"What do we do now?", Mara asked. "Go and rest somewhere?"
She healed Dervak and waited.
Theophilus takes out a wand to tap Dervak.
Kat agrees with Dervak’s idea and pulls out her extract of resist energy, holding up for a cheers before downing it.
Mara moved around behind Dervak and healed her friend.
There is a distinct lack of hostile action from within the room.
Theophilus feels a distinct lack of hostility coming from the room. He enjoys the moment....
Mara waited for the door to open, preparing to create and extra-dimensional pathway into the room.
Dervak also waits.
Theo closes his eyes and he opens the door....
Theophilus activates his Flight Hex.
"I'm expecting a blast of spells once the door opens. Mara, use your best judgment as to what to do."
Theo steps up, opens the door, and...
...waves of orderly magic explode from the room. Theo at the front is held rigidly in place as a bolt of electricity shoots through Theo and Dervak. The same blue grid strips away at your chaotic nature leaving you dizzied and sore.
Theophilus--luckily--had his eyes closed shut tightly during the entire experience.
The White Rabbit--unfortunately and a bit ironic--did not; and he seen the entire thing up until hearing the freaky little girl's voice from Poltergeist begging them both on....
Mara screamed, "Shut the door!" and moved out of the line of fire, healing Theo before he expired.
Dervak pulls Theo out of the line of fire and shuts the door.
Theo appears to be dazed and paralyzed and--not--unconscious. The White Rabbit isn't any better. Neither resist the repositioning....
Mara and Dervak close the door dragging their dead and bleeding comrades, strangely the outsiders don't follow or even open the door.
Dervak, still Enlarged, can carry Kat and Theophilus with little trouble until Theo is able to walk again.
"I don't know how to protect against magic like that, Mara. The blue lines that killed Kat. Not fire, not electricity... not negative energy..."
Theophilus seems even further pushed over an edge in which he has already great occasion to jump off of!
I say my dear Dervak; I believe we have crossed over! Oh, how I miss the sweet scent of lavender already! Do you suppose that we might be able to pocket scents before we..oh...you know...cross fully over?
He seems quite in earnest....
Shaken by Kat's death, Mara looked out for danger as she accompanied Dervak back upstairs. She replied to her friend, "My Dreamlands cloak helps against such magic, but that doesn't help us in the waking world. I should have noticed that Kat was so badly hurt after the first wave of spells.
"I'll need to pray tomorrow for the magic to revive her."
She used her rapidly depleting curative wand to restore some of Theo's health.
Theophilus is seen holding a wand as Mara begins tapping him with hers.
Thank you, my dear. A restful night of planning is in order.
He then taps himself.
I think I broke myself!
Dervak stews as Kat remains dead and Theophilus's condition worsens.
Not much good, am I? Don't know nothin' about this stuff... what little magic I have isn't much good.
Mara spent a miserable night in the Mysterium, anxious about reviving Kat and how to deal with Theo's affliction. Anticipating some difficulties with Theo's condition, she prayed for just spells to raise Kat, boost her own medical skill, and a spell to remove disease.
Knowing that she only had enough diamond dust to try the spell on Kat once, she rehearsed the ritual, before performing it in earnest.
Coming back from the dead is an ordeal. The subject of the spell gains two permanent negative levels when it is raised, just as if it had been hit by an energy-draining creature. If the subject is 1st level, it takes 2 points of Constitution drain instead (if this would reduce its Con to 0 or less, it can't be raised). A character who died with spells prepared has a 50% chance of losing any given spell upon being raised. A spellcasting creature that doesn't prepare spells (such as a sorcerer) has a 50% chance of losing any given unused spell slot as if it had been used to cast a spell.
A raised creature has a number of hit points equal to its current HD. Any ability scores damaged to 0 are raised to 1. Normal poison and normal disease are cured in the process of raising the subject, but magical diseases and curses are not undone. While the spell closes mortal wounds and repairs lethal damage of most kinds, the body of the creature to be raised must be whole. Otherwise, missing parts are still missing when the creature is brought back to life. None of the dead creature's equipment or possessions are affected in any way by this spell.
For each negative level a creature has, it takes a cumulative –1 penalty on all ability checks, attack rolls, combat maneuver checks, Combat Maneuver Defense, saving throws, and skill checks. In addition, the creature reduces its current and total hit points by 5 for each negative level it possesses. The creature is also treated as one level lower for the purpose of level-dependent variables (such as spellcasting) for each negative level possessed. Spellcasters do not lose any prepared spells or slots as a result of negative levels.
Once her friend was alive again, Mara healed her some more.
Once she had revived Kat, she turned her attention to the stricken hatter. She did her best to treat his condition without magic, then tried a magical cure.
Mara does a thorough examination of Theo and determines that the strange fibers growing inside of him remain but are not spreading further. The affliction is halted but not cured.
Theophilus smiles sickly at Mara.
You, my dear, are an angel sent to us from Heaven. Your medical expertise; your mastery of Conjuration School magic is a beautiful boon to us poor stricken (insane) Hatters!
The White Rabbit is seen practicing cutting off heads off of carrots with a dagger. After a few practice beheadings, the White Rabbit gives Dervak a thumbs up!
Mara explained to Theophilus, "That should stop the progression of the infestation. Curing it completely would require further treatment, which is someone harrowing. We could leave it till later, or I could administer it now.
"The procedure would involve draining some of you blood, bringing you down to the edge of consciousness. Then I would apply a dose of negative energy, causing you to black out, and hopefully kill the infestation. Then I would heal you as normal.
"It your choice when you want me to perform the operation. There's no harm in delaying things."
The White Rabbit looks disappointedly at his sharpened dagger.
I will be grateful if you--not him--operates. He has a strange, eager way about him.
Theophilus readies himself for surgery. He gets drunk.
You did mention something about plenty of liquor, I believe. Ready?
1st lvl (6): Ant Haul, Cure Light Wounds, Inflict Light Wounds, Liberating Command, Unbreakable Heart, open slot, Color Spray (spirit)
2nd lvl (6): Barkskin x2, Cure Moderate Wounds x2, Delay Poison, open slot, hypnotic pattern (spirit)
3rd lvl (4): Heroism x3, Remove Disease, Daylight (spirit)
4th lvl (4): Blessing of Fervor, Restoration x2, Threefold Aspect, Rainbow Pattern (spirit)
5th lvl (3): Breath of Life x2, Raise Dead, Overland Flight (spirit)
Mara prayed again for spells, preparing for her second try at treating Theo. She didn't remember saying anything about alcohol, but the hatter appeared to feel that necessary.
Once her patient was ready, she said a prayer over him. She made a small incision in his vein and placed a container under his arm to catch the blood. She blessed him with good fortune and started to chant, carefully monitoring his health. At the crucial moment, while he was still conscious, she stopped the bleed and called upon the dark energies needed to banish the infestation.
Continuing her chant, she examined the hatter to determine if the infestation had been removed or not.
Theophilus (slurred and red-eyed) watches the procedure. The White Rabbit still ready with his sharpened dagger....
The White Rabbit hops up and down with anticipation....
Theo feels 100% better after Mara tends to him and he relaxes a bit in the skin alchemist's home away from home.
Once Mara was sure that Theo was cured, she healed him up. consciousness.
Then she she restored his constitution to normal, and restored his health some more.
Theophilus wakes up refreshed. The gentleman even looks for a phone to call down for room service.
He takes out his wand of cure moderate wounds.
Mara tugs on the thin stands that link Kat's dead body to her soul and they simply break. Something is preventing Mara from resorting Kat to life, either her soul is unwilling to return to the nightmare that is life or by Pharasma's decree she her soul is beyond you.
.
.
Allegra, Ci Ci, and Pocky
Royal Accuser Allegra Gavrospex has a job to do, bring the errant Count Haserton Lowls IV back to Ustalav to face justice, failing that she has a mandate to execute the count for his negligence to his duties to the crown. To help bring him in she’s been authorized to hire mercenaries. Lowls was last known to be traveling to the Mysterium in Katheer thanks to a tip from the Sleepless Detective Agency’s own Cesadia Wrentz. Allegra’s group thought they had the count cornered, they had just entered the Mysterium and he was in its deepest part, the Soul. But shortly after they entered the front door things turned deadly.
From the corners of the Mysterium strange smoke erupted, and what followed was indescribable. Creatures who’s mere sight ripped a person apart. Allegra and her band made a fighting retreat and managed to scramble up a ladder and through a concealed trap door in the ceiling; a perfectly circular meditation chamber. They could hear the screams of the priests and scholars dying below but the trio didn’t throw away their lives.
Any time they tried to leave the cruel guardians appeared right before them and drove them back to the meditation chamber. It's been almost a week and as you dare to venture outside the things have not reappeared. All that’s left to do is to venture deeper into the Mysterium to learn of Lowls’ fate. After turning around the heads of four angelic statues a gate opened leading below.
The shaft from above descends to a crossroads of arched corridors. Beyond the doorways, the walls are laden with shelf upon shelf of books, curious objects, and things of an arcane nature. The stone walls are covered in bas-relief carvings depicting thousands of faces in various expressions. They peer from behind bookshelves and seem to watch you as you move. As with the level above you the halls are line with books and curios but they’re less cluttered. The air is cooler and carries the scent of old books and centuries of burned candles mingled with the wretched stench of death and decay. A sooty film coats the stone throughout. Littering the hallway are a number of corpses, twisted into unnatural shapes and burned with acid or fire.
As you begin to explore this level you find that you’re not alone. Another group, two humans and a half-ork meet you in the hallways. Allegra recognizes two of them by reputation, Mara bint al-Katheeri and Theophilus Carter. They are or reportedly were Lowls former fixers, Cesadia’s report indicated that they were no longer and were pursuing Lowls in hopes of stopping whatever he was scheming. The third member of the group is familiar but Allegra can’t place exactly why.