Okay, now that you're back, what's your next move here, Seira?
The first item on her itinerary upon return is to launch two of her divine sendings!
My friend, Seira sends to Alicia from the Cauldron, I need to see you face to face, urgently.
To Moore, Seira sends, I know I invited you to visit at your earliest convenience, but things have changed. Your earlier convenience should be today if at all possible.
Then, she seeks out Amaryl, Elle and Sanzha.
It's easy enough to get them together and...
Okay, go ahead and set up, say what you want and we'll roll with that.
"I never quite expected that angle of attack. Striking at innocents during a war, not as collateral but as priority targets." Seira's done being angry at this, and merely states the facts now. "We'll need to plan better. This attack stretched our capabilities with direct intervention, and it was just Imix showing off. We need a better system in place, which is what I'd like you to ensure, Elle. My plan is to have Ranbar coordinate with our local representatives, Laurenal in the case of our Prime, and direct relief and military efforts. For that, we'll use the same thing that helped us so much in the aftermath of the Dark Six's spree of attacks. A teleportation network, except using my new portal spell. There will be three tiers, a local, national and international one, and I'd like you to work together with the girls to set them all up. Since you're still mortal, you should skirt by the rules, and since you're my proxy our enemies should think twice before striking brazenly at you after Waukeen's chastisement just then."
"Imix was hurting us, trying to make us afraid," Amaryl speaks once you're done.
"I have it, Seira," Elle agrees, "Terror attacks, I think Amaryl may be right. Beat us without a single battle if we give into fear."
Lady Sanzha hums, "It wouldn't be the first time Imix has been reprehensible," she adds. "I think the plan should work."
"This time we responded, and the people saw us respond, even against difficult odds. But the next time, we'll be able to fight it in a smarter way. I'll introduce you to Laurenal and Ranbar properly later today, Elle, but what do you think you'll need aside from security? Lagann can take care of that while also taking a look at the temple designs and the defenses for them."
"Lots of protection above and beyond, they'll be an obvious target," Elle says, "We have the authority to deal with them with most local nations, that's not an immediate concern."
"I'll leave that part to the two of you, then, though feel free to check designs by me if you want a second opinion. And now that I think about it, please get Lady Honeydip's opinion as well. Her knowledge of defenses and sieges against a superior force is unparalleled across the planes."
Pausing a bit, Seira adds, "My final request concerning the Prime is that you make a rounds of our friendly heads of state. Kesse and the region, Pallanth, the Desert Fiefdoms, and the Baronies. If I were to do it myself, it might be seen as too heavy an intervention in Prime, and others might respond in kind. I want to avoid that."
"I will," Elle agrees, as Sanzha watches and waits.
"That'll keep you busy, and Donald will be handling recruitment for us along with Agathaiel in the near future," Seira muses. "I might send Kascha over as well. I'm going after Aurora's candidate list; that is, those that didn't make the cut due to conflicting personalities and the like. Donald's great at getting a foot in the door, but he's better at that when he has someone to play off. Agathaiel can do that, but Kascha's far more disarming. Plus the three of them should be able to fend off any elite strike force. Thoughts?"
"It should work, but we need to be able to call them back fast if we need them," Amaryl points out, "The efreet could attack any time."
"We can get back fast for minimal resources," Elle shakes her head, "That shouldn't be a problem unless they're stretching our resources -which is possible."
"It's a bad time, I agree. But I'll pull some more favors if I have to in order to keep the Cauldron protected. Besides, by my count the forces from the Court of the Stars should arrive here tomorrow, and same for Lathander's. In fact, I actually expected the latter to arrive already, so it might be any moment now. I've asked them specifically in order to beef up our defenses."
Seira snorts. "The real problem is that I'm going to be leaving tomorrow, and I'm not sure when I'll be back. You'll probably need to come with me, Amaryl, so Sanzha, you, Valar and Na'lith will effectively be in charge of our defenses until our eventual return."
"You're going to be gone that long?" Amaryl speaks up, "Where are you going? Why? We're at war - is it that serious?"
Elle sits back and frowns, "Why?"
"I found Io. You know what that means."
"Really?" Amaryl sits forward, "Where is he?"
Lady Sanzha smiles slightly at this, "Oh ho, so you did track him down."
"I'm not going into any details just yet, but he intends to test myself and a few others. I'd be honored to have any of you at my side, though given how events turned out I think it's best if Amaryl helped represent the Cauldron in this." Seira returns Sanzha's smile. "Ah, and you don't need to wait on my return to ascend, so don't worry about that. It'll be a pleasant surprise."
Lady Sanzha giggles, "My, my, what an invitation."
"I do try. And since I've asked this inappropriate question before and we got rudely interrupted, any reason beyond nostalgia that you haven't moved closer to the heavens's view on things?"
Despite ruling over one with likeminded friends, Seira doesn't have to say.
Lady Sanzha smiles at this, "Why, is there a reason you haven't moved closer to my view on things?"
After a beat or two she considers and adds, "What is strength, Seira? We marid see strength as the flowing freedom of water. Water gives life, grows crops and sustains all. Yet water can also be a tempest that drowns and washes away what is precious."
"It's not about what it is, for me," Seira muses. "More like... given that water can nurture or harm, what is it that you want it to do more? If you had to choose your favorite, not to the exclusion of all else, but just to like something more, would you be equally fine with a tempest that drowns people and the water that is sustenance for life?"
To this Lady Sanzha shakes her head, "Both are parts of Water, Seira. I am Water. You are Good. Water holds both Princes of Elemental Good and Elemental Evil. Do you understand? I was the Padisha of the Marid, of all the currents and flows of my people."
A pause, the two of you exchanging a look. Lady Sanzha rises, eyes closed as water swirls around her. At first a gentle stream around her, little more than rain droplets moving. Then it speeds up, becoming a tempest of floods around her before ceasing. "Have you ever heard of the madalani?"
"I have academic knowledge, as you'd expect. But I haven't seen one in practice... or is that about to change?"
"I know many things, Seira. Not all of my secrets are old and worthless." It's all she says, a smile as she turns to go. Though she does hesitate a moment, "Be careful and don't die."
"I'll do my best!"
Stuff I'm waiting on:
Oraga's return, Kascha's return, information from prisoners Marianne and Lyris managed to take (we might send Valar's forces after their masters!), forces from Morwel, forces from Lathander, information about Earth from the Great Xorn to pass on to my friends there and to Yan-C-Bin.
Stuff I want Elle, Lagann and Honeydip to do:
Go to the Balmuria Prime while Elle loads up on the portal network spells, Honeydip helps with defensive temple designs and training ideas while Lagann helps make those defenses a reality and adds his knowledge of architecture, traps and machinery.
I also want Elle to handle approaching the favorable mortal governments on the Prime to smooth things over, promise our continued support and see if there's anything we can do better. And, of course, a slight reorganization to bring Ranbar and Laurenal in closer cooperation for efficiency and what not, so that next attack they'll be able to spot it quicker and respond in strength without my direct intervention.
Stuff I want Donald, Agathaiel and Kascha (once she returns) to do:
Recruit various Aurora potentials that can either help give us information for strikes on Fire or Earth or those interested in freeing slaves from shitty slavers. Hanna was okay with giving us that information, so we should be covered. Starting with the valkyries should be nice.
We'll cover the immediate interrogation of Marianne and Lyris's prisoners if you like, since we're basically waiting on Alicia here and Eb's late. Unless you'd rather wait or do something else quick first.
Let's cover that, sure.
Actually there's Eb, so let's do that now and get that rolling. We'll come back to this as needed.
Soon enough Alicia arrives and...
Go ahead, Seira.
"Thank you for coming!" Seira greets Alicia and her sister. "Jessica, it's lovely to see you. I'm terribly sorry, but would you mind waiting a few minutes while I discuss something with Alicia in private? It's about certain secrets that don't belong to me."
Alicia nods to Jessica. "I mostly brought her along because travelling alone can be dangerous even for us. Especially for us, even," she says to Seira.
Jessica pats your shoulder, "Of course, sister," she says, excusing herself.
"Elle and Valar are going over the information we have from the attackers on Balmuria, so perhaps you'd like to take a look there?" Seira offers to Jessica.
She nods to Alicia, then, easily agreeing. "Yes, that's a rule around here. I only take such risks when they are truly necessary, such as to try and deescalate a situation."
Once Jessica is gone, she continues, "I took one such risk during the attacks on our Prime of birth, which seemed to be carried out by dogai and with Imix's help. And then I took another, which is why I needed to see you so urgently. You see, Alicia, I've found Io."
Am I aware of those attacks, btw? Were any around my temples/shrines or did any of my guys get killed?
You were not targeted, but you'd be getting prayers about it mentioning it, even just in passing.
"I'm only just hearing about that through prayers after the fact," Alicia says, having missed all the fun as Imix trampled all over the Arbiter's edict. Will he even get any censure for that?
Probably not. There's still one seal not broken though!
"Anyway, you found Io?" she asks, refocusing. "I met a wizard your daughter Emily's taken up with, she was apparently chosen by Io, though from inference we and the other two yet to be found were chosen by I think Zaphkiel. I had a meeting with Asmodeus about Antenora's ascension and spoke to our 'benefactor' right after. It wasn't confirmed outright but the context was clear... so where's Io then?"
Seira ensures with her divine power that they would not be overheard, and with a mental apology to Amaryl makes certain the room is cut off from her as well.
"Right under that wizard's nose, where he has been waiting for years since her empowerment. The part about being chosen by him has been confirmed, though for what deeds I couldn't tell you. I've met her to, and kept an eye besides due to Emily being there and calling on my power for miracles. She's... well. It seems Emily's happy, and kept safe since they rarely seem to go past the safety of a controlled environment?"
Seira shakes her head. "Nevermind. I tried to give her advice, she got angry with me over it but now seems to be following it somewhat, so we'll see how that develops. The reason I called you in that manner is because Io wants to test us. He's willing to tell us everything if we pass. About Shar, about things we couldn't discuss with anyone else for the past two decades. I can finally bring Amaryl in! He's expecting us, with one of our closest companions each, Oberuth, and the same deal with someone similarly chosen. I already know who to invite for that final slot, but I did want to run it properly past you first."
"She did mention something about our meeting going better than one she'd had with Emily's mother actually," Alicia says wryly. "I didn't linger long, she seemed interested in running everything by her other patron deities and I didn't want the entanglement. Are we sure Io really knows more than anyone else, though? I suppose we shouldn't discount it, but the Arbiter implied no one else knew what he told me when we last spoke. Who do you want to invite to be tested by him, then?"
"With me, she was interested in running everything by her wizard council. During a time of crisis as an elite Sharran assassin infiltrated the premises and was killing them one after another. You can see why I tried to point out this is a terrible idea, given Emily is also living there."
To answer Alicia's question, Seira says, "The Arbiter cannot see the future, and at the time Io was still gone for eons. Given that he's running around and empowering someone to save Creation alongside our patron or patrons, it just seemed to me like he would. I tried to ask him without being direct in case I was wrong, and I felt like he was in the know. It's true, however, that in the end it's merely a hunch on my side. Still, there were three Incarnations, and if Io isn't a facet of one of them, he could've been filled in by one, perhaps even without the Arbiter's knowledge."
In order to answer the other question, she asks Alicia a seeming non-sequitur. "Did Marie tell you in detail about the trip we took to Balmuria together a while back?"
"Some," Alicia gives Seira a sharp look. "You're not thinking of that prodigiously talented young boy, are you?"
"Of course not!" Seira says with a snort. "He's under our protection, in our own ways, and with Celestia also looking in. But what happened on that visit is that I got a glance at some of what he was writing here and there, and it looked like an extensive magical thesis. That's why I ended up meeting Moore -- Duke Moore of Celestia, erstwhile of Aurora. We agreed to work together on untangling this, and in the course of it had cause to cooperate on a few other things. He mentioned the effect around him. In fact, the way he was so blatant about it made me hold back on bringing him in before, but aside from a few minor personality clashes like that he seems to be a decent sort. In case you'd like to meet him before reaching a decision, I've already invited him earlier to compare our notes on that project, and you sitting in on that would be natural given Marie's earlier involvement."
"Marie mentioned a magical... thing, but she didn't consider it important," Alicia admits. "Then the boy visited Sylica and it never came up then. What's it about?" she asks. Latha will of course be thrilled that they've found another in this Moore person, a name she remembers from Ebony's reports with nothing negative said about him at least.
"Well, I didn't think someone who didn't practice operational security properly was good to trust with my secrets at the time-- oh you mean with the notes." Hanging her head in embarrassment as she ducks behind her bangs, Seira extends a hand towards Alicia and the gathered information on Calley's notes appears there. "Even Mystra was stumped, but the way in which she was suggests to me this is tied to 21. Perhaps it's a blueprint to making our own, or it might be a way to locate it and its current holder, Sylvie. I don't want to guess, but spending some effort on figuring it out sounds like a good idea to me beyond academic curiosity."
Alicia focuses intently as she peruses Seira's notes...
Doing the whole alter reality buff routine of divine insight/greater heroism/improvisation/guidance of the avatar bit for +55 to my spellcraft check.
[17:58] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+46+55 super buffed spellcraft
[17:58] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 112 > [d20=11]
It looks like various magical diagrams, formula and lore to Alicia. You soon notice something else. The magic is absolutely refined, the sort of work you'd expect from an archmages with countless years to hone magic to its finest mastery. The difference between a mere mastery and the grandmaster of grandmasters, really. It's unbelievably well done stuff, by and large.
Why not roll? So I did!
20:03 <CC> roll 1d20+71+4+16+20
20:04 <Penuche> CC invokes Penuche's magic: < 116 > [d20=5]
But what does it do? Is there a meaning behind it Alicia can see? A grand ritual it's driving at? A focus on a particular school? Or is it just a big textbook of assorted spells and lore?
edit: And if it is just a textbook do I learn anything that benefits my own magic?
"I realized it was a ritual, and here is what Mystra had to say about it once I described it for her, given her inability to see it properly herself," Seira tells Alicia, pointing out the section of Mystra's analysis. After making sure that Alicia had time to take it in, she reaches for a different binder of documents. "This is what Kascha collated for me, from talking to 21's guardian and searching Aurora's library. My next move is to seek out Oghma, unless Moore took care of that angle already."
Seira doesn't uncover anything more.
Belated since Seira beat me to the post, but you's suspect it's a ritual of some kind, building towards something if you add the right pieces to it.
"I don't like this," Alicia says, looking up after several long moments of intensely going over the parchment. "Calley's uncanny skill at magic and arms is one thing, but this goes far beyond what he demonstrated - far enough to be beyond even Mystra? And there's no... I can't tell what it does," she furrows her brow. "It's like it's trying to hook into my brain and tell me that it's important and matters without giving me any clue as to why. It feels like a trap or a lure."
"I don't think it's beyond Mystra, merely... sideways. The ritual probably hits against one of her restrictions. And given what 21 is and its origins, I don't find it that impossible. Besides, didn't you feel a little shudder at its name when you first heard it? If our natures are instinctively wary of it, I don't find it that implausible that you'd feel a sense of importance. Still, maybe Moore discovered something that helps us tie it all together better? We should know better in several hours, which... actually brings us back to the original reason for your visit. Do you want to bring him in from the start? And who would you choose to go beat Io's test alongside you? Jessica?"
"I've no objection, Ebony spoke well of Moore in her reports from Aurora," Alicia says to the last part, creating a copy of the notes and handing the original back to Seira. "I'll hold onto a copy in case I discover further insights, but I definitely think we should be wary. As for Io's tests? I think Antenora would be most appropriate, her ascension is utterly outside the plans of anyone within Creation."
Seira nods. "In that case, please ask her to come over? And you can tell me more about the chat with Asmodad. Did you meet at that neutral ground, or was he a guest at Sylica like Triel?"
Alicia's avatar comes to visit the cauldron with Antenora, picking up Jessica and bringing her home on that note.
---
"Neutral ground? No he invited us to Nessus, then to Avernus when we refused that. I bargained him up to that fortress in the astral where we fought the Q'pa years ago," Alicia says to Seira. "He wanted to congratulate Antenora and offer his support - in the same way as we're already being supported with those bonds, I felt his power press against them. After we refused that he offered us a... 'seed of divinity', an item that could immediately make one ascend to godhood, or bolster an existing deity. Even Mystra had only ever seen such a thing once when the Incarnation of Law showed it to her so she'd recognise one in the future. I refused that and then he left. But not before confirming he knows of how Eblis ascended, and that before now he's been removing others who had that potential to do the same. He suggested Zaphkiel would be having his own champions ascend like Gathgorian did, and after he left we spoke to our benefactor who I'm now certain is Zaphkiel."
Do you intend to bring Antenora into this conversation or just have her here?
When she gets here I'll tell Seira so she can be let in.
"It's so annoying! How did he get to be all that? Unlike his counterpart in Zaphkiel, he didn't start out in Nessus."
Meanwhile, Seira's avatar is all too happy to greet Antenora and show her over to them.
Antenora knocks on the door and enters. "You called for me," she asks, closing the door behind her.
"Antenora," Alicia nods. "Seira found Io and he's extended an invitation to us."
"Yeah. Oh, and Mechanus told me about this neutral ground where deities can interact, and even appeal to Ao if needed," Seira says, snapping her fingers. "I was going to try contacting Primus through it, though that's been obviously placed on hold for now."
Joining you, Antenora smiles, "Success," she breathes out, "Wonderful news. When can we meet him and are there any complications?"
"He told me to bring six others under certain conditions. So the two of you, myself and Amaryl, Oberuth due to Sylian's meddling and Duke Moore with his plus one. He has a test to challenge us at his hidden demiplane, so we'll be coming in person rather than through avatars. At least it felt like a demiplane, but it seemed rude to start examining it in earnest with him being right there. Once we prove ourselves worthy, we'll get the most precious thing in the world, which is useful information, though I don't doubt he's capable of giving us a needed boost given he confirmed elevating that guild wizard, Alyssa."
"She mentioned gaining power from Io a few times but didn't really clarify what kind of power," Alicia mentions. "Do you know how involved these tests are likely to be? I know you have a war on after all. We're willing to help if you need but for now I'm maintaining Sylica in active readiness to hopefully act as a deterrent from others joining the war to hit you while you're distracted... we don't have as much strength as I'd like to take on all comers, but my hope is the threat of our involvement will keep other swords sheathed."
"It might sound silly, but it felt like the Daa-vid ruins," Seira admits. "Still, I don't know if we'll retain a link to our avatars due to the situation. I've yet to see anything break them, but you never know."
"The timing is poor," Antenora concurs, "Why I doubt sabotage from Io's affairs, misfortune and Beshaba's luck could hurt us if we're deep in a test when events happen." Quietly after, "We'll need to make preparations at the last, including contingencies if the worst happens."
"Avatars are useful but limited. I'm less worried about Sylica since Syala and her avatar will be there as well, but still events can run away from us. If it is like Daa-vid's dungeon then at least we have the option of leaving and resuming at need, it's something we should clarify before we begin," Alicia says.
"We could always delay," Seira tells them. "But didn't you two seize the moment, and the result is standing before me now? If we are to break this prophecy and win, I feel we have to take such chances now and then. And this war will only worsen with time. I cannot even see the end for now, so if we choose to delay there will be reasons to continue doing so for the foreseeable future. Besides, what if Moore is killed before that? He doesn't have the same fallback we do, and he's out there on the war's front lines. If we can ensure he's a bit harder to take out while at the same time advancing our cause, I say we should do so."
Antenora listens, "Why the seven of us? Oberuth because of what Sylian's done, you said?"
"Because of some stupid numerology I don't really care about, I wager," Seira responds with a snort. "Incidentally, could the Sylian and Oberuth situation be some sort of prototype to all this? As in, could he be the fifth Celestia spoke of?"
Alicia nods in acceptance of Seira's reasoning. "He could be," she says to the last part. "Zaphkiel said one was with Seira's kin - that's Alyssa with Emily, and one came from the Realm of Light. I remember Ebony's reports saying Moore asking around Aurora for others who had escaped that place. That leaves one more unaccounted for."
"Numerology is not stupid," Antenora retorts, crossing her arms, "You can find secrets with it, if you don't go mad trying." After that she says, "Has Oberuth mentioned any sort of bond with the Crimson Guard like we've experienced?"
"When the web is so tangled and you have no decryption key, your best bet is ignoring it and doing the right thing rather than obsessing over every possible interpretation," Seira gives her own opinion. "And he hasn't, but he has been keeping a distance due to events. And besides, this is why I said it could've been a prototype. Sylian may not have similar power to grant to a whole group, and instead chose a single champion. The best part is that unlike some other things where I only hope Io has the answers, he would know this. He has to, if he knew about us all."
Antenora's silent at those words, "We should eliminate possibilities and talk to the Commander directly."
"And ask him what? We already know he received a tainted gift from Sylian, and some of what it entails. A form of immortality, for one. Plus, he's being trained to fight creatures from Beyond, which would fit with our goals of saving Creation all too well. If he knew more, I think he would've told us. But I could invite him over, certainly."
"If he has that bond or if it's developed," Antenora says, "At least eliminate the possibility of him knowing about it if he is the fifth. If he's coming, he needs to be informed about all of this, too."
"Alright, I'll do that a bit later. He's still dealing with the events in Balmuria, so I'll take care of that after we secure Moore's cooperation."
"Until then," Antenora says, "What do you make of this Alyssa and Moore?" She sits, expression thoughtful, a single curl of black hair falling down from her tied back hair.
"I don't think Alyssa is anything special but she might be a really late bloomer, and Moore seems alright if perhaps too chatty," Seira summarizes her opinions on the pair.
"I think Alyssa's younger than I was when I met you," Alicia tells Seira in a somewhat weary tone. "I didn't get much sense of initiative from her - you mentioned how she wanted to run everything by a committee when you spoke to her, and I got a similar impression when she wanted to involve her patrons when I met her. I tried to impress on her how true growth comes from struggle but I get the feeling she'd be happiest just running a quiet school of magecraft. I've never met Moore but Ebony speaks well of him and he was part of the final battle for Lifasa against Taelfagn, so that's a good mark of character."
"It's got nothing to do with age, and everything with how she's spent years running everything by committee and, if you'll excuse me, with a really warped sense of what's urgent. Someone who doesn't have that spark of action is a bad fit for me."
Antenora absorbs that and adds, "Io chose her for a reason. She needs a nudge forward, then. Though, ti is possible if Io empowered her of his own initiative, what he wants and what he values is different. Or he operates on motives we don't know yet. I will have to ask him."
"Potential and reality are two different things, due to free choice. It's the most important thing we all get in life, and the one thing preventing a deterministic universe. Had Io been able to verify without a doubt that Alyssa would live up to her potential by this time, nothing we could do would matter, you know?"
"Divinations only go so far," Alicia agrees. "She also said she spent years trying to research the power Io gave her, so it's possible doing that actually stunted the development she'd have had learning other things or going out learning in the field and making the world a better place."
"Exactly! I filled Emily in on the planar stakes, so we'll just have to observe calmly and see what she decides to do."
After this Antenora sits back, patiently waiting. "How is Amaryl adjusting?" Antenora asks, "I'm just starting to learn, and it's so easy and yet so hard. It feels natural, but doing it..." she frowns a moment, "It's like trying to work a muscle that's never been used before, and is so painfully weak."
'Would you care to join us, Darling?' Seira asks Amaryl at that. 'Antenora would like a word~'
"There's definitely that, but also the frustration from not being able to go places while your avatar is being prepared. We've all been through it, at least those of us without cheating assholes for a dad."
"I find myself wanting to go to Balmuria. Syala made me her proxy a few times so I could visit, and now I want what I can't have right now, lest I bring ruin." A soft exhale, blowing back her stray strand of hair. "No matter." Smiling, "Any discontent is more than offset by so many things, including Marie's success. I'm so proud of her growth."
'I'll be there in a minute, love,' Is Amaryl's reply.
"Yeah, it's exactly like that. At least Amaryl had a chance to get used to the prayer through me, since her growth was gradual. It must've felt even weirder for you that it was for Alicia and I after our ascensions!"
"You'll have an avatar soon and it really is just like being there yourself," Alicia comforts Antenora.
In spite of it all, Antenora smiles. "It's all so sudden. Asmodeus said I was not planned for by anyone, a cosmic accident beyond Creation." She laughs now, a warm sound, strong. "I value the rules so, yet here I am, breaking the most important rules."
"Some rules are just bad. Few systems are perfect in every aspect, especially if they were born of compromise. Don't worry about it~"
Okay, for session prep purposes: Anything to do before Moore arrives?
Just that Amaryl would also be there.
Soon enough Moore arrives and...
Go ahead and intro/set up all of you.
The meeting takes place in a tastefully decorated lounge, one without windows outside. It is kept pleasantly warm by a fireplace, and has an assortment of comfortable armchairs, a small table and a bar filled with spirits. Seira greets Moore at the door, saying, "Thank you for accepting the invitation. I don't believe you've had the chance to meet Alicia or Antenora before?"
"Not personally." Moore answers with a smile. "Though of course I've heard plenty." A bow to each one of them individually. "It's a pleasure to meet you both face-to-face. Since this is the first time, please let me thank you both for the aid you provided to Lifasa during its fight."
"It was the least we could do," Antenora says, "What happened to Lifasa was an abomination." She returns that bow with a nod of her own, "Thank you for fighting so hard to liberate it."
"Ebony speaks well of you, Moore," Alicia says to the pixie after his introduction, a little nod of her head. "And of course we were happy to give Lifasa our help, its liberation is a testament to what we can do when we refuse to give up."
"I was hoping to first pool our notes on Calley's ritual together, after I collected a few more insights," Seira tells Moore, hoping to ease him into things through that. She guides him over to the table, where all of her annotated notes appear, with copies for him to take back.
"I actually found a few on my own after our last meeting, I had been meaning to update you on those, so this is good timing." He says, taking some of his own notes out of his bag to compare.
"I expected as much," Seira says happily. "Alicia believes that we should be starting to understand more about the ritual at this point, and I wonder if maybe we'll be able to get there this time."
Okay, let me pause you all for a few things. First, Moore, can you post your current completion of this?
Alicia, you've never looked at this before besides just now, right?
Seira, just so that I'm clear, list the insights you're adding?
"I'm extremely leery of a ritual which goes to such effort to seem important and powerful without yet giving up any clues as to what it actually does," Alicia says from her chair.
I've never seen this stuff before today, no.
I have 128/777.
This time I have Kascha's information from 21's guardian and the Aurora library (possibly with Elena's help?)
Okay. First of all, this is worth 63 for your total, Moore. Everyone can make a K:A and Spellcraft check here.
For reference, everyone gets +8 morale to skill checks and +5 untyped to skill checks in addition to whatever they normally can do for themselves.
Taking 10 for K:A 130 with the Moore bonuses and the usual buffs.
19:27 <CC> roll 1d20+117 spellcraft
19:27 <Penuche> CC invokes Penuche's magic: < 134 > [d20=17]
[17:23] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+46+64 (+15 insight, +8 morale, +16 luck, +20 competence, +5 untyped) super-buffed arcana
[17:23] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 128 > [d20=18]
[17:27] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+46+64 (+15 insight, +8 morale, +16 luck, +20 competence, +5 untyped) super-buffed spellcraft
[17:27] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 130 > [d20=20]
Take 10 for 116 on K:A, and 101 on Spellcraft.
It's progress, more of it revealed. It takes some time studying, Seira's sheer skill, Moore's aid and finally Alicia's grasp of magic, but you manage to puzzle an important fact out - it's a ritual that will open a portal somewhere. Where you cannot say, but what runes and patterns you have suggest nothing which is in Creation. Simply, it should not work and yet seems solid, working towards something outside of orthodox magic.
You also get a strong suspicion that any of you could learn a great deal about portals and teleportation if this were complete. The work is sublime.
Antenora politely watches, but after a few minutes shakes her head and sits back.
Amaryl is more persistent, but mostly keeps quiet. When it's at last done, "So..." she says, "Is this somewhere in Creation we don't know, or is it outside of Creation altogether?"
"Both works. Being from the Beyond makes great sense, but then again I'm intending to ask all those present of taking a trip to a place within Creation that was hidden from everyone until just now."
"I'd wager Outside," Alicia says. Or perhaps to another Creation entirely... she has been wondering a great deal lately if this was the first one made by the Incarnations after all.
"If I were to hazard a guess, it's wherever those who bear 21 end up." Moore says. "I know it's not really a stretch to say this is somehow related to Sylvie in some fashion. I imagine it's something the Incarnations set up for... some reason." He says, then glances over to Seira.
"Either way, Sylvie may well be involved," Amaryl agrees, "And 21." She frowns, "Cursed thing," she murmurs, more to herself.
"It's okay, you stop feeling the effects pretty soon," Seira tells Amaryl. "So! I have another reason for inviting you over, Moore. Remember the whole empowerment business that serves as Celestia's attempt to stop Shar? We're also in that group."
Moore blinks.
"Ah, I see. I suppose I must've been a bit too eager the last time we met to discuss it." A smile and a nod follow. "Do you mean... both of you, or... It's my understanding there are a total of five groups, including my own, so do you mean the powers of Sylica and The Cauldron make up two others?" He asks.
"Yes. We are aware of another, although request that at this point you not initiate contact. I'm willing to pass your information along if they ever look for it, but I don't want to draw them into the larger conflict until they are ready for it. As for the fifth... well, we should see soon enough. You see, I've found Io and he invited us over for test to prove our mettle. Are you in? You'll get to bring a plus one, same as Alicia and I." Her gaze goes over Amaryl and Antenora to indicate their inclusion in the trip.
Antenora meets that with a nod, while Amaryl says, "I have no doubt it will be a trial of some kind."
Alicia only nods. "Of course we've been fighting Shar on our own terms for a lot longer than this. Being chosen whether by Celestia or Io isn't the be all and end all," she says.
"I do hope to finally get some answers that those in the know have been keeping to themselves while acting mysterious for millennia~"
Moore nods. "Yes, by all means, please feel free to inform them. I hadn't really had a chance to even begin looking for the other groups because of recent events." Moore says with a smile to Seira in particular.
A consideration as he rubs his chin. "A test, hm? Hm... I suppose it is very much like a dragon to do that. ...Ah, no offense intended, of course." A small laugh follows. "Yes, I'd be happy to accept such an invitation, and I can think of a good person to bring along for support." He says.
"Alicia's actually pretty big on tests of character, so it's not like we have a monopoly on that sort of thing," Seira is all too happy to point out. "We could head out as soon as any necessary preparations have been done. Do we need to delay for tomorrow? You sounded a bit preoccupied in your reply."
"I was dealing with an awful efreet abjurer who put the souls of slaves in golems." Moore explains. "If we could wait until tomorrow for me to finish that up and to make sure my magic isn't hampered, that would be appreciated."
"You don't find out who you truly are by being complacent," Alicia says in defence of her fondness for such things. "But tomorrow is acceptable, it gives us time to round everyone up that we need and go in fresh."
"That works for me, yes."
"If it changes anything, the person I'm going to bring has a knack for healing." Moore explains. "But I imagine we'll probably all get split up at some point, just due to the nature of this trial."
"Then we'll need to be prepared," Antenora says, "Myself, Amaryl, Alicia, Seira, Moore, Oberuth and your one other. Who is it, Moore?"
"Her name is Jetina." Moore says. "She and I, uh... 'graduated' from the Realm of Light together."
"If the goal is for us to actually work together, splitting us up doesn't achieve that. But we should always be ready for hijinks, I agree. It goes without saying that you should only bring someone capable of handling the same trials you can."
Moore nods. "I have complete faith in her."
"That may be Io's goal," Antenora agrees to that, "As a team, will we cover all contingencies?"
"That's good. Needless to say, no one outside this room bar the final participant knows specifics about our destination. We want to keep it and our absence in total secrecy, lest our enemies move to exploit it."
"Any one of us is an army unto herself," Alicia says to Antenora. "I'm confident we can meet any challenge. And alright," she nods to Seira. "If things do go wrong my avatar can let Syala know but I'll keep it vague otherwise."
"Let's meet here at dawn and depart then?"
Anything else for you all to add here?
No, let's go~
Nope, I'm good.
I'm set.
Okay then. Todos for everyone before embarking on this?
Moore, I know you want to sort out that manor business first.
Alicia and Seira, I believe you were going to talk to Oberuth about all this.
Anything else?
I hoped that we could invite Oberuth offscreen, honestly. There's no great revelations there.
There's a bit of stuff I want to cover there, actually. Hence me mentioning it.
Okay, please move us.
Yeah lets do it.
Nothing besides what you mentioned and talking to the others to let them know we'll be gone.
Okay, I'll move you over in a sec, Moore.
Getting Oberuth over isn't hard. He listens to what you have to say, "More of this?" he says, a long grunt before he adds, "But I'm committed now. Besides," Standing up, "I need to show you something. Can you make heads or tails of what this is?"
"Perhaps," Seira responds, ready to analyze any visible magic!
"What what is?" Alicia asks.
Oberuth rises - and in a split second, he is gone. He stands on the other side of the room, "You don't see any magic, do you?"
What did I see? And perceive, given it's my realm and I know everything?
Alicia uses arcane sight to see if there was any magic.
No magic. Seira can see Oberuth is just in one spot and then in another, an odd thing indeed. It's not like teleportation, where the Astral is touched, it was nothing at all.
"When I was rescuing people in your church, I realized I'd have to go through flames," Oberuth narrates, voice low, "And then I just...realized I didn't have to. If I stepped just right and suggested it, I could be there without being there."
"What's her name, Sayuel? She seems to have undergone similar training to you," Seira muses. "I looked around for solutions, when I realized your problem was so serious. But I never heard of her doing that, so this is probably related to Beyond."
"What's the range on it?" Alicia asks. "It looked more like when someone moves around under the effect of time stop magic."
"About as far as I can move under pressure in battle," Oberuth says, a blink and he's back in his chair. He closes his eyes, blowing out a breath. "I don't like it, but it's not magic. It's just...." a trail off, "If you know what to say, it's like the distance is soft like clay, and you can move it aside."
"That's pretty useful! Hey, try bringing me along when you do that?"
With a ghost of a smile, "It works best if I carry you," he says, "You can't be moving at all on your own or you'll be left behind." Oberuth rises and comes over besides you.
"Sure thing! I'm pretty light!"
Oberuth scoops you up bridal style without any difficulty before - it's just being in one place a moment and in another the next. No sensation of moving, nothing. Just here to there.
Alicia's head turns to follow them. "Does it strain you much to use or can you do it over and over?"
"Try it again while I put up antimagic and block all dimensional travel?" Seira suggests, indeed ensuring that and signaling to Oberuth.
"None at all, no more than saying something," Oberuth says, "What startles me is how easy it is to tell reality to move, and it listens. ...is that how wizards feel when they can teleport with barely an effort?"
After a moment, it happens again - neither antimagic or the block impede it at all. It happens in spite of them.
"Wizards and outsiders, sure," Seira agrees, brushing past her spells to land on her feet back at their original position. "That's a useful trump card for you!"
"It's not doing what the Far Realm does to everything around it?" he asks, keeping his voice low. "I've seen no sign of it, but did either of you?"
"It's not destructive - trust me, we'd know very quickly if it was," Alicia reassures. "It seems utterly seamless - like I said, how it appears for an observer if someone moves under the benefit of a time stop spell."
"Good enough," Oberuth says, "If I'm to be a weapon, I'll damn well be one that works properly." He sits back down and grunts softly, "Can everything be altered, if you know to talk to it?"
"That's what magic does, though different things resist to different extents," Alicia says. "Divine power, anarch abilities, even just time and muscle... Creation isn't a fixed constant."
"I agree with Alicia. Besides, so long as it's a localized effect there shouldn't be any harm. If space begins to warp at the origin and destination points, then we'll have to take a closer look."
Good to wrap up, you two?
Yes.
All done.
Locking thread.