Victorious advance

[Ebiris]

The real Marie appears standing over Dragodan, similarly naked, and gives the elves a dirty look. "You should pick your friends with more care," she says icily, trying to channel some of the attitude Alicia and Antenora throw around at times like this.

Gaze, DC 41 or panicked...

[19:00] <@Ebiris> roll 2d10
[19:00] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 7 > [d10=6,1]

7 rounds.

---

Meanwhile Alicia has a brief contact with Selune.

I believe one of yours in Elandra's Rest was planning on attacking Seldyn Manor today? You should prod him to move on that now, I'm afraid we've stirred the rat's nest.

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20 they're 20 fishing and we all know it
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 4 > [d20=4]

The elves cower before you, fleeing to the back of the room and staying there.

Meanwhile...

'Thank you,' Selune's voice, simple and unaugmented, is heard in Alicia's mind.

[Ebiris]

The wall of force will keep them hemmed in for a while anyway. She could probably kill them, or take them to Sylica, but better their misdeeds are exposed here in Pallanth - maybe they'll even learn something from this experience?

Instead she focuses on Dragodan, a giant hand of force scooping him up and hovering him over her shoulder.

Praying to Alicia that she'd like to go now and she's about to lower teleport block, she hopes for some really good timing so she doesn't have any avatars drop in to surprise her.

A second later her prayers are answered as Alicia opens a gate from Sylica, and Marie rushes through with her prize, a fortified courtyard waiting for her with Alicia, Syala, Antenora, and Jessica all on station given the nature of her cargo.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Marie: 627/627
Active spells: Extended superior resistance (CL 33), extended mind blank (CL 33), extended nondetection (CL 33), epic mage armour (CL 33), extended antimagic zone (CL 33), repelling shield (CL 33), seira's arcane thesis (CL 33)
Defences: AC 94 (touch 36, vs incorporeal 67), CMD 79, spell resistance 46, energy immunity (electricity), energy resistance 10 (acid, cold), status immunity (petrification, polymorph, form-altering, energy drain, ability drain, ability damage, mind-affecting) protective aura, nondetection (DC 48)
Stat buffs/penalties: +11 shield, +10 CL for SR checks, +5 spell DCs
Perceptions: Darkvision 60, blessed sight 120, see invisibility, perception +48
Sorcerer spell slots: 6/0/8/9/8/9/8/8/6/7/8/7/7/2
Limited SLAs available: heal, meteor swarm

[Anastasia]

And thus Marie escapes - no avatar, at least this time. Antenora smiles widely on seeing her, "Well done, Marie!"

[Ebiris]

Not on the prime, but even in Sylica they can't guarantee safety so Alicia is extremely tense and has already forewarned Mystra that she may require urgent assistance should Shar move directly to recover her proxy.

But still, credit where it's due. "Excellently done," she agrees, giving her familiar a smile as she closes the gate. "Jessica, strip him of everything he has first," a plain white smock has been provided to allow him some modesty afterwards but she won't let him keep a single thing on his person that he came here with. Jessica of course has the most experience with a rogue's trickery and knows all the good hiding spots so she'll ensure nothing is left.

The plan is to do that, then have Naeys use his mind theatre magic to find out everything Dragodan knows about current Sharran operations primarily on their native prime but also across the planes. They can use that to coordinate strikes with allies to quickly roll up as much as they can, while Dragodan himself can be put permanently on ice via an Imprisonment spell here in Sylica.

[Anastasia]

Thus it is done. No sign of an avatar, nothing.

Yet when Naeys casts his spell, he jerks his hand away from Dragodan.

"All I see is darkness," he reports, "With a door that beckons me without words, that invites me within."

[Ebiris]

"That invitation will absolutely not be taken," Alicia says firmly, focusing on the proxy of Shar before them. "Marie, cast that Sunite spell. Everyone who doesn't want to fancy Marie please get sixty feet of clearance."

Marie casts Beauty Triumphant, DC 42 will or fall helplessly in love with her.

Alicia autopasses her save on a 1.

Thankfully Marie has gotten her own clothes on by now but she's no less lovely for it. Alicia then casts enervation over and over on Dragodan to substantially weaken him before he gets healed to wakefulness. A teleport block is placed over the area as a further precaution and he's restrained with enchanted adamantine manacles binding his hands and feet.

I can do 13 maximised enervations. I'll stop after 5 have hit (for 20 negative levels in total) but I'll roll 13 SR/rank checks just to see if I actually manage to get as many as I'd like. Can't miss the ranged touch attack at least. Casting Seira's Arcane Thesis for the SR boost too.

[20:35] <@Ebiris> roll 13#1d20+45 SR for maximised enervations
[20:35] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 60, 63, 51, 54, 61, 65, 46, 55, 54, 55, 50, 48, 60 >
[20:35] <@Ebiris> roll 13#1d20+2+4 rank checks to beat immunity to negative levels
[20:35] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 8, 16, 20, 23, 17, 25, 9, 13, 21, 16, 18, 15, 8 >

To reiterate, I'll stop doing these after I land 5 of them.

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 20 > [d20=20]
> roll 12#d20
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 13, 6, 18, 12, 11, 9, 12, 8, 8, 7, 18, 13 >

1 fails. 2 gets through. 3 and 4 get through. 5 gets through. 6 gets through. Okay.

Dragodan is weakened, blasted with as Marie casts and...

> roll 1d20+27 unarmored/dispelled
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 41 > [d20=14]

Dragodan stares rapidly at Marie, lost in her.

Antenora stays at the ready, whilst Syala stands arms crossed, hammer floating besides her.

[Ebiris]

"Dragodan... isn't this a much nicer place for a meeting of minds?" Marie asks with an enthralling smile.

It's not bad if you like looming fortress walls on all sides and the sun seeming to scorch down from directly overhead, minimising any potential shadows and making everything look a bit bleached out.

"Tell me please, what were you doing in Elandra's Rest?"

[Anastasia]

Dragodan looks up at Marie, spellbound.

"I was to reward all those at the Selwyn Manor," He answers back. "I should have rewarded you instead."

[Ebiris]

"Yes well, don't worry about that," Marie says, feeling a little bit queasy at the looks she's getting but still staying professional. "What had they done to earn a reward and how were you rewarding them?"

[Anastasia]

"They have expanded Shar's power in Elandra's Rest and the surrounding areas," Is the answer you get, "In the cold places, where none but the bravest travel."

[Ebiris]

"And their reward?" Marie prods. This could take a while.

[Anastasia]

"Rebirth as shadows, powerful shadows," Dragodan says, "Shadows that will reave the life from so many. That will put so many to rest and bring about victory that much quicker." His words are earnest, full of conviction. "Too many people have to be forced to submit to Shar. It's disgraceful."

[Ebiris]

Good thing she stopped that! "Don't say that. Who else on that prime has done good enough work that you're planning on rewarding them?"