Awesome!
Let us see what Kenza comes up with. Even the tiniest little bump will help.
I'll see what I can do.
The goal, of course, is to weaken him just before our arrival, or else, he may flee.
Kenza's speciality lies in Penetration. Without it, this would probably be hopeless, but with a fixed Arcane Connection? She can use the teeth to cast a lvl 05 Intangible Tunnel at the big A.
When you're a Tremere and can't use that fancy magical focus to pierce through MR, you gotta use Penetration and Spell Mastery, and that's where she shines.
If casting relaxed, she can have a tunnel with a Pen of 1d10=3 +26 - 05 + Pen (5+2 puissant)*(1 base + 4 AC + 1 Name) = 24 + 42 = 66 + Aura.
This should be enough for the tunnel.
Then, she can bring the paper cuts.
She has a lvl 05 DEO, with +24 casting total, including Mastery 02 (multiple casting, penetration)
So, each turn, she can cast with a Pen of 23 - 05 + (5 + 2 Puissant + 2 Mastery)*(1 base + 4 AC + 1 Name) = 19 + 54 = 73 + Aura.
If she rolls a 0 but doesn't botch, her penetration is still 54 + Aura. Hooray for Penetration!
Her biggest difficulty, thus, will be with the Concentration: She never hat the time to raise it properly, and didn't want to risk a Diameter Intangible Tunnel, for fear of retaliation.
I had too look at it at midday... If I understand correctly, the EF on the table are reduced by 3 points each (in the text), but still, EF 12.
Sta 02 + Concentration 3+1 = 06. She needs to roll a 6+
If he can perceive the tunnel, Abbie can retaliate, but, hopefully, it'll be too low-level for him to do this (He needs to use a lvl 05 effect or lower, so good luck to him).
10 Die rolls, for 05 rounds of DEO: 1d10=1, 1d10=9, 1d10=8, 1d10=6, 1d10=5, 1d10=4, 1d10=6, 1d10=8, 1d10=7, 1d10=4
No botch! Rerolling the first "1" for 1d10=7.
So... the 5 and 6th DEO automatically fail, as do the 10th.
She rolls at least 2 botch dices (base 1, +1 for failed concentration), reduced by 2 for Mastery. The fool has no familiar. Assuming no extra source of botch, she's safe.
So, rolls for the 7 DEO that pass through Concentration:
1d10=5, 1d10=10, 1d10=6, 1d10=2, 1d10=1, 1d10=6, 1d10=1
She's probably safe from the botch, unless we're in an Infernal Aura, so rolling 3 dices (Base 1+Aura 4-2 mastery) just in case 1d10=5, 1d10=4, 1d10=9
So, for 5 rounds, assuming Abbie is really an infernal dragon:
Round 1: -10 Might
Round 2: -10 Might (cumulative -20)
Round 3: -00 Might (cumulative -20)
Round 4: -10 Might (cumulative -30)
Round 5: -05 Might (cumulative -35)
Assuming he doesn't go out before that, his Might pool is probably depleted, or near so, but his Might score should be more-or-less intact 
This'll serve as a lesson to Kenza: Learn a bigger DEO!!!
((We're not waiting on me, are we?))
On me. I will progress when I get a plan together and I have time to write things up nice as opposed to a hasty post such as this.
Okay, just checking. It had been a very stressful week, and I do tend to miss stuff when I'm that stressed.
As you approach, a crowd of dragons gather. One by two, accumulating dozens. Abur-Circilie bellows can be heard echoing from the cave. Smoke and fire plume forth as he slowly emerges.
RaaaaaAAAAAAA!!!!
You yet live. But dare you try to fool me? You were but a favored dragon-bride, never truly one of us. You are no queen to me. Fetillusclaviceps is no more! And you have no power. I spare your life out of courtesy and respect, but I will tolerate no interference. I will even be so kind as to offer you my protection. I will put an end to this chaos and impose a new order. I shall be king!
[hr][/hr]
Take Note...
Shapechanged Statistics
Intelligence: +1
Perception: +1
Strength: +4
Stamina: +2
Presence: +1
Communication: +2
Dexterity: +3
Quickness: +3
Size: +2
Personality: Possessive (of her ring) +3
Vibria snorts derisively, her lips drawn back to show her mild amusement at Abur-Circirlie's words.
[color=red]"Me? Your queen? Eeew. I don't need your protection. But it's funny that you should mention him. I have a present for you...a token of my esteem." She then raises her voice enough for the onlookers to hear her as she hands the scroll to Abur-Circirlie.
[color=red]"Do your...'subjects' know that you've been lying to them about Fetillusclaviceps?"
Abur-Circirlie looks at you inquisitively. You take a look at yourself. The shape you have taken, it is not a dragon species of your native land. It is a local Slavic type. Single headed with human hands. Abur-Circirlie has a similar shape. It dawns on you that you are both of the magic type, and that Abur-Circirlie thinks you are Queen Matilda[sup]1[/sup] who was the wife of Fetillusclaviceps. She is known about in local dragon lore. They also know she is a human bride with a magic ring. So, from what you know about the natural viscious nature of dragons, offering you protection is a sign of respect for Fetillusclaviceps.
Also take note that this conversation is in Latin, and you have an accent. It is mitigated by your draconic gravel, but I will apply a -1 penalty to any attempts at guile.
[size=125]Lying about what? Fetillusclaviceps has not been seen in centuries. Veles of the Chthonic dragons claims to have evidence of his death hidden in his lair and has shown it to his followers. The Storm Riders are on the loose with no fear, and at this moment are fighting a loosing battle over the Scholomance. Then there is Rabidanadas from the south, who is both infernal and and intruder. Then these Dragons of the East that command the Mongols. if Fetillusclaviceps yet lives and has any power, why does he not take action? Why does he not enforce the Pax Draconis?
The old king is dead! Long live the new king! I shall put order to chaos, and I shall rule over mortal and magic.
And you can keep your scroll. I will not be fooled by your magic. I felt a tap of it just before you arrived, and some vibrations that followed that had no effect[/size][sup]2[/sup][size=125].
I understand why you won't accept my protection. Pride. You were once Queen. I shall spare you, but you are on your own. Others may not be so kind. You are only human. Your ring has ever fooled you. I understand why you prefer being a dragon. It is natural. Superior.
But if you change your mind and stay, I will make you queen again. And you can stay a dragon forever. And together we shall rule a kingdom of dragons!
[/size]
[sub]1 or whatever her name is, I forgot if I named her and I can't think of a good name.
2 He was tapped by the Intangible Tunnle, but DeO had no effect because he is not Infernal. However, feeling a spell that didn't affect him may indicate Magic Sensitivity.[/sub]
[color=red]"Hasn't been seen in centuries?" Vibria chuckles. [color=red]"Just because he hasn't bothered to show himself to you doesn't mean he hasn't been seen."
She doesn't have an answer for Abbie as to why Felix hasn't involved himself in the Draco Rebellion. She knows enough history to know that nature abhors a vacuum, and agrees that he should have set affairs in order before disappearing, but it's not really her place to say, yet. So...she bluffs.
[color=red]"Are you so sure that he's doing nothing? Do you honestly believe that you know every move he makes, every piece of information he's gathered and how he utilizes his intelligence? The humans have a game called 'chess', a game of strategy. And sometimes you must sacrifice the less important pieces, the 'pawns', in order to achieve victory. That would probably be you and the other dragons, I would imagine.
"But...if you don't really care what Fetillusclaviceps, Rex Draconis, has to say to you...I am curious. So, I will read to you what your liege has to say."
And she will break the seal, unroll the scroll, and read the scroll aloud in her best Public Speaking Voice.
(And Matilda sounds right...I remember thinking it was the same name as Queen Matilda from the Cadfael series.)
The scroll, bearing the Seal of Fetillusclaviceps, written in magical gold ink, reads as follows...
Abur-Circirlie's jaw drops, and his eyes stare off in a daze as he imagines the thousand-thousand pounds of gold and gems and items of magic. More importantly, the other dragons that overhear gather behind Vibria-Matilda. They all want a share of this fabled treasure, and more than one is willing to replace Abur-Circirlie if he won't back up the "Queen".
VibTilda pauses to let the words sink in (and to recover from her own shock at what she just read) before she rolls the scroll up.
[color=red]"But, since Fetilluscaviceps is dead and has been for centuries," she says with a mocking smile, her voice dripping with sarcasm, [color=red]"this wouldn't interest you in the least.
"I, on the other hand, suffer under no such compunctions, and am more than happy to liberate Devil's Mountain and claim the treasure that lies within." She looks directly at Abur-Circirlie, but directs her words at everyone around her.
[color=red]"You have until sundown tomorrow to decide where your loyalty lies. I will be at my camp making plans." She turns and takes to the sky with a flick of her tail, taking a circuitous route back...partly to make it harder for them to follow and/or ambush her*, and partly to revel in the feel of naked flight.
- Per 1 + Awareness 3 + die roll of 3 = 7 + Keen Vision/Sharp Ears 3 = 10.
The stars seem alive as you make your way back to your secret HQ aboard the ship.
You chat with Jacsik and Kenza and discuss what happened. Maybe radio grandpa. Whatever. We can RP what you want.
But in any case, Vibria has vibrant vivid visions in her dreams all night...
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:origin()/pre10/a395/th/pre/f/2014/175/d/f/dfc3959cdd19c221c020f82cb1ae3b78-d7nregu.jpg)
:origin()/pre04/2d07/th/pre/f/2010/189/8/8/88e6efe88ecaa3666d4ba596813cd4d0.jpg)
Vibria returns to the ship and takes her human form (with some reluctance), dressing quickly and heading below decks to her quarters. She smiles broadly as she caresses the scroll and thinks about all the treasure that could be hers for the taking. Granted, she will probably have to share...but the ring that Felix gave her, she will never give up. She sits and beams at it, and the one that Jaksic gave her. It's incredible how beautiful they are, and she treasures both of them more than anything else in her hoard.
After a while, she meets with her council, Jaksic, and Kenza, and lets them know what happened: Abur-Circilie has been recognized as Overlord of Oltenia and allowed to create the Order of the Dragon, with himself as its Master, and that we are going to rescue the Treasure of Decebalus, under her command.
[color=red]"I have given him until sundown tomorrow to decide whether to accept and to follow me to Scholomance. And likewise, all those who were with him. Whether he decides to follow me or not, I have let his followers know that they are free to follow him, or me if he doesn't accept the terms, or to go their own ways."
After the meeting, she will spend the evening wth Jaksic for dinner, snuggles, and smooches until they go to their separate beds.
Vibria is very reluctant to get out of bed in the morning, as she remembers the dreams and tries to cement them into place, and tries to nap to dream some more.
She eventually gets out of bed, dresses, and wanders the decks, as she debates taking flight once more. It's a short debate, and an easy decision to make, as she finds someone to let them know that she will be airborne again for a while. She wonders whether, if she were to cast a Perdo Imaginem on herself in human form to become invisible, if that would carry over into her draconic form, but realizes that she doesn't know enough about Imaginem to make an educated guess. She then wonders if the ring can make her invisible, and if she should ask Fetillusclaviceps about it next time she sees him. Of course, that does nothing for her now, so she makes sure she's where no one can see her before she strips and dives over the rail and becomes the dragon once more, soaring above the clouds where anyone below here would be none the wiser.
I found the images from a random google search, but tried to pick ones to convey the flow of a dream and convey a message. One always remembers the end of a dream better. Think of the last two images. Which one do you want to be? And considering timey-whimey stuff, which do you wind up becoming?
Oh, by the way, here is an interesting factoid. You are wearing the dragon ring on your right hand. On the same finger that was severed and had to be reattached. Remember back when Vibria had a crush on Vulcanus and helped him break into his rival's tower? Vibria's finger was severed by a trap. Vulcanus used a casting tablet found there to reattach it. It was a disguised spell trick, and gave Vibria a permanent Corpus enhancement to her figure. The finger was preserved and put back on at Andorra. It was always a little thinner after that, which is why the ring fits only that finger. Matilda was smaller than Vibria.
Think about that.
[hr][/hr]
Vibratilda flies overhead and can see that a gathering of dragons has gathered below. The four most powerful of this brood of dragons, with Abur-Circirlie surrounded by the other three. They part a bit to let Vibria land. Abur-Circirlie steps forth and speaks.
[size=125]Welcome to the War Council, "bride of Fetillusclaviceps". I trust you brought the scroll with you? If we can verify it's authenticity, then we have agreed to join your battle. It is not up to me alone. I support the proclamation. It legitimizes my claims and gives me station. If it really was from Fetillusclaviceps. What has everyone intrigued, though, is this talk of the fabled treasure.
Now, we feel the Stormriders are about to crumble before the vengeance of the Hermes wizards anyway. Easy fight. The tricky part is to insert ourselves into that fight in such a way as to gain the trust of the Hermetics and gain their favor through our efforts. Even better would be to recruit the Stormriders into our alliance. But not while they insist on fighting loosing battle. There are some enemies one is better off not having as an enemy.
Keep that in mind.
Now about this treasure. You say the Hermes wizards are sworn to give it to us if we liberate the Devil's Mountain from the Stormriders. A battle they are about to win anyway. Several of us had doubts of course. But we have an inside contact with the Hermetics. The great and mighty Azevastjepan stands in the circle here with us. He tells us the treasure is there, for he is the guardian and the mountain his lair. He is a shape changer, and uses the name Sebastian. He also served the Pax Draconis as an ambassador. They know who he really is and what the deal is. It's all secret handshake stuff.
He also tells us that the Hermetics are not on the verge of winning the battle after all. Those wizards are massing for an attack, and the storm wizards are waiting for them to launch it before they spring their trap. The Stormriders have gathered a massive force that hides high above in storm clouds that hover between storm clouds. They call it the Mother of Storms.
So the Hermes wizards could use our help. And the lure of treasure is quite the incentive.
If the offer is real.
Azevastjepan has agreed to open the vaults if the document is authentic. The magic door will yield to him and him alone. He insists on looking upon it with his own eyes.[/size]
The dragon named Azevastjepan steps forth. A magnificent presence, and familiar blue eyes. Vibria knows this one. Sebastian, the consor and autocrat of Scholomance.
I like it very, very much!
This is clearly a lack of intel / fasle assumption working against the players, which is both cool and very much in theme for Tremere.
When, later, Vibria tells this to Kenza
Well done, general vibria. This was brillant. I knew you were the right woman for this job.
Hmm...the last two images seem to indicate a choice she must make, between maternal and material Where she is, at this point in time, she is definitely more into the treasure then caring for children (even her own). But as time goes by, and she matures, she will start to treasure the other things in life. (Of course, she will still enjoy things of value, and will take whatever she can get, or be given.)
[color=red]"No, I don't have it on me. I'm not normally in the habit of carrying around priceless documents where anything can happen to them. I will be happy to get it to you, if it will satisfy you all that Fetillusclaviceps's words are true." So saying, she will fly off to the ship to retrieve the scroll. She smiles at Azevastjepan when she returns, but gives no other sign that she's recognized him.
She listens with rapt attention to Abur-Circirlie's analysis of the situation, and the trap that the StormRiders have laid for the Hermetic wizards. But, again, she says nothing, preferring to wait until she has his loyalty (even if temporarily) before she gives him any aid.
Vibria blushes. [color=red]"Thank you. I think the fact that I'm surrounded by some of the best that the Order has to offer has helped with our success."
I'll let you slide :mrgreen:
Azevastjepan nods and assures the others it is okay. In comparison to Abur-Circirlie he seems almost as strong and powerful. But not quite. However, he does seem wiser and more cunning. They remind Vibria of her cousins Venkath and Maurice. One is ruthless and ambitious, and leads the rest. The other is sly and cunning yet never the one in charge.
Vibria returns and presents the scroll to Azevastjepan. He examines it, and when he reads it aloud the same echoing effect occurs as did when Vibria had read it previously. He then hands it over to Abur-Circirlie and proclaims its authenticity.
It is so verified! It bears the imperial seal and arcane scent of Fetillusclaviceps. So then, as we agreed, we shall unite and follow this maga to liberate the Scholomance. In exchange, we of the circle shall each take shares of the Treasure of Decebalus hidden in the vault under that mountain. The scheme of division Lakradis devised last night, apportions according to power amongst us all, double portions for we of the circle, and a third portion for Abur-Circirlie.
Then he turns to Vibria. Your move again, "Bride of Fetillusclaviceps". A brood of more than three score and two-hundred heads are waiting to take flight or march on your orders. Lead us to victory, and you will make good on the promise Tremere made to Fetillusclaviceps lo many centuries ago.
(quick response before I head off to work, more later).
[color=red]"This scheme of Lakradis's," Vibria says. [color=red]"How big is my portion?"
[color=red]"I will meet with my lieutenants," Vibria says, [color=red]"and we will meet you here at noon tomorrow to begin our plans to take the mountain, and the treasure."
When she returns to the ship, she calls yet another council, muttering, [color=red]"So this is the life of a general...one meeting after another, with the occasional battle to break up the monotony."
And this is where we run into the player's weakness. I suck at strategy. Can't play chess to save my life, and every war game I've ever played, I've just gone with my gut or did stuff and random and hoped for the best.
That being said, this is what I think the situation is. The Hermetics, who are preparing to launch one great offensive, think they have this war won. What they don't realize is that the Stormriders and the Storm Wizards are setting a trap, laying in wait above and within a great storm front, and when the Hermetics sally forth, they are going to be destroyed. What we need to do is meet with the Hermetics, convince them that they need our help to survive the coming battle, and remind them that they are sworn to give us the treasure.
Is that basically right?