Gemma looks at Fleur with a wink and a smile. The woman is insanely attractive, and you can tell Cornelius is having trouble composing himself. He stutters and stammers and resolves to just let Fleur speak. She makes her statement of inquiry, and Gemma responds with a broad grin.
I am inclined to help you, but information has a price. I will trade you knowledge for knowledge. Why do you inquire?
[spoiler]Metagame: She is indeed very inclined to assist. Getting rid of the brats equals getting rid of their wench mothers as well. But there is no way for you to know that, or for her to know what you want.[/spoiler]
I am aware of the ones that apply to me and the work that I do. I buy and sell magic items, and I broker deals for those items I may not possess. How aware are you of the nature of my operation?
Meanwhile, the others lower onto the roof, and can gaze down a large open roof into the core of the tower. The top two floors at least.
Something squirms under Carme's cloak. You cannot see that because of invisibility. But you can see it when it emerges. A bird, small raptor with multicolored fiery plumage, it wriggles free of the cloak and perches on Carmen's shoulder as if oblivious that she is supposed to be invisible.
Hurm. Guys, meet Lux. Like I mentioned before a while ago, I intend to return her home. And retrieve the sword.
"Very little, I was just trying to ascertain how much I should explain. When a Bonisagus seeks an apprentice, they are entitled to take the apprentices of other magi. Now as I understand the situation, Vulcanus has two apprentice magi, Magni and Modi, which are of his own bloodline, which is of great interest in my research on heredity. Cornelius can confirm that it is my right to take one of these children as my apprentice. Do you know if either of them are currently here, and when Vulcanus will return? While I am not obligated to do so, I would like to discuss with him the future of his child."
Gemma smiles gleefully. You should take them both. They really work best as a pair. Please, take them both. One for each of you maybe?
Right now Vulcanus is in Asgard. Or what he thinks is Asgard anyway. Some competition he is in. The balcony on the third floor is a portal into the top regio lair. Head up into the clouds and follow the rainbow. I will deactivate the traps.
"Well I am only allowed to take one. I don't know if Cornelius needs an apprentice. Is that gate to Asguard inside his sanctum? It might be better if we talk with the boys while we await his return. How long does he usually spend in Asgard?"
"Pleasure to meet you, Lux," Lucas says politely, unsure just how intelligent the creature is. "So, Carmen," he adds. "Do you know anything about how his sanctum might be trapped? Vulcanis can't have had too much time to devise new traps. So he probably has moved over some of the ones he used back at Arans."
One for each of you. The gate is in his tower, but not in the lab or sanctum. The boys are with him and I have no idea how long he plans to be gone. Usually never less than a week and generally no more than two. One time he was gone for a month!
And they age faster there, I can tell. He takes the boys frequently. They should be only six, but I would swear they both seem adolescents already.
Lux, eh? And don't phoenices rebirth from their ashes when they die, making them effectively immortal? So this would be... Lux Aerterna. Very nice. A pleasure. (that last to the bird) Carmen, you wouldn't happen to know how strong the aura is here, would you? I would like to do something about the ring, but I know I need a good strong aura to manage it. Even at Arans it's tricky.
It is a Magic Aura III here on the outside. I do not know how strong the two regio layers are, but I recall that the aura on the Bifrost was close to X. Vulcanus did not employ traps at Andorra. None that I know of. Antoine would have better knowledge. He has probably adapted existing traps to his purposes, and has not had much time to develop anything new. As for a ring, if you mean that moon-roof deal here, give it a shot. It wasn't trapped or tricked last time I came through, but the circle shape makes it an easy target. After that we drop down one at a time, remaining invisible. I'll go first. Lucas, count to 300 then follow unless I signal danger. Antoine, follow Lucas after a count of 100. Then...
Carmen is interrupted, as Lux the Phoenix takes flight. She shoots straight up into the sky, ignites, then dives into the moon roof entrance.
[hr][/hr]
Gemma fumbles around her desk and produces a ring of keys. She goes up to the door, waves a key while uttering gibberish, then opens it.
There. That should deactivate the traps in the approach hall.
Actually, I meant my invisibility ring - Antoine waves his hand, with the still-visible ring on it. - but a III is not going to be enough to let me hide it. However, regarding that roof, let's see...
Please correct me if any of this is wrong; targeted Intellego spells, especially InVi, confuse me with their guideline range and targets.
Spontaneous casting of InVi (Mom, Voice, Ind) to detect traces of magic on and around the hole. CT In 4 + Vi 6 + Talisman 2 = 12, + stress die 3 = 15. With Fatigue gives spell level of 7. Accounting for Voice range, that's a base InVi effect of 5. I don't know what magnitude magic that detects, because I don't have my book here.
Of course, if that interrupts my casting, then I shall be interrupted. I watch. Does anything happen to Lux?
FLuer takes Cornelius in arm "Traps in the approach hall, I thought it was only the sanctum that could be trapped." she whispers. After the traps have been disarmed, she smiles at Gemma "Could you show us the way to the regio?"
Gemma returns the smile.
Caduceus, the former rival of Vulcanus, had marked the whole of this tower as his sanctum. Excepting my office and the studio space. And he is the one that built the traps. Vulcanus killed him in a fair fight, a Wizardly War, and took over. I helped him with the particulars and legalities, for he returned my seal skin. And we are in love.
If I could only get rid of those two red-headed mountain women he brought with him from his former covenant, we could finally be happy...
Vulcanus took over most of the traps and deactivated those he could not control. All save for three that are too powerful as of yet. One is the booby prize, the other is upon the bird cage. Those are trivial and are of no concern though, and he finds them useful.
But the third is a trick he does not understand and dares not risk tampering with. Caduceus is dead, but removing his sigil and/or placing another one on this door will cause the whole tower to collapse.
(take note that the door to the entrance hall is engraved with the symbol of a Sanctum, alongside the sigil of Caduceus. That of Vulcanus appears nowhere)
I have no idea what the implications of that are in wizard law. My interests are mainly the lawful sale and procurement of magical items, vis, and silver. Maybe it counts, maybe it doesn't.
I remember this hallway had three different settings, and the lab door has a death trap that has been left turned off since before Vulcanus.
You enter the lab proper, and are witness to many wondrous items and pieces of equipment. You may have seen Antoine's lab. Vulcanus built that, casting a spell and adding what he needed. It seems obvious that Vulcanus did not build this one. Why is that? You know from tales and evidence that Vulcanus is a blacksmith magus. There is very little of that present, and what there is seems quite new and is set off to the side in the corner. It is a pretty massive furnace though.
You see the bird cage, which seems large enough for a roc. The bottom is lined with a ruined Persian rug, filthy with mud and droppings. As you enter, the rug rises and shakes against the cage a bit.
Then there is a massive wall of drawers, a huge alchemy set up, a loom, a gold hour glass, and more.
So you are aware, we are on the second regio level. The outside is Wadanzee. The first layer has the same Aura strength, and this tower exists on another island on that level.
I studied a bit about regiones.
That first level is the one we were just on, where my office exists. The corridor we went through took us into this next level, where the Magic Aura is a bit stronger (5). That's where this lab exists. Going out that balcony window over there leads to the next level, stronger still (7).
There is a loophole. Going upstairs is still level two, but entering the tower from the top is a direct route to level 3. The balcony of the tower leads out there from that level, but going upstairs from here then that balcony leads to the exterior of the other island, Level 1 again.
It sounds confusing, but repeat the paths several times and I have gotten used to it.
Outside, level 3, with the strong aura (7), it is full of storm beasts malevolent and benign. Search above the clouds for a Rainbow. That is the bridge Bifrost. That will take you to Asgard.
Or a version of it anyways. I am suspicious.
Off in another corner you see the staircase she speaks of. She points at it after the end of her explanation, then turns to explain the wall of drawers and the booby trap.
Just then, a tiny ball of flame comes flying down the steps, zig-zags around the room, then bolts out the balcony window and up into the air.
"If I understood all that correctly," Fleur makes no mention of the ball of fire, "and to be fair it is rather complicated, then if we go out the balcony we will be at the bifrost bridge, and across that is where we can find Vulcanus and his sons. Is that correct?"
