Re: Battle, Death and a Pine Cone IC Thread 18

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Can do, ma'am."

Crexia nodded.
"Thank you Mr Wainwright."
She said.

He gave Cara another apologetic look as he too the dagger back, "I don't think anyone would want to be touched by those abominations, really, even as... gently as you were. At least this does prove something important - miss Jerkins spoke the truth when she told me about her dagger; there were... dissenting voices as to her trustworthyness."

"I suspect Miss Jerkins likes to be touched by them, disturbing as that notion might be."
Cara muttered and grimaced.
"Well I can see why she would be doubted, the woman is a Nehandus after all, I doubt she would think twice about killing any one of us given half the chance."
The Crimaon commented.
"But yes it seams in this case she did speak the truth, as disturbing as that may be."

He sighed and picked up the two Primium bullets, wiping them off and putting them in his pocket, "Waste not, want not... A pity, though; I'd hoped they might have remained stuck in the thing, giving it a far harder time getting back here again..."

"Well it took some damage from what the Masters did to it, hopefully it will have to stay out in it's own hell dimension and lick it's wounds for a long time."
Leon muttered.
"Damn but that thing was unpleasant...I almost pity your gun."
He said and nodded to the pocket where the two bullets had gone.

He glanced over at Jake, "Master Jake King... how badly hurt does he seem to be?

Rosario looked up from the downed Enforcer and looked at you, she seamed pale and sad and she just shook her head slightly, there was nothing she could do. You could see tears welling up in Udella's eyes but the elderly Quesitor did her best to keep her dignity. Crexia looked sad but focus and the rest of the group looked saddened and uneasy.
"So we are...not all going back home..."
James muttered softly and looked down.

[Adley]

"You got hit Sodalis are you sure you are alright?"Cara asked...

"Yes, I'm alright thankfully," but he gave himself a pat down to check just in case. In the heat of it it could have given him more than a whack and he might not notice with the adrenaline, as long as he was still up but it felt like he was going to have a rather hard to explain-shaped bruise. He made a face as he realised he had gotten some slime where it had managed to touch him and splatter from where he'd shot them at close range. Somehow, the sewer seemed a cleaner prospect than that thing's materialised ephemeral remains.

Colin cleared his throat, "Ah, my question might've come out more aggressively than intended. Your shield worked, and held it at bay, and that's the important thing."

He smiled at him. "I'm glad you're okay too."

"We need to keep watch while Rossy try to heal Mr...ehm...damn I have his name at the tip of my tongue...he is the Senior Quesitor over at Detroit."

"Better to keep names to ourselves at any rate, if there's no need. And yes, can someone help keep lookout?" Their conversation about being accosted by the spirit, and how it had been created was not one he felt like discussing. Needless to say, by the look on his face, he found it -extremely- distasteful and not a bit disturbing.

"We take stock of our wounded and then try to take their wards down, and fast as they might have noticed their guard dog is gone." Crexia said as she tried to wipe some of the slime and rotted matter of her dress. "Would you mind supporting her while I heal Udella's wound Mr Roth Hicks, I am not great healer but this I can manage."

"Yes, ma'am." He walked over towards them and offered out his left arm out towards the elder maga with a respectful nod. He stood next to her so she could use him for support and so he could keep his right arm free while Crexia worked.

// yeah, sadly pointing upwards generally doesn't seem to help much lol. Thanks for the well wishes.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Yes, I'm alright thankfully," but he gave himself a pat down to check just in case. In the heat of it it could have given him more than a whack and he might not notice with the adrenaline, as long as he was still up but it felt like he was going to have a rather hard to explain-shaped bruise. He made a face as he realised he had gotten some slime where it had managed to touch him and splatter from where he'd shot them at close range. Somehow, the sewer seemed a cleaner prospect than that thing's materialised ephemeral remains.

You are basically alright, you have a bruise at your waist that stings a little when you touch it but which do not impair you in any way, it will look like you have taken a heavy blow from a cane or a practice sword though, considering your Mentor, it would not be the first time you had failed to dodge a practice sword though as Jeffry favored swords for his mundane weaponry. Other than that you where fine though you might consider burning your clothes when you get the chance to for the remains of Jodelle's child was seeping into the fabric.

"Better to keep names to ourselves at any rate, if there's no need.

"You are probably right Sodalis."
Cara agreed.

if there's no need. And yes, can someone help keep lookout?" Their conversation about being accosted by the spirit, and how it had been created was not one he felt like discussing. Needless to say, by the look on his face, he found it -extremely- distasteful and not a bit disturbing.

"I and my brother can help with that Sodalis."
James offered and Leon nodded in agreement.
"Yes we will take care of it."
The Fortunae agree and the two Hermetics looked around, their gazes alert and their bodies ready to react to anything that might be amiss in the sewer corridor.

"Yes, ma'am." He walked over towards them and offered out his left arm out towards the elder maga with a respectful nod. He stood next to her so she could use him for support and so he could keep his right arm free while Crexia worked.

Udella put her good hand on your arm and used it for support with a grateful nod, sadness over Jake was clear in her eyes though and she said nothing to you as Crexia started to work on her wounded arm the Tytlus muttered softly.
"Caro et sanguis ad hoc instructi sint beati!"
Udella winced a little as the wound in her arm closed up and became nothing but a pink line on her pale, old skin.
"That should do it."
Crexia said and Udella smiled.
"Thank you Sodalis."
She whispered sadly then she righted herself up and offered you another grateful smile.
"Thank you for your kindness young man."

(OOC: Aarg the forum ate my post. :/ )

[Warpmind]

"I suspect Miss Jerkins likes to be touched by them, disturbing as that notion might be."
Cara muttered and grimaced.

Colin shrugged, "Well, they are her own flesh and blood, I suppose that count for something..."

"Well I can see why she would be doubted, the woman is a Nehandus after all, I doubt she would think twice about killing any one of us given half the chance."
The Crimaon commented.
"But yes it seams in this case she did speak the truth, as disturbing as that may be."

He smiled wryly, "She's a kindred spirit; a warrior to the core... She wants me to die, certainly, but as I treated her with the kindness and dignity owed a POW, she's softened a bit towards me - she wants me to die in a straight-up fight with another Mage. Preferably herself. Of course, I'm realistic enough to know that if that were to happen, it would only last a few moments, and she'd be the one walking away afterwards."

"Well it took some damage from what the Masters did to it, hopefully it will have to stay out in it's own hell dimension and lick it's wounds for a long time."
Leon muttered.
"Damn but that thing was unpleasant...I almost pity your gun."
He said and nodded to the pocket where the two bullets had gone.

He grimaced, "The bullets can be cleaned off and reused, though I'm primarily keeping them for my own research purposes. As for that thing - we fared a lot better than the Nephandus who got thrown into that thing's sibling yesterday; that was... horrible..."

Rosario looked up from the downed Enforcer and looked at you, she seamed pale and sad and she just shook her head slightly, there was nothing she could do. You could see tears welling up in Udella's eyes but the elderly Quesitor did her best to keep her dignity. Crexia looked sad but focus and the rest of the group looked saddened and uneasy.
"So we are...not all going back home..."
James muttered softly and looked down.

He sighed, "He knew the danger, as we all do. None of us is guaranteed to come out unscathed, or even alive..."
He crouched down beside the fallen Master, and gently reached down to close his eyes, "He fought well, but none of us were fully prepared for this thing... If there's nothing we can do for him, we'll have to leave him here, and retrieve him on the way back... If any of you wish to say something for him, you should do so now, or wait until we come back..."
He rose again, gave Jake a crisp salute, and went to pick up the Quintessence tanks again with a grim expression, before scanning the passage with his flashlight again, "Hopefully, the remaining denizens are a little too preoccupied on other fronts to come running right away... but we had better make haste nonetheless."

He smiled at him. "I'm glad you're okay too."

He grinned, "And this proves yet again that magical shields make great monster bait for those things. But remind me to sign up for fencing lessons at some point."

((OOC: Not the first, not the last... ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin shrugged, "Well, they are her own flesh and blood, I suppose that count for something..."

"Well they at times speak of a face only a mother can love, but in this case...well I guess in her way Miss Jerkins do love these abominations but...that just...that is just so wrong."
Cara muttered.
"Though then perhaps it is also preposterous of me to judge what love is...right, we all love in our own way, even if I can see no merits in these creatures."
The Criamon sigh.

He smiled wryly, "She's a kindred spirit; a warrior to the core... She wants me to die, certainly, but as I treated her with the kindness and dignity owed a POW, she's softened a bit towards me - she wants me to die in a straight-up fight with another Mage. Preferably herself. Of course, I'm realistic enough to know that if that were to happen, it would only last a few moments, and she'd be the one walking away afterwards."

"So you respect her Mr Wainwright? I guess even a Nephandus if she have such a warrior's spirit is worthy of respect, and in a way it will make you even more careful in handling the woman, as you know she is dangerous, very dangerous..."
Care muttered.

He grimaced, "The bullets can be cleaned off and reused, though I'm primarily keeping them for my own research purposes. As for that thing - we fared a lot better than the Nephandus who got thrown into that thing's sibling yesterday; that was... horrible..."

"I see...well I guess Primium are to expensive to throw away, no matter what have touched it."
Cara said then she paled a little and glanced over at Jake.
"I see we where lucky then Mr Wainwright but...not all of us have gotten from this ordeal unscathed."
She said in a concerned tone of voice.

He sighed, "He knew the danger, as we all do. None of us is guaranteed to come out unscathed, or even alive..."

"Yeah...we all know the risk, but it still hurts to loose one of our own."
Rosario muttered sadly, her speech still a bit slurred as she looked up at Udella.
"I am sorry Enforcer..."
She said but the old Quesitor shook her head.
"You did what you could child, you did what you could."

He crouched down beside the fallen Master, and gently reached down to close his eyes, "He fought well, but none of us were fully prepared for this thing... If there's nothing we can do for him, we'll have to leave him here, and retrieve him on the way back... If any of you wish to say something for him, you should do so now, or wait until we come back..."

"His spine...snapped, and several ribs snapped, one of them...went into his heat, he was...gone before he hit the floor, the only comfort is that I doubt he had time to feel any pain."
Rosario said as she slowly stood tears in her green eyes.
"I...can't wake the dead."
She muttered as you closed Jake's eyes, he was still warm, but looking at the Master's eyes you could see that he was gone, you had seen that glazed look to many times already, there was little doubt the Cultist healer was right, there was nothing to be done for Jake King anymore, not in this life.
"We can't leave...him here Mr Wainwright...I will not have him nibbled on by rats...or if that...that thing comes back..."
Udella said, her voice heavy and filled with grief.
"I...I will bring his scales, and his Sigil...and deal with his body here...I know we have to press on, but we can not just leave him..."
She said in a voice that was just a whisper.

He rose again, gave Jake a crisp salute, and went to pick up the Quintessence tanks again with a grim expression, before scanning the passage with his flashlight again, "Hopefully, the remaining denizens are a little too preoccupied on other fronts to come running right away... but we had better make haste nonetheless."

Crexia put her hand on Udella's shoulder then she looked and you and nodded.
"Yes let us hope so...for now let us try plan A for the wards Mr Wainwright, I will try to pierce them and you will try to drain them, perhaps that will not be enough, but it is the simplest solution if it works, and in the mean time...Master King's remains can be dealt with."
She said softly before she walked over to you, her facial expression never changed but her eyes was sad.
"Please ready yourself young man."

The hallway was empty save for the other magi in the hallway, how long it should remain so, now that was the question.

[Warpmind]

"Well they at times speak of a face only a mother can love, but in this case...well I guess in her way Miss Jerkins do love these abominations but...that just...that is just so wrong."
Cara muttered.
"Though then perhaps it is also preposterous of me to judge what love is...right, we all love in our own way, even if I can see no merits in these creatures."
The Criamon sigh.

Colin smiled thinly, "In only a few years, we might see a generation who will not immediately respond to the question 'what is love?' with 'baby, don't hurt me'... But miss Jerkins was desperate for children, and rendered sterile against her will and knowledge. So she made a deal... and what she received was not quite what she intended, nor expected... but they are her children still."

"So you respect her Mr Wainwright? I guess even a Nephandus if she have such a warrior's spirit is worthy of respect, and in a way it will make you even more careful in handling the woman, as you know she is dangerous, very dangerous..."
Care muttered.

He nodded, "I respect her, like one would a shark. She's dignified, strong, cunning, and there's no way in Hell I want to encounter her in the wild."

"I see...well I guess Primium are to expensive to throw away, no matter what have touched it."
Cara said then she paled a little and glanced over at Jake.
"I see we where lucky then Mr Wainwright but...not all of us have gotten from this ordeal unscathed."
She said in a concerned tone of voice.

He shrugged, "I'll note, though, that I'll not go so far as to dig a bullet out of a body just for the sake of thrift, but when they're lying out in the open... Well, I don't know that anything can leave a lasting mark on Primium, so cleaning them should be a simple enough task in any case."
He nodded, "Yes, we were lucky to not suffer more casualties than we did... But the loss is still great."

"His spine...snapped, and several ribs snapped, one of them...went into his heat, he was...gone before he hit the floor, the only comfort is that I doubt he had time to feel any pain."
Rosario said as she slowly stood tears in her green eyes.
"I...can't wake the dead."
She muttered as you closed Jake's eyes, he was still warm, but looking at the Master's eyes you could see that he was gone, you had seen that glazed look to many times already, there was little doubt the Cultist healer was right, there was nothing to be done for Jake King anymore, not in this life.
"We can't leave...him here Mr Wainwright...I will not have him nibbled on by rats...or if that...that thing comes back..."
Udella said, her voice heavy and filled with grief.
"I...I will bring his scales, and his Sigil...and deal with his body here...I know we have to press on, but we can not just leave him..."
She said in a voice that was just a whisper.

He nodded, placing a hand softly on Udella's shoulder, "Would it perhaps be better if we asked our teleporters to bring him home, to ensure a proper funeral and spare you the energy right now? It only seems proper that a man of his stature should receive a proper farewell..."

Crexia put her hand on Udella's shoulder then she looked and you and nodded.
"Yes let us hope so...for now let us try plan A for the wards Mr Wainwright, I will try to pierce them and you will try to drain them, perhaps that will not be enough, but it is the simplest solution if it works, and in the mean time...Master King's remains can be dealt with."
She said softly before she walked over to you, her facial expression never changed but her eyes was sad.
"Please ready yourself young man."

He nodded, pondering briefly as he raised his signet ring, "About the wards, I had an idea a moment ago... Would it be possible to reverse them? To invert the effect, so to speak; to make them recognize friends as foes and foes as friends and make the fight really unpleasant for the Fallen?"

[Adley]

"I and my brother can help with that Sodalis." James offered and Leon nodded in agreement. "Yes we will take care of it."

"Thank you," he said, glancing at Crexia. He didn't want to overstep his boundary.

Udella put her good hand on your arm and used it for support with a grateful nod, sadness over Jake was clear in her eyes though and she said nothing to you as Crexia started to work on her wounded arm the Tytlus muttered softly. "Caro et sanguis ad hoc instructi sint beati!"

She whispered sadly then she righted herself up and offered you another grateful smile. "Thank you for your kindness young man."

"Of course, ma'am, I am sorry..." he said, glancing towards the Enforcer's form. "I am sorry for your loss," he said and lowered his eyes.

You could see tears welling up in Udella's eyes but the elderly Quesitor did her best to keep her dignity. Crexia looked sad but focus and the rest of the group looked saddened and uneasy. "So we are...not all going back home..." James muttered softly and looked down.

He sighed, "He knew the danger, as we all do. None of us is guaranteed to come out unscathed, or even alive..."
He crouched down beside the fallen Master, and gently reached down to close his eyes, "He fought well, but none of us were fully prepared for this thing... If there's nothing we can do for him, we'll have to leave him here, and retrieve him on the way back... If any of you wish to say something for him, you should do so now, or wait until we come back..."

He knew it could have been any of them, at one point or another in the battle. But it still hit hard, even if he did not personally know the man. They'd already lost one person, a Master magus, and they hadn't even put their foot in the door yet.

He rose again, gave Jake a crisp salute, and went to pick up the Quintessence tanks again with a grim expression, before scanning the passage with his flashlight again, "Hopefully, the remaining denizens are a little too preoccupied on other fronts to come running right away... but we had better make haste nonetheless."

"Yeah...we all know the risk, but it still hurts to loose one of our own."
Rosario muttered sadly, her speech still a bit slurred as she looked up at Udella.
"I am sorry Enforcer..."
She said but the old Quesitor shook her head.
"You did what you could child, you did what you could."

He also bowed his head quickly in respect towards the man and then turned back to the others and keeping a look out.

He grinned, "And this proves yet again that magical shields make great monster bait for those things. But remind me to sign up for fencing lessons at some point."

"How about we get out of this first, hrm?"

"We can't leave...him here Mr Wainwright...I will not have him nibbled on by rats...or if that...that thing comes back..."
Udella said, her voice heavy and filled with grief.
"I...I will bring his scales, and his Sigil...and deal with his body here...I know we have to press on, but we can not just leave him..."
She said in a voice that was just a whisper.

"Yes let us hope so...for now let us try plan A for the wards Mr Wainwright, I will try to pierce them and you will try to drain them, perhaps that will not be enough, but it is the simplest solution if it works, and in the mean time...Master King's remains can be dealt with."
She said softly before she walked over to you, her facial expression never changed but her eyes was sad.
"Please ready yourself young man."

"If there's nothing for me to help with this part of the plan directly, I will either stand guard or get to some other work," he said, leaving it for Crexia and Udella to decide if he should help with the Enforcer's remains or some other task.

He nodded, pondering briefly as he raised his signet ring, "About the wards, I had an idea a moment ago... Would it be possible to reverse them? To invert the effect, so to speak; to make them recognize friends as foes and foes as friends and make the fight really unpleasant for the Fallen?"

"Hm," he said thoughtfully. "The issue is, as I see it, that the magick itself used for the ward is Qlippothic...it negates other possibilities from being able to manifest. It's not just about reversing it, like flicking a switch. It is more like rebuilding or reminding the Tellurian that there was something here that was destroyed, making it malleable again at the essential framework level. Like we did with the wind tunnel." He frowned as he thought it over and glanced at the other Masters, as he was sure they'd have input on it, things he did not understand yet. "I would assume that it would recognize and allow Fallen avatars, perhaps some type of marker and key words such as the token for the Gate Guardian for those not awakened..."

// hungry-hungry forums...

Well, made it. Went in to find some work done on the thing, but it's not done yet because the boss had to do more work on the main part. And now the deadline was moved from 5pm to 1pm because boss wanted it done then. Boss wondering why it was not already done, as he has no idea what it actually is or how long it would take to do, even though we told him several times. Then we sent it to him at one for review and he questioned everything about it, though he still had no idea what it was. We had to go point for point over what the thing to convince him we were doing what was required. Then he revised it anyway, sent it back and we had to put it all back into the chart/graphic form and format it because his computer program turned it into garbage. But it got submitted on time, barely, if with tears, sweat and blood for no reason (end mini-rant)

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin smiled thinly, "In only a few years, we might see a generation who will not immediately respond to the question 'what is love?' with 'baby, don't hurt me'...

Cara gave a bit of a snicker to that.

But miss Jerkins was desperate for children, and rendered sterile against her will and knowledge. So she made a deal... and what she received was not quite what she intended, nor expected... but they are her children still."

"That is just horrible, such a sad story."
The Criamon muttered softly.
"Poor woman."

He nodded, "I respect her, like one would a shark. She's dignified, strong, cunning, and there's no way in Hell I want to encounter her in the wild."

"Hum...will you be saddened when she is...well you know?"
Cara asked and shuddered and she touched one of her marks nervously at the thought.
"It seams an undignified end for such a woman then, even if it is necessary."

He shrugged, "I'll note, though, that I'll not go so far as to dig a bullet out of a body just for the sake of thrift, but when they're lying out in the open... Well, I don't know that anything can leave a lasting mark on Primium, so cleaning them should be a simple enough task in any case."

The young Hermetic just nodded at that.

He nodded, "Yes, we were lucky to not suffer more casualties than we did... But the loss is still great."

Cara sigh and looked at the still form of Jake again and nodded.
"I...feel like a horrible person, my first thought after the fight when I saw that Master King still had not moved was relief that it was not Rosario or Nancy...I am saddened for the Master Quesitor off course it is a great loss but those two are members of my Cabal, I...am such a selfish person."
She whispered and she looked quite guilt ridden and apologetic.

He nodded, placing a hand softly on Udella's shoulder, "Would it perhaps be better if we asked our teleporters to bring him home, to ensure a proper funeral and spare you the energy right now? It only seems proper that a man of his stature should receive a proper farewell..."

"I do not want to tax our teleporters but yes...that...would be better."
Udella agreed softly.
"It is not about his stature or his status, even the lowest apprentice deserve a proper farewell, he was a good man, he had a Cabal...students, Chantrymates both he and them deserve for him to have a proper burial."
She muttered.
"I...will call young Mr Willis and ask if he will help..."
She said and gave you a grateful look. Crexia just nodded her consent to that idea.

He nodded, pondering briefly as he raised his signet ring, "About the wards, I had an idea a moment ago... Would it be possible to reverse them? To invert the effect, so to speak; to make them recognize friends as foes and foes as friends and make the fight really unpleasant for the Fallen?"

"Anything is possible Mr Wainwright, it is just a matter of how easy or hard something will be to do, given time to study the wards and their exact condition and more time to work on them undisturbed then yes such a thing could be done, is it a practical thing to do now that we are pressed for time though, no, changing the core nature of a spell is far harder than simply tearing it apart."
Crexia said and her eyes fell on you for a moment.
"It is a good idea but getting though a ward like this if they actually have an Aegis will be hard enough for what little time we have to work on it."

"Thank you," he said, glancing at Crexia. He didn't want to overstep his boundary.

Crexia just nodded, she did not really care who kept guard as long as it was done.

"Of course, ma'am, I am sorry..." he said, glancing towards the Enforcer's form. "I am sorry for your loss," he said and lowered his eyes.

Udella gave a faint smile.
"Thank you young man...he was a good man...a good friend."
She said softly and looked at Jake just laying there, so still on the ground.
"He will be missed."

He also bowed his head quickly in respect towards the man and then turned back to the others and keeping a look out.

One after another the other magi also bowed their heads, or made other signs of respect towards the fallen magus, both Rosario and Loretta carefully touched their lotus signet rings to his hand, everyone looked rather down, this was a sharp reminder of how dangerous this mission was, how any one of them could get killed next. You glance around the tunnel but nothing seam to be out of the ordinary for now. Loretta suddenly winced sharply but when several eyes turned to her with concern she simply whispered.
"Paradox."
That little stunt with opening a rift in time had cost her, even if it had just been to take a peek at the past.

"If there's nothing for me to help with this part of the plan directly, I will either stand guard or get to some other work," he said, leaving it for Crexia and Udella to decide if he should help with the Enforcer's remains or some other task.

"I need your eyes keeping watch, we do not want any suprises and keep an eye on the Umbra as well if you are so able Sodalis."
Crexia said to you then she smiled a bit sadly.
"Per the honored Quesitor's wishes we will call for an extraction of Master King's body."
She said softly and looked at Udella as the elderly maga pulled an simple smart phone out of a pouch on her belt.

"Hm," he said thoughtfully. "The issue is, as I see it, that the magick itself used for the ward is Qlippothic...it negates other possibilities from being able to manifest. It's not just about reversing it, like flicking a switch. It is more like rebuilding or reminding the Tellurian that there was something here that was destroyed, making it malleable again at the essential framework level. Like we did with the wind tunnel." He frowned as he thought it over and glanced at the other Masters, as he was sure they'd have input on it, things he did not understand yet.

"Very true, the difference between our work and that of a Nephandus is that when I cast a rote, I re shape reality, let us say I want a storm, I call the clouds and the power of the gods and change fair weather into the storm I desire, while a Fallen mage will destroy the possibility the storm was not there, our magick work on change while theirs work on destruction, or for that matter it is like a linear mage working by changing reality in pre established patters...changing one magick to another would add another layer of complexity to such a work."
Crexia agreed and nodded.

"I would assume that it would recognize and allow Fallen avatars, perhaps some type of marker and key words such as the token for the Gate Guardian for those not awakened..."

"Well an Aegis works by establishing a domain,you bring out the casters of the ritual, and everyone else in your household with a hint of magick in them and everyone join in, that marks the ritualists as members of that household, no one else with a magickal nature can enter unless invited in, I suspect the Fallen's ward will work the same way, though yes it might be even harsher to those like us who do not have Inverted Avatars, they also might have other wards layered on top of the Aegis that we know about. An Aegis would not stop someone completely mundane though, anyone with no magick in them could cross into the homestead as they pleased."
The ancient maga said as she glanced at the maintenance shed.
"Well I should start examining the wards, stay alert in case that will bring about something...nasty that comes to see what we are doing out here."
She instructed and looked to you and Colin to see if either of you you had anything else to add before she started working.

(OOC: My husband would so feel your pain, he is on disability now but when he worked he was a computer programmer usually with bosses with no programming skills or idea of how long a project would actually take to do and very little interest in listening to those who did have the knowledge.)

[Warpmind]

"That is just horrible, such a sad story."
The Criamon muttered softly.
"Poor woman."

Colin nodded, "Yes... but don't let her think you pity her; her pride might not take well to that."

"Hum...will you be saddened when she is...well you know?"
Cara asked and shuddered and she touched one of her marks nervously at the thought.
"It seams an undignified end for such a woman then, even if it is necessary."

He smiled thinly, "I intend to try to be present for... that. And I mean light a candle for her passing. Everyone should have at least one kindly face nearby at the last, no matter what they did in life. I somehow suspect her end will not be as undignified as one would expect - if she can muster the will, and I think she can, she'll stand there as unapologetic and determined as... well, anyone ever did."

Cara sigh and looked at the still form of Jake again and nodded.
"I...feel like a horrible person, my first thought after the fight when I saw that Master King still had not moved was relief that it was not Rosario or Nancy...I am saddened for the Master Quesitor off course it is a great loss but those two are members of my Cabal, I...am such a selfish person."
She whispered and she looked quite guilt ridden and apologetic.

He reached out to give Cara's shoulder a light squeeze, then glanced at her marks, and smoothly retracted his hand, "You're human. We all show concern for our closest first, and our more peripheral allies and acquaintances second... Even in the military, we grieve for the losses incurred by other units, even as we're relieved it wasn't one of our own unit that fell. It's a way to cope... and the guilt is just as human, too. After a while... well, either you learn to temporarily suppress it, or you wind up unfit for combat duty..."

"How about we get out of this first, hrm?"

He nodded, "Indeed."

"I do not want to tax our teleporters but yes...that...would be better."
Udella agreed softly.
"It is not about his stature or his status, even the lowest apprentice deserve a proper farewell, he was a good man, he had a Cabal...students, Chantrymates both he and them deserve for him to have a proper burial."
She muttered.
"I...will call young Mr Willis and ask if he will help..."
She said and gave you a grateful look. Crexia just nodded her consent to that idea.

"I need your eyes keeping watch, we do not want any suprises and keep an eye on the Umbra as well if you are so able Sodalis."
Crexia said to you then she smiled a bit sadly.
"Per the honored Quesitor's wishes we will call for an extraction of Master King's body."
She said softly and looked at Udella as the elderly maga pulled an simple smart phone out of a pouch on her belt.

He nodded to Udella, "Once we get back, we'll raise a glass to his life, hmm? And... I am sorry."

"Anything is possible Mr Wainwright, it is just a matter of how easy or hard something will be to do, given time to study the wards and their exact condition and more time to work on them undisturbed then yes such a thing could be done, is it a practical thing to do now that we are pressed for time though, no, changing the core nature of a spell is far harder than simply tearing it apart."
Crexia said and her eyes fell on you for a moment.
"It is a good idea but getting though a ward like this if they actually have an Aegis will be hard enough for what little time we have to work on it."

"Hm," he said thoughtfully. "The issue is, as I see it, that the magick itself used for the ward is Qlippothic...it negates other possibilities from being able to manifest. It's not just about reversing it, like flicking a switch. It is more like rebuilding or reminding the Tellurian that there was something here that was destroyed, making it malleable again at the essential framework level. Like we did with the wind tunnel." He frowned as he thought it over and glanced at the other Masters, as he was sure they'd have input on it, things he did not understand yet. "I would assume that it would recognize and allow Fallen avatars, perhaps some type of marker and key words such as the token for the Gate Guardian for those not awakened..."

"Well an Aegis works by establishing a domain,you bring out the casters of the ritual, and everyone else in your household with a hint of magick in them and everyone join in, that marks the ritualists as members of that household, no one else with a magickal nature can enter unless invited in, I suspect the Fallen's ward will work the same way, though yes it might be even harsher to those like us who do not have Inverted Avatars, they also might have other wards layered on top of the Aegis that we know about. An Aegis would not stop someone completely mundane though, anyone with no magick in them could cross into the homestead as they pleased."
The ancient maga said as she glanced at the maintenance shed.
"Well I should start examining the wards, stay alert in case that will bring about something...nasty that comes to see what we are doing out here."
She instructed and looked to you and Colin to see if either of you you had anything else to add before she started working.

He sighed, "I suspected it would be a bit more complicated, yes. It might be viable with some further research - I wouldn't be surprised if a method could be found, but we don't have the time now, as you point out."
He swapped out the Entropy monocle for his Prime-prepared one and muttered, "Magia spectare!"

((OOC: Throwing in that extra success here, then - just looking closely at the magic around, and examining the wards in particular... Arete roll: 5,6,7 and the extra success. ))

((OOC2: I know the pain. I work in a printroom; many's the time a client's come by and asked for something, and "if they can pick it up by the end of the workday". To which my response has far too often been "It's Friday, we close for the weekend in an hour, and this is at least a three-day job!" And then the client has the gall to ask if they can pick it up on Monday morning instead. :/ On a few occasions, I've replied, "Well, sure, you can come by on Monday, but it won't be done until Wednesday at the earliest." And then they show up on Monday, indignant that their stuff isn't done... There's a reason I've gotten it into my contract that I "can't underestimate the clients' intellect". So far, two clients have paused for a moment and given me a dirty look when I've quoted that. Out of WAY too many... ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin nodded, "Yes... but don't let her think you pity her; her pride might not take well to that."

"I can understand that, compassion and kindness is always welcome but pity really just demean the one it is shown towards."
Cara muttered and nodded in agreement.

He smiled thinly, "I intend to try to be present for... that. And I mean light a candle for her passing. Everyone should have at least one kindly face nearby at the last, no matter what they did in life. I somehow suspect her end will not be as undignified as one would expect - if she can muster the will, and I think she can, she'll stand there as unapologetic and determined as... well, anyone ever did."

"I would not ever want to see...that...being performed M Wainwright it is to horrible."
Cara exclaimed then she sigh.
"Though you are right everyone deserve a friendly face at the end."
Then she shook her head.
"I can not imagine anyone...staying dignified before that I mean if it was me I would beg, scream, kick, bite anything I could think of to stop it..."
She said and paled just at the thought of it.
"Poor woman she must be terrified."

He reached out to give Cara's shoulder a light squeeze, then glanced at her marks, and smoothly retracted his hand, "You're human. We all show concern for our closest first, and our more peripheral allies and acquaintances second... Even in the military, we grieve for the losses incurred by other units, even as we're relieved it wasn't one of our own unit that fell. It's a way to cope... and the guilt is just as human, too. After a while... well, either you learn to temporarily suppress it, or you wind up unfit for combat duty..."

The Criamon looked at you for a moment then she sigh and nodded.
"I know you are right Mr Wainwright I just feel...selfish, I do not want anyone I know to be killed, or anyone I don't know for that matter but I am even more concerned about loosing my Cabal, my brother, my teacher and my little student...but I will push those feelings aide for now and focus on my job...I have to...we have no choice but to take down this Labyrinth."
She muttered in a determined tone of voice.

He nodded to Udella, "Once we get back, we'll raise a glass to his life, hmm? And... I am sorry."

The old Quesitor gave you a slight smile and nodded.
"Jake...would have liked that Mr Wainwright...thank you."
She said softly before Joe picked up on the other end of the line as she said.
"Mr Willis we...lost Master Jake King...we have no way to carry him with us until..."
Her voice cracked for a moment then Joe said something and she smiled a little.
"Thank you young man...just placing my phone near Jake? Ok...I owe you child...hum your sister? Ah off course Miss Willis yes she is fine...I will place the phone down by Jake's side then."
She said and preceded to do so, there was a popping sound as her phone and Jake King's body vanished and air rushed in the fill the empty space. Udella gave the place where Jake had used to be a moment before one more sad look then she drew a deep breath to steady herself and get ready for the tasks ahead, there would be time to grieve later.

He sighed, "I suspected it would be a bit more complicated, yes. It might be viable with some further research - I wouldn't be surprised if a method could be found, but we don't have the time now, as you point out."

Crexia just nodded her agreement to that.

He swapped out the Entropy monocle for his Prime-prepared one and muttered, "Magia spectare!"

"Well there where off course the banishments and spells used on Jodelle's offspring earlier, and the tattered remains of Adley's kinetic shield. Other than that several of the magi had sensory spells running so it was quite a bit of a light show in the corridor, only marred by the leftover Resonance from that monstrosity, that was not so light. You look at the service shed and beyond it you do see the wards, two of them, one was strong, elegant and very orderly, it was inverted off course and created by the twisted magick of the Nephandi which was not comfortable to look at but that had to be the Aegis, it was a strong, powerful ward. The second ward was thinner, it two was Qlipothic and it was far more volatile, it was likely this one was made to lash out at any intruders, and perhaps anyone who tried to tamper with the primary ward as well.

(OOC: Hehehe. )

[Warpmind]

"I would not ever want to see...that...being performed M Wainwright it is to horrible."
Cara exclaimed then she sigh.
"Though you are right everyone deserve a friendly face at the end."
Then she shook her head.
"I can not imagine anyone...staying dignified before that I mean if it was me I would beg, scream, kick, bite anything I could think of to stop it..."
She said and paled just at the thought of it.
"Poor woman she must be terrified."

Colin nodded, "I stood and supported my Cabalmate as they started the ritual, only days ago... it is indeed terrible. But even knowing how dreadful it is now, I would still not do otherwise. It... is not a pretty thing."
He sighed, "As for miss Jerkins, I rather think she won't give anyone the satisfaction. And yes, she is... but she's also cunning and patient; she'll make a break for it if she sees the opportunity."

The Criamon looked at you for a moment then she sigh and nodded.
"I know you are right Mr Wainwright I just feel...selfish, I do not want anyone I know to be killed, or anyone I don't know for that matter but I am even more concerned about loosing my Cabal, my brother, my teacher and my little student...but I will push those feelings aide for now and focus on my job...I have to...we have no choice but to take down this Labyrinth."
She muttered in a determined tone of voice.

He nodded, "I believe the phenomenon is called the 'Monkeysphere'; one can only genuinely care for so many at a time... It's quite alright, but focus on the threat, not the loved ones."

The old Quesitor gave you a slight smile and nodded.
"Jake...would have liked that Mr Wainwright...thank you."
She said softly before Joe picked up on the other end of the line as she said.
"Mr Willis we...lost Master Jake King...we have no way to carry him with us until..."
Her voice cracked for a moment then Joe said something and she smiled a little.
"Thank you young man...just placing my phone near Jake? Ok...I owe you child...hum your sister? Ah off course Miss Willis yes she is fine...I will place the phone down by Jake's side then."
She said and preceded to do so, there was a popping sound as her phone and Jake King's body vanished and air rushed in the fill the empty space. Udella gave the place where Jake had used to be a moment before one more sad look then she drew a deep breath to steady herself and get ready for the tasks ahead, there would be time to grieve later.

He nodded solemnly at the emptied space, and got back to work.

"Well there where off course the banishments and spells used on Jodelle's offspring earlier, and the tattered remains of Adley's kinetic shield. Other than that several of the magi had sensory spells running so it was quite a bit of a light show in the corridor, only marred by the leftover Resonance from that monstrosity, that was not so light. You look at the service shed and beyond it you do see the wards, two of them, one was strong, elegant and very orderly, it was inverted off course and created by the twisted magick of the Nephandi which was not comfortable to look at but that had to be the Aegis, it was a strong, powerful ward. The second ward was thinner, it two was Qlipothic and it was far more volatile, it was likely this one was made to lash out at any intruders, and perhaps anyone who tried to tamper with the primary ward as well.

He frowned, "Well, it looks like the Aegis is a beautiful piece of work - twisted and wrong, of course, but skillfully wrought. The other one is a right bastard, though... and there's quite a bit of Quintessence in it, I think, ready to blast away at anyone... hm, possibly anyone stepping across, or anyone trying to tamper with the Aegis? In either case, I think we need to deal with the aggressive one first."
He started readying a spell, trying to confuse the ward by distorting its perception to a more distant point in time, powered by the Quintessence it held at the ready... "Distincta perceptione præsentium per malomagia ex præcantatio."

((OOC: Time 2, Prime 2, using the Quintessence of the ward, once it's opened up, to make the "trigger" perceive a completely different time when the Aegis is not being tampered with. Arete rolls: 2,6,0 - 2,6,9 - 2,4,7 - 4,6,8. Four rolls, that should put Colin at his limit - and he's not releasing the spell before he's sure he's got enough control of it. ))

[Adley]

"I need your eyes keeping watch, we do not want any suprises and keep an eye on the Umbra as well if you are so able Sodalis."
Crexia said to you then she smiled a bit sadly. "Per the honored Quesitor's wishes we will call for an extraction of Master King's body."

"Yes ma'am," he said and put himself in a position to keep guard, looking both through the umbra as well. He recalled the ghost and gave a glance around to see if she were still there hiding, or had quit to her former haunt.

Loretta suddenly winced sharply but when several eyes turned to her with concern she simply whispered. "Paradox. That little stunt with opening a rift in time had cost her, even if it had just been to take a peek at the past.

He gave her a concerned look, to see if she needed any assistance. Then he offered back the spare clip back to James, with a raised eyebrow.

"Very true...changing one magick to another would add another layer of complexity to such a work."

He sighed, "I suspected it would be a bit more complicated, yes. It might be viable with some further research - I wouldn't be surprised if a method could be found, but we don't have the time now, as you point out."

"It could be viable," he agreed.

"Well an Aegis works by establishing a domain...though yes it might be even harsher to those like us who do not have Inverted Avatars, they also might have other wards layered on top of the Aegis that we know about. An Aegis would not stop someone completely mundane though, anyone with no magick in them could cross into the homestead as they pleased." The ancient maga said as she glanced at the maintenance shed. "Well I should start examining the wards, stay alert in case that will bring about something...nasty that comes to see what we are doing out here."

Adley frowned over her words, thinking about what Colin had said about the Ethership. "I see, they'll probably have something else then. Traps, probably. Let me know if you both need my assistance." He continued his careful watch.

He frowned, "Well, it looks like the Aegis is a beautiful piece of work - twisted and wrong, of course, but skillfully wrought. The other one is a right bastard, though... and there's quite a bit of Quintessence in it, I think, ready to blast away at anyone... hm, possibly anyone stepping across, or anyone trying to tamper with the Aegis? In either case, I think we need to deal with the aggressive one first."

He glanced at the others to see if they might be close enough to the thing if it went off to spell trouble.

// Pretty much that is the nature of the pain, for sure! Frustrating, when I am usually pretty accurate with how long I say a thing will take. I don't even apply the Scotty maneuver. lol, Warp I wish I could have that written in somewhere.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin nodded, "I stood and supported my Cabalmate as they started the ritual, only days ago... it is indeed terrible. But even knowing how dreadful it is now, I would still not do otherwise. It... is not a pretty thing."

"I...I heard about that, about your Cabalmate, poor girl, how is she doing...I can not even imagine."
Cara exclaimed and looked at you wide eyed.
"Perhaps it is not right that we do such a thing to...to anyone."
She muttered.

He sighed, "As for miss Jerkins, I rather think she won't give anyone the satisfaction. And yes, she is... but she's also cunning and patient; she'll make a break for it if she sees the opportunity."

"It takes a fair bit of courage to do that, not not give anyone the satisfaction and to stay patient, it is impressive and it also makes the woman quite dangerous."
The Criamon said and nodded, she looked a little uneasy at the topic though.

He nodded, "I believe the phenomenon is called the 'Monkeysphere'; one can only genuinely care for so many at a time... It's quite alright, but focus on the threat, not the loved ones."

Cara nodded at that.
"Well it is not that I do not care about Master King, it is more that I care about my own Cabal more."

He frowned, "Well, it looks like the Aegis is a beautiful piece of work - twisted and wrong, of course, but skillfully wrought. The other one is a right bastard, though... and there's quite a bit of Quintessence in it, I think, ready to blast away at anyone... hm, possibly anyone stepping across, or anyone trying to tamper with the Aegis? In either case, I think we need to deal with the aggressive one first."

"I agree with your assessment Mr Wainwright."
Crexia said with a slight frown.
"Would you like to try to drain it if I can get you access into it's Quintessence flow or would you prefer me and my Sodalis to try to brute force the secondary ward down first?"

Assuming you agree to working with the old archmage she begins changing, her hands moving in precise, elegant motions, one hand was held up, the fingers wrapped to form a paw the thumb held in parallel with the palm with a slight bow to it, the other hand where formed into an eye with a curled pinky forming the pupil, the eye being the thumb and the ring finger and the index and long finger radiating outwards like eye lashes or rays coming out of the eye, Rego Vim, controlling magick, the gestures where followed by a whispered Latin Chant and then the old archmage nodded to you that you could try to work your own magick, she was into the secondary ward.
"Do feel free to work your craft now Mr Wainwright but work fast for I have to hold back the secondary ward lashing out at us so unless you desire this entire hallway to be incinerated...we need to deal with this ward...now.

You begin working and then after some time and you could really feel it now, almost like a burn while working out, only it was mentally and spiritually, you where stretching yourself to the very limits of your ability but then Crexia gave a sigh of relief, not that she had really shown many signs that she was holding back death and destruction other than a slightly concentrated look in her eyes and a whispered.
"Move back."
To the other magi in the corridor. Now however she seamed to relax.
"Whatever you are doing Mr Wainwright it seams to be working."
She muttered as you tricked the ward that the past was the present and using the Quintessence meant to fuel it to trick it.

"Yes ma'am," he said and put himself in a position to keep guard, looking both through the umbra as well. He recalled the ghost and gave a glance around to see if she were still there hiding, or had quit to her former haunt.

You see the ghost sitting on the floor, her hands over her head, still hiding but now she glanced up again as if to see if the danger had passed and she could continue her mournful wailing for her son in peace, other than the ghost there was not much out in the Umbra but the proximity of the Labyrinth had made this part of the nearby spirit world dark and twisted, with blood dripping walls an rotting roofs that looked like it should be in some horror movie.

He gave her a concerned look, to see if she needed any assistance. Then he offered back the spare clip back to James, with a raised eyebrow.

Loretta waved her hand at you dismissively.
"Do not worry Mr Roth Hicks I am fine, I am not about to go off the deep end, not quite yet."
She said and smiled as James accepted his spare clip back and nodded to you.

Adley frowned over her words, thinking about what Colin had said about the Ethership. "I see, they'll probably have something else then. Traps, probably. Let me know if you both need my assistance." He continued his careful watch.

"I will do so Mr Roth Hicks."
Crexia said and nodded.
"And yes I suspect there to be traps it would be a poor Labyrinth if it did not have a few surprises up it's sleeves."

Adley frowned at that, and then glanced at the others to see if they might be close enough to the thing if it went off to spell trouble.

Crexia and Colin started working then suddenly Crexia muttered for you and everyone else to move back through her hand never missed as gesture even as she urged the others to stay safe. As the work with the wards went on you saw movement in the Umbra, it was hard to know for sure, the spirit world right here was just a mass of blood dripping, rotting corridors, but you think you saw someone peeking around a corner at your group and then quickly retreating again.

(OOC: If Colin did not want to work with Crexia and preferred for her and the other Hermetics to try to take the secondary Node down then ignore the part of the post discussing that. I only wrote it like that as it seamed to me he went ahead and tried to trick the ward that all was right by presenting it a time when it was, using the ward's own Quintessence to fuel the illusion, and he would need Crexia's help to get into the ward's patters so it seamed the most appropriate to move ahead with that, if that was not your intention then I misunderstood and will rewrite it.)

[Warpmind]

"I...I heard about that, about your Cabalmate, poor girl, how is she doing...I can not even imagine."
Cara exclaimed and looked at you wide eyed.
"Perhaps it is not right that we do such a thing to...to anyone."
She muttered.

Colin frowned, "She is on the mend... but yes, it's certainly been used more liberally than is right; I can think of at least one case, though, where it was quite just and appropriate... But that was over five hundred years ago. Since then... it's perhaps been a bit excessive."

"It takes a fair bit of courage to do that, not not give anyone the satisfaction and to stay patient, it is impressive and it also makes the woman quite dangerous."
The Criamon said and nodded, she looked a little uneasy at the topic though.

He nodded, "Quite so, and I think she's got the strength to pull it off."

Cara nodded at that.
"Well it is not that I do not care about Master King, it is more that I care about my own Cabal more."

He smiled, "Precisely."

"I agree with your assessment Mr Wainwright."
Crexia said with a slight frown.
"Would you like to try to drain it if I can get you access into it's Quintessence flow or would you prefer me and my Sodalis to try to brute force the secondary ward down first?"

He smiled thinly, "Give me an opening; I expect this should be a far lighter task than the Ball of Abysmal Flame in the Boston Umbral Port. Just give me a few seconds to ready the spell."

Assuming you agree to working with the old archmage she begins changing, her hands moving in precise, elegant motions, one hand was held up, the fingers wrapped to form a paw the thumb held in parallel with the palm with a slight bow to it, the other hand where formed into an eye with a curled pinky forming the pupil, the eye being the thumb and the ring finger and the index and long finger radiating outwards like eye lashes or rays coming out of the eye, Rego Vim, controlling magick, the gestures where followed by a whispered Latin Chant and then the old archmage nodded to you that you could try to work your own magick, she was into the secondary ward.
"Do feel free to work your craft now Mr Wainwright but work fast for I have to hold back the secondary ward lashing out at us so unless you desire this entire hallway to be incinerated...we need to deal with this ward...now.

He repeated the incantation one last time, and drained the power away to a temporal deception. With luck, it would work as intended...

You begin working and then after some time and you could really feel it now, almost like a burn while working out, only it was mentally and spiritually, you where stretching yourself to the very limits of your ability but then Crexia gave a sigh of relief, not that she had really shown many signs that she was holding back death and destruction other than a slightly concentrated look in her eyes and a whispered.
"Move back."
To the other magi in the corridor. Now however she seamed to relax.
"Whatever you are doing Mr Wainwright it seams to be working."
She muttered as you tricked the ward that the past was the present and using the Quintessence meant to fuel it to trick it.

He grinned roguishly, "The ward is vigorously convincing itself that it's a previous time when there was nothing here to trip it. It should take a little while, but I think we've got it dealt with. The Aegis, though, that's going to be the tricky one..."

((OOC: No, you were quite right, Colin was warming up for the second ward; the one that would hurt, maim or kill if we tripped it.))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin frowned, "She is on the mend... but yes, it's certainly been used more liberally than is right; I can think of at least one case, though, where it was quite just and appropriate... But that was over five hundred years ago. Since then... it's perhaps been a bit excessive."

"You are thinking about Teomim? Perhaps...perhaps we need such a strong threat to prevent high treason, but even so...it is a horrible thing and I am not sure we should be destroying what we do not even fully know what is."
Cara said. You see that Udella had glanced in your direction but the old Quesitor said nothing.

He nodded, "Quite so, and I think she's got the strength to pull it off."

"Good for her, she is an enemy but if she is facing such a horrible end, it is good that she to some degree can face it on her own terms."
Cara said and shuddered again.
"Perhaps it is this place Mr Wainwright or our loss of a comrade but the conversation seams to have gotten rather morbid."
The young Criamon commented.

He smiled, "Precisely."

Cara nodded sadly, she glanced at Jake's still body now and again.

He smiled thinly, "Give me an opening; I expect this should be a far lighter task than the Ball of Abysmal Flame in the Boston Umbral Port. Just give me a few seconds to ready the spell."

Crexia nodded and got ready to accost the ward once you where ready to do your part with it.

He repeated the incantation one last time, and drained the power away to a temporal deception. With luck, it would work as intended...

Crexia nodded to you.
"Someone...somewhere else is attacking the ward as well."
She muttered as and afterthought, then the hand that had been folded like you would to protect your fingers while cutting vegetables changes into a crushing grip, as if she was squeezing the life out of the ward while her hand that was in the sigil of an eye reminded the same and then in an instant the secondary ward was gone, it had been weakened by your spell to trick it, like placing a picture before a security camera and the old archmaga just ripped it to shreds, little bits of ward exploded before your eyes, if you where looking at it with your monocle that is, like black stars of nothingness until it was no more.

He grinned roguishly, "The ward is vigorously convincing itself that it's a previous time when there was nothing here to trip it. It should take a little while, but I think we've got it dealt with. The Aegis, though, that's going to be the tricky one..."

"I have dealt with the secondary ward Mr Wainwright and yes the Aegis will be allot harder...this was more of a fail safe for the main ward...however with someone else hammering at the Aegis as well, weakining it should be easier."
Crexia said then she looked at you and nodded.
"Good work Mr Wainwright."

(OOC: Ah good I do love to be right. That is one less ward. I can now imagine the Dungeon Keeper player getting rather desperate that the heroes are hammering at his walls. )

[Warpmind]

"You are thinking about Teomim? Perhaps...perhaps we need such a strong threat to prevent high treason, but even so...it is a horrible thing and I am not sure we should be destroying what we do not even fully know what is."
Cara said. You see that Udella had glanced in your direction but the old Quesitor said nothing.

Colin smiled and lowered his voice, "Even Teomim did not object to the punishment they received - it was appropriate for what they did to the people they loved, I think. And besides, there's the matter of the disassembled fragments gathering together somewhere; maybe, just maybe the tearing apart of an Avatar is not as complete or permanent destruction as previously presumed? Perhaps the Avatars are a lot like water in that regard - a lake can be evaporated, its individual molecules separated and dispersed... but they can return as rain and pool together once more, perhaps in a very different composition, a mix of drops from different lakes, but they gather together as one nonetheless..."

"Good for her, she is an enemy but if she is facing such a horrible end, it is good that she to some degree can face it on her own terms."
Cara said and shuddered again.
"Perhaps it is this place Mr Wainwright or our loss of a comrade but the conversation seams to have gotten rather morbid."
The young Criamon commented.

He nodded, "Or it is the nature of the Gatekeeper. We should drop the subject, yes."

Crexia nodded to you.
"Someone...somewhere else is attacking the ward as well."
She muttered as and afterthought, then the hand that had been folded like you would to protect your fingers while cutting vegetables changes into a crushing grip, as if she was squeezing the life out of the ward while her hand that was in the sigil of an eye reminded the same and then in an instant the secondary ward was gone, it had been weakened by your spell to trick it, like placing a picture before a security camera and the old archmaga just ripped it to shreds, little bits of ward exploded before your eyes, if you where looking at it with your monocle that is, like black stars of nothingness until it was no more.

He nodded, "Yes, it seems... I am not the only one siphoning its power... Whoever it is probably appreciates the help, though."

"I have dealt with the secondary ward Mr Wainwright and yes the Aegis will be allot harder...this was more of a fail safe for the main ward...however with someone else hammering at the Aegis as well, weakining it should be easier."
Crexia said then she looked at you and nodded.
"Good work Mr Wainwright."

He grinned, "Thank you. It may be a small bit of pridefulness on my part, but I think perhaps Bonisagus himself would have enjoyed my little trick... And quite plausibly Tremerre and Tytalus, too."
He cleared his throat, reverting to a more serious expression, "As for the Aegis - I suspect it would be circular, like the Labyrinth... I think I can manage to unravel it with brute force... but it might take some time to run its course. And it'll probably take a goodly chunk of the Quintessence reserves I carry with it... but I think I can pull it off. Not many Magi lug around over 40 drams of Quintessence on their person, I'll wager; they might not expect that sort of a crude approach."

((OOC: Indeed; now for the complicated one... ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin smiled and lowered his voice, "Even Teomim did not object to the punishment they received - it was appropriate for what they did to the people they loved, I think.

"No the Fragile Path say they where angry at the Traditions for the directions they where headed but not for the punishment."
Cara said softly she looked a bit uneasy.
"Perhaps they where that willing to face the consequences of their actions, and there is something to be said for that I think, though I would never approve of anyone betraying their Cabal for any reason."
She muttered and glanced towards Nancy and Rosario.

And besides, there's the matter of the disassembled fragments gathering together somewhere; maybe, just maybe the tearing apart of an Avatar is not as complete or permanent destruction as previously presumed? Perhaps the Avatars are a lot like water in that regard - a lake can be evaporated, its individual molecules separated and dispersed... but they can return as rain and pool together once more, perhaps in a very different composition, a mix of drops from different lakes, but they gather together as one nonetheless..."

"That is...a nice though..."
The Criamon said then she smiled a little.
"I would not know though, while I might have an unusual relationship with my Avatar, I do not know that much about them really, but perhaps it is like you say Mr Wainwright."

He nodded, "Or it is the nature of the Gatekeeper. We should drop the subject, yes."

"Ah yes...I would appreciate that very much Mr Wainwright it is not a easy topic to discuss."
Cara said and looked a but queasy.
"We should focus on the task at hand.

He nodded, "Yes, it seems... I am not the only one siphoning its power... Whoever it is probably appreciates the help, though."

"Yes I suspect they are, just remember to be careful, when there are more parties involved in a magickal operation...we you know what they say about the number of chefs and the resulting mess Mr Wainwright."
Crexia said with a slight, why smile.

He grinned, "Thank you. It may be a small bit of pridefulness on my part, but I think perhaps Bonisagus himself would have enjoyed my little trick... And quite plausibly Tremerre and Tytalus, too."

"Well Tremere the Founder was the weakest of the thirteen, he would have welcomed any spell that would have allowed him a leg up on more gifted magi. Tytalus was a inventor an explorer as well as a war mage, I am sure he would have found it interesting and they say Bonisagus gathered all the magick he found to be of use...well at times a bit of pride is warranted young man, you have discovered a quite useful rote."
The old archmaga said approvingly.

He cleared his throat, reverting to a more serious expression, "As for the Aegis - I suspect it would be circular, like the Labyrinth... I think I can manage to unravel it with brute force... but it might take some time to run its course. And it'll probably take a goodly chunk of the Quintessence reserves I carry with it... but I think I can pull it off. Not many Magi lug around over 40 drams of Quintessence on their person, I'll wager; they might not expect that sort of a crude approach."

"Well I would not have expected it...before today...hum...same approach then, I will try to get you access to the core of the spell and you will see what you can do about it...that the wards are already under attack as we spoke of earlier might also help..."
Crexia muttered.
"Well if you are ready young man?"

[Tane Karyak]

Simple suggestion should be able to make it impossible for him to take more, eventually it would fade out. Tane reassured the doe. Thank you. he said and went out to meet Cita. COme here, i think we have a solution

[Adley]

// Two questions - First, did they duck back in the direction/corridor way they came in, just in the penumbral representation? Second, can I make a perception roll to see if Adley can intuit anything else from that glimpse, if it were a mage or spirit, or something else? Or is that the extent of what he could catch, given the umbral horrorshow?

Also sorry, might not post again tonight, maybe just the reply to what's here already but I don't want to drag the scene. Have a mighty headache after work today that's trying to be a migraine so I'm not sure if it will succeed. Just for more drama, the thing submitted yesterday was apparently not submitted as a flow chart. Which is what a) it was sposed to be b) what we agreed and worked for three days c) what it was when I left work. Unhappy xD

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Tane:

Simple suggestion should be able to make it impossible for him to take more, eventually it would fade out. Tane reassured the doe.

The small Avatar nodded though she said nothing, she just looked at you for a while.

Thank you. he said and went out to meet Cita. COme here, i think we have a solution

The doe slowly faded from view as she retreated back into the soul of her young host.

Cita was not waiting just outside as she assumed you could handle checking on Tobias on your own, you do have her phone number though and her room is just next door and she might be there.

Adley:

OOC: Yes the person Adley half sees just ducks right back into the corridor they come from in the penumbral representation of the sewers. Yes you can make a perception roll to see if he learns anything else from the glimpse he caught.)

(OOC 2: Do not worry about it take care of yourself the game is not in a hurry. I am sorry to hear at your troubles at work.)

[Adley]

Loretta waved her hand at you dismissively. "Do not worry Mr Roth Hicks I am fine, I am not about to go off the deep end, not quite yet."

"Of course," he nodded to her.

Mostly, he did not try to horn into the conversations though he cast pointed looks at Colin occasionally. In a place where the wall literally could have ears and there were ghosts and spirits, it was best not to talk of sensitive topics. He moved with the group away from the pair as they worked on the Aegis but needed to keep proximity to cover them all and keep lookout. And what he was looking at was none too pleasant, the near-umbra was disgusting here, painted in blood and decay from being near the entry to the Nephandi's lair. It was disturbing and he knew it would be fair worse within. As they worked on their foe's warding, he thought he saw movement out of the corner of his vision, a figure peer from the spirit world and then retreat....

//On the lookout for mages, spirits and werebears too, oh my. Perception: 2,0,0,8 - and he does have a 4 rank in that w/ a special in intuit, so that's 5 sux. Whatever he glimpsed or how much of it he did, he got some kind of feeling about it. I'll try to post again today, so Warp can continue.

And yeah, just thought you would find it funny in a schadenfreude kind of way. My sarcastic side wants to make a flow-chart of how this product became not a flowchart and put it up near my desk or in the file ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

The figure you see just briefly before it retreat down the corridor it came from is quite clearly a mage, you have seen enough both spirits and magi in the Umbra to be rather sure of that, it could be a werebeing in their human shape perhaps, but you would guess the person is a human being with some ability to travel the spirit world. Furthermore you notice that it is a man, with dark hazel hair, and dressed in a hoodie and jeans, more than that you do not notice but the figure had seen you and probably the others as well, something which could be bad if the young man was a Nephandus, for if so unless he is stopped his fellows will soon know your party was there, it could just be an unaffiliated Orphan or hedge wizard to off course who was dropping by to see what all the fuzz was about.

(OOC: Hehehe. )
(OOC 2: I hope your head is feeling better.)

[Adley]

// at least I think that's the 0- mechanic we just looked up but yeah either way he saw someone. Just to clarify that since I was on my way out the door. My headache is better, lingering though. Will reply when I get home.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

(OOC: Yes Adley saw a young man, he appear to be human so the closest guess would be a mage though since Adley know nothing about werecreatures it would be hard to say if he could be one of those, but yes there was a person in the umbra that withdrew when he saw Adley.

I am glad to hear you head is feeling better, headaches suck.)

[Warpmind]

"No the Fragile Path say they where angry at the Traditions for the directions they where headed but not for the punishment."
Cara said softly she looked a bit uneasy.
"Perhaps they where that willing to face the consequences of their actions, and there is something to be said for that I think, though I would never approve of anyone betraying their Cabal for any reason."
She muttered and glanced towards Nancy and Rosario.

Colin nodded, "Teomim's actions were wrong, by every definition thereof... but they owned their misdeeds, and the reasoning behind them. Still, it was a desperate ploy, and there are most certainly better ways to bring the Traditions together than to make oneself the enemy... It's not the sort of unification that will stand the test of time."

"That is...a nice though..."
The Criamon said then she smiled a little.
"I would not know though, while I might have an unusual relationship with my Avatar, I do not know that much about them really, but perhaps it is like you say Mr Wainwright."

He smiled wryly, "I suppose everyone's relationship with their Avatar is unusual, in their own way."

"Yes I suspect they are, just remember to be careful, when there are more parties involved in a magickal operation...we you know what they say about the number of chefs and the resulting mess Mr Wainwright."
Crexia said with a slight, why smile.

He nodded, "That's why there's a lot to be said for simple methods - the fewer elements that can fail, the better."

"Well Tremere the Founder was the weakest of the thirteen, he would have welcomed any spell that would have allowed him a leg up on more gifted magi. Tytalus was a inventor an explorer as well as a war mage, I am sure he would have found it interesting and they say Bonisagus gathered all the magick he found to be of use...well at times a bit of pride is warranted young man, you have discovered a quite useful rote."
The old archmaga said approvingly.

He grinned, "I expect Bonisagus might protest at the notion of making it publically available to anyone and everyone, though..."

"Well I would not have expected it...before today...hum...same approach then, I will try to get you access to the core of the spell and you will see what you can do about it...that the wards are already under attack as we spoke of earlier might also help..."
Crexia muttered.
"Well if you are ready young man?"

He set down the tanks with a nod, and opened the valves carefully with his right hand, raising the chaos wand in his left, "Quite... This will probably not be pleasant to behold, but if it works, it should eat away the Aegis like quicklime in the bathwater..."
He raised his left hand toward the approximate area where the ward would be, "Regio circulum retexo per malomagia magnus!"

((OOC: Entropy 2, Prime 2, using the dirty Quintessence to power an unraveling of the Aegis, all around the Labyrinth. It's Entropic, dirty and crude, but there should be enough juice to tear through the Ward given a little time to spin on... and probably tainted enough to really mess up anyone trying to interfere. Arete rolls: 4,5,9 - 4,6,8 - 1,3,3, and a WP to negate a Botch - 2,9,0 - 2,4,9 - 2,5,7 - and that's as far as I feel like pushing my luck before Colin releases the spell to pump all the vitriolic crud in to eat the Aegis, a few drams of Quintessence at a time. ))

((OOC2: How the incendiary, aviating fornication could the flowchart not be submitted as a flowchart after all? O.o Gah, fuckery at work; the worst kind of fuckery. :/ ))

((OOC3: Also, sorry I didn't post earlier; woke up at half past two today, and then I went to town to pick up my new Nintendo Switch as well as Force and Destiny for the Star Wars RPG - and winding down after that took a while. ))

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