Crystal Tower (Part 3)

Log Info

• Title: Crystal Tower (Part 3)

• GM: Aftershock

• Characters: Carver, Magpie, Ravenstongue, Telamon, Verna

• Place: Veyshan

Telamon grabs the Staff of the Sea from Idoren and the man's face goes pale with displeasure and rage. "Nemenba! Retrieve the Staff of the Sea for me!" He barks the order with his dark eyes narrowed upon Telamon, and Nemenba sighs unhappily, moving to do just that - seemingly intent on removing the staff by force if necessary.

"Sorry about this." The young man says, real regret in his eyes even as he reaches for the staff held tightly in Telamon's grasp-

GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Knowledge/Arcana: (11)+26: 37
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Hold Monster/Quicken. Caster Level: 20 DC: 31
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Hold Monster/Persistent. Caster Level: 20 DC: 29
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+13: (2)+13: 15
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+18: (2)+18: 20

When Idoren makes the order, Cor'lana's (currently blue, as per the disguise) eyes widen. Nemenba approaches, and Cor'lana whispers, "I'll do you a kindness that I can do." Because a horrible realization has struck her: a spell of freedom won't be enough for poor Nemenba. Not even a wish or a miracle may be helpful.

But she can do what she does best.

"Be held!" she commands of Idoren, which her magic delivers in amplitudes. Then, focusing her magic all the stronger on Nemenba, she says, "Be held!" again. Both spells take hold, fixing Idoren and Nemenba in place for the moment.

GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+13: (11)+13: 24

Idoren can not move, but by some miracle of magic, Nemenba however seems to easily break the hold on himself, stepping forward to retrieve the staff from Telamon. The staff leaves Telamon's stunned grasp, and then Nemenba stands there by the sorcerer, a small pleased smile on his lips.

GAME: Telamon casts Suggestion. Caster Level: 20 DC: 24
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Will: (6)+24: 30
GAME: Magpie rolls will: (15)+10: 25
GAME: Carver rolls will: (1)+10: 11 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Verna rolls will+2: (1)+26+2: 29 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+18: (1)+18: 19 (EPIC FAIL)

Telamon staggers back as Nemenba pulls the staff from his grip, his perception suddenly collapsing back into what mortals might consider 'normal'. He shakes his head as his lady love locks down Idoren, at least, and he grins wolfishly as Nemenba just stands there with no orders.

"Sorry, Nemenba, but if it helps, we're going to set you free," Tel says quietly, and grasps the staff again. The magical energies surge around him again, and suddenly the illusion of Telamon as a willowy half-elven lady flakes away from him, peeling away in long strips that disintegrate as the Archmage reveals himself. He can't tell if Idoren is panicking; Tel certainly hopes so.

"Alright," he mutters as vistas of reality unfold before him once more, a little less disorienting this time. "Let's see if I can't nudge you a bit." A whispered spell, and then he looks at Nemenba. "Nemenba, why don't you tell me where Idoren has your box of bones hidden?" It seems like a safe and reasonable spell, and he uses the Staff to 'push' it a bit...

Only for it to ripple outwards from Nemenba. Telamon lets out an exasperated, "Oh, fuck." as the spell washes outward...

Nemenba's eyes glaze over from the strength of Telamon's spell, his whole body going rigid with the weight of the simple command to tell Telamon where the box is. "He has it in a pocket dimension in his pocket." The words are torn from his mouth like they are painful things to speak and he sags in the aftermath, both men holding the staff in their hands. His eyes are angry, but his next words are not. "He had ordered me not to tell, but your spell was the stronger compulsion." He looks pained.

GAME: Magpie casts Mad Monkeys. Caster Level: 13 DC: 21

Magpie nods along quite smugly as Telamon makes his Very Reasonable Request... only for the smug to turn into horror, as the spell washes outward, and she's asked a question she has no earthly knowledge how to answer... and keen awareness of the consequences.

"I don't know, I don't kno--" And Nemenba comes in clutch, giving up the answer almost immediately. "His pocket! Yes! The dimensional pocket in his pocket!"

Loosing a relieved sigh as the clutch of the spell releases, Magpie turns a baleful glare upon the wizard Responsible For All This... And starts to do a shuffling, hopping little dance.

...What...

To the extremely magically inclined, however, her feet are tracing out the lines of a summoning circle in... an extremely unconventional manner. Internal structure being built simultaneously with the bounding circle, symbols traced with hopping little 'ooks' and 'eeks' and an outside observer might think that this blond bombshell might have lost her mind.

An astute observer might be very, very nervous at what is about to happen.

Carver blinks. The cold killer, so briefly awake, is buried. The magical compulsion forces away the huntress and leaves just, well, her to bare the brunt of an astral script; to complete something impossible. Magpie might have the quick wits and knowledge on how to circumvent the worst of an impossible task with clever nuance of following exactly the command but Carver does not.

A cold sweat breaks out across her brow, as every bone writhes and wiggles. The fibula and the tibia decide, after all this time, they need to explore other opportunities.

Her lungs beat. Her heart takes a deep breath. Every physiological function shutters as the brain compells one demand over and over. Find.

She digs at her own belly madly, fingers gouging angry red lines into the skin. It has to be here. It has to be.

Verna did not expect that Telamon's enchantment would be directed at her, whether intentionally nor otherwise. Perhaps it is for this reason that she is unable to resist the effect. That, or perhaps her tendency to be in agreement with his wisdom predisposes her to his wishes. On the other hand, it could just as well be that the lingering essence of someone that resides within her psyche was lacking in entertainment.

Whatever the root cause of her compulsion to answer the question, the question remains one that she cannot answer precisely as it was stated. Her head turns to Telamon, eyes blinking. "I did no such thing, thus I cannot answe-rrrr." The admission degrades into an unintelligible sound as her train of thought splits and loops back. There -must- be an answer, and she, equally, must determine it.

GAME: Ravenstongue casts Haste. Caster Level: 20 DC: 26

Cor'lana feels the placidity that usually comes with being on the receiving end of an enchantment spell. She looks at Telamon and smiles wanly, wanting nothing more than to answer the question, even if she doesn't know what it is--

And then Magpie says an answer.

"Pocket dimension in Idoren's pocket... Is that a dimension in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" Cor'lana asks of Telamon, before she blinks a little, the compulsion falling off of her head. Then she flushes. Brightly. Crimsonly. (She's not beating the allegations anytime soon.)

"Right! Err, let me put some groundwork down for our escape." Cor'lana murmurs a spell of quickening that lays down into herself and her allies, enabling them to go quickly where they need to go.

GAME: Telamon rolls Will: (5)+25: 30
GAME: Telamon rolls Will: (2)+25: 27
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+13: (17)+13: 30

The look of relief and almost anticipation on Nemenba's face disappears under a wave of hopelessness and anger. Telamon can feel the sea of mana flex around him, but he hasn't figured out exactly how to wrest it from Nemenba's control. They are both holding the staff, both giants. The mana reaches out and Magpie's magic winks out of existence as if it never was.

GAME: Telamon casts Gate. Caster Level: 20 DC: 30

Immediately, Telamon snuffs out the compulsion, realizing Carver and Verna are in no small amount of distress. "Sorry! Damn it... Nemenba, what are you now, anyways? A genie? I could find you good work in Cloud City once we free you." His cheeks color at Lana's flirting, but he's focused on the task at hand. For now.

Pocket dimension. Nothing new, really, magicians love having pockets big enough to fit a swordfish into -- wait. If it exists in another plane, he can point to it. And if he can point to it...

He holds onto the Staff with one hand, unwilling to try and nudge this spell with it. Damned thing might send them all to the High Heavens or the Iron Hells by mistake. So he draws on his own magic, and describes a circle with his free hand. "Anubda kaskal, nu siten, irhandi saggan!" he chants, his voice echoing. A circular portal opens up, large enough for someone to step into, though the area inside is dark, only lit by the light shining through the planar portal. "Can someone reach in there and grab the box? I'll hold it as long as I need to."

GAME: Magpie casts Curse of Magic Negation. Caster Level: 13 DC: 22
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+18: (1)+18: 19 (EPIC FAIL)

And all of the sudden, Magpie's dance is interrupted by some absolutely rude jerk causing the Sea of Mana itself to crash around her construct, wiping away her summoning circle, causing her to stumble to avoid falling flat on her face. "Wh-- Bu-- How--" Deeeep breath. "RUDE!" she shouts at Nemenba, an accusatory finger stabbing outward. "YOU LOSE YOUR MAGIC PRIVILEGES, MISTER."

And with that terrible, awful curse, spellblight seeps in through the gaps of Nemenba's mana. Flows are clogged, convergences silted over, and Nemenba finds that channeling magic has gone from easy as breath to a laborious chore.

GAME: Carver rolls perception: (18)+18: 36
GAME: Carver rolls religion+2: (20)+12+2: 34
<OOC> Carver says, "so, with that, it would be actually 38 cause of fervant knowledge."

Silence is relief. Carver is freed from the resounding urge, and the commonality of the ache in her hands and stomach are a boon. Never thought she would be thankful for such discomfort. With watery eyes, she quickly rubs them dry, squinting through the pain and stumbling toward the gate.

Once through, she catches her breath. To the edge of the altar she goes.

The golden scripts get a sneer, but a shake of her head. She hears something behind her, determining that another is joining.

"Binding symbols, I think. For Daeus. Which Iroden... says he serves."

GAME: Verna rolls knowledge/religion: (4)+26: 30

Verna shuffles after Carver and steps through the gate to the pocket dimension. The iconography is certainly divine, though its likely affilitation is revealed by Carver's statement rather than Verna's initial analysis. Some portion is clear, at the least, and one gloved finger indicates the golden box upon the altar. "That must be our goal." By process of elimination, as there is not anything else substantive present. "We should make haste, but it is probable that their are magical protections in place."

GAME: Ravenstongue casts Detect Magic. Caster Level: 20 DC: 22

Cor'lana goes in after Verna and Carver. She murmurs a small incantation under her breath, causing her eyes to glow a little as she looks around the area. "No magic here," she says. "Beyond it being a pocket dimension. There's a small blessing on the box, I think, but not to the level of a cleric's blessing."

She steels herself and draws forward. "Okay. I'll be brave," she murmurs, a self-affirmation to settle her nerves, and she approaches, laying gentle hands onto the box. She picks it up.

GAME: Telamon rolls Will: (16)+25: 41

Nemenba disappears from where he's standing next to Telamon, taking the staff with him when he goes. Even as Telamon staggers under the force the altered perception, Nemenba reappears by Cor'lana within the miniature dimension she's standing in. "Mistress." He says, bowing his head to her. "You must speak my name to take control of me from my former Master."

GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+sorcerer+11: (2)+20+11: 33
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+sorcerer+11: (6)+20+11: 37

When Nemenba vanishes -- with the staff, as well -- Telamon lets out a small gasp as his perceptions slam back down AGAIN. It's like having someone open and close a book on his brain, and it makes him shudder. The gate wavers, the edges getting a little fuzzy before he bears down on it, stabilizing the portal.

"Lana, for the love of the gods, please get it and get out!" His voice is a little wobbly and he just knows he'll have a headache later from the abuse he's inflicted on himself.

GAME: Magpie casts Mad Monkeys. Caster Level: 13 DC: 21

With the Gate open to the box's location, and Nemenba hared off with staff in hand, Magpie eyes the frozen form of Idoren.

Her eyes narrow.

"So," she mutters, rolling up her sleeves, "time to do what I came here to do."

...And she starts dancing again.

...Oh god.

"Just --nph-- to warn everyone, if you don't --hup-- got real pressing business in this tower, best hike your skirts and --unkp-- skedaddle!"

GAME: Carver rolls melee: (5)+14: 19
GAME: Carver rolls melee: (10)+14: 24
GAME: Carver rolls 1d3+2: (1)+2: 3

Carver sees that between Verna and Raven? There is no need for her here. She gives the altar one last look over, before swallowing back bile and stepping through the gate again. She has gotten better at travelling through magic at least. It does not send her squabbling and weaving drunken anymore.

She considers the frozen Iroden. She taps his cheek with gloved hands. "Still want a taste?"

In the visage of the beautiful woman, it could be tantalizing. The tone is all off though.

What isn't off is the headbutt that slams into the mage's lips.

Cor'lana nods gently to Nemenba's words. "Nemenba," she says softly, her violet eyes level on him. There's a small ache in her voice. She has never wanted to be anyone's master (or in this case, mistress). But for the moment, the burden is what it is, and all she can do is to be gentle with him as so many others have not. "This arrangement is not permanent. And I will do everything I can to free you from this circumstance. But we need to clean up after my predecessor."

Her tone turns more solid. "Nemenba, please take the deific artifacts that are currently in Iroden's possession and return them to their rightful deific owners. No mortal hands should have hold of them."

With her sister-by-bond in possession of the target in question, Verna defers to Cor'lana's immediate use of the same. The tone and verbiage are not surprising to Verna in the slightest, and she would expect the request to be heeded more often than not, even if Cor'lana were not leveraging the magical box. "We should return to the prime material," she notes softly, if firmly. Verna could step through readily enough, yet shall not leave her sister behind.

Idoren groans at the headbutt, and then there are... monkeys. A lot of them. Crawling all over the sorcerer who thought so highly of himself. Nemenba disappears - likely to do as Cor'lana bids as everyone leaves the portal in Idoren's pocket and then as a low threatening rumble sounds... quickly leaves the tower itself. The women who were in the room are long since gone, having fled in the wake of Telamon's mass suggestion.

Once you have left the tower behind, Nemenba reappears, his hands empty of the Staff of the Sea which he once held and his dark eyes holding a weight in them as he looks at Cor'lana. "It is done Mistress." Behind you the tower collapses in on itself. Destroying his work.

Now all that remains is to return to Alexandria, and determine how to free one spirit from his lifetime of servitude... If it can be done at all.