Online Forum Mage Game: The Continuing

OOC: Before I have Shoney do anything, I just have a quick question on the Correspodence spell on p.232 of Mage. Could it show the relationship between a person and a spirit/demon/ghost as well as people and objects, and if so, is it common knowledge/ a plausable use? Basically, does Shoney have to cast the spell to see if it will show her the connection between the Fiddler and this Aphasia, if he really exists?

OOC: Yes Shoney has the capability but the spell is a Fate one spell called Interconnections on page 148. It does exactly what you are asking. 

OOC: Oh, even better. I can't believe I didn't see it earlier. Thanks!

IC: Shoney frowned at the man's words. Was he possesed, or was he faking it? Could it be something else? Even more questions ran through her mind, in the split second after he spoke. There were so many possibilities, but Shoney didn't feel comfortable doind anything without knowing what was happening to the man. Biting her lip lightly, she focused her mind's eye on the fiddler, while closing herright  hand into a fist.

OOC: She is casting Interconnections with a dice pool of 5.

(@ Shoney): You see the tapestry of fate. Each thread connected, each effecting the weave as a whole. The fiddlers thread appears Frayed, in fact parts of it appear to have been completely Unmade. These gaps are widening, slowly consuming the remains of his thread and the threads most closely connected to him.

Something is is filling the void, something is part of the void.

(@ all) You feel Ivory working magic, you feel the power of supernal laws being brought to bear on the fallen world, you feel all of that potential energy slipping, dispersing harmlessly, and in the end you hear Ivory cursing under her breath.

Thompson speaks without taking his eyes off the Scelestus, "he's got mage armor up, probably some other defenses. My Sight picked up something strange when you guys used the High Speech didn't really know what it was. Got any plans of attack?

"There's someone trapped in that body, I think I'm going to try and reach him.  Maybe I can get some inside help fighting the Aphasia.  Maybe if you guys can distract him or try and counter what he's doing."

Staring at the fiddler, Qadesh concentrated, staring at the fiddler.  He imagined swimming through predator filled waters, trying to avoid notice while looking for a victim trapped in deep waters.

You picture it perfectly in your mind, the unnerving stillness of a becalmed sea, the inky silhouettes of predators circling closer and closer. The water is thick with dismembered thoughts and emotions, amputated assumptions and dreams. You see a large coherent chunk of doubt crudely stitched together by your magic. You follow the trail until you come across the drowning carcass of his mind. It thrashes uselessly against the undertow, but it is sinking to where the water goes from blue to black. As soon as you see it, you know it is beyond your power to save.
          

Shaking his head like he'd just surfaced from water, Qadesh said, "No good.  Whoever he was, he's gone now."

Thompson grimaces "So, were back to square one. We have a Scelestus in the Hallow with ritualized defenses, we have no idea what he is up to, and something is interfering with High Speech. Any ideas?" 

OOC: Could Shoney use Postcognition on pg.260 to see the past of what ever it is? If so she will do what is below. If not, ignore the post.

IC: Shoney frowned, disturbed at what she had seen. That did not however stop her from trying to find out how it had happened. Turning to the others she said, "I could try to see the thing's history, see what happened. Of course, that would mean I would have to look at a certain point in time. If I'm going to do it, does any one have any suggestions on what point in time I should look at?

"I don't think we have time for that," Qadesh, said, "and as far as I'm concerned, there isn't a person in there anymore.  There's just a wreck of a mind and I'm going to put it out of its misery."

With a frown of concentration, Qadesh focuses his mind and begins to send torrents of knife edged thoughts at the fiddler.

OOC:  He's going to cast Psychic Assault at the fiddler until he falls over.

(at Qadesh) You are filled with your goddess' wrath and hate and anger. Feeling with the intensity of a god is almost more than your mind can take. Then the flood gates open and it all pours out of you and into your target's mind. The resulting micro-seizure snaps his head back, and for the first time he stops playing. He takes a step back, and uses his sleeve to wipe away the blood now trickling down his nose.

 (at everyone) His arms tense, wielding his bow like a wand, and he barks in some unintelligible forgotten tongue. You feel something hammer into the Mental Wall which Qadesh bestowed on you all earlier, like a wave battering against the shore.

Thompsons throws his hands wide, and blasts the fiddle with celestial flame. The fiddle is singed, but no real structural damage is visible .

(It is Shoney's turn)       

Shoney mutters something unitelligible under her breath, as she draws a knife from her sleeve and throws it at the fiddler's throat.

OOC: She is casting Sharpshooter's Eye at the fiddler.

OOC: You can't cast and throw in the same action. This turn you are casting and next turn you can throw.

(@ Akaira) You open your eyes to the strands of fate, you see where he has armored himself in skewed probabilities. With this sight you will be able to aim not just through space, but also through the tangled weave of chance.

 (@ Everyone) Ivory winces and hunches and rests her palm at the surface of the water. Her nimbus flares, purifying her pasty vein riddled skin into pure opalescent white. It spreads through her until the water itself seems to shimmer in the darkness.

(@ Qadesh) You feel the power of the Abyss here, the scelestus has been hard at work. Instinctively you know that you could harness this power and add it to your own. You know that it would be easier to kill this man with it. That you could end this fight. He is a danger to the others, they could all end up dead or like Alilat.

It is your choice if you want to take it.     

Qadesh could feel it, the urge to give in to rage and pain, the shuddery delight it would bring, the freedom he would feel while indulging the baser emotions of the kill.  It would taint his magic, but it would feel so good.  It was like resisting the temptation for another hit, or holding himself on the brink of orgasm., so easy to just let go.

But he had done both of those things before and he did so now.  With a deep breath, Qadesh settled his mind into a state of high concentration.  He relaxed and softened his resistance against the temptation, allowing himself to feel the anticipation of tasting the darkness, but at the same time he did not allow himself to waver in his determination.  His mind became the soft silk of non-resistance surrounding the steel of his will.

With his mind at the ready, he continued to pour forth the righteous indignation, a searing torrent of mental energy to wash away the filth of the Abyss tainted mind.

(@ Qadesh)  You lashing out again at his mind, battering it with a crushing wave of your own will. You hear him grunt, and catch the faintest bitter copper scent of blood.

(@ Everyone) You feel extremely powerful magic coming from Thompson. You feel him put every last bit of strength and concentration into it. His nimbus rolls over you like a storm. Music announces his magic, base kettle drums and crash cymbals like thunder. Behind Thomson, a faint statuesque image of himself mirrors his movements: two meters tall, rippling muscles, thick gray beard instead of gray scarf, clad in storm clouds, and poised to throw a bolt of lighting. Then he releases it and primal fire emerges from his finger tips, you see him grimace as he struggles physically to keep it form going wild. Then he throws it, like a god of old sending some monstrosity back to tartarus.

For an instant everything is is drowned out by the force of the spell. When it clears two things immediately stand out. Smoke is rising from Thompson, and somehow the nephandus is still standing. Charred, battered, and broken but still up and still fighting.

(@Shoney) You throw your knife (aiming at the throat), the knife arcs beautifully, Weaves in and out of the twisted probabilities he has armored himself in, cleanly slices through an inch of his neck and lands deep inside the wall behind him.

He goes down, blood is gushing form his neck. He'll be completely bled out in a minute. He chokes up a cough of blood. he trys to rise up on one hand, he slips on the wet and blood-greased floor and falls on his face. He makes a quick gesture with one of his hands, possibly some kind of mudra. Then his hand slaps hard against the ground.

(OOC:) Thompson blew a willpower and scored six successes on a Celestial Fire spell. Enough to make his penchant for Greek mythology come the fore.  So that is what happened there.

This is a good turning point. I have more story if you guys want to keep playing passed this point. If not then it could end here.

I could also see adding some more players at this point. Got an idea for it.

Whatever you guys want to do.