9
[Initiative:]Ignorance's Witch (Egan_BW): 83
Golden Flare (Lenglon): 81+20-20=81
Luna's Vestige (syvarris): 53
Heavenly Clerk (Fluffe9911): 46
Skylord (Devastator): 38
Outsider Spider Legs: 59
Ignorance's W̸͕̾̓i̷͔̅t̶̖̘͈̏͗̆c̸̟͖͗̀̐̑h̵̥͓͎͔̄̚
Well, may as well make use of it if I feel full of Heart...
Focus on how I feel while casting spells, how it feels to form them under my will and how the magic squirms about. I can feel it when I'm not casting as well. Feel around for the magic around me, feel its form.
And South!
There's more to magic than just speaking the Words and letting the magic happen. Flare, Luna, Skylord - three instances is more than enough to demonstrate that fact.
(Awareness: 6)
You falsely breathe, there is no air, there is only the sensation of breathing. You recall the sensation of casting - power is drawn forth from within you, where it pools, siphoned from the Dream. The drawn power must be concept-imbued, structured, shaped by the Words, and then bent to your will via control.
There must be more. You feel it. You keep reaching.
Flare stands next to you, her soul shining bright, burning with hope. Your soul hums within you, bubbling with curiosity. Further. What is the form of magic?
A little smudge of power is following you, stuck to your control, caught in a grip you cannot release.
Further. What is the form of magic?
Houses that are real in concept and false in tangibility stand around you, framing your walk. This is not the form of magic.
A powder-black badger materializes, hunting Flare's injured leg, but she bats it away. You'd be concerned, but with how deep you're digging, it's hard to feel anything but deeper focus.
Further. Deeper. Tell me, you think.
(Resistance: 4)
You push. Reaching out and reaching in. Existence in layers. Dissolution of form. Echoes of Words.
Words.
Who spoke them first?You stumble, your nose wet with false-blood, your headache nonetheless impossible to ignore.
[Arcane strain: -1 to Will and Awareness rolls, 1 turn. May progress to worse forms if not given time to recover.]Flare looks a little concerned, as a street lamp clatters against the street.
hmm? she seems focused on something
"Ignorance? What's up?"
Four more to go, I shouldn't risk three spells rapidly anymore, too hard to control.
Keep moving with Ignorance, carefully aim to the side away from ourselves, and keep testing words.
"Gengae Yukrsol"
"Toldyou"
You figure you may as well explore the depths of magic while you're headed to go support your teammates. If you want any chance of stopping the Outsiders, you need to get to the bottom of all this stuff.
(Power: 3)
(Control: 4)
Black-grey powder materializes, grows limbs, and hits the sidewalk as a powder-formed badger, which snarls, a cracking, gritty sound that nonetheless puts you on edge.
You can't say you like the look of that, especially not when you're already injured. As it begins to focus intently on you, you reach out -
(Authority: 1)
Your will to bend the
honey badger flat-out
snaps, and it lunges at you.
(Bite: 5)
(Evasion: 5)
Naturally, it aims right for your injured leg, but as it nearly reaches it, you kick the badger aside, narrowly avoiding damage.
Well, you still have one more spell to test. Hopefully you can deter this thing from making your trip any more difficult.
(Power: 4)
(Control: 1-1=0)
(Luck: 3)
A streetlight flickers, dies, and then buckles at its base, collapsing onto the road.
Beside you, Ignorance's nose starts dripping blood. You really hope you didn't cause that accidentally.
Violence! Violence, and slicing, and cutting!
(Maneuvering: 1)
(Evasion: 6+1+1=8)
The angry Legs rush the confident jacket-wearing enemy, only to be trivially and violently interrupted.
(Counterattack: 5+1+1+2=9)
(Evasion: 5)
With a sound-breaking crack, her whip strikes out, and no matter how quick the reaction of the Legs, they cannot evade in time.
(Resilience: 2-1=1)
(Final Resilience: 6)
There is something akin to pain, and when the legs regain consciousness, half their number have been shattered.
Discard the coffin dagger. Quickly rush up behind Skylord, and shove the invisible potion into her hand.
<Invisible potion. No clue what it does. Good luck, I'm going to go stab the baby spiders!>
That done, whisper this spell: "Diaboldatact Selve Erlsborne Hasten", then wield the dagger that hopefully results and rush into the Outsider nest. Stay stealthy.
Well! Skylord seems to have matters well in hand, so you pass her your newest potion and aim to forge a weapon for yourself.
(Power: 2)
(Control: 2+1=3)
You feel the Words drawn together, a spell with grand potential - and feel disappointment as your net only catches a little power, and your control is loose.
A small, needlelike dagger forms in your hand, petrified wood making up the handle and blade, though the edge of the blade is sharpened, ash-like bone. It smells burnt, and it would be rather impressive if it weren't about twice the length of your index finger.
You sneak by the devastated spider-legs, and walk into the Nest.
It feels cold, is what you notice first. Literally cold, and... figuratively. Your emotions are gnawed upon, the aura of a typical Outsider taken to more painful heights. It's as though you're within a cave - which you are, now that you notice that. A dark cave, in which it is difficult to see, the only illumination coming from the portal you stepped through. And lining the walls, braced against the stony, broken floor... are several dozen pumpkin-sized eggs, though you hesitate to call them that. Slimy, black, tar-covered orbs, each one pulsing softly. Each one a promise to feed upon your soul and bring your nightmares to life.
Gestating. Faster, now that you're here. You estimate they'll begin to hatch within... [4 Turns].
Compared to all that, the growth of Skylord's tree through the entrance is a relief, a small spot of life in a pit of darkness.
"Oh jeez! Uhm.... wait I got a idea!"
Right... Right.. lets doo... Tavaviteve Tallen! That should make like a uh... frying pan shield thingy! And then I can just rush toward the nearest bady and go blam! Pow! Watchow!
Right! Okay. Skylord has
totally got this, but a team is made of more than just one person! Go-go magic shield-pan!
(Power: 5)
(Control: 4)
Brown light flickers around you, then forms into a set of three small, rectangular shields, which hover around you. They don't seem to obstruct your movements at all, despite how close to you they stay.
[Defensive Shields: 50% chance to block a mild-moderate scale physical attack on you outright at the cost of 1 of the 3 shields. Lasts [4 Turns].]Well... okay then. Punchy time!
(Fist: 4)
(Evasion: 2, 5=2)
You rush one of the remaining legs, leaned against a bent wall, and punch at it.
(Resilience: 2)
It cracks under your punch, and dissipates with a pungent smell, and you feel just a bit brighter.
Right, here goes.
Take the potion. Activate Form Augmentation.
Drink the potion.
Try to whip one of the legs into another one of the legs!
You eye the three remaining spider-legs. You finally feel truly
strong, but there's still more to do. You take Luna's potion, even though you can't see it, and try to drink it, but it appears to be empty. What gives?
Oh well. You still have more energy left in you.
(Whip: 4+1+1=6)
(Evasion: 4, 3=3)
You lash out your thorn whip, and disoriented as they are, the remaining three legs don't manage to evade in the slightest.
(Might: 1+1+1+1=4)
(Resilience: 2)
Your whip swings at one leg, picks it up, and slams it into another one, destroying them both.
Only one of the eight original legs remains, and it almost looks scared of what you've managed to so easily accomplish.
H_HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
H___HH_H______HH##H
H_H______H_H##HHH#H
H_H_H_HHHH_H##__HHH
H_H_H____H_H_HH__HH
H_H___HH___H___H_HH
H___H_HH_##HH_HH_HH
HHHHH_HHH##___HH###
HHH___H#HH_HH__##*#
H___H_HHHH__H_HH###
H_H_H@______H_HHH_H
H_HHHH_HHH_HH___H_H
H___H____H_HHHH_H_H
HWWWH_HH_H_HH__###H
HW@W__HH______H#*#H
HWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Houses have been marked in H. They may be traversed by breaking through them. Assessment: moderate-high risk. Broken houses are italicized, and may be traversed with reduced risk.
Roads have been marked in _. By default, your party may traverse 4 road areas per [Turn], at a steady pace. Assessment: low risk.
Obfuscated, unknown areas have been marked in #. Assessment: unknown risk.
Intangible Outsider webbing has been marked by W. Assessment: high risk.
Nest has been marked by N. Assessment: high risk.
Key areas, that may contain your objective, have been marked in *. Assessment: unknown risk.
@: Heavenly Clerk, Skylord, Luna's Vestige, and the Outsider Spider Leg, and the entrance to the Nest. Luna's Vestige has entered the Nest.
@: Ignorance's Witch and Golden Flare.
Description:
A set of eight one huge spider legs, hopping around devilishly, with unnatural agility. Each leg bears a single eye, through which they share their perception and position with the other legs.
Outsider Traits:
--Spatial Web: The Outsider Spider Legs receive +1 to Mobility rolls and Ambush / Stealth rolls when acting within its Web. This bonus may further increase and diversify within the Nest proper.
--Uncoordinated: The Outsider Spider Legs receive -1 to all Mobility rolls, except during the first relevant action of its [Turn]. They also receive -40 to Initiative, when not acting from an ambush. Is nullified by Spatial Web, when in effect.
--Fragmented: Without the power of their main body, the Legs are vulnerable. A single solid hit on any of the eight individual Legs will destroy it, and the Outsider will be vanquished when all eight of them are destroyed. Leg destruction will likely incur penalties to the remaining Legs.
--Unknown.
Status:
One leg to go. Rolls disadvantage on Evasion, Mobility, Initiative.
Author
Topic: The Gate of Dreams - Glass Cream (5 / 5) - 16 (Read 30438 times)