Secret of mana IC thread

[Toliudar]

"Sounds like it's time for some shopping, and perhaps some provisioning up. Who wants to come?"

Since the words "rabite" and "horseback" should only be used together in a sentence like "I gathered up these roses, and delivered them to my beautiful rabite girlfriend on horseback," Coney sets about seeking out a small, rugged cart and horse that she could buy for the trip to Ferolia. She arranges to stock it with food enough to last them a month, if need be.

While shopping, she checked in with the diviner who had, a month or so ago, given her some insights into the nature of the Dark Rabite, to see if anything more had been learned.

[Aegis013]

Jahn responds to Ken's inquiry "From the stories I've heard, it's a dangerous wilderness where the strong rule the weak and things may not be what they seem. The sources aren't first hand accounts, but I don't think it's the type of place to stop for an afternoon tea."

[Toliudar]

Coney nods sagely at Jahn's added wisdom, then smiles.

"Well, on behalf of the weak, I say we try to change that, just a tiny bit!"

[Ridai]

Thaum thanks the people informing them about Ferolia. On the topic of getting there and the most likely dangerous wilderness once there, getting around is an actual concern. Cutting down on the travel time might also be of interest. Thaum puts a finger to his lips in thought for a moment.

"Say, are you familiar with runestaves? They are akin to spell templates a magician can infuse with their own mana to evoke specific spells as if they had been learned or prepared. As the travel time appears quite significant and horses may be in quite severe danger in Ferolia, perhaps we could see if we can acquire a runestaff with a template to create mana construct mounts traveling at much higher speeds. Or at least the local approximation to the standardized spell of ethereal mount in the Altenan system." The good old Altenan system. Ever a good resource for quick reference, shorthands, and mana-based comparison. "My mana is no longer compatible to the staves, sadly, lacking the access to the eight mana variants, however you, Coney, should be able to both harness a runestaff template, and possess the necessary power to weave the spell. The staff will be costly, however. A rough estimation puts it at a market value of around 8000. On the other hand, it also does not run out of uses, as the magician provides the energy."

[Toliudar]

Coney blinks a few times.

"Goodness. You know more about my magic than I do! Well, we can see if anything like that exists here in town."

[Ridai]

"To be fair, I have an academic education on the subject of spellcasting, it ought to come in useful every now and then, or I would be a little cross over the time spent studying." In addition to being very cross over events back home for different reasons. "I believe I saw a suitable business yesterday." And said business may also add to his mental catalogue what settlements carry Twinklebottom Originals, succumbing to the pressure of nonsensical high magos society demand.

[Aegis013]

"Ah, a blessing of knowledge from the wise and educated Thaum. I've been on some doozies of adventures and I can tell, you know your stuff. If that runestaff doohickey is what we need, I may be able to assist us in acquisition." Jahn pulls out a heavy coin purse. "Not quite 8,000 though, I'm afraid."

[Toliudar]

Coney nods, and gestures for Jahn to keep his cash for the moment.

"Let's see whether this business Thaum saw actually has one of these things first. If so, we'll find a fair way to split the cost."

[Alhallor]

Not only has the shop not a single Twinklebottom scroll, the somewhat bulky guy behind the counter who currently seems to sort out scales. When you come in he says: "Ah the healer. How can I help you?" He tells you after a short description of what you need. "Ay, I have something like that. An Altenan mage ordered the exact same thing. But I had it in my warehouse for almost a year and he hasn't contacted me back about it. You can have it."

[Ridai]

To Thaum's surprise, he finds he is known as "the healer" by now, in the Holy City of Wendel of all places. Fortunately, a staff like they are looking for is available, so Thaum counts and places the money on the counter. "Ah, perfect, thank you very much." Still, what was that? "An Altenan mage, you say?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Thaum is putting the money down to make the scene less fussy, but he will pay 2.6k so everyone else's 1k pays for the rest of the total 6.6k for the 2/day ethereal mount and 3/day fly.

[Toliudar]

Coney contributes to the purchase price, and delicately holds up the staff in a single ear, waving it around experimentally. She sends a spark of energy in, and feels a flood of magical wisdom flood back to her.

"Ooh! This will be fun. Do you have any mroe shopping to do, guys? Because I'm hankering to give this a spin now."

[Ridai]

"I believe I am prepared." Given Thaum provides for himself in his travels, it is difficult for him not to be prepared.

[Aegis013]

Jahn feels his coin purse, now relieved of the vast majority of its weight "Seems I'll be traveling just a smidge lighter this time. No more shopping for me, I'm ready to see what awaits us next." The bard flashes his teeth, his characteristic beaming smile almost twinkling in the sunlight.

[Toliudar]

Once the others are ready, Coney virtually bounds out of Wendel, eager to try out her new toy. Once they're well out of the city limits and unlikely to be disturbed on the side of the road, Coney turns to the others.

"Let's see. Something in a soothing pastel for me. An iridescent blue one to match Thaum's hair. Racing stripes, Jahn? I thought so. And perhaps something a little more subdued for Larimar. Ken, what's your favourite colour.

"Now, be patient. I think that this is going to take a while."

Holding the staff carefully in both ears. Coney begins a slow, sonorous chant. After a while, five horses, coloured and styled to everyone's specifications, rise up out of the grass like a summer mist. Coney hops onto a lavendar coloured one that has a kind of bowl-shaped depression in it, perfect for a rabite body.

"Now, this isn't quite as fast as a cannon, but it'll likely be faster than anything else you've ridden. Steer with your mind, not with your hands, and away we go!"

She literally hops onto her 'horse'.

[Alhallor]

The magic-merchant to Thaum: "Yes, I'm quite sure. He contacted me with a spell and was quite certain about what he wanted. He said his name was Archon Archealis or something."

Spoiler: Thaum

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you know Archon Archealis as an important figure in the mage counsils of Altena. Though with what you know he may just... Forget such a relatively minor thing. For him.

"Though he never contacted me back or anything. And after a year after finishing it, I don't feel bad selling it to you."

Outside of Wendel Coney funnels her spellpower into the staff and after the casting of the spell the slightly translucent horses rise out of the ground. They are to the specifications of Coney's spell, but are a weird look. When stared at it a bit, they move slightly, like they shake they're heads a little, or snort. But it seems almost staged, slightly exagerrated. And that they are slightly above ground doesn't really help that much either.

When you're actually get on your horses it feels weird. Like you're sitting more on a chair then on a real substantial horse. There is no breathing and no warmth from the ethereal Body that has taken the form of an animal. When the horses move, you feel yourself moving, but the usual up and down from a normal horse is missing here too.

The land moves around you and you soon leave the farms surrounding Wendel behind you, the wide road is ahead of you and you ride past some small huts, sometimes a group of pilgrims or someone with a cart is on the same road as you and other then a short greeting you trade nothing with your fellow travelers of the road. The ethereal horses are not distracted by the need to eat nor are they're interested in the other travelers. Tirelessly they eat mile after mile it may almost seem like they won't stop they're movement ever, but after a certain time even the most potent spell may end and they slowly fade away while you softly glide to the ground.

You can spend the night in a small abandoned cabin. One of the inns or stophouses that were once lucrative when the borders to Ferolia were opened, but lay now abandoned on the road. The old house seems almost happy when it's inhabitated by some live again.

The next day the horses rise from the ground again. They still seem kind of otherwordly but it seems you're slowly getting used to they're strange state of being.

In the middle of your second traveling day you reach the borderÂ… And what a border it is.

The road has become worse for the wear, the farther you traveled and it's been reduced to some rubble strewn about. Not that this really hinder your horses after all. The light forest opens up to an open field, that is strewn with a lot of clean-picked bones. Different wooden shields or Stone slabs are also strewn about, with messages in different languages that all roughly say the same. "Keep out." "No one allowed." "Enter and your safety can not be guaranteed." They're is no smell of decay in the air and by closer inspection none of the bones seem human.

After the field of bones (it's roughly 120 feet across) you can see a forest that seems to be unnaturaly plunged into darkness.

Spoiler: OOC

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I didn't wanted to cut you out of travel RP. I just thought I fast-forward to the next stop. If you want to make any special preparations you can do so now and then you discover the horrors wonders of Moonlight forest.

[Ridai]

Thaum sighs, two long fingers massaging his temple. "I see several thousands worth of arcane artifice are but a paltry bauble to an Archon." No appreciation for good craftsmanship. "Should the original buyer do contact you again about the staff, feel free to direct him to me, should that save you trouble or inconvenience." Making up for Altenan misbehavior, at least a little. Goddess knows there is plenty wrong in his homeland.

---------------------

"That sounds lovely," Thaum says in response to Coney's color choice for his ethereal horse. As she begins the spellweaving, the healer quietly comments "You may be pleased to hear that due to the smoothness of the ride and the quasi-real nature of the mounts, I have not heard of a single case of saddle sores caused by riding them. Granted, such a detail is rare to find in arcane research, as many mages prefer more well-cushioned means of ground-based travel than horseback, or avoid traveling at all, so many do not even know such an ailment can happen. There was, however, a quite notable account on the matter by a far-travelling Altenan witch knight, one Laurelia Cargaris, whose comparisons and praises between various mundane saddles upon various animals and phantom steeds were as in-depth as they were colorful. Most certainly the definitive literature on this small family of spells."

Once the mounts appear, Thaum "saddles up", though it feels more like he is sitting on a cloud (though Laurelia once put it as "a throne of the most heavenly floating silks for my magnificent posterior"), briefly testing the mental commands, then they are off to Ferolia. As the wind whips past them, Thaum's hair flows in it, more slowly than it perhaps should, looking like sea waves.

--------------------

At the Ferolian border, the warnings were more than clear. They would be intruders on the beastmen's land. Still, it cannot be helped. The sheer loss of life on display saddens the healer, however there also must have been a reason why the beastmen closed their borders (or at least do not welcome foreign travellers anymore).

No way but forward, in search of the settlement.

[Toliudar]

On the morning that they are to reach Ferolia, Coney again completes the ritual that binds Naberius to her, feeling the pompous git settle on her like an old friend. Today, though, she annoys her old friend by pushing him away from her core just a bit, the better to channel his energy elsewhere.

As someone who had the shape for neither horseback nor most chairs, Coney found the ethereal horse an absolute revelation.

"I may never get off of this thing. I think I may sleep on one. I can use it's disappearance as a wake up call."

The signs of warning do little to deter the cheerful Coney.

"I am a rabite. Creatures have been preying on my people for our entire existence, and no one has ever guaranteed my safety before. Let's go."

Passing over the bones, she experiments with changing her appearance to better fit in with the anticipated locals. She tried for a while to create a scaled-down version of Rina in her lion/person form, but Coney decided that she couldn't get the arms quite right. How did these people deal with appendages that only bent certain ways, and only when they felt like it? It was just awkward. Eventually, she settled into the shape of an unkempt and battle-scarred lynx. Not particularly threatening, perhaps, but less obviously snack-like.

Spoiler: OOC

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Today, Coney binds Naberius (as usual) but uses Exploit Vestige to swap out his ability to use a couple of skills untrained for an extra 4th level spell slot.

The shapechanging is just using Naberius Disguise Self ability.

[kinem]

Ken asks for a green force? 'horse', and enjoys the strange ride along with the others. He has ridden on real horses before, of course, but not enough to have become skilled at it. This is certainly easier, but ... strange.

He says "Strangely enough, when I was twelve years old, I had much the same signs on the door to my room. I think they stole my stuff!"

[WindStruck]

"Well, a horse is a horse," Larimar says as he takes a mount for himself. When the ethereal steed takes off, however, he quickly changes his mind. The scenery practically blurs by, tough for even his chobin senses to make sense of, but the ride was impeccably smooth.

Once everyone reaches the entrance to Ferolia, he looks at the signs almost with a sneer. "Sheesh, technically no one's safety is guaranteed... but I think that would be splitting hairs over semantics. Well at least we aren't spitting hares over some camp pits."

He pauses a bit waiting for some groans and continues, "Well, the message is clear. Keep out, or you're gonna be sorry. So, um. Anyone want to take bets how long it takes until we get ambushed? Maybe I should get this mage armor going now..."

[Toliudar]

Coney

The rabite dressed as a cat stiffens noticeably when Larimar jokes about spitting hares - clearly, a nerve has been touched - but quickly recovers.

"Yes, I'd certainly recommend we protect ourselves as we're able. If your armour wears out, let me know - I'm happy to share."

She drifts forward on her mount.

[Alhallor]

When you approach closer to the wall of forest before you, it doesn't seem that intimidating. It's the beginning of a dense forest, there is a lot of underbrush but Larimar can make out something of a dirt track, that kinda protects you from the worst of it.

The plantlife is wildly different and individual trees and shrubt stay side by side. There are some enormous white trees that let they're branches sink towards the ground, where you have to duck to not walk into the branches (or in Larimar's and Coney's case just continue walking).

They're are different bushes that either host some big green lumps (you see something akin to a dragonfly as long as Ken's forearm brushing past it and the lump explodes in a hundred of black seeds that spray wildly and seem to burrow itself on the canopy and some of your clothes.) And other that house some kind of white flowers with golden stripes that exudes an almost intoxicating sweet smell. A swarm of insects seem to always accompany a congregation of these flowers.

Gradually (but still way to fast) It get's darker and when you look up the starry night sky is hanging above you and moonlight filters in silvery rays down on the ground of the forest.

You some small animals, akin to black-furred squirrels jumping from tree to tree, catching insects or collecting the fruits of the forest.

Firefly's do they're part of illuminating the scenery of mighty trees stretching they're branches, of wild flowers blooming untouched by a gardener and the insect and wildlife that has made the moonlight forest they're home.

Spoiler: Thaum, Larimar, Coney

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The Transition is not as aprupt like in the four-season forest, instead it seems more gradual, though the outcome still seems extreme.

Spoiler: Ken

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The woods are different then the elven ones at home. They're you can see the ordering hands of a druid or a priest of the dryad to keep the whole forest in the best of health. Here it seems nature is totally left open to it's course and some plants seem excessive while others seem to lack nourishment heavily.

Spoiler: Jahn

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The excessive colors seem almost unreal in combination with the dimmed light, it seems all more like you stepped into the painting of an overly excessive painter than a real forest.

Spoiler: Coney

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The smells! The colors! It all seems so dazzling, with your muzzle close to the ground the strong earthy soil smells like fresh rain, while the flowers are giving off the most fascinating aromas.

Spoiler: Thaum

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You think you get around pretty good, even when the occasional fingerlong bug fly's irritatingly close past your face and some of the insects seem to confuse your hair with a colorful flower.

Spoiler: Larimar

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These forest is definitely interesting. It's different then the ones at home, and it seems that some plants that you know (like the weeping Willow, which here are more like giant white trees) are here in a bigger fashion most of the wildlife is unknown to you. It's a bit hard to keep your senses sharp with the alluring smells of nightflowers permeating the air but as of right know you're feeling pretty confident.

You're following the erratic path for an hour. It seems they are the remnants of cart trails that have carved themselves into the dirt it's already overgrown, but it's at least a good lead for a settlement nearby.

Jahn finds a very appealing looking, grape-like fruit it almost seems like it's moving towards him, begging him to pick it up. It almost shoves itself towards his face…

More grape-like fruits slither on vines towards Larimar and Coney and aren't these the sounds of very angry chicken ahead of you?

Spoiler: Ken, Larimar

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The vines with the grape-like fruits are Assasin vines

Spoiler: Ken, Larimar, Ridai, Jahn

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You spot some very angry, very weird looking chicken that come from forward and the right of you. They seem pretty agitated.

Spoiler: Larimar

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You're pretty sure these are not Angry Chicken but instead they seem to be Cockatrices. They are rumored to be able to turn people into stone.

Spoiler: MAP

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Moonlight forest You can go through the thick bushes, but it would cost you 4 turns of movement. It's also your turn.

[WindStruck]

Larimar sees the "chickens" and knows exactly what they are. "Cockatrices," he says, holding an arm out at the others.

Crouching down slightly, he emits a weird clucking noise. It kind of sounds what you would expect from a chicken.

[Ridai]

"I have seen a lot of this kind of signage, though I cannot say if they were more common in front of laboratories or meeting rooms."

Larimar's pun is met with deafening silence.

Thaum is none too pleased by constantly getting bothered by insects, but at the very least, his aura should protect him from actually getting stung or bitten. The flipside is that he also needs to not swat them away. Thus, he practices himself in patience as they ride through the forest.

And now monster chicken and... very close and personal bushes? The mention of cockatrices very much drives the healer to acting sooner rather than later, spreading Undine's blessing through his companions as a brief shower of droplets. The prospect of someone turning to stone is best avoided as much as possible.

Spoiler: Actions

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Thaum casts recitation on everyone else, giving a +3 luck bonus to AC, attacks, and saves for 9 rounds.

[Toliudar]

Coney

Larimar's single word of warning set off a complicated dance of risk-reward calculations in Coney's mind. How bad would it be to start a forest fire? Are the aggressive bushes sentient, or simply reacting to movement? What were the odds of putting out a fire? How easily could they keep the cockatrices at a distance while they figured things out? Is it possible that the chicken-things were simply disguised as cockatrices, much like some snakes look like poisonous snakes but are not themselves venomous. It was all very complicated.

But do you know what tends to simplify complicated things?

Fire.

Fire is primal. It tended towards the binary. You were either on fire, or you were not. And either way, it tended to put other things in perspective.

"Ken! Step back a bit!"

Waiting for him to do so, Coney hops to the side, to avoid the friendly bush. Then, Coney sent a streak of light forward through the trees, where it blossomed marvellously.

Spoiler: OOC

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Delay her action until after Ken has acted.

5' step north (already moved on map).

Full round action: using her Empower Metamagic on Fireball, centring it on T9. Reflex DC 19 for half on (9d6)[39] x 1.5 fire damage, or 58 points.

[kinem]

Nature itself seems to have gone mad as vines and chickens suddenly seem to threaten the group. This never happened in the woods back home!

Ken moves back as Coney suggests (to N9) and casts a spell, sending forth a whirling cylinder of force daggers to shred the vines threatening Larimar and Coney.

OOC: Steelsting damage (9d6)[31], Reflex half DC 18

[Aegis013]

Jahn is quite pleased with the striped magical horse and sings a jaunty tune as the party flies on horseback over the land. The lack of up and down of a normal horse really helping him hold long notes without interrupting his breath, the tune seems to be about the group's exploits at the water temple, though you're pretty sure you didn't fight a demon from hell or an army of a hundred corrupted elementals as the song suggests. (1d20+13)[27] Perform. Despite still being overly braggadocios, this one is quite the catchy tune.

Upon reaching the border Jahn scoffs at the signs until he sees the all the bones. At which point his characteristic beaming smile turns flat. A close observer sees his ears twitch as he remains on high alert for danger. The strange fruit throwing him off until the cockatrices show up.

After Larimar identifies the strange beats Jahn opens his mouth "I've heard some stories about such creatures. Don't let them bite you." as he draws his sword. "Maybe this will scare them off." he starts to chant a tune.

"Jinn please warp and weave
The nearby air to create
A grand illusion."

Spoiler: Actions

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Cast Silent Image and try to make it appear as if a Bulette starts emerging from the ground just in front of Ken. They may realize something is off as it makes no sound or smell, but it hopefully it'll make them hesitate.

[Alhallor]

The vine near Jahn seems to react to his spellcasting and try's to Wrap around him.

Spoiler: AoO against Jahn

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I rolled that before and it nearls misses with your 21 AC (rolled a 20)

The smell of thoroughly done chicken fills the air. One of the cockatrices falls down, and three of the others that are burned and see a Bulette burrowing themselves out of the ground decide that it's better to turn and fly/run away. But one. One partly burning, hate-filled Cockatrice fly's against Thaum's face and at least try's to peck him furiously.

Spoiler: Attack against Thaum

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Will save against Aura: (1d20+6)[11]
Attack: (1d20+12)[31]
Damage: (1d4)[2] Should you be hit you need to make a Fortitude save against 15 if you fail you don't petrify, instead you get 4 Dex Damage (partly stonification) No double dex damage on a crit. If the Cockatrice hits you the stonification doesn't happen at the point it pecked you it seems to appear randomly on your body.

Ken's spell shreds the vines that endanger Larimar though the one near Coney seems to have survived and creeps closer to Coney.

Spoiler: Attack against Coney

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Touch Attack: (1d20+11)[22]
If hit make a grapple check against (1d20+15)[24] If you fail you're grappled and get (1d8+9)[13] constrict damage.

The vine near Jahn try's to grab him again.

Spoiler: Attack against Jahn

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Touch attack (1d20+11)[24]
If hit make a grapple check against (1d20+15)[32] If you fail you're grappled and get (1d8+9)[12] constrict Damage.

Spoiler: Jahn

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Between the rustling vines and the screeching Cockatrices you hear the rushing of great wings above you.

Spoiler: Updated map

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More Map.

[WindStruck]

Larimar frowns at the spectacle of a flaming chicken trying to peck Thaum.

He pulls out a bottle from his pack and throws it at the aggressive bush nearest to him. The bottle shatters and explodes in a gout of fire!

Spoiler: ooc

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Larimar takes alchemist fire from his satchel. Five-foot step to M14.

He throws the bottle. Ranged touch attack at square K12: (1d20+15)[32]

The bush takes (1d6)[1] fire damage, and I assume each adjacent square (3 total) will also take 1 point of splash fire damage.

[Toliudar]

Coney

For a moment Coney considers trying to eat her way free of the bush. She did have the dark rabite's amulet on, and it did empower her fearsome bite attack, but she was briefly lost in the sophistry of whether biting a sentient bush made you a cannibal. Damn you, Naberius, and your pendantry!

Instead, she looked over and locked gazes with Thaum.

"Help?"

Seeing the kind healer's willingness to put himself in harm's way on her behalf, the rabite does her best to shove away the distractions of the bush's many branches, one of which was currently grabbing her in a way that no one had done for several years. And she envisions trading places with Thaum.

Spoiler: OOC

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Standard action to try to Benign Transposition with Thaum.
Concentration DC 20 (1d20+12)[30]

If successful, Coney takes a 5' step north and pulls out her new runestaff.

[kinem]

With many of the enemies having been taken out of the fight, Ken decides to focus on the vines that attacked Coney. He casts Bladethirst (swift action) and draws his greatsword while walking over to it, then swings the blade to try to cut the vines in half.

OOC:
Bladethirst: +3 enhancement to blade for 9 rounds
Move to M11
Attack (1d20+14)[18], damage (2d6+9)[17]