Log:Undermoon Wedding, Scene 3

Undermoon Wedding 2014/09/25 	 Ghost Harlequin Lily Palanir Ten Titan Yameen

3

Duke Vanatherion, having been saved from an attack by goblins and odd pale fae, seemed to not be acting normally, according to Ghost. And Harlequin had sensed some foreign magic on the Duke, which was unable to be identified, or even spotted by fae specialists. So the heroes took it upon themselves to figure out what was going on, figuring that any political fallout would just have to be weathered. While Ghost distracted the Duke, Harlequin dispelled the spell on the Duke, revealing that it was instead Master Warleader Palanir, a former Duke himself, disguised as Vanatherion.

Palanir, for his part, realized it was a good idea to surrender...and still acted like he held all the cards. He bargained for his release, if he was willing to point the heroes to where Vanatherion actually was being held. And that place is one of the Lost Realms...one of the worlds thought lost to the Fae millennia ago, populated by this pale fae-like race, only as of yet referred to as The Forsaken.

Palanir knows how to open the portal to this Lost Realm, and has given his word to keep it open until the heroes return. Titan is intending to remain behind to keep Palanir honest, though the current feeling is that Palanir will likely keep his word.

Palanir leads the group out to a glade, away from the city. He claims that the city itself makes the world walking more difficult, but his request to move things away from the city is a welcome one, anyway. That way, fewer civilians have the potential to be involved. However...Liandere sends a contingent of guards with the heroes to make sure that Palanir doesn't pull anything.

Palanir prepares his magic slowly, taking his time in creating a circle on the ground, "I cannot 'walk' as quickly as some, but this will get you close to where the Duke is being held in in Castle Laoch."

Ghost says, "You do walk much further though, Warmaster. I hasn't realised until now you were so gifted. But I should have. You opened a way to Earth and found at least one of the Lost Realms. I'm impressed."

The corner of Palanir's mouth turns up slightly. He looks amused. "Well, persistence and patience are strong suits. Though one might not be able to tell such by my recent gambit."

Lily follows along taking in the sights happily.

Titan watches Palanir closely, remaining quiet. Though he does keep an eye out for any ambushes along the way.

Ten doesn't really trust Palanir. He seemed to quick to cut a deal - almost like cutting the deal was the plan all along. But then she still hasn't worked out exactly who this Palanir is.

Palanir finishes with the circle, and turns to face the group. "I am prepared...are you all ready for the journey?"

Lily says, "Yep!"

Yameen was only recently, in relative terms, exposed to magic in excess. As DEMON made the experience generally unpleasant, she accepted the opportunity to visit this realm and observe magic in a much more non-threatening setting. Or so she believed.

Such did not prove to be the case, and this now becomes a working vacation, in effect, as she approaches and joins those gathered to mount a rescue mission. The talk of patience and persistence from Palanir draws notice, though no immediate comment. She deems it wise that others will remain to ...assist Palanir in his honesty.

Ghost says, "Each time you have encountered heroes from Earth your plans have been foiled. Is it time to reconsider your options, Warmaster? When we return perhaps you and I can talk about that before you depart? Talking of returning, whatever information you can give us about the Forsaken will be of great help. And I suspect the King will be vexed with you should we fail to return with his grace."

Palanir grins at Ghost's comment. "Each of my plans...that you know of, has been foiled, yes." He considers her question about the Forsaken, and nods. "They have magic, not unlike our own...but as the realm was one that was left to the dragons in the wars, their magic is subtle. Quiet. It is not a beacon. It is a whisper. It is a gentle breeze, not a gale."

Sasha murmurs from where he has been standing quietly to one side. "Yes, very subtle. Dangerously so."

Palanir continues, "They have legends, much as we do. They tell of how they were sealed away, with their enemies, by their very own people. Of how they were left to die at the hands of the dragons. And of how they have had to survive all those millenia since then."

Palanir says, "And they are not, by and large, a forgiving people. They are an angry people, looking for information and vengeance for what they feel was equivalent of murder."

Ten says, "So.... subtle magic, whatever that means - and they hate the fae by the sound of it? Wonderful."

Ghost says, "Yet you managed to enlist their help, Warmaster. How did you do that? Given their legends I would have thought that a near impossible task."

Harlequin murmurs softly again, "Genocide actually. And they are Fae, just a long forgotten branch of the tree." The mage chuckles grimly. "Doubtless each is planning on betraying the other in the end."

Palanir shakes his head and smiles. "Nothing is impossible. Just difficult. And as I said, I can be both persistent and patient."

Palanir smiles. "If there are no other questions..." He begins an incantation in several languages, some of which are recognized, some of which are not. And a gate opens, revealing a battered, bleak landscape.

A world of dust and ash. The hills all look like volcanic rock and sand, as far as the eye can see. There are mountains in the distance, their black craggy forms jutting out of the landscape into the sky filled with streaks of red and black. Before the mountains, there appears to be a castle of sorts, built out of some kind of blackened bricks, though it's unclear exactly what it's made of. Red and white banners fly from the parapets.

Lily says, "Cool!"

Ten says, "Not the word I was thinking of...."

Titan and Palanir remain on the original side of the gate. Titan says, "Good luck. I'm sure you'll be fine without me, but I do think it's a good idea to keep him honest."

Harlequin carefully observes Palanir's spellcasting on several different levels at once. The mage then looks at Ghost, "Shall I camouflage us, Captain? Or do we proceed openly?"

Palanir sneers a little bit at Titan's comment, clearly not viewing the mutated human as an equal in any way. "It was entirely unnecessary. But I agreed to it despite that."

"Quite the hospitable land," Yameen opines of the revealed view. "I can only presume that the denizens will be equally so." Thus, they are likely to be in danger the moment they enter.

Quinn glances around at the blasted lands. "Charming," he says. "It's sort of like the fae version of Detroit."

Lily says, "It's not that bad! It has a kind of empty beauty."

Ten says, "I think I prefer full beauty, then. Still..."

Ten steps through the portal.

Ghost nods to Titan. "Shall we go? This is a rescue mission. Ideally we go in, rescue Duke Vanatherion, and return without any of the Forsaken being the wiser. We're outnumbered. Avoiding a warning being given is vital. To that end if we are at risk of being discovered do not hold back. Take any such down hard and fast."

Lily smiles, "If we get attack, leave them all to me. I can't die even if I'm killed, and I'm pretty much invincible. Ten can keep me company if she wants!"

"Oh, you know me," Quinn says, "I'm just a master of subtlety and stealth. I doubt they'll ever know I was here."

Harlequin murmurs, "No magic infuses the land beyond this Gate. It is as barren of magick as Undermoon overflows." He raises a hand and a haze that fades surrounds the group on this side of the Gate. "I have cloaked us as best I am able."

Ghost speaks to Harlequin, "Can you scry out the location of the Duke? I am reluctant to search from the Astral without knowing if the Forsaken can detect such scouting and ways of dealing with it."

Ten says, "Barren of magic? But they have magic there?"

"How fortunate for you," Yameen nods to Lily. "However, I doubt that one being could directly halt an entire force, no matter how resilient." Now that they have stepped through, she looks over the bleak landscape more carefully.

The ground looks like the moon, or volcanic ash. It's akin to blackened sand, leaving footprints in it where you walk.

Harlequin sighs softly. "It occurs to me that any sue of magicks here, even the, hmm, cloaking field, I have about me, might well stand out like a torch in the darkness, Captain. Shall I...Oh, never mind, I forgot that this field conceals from all forms of the Sight as well."

Harlequin adds, "Do not stray more than 6 meters in any direction from me by the by, or you will be outside the cloak."

There doesn't seem to be any response from the castle at the heroes' arrival. The flags continue to flap in the wind, but no other motion can been seen.

Ghost nods to Harlequin, "You are probably correct. Scrying may be detectable because of that. I'll go Astral and take a look."

Ten just keeps a first-sighted eye out for any sign of trouble. Not much else to do just now.

Ghost says, "If they can detect astral intrusion and have a means of dealing with it my body will die when my astral spirit does. If that happens I suggest you listen to Harlequin."

The area had been very quiet...up until Ghost starts to prepare to become Astral. An animalistic screech echoes, coming from the mountains. At this distance of several miles away, it's nearly impossible to determine what it is, but it's unnerving nonetheless, as it breaks what is otherwise near silence.

Ghost sighs, "That, my friends, is the hunting cry of a hungry dragon."

Quinn turns in the direction of the screeching noise, his faceplate dropping into place as he turns on his radar to try and get a better idea of where the dragon is.

Harlequin reaches up as if to rub his eyes but just rubs the eyeholes on is mask instead. "Wunderbar. Well, let us hope ittakes a while to get here. On to the castle perilous?"

Lily smiles, "Cool! It's been a while since I got to roughhouse with a dragon!

Ten says, "Guess so - what was that screech, anyway?"

Ten says, "I'm probably dragon-proof. But I don't fancy fighting my way out of one from the inside..."

"So just how fast can a dragon fly?" Quinn asks, his mask now giving his voice a flat mechanical tone.

Ghost nods to Harlequin, "Dragons being here was a minor detail Palanir forget to mention. Maybe he thought it was obvious. As it should have been. Why else would the Forsaken have adapted their magic to be undetectable."

"Hmmm...." Quinn muses. "I don't want to contradict you but if it was hunting wouldn't it be up in the air? I should be able to pick it up on radar but I can't, which would seem to indicate that it is in a cave or something."

Ten says, "Or it can't be detected by radar. Or someone is playing a recording of dragon sounds to scare us."

Ghost says, "Contradict me all you like, Q. My information comes from dusty olf scrolls written by the fae in the midst of a war they were losing. It's not that reliable."

"Until such time as a dragon, or any other creature, arrives to pose a threat, are the speculations relevant?" Yameen inquires. "Our priority and focus remain upon the Duke. We should continue."

Harlequin murmurs, "Or it is on the ground since the magicks here may not be potent enoughto allow it flight. Physics may have one for once."

"It seems kind of unlikely that dragons would have evolved a way to hide their radar signature," Quinn says to Ten. "What would the purpose be? Evading non-existent missiles?"

Harlequin adds, "but, to butcher a wonderful old movie, 'There dragon, there castle." Shall we proceed?"

Lily cranes her neck around, hoping to catch sight of a dragon.

"Well, it might be relevant," Quinn says to Yameen, "if that wasn't a hunting cry but was an alarm."

Ten says, "I dunno. Maybe these subtle-magic fae do radar magic? I'm just making this up as I go along. Mostly cos I haven't a clue."

Ghost nods. "Harlequin and Yameen are correct. We should proceed."

Harlequin stage whispers to Ten. "So do I."

Ghost asks Lily, "Lily, can you carry me?" and sitting down in the ash she goes physically limp. A hazy Ghost appears beside herself, "I'll scout ahead."

Ten says, "Ok. So sneaky or fast?"

Harlequin chuckles. "Sneaky. I am slow. I spent my youth learning magick not how to run."

Lily picks up Ghost, bridal style.

Ghost says, "I suggest sneaky then fast whrn sneaky isn't working any longer."

Harlequin thinks. o O (Well, that is mostly the truth in any case.)

Ghost ranges out ahead of the group scouting out the way to the castle.

Ten says, "Makes sense. Change from sneaky to fast is easier than the other way around."

The land between the gate and the castle isn't as far as it looked, though perhaps the land itself adds to the illusion of distance. It's perhaps 500m total. Walking at a reasonable pace, you can clear the distance in 10 minutes, easily...even while sneaking. No guards appear or are even able to be seen until you get fairly close to the walls.

Harlequin sneezes.

Ghost spots a couple of guards along the near outer wall, both armed with bows. They're male pale skinned fae, walking back and forth. Thankfully they don't seem to be looking out across the mostly featureless plain that you're arriving from.

Forsaken Guards(#2510TOn)

White skinned fae, with pitch black eyes and hair. They're all carrying various weapons, though all of the weapons seem archaic in nature. Sword and shield. Bows. Etc.

Ghost returns and points out the guards. "Stay hidden. I'm going to look for an alternative way in to the castle than storming the gates."

The guards seem to be dressed in piecemeal armor...partial leather and plate, but with a lot of skin showing, too. They look almost 'barbarian-like' in their attire.

Ten says, "Over walls seems better than through gates anyway,"

"The other obvious alternative," Yameen offers as she attempts to remain hidden and quiet, "is to go over the wall."

Lily says, "I wonder if I could punch though the walls?"

Harlequin says, "I could potentially open a gate to whereever we need one. We might not need to be that direct. Though I may need to drop the stealth field."

Ghost searches the castle slowly, checking the likely locations for where Vanatherion might be held. She finally spots him in what appears to be a throne room, where he is being questioned currently. A female fae...presumably the ruler of Castle Laoch, is asking him questions while he is tied to what looks like a large wooden cross. There are a couple of other guards around the room and what looks like a torturer who is dealing with the duke when the questions are unsatisfactory. The Duke, for his part, looks like he's...note quite well, but not seriously injured either. Not yet, at least.

Ghost frowns as she sees the situation. However in some ways a large chamber is better than a small cell. She exits, returning to the hero group, checking each intervening wall for magics that would block Harlequin from opening a gate.

Ghost rejoins the hero group and returns to her physical body. "I've located the Duke, He's in the throne room being tortured. The ruler, the Queen, is asking question. Duke Vantherion is tied to a wodden cross. There's a torturer and two guards present. I cannot detect any magics that would block Harlequin from opening a gate toi the throne room."

Ten nods. "Let's go. then!"

Lily nods, "OK!"

Harlequin nods, "I'll open the gate inside. Once we're through, I'll open a gate back to the one that Palanir is holding open for us, to facilitate our escape."

Harlequin moves the group closer to the wall, to get them out of the line of sight of guards....and then casts the spell, opening the gate into the throne room. Ghost's directions were good enough, and the spell is on target in the center of the room.

Ghost asks Harlequin if he can open a gate to the throne room? "That will probably cause a distraction. That much magic is likely to attact the dragon to the castle. Giving the Forsaken something else to worry about. Meanwhile we gate in, take down the Forsaken there. Rescue the Duke and gate out back to the Way. Comments?"

"I am far less experience in magic than others, but a rapid deployment, rescue, and return seems the most efficient means." Yameen may be unfamiliar with mysticism, but the general tactics seem sound. Preferable, in fact. "Who shall address which foes and who shall retrieve the Duke?"

Lily says, "I can keep the leader occupied!"

Ghost says, "I'll go for the Duke and cut him free." She is holding the sheathed Stormcast. "With this sword in his hand he will be a significant factor on his own."

Ten says, "I'll cover you while you free him."

Ghost says, "That leaves two guards and a torturer to keep busy. Volunteers?"

Lily says, "I'll try to flirt with as many as I can, but I'm only one woman!"

Paragon smiles behind her faceplate and raises her hand.

"I can disable a guard," Yameen volunteers. She did not travel merely to sight-see, afterall.

Ghost says, "Q, can you deal with the torturer? Ideally with considerable pain."

Harlequin moves the group closer to the wall, to get them out of the line of sight of guards....and then casts the spell, opening the gate into the throne room. Ghost's directions were good enough, and the spell is on target in the center of the room.

Quinn gives a short nod to Ghost as he prepares to move through the gate.

Ten precedes Ghost in passing though the gate, sheltering her from the pale fae.

Ghost darts through the gate and races to the wooden cross. Stormcast, unsteathed, is in her hand. She slices at the bindings holding the Dake fast with no consideration to the state of the cross after she's acted.

Ghost catches Duke Vantherion as he stumbles down off the cross with one hand to steady him. Flipping the sword in her oher hand she presents it to him hilt first, "This is yours I believe, your grace. I'm sure you'll want to put it to good use."

The Duke, looking quite tired...actually smiles. He takes a hold of the sword, and she can feel his flagging energy starting to be restored, just by having the blade in his hand. He says in Fae, <>

With a roar of jets Quinn flies through the shimmering gateway. He aims at the Duke as the housing of his right gauntlet pop open to reveal a pair of missiles. With a thought the first one is away, streaking towards the Duke and Ghost where is suddenly explodes in columns of force which radiate out, targeting the nearby torturer, the guards, and any other badguys who happen to be close enough.

Ghost has been in the center of Q's smartwave missle before but even so she can't help flinching as the missile streaks towards her location.

The guards are both knocked backward into the door and wall, hitting the floor. The torturer hits the ground as well, surprised by the barrage. The queen winces slightly, but doesn't seem overly affected.

Yameen moves forward in the dissipating wake of the exploding waveform, her target still that of the pre-arranged guard. This is updated to plural as both are knocked to the ground following the detonation. With only a single weapon visible upon each, the swords become sub-targets which she seeks to divest them of.

Lily leaps toward the queen and tries to grab her!

Banrion Bhfeice(#2509TOn)

The Banrion of Castle Laoch is a thin female Forsaken, wearing what looks to be piecemeal armor similar to those of her guards, which shows off her figure nicely. The main difference is in the quality of the armor which has golden strips and bangles on it. And her bearing is one of royalty. She's clearly the leader, without a doubt.

Guards and their swords are soon parted, or so Yameen demonstrates. She sees no reason to allow them to be put to use.

The queen screams as she's grabbed, baring her teeth. She doesn't seem anywhere near strong enough to break Lily's grip.

Paragon had volunteered to help with the guards. But now that they're unarmed, it hardly seems fair to fight them. Quite dishonorable, really. But in case they prove more resourceful, she leaps in through the gate and lands between the two guards. Her voice reverberates within her helm as she intones, "Drop your shields and surrender with your hands behind your head, and no further harm will come to you."

Lily smiles, "Hi! I realize this may make you a bit uncomfortable, but we're just here for the Duke, and we'll leave just as soon as we can and leave you in peace."

Paragon tenses her body and curls her hands into fists in preparation for them not to comply. Her armored plates shift and ripple, the gaps between the plates tightening as she braces for a hit.

The torturer and guards surrender, dropping any remaining armaments. The queen doesn't, but Lily's grasp is strong enough to keep her from interfering. Harlequin opens the second gate, back toward where you all arrived on the blasted plain outside the castle. He's close, but not exact. In the distance, you can hear the same screech you heard before...and this time, you can see what looks like a dragon against the red sky. But it's still miles away.

Dragon(#2529TOn)

An honest-to-goodness Western-style dragon...with black scales and large wings. Its wingspan must be a good 50 meters, and it's length is about the same. Its snout is long and narrow, coming to a point, somewhat like a crocodile's. Its eyes are...gone. There are sunken sockets where the eyes once were. Its body looks emaciated, ribs quite evident along its torso, though it's still a monstrous size. It's a wonder that it's still alive.

The group hurries through the waiting Way back to Undermoon, and true to his word, Palanir has kept it open until such time. Vanatherion looks ready to run Palanir through, only to have Ghost need to intercede.

Palanir closes the way, leaving the Lost Realm once again sealed away.