Karm, as you see the sigils on the buildings and the pavement, you can discern that the majority of their purpose is to draw a tiny fraction of magic from the air and the casting of magic in the vicinity of the sigils to power a Light spell, but there are parts of it that you just don't know for what purpose. You know that it is more than just for powering a simple spell, but you just don't have enough information yet to see the bigger picture.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Dvark keeps his shield out glancing around ahead of the group
Perception: 6
"If we want exits I say the train station, if worst comes to worst we can escape on the tracks. But if I keep my head down we shouldn't be too easy to spot. If we want to duck in somewhere there is a shrine to Auctolis on our way there but it might be a bit busy as well."
Dvark, you glance around, but apart from a couple of these homeless people along the way that has symptoms that remind you of the plague in your hometown, you find no danger to your own person and the group. It seems that the creatures that have chased the group have allowed you some respite.
Cob, you fly higher over the roof of the buildings around you, and you cannot help but be taken aback by the monotony and lifelessness of the place. You are used to a place that is vibrant and colorful, filled with joy and cheers. This side of Vortesso is anything but. You feel a sense of disdain and disgust that is not entirely your own at the sight of the Industrial District. The feeling creeps along your spine, up your neck, and into the back of your head that you cannot focus enough to see what Drexon has alluded to.
After 20 minutes or so of travel through the dense brick jungle of the Industrial District, the group exits to a boulevard. A sign says that this is Kandela Boulevard, and at the end of the boulevard, to the east border of the city, lies the Kandela Station. The Station is ten maybe fifteen minutes away, but its gargantuan ellipsoidal dome structure can be seen quite clearly from this distance, dwarfing the surrounding buildings.
Down the boulevard, about halfway to the station from where the group exits, lays a plaza with a white obelisk in the middle. Dvark recognizes it as the Monument of Creation, the shrine to Auctolis. Surrounding the plaza are all manners of food stalls and small shops. The lunch rush is about to end, but the plaza is still a little crowded. There are a dozen city guards and riders standing at attention at each entry point to the plaza; some of them are patrolling the plaza, calming down people, and talking to confused and tense vendors.
As the group begins to travel to the plaza, you can easily discern what causes such upheaval and sudden increase in guard presence. As has been informed before, the attack upon the group is not an isolated incident. Many people carrying powerful magical items are attacked and chased all over the city by these creatures. Some manage to flee and defend themselves, but some others are not as lucky.
“Well this is busier than I expected, and not just with normal folks. I guess those creatures have been here too”, Drexon says, looking around to see if any of them are in sight at the moment.
”The plaza looks well guarded, may well be the best place to lay low until the train is due. But which train? I guess the question now is, how are we running this crew? By majority opinion? I still vote for the high speed direct option”.
He looks around at the others, waiting to see if any of them want to make a play to lead, or if they are happy to vote.
“Our employers seemed very specific about our timeline. I think we should wait for our planned train.” Eremoz begins scanning the nearby buildings for a decent spot to climb to the roofs.
The crowd in the plaza rouses up suddenly and the guards move toward the northern entry of the plaza. From a distance, half a dozen creatures that have caused chaos in the city burst from some buildings and begin heading toward the plaza. Just as they are about to enter the plaza, the monolith in the middle of the plaza pulses, and a shimmer of cyan dome surrounds the plaza. The creatures hesitate for a moment before sprinting through the dome, bursting to dust as they pass through the shimmering barrier and failing to reform once again before dissipating into the air. It seems that the protection of Auctolis prevents those creatures from entering the plaza.
As the first group of creatures vanishes and fails to reform, another group appears and begins to patrol the vicinity of the plaza, testing where the barrier ends. All of you, together with the crowd and the guards, can see that the barrier stops roughly 300 feet away from the monolith. Eremoz, you easily find a construction ladder and climb to the very top of a building at the edge of the protective barrier. You can see that there is a stretch of perhaps another 300 to 500 feet that is probably unprotected if you are to continue to the station. You are not quite sure where the barrier ends on that part of the boulevard as the creatures seem to congregate at the northern entry for the moment.
Standing in the middle of the plaza, all of you find that you have the chance to rest here at least for a short while. You have another hour before your train leaves the station, but you have no guarantee that the station would have the same protection as the plaza.
“As we have a safe place to retreat to, I wonder if it is time to see if the creatures can fly. You fancy flying a little outside the shield with the box Cob?”, Drexon suggests.
”Or I could dangle it out from the roof for them”, he adds wiggling his fingers and causing a spectral floating hand to appear.
"I'm not sure if it's a good idea to tempt such a fate. What if they simply shoot him out of the sky? It just seems a little foolhardy to experiment just because we feel more secure. I say we get lost in the crowd until we can board the train. If we want cob to stay in the air with the box keep him low where we can still help him." Dvark looks a little rattled glancing back at the plague victims. "I just think we are being paid for security so that should be our focus"
Cob looks around at the where the edge of the shield seems to be and then over at the food stalls.
"A snack might be nice first," Cob says, not keen on going out as a guinea pig.
But looking at all the guards he nods.
"Guess we can give it a try. I can always just toss it back in if they get a bit handsy."
He looks around the crowd again before his eyes drift out to the area outside the plaza.
"Do you think that actually kills them when the vaporize like that? If it does, what's making them so desperate."
Cob offers to take the 'magic' box and fly up to the top of the barrier and outside of its protection to see if that attracts the retrievers' attention.
Eremoz looks out to the apparitions and begins stretching his shoulders. “I feel like staying in the dome is the smart move. If you want to try it out, I will catch you.”
{{Yes, you can do that. It's easy enough, but you don't have to.}}
With curiosity in your mind, you step closer to get a better look at the northern entry. You see one of the Arcane Riders clutching a rod in his hand, walking back and forth along the edge of the barrier. The creatures are definitely following that rod's movement.
As you move closer toward the barrier, one of the normal city guards stops you and says, "Best remain away from the edge of the barrier, sirs. It's for your own protection, especially you, sir, with the wing. These creatures cannot fly, but it already killed one of the riders' pegasus when it flew too low. It just teleported upward and grabbed onto the pegasus." The city guard gestures about a stone's throw away from the edge of the barrier where a grey pegasus lay dead on the ground with silvery blood pouring down its eyes, nose, and ears.
{{The food carts and other vendors are still selling if any of you want to buy something. You can easily find some fulfilling food and drink for 10 bronze, a discount due to the sudden incursion.}}
One of the more vocal vendors gets closer to the group and motions to a small food kiosk with a lot of picturesque pastry imagery.
"Cream pastries, sir?" The vendor offers, looking a bit worried once in a while toward the guards in the plaza. "10 bronze for three and a cup of hot coffee. Get you back up and about in no time."
"Well I guess that would have been a gamble we'd have lost", Drexon says with a wink at Cob.
"So..", he continues talking to the guard now, "...if we were looking to make a particualr train that is leaving the station in an hour, there wouldn't happen to be a safe route would there? Or are we in the realms of just making a run for it?".
After the guard replies, he ignores the food stalls, and stands back from the edge of the magic field 30 feet, watching the creatures. Whenever one comes within 60 feet, he will reach out and attack it's mind.
(OOC: Not particularly interested in damage, the DC is Int 14, and he is trying to get more information from them as before)
"Let me get one of the riders," the guard says. He moves toward the rider that is standing beside the one clutching the rod and whispers to them before motioning toward the group's direction. The rider looks toward the group and nods before walking closer to the group.
"I hear you have a ticket that will leave in the next hour?" The rider asks. "Commuter or High-Speed? There is a group of travelers that will board the High-Speed train to Barai Du'une in half an hour. We plan on ferrying them by pegasus, but each pegasus can only carry one other apart from the rider. They are a group of 36 and there are only 7 pegasi left in this sector. We'll use one to distract the creatures while the other 6 will ferry the passengers away. If you have a high-speed ticket and want to wait at least half an hour, we'll ferry your group there. There shouldn't be a problem as soon as you reach the station."
Drexon, as you wait for the rider to arrive, you try to reach and attack the creature's mind. Deep down, you know that the spell is not meant to be used this way. The previous times you have used this spell, you cannot see into the mind of the target. This time, this creature, is different; you received feedback in your mind about what the spell had done to the target. It makes you feel heady and fulfilled in a way. So, as you try to reach into the creature's mind once again, the creature recoils and you feel your senses begin to fade away. You feel a slight headache splitting your head as you see the group standing right in front of you instead of beside you. You blink the pain away and you once again find yourself staring at the creature whose mind you have attacked. The creature slowly disperses and you hear within your mind, "Find... Seek... InterCEPT... THEEE WAAALLL..." You recoil as the tail of the creature's thought shrieks into a crescendo before the connection snaps and everything becomes quiet around you for a moment.
Drexon drops to one knee as the sharp pain spikes into his brain. He stays there for a couple of minutes, eyes closed and fingers on his temples, until the pain subsides.
By the time the rider approaches he is back on his feet. “Won’t be doing that again in a hurry”.
He looks around at the others after the rider proposes lifts on the Pegasi. “Sounds like a plan to me, our tickets are for the high speed train, and yes we are able to wait”.
Karm, as you see the sigils on the buildings and the pavement, you can discern that the majority of their purpose is to draw a tiny fraction of magic from the air and the casting of magic in the vicinity of the sigils to power a Light spell, but there are parts of it that you just don't know for what purpose. You know that it is more than just for powering a simple spell, but you just don't have enough information yet to see the bigger picture.
Dvark keeps his shield out glancing around ahead of the group
Perception: 6
"If we want exits I say the train station, if worst comes to worst we can escape on the tracks. But if I keep my head down we shouldn't be too easy to spot. If we want to duck in somewhere there is a shrine to Auctolis on our way there but it might be a bit busy as well."
Cob flies up higher to get a view of the roof tops and any sign of someone following them.
Perception: 8
Dvark, you glance around, but apart from a couple of these homeless people along the way that has symptoms that remind you of the plague in your hometown, you find no danger to your own person and the group. It seems that the creatures that have chased the group have allowed you some respite.
Cob, you fly higher over the roof of the buildings around you, and you cannot help but be taken aback by the monotony and lifelessness of the place. You are used to a place that is vibrant and colorful, filled with joy and cheers. This side of Vortesso is anything but. You feel a sense of disdain and disgust that is not entirely your own at the sight of the Industrial District. The feeling creeps along your spine, up your neck, and into the back of your head that you cannot focus enough to see what Drexon has alluded to.
“I agree. The train station is our best bet for now. It’s likely to have at least a few guards around and it give us the best chance at escape.”
After 20 minutes or so of travel through the dense brick jungle of the Industrial District, the group exits to a boulevard. A sign says that this is Kandela Boulevard, and at the end of the boulevard, to the east border of the city, lies the Kandela Station. The Station is ten maybe fifteen minutes away, but its gargantuan ellipsoidal dome structure can be seen quite clearly from this distance, dwarfing the surrounding buildings.
Down the boulevard, about halfway to the station from where the group exits, lays a plaza with a white obelisk in the middle. Dvark recognizes it as the Monument of Creation, the shrine to Auctolis. Surrounding the plaza are all manners of food stalls and small shops. The lunch rush is about to end, but the plaza is still a little crowded. There are a dozen city guards and riders standing at attention at each entry point to the plaza; some of them are patrolling the plaza, calming down people, and talking to confused and tense vendors.
As the group begins to travel to the plaza, you can easily discern what causes such upheaval and sudden increase in guard presence. As has been informed before, the attack upon the group is not an isolated incident. Many people carrying powerful magical items are attacked and chased all over the city by these creatures. Some manage to flee and defend themselves, but some others are not as lucky.
“Well this is busier than I expected, and not just with normal folks. I guess those creatures have been here too”, Drexon says, looking around to see if any of them are in sight at the moment.
”The plaza looks well guarded, may well be the best place to lay low until the train is due. But which train? I guess the question now is, how are we running this crew? By majority opinion? I still vote for the high speed direct option”.
He looks around at the others, waiting to see if any of them want to make a play to lead, or if they are happy to vote.
“Our employers seemed very specific about our timeline. I think we should wait for our planned train.” Eremoz begins scanning the nearby buildings for a decent spot to climb to the roofs.
Perception: 11
The crowd in the plaza rouses up suddenly and the guards move toward the northern entry of the plaza. From a distance, half a dozen creatures that have caused chaos in the city burst from some buildings and begin heading toward the plaza. Just as they are about to enter the plaza, the monolith in the middle of the plaza pulses, and a shimmer of cyan dome surrounds the plaza. The creatures hesitate for a moment before sprinting through the dome, bursting to dust as they pass through the shimmering barrier and failing to reform once again before dissipating into the air. It seems that the protection of Auctolis prevents those creatures from entering the plaza.
As the first group of creatures vanishes and fails to reform, another group appears and begins to patrol the vicinity of the plaza, testing where the barrier ends. All of you, together with the crowd and the guards, can see that the barrier stops roughly 300 feet away from the monolith. Eremoz, you easily find a construction ladder and climb to the very top of a building at the edge of the protective barrier. You can see that there is a stretch of perhaps another 300 to 500 feet that is probably unprotected if you are to continue to the station. You are not quite sure where the barrier ends on that part of the boulevard as the creatures seem to congregate at the northern entry for the moment.
Standing in the middle of the plaza, all of you find that you have the chance to rest here at least for a short while. You have another hour before your train leaves the station, but you have no guarantee that the station would have the same protection as the plaza.
{{So, what's the plan?}}
“As we have a safe place to retreat to, I wonder if it is time to see if the creatures can fly. You fancy flying a little outside the shield with the box Cob?”, Drexon suggests.
”Or I could dangle it out from the roof for them”, he adds wiggling his fingers and causing a spectral floating hand to appear.
"I'm not sure if it's a good idea to tempt such a fate. What if they simply shoot him out of the sky? It just seems a little foolhardy to experiment just because we feel more secure. I say we get lost in the crowd until we can board the train. If we want cob to stay in the air with the box keep him low where we can still help him." Dvark looks a little rattled glancing back at the plague victims. "I just think we are being paid for security so that should be our focus"
Cob looks around at the where the edge of the shield seems to be and then over at the food stalls.
"A snack might be nice first," Cob says, not keen on going out as a guinea pig.
But looking at all the guards he nods.
"Guess we can give it a try. I can always just toss it back in if they get a bit handsy."
He looks around the crowd again before his eyes drift out to the area outside the plaza.
"Do you think that actually kills them when the vaporize like that? If it does, what's making them so desperate."
Cob offers to take the 'magic' box and fly up to the top of the barrier and outside of its protection to see if that attracts the retrievers' attention.
(Cross post)
"I can just fly straight up. If they shoot at me, worst case I fall back down inside the barrier."
He looks over at the others.
"Maybe catch me if that happens."
Eremoz looks out to the apparitions and begins stretching his shoulders. “I feel like staying in the dome is the smart move. If you want to try it out, I will catch you.”
"It's your neck and your call Cob, but I think it's a little rash to test so aggressively."
{{Yes, you can do that. It's easy enough, but you don't have to.}}
With curiosity in your mind, you step closer to get a better look at the northern entry. You see one of the Arcane Riders clutching a rod in his hand, walking back and forth along the edge of the barrier. The creatures are definitely following that rod's movement.
As you move closer toward the barrier, one of the normal city guards stops you and says, "Best remain away from the edge of the barrier, sirs. It's for your own protection, especially you, sir, with the wing. These creatures cannot fly, but it already killed one of the riders' pegasus when it flew too low. It just teleported upward and grabbed onto the pegasus." The city guard gestures about a stone's throw away from the edge of the barrier where a grey pegasus lay dead on the ground with silvery blood pouring down its eyes, nose, and ears.
{{The food carts and other vendors are still selling if any of you want to buy something. You can easily find some fulfilling food and drink for 10 bronze, a discount due to the sudden incursion.}}
One of the more vocal vendors gets closer to the group and motions to a small food kiosk with a lot of picturesque pastry imagery.
"Cream pastries, sir?" The vendor offers, looking a bit worried once in a while toward the guards in the plaza. "10 bronze for three and a cup of hot coffee. Get you back up and about in no time."
"Well I guess that would have been a gamble we'd have lost", Drexon says with a wink at Cob.
"So..", he continues talking to the guard now, "...if we were looking to make a particualr train that is leaving the station in an hour, there wouldn't happen to be a safe route would there? Or are we in the realms of just making a run for it?".
After the guard replies, he ignores the food stalls, and stands back from the edge of the magic field 30 feet, watching the creatures. Whenever one comes within 60 feet, he will reach out and attack it's mind.
(OOC: Not particularly interested in damage, the DC is Int 14, and he is trying to get more information from them as before)
"Let me get one of the riders," the guard says. He moves toward the rider that is standing beside the one clutching the rod and whispers to them before motioning toward the group's direction. The rider looks toward the group and nods before walking closer to the group.
"I hear you have a ticket that will leave in the next hour?" The rider asks. "Commuter or High-Speed? There is a group of travelers that will board the High-Speed train to Barai Du'une in half an hour. We plan on ferrying them by pegasus, but each pegasus can only carry one other apart from the rider. They are a group of 36 and there are only 7 pegasi left in this sector. We'll use one to distract the creatures while the other 6 will ferry the passengers away. If you have a high-speed ticket and want to wait at least half an hour, we'll ferry your group there. There shouldn't be a problem as soon as you reach the station."
Drexon, as you wait for the rider to arrive, you try to reach and attack the creature's mind. Deep down, you know that the spell is not meant to be used this way. The previous times you have used this spell, you cannot see into the mind of the target. This time, this creature, is different; you received feedback in your mind about what the spell had done to the target. It makes you feel heady and fulfilled in a way. So, as you try to reach into the creature's mind once again, the creature recoils and you feel your senses begin to fade away. You feel a slight headache splitting your head as you see the group standing right in front of you instead of beside you. You blink the pain away and you once again find yourself staring at the creature whose mind you have attacked. The creature slowly disperses and you hear within your mind, "Find... Seek... InterCEPT... THEEE WAAALLL..." You recoil as the tail of the creature's thought shrieks into a crescendo before the connection snaps and everything becomes quiet around you for a moment.
Drexon drops to one knee as the sharp pain spikes into his brain. He stays there for a couple of minutes, eyes closed and fingers on his temples, until the pain subsides.
By the time the rider approaches he is back on his feet. “Won’t be doing that again in a hurry”.
He looks around at the others after the rider proposes lifts on the Pegasi. “Sounds like a plan to me, our tickets are for the high speed train, and yes we are able to wait”.
Dvark approaches Drexon and puts a and on his shoulder and kneels next to him "Are you alright? What happened?"