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Valas, taking more stock of the case, advances forward again to about even with his new companions. He still creeps along quietly. When he reaches his destination, he throws both arms forward, emitting a bolt of shadowy stuff at the archer in the Southwest corner .
Valas throws one arm forward and fires a shadowy bolt of… something at the nearest archer
He then tries to blend into his surroundings…
Valas enters into the mind of the cackling fae with a suggestion. Very cute. You will surrender and offer your hands until my group binds. you. The drow braces himself for the surge of energy.
Powerful Charm (reference): This works as the lesser charm, but the creature obeys any course of action given, so long as the suggestion is not obviously fatal or against the target’s nature. Basic requests cause the save to be made with a -2 penalty, while very simple requests cause the save to be made with a -4 penalty.
The drow only sighs. Indeed I have. They all come from the same place, but they are an assortment indeed.
Valas' eyes narrow at the site of the fey agents. He quickly projects a mental message to his new companions.
These agents are here for me, they will be relentless. I would understand if you do not wish to join me in fending them off.
Some notice a lump in his throat as he fights off something within himself. Out loud he speaks in a grim tone to the fey agents. Whatever occurs, it will not happen inside of this place.
Valas cocks one eyebrow in confusion. There has been no discussion of a discount. The gruff man over here spoke first and we would get the suite. He quickly turns to leave, muttering to his companions. Let's... go find an inn with less surveillance where we won't be setting off alarms all night as we practice our crafts and divine the meaning of the unnatural peaks.
The drow sighs and sets his mind upon the nice lady behind the desk. Suggestion for the nice lady:
You know how some guests like to throw their weight around. Making three guests perfectly comfortable and one slighty-less entitled will still earn you and your staff a good flow of coin in tips. The fox is cunning, but bushy-eyed wizard spoke first. He will get the suite for himself and the other two. DC24 Suggestion: You may plant thoughts into a target’s mind.
Lesser Charm: You may plant a suggestion in a target’s mind, which they obey as if the thought had been their own (Will negates). The suggested course of activity must be limited to a sentence or two and must be a very simple request. The creature performs the suggested action until it finishes, or for 1 hour per caster level, whichever comes first. If you choose, you can instead specify conditions the creature should look for, (i.e., “you should search the next person who enters this room, looking for weapons.”) If the condition is not met before this duration expires, the activity is not performed.
Valas smirks at the fox's demand. I may be a loaner, but I can exist in the same room as the others. Like Sifso, he studies the individuals present in common rooms on the way to their rented room, and after.
Hmm. Indeed it does, but I wonder where it translate to trouble. I suppose we will see. the Drow remarks, only slightly dubiously. But, as you do know the language, I'm sure I'll appreciate that translation very soon. He looks about, wondering what Tian locals must think of one such as himself. As they walk along others notice that his right arm is held straight out to the side, and he lets his hand glide and bob along in the air as if "feeling" something. I wonder what the ley lines are like around here. I shall have to survey more closely once we are settled.
As they walk through the city and approach lavish inns, Valas leans in towards their noble friend. So... do people here know you?
After the others pop out of existence, no doubt re-appearing near the city gates, Valas takes a moment to look around at his surroundings. He breaths deeply one last time before following his new team to the city... Then, bracing himself for possible sickness and descending into the peace of his thoughts, he takes hold of concentration and continues his existence at the city gates, blinking away and reappearing by the others.
Aww. Nobody is up for some time under the stars? Okay. Indoors luxury it is. Valas remarks. Agents looking for me tend to be looking in populated places. I suppose Tian Xia is pretty far off of the trail thought...
The drow steps through the portal after. His first thought is to setup a safe place for the evening, but he's also keen to scan their new surroundings for danger.
I must admit... I have never been to any place in Tian Xia. You might let me know if I seem to be doing something against customs there... I will strive to blend in as quickly as possible. the drow muses, frowning.
When the silver fox returns, the drow is sitting cross-legged in the corner, still focusing on the prism orbiting his head. He barely notices, but turns to stand up, inspecting the floating maps. Great, so we have a general destination? he asks, to the room generally. Shall we depart?
Valas pays the closing portals no mind. Always forward, never backwards. I have to stay one, two, three steps ahead of the fey...
I'm... not even sure of my own real name. Wherever that power resides, I know not. I suppose that means it's relatively safe enough for now.
Don't be long the drow mutters. He seems slightly irritable, like he can't wait to pull away from the conversation. Presuming that Vulpiano is leaving for a short while, he turns away to let himself be distracted in something of a meditative focus. Any who look to see what he's up to notice that he's focusing on the orange prism stone orbiting his head. What his mind may be doing under cover of this distraction is unclear.
Sure... let's say mage. Valas grins sheepishly. I'm still counting on you to locate the sphinx, what with that history masters! He continues listening to the rundown of those present, turning to the raven when it is referenced to check for a reaction.
The nobleman chuckles at the question. "My masters in history? There's not much use for that 'in the field.' However, my doctorate in medicine has seen its fair share of field use. Like that one time I raised my little sister after one of her summonings went terribly wrong." It seems like there was a use just now. I thought maybe you were practiced at locating and identifying unique creatures in the field. Anyway... how long would tracking down that journal take. Something tells me we're going to be confirming or denying that "decoy" in Osirion at some point. It's just then that you notice a small, orange prism orbiting the drow's head. It's seemingly been there the whole time.
Turning to the drow, he replies "Yes, actually. I've been a student at the University of Lepidstadt since I was twelve, and one of my primary majors has been the study of bygone eras." If Valas had to guess, he would probably say the young man was around twenty six human years in age. Hmph. Sounds like an idyllic choice for your early training. Have you ever put it to use in the field?
It would seem I am surrounded by historians, and those who catalogue esoteric creatures? Valas queries.
The drow frowns and gives a dubious look. Will this sphinx attack us on sight? Do you owe it a debt?
Valas nods, presuming the raven will next tell them where to find said volume. Please tell us it's not in the possession of the Whispering Tyrant... or the noble houses of the fey. It's more of a sideways muttering than a direct statement to address.
Through the portal: The drow notices Sisfo's tensing and holds his breath for but half an instant until the man continues.
So it seems he replies softly. After Sisfo asks what he was told, he pauses at length considering the question. Is this a test as well? How much is safe to say? Finally breaking his silence, the drow says, simply: Honestly he... it, they said very little. There were incidents, prophesies, and that they believe them to be of substance or importance. Now I am here.
Through the portal (Gardolf, Sisfo, Valas): The drow exhales and steps through the portal. He fully expects it to close behind him when he crosses the threshold.
He finds two others already present in addition to the concentrating bird.
A tall drow enters the room. His long white hair cascades over his back and the hood of his cloak which is currently thrown back. No weapons are apparent on his person, and both hands are visibly emerging from the front of his cloak and empty. He looks around the room and nods at those present. Greetings. Are you familiar with this... being who has brought us together? Is it just to be the three of us?
DM: The drow bends down, his hands on his knees, waiting for the nausea to pass while the illusion dissipates.
He stands up and wipes his mouth with the back of his right sleeve just as the raven arrives and beings speaking. At first he holds a squinting, suspicious gaze at the raven. As it proceeds, his expression shifts to quizzical and then intrigued. Such a map would certainly be an interesting start. I've heard enough to hear more about these dangers, and then I can decide whether to fully commit. I have a list of my own loose ends. Though, I suppose we all do. Okay, let's hear more about these prophecies.
GM: The drow becomes frustrated and lets a low growl slip.
Who is your maker?
This time the welling of a massing amount of energy gets to him and additional warm waves wash over him. He feels slightly queasy as he pushes throw to try to shred the shadow conjuration.
[ooc]Unclear if this applies to MSB:[ooc]
The character takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.
GM: The drow frowns again at his failed attempt.
No matter, I still don't believe in you... it's only a matter of time. But more importantly, I need to figure out who has created this shadow. They must be nearby...
GM: Oh...
Valas smiles at the realization and gathers energy for an entirely different psychic maneuver. He imagines his energy wrapping around the illusion to constrict it and snuff it out. He envisions the illusory body yielding to the constriction.
DM: You don't listen, do you. But you punch first. Do I know you? What... are you doing to me? He feels something more than just the physical intrude upon him.
GM: Valas frowns as the man turns and continues to charge at him. 800 ft is quite a distance though and he has to wear out at some point. He folds his arms and stares down his approach, scowling viciously.
He lets the energy well up again, this time much more of it. Others might liken it to eating too much and feeling ill after. Valas braces himself. Sometimes during his training the expenditure of energy would induce massive headaches or nausea. Right now he can afford neither.
He yells out: Stand still where you are!
This works as the lesser charm, but the creature obeys any course of action given, so long as the suggestion is not obviously fatal or against the target’s nature. Basic requests cause the save to be made with a -2 penalty, while very simple requests cause the save to be made with a -4 penalty.
GM: Before I take Valas' next round turn, I neglected to roll a Fortitude save for spending a spell point in the first round.
Painful magic: or be sickened for 1 round
GM: The drow looks over his shoulder and pushes his hair to the opposite side. He calmly looks at the human curiously. Do you mean to pass me, sir? He turns fully around, facing the charging man to see what he will do. After a brief moment, he begins focusing inward to prepare for the potential impact, letting extra energy rise up from his body and well at the forefront of his head. This is perhaps not precisely how it goes, but he makes a point to visualize his psionic energy as flowing through his body in this way. The rivers flow up and down it, carrying energy from where it rests to where it is needed. It's more of a focus or meditative aid. He prepares a manifestation... and waits for an answer or for the man to reach him.
Spoiler:
The Valas will hold the action but wait cautiously to see what the human has to say, or what further action he might take.
Spoiler: The mysterious drow suddenly disappears from the human's vision and reappears 800 ft. forward (in the direction he is facing, which is very far behind the human). If the human were to trying to tackle the drow at the last moment, or otherwise launch himself at him, he would fall forward onto the path.
When the drow re-appears, he turns and watches the human to see how he reacts, now 800 feet away.
"Which way smells better? We'll go the opposite way." |
