Rick tries to guide the converstion to a more practical subject. "So, magic or science apart, no one understand how that void works, correct? I've got an hypothesis about that, anyway. Can you explain to me how exactly the portal behaves and how is it inside that place?"
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"You used a lot of 10 GP words there Sallrana. Seems to me that you're trying to conve...convi...tell yourself that you're right, even though you know you're wrong."
"and that's a tautology Roger, when you learn to debate with out making circler arguments I am wrong because I am wrong being one such tautology and what you just said. We can have an educated talk about the differences between, mysticism and science. Until then let's move on shall we."
Roger probably being to dull witted to know he's just had the equivalent of the logic rug pulled our from under him may just keep on going, with "your wrong your wrong" But lady Slivermoon will not be lectured to by a half-wit. she's having none of it. Moving herself so her back is to Roger, she talks to Rick.
"freezing cold! a convoluted city space of impossible wooden facade'ed building, under the wood, flesh. The buildings, streets all living. Time moved slower there, and in that space, others like us, I know now from other planes, pulled in by this thing like us I think. In that space a tolling bell, and things that feed on us, shadows that fell on some adding there body to their form, hands, faces, legs. One came out after us, it had many in its body, Roger more than once, me as well, john and Jack. Horrifying nightmare of of a thing."
She then waits to see if the others add any thing or Rick offers up his hypothesis.
"Like I said, peoplemonsters. How was that unclear?"
She says getting up,
"as a description it's some what lacking Roger."
She walks over to her bed placing her bag on it she starts pulling out a number of items,
One being a peace of wood, she throws it over to Rick.
"Here this came off one of the room walls with in the building we examined, it has fragments of the beings flesh on it, dead now I think."
Then she takes out a crumpled tent, and starts carefully repacking it.
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John smiles and shakes his head.
lordy, you can speak when you got a mind to. But I think you striking over the head of your audience.
John thinks a moment and then says
I think that plane was alive. We had been swallowed into a...stomach? A reflection? The beasties were real, and dangerous. Their weak point was their head, their central head. When I shot that it hurt it.
John refills his glass and reflects on the experience. I saw another me get ripped to pieces, and it hurt me. The beasties were like...antibodies destroying bacteria. Yes the more I think about it, the more I think this was how the beast...the plane eats.
John take a good swallow of the wine. not a good place
Rick listens carefully, while also examining the piece of wood and flesh. "Well, it does sound like a weird place. How do you know that time move slower? And how was the light in there?"
"If it was a stomach, it would be for a really weird creature. Do you really think that's the case?"
Jack obviously starts struggling with the language, trying to convey concepts for which he has no words.
Giving in Jack cuts himself with a claw. A few seconds later a slimy residue forms over it, then changes colour to match Jack's skin.
He turns to Sallrana
Sallrana stops and looks over at John
"Antibodies destroying bacteria John and you say your not an educated man of science, tusk tusk it seems you did have a modern education after all, yes Jack I can, just think them and HexQin will translate them."
HexQin jumps down and comes over to the table, sitting in it, it starts to glow green.
Then she go's back repacking.
"Aye! Gearish sounds like fun! Anyway, you convinced me of my theory, Jack, at least for a great part of it. Something did not disrupt power there. That thing is something like a black hole, in lack of a better description!"
He smiles, satisfied with it. "It will absorb everything. Time, Magic, Life, Light, Heat. That's why the portal did not close, the heat of this world is enough to keep it's claws firm through the portal, draining the elements on this side."
::"Please think words Jack, I will speak them in common"::
"I shall speak Jacks words"
Said in a thin Tinny voice.
"That thing is something like a black hole, in lack of a better description!"
"Now you Rick, Black Hole my, my, I only just read the papers on Astrophysics and singularity mechanics last year, you really do get around"
wile she talks she takes a fine looking Kitarna sword out of her back, un-hilts it and looks it over. Then puts it back, the a number of weapons come out, Throwing spikes, a garrotte, some kind of dart, daggers, she then repacks it all. Leaving only her revolver and a gun kit, she brings them over to the table and sitting, starts to reload the cylinders and cleaning her gun. She points and clicks it a few times to check it wile the others talk.
"Well, a black hole is like a void, the stuff of legend. But there was magic which could do that, a long time ago, I've heard."
"Think about it. If that thing was related to the actual cold, it would shrink during the day, when it met the sun. But it doesn't seem to be shrinking at all, but rather the opposite, right? You would have to forbid it from having what it needs. Maybe some real cold when in the darkest time of night will prevent it from having the strength to remain opened?"
Yep -checking in it is okay to have Hex.Qin pick up what Jack is thinking by telepathy and relay it to the group in more fluent common. Also checking Sallrana is okay for me to post what Hex.Qin translates.
Jack thinks in Gearish, reflexively translating his words into common as he goes.
Jack's slow, thoughtful, simple voice booms out, echoed by HexQin's translation
"The version of Sallrana that accompanied me into that damnable place hypothesised that sufficient fire could injure - perhaps kill - the beast."
"If we assume that Rick's theory is correct, then that suggests this creature somehow derives nourishment from increasing the entropic gradient. Metaphorically a sort of anti-sun, black where the sun is bright. If this is true then it is possible there are limits to its ability to derive nourishment in that way which in turn suggests that providing sufficient energy in a short enough period might cause damage similarly to attempting to cram an entire turkey down Rick's throat might kill him. Of course even should that prove impossible, if there is in fact no limit to the amount of energy that the creature can consume at any given time there remains the fact that Fire consumes matter to produce energy and in that way is entropic itself."
"Given the Orcs used the world Schultenbrak to describe it, which is not an Oricsh word, it is possible others may have studied it previously and survived to leave notes. Notes that could help us could someone find them. Possibly even notes describing the bell tone that we heard."
"It is possible that the 'people monsters' that Roger refers to are not in fact intrinsic to the place as a whole but may living in parasitic or symbiotic existence with it."
"Working on the theory that fire can indeed injure the creature I have been working on truly terrible incendiary weapons. Rather than simple vials these are carefully built barrels. When triggered the barrels use easily ignitable materials to ignite progressively longer burning materials, ending with coal and certain flammable metals."
"The two major issues that can be foreseen is that the barrels will be denied me as they are an ingenious incendiary siege device I could use to cause serious damage to this city. Secondly if the Schultenbrak is underwater then the fire may not work."
The wind whistles through a crack in the window, and there is a momentary flash of light that illuminates the room. While at first you think it might be lightning, HexQin reports otherwise... it was an arc of matter, a bright burst, emanating from the gateway that you're currently discussing. A few moments later another follows it, and then another. They are soundless, and at this distance you can't really make out whether they are affecting the surroundings... but they're certainly lighting up the night sky.
Gos over to the window,
She gets a binocular out of her bag,
"We may not have time to rest
From the gateway. They remind you of a display toy once saw, Sallrana, a meta-technological device that harnessed lightning. The bursts of bright energy from that gateway resemble the crackling force you saw spit back and forth between two copper rods...
She looks but can't see to much.
"It looks like high voltage electricity, so we think its feeding, seem what I am seeing is food spill."
She thinks for a moment
"You know I just had an idea, OldHands at the night market takes payment in past events, undoing them, what if it feeds on that, just as this thing feeds on positive energy. You know we could use that, use oldhands. What if we all sold him the same moment, the moment we entered the Portal, with course and effect it would undo the danger to this world and OldHands himself. What do you think, we would still have to go in and get boldwin and my other self. You would need all of you to work."
"Things like this always seem to turn out worse, not better. I don't think you can trick something like that."
"Hmmm... also, I don't think they take past events away. They take past memories away, so you would not remember a past enemy who desperately wants to kill you, but he certainly would cause the event still happened."
"When will that stuff be ready Jack?"
Her back to them looking out the window she says matter of factually
"Well thats not going to work then, what dos that leave us with, tying to close it from outside or inside, with or with out help.
We agree I think we have to go back in to get Boldwin out and I need to fine my exit if there is one. If not, the reality for me maybe that I have to stay here. That the other me is dead and never got out. That I will fine hard, I have learned things about this plane that are disturbing."
She gets out a small note book and pen. Starting to take notes on what she is seeing.
"It dos not seem to be growing, I think we can rest tonight and then find out just what others are doing about the Portal tomorrow. Make no doubt others will be trying to fathom it. Something like that shows up, there is going to be a lot of panic and worry. So it may not be as simple getting back in as we think"
She comes over looking to see what the other says.
In Gearish she says to Jack
"Motion maybe impeded, pressure may be needed"
The stars burn high above as Sallrana notes and the rest of you bicker, make decisions and finally sleep, your rooms awash with the unnatural glow of the gateway.
You wake slowly, and it's hard to shake the tiredness from your limbs as you do so. Your room is silent, and other than the birds and the sound of the wind through your half-open window it seems that the rest of Koltsvin Port is silent as well, at least around the Clock-Spear.
A glance out of the window through tired eyes confirms your suspicions - the gateway has grown overnight, large dark spurs now jutting up through the water around it. The lack of city bustle does not bode well as far as the reaction of the citizens goes, and the streets are nearly empty near you but thickly crowded out towards the docks. If you strain your ears you can hear a speech of some kind going on, an oration that the assembled crowd is being quiet for, but it's too far away for you to make out any specifics.
You shiver as you step back from the window - the morning is colder than the previous day was, either as a result of the changing seasons or the malevolent influence of the gateway itself. The Night Market having proven a dead end for most of you and there being no other help on the horizon, today might just be the day that you head over and deal with the problem Hawcroft's allies have made for the port-city.
Roger quietly says prayers to whatever gods are listening that things will be okay, then heads down to join the others for breakfast.
Jack wakes, looks and shakes his head. Dressing he joins the others for breakfast.
"This is a bad thing. End of the world bad. Rick: I hope those things will be available today. I think I should go and light a fire under them."
He pauses, and looks sideways at Roger for a moment, then continues.
"Not a real fire. A fire in their heart. A real fire would be very bad."
"May be we must go to the door very fast."
"Also, those from last night may come back with more friends now that the door is so big. They know we know about the door. If they told their boss about us, their boss may send very many friends to ask us things."
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For the first time in a while, john prayed to the god he represented. His belief slipped from time to time, justice and law were more his balwick, but he respected his god as the author of those. He waited until he was alone to do this.
Abador, Lord of law and civilisation, hear me. This city, perhaps the world stands on the daggers edge. Aid us this day, so we have days there after.
He dressed himself, loaded and holstered justice his pistol, sheaved law his mace and doned faith his armor. John's faith was a real thing to him, grounded in the items he owned and his view of the world. Lastly, him put on the golden torc. perhaps I'll name you prudence. Appropriate I guess
Then pack over his shoulder, he went to breakfast.
There is no breakfast to meet you, and no stirring yet from Sallrana's rooms. From what you can glean from the remaining staff, the cook and most of the maids and attendants have headed down to the docks to see the execution.
"Execution?... Killing? Who is being killed?"
'They've found the ones responsible for opening up that... mess, whatever it is, out in the harbour. Two orcs, apparently, out-of-towners. Bloodthirsty practice, if you ask me. I don't hold with it.'
The maid moves back toward the kitchens to see if there's anything she can do in the absence of the cook.
Jack grits his teeth
"Let's go."
Rick arrives in the same fashion he did yesterday. He nods to Jack's comment about the bombs, but the sudden change of plans made him follow the group. "I should not assume those two have anything to do with you, or should I?"
Rick smiles. "My oh my, you really put an effort when trying to get yourselves killed, hun?"
Sallrana emerges, sleepy-eyed and a little bleary - but she snaps into action when you inform her of what's at stake.
"Man, I usually have breakfast before I start breaking knees. People are so busy, busy, busy these days. No one stops to hear the screaming" Roger says, then steps outside, grows large, and starts heading towards the area where the execution is taking place.
Miria follows closely behind Sallrana as they leave they leave their room, having a similar reaction upon hearing the news. She is quickly geared up and goes down stair as quickly as possible, following John out of the door.
After the Knock on the door from John she go's over and opens it.
"Could you not wait just a few more hours, O well lets get going".
the 1st time in a real bed for ages and they get her up at this
gods-less hour.
She heads back into the room, Seeing Miria already getting up.
A fast wash and a coffee ordered to her room for her and Miria by HexQin, Miria seems to be darn fast at getting ready, where as her Ladyship takes her time.
Her clothing changes to her bodice suit and knee high boots, Arm length gloves. Then out of her bag comes her gun and Katarna, a cloak. Then Hexqin in place and she's read and out the door, Miria just behind.
As they come down she sees the others,
Rick is back, humm where dos he go at night..
Seening Miria go over to John, she heads over to the barkeep.
"Keep our rooms please, we will be back later"
She then heads over to Jack.
"Ready when you are Jack"
She says in Gearish.
"John lets not just go rushing in guns blazing, this may be a trap to get us to do just that, Let me go ahead to infiltrate."
Then to Rick and Miria
"You two know this place where the two ORcs will get the chop yes?, Rick your with John, Miria your with me, your to keep us out of truble until we get there. If there is a large crowed we may have to do a distraction and swipe, if small we can just do a Bluff, extraction or a rush, rescue once we know more we will know witch.
She list the grafter terms, Then to Miria.
"Miria Its scouting time for us, lets go we will be a little way in front the others."
With that she runs off ahead as some speed, her clothing hiding her form.
[ooc]She light carrying load, Miria what's you movement, GM aim is to scout ahead and find the site.
Rick keeps moving toward their goal. "So, John, why again do we have to face the whole island to save the orcs?"
Miria nods her head once and disappears into the crowd. Literally. Even with her distinct features, she cannot be found in the crowd. She masterfully makes her way toward the square where the executions are usually held, close to the docks. Hopefully they make it in time, without making too much of a scene.
Shallrana seems happy that Miria has gone ahead and done her thing.
"I really must offer that girl a job in the RIC, she has skills"
She says to HexQin.
Hooded and cloaked she enter looks over the mob.
seeking guards and other troops, There is no hiding the big guys, but her and Miria's job was to deal with the unknown and unseen, back up for John and the others.
Under her hood she brings up her psiic armour and starts to feel the temper of the throng. They needed means out once they got the Orcs, she starts looking for a cab or cart, even a couch.