"What are you doing! Don't do that!"
As Oozula yells at Suny,
"Huh? wha...?" Suny blinks and looks at the golden Kobold...standing there illuminated by the great, glowing gem.
And stares in awe at the pretty-ness that is Oozula...
"Ooo...pretty...".
Uflad, surprisingly, doesn't seem fazed by Suny's reaction. "Intermittently, this jewel seems to have that effect on people. We lost three miners the first day to wonderment alone." he scoffs, but quietly. "It seems to be a by-product of how unique it is, not any specific magical spell. At least, that we can tell."
Suny ignores the grumpy sounds and shuffles closer to stroke and pat the pretty...
oozula doesn't mind being petted, if it keeps suny away from the death-crystal.
Suny moves closer and begins to snuggle the pretty.
"Sooo prettty......" Suny coos.
oozula seems to enjoy the attention somewhat.
Caln keeps a safe distance but does the best he can to examine the magical attributes.
How can it be moved if no one can approach it?
Hmm... The nature of a thing.
Uflad shrugs. "That's a problem we haven't addressed yet. We had barely had time to study the thing before the Fetchlings came and made their demands. They wouldn't respond to our questions, they just said 'surrender the artifact or die' basically. Quite unreasonable."
Caln and Jaxx cast the minor cantrips needed to see magical energy, causing their eyes to be limned with a soft white light. When the two of you open your eyes again, it's a struggle to contain your shock. The gem is not there at all when viewed under magical sight - it is a globe of pure white light. You detect constant low-level movement coming from within the light.
Caln, you've never heard of nor seen anything like this before. Jaxx, you're aware of evidence showing that there are people inside this light somehow. You detect the magical signatures of several individuals, but they're in flux and difficult to get a good read on.
oozula casts identify to attempt to figure out what the object is.
Oozula, with the enhanced arcane sight your spell grants you, you see something truly startling. Thin, almost invisible green threads of light are snaking toward the center of the ball of light in the middle. The green light trails can be traced to the outer edges of the room, and upward....following them up, you give a startled cry as you see barely-visible ethereal bodies, floating not five feet above all of you and spaced evenly around the chamber. Their eyes are closed and they appear asleep or meditating as they float, and the green light connects to the center of their chest.
Arwen waits patiently for the results of the magical expertise...
Suny tries to sneak around the cat-walk and out of sight while every one's distracted with 'Glowy eye' symptoms...
"As it floats, it could be pulled with chains or ropes. Just walk them around it and pull it along. I could write something up."
Arthur focuses his concentration onto the gem to look at the colors its aura produces.
"You could talk to Kor-tal, the blacksmith, about forging such a chain..." Uflad continues talking to Arthur about Kor-tal's skill in forging as Suny sneaks to the other side of the catwalk. She's out of sight now.
Pick up a rock, an' thow it at tha' glowy thing. (^_^)
Basically she's waaay out of her depth with this magical thingy. So...she's gona; poke it an' see whut happens. (^_^)
No only does that pose the problem of transportation but also what to do with it. We are not heading back to FreedomTown nor do we know of any secure place. Any idea?
"Aren't we giving it to the fletchlings? I don't know if it's a good idea, but I remember that being the plan."
"I'm more than content with the idea of letting it be their problem," Uflad confesses. "But I'm not letting those brutes take it while my colleagues are still trying to interact with the thing. I tried the normal methods to draw them back into their bodies but was unsuccessful." He points upward, directing your attention to what Oozula saw with her identify spell.
** (^_^)
When Suny throws a rock at the stone, its trajectory bends in midair and it spins in a rapid orbit around the gem for a moment before being flung right back at her! She's barely able to duck as it whistles past her head and impacts the stone wall behind her.
"Well, i think i can see them.. They seem to be connected to the... Object."
"Indeed," Uflad nods. "They are in communion with the magical energies inherent to the gem, in an attempt to understand it. It's really quite remarkable a discovery - it amplifies magic to tremendous degrees. In fact, we believe there may be a pocket dimension at play here." He stares grimly up at the ethereal figures, which look just like the figures in the tub at the tower.
"Fascinating. It's manifested a physical aura."
He pulls the glasses down and back up to see the lines in both the magic visible plane and on the regular.
Well i am not convince that is the best course of action Arthur. But first thing first we need to try and get the wizard out of this.
Suny stares at the big glowing thing.
"That's in'erestin'.......That's very in'erestin'...." She ponders even as she wanders back towards the group...and looking for 'Scratch'...
"Indeed," Uflad nods. "They are in communion with the magical energies inherent to the gem, in an attempt to understand it. It's really quite remarkable a discovery - it amplifies magic to tremendous degrees. In fact, we believe there may be a pocket dimension at play here." He stares grimly up at the ethereal figures, which look just like the figures in the tub at the tower.
"Uflad have you physically tried to wake the wizards?"
Suny wanders back after a circuit of the cat walk.
"Um...so..we's know it in't a glowy gem thing, right?" She asks of no one in-particular.
"Indeed," Uflad comments, resting his hands on his waistcoat. "The gem appears to be a lattice framework manifestation on the physical plane from the raw ambient magical energy inherent to the artifact. Its true composition is unknown; we can't take any samples of it."
"I've tried to wake them magically and physically. Something has them bound in ethereal form, trapped, unable to return to their bodies. It's extremely worrying - I can't keep this community protected and safe by myself." Archer and Dagra share a worried glance.
"Maybe the Fletchlings have an idea of how to end the wizards entrapment?"
"Are strong enough to place the gem in an antimagic field? Perhaps that could sever the connection."
He chews on the side of his lower lip as he ponders options.
Ulfad if we volunteer for a rescue operation can you provide us with precise instruction on what do do?
Suny looks to Ulfad and opens her mouth...but says nothing.
Then she raises a hand and opens her mouth....but can't seem to say anything.
With a shake of her blond mops she sighs and moves over, to plop down in front of Oozula and Jaxx (If they are close together)
"Y'see? This be why I got's ta' learn a' speakin' of tha' peoples better. I din't get nuffin' of whut were said there..." She sighs, though her demeanor is still cheerful. She glances at Arthur and bounces to her feet.
"Hey! Din't ye be hearin' things? It in't no big glowy gem!" Suny expounds to the fellow lost musing in his mecha-chair. For emphasis she bends down,
picks up any small piece of rubble/stone and hurls it with as much force as she can muster,
Before quickly stepping behind Ulfad.
"See?! That in't whut be supposed ta' happen when ya throw somat at somat. That be whut happens when ye throw somat at some one." She points out.
"Maybe the Fletchlings have an idea of how to end the wizards entrapment?"
Uflad considers it for a moment, then shrugs. "I suppose it's possible. Right now, given that their interactions with us have been on the order of "attack on sight", I'm less than inclined to believe that they would assist us willingly. If you could broker a deal with them to do it, and they could help rescue the wizards, then I would accept their help."
"Now hold on a minute," Archer starts, his face getting a bit red. "We're going to talk to them now? All they ever say is that the artifact is theirs, they'd sooner kill us!"
Dagra puts a hand on Archer's shoulder and leads him around the circular catwalk away from the rest of you, talking him down. You can see Archer grumbling as Dagra whispers to him.
Uflad watches them walk away, shaking his head. Then Arwen asks his question. He turns to the head deputy in surprise. "You would seek to rescue them personally? There's a great deal of risk involved...I personally only investigated the crystal once, when it was first discovered, and have opted to...stay away, ever since." It would take a DC 5 sense motive to see that the memory makes him feel awkward.
He continues. "But if you would brave the artifact, you may be able to free the wizards, so they could escape the spell's hold on them themselves. I could guide you to the artifact in ethereal form, and you would proceed from there."
When Suny flings her pebble, it whirls around in a rapid orbit around the gem and flings free of its hold to fly right back in the general direction of where she was standing when she threw it. Uflad glances over his shoulder at the elf lass. "My dear, please stop throwing rocks at the magical anomaly."
Turning toward the deputy: I'll Go but i will take only Volunteers with me. he says calmly folding his arms on his chest
Suny looks from where the fallen pebble lays to Ulfad and back for a few moments.
"Now that's in'erestin'...That's very in'erestin'...." She murmers.
"It has defenses. Interesting. Good on finding that Suny, but I don't think having it protect itself makes it a person, hun. Though, this might complicate the moving it even more. I'm almost to the point of saying we fill the room with concrete and end it there..."
He regrets having to disagree with the adorable elf girl, but the science just wasn't there. And Science was always his number one lady.
He pulls his legs into the chair and crosses them, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands.
Suny looks back at Arthur.
"Huh?" She blinks.
"Anyways...whut abouts that anti-magic thingy ye were sayin'?" She asks.
if that option was possible Arthur i am sure he would have used it.
If the wizards themselves got stuck... I doubt any of us are the more skilled than they at the arcane. Let's implore the fetchlings.
But, first... Let's get out of here.
And the fetchilings obviously don't have any more information of it then the order they got from that "goddess" of theirs. It it might not just be an arcane problem that the wizard are stuck with Jaxx.
True, but if they want it back... it would behoove them to help remove the tower wizards. Also, what if it is their god or goddess that has trapped the wizards...
They may know of a remedy. Let's try the least risky action, observe it's affect then escalate. If a rescue mission involves planar travel, who among us is prepared?
Suny raises a hand,
"I dun' think tha' Fetchlings have more of a handle on thinks more'n tha' stuck Wizards." She point's out.
"Remember, Scratch were sayin' they jus' bin followin' tha' Goddess voices in they's head. Though, things be pretty much linkey'd...some how..." And she turns her large blue eyes to gaze at the great glowing thing becore them...absently running her fingers through her blond locks as she ponders.
Uflad watches you deliberate with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall behind him.
"So nullifying it with antimagic isn't an option. Perhaps going into it ourselves is the best option. I do know that wizards all tend to be very like minded, perhaps if we went in with our different perspectives, we could see something they haven't."