"We don't yet know who is doing the killing, or why, but you're certainly a suspect in my mind until you explain yourself better than that, whatever the color of your hair. As for manners, you're the one creeping in through magic mirrors in the middle of the night."
The first man laughs heartily. “Can’t a man skulk through his own mirror? What happened to our beautiful country?” The second man chuckles, giggles really. The man knocks on his breastplate proudly as he responds to Seth. “My Durendale duties. Savin’ this country from what the man above tells me. Ain’t a life of glory, but was is anymore?” He foot stops tapping, and the mirror ripples once more.
A third exits from the mirror, a young woman, perhaps a bit younger than her twenties. Her hair his short and her eyes are like large, striking emeralds. Her cloak is cut at the shoulders, and a hood rests behind her neck. The first man speaks to her as she exits. “Pathfinder, we off course. Think we in the Tail.” He looks to Nishara, but scans the others for some indication if he is right.
She speaks under her breath, her voice almost lost to the sounds outside. “Clear as shit we're off course...” She takes a step away from the mirror, dropping down to a knee as she opens the bag at her back. She takes out a scroll, looking at it. She traces a finger across the weathered paper. “Twelve hops now, all charted.”
The mirror ripples for the fourth time. A large dog emerges, hair as pale and white as the moon. It snarls, but Pathfinder extends a hand, calling it over and silencing it. The dog nuzzles over to her, and she has to writhe around the dog to curl her map back up. She rises.
The first man twists the top of the lead pillar, this time in the opposite direction. The device is sealed once more. He heaves it over his shoulder with a groan, bringing his gloved hand to the mirror’s edge. “Funny. Said I’d buy drinks, and here we arrive in a bar. Shame really, wanted to bring y’all here too. Y’all’d love the owner, boys a real f!!#in’ riot he is.” He touches the surface of the mirror, but gives his full attention to the others in the room.
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Marcus seems to choose this time to enter the room "I do believe I heard a compliment of my bar and myself, or at least I think it was a complement, now then, I must ask what you are doing here, I'm frightfully out of the loop, but this here is the honeymoon suite, and I sincerely doubt that it is being used as such by all you fellows here"
Marcus enters the room, Madeline behind him. The roar from outside fills the honeymoon suite. Marcus looks to the man, while Madeline looks past him, towards the mirror. Her familiar cocks its head.
The mountainous mirror man tries to identify Marcus, but the first visitor cuts him off. "Tamarin!" The first man calls out with apparent joy. Marcus' entrance seemed to have confirmed his idea about where they are. "Say a devil's name and they come-a runnin' I 'spose. Durendale Special Forces, won't be intruding much longer." The first man breaks his concentration on the party, looking around the room and taking it in for the first time. "Honeymoon, huh? Love to stay and flirt, but a job unfinished ain't much a job, is it?"
When he addresses you, you feel an inkling of recognition in the man, though the thought is fleeting. The man seems vaguely familiar. At the same time you feel as though you have never met him before. It almost is like seeing someone after many years, only to find them changed by time, no longer than person they once were, no longer the person you once knew. You don't recall a name, or even a feeling or context, but you are certain you've encountered a man as this in your life.
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"Tamarin" puts on an overly dramatic look of shock and offense draping his arm above his head "I've been in the room not ten seconds and you've already likened me to a devil, perhaps the earlier description referring to me as a riot was not intended as a compliment after all-" he then grins and chuckles at his little quip.
When the job is mentioned Marcus remarks "depends on the job, some give partial credit for piecemeal work, others have you better off not finished, and still others are better that you never start than leave the job halfway done, what might this job be that you're trying to accomplish in the middle of my establishment Mr... Uh dang it I know we've met... Jerry... No maybe Tim?... Something with a V?..."
Halcyon begins to relax, as the group seems to mean no harm. She does recede to the wall on the far side of the room anyway, just to be cautious. She fishes in her pouch for her deck and draws a card, curious to see what the cards might suggest about this development.
The card is The Marriage, showing a strange pairing of a woman rising out of the sea and a fiery man rising out of flames, with an infant whose head is covered with a deep sea diving helmet. It symbolizes a coming together of two separate things, and also suggests a permanent change. She glances from card to the strange quartet and keeps silent.
"I can't speak for the others hear, but my evening has turned into not what I was expecting and to be completely honest I don't trust any of you. Do you have any sort of identification I can see so to know you are who you say you are." Seth moves his hand away from his blade and tries to relax a bit more, but it is obvious he is still tense.
The woman looks to Marcus as he begins to guess names. As her face twists to surprise, the white dog begins to snarl lowly. She turns to the first man, speaking over Marcus as he lists names. “He knows you. How does he know you?” She reaches takes off her bag once more, rifling through it. “Charles won’t be happy. We need to change the mission.” She grabs something contained in the bag, and looks up warily to Marcus.
The first man sighs. When his smile fades, he appears as tired as everyone else in the room. He wipes a hand down the side of his cheek, spreading blood across half his face. “Stay down, Pathfinder. Leave me worrying ‘bout Charlie.” The first man turns to the mercenary. “No, don’t got no papers. Mission has no names, we agents of Roland tonight.” He turns to Marcus. “Only business I got here tonight is leavin’. Speaking like a nitpick, y’all brought me in here.” He taps his hand to the mirror. “Maybe it’s time to get to leaving.” He gestures to the larger man, beckoning him as the first man takes a step into the mirror's surface.
Halcyon makes mental notes of all the names and what they say, intending to write it all down as soon as she can and ask Jean-Tom if he can put the pieces in comprehensible order. The authorities might want to know as well, although she wondered if this group was perhaps a secret operation which no one in charge would acknowledge.
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Raphael watches the goings on with a smile as the 'operative'. He glances appraisingly at the second man as his name is rattled off, but he doesn't respond. He studies each of the mysterious faces intensely, hoping that something would jog his memory. He finally deigns to speak as the man prepares to leave. "I've been quiet until now, but I think it would be unwise for you to leave so soon. I'm curious who you really are, because you are certainly no member of the Durendale Special Forces. There is no Homeland Infiltration branch. I also can't imagine any member of the Forces referring to his superior as 'Charlie'. So perhaps you'd like to reconsider your lie and explain who you actually are? You're travelling about discreetly on the night when many keel over dead, have knowledge of the nobility, and are lying about your purpose. You'll understand that it looks very suspicious." There is a hard edge to Raphael's voice and his hand rests easily on the hilt of his dagger.
Raphael doesn't believe what they're saying and is letting them speak to dig themselves deeper.
Half through the mirror, the first man stops. He leans his body back, head still within the Tail. He listens to Raphael, expressions hidden as he faces the rippling surface. He is still as the two others look toward him, and he remains silent as Raphael speaks. The room is silent for a few moments, but the tavern stirs with life outside. A chuckle breaks the silence. It turns to a hearty laugh, and the lead pillar on the man’s back knocks against his armor as he continues to crack up.
His voice breaks, and the gruff, gravelly, voice fades to one more genuine. He sounds soft spoken, gentle. Almost tremulous, with nervousness or suppressed glee. “Never was a good liar.” He twists his head back to Raphael, smile spread across his entire face. “See you soon, Raphie.” The man enters his mirror.
The surface shines for a moment, and the grinning face shows in the surface’s reflection. The image draws his dagger, pointing it towards those in the room. His other hand beckons, and he speaks, but the words fall on deaf ears.
In order of introduction:
The mountainous man takes a quick step through the mirror, ducking under its frame and keeping hold of the body on his shoulder. While the large one doesn’t appear in the mirror, the reflection of the first man leans his blade forward at his entrance. He recoils at the sight of a friend. The first man mouths something again, points in a direction, but keeps his dagger aimed at the room.
The silvery dog growls, aware of the changing mood. Pathfinder still has her hand in the bag, looking to the party cautiously while she inches to the mirror.
Sage
Raphael
Dog
Man in the Mirror
Pathfinder
Marcus
Halcyon
Seth
Raphel smiles nastily at the man, eyes narrowed as he draws the dagger, "No, you weren't. It will be difficult for us to meet again, you having never given your names." He chants briefly, calling on Abadar's blessings, "Master of the First Vault, Bringing of Law, Judge of Gods, guide my hand." A soft golden glow seems spread from the holy symbol worn around the lawyer's neck until his body glows faintly.
As Raphael draws his dagger and offers prayers to Abadar, Pathfinder draws one of her own, leaving her sheathe in the bag. She runs through the portal, disappearing from the room. Her dog quickly follows, dragging its claws against the base of the mirror as it exits.
The man in the reflection leans his blade forward as Pathfinder exits the inn, though she is unseen within the mirror. At her sight, he brings the blade down to his side. He smiles, eyes looking out to the room. He turns around, and vanishes from the reflection.
The mirror’s surface ceases to ripple, and reflects only the Honeymoon Suite and its occupants now. Valentina looks around the room, taking a step towards the mirror. While she has been silent, she contemplates following the mirror-invaders. Nishara remains at the back of the room. At some point she drew a thin dagger, partially hidden in the folds of her jacket sleeve, though no one recalls quite when she armed herself.
Madeline nods at Marcus’ commands, dashing out of the room. Her shouting is heard as she exits, but the wording is lost to the roar of the crowd.
Bolded Figures have gone:
-Sage
-Raphael
-Dog
-Man in the Mirror
-Pathfinder
-Marcus
-Halcyon
-Seth
Halcyon's only reaction to all that happens is to grip her staff in front of her and move over next to the door. She takes a defensive stance and watches intently.
As Marcus moves toward the mirror, Halcyon looks to the others to see if any are moving to follow.
Valentina looks toward her construct. “Defend the mirror.” She reaches into her purse, removing a small pistol and the orb she removed earlier. She gives it a light tap and it once more spurs to life. “Find the mirror-people, record them.”. She grins. “Well, I want to see what was in that lead container.” She takes a step forward.
Nishara doesn’t say a word and follows her brother. She puts a hand on his shoulder and gives him a slight yet reassuring smile. She draws a potion and swallows its contents.
Bolded Figures have gone:
-Nishara
-Sage
-Raphael
-Dog
-Man in the Mirror
-Pathfinder
-Valentina
-Marcus
-Halcyon
Seth
Seth draws his sword and mutters under his breath. "I knew I should have brought my shield.". He takes a few steps forward before turning to Lucia. "Take my horse and go home. Don't worry about me, I have been through worse.". Lucia nods in response as Seth turns back and goes into the mirror.
Seeing the others move through the mirror, Halcyon kicks off her high heels and prepares to run after the others if the mirror remains "open."
Marcus charges into the mirror. Seth trails Marcus, the mercenary’s blade drawn and mind resolved. Nishara dashes in pursuit, dagger at her side, eyes softly illuminated as she passes through her own reflection.
Marcus dashes through the silver portal and while blinded for a brief moment, reaches the mirror realm. Marcus enters the dark void within the mirror. It stretches endlessly into darkness.
The three figures and the dog are still within the mirror. They seems to have exchanged gear. The first man holds both the map in his hand and the corpse on his shoulder, in addition to the lead pillar over him and the dagger he drew earlier. The silver dog growls, standing and snarling closer to Marcus than he would like. The three are alerted to Marcus’ presence as Seth enters, followed by Nishara.
Round Two, Bolded Figures have gone:
-Nishara
-Sage
-Raphael
-Dog
-Man in the Mirror
-Pathfinder
-Marcus
-Halcyon
-Seth
As the others dash into the mirror, Raphael follows through the portal, his familial dagger in hand. Dashing to the side to make room for the others, his unoccupied hand drops to his side and a dagger seems to drop into it as if from nowhere. "Stop this madness, man. If nothing else, you are found out and you will be hunted for all time. Don't throw your life out as well." Without waiting for a reply, he whips his hand around to throw a dagger at the mountainous man.
Raphael comes through the mirror, hurling a blade at the large man exiting through an opposite surface. The blade cuts across the man’s torso, ripping at the skin in his side. He cries out as he leaves the mirror, staining the rippling surface in splotches of crimson. The dagger strikes the mirror behind the large man, and drops to the floor as he retreats into it.
The silver dog lunges forward, bringing its jaw down on Marcus. The woman takes a step at the same time, and brings a small blade across Nishara’s chest. They attack the Tamarins in unison.
Fangs tear into Marcus' arm, and a pain fills him. He manages to strike the dog off with his off-hand, shaking the beast off. The hound pierced through the fabric of Marcus' outfit, and stained parts of its snout red. As Marcus endures the pain, Nishara twists her hip back, avoiding the blade that came to her. The kitune stared at the woman, thinking over the best spot to land her blade in.
The armored man dashes towards the black-iron mirror. He struggles for a moment to get both the body on his shoulder and the lead pillar through the surface. As he walks through the mirror, it cleans the blood left behind on the surface from Sage.
Valentina enters the room, dagger drawn. She almost drives the blade through Marcus’ back, but manages to cease her charge. She takes a few hops and relocates to a less occupied position.
Second Round, Bolded have acted
-Nishara
-Sage (-6)
-Raphael
-Dog
-Man in the Mirror
-Pathfinder
-Valentina
-Marcus (-4)
-Halcyon
-Seth
Halcyon steps through the mirror, heart beating fast. She almost retreats immediately when she finds herself an arm's length away from a snarling dog biting Marcus.
She wields her quarterstaff and tries to help him defend against the beast.
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"Surely you don't think that you can keep all of us at bay." As he speaks Seth draws his longsword and takes a slash at the dog, but fails horrendously.
Seth brings down his longsword, but in his care to not strike Marcus, the blow didn’t connect. Marcus drives his blade through the dog, finding a spot behind the hound’s neck. The blade pierces half down to the hilt and the dog howls and whimpers. Marcus removes his rapier, pushing the dog back with a boot. Blood pours to the floor and hangs thickly on the fur of the dog. It hobbles, falls over, but rises back to its feet unsteadily. Pathfinder shouts curse words to Marcus, refocusing her efforts on him now.
"YOU BASTARD, I'LL CARVE YOU TO PIECES!" Her eyes are wild and her face is contorted in anger. Nishara takes a quick step to the side, arriving at the woman’s back.
Nishara thrust her blade, but the woman was not caught unaware. She nimbly twisted away, the dagger only tearing at her clothes. Her breath grew unsteady and her knife pointed erratically from foe to foe.
MIRROR MAP, Third Round, Bolded have acted
-Nishara
-Sage (-6)
-Raphael
-Dog (-20)
-Man in the Mirror
-Pathfinder
-Valentina
-Marcus (-4)
-Halcyon
-Seth
Raphael curses as the apparent leader flees through another mirror. With no path forward, he watches his nearest opponent for an opening, then nimbly forward through his guard to slash at the man with his dagger. Raphael grits his teeth as he presses the attack. "If they get through too many mirrors, we won't be able to pursue them properly."
Raphael analyzes the woman. He finds his opening as she dodges Nishara’s blow, slicing his dagger across the woman’s shoulder. Her hands jumps to address the wound, limply aiming her knife at the lawyer now. She bites her lip with a grimace, adjusting her grip on her weapon as she takes her red hand away from her shoulder.
The dog makes a second attack on Marcus, lunging with less zeal than before. It again went for Marcus’ arm, but Halcyon’s quarterstaff caught the beast by the jaw. The oracle pushed the weakened dog aside, withdrawing her weapon back behind Marcus.
“No, not carve.” Pathfinder says, correcting her earlier line. She withdraws backwards, dropping her dagger to the floor. She reaches into her shirt, grabbing at something under her collar. She begins to whisper into the void, calling to spirits of nature so far from her.
The woman curls her bloodied fingers together and a small ball of fire forms at their connection. She opens her palm and the ball expands, growing to the size of a large fist, illuminating the room around her, casting dark shadows behind the party. She raises a bloodied finger to Marcus, and the orb darts towards him. “Scorch.”
The ball hits Marcus in the stomach, lightly bouncing against his core. The burn quickly follows, melting the cloth at his belly and searing the chainmail he wore underneath on his flesh. Nishara flashes a quick look of horror, and turns to the woman with a low growl.
Valentina reaches into her bag, gripping a familiar object with a smile. She draws her pistol and sends a quick pulse of light through the room with the pull of a trigger. The gun roars like thunder, but lacks an echo in the mirror world.
The dog's whimper is lost after the shot goes off. The bullet passes through the hound's chest, and it falls to the floor. Pathfinder's face twists in agony when the dog drops. She chokes on her words. "M-Mako."
Mirror Map, Third Round, Bolded have acted
-Nishara
-Sage (-6)
-Raphael
-Dog (Dead)
-Man in the Mirror
-Pathfinder (-5)
-Valentina
-Marcus (-13)
-Halcyon
-Seth
"-Attackers from a Mirror, they carried a corpse on them. Their leader was this..." Madeline re-enters the Honeymoon Suite, dragging an inebriated Guard behind her by their wrist. She enters the room with a quick stride, her owl familiar already in the room. She looks around the room, spotting only Lucia and the clockwork servant. The Guard appears confused at the lack of intruders. He points to the robot, asking if he should arrest it. The diviner looks towards the mirror and contemplates chasing after them all. "Gods. No, just remain here."
Madeline curses under her breathe, looking up to give a quick, anxious smile to Lucia. "They all followed, didn't they, darling?"
Seth takes this opportunity to step around Halcyon to be next to Sage and he tries once again to attack, hoping that this time his blade finds its mark.
Lucia perks up and looks over at Madeline. "Oh... Yes they followed through. It seems they don't want to let them get away."
Seeing the flame burn Marcus, Halcyon immediately says, "Consanabit", and touches Marcus.
The woman gives Marcus' offer no response. Despite her predicament, she continues her attack. She seems to have accepted that her order's to "Stall 'em" would lead to her demise. Seth's sword goes through the woman's stomach. She looks down at her wound as Seth casts the blood off his blade with a quick swipe through the air. The druid falters for a moment, stooping against the frame of a wood-lined mirror. Her hand falls to the frame, marking it with a bloody hand print.
Marcus' wounds begin to fade away as Pathfinder's grow more severe. His gnawed hand completely heals and the skin closes without scars or marks. While the pain from his burns is mostly gone, the flames lick at him still.
Mirror Map, Third Round, Bolded have acted
-Nishara
-Sage (-6)
-Raphael
-Dog (Actually not dead, just unconscious/dying)
-Man in the Mirror
-Pathfinder (-14)
-Valentina
-Marcus (-3)
-Halcyon
-Seth
You emerge from the black iron rimmed mirror. Straight ahead, on the opposite side of the room is another mirror, a circular, frameless reflector, perhaps a bit under two feet in diameter. It'd be a tight squeeze to go through that mirror. A bureau stands in front of the mirror, and a small candlelight dances between two jewelry boxes.
On your left are a collection of colorful dresses. Hundreds of outfits for all occasions. On your right are many jackets and coats, evidently this half of the wardrobe is the man’s. Leather shoes, almost all identical save for the patterns engraved on them. One pair of shoes stands out, for they seem poorly crafted and have two large legs branching out of them. The large Sage poorly hides among the coats. The other man is nowhere to be seen.
Sage swings a heavy fist at the first intruder, striking fast for such a large man. Were it a smaller fellow, it would have been easily shaken off, but clearly Sage is no stranger to fist fighting. The blow almost knocks the wind out of you. As you briefly curl over, Sage retracts his fist, and raises his hands in front of himself, ready to brawl.
Halcyon's move action will be to shift away from the flaming sphere to stand behind the dark iron mirror. She tells the wounded woman, "Surrender and I'll heal both you and your dog."
As each blade and gun turns to her, Pathfinder begins to choke up. Her breathing is erratic, and her gaze falls to the blood gathering at her feet. Marcus and Halcyon ask for her surrender, and she seems to oblige. The ball of fire by Marcus shrinks from the size of fist to that of a ball. It flickers down to the size of a nail. It dies as it blinks out of the world.
The woman falls to her knees. She curls her arms over her legs, and hangs her head low. "S-Save Mako. Please."
Nishara passes her brother a vial from her pocket, tossing it over to him. She grins. "For next time." The sister moves through the crowd, passing through the Black Iron Mirror with her dagger drawn, continuing the chase.
Somewhere far away, Nishara enters a room, a wardrobe it appears. On her entrance, Sage swings a heavy fist at the first intruder, striking fast for such a large man. Were it a smaller fellow, it would have been easily shaken off, but clearly Sage is no stranger to fist fighting. The blow almost knocks the wind out of Nishara. As she briefly curls over, Sage retracts his fist, and raises his hands in front of himself, ready to brawl.
Sage slings a chop down on Nishara’s shoulders. While the kitsune buckles, the her chain armor absorbs most of the blow. The large man attacks a second time, swiping an elbow towards her, connecting with her ribs. Nishara feels as though something shatters when the blow connects. Her confidence drains when the man’s second blow hit her.
Mirror Map, Fourth Round, Bolded have acted
-Nishara (-13, disabled)
-Sage (-6)
-Raphael
-Dog (Unconscious/dying)
-Man in the Mirror
-Pathfinder (-14)
-Valentina
-Marcus (-3)
-Halcyon
-Seth
Once more your vision fades to a screen of silver. You enter someplace far from the Inn.You emerge from the black iron rimmed mirror. Straight ahead, on the opposite side of the room is another mirror, a circular, frameless reflector, perhaps a bit under two feet in diameter. It'd be a tight squeeze to go through that mirror. A bureau stands in front of the mirror, and a small candlelight dances between two jewelry boxes.
On your left are a collection of colorful dresses. Hundreds of outfits for all occasions. On your right are many jackets and coats, evidently this half of the wardrobe is the man’s. Leather shoes, almost all identical save for the patterns engraved on them. One pair of shoes stands out, for they seem poorly crafted and have two large legs branching out of them. The large Sage pokes out of the coats on the right, and Nishara stands in front of the mirror, drained of color and energy. Sage sighs as another challenger enters. The other man carrying the lead pillar and the body is nowhere to be seen.
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"Now as you have surrendered I require that you turn over any weapons or magic items and walk carrying the dog through the mirror to the inn, you will do whatever the guard says when you get there, is that understood?" If/when she accepts he will wait only long enough to confiscate the equipment and see halicon stabilize the dog before following after his sister, crying out in suprise as she is downed, and casts cure light wounds on her
Halcyon repeats her healing spell and touches the dog.
Raphael, seeing their opponent in the first room surrendering, hurries through the mirror in pursuit of the fleeing men. He emerges into the room, squinty to make things out in the darkened room. He's alarmed to see Nishara looking hurt and flips his golden dagger to his off hand. He takes a moment to try to reason with the thug, saying soothingly, "Don't be a fool and throw your life away. That other bastard is surely to blame for all that's gone wrong here. You can save yourself a lot of trouble by dropping your weapon. I'm a lawyer and I'll represent your defense if you will drop your weapon now."
Pathfinder removes her bag but stays coiled by her mirror. She looks to her dog, speaking aloud but to no one in particular. “We did what was needed… no one else would. Men and Gods will someday smile upon us...” The druid almost seems to be justifying herself. She watches Raphael depart.
Sage doesn’t lower his fist as Nishara’s reinforcements arrive. Raphael comes first, issuing terms of surrender. Sage eyes Raphael and brings his hands together. “I, uh, can’t drop these.” He pulls his hands apart, returning to a battle stance. He edges closer, no longer masked in coats, revealing a but of blood from Raphael's earlier knife-throw on his sides