Aurland responded without much thinking.

"We stabilized the ambient mana. Altering it to be more palatable to our own systems. Likely this individual is more accustomed to the native mana environment. If their spellcraft is particularly sensitive then they are likely experiencing "interference". Which might hold for their wand as well. Likely does. I'm curious to see them use it truthfully. I've seen all manner of horrific,errant magic since coming to this place. Who knows what a spatial effect might do."

He observed the gray robed man. Curious if he'd be a living experiment on the interaction between foreign and native magic.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:01, Thu 18 Apr.

Nodding, Malleus considered theft of the wand in question, but ultimately held off and studied it from afar, as best he could, "Your words are suitably evasive; this should prove interesting. Will you name the place to which you return?"

In reply to Aurland (msg # 11):

Without taking his eyes off of the newcomer, Arzin set about responding to Aurland's question.

"That fellow over there wearing gray seems to be some sort of a messenger . . . well, a combination messenger and delivery-man, I suppose. He brought us the poor dead bastard who is lashed to the stake, whom he refers to as a 'parcel'. I think that I recognize the deader as one of our missing Navigators, by the way."

Arzin paused to let the various mages ask their questions of the stranger -- which, he supposed, passed for diplomacy, to their way of thinking. If nothing else, it gave them more opportunities to listen to themselves talk.

Just about then he heard the stranger speak of delivering either a hungry horde or a hungry monstrosity to "them" -- the people from the Elucidate, Arzin supposed he meant.

"Sounds like we're about to get a load of Trouble shortly," he muttered to Aurland. "If you need to do anything to ready yourself, best do it now."

~I hope that yon hoity-toity Bookworm won't mind if I act a trifle brutish, once we receive our second delivery.~
This message was last edited by the player at 19:45, Thu 18 Apr.

Aurland gave Arzin a nod without looking away either. He trusted Arzin to have his back and point him right when it came to matters of conflict.

Malleus frowned, having dismissed the verbiage from the intruder until Amazon focused his attention on it. With a nod - of thanks or acknowledgement - he murmured to the guardsman, ”Brutishness is positively encouraged “, and then prepared himself to summon shadowy fingers and steal that wand the moment the man acted. If they were summoned trouble, they could partake of the same feast as the rest

OOC: If anyone thinks of their question for the enigmatic Noal in the next post we can retroactively have him answer the question, otherwise we're fearlessly blazing onwards!

The tension in the air was palpable and reflected in the fact that as the last few mages were left with their question to ask those questions became much harder. It didn't help that the answers Noal was providing left far more unanswered than not, but still, each tidbit of information provided a shadowy glimpse into greater truths. There were deeper mysteries enshrouding the Elucidate than any of them had anticipated it seemed.

While Noal had been content to idle away watching the others, his easy manner was interrupted. With a yelp he clutched at his chest and hunched forward. It lasted only a moment then he straightened back up, you could spot the veins along his neck had gone black, but that receded back down beneath his collar nearly as quickly as you spotted it. "It seems our time has run out. I have to get going." Digging into one of his pockets, he fished something out. A small black figurine that sat in the palm of his hand. "I'll likely see some of you again, though unfortunately probably not all. And it probably won't be under any better circumstances than this. You have my apologies and condolences, for the little they're worth."

Turning over his hand, Noal let the figurine drop. Tumbling through the air, it fell to the newly grown grass and when it brushed those blades it burst into ash. The black vapors spread across the ground and dispersed. For a moment there was only quiet, then from the nearby copse of trees came high pitch chattering, it was like unpleasant birdsong. First one, then three, than five, then the chitters were rolling across one another beyond count. The grove of trees and the area around it had grown dark, as though as deep cloud had passed across the sky, yet everywhere else in the valley was still bright.

"Ah, it seems I grabbed the horde," Noal commented, "Well, best of luck," he said and gave a tip of his head. Waving the thin wand... nothing happened. Grimacing, Noal waved it again. A few blackened sparks came off the tip as though he were sharpening the wand against a grindstone. With another furious wave there came a sound of tearing and a jagged hole carved into the air, the edges of it seeming to drip and ooze like a living wound. On the far side you could see black seething clouds below which lay a cyclopean city of great stonework. Then Noal stepped through.

A dozen paces in the opposite direction the foliage of the tree grove was rustling with increasing agitation. A few small skittering forms had begun to flit through the bushes. Then the dam burst. A whole swarm of small creatures. Less than waist high, they looked similar to the goblins from back in Aleteros, but their skin was smokey black and they seemed to comfortably run on all fours. Goblins were not known for their intellect, but they possessed a crude cunning. The same couldn't be said for whatever these were, their wide, flat faces were nearly split in half by their huge toothy maws that pulled into mad grins revealing rows of jagged teeth like a shark. And now a whole tide of the creatures were washing over the small collection of mages.

Combat

Horde of Ravenous - 36 - Lesser Foes (Lesser foes are felled by a single blow)

Instinctively, Malleus' fingers twitched, a complex spell that should have had Noal lifted from the earth and torn assunder by a dozen shadowy tendrils, barbed and serrated. Nothing happened of course, his muscle memory of spellcraft at odds with the power that remained, here and now.

Cursing, he watched the figurine hit the grass and the chitters begin, too distracted to even filch the wand as the mage departed.

His focus returned, however, as he saw the black-skinned goblinoids emerge from the treeline. Smiling a little, he stood and hurled a spinning blade of shadow at one of the trees, angling it to fall upon the rushing horde if he could, wanting to take as many as he could from the fight

Crap...and so the battle began.

"Everyone! Forget about Noal for now. He's just the messenger anyway. Prepare yourselves, and ready your magics! We will not let this unknown enemy drive us from our own Valley! For the Empire!" Steorra shouted loudly, trying to rally the other mages.

He looked to Arzin, and began gathering his mana.

"Soldier Arzin? I meant it when I said you have my support, even if the politics you witness just now were...awkward. I called you our guard dog, but that wasn't an insult coming from me. I am a dog person more than a cat one, after all. So with that said, I will invest you with my best magic right now! Show everyone what the Soldier of [Whatever the battle was called that he was decorated for] can do!" Steorra said to him passionately as he suddenly gestured with his hands, which were leaving after-images a bit in the air as they did while sparking a bit with time energy.

Arzin suddenly was enveloped by an aura of light that was the same color as that emanating from Steorra's hands for a moment, before both lights faded. He then suddenly began to perceive the world as moving unnaturally slower than it was before, but he himself seemed fine and able to move normally. This was the so-called Hastening magic of the Time School, and was one considered one of the signature effects of Steorra back home int he Empire.

Steorra could then see sense his magic beginning to Fray, as the wild magic effect that had tacked onto them from the Spellspire Field began to alter the flow of his more orderly magic. But be mystically utilized what he was learning about Arcane Stability and grabbed that bull by the horns, that bucking stallion by the reigns, and forcefully pulled on them - HARD - and made the magic flows submit to his own core of power. This was the one spell he could not afford to potentially either have mess up, or at least cause a wild surge whose effects were unknown. Yes, maybe it could have helped everyone but equally it could have hindered and he couldn't take the risk since he was basically empowering their elitest Vanguard member to help him survive, which in turn would help THEM all survive!

He then turned toward the advancing Horde of Monsters, and gestured his hands at some invisible force or presence in the air in a motion that was toward the horde. Suddenly, one of the oncoming horde turned pink for a moment, then stumbled and tripped as its limbs became rubbery, and smashed violently into a small nearby tree...snapping its neck! It had seemed that Steorra had used some Offensive Magic as well to take what should have been the wild surge that affected Arzin, and instead afflicted it onto one of the horde!

OOC: Steorra uses Temporal Manipulation (Haste) on Arzin! He also activates his Passive, which once per adventure lets him cancel out a wild surge on his magic. Then, he used offensive magic on one of the horde, and since Talon said a single hit will kill them I took narrative liberty and described it getting its neck snapped due to a narrative justification that blended Offensive magic and his arcane stability passive together more organically.

Aurland watched Noel summoning a horde of monsters and then stepping through a strange portal. He wanted to pursue, if for no other reason than to study the strange vista that was revealed to him. But Steorra was right. After they finished speaking and casting their pair of spells Aurland took in the state of the field. He considered the terrain and the advancing forces before firing a bolt of conjured force at a rock formation and then casting his favorite spell.

"Wall"

Using an offensive spell and Wall alongside Spatial Awareness to create a choke point for the horde. That way we can't be easily surrounded and Arzin will have an easier time controlling the choke point.

Arzin was more than a little surprised at how polite the messenger seemed to be. For one who was visiting death and destruction upon the little band of Elucidatians, the fellow seemed almost apologetic for what he was letting loose upon them.

As the man-at-arms looked on, the messenger grabbed at his chest and doubled over, seemingly in his pain. After the man straightened up, Arzin caught a quick glimpse of what looked to be some sort of blackened blight on his neck.

~He is even more of a dog than I am,~ the ex-soldier thought to himself. ~And methinks that his Master has just now yanked upon his chain -- hard.~

Soon after the messenger had dropped the dark figurine and vanished what Arzin took to be some manner of magicked portal, the sky became dark and some sort of unnerving chittering and yipping began. 'Twas not the cheerful noise that squirrels or happy puppies might make, but rather something much more dark and malevolent.

Soon enough the source of the noise revealed itself as the outliers of the so-called Horde appeared, looking to Arzin like gnarled, dark Goblins -- the sort of thing that out-of-patience mothers used to threaten their "I-don't-want-to-go-to-bed!!" recalcitrant children.

To their credit, both Steorra and Aurland reacted to the onrushing danger before Arzin did.

Steorra acted first, magicking Arzin with some sort of golden aura that to the ex-soldier's ears, seemed to give off a barely audible hum. Suddenly every motion of Arzin's took less effort, so that he was able to act much more swiftly and decisively.

And then Aurland spoke but a single word of power -- "Wall" -- and the air nearby momentarily shimmered before a defensive wall took shape and became solid. As befitting a mage who had built great defensive fortifications, Aurland wisely anchored the flanks of his Wall on some nearby rocks and created a choke-point that Arzin could easily defend . . . well, if not easily, at least reasonably efficiently.

"Well done, Brothers!" he complimented the two former Bookworms.

Then it was time to get down to work. Arzin rushed over to plug the gap at the chokepoint, and cut down the early arrivals of the blighted Goblins.

"Mages!" he shouted in his best command voice, one that would have demanded the attention of his squad, once upon a time.

"Behind the Wall! Your lives depend upon it!"

---

OOC: Arzin will hustle over to the chokepoint that Aurland referenced in his post, and set up shop there. Open for business!

Then he will set about slaying as many of the attacking Horde as Steorra's Haste magicks allow him to do.

Vallen watched as the questioning of Noal spiraled into an embarrassing display of an uncoordinated group of fools. He practically rolled his eyes. Vallen wished he hadn't wasted his question on quickly mending the ex-soldier’s threat from the start, for nobody else managed almost any useful information out of the patch-work man. Most of the mages didn't even ask a question. If Vallen wasn't frustrated enough by his company, it only served to make his feelings worse. But what did he expect? They were all trained in a vast array of magics, not political relations or military stratagem.

When Noal indicated their time was up, Vallen had been half expecting him to use his wand to conjure up the horde or monstrosity he spoke of earlier, but he did not do any such thing. And so, it was little surprise Vallen didn't react fast enough when the man instead pulled out a figurine and dropped it on the ground. But unlike Malleus who attempted to use magic to subdue Noal, Vallen didn't trust it enough and instead he had darted towards Noal; But not to take him out- Vallen had run and dived in an attempt to catch the figurine before it could touch the earth, but his body did not move with his usual speed and agility and he arrived too late. He cursed as he watched the dark vapors spread over the ground beneath him, and disperse. With a stormy rage in his eyes, Vallen’s sights changed to Noal who was now right in front of him.

Vallen got up, and saw Noal had taken a few tentative steps back at his closeness. Vallen heard the strange chattering now coming from the woods, growing louder in number. Then he heard Steorra, calling for the mages to forget about Noal and focus on protecting the land they had just made. With a curse under his breath, he let Noal leave and returned to the other mages.

Vallen was trying to cooperate, really, he was, but the more he watched, the more he was getting fed up with trying.

No plan was made, each person set out doing their own thing, and beyond Aurland forming a wall to block the little black goblin monsters from easily getting behind them and surrounding them, there was no real strategy going on. Now enchanted with Steorra's hastening magic, Vallen watched the ex-soilder head towards the small choke point that Aurland had provided in his defense. Vallen heard the man command the mages to hide behind the wall, (Though because of the haste spell, he had spoken the words very quickly) and something inside finally snapped.

Vallen moved towards the choke point in the wall as well, lightning now dancing in wild streaks across his arms and hands, that stormy rage having returned to his eyes.

“ Stay out of my way,” he told Arzin. With swift movement, the lightning in his hands were shot towards the black goblins as they approached. If too many came at him all at once, Vallen would use Harrying Winds in order to push them back in an attempt to keep the monsters from overwhelming him, but as many approached in smaller numbers he would mercilessly attack them.

(OOC: Vallen will try to attack as many as he can with normal attack(s). If too many approach him all at once, he'll use Harrying Winds to knock them down, push them back or knock off balance to stop them from overwhelming him so quickly.)

The light in the valley continued to ebb as the horde charged forward. This battle would not be fought upon sunny fields, but beneath an unnatural gloom that these small monsters dragged at their heels. Magics were called upon, though with the mages still adjusting to their new limitations Malleus found himself watching with vexation as the messenger went unimpeded through the gate. The weeping wound in the air laboriously pulled itself shut, though it seemed to leave an imperfection where it had opened, like a smudge on glass. But now was not the time to be examining smudges.

The patter of dozens of small feet upon grass grew steadily louder and the chattering became hoots and screeches of excitement. One hundred feet became seventy, then forty, then twenty. The horde was nearly upon them when a wall shimmered into existence and created a funnel. A bolt of force followed after making the air ripple, it caught one of the beasts there came a loud snap of bones breaking and the thing was overrun by its kin. (1 of the horde slain) Magic did not impress these charging creatures, but there was little intelligence to be seen in those yellow eyes. With the wall in place it did ensure that only five could reach the front instead of the full swarm. Another was felled as errant time tore it to shreds. (1 of the horde slain)

Arzin was the first to arrive. His body shimmered and left ripples of afterimages as the magics of the Mage of Time sped him up. His sword was a blur as he swung and in the span of a heartbeat his sword had dispatched three of the creatures. Steel certainly seemed to have an effect. Their wounds sprayed a black ichor which seemed to drink in the surrounding light and was sticky, tenaciously coating whatever it touched without dripping. (3 of the horde slain, 1 from Attack Specialization) However, it seemed Arzin was not the only one willing to engage in the fray. One of the expedition mages strode forward and muscled in alongside Arzin, lightning crackling up his arms. A crackle of that lightning caught one of the charging beasts in the chest and with a spasm it collapsed to the ground, but there were more at its heels. Winds rose up and battered at the front lines of the charging swarm, slowing their advanced and breaking their momentum, but not stopping them. (2 of the horde slain, 1 from Attack Specialization) All around the valley winds picked up (Side effect of Harrying Winds) the trees rustled, but soon were bending and dancing, the robes of the mages whipped against them. Now the weather itself suited the mood of this twilight battle.

The horde had not yet reached the assembled mages, the walls and violent winds, but that had only bought the mages time. The swarm had been thinned, but it was still strong and bearing down on them like a dark tide.

Optional Deadly Roll: Due to the defensive efforts, this roll is now optional rather than mandatory. You may choose to make a Deadly Roll, if you do so you'll be able to slay 5 of the horde in your post, plus another if you take an offensive action. You may feel free to take creative liberties with how you do this in your post, if the roll goes poorly then include the damage you end up taking.

Combat

Horde of Ravenous - 31 - Lesser Foes (Lesser foes are felled by a single blow)
29 - Full Force of the horde is bearing down on the chokepoint

7 Slain
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:27, Mon 22 Apr.

With his failure to fell one of the trees onto the oncoming horde, Malleus cursed eloquently and at length in a smattering of tongues, running swiftly to the gap held by Arzin and another. Eyes narrowed, he smiled at the burgeoning twilight and used it to pull forth chains of tangling shadow, barbed and slithering. Some wound themselves around the goblinoids, others tripped and hindered those who had reached the defenders

Deadly Roll: 5. Deploying the chains as a Utility to help Arzin with those rushing them

~Well, I can't fault him too much as long as he is willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with me and fight,~ Arzin thought to himself as one of the mages stepped up beside him and snarled at him to stay out of the way. For a moment Arzin thought that the man was going to elbow him aside -- or, at least try to. ~Good way for him to bruise his tender flesh on my armor.~

The attackers -- Dark Goblins, as Arzin thought of them -- were easy enough to slay. They fought with a snarling, mindless aggression, and seemingly put no effort into avoiding the man-at-arms slashing blade. The problem was that there were just too many of them, and Arzin could only kill them one or two at a time.

~I can think of a way around that. If I can get them close enough to reach them with my blade, I can kill them quickly. It'll be dangerous, but I should be able to put a lot more of them down.~

Willing himself to ignore his own protective instincts, Arzin purposefully allowed a swarm of the creatures to close with him, snarling and ripping with fang and claw. He had thought that he would feel his flesh being rended and torn, but before that could happen a curious ripple of magicks first manifested as dark, wind-blown tendrils that soon shaped themselves into shadowy chains that tripped, ensnared, and otherwise distracted the attackers.

His blade nearly a blur thanks in large part to Steorra's magicks, the ex-soldier cut down all of his foes that he could reach. This time, it was more than just one or two . . .

---

OOC: 10:46, Today: Arzin rolled 2 using 1d6.  Deadly Roll vs. Horde.

Comments #1: Arzin will use a Special Attack and the "Death Roll Special" to slay at least six of the attackers. I would suggest that with the benefit of Steorra's Haste magicks, he should be able to cut down more than that. :)

Edit: 11:21, Today: Arzin rolled 4 using 1d6.  Deadly Roll#2, Courtesy of Malleus' Magicks.

Comments #2: Lots better! Thanks, Malleus! :)

Edit #2 Edited to better describe Malleus' helpful magicks.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:24, Tue 23 Apr.

Vallen held his ground even though the winds were not nearly as effective at crowd control of the little nasty shark toothed goblins as he had hoped. His lightning quickly downed a few however, but the numbers drawing closer only grew.

Vallen saw Arzin pause briefly, waiting for his enemies to draw closer so he could take out more of them. What a reckless move. But with the black goblins all drawing near, retreating now would likely result in the choke point being compromised by the little devils, so Vallen continued to stay his ground. More lightning was conjured as he only hoped his body in its diminished state could keep up with the demand of the horde that tried to overtake them now.

(OOC: 14:13, Today: Vallen rolled 2 using 1d6.  Deadly roll for Horde battle.)

Steorra returns his focus to the battle, now that Arzin was hasted. He figured his best bet right now would be to help facilitate the actions of other mages, and try and slow time in bits to hinder the enemy otherwise.

He turned and suddenly saw a few of the creatures leap up and over Arzin...and right at the unsuspecting Aurland!!! Their teeth tore into his flesh, while their claws rended his skin. Multiple deep lacerations, gashes, and tears were visibile as the conjuirer screwmed out in pain and surprise, as the creatures used his body as a chew toy...

...until the air shimmered, and then he didn't!

The creatures never made it past Arzin.

They never sank their teeth into Aurland's tender, succulent flesh.

Their claws never sank into him like a scratching post.

The Conjurer, however, would gasp in surprise as the memory of this event flooded his mind! It wasn't a mental attack, though, so there was no stopping it. And on a deep,. intuitive level Aurland knew this actually happened. Even if no other surrounding mages and Arzin seemed any the wiser. He saw several of the creatures go up to leap over Arzin, except the air shimmered above the soldier's head like a mirage and the critters - around 5 of them now - suddenly slowed sown unnaturally and immensely as they made their way through the air. The air around Arzin shimmered a bit with energy, as his haste momentarily became supercharged from Steorra's direct attention of defensive magic.

They never made it to the ground, though, as magic missles, force bolts, and ice shards from several other project mages came flying at them and blasted into them, blowing them backwards away from Arzin and back into the horde, where they landed in bloody heaps!

Except then Steorra cried out in pain after that, as Aurland looked on, as he took on the wounds that were meant for the Conjurer in another timeline that never happened, yet did! This all was the result of his special Utility ability, which was achieved by his messing with time. Sometimes, with terrible backlash.

16:12, Today: Steorra Tellurian rolled 2 using 1d6.  Deadly Roll Steorra. Steorra takes 5 damage so drops down to 4 hp!

16:11, Today: Steorra Tellurian rolled 6 using 1d6.  Deadly Roll Aurland.

Aurland! You owe mw one, bud!!!!

Narratively and mechanically, Steorra makes a deadly roll (and technically gets 5 critters killed between Arzin and NPC mages taking advantage of Critters being slowed down or interfered with by time magic), and he would have poassed with a 6 as that was my first roll on the roller, but I had labeled it as Aurland. So I made a second deadly roll for me and that was a 2. So n a very literal way, I failed my own deadly roll because of helping Aurland pass his...so and wrapped that into the narrative.

He also, besides the deadly roll this post, uses his general action as defensive magic, focused on buffing Arzin since Steorra is back a ways still behind the battle line.

Technically, Aurland gets to auto-kill 5 critters as well because of his own deadly roll. So between our 2 rolls we kill 10 of them and Steorra takes a bunch of damage!
This message was last edited by the player at 21:29, Wed 24 Apr.

Aurland moved forward, intent on firing off an arcing orb of force over the wall and into the midst of the amassing horde. At least that was his plan until a small pack of the ravenous creatures breached the defense by leaping clear over the magically empowered soldier. He attempted to calm to halt, his mind switching from the patterns of offensive magic to defensive in a bid to save his life.

He was too late.

Pain erupted from his shoulder as he was taken to the ground by the first of the creatures and then he was set upon in full. The creatures were merciless in their assault, tearing into his flesh with feverish abandon. All strength left him then, turned into pain that escaped him as blood-curdling screams of agony. In the distant parts of his mind, that small corner untouched by the world, he reflected that he was not proud of such a display. It was an undignified death and worse it would serve to distract his allies who could scarcely afford such things; even if they might manage to save him yet.

Then a strange power flowed into him, before drawing him backwards in the current of time to arrive just moments before the break in the defenses.

Aurland spared a brief moment of hesitation as he cast a glance at the time mage, sure that they had intervened, before acting in his own defense.

"Wall!"

A wooden wall erupted from the ground at a strange angle, catching the leaping form of one creature and intercepting the others who smashed into it with bone-shattering force. A bolt of conjured plasma took the head off the one he'd clipped with the wall and he moved to reinforce the front line.

All out of spells.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:20, Wed 24 Apr.

Vallen had been ready to strike the oncoming goblins, but the sight of several black blurs in his peripheral view caught his gaze, and his attention was briefly taken away.

Watching the goblins as they leapt over the ex-soldier’s head, Vallen knew he'd hear the inevitable sounds of their attack landing soon. Yet as he tried to quickly turn back to the threat that loomed in front of him, it was his own cry he heard instead.

The pain from the goblins bite was like a knife into his flesh. He gritted his teeth and electrocuted the little beast till it fell off. (1 of the horde slain) The pain slowly crawled up his arm, his muscles beginning to feel like they were on fire. Unfortunately he got hit by the same stabbing pain in his leg only a second later. (-5HP Vallen) He grunted and bit down a curse. The next beast was given the same treatment as the first- electrocuted to death till it came off of him. (1 of the horde slain)

Vallen watched several of the black goblins run past him during the whole ordeal, somewhat relieved that more hadn't attacked him, but also to his dismay that the choke point had not been held at his end. Blood ran down both wounds as he could feel himself growing unsteady on his feet from the pain as it only grew in intensity… He gritted his  teeth and knew he wouldn't be standing for long.


(OOC: Narrating damages done from deadly roll and regular attack.
-5HP Vallen
2 horde goblins slain, 1 of them from attack specialization)

Those precious few seconds that had been purchased by funneling the horde into a single point passed in a heartbeat, then chaos washed over the group. The battlefield was awash in magics, screaming beasts and howling winds. A pack of the beasts scurried over the wall and set upon Aurland, but then time rolled back and the grievous wounds they inflicted on the mage vanished and they reappeared back atop the wall in a daze at their sudden change. They didn't have the chance to recover their senses as they were shredded by magical attacks by the defenders. It went almost unnoticed that Steorra suddenly was now bleeding from a number of bites and gashes which had appeared across his body at that same time.

At the overflowing choke point black tendrils suddenly sprang up from the ground to snap around the hordes ankles and wrists and pull them to the ground. This made it a simple matter for Arzin and Vallen at the front line to dispatch them in a shower of steel and lightning. Arzin was a blurred specter of sharp edged death, the few that made it to him found it difficult to punch through his armor and also a layer of shifting magics that one of the mages had laid across him. Despite being in the middle of the throng, he was left with only minor scrapes. (-2 HP Arzin) Some of that spillover managed to reach Malleus and he felt a sharp pain and looked down to find one of the creatures had bit onto his left forearm, it sharp teeth drawing blood as it clung on tenaciously. (-2 HP Malleus) Prying it off was a bloody and painful affair.

The whole battlefield was left in a strobing white light as flashes of crackling power rolled off Vallen. It might the fight proceed in flashes. Leaping creatures in one flash. Smoking bodies in the next. Between flashes wounds appeared upon Vallen as some of those beasts managed to reach him, but he was giving far worse than he was receiving based upon the number of crackling bodies lying at his feet. He was certainly dispelling the notion that mages were frail and harmless creatures who blanched at the first sign of violence. Another wall had appeared, this time its appearance managing to catch those small foes under and between it leaving them flattened. Still others fell to bolts fired off by the miraculously untouched Aurland.

The battle raged for only a few bloody moments and with the winds howling and adrenaline pumping it took a long moment for the mages to realize none of the beasts were still on their feet. A preternatural gloom had descended upon the battlefield and what had previously been a bright and sunny afternoon now was a deep twilight. The valley floor was littered with bodies and a miasma now swirled about their boots and they the smell of charred flesh hung in the air. It was a brutal exchange, but they had all survived and come away with something vital. Information. They had an enemy. Someone out there meant them harm. This was supposed to be an untouched world waiting to be shaped, but instead they had found crashed ships, feral spirits, and fortresses grown from trees. Now there were apologetic visitors leaving monsters at their doorstep. The mysteries of this world would not be content to lie idly, ignoring that fact invited further peril. The only question now was; what was to be done?

From Hardship Comes Growth

Choose one of the following rewards. These are exclusive rewards and claimed on a first come first serve basis.

My Mind Expands: Delving into the mixtures of magics in this new world, you start to fully grasp how these powers work and are better able to wield the full array of your powers.
Stat Increase: Add a Spell Slot to your spell book, allowing you to take more spells on an adventure.

My Scars Tell the Tales: Though you're less than you once were, you feel yourself growing more hale and hardy, your vigor returning slowly and steadily. Perhaps not as flashy as your old spells, it is still reassuring.
Stat Increase: +2 to max HP.

Apocalypse Now: With a horde of ravenous creatures laying at your feet it is clear that sometimes violence cannot be avoided. Weaving your magics into an array of destruction, you can ensure that if such a battle falls upon you again that you'll be properly armed.
New Spell: Wave of Destruction - You slay 5 Lesser Foes. (Or deal 1 damage to up to 5 enemies)

Deeper Mysteries: Near the foot of the grim totem that Noal had left was another trinket it seemed he had left behind, aside from a multitude of horrors. A small stone disc, roughly the size of a coin, lay there on the grass. Chiseled into the gray stone was an image of a bleeding eye. The edges were rough and serrated, as though it were intended to be slotted into something. With a bit of magic, this could be traced and perhaps provide a lead.
Adventure Thread: Social & Exploration - This adventure will (Most likely) involve little direct action and will present more social opportunities and chances to explore the world. If a player selects this they'll be able to choose two rewards from the adventure instead of the typical one.

Heed My Call: These creatures had been pulled from another place, whether that was another realm, or a dimension, or plane. Traces of the magic that had summoned them hung in the air and you could learn to mimic that power. Next time, the swarm need not be nipping at your own heels.
Spell: Summon Ravenous - You call up Ravenous, summon 2 per point of Potency. They'll attack whatever you aim them at, though once their primary target is defeated they'll run wild till the spell ends.

In a Shroud of Night: These beasts had drained the light from the air, their blood seemed to still drink it up. This effect could likely be enhanced through the power utilization of alchemic and mystic manipulation.
Enchantment: Shroud of Darkness - Cover yourself or another target in a shroud of darkness making them more difficult to see and target. It lasts for the adventure unless dispelled earlier, once dispelled it cannot be recast that adventure.

My Strength Returns: Trials and hardship breed strength, this was true whether in Aleteros or in a harsh and hostile world. This battle has tempered you and returned some of the strength you've lost.
Stat Increase: Add +1 to the stat of your choice.

Know Your Enemy: Facing an enemy for a first time is always an arduous experience, you never know what to expect of them, their strength, their speed, their tactics. However, now that you've stared down the tide of these beasts, you will not be taken off guard again.
Passive: Favored Foe - Ravenous: When facing the Ravenous you are particularly adept. All your actions against them are more effective and you're treated as also having the Attack specialization when facing them (Or doubling the effect if you have it already.)

OOC: Whew can absolutely use the weekly healing lol!

In the bloody aftermath of that fight, Steorra looked around and assed the situation. It seemed that no mages were lost, thank goodness, but some took a bit of damage. He being one of the worst amongst them, but it was worth it because he helped the others create openings to fight the enemy with.

He channeled a bit of his mana to speed up the recovery of his wounds (+2 hp from Weekly healing hp 4->6). As he did, he looked around the battlefield as he made sure the others were okay, and he noted a strange stone coin of sorts, with notched grooves. A bleeding eye? What was this? Did Noal purposefully - or accidentally - drop if when he left? Is it some lead or clue as to the other forces and factions that inhabit this new plane? Steorra's curiosity in was piqued as he decided to commit to looking further into these Deeper Mysteries!
This message was last edited by the player at 01:33, Fri 26 Apr.

Vallen was exhausted when the fight was over. Still breathing heavily and on alert, he surveyed the battlefield and all the black goblins bodies that lay motionless on the ground in all kinds of gruesome displays of the mages of Aleteros' might. All of his fellow colleagues were quickly accounted for to Vallen's relief- even moreso that none seemed to be quite as injured as he himself had been, except strangely Steorra.

With the battle having concluded, Vallen found somewhere clear of the little goblins dead bodies to get off his injured leg at and sit down. He took a deep breath and exhaled, as he looked over his wounds and assessed the damages done. Although the fight had injured him, he knew it would only serve to make him stronger. All Scars Tell Tales, and he knew these two would be joining the ones that already had been scribed to his body. However, Vallen saw them as marks of his experience and growth and did not mind their presence here on after.

(OOC: I'll take My Scars Tell the Tales)

As the fighting wound down Aurland stood vigil, his heart still racing from his brush with death and his narrow survival. More than that he was allowing the strange alteration of his Pattern to stabilize. Having faced certain death and pulled through the veil and the river of time he'd been changed. Fortunately for him it seemed it was for the better as he felt a bit of strength return to him.

Aurland selects My Strength Returns

His teeth bared in a wordless snarl, Arzin peered about, looking to see if there were any more of the Dark Goblins (as he thought of them) remained standing. Seeing none, he sucked in a deep breath of clean air and grounded his sword.

Glancing at any of the nearby mages whose eye he could catch, he nodded in a respectful fashion and said "That was well-fought. Everyone held their ground and used their magicks to good effect."

---

OOC: Arzin will choose Apocalypse Now.

Nodding, Malleus wrapped his wound in a long bandage, "For all their fury, these creatures fell fast beneath our spells. Perhaps a side effect of the magic employed to seed the valley?"

Shrouded eyes still scanned the clearing, from the pile of foes to the site where Noal had vanished. Watching the way the others had used their magic recalled some of the techniques he felt he had lost in the translocation and Malleus felt His Mind Expand

OOC: Wounds taken healed up

Far off in the distant a pair of mismatched eyes watched the last seconds of magical devastation unfold. It was already almost over by the time he'd returned. Through the gloom and the debris kicked up by the winds it was difficult to make out but... yes, yes it seemed all of them were still standing. "Marvelous," Noal murmured with a tired smile. It had been so many years since there had been a band with such vim and vigor. It would end how it always ended, that was a foregone conclusion, but perhaps it would be enough amusement to placate the powers that be. One could hope.

The last of the parasites died and the magicians seemed to be composing themselves. It wasn't a time to dwell. Waving the control rod, Noal opened up another gateway. With a tip of his head and a soft well wishing of, "Best of luck," which would go unheard, he stepped back through.

--------------------

The battle was done. There had been injuries, but everyone still lived. The body of the navigator was retrieved and wrapped in linen, both for  transport and to hide the grisly scene from view. The mages of the Elucidate now knew they had a shadowy adversary wishing them harm. But stranded in this strange world, their magics reduced and with only the barest glimmer of understanding about their surroundings, the burning question was, what could they do about it?

OOC: You may resume posting in the Elucidate!