A Meeting of The Minds

[Serenity]

(An adventure for members of the Noctis Venator, but anyone may join if they wish.)


It was after dark in Wistvale, a warm wind kicked up the dust and debris as it passed through the town streets. All was quiet around the harbor save for the occasional chime of a ship's bell. The lanterns rocked back and forth against the wind, the last of which just being lit by Wistvale's guardians.

A few sentinel patrols still roamed the near vacant streets, with a few shambling drunks from the pub teetering toward their homes. A fairly average night for Wistvale, unless....

"You see the old codger drunk out of his ass again in the alley behind the pub and caressing the bottom of the garbage can like it were the finest piece in all the land?"
"Aye, never gets old that."

A fairly average night in Wistvale.

Then two finely dressed gents walked up the gates.

"A fine night to you," the gentleman said as he passed by the guard standing by the gate, tipping his top hat as he did.
"A fine night indeed." said the other gent who stood right by the other.

They were both dressed in black, suit and all, with bow-tie, matching top-hats, dress shoes, and black gloves. The only thing that wasn't matching about their attire is that one appeared to be wearing an eye patch over his left eye.

"Hold up, gentlemen," said one of the sentinels, "I must ask that you state your names and business in Wistvale." His companion stood firm with him.

"Our business?" the stranger said, looking to his mate rather bemused.
"Our business?" the other replied in a similar matter.

They stared at each other without speaking, but with their hands rubbing their chins in an identical matter as they thought on how to respond to the guards.

The sentinels looked just as confused, but the soldier repeated his demand more firmly, "Yes, your names and business here in Wistvale."

The two turned awkwardly toward the guards and tipped their hats simultaneously.

"My apologies."
"Yes we do apologize."

The sentinel shook his head and sighed, "Your names, sirs? If you don't comply I will take you down to our headquarters."

"Yes, yes, I understand. My name is Walter, Walter Fairgreen, at your service," he accented his introduction with a bow.

"And I am Roger, Roger Bacon, at your service," he bowed at perfect length next to his companion who with, simultaneously, brought their heads back up.

The sentinel felt more at discomfort with them then he did before, but so long as they were complying, being strange wasn't enough to arrest them.

"And your purpose in Wistvale this late at night?"

"Our purpose?"
"Yes, our purpose..."

The stranger with the eye patch, Roger, began to rustle through his coat pocket while Walter spoke up again.

"We're here to visit our colleagues, the Noctic Venator. They are here, yes?"

The sentinel seemed a bit taken back that the visitor now started to make sense, "Yes, funny group of mages and the like, just opened up a new building here recently."

Roger finally removed his hand from his coat and materialized an odd looking rock that emitted an unnatural purple light.

"Good. Oh, And we're here to return this girl to her family," Walter said.

The guards became startled then, and readied their weapons.

"That's, that's a damned soul stone!"

"She really misses her family," Roger said with an unnatural smile. His hand began to glow red, and crackling energies wrapped around the soul stone. Then came the ear splitting howl of a tortured woman, that rung throughout Wistvale.

[Loreburn]

Loreburn's head shot up.

Oh....no.

Papers went flying as he put his hat back on, eyes glowing with fear and dread...but intense curiosity.

Echo indicative of spiritual origin, dermal chill response--

The tiny shack that was the current Venator office was left behind in his mad rush, tripping once, but still mumbling to himself, getting louder as he went.

--length of echo means three, no, four layers of soul locks, third era Mortis quality--

He bumped into someone, mumbled an apology as he headed for the source of the sound.

--severe chill response means one hell of long time in there, the poor sod trapped in a...

He made it to the city gates, panting and putting his hands on his knees, barely able to lift his head enough to look at the stone.

...a soul stone.

[Ansel]

Ansel is just returning from the city market, having finished handing out food and medicine amongst the poor. As he walks, unafraid of the lengthening shadows around him, the piercing scream from the soul stone suddenly echos around, causing him to throw his hands up to his ears.

"What in the name of Zalgo was that!?!?! We have not heard such a terrible sound in years... Not since our lessons on the darker aspects of magi- Oh chaos..."

Suddenly realizing that such a sound of pure agony and suffering could only be brought out by some sort of foul magic, Ansel drops the food basket he was carrying and spins, dashing off towards the source of the sound. As he runs, he thinks about what could have happened

"It sounded like it came from the gates... An attack? But why would somebody wish to attack Wistvale? There is almost nothing of note here, not that we are aware of... And such a terrible sound... We are sure that we have heard one such noise before, but cannot remember exactly where from, besides that it was during lessons at the monastery... But whatever the cause, we must not let such suffering continue."

Having reached this conclusion, Ansel decides to quicken his pace and suddenly shoots forward like an arrow. Dodging around pedestrians and weaving through the crowd, Ansel emerges to where the gates stand, arriving just in time to see Loreburn stop and whisper something, although Ansel cannot tell what it was.

[Serenity]

"A tad to long I think, Mr. Bacon."
"Yes, yes, I do apologize. A moment more and we might have caused a terrible stir."

The sentinels at the main gate were unconscious, laying on the ground on their faces as if struck hard on the gut. Mr. Fairgreen tipped his hat to them and the strangers walked further into town.

"Is this really Wistvale?" asked Roger Bacon.
"Yes, yes it is. It looks different, but it is Wistvale." replied Walter.
"When did we last visit?"
"Oh some few years ago, when it was easier to obtain subjects for our experiments."
"Ah, yes, I'm beginning to recall now," Roger said as he gripped his soul stone.

The streets were in chaos and panic, as sentinels rushed toward the gates to see what the noise was all about. Citizens were looking out the corners of their windows to see what caused that ghastly screech. Those brave enough to take a few steps outside their doors were immediately told to go back inside by alarmed sentinels.

"Where do you suppose the Noctis is, Mr. Fairgreen?"
"I don't rightly know, Mr. Bacon, perhaps I should have asked those fellows before putting them to sleep."

Panic ensued at the gates then, as the sentinels discovered their fallen comrades and no culprit. The patrols then set about to form a perimeter and watch all the exits, while a few went around to get every citizen inside their homes.

"Oh?" Roger said as he turned to Loreburn.
"Something wrong, Mr. Bacon?"
"Him, Mr. Fairgreen."

Walter followed the one eyed gaze of his companion, and saw Loreburn before becoming as intrigued as his colleague.

The gentlemen walked in Loreburn and Ansel's direction, stopping at about twenty feet away.

"Might we inquire where we could find the office of the Noctis Venator?" asked Walter, pleasantly. Roger stood by with the soul stone still in hand, also sharing in the same delight as Walter.

[Loreburn]

Loreburn was not used to the type of panic, but kept his gaze on the soul stone. It radiated power, such an incredibly old stone.

S-sir...put down the soul stone. Please. That needs to be...released, right now, before she blows her top in there.

He took a few steps forward, reaching forward a little, staring at the purple store.

I am the representative of the Noctis to the people of Wistvale. There aren't many members here. Just...please put that down.

[Ansel]

Ansel approaches Loreborn after he sees him, intending to ask what was going on. Before he can, however, the two men in black approach, and he sees the souls stone in one of their hands. He then breathes out through his teeth and hisses lowly

"Soul stones. I had hoped to forget those..."

His head then snaps up to the men, and a large scowl comes over his face

"We assume that you are the ones responsible for that scream? As a Child of Zalgo, I cannot stand by while innocents are harmed. I am the order, and you are the chaos. Drop the stone and leave before I must take action"

Ansel punctuates this last statement by clenching his fists, his muscles straining visibly. What could not be seen, however, was his mental preparation to tap into his darkness magic if it became needed.

[Serenity]

"Ah that is not a problem!"
"Not a problem at all!"

Their voices were nearly identical, and the way they spoke suggested they knew what one was going to say before he even said it. Their smiles persisted despite Loreburn's concern over the soul stone.

Bacon looked down at the stone in his hand, "I'm afraid this one has been out of the body for too long."

"Even if we wanted to release her, she has no where to go, we've disposed of the waste." said Walter.

Both of the gentlemen lifted their hats and bowed simultaneously for a second before standing upright again.

"I am Walter Fairgreen, at your service."
"And I am Roger Bacon, at your service, and we welcome the Noctis Venator!"
"Yes, indeed, we welcome you to our little part of the world. We feel fortunate to have an organization of your reputation at our door step!"

A large group of sentinels was coming up the street, two men dragging one on their shoulders. His body looked lifeless before the sentinel weakly raised his head at the group's direction.

"em....it's them!" he spouted as loud as he could.

The rest of patrol immediately sprinted toward Roger and Walter with swords drawn.

"Perhaps I held back a bit too much," said Walter.
"It certainly looks that way, Mr. Fairgreen."
"Then if you would be so kind, Mr. Bacon."
"Of course..."

Roger raised his right hand to his right side where he then extended his index finger. A small arcane circle suddenly formed around it, made up of red runes that were too small for either Loreburn or Ansel to see.

Then it vanished, as quickly as it came. For a moment, the sudden show of magic didn't seem to do anything.

"Stop right ther-!" one of sentinels began to say.

Loreburn and Ansel then felt a sudden, and powerful pressure go through them, as if feeling a wave wash over them. The sensation lasted for only a second, but it's impact left it's mark. When they came to realize their surroundings again, it became clear what had happened.

The sentinels were stuck in place, the one barking out the command before had his jaw locked in motion. Nearby debris that was in the midst of being carried by the wind now stood perfectly in place in midair. There was no sound, not even a whisper or single vibration other than those made by Ansel and Loreburn. The two men could still move about freely, despite the rest of their world being completely still.

"Thank you, Mr. Bacon."
"Always a pleasure, Mr. Fairgreen."

[Loreburn]

Ooooh bad. Bad bad bad.

He looked around in horror, once giving the Sentinel nearest him a poke, murmuring under his breath.

Chronomancy. Not good. Not good at all. Sirs...we don't want trouble. If you want to talk to my superiors, I can get in touch with them. Killing us is going to accomplish nothing.

His voice rose when he addressed the two men, but seemed shaky, unsure.

[Ansel]

Ansel feels the wave of force pass through him, and has to focus his energy to not get locked down by it. Managing to order himself, he returns his gaze to the two men, and then slowly makes his way over to Loreburn's side, and then whispers under his breath

"Brother Loreburn, we wish to help. We are not sure what exactly they are doing, but we will stand with you in whatever may happen."

[Loreburn]

He whispered back, still staring at the stone.

They want the Noctis. I would not feel bad if you kept yourselves out of this, but if you insist, then I would appreciate your help.

[Serenity]

Both gentlemen looked at Loreburn and laughed lightheartedly,

"But of course," said Walter.
"Killing you won't accomplish anything," said Roger, "You misunderstand our purpose here."

"We know of the Venator's reputation, both for securing brilliant minds and destroying entities not natural to our world. We are quite excited that you've decided to come to 'our neck of the woods' as it were."

"One cannot conclude experiments without practical tests. We do not wish to harm the Noctis Venator, rather, we want to see who's methods and execution are superior."

"Should your deaths come due to our 'tests, well, that would be unfortunate, but would prove that perhaps the Venator is not as great as it makes itself out to be."

"Then we'd have to seek results from less reliable...sources.

They both walked in perfect parallel to each other toward Loreburn, stopping just inches away.

Walter extended his arm, "So what say you, sir, does the Venator wish to be part of our experiment?"

They didn't seem to care that Loreburn wasn't a high ranking official of his order, nor seemed to pay much mind to Ansel. The men with wicked smiles expected an answer.

[Loreburn]

If...it's an...experiment...

Frozen in place, eyes flicking from the men to sidelong at Ansel.

You need a....control. A non-Venator control. Let the priest be your control. They're not affiliated with me in the least.

[Ansel]

Ansel gives Loreburn a sideways glance, his mild displeasure evident on his face

"As he says. We are the leader of the Children of Zalgo here in Wistvale. Our interactions with the Noctis Venator have been merely matters of being in the same city. We would be more then happy to take part in this 'test'. As long as it keeps your from harming any more people."

Ansel's displeasure still quite plain on his face, he sighs and shakes his head, obviously trying his best to try and forgive Loreburn for throwing him under the cart

[Serenity]

"I'm afraid we can't promise that." they said simultaneously.

They stepped back, toward ground that was several feet away from their previous position when the sentinels rushed at them. Roger snapped his fingers and both Loreburn and Ansel felt the same pressure rush through them as before, but in reverse.

The sentinel that was issuing the order before became stunned momentarily, blinking his eyes and straightening himself up as he saw that the strangers were no longer there.

"How, when...stop right there!" the sentinel called out once more, with his sword drawn and pointed at the two.

Roger showed his soul stone again, "Our test for the evening, is to simply see how competent the Venator is with our own eyes," he looked at Ansel, "And friends..."

Walter extended a single arm parallel to the ground with his palm straightened upward. A red arcane circle began to form with sizzling energy and ancient runes of a demonic nature; the circle was at least 6ft in radius.

"I'm afraid we've no more use for you, my dear." Walter said, bowing his head slightly toward the soul stone that now began to levitate in front of the circle.

Loreburn recognized this as one of the oldest, crudest, and cruelest ways to summon demons from the abyss.

"I don't know what this magic is, but it smells foul, you're under arrest!" The sentinel cried out and charged at Roger, followed by the rest of his unit.

The one-eyed man extended his own arm, and a charge of purple energies shot forth from his palm, hitting the soul stone.

The captive inside screamed, louder than before. The screech of agony was so high pitched it forced the sentinels to stop and cover their ears. Windows all around them began shattering one by one, with bits of glass falling over Loreburn and Ansel.

A new pressure emerged then, almost following after the screaming. It pressed hard down against everyone there, as if a great looming shadow hung over them, giving off the sense of impending doom that clung to their chests. Though they could barely hear it, the sound of crying children, women, and men joined in with the chorus of agony.

Quakes began to arise then, but not from the ground, but rather in the air centered around the circle that Walter had made. Loud booms shot from various directions, like cracks of thunder, almost overpowering the still present torture of the soul. Loreburn and Ansel could feel as if the earth wanted to crack in on itself.

Then all went dead silent. The sentinels looked up, with tears in their eyes, as the circle Walter made shattered the space within it, like glass.

All looked into it then, looked into the eye of terror. Where things mortal men couldn't even fathom lived, a place even nightmares had no hope of conveying. Where the guilty pray they will never go, and holy men take for granted. Where all hope is lost, light is never found, and where beasts unimaginable feast on mortal souls; darkness's berth, and the seat of all evil.

Men of from across the ages have given it many names, very few witness it first hand, and only by the chaotic force of magic should they risk soul and bone for a single glimpse. Yet, some say it is all it takes. One look into the void to tempt whatever lies on the other side to come and drag you in with it.

That, or the sound of a tortured soul that pierces even the heavens.

The soul stone shattered and everyone could hear once more. The wisp that was the soul of a woman hung in the air, helplessly without another vessel to cling to.

Then without warning, a giant mouth that barely fit through the tear in the physical realm shot forth and swallowed the soul wisp whole in a giant bite. It slithered out from the abyss like a pale fleshy snake, with the rest of the body following after it. It's surface was smooth, and a tad rippled with it's ribcage made apparent. The entity had giant nostrils just above the mouth, with large human-like eyes on either side of it's head like a fish.

The length of it must have been at least 20ft. thus far. As it tried to move out further it would stop suddenly, as if stuck.

"I was not expecting one quite so large." said Walter, a bit bemused but otherwise fascinated by the creature.
"It looks to me like it's body is far too large for the opening you've created. This is likely just the neck of it," replied Roger.
"Ah, quite right, perhaps I should expand the space then?"

The sentinels were stunned, if that was the correct word for it. They were horrified, and one even managed to manifest white hair in shock.

The beast roared with the ravenous fury that slightly shook some of the nearby buildings. It raised it's head like a cobra and tried to force the rest of itself through to the mortal realm, attempting to physically break reality itself.


_____________

If my description didn't make sense, here's something similar to what you're up against. Neat, huh?





If you're going to do something against the monster or even the masterminds, you have to imply your action to which I'll decide if it works or not.

[Loreburn]

Ignoring Ansel's rather betrayed tone, he took a few steps back, mumbling to himself.

Twelfth level ifrit, at least. Chaos based, less infernal. Marvnini's Spectral Runes, don't have the tools for that. But...I do have...tesselating projectorates...emancipating twilines--

He took one step forward, voice growing louder and more confident. He spread his hands out to his sides, fingers curling as if grasping the air. His shadow seemed to detach itself from where it flickered in the lantern lights, spreading itself thin across the ground, forming runes that smoked a faint black as they etched themselves in the dirt.

--establishing umbramantic parameters, isolating infernal RNA particle codes--

His voice kept rising to a near laugh as the runes spread across the ground, cracking the dry dirt, making smoke rise, surrounding the demon.

--aperture stabilized, umbramantic feedback loop engaged! Say hello to Ol' Scratch for me, Infernal!

With a joyous, celebratory laugh, he stomped once, a ripple moving through the runes, making the smoke explode into black flames, trying to engulf the demon.