Arc 3 - Glimmers in the Dark (Main Roleplay)

[Mongooseh]

"Do you think that lass will be guarding it like last time?" Wondered Valac aloud.  

[Southern Cross Nemesis]

"Safe bet, she will be there now. After they complete the gateway..." Ruin would continue his answer to Valac with a shrug.

"Seeking a round 2?"  

[PupSage]

"Actually ... we should probably handle that first, aside from Maukien likely being there with the advance troops, chances are they will be bringing the rest of their army through the gateway. Once that happens our odd of stopping them plummet into a zero. We could probably meet my family and have them get behind the effort. And I could find some herbs and shoot a message to my siblings at the main encampment to see if they are willing to come. If we can't bring down that gateway, even if we save my clan mates, we are dooming this entire area to a worse fate." She slams her hand down on the table. <********. I hate this."  

[Kowsauni]

Irene pauses from her breakfast to give Revenge a look along the lines of, why are you asking her for a piece of paper when you have watched me continually sketch things for our entire journey. She then produces a pencil and a peace of paper from her magical pockets and gives it to the Paladin.

Pomona thinks about it for a moment and responds "Well, the archway thing they're building is a little past the mind flayer city but still close to it. I usually fly around so I'm not sure how long it would take to reach it by foot."

Lydia would comment. "So what you are saying, you think these soldiers are preparing to summon a much larger force. This is a precursor to...an invasion?" Lydia seemed to suddenly come to some sort of realization and would give Kuori a glance. "I...I don't think we are meant to stop this, but rather, we should take advantage of it."  

[PupSage]

"The images of the tides in the vision ... yeah. Though I'm not sure that those portals are able to be altered. I think they are just two way doorways. And I'm not keen on just dropping into enemy territory."  

[Southern Cross Nemesis]

"Care to share with the class?" Ruin would state the obvious confused.  

[Rain Yupa]

((@ Kowsauni: Sorry, I'm overwhelmed with life right now but trying to continue here so it doesn't hold everyone else up as a courtesy. Please forgive any faux pax I make until I can get a handle on things. There's just so many NPCs to keep track of.))

Quote:

24 Intelligence check to recall accurately what the portal looked like at the end of the last chapter in as much detail as I can muster.
20 Charisma check to commit that mental image to paper.

+2 to each of these results if Jack of All Trades applies.

"Thank you Irene," Revenge would say, nodding in appreciation before placing the paper down and began to draw what he recalled of the portal.

After a few minutes he'd ask, "Kuori, Ruin, does this look right?" he'd ask of the sketch. If they approve, he'd turn to Pomona.

"For ease of transport, it would make more sense that they'd assemble it when they arrived at their destination. Miss Pomona, how far along did it look like when you observed it, knowing this is the final product?"

After her answer, he'd turn to Ruin, "Would you happen any insight, be it from your arcane knowledge or... personal experience dealing with this enemy... how long it would take to complete this?"  

[Southern Cross Nemesis]

"Your missing Maukien standing there, but it is good enough for government work." Ruin would comment on Revenge's drawling, before thinking of his quesitons.


(Knowledge checks to answer Revenge's questions.
Arcana 17
History 24  

[PupSage]

"The vision that I had back at the shrine. Tide washing away the rocky crabs, a few escaped to high ground, spider leading us to the rest. Squids. Apparently Lydia got her own vision of us arriving."
 

[Kowsauni]

((I was mostly just teasing you Rain, its ok that you forget details giving the length of time that this campaign has been running.))

Pomona looks at the drawing in Revenge's hands. "Umm, what they had their was mostly still in pieces...but, the pieces they had lined up on the ground definitely looked familiar to what you have drawn, which is why I though it might be some sort of arch. They were still just assembling the base when left from observing them, but that was over half a day ago."

When Ruin thinks about what he knows about the archway he realizes it involves magic well beyond his realm of understanding. Before encountering them personally, he did not even know Aria had this kind of magical technology. However, he does recall his conversation with with Arian Mage back at Light's Stand and remembers them moving massive rocks and boulders with their magic. Armed with that knowledge, he feels it would not take the Arian's long to assemble a structure even as massive as the archway if they had a couple of mages working on it. In fact, due to the length of journey in front of them to even reach the place, he feels the party would be hard pressed to reach the structure before it was completed.  

[Southern Cross Nemesis]

"If it isn't together by now, it will be by the time we arrive. The mage at the fort, the one that took over Fi.. Revenge's girl's exorcism. Was lifing boulders before hand. They would only need a few of those type of people to complete the ground work... Sorry. " Ruin spoke softly  

[PupSage]

"Then the damage is done either way. So do we drop into the encampment full of monsters intent on enslaving people, or do we take our chances with the Mindflayers first. If we destroy the portal, that prevents reinforcements from coming through which means that they will be easier to deal with. Even if we tried to assault them after we infiltrate the Mindflayer base, it's not like we can count on the two eliminating each other, Aria will just send more. And you know that they won't just be sending in soldiers at a certain point. I've also got a sister with one last chance to redeem herself.

I'm not sure what the best move is here. I feel like it's going to intercept the Arians, but we could very well die if we do that, and we came all this way. But if we ignore them, so many more will suffer just so that I can save my tribe."  

[Mongooseh]

"Fighting Arian's is always a safe bet." Chimed in Valac ,"Don't mind fighting squid people but feels greedy to have this many enemies. Who is everyone else fighting? Need to save some for the rest to fight."  

[Southern Cross Nemesis]

"Those at the fort may help if we can convince them to act against my country's aid... The goliaths are still reeling from the UUF's first attack. The Fox and Lydia groups aren't fighters." Ruin paused for a moment and turned to Lydia. "No offense."

"Short of finding with the drow. Valac's right. We may just have to fight everyone. Or make a deal with one side and focus on saving your people."  

[PupSage]

Kuori nods. "Alright. We stop to see my brother and fill him in before he heads back. Then we head to the Mindflayer camp. With any luck what is left of my tribe, and if we can convince them, maybe working in tandem with the fine folks in here, can destroy the gate while things are hectic and we can pincer them in. I doubt those that we save will be in any shape to fight, but if we can keep them hidden and get them to safety, then we head to the Aria encampment to help ... assuming we are in any shape to be of use."