[ We find Our Heroes winding their way up through a snaking passageway that leads steeply up towards the surface. This is uncharted territory for most of you, but you're adventurers; you handle unchated territory just fine. ] * Will looks around at the tunnel walls. "This place looks familiar..." [ Currently, there are no monsters trying to end your life, no fungi squishing underfoot, no bats, no mice. This has to be the most boring stretch of tunnel you've ever seen. But you'll make due somehow. ] [ And now the session starts. Will falls off the edge of the world! ] * Alcinoe looks around, too. She seems bothered. "Yeah, it does." * Patrick walks along. "Mmhmm." * Max drifts along in the middle of the party. "Oh? How so?" He looks around, adjusting his glasses. Looks like somethin' in a dream... * Alcinoe turns to Will. "You got it too, right?" * Will nods silently. * Seylin blinks. "A dream?" Was this a recent dream? Don't tell me you're a psych. * Patrick grins. Tsk, tsk, Patrick. Psionics are just a myth. You should know better. * Patrick rolls his eyes. "Psychiatrist. Duh." All recorded cases proved upon closer inspection to be simply magic, with some elaborate illusions to disguise them-- oh. * Istvan eyes Max, with a small smirk. "I knew you were gonna say that." Did you? Darn, I hate being predictable. *smiles at Istvan's joke, pushing his glasses up his nose* * Seylin giggles. Wise man once said "When someone who talks to the gods has a dream, pay attention. Unless it involves lots of naked women and jello. Then you probably don't wanna know." * Patrick snickers. Why? *looks confused* ...oh, a joke. Right. *looks embarrassed* You don't want to know. Anyway, those who had them: Did your dreams of this place warn you of anything dangerous here? [ Tia appears to be quiet in a sulky kind of way, right now. Sadly, she currently has no butterfly to make her feel better. ] (Awww.) * Max wishes he'd memorized a fabricate spell or something today, now. ;_; Poor Tia. * Alcinoe is just clanking along. * Will is still staring at the walls around him. "It's been a while... But I remember seeing Sherincal standing here, and a barrier of light blocking her. * Max scans the area with his blue-glowing eyes, looking for any trace of such magical barriers. Oh? Then we have come to the correct place. * Max squints off into the distance. "Something powerful...but far away." * Patrick nods. "Sounds about right." Let's get moving, then. * HKenji heads off into the tunnel. * Patrick heads down the tunnel! * Istvan was under the impression that he was moving. Well, he moves s'more! * Max keeps his Arcane Sighted eyes peeled, and follows. * Seylin proceeds! * Will follows, still staring about in wonder. * Alcinoe still looks slightly bothered. What's wrong, Alcinoe? Jus' not used ta seein' dreams come true. Are you sure that's it? You are not...even as you were when we dealt with the trolls. I've never had it happen to me, come to think of it. It would be an interesting experiance. I don't really remember my dreams, often. Except when I solve an equation set in them. I make it a point of writing those down as soon as I awaken; hate to waste dream- borne effort. * Patrick shrugs. "I don't have dreams. Not ones that I remember, anyways." ( This is because I sleep the dreamless sleep of the wicked.) I wonder... I hear there are researchers using magical means of scrying on dreams, some even hope to enter them. Might be interesting... [ The tunnel grows gradually lighter as it begins to spiral up in a way that is most likely unnatural. ] That'd be really cool! Well, for some dreams. Not nightmares. Well, maybe they could do something to prevent nightmares. Or cure them. It's not my area of study, I fear. More that of a diviner, I'd think. Certainly. They do value preceint dreams. Perhaps those of us who've had this one should seek a diviner out when we go home? * Max peers around, trying to see if they're still heading more-or-less towards that powerful magic he saw earlier. It seems to me that a higher ranking priest would be more appropriate. We're getting really close - not more than a hundred feet. Keep your eyes out. I've found that strong ale works pretty damn well. Priest, diviner, *shrug* they both have their skills in these areas. * Seylin scouts ahead a bit just to make sure they aren't walking into a trap. * Istvan unholsters his war pick, and rests it on his shoulder as he walks. * Alcinoe unsheathes her sword, but she doesn't stab anyone with it. * Max ... keeps floating along, the staff of power merely resting casually in his lap. Specs is perched on one end of it, sleeping. It's day time. * HKenji just walks calmly forward, ignoring the possibility that a magical barrier will fry him at any moment. [ Up ahead a few turns, Seylin finds a sort of wall constructed of shimmering white-gold light. ] * Will is oblivious to the unsheathing of weapons around him, still looking about at the tunnel walls. * Seylin flies back. "There's a wall of light up ahead." * Patrick doesn't unsheath his bow. I mean, how do you SHEATH a bow? Is that what that is? It's powerful, whatever it is. * Istvan eyes the wall, then glances at his pick. "I'm guessing brute strength ain't gonna get us through that." ... Nope. Unlikely. * Alcinoe clanks ahead. She looks at the wall curiously. * Will whipers softly to himself as he glances around him. "I wonder where is that floating talking rock?" * Istvan shrugs, leans against the nearest non-magical cavern wall, and eyes Alci as she eyes the magic wall. Floating talking rock? Was that in your dream too? Yeah. * Alcinoe reaches forward, tentatively putting a hand to the wall. Or through it, as the case may be. * Will blinks. "Did I just say that out loud?" Are you sure you weren't under the influence of something? ~_^ * Max studies the wall thing closely. Not touching it. * Max even makes some calculation-type notes on a blank page of his Book. [ Alcinoe's hand passes through without incident. ] * Max double-checks his calculations, looks at the wall again, and does a quick re-check again just to be sure. And whistles. "This is impress- -Alcinoe? Are you okay? You probably shouldn't have just touched it..." * Will looks at Patrick. "Why would you say that?" Oh, you know. * HKenji steps up beside Alcinoe. "What do you think?" This is... beyond powerful, into the level of... well. Let's just say that I most likely won't ever be able to do it, and have yet to meet anyone even close to being able. Ah'm fine. * Alcinoe sheathes her sword and walks in. Well, what's it do? [ The wall does not stop Alcinoe. ] * HKenji reaches his hand out to touch the barrier. Or not, as the case may be. I'm trying to figure that out, actually. Apparently nothing, to Alcinoe. If I had to guess, based on your dreams, it's to stop evil beings. [ Kenji's hand passes through the barrier without incident. ] * HKenji shrugs and steps through the barrier. [ The barrier does not stop Kenji. ] Did any of you see her touch it? I wonder if it's a passive or active barrier. Will? I think it'd prolly let you through, too. * Seylin reaches out her hand, just to make sure it doesn't have anything against folks with extraplaner ancestry. * Will smiles and nods. "I don't think this barrier was meant for us. Let us all follow in." * HKenji turns and looks at Max. "Are you coming?" [ Seylin's hand passes through without incident. ] * Patrick shrugs and walks in. * Will tries to walk through the barrier too! * Seylin walks on through, then. * Istvan eyes Patrick, and shrugs. If he can get through... *walks on through, or tries to* * Max nods. "Well, best follow precedent." He puts his hand on and through the barrier, and, barring any negative effects stopping his progress, floats on through. [ The barrier, in fact, does not stop any of you from passing through the space it occupies. Maybe it's just there to look nice? ] [ Up ahead, you can clearly see sunlight. ] Tell me, is there something we seek here that would require the kind of protection we just passed? That is not mere decoration, so it must serve a very important purpose. * Istvan glances back at the barrier after he's passed through, lets out a barely audible 'phew', and keeps moving. You'll find out soon enough. * Max covers his mouth as he chuckles. "So secretive. Well, I shall look forward to the dramatic revelation." He looks ahead, seeing if there's any other magical auras that were obscured by the very potent one behind him. * Alcinoe just looks at the light with wide eyes. She walks ahead. Alcinoe? * HKenji follows Alcinoe, refusing to shade his eyes at all. * Alcinoe doesn't answer! Oh no! [ The tunnel lets out into a large canyon overgrown with trees. Ahead some three hundred feet is a massive wall that once was surely quite impressive. Now, however, it is beginning to crumble in spots, and is nearly completely overgrown with vines. ] * Max drifts ahead, enchanted by the wall, studying it and making crude sketches flanked by equations and diagrams as he does so. Wow... [ There is no clear-cut path through the thick growth. It seems that this area hasn't been tended by anyone for centuries. ] This is beautiful. Pity it's fallen to disrepair. Maybe we can do something about that. Left my pruning shears at home. It's still beautiful. Just in a different way. * Patrick whistles. * Alcinoe nods. "Yeah." I'm pretty sure you'll make due, Istvan. Oh, certainly. Just ... this wall's being undermined, and that's a pity. I think... maybe... I could bring it down myself, with a well- placed blow. Maybe. But not without enough time to find the weak point. So you are also a seige engineer, now? But I don't want to do that. I'd rather see it repaired. --huh? No, hardly. But there's a certain mathematical harmony to all structures, and this one's harmony is weakened. The math to calculate the weak point would be easier. Well, if you want to get past, I can find a quick way through easy enough. See, if you take into account the geometrical shape and internal designs of the structure and material, and calculate the vector lines of coherence, you can determine where they cross and along what faults the elemental matrix will cleave if struck in the right way. Past? No, no, we can just go over. No need to break it for that, Patrick. Oh! I... think that makes sense. * Patrick rolls his eyes. "Past means past, not through. Why do you think I'd want to break it?" Come along. * HKenji rolls his eyes a little and heads for the wall at a fair pace. * Max is almost at the wall already, as he's been studying it and making notes even while talking. * Alcinoe continues to clank ahead! * Will clanks along in the back! * Istvan lumbers on. The dwarf in him appreciates the nice wall, before it is digested. [ It's tough picking a path through the growth, but the lot of you manage, although things keep sticking to Kenji's kimono. ] * Patrick takes his own path through the growth. "What's keeping you guys so long?" * Max looks down at Patrick. "Hm?" [ Patrick finds a way through much more easily. Stupid rangers. ] * Istvan mutters in dwarven as he trudges, and occasionally hacks, his way through the undergrowth. * Max goes back to his study of the wall, making notes on holes, cracks, and other weaknesses, as well as noting any sculpting touches the crafters made, and the methods used to support it. * Alcinoe clanks slowly through. She is definitely not a ranger. * Seylin flies above. Feathers + tangled growth = bad. * Max doesn't note her presence in the air with him. Ooh, Wall. * HKenji picks his way carefully through the underbrush. * Istvan briefly ponders activating the fire magic on his war pick, but thinks better of it. Only he can prevent forest fires. Should I fly over and see what's on the other side? * Will plods his way through slowly. Armor tangled up in vines = hard to move in. * Patrick is ranger! Remember. Ranger may be stupid, but he's badass. ...huh? Do you want someone to watch your back while you do that, Seylin? Going alone can be dangerous. Sure! * Max is still staring at the wall while he asks this. "Okay. Just tell me when you go." How about now? [ After a few minutes of slow progress, Our Heros (those that aren't flying, anyway) reach a massive, iron gate. The gate is open, and on the other side of it stands an elf with an unusually healthy tan. ] Or, um... not yet. * Max blinks. "Oh, okay." And finally stops staring at the wall, as he moves to join Seylin. Hm? * Istvan tilts his head. Elves are pale, unless they're charcoal black. This elf is tan. Does not compute. Error, error. * Seylin points down. "There's a gate down there." ...if not, I'm going to take a few more notes, okay? ...gate? Oh! So there is. Should we go down with the others, then? * HKenji waves Seylin down. * Seylin sees Kenji's motion. "Looks like we should." * Alcinoe looks at the elf. [ The elf is wearing a coat of elven chain, and has a belt with many pouches as well as a longsword with a leaf motif. He stands there, smiling, and as soon as you're all in earshot he shouts "Welcome to Sunhome, seekers!" ] * Patrick glances at Istvan and snickers. Noted. *looks at the wall once more, then shrugs. It'll still be here later* * Max floats on down. And blinks at the elf. * Max leans over to Seylin, whispering, "Is that a half-drow, or something?" * Seylin whispers back. "I... don't know? I don't think so. He's out in the sun..." * Istvan shakes his head, and manages enough manners to wave back politely. * Max continues the whispering, "Perhaps it's some sort of magic. Or maybe he's not evil. Like that Kardos person Alcinoe is friends with." [ The elf waits patiently for the lot of you to approach or hail him. ] * Seylin nods and whispers something to herself. Seylin? * Seylin whispers back to Max. "Not evil." * Max stands up on his Book, which is now closed, and settles Specs on his shoulder. Stupid bird doesn't wake during the transfer. "Hi! I'm Max! Pleased to meet you, um...?" He starts floating forward in a friendly manner. Yes? * Alcinoe 's ears twitch and she glances at Max. Her skin is even darker than the elf's. * HKenji stands up on tiptoe and whispers something into Seylin's ear. * Max doesn't even think about Alci's skin color. Like he said, maybe being not evil makes you not hurt by sunlight, rather than how dark your skin is. * Istvan shrugs, and approches. "Hey. Appreciate the welcome. What's a Sunhome?" * Seylin walks forward as well and bows politely to the elf. "Greetings." * Will waves hi from the back of the group. [ The elf smiles slightly. "This city is Sunhome. That is it's name." ] * Seylin looks at Istvan with a "maybe you should let me handle this" expression. It's a cheerful name. ^_^ * Max then notes that Seylin's trying to talk to him, and stops interrupting. ^^; Ah, okay. *pauses* Nice name. *pauses; notices Sey's look/glareofdeath; steps aside* I am Seylin. These are my companions. Might we have the pleasure of knowing your name? * Patrick hmms. * Max slowly rotates in the air, until he's hanging upside-down from his Book. He doesn't seem to notice this, as he strains to look past the elf at this 'Sunhome' city. [ "I am Nym of Sunhome," says the elf. Directly behind him is a large coutyard that lies in ruins, with huge chunks of masonry littering it in such a way as to leave only a few paths through it. ] A pleasure, Nym... *distracted smile, slightly sad at the disrepair of the courtyard* [ "You are hear for my piece of the Dias, yes?" He sounds a little sad. ] * Patrick glances at Seylin. Yes. Dias? That the alter-thingie? [ "Yes, that is the... yes, that it is." ] Max, maybe you should let Seylin talk? What's it do, when put together? And, can I look around your city? It looks like fascinating architechtu--oh, right, sorry. ^^; * Seylin smiles sweetly. "My companion is a scholar. He's very intrigued by these things." * Max blushes, looking embarrassed for having let his tongue run away with himself. But doesn't say anything. [ "Ah. It defends good from evil. It can protect a large area in such a way as to prevent the entry of evil creatures, and if they do manage to break into an area guarded by it, it renders their magic useless. It's ...not a perfect defense against incursions of evil, but it is surely the greatest ever devised." ] * Max nods, and makes notes. Kneeling upside-down on his Book, which is open towards the ground. A great evil is threatening our world. We must defend it. [ "Of course. I will happily turn it over to you." Although again, he seems slightly sad about the prospect. "However, I first have a request." ] Yes? * Patrick chuckles. "It's always a request. What do you have in mind?" * Max looks at Patrick. "Hush. Let Seyling talk to him." He's smirking at Patrick, so is probably teasing, though. * Patrick grins evilly at Max. [ "There is an ancient creature in a high plateau on the north face of the canyon. This creature has power over the dead - it can turn corpses into undead, and then control them with ease. There are many millions of dead people within the city, and after I give you the piece of the Dias, there will be nothing left to prevent this creature from coming in and animating them as an army of skeletons and zombies." ] * Max bites his tongue, letting Seylin talk. * Seylin looks to Kenji briefly. * HKenji nods slightly. * Patrick nods. We shall do that. * Max raises his hand, as if waiting to be called on. [ The elf looks at Max strangely for a moment, then seems to realise what he's doing. "Yes?" ] Um, is this creature intelligent? And does it lie? [ "That would be a 'yes' on both accounts. It is quite intelligent, and has built up a great deal of knowledge over it's countless millenia of life. Why do you ask?" ] * Max looks dissappointed. "Sometimes, things can be negotiated with, to find a mutually acceptable or beneficial solution. But, if it cannot be trusted to keep its word, it should probably be eliminated to prevent its committing atrocities." It raises undead. For that crime, there can be no pardon. [ The elf nods as though he agrees with Kenji. ] * Will nods too. ... I agree with Kenji. *pauses; looks up* By Moradin's beard, it's a miracle! ...hm. Interesting. * Seylin refrains from laughing and looks to the elf. "Have you any other information about this being?" 'The animation of corpses is widely seen as an evil act corrupting life and defiling the very thing living beings embody.' You can thank my mom for that one. ~_^ I will make a note to do so. [ "It is very old, and very powerful. It is... quite similar to a dragon, actually. Sages call it a 'Linnorm'; I do not know what they call themselves." ] I fear my limited knowledge of necromancy does not encompass any aspect of undead, save that it is indeed responsible for them. By and large, necromancy is a disgusting way to achieve effects much more easilly done with transmutations and conjurations. ...interesting. 'Linnorm'... *writes that down* * HKenji pales. I can't say that I've ever really heard of one... But it sounds extremely dangerous and should be approached with great caution. * Patrick shrugs. "What's up Kenji?" Would you be willing to grant us lodging in your city while we rest and prepare? Oh! Um, this may seem a silly question, but how big is it? Longest dimension would suffice, but an estimation of all three greatest extents would be useful. It's big, Max. Really, really big. [ "Of course," says the elf. "You are welcome to rest in my home, and I will also cast spells to aid you in your battle. Sadly, I cannot leave my piece of the Dias unattended during the battle, or I would go and fight alongside you." ] ...could this piece of the Dias not be taken with us, and used to suppress its dark magics? Or is it like the Magic Circle spells, and broken if forced onto the victims? [ "There is that. There is also the fact that a sufficiently powerful spellcaster of any demeanor can learn to control the Dias, and the linnorm is most certainly a spellcaster." ] That'd be bad. Oh? What is 'sufficeintly powerful'? I think this definitely bears study. *pushes glasses up his nose* No, Max. ( Well, you have to be at least level twenty, and... oops, that was OOC. ) 'No', what? Don't go there. Perhaps we should go in and continue discussion there? * Max blinks. "I'm not sure where you mean, but okay... Anyway, I assume it's already got some undead minions? ...oh, good idea, Seylin. I want to see more of the city, too...it's neat!" We should prepare beforehand, at least. * Istvan shrugs. "It's big, it's bad, it's ugly. We'll walk all over it." But we still need to prepare. [ The elf's smile falters as Max says that, but he nonetheless says "Of course. Come in, and I will lead you to my home." ] [ He turns and begins winding his way through the rubble. "This way." ] * Max doesn't note the elf's faltering smile, as he's too busy gawking like he's never seen a city before. * Seylin follows. * Patrick follows! * Will clanks on in also. [ After you are lead out of the courtyard and through a crumbling castle interior, you get to see the city itself. The city itself looks as though it were violently torn apart by something or things of immense strength. No building is left standing intact; stone, glass, and rusted iron lie strewn about everywhere. ] * Seylin blinks. This does *not* look good. Daaaayyyum. ...maybe not walk over it. But beat it definately. * Max looks saddened. "This... this should be rebuilt. And given new life. It is too great an accomplishment to allow to lie fallow in this fashion." Utter devastation. [ Here and there, massive trees rise out of the rubble. One of them, standing perhaps a thousand feet from you, appears to have been converted into a home. ] * Will looks about at the city ruin and speaks softly. "What happened here?" * Patrick shrugs. "Stuff." The fist of an angry god. Any 'god' that would destroy such beauty is unworthy of the title. * Max follows the elf, still looking around. On the contrary. Evil gods're still gods. Just really nasty ones. Even evil should appreciate beauty. Those that do not are fools. * Max mutters to himself, very quietly, "But then, 'gods' in general fail to be all they should," and sighs. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. * Max chuckles. "You've a point, Patrick." And I don't just mean the ones in your quiver or the one on your head. ;P [ And so they continued on to the tree-abode of the well-tanned elf. Who knows what lays ahead? Aside from an encounter with a nasty beastie. ] [ Session End! ]