Chapter 15 - Hunter of the Shadows

Okay, Estaban enters the mirror and is deposited in a realm where he is surrounded by thick, impenetrable fog. No sign of Alexandro anywhere, no portal or mirror behind you. All of your spells and your Parma have expired, so you need to spend some time setting that stuff back up.
Having no sense of orientation or direction, yu start calling out Alexandro's name. Maybe you wander around, maybe you stay in one place. Either way the results are the same; endless impenetrable fog. Even if you magically disipate some fog, more fog rolls in to fill the vaccum.
It is about an hour later when you here the sound of thunder, several times in rapid succession. Somewhere behind you several lightning bolts were discharged into the air from the ground.

Marie and Ameline;
You are taking care of Moe and doing whatever else, when Metron reappears. He smiles and cackles, knowing that he has already won. Unafraid, he stares at you menacingly. He figures that you girls are no threat to him, and indeed you may fear what he is about to do to you.

He approaches Ameline [color=red]Well, well, well. t seems that my workhere is done, so I shall be taking my leave of you now. There is nothing you can do to stop me, but fear not.I offer you no threat, only a gift. The tower is now yours and I hereby abdicate my authority, and I grant to thee the Palace of Burning Bronze as thy dominion.
OOC - Using the Peter Parker rule, Metron gets all of these words in before any action commences.
(The Peter Parker rule is that, just like Spiderman in the comics, you can fit volumes of dialogue in between split seconds of action)

Well that sounds interesting. I'll slap on Wizard's Sidestep and hurry over there. I'm thinking, maybe my sodales finally caught up and followed me through the Mirror. :slight_smile:

Afterthought - I guess I don't have a working AC to Alexandro?

OOC: FIrst, a repost of what I sent to the previous thread.

IC: With the banners splintering across the Arc of Fire--and beyond--Vares does what he can to keep them in contact. Through InIm he sends messages informing everyone of the current situation, then, turning to his own remaining banner, says, "Our principal objective has been achieved. Carmen is free, but she and Esteban are now pursuing Alexandro into some other region. Octavian's forces are in pursuit of Rodrigo. Metron is still at large. Unless either of you," he addresses Dmir Taar and Viola, "have a means of catching up with Rodrigo, we should follow our existing plans and proceed to the tower, joining those there and reinforcing them."

OOC: Now, additional.

IC: Registering the reappearance of Metron moments after Vares warned that he was still at large, the Flambeau Magus snarls, "Metron's back at the tower! I'm shifting everyone there, now!"

OOC: If any of the other Magi present can jump there on their own, Vares will do what he can to help. They can touch the Arcane Connection he has and leave it behind (not held, so it doesn't jump with them). He will send through the soldiers, then join them.

Did you have one before? If so, it has degraded one step (unless it was permanent).
So, you hustle overto where the lightning bolts came from, and you find Carmen. She set off a few IoL's to attract attention.
[color=red]Well, what took you so long?
:laughing:
[color=red]I don't know if you can see in this fog, but I can. There is a castle up ahead about a mile or two. I am guessing Alexandro would have gone that way.
And there appears to be some distortion of time and/or space. I followed directy after you, yet we were separated by some distance. Either the Mirror dropped us off in different places, or there is a time lag and you got here some time ahead of me
OOC: The second theory seems more likely, since the lightning discharges came after you had been here for a bit already.

CHARGE!!!!!!

Ameline looks at Metron, "Your work is flawed, your desires doomed and you can never truly succeed as tainted is your actions. I call upon Saint James to comfort and guard your victims, I call upon St. Nerius, Patron saint of magic to smite you down and drive all magic from your form and I pray that God has mercy on your soul as you are pulled into purgatory, justly condemned for your heinous acts. I pray that God gives you all that you deserve, no more and no less." The maga does not raise a hand or spell other than her invocation of God and the Saints. She is not one to strike for vengence is the Lord's and she invokes it now.

:smiley: Ah, Milady, I am delighted to see you! I was sure that you would follow and not abandon your brother. If I may have my Talisman back, please.

Esteban does have an AC to Alexandro: Chapter 14 - Test of the Flames - #11 by Andrew_Gronosky. Let's assume it was a strand of hair because that's easy to collect. Normally those last months, so he should be good.

He'll spont an InCo spell to locate Alexandro: base 3 + 4 Arc = level 15 (Momentary duration is OK for now). Rolling +1 Sta +8 In +9 Co + 5 Talisman + 10 Aura:

invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2575338/ 32 +5 (forgot the talisman when I made the roll), /2 for level 18, no problem. 8) Where's Alexandro?

You say you followed directly behind me, but to me it seemed an hour. Let us not then wait for my colleagues from Andorra, but hasten to (wherever Alexandro is).

Esteban cuts the strand of Alexandro's hair in two with his dagger and presents half to Carmen. "An Arcane Connection to your brother, Milady. With my compliments." (Attempts most charming smile) :slight_smile:

Viola will head with her shield grogs toward the tower in the old-fashioned, pedestrian way. Unless someone raises objections, she's inclined to push the grogs through the Mirror and then jump in herself.

Scott

Carmen returns your Talisman, and with your permission, she will spont an Intellego Auram spell that allows you to see in the fog.
You cast your locater spell, which indicates that Alexandro is indeed at the castle up ahead.
Strange looking castle it is too. Though modern (1222) in design, it appears weathered and centuries old. Very complex and eclectic too, with mismatched towers rising up in hodge-podge fashion.

Vares is using the Rod of Transportation to send people directly into the tower, if you wanna take the easy route :slight_smile:

Metron laughs [color=red]I have become a being of pure magic, I no longer have need for a soul :smiling_imp:
Now, when Metron blinks in and out, he is actually removing himself into the Twilight Void. Thus, upon his return, all spells and his parma are expired.However, he does have a Magic Might score that provides him with Resistance.
But this Resistance is suddenly insufficient to protect him. Without even looking into it, he gets sucked into the Mirror of Infinity. His face displays shock and amazement as he gets pulled in...
[color=red]Wait! No! Not again! Taglyn is worse than Purgatory... NOOooooooooo!!!

"Worse than purgatory." Marie eyes the greedy surface with open revulsion. "I know that our friends seem eager to go in there - but do we really have to? It just doesn't seem prudent. Plus, we really are ill-equipped to deal with Metron. Maybe it would be a good idea to ask Khyron for some more information on this mirror."

:smiling_imp:
Poke your head outside and see what he is up to then

Ameline turns and focuses on Moe and starts to cast. She will be at it for the next hour and a half but the results are not what she expected. She looks exhausted from the effort and the spell goes very wrong.

OOC: damn dice roller (no botching spells in years RL and yet I have done so twice in this adventure)
Healing the life threatening wound (CrCo 30), Mastery 1 (subtle) to heal an incap wound on Moe. Casting total is 33 + 16 aura = 49+die.
got a 0, 11 botch dice (6 pawns of vis (well to LT fatigue as 6 pawns - 1 mastery)
Got a 0 in the botch dice so only a single botch, gain point of warping and lose another lt fatigue (since casting total is more than enough)
Need to determine the botch results

invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2576496/
invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2576499/

Oh, sure long as it's not gonna warp me or something.

Scott

Great, gladly given. "I'm most grateful. Your skill at Auram magic is quite impressive."

Esteban wants to catch his breath after that spont spell (trying not to look at Carmen too much because that is hardly the way to lower his heart rate). Then we'll head in that direction.

Is Esteban's armor still glowing?

Marie (who does not realize what Ameline is doing - yet) sneaks a peak at Khyron careful not to draw attention to herself.

The botch dice don't come from Vis since you used Fatigue. The 6 botch dice come from the level 6 boundary.
But anyway, Moe looks up at you and says
[color=red]Do not weep milady. I am an old man, and I have lived twice the life of any otther custos of the Order. I should have died ten times over during my adventures alongside Antinio back in the day. I have lived a full life, and I am pleased. All I ask is that you bring mu body back to Andorra for proper burial...
Then he dies.

You'll be fine :slight_smile: