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[KittenMaster]

Left alone in the Observatory, Ozzang'ac allows a moment to reflect on what little he had just learned, "Fleshbane.. what in the pure and blue sea are you planning to do?"

<I'm going to bed so I'll figure out what Ozzang'ac will do next when I wake up. Also, yes I totally went there with what he asked the Raven Queen.>

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Mako heads over to Menek's place and knocks on the door.

 

[Mike M]

((Sorry, work's been... Well, it's been things I can't repeat in polite company. I'll try and catch up and post tonight after I work frustrations out at the gym.))

 

[Jackben]

Determined to change that, Viss leaves her domain. She had just remembered something that had been in the back of her mind. Sybil not being at the last meeting.

How strange that the palladin would let the chance to complain about Ciel just pass by. And who had that young man been? Also there were those snorecats or whatever that Sybil had talked about, Viss still didn't know what those were.

When she reaches the door of the paladin's domain Viss is brimming with curiosity. She knocks on the door cheerfully.

The way to Sybil's domain is marked by a short path of cobblestone that ends at a plain oaken door with a brass handle. The door appears affixed into the sheer white marble walls that make up much of the default structure of the Observatory. As Viss knocks upon the door, it thuds with a hollow echo much deeper than would be expected of a door of such modest size. Before a fourth knock can be issued, a small panel in the middle of the door slides open and a pair of unblinking pale eyes study the ranger carefully.

After a few moments, a small click is heard and the door swings inward, a brilliant green light blinding any attempt to see past the entryway. If Viss steps through, she will find herself standing in the middle of a hilly region of rolling grassland. A warm gust of air floats through the clearing, shutting the door she came from, on this side set into a massive boulder in the middle of the treeless plain. A plain dirt path begins from the door and appears to lead down through the valley.

Next to the path appears a cloaked figure. The figure raises a hand and several green symbols appear in the air, before shimmering into the shape of words.

The words spell out a short riddle, shining steadily amid the orange glow of the setting sun.

Perception DC30:

Spoiler

You can spot some of the garments and trappings beneath the cloak, and they match the clothes of the scraggly youth that was at the council meeting a few days earlier.

'On some days there is an invading army
that sweeps across the land, liquid-quick;
conquering everything, quelling dry resistance.
With it comes billowing darkness, dimming the light.
People and animals alike hide in their homes,
outside spears fall, shattering against walls.
Uncountable soldiers smashed into the ground,
but each elicits life as they die;
for where the army has been vanquished, advancing northward,
the land is green and growing, refreshed.

Of what do I speak?'

 

[Mike M]

Fleshbane scans the documents in turn as Ciel hands them to him. "I have been operating under the assumption that our conversations are not so private as they may seem," he notes. "No doubt Zerome has predicted my insurrection against it, but all available evidence would indicate that it simply does not care. I am but a mote in its eye, nothing I can conceive has not already been predicted, I am sure. But the gift I had Cu deliver to you serves as a reminder of the danger of underestimating something only because it is infinitesimal compared to you. For me to succeed, I require the... Randomness inherent to biological minds to thwart Zerome's expectations.

"As to which target we select, I would remind you that I am bound to the letter of the Accord, though not its spirit. It is not enforced upon me through fear of reprimand, I am physically unable to countermand it. Whomever we chose, we must be able to successfully argue our case for our actions. Given the proclivities of your own patron deity, we may be best served by cross referencing potential gods against Asmodeus's own list of enemies,as I expect we will have need of his consul in the aftermath.

"I do not currently possess the ability to detect magical spells, but if you desire entry to Menek's quarters..."

Spoiler

Fleshbane gets a bonus for crashing through doors like the Kool-Aid Man! He could just make a huge ruckus and cause a distraction.

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

"A fair point. After the Ivory Labyrinth, I could use something to redeem myself. I will have a list of candidates at the earliest possible time. On a related note, I recommend we look into aura suppression. Two free-agent killers committing deicide is likely to cause problems than representatives of SAED venturing out to do so."

"As for your suggestion, it is less subtle than what I would normally do, but I believe the end result, me getting in and out without detection, is still possible that way. Not to mention the delicious, delicious uproar it would cause. Yes, I like the sound of that."

((Shenanigans to be resumed after Viss and Sybil's, as well as Menek and Mako's scenes.))

 

[Nezumi]

When the doors to Sybil's quarters finally open Viss is greeted by a gentle breeze. As she steps through she finds herself on a wonderful grassy plane and even though she prefers forests she can't help but feel very comfortable and at home.

This quickly changes as the cloaked figure approaches her. In fear of getting attacked Viss takes some careful steps backwards. But no attacks come, instead the persons begins speaking.

After a few sentences Viss sighes inaudible. A fucking riddle? She was so bad at riddles. Hartur had loved them. He had known hundreds of them and every time he had learned a new one he had been giggly like a little child.

And he had always refused to give Viss the answers. She could guess as much as she wanted but whenever she wanted to give up and learn the answer he had just looked at her with his pipe hanging from his mouth, smiled and said, "I'm not gonna ruin the surprise. I'm sure you'll get it eventually." Needless to say that Viss hadn't gotten them eventually.

This one appeared to relatively simple though, so when the figure had finished, Viss answered with relative certainty, "I think the answer you are looking for is 'Rain'."

 

[Azih]

An archon opens the door and identifying the visitor as a member of SAED transmits the information back to central command. A rough but jovial voice speaks out from a speaker on the archon's body.

Lady Mako if I'm not mistaken. Pleased to meetcha. I'll let Menek know that you're here to see him. The Archon will guide ya to the vistor's room.

The Archon does a little floating bow and turns and floats away down the central path of Menek's new home. To the left is a blank white void, to the right is a pleasant night garden lit by stars. The visitor room right inside the entrance of Menek's mansion is comfortable and full of life.

Menek walks in, much more cheerful than he was in the meeting, and greets Mako warmly.

Please sit, Mako. I'm glad that you came to call. We really should use this gap between missions to get to know each other and mold ourselves into an effective team

((The visitor's room is like I described back on post 210 except now in front of the aquarium is deep pool of salt water large enough to accomdate Ozzang'ac comfortably.))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

An archon opens the door and identifying the visitor as a member of SAED transmits the information back to central command. A rough but jovial voice speaks out from a speaker on the archon's body.

Lady Mako if I'm not mistaken. Pleased to meetcha. I'll let Menek know that you're here to see him. The Archon will guide ya to the vistor's room.

The Archon does a little floating bow and turns and floats away down the central path of Menek's new home. To the left is a blank white void, to the right is a pleasant night garden lit by stars. The visitor room right inside the entrance of Menek's mansion is comfortable and full of life.

Menek walks in, much more cheerful than he was in the meeting, and greets Mako warmly.

Please sit, Mako. I'm glad that you came to call. We really should use this gap between missions to get to know each other and mold ourselves into an effective team

((The visitor's room is like I described back on post 210 except now in front of the aquarium is deep pool of salt water large enough to accomdate Ozzang'ac comfortably.))

"Well, while there is business I'd like to discuss, I have no complaints saving that for later and enjoying some company for now. One thing I've been wondering, if you don't mind me asking, how'd you end up here? I don't mean your death of course, but why did your god, or why do you think your god, sent you here?"

 

[Azih]

((Wow, this was hard to write))

Menek is flustered by the question. He stands and walks, agitated, to the aquarium and stares at it for a few long moments with his hands folded behind his back.

It is a... reasonable question he says We do need to build trust with one another and what better way than to learn what our respective patrons expect from us. He turns slowly and looks Mako in the eye The answer however is one that I am incredibly ashamed of.

He walks back to the center of the room and snaps his fingers to create an array of Dancing Lights that whirl around the room I did not have the magical talents in life that I now do in death. I was far more of a mundane investigator and advisor. I dedicated my life to serving Aroz who is the God of such things

Menek waves the Lights out of existence as he continues I was.. mistaken on my faith however; I believed that part of Aroz's teachings included a hatred of all things magical. I had read all the old texts, I had plumbed ancient sites dedicated to Aroz. I thought I had discovered all there was to discover.

Reliving memories that he had tried to ignore since he had woken up in the Observatory Menek slumps back into this chair with a haunted look on his face.

I was so sure of myself, so certain that I knew all there was to know about what was right and what was wrong... completely convinced in my arrogance.... that the last decades of my life were dedicated to eradicating the use of magic.

I started slow. Merely discouraging magical arts in the places that I had influence over in the various governments of Minae. I saw to it that the threat of magical monsters and beasts was focused on and then slowly the fear of these dangers were morphed into a suspicion of magic itself. My version of the Arozan faith with its admonishments against magic also spread and grew more popular. Magical academies found their funding drying up. Royal wizards were pushed out of influence in favor of advisors who advocated weaning off a dependance on magic. People lost their livelihoods certainly but it was all quite bloodless.

Menek stares at the floor In the end the ones who refused to stop using magic even in the face of rising public ridicule and even hatred retreated to an ancient and large citadel temple dedicated to Zora, the Mistress of Magic. They... they... just wanted to be left alone but that was not enough for me. I convinced almost all the leaders of the continent that the ones seeking refuge there were actually plotting against them and were going to attack with foul and awesome magics to regain their positions of power. I convinced them that we had to strike first. I oversaw and co-ordinated the plans for the attack. I took every eventuality into account and... in one day of explosion and fire and massacre and mayhem.. I had the citadel and everyone in it, they were only a few hundred strong, wiped out.

Menek drops his head into his hands The word of it spread... the demonisation of magic was so complete that people... cheered the destruction... saw it as a threat to the world eradicated and not as the massacre that it was. Maintaining a suppression on magic use after that was simple. People were doing it themselves by that point and anyone who did wish to use it knew there was no safe place for them. I just sat back for the last decade of my life and gloried in what I thought was a life of service well lived convinced that I had brought about the triumph of good over evil in my lifetime.

It was in death that I learned how truly mistaken I was. Aroz himself came to me and revealed that he had no objection to magic, that in fact he and Zora were twin gods of all things that could be mastered or manipulated by the mind. That I had not fought evil in the last thirty years of my life but prosecuted innocents. You asked why I was sent here? It is to atone for my sins against Arozora and penance for those that I wronged.

 

[DeadPhoenix]

"Well, I did not expect all that. I'd heard of a land where magic is so unreliable and unpredictable that the people there all but live without it, and an entire country that rooted out the influence of gods as completely as mortals can, but even they still use magic. I doubt an attempt to give up on magic would gain more then a small cult following. The fact you were chosen for such a reason does worry me though... not about you, but why any of us where chosen. At first I believed we were sent as the best of our respective gods had to offer, but it is beginning to sound like perhaps their motives, or at least some of their motives, are a bit... personal. Well, figuring out the thought process of the gods is something we can save for later." Mako states as she stands up, "Well, I suppose it's my turn to go if you like, I'll even include a bit about my history. My story is bit smaller in scale, though I can promise a bit more flair." she says with a smile.

 

[Azih]

Menek smiles wanly. Yes some flair would be nice.

 

[Mike M]

((I'm not going to step on anyone's narrative toes, but I'm laughing into my sleeve here at work at the notion of Fleshbane just kicking down the door and throwing furniture around at that precise beat.))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((I'm sorry, I got this stupid idea in my head and... id even k how long its been. 2, 3 hours? maybe four? god damn. i think this is the first time I've done something like this without a song to base it on so its probably really fucking... disjointed and shit. and just generally poorly done. writing lyrics isn't my strong suit. hell, i can barely write(pretty sure i left out some stuff and a couple ideas i stared with ending up not going anywhere in the long run). oh well, good luck. if its so bad you can't force you way through it, i could just copy past my backstory on my character sheet if you really want to know.))

"A small child and a lone father, hide in a city, away from a dark monster;
the children of the city, hide from the small monster, with the lonely father."

Mako sings as she begins dancing, when she suddenly flourishes and speaks some unusual words and begins changing, most notably at first, becoming shorter

"The small child, now a young woman, hears 'the call,' but the father forbids;
'A curse, a demon and dangerous! Your mother, a hag, she is!'

By now her change is complete, and she looks quite a bit younger, something like this

"A liar, a liar! She called her father, he is the monster, her mother the victim!
She ran, she ran, to her mother's voice, soon to discover this choice's lack of wisdom."

Mako summons her own dancing light and appears to be following them to something...

"A monster! A hag! Her mother, of this she was so proud!
A hag! A monster! The women would become, if so allowed."

She then takes the stance of an old... well, old hag... in a mocking manner and sings in a similar manner

"No singing, no dancing! For monsters have no fun!
Learn to charm, learn to steal, and kill them when your done!"

She then goes back to her normal self and that's when Aiden climbs out from... somewhere.

"A familiar she was to seek, for a witch she was to become;
Instead she found a spirit, and with it, the road to the shaman she had begun."

"Two sides of a coin, to the hag it made little difference;
but little did she know, her downfall would be this ignorance."

"This spirit a friend for sure, but a savior even more;
he lead new friends, right to the hag's front door!"

"A merry crew she did meet, but such an intrusion, her mother would not ignore;
A fight broke out, but on this I can say no more, for the woman, a coward, this death she could not endure."

"It wasn't long before the crew, appeared in front of her;
She asked no questions, they gave no answers, but one showed her a small scorpion and asked "Is this a friend of yours?"

"These 5, her heroes, were also a group of troubadours;
the women would join them and for some time, be known as the newcomer."

"They traveled the land, from place to place, singing, dancing and saving some lives;
She learned to entertain and how to harness the spirits to find the peace she strives."

"She made new friends, she made some enemies and even more mistakes;
until she finally found the place, Grasshorn, a town that really takes the cake!"

"Its here she thought, she could learn of family and find one of her own;
A 'man' called Erastil, a god of hunting, farming and family, she would be shown."

At this point she begins aging back up to normal again.

"Feared at first, as outsiders should be, but in time she won their trust;
Protecting the fertile lands was her job, because evil men did lust."

"Invading orcs! Annoying fairies! And a couple dragon attacks!
With her skills and a bit of help, she always pushed them back."

"And in time she meet a forlorn elf, with which her soul would match;
Together they fought and protect the town, so evil could not even scratch."

"Join by love and matrimony, they hope to start the family, they had always lacked;
Succeed they did, in having many children, despite the effect on her back."

"Alas, now we come to an end to the story, as death is always a fact;
But upon that death, Erastil gave her a chance to perform one last act."

Mako then takes on a deeper voice with a much more serious tone.

"Souls being stolen! People up to no good! But I need your help to make things the way they should;
I know I can trust you, your judgement, your skills. Help the Raven Queen fix this problem, for good."

She then goes back to her normal voice

"I owe you so much, my faith, my family, but it sounds like things are getting rough;
So I will help you, fight against these sad chumps and they will soon learn... Moms are quite tough!"

 

[Azih]

((No, that was really good DeadPhoenix. Don't get yourself down.))

Your life was far more.. heroic than mine Mako. That much is certain. Menek says Thank you for telling me of your life.

With a deep breath Menek attempts to move on

The ways of the gods are inscrutable but I do believe that first and foremost we were picked for our competence and abilities. We need to find a way to work better as a team. You said that you had some business to discuss?

 

[ThLunarian]

((I enjoyed that, DP! It's very appropriate for your character. Thanks for taking the time and putting the effort into it))

 

[Mike M]

((DeadPhoenix getting his RP on...))

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

((Yup, I'll echo the others in saying that was good stuff, DP!))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((No, that was really good DeadPhoenix. Don't get yourself down.))

Your life was far more.. heroic than mine Mako. That much is certain. Menek says Thank you for telling me of your life.

With a deep breath Menek attempts to move on

The ways of the gods are inscrutable but I do believe that first and foremost we were picked for our competence and abilities. We need to find a way to work better as a team. You said that you had some business to discuss?

"Yes, to business. Well at the... last meeting I guess you could call it, Fleshbane said something actually made sense. The details of the Accords, beyond the very basics of our own job, are lost on us. I feel we should change that, so we can better do our job and protect ourselves from... complications, if the need arises. You appear to be quite knowledge, more so the even me, so I figured you would be the best person to help me with this. Hopefully we can find out what we need to know in the library, in which case we will just have to spend a few night studying, but I wouldn't be surprise if we need to seek this information through other avenues."

 

[ThLunarian]

((If both of you spend a day in-game researching in the library, you won't have to make a roll, and you can ask me for anything you want to know about the Accord and I'll tell you))

 

[Azih]

((OK, Here are Menek's questions I think

The history of the accord, how, when and why did it come about?

Who has signed on to the accord. If there's a huge list then I guess a summary of the more important ones.

Any significant beings who have refused to sign

Rough overview of the terms and agreements between the deities

What would constitute breaking the terms of the accord by a deity or a SAED member.

What happens if a deity or SAED member that does break the terms.

Axelhortsemchi, I guess I get to play mini GM for your incursion? Let's say Ciel fortuitously comes in after Menek and Mako have gone to the Library. ThLunarian I guess you can decide what the difficulty is of picking the door lock or breaking it down and then I... take over? Sounds fair?))

 

[Jackben]

((Apologies to Nezumi I am having a very busy week at work, still trying to learn the ropes at the new job and it's been taking up all my energy. Want to get at least two responses up for this weekend.))

 

[ThLunarian]

((Yeah, Axel, now is a good time to have Ciel's infiltration scene. Choose your method of entry and specify whether you want Fleshbane to assist by breaking the door down, make a roll for lock picking (or if Fleshbane breaks it down then I won't ask for a roll), and then yeah, I guess Azih gets to play mini-GM, since I'm not the one who designed Menek's living area))

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

The prospect of Fleshbane making a dynamic entry is too much for Ciel to resist. "All right Fleshbane, you're up." As soon as the door bursts open, he will vanish and slip inside, doing a quick scan for traps and then getting himself out of the way of anyone who would be rushing to the entrance, so that in the event Menek has prepared see invisibility for himself or other friends, he'll hopefully not be in line of sight.

((Just in case the door breaking doesn't work, I'll attach a lockpicking roll to the post as well. He of course won't be doing that if Fleshbane brings the door down. Also, I just noticed I don't have my +2 bonus from masterwork tools added under my Disable Device skill, so making that change to avoid future confusion))

[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=86009]Disable Device: 1D20 + 24 = [6]+24 = 30
[/url]

((EDIT: On second thought, I should add that if the door break doesn't work, he'll vanish and wait a minute before picking the lock to see if someone answers the door. It would be bad if he was picking it while someone tried to open it from the other side.))

 

[Mike M]

((Do I need to roll to charge the door, or are we going to hand wave it with RP?))

 

[Azih]

((Do I need to roll to charge the door, or are we going to hand wave it with RP?))

((It's ThLunarian's door. Make the roll anyway and let's let him decide.))

((Oh wait, ThLunarian said no roll if you break it down!))

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

((Doh, I missed that part!))

 

[Mike M]

((Reading comprehension is for chumps))

Fleshbane marches down the pathway winding through Merek's domain to the building that serves as the scholar's home and refuge. A place of peace and learning.

"Revolting," Fleshbane says as he observes the natural beauty of the area.

When the front door comes into view, the powerful constructs abruptly breaks out into a full sprint, his thunderous footfalls leaving deep prints in the ground beneath his step. The door offers no resistance to his charging mass, the wood disintegrating into an explosion of splinters and shrapnel as he storms through the aperture.

 

[Azih]

((Assuming that Fleshbane broke down whatever door there is between the Observatory and Menek's little plane and not the mansion itself.))

Flesbane and Ciel see a straight grey cobblestone path winding from the smashed Observatory door to a small three story manse about a hundred feet in the distance. To their right they see a star lit garden while to the left is a unformed white void.

Much closer, about twenty feet away is an archon standing motionless. A red light on its front starts flashing before the splinters of the door are even settled.

From a speaker on the archon's front a saccharine though beautifully orchestrted tune is playing

And it is the truth divine
Dig deep and ye shall find
We are all puppies deep inside...


which abruptly cuts out and is replced by an angry rough voice.

By the darkness of the wasteland WHAT IN THE BLUE BLAZES IS GOING ON? WHO.. Oh I see the Xenocide Unit that calls himself Fleshbane yeah? What do you think you're doing? This area is OFF LIMITS. A recording of this is being sent to the authorities as we speak. I suggest you REMOVE YOURSELVES RIGHT THIS INSTANT or things are going to go VERY BADLY FOR YOU my son. This is PREPOSTOROUS.

((Srsly guys, stealth!))

 

[Mike M]

((Fleshbane doesn't do stealth!))

Fleshbane marches toward the manse, heedless of directives to cease and desist.

((Will totally smash this door too, if he can.))

 

[Azih]

((Will leave it up to ThLunarian how long it would take Menek to rush back from the library and the same for when and if The Raven Queen responds at all.))

Fleshbane is about twenty feet from the door when it bursts open and a man with a military bearing and an impressive mustache stands in the frame I've been picking Menek's brain about you villians. You can't hurt members of SAED can yah you murderous tinpot. Turn around and go back cause I ain't moving and I'm pretty much a member as his chief of security!

((Whether he is or not. I dunno. Jefred certainly thinks he is))

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

((Less stealth by Fleshbane means easier stealth for Ciel ))

Ciel takes full advantage of Fleshbane's entry to slip in undetected, unseen and unheard. Menek's taste in music is insufferable, but it was quickly cut off by one of his servants scolding Fleshbane. An added benefit of this approach.

The white void catches his eye, but before he explores that, Fleshbane has given him an opportunity to examine the manse. He will slip in following the breaking of the door and make a quick scope of the place, looking for anything he can use against Menek such as info on still-living relatives, acquaintances, journals containing personal information, all the way down to anything that might give him more information on how Menek's magical or investigative abilities work.

While doing this, he will keep an eye out for traps, both magical and nonmagical. He will try to avoid them, but for those that can't be avoided, he will attempt to disarm them without leaving traces of tampering.

While Fleshbane has made every effort to be detected, he is doing the opposite, going full-blown shadow on the wall, leaf in the wind. He will keep his search short so that he has time to examine the unformed area before Menek's return. He could have sworn he saw signs of life in there.

((Oh yeah, important question. Would Ciel have seen Mako and Menek leaving together, or would he and Fleshbane have arrived after they left? That will determine a bit of what Ciel looks for in the Manse.))

 

[ThLunarian]

((I would imagine that Ciel probably spotted Mako and Menek in the library together, which gave him the signal that the coast is clear, so he wouldn't know that they both left the mansion together))

The mansion comes into Menek's view just in time for him to witness Fleshbane knocking the front door down like a line of bowling pins.

Unknown to him, Ciel is already inside.

((Mako has the option of also being here for this scene if she wants. She would have received the notification at the same time as Menek))

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

((Derp, misread the library bit there and made a bit too much of a stretch. He could probably deduce that they're collaborating on something from that, but deducing that she was in Menek's quarters is a bit much. Today is a bad day for reading comprehension. XD))

Ciel keeps his time in the manse short, assuming that at least Menek is already on the way back. He moves quickly and efficiently, taking notes on whatever he found. After this, he makes his way to the unformed area to see if he was right about someone currently being there. Someone living out there as opposed to the formed area means they're probably no friend of Menek's, which is just what he needs.

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((Mako has the option of also being here for this scene if she wants. She would have received the notification at the same time as Menek))

((Sure, why not?))

 

[Azih]

((Ciel can't really get through the door as Jefred is blocking it but there's enough windows to slip in and out of. Let's say he gets a good idea of the first floor of the house, most interesting thing probably being the alchemy lab with a grim faced woman putting on a bandolier full of dangerous looking flasks and bombs. The sitting room has the lyrics floating the overwhelming light... That can even darkness blind... Oh how it shines if he cares to stop and listen.))

Outside just as Jefred finishes his speech Menek has been sprinting through the shattered remains of the entrance and stops when he gets close to the Xenocide Unit.

FLESHBANE! WHAT IS THIS?

((I'm imagining Ciel would be exiting a window at the moment to head into the void. It hasn't been very long at all since the home invasion started. Moving Stealth roll please Ciel to get by undetected if you still want to head into the void stealthily.))

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

Stealth: 1D20 + 42 = [4]+42 = 46

((If you can see invisibility, treat that as a 26.

EDIT: Is it too late to burn a point of ki to up that check result to 50/30?))

 

[Mike M]

Fleshbane is undeterred by Jefred’s warning, continuing his inexorable incursion into Menek’s domain at his lumbering pace. Only the arrival of Menek himself seems to divert him from his course as he turns to face the scholar.

“Ah, the host decides to make an appearance at last,” he taunts. “I am in the midst of conducting a science experiment. I had assumed since you think yourself to be a creature of intellect, you would appreciate such an honor bestowed upon you.”

Fleshbane’s titanic fist blots out the sun as he raises it above his face, his unchanging carved grin of malice glowing on his face as he does so. With a mighty blow, he drops his metal appendage like a hammer, and…

…flicks Menek in the head.

“You have loved ones, yes?” Fleshbane asks. “Ones that have gone on to receive their final reward?”

His metal finger flicks Menek in the head once more. There is an absence of force capable of causing harm behind it, but his intent is clear. “What if I were to seek them out? Do you think if I were to tear their soulflesh apart over and over again, that I may eventually grow to appreciate the experience as much as I would if they were in the world of the living? Do you think I might grow satisfied with the knowledge that I am not causing them death, but only tortuous pain for an eternity?”

Another flick, and this time Fleshbane leans in closer, his unblinking stare glaring into Menek’s eyes. “What will you do, meat?” he asks. “How will you prevent me from carrying out my promise? What will you do to eject me from your precious private space? Will you run to the Raven Queen to beg her intercession on your behalf, like some sniveling human larva hiding behind its mother’s apron? Or will you attempt to turn me out on your own? Do you dare lay hands upon me without absolute certainty that I will not be able to respond with lethal force?”

Flick.

“What will you do, Menek?”

Flick.

“What will you do?”

 

[Nezumi]

((No worries, Jackben. I won't be able to answer for the next 20 or so hours as well, so you have all the time you need.))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((What did the rules of the accord say about doing stuff like this?))

 

[Azih]

((That's for The Raven Queen... uh ThLunarian to decide and um.. Ciel.. it doesn't matter))

per: 1D20+28+1D8 = [20]+28+[4] = 52


((Srsly)).

Menek's anger has honed his formidable perception to a razor's edge. Sensing Fleshbane is acting oddly like a distraction he flicks his eyes and strains his other sense and notices... something... near the front window.

Who's There? Meneks throws out a spell of Wandering Star Motes at the window.

((Will Save DC 22 to not be dazed, but Ciel's invisibility is gone)).

CIEL!? Menek is vibrating with anger at this point.

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=86025]Will Save: 1D20 + 9 = [9]+9 = 18
[/url]

((Damn, with that nat 20 and my consistent bad rolls, the dice hate me today. At least I get to make another save in an additional 6 seconds.

I'll wait for the next bit of dialogue before trying to shake it again.))

Not expecting to be caught, Ciel takes the spell head on and is stopped in his tracks. "Not as planned..." is all he's able to mutter in his current state.

((MAJOR EDIT: So, I just realized I forgot to include my favored terrain bonus on the roll, which would push it up to 54 if this is an urban environment. My bad on that. I also don't know what impact that would have in the face of a goddamn nat 20))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Mako casts dispel magic to get rid of the invisibility.

Dispel Magic: 1D20+12 = [13]+12 = 25

((that should work on anything with a caster level of at least 14. So even if you make it... you would just have to use another swift action, but it will cost you a ki point!))

((EDIT: Welp, I guess ignore this post if he failed to notice you.))

 

[Mike M]

Flick.

 

[Azih]

((Well I was going to rule that since you wanted to use the ki point late, you could do so but with only a +2 as Ciel caught his foot on the window sill and used ki late to land softly.. which would make it Menek barely passing. DMing is fun!))

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

((Yeah, that would make it a tie which I'm assuming would give it to you since you rolled a nat 20. Can't argue with the mini-DM . In that case, would the dispel also dispel the wandering star motes?))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((Well either way.))

"Don't play into his child-est games, neither braking into your home or threatening your family is something that can be allowed to continue. Let's see if the Raven queen can take care of this, before either of us do something that, quite frankly, neither of us will regret."

((Its a normal dispel magic so it can only get one spell, and i choose a specific one, so... no.))

 

[KittenMaster]

Meanwhile, Ozzang'ac decides to visit Fleshbane's home, curious as to what he had just learned.

<I figure while Fleshbane is gone I'll use this as an excuse for Ozzang'ac to make contact with the other elementals that exist around the observatory>

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

((Gotcha, I haven't had to use dispel much in any game I've been in so I'm a little shaky on its rules. I'm assuming that covers 6 seconds soo...))

[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=86031]Will Save: 1D20 + 9 = [12]+9 = 21
[/url]

((Now it's just taunting me))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((Gotcha, I haven't had to use dispel much in any game I've been in so I'm a little shaky on its rules. I'm assuming that covers 6 seconds soo...))

[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=86031]Will Save: 1D20 + 9 = [12]+9 = 21
[/url]

((Now it's just taunting me))

((Are you making a will save versus dispel magic? because there is none... if i beat the caster level of the target spell, it is just gone. you can of course just cast the spell again of course.))