Afina and the brain trust (Afina)

[Ebiris]

"Please don't," Afina asks exasperatedly. "We've already burned too many bridges with powers among the planes... and don't tell Simmer I said that, she'll take it as a challenge," she says with a little amusement leaking through.

"In all seriousness the only plane I'm interested in breaking is Hell, so save any further experiments for when we're there... speaking of, it might be worth investigating Hopelorn's former site on Gehenna, see if anything's leaking the other direction. But for now I just want to check the records in the library for previous occurrences before we get to practical work."

[Yuthirin]

"As you wish."

[Anastasia]

Okay. Everyone here can make a K:P check with the library bonus. Go ahead and roll, Tryll.

[Yuthirin]

<Kobot> LobsterSquid rolled 1d20+26+15 --> [ 1d20=15 ]{56}

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+91 (+15 library, +22 factotum) Sylvie
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+91 (+15 library, +22 factotum) Sylvie --> [ 1d20=7 ]{98}
> roll 1d20+73 (+15 library) Vul'lath
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+73 (+15 library) Vul'lath --> [ 1d20=2 ]{75}

Not going to wait for Afina here, since I don't think she can meaningfully contribute when the lowest result is a 56.

Time passes as the group works away. Books are consulted and notes are taken, the trio working. Amazingly, Tryll finds himself struggling to keep up. Sage Vul'lath seems to know what's in books the moment he touches them, while Sylvie condenses information and draws conclusions out of seemingly thin air. Ideas are bantered and considered as lore is digested, the three working along.

"So," Sylvie concludes after the heavy researching is done. "In general the results vary, as is normal in the planes. But there's several disturbing trends we've put together."

[Yuthirin]

Tryll makes up for his shortcomings in planar knowledge by reading three books at once, appearing as a conglomeration of eyes. Meanwhile, Calleigh snores from the center crevice of a forgotten tome.

[Anastasia]

"Exactly," Vul'lath nods, reclining back once more. He closes the book he was reading, resting his hands atop it. "First of all, planar rifts of this size don't fix themselves. Incidentally, planar rift is the technical term for this."

"Right," Sylvie agrees, "If it happens on the Prime, mortals or even a powerful exemplar has to go close it - or an avatar if it gets out of hand or another force is trying to keep it open. Let me put it into perspective. I have records of a breech something akin to ours happening on a Prime world. It was the Abyss and it brought about that world's End of Days. Reality broke down as the righteous powers lead the forces of good in a battle that rent unraveling world apart."

[Yuthirin]

"Quite extraordinary, really." Tryll says as the book holding Calleigh lazily sails by over their heads. "Terrible thing to happen to a Prime, though. Usually. Even if it opened a rift to Celestia, it would be bad news for the plane. Reasons for divine planes being separate from Primes isn't just to keep the gods apart from their worshipers."

[Anastasia]

"Yeah," Sylvie says, "I'm a spirit now, and I go back to the Prime, I'll probably cause a wound on the fabric of reality. The Heavens destroy the Prime just as surely as the Hells. Now, a planar rift on another plane doesn't destroy it. They're much hardier than that. However, it does cause zones where the connecting reality influences things and if left unchecked, it becomes more and more like that plane."

"In other words, untainted evil and untainted chaos," Vul'lath grimaces, "Which equals something like the Abyss. The Astral Plane becoming like the Abyss would be a catastrophe beyond any reckoning. The rift MUST be sealed," Sage Vul'lath rises and slams his hands down on the table. "Or the githyanki will be a fluffy, heavenly sidenote compared to what comes to inhabit the Silver Sea."

[Yuthirin]

"Well said!"

[Anastasia]

"It has to be. Unfortunately, sealing a rift of this power is much harder than creating it," Sylvie remarks, "Most of the time, a rift of this power is sealed by a deity or the lord of a plane. Unfortunately, the Astral lacks any ruling power and the slaad are as likely to encourage the rift as they are to close it. What the yugoloths do is unpredictable at best, they may well choose not to close it for reasons of their own. I have no doubt the Oinoloth or the General of Gehenna could do so if they chose to intervene, but such can't be assumed."

"Which means it falls to us," Sage Vul'lath concludes. "When a rift is sealed by lesser hands, it usually involves finding the absolute center of the rift and using the proper magic with the proper power behind it to succeed."

"Easier said than done," Sylvie chimes in, "All of Hopelorn's worst are surely around there, not to mention whatever attention the rift got from Gehenna's worst. What's worse, we can't count on Hell staying out of it due to Lixer's role in it, plus the mixing of chaos and evil could lure the Abyss in. Which means the Astral Plane may well be a Blood War battlefield as we speak."

[Yuthirin]

"That is the worst case, though. So, general, how do you wish to approach this?" Tryll eyeballs at Afina.

[Anastasia]

"Not quite," Sage Vul'lath scowls deeply, the lines of face face pronounced greatly. "The worst case is the the yugoloths do as they always do. They fan the flames of the Blood War and invite both sides to the rift. They ensure the Blood War rapidly spreads to the Astral, all so that they earn more treasure and souls."

[Ebiris]

"For now? We rest, and those of us who can prepare appropriate spells. I want to give Jaela's group at least a day to return. But even if not we can't delay any further and will relocate to the rift tomorrow. Then we'll secure the area and get to work."

[Anastasia]

"We'll want spells like dimensional anchor, dimensional lock, wish and miracle," Sage Vul'lath replies. "There's specialized magic to deal with it beyond the 9th circle, but none known to Aurora. A gap in our knowledge we will have to remedy, but unfortunately we lack the time to do so now."

"I'm not sure how 21 would interact with one, though it may be worth trying if all else fails," Sylvie says, "I don't doubt it'll dissolve anything from Gehenna, but I don't think it'll affect the Limbo part of things."