View source for Haggered Appearances, part 6

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== Log Info ==
*Title: Haggered Appearances, part 6
*Emitter: Whirlpool
*Characters: Cryosanthia, Braelnoir, Edinaz, MAC-B1G
*Place: Augustus' House in the Bad Palce
*Time: Thursday, December 10, 2020, 8:30 PM
*Summary:  The adventurers have discovered Zaya in the attic, clutching a strange rock so hard she has shredded her hands. She screams, "SAVE HER" then faints. Cryo does her best to bandage up her wounds, while Brealnoir and the others search and guard. Aside from regular attic acoutrements, there is the rock. Examining it with Detect Magic, Cryo is nearly blinded. It's like gazing into the sun. Without a doubt the party has discovered a Shard of Animus. Based on Zaya's condition, it might not be a good thing to touch directly. Scavening a box and some insulation, they pack it up. As they do so, the house ROCKS! Cryo stuffs the box into her Haversack and the the group heads downstairs, with Edinaz leading. In the basement they are once again confronted with the artifice controls. Cryosanthia makes a wild, unsubstantiated guess on how they work, dials up some settings and Brealnoir pulls the lever. The house plane-shifts. Then there is a bang that knocks everyone to the ground. Picking themselves up and getting out of there, they discover that they have successfully returned to Ea and are much closer to Alexandria. There is one problem. They've broken the sky, and Vrocks are about to Rock their Clocks!</div>

<pre>-=-=-=-=-=-=  Appearing in some sort of order =-=-=-=-=-=-=
Baz da Ork   7'0"     320 Lb     Orc               Male      7' 320 pounds of metal, muscle and stupid. WAAAGH!
Braelnoir    5'11"    146 Lb     Human             Female    A tall, pale Acanian woman, branded in silver.
Cryosanthia  6'9"     291 Lb     Sith-Makar        Female    A dashingly tall, elegant white-scaled lizard woman.
Edinaz       6'10"    296 Lb     Half-Orc          Male      Grey-skinned half-oruch, extensive black ink.
MAC-B1G      6'6"     303 Lb     War Golem         Neuter    Drab gray primarily metal humanoid with cyan-lit optical receptors.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

-=-=-=-=-=-=  As the GM  -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Whirlpool                 Lb     Otyugh                      I am stinky!
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=</pre>

==Previously==

''Edinaz crouches forwards, going slowly and mindful of all the traps so far. "Hello, Zaya," he says calmly, "What has to?"''

''Braelnoir starts to creep up after Edi, her weaponheld at the ready, angled so he wouldn't run into it if he stumbled or hesitated for some reason. She leans a bit to get an eye on the matter past his feet. She cants her head a touch, seeing her condition and, on the off chance of madness, a hand parts from the haft of her scythe to pull a tanglefoot bag from her bandolier, "How's she look, luv?"''

''The whitescale reaches the attic behind Braelnoir, and takes in what she sees. Edinaz advancing, the white-knuckle grip on something. Things held that way tend to be thrown, or powerful.''

''Almost instinctively, her left hand loops through graceful, arcane motions. She's tracing out an archaic spell, an old form version of protection that's vaguely clerical. Where the sigils would be a god's, her own Dragoneye mark replaces them. The final completion holds two others, a sword which turns into a moon. The protection from evil surrounds Braelnoir.''

''"Sshsss." Cryo whispers, "should have put it on her, if whatever she's got is controlling her. Be careful." Her iron icicle is out, but held hidden behind a leg. She calls out carefully, "We're here to help."''

''No response.''

''"...you have you have you have you have to you have to."''

''"SAVE HER," she says, suddenly looking up at you.''

''Her eyes... they're the depths of the sea, pits that seem to contain multitudes. In her hands is a twisted hunk of black star-metal, her hands a bloody mess. It's power incarnate. Blinding power and fragility all at once. ''

==Now==

"Ah, oh." Cryo is transfixed by the wide eyed and dark stare. She has a sudden epiphany what looking upon her when she's upset might be like. She tries a few more vowels, "Eee. Iii... Hi. Hi! Hello. Yes, we'd like to save her. From... what she needs saving from..."

This diplomatic engagement is going well, "... which is, what, exactly?" While the sith'makar stares, she makes sure the star metal is part of intense examination. In case that has some obvious clues, like a little tag that says 'bite me'. They have gone down the rabbit hole.

MAC-B1G flashes a few lights, utters, "De-fragging memory."

Braelnoir is sidling along, putting some eyes on the spooky girl and reindexing her scythe to her working grip should someone get squirrely. The words are not helping, but, "Alright, where is 'she', luvvie?"

"You have to save her!" Zays's eyes are just ... like a void for a moment. Then she closes them and slumps forward with a moan, the shard of metal falling out of her hands and hitting the ground with an ominous clink to the ground. 
 
She's out like a light, quite suddenly.

Close to her, there's a palpable feeling of *overwhelming power*. A brief tignle that rushes through the sith'makar's entire body.

<pre>GAME: Cryosanthia rolls will: (20)+7: 27 (CRITICAL SUCCESS)</pre>

Cryosanthia moves forward and ... stops moving forward. She shivers suddenly, as if electrified throughout her whole body. That is an experience she's had before. Breath weapons, mates. "Uh, wow."

Her hand quickly brushes some arcane symbols, and light sparkles down her arm. Her eyes resume their earlier, eerie glow.

She looks at the lump of metal. She blinks, and then nictating membranes she rarely ever uses or needs snap into place under her eyescales. She manages to stare a moment longer before turning away and closing her eyes.

She slips into a crouche beside Zaya, to start bandaging her hands. Her tail stretches out behind her on the floor and she's careful to keep away from the strange lump.

"So. Um. So. Griva was right. I would know it when I see it. That's... incredibly powerful. *Radiantly* powerful. That's... that's a Shard of Animus."

Badndages work. Her hands are an ABSOLUTE MESS, though.

<pre>GAME: Braelnoir rolls perception: (7)+8: 15</pre>

Braelnoir hrm's softly with a glance to her sister, "Can ya do anythin' for'er, luv?" she asks over her shoulder, then starts to more methodically go over the room, though, she doesn't seem to come up with anything new for her efforts

<pre>GAME: Cryosanthia rolls spellcraft: (15)+6: 21</pre>

"I've bandaged her hands into mittens." Cryo says, the sith'makar went overboard with them. "She needs a real healer or clerical attention. My... therapy skills are more the 'over a steak with beer' kind. She's also a bit... empty eyed."

The whitescale exhales, "So, that's a no. I don't think I can do anything for her." She exhales in a whistling sort of way, "Aaaand. We can't leave that, lying about. Not where demons can get it. And... touching it is a bad idea, since it's really, really, really powerful. Imbued with the power of a Dying God... it still might have intentions..."

"Best thing, would be to put it in something like a box without touching it. Second best... scoup it into my handy haversack without touching it. That should be ok... getting it out might need some care..."

Braelnoir comes back to Cryo's side and looks down at the hunk of power lain at her feet. The merc dips into a crouch and considers the chunk's dimensions as her sister spells out the details, "will m'gauntlet protect me, or should I nudge it in with a weapon?"

"I think the more distant, the better. Scythe blade, scythe handle, guantlet, your actual hand. That's three layers of separation." Cryo thinks things through. She holds up a hand, which have on her whitescale gloves, and the matching white leather gauntlets she wears on top as protective armour. "This is two layers, and I think it wouldn't be enough."

"Also, I'm worried about how it interacts with magic. If it can ... sieze control of magical things, somehow. Like it got into her mind. Might be better to use a non-magic item if you've got it. Honestly, I want to roll that thing in a blanket, stick it in a box of sawdust, put that in a chest, then put that in the Haversack but I don't want to let it out of my sight to go get those things from other rooms." Cryo looks around for suitable things in the attic, "Let's use what's handy, get it contained, then get her out of here before something notices."

This *is* an attic. There are boxes and crates around. Finding one of a size to store a jagged metal shard into is not exceptionally difficult.

MAC-B1G says, "Unit returning to origin point." It turns and descends the ladder.

Braelnoir glances at her waist, the weapons contained thereuppon, "Well, ya want nonmagical, scythe ain't it." for that delicate touch, the Korite rises and unfrogs her warhammer, "'kay, let's find us some more layers." She then sets about doing just that.
Zaya's eyes flutter open. They appear ... normal now? 

Then she sees you lot of you and SCREAMS.

"Ssshhssss! Shhhssh! No, it's okay. We're here to help you." Cryo hisses, then shushes, loudly at first and quickly lowering her voice. She pleads, "No screaming, please, there's demons."

To Braelnoir, "Box, now!" She's already pulling off her Haversack. If Zaya has called in demons she wants to be ready to scoop up the shard the instant she hears claws or splintering wood. A hand touches the cold iron icicle dagger on her hip, that's where it should be, ready. She attempts to calm Zaya further, "Shhss, please, it's okay. I'm Cryo the dancing lizard girl, everythings fine!"

Panic, Panic!

Braelnoir whirls as the screaming starts, "Damnit, shut tha fffffuuuuuh-!" she bites that off as Cryo handles that end of the freakout. with a quick, fervent shaking of her head, she takes up a smallish box about the right size, then with surprising gentleness (likely from dealing with alchemists fire a lot) she nudges the shard into the box with the pronged face of her warhammer.

<pre>GAME: Cryosanthia rolls diplomacy: (18)+15: 33</pre>

As Cryo makes good on their effort to calm Zayya down, who's slowly realizing that you're not here to hurt, she settles back into the ground. HEr eyes close again and she slides back into unconsciousness. Clearly, hving held the shard and the pain it caused her has left her in considerable amounts of shock. There's already blood oozing through the badnage. 
 
The house shakes suddenly. Like a very large impact just hit it.

Cryo makes a quick 'trrrp!' noise of surprise when the house shakes. Well ready or not, here it comes. She knocks the box in to her Handy Haversack with her guantlet covered knuckles, hoping that's somehow better than gauntlet covered fingertips. It's only general trepidation, she reassures herself. It's not like its a sphere of annihilation. If anything, it's outputing magic. And looking at the positive, if something goes wrong, she's right on top of it. She'll likely never feel a thing.

Action completed, moment of uncertainty past, world remaining unimploded and unexploded, Cryo slips the pack on then picks up Zaya as carefully as panic evacuating will allow. "Let's get out of here before that gets in. Mac Bee and Edinaz lead, I'll carry and follow, Braelnoir and Baz behind. If we have to fight we should, but if we can run we should do that instead. Get Zaya and the Thing out."

Braelnoir growls and goes through her willwork of swapping the scythe and warhammer in case things get sticky as she takes up the read guard spot. Inglorious, but necessary. She readies herself and nods, "Let's move." before taking up to that task.

The house shakes again. Like something has impacted it a second time. 
 
You really can't remain here. Fortunately, you DO know where the planar controls are! 
 
Maybe you can get home? 
 
Either way, you're descending back into the bulk of the house, and through the boarded windows and closed shutters gaps, you can see more Vrocks have arrived, those buzzard like demons, and are thumping heavily into the buiklding. Lightning seems to be bristling around them.

"Doe, a deer, a female deer. Ray, a drop of golden sun. Me, a name..." Cryo sings quietly as she runs along, each phrase between breaths. She's not _afraid_, after the Fey Queen and the Demon Duke it's hard to be afraid of anything. She is concerned, her thoughts turning towards Lily, her little kobold foundling, and getting back with the huge target she's carrying and has on her back. As always her feet are flying faster than her thoughts. She's supposed to be the quick and witty bookwyrm! Why is it so hard to think at times like these?

"Lightning bad. Keep moving everyone. We've got this. Remember the traps, don't rush it. Stay calm. Acid nozzles on the stairs. Look around and be ready. Keep your weapons handy." Now Cryo is simply babbling encouraging words. Hopefully her compatriots feel encouraged.

Braelnoir rumbles a low growl, tense with the threat, the tease, of Kor's favorite show, but the Contract and the pact with her sworns sister, helps her keep her urges in check. Seeing Cryo having different concerns, hisses and snarls an archaic, "Hold firm, my sister, else we forsake our nests. Breathe as the hunter, not prey." <draconic>

Encouragement intoned, the Korite continues to back the withdrawl, putting her eyes about as the demons tried to pick the walls with their snoots. 

Down you go, then. All the way back down. It takes some time, and you hear a few thunderous crashes from above. 
 
Soon, you're back in the control room. It definitely looks the same as it did last time. Of course, now you just have to figure out how to get back home with these controls...

<pre>GAME: Braelnoir rolls 1d20+2+1: (10)+2+1: 13
GAME: Edinaz rolls spellcraft: (8)+4: 12
GAME: Cryosanthia rolls spellcraft+2: (5)+6+2: 13
GAME: Edinaz rolls use magic device: Trained Use Only: 0
GAME: Cryosanthia rolls use magic device: (20)+10: 30
<OOC> Whirlpool says, "!"
<OOC> Edinaz hi5s.
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "Shard Tower, I was thinking of you. :)"
<OOC> Cryosanthia says, "and YESYESYYESYEYESYSYY!!!"</pre>

The control room! So many controls. Cryosanthia sets Zaya down, if only there were a seat to strap her into. "Okay, back. How do we get back? Mac? Baz? It was that lever over there, right? Right."

She stands back, hands on hips, tail lashing back and forth, thinking her thoughts aloud. "Except that is probably just the move. Destination is another. That's going to be... a dial, or a wiggle woggle. Or a lot of dials. Are the planes referenced in cardinal directions or radial? Why couldn't it be simple like a big selector wheel, like airships have? Forward and back."

"Um... umm..." Cryo reachs around the controls, adjusting one, dialing another. "A 'reverse course' button would be good. I... I don't know if this is going to work. Pull the lever Braelnoir!"

Braelnoir backs into the room, eyes the way they had come, just in case the've been pursued in the wake of a breach they aren't aware of. She glances at the controls, "Mebbe try twistin' the thing, na'the other thin- wai-!" She nods once the decisions's made and she closes her hand around the shaft and gives it a quick tug.

Edinaz scowls at the controls, trying to figure out the runes and squiggles. He puts his swords away, and then tries to point out what he thinks things are... and levers get tugged. He flinches

Flailing at the command console at least seems to work. They spring to life, lights and panels seeming to flicker and spark.         

There is a sensation of... wrenching. 

And then there's ... a thunderous, room shaking crash that kicks up every last bit of dust and sends you each to the floor.

Edinaz hits the ground hard, then balls up into the fetal position for a moment. There's a pause. Then he slowly uncurls and rises slowly, almost experimentally, like he's verifying the laws of physics with each motion.

Cryo 'wrrrrps!' as she is bounced to the floor, landing in a sprawl then springing back up to her feet almost as fast. She's in a low crouch, ready for... well she's not sure what she's being ready for. "That... that was a bad bang."

The whitescale looks around, "Is everyone ok? Not hurt?" She moves to check on Zaya. "I think we plane-shifted again. Not... sure it worked quite right. We should check.

Braelnoir kisses the console on the way to the floor on the crash, and mercury strands of her hair are draped like cobwebs over the levers while she lays there for a moment. A groan, and, as the merc rises to one knee, a red glob of spit on the floor, "Busted lip, bit m'cheek." she reports, pushing fully to her feet with weapon in hand, "Nothin' major."

She makes her way cautiously to the doorway again to take a quick, comparative look against what she remembers the place looking like before.

There's an absence of Vrocks at least and a glance outside sees that the locale appears normal, though you were definitely not in a grassy field when you left. Seems like the house is done shifting, too, as you can locate the front door with ease.

Edinaz pulls out his swords again, since he does /not/ trust the peave. He's a Korite, too, why would he? He trots upwards, and stops... fields. Grassy fields. The line between his brows deepens into a furrow.

"I'm sorry Zaya, I should have found a better spot. It'll be ok, we'll get you out of here." Cryo tells the girl, carefully picking her up, holding her to her front. It's bringing back memories. Not good ones. She isn't the first human the sith'makar has rushed to safety. Her instincts are welling up again. Unsettling panic from a deepness in her soul. Go! Go faster!

"I'm ok. Zaya is not good. We should leave. We have to leave. Brae, is it safe? Edi, be ready. Everyone." Cryo follows up the steps, through the house, to the front door. "Well, this is... better..er. I wonder where we ended up."

Edinaz's swords are both ready, left low, right back at his shoulder. "Ready." He scowls. "Where /are/ we?"

Braelnoir takes point, as her Everburning torch sceams 'shoot me, I love it!', but it gives her the light her eyes need. As more daylight seems available, she kills her own source, and continues her creeping along, winding out to see a front door with.... almost disturbing ease. She sidles up to the doorframe and tries to chance a peek outside, holding up a hand in the merc sign of 'hold up'.

There's a moment for you to realize that there's Alexandria in the distance, over there. You can see it. 
 
It's to the east, still, but you're definitely closer now and no longer in the Felwood. Definitely home, thoiugh. Everything's great! 
 
...until you look up. The sky is ... not right. There above you is a shimmering *gap* in the sky from which red vapor bleeds through, making it a hazy crimson. 
 
Out come the vrocks, then, screeching down towards you. 
 
It seems you broke the sky.

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