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Re: Blackshard 2 - Revenge of the Nethermancers (Log/Playback)
31 January (part one)
31 January (part one)
ShardDM: WHEN LAST WE MET: The party had arrived at the swampborne town of Bitterwater, armed with the knowledge that their new 'ally', Alita, was supposed to meet a figure named Icarus here. Instead, most the party found a mysterious cloaked figure inquiring about a researcher into the Rift Wars, said researcher getting accosted by three cultists, and a quick but bloody fight resulting in the cloaked figure revealing her as a woman named Kiva, armed with a Blackshard herself. As it stands now, Zizth, Kaylia, Alkaia and Gar'Luc are with Jewel, Mona, Alita, and Kalia in the basement of the researcher's house, with Ameus Kileria's secret stash of forbidden literature surrounding them and herself, Kiva, and the unnamed female cultist still restrained and near Zizth. Laani meanwhile was put to sleep in the tavern by Halfdan due to reasons of drunk as a tankard.
Zizth is basically crouched over the woman and staring at Ashur fascinatedly, which sort of quivering from general low blood sugar dispersal.
Gar'Luc is standing near the stairs out of the basement and trying to stay out of the way of the smart people
Alkaia was still hugging Kalla, reassuring and protecting the frightened woman with her wings. Her eyes look curiously at the pair of women who had revealed themselves.
Kaylia folds her arms. "As I said earlier, I think today's little misadventure demonstrates that this particular site is no longer secure. Our enemies know of its whereabouts, clearly, and also of Ameus' involvement. They also got away with knowledge of Kiva, Ashur, and our own little band. I believe it's high time that alternate arrangements were made for security, though I'm not entirely sure of what exactly CAN be done."
Gar'Luc: "I can beat them up if they show their faces. That works, right?"
Kaylia: "Only if you plan to live here. I'm not worried about the enemy finding US so much as the library. Obviously I don't want them to find us either, but that's... well, beside the point."
Alkaia: "Yeah, such knowledge would not be good in there hands. Though I am not sure we can take it all with us either."
ShardDM: Ameus frowned a little, the defiled woman's face having it's many wrinkes enhanced as she scratched behind a horn. "Part of the reason I've been kept here instead of the crown's holdings was to remove the threat of temptation to the higher-ups. With that said, I need to contact them, inform them of the situation..." Kiva glanced up from watching back at Zizth. "From my experience, denying the gits what they want just makes them strike back less covertly, keeping the stash here will just make them try even harder and risk other's lives. The redhead makes a valid point." As if sensing the intense staring, the front of Kiva's armor, just around her cleavage, bulges out slightly, a round protrusion in the chitin forming and opening to reveal a violet eye staring at Zizth's own.
Kaylia frowns as well, her brow furrowed. "Ameus, how difficult would it be to break into the library, if you were to leave it locked behind you with all of its defenses active?"
Zizth blinks a little in surprise at the new eye and looks at it instead, head tilted a bit as she crouches beneath her cloak, feeling exhausted and sick and not really up to commenting right now.
ShardDM: Kalia leaned back into Alkaia slightly, slowly beginning to calm down a little with the dragonkin's touch now. Jewel quietly looked through the shelves as Mona peered at the tied up cultist woman, clearly intent on keeping an eye on the woman. The Blackshard's eye seems to stare curiously around the room before focusing on Zizth again, not much emotion readable on the singular eye. Ameus sighed. "In theory, the many wards set by the crown have probably expired due to the caster's deaths. All that are left are my own, and even then my own spellwork is as flimsy as my age. After that, it's more the question on if they want the books for themselves or just wish to destroy them to keep anyone trying to find the secrets in the pages from other eyes."
Zizth watches back tiredly, observing how alike they were in form in many ways. Such a strange entity.
Alkaia: She frowned as she lightly stroked Kalla's back. "Perhaps we should take the most important items and destroy the rest, in case they wish the knowledge for themselves." Looking to Kiva curiously. "And I thought all blackshards were evil?"
Gar'Luc: "So why can't we just pack all these up and move them somewhere else?"
Kaylia: "This is a bookstore on top, correct? Where do you keep extra copies of books? Is there a back storage area?"
ShardDM: "We could try to move them, but keep in mind that this library is a kingdom secret, even emptying my shop would take a while, but several hundred tomes like this? It's not something I'd trust to magic to unpack, some of these books are even older than the Rift Wars!" the old woman counters. "The storage area is a little ways out of town, it's a bit heavier warded and supported but even then, upon my death a good dose of fire will make it naught but a memory." Kiva's attention is now drawn by the dragonkin as she turned to face her. "In theory, I suppose so. Then again, at least when it comes to Ashur that's like asking if all humans are evil. She's a little... different."
Zizth looks over. "Zhe doez not zlave. Zo zhe iz zine to me. I care about zlaverz, not what zpeziez they are."
Gar'Luc snorts. "Then it seems either way these books are doomed."
Kaylia: "What I propose is this--we take a crate of the most important books and scrolls with us. We take mundane books out of the storage area and switch bindings with the other books here, hiding the remaining Blackshard documents under fake bookcovers in the warehouse, in plain sight. Then we make it appear as though we burned down this library ourselves. Even if they do break into the warehouse and find or destroy the books, we still have the crate with us."
Zizth: "Why not juzt put them in a magic hole? Or magic them zomewhere elze?"
Gar'Luc: "Two crates would be better. I can carry both of them." Gar'Luc flexes after he finishes speaking
Alkaia: She gave a small nod. "Such things would require a fair bit of power. And I am not well versed in transportive magics."
Kaylia: "Fair enough. Point is, we bring the vital documents with us, and hide the rest in plain sight. Switching bookbindings doesn't require magic, just a sharp knife and some glue. And I can manufacture glue."
ShardDM: "Rift magic has been outlawed since the Rift Wars, considering the dangers of dimensional connection. Hell, look at the wildlife around us, glowing flora isn't nessisarily normal for your dimension," Ameus deadpanned. "As the only dimensions anyone has ever connected with was either destroyed, or the home to megacreatures that some worship as gods, I don't think those options would work out that well either. I can contact the crown via scrying, but even then, trying to divide the important documents may be the best for the end goal. I take it you are headed to Spine of the Abyss on the Crown's buisness anyway?"
Kaylia: "Well, you're right about the Crown's business part. We can't discuss our destination, but what if we were heading that way?"
Zizth: "I don't know magic. They try to make new zhardz. Zo we take all thingz that let kill zhardz or make zhardz, yez?"
Alkaia: She gave a small nod. "Sounds about right. Though I am curious if you have anything on fleshcrafting."
ShardDM: "I'm mostly asking because some of those tomes may be worth it for you to take if you're trying to keep them out of the cult anyway. Information is power, after all," Ameus remarks. "Primarily I could lend you books for identification of the terrors of the Nether and some of the theory, however I am worried that it is not things relating to the Blackshard they are after." Kiva frowned a little at Alkaia. "Why the heck would you want to get into that?" The eyeball rolls itself as the shard gives a little flex along it, mimmicking a rub along Kiva's body and electing a shiver down her. "Sides, if I'm hearing right they're trying the Blackshard racket already, with fatal results." Kalia frowned at that, an eyebrow twitching.
Kaylia: "Oh, and one more detail. Before we leave, Laani and I rig the library, the hidden chamber, and the warehouse with enough explosives to ensure that neither book nor mortal survive the blast, but with a small enough radius to not kill the townies. We use a little of Kalia's Golemancy to set up the detonators with command words from Ameus. One word for each location, one word to blow up all three. Total of four command words." Kaylia looks at Kalia. "Can your magic do that? Four command word triggers?"
Zizth: "Maybe they want to get information zo they can iron out weaknezez? Or maybe they wizh zummon big thingz. Or turn a mountain into a creature. Who knowz."
Gar'Luc: "The fleshcrafting is to help my own kind."
Alkaia: "Well, we came across one cultist who could use it, and others likely could. I am also interested in learning such an art."
Zizth: "Zhe explainz bezt.," says Zizth, prodding the faun forward.
Gar'Luc steps forward, his arms crossed and his eyes staring down his snout at the woman.
Alkaia: "As well as helping mosterkin." Nodding.
Kaylia casts a sideways glance at Alkaia. "Yeahhhh I still think it's a bad idea."
Zizth: "Magic iz bad idea. Zo it iz alzo a bad diea yez."
Alkaia: "It wont be like her, just wish to know a little to help nudge the other magics." Gesturing to the faun.
Zizth: "You zay not like her but you don;t know iz not like her. Zhe wantz zave her zpeziez. Thiz makez zenze. But I don;t zee why you need to do her magicz when you have her to do them. Juzt work toghether."
Alkaia: "We already agreed to work with her, I just don't trust her."
ShardDM: Alita flushes as the bug woman pokes at her hooves. "Apparently the dragonkin wants me to do the unlocking ritual as part of my, ahem, indepted servitude for not getting a bullet in my head for past transgressions-" Ameus held a hand up, stepping up and examing the face tattoo of the faun. "...Well, that explains some of the rumors," the older Defiled mutters, stepping back. "Yeah, I think for the best I need to contact the crown. Excuse me..." she mutters, scooting back upstairs. Alita blinked a bit. "Was it something I said?" Kiva frowned again, moving to her feet as she faces the other, the shoulder on the armored plating shifting again- twisting and bulking up before twisting off, stretching on a pink, sinewy neck. "I agree it's a bad idea to mess with that magic too, even if it's for a good cause. Maybe I'm just jaded though, but either way, I need to think how I'm gonna keep the inetivable counterattack from happening and causing more loss of life. You and your goblin friend good a good job of causing enough trouble here..." she mutters.
Zizth: "Why not attack them bezore they reach the town? Ztrike them firzt bezore they are ready?," asks Zizth, and looks at Alita. "Dunno. Truzt, we already truzt her not to run away. We truzt her to have armz zree here. We truzt her to not alert her alliez and zhe haz not. Iz good zign. Bezidez you are doing whzt zhe wantz. Zo obviouzly there iz no gain zor her betrayal. We do what other cultiztz laugh at her zor."
Laani giggles dreamily, imagining a fetching redhead doing a striptease on a very big rifle.
Alkaia: "Still, I don't trust her fully yet. She may just be cooperating until a time she can get away from us safely." Looking to Kiva curiously. "Though magic is only evil when it is used for such. It may help save the monsterkin and beast kin races from extinction or being wiped out because of their need for men and women."
ShardDM: Kalia frowns, giving a shrug. "Not really on such a thing. I'm not sure I could create such a effect on something not originally designed for machina, especially something that would require constant callback like such a ward would need. The shoulder pad turned head shaped itself a bit more, more cracks in the chitin forming four small, slitted, alien eyes and twisting a mouth along the bottom. The creature gave a bit of a reverberating cough before it found it's voice, a silky smooth reverberation. "I don't know about Kiva, but I can't help but think that it's a bit of a cooincidence that the cult knew of such things. Even back in my era, it would be unheard of to wear such garb as our prisoner in public. It's like they weren't even hiding it." "Or they were just stupid," Jewel commented with a smirk. Kiva shrugged. "Well don't say I didn't warn ya against it I suppose. Least ya know the dangers, unlike what I think half of these gits focus on."
Zizth stands up tiredly and looks to Alkaia. "Zhe gainz nothing from betrayal, and haz everything to gain from cooperazion. Zhe runz, zhe runz zrom a pozible zoluzion and iz zhe wantz it zo badly to go thiz zar, why would zhe abandon any chanze? And moreover, run to where? The otherz make zun oz her goalz and may kill her zor aiding uz. Az zor magic az a tool, that iz only true when the zourze iz not capable of altering you. Zor all you know thiz ritual changez you." She clacks her jaws before looking to the strange talking armor. "Maybe they are conzident. Maybe they have ztrong backerz? A thrull queen joinz them. I hunt her az zhe zlavez her own kind."
Kaylia: "Well, what if the activation word simply activated a simple machina, which would then trigger the detonation? You could have four alternate words, one for each of three machina, and one to activate all three."
Alkaia: "It may change me, but so can a few months. We all change one way or another."
Gar'Luc opts to move over behind Jewel seeing as how the smart people are talking, his right hand slowly sneaking around her back to grasp at her hip.
Zizth is basically crouched over the woman and staring at Ashur fascinatedly, which sort of quivering from general low blood sugar dispersal.
Gar'Luc is standing near the stairs out of the basement and trying to stay out of the way of the smart people
Alkaia was still hugging Kalla, reassuring and protecting the frightened woman with her wings. Her eyes look curiously at the pair of women who had revealed themselves.
Kaylia folds her arms. "As I said earlier, I think today's little misadventure demonstrates that this particular site is no longer secure. Our enemies know of its whereabouts, clearly, and also of Ameus' involvement. They also got away with knowledge of Kiva, Ashur, and our own little band. I believe it's high time that alternate arrangements were made for security, though I'm not entirely sure of what exactly CAN be done."
Gar'Luc: "I can beat them up if they show their faces. That works, right?"
Kaylia: "Only if you plan to live here. I'm not worried about the enemy finding US so much as the library. Obviously I don't want them to find us either, but that's... well, beside the point."
Alkaia: "Yeah, such knowledge would not be good in there hands. Though I am not sure we can take it all with us either."
ShardDM: Ameus frowned a little, the defiled woman's face having it's many wrinkes enhanced as she scratched behind a horn. "Part of the reason I've been kept here instead of the crown's holdings was to remove the threat of temptation to the higher-ups. With that said, I need to contact them, inform them of the situation..." Kiva glanced up from watching back at Zizth. "From my experience, denying the gits what they want just makes them strike back less covertly, keeping the stash here will just make them try even harder and risk other's lives. The redhead makes a valid point." As if sensing the intense staring, the front of Kiva's armor, just around her cleavage, bulges out slightly, a round protrusion in the chitin forming and opening to reveal a violet eye staring at Zizth's own.
Kaylia frowns as well, her brow furrowed. "Ameus, how difficult would it be to break into the library, if you were to leave it locked behind you with all of its defenses active?"
Zizth blinks a little in surprise at the new eye and looks at it instead, head tilted a bit as she crouches beneath her cloak, feeling exhausted and sick and not really up to commenting right now.
ShardDM: Kalia leaned back into Alkaia slightly, slowly beginning to calm down a little with the dragonkin's touch now. Jewel quietly looked through the shelves as Mona peered at the tied up cultist woman, clearly intent on keeping an eye on the woman. The Blackshard's eye seems to stare curiously around the room before focusing on Zizth again, not much emotion readable on the singular eye. Ameus sighed. "In theory, the many wards set by the crown have probably expired due to the caster's deaths. All that are left are my own, and even then my own spellwork is as flimsy as my age. After that, it's more the question on if they want the books for themselves or just wish to destroy them to keep anyone trying to find the secrets in the pages from other eyes."
Zizth watches back tiredly, observing how alike they were in form in many ways. Such a strange entity.
Alkaia: She frowned as she lightly stroked Kalla's back. "Perhaps we should take the most important items and destroy the rest, in case they wish the knowledge for themselves." Looking to Kiva curiously. "And I thought all blackshards were evil?"
Gar'Luc: "So why can't we just pack all these up and move them somewhere else?"
Kaylia: "This is a bookstore on top, correct? Where do you keep extra copies of books? Is there a back storage area?"
ShardDM: "We could try to move them, but keep in mind that this library is a kingdom secret, even emptying my shop would take a while, but several hundred tomes like this? It's not something I'd trust to magic to unpack, some of these books are even older than the Rift Wars!" the old woman counters. "The storage area is a little ways out of town, it's a bit heavier warded and supported but even then, upon my death a good dose of fire will make it naught but a memory." Kiva's attention is now drawn by the dragonkin as she turned to face her. "In theory, I suppose so. Then again, at least when it comes to Ashur that's like asking if all humans are evil. She's a little... different."
Zizth looks over. "Zhe doez not zlave. Zo zhe iz zine to me. I care about zlaverz, not what zpeziez they are."
Gar'Luc snorts. "Then it seems either way these books are doomed."
Kaylia: "What I propose is this--we take a crate of the most important books and scrolls with us. We take mundane books out of the storage area and switch bindings with the other books here, hiding the remaining Blackshard documents under fake bookcovers in the warehouse, in plain sight. Then we make it appear as though we burned down this library ourselves. Even if they do break into the warehouse and find or destroy the books, we still have the crate with us."
Zizth: "Why not juzt put them in a magic hole? Or magic them zomewhere elze?"
Gar'Luc: "Two crates would be better. I can carry both of them." Gar'Luc flexes after he finishes speaking
Alkaia: She gave a small nod. "Such things would require a fair bit of power. And I am not well versed in transportive magics."
Kaylia: "Fair enough. Point is, we bring the vital documents with us, and hide the rest in plain sight. Switching bookbindings doesn't require magic, just a sharp knife and some glue. And I can manufacture glue."
ShardDM: "Rift magic has been outlawed since the Rift Wars, considering the dangers of dimensional connection. Hell, look at the wildlife around us, glowing flora isn't nessisarily normal for your dimension," Ameus deadpanned. "As the only dimensions anyone has ever connected with was either destroyed, or the home to megacreatures that some worship as gods, I don't think those options would work out that well either. I can contact the crown via scrying, but even then, trying to divide the important documents may be the best for the end goal. I take it you are headed to Spine of the Abyss on the Crown's buisness anyway?"
Kaylia: "Well, you're right about the Crown's business part. We can't discuss our destination, but what if we were heading that way?"
Zizth: "I don't know magic. They try to make new zhardz. Zo we take all thingz that let kill zhardz or make zhardz, yez?"
Alkaia: She gave a small nod. "Sounds about right. Though I am curious if you have anything on fleshcrafting."
ShardDM: "I'm mostly asking because some of those tomes may be worth it for you to take if you're trying to keep them out of the cult anyway. Information is power, after all," Ameus remarks. "Primarily I could lend you books for identification of the terrors of the Nether and some of the theory, however I am worried that it is not things relating to the Blackshard they are after." Kiva frowned a little at Alkaia. "Why the heck would you want to get into that?" The eyeball rolls itself as the shard gives a little flex along it, mimmicking a rub along Kiva's body and electing a shiver down her. "Sides, if I'm hearing right they're trying the Blackshard racket already, with fatal results." Kalia frowned at that, an eyebrow twitching.
Kaylia: "Oh, and one more detail. Before we leave, Laani and I rig the library, the hidden chamber, and the warehouse with enough explosives to ensure that neither book nor mortal survive the blast, but with a small enough radius to not kill the townies. We use a little of Kalia's Golemancy to set up the detonators with command words from Ameus. One word for each location, one word to blow up all three. Total of four command words." Kaylia looks at Kalia. "Can your magic do that? Four command word triggers?"
Zizth: "Maybe they want to get information zo they can iron out weaknezez? Or maybe they wizh zummon big thingz. Or turn a mountain into a creature. Who knowz."
Gar'Luc: "The fleshcrafting is to help my own kind."
Alkaia: "Well, we came across one cultist who could use it, and others likely could. I am also interested in learning such an art."
Zizth: "Zhe explainz bezt.," says Zizth, prodding the faun forward.
Gar'Luc steps forward, his arms crossed and his eyes staring down his snout at the woman.
Alkaia: "As well as helping mosterkin." Nodding.
Kaylia casts a sideways glance at Alkaia. "Yeahhhh I still think it's a bad idea."
Zizth: "Magic iz bad idea. Zo it iz alzo a bad diea yez."
Alkaia: "It wont be like her, just wish to know a little to help nudge the other magics." Gesturing to the faun.
Zizth: "You zay not like her but you don;t know iz not like her. Zhe wantz zave her zpeziez. Thiz makez zenze. But I don;t zee why you need to do her magicz when you have her to do them. Juzt work toghether."
Alkaia: "We already agreed to work with her, I just don't trust her."
ShardDM: Alita flushes as the bug woman pokes at her hooves. "Apparently the dragonkin wants me to do the unlocking ritual as part of my, ahem, indepted servitude for not getting a bullet in my head for past transgressions-" Ameus held a hand up, stepping up and examing the face tattoo of the faun. "...Well, that explains some of the rumors," the older Defiled mutters, stepping back. "Yeah, I think for the best I need to contact the crown. Excuse me..." she mutters, scooting back upstairs. Alita blinked a bit. "Was it something I said?" Kiva frowned again, moving to her feet as she faces the other, the shoulder on the armored plating shifting again- twisting and bulking up before twisting off, stretching on a pink, sinewy neck. "I agree it's a bad idea to mess with that magic too, even if it's for a good cause. Maybe I'm just jaded though, but either way, I need to think how I'm gonna keep the inetivable counterattack from happening and causing more loss of life. You and your goblin friend good a good job of causing enough trouble here..." she mutters.
Zizth: "Why not attack them bezore they reach the town? Ztrike them firzt bezore they are ready?," asks Zizth, and looks at Alita. "Dunno. Truzt, we already truzt her not to run away. We truzt her to have armz zree here. We truzt her to not alert her alliez and zhe haz not. Iz good zign. Bezidez you are doing whzt zhe wantz. Zo obviouzly there iz no gain zor her betrayal. We do what other cultiztz laugh at her zor."
Laani giggles dreamily, imagining a fetching redhead doing a striptease on a very big rifle.
Alkaia: "Still, I don't trust her fully yet. She may just be cooperating until a time she can get away from us safely." Looking to Kiva curiously. "Though magic is only evil when it is used for such. It may help save the monsterkin and beast kin races from extinction or being wiped out because of their need for men and women."
ShardDM: Kalia frowns, giving a shrug. "Not really on such a thing. I'm not sure I could create such a effect on something not originally designed for machina, especially something that would require constant callback like such a ward would need. The shoulder pad turned head shaped itself a bit more, more cracks in the chitin forming four small, slitted, alien eyes and twisting a mouth along the bottom. The creature gave a bit of a reverberating cough before it found it's voice, a silky smooth reverberation. "I don't know about Kiva, but I can't help but think that it's a bit of a cooincidence that the cult knew of such things. Even back in my era, it would be unheard of to wear such garb as our prisoner in public. It's like they weren't even hiding it." "Or they were just stupid," Jewel commented with a smirk. Kiva shrugged. "Well don't say I didn't warn ya against it I suppose. Least ya know the dangers, unlike what I think half of these gits focus on."
Zizth stands up tiredly and looks to Alkaia. "Zhe gainz nothing from betrayal, and haz everything to gain from cooperazion. Zhe runz, zhe runz zrom a pozible zoluzion and iz zhe wantz it zo badly to go thiz zar, why would zhe abandon any chanze? And moreover, run to where? The otherz make zun oz her goalz and may kill her zor aiding uz. Az zor magic az a tool, that iz only true when the zourze iz not capable of altering you. Zor all you know thiz ritual changez you." She clacks her jaws before looking to the strange talking armor. "Maybe they are conzident. Maybe they have ztrong backerz? A thrull queen joinz them. I hunt her az zhe zlavez her own kind."
Kaylia: "Well, what if the activation word simply activated a simple machina, which would then trigger the detonation? You could have four alternate words, one for each of three machina, and one to activate all three."
Alkaia: "It may change me, but so can a few months. We all change one way or another."
Gar'Luc opts to move over behind Jewel seeing as how the smart people are talking, his right hand slowly sneaking around her back to grasp at her hip.