The laughter of oblivion

[Ebiris]

"I suppose you're right," Marie concedes. "It's a spell for moving instantly through the earth to any connected point. It bypasses any conventional defence against teleportation but it's right on the edge of what I can make happen with a miracle so there's no room to make it work on a group."

"We have to do something, physical transit isn't working," Alicia reasons. "Why don't you just try using a miracle to get us there without emulating a specific spell? That usually works better than mere teleportation."

[Anastasia]

Latha glances back. "Quickly. There's lightning catching up to us."

[Ebiris]

"Right here we go!" Marie grabs their hands and calls upon the divine power of luck to see them through!

Miracle SLA to reach Memorial.

[19:32] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+36 Marie CL
[19:32] <Rei-chan> Ebiris rolled : 1d20+36 Marie CL --> [ 1d20=8 ]{44}

[Anastasia]

Fort saves, all.

[Ebiris]

[19:51] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+67 Alicia mettle
[19:51] <Rei-chan> Ebiris rolled : 1d20+67 Alicia mettle --> [ 1d20=19 ]{86}
[19:51] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+54 Marie fort
[19:51] <Rei-chan> Ebiris rolled : 1d20+54 Marie fort --> [ 1d20=16 ]{70}

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+54 Latha
<Rei-chan> Kotono rolled : 1d20+54 Latha --> [ 1d20=2 ]{56}

> roll 70d10
<Rei-chan> Kotono rolled : 70d10 --> [ 70d10=401 ]{401}

Latha takes full, you two take half and Alicia takes none.

Freezing sharp waves of light pulse through you, the miracle fizzling as pain takes its place. You go nowhere, shuddering in the air.

[Ebiris]

Alicia at least appears unruffled but Marie cringes and twitches. "Oww! That didn't work at all!" she uses a safer miracle to heal Latha before herself.

"It's a shame we can't use Commander Oberuth's trick here," she says, helping to heal Latha some. "I have an idea," she says after a moment, unfurling her portable hole.

"But Latha just said..." Marie begins.

"Not that," Alicia says tersely, taking something out. A simple and unassuming ring. The ring of eternal celerity. She holds it up in the air and her will pulses.

"You may not recognise me, Bytopia, but if you truly hold a Memorial to what happened then recognise this! Here is one who fought in that war of bloody extermination. Let us pass because we have not forgotten what happened!"

Yes it's a ring, but it's an intelligent item with a will of its own that lent its power to one who fought against the gnomes. That's good enough in Alicia's book. Although she suspects that the legends of the ring came far more from its wearers skill and power than what the ring itself brought to the table.

[Anastasia]

Give me...Diplomacy. You did something, lemme tell you.

[Ebiris]

[20:41] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+75 this is a time I'll pop divine insight on a diplo check
[20:41] <Rei-chan> Ebiris rolled : 1d20+75 this is a time I'll pop divine insight on a diplo check --> [ 1d20=14 ]{89}

[Anastasia]

The skies are suddenly pitch black with storm clouds.

The ground beneath you shakes violently, chasms spreading all over as trees below burst into flames.

The air grows chokingly cold, as everything around you flash-freezes, great piles of icy shards raining down.

A sheer, overwhelmin-

Rage. Rage. Rage. Rage. Rage. Rage. Rage. Rage. Rage.

RAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGE.

RAGE!

This can't be good, some small part of you realizes, as you feel a fury unlike anything else, all directed in your direction.

[Ebiris]

"Why did you think that was a good idea?!" Marie shrieks.

"Has it stopped moving at least?" Alicia snaps back, still holding up her relic from the war of the fairest star.

[Anastasia]

Latha rushes to you, warm sunlight as she moves to shield you.

She's not fast enough, even as Marie can note it's not moving any more. The plane isn't expanding.

Sheer, raw energy explodes around...your hand. The ring within it is instantly annihilated, reduced to nothing. Then it appears again, only for the same force to strike it. Again and again and again. Alicia isn't harmed as the ring is struck, shattering hundreds of times in a second and yet always back.

Slowly, inky, dark magic leaks from the ring. It vanishes the instant it's no longer in contact with it. After thousands and thousands of times, the cycle stops and all is still. The rage is gone.

[Ebiris]

Marie just watches, appalled and with her mouth hanging open. Alicia looks a bit stunned too, not moving as if doing so might make whatever's destroying the ring hit her instead. She does properly study that magic while it's flowing off though, since it seems they have time!

Take 10 for 100 using divine insight and guidance of the avatar on spellcraft.

"It's..." Marie licks her lips when everything stills. "It's not moving away anymore."

[Anastasia]

Latha is much the same, still and quiet as she guards you nonetheless.

The ring sits on your hand as you study the dark magic.

A curse. A deep, powerful curse. Something woven into its bones, something of malice and shadows. Something of a singleminded hatred. A subtle perversion of the ring, a reluctance, a poisoning. Something to interfere with, to muddy, to subtly ruin.

The spell work reminds you of that of the God-King's and the Resorts, yet it is not quite the same.

[Ebiris]

Alicia peers more intently at the ring with narrowed eyes, holding it closer now while it seems like they're safe. And just what have you been hiding all this time?