He gently tries to lift the hand to the first step, suddenly regretting trying to raise it. If it was going to be this slow, it may not have been worth it.
Degree in Post-Mortem Communication, an Offical Hemomancy Conditional Practice Certificate, License to Employ Pyrokenetics, Advanced Necromantic Exception Certification, Doctorate in Soul Magics and Related Sciences, Approved Demonic Event Technician from the Board of Infernal Affairs, Practicing Curse Removal Specialist.
And your qualifications?
Orp Boon [M:83:616:][D3v:http://www.rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=406&page=1#374]"Is that family heirloom for sale?"[0:Gone fishing.][1:The store is open!]
With some help the hand climbs to the top of the stairs. It skitters across the room and through the hallway on the right.
The stairs in that hallway lead down to a room with a single empty sarcophagus. The lid lies in pieces like the other ones but this stone coffin is more decorated than the other ones. Along the parts that are still together, lines of script crawl along. Loreburn recognizes the script as one often used with blood magick and may be able to translate parts of it if he tries for a while. Loreburn can imagine what the sarcophagus must have looked like when it was whole.
The hand skitters towards a archway on the far side of the room.
Loreburn begins to recognize the room from his blood magick studies. The architecture and arrangement is very characteristic.
Ohhh....dear. As he entered the room, there was a very definite sinking feeling.
This is not good. Not at all good. Mortis Order. Bad, bad mojo. He went up to the archway, running a hand over its surface and following the lines in the floor with his gaze.
They managed a portal to Sanguia. Here? With...the ley line nearby... The wheels turned in his head for a moment.
At least two gigathaums. How in Lilith's elbows did they gather that much power? Must have taken...I can't even imagine...
Degree in Post-Mortem Communication, an Offical Hemomancy Conditional Practice Certificate, License to Employ Pyrokenetics, Advanced Necromantic Exception Certification, Doctorate in Soul Magics and Related Sciences, Approved Demonic Event Technician from the Board of Infernal Affairs, Practicing Curse Removal Specialist.
And your qualifications?
Orp Boon [M:83:616:][D3v:http://www.rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=406&page=1#374]"Is that family heirloom for sale?"[0:Gone fishing.][1:The store is open!]
You want to go in. Why would you want to go in. Why would they program the task field to make you go in. Unless the portal had been stable. At some point. Again he ran his hand over the archway's flat surface.
Fascinating. Perhaps...I can find out when it was...active.
A testing pulse of blood magic, less even than he'd used on the hand. There was no way of knowing if there was any blood in the portal stone at all.
Degree in Post-Mortem Communication, an Offical Hemomancy Conditional Practice Certificate, License to Employ Pyrokenetics, Advanced Necromantic Exception Certification, Doctorate in Soul Magics and Related Sciences, Approved Demonic Event Technician from the Board of Infernal Affairs, Practicing Curse Removal Specialist.
And your qualifications?
Orp Boon [M:83:616:][D3v:http://www.rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=406&page=1#374]"Is that family heirloom for sale?"[0:Gone fishing.][1:The store is open!]
Loreburn gets a sense that the portal was active years ago.
He hears a strange sound, almost a Sluurp and then a few pads on the floor like cat feet. The room grows cold and if he turned, Loreburn could see a creature materializing from a shadow.
Well. That was unexpected. Of all the things he thought he would encounter down here, this was not one of them. He stared for a moment, mouth opening and closing once or twice before he waved a hand slightly and spoke.
Hello there.
Degree in Post-Mortem Communication, an Offical Hemomancy Conditional Practice Certificate, License to Employ Pyrokenetics, Advanced Necromantic Exception Certification, Doctorate in Soul Magics and Related Sciences, Approved Demonic Event Technician from the Board of Infernal Affairs, Practicing Curse Removal Specialist.
And your qualifications?
Orp Boon [M:83:616:][D3v:http://www.rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=406&page=1#374]"Is that family heirloom for sale?"[0:Gone fishing.][1:The store is open!]
Sir...madam. He pulled the wallet from his robe and flashed the cat his badge.
My name is Manrick Loreburn, investigator with the Noctis Venator, assigned to this area in the interests of assessing and if possible neutralizing any threat to time-space health. I'm only here to look around, see if it's still dangerous to class E mortals, then I'll be on my way. He paused, rocking back on his heels.
Before I do, I must warn you I am a licensed and practicing pyrokinetic and umbrakinetic, and I am authorized to use those powers with extreme prejudice. As you are probably some sort of class Delta or Gamma entity, my words as a mortal probably mean nothing, but I can assure you, several hundred degrees of magical fire will.
Semi-bluffing; he had no source of flame, not sure, but his shadow was enough to put a dent is most anything.
Degree in Post-Mortem Communication, an Offical Hemomancy Conditional Practice Certificate, License to Employ Pyrokenetics, Advanced Necromantic Exception Certification, Doctorate in Soul Magics and Related Sciences, Approved Demonic Event Technician from the Board of Infernal Affairs, Practicing Curse Removal Specialist.
And your qualifications?
Orp Boon [M:83:616:][D3v:http://www.rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=406&page=1#374]"Is that family heirloom for sale?"[0:Gone fishing.][1:The store is open!]
In a small panic, he backed up a few steps, holding his hands nearly together, runes of shadow running from his palms down his arms.
I have warned you and have no choice but to defend myself! With a small, whispered word and a grunt, he backs up enough to throw the accumulated shadow energy in front of himself, in the shadowcat's path. His own shadow lengthens, becomes animate against the floor, separating itself from Manrick, and delivers a stiff uppercut to the feline shade.
Degree in Post-Mortem Communication, an Offical Hemomancy Conditional Practice Certificate, License to Employ Pyrokenetics, Advanced Necromantic Exception Certification, Doctorate in Soul Magics and Related Sciences, Approved Demonic Event Technician from the Board of Infernal Affairs, Practicing Curse Removal Specialist.
And your qualifications?
Orp Boon [M:83:616:][D3v:http://www.rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=406&page=1#374]"Is that family heirloom for sale?"[0:Gone fishing.][1:The store is open!]
The shadowcat's head crack back and little bits of darkness spit out of its mouth. It hisses and reels back away from his shadow. The cat crouches low and swings its spiked tail swings at Loreburn's shadow's head.
The real Loreburn staggered back with the force of the blow, the front of his robe ripping a little. He could fix that later. For now he kept his hands up, protecting his chest, bouncing on his heels as he feinted up and came in for a low jab.
Bad choice on your part, sir! I was in the Highever flyweight shadowboxing finals! Lost only to Ishmael Dumar in the fourth round! En guarde!
Were anyone to see him, it would look like he were feverishly boxing thin air. But if they looked at the ground they would see the actual fight going on between the two shadows.
Degree in Post-Mortem Communication, an Offical Hemomancy Conditional Practice Certificate, License to Employ Pyrokenetics, Advanced Necromantic Exception Certification, Doctorate in Soul Magics and Related Sciences, Approved Demonic Event Technician from the Board of Infernal Affairs, Practicing Curse Removal Specialist.
And your qualifications?
Orp Boon [M:83:616:][D3v:http://www.rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=406&page=1#374]"Is that family heirloom for sale?"[0:Gone fishing.][1:The store is open!]
Loreburn's jab takes a chunk of shadow out of the umbral feline. The cat slinks back low to the ground and then pounces high above Loreburn's shadow, poised to land right on him.
The real Loreburn is thrown to the ground just as his shadow is pounced, hitting the floor hard, grappling with the unseen presence above him. If this were an actual fight, the mage would have easily been killed by now. But the shadowy nature of the conflict gave him confidence, put it more on his playing ground. He grunted, hissed as the shadowcat's paw slashed at his face, throwing his head back in pain. Finally he managed to push the cat away enough to maneuver, bringing a knee to the creature's gut and attempting to throw it off.
Degree in Post-Mortem Communication, an Offical Hemomancy Conditional Practice Certificate, License to Employ Pyrokenetics, Advanced Necromantic Exception Certification, Doctorate in Soul Magics and Related Sciences, Approved Demonic Event Technician from the Board of Infernal Affairs, Practicing Curse Removal Specialist.
[M:0:0:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=436&page=1#16520]
[M:83:616:][D3v:http://www.rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=406&page=1#374]
