Renew the Pact: Time of our Lives, part 20

Log Info

• Title: Renew the Pact: Time of our Lives, part 20
• Emitter: Whirlpool
• Characters: Paenitia, Aryia, Seyardu, Lyme, Fallon
• Place: Goldcoast of Veyshan, Tashraan, Akoniril's Residence and Auction Vaults
• Time: Friday, October 22, 2021, 9:06 PM
• Summary: The time trippers continue to explore the auction vault, hoping to uncover clues of what happened or what they might have done. Seyardu casts an invisibility purge, which reveals several crates and upsets the guards. There's a strange sensation in the air, as if they're being watched, but only the time trippers sense it. Paenita runs around, being a distraction while Seyardu uses some more spells to figure out what has gone wrong. Once again, the Explorer's guild has sent a bunch of fighters and a cleric to deal with an esoteric magic time, their skills are woefully inadequate. Images of themselves appear, some stealing items, another set seemingly being pursued, from what Aryia can make out of her own handsigns. They decide they've caused enough trouble, and leave. As they do, a skeletal vulture being appears and slays all the guards, then turns on them. They successfully figured out what they were being chased by. IT!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  Appearing  -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Paenitia     3'0"     34 Lb      Halfling          Female    A Lucht knight, dark skinned in bold feathery finery.
Aryia        4'8"     110 Lb     Shadow Elf        Female    A heavily scarred mul with a curious look about her.
Seyardu      5'6"     150 Lb     Sith-Makar        Female    A friendly silver sith-makar with a perpetual squint.
Lyme         7'2"     435 Lb     Orc               Butch     Black-skinned oruch of suitable stature.
Fallon       5'6"     145 Lb     Half-Elf          Male      A short hooded man.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  As the GM  -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Whirlpool    5'0"                Otyugh                      I am stinky!
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

Aryia record scratch. Freeze frame. "So you're probably wondering how we got here, in a maximum security vault."

Previously

The Time-tripping adventurers consult further with Akoniril, and obtain additional information regarding the Star. They are at a loss what to do, they may be time travellers, but they don't have all the time in the world. Finally, they decide to inspect the item storage area. They meet with the auction house staff and employ their ruse. The High Priestess of Taara wishes to put something up for auction, and they are her inspection team. They are taken to the vaults. The vaults are secure, the guards are professional.

It looked secure, but the fact they knew things had gone missing was concerning.

Fallon frowns slightly when it becomes clear just how secure the vault was. Normally this would be a -good- thing, but... things were still obviously being stolen, somehow. There was no way it could be completely secure. He looks expectantly at the others, wondering if they've found something he missed.

Aryia is looking for changing items in front of her face, or The Star.

"This is the very secure looking place, yes." The little Red Knight says, taking a slow stroll in amongst the boxes, "Very clean, the well organized. There is no damp."

She's looking for clues. What sort of clues? She's not sure. Scrape marks, hand prints, mysterious foot prints. Boxes that perhaps have hidden hinges. She's a brewer not a cabinet maker, but she might see something.

It's very much none of that. Everyone is professional and on guard. Everything is secure. Whatever's going to happen, hasn't happened yet -- and yet you know it will, somehow.

It's a problem. Either you do it, or someone else does it. Which will it be?

Now

"You are all very tall." The little Lucht knight says, addressing the guards, "I look around for the small hole the right sized people can get through. You may have look over these."

Aryia adjusts her verdant jacket uselessly, trying to bleed off the anxiety that was building steadily within her. She gives a slight nod towards Paenitia, turning down a different path and 'looking' low. But still keeping an eye out for that a star or.. anything out of the ordinary.

The fact that nothing was changing meant that they might not have gotten this far in other realities, or tried this yet. But it also meant it might be a dead end.

Fallon does his part in searching the vault. He has good eyes, remember? Except when he doesn't. He observes the mannerisms of any guards observing them, too, even if nothing is immediately pinging him as 'off' yet.

Seyardu looks to some of the guards as they look around, and she looks back to the door. "It is all very secure, yes, but the best security means nothing if it is already compromised." The silverscale notes, looking to find one of the guards to speak to. "Please excuse me, but I was wondering if there have been any hired more recently than others?" She asks one of them.

GAME: Aryia rolls perception: (17)+22: 39
GAME: Fallon rolls perception: (13)+10: 23
GAME: Paenitia rolls perception: (6)+5: 11
GAME: Seyardu rolls perception: (1)+5: 6 (EPIC FAIL)

It's a good question. Is this the real life or is this just fantasy? Hopefully, you're not caught in some kind of temporal landslide with no escape from this reality. Either way, opening your eyes leads you to studying the area intently. There's a lot of crates. A lot of them. Things on shelves more. You definitely don't have any awkward feelings of deja vu. At least so far...

Fallon finds nothing of note, unfortunately, but something draws his attention. Just nothing -visible-, and he doesn't know quite *what* it is that's bothering him. "Someone's here..." Besides them, of course.

Aryia, as she's idly searching, her anxiety is sky high. She's not a good thief, as her method of stealing things is beating the owner senseless and looting it off of them. So she's looking through, carefully.

Her gaze settles on the guards watching her carefully, every move of her hands and (non)utterance of her lips. But the back of her neck prickled, raising the white hairs. She glances up, over, around the open air.

She looks to Fallon, him confirming her gut feeling. A look is shot to the guards. "Protected vault my ass," she gestures crudely towards them. <Handspeech>

One of the guard's scowls at Aryia. Seems they know what she signed and he makes a rude gesture in her direction. He works hard after all.

Paenitia can be heard clanking around the vault, looking behind crates, climbing on them, even attempting to shift a few that are close to the wall. She looks up from behind one, towards Fallon, "I am not seeing anyone? What do you find?"

Aryia shrugs, scowling as she's walking towards the exit of the vault. "Not my fault or yours this vault fucking sucks." <Handspeech>

There was a lot of crates, and everything looked the same. She couldn't make sense of nearly anything she found, and she did not want to outright poke through the crates to see what the differences were.

The comment from Lyme, and Aryia's symbols makes her raise a brow. "What do you mean by that, Aryia? It looks secure to this one." Fallon frowns at Paenitia. "That's just it: I can't *see* what I sense. I just feel eyes on us." Is it within the vault, or outside peering in? He ganders a look outside, in the immediate area...

"I can run around making the wild swings, but this is the problem solved with dust, or glitter dust, a spell I do not have." The Red Knight starts following her own advice, randomly charging in directions.

Aryia gestures towards Fallon as if that would answer Seyardu's question.

The guard scowls even harder at Aryia. More rude comments. Who knew you could tell your mother to go do THAT in handspeech quite so descriptively?

Fallon watches Paenitia charge aimlessly through the vault for a long moment, before looking towards Seyardu. "Do you have any handy detection spells on hand?"

The vault is very, very big. She does a lot of running about.

"Whoa! What are you doing?!' The guards are looking at the Red Kngiht as they charge around randomly. There is confusion on thier faces. "Please stop that."

"If it is scrying, I have nothing that can be used to determine if that is the case." Seyardu replies with a shake of her head. "If they are invisible, than this one may be able to do something, but that would require knowing a general area in which they are to do so. And if they are, they may attempt to flee, now. We should ask the guards to physically block the doors, just in case."

"There is the thing here I cannot see!" Paenitia calls, running away, circling, running back, "I hope to find by the humourous collision."

Well... it's a plan...

Aryia takes up Seyardu's suggestion and steps in front of the door, her having already been heading that way. She strains her ears, squinting some in concentration. She bites her lip. "... I can... try something to help you Seyardu. But I've never done it before..." <Handspeech>

Fallon sighs and nods to Seyardu. "I really can't tell which one it is, but I can't think of any better options." He glances back to the guards badgering Paenitia. "Can you do your job more towards the exits for a moment?"

"Yes!" She runs for the exit.

"It may be worth trying, Aryia." Seyardu suggests, squinting as she looks around. "But I need to know the general area this feeling was coming from. It could be they are not physically here, but that would not make sense with the wards in place here. But they could have a way around them."

Aryia shrugs. "Just a feeling." <Handspeech>

Fallon returns to the spot where he first felt the 'eyes' upon him. "I guess this is a good a place as any," he offers her, but looks curiously to Aryia. What was she gonna do?

GAME: Paenitia rolls bluff: (20)+12: 32

Paenitia is everywhere, it seems. One might not imagine that a heavily armed lucht siuil with short legs could be, but she is incredibly distracting, appearing and disappearing behind boxes, slipping between legs, flailing her arms in the air hoping to strike invisible things.

Suddenly changing direction.

All while laughing gleefully and putting her ever grinning mask to good use.

GAME: Seyardu casts Invisibility Purge. Caster Level: 9 DC: 17
<OOC> Seyardu says, "9 minutes of a 45 radius sphere from where Seyardu is standing, assuming nothing breaks it"

Seyardu turns back to the door, seeing the guards preoccupied with keeping them away from things to even consider there may be a presence in, or watching the vault. When Paenitia runs off, she waits for a moment to pull out her holy symbol, and mutter a hurried prayer. Stowing the symbol, a sphere of magic surrounds the cleric, and she walks over to where Fallon was, taking a look for anything out of sorts now.

...as soon as Seyardu completes the spell, a number of new crates, objects, paintings, and more pop into view. You may not have revealed the enemy, but you just revealed another layer of security.

One of the guard's sighs and places his hand over his face.

"Well... now we have to redo that. Great. Thanks."

There's a tingling in the air, though. A certain ... energy.

"Clever," Fallon muses, when the new cargo is revealed. He doesn't seem super surprised: he'd do the same with his stuff if he was capable of it. The tingle new tingle in the air draws his notice. That was -different-, wasn't it? "It seems like your spell rustled something." Not that he had any idea of how deduce just what.

Lyme shakes his head, scowling. "What does that?"

"Well, there is some things here, but I do not think that they are the problem." Seyardu sighs, turning to the guards with what she hoped was an apologetic smile. "My apologies, but there does seem to be something amiss here. Unless that energy in the air is another countermeasure, I do not want to put lady Akorinil's wares at risk."

Aryia tenses up as the spell goes off, her thinking they'd have to wrangle someone. But instead they got more boxes.

She blinks, then narrows her eyes, trying to spot whatever it was doing that. What... was that feeling?

"... I still think we're being watched..." she motions cautiously. <Handspeech>

It certainly feels like it *now*, doesn't it? That energy isn't going anywhere.

The guards don't appear to have noticed it. They're looking annoyed at the lot of you. So is the person who showed you back here.

"Look, we were nice enough to let you back here. You could at least behave yourselves rather than make additional work for us. We're going to have a word with lady Akorinil about this!"

Akorinil. Oh no. Whatever will you do.

Lyme scowls, looking left and right. "Feels wrong." He looks annoyed back at the guards.

Fallon sighs. As much as he didn't want to give up, he didn't think they could justify sticking around without being arrested. Again. "If there's no way we can deduce the source of this energy, then I'm not sure what else we can do here."

The guards don't seem to feel it.

"You do not feel it? The strangeness in the air, the deepness in the sky?" Paenitia says, "It's over there, just a jump to the left... and a step to the right."

Maybe only the time warped can tell. In any case, the Red Knight tucks in tight and runs towards it.

GAME: Seyardu casts Detect Magic. Caster Level: 9 DC: 14

"Can you not notice that energy in the air?" Seyardu asks, looking around, and sniffing now, but not moving, lest she create even more work for the guards, but not wishing to dismiss the magic just yet. She takes the holy symbol, and offers another quiet prayer, before she looks around again, trying to focus on where she noticed the energy.

"...what are you talking about? There's plenty of magical items in here and you should just blasted a bunch of magic, so maybe that's why you feel weird." The guards are definitely keeping an close eye on Seyardu at this point. They're very displeased with the behavior, but don' dare force the issue lest they do some damage to some of the priceless items in here.

The official clears his throat. "WELL! That's all we have to show you and you've seen quite enough. We should be going, really, we have so much more to do and a mess to clean up now thanks to you."

But all of you, especially after Seyardu finishes his spell, are seeing ghostly images walking through the vault door. They don't see them, the guards that is, they don't notice anything at all. But these ghostly images are you. *All of you*. Like an echo of you.

Lyme's brows wrinkles. "--the fuck?"

"Sir! This is a respectable establishment! Language, please," says the official, looking at Lyme with a pained expression.

Lyme doesn't even register. He looks at Seyardu. "You're seeing that, right?" After a moment, he turns his orcishness on the official, and shakes his damn head.

Paenitia stares at the images, in particular her own, looking for hints. She's not likely to see much, with her armour, mask and hat. She watches Aryia's image, "Aryia, do you see that? Are you making the comprehensible signs?"

There are no sounds to the images, but handspeech could give them some clues.

Aryia quietly gasps, reaching out as she spots herself. Wonder on her face. But She pauses as Pae says that. And sees if her echo says anything.

They're coming into focus more, slowly, and they appear to be stealing things from the vault. They aren't seeing you. You're seeing them, however, and several items you can see are being pantomimed as being picked up. There's communication, but its soundless.

Fallon blinks when the ghostly images of themselves wandering into the vault emerge in the wake of Seyardu's spell. He raises his hand to the official. "Just one more minute, and we'll be out of your hair. We're sorry for the mess, but this is important." Oh look at who is actually trying to be diplomatic now.

"You can not see these things? We are concerned about what is going on here, for the sake of your wares. If there is magic in the air you are not aware of, it could be hazardous for the guards here, or signs of danger." Seyardu states, squinting as she sees the ghostly figures. And sees them stealing from the vault, but she does not let it show. Does this mean they should be stealing, or they should not be? It was too confusing.

The Red Knight nods at Fallon's words. She's gone still and silent, watching the ghostly pantomime. Best not to tell them who and how things are being stolen, wouldn't want to self-incriminate. She's attempting to memorize her actions, where she goes, what she ends up with. She's keeping an eye out for the Star, but a scroll, sword, or any of the other items she new vanished from the list would be noted.

Aryia squints at herself, the blurry images of their reflections at alter times making it hard to parse. But her brows knit and her hands slowly copies most of the motions.

"We have to... hurry? Not much time left? I know? Know wha- We're hurrying. It's going to be here any second? It? What the fuck is it? Hey! Me! Be more clear you stupid bitch!" she chastises herself. <Handspeech>

The guards who speak handspeech look very confused.

"Ah good!" Paenitia says, she does not speak handspeech, so she is even more confused. Hands flapping, the sound of one hand clapping, it's quite meditative, "this is much clearer now."

Fallon raises his brows at Aryia, but remains quiet. "This has been enlightening." ... Not really, but it might sound convincing to the guards. "It looks like we're done here?"

Lyme pauses, "What's going to be here?" Whenever that is, futures past, as you will.

"Ah, apologies, I will dismiss this magic now." Seyardu sighs, getting rid of the invisibility globe to cause no further work for the guards. She is not in a rush to leave, but lingers to see what these past, or present, or some manner of version of themselves accomplish. She looks at the handsigns, and frowns.

The little lucht knight marches towards the exit, to give the others time to watch themselves. Also, short legs, she needs a head start anyhow. "We very satisfied with the security. It is time we go now, yes. I am going. See me go." Clank, clank, clank.

Aryia is a bit transfixed on the various versions of herself. Some in dilapidated clothes, her slouched over, uncertain. Other versions of herself she holds herself high, certain, radiant and well dressed. Some in her current verdant jacket, others not.

She wanted to stare and watch what she was. She is. And what she could be. Maybe even will be.

But, achingly so, she breaks away slowly and languidly moves back to the exit with the group, her glowing gaze not breaking off the alter-images.

It's possible to tell what they stole. The invisibility purge revealed several boxes. The after-images are reaching into boxes that were invisible before the spell went off. So it is very easy to know about them, and what was taken. It's also clear the party returned to the vault to rob it in at least one loop, but on this loop, they're being pursued by something.

Fallon follows after the others headed for the exit. If he's moved or puzzled by the ghostly versions of himself, it doesn't show on his face. He's adamant about leaving and reconvening elsewhere, in private.

Lyme stalks out, somewhat annoyed looking. Really annoyed looking. He's tired, but he's pretty sure it won't help to break a few skulls. He just looks like he really wants to.

Boy, the guards are glad to see the end of you. So is the officer of the auction house. They did not love bringing you here. As you depart the vault, the officers steal it behind you. You know it only opens twice a day, so if you want to come back and try to break in, it's going to have to be on another day. You're escorted from the building at this point, having made quite a scene at this point.

The guards standing beside you are talking.

"Glad to see the end of this job."

"Yeah, I thought I'd die before--"

His torso suddenly erupts in a spray of viscera as something cleaves through him. The spray is all over you.

Impaled on its large, bony hand, a skeletal, avian creature leans over you. Skeletal, but not flesh-less. Thin and stretched over its gaunt body, the large vulture-like being studies you intently. Sniffs once.

"Messy business," it rattles, "but here we are again. Here I am again, for you. For all of you."

...now you know what's chasing you, yes, or at least one of those things. It reaches for the other guard.

"I'm afraid we can't have any witnesses." The guard, feebly drawing his blade, has his skull immediately crushed.

But at least it gives you a chance to RUN.

The heist strategy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBawCe6du3w

<OOC> Paenitia says, "just gotta get unlinked."
<OOC> Fallon just wants to know who finally convinced him to get a hair cut.
<OOC> Aryia still unsure if they're picking up on anything AU!Aryia is saying
<OOC> Whirlpool is paging Aryia :)
<OOC> Whirlpool cackles at Paen.
<OOC> Aryia says, "ah, ok. thank you. sorry"
<OOC> Aryia says, "am mostly back"
<OOC> Seyardu has handspeech too
<OOC> Paenitia says, "New plan: Have Aryia constantly narrating in handspeech what we're up to and why, in case we see ourselves later"
<OOC> Whirlpool says, "VERY clever :D"
<OOC> Aryia says, ""There's apparently a lot of fucking.""
<OOC> Whirlpool says, "HAHAH"
<OOC> Fallon squints.
<OOC> Lyme says, "bhaahaha"