1397-04-21-B2: Down The Rabbit(?) Hole

A game of (in no particular order) politics, intrigue, and swashbuckling adventure - set to a backdrop of an industrialized Amber.
The Stage is obsolete, leftover from a previous revision of reality. RP runs in Discord these days.

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ShadowOfPreservation
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Re: 1397-04-21-B2: Down The Rabbit(?) Hole

Post by ShadowOfPreservation »

Shadow's ears flatten and the growl that had been, until now, been a slight rumble intensifies to a deep counter resonance of anger in response to the unnatural noise assaulting his senses.
(Please correct me if I'm doing this all wrong...)
If the tree had any idea of Shadow's nature, it may have knows that a creature capable of splitting its consciousness into multiple parts and yet remain singular in thought and focus would have excellent defenses. (Focus/Careful +4, spending a Fate point as well)

If necessary/helpful, perhaps Shadow will adopt the larger wolf form to multiply the volume of his growl and prepare for an attack. I believe that requires a Fate Point or I get doom?
Wyvern
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Re: 1397-04-21-B2: Down The Rabbit(?) Hole

Post by Wyvern »

Shadow: Math looks right to me; with the expenditure of one fate point for a +6 defense, you're still taking a three stress hit - which you can just take, and since stress clears at end of scene, that's all you need. The giant wolf form would normally be useful here... except that, with no dice rolling involved, we can definitely say that Theodore's upcoming attack will end the fight. Though not, in fact, completely close out any conflict in the scene...

Theodore: Similarly, one tag spent on defense is all you need, and since you've got Shadow's support from a defensive aspect, no fate points are required. Again, this mechanically results in a three stress hit, which might be an issue if the scene weren't about to end.

Concession negotiations outside the forum have resulted in a decision, of which the most obvious result will be the invocation of the Load-Bearing Boss trope.
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Joshua
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Re: 1397-04-21-B2: Down The Rabbit(?) Hole

Post by Joshua »

The previous summoning starts to show outward signs of tendrils writhing inside the corpse, tentacles like worms slowly shifting 'inside' and not inside. More shifting the underlying shadow (reality) instead of the flesh itself.

"Future, Present and Past
can't be one and the same,
Let linear time cast
you from this domain.
"

Theodore gestures and the pieces of the watch that are circling around him speed up and tighten into a tight circle, reforming the original watch. Behind him a ghostly white clockface appears and streaks toward the tree.

(He tags "Hole in the Center" (for free...) and "Sees the Matrix" to properly aim the unsummon. Since he's striking at the center, it's Fractal Structure would extend the unsummon to everything that stems from the center (which is all of it... and this is the free invoke for the observation earlier), the rest is a further invoke of Dark Calls to Dark, and Magic isn't an Exact Science. Plus his stunt.)

At first, nothing happens, then the gateway he started to open slams shut and inverts, drawing energy inward the closest parts first, but then chasing down the threads of corruption that Theodore saw running through the ground. (Which, come to think of it, is another free invoke.) Theodore lets the energy he's absorbed drain, leaving him purged as well.

At which point, two drawbacks become apparent. First, the tunnel was created by shoving rock from one shadow into those nearby, creating cracks between realities, and without the corruptive influence, the tunnel begins to collapse back into solid rock. Second, the Byakhee was summoned with similar energy and is sucked screaming through the inverted eldritch gate, leaving him to walk out.
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ShadowOfPreservation
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Re: 1397-04-21-B2: Down The Rabbit(?) Hole

Post by ShadowOfPreservation »

Seeing Theodore's mount disappear into the sucking vortex of dark energy and noting the increasing instability of the tunnel, Shadow shouts, "Unless you have a quicker way out of here, get on!" and quickly bolts next to Theodore, crouching lower so that he can climb on the wolf's back and preparing to bolt back the way they came.
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Joshua
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Re: 1397-04-21-B2: Down The Rabbit(?) Hole

Post by Joshua »

Seeing as how the implosion also scrambled the goggles he was using to see, yeah, he fumbles and holds on tight.
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Re: 1397-04-21-B2: Down The Rabbit(?) Hole

Post by Wyvern »

For Shadow, the trip out is difficult and tiring as the passage collapses around him; for Theodore, it is merely painful when the occasional bit of debris bounces off his back. Still, a short time later, the two find themselves back where they started, on the ground next to the train. The ranger captain is nowhere in sight, the rangers are keeping a wary watch, and the engineers still have plenty of work to do - while the hole is now filled in, the earth where it was is jumbled and soft, and the rail itself still has a missing segment that needs to be patched.

One of the rangers hooks a thumb towards the back of the train. "Captain went that'away; I'm sure she'll want to talk to you two..."
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Joshua
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Re: 1397-04-21-B2: Down The Rabbit(?) Hole

Post by Joshua »

Theodore will give himself a quick dusting and will gingerly grab the handle on his sort-of rolling luggage. "Okay... Thank you."

He will let Shadow lead the way if the wolf is so inclined.
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ShadowOfPreservation
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Re: 1397-04-21-B2: Down The Rabbit(?) Hole

Post by ShadowOfPreservation »

Shadow give a nod to the Ranger and then turns to Theodore. "I'll let her know we've returned and are on our way to her," Shadow says and heads off down the length of the train. "I've captured someone that, if not wholly responsible for all of this, was at least involved. Have you heard of the Green Spiral?"
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Joshua
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Re: 1397-04-21-B2: Down The Rabbit(?) Hole

Post by Joshua »

"No, my guess is they're local. However, the ritual for summoning a magic patron seemed familiar. We should talk to the captain and the captive about it. With so much potential variations across shadows, it's... perhaps a coincidence."

(Continued back in the original thread.)
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