You successfully bind Andrei's wounds with your spell. No Confidence was necessary. Your examinations reveal that he has a head injury that will heal as a Medium wound. Currently, he seems more distressed and addled than actually in danger.
Those of you (Nonna and Jonathan?) still inside the manor notice a sudden dimming of the fires. The most intense, magical ones almost seem to dim to mere embers, a few of them going out entirely. If you are quick, crafty and skilled you may yet be able to shape your fates and that of the covenant.
Winds is able to escape with books in tow, thanks to her quick thinking with the rock. She, too, can see that the fire is concentrated in the spectral hands, and appears to be dimming everywhere else.
Ilmari only needed one casting of his teleport spell to land safely. He's down ~2 fatigue levels? I'm not exactly sure, since we've been narrating this whole time rather than tracking individual spells.
Winds magically appears in front of the manor house carrying a stack of books and scrolls piled high in her arms. She turns around to watch the blaze that she just narrowly escaped from, and her jaw drops when she spies the two hands of fire. After watching the hands at work for a few moments, she whispers, "Is anyone still in there?" Blinking as she comes out of shock, she looks around and shouts, "Is anyone still in there?"
Concerned that someone might still be trapped inside the burning building, she looks around for a clean and safe spot to put down the texts she is carrying. To her dismay, everywhere seems to be covered with either snow or ash, and would only damage the books she so recently saved. Continuing to search for an appropriate spot, Winds appears to others to be running around in a near panic, since she refuses to go too far away from the fire in case she is needed, but no where close to the fire would be safe for a book to rest.
Nonna smacks her stick on the foundations. "Now, then, house, can you be a dear and tell us if there are still people in there?" She stares at the building for a second, and then slumps forward tiredly, leaning her head against the stone. "Oh, dear. I just remembered. Where are we going to sleep?"
((Spont InCo (base 3 + 3 structure + 1 touch = 15): 15 in + 2 Co + 1 sta + 4 aura + 9 = 31 /2 = 15 : locate all people in a structure))
The hands of fire still linger within the covenant proper, but thanks to Jonathan's firefighting team most of the remaining blaze has been stamped out. Through the clearing smoke, you can see it moving through the remains of the manor like a hungry cat. It does not seem to be burning the structure. Rather, it seems to be looking for something.
Jonathan - do you go directly after the monster (that being the target of your PeIg spell), assuming Winds or someone has told you of it?
Winds - use your ingenuity to save the books, if that's what you want. I'm confident you can come up with a solution.
Nonna's spell reveals that there are several people still near the servants quarters, and as she casts the spell she feels one of the people she was trying to locate wink out, extinguished by the hungry flame. As she casts her magic like a net to find the people in the structure, she can feel the hunger of the fire creature, as can all the magi with Magic or Infernal lore. It is not trying to devour the structure anymore. Perhaps it is too weak? Or perhaps this was its intention all along - now it hungers not for wood and straw and stone, but for flesh and the souls of men.
A fire pops crackles, echoing over the now smoldering and partially standing manor, much too loud to be mundane. Then, a scream, a woman's scream, as the fire bites into her. It seems to go on and on in the night.
If Jonathan is aware of a direct enemy, he shall confront it head on with valor!
However, it seems we are up against a spirit here, more than just a mere elemental at that. Hmmm...
against mundane fire I can cast at a distance. against a might score, I won't be able to penetrate unless I actually touch it.
Quick intelligence report. Who has seen this monster, and what sems to be it's nature? Magic or Infernal?
Finding a suitable location far enough away from the fire and clearing it off sufficiently to not endanger the texts from getting wet by the snow takes longer than Winds would like. But she is finally free of her heavy burden, and stands naked in the snow facing the manor house, watching the fire burn unstoppable by mundane means. At a loss at what magic she can bring down upon this, she figures she might be able to determine who cast it. Winds waves her hands about, shouting at the firey inferno, attempting to cast an IntelligoVim spontaneous spell to identify any active magics, and hopefully any sigils that go with those magics. Perhaps this fire was not started by the magus she suspects.
Winds and Ilmari have definitely seen it. It doesn't bear any noticeable signs of the Infernal other than its behavior, but then, most demons don't. That's about all Winds knows about it based on intution, since she doesn't have any Magic Lore.
Winds's spell reveals that there are no active Hermetic magics present. The creature is obviously magical, naturally, but there does not appear to be any sigil or anything associated with it.
Ilmari is pretty sure the creature is not magical in nature, that it is feeding somehow, and that it will get stronger if left unchecked to feed. It seems likely that the group of you together will be a more effective adversary than one magus alone.
At a loss at what she can do against this beast, looks at the ground around her for ideas. Finding a fist sized rock, she picks it up and moves back to where she can see the fire creature and get a clear shot at it. Winds casts Inproved Sling of Vilano upon the stone, which sends the rock flying from her hand to the fire creature. She watches the rock as it sails away, hoping it does something, but not really expecting it to.
She calls out to the magi around her. "I can help someone with a Wizard's Communion, if anyone is able!"
Francisca shakes her head. "If we couldn't fight it with ice, what good is a stone? There's nothing we can do without more help. Ilmari, come with me." She trudges through the snow, back to the smoking building and the screams, her face set and her eyes dry. "You there, storm!" she yells into the wind. "I need to have words with you! Now!" A puffed-cheeked face, formed by whirling snowflakes, shifting and flickering in the gusts, swoops down around her, blowing her coats off. She sets her teeth, straightens as well as she can, and fixes a withering gaze on the storm's face.
((Words With the Gale (InAu 30): In 15 + Au 7 + Sta 1 + Aura 4 + 4 = 31 - spell casts without fatigue.))
Winds’s rock flys through the fire-creature, and it flexes its flaming hands as if in surprise. It turns toward the source of the rock, circling uncertainly, as if confused about whether to confront to source of the rock or continue on its current course.
Meanwhile, the wind whistles and rushes in, blowing snow everywhere. Its jolly voice is a little more gravely and course, perhaps from a night of blowing wind everywhere.
"Hmmm, yes! Hello, little creature. Do you like my breezes and my children’s handiwork? We’ve done some fine work tonight, if I do say so myself."
New desperate idea...
Somewhere in the covenant are the Vis stocks.
Wherever that may be, Jonathan heads for it. He will gather as much Perdo, Ignem, and Vim as he can. Then he will head back to face the mosnter with an arm full of danger. Danger for the both of us!
Indeed! While the creature is distracted by the antics of Nonna and Winds, you return with quite an armload of assorted magical oddities. They had been kept in what you think was once a root cellar, with no guard to speak of for as long as you've been here, as if Jacopo's reputation alone were enough to keep it untouched.
You manage to find 9 pawns of Vim, 6 of Perdo, and 5 of Ignem.
[color=green]Jonathan of Flambeau: [color=red]"Okay, I'm going in. I need to get up close and touch the thing to have any effect. Who is with me? Could use some support and teamwork here."
Since Winds' rock seems to have distracted the firey beast from devouring the building and any people who might still be in there, she decides to continue. Bending over again, Winds grabs a handful of rocks and starts to magicaly throw them at the creature, one at a time, in the hope to buy some time for the others to figure something out. When Johnathan returns once again from within the building and calls for assistance, she shouts back. "Unless you need a Communion, there isn't much else I can do to support you beyond what I'm doing now!" Winds lobs another rock at the beast to illustrate what she means.
"Keep it up, keep distracting it. I am going in..."
Jonathan uses Wizard's Leap to get in close behind the thing. He then sponts the biggest PeVi total he can in an effort to deplete its might, shoving the Perdo vis into the fiery heart of the spirit. Need to make calculations, but suffice to say I am devoting at least as many levels to penetration as I am to draining power. And since the Range is Touch, that gives me 5 additional levels than the normal Pe-might score base.
While the creature is distracted by Winds's attacks, Jonathan makes his move. As he chants the words of his spell, thick tendrils of black lightning surround the creature and it grows visibly dimmer, the powerful invocation stifiling its fiery heart. The spectral hands spread wide and quiver, and from the heart of the creature you hear a rumble of shock and pain.
How much Perdo/Vim vis did you want to use? All of it?
Winds keeps up a steady hail of rocks into the thing, hoping to distract it from Johnathan and his attempt to destroy it. In between her spells, she glances around her at the other mages, hoping one of them is coming up with a back up plan if this doesn't work.
