Date sent: Sun, 13 May 2001 13:55:24 -0400 (EDT) From: "Philip J. Moyer" Subject: [Amber/UnS] Kanna, Lian, Moriya, Motoko -- Discussions, Investigations, Keys, Gates, Keepers, Plots, and the Black Wind To: "Amy \"General Chaos\" Borden" , Chris Angelini , John Biles , Chris Bremner , Travis Butler , MercutioV@aol.com Kanna OOCly says, "Righto... picking up where we'd left off... Kanna and Lian had been talking with Corrine, mentioned some of their future plans, and talk had shifted towards concerns about the City of Brass." ============================= ============================== Kanna drinks more of her coffee, draining. "Well, what's done is done... though the Heart of Flame reminds me..." She glances at Lian. You page, "That's your cue. :)" to Chris. Lian nods, "Looks like that's not the only Heart out there ... Bey, Lily, Mitsune and me encountered an old enemy of Bey's on our little key hunt, nasty guy calling himself the Master. He's been researching a Heart of Ice ... a construct drawing power from ice and snow shadows, not unlike Kafuin in design, but more limited." Lian says, "It is supposed to be controlled by one Jadis the White, professional evil witch." Corrine asks, "Where is this to be found?" Lian says, "With this Jadis the White, obviously. Just where in shadow we don't know yet." Corrine nods. Kanna says, "Now, why -he'd- want it is up for grabs, other than the usual reasons of power and glory and whatnot... but it's not the only construct he's been researching." She sighs. "This 'Heart of Ice' is apparently neutral, according to the notes they found, but there was another... called The Black Crown." Kanna says, "And -that- one... was apparently set up by the Outsiders." Corrine frowns deeply. "What does it do?" Lian nods. "A rather nasty piece, by all accounts, and very useful if you're into the evil overlord thing with an interest in building yourself a cross-shadow empire. Because that's what it helps you with." Kanna says, "According to the notes Bey and co plundered from the Master, it helps create tyrants and then helps them build cross-shadow empires. -How-? I don't know, and I'm not sure if I'd -want- to. Other than to know how to take it down and wipe it from Reality." Lian says, "Unfortunately, once again we don't know a location, only the name of someone using one of its manifestations. Pella, a warrior-sorceress." Corrine says, "Well, I've never heard of it, but I'll have the intelligence network keep an eye open." Kanna nods. "That's what I figured would be what could be done about it at the moment." She hrms, and considers. "Might also want to keep ears open for mutterings of folks trying to -make- those empires by unknown means." Kanna says, "Find the conquerors, then trace down the source." Corrine nods. "I doubt we'll hear anything of the Heart, but the Crown sounds like something which would actually work close enough to Ember for us to notice." Kanna munches more of her donut, and then hrms again. "Yeah. The routes to here are difficult, but not -impossible- with those with the right means. Anyway, we figured you could use the heads-up on these things, since there's a -lot- of stuff going on out in Shadow lately that's just plain odd." She eyerolls, and then sighs. "And with Cousin Shaft getting killed, random trumpings, and who knows what else, just want to help do my part to keep the family safe." She smiles a bit. Corrine nods. "And Shizumaru is missing. I'm not sure if you heard about that." Lian blinks. "Uh-oh? How did that happen?" Corrine says, "I don't know what happened." Kanna blinks. Kanna exclaims, "How the... but I just -talked- to him a couple days ago!" Kanna says, "Before we went up into the mountans..." She frowns. Corrine says, "Apparently, Shizumaru and Rimururu simply vanished, and then the Black Unicorn Amber's forces invaded the Keep. They've been driven off, and most of them died or were captured." Kanna stares. Kanna says, "... good pyricorn." Lian shakes her head. Kanna says, "... the Golden Tree and Kafuin... are they still... intact?" Corrine says, "I've been meaning to do something about that place for a very long time." There is just a hint of an edge to her voice. "But there were always higher, less dangerous priorities." Corrine says, "Kafuin was demolished and will have to be repaired. The Golden Tree and the seal survived intact." Kanna nods, quietly, and moves a hand over to squeeze her mother's. Lian frowns slightly. "Looks like I'll have to start a bit earlier on Reconfiguration than I thought ... " Kanna says, "At least there's that... and last I knew, you had notes, and access to Uncle Gideon's..." She sighs, and shakes her head. "How's Moriya taking it?" Corrine says, "Fiona is dead. She's finally paid for what she did so long ago, but..." Corrine shakes her head. "Still no answers." Kanna nods, curtly. "-good-." [(Yes, there was a hint of an edge in Kanna's voice upon hearing about Fiona.. like mother, like daughter...)] Corrine says, "I heard this second hand, so I don't know for sure. Hiko trumped me and told me about it." Kanna nods. "Well, given we'll be in Lipun tomorrow, want us to poke around where Cousin Shizu last was? Last I saw him, he was in the embassy there." She says, "It wouldn't hurt to check, I think." Kanna says, "We'll put that on the itinerary, then." She quirks a slight smile, and then sighs. "I think that's about it on what we've got planned... if Shinobu Minor's around, I'm thinking of asking if she wants to come along, get some more family time in. And since sis is usually with me," she taps her manifestation badge, "it's not like she'll be out of range of her mom this time." She chuckles a bit, and shakes her head ruefully. Corrine says, "That's a good idea, I think." Corrine shakes her head. "I didn't expect to be a grandmother any time soon, I must say." Lian smiles. "But isn't it nice?" Kanna grins. "Or me a full Aunt." She blushes. "I -still- owe sis 13 years worth of mother's day cards now." ======= ======= Bill Vincent says, "You don't normally send Mother's day cards to your sister. :)" Lian . o O ( OOC They're Emberites. They're weird. ;) ) Kanna OOCly says, "Have you looked at the Hallmark Cards Sections Lately, John?" Bill Vincent says, "OOC Yes, but that's just Hallmark trying to extort money :)" Kanna OOCly says, "And it works, too. :)" Bill Vincent says, "OOC There's National Pickle Day cards too, if you know where to work :)" Bill Vincent says, "OOC LOOK" Kanna OOCly says, "Anyway. She's joking, pay it no mind." Bill Vincent says, "OOC Righto :)" ======= ======= Kanna asks, "Or something like that. Anyway." She hrms, and gets up, and then snaps her fingers. "Oh! Something Lian and I just encountered, and it's nagging me in the back of my mind, as if I should know more about it... You wouldn't happen to know anything about a 'Menelcamar'? It sounds Elvish, and grandpa translated it as 'Sword of Heaven', but I couldn't place the word itself. It was mentioned in reference to Nienna of the Valar, and Aule and Mandos... and I know the Arden Elves once served Nienna, at least according to the storytellers... would it help to collar somebody down in Arden for more info, or the Royal Library down there?" Corrine says, "I don't remember the term ever coming up, although the Valar were some 'dieties' out in Shadow who the Arden elves once served. I'm sure the elves could tell you more." Kanna nods. "Right. Thanks, mom." She smiles. "We'll get out of your hair now... and good luck with dinner?" ======= ======= You page, "Hmmm... given she spent some time down in Arden and could have heard stories, and she's being reminded of the Arden Elves and Valar... had 'The Blessed Realm' ever come up in their stories? She knows the Arden Elves and Valar came from Beleriand...." to Akemi. Akemi pages, "The Blessed Realm was the home of the Valar across the sea from Beleriand." to you. ======= ======= She nods. "Thanks." Lian nods, "Bye, auntie." She looks at Kanna, "Let's find Shinobu now?" Kanna nods, and hugs her mom, quicky before heading out. "Sounds like a good idea." She grins. "We can have dinner together and plan our next move..." Her voice trails off as they exit, and she puts a hand on Lian's shoulder to keep them from moving away -too- quick. You wander around a while, and finally track down Shinobu Minor, then arrange for dinner to be sent to your quarters. Kanna says, "... i hadn't made the connection before, but now that my brain's been percolatin' on it a bit, given all the mentions of the Valar and the Elves..." Lian asks, "... yes?" Kanna says, "... but The Blessed Realm was the -homw- of the Valar, across the sea from Beleriand." Kanna OOCly says, "home, that is." Lian asks, "Yes. And?" Kanna says, "We've got a destination now, I bet." Lian says, "More or less, yes." ===== ===== Kanna OOCly says, "So, we're all now assembled eating dinner, I think?" Bill Vincent says, "OOC Yes." ===== ===== Kanna says, "I wonder..." she hrms, and starts eating. "Anyway. Shinobu? If it's all right with your mom, would you want to come along with Lian and I to Lipun to do some investigation? Both on this 'gate' thing, and whatever happened to Cousin Shizumaru. After that it looks like Lian and I will be heading out into Shadow again, and it's up to you if you want to come along, but it never hurts to have extra help." She quirks a smile. Shinobu Minor says, "Sure, I'd be happy to." Lian grins. "Great." She looks to Kanna, "Say ... can Gaby take us to the 'gate' site, or do we have to use normal means?" Gabrielle manifests herself. "I can send you right to the place we waited outside it, if you like." Kanna smiles. "Thanks." She then hrms. "Also, hm, we got some loot after that -last- trip," she eyerolls, "And while I'm not -fully- sure of some of its usefulness, given how much some of us try calling on other powers, there were at least some mental-shield rings, gauntlets of strength, and some bracers of fighting. That is if they boost and don't replace one's natural talents." Kanna grins a bit. "And I've also got a trump of it, too, courtesy of sis." Kanna says, "Well, at least at the outer set of markers." Kanna says, "Got trump of the Embassy there, too." Lian says, "Good, that means we won't be spending time touring the countryside, as nice as that is." Kanna chuckles a bit. "It's nice, but it took us about two days to ride from the embassy to the mountains, and that's time we don't have." Lian says, "Not with everything else that needs to be done, no." Lian asks, "So ... trump to the embassy, see if we can find a clue to what happened to Shizumaru, then trump on to the gate and check there?" Kanna nods. "Sounds like a plan. First thing in the morning, since it's starting to get late, but take horses in case we need to start riding elsewhere." She quirks a smile. "Anything else we should try covering before turning in?" She scratches her cheek, thoughtfully. Lian says, "Can't think of anything ... " ====== ====== You page, "in my hightened paranoia, would it be off-base for me to have Lian/Gaby check for compulsions? Given I was travelling with at least one conjerour and one Suspicious Character for nearly a month... *wl*" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Fine with me if you want a brain scrub." to you. ======= ======= Kanna looks down at her food, and mmms. "Lian? Sis? How good are you at checking for compulsions? Near the end of our trip, my guard around Ukyou was starting to go down, and we also had Spellvis, who knew conjuration, with us. And Ukyou did a lot of the cooking, too." She hehs a bit. "... I-I just want to make sure my brain's nice and squeaky clean. Okay, so it'd remove the excuse that I was compelled to do all that, but I've never been one to deny I screwed up." Gabrielle says, "I can check, although you could just go down and walk the Pattern, then sleep off the exhaustion if you wanted to be sure." Kanna nods. "I'll... probably do that, too, now that you mention it, sis." She smiles slightly. "After all, best to keep regular 'backups'." She smiles sheepishly. "Just don't want anything -else- to happen while walking it... Lian, you'd need to hold onto the key while I walked it." Gabrielle smiles. "It would be quite bad for the key's health, yes." Kanna says, "And possibly mine as it detonated while I wore it between my breasts. I'm sorry, but I -like- my chest, thankyou." She chuckles. ====== ====== Lian . o O ( OOC I missed everything since Kanna asking for the compulsion checking. -.- ) Kanna OOCly says, "Not much missed, just Gaby suggesting Kanna walk pattern as well, to make sure, then sleep off the exhaustion." Lian . o O ( OOC Okay. ) Kanna OOCly says, "And that Lian would be holding onto the Key while Kanna walked Pattern." Lian . o O ( OOC A good idea. :> ) Kanna OOCly says, "I thought so. :)" Shinobu Minor asks, "OOC Okay, gonna go walk the Pattern now?" Kanna OOCly says, "After Lian and Gaby take a peek in my brain, yes. To check that Compulsions such as 'bleed on the pattern', etc are out. And then hand over the key to Lian to keep an eye on. And any reasons why I should NOT walk the pattern?" Kanna OOCly says, "(yes, I remember the LAST time I IC decided to walk a Pattern... *wl* )" ====== ====== You get a quick brain scrub. There's nothing in your brain which isn't supposed to be there, so far as they can tell. Then you take a walk on the Pattern. Nothing terrible happens. Your brain now has a nice layer of wax and is extra-shiny. :) ===== ===== Kanna OOCly says, "Wheee!" Lian . o O ( OOC Ooooh! Shiny thing! ) ===== ===== Kanna has the Pattern take her back to Lian, reclaims the key, makes arrangements for supplies and rooms for Lian and Shinobu Minor, and then goes and crashes in her bed. *snooooozze* Lian takes some time to give the shadow spikard racking orders before doing the sleep thing herself. Lian . o O ( Orders that include Temporal Scrying. Twice. ) Righto. ===== ===== You page, "A rarity. Absolutely NO compulsions and a SAFE patternwalk. Will wonders never cease?" to Chris. Chris pages, "Don't worry, that just means we'll get into bigger trouble later. :)" to you. You page, "Wheee!" to Chris. ===== ===== You all sleep peacefully. Anything you need to do in the morning before heading to the Embassy? Kanna wakes the next day, goes through an abbreviated workout routine, writes in her diary before/during breakfast, then gets prepped with her usual kit of weapons and clothing, the +12 Hackmaster, the 'Second Key' around her neck, and Lian's conjured bodysuit and some of the goods in a saddlebag. Clothes this time are a high-necked blouse and sleeveless jacket-vest. Kanna also plucks out a fresh travel diary/notebook. Check. Lian gets her usual travel kit. Whip, sword, crystalcomp, bodysuit, long coat. ================== ================== Lian . o O ( OOC: And that reminds me ... did I have time to analyze the loot from the keyquest? ) Shinobu Minor says, "OOC You haven't really sat down and done that." Lian . o O ( OOC Something to do on the next long voyage, then. Meanwhile, leave the bag here in Ember. ) Shinobu Minor says, "OOC Check." Shinobu Minor asks, "OOC ready to go?" Kanna OOCly says, "Sis can always have it plunked to you during said trip if you let her see stuff." Kanna OOCly says, "Once confirming Shinobu M's good to go, and got horses, then to the Embassy via trump, yup." Shinobu Minor says, "OOC Okay, come out in main room, Moriya and Motoko are about to go to the embassy also :)" Kanna OOCly says, "Oh, cool. We matched up, day-wise? :)" Amber Central(#3434RLJ) You stand in the middle of a huge sound stage, ready for the action to begin, but currently devoid of anything but sound and lighting equipment, a gaming table, and a snack bar. [Exits: Arden(A), Out. ] Contents: TimeRunner, Autolyca, Akemi, Tybalt, Rod, Shizumaru, Rabies, Potemkin, Eudial, Mist, Sana_Kurata, Ike Larnum, Finn, and Naga. Mikaze has arrived. ===================== ===================== All four of you arrive at the embassy at the same time, ever so conveniently. Moriya walks along, rather somberly, perhaps a slight sense of anxiety in his face. He brightens slightly, though, upon spying Kanna and Lian. "Aunt Kanna! Lian-san. What brings you to the Embassy today?" Kanna blinks, and then smiles. "Moriya!" She hehs a bit, and then sombers slightly. "Probably the same reason you're here, Moriya, Motoko... we heard what happened from mom last evening." Lian blinks, somewhat surprised at being greeted by Moriya upon arrival, then smiles and waves. "Hi." Moriya nods. "My parents, you mean," he says, quietly. "Motoko and I are going to scry his office to see what happened when he was taken." ====== ====== Motoko asks, "OOC: Davros is with us, right?" Moriya OOCly says, "I assume so, unless he wanted to stay behind for whatever reason." DM says, "OOC Yes, Davros is with you." ====== ====== Motoko looks surprised, but pleased. "Hello, Aunt Kiana. Hello, Lian-san." She turns to Davros. "Davros-san, this my Aunt Kanna, and Lian-san, daughter of the honoured Doctor Washuu of Amber." Kanna is clad in dark pants, light-yellow high-necked blouse, sleeveless jacket-vest, staff and a broadsword slung on her back. She nods, and reaches over and squeezes Moriya's shoulder. "Yes. And," she hehs a little bit, "that was our plan as well." Davros bows to them. "Nice to meet you," he says. Davros is a dark haired man with a mediterranean complexion, clad in red robes. Moriya sighs softly. "I dislike being rude, but I am a bit anxious. Shall we go on up?" Kanna blinks, and bows to Davros. "A pleasure to meet you as well, Davros. I've heard much about you from my cousin's stories." She looks thoughtful. "Before we likely part ways after examining the room, could I have your opinion on something?" Kanna nods. "Indeed. Lead on, Moriya." Moriya goes up to his father's office, allowing Kanna and Davros to converse as they go. Davros blinks. "Certainly. What would you like me to examine?" Motoko asks, "Lian-san, would you like to do the spell, or should I?" Lian asks, "Do you have one prepared?" You head up to Moriya's father's quarters. Motoko shakes her head. "I can weave one together quickly, but if you have one ready, that would be faster." Lian nods, "I'll do it, then." Kanna says, "A key I encountered in the last month while wandering shadow... according to several sources, it's a logrus tendril shaped by hand into that shape, and protected somehow to keep it from reacting to the pattern. The thing is, I know not of how difficult it would be to make in the first place, or to dupliate a fake of the same." Kanna says, "I'll show it to you, after this." Davros nods. Moriya says, "Lian-san, if you could--please examine up to a week prior, as well, in case someone laid a trap in that time which triggered to capture my father." Kanna follows the group to Shizu's room. ====== ====== Moriya OOCly says, "We on day 27 now?" Kanna OOCly says, "I beleive 28." Kanna OOCly says, "As Kanna and Lian were doing things on day 27 back in Ember, and just came here after breakfast." Moriya OOCly says, "Buh? I thought fasttime, et cetera...ugh. I would have wanted to get here as soon as I could Amber-time to investigate." Chris pages, "Out of curiosity ... would it be possible to combine the Lens of Detection with the Temporal Scrying?" to you. Kanna OOCly says, "Unless John says otherwise. *wl*" DM says, "OOC I'm cheating a bit because I want the PCs to actually interact for once :)" Chris pages, "That was obviously not supposed to go to you. :)" to you. You page, "Obviously." to Chris. Moriya OOCly says, "Oh. :> So what day are we on? n.n;" Moriya OOCly says, "Because I would not let two days Amber-time elapse before starting our investigations." DM says, "OOC So don't worry about what day it is, just get on with this before we died of old age." Moriya OOCly says, "All right." DM says, "OOC Your father is not going to die at a certain day, yet. :)" Moriya OOCly says, "Okky." ====== ====== Lian nods to Moriya. "No problem." Moriya says, "Thank you, Lian-san." Motoko listens to Kanna talking to Davros with an interested expression, but remains silent. Kanna taps her lips, thoughtfully. "The last day I saw Shizumaru and talked with him was back on the 13th of April, thereabouts. Seemed in good spirits. If that helps any." Moriya quietly waits for Lian to proceed. Kanna waits for Lian to do the Hoodoo that she does so well. Lian looks around the room, determining the best place for the required reflective object. If there is no mirror around, she will conjure one to use. Davros says, "I'm not sure how easy it would be to protect such a key from the pattern, but I myself could make a duplicate of a logrus key with ease." Kanna sizes up the room with an investigator's eye while she waits. There is no mirror handy in the room. ======= ======= Kanna OOCly says, "(and yes, Shinobu Minor accompanied us for this too, yes? :)" DM says, "OOC Yes, you have Shinobu Minor if you need her :)" Kanna OOCly says, "yay!" Motoko exclaims, "OOC: Warrior hussy!" Kanna OOCly says, "Is not1" Jacqueline the Damned says, "OOCLy c'mon, motoko, twitc :)" ======= ======= Lian hms and concentrates, a mirror slowly forming between her hands, which she then places. Davros calls up the logrus, then works a tendril with his hands for a few seconds, and produces a key. "Like that." Motoko asks, "How have you been, Shinobu-chan?" Kanna nods absently to Davros, and then watches Davros's skill with interest. "Cute." Moriya leans against his staff, in no mood for smalltalk. Shinobu Minor says, "I've been fine. I've been sight-seeing around Ember the last day or so." Kanna fishes out her own key from within her blouse. "So the duplication isn't the issue, its the protection that's the factor, since sis handled it several times and it didn't go piff." Davros nods. "If I may see it?" Lian casts the spell while they talk. Kanna pulls it from around her neck, and shows it to him. "Sure, but I want to keep a hold of things at least a little bit." She smiles slightly, still holding the string, but letting Davros look at it. He blinks, then takes the key, still on its string, examining it. "Hmm, yes, appears to be electrum from just looking at it." He then calls up the sign of the logrus. ======= ======= You page, "Hm, the Third Key was Electrum, yes? What was the composition of the Second Key when they first retrieved it from the KoDT -- Electrum as well?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Yep." to you. You page, "So both were Logrus Tendrils shaped into Electrum. Save for Bey's key, which was the black key instead." to Akemi. In a page-pose to you, Akemi nods ====== ====== Motoko glances at Moriya for a moment, then glances away and begins polishing her bokken for lack of anything else to do. Lian begins to scan the room, tracing along the timeline to see what happened. Moriya moves to Lian's side and looks over her shoulder at the mirror. "Pardon." Davros says, "It looks like this is a logrus tendril with a thin layer of Real Electrum from the Amber side of things molded around it to insulate it." Davros looks thoughtful. "Hmm, I think electrum will conduct electricity...may have been electroplated, effectively." Kanna nods. "How difficult would it have been to get one's hands on such and do the shaping, then? Just run to somebody with skill at metalworking on our end, buy some electrum, and then go and do the deed elsewhere?" Scanning back to when Shizumaru vanished, you see him in mid-trump conversation, and then he simply dissolves away. As he vanishes, you notice the mat he was standing on became stained with muddy water. Kanna blinks at the image replay, having glanced over. Moriya turns and stares at the mat, in the room. Davros says, "It probably wouldn't have been too hard, I think. There's a lot of logrus masters who could do it." The mat still has some water stains and bits of mud on it. Kanna nods, distracted. "Right. Well, thank you for your analysis, Davros... it's been a real help." Moriya murmurs, "Go back some, Lian-san...see if someone planted something in the room while he wasn't in." Davros says, "Although I suspect this, if it is a fake, wouldn't fool a logrus master who had seen the original." Lian continues scanning. Motoko frowns, brings up the Lens, and scans the mat. Is the material local to Lipun, or otherwise? Kanna hehs a bit. "Sadly, I'm not a logrus master. Ahwell." Shizumaru leaves a few minutes before the conversation, and then the room is empty for many hours. The day previous, some servants come in and change the mats, taking the old ones off to be cleaned. [spoofed by Akemi] Shizumaru and Rimururu do not themselves come into the room in that interval. [spoofed by Akemi] Kanna accepts the key back, and replaces the key around her neck beneath her blouse. Motoko says, "The mud appears to have come from the Chaos side of Yig." Kanna mmms, watching the images again. "Forced shapeshifting? Teleportation? Something else -- what if one of the mats was swapped?" Lian stops the scan and wanders over to the muddy mat for a look at it. ====== ====== Moriya OOCly says, "..." Moriya OOCly says, "Don't tell me you have to recast the spell to continue going further back. c.c;" Lian . o O ( OOC No, but I want to check out the mat first. :) ) Moriya OOCly says, "Good." ====== ====== Moriya looks frustrated, but says nothing. Lian hms. "There's some faint traces of magic on the mud ... " Motoko says, "The mat is normal. The mud seems to be from the Chaos side of Yig, and, as Lian-san says, has residual magic. I get the impression it came from somewhere highly magical, rather than being enchanted to do anything in particular." Lian nods in agreement. ====== ====== You page, "Shizu's behaviour when she and Ukyou chatted and met with him was as Kanna would have expected from him, both times, yes? Nothing odd in the way of behaviour to flag?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "No od behavior." to you. ====== ====== Motoko says, "We could trump to Yig and go to the Shadow the mud came from easily enough." Moriya nods. "I'll first want to stop by Frostspire and see if anyone saw my mother vanish, or anything like that." Motoko says, "A good idea. I've visited you and your family there a few times, so I can teleport us there fairly quickly." Kanna says, "Well, if it's any help, the few times I chatted with Shizumaru here, he wasn't acting oddly... so I don't think somebody had a duplicate shadow or conjured thing here in his place." Lian conjures a small bag and scrapes some of the dried mud off the mat, placing it in the bag. Moriya shakes his head. "I was talking to him by trump. It was him, unless someone with very advanced trump skills managed to intercept the call--in which case, I would have to wonder why they didn't try to attack me, or anything like that, during the call." Kanna nods. "Perhaps teleportation or something then. Swapping one for the other." Shinobu Minor says, "Perhaps Kafuin flung him somewhere like Morgenstern did to me." Moriya tilts his head. "It's possible, I suppose. But I had assumed that my father was grabbed for his manifestation, and Kafuin was spiked through it afterward. Then again, perhaps my mother was taken first, and...." He shakes his head. "We'll have to see." Kanna considers that. She taps her crossed-hammer badge. "Sis, would it be too late to check for Trump Use in here? To check for Kafuin's signature, or another's?" Gabrielle appears. "It's never too late to try." She sends little fire angels poking about the room. Motoko takes a similar sample of the mud to Lian. "We should be able to trace this to the exact spot in the Shadow it came from, and then perhaps scry to see what was going on there at the time of Uncle Shizumaru's disappearance." She quickly reports, "There was some minor bits of trump use here, but nothing major. Not more than you would get from just someone using a trump card." Motoko asks, "Aunt Kanna, where are you intending to go after this? Does it have something to do with that key?" Moriya nods curtly. "I was speaking to my father via trump at the time of his disappearance." Kanna nods. "Which would've been Shizu. And Kafuin does know magic as well. Then again, so do a lit of other people." Kanna nods a bit, sheepishly. "Yeah... there's some events tied to it that bear investigating. Up in the mountains here, and elsewhere... relating to what I went through to get it, and things Bey and Lian went through as well." Motoko frowns. "In Lipun's mountains? Of what nature?" Lian starts up the scan again, continuing backwards into the past. Moriya once again goes to Lian's side as she continues the scan. Scanning the room reveals that Shizumaru hasn't actually slept in his bedroom for about a week. Servants come in and out every so often, cleaning things. Moriya murmurs, "He was off on a mission for some time, out of contact...." Scanning back further than that reveals various mundane life. Moriya sighs. "Nothing suspicious. Whoever struck didn't have to prepare anything in here beforehand." and then, in the nature of such things, you of course end up scanning back onto Moriya's parents having sex... Motoko says, "OOC: Waitaminute, we're scanning his bedroom? Kinky. :)" Lian stops the scan. Motoko says, "...well, what timing." Moriya slaps a hand over his eyes. "Stop! STOP!" Kanna takes a breath. "Basically, in the process of retrieving this, I was doing so to close a Gate that was due to open that was supposedly up there. I never -really- saw said gate, though...." She coughs, and just turns her face away from the image. Kanna says, "Up in the Omotaze mountains, if that means anything to you." Motoko turns red, moves automatically to cover Shinobu Minor's eyes, stops when she remembers that Shinobu Minor is no longer a minor, then just looks very embarassed. Lian grins and fastforwards a bit to a non-sex scene. "Oops." Motoko mumbles, "I think we've probably done enough scanning." Moriya mutters something, turning away before opening his eyes again. "All right. I think we're done here," he says, just a bit testily. Kanna rolls her eyes at Lian. Lian shrugs at Kanna, smiling. "Hey, -I- wasn't the one who wanted a thorough past scan." Kanna says, "So, they -were- here, but then hadn't been since... that point. Hrm." Kanna says, "Don't make me thwap you, Lian." Her expression is bland. Moriya says, "Next stop, Frostspire. Aunt Kanna, Lian-san, if you've got other pressing business...thank you for your help." Shinobu Minor looks rather embarrassed. Motoko asks, "I've never heard of a Gate in the Omotaze range. What sort of Gate was it supposed to be?" Davros quietly watches the corner. Kanna says, "It was -supposed- to be a time-delayed 'Gate of Referendum' that was supposedly set to open 40 years after the Gate of Revolution did. Given everything that -has- happened in the past few months, and things that weren't-quite-matching-up, I'm having to come to the conclusion I was scammed rather severely." She growns. "But given the same time there -was- a flare-up of Outsider power for a few moments up in the mountains, I can't take the chance that the man I was travelling with could have done something up there anyway." Moriya OOCly says, "..." Motoko says, "Well, I've done a lot of reading about Lipun, Aunt Kanna, and I've never heard of such a Gate. I also suspect that if such a Gate did exist, Grandmother Nanami or Anthy-san or Fuyutsuki-san would have known about it." Lian hms. "I'd like to help you find your father, Moriya ... but this gate business has the potential for much ugliness too." Kanna says, "If you meet a man by the name of 'Kuonji Ukyou', be on guard, and let me know, okay? I have some things I wish to... 'discuss' with him." She smiles, though it isn't a 'nice' smile. "He's rather skilled in combat and the mind, but he's not tough per-se, and can be taken out." Motoko says, "But I suppose you've already considered such things by now." Moriya nods. "You go and do what you must do." Motoko nods. "We'll keep an eye out for him." She glances to Moriya. "Cousin, I told Mother I would stop in and talk to her family, but... only if that is all right with you. I do not think they're in any pressing danger for the moment, but..." Kanna nods. "Yeah, I have." She smiles slightly. "This isn't over, but I'm not going to kick myself in the pants forever about it. Fool me once, not twice." She nods. "And good look with finding your parents, Moriya... and don't hesitate to call mom if you need help repairing Kafuin. I don't know if she'll be able to tear herself away from the job, but she can direct you to those who can help." Moriya blinks, and bites his lip. "Ah. Well...family is important...I mean, that's why we're running around right now...if you really think that you should go to them at the moment...." He seems to be struggling to stay calm and polite. Kanna looks between Motoko and Moriya. Moriya absently mumbles, "Thank you, Aunt Kanna; I'll remember that." Motoko says, "Well, we could teleport there and take care of business. It wouldn't take very long... though I'm not sure how Mother's family will respond." Davros says, "I must admit I am curious as to what your family is like, Motoko-san." Moriya nods slowly. "How about...I trump myself to Frostspire, ask around for my mother, while you take care of that?" He smiles, a strained smile. "We can do two things at once. When you're ready, trump me, and I can pull you through." Lian looks to Kanna, "I think we should be off too." Kanna glances at Lian and Shinobu, and makes 'ready to go?' motions. Kanna nods. Motoko nods. "All right. If that's all right with you." She glances to Davros, smiles a bit wanly. "I'd be happy for you to meet Mother's family, Davros-san... they are rather interesting people. Very traditional. But your skills might be more useful with Cousin Moriya. I can handle this myself." She pauses briefly. "It might be best that I do so, actually." Gabrielle finishes poking about the room. "Hmmm. I'm ready to go." Kanna OOCly looks at Davros and Moriya in the same room nowadays. Oh dear. Lian waves and heads out. "Good luck on your quest, Moriya, Motoko." Motoko says, "To you as well." Moriya mmms, and pulls out a trump of Frostspire, near where his mother's family lives. "Your decision, Motoko, Davros." Davros nods. "Alright. I'm ready to go whenever you are, Moriya." Moriya holds out his arm toward Davros, and when Davros is ready, trumps through. ============= ============= Kanna OOCly says, "And Lian and Kanna and Gaby and Shinobu M. head back to Arden-room?" DM says, "OOC Okay, Kanna crew, back to Arden." Mikaze has left. Arden Beyond the Wood Door [Exits: Skippy, Main Room. ] Contents: Mikaze, Michelle, Windir, Damasq, afp, and Kuonji Ukyou. Beowulf asks, "Ah, should I leave?" Shinobu Minor says, "OOC Up to Phil if he wants to kick you out, Travis." Beowulf OOCly nods. Kanna OOCly says, "nah, it's okay. It'll save him from asking me via page what's happening. :)" Lian . o O ( OOC: One more in the audience doesn't really matter anyway. :) ) Beowulf OOCly thanks them. :) ============= ============= Kanna heads out and back to the horses, glancing back up at the embassy's upper floors. "... is it me, Lian, or were we into Soap Opera levels of Tension up there for a few?" Shinobu Minor asks, "What's a Soap Opera?" Lian shakes her head. "Soap Opera is a lot more relaxed, usually." She rolls her eyes. "Really ... " Kanna says, "A form of entertainment out in Shadow, niece. Featuring lots of romantic goings-on." Kanna says, "This does give more weight to the 'Kuonji Pulled The Wool Over Kanna's Eyes' argument, though." She sighs, and shakes her head. Lian says, "We'll see soon enough." She grins. "Just don't go 'Kanna Smash Puny Kuonji!' when you find out that you -were- deceived, or I'll be forced to bap you." Kanna snorts. "Now, really, Lian, would -I- do that?" She pauses. "Okay, if he was holding one of you captive or something... this is one of the few times I wish he -was- male so I could sufficently rack him." Kanna reaches over, and ruffles Lian's hair. "Anyway, let's get going. I'll use sis's trump so you can see the route we took." Lian smoothes her hair down, smirking, and nods. "Lead on, big girl." Shinobu Minor laughs. Kanna pulls out the trump Gaby painted, and trumps them to the location on the trump -- the bear-skulls of the final barrier. Blinkie, you go to the final barrier. Kanna OOCly says, "(oh, right, it -did- take 'em to the innermost set... but that was the place with the frescoes as well, which she'd want Lian to look at.)" Kanna says, "Righto, welcome to the high country of Lipun, Lian, Shinobu." She quirks a smile. Kanna says, "The frescoes I saw were just a little bit down that way, and you can see the Torii with Bear Skulls right here...." Lian looks around, curious. Kanna takes a measured look around the place. Anything different from the last time she was here? It looks exactly the same as before. Lian says, "Well, there -is- a lot of magic here, much of it of the protective variety ..." Lian looks at the torii, "And there are traces of Outsider power there, beyond the wards ... " She hms. Kanna hrms at that. "Cute. So perhaps there was a grain of truth in Ukyou's story, too. He -did- say part of the reason of not anybody knowing -was- to keep it secret." Kanna says, "And the problem is that the stuff -beyond- the Torii is 'The Place Where Only The Keeper Can Go', which is why I didn't just follow him." Kanna says, "'cause if he -was- on the up-and-up, I didn't want to take the risk of screwing it up." Kanna hrms, and tries to see if critters are flying/moving in the area past the final inner barrier. ======= ======= Kanna OOCly says, "What -is- the environment around this part of the mountains. Forested, non-forested, sparse or heavy foleage? We're pretty high up, afaik...." Shinobu Minor says, "OOC pretty forested, but up at the very peaks, it's just craggy rock." Shinobu Minor says, "OOC No sign of flying critters." Kanna OOCly says, "Mmmm." Kanna OOCly says, "Would critters be living up at this altitude, though? I think some would, if I can check my Arden Lore and stuff..." Shinobu Minor says, "OOC Arden isn't mountains. You'd expect outsider energy to scare off any normal animals,t hough." Kanna OOCly says, "Right. *wl*" ======= ======= Lian begins to scry up the trail. Kanna looks at Lian. "Strong traces, faint ones, in-between?" She watches her do the Magic-thing again, waiting for the results. The trail gradually spirals up the mountain, round and round it. Eventually, it leaves the forested area and ends up on a flat area on the far side of the mountain, at almost the very peak. A circle of obelisks with Sidar Runes stand here. One of them has a keyhole in it. The area is stinky with Outsidery goodness. ====== ====== Kanna OOCly says, "..." The_Prof pages, "...Well. Perhaps we owe Kuonji an apology... and perhaps Spellvis is the one we should be going after. o.o" to you. The_Prof pages, "Although you should definitely check out the age of the thing..." to you. You page, "That may be something to check, though -how- at range is a good question." to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Too bad I'm not with you with the bag... an 8-point magic analysis item can check things out even at range." to you. The_Prof pages, "And Lian can make 8-point items, though it takes time." to you. ====== ====== Lian takes a good look at the Sidar Runes. Lian . o O ( Time to use that dictionary again ... ) Many of the runes involve cursing the outsiders and protection. On the one with a keyhole, it reads, 'Forty years after the Failure, it will require the blood of the Pattern and the substance of the Logrus to seal this gate, that this door might remain shut.' Lian murmurs, "If this is a hoax, Kanna, it's the most elaborate one I have ever heard of." Kanna raises an eyebrow as Lian pulls out her dictionary. "Oh dear?" Shinobu Minor asks, "What are you seeing?" Lian tells them what the runes say. Kanna says, "..." Kanna says, "Good effing..." She shakes her head. Kanna says, "Any way of checking the age of the place? I don't know -what- to think about all this, now." A spectral figure slowly materializes in the center of the Torii. Kanna blinks, and looks at and Patternsights the spectral figure. Kanna asks, "Hello?" It resembles an elderly man leaning on a large spatula. "Would you kindly knock that off, young lady? You got any idea how much that riles the beasties?" Kanna . o O (please oh Pyricorn let us not have screwed up...) Kanna blinks, and quirks a smile. "Lian? Cut off the scry, I think we may have our answers here, now..." Kanna bows to the elderly man. "Greetings, venerable one." Lian cancels the farscry and blinks at the man. "Oh, sorry." The transparent figure grumps. "Kids these days. Y'ain't supposed to go beyond that arch, and that includes with your mind." Kanna quirks a smile. "We were.... concerned. It would appear that most of the outside world doesn't beleive the place exists, and auxillary evidence was hinting that we had been scammed in coming here beforehand with the Second Key." Lian nods, and lets Kanna do the talking. The ghost looks at you closely. "Mmm, oh, you were scammed, yup." Kanna says, "Given that it hasn't been -quite- 40 years after the Gate of Revolution opened, and... eh?" Kanna asks, "In what fasion?" Kanna says, "Unless the Key we retreived could also -open- the place, in which case..." she purses her lips. The old man chuckles. "I know about the line the current Keeper sold you, most of which was hogwash. He just needed a piece of the Logrus, keyshaped of a preference. I suspect Anno put him up to getting that particular one." Kanna blinks at that. "Ah. Ah hah hah hah." ====== ====== The_Prof pages, "...right. o.O" to you. The_Prof pages, "Anno's definitely playing games. :p" to you. Damasq says, "OOC: No, no. It's 'A ha. A ha ha ha.'" Kanna OOCly says, "Well, I've never met Damasc/q. :)" ====== ====== Kanna says, "Cuuuuute." Lian just shakes her head. Kanna says, "Why would the Keeper go against his dictate then? Power? Glory? Cussedness?" Kanna scratches her cheek again, looking... nice and befuddled, really. The old man snorts. "Against? Hardly. He closed the damn Gate, didn't he? Good thing, too, because otherwise it would have been option zero time. See, you need a piece of the Logrus for it. Pattern 'n Logrus be all that keeps the damn Outsiders Out Side." Kanna blinks. Kanna sits down. "So it was just to get me to -help-, then... but his mission -was- true to get it closed." He looks smug. "Oh, there's more to it than that." Lian asks, "Oh?" Kanna nods slowly. "My apologies, sir, but it's been a long month, with me dealing with things that are -way- out of my purvew, and I'm still sorting things through... Oh?" The ghost nods. "The Keeper is of the opinion that reality is losing the war with the Outsiders. He has been taking measures, some of which I approve, some I do not. Steering the Key to you was one such measure." Kanna says, "Keeper as in Anno, or Keeper as in Kuonji Ukyou or Inji or whoever?" ==== ==== The_Prof pages, "Looks like my optimistic view might be righte, then... assuming we can trust *this* gentleman. o.o" to you. ==== ==== Kanna says, "And which column does steering the Key to me count as? Approved or no?" She arches an eeybrow, and tries patternsighting the man again. "Inji. Or Ukyou. Or whatever he's calling himself. He is playing a game of sorts. If he moves the pieces just so, the Horde of the Dragon will fall into Beowulf Kohl's hands, and that is the crux of one of his plans." ==== ==== Akemi pages, "He's neither PAttern nor logrus, some sort of spirit being." to you. You page, "*nods*" to Akemi. ==== ==== Kanna blinks at that. Kanna says, "Ukyou's moving -Bey- to try and grab a Dragon Spikard? Good pyricorn, to what purpose though?" Lian hms. Kanna says, "We'd been thinking it was more Anno's doing...." ===== ===== You page, "[Kanna] Sis? Is the guy in front of us a remote projection or a summoned spirit or something? Be as inconsipicous as you can..." to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Gabrielle scans him. "He's some sort of spirit entity."" to you. You page, "[Kanna] Thanks, sis." to Akemi. ===== ===== The old man smiles. "Oh, the game is Anno's, but my descendant is a player at it, moving stones on the Go board. If he moves them correctly, Beowulf shall take the spikard which shall be his undoing." Kanna asks, "Oh... shit?" Lian asks, "His undoing? How so?" Kanna asks, "His undoing as in Inji's, or Bey's?" ===== ===== You page, "do I recall the story about how Hiko's spikard, the Breath of the Dragon, was originally a dragon spikard transformed to a unicorn one, and that it was originally going to be used to control Hiko? Sounds like something that might've come up in family stories..." to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Yep, you've heard that." to you. ===== ===== The old man chuckles. "Great power in spikards, but also great danger. Inji seeks a sacrifice play to stike the Outsiders a blow they shall never recover from, a crippling stroke that shall at once break their power and give him an item thought lost forever. But he needs a staked goat..." Kanna's eyes widen. "Oh shit." Lian asks, "Inji's trying to go for the Master Spikard?" Kanna says, "Inji... i betcha he's playing off Bey's hope to recover the Master Spikard." Kanna says, "And ... the Breath of a Dragon was once a Dragon Spikard, but the Unicorn transformed it so that Cousin Hiko... wouldn't have been -controlled- by it." ===== ===== The_Prof pages, "Well, I'd certainly thought I was being manipulated... question was who by and why? I'd been planning on finding out why I was sent the vase before actually going after Hoard, looks like it's just a bit more important now." to you and Chris. You page, "Good lord, can this get get any more layered...." to Chris and The_Prof. Chris pages, "Do you really want an answer to that?" to you and The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Probably not. " to you and Chris. ===== ===== The Old Man nods. "The Hoard of the Dragon is a trap, though not Anno's. Already Inji can tap the Master Spikard. He has been carefully leading Beowulf and his friends to the Keys, waiting for Dr. Kohl to put it on... and then become the Judas Goat in his plan." Kanna blinks. Kanna blinks again. Kanna asks, "the... fuck?" Kanna says, "But if Inji can tap the Master Spikard -now-, doesn't that put -him- under the influence of the Outsiders?" The Old Man laughs. "He is the Keeper. He is protected. He can use their power, but they cannot use him... yet. He is walking a very fine line by fighting fire with fire. If he succeeds, it will be a great blessing, but his failure could be catastrophic. And his feelings for Beowulf Kohl cloud his judgement." Kanna squeezes her eyes shut. "Shit. And that's the kind of things, I bet, the Outsiders -like-." ====== ====== The_Prof pages, "Heck, I was about to say, if it was a good enough sacrifice ploy, Bey might even go willingly... but not for someone looking for a judas goat like that. :p" to you and Chris. The_Prof pages, "...oh, dear. o.o" to you and Chris. The_Prof pages, "Did that phrase 'feelings for' mean what I think it meant?" to you and Chris. You page, "That depends on wether he's tried to kill bey lately... *wl*" to Chris and The_Prof. ====== ====== Lian shakes her head. "That fool ... " Kanna says, "We need to take him down. Safely." The Old Man nods. "Yes. That is part of his plan too, you see. The bait must be convincing." Kanna says, "Plans within plans, temptations within temptations... by the four heraldric beasts." Kanna says, "Which also makes one wonder what -our- part becomes in this." She groans, and looks up at the sky. "Oh, for somebody I could pummel with a clear and clean conscience." Shinobu Minor says, "That's what giants are good for." Kanna laughs at that, quietly. The Old Man examines Kanna critically. "I advise against facing him. You are not yet his equal. Besides, he may already be dead. He goes to destroy Taylor for daring to kill his friend, and for his services to the Outsiders." Lian smiles at Shinobu. "Unfortunately, we don't have any around here at the moment." Kanna nods. "I saw him in action, venerable one. I'm of the agreement that alone, I could not take him. Not with his speed, skills of war, and his mind." Kanna then looks curious. "Which friend did Tylor kill?" Kanna says, "I know he's been out and about," her expression sours, "But my information on his methods and goals are limited." The Old Man says, "One Tenjou Ota, who was part of the ones who keep the way closed and who helped train him. Inji has long sought to destroy Taylor, but this will have made it very personal. It may have made him reckless." Kanna says, "...." Kanna says, "-That- explains his reaction." Kanna says, "Shit." Lian facepalms. "This is getting more and more complicated." ===== ===== You page, "... wanna bet Inji had a crush on Shaft? :)" to Chris and The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "o/~ Why can't we be friends o/~... damn, we should be fighting together, not opposing each other." to you and Chris. ===== ===== Kanna says, "and sis and I were the ones who informed him. Damnnation." Kanna asks, "... her, actually. Good Pyricorn, could she have had a crush on Shaft?" The Old Man says, "I don't think so. Frankly, I think his gender is something he avoids thinking about very carefully. I'm afraid the boy is a bit... focused. Not that I'm complaining; he's proven one of the more effective weapons we have against the damn Outsiders." Kanna says, "I agree on the focussed part, yes." Kanna says, "-Extremely- so." Kanna . o O (he's a -she-, though, but hey.) Kanna says, "His behaviour was male enough that I didn't twig otherwise until we had to treat some of his wounds, though." She looks wry, and coughs. "Aside from that.. this just leaves us with multiple power-risk ploys and various forces moving against and around us and other fun things. Whee." Lian asks, "Fun, isn't it?" The Old Man says, "At any rate, I advise you to keep Beowulf away from that Spikard. Take it for your own, perhaps, or trade it to someone. You can manage that, there should be nothing to worry about." Kanna nods. "And if this is -indeed- the Second Key," she taps her chest, "To get to it, he'll need to have me on hand to get to it at the final retreival." The_Prof pages, "Looks like it'd be best to give it to Nanami for safekeeping after all... though I do wonder a bit more about the 'trap' he has in mind." to you and Chris. Kanna says, "Keep Bey Away From Hoard Of Dragon Spikard'. Gotcha." Kanna mumbles, "like I'd be able to use a Spikard right -anyway-... and it's a Dragon one at that. Safekeeping or trade seems to be more the thing to do." The Old Man says, "I just hope he can take Taylor down. That cursed cultist is turning out to be a second Annadil." Kanna shudders. "Fuck." She nods. "Might need to be a group effort in the end, though. Annadil wasn't a solo takedown, either." Lian grimaces slightly, but says nothing. The Old Man says, "I find it highly likely, yes. Inji's Inzen-Ryuu is very powerful, but so is Taylor's sorcery and Leng Teachings. Then, too, Taylor has Annadil's notes." Kanna says, "..." Kanna says, "eeegh." That just about sums it up for Kanna. ===== ===== The_Prof pages, "...oh crap. Wasn't Annadil's Legacy one of the auction items?" to you and Chris. Chris pages, "Ayup." to you and The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "I'm starting to get this nasty feeling. Does that mean a PC is Taylor? o.o Or am I getting paranoid about the notes being the Legacy?" to you and Chris. You page, "And -somebody- bet on it, I think.. *checks*" to Chris and The_Prof. You page, "Annadil's Legacy sold for 6 pts." to Chris and The_Prof. You page, "Prolly -not- directly, but somebody got tied in a lot more due to it, I think." to Chris and The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "I have this sneaking suspicion that it's Rod. But we'll see..." to you and Chris. ===== ===== Lian asks, "Any other bad news?" The Old Man thinks. "Well, the level of Outsider energy in the universe has been steadily building. The number of cultists and critters has been rising beyond normal levels, enough to become very noticable to even people like you, who are not on the front lines of the war. Inji's very existance helps, and his actions help more, but something drastic needs to be done." Kanna quiets. "Like retreiving the Menelcamar, perhaps? Or getting the Phoenix Fleet's help?" The Old Man says, "Perhaps. Inji has his spikard plan, along with a secondary one to restore the Air Pattern to full strength. Tenjou was planning to slay one of the Great Old Ones. Others of the circle are doing what they can. It is a great pity Juri has been taken from us." Kanna just remains quiet. ===== ===== In a page-pose to you and Chris, The_Prof whistles. "The circle, eh? Chris pages, "Whee. Big conspiracy." to you and The_Prof. You page, "The Air Pattern bit... Kanna would know the White Knight had gone missing, thanks to family tales about dad and his brothers/sisters, yes?" to Akemi. ===== ===== Lian says, "She might yet return ... " She shakes her head, frowning. "Damn. I wish there was a way to contact dad ... " Kanna quirks a slight, sad smile. "You're not the only one, Lian. You're not the only one." Shinobu Minor says, "Well, if you really, really needed to get hold of him, you could always go through the Cave of Worlds and find him." Kuonji Ukyou says, "The Old Man says, "Juri's return could be critical, but she would have done it long ago were she capable of doing so on her own."" She continues, "Though I understand it's easy to get lost in." Kanna says, "She needs help." The Old Man says, "Very probably." Kanna nods to Shinobu M. Lian says, "That's the problem, Shinobu." Kanna murmurs, quietly, "Then if needs must do, then needs must do." The Old Man says, "Be careful. The Outsiders are no fools, and you are not the Keeper." Kanna then barks a laugh. "Slaying a Great Old One. That's Cousin Shaft, all right." Lian says, "With the Knife, he could have done it." Kanna nods to the Old Man. "Oh, beleive me, I have no intention of going head-to-head with an Outsider... or even tangental... if I can help it. I may not have a choice, though." She then nods to Lian. The Old Man says, "But still you are of the Blood, and perhaps it is written in your destiny that..." He pauses. Kanna just arches an eyebrow, but says nothing. The Old Man swears. "Oh, consarnit, they're exploiting the loophole you silly people gave 'em." Kanna says, "... oh shit? Oh shit." Kanna facepalms. Lian arches an eyebrow. "What loophole?" Kanna asks, "Lemme guess, when Lian started probing?" The Old Man hurriedly says, "You only set foot on the mountain with your mind, so they can't... but it IS only mind... oh hell, this could be bad...." Lian asks, "What is happening?" The Old Man says, "An ill wind that blows no good." Kanna looks over at Lian, rapidly. "Mind sheilding needed?" She looks up at the mountain again. You can hear a wind beginning to blow. ====== ====== Kanna OOCly says, "oh hell, don't tell me we HAVE doomed Lipun... -.-;;;;" Damasq says, "OOC: If you've doomed Lipun, Motoko's gonna be mad. :)" ====== ====== Lian mutters. "Damn ... is there nothing that can be done, old man?" The Old Man says soberly, "You must somehow banish it. Be very careful. This thing is dangerous, but it's all in your mind..." Kanna nods. "We are here. We -can- defeat them. They've been held back before, and can and will be done in the future. It's NOT hopeless. " Kanna . o O ('somehow', he says.) Lian asks, "Can you tell me what it is?" The wind sounds louder. You can see trees rustling near the mountain top. Kanna squeezes Shinobu's hand to reassure her if she needs it. The Old Man says, "Machin Shin." Shinobu Minor draws her sword and looks up the mountain, awaiting assault. She squeezes Kanna's hand back and smiles confidently. ====== ====== You page, "Prolly starting to draw on Gaby to help with Mental reinforcement." to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Right." to you. You page, "[Kanna] Sis, can you help protect your daughter as well? Sounds like mental perception assault incoming...." to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Gabrielle nods." to you. ====== ====== Lian says, "Machin Shin?" She steps back, looking up at the mountain. And then you can see the trees shaking closer and closer to you, and the howl of a million damned souls drawing closer. The Old Man says, "The Black Wind of Madness. Don't let it touch you!" Kanna grins, reassured by Shinobu M's confidence. "We're of House Harad. Wether by man or mind, we can fight whatever it is. That's your mom's legacy, and my mom's, and our grandmother's, bless her soul...." And then the wind erupts through the trees at you; it is strangely dark, and it gibbers constantly with the torment of the damned. You can feel a hideous pressure at your brain. Kanna snarls, and brings the Pattern to her mind, working to reinforce her brain with it and the power of her sister as well. Shinobu Minor's sword begins to glow, and she starts to flail about at the wind. Lian smiles, calling up the image of her Broken Pattern even as she draws her sword, calling on the magics forged into it. ====== ====== Akemi pages, "Between Gabby and Broken pattern, you think you'll be okay." to you. You page, "Well, I have -real- pattern, not Broken... but Shinobu needs help, I think...." to Akemi. You page, "[Kanna] Sis! Is Shinobu okay? What's up with her sword?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "She put a spell on it." to you. You page, "[Kanna] Ah, okay... (OOC, other than the mental assault, anything going on?)" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "OOC No, the wind seems to rely entirely on psychic assault." to you. ====== ====== Kanna says, "..." Shinobu Minor frowns, and wrinkles her nose. The wind howls around the three of you, continuing its psychic assault. Kanna cries out to the wind, still continuing Pattern defense boosted by gaby. "Leave! SHOO! Go back where you came from, assholes!" The wind continues to blow around, trying to find a way in past your nasty defenses. ====== ====== You page, "... hey... the old man's voice. Is it the same as the booming voice that announced "WE'D LIKE TO STAY CANADIAN."?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Nope." to you. You page, "DArn." to Akemi. ====== ====== You start to hear the sound of the flapping of wings. Kanna checks for the direction of the sound, keeping her defenses up. A huge flock of ravens is now dive-bombing towards Shinobu Minor. The Old Man says, "Uh-oh. Consarnit, they got some of the wildlife!" ====== ====== Damasq asks, "OOC: But are they oracular ravens?" Shinobu Minor says, "OOC No." ====== ====== Lian murmurs, "Kanna ... can Gaby keep the black wind away from me for a while?" A glance at the ravens, "Neo, fireball the birds." Kanna's left-hand ring snaps to Crossbow form, and fires at the Ravens, too. A fireball explodes, blowing up many Ravens. The rest get mowed down by Kanna's crossbow fire. Kanna says, "Sis, you heard Lian -- help reinforce her too!" The Old Man calls to Lian, "Come into the Torii, just don't actually step through it. I'll hold them off." ======= ======= Kanna OOCly says, "I'd like to say 'It's Not Our Fault'... but it's Our Fault. Damn." Kanna OOCly says, "Our curiosity -is- gonna be the death of us someday, I'm sure of it." ======= ======= You now hear the sound of more wildlife coming, this time on foot. Lian nods her thanks to the Old Man, walking toward the Torii as fast as she can while keeping up the defenses. ====== ====== Kanna OOCly says, "Angle of approach for the on-foot wildlife, now?" Damasq says, "OOC: Now it's the dogs, and the bees, and the dogs who have bees in their mouths, and when they bark they shoot bees at you..." ====== ====== You slip inside the Torii, and can now try a spell here where you're somewhat sheltered. Kanna draws her manifestation and shifts -that- to crossbow form as well. Lian takes a deep breath as she lowers her defenses and starts working on a spell. ====== ====== The_Prof pages, "Well, it gave you some independent verification of Kuonji's story, before the old man showed up..." to you and Chris. You page, "And this is confirming the REST of the stuff... whee. Not the way I'd have LIKED to have it confirmed, but... *eyeroll*" to Chris and The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Oh, yes. I suppose one thing with John, the sillier it sounds at first..." to you and Chris. ====== ====== The Old Man waves a hand at the Machin Shin. "Shoo! Git! Gitgitgit!" The Old Man glances at Lian. "Hope you got some powerful medicine there, youngster." Shinobu's form begins to ripple. Lian murmurs, "I hope so too, old man ... " Kanna blinks at Shinobu's form-ripple, before her mind reminds herself Shinobu->growing up in Chaos->shapeshifting a prerequisite. Soon green energy ripples about Lian's sword. Kanna OOCly says, "how close does the on-foot wildlife sound now?" Lian calls up her defenses again and moves out, experimentally poking at the black wind with the green blade once she gets close. Shinobu turns into Nagisa. The wind howls in pain where the blade strikes it, and tries to pull away from Lian. You can hear the animals coming down the mountain off to your left. Lian continues to poke and cut at the wind, trying to keep it away from the other two. Nagisa begins casting a spell. ====== ====== The_Prof pages, "Identity shapeshift... well, that's certainly a form that would help..." to you and Chris. Chris pages, "Yup. Bad Outsiders. Forcing me to improvise spells. -.-" to you and The_Prof. ====== ====== Kanna turns and aims for the left, starting suppresion fire on some of the nearby trees (NOT near the barrier gate) so as to help block the path and buy Lian and Shinobu/'Nagisa' some time. And then herds of deer, racoons, etc, come bursting out of the trees, gleefully letting themselves be shot dead by Kanna. The Old Man chortles. "Hah, you big ugly wind! How d'ya like THEM apples? Hit it again!" Kanna continues firing with both barrels, as it were. Nagisa retreats behind Kanna and keeps casting. Kanna . o O (Sis, your daughter just turned into your husband. This is nicely beyond my weirdness threshold.) Lian continues fighting the wind, still keeping it away from Nagisa and Kanna to the best of her abilities. The two of you begin battling the creatures. Since Kanna is a big mountain woman of whoopass, this isn't too hard. Soon, lots of dead wildlife lie on the ground. Nagisa is still casting. More wildlife noises in the distance. And then Nagisa finishes his spell. The wind is suddenly all sucked into a pinpoint, and turns into an evil plushie. ====== ====== Beowulf says, "OOC A Biles plushie? ^_^" Shinobu Minor says, "OOC I am NOT the Machin Shin :)" The_Prof pages, "Hm, so they made it official? Or are you just thinking common-law marriage?" to you. You page, "I think it's official for them. I dunno the actual specifics. By Amberite law, Gaby isn't a part of the succession or even a living being, not capable of assuming the Throne of Amber, so it's not incest at all." to The_Prof. You page, "And Corrine's queen of Ember, and can declare whatever she damn well wants. :)" to The_Prof. You page, "(Gaby's a legal part of the family up in Ember.)" to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "But of course. :)" to you. ====== ====== The Old Man cheers. Lian stops poking and blinks at the plushie. Nagisa says, "Gabrielle, I suggest you burn it." Lian quickly steps WAY back when she hears 'Gabrielle' and 'burn'. The plushie continues to gibber with the strangled cries of a million damned souls. Kanna keeps on her guard for the other wildlife sounds. The wildlife noises have ceased. Gabrielle fire-angels forward and burns the plushie to ash, then burns the ash, then burns the ash of the ash. Kanna moves to a 'safe' distance from the plushie, knowing her sis's feelings on Outsiders. Kanna asks "eees eeet dead?" in a Ren Hoek voice. Gabrielle says, "Very, very dead." Nagisa looks around. "Where am I, anyway?" The Old Man starts to fade away. "Thanks for cleanin' up after yourselves. Stupid Outsiders. In MY day, people stayed away from the dag-nabbed Gate with the Elder Signs all around it and the curse markers... good luck with Inji, if Taylor don't kill him or you... and Juri..." Lian sighs and cancels the spell on her sword, then puts the blade away. "Sorry for the mess, old man, and thanks." Kanna says, "Well, nobody didn't know wether to believe it existed or not." She smiles, sheepishly, and bows. "We'll keep the location secret as best we can, and apologies for what we caused." The Old Man vanishes, with a last faint murmur of "Consarnit." Kanna waves to the Old Man as he vanishes. Nagisa asks, "Who was that?" Lian says, "The guardian of this place, looks like." Kanna then looks at the group. "A man from another time. A Kuonji. And actually, part of our family." Gabrielle pats Nagisa on the head. "You're not really you, honey. Don't worry about it." Nagisa says, "I'm not really me? What?" Kanna says, "Just smile and nod, Cousin Nagisa." Kanna says, "It'll all make sense after you get a good nap and wake up again." Gabrielle nods. "Just play along." Kanna takes a deep breath, and lets it out. "Now. What the hell do I tell mom?" Lian asks, "The truth?" Kanna says, "That's what I figured." Kanna says, "I was being rhetorical." Kanna hrms, and judges what the time seems to be. Noonish. Kanna OOCly says, "how are folks holding out?" Lian . o O ( Well enough. ) Lian finds a convenient stone to sit down. "Well, good news ... there is a Gate, and it was closed just in time. Bad news, there is a gate, and the Outsider threat is worse than imagined. Plus, we have a manipulative new player on the scene." Kanna nods. "And we nearly Fucked Up Royally, but managed to pull ourselves out of it Just In Time." Lian says, "Yup." Kanna says, "Easiest way to hide things in plain sight... nobody believing in them existing in the first place." Lian says, "Now we know. Remind me to ask mom for all of dad's notes on Outsiders when we get to Amber next." Kanna nods. "Right. Which gives me a thought. How do you all feel about heading down to Arden, grabbing lunch at the Stronghold, which'd allow us to ask more about Menelcamar and the Valar and what the Elves did there and stuff, and then after that go and report back to mom?" Lian asks, "You don't need me in Arden, so ... you go and check there, I go and visit mom, then we meet up again?" Nagisa says, "Well, I need to get back to working on Kafuin." He waves his hand and teleports out. ====== ====== The_Prof pages, "And that would make it a good place for me to bow out, since I still have to drive back home tomorrow. o.o Dang... and how much is Kanna going to tell Bey about this? " to you. You page, "A decent chunk once they get to that point." to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Well, like I said, Bey'd planned on checking out the story behind why the vase was sent to him, because he was sure as hell someone was playing games with him... and he was trying to figure how much to play along." to you. The_Prof pages, "Oh, and I'm glad she's talking to you again. :)" to you. ====== ====== Kanna waves to 'Nagisa' as he heads out. Kanna asks, "Sounds good. Rendevous in the Castle Amber Courtyard?" Lian nods. "Okay." Kanna arches an eyebrow at Nagisa's dissapearance. Kanna says, "You know, when 'he' appears at the Keep...." Lian says, "It will be ... interesting." Kanna looks at Gaby. "I -do- hope your hubby will know enough to not panic at himself appearing and send us back Shinobu intact." Kanna quirks a smile. Gabrielle blinks. "Oh shit." And then she vanishes. Kanna says, "... hooboy." Lian says, "... yes." Kanna looks around the place one more time. Kanna says, "Let's get the fucking hell outta here, Lian." Lian nods, "Let's. See you later, then." ======= ======= The_Prof pages, "o.o Touchy, touchy? " to you. You page, "Nah, just being colliqual. :)" to The_Prof. The_Prof pages, "Ahso. " to you. Beowulf OOCly waves... time to call it a night, still have to drive home after the con tomorrow. ======== ======== Kanna nods, and pulls out her Trump of the Arden Stronghold. Blinkie, you go to Arden. And you're going to see your Mom, Lian? Lian . o O ( Yup. ) Kanna takes a deep breath of the forest, after having been up in the mountains. She changes her weapons back to standby mode, and then heads on into the Arden Stronghold, which she hasn't been around for a while, but still remembers fondly from her formative years. Hiko is here, reading reports from her rangers. Kanna knocks on the doorframe, and smiles slightly. "Hey there, cuz... how's it going?" Hiko says, "The usual. Lots of reports to read. Going to go check on how the cockatrice herding is going soon." Kanna says, "Oh good pyricorn, I remember that duty." She purses her lips. "Hey, any of the Elven loremasters or storytellers about? Got something relating to their history I'm researching, and as much as I'd -like- to think I know a alot about 'em, I don't, and mom referred me down here." She smiles, sheepishly. Hiko says, "If you ride down to their village, I'm sure they'd be happy to tell you. She puts her paperwork aside and pulls you out a chair. "What are you trying to find out?" Kanna smiles a bit, and sits. "Well... basically, something about a guy named or will be the 'Menelcamar'. It sounds elvish, but I can't place the derivation... I asked Great-Grandpa, and he said it meant 'Sword of Heaven'. Sis... well, in relation to other things, spouted a prophesy telling us to seek him out in the Blessed Realm beyond the sea, Child of the Weeping Woman... that'd be Nienna, according to Fuyutsuki.... and her Champion, whoeever that'd be." Hiko says, "Nienna...one of the Valar?" Kanna nods. " Which would make The Blessed Realm being the land beyond Beleriand, where the Valar live." Hiko says, "Ota used to brag he'd had sex with Nienna. When he got drunk and started bragging about his 'conquests'." She sighs. Kanna says, "Sounds like a good guy to get a hold of, to help us fight against the Outsiders, so I think I might be looking for him really damn soon. At least Beleriand is on a fast differential. " Kanna pauses at that. Kanna's jaw drops, slightly. Kanna says, ".... 'He knows the arts/his Father would not learn/and his Sister misuses/but he knows not/from whence he comes.'" Kanna says, ".... if Shaft got Nienna -pregnant-...." Hiko says, "She was probably the last woman he had before he married Kasumi, not counting all his fantasy women in Shamber." Hiko says, "Are you quoting some prophecy? I don't know that one." Kanna nods, eyey wide. "It'd fit. Good pyricorn, it fits." She then looks at cousin Hiko, and looks a bit sheepish. "Sis was trying to help us out with stuff, and shut down some of her restraints to get us a prophesy we could use. Freaked us all out, but I think it's sound." Kanna mutters something about hoping sis -doesn't- do that again anytime soon, as she doesn't want to lose family. Hiko nods. "Well, Makoto has been to Beleriand, so you might want to ask him about it. Or Lady Yumi." Hiko's face darkened. "That's where Annadil infiltrated our ranks disguised as Gil-Galad." Kanna nods quietly, and squeezes her older cousin's hand. "We'll be careful. Good Pyricorn, I don't want to be led down the garden path like that either." ===== ===== Kanna OOCly says, "How long is the ride from Stronghold to elven village?" A few hours. Kanna OOCly says, "Coolness." ===== ===== Hiko says, "That's always the problem. Trust no one and you must stand and die alone. Trust too much, and you will be betrayed." Kanna closes her eyes, and nods again. "As I know too well, cousin," she murmurs. "The line is too hard to draw sometimes." Hiko nods. "Had a bad experience lately, Kanna?" Kanna nods. "Yeah... a guy came to me, asking for help, and I agreed... and he was -partially- on the up-and-up... but also wasn't. And I'm -still- sorting things out." She fowns, and sighs. "By the name of Kuonji Ukyou. And I was really starting to -like- him, too, despite everything, and we worked well together, but..." Kanna says, "I'm past the 'want to pummel him' stage, as things he was telling me -were- true, but at the same time his -other- goals make me feel... used." Her lips curl, and she hugs herself a bit. Hiko rises and puts a hand on your shoulder. "I was born to be a tool for evil. I know what it means to be used." She frowns. "All too well." Kanna closes her eyes again, and reaches up and squeezes the hand again. "At least I wasn't -totally- off-base in going along... there were good reasons. 'Evil' I don't know if he is, yet. -Misguided- is another question." Kanna says, "At this point, I just want -answers- out of him, and to keep him from hurting my family." Hiko nods. "I understand." Kanna nods. "His intentions are good, overall... he fights against the Outsiders, and if I -hadn't- gone along with him, Lipun would have become a Living Hell that would have needed wiping from the face of Reality." She shudders. "He fights against the Outsiders, but he plays a dangerous game, Hiko." Hiko says, "He who?" Kanna says, "Kuonji Ukyou. Or Kuonji Inji, whatever name he's -really- using. Bey apparently knew him from Panopticon." Hiko nods. "Not anyone I've ever heard of." Kanna says, "He was apparently keeping a low profile on our end of reality. Again, with good reason, I suspect. His entire family apparently has a heritage of fighting Outsiders when they try to influence people... and die young." Kanna says, "Or at least don't go on to living to a great old age." She nods. "A very dangerous business." Kanna says, "I'd like him to live through this, oddly enough. To give him a noogie if nothing else. Ukyou's very... focussed. I learned this after being with him in shadow for a month, but he has his moments." She quirks a slight, fond smile, and then runs a hand through her hair. "Sorry. This is gonna take a bit." Kanna says, "To work through, that is." She looks wry. Hiko nods. "Well, I suspect you will see him again." Kanna grins. "Oh, -that's- for certain." Kanna mrfs, and stretches a bit. "Well, I think I'll get out of your hair now, Couz... thanks for letting me ramble on your shoulder, and helping out. Give my regards to Morgan?" Hiko says, "If you're going to do anything exciting, you might want to ask Morgan along. He's been very bored of late." Kanna nods. "I'll keep it in mind... we've already drafted Shinobu Minor, but if we're going to be running to Beleriand and points beyond, it could be a good family bonding experience." Kanna grins. "After all, us Harad Women hang together, eh?" "After all the stories Ota told Morgan of it growing up, I know he's always wanted to see Beleriand, but never quite got around to going there on his own." ====== ====== You page, "What do I know of Morgan's Combat/Magic/Etc skills?" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Morgan is a death machine" to you. Akemi pages, "No magic, but she/he fights like a Death God :)" to you. Akemi pages, "Probably on a level with Beowulf and Moriya" to you. You page, "How vulnerable is his mind? Death God(esses) are good, as long as they don't try to chop YOU up. :)" to Akemi. Akemi pages, "He knows Pattern Defense, but isn't very strong willed, even less so than you." to you. You page, "Urk." to Akemi. Akemi pages, "Most people don't live long enough to invade his mind, though :)" to you. You page, "I'll need to eval this, then, given the already presence of Shinobu M. in the process. This is true!" to Akemi. ====== ====== Kanna says, "And I admit curiosity, too... so hey. It'd work out." She smiles more slightly. Kanna gets up out of her chair, and stretches some more. "Anyway, I'm gonna grab a bite, and I'll let you know beforehand if I decide to shanghei morgan, 'kay?" She winks a bit, clearly joking on the 'shanghei' part. Hiko smiles. "Alright." Kanna waves, leaves her cousin to her work, and heads down to the stronghold's commisary to grab a slightly late lunch, given the time she spent talking, then requisitions a horse to ride off to the elven village. =============================== =============================== Shinobu Minor says, "OOC You wanna stop here? I knowit's like 340 AM where you are." Kanna OOCly says, "sure. Good forkpoint, hadn't expected Hiko to be there, but did help Kanna a bit with putting things together." Kanna OOCly says, "What's your plans tomorrow?" You page, "Whee.. the effective 'APB' Kanna put out on Ukyou (to Moriya and Motoko) was partially warrented, partially not. Fun fun fun!" to Chris. Shinobu Minor says, "OOC Try to write during the day. Will probably be on around 8 ish." In a page-pose to you, Chris grins. "Yay. Ah well ... he still deserves an asskicking." Kanna OOCly says, "I should be good for a few hours then, and don't -require- Lian until rendevous and chat with mom before plan to head out again." Shinobu Minor nods. You page, "After that, can I shag him? *pause* I can't believe I just said that." to Chris. You page-pose, "Aerianne shoves Kanna away from the keyboard. "You're WEIRD, girl."" to Chris. Kanna OOCly says, "oh, somewhere around this I think kanna would've tried arranging to actually HAVE dinner with mom this time, if possible. With Lian and sis too, for collaboration." Kanna OOCly says, "(and Shinobu M., if she's not imitating her father still. :)" Shinobu Minor nods Damasq says, "'I am the real Nagisa!' 'No, _I'm_ the real Nagisa!'" Shinobu Minor says, "Heh." Shinobu Minor says, "I have a horrible mental image of Einem as Nagisa now..." Kanna OOCly says, "Anyway, night, as tomorrow is mother's day, and I'm not sure EXACTLY what I'm doing." Kanna twitches. Kanna says, "DON'T GO THERE." Damasq says, "Night, Phil." Philip Moyer----------------Qapla'-------------pmoyer@jurai.net "To boldly go where no one has gone before!"-Capt. J. L. Picard "Roads? Where we're going we don't NEED roads!"-Dr. E. L. Brown "If it can be dreamed, It can be done."- ReRob Mandeville "Someday we'll find it, the Rainbow Connection, The Lovers, ---------- The Dreamers, and Me."- Kermit The Frog ------------