"Yeah, I guess I forgot to mention that, Roy. I was going to tell you he was a mage, but then, well, I realized it'd be funnier if I didn't," Dom said with a smirk.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Xannder will give anyone medical attention that needs it prior to moving on.
Alisha nods and says "This magic is old and powerful. I believe I am the most qualified to deal with it. Stand back from the fane while I examine it."
Alisha utters some magical words and turns on her arcane sight (Detect Magic cast). She then looks at the stone and does a spellcraft check as well as an arcane lore check to identify the magics and find the safest way to deal with the fane.
here let me help his eyes glowing green from his casting of detect psionics
Your climbing down the stairs to go examine the top of the structure when maria come out of the structure and comes down the stairs to meet you.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be heading towards the castle now that the vampire is vulnerable?" she says clearly surprised to see you here.
Roy sighs and shifts his grip on the rifle, ready to bring it to bear. "The vamp wasn't vulnerable when we got back from the last fane and we didn't find you at your house, so we had to come here to check. But I'm also interested to know how you managed to get into there and deal with whatever's down there--assuming you did--without being attacked by a dragon. So you've got a few seconds to do some quick explaining."
John manafests detect psionics, trying to see if she's real and not being manipulated, the green glow hopefully hidden behind his mirrored sunglasses.
"I told you I would take care of this fane and I did. It no longer empowers the vampire. Surely you noticed that his power is diminished? He no longer maintains the mist barrier around the town." says Maria
"to be fair, I just got here," he says shrugging but mantaining his manafestation.
"Yeah, well, if you don't mind I'm gonna check that out." Roy motions at Alisha. "You're with me."
Maria stands in the stairway blocking the path.
"I didn't fight anything Roy, I made a bargain. The fane no longer empowers the vampire you have my word on that and Alisha should be able to confirm it. However I'd prefer you didn't go in there. You did kill the guardians two sisters afterall." replies Maria.
Dom raised his beretta at Maria and stared her down, cold, hateful and unflinching.
"What. Did. You. Do?"
"You all can go inside. I'll stay here with Miss Pants on Fire, here. Won't be much use to you anyhow, hurt as I am."
Joey had moved to be able to cover Maria but now he frowns and looks at Alisha. "I thought this lady was your friend?"
Jim continues to sweep his rifle for the dragon listening for the reply to Joey's question, which he would have asked.
"well I haven't killed any of these guardian people, like I said I'm new to this little party"
Alisha gives a look to Maria knowing what she has done by her magical analysis of the scene gives a concerned look Maria and says, "The fane has not been destroyed that is true. The power has now been transferred to you Maria. Still, if you hold onto this power Maria you're going to cause the land to decay even further. In order for us to keep our arrangement with the Lady of the Forest, all the Fanes must be depowered. Otherwise a lot of innocent townsfolk are going to spending the rest of their short lives as Werewolves."
She looks to the others, In laymen's terms, Maria is now the third witch and the focal point of the current fane.
"So what?" Jim replies.
"Nothing matters except saving my daughter from that castle and with this power I can! Either help me or stay out of my way!" says Maria
"You idiot!" Dom yelled at Maria, dropping his gun. "That's not how power works and you know it. Everything has a price! Everything!"
Dom calmed.
"You do this. And you'll never get your little girl back. Never. She couldn't get within a 100 feet of you. Just being near you will hurt her. Change her. Corrupt her."
"You'd be damning her forever."
"I asked you to trust me. And I'm begging you to hold to that now. I swear on my life and soul that I will bring her back. Please. Don't make me have to go back to your little girl and tell her she can never see you again."
look I don't know you, I know of you though, for what it matters, and I do believe that you aren't taking this power for it's own sake and are just that desperate to save your daughter, which is commendable, but it's not the right way to go at it, I personally promise to do all I can to help you, likely as not so will each of these people, but you got to let this go, let us help you
Joey looks at Dom, then at Alisha. "So, she did what you said you could do with your magic rocks? I'm not... why is that a problem?"
Guardians? You talking about the Dragon? What the hell is going on here?
Xannder has a confused look on his face and is trying to figure out the situation.
Guardians? You talking about the Dragon? What the hell is going on here?
Xannder has a confused look on his face and is trying to figure out the situation.
"So I should do as you say or your going to kill me? I don't want to fight you but don't be so sure that you would win. There are plenty of hunters out there that will kill a witch for no reason other than because she is a witch and I have had to defend myself before."
Joey shrugs. "This seems like a good thing to me. A friendly has the power the vampire was using before. Let's stop yelling at her and go kill Dracula."
"Yes but" he says turning to Joey and talking to him slowly, as though to a small child this is bad power, hurts people around her,
He turnst back to the witch I don't want to hurt you, the way I see it there are four possibilities, or rather three and a variation, first option, you relinquish the power, you can then either help us or not, next we fight you, and wrest this power from you, hopefully just knocking you out, and it out of you, but if we have to, we might have to kill you, I don't want to do that, and for a varietity of reasons"
Maria seems uncertain...hesitant...Finally she seems to make a decision.
"There is another option...Let me have this power for a short time longer."
She casts a spells opening a glowing doorway and steps thought it.
The glowing doorway of light closes and she is gone.
"Women always see more options..."
John curses under his breath "now if that isn't six pounds of crap in a five pound bag, I'm going to have to report this, unless there's something we can do on this end... But then even if there is, we've stranded her with reduced power, uugh, there just is no right answer here! Least not one I can see"
Joey looks skeptically at Carson and gestures at where Maria just disappeared. "Uh, 30 seconds ago you were the guy who just got here." He gestures at Alisha. "And 30 minutes ago she was saying she could attune twice as much of the same power to herself. So unless this 1 thing of 3 is super-bad," Joey looks at Alisha. "Is it? Is this one particularly bad compared to the two you have?"
"Anyway, unless this one is particularly bad, this kinda seems like sour grapes." He shakes his head and gestures in the direction Maria had disappeared again. "Look, whatever. She's gone. Lets get the hell out of here, too. Let's go embrace our inner Buffies and kick some ass."
"It is entirely possible I'm missing something, I was just queing off of how he was saying, she would be and I quote "damming her forever", "couldn't get within 100 ft of her" the her being her daughter, I assumed, being the new guy that you knew more and better than I did in regards to these thing, so I backed him up, and now with the reduced time constraints, I kinda want a fuller explination, unless of course you just wanted to ensure we were the ones with said power, whatever the case I do need to call in that the Danes have been dealt with, as soon as I know what's going on"
"Well, it's not just that unknown dark power is bad. But, yes, it always is. It's also that we made a deal with the elves that we would shut down these fanes and in exchange they wouldn't turn a bunch of innocent people into werewolves to use as cannon fodder in their pissing contest with the Dracula wannabe. One of said innocent people being her daughter."
He glares at the newbies.
"So, yeah. This was what one would call a bad turn of events."
He then relents, seeming apologetic. "Look, we're -- we're wasting time. We need to hurry up and meet the elves and hope we can salvage this situation."
He turns to Jon. "And, yeah, call it in. I think she's beyond helping by this point," he said with a heavy sigh.
Roy just shakes his head and lowers the gun, still scowling. "Should've just pulled the trigger." He breathes deeply and looks to Dom. "Yeah. Let's get going. Need to meet the elves. And I need a new kerchief."
Your heading out to the woods to meet the elves then?
-Posted with Wayfinder
Well I guess that could have gone worse. Sorry about yer spell castin friend. We should probably still save her daughter though, don't need another lycan-pire walking around.
Xannder shudders at the thought.
I'll buy the first round once this is all done with, you all have been through hell.
He then begins leaving the way they came.
When it seems like Alisha is ready to go, Joey heads back out as well.
You make your way back to the woods and you see a familiar face that comes to greet you. Hurnn the elf comes up to the group.
"Greetings, your group has grown since we last met. How goes your quest? Your time is nearly up the full moon is tonight."
well, it is good news, mission acomplished as stated, they are no longer supporting our mutual enemy
Alisha takes the last Depowered Fane before leaving the area with the others. When she meets with Hurnin she says, "Two of the fanes have been delt with. The third fane while not destroyed no longer empowers the vampire thus I believe he is now vulnerable to assault by whatever forces we can muster and attack the castle. I expect that this should fulfill our end of the bargin. The Fanes no longer empower the vampire thus we have our chance to strike."
"Then I will take you to the lady of the forest." He takes you once more to the cave were you spoke to the lady before.
"Remember you may not look upon the lady lest you lose your sight."
says Hurnn once you approach the site.
"Uh sure..." John follows slowly and matches pace with a party member and whispers "what's the lady of the forest, I don't recall that in my mission briefing"
Alisha says, "Very well let us visit the Lady and conclude our business." follows along and closes her eyes to make sure she does not look upon the Lady of the Forest and lose her valuable vision.
Joey follows along, barely managing not to stare at the elf or make a joke about the 'Lady of the Forest'.
Hurnn volunteers to blindfold anyone who wishes it and you are free to enter the cave.
The crystal clear musical voice of the lady is heard. "You have done well. Two of the fanes are dormant once more but one still remains."