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As you guys have probably noticed, I haven't posted for a while. I'm not sure when I can get back but I will do all in my power to do so. In the meantime, keep the faith and the great bonds! I'm liking Dungeon World a lot and it's sad to be away from it.
Halwyr has come to appreciate his mind's eyes. Sure, they didn't busy him out of the spell, but they can do plenty of things normal ones can't. Though he can't see Temellen, he saw Olivius, and he can see both and more presences on the deck of the skyskipper. The elf's presence is easy to discern, what with the emotions flowing through it: Rage, confusion, and so on. And so it's child's play for him to find Temellen's lungs and pull the breath from them and violently as he deserves.
Halwyr knows one thing about his predicament already. Body and mind are separate in time. If that wasn't true, he wouldn't be thinking right now. In his mind's eyes, now his only pair, he pictures the magic holding them in place. The aura is thick, and incredibly strong. His purely mental magic is also not voided by the time-stop, as it moves at the speed of thought which cannot be altered. Such a lovely experiment, he thinks. But the mage's abject calm is replaced by white-hot anger. His friends, new and old, could be about to die, at the hands of this elf with little respect for life. Give in to the anger. Emotion begets power. Halwyr stops trying to burst the barrier with power of will. Instead, he lets the chaos of his mind become pent up, creating a resonance of not willpower, but simple thought. The thought is bolstered by the maelstrom of his emotions, his shrewd thinking and calculations, and finally his power over thought. Like a battering ram in the realm of magic, he slams his emotions against the barrier.
Did...Did that just happen?" Halwyr says uncertainly. "Who is he, why'd he kill the Professor? He's about to pay for that."
"When this is over, I'm giving myself a title," Halwyr says enthusiastically. "Maybe 'Halwyr the Blind' or 'Halwyr the Benevolent' or something cool like that. All right, we're bringing it down!" he yells, aiding in Olivius's efforts with amother spray of elemental energy.
"Hey, ugly! Try hitting me with your mighty magic," Halwyr taunts. He's a bit frazzled that his first two spells failed, truth be told, but he trusts in his counterspells, at least. Once more, he sends his mental sickle at the priest.
Halwyr chooses to dispatch the orc quickly, without much regard for his own safety. With a flourish, his mental sickle slices a strange runic pattern in the orc's chest as it falls. He feels Viola rejuvenate his body, and shoots a twisting bolt of lightning at the priest.
"Don't look down, don't look down...." Halwyr mutters. If his eyes hadn't parted company with him three days ago, they would have been shut tight under his bloody face-rag. Before he can say, "Look down! Eat this, Greeny, it's for my eyes!" and blast the orcs as he planned, he loses his grip and plunges earthward! Thinking quickly, the mage quickly attempts to slow his fall. No summons for a while, I promise myself.
Uh oh, Halwyr has time to think before he jumps to Borak's mount, screaming, YAAAAAAAAAH!"
"All right, head for the beacon!" Halwyr yells. "I wish I had some grenades..." he mutters wistfully. There were grenades in his father's storehouse and at HQ, why didn't he ask for any? Nearing the beacon, he stops thinking about grenades and focuses his will, channeling more gouts of elemental energy. Hellfire, fiendish lightning, rimed frost, and powerful sonic vibrations leap from his outstretched hand towards the beacon.
Halwyr is on his mount, ready for takeoff when he notices Dambreth stir. "Hey, you!" he shouts. "Want a ride back to the beacon? I'm with the Hand, don't worry, I'm on your side." Without waiting for an answer, he commands one of the Pegasi to stay on the bluff with Dambreth. "If its skin is falling loose, get away from it," he tells both Dambreth and Borak as they take off.
"Thanks." Halwyr turns away from the hobgoblin and begins to summon a new mount, hopefully more durable this time. As he works, he says to Borak, "I don't know anything about a beacon, I had a different mission. But if we can figure out what and where it is, I'd be glad for your help in destroying it." He finishes casting.
Well, do what you like, it certainly makes sense. Truth be told, though, Halwyr is a good guy who wishes he had been granted piwers from a more benevolent source. Actually, he didn't want any powers, he just wanted to be a successful merchant in Terminus. But given that he slings death magic around all the time, being superstitious around him might be a good idea for a while.
Hey, I resent that! Even if I did that (which I wouldn't) it would have been natural! I'd most likely have a scrying pool of sorts...filled with the blood of my enemies!
I like how this works. I forgot to add Transmutation and Divination, but I think most of Transmutation is neither Aligned nor Opposed and Divinations might be Opposed on a case-by-case basis. I also think what you say about Illusion makes sense, it's less Mirror Image and Invisibility (though I see much reason why they would be Opposed, either) and more Phantasmal Killer (on a lesser scale, of course) and Vision of Hell from UM.
Okay, I don't expect you to answer this today, as per what you said. But I figured I should post before I forgot about it.
Specialty School (suffering, horrors, corruption):
So, I think that would include: -Almost all Evocation -Conjuration (Summoning/Calling subschools only) -Some Enchantment? -Maybe a bit of Illusion and Necromancy? ("summoning horrors" could include illusions and undead) Prohibited School (creating new things, humility): -Some Abjuration? (We've ruled force barriers as "creating") -Pretty much all Conjuration except Calling and Summoning (Healing definitely out) -"Retreat" type spells? I mean, I understand not being able to cast something like Expeditious Retreat, it's for running away. -Illusion? (This depends on what you view as creation.)
I've been there, man. I feel for you right now.
"Everyone get clear! Get away from the drake and and the demon! Except you two," Halwyr shouts, then drops his voice to a whisper, summoning to his mind the words of some of his most powerful Abyssal death magic. "I have something in mind for you two. Sorry about this," he calls to his downed creation. Halwyr lets his power pour forth through his fingertips, letting it flow until it connects with the orc and the drake, sending up a ground-churning explosion of fire and concentrated lightning!
Halwyr has noticed that drakes 3 and 4 have broken off pursuit, still following the other drakes but not attempting to attack. He thus prepares to end the chase quickly and decisively. "Everyone hold on to something...Yeeeaaah!" he warns, breaking off into a triumphant yell as he he urges his bound demon into a screaming power dive towards a ridge devoid of orcs.
"Sounds like a solid idea. If anyone here's a better, quicker flyer than I am, which isn't too hard, I'd prefer they tried the maneuver." While waiting for anyone else to step up, Halwyr attempts to create a diversion by filling the farthest away drake with lethal amounts of pain, as if it is being stabbed by one hundred swords!
Halwyr doesn't know about the plan with the ghosts and the drakes. He's mostly just concerned that the drakes might kill them all. He's not so sure about the effectiveness of fire on the oncoming drakes, given that they seem to breath it out, and he tries to remember what he's learned about them.
Halwyr, noticing Viola's obvious aversion to his mount, veers off. Unable to resist a legalese jibe even in such a dire situation, he call over his shoulder, "Well whatever floats your boat but may I point out you're the one hanging over the orcs and I assure you that my fiendish powers and minion and lack of eyeballs give an inaccurate display of my character and that I do not use such means for inherently evil purpooooooses!" Halwyr speaks incredibly quickly and his last words are drowned in wind as the demon rockets away. He urges it to circle, however, in case Viola or any other prisoners decide to choose survival over "alleged morality," as his father would call it. "Anyone give me a shout if they want a lift! Better alive and fighting evil than dead and spiting good! Or do I need to magically lift you?! I assure you, this way is easier!"
Halwyr looks through the hole in the cage, realizing that it might be safer outside - if he can get out alive. He is relatively swift in dodging arrows so far, but it won't last long. Halwyr jumps out of the cage, white energy coruscating in his clenched fists. As he falls, he attempts to summon a horrific flying demon-hawk thing to fly him to safety.
Halwyr knows he won't be able to dodge the arrows, especially in a cage. He thusly decides to manifest a large, mobile shield of force in front of himself.
Sorry, I forgot to come over here.
He never worshipped a particular god, rather all the divine powers at once. He lost faith entirely when his eyes were lost to more orcs, who took him prisoner. His powers let him retain his sight, but he now hates all orcs. Unconditionally.
All right! One alias coming up! |
