Background noise

For in-universe game play. Journey through both familiar and foreign settings, explore lost ruins and forgotten cities, and try to bring light to the darkness of the world... or, you know, blow stuff up. Either way.
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Graybeard
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Re: Background noise

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Sister Rose took a deep breath, exhaled deeply. "Well, then, let's get on with it." She managed a wan smile. "You first."
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Background noise

Post by Jack Rothwell »

OOC Quick question gentlemen. Would this be the right place to post a backstory to my character? I'm talking about a full story in itself of how Jade got to where she is in the timeline of errant road. I'm asking because i figured you wouldn't appreciate big blocks of text cutting through the dialogue being exchanged in the present time, even if it was just side-action to the main plot./OOC
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Drannin
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Re: Background noise

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Argus smiled back faintly. "No time like the present I suppose." Taking the object from Rose, Argus laid it down on a table. A twitch of a finger reshaped the table top into a magical circle. Concentrating, he sent his will through the circle, generating a field, and into the object, making a complex series of adjustments.

"This... will take some time," Argus commented. "I'll be sure to make it look mysterious and impressive, though... in a very old sort of way."
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Graybeard
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Re: Background noise

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Jack Rothwell wrote:OOC Quick question gentlemen. Would this be the right place to post a backstory to my character? I'm talking about a full story in itself of how Jade got to where she is in the timeline of errant road. I'm asking because i figured you wouldn't appreciate big blocks of text cutting through the dialogue being exchanged in the present time, even if it was just side-action to the main plot./OOC
Either here or in the fanfic section, where you started it, would be just fine. Since you have started it there rather than here, I'd recommend continuing on that path, but either way would work.
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Graybeard
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Re: Background noise

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"Wow," Sister Rose whistled softly. "That's impressive." What Argus was doing with the dwarven artifact resembled art more than magic. She just sat back and watched in fascination until it was her turn.

"Okay," she said, "let me apply a layer of protection. This spell called Luminosita's Seal will look pretty hokey to you, I think, but it's not there to impress a sinful, Luminosita-denying, foreign arch-mage." She smiled and winked just to make sure that Argus wasn't taking her seriously. "Rather, it's there to terrify simple folk of the countryside. When it's triggered, a certain illusion will threaten whoever's tampering with it with all manner of hellfire and damnation. For three quarters of the population of Veracia, that would be enough to get them to stop doing whatever they were doing to invoke the illusion." She set to work, and the air became blurry with magic as she concentrated.
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Drannin
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Re: Background noise

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And it was done. Argus held up the dwarven artifact, considering. It didn't look all that dwarven any longer. The surface had darkened to an ominous grey. Dull red glyphs covered its surface, but if you held it up to the light in such a way, those glyphs seemed to fade in favor of shining emerald ones. The whole object seemed to quiver in the hand, giving the impression of power. It held an aura of menace.

Weave be merciful, he'd done one hell of a job on this thing.

"So?' he asked Rose. "Is it too much?"
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Graybeard
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Re: Background noise

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"Is it too much?"

Sister Rose examined Argus' handiwork. "It's beautiful," she murmured. "That isn't an artifact, it's a work of art. When we're through with this mission, if we still have it, I think I want to take it home and display it ... as a remembrance of you." She smiled, gently but sincerely.

"However, to answer your question," she continued, "actually, it isn't enough yet. If it's going to be convincing, we need to protect it with something more compelling than just Luminosita's Seal. Some kind of magical enclosure, maybe? Or something physical, but with a nice, obvious magical booby trap on it? What can you do?"
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Graybeard
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Re: Background noise (Tsuiraku-town)

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[OOC: More in the Tsuiraku-town setting, not connected to what's going on with Argus and Rose.. /OOC:]

Layla and Faye (and Zachary) followed Captain Kitaura deep into the interior of the Tsuirakuan consulate, noting the number of minor Tsuirakuan functionaries who gaped open-mouthed at them as they went. Clearly the practice of bringing foreigners into wherever Kitaura was going was sufficiently unusual as to create astonishment among the onlookers. I'm not sure whether that's good or bad, Layla thought, then corrected herself: it had to be good. If the Tsuirakuan was taking them into the fortress for interrogation, or torture, or whatever, the Tsuirakuans in the halls wouldn't be meeting their eyes. That wasn't a problem here.

The group eventually arrived at a doorway with Kitaura's name on it. A wave of his hand, and magic flared over the lock, allowing him to open the door. What lay beyond was another office, of entirely conventional (if almost excessively tidy) appearance ... and another door. A second hand gesture disarmed the lock on this one, and the Tsuirakuan motioned the women inside.

They weren't expecting what they saw. It was a small conference room, with magical security features everywhere; that part was entirely as expected. What was not expected was a small shrine at one end of the room, with a portrait of a man who looked more than slightly like Kitaura in a central position, and extraordinarily ornate trimming all around it. Candle-like lightglobes burned around the shrine, casting a flickering glow that made the portrait seem to shimmer and waver. Layla, who wasn't particularly religious but had found it convenient to attend services of the Veracian Church from time to time, thought it was the most deeply spiritual thing she'd ever seen.

Kitaura knelt before the portrait, muttering something under his breath and making a hand gesture that seemed curiously like a Veracian priest making the Sign of Luminosita. Then, without any explanation, he turned to the women.

"We Tsuirakuans are men of honor," he said. "When a foreigner joins us in a matter of importance to our state, we find it honorable to extend him the protection of our government as though he was one of our own people. You have been our ally in such a matter -- and now it is my honor to offer you such protection, because your lives are in grave danger."
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Drannin
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Re: Background noise

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Argus pursed his lips. "I think I can accommodate you." Some more work altered his creation further. A noticeable gold node on the side pulsed slowly, rhythmically. Small golden lines spread out over the object in sharp, jagged patterns. Anyone tampering with the device would get a nasty electrical shock... with the false impression of far more lethal energy lurking behind that.

Finally, some very delicate manipulation generated a force shield around the entire object. Carefully enclosing the false artifact, the self-sustaining field felt like glass, and had a faint haze to it, making it just barely noticeable. The entire object was then like a globe, held in the hand, with the 'true' artifact held in the middle. The general impression was of holding an object by the power it gave off.

"There," said Argus, sweating a bit from the effort. "How's that?"
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Graybeard
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Re: Background noise

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Sister Rose could only shake her head in wonderment. "Just unbelievable. Fabulous. Incredible. I've never seen the like. Now we have to just hide it until everyone else is ready to go." It took a little arranging, but the enhanced artifact soon occupied a place in the largest of her traveling suitcases.

She turned back to Argus, smiled shyly. "You know ... we really make a pretty good team, don't we?"

And to her own complete astonishment, she leaned over and planted a very soft, demure kiss on the man's cheek ...

... Forgetting to check on where Harker was.
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