An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

[Tassadar]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

Spoiler

Chloe: HP = 76, PP = 65, EP = 71/75, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat
Ashley: HP = 49, PP = 66, EP = 41/45, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat, +18 Perception (Lesser Strength)

NPC stats
Tesnya: HP = 65, PP = 55, EP = 94/110, Status = Fine
Jenn: HP = 52, PP = 69, EP = 47, Status = Fine
Charles: HP = 81, PP = 75, EP = 57/60, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat
Nina: HP = 35, PP = 50, EP = 53/55, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat

Rolls

Spoiler

Casting (Chloe) : Success.
Chloe summons a salamander to distract the zombies. It has 28 Body, and pretty much nothing else.

Casting (Ashley) : Success.
Ashley gains +18 Perception.

Tesnya uses a 10 EP energy wave and 20 points of defensive fighting.
Attack (Tesnya) : Hit all.
Damage: 4 + 4 = 8 * 10 = 80 damage, 40 on the big one.

Nina helps Chloe pull Jenn to her feet, and they all retreat as the zombies that Tesnya just killed are quickly replaced.
Attack (Zombies vs Salamander) : Two hit.
Damage: 5 + 2 + 10 = 17 damage per hit, the salamander dies in two.

Perception (Ashley) : Success.

Jenn flailed and spasmed wildly as Chloe tried to get her to her feet, but Nina moved to help her while Tesnya stepped forward and unleashed a wave of golden light. The spell washed over the undead and left the lesser creatures as little more than piles of charred bone, but the larger one hardly seemed bothered by the blast. It certainly wasn't sparing Tesyna any attention for it, as the monster lumbered over to the wall into which Ashley and Charles had vanished with the strange woman, and slammed its fist into it. The stone buckled inwards, and it reared back to smash again, revealing a passageway hidden behind the wall that was shrouded in darkness that even Chloe's magically enhanced eyes could pierce. The shadows began to warp and twist almost like smoke, and were being steadily drawn towards the greater zombie even as it attempted to smash its way into the hidden passageway.

As they backed away towards the room's other door, Chloe and Nina supporting Jenn while Tesnya interposed herself between those carrying the frantic water mage and their enemies even as more of the undead began filtering into the room. Chloe conjured a salamander, a lesser fire spirit in order to stall for time as they reached the door, and the lesser undead coming for them paused to grab the dog-sized fire reptile. It shrieked in pain as two corpses grabbed it even as it was summoned, and began tearing at it, literally ripping it in half as they began feasting on whatever they could get their hands on. Others filtered around the two that had paused, but the creature's death had bought them a moment of time at least. Chloe couldn't help but notice the red glow that suddenly appeared from the salamander's corpse, and watched as it was sucked towards the gigantic zombie as the shadow-stuff was.

The passageway behind them led straight to a T intersection, and it was clear for the moment. With Tesnya holding up the rear, Jenn panicking, and Nina busy dealing with the distressed water mage, it was up to Chloe to keep her group moving and get them out of there. Chloe remembered that the way that they had come down into the basement from would be on their left, but if she would rather not risk running into more zombies then she could always lead them left. Either way, she would have to hurry.

~~~~~~~~~​

Charles and Ashley, meanwhile, knew nothing of their allies distress. The wind mage felt her comrade clutching one hand while their undead guide held the other, and after her spell she felt their grips all the more intensely, her sense of touch enhanced along with all the others. Sight only increased slightly, allowing her to see a bit farther through the gloom, and she still couldn't hear, but the addition to her sense of smell allowed her to detect the scent of rot in the air. What it might be from was impossible to guess, but it was definitely getting closer.

Leaving marks through the narrow, winding path, Ashley would suddenly feel her guide stiffen, and at the same time the ground beneath her feet trembled, as if something had struck the building with a powerful blow... Or someone had just set off an explosion, or a cave-in. There was no pause in their journey, however, and in fact the specter began pulling them ahead more quickly, leaving the narrow passageways and entering a slightly wider, downward sloped hallway. In her mind, Ashley heard; 'Come… Hurry…. Not far... He's coming....'

 

[ranger]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

Chloe was left with a decision that could kill them all it was tough no doubt about that. Still the Ashley didn't leave her behind and she didn't leave Jen behind either. "To the right lets keep moving!" Chloe knew thats they way Ashley and Charles went but whether or not this path would lead them to the same place was up for debate.

 

[thetwo]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

The last two words in her head nearly made Ashley stumble on her way down the sloped hallway. They had always suspected that some deliberate intelligence was involved in this. Someone had created the fog, drawn them to the church. For a while she had thought they killed it in front of the frozen door, but that illusion had died when the second undead horror had appeared down here in the crypts. Since then there hadn't been much excess time to think about who was driving the animated corpses to kill them, but perhaps it was time to change that. Whoever it was would need to be dealt with. But with just 'he' to go on...

Ashley tried to keep her voice low. "Who? Who's behind all this? And where are we going?"

But maybe she could do better then 'he' herself. The fog was manipulation of elemental forces on a massive scale, which suggested mage-style magic, as did the suppression of other magical effects. But there was also world-class Necromancy going on, on a similar scale. Someone who worked both sides of magic, then, and powerfully. But not so powerful that the group together couldn't beat back his flesh golems, or even so powerful that Ashley alone couldn't dispel some of the fog. A Demon or Fey lord might be the right weight class, then, certainly not a God.

Then her thoughts turned to how the exhaustion had fled her body a minute ago, going from near-collapse to perfectly refreshed. That had happened exactly once before. This time the mage did stumble, recalling the circumstances under which she had last heard Matthias's voice, not that terribly long ago. She recovered. And she'd also thought she'd seen him during the storm. Was he taking a hand in this? If it was another Daemon or a Demon Lord, he just might... but that wasn't exactly the same thing as saving anyone.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

Spoiler

Chloe: HP = 76, PP = 65, EP = 71/75, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat
Ashley: HP = 49, PP = 66, EP = 41/45, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat, +18 Perception (Lesser Strength)

NPC stats
Tesnya: HP = 65, PP = 55, EP = 94/110, Status = Fine
Jenn: HP = 52, PP = 69, EP = 47, Status = Fine
Charles: HP = 81, PP = 75, EP = 57/60, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat
Nina: HP = 35, PP = 50, EP = 53/55, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat

When Ashley spoke, no sound came forth even though she knew that she had formed the words correctly, and the air had left her lungs. All the same, the spirit answered her within her mind; 'Him.... Kinslayer.... False idol.... The one who kills... And Consumes.... I am... The last...' Charles didn't show any indication that he was sharing their mental conversation, but it was somewhat hard to tell when she could barely see and couldn't hear. He tried to steady her when she stumbled, something that their guide didn't seem to notice in the slightest, but that was more or less the only interaction that he could do with her at that point.

They arrived shortly thereafter at the bottom of the sloped passageway, coming to a small room arrayed like a shrine, with an altar containing a circle of twelve candles that burned with a black flame even in the darkness cast by their guide. 'The candles... Will take you... If you look into the flame... Shadows... Protect... They must be... Snuffed out.... But they are protected.' the voice spoke into Ashley's mind once again, and Charles' hand tightened on hers as he glanced at her, his expression one of shock and fear. The walls of the room were covered in intricate carvings that seemed to have been painted in as well, and from the rotten, metallic scent that the small chamber was awash in, it was fairly obvious what the symbols had been painted in.

'We don't have much time... You have to break the wards... Then he'll be vulnerable...' their guide said, and then Charles and Ashley were released. The darkness and silence persisted, but Ashley and Charles were free to do as they pleased. Her fellow magic scowled and turned towards the candles on the other side of the room, but already Ashley could feel a great deal of power gathered there. Whatever their purpose, these candles were heavily guarded by magical constructs the likes of which Ashley had never seen. Whirling patterns of energy set into a wide variety of types covered the room, ready to intercept magics aimed at the candles or forestall any physical intruder. Many would clearly do something to whoever came into contact with them, spiritually or otherwise, but just what that might be was impossible for her to tell. Taking them apart would be delicate work, and the thumps in the ground that were steadily coming towards them suggested that she wasn't going to have much time to do it.

~~~~~~~~~​

Nina went with Chloe as she half carried Jenn, and Tesnya brought up the rear. The hallway narrowed considerably as they proceeded on a generally downward slope, but the floor was uneven and roughly carved. Pain shot up from her feet several times as she stepped on sharp protrusions, but it was easy enough to ignore under the circumstances, and Chloe and her companions pressed on as the growing undead hoard followed them. They came upon a door made of more solid looking wood than others they'd seen, though it was covered in mold and mildew. The hinge creaked as Chloe pushed it open, having little other choice unless she wanted to turn and face the monsters following them.

Inside was a room that looked almost like an alchemy lab, though it hadn't seen any great deal of recently judging by the layer of mildew, dust, and grime that coated everything. There were a series of shelves containing a number of old chemicals along the right wall and in the area immediately around it, a large workbench in the center of the room with a wide variety of beakers and tubes and such on and around it, and sitting next to the left wall was a single rectangular box. All of this flitted into her perceptions as the most important fact about this room hammered into her head: that it had no other entrance. They were trapped.

Tesnya stepped into the room after them and slammed the door shut, and Jenn finally seemed coherent enough to stand on her own feet, as she separated from Nina and Chloe. The water mage was visibly shaking as she clutched at her shredded robes, but she was standing on her own two feet and observing their surroundings even as Tesnya braced herself against the door. "Alright, where do we go from here?" the eastern girl asked urgently, and Nina looked about with an expression edging rapidly towards panic and said; "There's no way out! We're trapped in here!" The sound of scraping footsteps and hungry moans echoed down the hallway towards them, signalling the approach of their enemies. When they reached the door, it might hold for a moment or two, but it wouldn't guarantee any lasting safety.

 

[ranger]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

Chloe's heart sank her plan had led them to a dead end with a horde of shambling corpses heading their way. She wanted to give into despair but remembered what the voice had said. 'Do not give in to despair!’ So she wouldn't at lest not yet. "Nina can you move the earth to seal the door? Jenn can you summon an elemental or slow the creatures down? We need to seal that door or by us some time" Chloe checked the box to see if anything useful was in it if not she would look around the room their had to be a way out no fool would work alchemy without some ventilation. Hopefully Nina and Jenn had something that would keep the zombies at bay until they found another answer.

 

[thetwo]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

Ashley let out a low growl as she looked at the candles. Or as much as she good, given the soundless quality the area seemed to possess. Intricate wards. There had been a time when she would have hated that sort of thing, preferring brute force. But in the Academy she had learned to like this sort of puzzle. Of course, solving it would require a certain amount of time, and it wasn't clear that she had it. Her training at countermagic might let her break down the wards, but that in itself wouldn't nullify their effects. The same training would serve her well in defending against any direct magical assault on her mind or soul, but would be completely useless if the wards launched a fireball or similar. And there was no certainty that she would be good enough to either break through them or weather their effects, even if they were entirely mental.

Perhaps another way, then. Neither trying to touch the candles with magic nor trying to grab them physically. A wind wasn't at all the same as using the sort of 'force' push most people preferred. The magic didn't rush along the path, it was entirely at either end, changing the air such that the gust happened rather then physically pushing the air about. More subtle uses could build up a storm or even a tornado, building momentum in a way that would never happen if all you did was push the air around. And it had the added bonus of being something that Ashley was a natural at. It was almost more work to leave the air alone then to create a breeze.

The air mage raised a hand to call a scouring breeze, more dilute then her usual hammer but still plenty strong enough to blow out a candle. Maybe the wards were more clever then her reasoning, but playing to her strengths would give her the best shot even if it wasn't the right solution. Time was of the essence after all. She aimed at the candles on her side, and at the last second made sure to run the line of her blast of along the runes as well. If she managed to smudge the blood it might make the difference between success and failure.

Spoiler

Wind Level 3 - Gust... insofar as I have to pick a spell.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

Spoiler

Chloe: HP = 76, PP = 65, EP = 71/75, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat
Ashley: HP = 49, PP = 66, EP = 37/45, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat, +18 Perception (Lesser Strength)

NPC stats
Tesnya: HP = 65, PP = 55, EP = 86/110, Status = Fine
Jenn: HP = 52, PP = 69, EP = 41/47, Status = Fine
Charles: HP = 81, PP = 75, EP = 51/60, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat, +32 Body (Greater Strength)
Nina: HP = 35, PP = 50, EP = 47/55, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat

Rolls

Spoiler

Casting (Ashley) : Success.
Resistance: Enemy wins.

Casting (Nina) : Success.

Casting (Jenn) : Success.

Tesnya sends an energy ball down the hall for X = 8.

Casting (Charles) : Success.
Charles gains +8 * 4 = +32 Body due to Great Strength, a level 4 Body spell.

"Rrr... Right! Yeah, I can do that!" Nina said shakily in response to Chloe's quick commands, which had similarly shaken Jenn from her stupor and rendered the water mage attentive once more. Casting quickly, Jenn conjured an elemental out of living ice just outside the door, Tesnya sent a quick burst of concentrated energy out over it in order to clear some of the hall of the undead, and then Nina sealed the entrance-way by shifting the stone around the doorway to cover it. The two other magi seemed to settle down significantly after the barrier between them and the walking corpses came up, and Tesnya turned to Chloe and send; "Alright, what now? That might not hold forever, and even if it does, we're still trapped down here."

When she check the box on the side of the room, Chloe quickly realized that it was a coffin, and that it was full. It was nailed shut and apparently very old, but it could be opened if she really wanted it open, though Tesnya would likely have an easier time of it than she would. Checking the rest of the room, there was a ventilation shaft just over the workbenches, but it was grated with iron, sealed, and far too narrow for a human being to fit through.

~~~~~~~~~​

Ashley's burst of wind pushed through the wards, slipping through the cracks in the defensive magic, until it struck up against a wall that suddenly flared to life. Her wind recoiled against her, though much of its force was robbed from it by the time it rebounded back to her, leaving it as little more than a particularly strong breeze. The runes along the wall in certain areas flashed, but the candles did little more than sputter slightly, and their guide spoke into Ashley's mind; "The wards.... Strong.... Comprehensive.... Must be... Broken..... In order.... Oh no...." There was a thump, and suddenly the darkness receded into a cloud that hovered right in front of her, leaving her and Charles able to see and hear properly once more, and when the voice spoke into her mind once again, it was faint, as if coming from across a vast distance, "He... Is.... Here..."

There was a loud footfall from only a short ways, likely near the top of the sloped hallway that had brought them down to this room. Charles glanced up at it and quickly cast a spell, spoken in a single quick curse, and then turned to Ashley and said; "Fuck... We haven't got much time, but I'm going to try and buy you some more!" He turned and rushed up the ramp without another word, though Ashley had an opportunity to try and stop him if she wanted to. If she didn't, she would find the guardian wards standing in front of her, as tangled and complex as ever. She could spot a few holes, threads that she might tug to begin unwinding the whole mess, but doing so without following where they might lead first could prove disastrous if she picked the wrong one. Attacking the runes along the walls, the manifestations that kept the wards rooted and structured, was another option, but they had been fortified against such, and disrupting them would have untold consequences of their own. Alternatively, the barrier that she had run up against had had limits, that much she had both seen and felt, and a powerful enough gust might be able to pierce it without bothering the other defenses.

 

[thetwo]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

"Be careful!" It didn't seem adequate, but what else could she say? One of them had to go, and in terms of 'slowing down an unspeakable evil' he would probably last longer then Ashley. And when it came to picking apart intricate magic, Ashley would probably be faster. It made sense. But it still tasted bitter.

But every second spent thinking about that was a second she wasn't working on the wardflames. Bashing up against the barrier as hard as she could made a certain amount of sense. It would be fast if it worked. But whoever had built the wards had thought of indirect manipulation well enough to block her first attempt. There was no reason to assume it would be less durable then anything else, and a more subtle approach might find a weakness to exploit.

The second obvious way to move forward was the wards themselves. Devilishly complicated, but there were loose threads to pull on. Pulling the wrong one would be bad, though, which meant taking her time. That also seemed to accord with what the strange 'woman' had said about breaking things in order. But that still didn't feel like a weak point. Directly attacking the wards was more obvious then indirectly attacking the flames. Any thread might be a trap, and Ashley had no idea who or even what had built it, so there was no way to predict what might be a trap.

But there was a third option. Perhaps the correct "order" wasn't anything like the tortuously elaborate wards, or even the individual candles. It made a certain amount of sense to go for the runes first. Then the destabilized and weakened wards. Then the candles. Three attacks instead of one sounded like it might take a while... but perhaps it would allow a certain amount of recklessness. The runes were hardly unprotected, and breaking them might do unpredictable things to the energies in the wards themselves. But it didn't seem possible that they were better protected then the magical constructs doing the protecting. And as they fell apart, so too would the defenses.

That was it, then. The runes. They were disgusting anyway, written in actual blood. The wards were almost beautiful, in their way. But not the runes. The runes were physical. If she could push a finger through them, they'd break. Probably not wise. But how? Even if she hadn't already seen defenses against wind, it wouldn't do much against writing on the wall. Water might be better, but....

Ashley raised her hands. The runes were protected. But what about the wall they were written on? She drew in power. Only one way to find out. Of course, unpredictable things might still happen to the energy in the Wards, but this seemed the most likely way to get through the defenses without wasting time or energy fighting them. She released the power, on the left wall, aiming to split as many runes as possible along with the wall.

Spoiler

Crack Stone (Earth3) - aiming to put the crack sideways if required in order to separate as many runes as possible into two halves.

 

[ranger]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

Chloe eyed the coffin on the ground not daring to disturb it. With all the corpses walking around she was surprised this one had stayed silent. Maybe it was protected? Still she would have to confer with Tesnya on that one the other girls might freak out if they heard what she was thinking.

"Okay Nina this is the ventilation shaft do you think it can be widened? Jenn please search the shelves to see if there is anything helpful." With orders that would hopefully keep the girls busy Chloe would approach Tesnya for their private chat.

"Tesnya that coffin is full. I think there might be a body inside." Chloe let those words sink in before continuing. "Its not moving like the others so I don't think we have to worry to much but it may also be protected in some way a charm or what not what do you think?" After getting her input Chloe would then summon a small bird that could fit threw the opening sending it out to find help and to alert her when it did.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

Spoiler

Chloe: HP = 76, PP = 65, EP = 71/75, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat
Ashley: HP = 19/49, PP = 66, EP = 33/45, Status = Injured, Eyes of the Cat, +18 Perception (Lesser Strength)

NPC stats
Tesnya: HP = 65, PP = 55, EP = 80/110, Status = Fine
Jenn: HP = 52, PP = 69, EP = 41/47, Status = Fine
Charles: HP = ??/81, PP = 75, EP = 49/60, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat, +32 Body (Greater Strength)
Nina: HP = 35, PP = 50, EP = 39/55, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat

Rolls

Spoiler

Casting (Ashley) : Success.

Attack (Wards) : Hit.
Damage: 5 + 1 + 4 = 10 * 3 = 30 damage.

Nina casts Move Earth twice.

Tesnya uses Energy Blade X = 5.

Ashley's magic caused a crack to run along the wall, breaking the runes carved and inked into the stone. The wards reacted almost immediately as the constructs supporting them were broken, energy crackling through the air and discharging wildly, though harmlessly. The first few seconds passed by harmlessly, with the energy of the wards breaking down and dissipating, but then one of the broken runes suddenly flared. A fist sized orb of orange flames appeared, and then violently exploded in the center of the room. Distance kept Ashley from taking the brunt of the explosion, but the shockwave and the burst of heat still singed her and sent her flying back into the rear wall of the chamber, her head and back cracking painfully against the stone.

When her vision cleared, Ashley saw that the black cloud that her strange guide had shrunken down to was unharmed, but the walls of the chamber were scorched by flame. Bursts of energy still flicked out from the damaged runes, but they were far weaker than they'd been before the blast that had just nearly knocked her unconscious. Still in pain, Ashley could nonetheless sense that the barrier that had protected the candles from her wind spell was even stronger than it had been before. The wards in front of it were quickly breaking down, however, and while it might not be a good idea to step into the are covered by the cracked runes yet, they would only pose a minor obstacle so long as she was careful with her workings.

That said, though the wards might be in the way, there was still effectively a solid wall through which no magic could easily pierce in her way. And it was growing stronger as the runes along the walls crackled and fizzled out, as if their energies were being poured into it to strengthen it. At that point, Ashley once more had a number of choices open to her. She could try to force her way through the magical wall now, before it could get any stronger, but it would be just as difficult as it had been the first time she'd attempted to use her wind magics against it, and every second that she waited was only making it stronger. Alternatively, she could gamble that the boost from the dying wards was only temporary, and that it too might fall apart due to her destruction of the symbols along the wall if given enough time. Unraveling the increasingly wild magics creating the barrier was also an option, but it would be almost as difficult as breaking through the barrier by brute force, if somewhat less intensive on her reserve of energy. Of course, she could simply determine another method to get to the candles.

Whatever her choice, Ashley heard a shout and a thud followed by a thunderous crack from the passageway behind her, and she thought that she heard a fleshy crunching noise beneath the latter noise. Charles had apparently engaged whatever was tailing them, and it was apparently quite powerful judging by the noises, as even magical enhancement wouldn't allow a normal man to strike hard enough to shatter stone and shake the building as the sounds had suggested. How well he was faring was impossible for her to determine, however, and the task before her demanded no distractions.

~~~~~~~~~​

Both of the young mages nodded shakily and set about their tasks, Nina heading over to the ventilation shaft and using her magic to slowly open it while Jenn started perusing the shelves. That allowed Chloe to have an at least semi-private a conversation with the eastern monk as she stood guard by the door. Tesnya frowned darkly at Chloe's declaration of her suspicions about the coffin. "Lets check it out, and make sure that it's safe... If there is a body in there, I'll see to it that it doesn't cause us any trouble," she said, and strode over to the coffin as she conjured a blade of blue light, something that was fairly familiar by now.

Jenn looked over at the sudden appearance of the weapon, but Nina was busy casting, causing the passageway leading up to shift slowly into a form that they might be able to climb. Joining the eastern girl after conjuring her messenger, a cardinal appearing in her palm and then flitting up into the narrow chimney, Chloe watched as Tesnya cut into the wooden lid of the coffin and kicked it off. There was a corpse lying inside, its hands folded over its chest in a stately manner, and it was clad in a ratty suit that had likely once been quite fine. Despite the age of this place, the corpse was both relatively intact and apparently quite fresh, without even a day's worth of visible deterioration on it.

"This could take me a minute or so, but I think I can make the shaft wide enough for us to climb!" Nina called out suddenly, and then added; "I think I might be able to make a ladder for us to! We'll be out of here in no time, and then I can just seal it all back up!" Suddenly, Jenn swooned and grunted in pain. "They've destroyed it... They've destroyed the elemental that I summoned!" the water mage declared, and a moment later there was a scraping noise at the door, muffled by the stone seal around it but still audible.

 

[thetwo]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

Ashley cursed under her breath as she checked to make sure she wasn't injured - the blast had been inevitable and unstoppable, but in retrospect it seemed obvious to design the wards to absorb energy from the runes no matter how they were destroyed, allowing even attacks the designer hadn't foreseen to be thwarted. Still, without the runes to anchor and sustain them, the wards would gradually run out of power. Just as soon as they stopped getting more powerful as the runes finished discharging. How long that would take was difficult to predict. It was possible that the intentional chaos of the design made them inherently unstable without the runes, and they'd dissolve in seconds. Or it was possible that they'd linger for years, if they were efficient enough.

But even if they were ridiculously efficient, they should now have a constant amount of power to work with. Forcing them to discharge energy to repel an attack could wear them down to nothing in seconds even if they'd sit for decades without intervention. Ashley rubbed at her back where she'd hit the wall after the first discharge. Potentially dangerous, and magically draining on her as well. Maybe there was a better way.

Her success with the runes - whatever it had done to the rest of the room, she had destroyed the runes - suggested another way. Ashley turned her gaze to the alter on which the candles sat. Then, again remembering her experience destroying the runes, backed as far away as she could for whatever protection it might give from any magical explosions. Finally she raised both hands and focused her will on the spell to crack the alter.

Spoiler

Same spell, this time trying to crack the alter in half in such a way that nothing could remain standing on its surface.

 

[ranger]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

Chloe looked over at Jenn as she swooned a little. "Okay Jen see if you can help Nina in anyway or give the door some additional protection." She turned to Nina and spoke to her. "We might have to hurry that along Nina try to get it ready as fast as you can." With that Chloe turned to the body in the box getting ready to support Tesnya if the thing started moving.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

Spoiler

Chloe: HP = 76, PP = 65, EP = 71/75, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat
Ashley: HP = 19/49, PP = 66, EP = 25/45, Status = Injured, Eyes of the Cat, +18 Perception (Lesser Strength)

NPC stats
Tesnya: HP = 65, PP = 55, EP = 80/110, Status = Fine
Jenn: HP = 52, PP = 69, EP = 41/47, Status = Fine
Charles: HP = ??/81, PP = 75, EP = 45/60, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat, +32 Body (Greater Strength)
Nina: HP = 35, PP = 50, EP = 27/55, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat

Rolls

Spoiler

Casting (Ashley) : Success.
This isn't exactly a an accurate spell that you're using, and it's being cast around some fairly volatile reactions. As such, you got a d100 roll to figure out what happened, with 85+ being absolute success, 70-84 being partial success (of which you arbitrarily need 3 because tropes), and 1-30 being some sort of horrible failure. Anything in between means that nothing happens and you get to try again.
d100 result: 69, nothing happens, 4 EP spent so far.
d100 result: 89, absolute success! 8 EP spent so far.

Jenn casts Draw Water and Freeze in an attempt to seal the door some more!

Nina casts Move Earth twice more.

Tesnya pays 2 EP upkeep.

"Alright, I'm on it!" Jenn replied stoically, gathering herself as she advanced towards the door. Tesnya closed the casket, but with the seal already broken, that was all that she could do to hide the corpse. Moving to the door, she guarded Jenn whole the water mage drew water up from the ground and then froze it along the edges of the doorway. It wasn't much compared to the wall that Nina had already erected in front of it, but it was something more to hold back the scraping undead while Nina worked to widen the passageway leading up. "I'm done!" Nina said excitedly, and gestured towards a ladder leading up. Sunlight was streaming down into the small room, wan and distant but present. "I'm going last, someone else go up and see if it's safe. If they broke through the door, I'll hold them off!" Tesnya said quietly, swishing the magical blade still extending from her hand back and forth.

~~~~~~~~~​

Though she had used such magic only recently, Ashley knew that Earth spells were generally not the most precise among the varied schools of magic. She had been successful easily last time, but then she'd been aiming at a wall that she was standing next to, not a small altar that was sitting more than thirty feet away. Her first casting opened up a crack in the floor that suddenly split left along a fault in the floor and missed her target completely, and the wards buzzed and flashed and hissed and popped, letting off sparks and sputters and flashes in a variety of colors as they slowly discharged into the air, their power strengthening the wall blocking her path.

Ashley's second spell slid along the crack created by her first, and then moved forward down the center line of the Y shape she'd made, passing through the center and going straight towards the altar. When the earth magic hit, the stone altar cracked down the middle and jumped, both halves grinding together and tilting. The black candles tumbled down, and the wicks were quickly extinguished by falling stone and the wax melted by their own flames. There was a hiss, a pop, and the sense of something extremely powerful unraveling. Nearby, there was another thunderous crash accompanied by a sickening crunch, followed by a pair of soft thumps.

 

[ranger]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

"I think the door would hold Tesnya besides I lead us into this dead end I want to make sure you all get out. Anyway I think you should make sure the top is clear alright I want Jenn to follow and Nina after Ill bring up the rear okay." Chloe had a bad feeling about leaving the ninja girl down here by herself maybe it was completely unfounded but it ate at the back of her mind. "Come on lets get out of here up you go Tesnya make sure the way is clear. My magic can keep me safe alright." Hopefully Tesnya didn't fight her on the topic so Chloe could buff herself with arcane armor to increase her dodge.

Casting

Spoiler

Arcane armor Force level 2 increase dodge.

 

[thetwo]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

Ashley cursed again as her first spell missed. Maybe something more precise... she tried again for good measure before considering a more powerful and expensive spell. This time she saw the alter crack, the candles fall, and go out. She pressed herself against the wall, and just had time to consider how uncomfortably cold it was before realizing that the wards weren't going to explode. Not at the moment, at least. Something had certainly fallen apart, but thankfully it seemed that the designer of the wards had not deemed revenge against someone who succeeded in bypassing them worth the effort.

Which left... "Charles!"

She hadn't spent time worrying about him before, but now her mind replayed the recent noises and didn't like the conclusion. What would she do, facing up against something that she didn't stand a chance of seriously injuring? She'd do the same as any wizard, throwing all her strength at it at once. Even if it didn't slip through any defenses, it would stand a chance of slowing the thing down, forcing it to wait until her magic was exhausted before going in for the easy... victory.

Things would be different if she were facing off against a potential equal. Rationing her energy would then be wise. But if the best she could hope for was to hold out until help arrived, an all-out offensive might be the best bet against suitably long odds. Especially if 'help' was someone destroying her attacker's magical protection. But from those last sounds... was she too late? She raced back in the direction Charles had gone to find out, drawing her pistol as she went.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

Spoiler

Chloe: HP = 76, PP = 65, EP = 71/75, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat, +22 Dodge (Force Armor)
Ashley: HP = 19/49, PP = 66, EP = 23/45, Status = Injured, Eyes of the Cat, +18 Perception (Lesser Strength)

NPC stats
Tesnya: HP = 65, PP = 55, EP = 80/110, Status = Fine
Jenn: HP = 52, PP = 69, EP = 41/47, Status = Fine
Charles: HP = ??/81, PP = 75, EP = 43/60, Status = ??
Nina: HP = 35, PP = 50, EP = 27/55, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat

Running back the way she'd come and leaving the black cloud that was her guide well behind, Ashley drew her pistol as she ran up the sloped hallway at best speed. She was brought to a halt a few feet before the lip of the slope, however, by the sight of a massive walking corpse. It was so tall that its head scraped against the ceiling, forcing it to hunch, and while one of its arms was tiny and malformed, the other was little more than a single gigantic slag of compacted muscle. It turned towards her as she came up the ramp, allowing her to see that its fist was coated in blood, and over the top of the ramp she could just barely see Charles sitting on the ground, blood coating the wall behind him and running down his jaw from his partially parted lips. His eyes were closed, and he didn't appear to be moving... Or breathing.

Thumping footsteps sounded from the stone floor as the monstrous, mutilated corpse began to approach her, gradually picking up speed as its stride elongated, and Ashley had only a moment to react before it was on top of her.

~~~~~~~~~​

Chloe's words caused Tesnya to scowl darkly, but even though she opened her mouth to protest, no words came forth. Unable to find a flaw in her argument, Tesnya chewed her lip for a moment before dismissing the energy blade, as it would inhibit her ability to climb, and said; "Stay safe... And come up right behind us! I'll come back down here and drag you up if I have to!" With that she gave Chloe a tight hug, a gesture repeated by Nina as soon as Tesnya had released her. "The tunnel is stable, don't go getting yourself killed! You come up right behind us!" the nature mage said commandingly. Jenn simply stared at her for a moment with a deeply worried expression.

Tesnya started up the ladder as the scratching at the door rose in volume, a series of hungry moans and bashing noises joining the din of clawing hands. Jenn went next, and then Tesnya, and then Chloe was the last one in the small chamber into which they had trapped themselves, with the magically crafted ladder sitting only a short ways away, waiting for her. The spell that she'd enacted to protect herself was in full swing, leaving her protected against harm, but if that door broke down and a dozen or so zombies came flooding in, it was unlikely that she'd be able to avoid all of them.

 

[ranger]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

"Ashley and Charles I hope you made it out." With that she began to climb up the ladder not wasting a moment. She had no desire for last minute heroics and even if she did she wouldn't be able to kill all the zombies before she was overwhelmed and besides she had no desire to cross Tesnya or Nina. If there was a way to help Ashly and Charlies they would have to do it on the outside.

 

[thetwo]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

Faced with the charging monstrosity, there wasn't time for Ashley to make a plan. She reacted on instinct, throwing up her free hand to unleash a blast of wind, all the power she had available pouring into the spell, and only belatedly wondering if she shouldn't perhaps temper her magic before it left her exhausted again.

But seeing one of her friends lying so still, combined with the fact that the thing was bearing down on her, hadn't left room for moderation. The was off and quickly closing distance with the beast. It made the sort of storm that knocks down houses look like a summer breeze. The changes in density bent the light, enlarging the beast directly in front of the spell and pinching up the hallway around the edges, like a lens. Ashley's felt the negative pressure on her ears, almost enough to pop her eardrums, for a moment before the backdraft caught up, blowing her hair and robe forward.

She turned, letting one leg move forward to halt her forward movement and prevent herself being pulled onto the floor by her own spell, and kept her free hand raised while she waited to see if another spell would be needed.

Spoiler

Air level 5 - Storm Hammer. Find out if this thing is still immune to magic...

 

[Tassadar]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

Spoiler

Chloe: HP = 76, PP = 65, EP = 71/75, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat, +22 Dodge (Force Armor)
Ashley: HP = 19/49, PP = 66, EP = 15/45, Status = Injured, Eyes of the Cat, +18 Perception (Lesser Strength)

NPC stats
Tesnya: HP = 65, PP = 55, EP = 80/110, Status = Fine
Jenn: HP = 52, PP = 69, EP = 41/47, Status = Fine
Charles: HP = ??/81, PP = 75, EP = 43/60, Status = ??
Nina: HP = 35, PP = 50, EP = 27/55, Status = Fine, Eyes of the Cat

Rolls

Spoiler

Casting (Ashley) : Success.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 8 + 7 + 2 = 17 * 5 = 85 - 20 = 65 damage.
Resistance: Ashley wins. The creature is knocked prone!

The last to ascend the ladder, Chloe got about halfway up before the sound of wood and stone breaking signaled the destruction of the door behind her. The figures of her companions were visible, silhouettes in the pale daylight streaming down from above, and one by one they vanished as they reached the top. There were sounds coming from above, but the hungry moans and scraping of the zombies as they began clawing their way up the ladder after her drowned them out. The makeshift ladder was rough and difficult to climb, and her fingers and feet ached by the time she was halfway up, but the young mage hardly had time to worry about it as she heard the hungry moans drawing closer.

As she reached the top, Chloe was suddenly grabbed by three sets of unfamiliar hands and roughly hoisted out of the pit in which the stone ladder was set. She was set onto her feet by a group of men in militia armor, swords and shields hanging from their backs, their demeanors grim, but then she spotted her companions being wrapped in cloaks as Tesnya spoke with an elven man in a red robe, one that Chloe recognized as one of the professors who taught Evocation at the Academy. "Is she the last one of your group?" the elf asked quickly, and Tesnya nodded and replied; "The last with us... Two others are still down there somewhere, but we don't know where precisely."

The teacher then turned, and Chloe felt power working around them just before there came a loud crack of thunder, and a bolt of lightning descended from the sky. It went straight down into the hole, its aim perfect, and though she didn't see it to confirm, Chloe knew that the intensity of the spell would have left the walking corpses as little more than charred husks. "Seal it Cadet Renesia," he said quietly, his voice barely audible to Chloe after she'd been so close to the crackling bolt of lightning. Nina stepped forward and cast her spell once again, sealing the hole in the earth, while Chloe realized that there were at least two dozen people around her other than the ones she'd been sent out to scout with. One of the soldiers that had lifted her out of the hole wrapped a cloak around Chloe's shoulders, a welcome bit of warmth as she realized that it was icy cold out here. "You hurt girl?" he asked her, his voice gentle but urgent.

~~~~~~~~~​

Ashley's spell hammered against the frame of the massive creature, her magics calling up all of the force that they could muster and forcing the misshapen monstrosity to stop in place, but for a moment it seemed as if it might weather her magical assault. The beast lifted a foot and leaned forward, taking another step toward her, but then it lost its footing and tumbled forward, her spell carrying it down the hall until it crashed against the wall of the T-intersection at the back of it. The creature seemed stunned for a moment, but then it began to squirm on the ground as it sought to right itself. It was bulky and heavy, however, and she had plenty of time to keep on attacking it until it could move no more. Her spell had also tossed Charles a good ways, the man being not immune to her wind's destructive path, and he was now lying on his side on the ground only a short ways down the hall, unmoving. The spot where he'd been seated before had an indentation in the stone wall, cracks forming as if the wall had taken some massively powerful blow, and there was a thin coating of fresh blood amidst the cracks.

 

[thetwo]

Re: An Unforseen Storm (ranger and thetwo)

Spoiler

Crap. Stupid narrow hallways.

Ashley froze as she realized, too late, that her instinctual response hadn't accounted for an ally near her foe. Fresh blood in the cracks suggested that he'd bled after whatever blow had caused the cracks. In which case he might still have been alive, only for her own spell to... she would worry about that later, the beast was already moving.

She could throw around a second spell like her first, but probably not a third. No, she had proven that it wasn't immune to magic, it wasn't hopeless. Now she would have to take her moment while it recovered, preserve her strength if she hoped to prove victorious. Not another hammer blow, then, something else. She focused, and muttered a spell, focusing on herself this time rather than the beast. Cords of invisible magic settled inside her arms and legs, giving her the strength she usually lacked, helping to steady her limbs. If her reserves of magic emptied again, she would at least be able to hit with her gun, or dodge and run faster if worst came to worst.

When it got up again, she'd just have to knock it down. This time a little more carefully. She was already getting ready to shape wind into a cyclone when she finished her first spell, again forcing as much power as she easily could into the magic. The first time had been near pure instinct, this time it was intentional. Hurting the monstrosity and keeping it away from her with a single spell seemed like a great idea if she hoped to live through the encounter.

Spoiler

Body level 2, Lesser Strength. Buffing Body.
If nothing happens to stop it, follow with:
Wind level 5, Tornado. Aiming to hit the beast but not the Ally.