Tippyverse '84: Hounds of the Magi (IC)

[Kallisti]

The light in the hall was dim, and flickered. The glass around the continual flame rods was starting to crack just a bit, and the whole SSAT headquarters was cold. It was...disconcerting, but no one feared. After all, this was the place of Big Brother's strength. No harm would come to his agents there.

A big, burly man in the ash-grey SSAT uniform and jackboots turns his head slowly down the line, gazing at all of you in turn. His eyes are dark...and hard...and cold.

"Listen up! There've been reports of activity by CrimeThInc in the south. We believe they plan to disable the food dispensers in the entire city of Hopefulness. They must be stopped. Thus far, we've observed only a preliminary probe, and you need to nip it in the bud doubleplusquick before they starve thousands of loyal citizens. Hail Tippy! Hail Big Brother! Any questions, soldiers?"

[Milskidasith]

Bryan stood tall and thin. His grey hair was neatly kept at the top of his head, and cut short. His piercing blue eyes looked around, taking in everything. You could almost swear he was able to read your mind just by looking at you. His SSAT uniform was jet black, gleaming with decorations and completely spotless. He tapped his feet impatiently, covered with similarly black boots with dark red laces. His SSAT uniform was a mere formality; while it looked like the general bulky uniform, it was really a tight fitting shirt tailored to be worn over his armor. From the outside, it looked as if he was wearing a heavy vest with a few pockets bulging, but nobody could guess he had a steel full plate beneath it. A pocket on his right arm bulges slightly, as if there is a very large diamond in it. Next to the bulge is a steel kite shield, glowing slightly. In the middle of it is a black, double pyramid shaped crystal that seems to radiate force outward. His belt, one crafted to keep him going on tough missions is bulging with a few potions, but he preferred to keep most of his gear in his bank account. Only necessities that had to be drawn in the middle of combat, like acid or alchemists fire, were on his belt.

Bryan sighed deeply. While, obviously, Big Brother couldn't be missing any information, human error was rather more... likely. At the moment, it seemed the diviners must have been having trouble, because they hadn't given his boss any details, or his boss simply forgot to mention them.

Sir, I have a simple question. Are there any more details on this mission? Even if this is another mission ran by one of the Far Realms infiltrators able to block our divinations, there should be more details than just a report of activity or two. What was reported, exactly? Open riots? Files gone missing? Smuggling?

His Psycrystal nudged him in the shoulder a little, and he looked at his pocket, contemplating what he was hearing. He thought back, that could be interesting...

Or perhaps... do they have the audacity to question Big Brother in public? Are they screaming filthy lies from the rooftops, rigging the diplocasts to spread lies about how Big Brother is imperfect?

[Kallisti]

"We have recieved reports of malfunctioning divinations and dispensers, as well as sightings of suspicious persons. Several CrimeThInc trademarks were found added to walls, with what appears to be a wand of fabricate."

[Milskidasith]

A bit more bold than normal... I suppose they think they're able to avoid Big Brother's gaze, so they might as well make their work known. Idiotic, for sure. They'd be rehabilitated either way, but they could at least try a little subtlety. The dumb ones are never quite as fun to rehabilitate.

[Kallisti]

The officer, Seargeant Murphy by his nametag, laughs. "Ain't that the truth. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but we get what we get. We're just lucky we got this case at all. Damn Negotiators have been muscling in on our territory, you know."

[Milskidasith]

Bryan smiles a bit; the Sergeant was, at least, an agreeable man, and since he was in the SSAT, Bryan had no reason to doubt he was fairly clever. Yeah, I know. Praise Big Brother, but if they want negotiator squads to capture dangerous criminals, then just reassign some negotiators as SSAT. We're better equipped to handle dangerous missions, anyway. To be a negotiator... you don't need too much, and I'll leave it at that.

[Kallisti]

"Hah, that's right. You've been a good soldier, O'Taslin. Yes, we've been watching. You're work in the Mental Hospices has been exemplary for one so new to this. Keep up the good work, and Big Brother may see fit to do you a good turn back!" He turns to the rest of the soldiers in the line. "How about you lot? Ready?"

[Nathan W]

Yes Sir!asdf

[Kallisti]

"Good, that's what I like to hear. Say, I haven't seen you around here before. You new here, soldier?"

[Nathan W]

Yes Sir. Just reassigned from squad 1395-g!

[Kallisti]

"Hmmm...that'd be Seargeant Malachi's squad, huh? Hah, my condolences! How is the old bear? Still scaring the living daylights out of all the recruits?"

[Nathan W]

Yes Sir.asdf

[Kallisti]

"Hah! Someday, if you do well in the service, go back and see him. He's really very nice, once you've convinced him you're worth getting to know. Recruit, unless I miss my guess, this is one of your first missions out of training, and you're worried. Don't be. When you're out on a mission, your team has your back. There's nothing that can compare to how...secure you feel, knowing your teammates and Big Brother are right there, waiting to catch you if you fall. You'll be fine. You know what Seargeant Malachi put on your report? 'Not hopeless yet.' That's high praise, coming from him."

[Nathan W]

Thank you, Sir.

[Kallisti]

Seargeant Murphy gives Raven a friendly nod. A warm smile graces his open, welcoming face. Putting people at ease is obviously a strong suit of his.

[Eurus]

A short woman of average build, only around eighteen or nineteen, Mirra was nothing particularly impressive to look at. About the only indication of her profession was the small patch on her uniform that would normally indicate what type of magic or psionics (if any) she was capable of; on her, it was an odd ring composed of eight smaller circles.

Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her uniform, while clean, was a bit wrinkled and worn. No visible armor protected her, but her belt contained several potions and a wand. At her hip was a sturdy-looking leather holster that contained some sort of large metal device, apparently a weapon, decorated with faintly-glowing runes.

At her commanding officer's question, she saluted sharply. "Yes sir, ready."

She was tense, revealing her relative inexperience, but not twitchy; just trying a bit too hard, perhaps hoping to compensate for that very inexperience.

[Aneantir]

Colby stood strong and tall in the presence of his superior. Or, at least as tall as any dwarf could. He smiled openly, knowing that he would soon be presented with a task for the glory of Tippy. With his full plate and family axe shining in the light, and his well combed beard sitting on his chin, he boomed with pride "Hail Big Brother!" and saluted with enthusiasm.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

A tall-ish gnome slinks in through the side door, dusts off his slightly bulky black coat, and slips in behind the other members of the team. He looks comfortable in his surroundings, and from his expressions and movements it looks like he has at least some experience with the SSAT already. He throws a half-salute to the sargeant and grins.

"Howdy, Murph. 's been a while. Sorry I'm late; I came as speedwise as I could, but I had a ton of misprints to fix at RecDep, and then there was a guy out in front looking like he was gonna mess with a dispenser, so I had to...give him a talkin'-to."

The gnome cracks his knuckles and smiles, showing some teeth. He's obviously a fairly casual sort who's friends with most of his superiors (whether they mind it or not is anyone's guess), but his eyes show a hint of deep confidence--the confidence only someone fanatically loyal to the Party can have, the confidence that says Tippy, Big Brother, and the Party are completely invulnerable, believe me, I tried and won't be swayed.

"So, anyway, nice ta meetcha new folks. I've only been on duty a few months now catching crimethinkers for the glory of Big Brother and the Party, so I'm not all that much unfresh than you guys. I can tell ya, though, that Sarge here's a great guy, loyal, competent, and all that. We're in good hands with him an' Tippy on our side."

He straightens his coat a bit and turns toward Sargeant Murphy.

"Coming up the hall, I heard somethin' about CrimeThInc in the south, that right, Sarge? Well, I'm ready to give those bastards the fixin' they deserve. Gimme the lowdown on the specs and location and I'm ready to go."

[Kallisti]

"Ah, Al! You're here at last! Down south in Hopefulness, they had food dispensers 12b through 15d go down suddenly. Investigations revealed pretty damn conclusively that the bastards just smashed up the mechanisms. No subtlety, but it worked. There were CrimeThInc slogans found on walls near the scenes of the crimes, and seven different citizens reported seeing suspicious characters near the dispensers shortly before their destruction. It'd be pretty open and shut, we'd send in a flight of golems, no more fuss, except that we can't figure out how they got into the city in the first place. None of the gates were opened all day. None of the alarm wards were tripped, and we found no evidence of tampering. The guards didn't see anyone attempting entry. And the local Baron informs us anyone trying to fly over the walls or disguise themselves as a guard would run into a nasty little curse he whipped up himself."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"So, lessee...no gates, no flying, no disguises; nothing heard them, saw them, or scryed them...hmm. Is it possible we either got a traitor in the guards, some bribery, or a..."

Aldric's eye twitches, and his voice catches a bit; he clears his throat rather forcefully.

"...ahem, rogue beguiler in their ranks? I know any truly loyal Party member shouldn't be susceptible to bribes, but enchantments can be hard to resist and the, ahem, doublethink of the, ahem, rebels--"

Twitch, twitch, catch.

"--can be, ahem, persuasive to some."

[Kallisti]

Sargeant Murphy walks up to Aldric. "Steady there, Al. It was a good thought. Well, no, but it was a necessary thought. We already checked the guards. No signs of tampering, and no unaccounted-for income in any of their homes or accounts. I'd think they teleported, except that that'd trigger three different alarm wards."

[Milskidasith]

Bryan clears his throat, and begins to speak forcefully. His voice, though not layered with psionics, is still a force to be reckoned with, and most people can't help but trust him.

I hate to be rude; it isn't a good way to get things done, and I have no reason to make any of you unhappy. But perhaps we might want to try capturing them first, and then speculating on how they got through the Alarm systems. After all, we know they did get past them, and we know that we don'thave any holes in our system we can think to exploit, so we could solve the problem of both stopping the rebels and finding out how they got in by capturing them now, rather than giving them time to escape using the same hole they entered in. If you all don't mind, I'm driving off as soon as I get to the SSAT car, so I hope you can all cut this briefing short and tag along. I'll be taking my leave now.

Bryan then walks out and heads for the garage (or teleportation trap to the car, whichever one is actually there.)

OoC:

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[Kallisti]

"Hmm. Probably wise. I suppose we ought to cut these introductions short. We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other when you come back successful and we can all celebrate. Very well. The car's waiting out front. It's a new model, too--some recent innovation from the R&D wizards. Don't ask me how it runs, though--when I asked, they told me that the power output differential should theoretically equal L-sub-(planar over [Arcanum-sub-g of t]) over ([Q of I][J of G^{Known*Fact/Lore*Theory}]). Just thinking about it makes my head spin. All I see there are the little smiley faces all the parenthesis make. Well, off you go. Have fun. Snatch a few of those bastards for me."

[Milskidasith]

Very well. I'll drive. Let's get moving, shall we?

Bryan opens the door of the car (assuming it has doors), and sits in the driver's seat. He recognizes the controls, turns on the ignition, and motions for everybody else to get in.

[Aneantir]

"Agreed. I shall take the passenger seat, if no one else minds." As Colby says this, he walks slowly around the side, opens the door, and plops himself into the seat, resting his axe in his lap.

After he adjusts the seat to a man of his stature, he looks to Bryan. "So, I'm guessing we'll be heading right to the scene of the crime, then?"

[Kallisti]

OK, since you're all SSAT, you'd have some basic knowledge of the city of Hopefulness. It's a pretty good-sized city, maybe 10,000 citizens and 5,000 proles. The city is divided into five sections--four quadrants and a central circle. The quadrants are the military/Party quadrant, the housing quadrant, the work quadrant, and the utility quadrant. The central section of the city is the home of the wizard-Baron. The city's symbol is a staff within a square, superimposed against the setting sun, with the city motto blazoned underneath--"Industry, Pride, Life."

EDIT: If you want to have a quick conversation, do so now. If you just want to time-skip, let me know.

[Milskidasith]

OoC: Which section did the crime take place in, again? I'm fine with timeskipping.

IC:

Bryan turns to look at the first man to walk into the car, studying him in detail while talking.

Yes. We'll be there in about twenty minutes if we go fast. I'm sure that it won't be hard to find them, since they were kind enough to leave identification at the scene. Should be a quick job. Knock them unconcious if possible, and then rehabilitate. If lethal force is necessary, this mission never took place, and they never existed, Praise Big Brother.

[Kallisti]

(OOC: The utility quadrant, although some graffiti was found in the housing quadrant.)

IC:

The journey was long. After around the seventh hour, it was getting hard not to fall asleep at the wheel. Driving through mile after mile after mile adter mile of grasslands, gentle rolling hills...and then you were jolted alert by a thump.

You couldn't be sure, but it probably had something to do with the tiefling now lying on the hood of your car, clutching an empty tankard in his hand.

He's a very handsome man, with silver hair and golden eyes. Big and tall, too. He's wearing a very nice silk bathrobe of red with gold brocade. He looks a bit confused...

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Aldric sticks his head out the window, looks the tiefling up and down, and whispers back to the others in the car:

"Well, unless the rebels have started recruiting rich drunks--which I wouldn't put past 'em, unworkful uncompetent crimethinkers that they are--I don't think this is one of the guys we're lookin' for. What say we give this guy a hand and find out what's what, hmm?"

Aldric hops out of the car, straightens his coat, and goes over to the tiefling. He grabs the tankard with one hand and helps the tiefling up with the other; when he speaks, his speech has shifted to a more formal "on the job" pattern.

"Ahem. Good evening, citizen. Allow me to assist you. I am Aldric Shadowswyft, at your service. And you would be...?"

[Kallisti]

The tiefling offers you his hand...the one with the tankard. "Hahhh! The names Inesre...Ineret...Siner...In-es-a-res! That's the one! Inesares! At your service, officer! Hah!" He has a very deep, silky voice. It would sound really nice, if he weren't slurring his words...

[Eurus]

Mirra rolls her eyes at the drunk, wondering how on earth the drunk got all the way out here wearing a bathrobe. Stepping out of the car, she kept her voice clipped to conceal her irritation and confusion.

"Well excuse me, Mr. Inesares, but what are you doing out here? Are you a citizen of the city of Hopefulness?"

[Kallisti]

Inesares looks at Mirra for a moment. "Hopefulness? How did you know?! Oh, right! You're with Big Brother! You know everything! Oooh! Quick! What number am I thinking?!"

[Eurus]

If Mirra's eye twitched, it was well-hidden within a moment. "Sir, you know that it's dangerous to wander around in such an inebriated state? Did you suffer a teleportation mishap?"

Being the sort of person that almost never drank, Mirra's patience with the drunk was limited. The oddity of the situation was the only thing keeping her from dismissing the man entirely; he was apparently well-off, presumably lost, and possibly some sort of spellcaster. And manhandling or insulting drunk sorcerers was not a wise practice, if you didn't want to risk ending up a frog.

[Kallisti]

"TELEPOTATION MISHAP?! HE TRICKED ME! NARRON, THAT THRICE-DAMNED SWINE-SON! HE SAID HE WANTED TO TALK BUSINESS, GETS ME DRUNK, AND BAMF! OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE WITH NOTHING BUT MY BATHROBE!" He lowers his wildly gesticulating hand slowly. "He didn't even pay the bill, you know," he adds in a small, sad voice. "Or let me take the bottle. You've got to stop him, officers! Jack Narron is a bad man, a sad man, a madman!" He suddenly giggles, delighted. "Bad man, sad man, madman, madam, he's such a cad, man, he's too young to be a dad, man, egad man! Hahhh!"


(OOC: You know the name Jack Narron. He's believed to be a high-ranking CrimeThInc operative, and known to be a fugitive mage of no small skill.)

[PairO'Dice Lost]

While Inesares is occupied with Mirra, Aldric steps behind the car door and concentrates, trying to sense what the drunk is thinking--not just to guess his silly little number, but to let him figure out what's going on without having to listen to drunk ramblings, specifically whether Inesares actually knows anything about one of the CrimeThInc operatives he's looking for.

(Also, he figures that if this person is a wizard, some warning before he decides to start flinging spells would be best....)

OOCAldric casts detect thoughts. He's trying not to make it obvious that he's casting a spell, so I assume that being behind cover Inesares shouldn't be able to detect him casting a spell.

[Kallisti]

The Tiefling's thoughts are not very coherent right now. He's well and truly inebriated. Bad man, sad man...what next...egad! It could be egad, man! Oh, my, that's clever...it's a little cold out here...maybe because I've only got my bathrobe...how do I get me one of those nice warm uniforms, I wonder? I must ask my tailor...Wasn't there something I wanted to tell these nice folks? other than what nice folks they are? Well, if it were important, I wouldn't have forgotten, now, would I? Where's that damn bottle...

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Aldric steps out from behind the car door; obviously trying to prove that SSAT agents know everything by guessing the tiefling's number isn't going to work if Inesares is so addled even he doesn't remember it. Still, he might have something useful.

"Sir, I'd be happy to give you your drink back and a nice warm blanket, but first...is there perhaps something you might want to tell us?"

[Eurus]

Intrigued by the tiefling's claim, Mirra's classification of the man switches from "harmless drunk" to "suspicious person." If Inesares had been trying to "talk business" with a CrimeThInc operative, that might make him a criminal as well. Softening her tone, she tries to coax a bit more information out of him.

"Oh, that sounds serious. We'll definitely have to look into that. Tell me, what sort of business were you trying to discuss? The more we know, the better we can handle the situation."

[Kallisti]

"He's a clever man, that one. Comes to me claiming to be from the Baron of Propriety, has his papers all nicely notarized and everything, wants to discuss giving their economy a boost by opening a teleport circle in Hopefulness, I'd give him some land to build on, get part of the fees, everyone wins! And we go out to the traditional lunch to discuss, yes? And they have the finest wine. It's this pink stuff with little brown swirls, comes in the cutest little flutes, and so he leads me off to his office, to get some apaerwork, and we're somewhere we shouldn't be, don't know where but it was dark and cold and stank, and then there was this door, and he's all Here We Are!! So in I go, flash-poof-bampf, here we are! In the middle of nowhere with no Jack and no bottle!"

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"Hmm, that is indeed serious, sir. One moment please."

Aldric nudges Mirra and takes her aside, out of the tiefling's hearing.

"Well, it doesn't sound like he's a friend of CrimeThInc, so we don't have to take him in for rehab. Doesn't sound like he's got anything useful, though, 'specially in this state, and tracing a teleport after the fact ain't easy. Ideas?"

[Eurus]

"Well, we have to bring him back to Hopefulness, first. And he has to submit for a regulation mind probe, to confirm his innocence and make sure that there's nothing else he might know. But I agree, he probably doesn't know much. Our best bet might be to start at his house once we get to the city, and see if we can find any trace of Narron or any other CrimeThInc activity there."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"Well, I'm doin' a probe now, and it doesn't look like he's telling us unfacts. Let's load him up in the car and head to his house; I can keep scanning during the trip, see if I can question him and get anything else."

[Milskidasith]

We don't have time to drop him off at his house. While he could lead us to Narron, maybe... I'd still prefer we catch the active criminals before they go into hiding. We can find Nolan's whereabouts along the way.

Bryan turns over and begins to examine the drunkard.

As for you... well, you'll be safe with us, probably. If you know how to defend yourself, you will be less of a liability.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"I wasn't thinkin' about dropping him off, I was thinkin' we could start searching there, so--hold on. He said they were going to the guy's office, right? I wonder if our pal here can get us in there."

Aldric turns to Inesares again.

"Sir, would you possibly be able to direct us to the office of the man who brought you here? If we could examine it, we may be able to determine his whereabouts and associates and bring him into custody. If you could even mentally picture the location, that would be helpful."

[Kallisti]

"Direct you? Well, I would, but the world was spinning so at the time, I shouldn't know where to start! But I know where it was, never you worry, officer! It was right...it...it was cold and dark and it stank, I know that much! Hahhhhh! Do you know," he asks, waving his empty tankard, "Where they make this wonderful stuff? I simply must remember to ask my tailor! He's a smart man, my tailor. I really do wish I could recall his name for you, he'd liven up those drab uniforms in no time! Hahhhhhhh!" The last laugh turns into a dawn-out slur, and he stumbles crazily for a moment before catching himself on the SSAT car's hood.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Aldric pulls the tiefling up and grasps him by the shoulders.

"Please, citizen, picture this place in your (rather over-inebriated) mind, all the details you can recall, the sights, the sounds, the scents, everything."

He steers Inesares toward the door and lifts him into the SSAT car.

"Now, we are going to return to the city, and if you help us, we will return you to your dwelling as speedwise as possible afterward."

[Milskidasith]

Everybody ready now? Good.

Bryan slams his foot on the gas (steam?) pedal, and as the engine roars (quietly hisses?) to life, he keeps it at max speed, trying to make up for the lost time. Why they spent so much time before putting the drunkard in the car he'd never know; no matter what the situation was, he'd need to be in the car to be taken back to the nearest city.

I hope somebody prepared prestidigitation in case he throws up. As for his tailor... we'll have to find out about that later, but I suspect he might be preforming thoughtcrime by making clothes that do not conform. That's a minor issue, though. Let's just get to town, now.

Bryan was clearly on edge. The time wasted was time lost. He did not want any more interruptions before finding and rehabilitating the thoughtcriminals.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"I'm sure his tailor would only use approved materials and cuts; it ain't illegal to make clothes that appear to be of a quality above one's station, unusual as it may be--"

Aldric's eye twitches as he says this, and he hurries on:

"--but I'll be sure to check with RegDep and MatDep when we return, just to be sure. Meanwhile, you get us there, I'll focus on reading what I can from him."

[Nathan W]

Could there be . . . other evidence? A note in his pocket perhaps?

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Good point. You take a look, I'll keep him distracted.

Aldric waves his hand to grab the tiefling's attention, and once again looks straight into his eyes.

Now, citizen, focus on this tailor of yours. I'd really like to get a more interesting uniform, so I want you to tell me everything about him--his race, his appearance...his friends....

Aldric speaks in a monotone, holding the tiefling by the arms and focusing on reading his thoughts.

[Nathan W]

ooc
slight of hand [roll0]+him being distracted modifier
search [roll1]
unless you make these rolls in secret.

[Milskidasith]

OoC: Ok, I'm not quite sure when you ever did anything that would be considered sleight of hand... so I'm pretty confused at this point. Are you trying to pick his pockets?

[Nathan W]

ooc I'm using slight of hand to search his pockets without him noticing.
I'm using search to search his pockets without him noticing

[Kallisti]

Rolls like that are traditionally spoilered, just to keep things clean. Technically, yes, it'd be Sleight of Hand to lift a small item from him without his noticing. But since you don't know of a small item to lift...besides, he's pretty zonked out right now. He's not going to notice unless you point out to him that you're rifling through his pockets.

And as for what you find? A little cardboard business card. It says, in beautifus golden calligraphy which the stupid message board can't replicate, "Jack Narron--CrimeThInc. The future is unwritten. Good for one message." It has the CrimeThInc logo on it, next to the name: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/30/Crimethinc_hand.png/140px-Crimethinc_hand.png On the back, written in a very nice cursive hand, in pen, it says "Ivw Sviirmt."

EDIT: I wish I had a more reasonably-sized CrimeThInc hand to post on the boards. It looks pretty goofy in the middle of a paragraph...

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Aldric looks over the tiefling's shoulder at Nathan and whispers out of the corner of his mouth:

Find anythin' good?

OOCDo I get any info from the tiefling's mind on Narron or his tailor?

Also, you could simply take the calligraphy and hand and make them into an image and post that. The font and sizing would be preserved better that way.

[Nathan W]

Raven wispers back "This note" and hold the note out to the side where Aldric can read it.

The note:

It says, in beautifus golden calligraphy which the stupid message board can't replicate, "Jack Narron--CrimeThInc. The future is unwritten. Good for one message." It has the CrimeThInce logo on it, next to the name: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/30/Crimethinc_hand.png/140px-Crimethinc_hand.png On the back, written in a very nice cursive hand, in pen, it says "Ivw Sviirmt."

[Kallisti]

(OOC: Making the image would be too much work. I honestly have no idea how to that. You're not getting much from the Tiefling's mind, he's well and truly under. You do know that only very successful businessmen get clothes like that. His tailor is either very prestigious or a though-criminal.)

[Milskidasith]

Bryan studies the card intently, and then passes it back to Raven.

So he's got a CrimeThInc. Business card with him. Not sure what, if any, spells it has on it, but it seems to imply we can have a little chat with him using the card. Either the card's magical, or we can show it to somebody to arrange a meeting. If it's the first one, we could get info about their activities from it, or we could botch the whole thing and then they'll all slip through the cracks. If it's the second one, we can find the criminals first and then use the card to catch their higher-ups. If any of you can detect magic on the card, that would speed things up a bit.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

I'll give it a look-see.

Aldric takes the card, turning away from the tiefling, and casts a spell of magic detection on it. (OOC: detect magic, obviously) While he concentrates, he turns to Bryan.

I'm not gettin' anything from this guy; he's well an' truly drunk off his ass. From what I can tell, this tailor of his is pretty good, but then even crimethinkers can have talent sometimes.

*eyetwitch*

My guess is that this guy's one of the higher-ups, since a crimethinker stupid enough to get this drunk woulda been picked up already by the powerful and skilled servants of Big Brother and the glorious Party--but we shouldn't rule out thoughtcrime just yet.

OOC
(OOC: Making the image would be too much work. I honestly have no idea how to that. You're not getting much from the Tiefling's mind, he's well and truly under. You do know that only very successful businessmen get clothes like that. His tailor is either very prestigious or a though-criminal.)

If you want to take a screenshot of the fancy calligraphy and send it to me, I can work it up for you. It's probably not necessary at this point, but I'd be happy to make it.

[Kallisti]

PairO'Dice: Thanks, but I don't have the computer skills to create a business card, so there's no image to send you. All I meant by the board not being able to do it is that there's no curly, flowing font I like, like monotype corsiva, and to the best of my knowledge no gold. I don't have an actual card I just can't show you or anything, although I can see how I gave you that impression. Although, if there's a way to show you a Publisher document, I could throw something together in like ten minutes...


And, detect magic? You sense moderate evocation.

[Milskidasith]

Moderate evocation, huh? Lemme see... I've got a pretty good hunch on what it is... not too many moderate evocation spells that can send a message. Let me think on it for a second.

Bryan then puts his right index and middle fingers up to his forehead and concentrates, trying to recall any knowledge he might have of a spell that fits those descriptions.

Knowledge: Arcana check (I'm assuming that's the relevant one, yes? If it's spellcraft, it's actually at +11). [roll0]

[Kallisti]

The relevant spell would be, of course, Sending.

[Milskidasith]

Ooc: Wow, a 15 makes the check? :P

IC: Bryan puts his hand down, relived he remembered the spell. It took a bit more thought than normal, but his memory was generally infalliable in these types of matters.

It's definitely a use activated card of Sending. We have 25 words, so let's make them count. If you all don't mind, I am fairly certain I can make a concise speech that will still prove us to be worthy allies of CrimeThInc.

Bryan, not usually prone to such things, let out a small laugh at the last part. It would be delightful to stroll into the house of a thoughtcriminal openly admitting such and take him down.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

By all means, compose something. I'd, ah, rather not, ah, try to concoct a reasonable-sounding message. Thinking like a rebel is, ah, well, you know, ungood for me.

[Milskidasith]

Bryan studies the card for a second, then flicks it with his index finger. As it activates, he quickly sends out his calculated message to the unknown thoughtcriminal, showing no emotion during the speech.

Found Doubleplusdrunk Tiefling. Saw card. Wish to discuss business doubleplusfast. Headed to Hopefulness; meet in utility. I bear doubleplusgood intentions. Big Brother must be stopped.

OoC:

Diplomacy roll on that: [roll0]

EDIT: Praise Big Brother's guiding dice.

[Kallisti]

As you whisper the message, the ink on the card begins to glow, then the card catches fire. The smoke rises up, smelling of sweet perfume, and forms into the face of a handsome young man. "Jack here. I'm certainly...interested. We can meet by dispenser 13-a. Don't bother bringing the tiefling. I'll see you there. The future is unwritten. And unlimited..."

[Milskidasith]

Bryan smiles for a second, and floors the accelerator. The trap had been laid; he just needed to make sure the net was wide enough to catch all the criminals. All they needed to do was have a nice, productive little chat with "Jack."

Did you all hear that? Looks like we've got a little side trip to make first. I say we drop the tiefling off at the gate of the city, then head over to that dispenser. For obvious reasons, we should probably remove our SSAT uniforms and anything that identifies us as such.

[Eurus]

Mirra nods, but doesn't smile. "We've got to be careful, though. We don't want to think we're setting a trap for them, only to find out they figured out who we are and have a trap set for us."

[Kallisti]

(All right, as the general consensus seems to be timeskip:)

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, it's said. A journey of two-hundred-and-thirty miles begins with a single rather worrying clunk from the SSAT car engine as it starts back up. But there are no engine problems, no bandits or even twists in the path. Just more hills and tall, yellow grass. The last few hours of the drive are quiet, and mind-numbingly uneventful. They pass soon enough, however, leaving the hunters outside the great City of Hopefulness, where their prey lay unsuspecting. The city is a work of art, almost, its buildings sculpted from marble with the practiced, smooth lines that showed an expert sculptor handled the wand of fabricate. The walls of the city, were imposing. Twenty feet high, carved over with arabesques and curling ivy vines. The SSAT car pulls up to the main gate, carved in the emblem of the Baron and his house--a staff in a square, superimposed against the setting sun. Carved in vast, bold letters above the gate was the city motto--'Industry, Life, Pride...' The guardsman, a nervous-looking but impressively large young man wearing plate made from some kind of blue-green, chalky metal, comes over.

""Er...officers? I'm sorry, but I need...um...ID, and permits for any unusual or contraband...er...stuff.""

[Milskidasith]

Bryan looks at the man. He was certainly strong looking, but his head seemed to be a little weak. Ah well; it was only a guard, he didn't expect Big Brother to waste mages on something as simple as physically guarding a city. He then raises up his right hand, showing a golden ring inset with a large emerald and several smaller stones on his ring finger.

See this ring? It identifies me as a member of SSAT squad number one hundred and sixty-seven P. Being a member of the SSAT, I have full priveledges for any and all contraband I choose to possess, and I am fairly certain I outrank you. I do not think you need any more clearance than that.

[Kallisti]

The young man leaps back, and only barely manages to keep his balance. "Of...of course. RIght you are, officer...um...is there anything you'll be needing, or should I just, umm..." He waves a hand nervously towards the gate.

[Milskidasith]

The only thing I need are directions to dispenser 13-a, and for you to take this Tiefling we found to a mental hospice for examination.

Bryan motions to the Tiefling, presumably lying unconcious in the backseat.

[Kallisti]

"Of course, sir. Umm...13a would be in the northwest corner of the utility quadrant, which is the northwest corner of the city, and this is the northern gate, so just go west and you'll get there in no time. As for you...ah...passenger...ummm...." He digs out the tiefling, sees him, gasps, and drops him with the shock. "Is...MASTER INESARES? What happened? Where did...how...is he all right?!"

[Milskidasith]

Bryan looks at the tiefling, now lying on the ground, and then stares at the officer coldly.

I take it you know this man? He was found around 230 miles from the city, completely drunk, and talking about having been tricked by a thoughtcriminal. He needs a mental examination to prove he was simply tricked, and not collaborating with criminals. Besides a hangover, he should be fine when he wakes up.

[Kallisti]

"He--thought-criminals? Oh. Oh, my. Oh, no, not Inesares! He's--he's a businessman here, you see, very successful merchant, he's the one who's doing the research for the Orikalkos project! If he were with criminals..."

[Milskidasith]

Orikalkos project? I don't think I've read up on that; do you know any details? As for Inesares, I'm sure that he wouldn't willingly associate with thoughtcriminals; they probably just wanted to trick him to sabotage or steal the project.

Bryan's face lightens as he attempts to keep the guard happy. While he had no real idea if Inesares was a thoughtcriminal, putting people at ease about their friends was always a better option than implying they would be rehabilitated.

[Kallisti]

"Oh, the Orikalkos project is...well...it's this stuff I'm wearing, really. Master Inesares thinks he's close to finding the recipe for a new supermetal. It'd be able to slice through all other metals, be practically invincible--a guy in Orikalkos plate'd laugh off small blades, arrows, maybe even small crossbow bolts! Currently, it's basically steel, only heavier and weirder, but he thinks he's close, and the Baron agrees. He--the Baron, that is--looked over all Inesares' notes, proclaimed the man a genius, and set up a contract."

[Milskidasith]

Well we certainly wouldn't want that to fall into the wrong hands, now would we? I have a bit of urgent business to attend to now, so I'll be going. See to it Inesares gets taken care of.

[Kallisti]

"Oh, yes, sir."

[Eurus]

Mirra listens to the conversation with half-interest. This project might explain why CrimeThInc had met with Inesares, but she wasn't certain that was even a relevant line of inquiry. So she's rather relieved when Bryan dismisses the guard. "Alright, let's get to that dispenser."

Once the guard is out of earshot, she continues. "Should we all approach openly, then, or should a few of us hang back and attempt an ambush?"

[Milskidasith]

After starting towards the dispenser, Bryan turns toward's Mirra when she asks her question.

I used the word "I" when arranging our meeting, so I believe I should meet him alone. You should all circle around in hiding, and if I snap my fingers or say the word "reasonable", come out and spring the trap. If you think something is going wrong, feel free to take initiative; at the least, we'll catch one high ranking member of the criminals group. If you wish to stay with me, however, I am sure I can pass you off as a bodyguard.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

I dunno if it'd be safe to let you head in by yourself, with unknown layout and possibly more rebels in there, but I don't think I can come--they might recognize me. I'd say Mirra would probably be the best bet for a bodyguard-type and the rest of us can hang back.

[Eurus]

Mirra nods her agreement. "Sounds good to me. They'd probably expect you to have some sort of protection anyway. Only a fool goes to meet with known criminals alone."

"Hopefully nothing goes wrong, and we can get access to the rest of the group, but if we do have to fight, we've got to make sure to take him alive."

[Milskidasith]

Sounds like a plan. Signal stays the same, and Mirra will be my bodyguard. If all goes well, we'll catch a whole group of thoughtcriminals, save an important project from falling into the hands of our enemies, and maybe get a bottle of Victory Gin afterwards.

[Kallisti]

(Since people are rolling hide checks and agreeing to the plan, I'll assume we can skip to the meeting.)

The utility quadrant is cold and empty, the white-painted ground broken every seven feet by a numbered steel plate. 9a. 10a. 11a. 12a. 13a. From a long way off, you see a silhouette, waiting by plate #13a. As you draw nearer, the face beneath the cowl resovles itself, and you see the face from the smoke of the business card--Jack Narron, CrimeThInc. He looks up, and smiles. "Ah, you're here. Punctual! Good, I like that. So! Let's talk business, shall we?"

[Nathan W]

I ready a sleep bolt on snap or "reasonable"

[Milskidasith]

Bryan walks up to the dispenser, looking up and down at Jack Narron. He seemed like a fairly nice, upbeat person. It didn't really matter; he was a thoughtcriminal, all the same. As he approaches, he concentrates for a bit, and then begins to pick up Jack's thoughts. (OoC: Read thoughts, 3 PP. He has no way of knowing I'm manifesting, I'm more than 15 feet from him.)

Let's talk business indeed. This is my bodyguard, Mirra.

Bryan motions towards Mirra.

I hope you don't mind I brought her along; you can't ever be too careful these days. I assure you I bear good intentions. As for business, well, I believe you know of the Orikalkos project? I found that the tiefling was connected to it, and I believe you might be able to help out a certain friend of mine.

[Kallisti]

When you read his thoughts, all you hear is a single phrase, over and over again: Tonight the winds begin to rise/The rooks are blown about the skies/The sails fill, waves toss and sweep/Raise liquid mountains and disclose the deep. It's rather odd. Either that's literally the only thing he thinks, or he's holding it in his mind as a barrier against being read.

"Hmmmm. How disappointing. After your message included the phrase 'Big Brother must be stopped' I hoped I might be conducting an employee interview. Still, you mention the Orikalkos project, which is of no small interest to me. Tell me more about this friend of yours, and what you think I can do to help."

[Milskidasith]

Big Brother must be stopped is a true statement; however, my friend would rather I not risk myself with a much more... openly rebellious group. My friend is interested in the Orikalkos project because he sees the opportunity for such a powerful material. He believes that it could make a very powerful golem, and with enough of it, he thinks it is possible to, at the least, go toe to toe with some of the Parties Shadesteel golem's. However, he would need either a large sample of Orikalkos, or a copy of the formula required to make it. He was wondering if you could oblige him.

[Kallisti]

"An Orikalkos golem? A most ambitious undertaking...hmmm. The formula is not perfected yet, but I believe I could obtain an advance copy for your friend easily enough once it is."

[Milskidasith]

Very well. Contact me again once you have the plans ready, and I can arrange a meeting with my friend. Be careful, though; if the Party knows the plans are gone, my friend will most likely be forced to, for lack of a better way of putting it, lose interest in this deal. Farewell, then.

Bryan will head back towards where he came, leaving Jack to his own devices.

[Kallisti]

"Of course. First, though, a quick question. What is it you're not telling me about this?"

[Milskidasith]

What is it I'm not telling you about this? Well, one, the name of my friend. But he likes to stay secretive; nobody ever sees his face. A second thing I'm not telling you is exactly who I am, but again, my organization prefers to keep things secret. Now, I believe forgetting this conversation ever happened would be reasonable

Bryan backs up a step, and then, pointing at Jack, focuses. A chime is heard in the air, as Bryan worked his powers on Jack's mind,

Don't you, Jack?

OoC:

Psionic Suggestion, DC 16. 3 PP spent.

[Kallisti]

Nathan, he just triggered your readied action to fire that sleep bolt. Also, will save for Jack: [roll0] You don't see your power have much visible effect on him, but his eyes seem to grow dim and grey.

[Nathan W]

Roll initiative [roll0]
Attack roll [roll1]
Damage [roll2] nonlethal

[Milskidasith]

Initiative: [roll0]

[Kallisti]

Jack suddenly jerks as the bolt rams into his back. It sinks in deep, deeper than a sleep bolt should, and his cloak and cowl begin to flap. You hear a hissing sound from the wound. He gives you a smile, his eyes completely grey now, and the skin around his eyes and mouth begins to ripple and flap like canvas in a thunderstorm. With a titanic whipping souns, his skin and clothing both collapse into a pile on the ground. You hear an eeire, high pitched whistling as if a giant breath were blowing across a sea of crystal goblets, with a lower, thrumming tone felt in the bones...which grows louder with astonishing speed. You can hear the poem again, whispered on the breeze. "Tonight the winds begin to rise/the rooks are blown about the skies/The sails fill, waves toss and sweep/raise liquid mountains and disclose the deep!"

Roll initiative, everybody.

[Kallisti]

Initiative!

I get: [roll0] Plus the ungodly bonuses. Oooooh. Shiny...

[Milskidasith]

Knowledge: Arcana and Knowledge: Psionic to identify: [roll0] (+1 more if Psionic).

[Kallisti]

Was that roll the Arcana or the Psionic? I think they're different knowledges.

[Milskidasith]

Was that roll the Arcana or the Psionic? I think they're different knowledges.

First, crap, I forgot my intelligence mod, that should have been a +10. >_>

They're different, but I just rolled one, since the checks are mutually exclusive anyway (Psionic is psionic, arcana is arcana). If you want me to roll another one, then Knowledge: Psionic is [roll0]

[Kallisti]

All right.

Knowledge Arcana: Whoa. That's weird. It's obviously magic, something unique. You wouldn't be surprised if it was a custom spell Jack whipped up for this kind of occasion. You also wouldn't be surprised if, when you examined his remains, you found that the skin was actually enchanted cloth. Right now, it looks like the Jack you were speaking with was an animated poppet with the wind bound inside.

Knowledge Psionics: The poem is probably an anchor of some kind for the spell, meaning it's not just a way to keep you out. It could be both, though.

[Kallisti]

Initiative:
Jack's Last Breath
Bryan
Mirra
Raven
Aldric
Colby

The wind whips up, blasting dust and bits of white paint up into the sky, and comes howling down at Bryan and Mirra. The two are engulfed, feeling as though they are being battered by a hundread thousand tiny fists, and can feel the terrible power of the freezing, biting wind throwing them backwards. The wind whips and howls and screams, like an oncoming hurricane...

Both Bryan and Mirra take [roll0] bludgeoning and [roll]1d6[roll]cold damage, and must make DC 20 Fortitude saves or be knocked prone and thrown backward 1d4x10 feet, suffering 1d4 points of nonlethal damage per 10 feet traveled.

Everyone within 120 feet of the creature--that is to say, everyone, probably, since you were all hiding nearby waiting--gets to make a DC 14 Will save or be shaken for the rest of the encounter.

[Kallisti]

Screwed up the roll on the cold damage. [roll0]

[Nathan W]

will save [roll0] *bleep*

[Milskidasith]

Nuh, uh. Bryan doesn't get hit.

As soon as the wind starts to push Bryan back, he warps ten feet away from it, safely out of range. (Dimension Hop, immediate action, 1 PP.)

Will save:[roll0]

Actions will be taken on my turn based on what response Kallisti has to this.

[Kallisti]

Raven Sable is shaken. The eerie, unnerving sound of the wind imposes a -2 morale penalty on his attacks, saves, and skill and ability checks. And, Milskidasith? You poof. You still get caught. A ten-foot poof doesn't get you far enough. You're treating this like an attack with a weapon. It's not, precisely.

As the screaming, howling wind descend, Bryan focuses for just a moment, disappearing and reappearing back a ways--still in it's path.

[Milskidasith]

Dammit, immediate actions, work better! As for treating it like an attack... I was treating it like an AoE attack I thought I could reasonably escape by being 15 feet from the other person affected.

Fortitude: [roll0]
Distance thrown: [roll1]

EDIT: Uhh... I rolled distance thrown wrong, but I made it anyway. Can I target the thing with Energy Rays or not?

[Kallisti]

With a 23, you manage to hold fast. The wind is strong, though--really strong.

[Milskidasith]

Can I hit it with an energy ray, or is it too vague for me to target?

[Kallisti]

It's invisible, but you can try.

[Milskidasith]

Fine then.

Bryan heads thirty feet directly away from Mirra, holding on to his pocket. He grabs his Psicrystal out of the pocket, and the pink gem begins to glow, and with a burst of light, fuels Bryan's mental might. A faint scent of oranges originates as Bryan glows and shimmers slightly, appearing to have been completely unphazed by the attack. His Psicrystal begins glowing again, trying to focus it's energy.

Split up, guys, it can only focus on one of us at a time that way. If you can, try to hit it, but I can't see a thing right now. Don't group together unless you want to get seriously hurt.

OoC:

Move action: 30 feet away from Mirra. Manifest Linked Power, 5 PP, Vigor (4 PP), then Defensive Precognition next round. (1 PP) Psicrytal expends it's psionic focus, full round action to refocus at [roll0], 20 makes it.

[Kallisti]

Initiative:
Jack's Last Breath
Bryan
Mirra
Colby
Raven
Aldric

[Eurus]

A spark of magic escapes Mirra as the creature attacks, surrounding her momentarily with a blue glow that speeds her reactions. Clenching her teeth, the SSAT officer listens for any sign of the invisible creature, but can't hear anything over the surrounding winds.

Unable to detect any sign of the attacker, she retreats 30 feet away from the heap of what used to be Narron. She retrieves and drinks a potion of Shield as she does so, though she doubts in its ability to protect her if her opponent is composed of pure wind.

[Aneantir]

Colby looks for any sign of the intruder, and maneuvers himself so he can unleash the spell that he learned from his father on the point that he determines the spot most likely for the intruder to be in.

Spot [roll0]
Listen [roll1]

Move action to get in range, standard actiont to cast.

Also, sorry I've been busy at work, we're closing for the season and I've been pulling 12+ hour days to get the cleanup done. =/

[Nathan W]

Raven steps back 5 feet, then full attacks, aming above where Bryan and Mirra were.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Kallisti]

Raven leaps back, releasing a pair of bolts into the howling wind. The little projectiles are caught up and whipped about momentarily, then tossed away. They shatter against the ground, seeming to cause your foe no harm.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Aldric shields his eyes from the blowing wind and tries to see anything that looks vaguely like a creature in the middle of the windstorm. Growing frustrated, he makes an obscene gesture and yells at it:

Big-Brother-dammit! Stop hiding like a coward and unhide yourself! And if you're unconvinced--

He pulls a pinch of glittering dust out of a belt pouch.

--this should persuade you!

Aldric throws the dust at the creature; strangely, the dust seems to ignore the wind, and flies straight where he has thrown it.

OOCAldric casts glitterdust--unaffected by the wind, as Kallisti stated--centered on the spot where Raven shot his bolts.

[Kallisti]

The dust flies from Aldric's hands into the air and begins to settle on the creature, revealing--hundreds of tiny little creatures, composed of whipping air. Each looks vague and whispery somehow, an ill-defined top with a sharp sting of crystal. Tumbling and whirling, the creatures descend towards Aldric, sweeping over him, pushing and prodding and stinging.

(OOC: I believe Aldric, Colby, and possibly Mirra still need to make their DC 14 will saves. The sound it makes--that of a gathering hurricane--taps into a very primal and instinctive fear. Also, since it's swarming Aldric, he gets to make a DC 20 fortitude save or be flung backwards.)

Damage:
[roll0]+[roll1] cold.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

OOCSorry, missed the note on the Will save on my last skim.

Will save: [roll0]
Fort save: [roll1]

EDIT: Dammit, why can't I ever remember the rolling syntax? Trying again in the next post...

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Trying again...

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Milskidasith]

Bryan scowled, as his eyes glowed like silver flames, the full might of his manifestation just affecting him. With a bright burst of rainbow light a sheen goes over him, and he crouches down, prepared to dodge anything.

As he's doing this, his Psicrystal again glows brightly, and then flashes. His mind blanks for a second, as the sounds of a low, roaring fire slowly can be heard everywhere in the area. He raises both of his arms in front of his chest, puts both of them together and as the roar of the fire rises to a crescendo a blast of psionic fire bursts out of his palms, heading straight for the swarm.

OoC (and rolls)

Defensive Precognition just came into effect from Linked Power. Manifesting Linked Power for two 3d6 Energy Rays. Psicrystal refocusing: [roll0]

Attack: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]

[Eurus]

From her defensive crouch, Mirra utters a single word in a language that sounds vaguely like Draconic. No visual fanfare accompanies the word, but a brief wave of stunning pain flashes through Mirra's skull as she releases the spell.


OOC/Rolls:
Mirra casts Power Word Pain. Swarms (if this thing is indeed a swarm) are normally immune to single-target spells, but mind-affecting spells still work if the swarm has an intelligence score and a hivemind. So hopefully it works.

If it does, and the swarm has 100 or less hit points, it takes 1d6 damage right now and another 1d6 per round for a number of rounds depending on how many hit points it has right now. 50 or less = 4d4 rounds, 51-75 = 2d4, and 76-100 = 1d4 rounds.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Milskidasith]

OoC:

Where does it say Swarms are immune to single target effects? It's not listed in the SRD. Also, it should be provoking AoOs.

EDIT: Crap, it mentions it, but not in the actual swarm article... hell, I can't do a thing against this swarm. Might as well just run away.

[Kallisti]

The rays leap forth from Bryan's hands, completely frying a pair of tiny elementals, which seems to have no effect on the main swarm. The swarm recoils under the weight of Mirra's spell, but not in time to save Aldric from being hurled back (OOC: [roll0]x10 feet, 1d4 damage per 10 feet thrown). He lies on his back, staring, wide-eyed. The sound of the wind in his ears was terrifying.


EDIT:
OOC: PairO'Dice, ouch. Low rolls on both saves. You are shaken from the sound of the wind, and hurled back 40 feet.

[Kallisti]

Damage from Aldric being thrown: [roll0]

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Aldric lands on his back with a thud, his mind racing furiously. He shouldn't have been frightened that easily. Maybe he was subconsciously giving in, relapsing to his rebel ways...No! No, it was simply playing on his fears, exactly those fears he was thinking about now.

Well, it won't get him that easily! With a chuckle to himself, Aldric levers himself up onto his elbows, ready to leap up and strike again when the time is right.

[Kallisti]

Colby rushes over to the fallen Aldric, quickly checking him to make sure he's not severely injured.
(Raven's turn)

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Aldric waves him away and keeps an eye on the combat.

No, no, Colby, I'm fine, don't worry. Just catching my breath; be back up in a second.

[Nathan W]

Raven takes a round to ready an flask of oil with a fuse.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Aldric stands up, brushes himself off, and ponders for a moment, muttering to himself:

Well, glowing magical stuff has seemed to work well so far; let's hope some more magical light mixes you up doubleplus good....

Waving his hands as if conducting music only he can hear, Aldric begins humming and gently swaying. Rainbow lights slowly twist and weave from his palms to the swarm, caressing them and enfolding them in brilliant hues.

OOCHypnotic pattern, centered on the middle of the swarm, Will DC 17 to resist.

[Kallisti]

[roll0]
Hmmmm...interesting...that save fails. However, hypnotic pattern affects only a certain number of HD--2d4+CL, to be exact. So will it work on the Last Breath? Tune in next post to see the rolls!

[Kallisti]

[roll0]
All right.

As Aldric's spell comes into being, the whirling, twisting swarm of tiny creatures...stops. The infinitesimal elementals begin to dip and dive and swirl in place. Occasionally, the faint shimmer of a rainbow can be seen through the gaps between them.

[Milskidasith]

Bryan turns towards the now docile elementals, making sure to appear nonagressive.

Don't worry, we won't hurt you, will we?

He turns to his allies, and looks at them with a fierceness in his eyes, which fades almost immediately into a warm smile as he talks as if nobody had attacked anybody.

Put your weapons down for now, it's friendly, isn't it? We just had a bit of a misunderstanding, right?

He turns back to the elementals.

Now, I think that we can just forget about this misunderstanding, right? You can just come back with us, and we'll all be happy, right? I'm not really sure about your anatomy, but I think Mirra hurt you pretty bad, so we can just patch you right up and send you back to your home. Just head back into the human suit so we can keep track of you, all right?

OoC:

Suggestion, no display: [roll0] (If it's a 17 or above, no display; if it isn't, then it has to be within 10 feet and make a DC 10+whatever bonus for the whole raging wind thing listen check to hear a light chime. This shouldn't allow a new saving throw since it can't detect that I'm doing anything.)

DC 16 to beat, plus possible bonuses for being reasonable (it's friendly from the fascinated effect, possible bonuses from the below diplomacy roll and I'm offering to heal it. Seems reasonable.)

Diplomacy roll: [roll1]

EDIT: Praise the dice!

EDIT: I just realized I said right way too much there. >_>

[Eurus]

Mirra lowers her gun and doesn't say anything, though judging by the way she nurses her shoulder, she'd just as soon wipe out the elemental-thing and be done with it. She glances around for any sign of other rebels, not really expecting any.


Mirra will twiddle her thumbs and delay, for now.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Aldric brushes off his coat with one hand, looking the slightest bit smug; he continues waving the other hand back and forth, back and forth, humming occasionally.

Of course, of course. We're all good buddies, ain't we now.

OOCI'll be concentrating on the pattern every round; assume I continue concentrating unless I say otherwise.

[Nathan W]

Since the swarm is no longer looking at Raven, and since hiding is not threatening he hides. [roll0]

[Kallisti]

Will save vs. Suggestion: [roll0]

The Last Breath continues to whirl and dance around the pattern, paying Bryan no attention.

[Milskidasith]

OoC: Is it still taking damage from Symbol of Pain?

[Kallisti]

Oh. Yeah. I've been forgetting to roll that. It's been two rounds, so [roll0]. At this point, the swarm seems a little thinner. Several of the elementals have disappeared.

[Eurus]

Grimly satisfied at the damage inflicted upon the swarm so far, Mirra silently concentrates, riding the invisible waves of magic around her in preparation for another assault.

Assuming nothing goes wrong, Mirra will spend her standard actions for the next seven rounds shifting her spell cycle forward, back to Enchantment.

[Nathan W]

Raven says to Mirra "How well hidden is this?" and hides. Then he rehides and says "how about this?" for 20 rounds. Hide check 45 or 20d20b1+25

[Kallisti]

Raven says to Mirra "How well hidden is this?" and hides. Then he rehides and says "how about this?" for 20 rounds. Hide check 45 or 20d20b1+25

Ummm...I'm not sure you have twenty rounds to play Hide and Seek...

[Milskidasith]

Ummm...I'm not sure you have twenty rounds to play Hide and Seek...

The swarm is sitting still... why don't you just say he heads behind something where he has total concealment to the elemental and just waits until he hears fighting?

[Nathan W]

Ok 7 rounds. [roll0] edit +25=45

[Kallisti]

All right. Timeskip for seven rounds. Damage from PW: P: [roll0]

As you wait for Mirra's spell to run its course, more and more of the elementals disappear, until only a few remain within the rainbow light of the Hypnotic pattern. Finally, the time is up. The last few elementals, oblivious, bathe in the prismatic glow.

[Milskidasith]

Bryan drives in with the car. The sound of steam hissing is loud, but not as loud as the storm. He hops out quickly, then looks at the elemental swarm.

Looks like we've got this mostly under control now, right guys? Looks like the bastard is on his last legs. Shouldn't be hard to wrap this case up, but I don't think I can handle much more for today.

[Eurus]

"I swear, if I ever get my hands on Narron..." Mirra grumbles as she hops in the car. "Get in, everyone. I don't want it crushing us in its death throes, and there won't be anything left to loot or interrogate, so we may as well be far away. No way is it surviving another one."

Once all of the SSAT officers are accounted for, Mirra casts the same spell that hurt the swarm before, a single headache-inducing word. "Alright, now drive."

Another Power Word Pain. [roll0]; [roll1]

[Kallisti]

As Mirra spits out the words of her spell, the final few elementals disappear. All that's left of the swarm is a faint whisper in the wind. "Tonight the winds begin to rise/The rooks are blown about the skies..."

[Milskidasith]

That was certainly a tremendous waste of resources... if I wanted a worthless fight with no real benefit, I would have tried to get a pass to the arena. A lot of my patients hang out there, and I thought I could catch up with them.

Bryan winks at this statement. Of course, none of his patients were ever killed and zombiefied after they accepted Big Brother. Not on the record, anyway. That would be a thoughtcrime. But if a few of them died of old age, or volunteered for zombification, it would be for the glory of Big Brother.

Anyway, this was a bust. I say we head to the local SSAT office and rent a Psychoportive Shelter trap. I'd prefer if we didn't waste time resting, but we obviously don't have clearance for a Genesis or even renting some magic items that help us sleep faster.

[Eurus]

Mirra seems contemplative as they drive off, not paying much attention to Bryan's suggestion. "We should ask about that elemental thing, too. It might be unique, but if it's not, there should be information on it somewhere. If that turns out to be one of Narron's preferred tricks, it would be good to know more about them."

[Milskidasith]

That's a good thought; if we know what it was, we can be better prepared next time.

OoC: Timeskip?

[Milskidasith]

*Casts summon DM IX*

[Kallisti]

*Casts summon DM IX*

Sorry. I got some bad news late on Sunday, I've been a little distracted.

Exhausted from the ambush, the SSAT crew drove away in their shiny black car, steam rushing and bursting from the exhaust pipe, mingling with the dust and grit the wind of the swarm had thrown into the air. The city of Hopefulness flashed by them--marble walls and alabaster palaces, carven frecoes, elegant pillared verandas, and the ever-present posters of the Party--"War is peace! Freedom is slavery! Ignorance is strength! Big Brother is watching you..." Beneath Bryan's practiced hand, the racing car slows and coasts to a stop in front of a plain marble building. The door is of steel, painted a deep blue, and in black letters it reads 'SSAT HQ'. Home, sweet home...

[Milskidasith]

Bryan turns off the car, then steps out. He looks around, looking to see if there were any other agents outside. He then walks towards the door and opens it, holding it open so that his teammates could head in first.

After you, I insist.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Don't mind if I do. Come on, folks, we'd better let Murph know what's what; don't wanna keep him waiting.

[Eurus]

"I barely know what's what..." Mirra mutters, but follows Aldric in.

[Nathan W]

"Right. Let's go."

[Milskidasith]

After all of his companions file into the SSAT room, Bryan shifts to the other side of the door and walks in, making sure the door doesn't slam with one hand.

[Kallisti]

Inside the office, a sign hangs over a modest desk. SSAT HQ--Minipax--Division #17b. A tired looking woman looks up from the papers strewn across the desk as you all enter. "Hello. You must be the officers from Piety. Seargeant Vichett was telling me to expect you just a moment ago. Is there something I can do for you? I take it you'll be wanting to talk to the Seargeant."

[Milskidasith]

Bryan eyes the woman, and begins to speak with a nice smile on his face. He was home, and he was happy, but there was just a slight, nearly imperceptible twinge in his smile that indicated it was more routine than out of genuine care, or at least more routine than most smiles were. Still, he spoke in such a polite way he thought it would be hard to feel as if he was anything but glad.

If you could prepare a room for us, madam, that would be wonderful; we had a difficult day, and though I can't speak for my allies, I am certainly quite drained. We will, of course, speak with the Sergeant before resting.

[Kallisti]

"Of course, sir. There are pocketrooms available, and the Seargeant's office is right this way." With that, she stands up and leads you all off a hallway to the left of the desk.

[Eurus]

Mirra, still battered and bruised, can't quite muster a smile, but manages to at least stop looking so aggravated. "Thank you, ma'am," is the officer's reply as she follows Bryan into the sergeant's office.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Affecting more nonchalance than he feels, Aldric follows the woman with a spring in his step and a grin on his face

Come on, folks, perk up; it'll be a quick debrief and then we can get some shut-eye.

[Milskidasith]

Hello, Sergeant?
stealth bump.

[Kallisti]

A short way down the hall is a plain door with 'Seargeant Vichett' hand-lettered onto the wood. When you open the door, a short man sitting at a desk looks up. "Ah, you're here. Excellent. Well, then. Seargeant Murphy has already sent me a short briefing on your mission. I have heard reports of some unusual activity in the Utility Quarter. Care to elaborate on that?"

[Eurus]

With the practiced tone of someone used to explaining unusual occurrences, Mirra begins. "Yes, sir. We found a tiefling, Mr. Inesares, wandering around aimlessly on our way to the city. He was... disoriented, and claimed to have been tricked and stranded by Mr. Jack Narron of CrimeThInc."

Pausing for a moment, she collects her thoughts and continues. "On his person, we found a business card, presumably planted there by Mr. Narron. Using the enchantment on the card to send a message, we attempted to trick Mr. Narron or an accomplice of his into meeting with us. Unfortunately, it seems that he was a step ahead," here she is unable to fully hide a scowl, "and when we met with him, we found ourselves attacked by some sort of elemental swarm disguised as Narron."

Obviously disappointed in herself, Mirra shakes her head to clear it. "I don't think that Narron was honestly interested in killing us, or he would have sent a stronger force and probably demanded to meet somewhere outside the city. I doubt that even he would think that one creature like that would be enough to take down a squad of SSATs, knowing that we would be prepared for a fight. But I'm sure he planted that card expecting that it would fall into the hands of the law. I believe he was trying to send us a warning or threat of some sort."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Aldric shrugs.

That, or he wanted to be able to crush whoever found the card like a bug (with a bunch of elemental bugs, ha ha), but wasn't expectin' a full team to come along. Much as I'd love to think it was our quick thinking and amazing tactics that saved the day, I doubt we won from anything other than Narron's lack of foresight.

[Kallisti]

The Seargeant shakes his head. "That's Narron for you. The man delights in playing tricks of all kinds. Bastard. Sounds like he knew the authorities would find the card, and sent a poppet with a summoned creature inside to the meeting. Tell me, did you find an anchor of some sort in the remains of the poppet? What he used might help us figure out what your 'swarm of elemental bugs' is."

[Eurus]

Mirra seems suddenly embarrassed. "We... weren't really in a condition to search the remains. Whatever it was, it was dangerous enough that we decided we were best off retreating while our spells finished it off. The 'remains' should still be lying in the street, actually."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Does the "anchor" have to be somethin' physical? 'Cause it kept repeating this rhyme over and over, in its thoughts as "Narron" and out loud when it was a swarm of bugs. Somethin' about wind rising and waves....

[Nathan W]

"Tonight the winds begin to rise, the rooks are blown about the skies, the sails fill, waves toss and sweep, raise liquid mountains and something the deep, I think." Raven says.

[Kallisti]

"Tonight the winds begin to rise/The rooks are blown about the skies/The sails fill, waves toss and sweep/Raise liquid mountains and disclose the deep? Was that it? That's not good. That's really, really not good..."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Aldric squints and mouths it to himself.

"...the deep" Yeah, that was it. Sounds like you've run into this guy before.

[Kallisti]

"Narron's bad news. Really bad news. He's a damn annoying trickster, and he has the mojo to back it up. Seriously, the man's a magical genius. He's pulled crap that even the Committee couldn't figure out. We assumed the CrimeThInc activity here was the work of an isolated cell. If Narron himself is here in Hopefulness, we're sunk. That poem is the first stanza of Storm on the Horizon, by Jack Narron. It's a warning..."

[Eurus]

Mirra smirks wryly. "He wrote a poem? That's... actually not very surprising."

[Milskidasith]

Bryan scowls for a second, seeing this as unimportant, but then begins to smile and chat politely again.

So he's a poet. What of it? I mean, while it may be a very nice poem for all I know, I don't see it as something to be worried about in and of itself. He can clearly use sending messages, and since we already heard he was in this city, who's to say he hasn't left already?

[Nathan W]

"Murphy’s law" Raven says. He then turns to Vichett, "And what’s the rest of the poem?"

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Aldric chuckles.

I didn't know Sarge invented a law...but anyway, I'd like to hear the poem as well.

[Kallisti]

"The next verse runs 'Torn and bleeding we all fall/Answering the storm winds' call/Red run rivers, winds and sands/The prophet weeps, for he understands/Prophet's vision ends, but dread runs on/The wise fool sees the future, past and gone...' The poem only gets grimmer from there. It's about a prophet who sees a great and terrible storm coming, a storm that will destroy everything. When he tells people this news, they laugh and jeer and call him mad. Then the storm comes and they all die. Narron usually writes pretty light-hearted stuff, or at least nothing that ends with everyone dying. This was the last poem he wrote before he disappeared."

[Milskidasith]

Interesting, and a bit morbid. So what's next? We need to rest first, and then finding Narron is an objective, but I'm not really sure if we have anywhere to start. It wouldn't hurt to find information on the elementals he sent at us, either.

[Kallisti]

"Well, do you have the anchor?"

[Milskidasith]

Well, the anchor was either the poem, or the clothes it was wearing. They should still be at the scene, dispenser 13a, I believe.

[Kallisti]

"The poem appears to be a message, although it could be part of the anchor. So there should be a physical anchor, too. I'll send someone to go look. Thank you. You may go."

[Eurus]

Mirra nods, and exits the room with the sergeant's permission. "Alright, let's get some rest. Can't chase down thought-criminals if we're tired."

[Kallisti]

When you all exit the room, the receptionist is waiting for you, holding out a small brass disk. You recognize it, of course--a pocketroom, extradimensional hotel suite that fits in the palm of your hand.

[Eurus]

Sparing only a quick nod of thanks for the receptionist, Mirra activates the pocketroom, sighing in relief at a chance to rest off her injuries.

[Kallisti]

A mechanical, clockwork whirring emerges from the room, and you find yourselves in the family room of a fairly luxurious suite--obviously the Seargeant decided you deserved to be pampered a little. The walls are a creamy white stone, the cielings are high, arched, and made of highly polished brass, shining like a golden flame. The walls are hung with tasteful portraits of pastoral scenes, and even the inescapable Party posters are beautifully-woven. Oaken doors stand up against the walls. It's a pretty standard first-class suite model 12 pocketroom, although the decorations are nonstandard.

[Milskidasith]

Nice pad. Now let's sleep.

Bryan finds the nearest bed to lie down on, and, without even bothering to take off his armor, lies down. He needed his rest to better serve the party and regain his power after spending so much on that pointless fight.

[Eurus]

Mirra whistles approvingly. "And they say the Party doesn't appreciate its field officers..."

She finds a bed of her own and gently eases herself into it, taking care not to aggravate the bruises that Narron's "prank" left on her. She is asleep within moments, and dreaming of trees.

[Nathan W]

These decorations are ... odd
Take 20 on a search check and get 31

[Kallisti]

These decorations are ... odd
Take 20 on a search check and get 31

...ok? You search the hotel room:smallconfused:?

There's a suite of spacious bedrooms--two with double beds, three with single beds, and one with two seperate single beds. There's a bathroom, with a nice brass bathtub. There's a kitchen, with a Create Food And Water trap, as well as cooking supplies for those who prefer to do it themselves. There's a family room with chairs, a table, and the Party posters, as well as the mirror for the Mirrorcast. And there's a 'Bible'--the Principles of Happiness, the Party's handbook to living--in the drawer of the small table between the two single beds that share a room.

Also, behind one of the portraits is a small catch. It looks like it might be the trigger for an opening mechanism...That's it.

[Milskidasith]

OoC: Can we please just timeskip past the sleeping part? I seriously doubt the SSAT would trap their own rooms, or anything interesting would happen (and if it did, timeskip to then, not now.)

[Kallisti]

OoC: Can we please just timeskip past the sleeping part? I seriously doubt the SSAT would trap their own rooms, or anything interesting would happen (and if it did, timeskip to then, not now.)

Well, apparently I was right to wait, since other people had things to do. Even if those 'things' were meticulously searching a hotel room for traps or secret doors...

But sure. Timeskip.

That night, the hunters slept deeply and untroubled, the sleep of the just. The morning, however, came far too soon for most of them. You awakened, groggy but rested, to the sound of the Mirrorcast, the announcer's strident voice booming out. "Citizens! Today our brave soldiers located and destroyed an ancient temple of Dagon in the lakes of Bytopia, cutting off a supply line to our foes in the Far Realm! Victory in the Far Realms is near!"

As you filtered into the family room to watch it, though, they noticed something odd, something very worrying. Over the night, someone had defaced the mirror. There was a poem, written in deep blue ink, over the announcer's face:
Softly swishing sibilance
Sinks us into a somnolent trance
Deep in the Dreamlord's arms we lie
Dreaming dreams as dreams go by

Drowsy perfume's sweet aroma
Wraps us in a gentle coma
Murmering voices seem to say
"Mr. Sandman comes this way..."

Will saves! The plot thickens! See plot thicken! Thicken, plot, thicken! Jane sees plot thicken.

[Milskidasith]

Will saves... Grr...

[roll0]

[Kallisti]

Will saves... Grr...

[roll0]

Bryan feels sleep fall over him, eyes growing heavy and mind beginning to soar and flash between flickering dreams, but he pulls himself awake...barely.

You made the Will save! Congratulations, you are only fatigued instead of asleep.

[Eurus]

Oh dear...

[roll0]

[Nathan W]

will save [roll0]

[Kallisti]

Oh dear...

[roll0]

You are fatigued, but awake.


will save [roll0]

You are down on the floor, thrashing and murmuring in your sleep. You're having a very vivid nightmare of wandering through a twisting maze of mirrors, knowing you're so lost you'll never escape, knowing that there's something in there with you, getting closer and closer, and you run until you can run no more...

[Milskidasith]

Bryan tilts his head forward, before slowly bringing it back up, looking around.

That's not a... good sign, is it? Stay up guys, c'mon!

[Eurus]

With as much alertness as her suddenly weary state allows, Mirra leaps to her feet, whips the menacingly-glowing gun out from under her mattress, and fires a bullet into the mirror, spewing a caustic stream of profanities directed (mostly) at Narron in the process.

"What the hell?! He's not satisfied chasing us off with his minion, now he's hexing us in the SSAT headquarters?"

[Kallisti]

The bullet rings forth in a burst of steam, shattering the mirror. Th annoncer's face disappears into blackness as a thousand tiny shards of glass hit the floor. The sound of drums is now so loud, it sounds like the wingbeats of a dozen dragons flying in unison. And then the ink on the shards begins to glow...

(I'll give you guys time for some quick reactions and see if PairO'Dice is around, then post what's next. I think I may have to DMPC PairO'Dice and Aneantir, since you don't want to face this battle with missing members...)

[Eurus]

Mirra's cursing quickly fades, and is replaced by an "oh-my-Big-Brother-is-that-my-fault" expression of shock. That, in turn, is smothered by the instinct to get behind something. A nightstand is quickly flipped over to serve this purpose, and Mirra yells as she ducks behind it. "Wake up, moron!"


Initiative, for when you need it (casting Nerveskitter):
[roll0]

[Milskidasith]

OoC: I'm assuming I had time to manifest a power, no? That would be my reaction to danger. If not... well Bleh.

As the bullet rings out, Bryan instinctively begins to concentrate, making sure he was prepared for whatever would come next. A red glow surrounded him for a second, replaced by a translucent sheen over his armor.

Bryan was not overly concerned with the attack. Narron was bold, surely, but he would not be able to defeat the SSAT at their own headquarters. He would make sure of that.

Everybody, I'd recommend you start preparing for combat now. Narron will not take our headquarters, and he will not be able to touch Big Brother.

OoC:

Manifesting Defensive Precognition.

[Kallisti]

OoC: I'm assuming I had time to manifest a power, no? That would be my reaction to danger. If not... well Bleh.

As the bullet rings out, Bryan instinctively begins to concentrate, making sure he was prepared for whatever would come next. Narron was bold, surely, but he would not be able to defeat the SSAT at their own headquarters.

Everybody, I'd recommend you start preparing for combat now. Narron will be stopped here, and for good.

Yeah, you have one round, roughly.

[Milskidasith]

Well, I edited in my actual manfiesting.

As for initiative:

[roll0]

EDIT: Oh, and I'm backing away thirty feet while still maintaining LoS to the screen.

EDIT X2: Wait, there are guns in this setting?

[Kallisti]

Initiatives:

Raven: [roll0]
Colby: [roll1]
Aldric: [roll2]
Tall, Dark Stranger: [roll3]
Morphine Fairies: [roll4]

Will saves:
Colby: [roll5]
Aldric: [roll6]

The drums stop. The silence rolls over the room like a cloud of sand, and you hear a faint sound, like wind blowing through the windows of your nice, warm bedroom. Nice, warm bed...sleep...Oh, Tippy, I'm tired--

--Some of you fight it off, barely. Those still standing see him--a tall, pale man with black hair, standing in the place where the mirror was. Tin creatures, like fireflies, flit and dart about his head. He whispers "Sweet life...sweet dreams...sweet dreams to eat" and starts to glide towards you. His edges shift and blur crazily, and his footsteps echo, distant drums summoning you away to Slumberland.

Init order:
Eurus
Aldric (Asleep)
Morphine Fairies
Colby
Raven (Asleep)
Tall, Dark Stranger
Bryan

[Eurus]

From her position behind the toppled nightstand, Mirra points her gun at the pale man, holding it with one hand while the other retrieves a small handfull of dried insect bodies from her spell component pouch. Ignoring the inherent repulsion of the act, she crushes the wasps in her empty hand, and a stream of sparking, crackling energy lances from her gun toward the man. As soon as she shoots, she ducks down again.

Casting Sting Ray on the Tall, Dark Stranger.

[roll0]

If it hits, the target takes a -2 penalty to AC for the next 3 rounds. Also, if he fails a DC 16 will save he is restricted to only a single move or standard action each round and must make a concentration check to cast spells (DC 16 + spell level). He can reattempt the will save each round to negate the action restriction and concentration checks, but will take the AC penalty regardless.

[Kallisti]

The ray lances over his head, and he continues to advance unchecked.

Aldric tosses and turns on the floor, whimpering quietly.

Two small flickers dart forth from the stranger's robes, streaking straight towards Mirra...then vanish.

[Eurus]

Well then, Mirra curses and ends her turn. :smallredface:

[Kallisti]

Aldric tosses and turns on the floor, whimpering quietly.

Two small flickers dart forth from the stranger's robes, streaking straight towards Mirra...then vanish.

[Milskidasith]

Wait, isn't it the morphine fairies turn now?

[Kallisti]

Wait, isn't it the morphine fairies turn now?

They went. They were the flickers. However, I spaced out and forgot that I'm DMPCing Colby.

[Kallisti]

Colby charges the Tall, Dark Stranger.

Attack roll:
[roll0]
Damage:
[roll1]
My roll of mysteries:
[roll2]

His axe slams into its chest, leaving a sizeable gash.

[Kallisti]

Raven twitches asleep on the floor.

The Tall, Dark Stranger moves up to Bryan and trys to grab him with its wicked claws.

Attack: [roll0] touch.
Grapple check: [roll1]

Roll opposed grapple if it hits, which I doubt it does, and let's see if it gets to do its stuff...

[Milskidasith]

Even against my flat footed AC (which, since I got to buff, I don't think I use) that misses.

Bryan steps aside from the clumsy blow of the Dark Stranger, heading somewhat backwards as he went. As he does, the smell of burnt flesh hangs in the air, as a red glow surrounds Bryan. It focuses on his hands, which he thrusts out, palms together. A roar is heard, and a fireball comes out of his hands.

Let's see how you like this one, bastard.

Rolls:

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Kallisti]

Roll power penetration.

[Milskidasith]

[roll0]

C'mon...

[Kallisti]

You penetrate.
[roll0]

Your fireball lashes out, hits him...and goes right through. His hazy borders flicker and dance triumphantly as the power smashes into the wall behind him.

[Eurus]

Mirra winces as her ray misses and Bryan's passes right through it. Taking a deep breath, she unleashes two spells in rapid succession, riding the wake of one right into the next. With unnaturally steady hands, she retrains her gun on the monster again and fires, this time a vivid blue ray of light.

Without even waiting to see if she hit, the SSAT then immediately leaps onto Raven's bed, hoping to wake him up.

Mirra will use Cycle Synchronization and Suffix Spell to attempt to cast two spells in one turn. Provided she makes a DC 13 concentration check, she will cast True Strike first and immediately follow it with a Seeking Ray spell. If she happens to fail, she loses the spell slot for True Strike and wastes her daily use of Suffix Spell.

[roll0]
[roll1] -- will ignore concealment and anything less than total cover.
[roll2]
[roll3] -- Electricity damage

[Kallisti]

Mirra's ray slams into the Stranger's chest. It looks up, annoyed.

Aldric is still out.

You don't see the Morphine Fairies.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
Hmmm...interesting. Mirra, spot check. And Fort save.

Colby hits it with his axe.
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]

Raven is still out.

[Kallisti]

The axe comes down on the stranger, which hisses in annoyance and turns to Colby. "That. HURT!" Its eyes begin to glow with a reddish light.

[roll0]

[Eurus]

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Kallisti]

[roll0]
[roll1]

You cannot see it. You cannot feel it. But you know it's there...

...Morphine Fairies are a fun little pest.

[Milskidasith]

Again, a wave of red light shines over Bryan, centering in his hands. The sounds of burning wood could be heard, and the smell of burning hair was in the air. He launched another fireball at the creature, glowing just as brightly as the first one.

Damnable creature, I will send you to the plane of dreams, forcibly.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Eurus]

As Bryan launches his fireball, Mirra fires a small sphere of pure ice, which veers completely off-track to burst harmlessly against the wall.

Lesser Orb of Cold
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2] Spending an inspiration point if it connects to add intelligence to damage.

[Kallisti]

As the twin spheres of fire and ice streak over its head, the Stranger laughs, manical and disturbing, bells of madness pealing forth at midnight.

Aldric is still out.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
Mirra, spot check.

Colby:
[roll3]

[Kallisti]

Colby stares at the Stranger and mutters "We are all one..."

Raven is still out.

The stranger turns back to Bryan and tries to grab him.

[roll0] touch.

Grapple if it hits, which it doesn't: [roll1]

[Eurus]

[roll0] White text...

[Kallisti]

[roll0] White text...

Hey, those look suspiciously like tiny needle marks on your arm...

[Milskidasith]

*Same fluff text (with a five foot step)*

Dammit, I just wanted to kill you. Is that so much to ask?

[roll0] Attack
[roll1] Damage
[roll2] PR
[roll3] Concealment

[Eurus]

Now extraordinarily irritated, and slightly worried by the pinpricks on her arm, Mirra searches her mind but finds herself unable to manage another damaging spell right now. Instead she settles for firing an ordinary bullet, and hurriedly rushes to the other side of the room in hopes of dodging her invisible assailants.

So, let's try a good old-fashioned shooting.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2] -- using an inspiration point on damage if the bullet hits.

[Kallisti]

Don't waste your inspiration point-once the bullet strikes the Stranger, it turns to glare at you. "YOU! You...I...Damn you, Narron. Sixty centuries of life, and you send me to be slain by children..." It disperses then.

Aldric is still asleep.

Two tiny flickers of light dart from Mirra, and form into tiny forms in white coats, holding minute syringes. One of them examines the tatters of the Stranger. "He's dead. We surrender."

[Milskidasith]

Excellent. Will you come with us willingly? If so, I would like to take you to the medical ward; I have not seen creatures of your kind before, and you would be most interesting to study, I think.

Bryan smiled. It wasn't quite normal, but a rehab was a rehab... He was sure they could find what made the fairies tick and get them back to stop thinking Crimethoughts.

OoC: Since inspiration points are per encounter, it really doesn't matter if she uses it, because, well, it's back for the next encounter.

[Kallisti]

"Of course we'll come quietly. You defeated Sandman Fragment 1265-23564a. We wouldn't have a prayer."

Roll Sense Motive.

[Eurus]

Mirra appears somewhat surprised by the Stranger's long-awaited death, and slowly lowers her gun. "...Huh. Leave it to a piece of metal to do what a spell couldn't."

Self-consciously rubbing her needle-pierced arms, she gives the two faeries a glare. "Do you? Well in that case, why don't you tell us where Narron is?"

[Milskidasith]

Saying roll sense motive isn't a good sign.

[roll0]

[Kallisti]

"Mr. Narron makes his abode in Unsurveyed Demiplane #645345342-6566456 sigma."

They have no intention of coming quietly to get mindraped. You can hear the fear. They're gonna bolt.

[Eurus]

(And I doubt we can stop them, what with the invisibility thing...)

Mirra frowns at the accurate-but-useless answer. "How about this. You help us get to him -- or at the very least, his lackeys -- and we don't hunt you down when you run."

[Milskidasith]

Bryan begins laughing heartily, smiling, looking for all the world like somebody who was amused. Suddenly, he stops, and glares at the creatures, his voice full of anger and contempt.

You pathetic creatures thought you could lie to me; lie to Big Brother! You will come with us, or it will be far worse for you when you are caught. You will be happy, and free to do as you please if you come with us, but if you take one step to flee you will die, and be revived as a mindless slave for all eternity, serving no purpose besides being a stain on the Arena walls. Now, I would like you to reconsider your decision.

Diplomacy: [roll0]

Crap, that's a terrible roll. >_<

Readying an action to blast one as soon as they try anything, by the way.

[Kallisti]

There are two of the little creatures--a man and a woman. The man smirks.
As if you could catch us. But you know what? We'd love to help you get Narron. He summoned us away from our very important work on Project Oneiros to serve as his lackeys and assassins, he bound and compelled us with blood and bread and honey and charms, he took away our notes and our dignity. But we don't know how to access his demiplane. We know the portal's in the city sewers, we know it has several wards, and we know there are other portals. Not where they are, though. But Narron would never have only one entrance or exit to his demiplane.

[Eurus]

Mirra seems to accept this answer, more or less. She doubted Narron would let everything he sent to kill them have knowledge of his defensive measures, after all. "I see. They must be warded pretty well, too, if they haven't been picked up by divinations yet."

Sighing, she glanced at the frame that once housed the mirror. "Hey, I don't suppose you know how Narron got to us this time, do you? Does he have a backdoor into the Plane of Mirrors?"

[Kallisti]

"Actually, yes. Mr. Narron uses Mirror #23 of Constellation #16563 delta to access Mirror. By the way, I reccommend you restrain your friend with the axe. Quickly."

The female fairy looks up at Mirra and speaks in a tiny, whispery voice. "...Miss? You need the antidote soon." She proffers you a tiny syringe.

[Eurus]

Mirra rolls her eyes. "Well, at least we know that now. Anyway, what's this Project Onieros? How many secret projects can there be at one time, anyway?"

[Milskidasith]

Bryan smiles, again being polite. If you hadn't heard his outburst, you would think he was a perfectly calm, reasonable man, and in fact, his outbursts were always more calculated than out of any real rage.

Hmm... what do you think, Mirra? Should we just destroy the mirror, or get some wizards to rig traps up to it? Narron may be a genius, but with some stealth to his personal mirror it's possible we could trap whatever comes through without letting him know, at least for a while.

[Kallisti]

"Project Oneiros, ma'am, is highly classified. You'll just have to live with the not knowing, won't you?"

The woman shoots him a glare. "...Oneiros is the perfect blend of the real and the imaginary--a living story, housed in a golem. Incredibly powerful. Almost unstoppable, really. Research is still ongoing. The poison in our syringes was developed as part of the project."

[Milskidasith]

So his plan is to make an incredibly powerful golem? Do you know any more details, or is that about it?

[Eurus]

Mirra finds herself reminded of how much she dislikes fey. And men, for that matter. "A living... story?"

To Bryan, she responds with a shrug. "Knowing Narron, the only thing coming out of that mirror would be a cream pie filled with hellwasps or something. If my impression of him so far is accurate, he loves to think he's smarter than other people, and he'd love nothing better than for us to do the obvious and stumble right into another one of his tricks. If it seems obvious, it's probably obvious to him, too..."

[Kallisti]

"He? Narron? Oh, no. Narron is completely ignorant of Oneiros. Weren't you listening when I said it's classified? We weren't about to tell that meddler. You seem to have him pegged, little lady--Narron loves to think he's brilliant. Problem is, the bastard's brilliant."

[Eurus]

Mirra seems taken aback by this comment. "So you weren't summoned specifically because of Project Onieros, it was just a coincidence? That's odd..."