=====
@TheDarkOne
Goldleaf,
Darkspace magic is not your specialty but you figure you can arrange for a wyrmhole for three if they're willing to squat down during the trip. You rip a small hole through the void and toss the two adventurers through one at a time: first the PALADIN and then the FIGHTER. You are the last to dive through the wyrmhole. As you traverse the fold in space you watch a silver dragon spiral around the tube. You have had visions of these beasts from previous trips, but never this close to your spell. Still, you decide it isn't something worth worrying about and you proceed to close the gap, arriving with a tumble in the port city of SIEGBERT.
It is early morning market and there's an elderly woman trying to sell you some dried apple slices. You can see the PORT further to the west, as well as several SHOPS and KIOSKS nearby. The town isn't as big as the gnomish district of AUDAMAR but it's nothing to scoff at.
What do you do?
Sancireph, this new BLUE WIZARD arranges for a teleport to the port city, but the ride is not as smooth as you expected. Zataka goes first, diving into the swirling darkness that the magician summons. You jump next, landing with a roll in the market of the nearby port city. As you arrive, you immediately sense TWO CELESTIAL FORCES; one is coming from the DOCKS and the other seems to be at the INN. The latter is moving away from you.
What do you do?
=====
@mrz84
Zataka,
The conversation with Evaine continues to affirm your dread.
~~~~~
Zataka asks what happened to the stone.
"It's safe."
...
~~~~~
"It doesn't matter. The stone is long gone by now."
You ask why she said one stone, knowing that she should have two. She cringes.
"Well, it's only one now."
Sancireph bites with rage, shouting 'you combined them?!'
"They were two halves of a dragon's pearl. Unstable. United they'd at least be able to be hidden."
You ask why she would bother sending it away, then.
"The further from here that stone goes, the better. The dragon will pursue. It's therefore best to have a moving target."
She nods, as if convincing herself.
"Yes, it is for the best."
One Stone or Two?[/color]
~~~~~
Sancireph demands to know where it went.
"Why, so you can give chase?"...
~~~~~
"The fact of the matter is that I don't know where it is. It is out of my hands."
You explain your confusion. Why would she join the two stones?
"There is great power in dragon magic. But it didn't... it turned out wrong."
You almost ask her to elaborate, but then you realize what she means.
Evaine hands off a stack of paperwork to an underling. She looks very tired and you doubt you'll be able to get any more information from her.
~~~~~
...
She sighs.
"The city of Audamar thanks you for your services. I think it would be best if you were on your way."
~~~~~
...A moving target is right.
You are unsure whether you should tell Sancireph about this, particularly because you are both standing in front of the stranger magician. After all, he might have come to the same conclusion.
You hold on to the revelation... for now.
The BLUE WIZARD opens a portal of darkspace and signals for you to traverse it. It's pretty small, so you make a forward dive into the opening. You land--albeit uncomfortably--in the bazaar of a port town.
You can see the DOCKS to the west. There are also several kiosks and stores around, as well as a bed and breakfast immediately in front of you. Sancireph looks disturbed, as if he has a headache from the teleport. The BLUE WIZARD also arrives but is accosted by a saleswoman with apples.
What do you do?
=====
@Tamamo
Granberia,
You decide you are going to intimidate the wizard, so you attempt to demonstrate a show of force by summoning elemental chaos. Whenever you strive to summon your magical energy you retire to the dragon graveyard in your mind. It is this dark dimension that grants you your power.
Unfortunately you have very little control over the void which constitutes the mixture of three elements and it causes you to stumble. You curse yourself for not sticking to fire, you know you have a good handle of that one and when it comes to a show of force it's best to stick to your strengths.
When you look up, you expect the wizard to be standing on the ramparts shaking with fear. But he is not. Instead, you go to the door of the mansion and find a note pinned to the door. "Gone peach pickin'." ...What?
You can see his tracks leading to the forest where you had recently regained consciousness. You tail him, hoping to get the drop on him.
TELIVAR is holding a single peach pit between his middle and index fingers. He forcefully strikes out with his arm, first north, then south, then east, and finally west. Throwing the peach pit up into the air it explodes, creating a hurricane of colorful wind.
The breeze lifts you off the ground but it doesn't seem to be carrying you. Instead, as the flow of the air makes contact with the dead trees of the forest they spring to life, forming peach trees in full bloom (in the dead of winter?).
When the squall subsides Telivar plucks a single peach and takes a bite, smiling. He turns to you.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't see you there. Would you care for a peach?"
He plucks another and holds it out for you. He doesn't appear to be intimidated by you at all, and he's not reacting to your draconic state in the slightest.
Are you sure you really want to cross steel with this guy? He just revitalized a dead forest because he wanted a snack. He also defeated Cecette without a second thought, and despite your aversion to admit such you know that she was more powerful than you.
What do you do?
Alisia,
For many years you watched through tears in reality as a mortal went about his work. He was a strange young man, always growing miniatures of fruit-bearing trees. He seemed to be some sort of fermentologist, using the pungent odor of fallen fruit to bring others joy.
As you watched this mortal shred the fabric of reality with his magic you began to respect his practice and--over time--you developed feelings for this strange young man. Since such was not acceptable for a valkyrie you turned away from this man; you blinded your gauge and watched him no more.
Eventually the tears dried up. He had moved on to other matters and his magic no longer tickled at the boundary between your worlds. You began to feel a longing for him; you had felt a great connection and you allowed it to slip through your fingers. You decided the next time a tear opened to that world you would traverse it and go in search of the young wizard. It took some time but you eventually saw your opening. A new tear, hovering over a tavern full of happy people. Could the young wizard be there? You leap through the tear hoping to face him at last, to make him see YOU. You were not prepared for the consequences of your action, however.
As you pass though the tear a terrible flame tears at your body, incinerating your wings. You fall, the defining characteristics of your body being sheared away until you are not but a spike of stone shrouded in light. You pierce through the roof of a building, striking a young barmaid in the head. The two of you are embraced in light and for a moment you become a single being while your consciousnesses sort out who is in charge of what.
You are immediately made aware of the woman's name: Navine. She is a barmaid in the town of Siegbert who has secretly been practicing witchcraft. She seeks the affection of a young magister student named TOMA who comes to the region every now and then. You feel a connection with this host, another observer paralyzed by fear of rejection but carrying a flame for love out of reach. You decide to help her; together the two of you can combine your power and conquer your fears.
But you feel another presence: a similar shard of reality that has fallen into this women. This too immediately reveals its identity: it is a demon named Lilith that has bonded with this body in search of revenge. Lilith quickly regains her sense and guards her consciousness, preventing you further access. You decide such is the best action for you as well, locking her out.
A throbbing sensation pulses in the head of NAVINE: there are other celestial presences nearby. One is in the MARKETPLACE while another is emanating from the DOCKS.
What do you do?
(I went in a different direction with Alisia, since this dimension doesn't have angels or succubi or mystic wards... outside the rudimentary paper magic wards which Cecette employed [a relatively new discovery owed its origin from MALICHOR the paper magician's magister's thesis]. This will also allow you more ready access to the other players since this character seems less antagonistic than Granberia)
=====
@SUCCESSOR
Reven,
You awaken on the cold ground of the forest as a layer of moss sprouts beneath your back. How did you come to be unconscious? Your head is throbbing and all of your joints ache... it's almost as if you accidentally exposed yourself to Texia's toxins. Was the SVARK contaminated? Tainted ogreboar meat could have caused such a symptom if magic were involved. There is something odd about this forest.
As you rouse, vision blurred, you notice that the trees around you are now in bloom. They bear the sweet fruit of summer peaches. How long were you out? No, there's still ice on the edge of the lake in the distance. Peach blooms in the dead of winter? It must be that hedge wizard again.
From the still waters of the pond you see the faint rise of bubbles. Out of the darkness a gnarled root emerges, twitching. It continues to grow, surrounded by a dervish of dead leaves which spontaneously return to life. Eventually it takes the form of a woman.
You have seen this before. Thinking back you recall that such a creature is called a DRYAD, and it forms in places where nature has been grossly ravaged by magic. You cannot remember if such creatures are hostile, but you can be certain there will be more than one.
What do you do?
=====
@bigjoe
Jerias,
You have been running all night. You can feel the pull of another pearl on the move. Atticas directed you to it; he warns that it belongs to one of the BIG FISH and that it is to the west. Far, far to the west.
An ocean is in your path, though. There are ships nearby, and you catch the scent of that PALADIN and FIGHTER from before. You're not sure what happened to the RANGER, though... when Atticas told you to move, you completely forgot about him.
Atticas directs you past a clothesline so that you may don a robe to conceal your features. You will be able to move about the town as long as you do not have any direct interaction with strangers.
The DOCKS are your goal. You wonder if there is a boat you might be able to stow aboard in your pursuit. Or perhaps those two from the mansion will help you. They certainly know how dire the big fish will be when they arrive, right?
What do you do?
=====
@Xyvol
Malichor,
You awaken in a daze in the gnomish inn, a MATH WIZARD standing at your bedside investigating you intently.
"What have you been poking around in, friend?" he asks, trying to assess the source of your malady.
You suddenly realize what is happening. You cast a rune of dispel on the pollen in the FILTHY RABBIT TAVERN two nights ago (Yep, a year of play time translated to two nights of game time).
The pollen must have nestled in your sinus and your counterspell is attacking your connection to magic. There must be some way to purge this awful irritant from your body.
What will you do?
