And act she does.
"HEAR ME, TWICE-DAMNED SHADES OF THE ABYSS," she thunders. "THIS DAY YOU WILL FIND REST FROM YOUR TORTURES. YOU WILL FIND PEACE. YOU WILL FIND STILLNESS. YOU WILL BE AFFORDED THE ONLY MERCY YOU MAY EVER KNOW; A SWIFT AND FINAL END."
Silver light limns her form, and her eyes close, as she brings the barrel of her gun up to her lips.
"In Her name," she whispers. "In the name of all that is just. We will wipe you from the skin of this world."
A soft puff of breath crosses the barrel of the gun, and the weapon erupts in cool, silvery fire. Today the mercy of the grave walks among the servants of the dead.
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 8d6: (22): 22 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Reflex: (11)+12: 23 GAME: Rune rolls reflex: (4)+24: 28 GAME: Harkashan rolls Reflex+1: (13)+15+1: 29 GAME: Eztli rolls reflex: (11)+10: 21 GAME: Silmeria rolls reflex: (15)+6: 21 GAME: Aelwyn rolls reflex: (16)+9: 25 GAME: Carver rolls REFLEX: (3)+11: 14 GAME: Bryn rolls reflex: (6)+6: 12 GAME: Eztli rolls spellcraft: (19)+13: 32 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Spellcraft: (9)+26: 35 GAME: Silmeria rolls spellcraft: (19)+10: 29 GAME: Harkashan rolls Spellcraft: (10)+26: 36 GAME: Harkashan rolls Perception+1: (17)+31+1: 49 GAME: Eztli rolls perception: (12)+5: 17 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Perception: (12)+19: 31 GAME: Silmeria rolls perception: (10)+23: 33
... it doesn't do anything. That floating skull doesn't move. It can't even blink -- and yet the opal shards swirling around it disperse into a hail of telekinetic force. Each of you are struck, and while speed, skill and protection absorb most of the impact, everyone now has shards of opal embedded in them, bleeding them, and can feel it squirming in their skin.
Living gemstone.
Then it ... doesn't do anything. It doesn't move at all. It remains almost ... passive.
GAME: Carver rolls weapon7+4: (2)+15+4: 21 GAME: Carver rolls weapon7+4: (13)+15+4: 32 GAME: Carver rolls weapon7+4: (19)+15+4: 38 GAME: Carver rolls weapon7-1: (16)+15+-1: 30 GAME: Carver rolls 1d8+6: (6)+6: 12 GAME: Carver rolls 1d8+6: (3)+6: 9 GAME: Carver rolls 1d8+6: (4)+6: 10
Carver does not see the first whirling shard of glass, but feels the sharp blossom of pain on her arm where it plants. She flinches away from a barrage of trauma as the magic of the room leaves sharp debris whirling through the air as if all was caught in the headwinds of a storm. "Bloody..."
She spits upon the floor, which thankfully is pretty far down on the list of sacrilegious acts hosted in this altar room.
Her return fire is quiet on banter but copious in arrows.
GAME: Harkashan rolls 11d6: (34): 34
Aelwyn was watching on the sides as the mirrors are being shattered. "Twin! Braid! Are the two -" He was about to say, before the attack is leashed. He is caught by the shards and he lets out a low growl, clawing at the residue. "Tch." He growls, then twirls his glaive around him, starting to stride forward as flames, justice and bolts are thrown around him.
"Hark!" The ruddy Dragoon Cavalier calls out, pointing at the figures. "Feet loose! Step in twos! Remember that one is not surrounded, but they are surrounded!" He continues, "It maybe a dance of the shadows, but our performance shall be macabre!" His sharp teeth were showing bright.
GAME: Harkashan rolls WisHit+1+1: aliased to bab+wisdom+1+1: (12)+13+9+1+1: 36 GAME: Harkashan rolls damage26: aliased to 1d8+6: (5)+6: 11
There's a grumble from Harkashan as a blast rains out, harming his allies, at the same time as the thing using... some kind of technique. There's a stutter. An anguish of a God whose name he's come to know all too intimately as of late. How do allies even prepare for...
"It is able to Timestop, team. Keep eyes guard up at all time!" He remarks, before adding over Telepathy -- ~"It has another version of itself existing in the same place. It may be a Blur spell of sorts, it could be something else. It is difficult to analyze its magics."~
"Do not be fooled by anything watching, or not watching us. We can't abide the existence of a Lich one way or the other!" Harkashan then calls out - with the wrath of a proper Deathsinger, stepping towards the crystal and bringing his Khopesh down upon the Adamant chain, trying to tear through it. Though he has not the kind of strength his stronger Warrior Kin do.
"I am not worried about being surrounded!" He calls out at Aelwyn, as he sends a wave of silvery healing light out to his allies, closing up wounds, trying to push those living crystals out of their skin!
GAME: Harkashan rolls Reflex: (4)+15: 19
As soon as Harkashan's blade makes contact with the chains, something strange happens. He suddenly lifts from the ground at a very high rate of speed, being drawn towards the hole in the ceiling. Not wanting to go into the light, he's able to grab onto one of the chains holding the thing in place but all that means is that he slams into the ceiling. Hard. For the second time today, there is a Harkashan-shaped impact crated embedded in the stone. One second, two seconds pass before the effect dissipates, leaving Harkashan a good twenty feet in the air in this chamber, hanging from the chain, and swinging from it with a wrench of his shoulder. None of that could have felt good.
GAME: Rune takes ten on disable device+8: (10)+32+8: 50 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 10d6: (38): 38 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 20d6: (68): 68 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 10d6: (28): 28
The after effects of whatever visions the mirror had assaulted her mind with seem to linger for a moment, showing in the way that her blue eyes seem to make wary glances towards her own shattered reflections. Perhaps that is why she thinks better of continuing to assault the mirrors and instead follows Harkashan's path towards the crystal.
It's obvious that the crystal is a source of power for the lich, so if that can be used as a weakness, Rune is going to exploit it. She dodges as Harkashan is sent flying, then skids in close to the device that seems to be channeling the power of the crystal. Her eyes dart one way, then the other, and then she reaches for the dagger in tucked in one of her boots.
"I think I can disrupt the power flow to our skeletal friend up there..." She winces, as if preparing herself, "But by god this is going to fucking hurt."
Let it be said, Rune is not one to shy away from self-sacrifice when it is for the greater good. The blade is jammed into the contraption with force... only to have force returned in kind.
The room momentarily flashes a few unusual colors as the force of the moon's energy is all but forced through Rune's body like lightning. Her teeth clench together, making an unpleasant 'nnnnn' sound as she vibrates from the force of it. There might even be a few instances where her skeletal structure is visible in the flickering, flashing light.
When it is over, the rogue collapses forward for a moment, smoke rising from her form as if she were quite litteraly burnt from the inside out by the force of the moon's power. However, when she lifts her head, coughing out a breath of smoke, there is a strange gleam in her eyes. Rune's hair stands up in all directions, but as she pushes up, she seems... energized. There may even still be a few crackles of energy flicking between the fried out ends of her hair.
"That was a fucking trip! Woo!"
Bryn is about to ask about whether breaking the mirrors is still the best way to go, but then Harkashan is sucked upwards suddenly. When Rune goes after the big crystal itself, Bryn looks to her mirror and back, reconsidering.
And then Rune gets mooned. And flashed. And is left smoking. And... invigorated?!
Bryn reconsiders again. Mirror it is. This time a gew quick smacks are enough to finish it off and it shatters. Similar to before, she is left staring a moment, though there's no reflections, broken or otherwise, visible now.
It is for but an instant, though it takes her longer than that to recover, and she's blinking rapidly. "What the fark?!" She'll need a bit to parse whatever that was. In the middle of... all of this... ain't exactly the right time nor place.
GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+12: (18)+12: 30 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+12: (14)+12: 26 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 2d6+7: (6)+7: 13 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d6: (6): 6 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 2d6+7: (7)+7: 14 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d6: (3): 3 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+12: (4)+12: 16 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+12: (6)+12: 18 GAME: Silmeria rolls fortitude: (7)+10: 17 GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-4+1: (4)+19+-4+1: 20 GAME: Aelwyn uses an AoO! 3 remaining.
More.
More of the creatures climb from the mirrors and their shattered remnants, pulling together from the abyssal energies within the mirrors. A comingling of demons steeped in negative power, an anathema.
They makle their moves, lunging for Carver and Silmeria, claws biting into the two of them leaving pain and suddenly rotting flesh in their wake. Their resistance to negative energy spares them from an even worse fate, as it seems likely that their touch may well be a way to a quick death.
Still more emerge, yes, coming for Bryn and Aelwyn. Aelwyn swips at one, but its form splits around his blade, leaving it to pass only through air instead of harming it.
Forutnately, they both are unable to gain purchase on them.
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Fireball/Quicken. Caster Level: 20 DC: 29 GAME: Ravenstongue casts Mass Suggestion/Persistent. Caster Level: 20 DC: 30 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+11: (9)+11: 20 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+11: (9)+11: 20 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+11: (19)+11: 30 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+11: (10)+11: 21 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+13: (9)+13: 22 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+13: (10)+13: 23 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+13: (3)+13: 16 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+13: (2)+13: 15 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d20+20+4: (3)+20+4: 27 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d20+20+4: (16)+20+4: 40 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 10d6: (40): 40
Cor'lana sees more chaos, and she's trying to keep a hold of everything. Her heart hurts. Her head hurts. All she can do is try and help her friends, her allies. Rune's been singed and she wants to try and keep everyone here safe. As safe as she can... for some definition of safe.
She murmurs an incantation, and the fireball explodes onto a mirror and two of the shadowy beings. The mirror is cracking, and Lana sees something. Something that moves her to tears--tears that dart down her face in long rivers where they've tread before. "No," she says, as her vision returns to the present. "Don't make me forget Telamon. Don't... Make me forget..."
But she's Vaire's child. The sorrow ignites into rage. She focuses it intensely into her spellwork. The unspoken who are attacking her friends, her allies... She focuses, and she whispers, "Stop what you're doing... and dance." It's a noxious suggestion.
The beings are dancing and dancing. Lana hopes Vaire would be proud.
GAME: Eztli casts Fire Snake. Caster Level: 13 DC: 23 GAME: Eztli rolls 13d6+13: (48)+13: 61 GAME: Eztli rolls 1d20+13: (9)+13: 22 GAME: Eztli rolls 1d20+13: (20)+13: 33
It seemed there was too much happening to keep up entirely with. What was obvious at least, was people getting hurt, healed, and hurt again. "I'll try to keep those shadows under control, but we need to get those mirrors gone, the energy just keeps transferring between them!" Eztli growls in warning.
"I will burn everyone to Ash who dares to lay a hand upon them!" The makari turned dragon roars again, spraying another stream of flame from their maw that this time takes shape and moves unnaturally, a massive flaming snake that bites through nearly everything in the room, leaving nothing of most of the shadows. The dragon quickly moves in front of Carver, taking a defensive posture to intercept any of the coming enemies.
GAME: Silmeria rolls ranged+1+2+3: (11)+11+1+2+3: 28 GAME: Silmeria rolls ranged+1+2+3: (6)+11+1+2+3: 23 GAME: Silmeria rolls ranged+1+2+3-5: (12)+11+1+2+3+-5: 24 GAME: Silmeria rolls ranged+1+2+3: (17)+11+1+2+3: 34 GAME: Silmeria rolls 1d6+1+2+2+1d6+1d6+4d6: (2)+1+2+2+(2)+(3)+(10): 22 GAME: Silmeria rolls 1d6+1+2+2+1d6+1d6+4d6: (3)+1+2+2+(3)+(4)+(16): 31
With the chaos and mind-bendingly powerful magic and horrific monsters and just everything flying around this room, it's difficult to find a moment's peace.
But Silmeria, somehow, manages. Even after being punched with the mind of a lich, even after warped Abyssal horrors rend flesh, she seeks that pocket of calm. Of peace. Of the grave.
And then she finds it...
Faster than the eye can follow, as two shadows flash into nothingness, as the fiery snake makes its rampage, she levels her pistol at one of the remaining shades. "Peace be with you." And fires.
And reloads, fires.
Before the second bullet even lands, her gun twitches to one side, fires a third time.
The first of the two remaining shades is engulfed in twin maelstroms of fire, lightning, forces of light and life, and a powerful dash of pure holy spite.
The third whines just past the other shade's face. Which is annoying.
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Will: (12)+16: 28 GAME: Silmeria rolls will: (1)+12: 13 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Aelwyn rolls will: (13)+7: 20 GAME: Bryn rolls will: (6)+8: 14 GAME: Carver rolls will: (5)+5: 10 GAME: Silmeria rolls will: (3)+12: 15 GAME: Harkashan rolls Will: (12)+27: 39 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+23: (10)+23: 33 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 20d6: (68): 68 GAME: Rune rolls fortitude +6: (10)+14+6: 30 GAME: Whirlpool rolls 3d6+26: (8)+26: 34 GAME: Harkashan rolls Knowledge/Religion: (17)+18: 35
There are two of these skulls.
One of them twists and turns its attention slowly, empty eye sockets falling on Harkashan. Formed from nothing, a great opaline grabs at him to slam him BACK into the hole once more, to pin him against the wall. It succeeds in bashing him into the wall, but Harkashan's faith (and his armor) has shielded him from harm and it can not hold him.
As Rune approaches, empowered by moonlight (and self-destructive tendencies it would seem), opal crawls up from the ground on her legs.
A palpable wave of misfortune falls on all of you. You can FEEL it. Fate bending, twisting to the breaking point.
GAME: Carver rolls weapon7-1: (12)+15+-1: 26 GAME: Carver rolls weapon7-1: (18)+15+-1: 32 GAME: Carver rolls weapon7-1: (5)+15+-1: 19 GAME: Carver rolls weapon7-5: (2)+15+-5: 12
"It's okay, Ez, really--" Carver says, wincing as the wound from the shadow creature leaks into her furs. "I think some of the others are more in danger than I am, jus' need... mirrors, right. Shootin'." She calls out that last bit to warn the shapeshifter of her attention as she steps to clear the line of fire.
Her arrows are not great tools to break furniture but if it's what she's got she'll use it.
Her eyes glaze over for a second then she shakes her head, scoffing. "I'm too stupid to understand metaphors, pal." The sweat popping up on her brow says otherwise.
GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11+1d6: aliased to 1d10+6+1d6: (5)+6+(2): 13 GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-4+1: (14)+19+-4+1: 30
Aelwyn shouts out, "RUNE!" And then she is moon-zapped. And healthier. "Tch, Twin says this one has fancy for unhealthy decisions." The Dragoon growls and rushes forward, darting around the dancing shadows (even if inspired to make few moves himself). The nearest mirror is the target of his new found fury; slamming into it with his glaive recklessly. He knew there was something wrong with them, but what else could they do? Anything they did turned-
There's a long moment of staring, as Aelwyn starts to raise his hand - and clenches it into a fist. "Tch, can't we simply burn the skull into ash? This one is afraid he shall soon burn illusions instead of Felwood!" He grits his teeth. "Breaking down these mirrors will be an arduous process!"
GAME: Harkashan casts Heal. Caster Level: 18 DC: 25
There's an aching croaking sound that comes from Harkashan when Gravity suddenly inverses, causing him to slam up towards the ceiling, only to be send down again. Holding onto the chain for dear life until the effects halt and he's left dazed after having crashed into stone twice in such as short time.
He's left trying to catch his breath for a while, his vision fading for a moment as Rune suddenly grabs onto that device and takes in such immense amounts of moon energy. "Rune~" He croaks, rather than calling out, and groans in pain, getting up. Seeing her battered and hurt.
There is no hesitation from him as he moves next to her as quickly as his Sith-makar legs can take him to her, while he's assaulted by strange visions he cannot - does not - understand immediately. Most certainly, he recognize the meaning of the man. He'd read about his appearance within the Chronicles of the War of Incarnation after all. That Giant - Navos of course. But why the tears? Why the grip that demands blood? What is it he aches for?
Wait, and when did he have time to read that book? Since when does Harkashan go around reading books?
No time to think, he finally catches up to the Moon-bathed Rune and touches her body. "Hang in there!" He calls to her, as healing magics rapidly push throughout her body.
As Rune catches her breath, trying to sort through the strange mixture of exhilaration and pain that still rages in her systems, it feels as if her nerve endings are still sparking with that diverted energy. That's when she can feel the edge of opal shards starting to creep up along her legs, digging through the fabric and into the flesh underneath. With a hiss, she pulls free from it, breaths comming quickly as blood drips down along her boots.
"Tsk. I'm already claimed by the shadows, and I can promise you that they aren't yours, dead man." At the same time, the Rogue certainly looks a bit worse for wear. Looking around at her allies, and seeing some being claimed by negative effects from the would-be lich.
The touch to her shoulder is met with a nod and a look of some relief as Harkashan's healing magic flows through her. "I've got an idea that should help the others. If it works..."
So, here in the temple of Eluna, she wraps her hand around her necklace. "Sky-singer, hear me... I was given this power once before, grant it to me again. Help me remove the binds this one seeks to latch onto my friends." She pulls the necklace free and shouts: "Unbind!"
Where the pendant had been a moment before, is now a pair of golden scissors. Rune's eyes flare gold in that same instant, keying in on lines of fate being manipulated by this creature. Irridescent butterfly wings flare from her back as she pushes off into the air, swooping around the room.
Whenever she passes close to one of her allies, there is a neat 'snkt' of sound. A negative thread pruned, and with that influence diminished, hopefully it gives the others a chance to strike that much harder at their enemies.
In those moments, those golden eyes seem as if they were not entirely Rune's own. As if something else were guiding her vision and her actions. They flick from place to place, as if seeing things that were not there. Visions of dark moments destroyed with each cut. So that when she lands, at last, the butterfly wings folding, her legs wobble a bit. As if the power has gone and whatever force had driven her has returned back into the moon-lit night.
<OOC> Rune says, "For the log: Using a round of fly from my armor. Using 'Moon Power (tm)' to turn the pendant into a fate-cutting blade and flying around to free her friends from the Lich's control/influence."