Campaign
Alan's a man with a plan.
That is at least somewhat accurate.
"Do I really seem like a man without a plan?"
Alan acts before the obvious answer is stated.
I doubt I can make actual parachutes, but give it a try. If I can't, big bedsheets will do for slowing us down. Then when we're near the ground, summon a big pile of giant marshmallows for ablative purposes.
You summon a giant duvet cover that immediately gets tangled on the tricycle, acting as a parachute. Your stroke of luck continues and you land safely on a small muddy island in the middle of the flooded surroundings of the temple, home to a now rotting bush. The duvet cover disappears a few moments later. Not exactly an escape worthy of James Bond, but you would say it was pretty damn cool. Your friend seems to think so too, for the moment you land he gets off the bicycle and starts jumping up and down and punching the air in excitement.
"Woohoo! That was awesome! You're amazing man! All like whoosh and then fwoom and bye bye! Oh, we've got to do that again!"
"I'll let Nik here detail what he'd find most useful, he's three times the wiz-bang I am by most conservative estimates."
All of this is good to know - can I attend the meeting? I can listen from a distance and you don't have to worry about me sitting in the chamber itself. Just stick me off in the corner or maybe a room with a vent to it and I can probably catch the important bits with some concentration. With their permission, of course!
Let Nik handle the artifact picks - he kind of needs the good stuff more than I do to be really effective.
Sure you can. In fact, he would very much want that, since your testimony would probably be easier to believe if you give it yourself. A man wearing the armour of the First King is surely someone to be trusted and a sign they cannot ignore. It would also allow them to ask you any questions they wish about said testimony. He says that if discussion comes to a sensitive matter you might be asked to step out, but he will do his best
It would take at least a quarter of an hour to gather most of the high ranking monks for the meeting, maybe more. Is there anything you wish to do in the meantime or do you want to fast forward to the meeting? And if so, is there anything in particular you'd wish to do during the meeting or just listen carefully and tell the facts as you know them?
"Three times nothing is still zero!
...That's not what I meant.
Feel free to suggest things"
Something with healing powers would be good, or something with magic protection or antimagic properties (as long as they don't interfere with my own abilities), or something stealth enabling.
An artifact that creates fire or natural light would combo well with Irene and Zech.
Something with several different magical uses like a magic swiss army knife would be cool.
Or a cool magic sword of course.
"Well, if you're looking for a weapon, I've got a nice blade I can give you."
"Oh yeah? What's so nice about it?""No, no, no. You misunderstood. A singular ice blade. A blade made of ice."
"My previous statement still stands.""Well, it can reform itself when broken, keep itself magically sharpened... And it looks impressive. Perhaps combined with your magic it could do something more. You did ask me for medium range magical items, something I could be persuaded to give away but could still be useful in your quest."
For protection... Well, they have a couple of those things called Melchior's Mystifying Mirage, a magical item that creates a distorting cloud of fog when supplied with water, and could be persuaded to part with one of them. The fog is altered to act as a cloud of perfectly aligned prisms, distorting light in such a way that it and those within it become mostly invisible. Though the fog doesn't last long and its effective range is not that large, it is quite capable of concealing four people from a distance (maybe more if they have no problem getting a bit too intimate), as long as you have enough water to keep it working.
If such complex enchantments are not to your liking, then there is a simple water armour enchantment. When supplied with water, it coats the wearer's body in a thick suit of armour made out of liquid water. If the user has the necessary magical skill, they can harden the water or even manipulate it to form whatever shape they wish and then harden it to ice. Though even without such skills, it would still be better than no armour and would probably fare quite well against Fire and Wind magic. And the fact that it is magically sustained would mean that it weighs nothing at all.
"How about something that produces light?""... You mean a lamp?"
"Well, I was thinking something a bit stronger than a lamp.""Hmmm. In that case... How about a Signaler? It is a wand that launches a beam of Fire into that erupts into a small explosion. The explosion is persistent and provides light for a good while. It can also expend less energy to merely create a glowing line that fades after a few seconds. The military uses such artifacts to send signals from long distances or to provide light for defense against night ambushes. You could also hurt someone with it if they were standing really close or if you had really good aim, since they are not exactly made for precision. The problem is that they're not very easy to recharge and most only hold one good charge, maybe two or three if you're lucky. You'd need a Fire mage or similar to recharge one and even then they'd have to be quite careful. Charge this thing too fast or break it and it might explode and burn your face off."
As for healing stuff, he could grant you a few general purpose healing potions. They can stop almost all bleeding, stop or delay disease and poisons and speedup the body's natural healing process. While not exactly extraordinary, they are still rare enough outside of the military that they could also be used as a high value trade good when dealing with most people. He has also come to the possession of some Stones of Healing Light from the Beastmen tribes of the north which can apparently store Light energy and then release it in a healing wave, but they tend to be fickle and unreliable and take a long time to recharge.
What kind of stuff can water enchantments do?[/b]
Much like Fire magic, the easiest thing to do with Water is direct manipulation, flowing water. In fact, due to its relatively stable yet malleable essence, water is one of the easiest elements to manipulate. However, unlike Fire and Wind and much like Earth, generating Water out of thin air is much harder. More advanced users can alter the states of Water to freeze it or evaporate it at will, much like how advanced users of Fire can manifest their magic as beams or eruptions instead of merely flames.
Like most material elements, water is versatile but weak and relies very much on the abilities and specialization of the user. Some use Water to create mirages and confuse others or hide things, some being as capable as to create mirror images of themselves. Others submerge themselves in water and use their mastery over it to explore the deepest parts of the sea and the riches that might lie there. Others use water to shape the earth, dig tunnels or sap the ground from underneath the feet of their enemies to trap them without hurting them. Others use purified Water to heal and purify others, cleansing people of disease or intoxicants and invigorating them (such purifying properties are frequently sought after by those who fear assassination). Others can use the connection that exists between all Water to send messages to faraway lands or try to receive premonitions about the future. There was even a water mage that was notorious for acting as the Royal Torturer a few decades ago who became infamous for sucking the water out of the bodies of his victims or freezing their internal organs, though such forbidden practices are shunned by most mages. There is no good reason to inflict such pain on a man, any man. If you wish to kill someone, it is probably much more humane (and easy) to drown them or drive a spike of ice through their head.
One of the things water magic is famed for is its ability to easily create long lasting shields. When a large number of mages combines their power they can sustain a magnificent bubble shield across an entire city for well over an hour, a display that famously occurs once per year on Ialurw'ath, one of the most prominent cities of the Southern States. Water tends to make very good physical shields, especially against things like Fire or Air, though it is not as good as Order shields against magical effects like Chaos or Dark and it is not as robust as Earth shields. However it is much more flexible and long lasting, so most water mages tend to move around, creating shields and fog walls as decoys while they move through them and relocate to another position.
The other greatest use for Water magic is its use in enchantments and alchemy, the simplest use being the purification of alchemical ingredients into more potent forms and the creation of containers that can safely contain all sorts of dangerous substances. Certain alchemical reactions can only occur under very precise concentrations that only Water magic can provide while some rely direct application of Water magic to properly combine. Water magic itself can act in inverse under certain circumstances, temporarily granting potions extraordinary capabilities instead of making them inert. The most mythical Water Enchantment is the Chalice of Plenty. Legends state that it is capable of not only containing any substance but also summoning it at will. As you can imagine, many bar songs reference it directly, for what more could a drunkard ask if not a chalice that never empties? Legend states that the Artifact was lost when a foolish initiate snuck the Chalice from his master and, thinking himself smarter than the god of pleasure who had created such powerful artifact, wished for a substance that the Chalice could not contain. The legend doesn't say how the paradox was resolved, but it does say that the initiate was never heard from again.
Overall, combat mages of the Water element tend to rely on cunning, flexibility and constant movement instead of the raw power their Fire counterparts are famed for, while those not in the military tend to focus on performing rituals to aid those around them, be it for cleansing, healing, entertainment or merely for something as simple and yet as vital as providing water to those who need it. Many are attracted to the life of a traveling mage, though with the state the world is in, such a choice is ill advised for the unprepared.
<They probably smell our magic, so they know we're near, but not exactly where we are.>
"Wait what do you mean our magic? I'm as dense as the rocks that are slowly slipping away from us to this wind--in terms of magic! San, dear, we're having a mind-to-mind conversation; please be on the lookout for any change in the flock above. Don't worry about us two--especially me talking to something you maybe can't hear," Theri said in reply, just now noticing that San may not have gotten Irine's words, although she couldn't be sure.
"Got a plan, Iri? I can't do anything but plan to run if we're uncovered but I will support you as best as able; I'm thinking they will follow a leader--swooping in with its claws at best. The rest will follow the first that changes direction. Is there anyway anyone can. . .place some of that magic at a different location?"
Err, do all that! Brace for impact and whatnot! Be the usual 'AAAAAA' situation in the movies and films where I'm probably powerless but have to work around personal weaknesses and all. Think! Look around!
And calm San down with planning, or if he's calm, plan with him!
No harm in waiting I suppose. lets see if we get lucky and they give up and go away. if they find us I can attack then just as well as now.
You manage to remain perfectly hidden despite the horrible sounds those things are making and the gusts of air they are releasing every time they fly over you. After a few more passes the monster birds appear to lose interest and resume on their original path, turning as one and heading west, towards the way you came from, leaving the sounds of angry squawks and snapping beaks as a farewell present.
<It appears we shall not be testing our skills in battle today after all.> the Sword says to Irine with a hint of disappointment while Theri helps them out of their hiding place. That done, Theri focuses on comforting San. He is still crying, but now he appears to be crying (slightly) more out of relief than out of fear.
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Topic: Special People: Mechanical Syndrome (Read 1144837 times)