Deathtrap Dungeon: Meat and Greet (IC)

Started by Mechanisto, March 23, 2010, 08:11:44 PM

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VAE

#120
The water was cold, dark, fresh.... it felt like back at home.
Using the motion of his tail Glup swam around, looking for some tasty fish, and breathng the cold liquid full of dissolved oxygen.

"Don't *glup*uogly*glup* the uategl *glup* is safe *gargle* fogl me - is *glupglup* my home!" he responded to Zyrais.
The water meant he made a whole lot more gargling noise and the sound was warped, but the seeping was almost eliminated , making it surprisingly easier to understand what he said....
What i cannot create, i do not understand. - Richard P. Feynman
This is DMFA. Where major species don't understand clothing. So innuendo is overlooked for nuendo. .
Saphroneth



techmaster-glitch

#121
   As Xephelon extracted the smallish crystal from the rock, he noted that both the crystal and then rock were unusually tough. Not to mention that, despite his knowledge of of common and some rare crystals most often used as magic cores, he didn't seem to recognize exactly what this one was. Some in-depth analysis was needed...
  After the well-shaped fist-sized crystal was extracted, Xephelon also found a random coin-sized and malformed chunk that was poorly anchored to the rock, and simply broke it off. No need to be delicate with that one.
 Xephelon caught up with the group after Glup began his dive. Some undead (wasn't it one of that giraffe undead's escorts?) made an offhand comment. Seemingly not looking at her and preoccupied with the crystal (it was hard to tell, the "eyes" were only lights set into the center of the "torso", and the torso was angled towards the crystal in his metal hands), he only replied with "I merely wondered if any infrastructure was already in place. I am surprised, but then again, more things for me to make, more things to do..."
  Xephelon continued trailing the group as it moved, still focusing mostly on his crystal samples. While he wasn't ready to actually perform any real analysis on the small sample he collected, he did begin some preliminary work on the larger piece, using his magic to get a basic "feel" for the crystal, as well as lightly transmuting and attuning it in preparation to store magic properly.


"Xeph does not seem to consider biological materials as ideal enchanting materials" Heh heh, that's kind of funny, as I'm sure it will eventually come up IC that Xephelon can't actually put magic in anything alive, and yes, unliving but still biological materials are often difficult to work with...
Avatar:AMoS



Liatai

XD Thanks, danman! I was kind of hoping someone would splash Kitt!

Kittrick shook by reflex, probably sending drops of water flying onto any nearby people. She didn't care at the moment. All she knew is, somebody had splashed her with cave water. Cave water! Ugh! Who knew what was in that?! Especially cave water that had been sitting undisturbed for so long! She whirled around, tail bristling. "Who--"

Then she heard Zyrais.

Glup.

She glared daggers into the water, scanning it for anything that remotely looked chuul-shaped, and flexed her claws.

VAE

Unknowing of this menace , glup continues to swim in the current , using mighty tail wobbles to move in bursts, seeking any fish or other lifeforms to serve as dinner.
While looking for him, Kittrick notices the two large bags he had on his sides are resting against a cave wall under a rather reflective crystal which was what allowed her to spot them
What i cannot create, i do not understand. - Richard P. Feynman
This is DMFA. Where major species don't understand clothing. So innuendo is overlooked for nuendo. .
Saphroneth



Mechanisto

Note: Detect magic won't necessarily reveal non magical organisms or phenomena; only actual magic energy. Normal dirt and rocks and trees don't have magic auras. Also; magic is not evenly distributed in the world, so there are lots of small places in the natural world that aren't especially magical. Not being able to sense any magic at all for miles and miles, however, is unbelievably extreme. That means no enchanted items or recently cast spells, no ghosts or natural spirits, no alchemical plants or minerals, no natural leylines or nexus points... the list goes on.

Nadhiya turned to respond to Zyrais, but was cut off as Glup trampled past. the look on her face was one of momentary panic, but quickly faded back to mild surprise. The steam was, indeed, more than large enough to accommodate Glup; the water was cool, and flowed at a slow and steady pace. It was also very breathable, and the rich oxygen levels threatened to give him a giddy "runner's high."

Disappointingly, though, there appeared to be no large fish. Or small fish. Or fish of any kind. The water was clean and clear; no sign of plants, algae or fungus. It was like a vast sea of sparkling mineral water.

While the front of the line was concerned with the sudden splashing about, Xephelon's cursory analysis of the crystal revealed some basic data; it had a high rate of magical absorption. Enchanted gems were usually made to absorb magic from the environment to recharge over time. This was, itself, a kind of enchantment... and yet these crystals were doing just that in their natural state. The effect was very slight, but still intriguing.

-----

Time continued to crawl by at a snail's pace on the main level, as social circles mingled with almost painfully cautious etiquette. People were going out of their way to avoid strong conversation, so not much of interest was taking place.

Eventually, Nathalzar felt a polite tap on his left ankle; there appeared to be not-completely-dressed-in-rags Kobold waving at him. The tiny humanoid lizard held a crude club that had been hastily engraved with a guardsman's emblem. It was kind of depressing to see a symbol of absolute authority being carried by such a pitifully weak creature... especially in this den of unspeakable horrors.

"You... dead walk? Know things? You help?" he pointed up at the towering death-knight, and then glanced around conspiratorially. It then pointed to a corridor on the far side of he hallway, and eagerly began tugging him in that general direction. "Dead-walk guest... not well. Need help."

WhiteFox

#125
Nethalzar followed, his blase countenance disturbed only by the perk of a quizzical eyebrow. "You understand that I am under no obligation to service Lady Nadihya's guests. I will see what there is to be done, and I should expect the Lady to appreciate this gratuity."

And, hopefully, it will be an impressive one at that.

Nethalzar sipped his wine, and followed the Kobold.




    Thesslay shook her notebook a little, thanking herself for using waterproof ink. She glanced at a note on one of the pages, then froze. Something Zyaris said came back to her. Just what is down there?
    She snapped her book shut, no longer concerned about the water. It had had worse than water splattered across it's pages. Murmuring softly in Enochian and gesturing lightly with her fingers, she finished with two words in common speak, for the benifit of those around her.
    "Sense life," she whispered.
    Her eyes flared with a soft golden light, and she quickly looked over the water. If there were any plant life in it, however minute, it would show as a very light glow.
    She blinked, then checked over the rocks as well.
This is my pencil. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My pencil is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life...

Liatai

#126
Hmm. Glup had left his bags unguarded. There were possibilities there.

The gryphon padded over to the packs. Her first thought was to send them to join their owner in the water... but then again, no. The cloth may not have been waterproof. Wet feathers were not enough to justify ruining someone's possessions. Plus, the whole job interview thing. A courier seen mishandling someone else's goods would not be trusted. Bah.

Perhaps, then, she could move them. She had seen many, many students returning from a dip in a pond or stream only to find that their clothes or some other possession had been moved out of sight by their colleagues as a prank. A minor inconvenience for a minor inconvenience; a moment of irritated searching in exchange for a moment of irritating dampness.

That idea was quickly struck down after Kittrick prodded one of the bags experimentally, trying to gauge its weight and contents. It barely budged. They would be far too heavy. What in the world were they filled with? Perhaps if she had a proper harness, she would be able to lift them, but she didn't really want to put anything that was designed to be worn by an aquatic creature on her back. Who knew where those bags had been?

So, she returned to the water's edge, and, a bit childishly, began to flick a few pebbles into the water near where she thought the chuul was.

Drayco84

#127
   Now that the initial shock of watching the chuul dive headfirst into the unknown had worn off a bit, Zyrais examined the water carefully, shining the brilliant beam of light coming from his forehead into the water like a spotlight. It took a moment before it hit him... The water was indeed pure, no plant life, no fish, and thus, probably luckily for the gung-ho chuul, unable to sustain any form of predatory animals. Well, except for possibly aquatic slimes or gelatanous cubes...
  "Heh, I think I'll take you up on the bet, Dee." Zyrais informed his familiar, smirking.
  "Meh, sorry. I just wanted to watch him get eaten or attacked by something." She replied, bored now that her attention had wandered. In reality, she said "Offer not valid if Zyrais has a reasonable chance of collecting."
  "Heeeeeeeellooooooo?!" Dee suddenly exclaimed, looking around. "Can anyone hear me? I'm sooooooooo booooooooored... Looking around, she spotted the gryphon awfully close to the chuul's bags, so she jumped off of Zyrais's shoulder, flew over, and landed on her back. Then, she stuck her face into the gryphon's and tried to strike up a conversation...
  "Hello! What'cha doing?" She asked.
  "You sting her and I'm going to wring your neck, Dee." Zyrais warned, not even bothering to look over in her direction and focusing more on finding the chuul, or any large, sinister, shadowy shapes moving around in the water.

I fixed the entry where Zyrais got the results of his detect magic spell, I think... And I'm-Zzzzzzz... Totally cool-Zzzzzzzz... To RP. Zzzzzzzzz...
EDIT: Added one comma and two quotation marks.

VAE

Glup was swimming in the water, becoming intrigued
::How come there is nothing alive here ? I have seen caves with sulfurous water, nitrate contaminated water .... but all had at least algae::

Then a pebble hit him.
Then another.
Then a bunch.
::@$%^ !!! A cave in! @$%!:: Glup has been in far too many such situations, and his quick, and usually accurate judgement was to be thanked for him not being 2-D yet - chuuls, like other crustaceans and insects are not best at withstanding blunt trauma.
He rushed along the stream  ass-front  with mighty tail contractions, going through considerable distance before he realised something is not right , and there should have been more and larger rocks falling, not to mention some vibrations.
Now, he was in a portion of the cave rather far from the others, and would need to return back...
What i cannot create, i do not understand. - Richard P. Feynman
This is DMFA. Where major species don't understand clothing. So innuendo is overlooked for nuendo. .
Saphroneth



Liatai

The gryphon started. Something just landed on her back! Get it off get it off get it off-- She prepared to shake again, but stopped herself when the pseudodragon's face burst into her field of vision from above while an unfamiliar female voice asked what she was doing. Oh. Phew! It was the angel's familiar. She guessed that was okay. For now.

"... Did you just speak to me?" She tilted her head up curiously and crossed her eyes a little, trying to focus on the reptilian creature.

She didn't even notice Glup swimming off into the darkness.

Drayco84

#130
   Dee had to take a moment to ponder the question the griffin asked her.
  "Oooooh... Sooooooo many responses to that one..." She began. "But yes, I'm speaking to you in your mind! Kinda unnerving, huh?"
  Meanwhile, Zyrais was scanning the water for anything monsterous looking... Anything at all... Especially any sudden movements from within the pure, clear water... The spell was already half-formed in his hands, ready to be unleashed at a split-second reaction... It was a standard, low level magic missile spell that could easily be followed up with a bigger, more powerful barrage if needed. Zyrais briefly wondered if anyone nearby had any kind of dispelling magic, then focused back on watching the water...

EDIT: Added a quotation mark.

Mechanisto

   In most environments, a Detect Life spell would have caused every conceivable surface in sight to light up like a rainbow. Here, though, Thessaly's sight revealed very little... but still something. The water sparkled with the subtle light of free-floating algae and bacteria, and the glistening black cave walls glowed with faint traces of fungus, lichen, and tiny insects. Deeper in, there were a few slightly larger creatures; swarms of tiny krill,  and the occasional hermit crab or sea-slug. It appeared to be a perfectly healthy (though rather sedate) ecology.

   Nadhiya seemed to be keeping a sharp eye on the current happenings, and looked concerned at Glup's continued and rapid retreat into the cave depths. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted. "Glup? Can you make your way back?"

   Her voice echoed far in the deep caves, but the water distorted the sound. Not to mention, her words wouldn't reach under the water very well. She planted her palms on her hims and let out a quiet, exasperated sigh before gesturing for everyone to continue the tour.

   "I'll send someone after him if he doesn't find his way back by the end of the tour. He should be fine... and perhaps he'll learn something."

-----

   The kobold hopped through the crowd, looking back at Nathalzar periodically; it's expression and body language resembled that of a nervous lapdog even more so than usual for his race. They went through one or two corridors that had no guests in sight, and arrived at a large, featureless room.
   In the middle was a bed, made of wooden slats and padded with filthy, matted blankets. Laying on the makeshift pallet was a young-looking female undead that Nathalzar had vaguely remembered seeing here and thee in the crowd. She was a slender Canine, with a grey coat. She wore an exquisite looking silk cocktail dress, ice-blue and embroidered with gold thread. Her knees, elbows, and midriff were fleshless, exposing the joints and spine. Her dress had obviously been tailored to suit the fleshless portions; none of her wounds were new. She wasn't moving at all.
   Her purse lay next to the bed. A necklace nestled in her ample bosom bore a paper card; on the card were a picture of the girl's face, and the words "Hi! My name is Roxanne" in a combination of pre-printed block letters and beautiful, hand-written calligraphy.

VAE

Nadihyia's shouts were mostly missed by the chuul ,who by now was quite far from the group - despite being slow on land, crustaceans of his type are excellent burst swimmers, able to achieve large velocities.


He began to notice some life in the water here - krill, slugs , a few crabs....
::Good, so it is alive! I will have to seed the water with something::
He caught a slug and devoured it - it tasted a bit... old.
He thought for a moment... .
::This will be probably my home and workplace - it cannot hurt to explore it a bit more. After all they did not  bother even saying that they are leaving... they can ... DAMMIT! MY BAGS  ::
The idea hit him like a rock. He left all of his prized possessions, including the written notes on constructing rat-powered batteries in there , to touch of all of them. ESPECIALLY that smooth-operator lizardman....
::And now to find the precise spot where to unsubmerge - better check every... let's say 20 meters...::
With that he turned around and began looking for a way back.


What i cannot create, i do not understand. - Richard P. Feynman
This is DMFA. Where major species don't understand clothing. So innuendo is overlooked for nuendo. .
Saphroneth



WhiteFox

#133
Nethalzar observed her for a moment, then huffed lightly. He gestured lightly with two fingers, and spoke two words softly: "Sense life." He then made sign with his hand, and spoke again: "Aura Sight."

It's green because it's necromancy.

Without looking away from the girl, Nethalzar reached into his jacket and came out with a small vial of smoke. He removed the stopper with a thumb and forefinger, and the smoke rose gently. It formed into roughly spherical shape, and at it's center was what appeared to be a blue candle flame.

Nethalzar spoke to the ghost-light without looking away from the girl. "Fade... I may need my Codex. Tell Carter to fetch it."

The candle flame flickered.

"No, Fade. Not my Grimoir, my Codex. The Grimoir is the one that wails, the Codex has a spine for a spine. Carter will know which one it is. Go now, and if you taunt anyone on your way out, I'll have you in the chandelier for the next three full moons."

The flame sputtered, then zoomed off towards the portal room.

Edit: Removed a small bit. I thought the card was, like, a folded card, but it's a convention badge.
This is my pencil. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My pencil is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life...

Drayco84

   Zyrais sighed as Nadhiya began to move on. After a bit of thought, he carefully combined the light spell in the gem on his forehead with the magic missile spell in his hand to create a brilliant, glowing, silvery beacon. As he placed the orb of magic on the ground, he wondered if it would explode or something when something got close... Oh well, that wasn't his problem.
   "Let's go, Dee. The tour's moving on without us." He told her, walking off.
   "Oh, fine..." She grumbled. "Come on! Let's go, griffie! Yah!" The pseudodragon exclaimed, playfully smacking the gryphon's backside with her tail, being careful not to hit her ride with her stinger.

The beacon will split into three missiles when Glup gets within twenty feet. Each one has the power of a standard unarmed strike by a being. He'll probably feel the blows, but there shouldn't be much damage.
Unless he waits for over an hour to go back. Over time, the spell will get dimmer and dimmer and eventually fade, along with its offensive power.

VAE

Dive, swim, rise, check... Dive, swim, rise, check. ....
Glup was progressing backwards, trying to find his bags and the place where he left the others.
Dive swim, rise... SPLAT! SPLAT! TWANG!
As he rose from water , t wo magic missiles hit the now-soaked algae on his back, splattering some green matter around - he barely felt the impact.
The last one hit him right into the face, specifically his magical goggles.
"What? Who? Whegle?, %#@%@$##$@!"
Luckily the enchanted glass was somewhat impact resistant, so it did not break, but two studs holding it were pushed out and now it had a tendency to fall off, leaving Glup with mono-vision as the stuff perceived by the other eye was pretty blurry.
:: I need to fix this when i have time. Now, which bastard did this!?::
It did not take the Great Brain of an illithid colony to figure out who had both the means and interest in putting together such prank.
::Zyrais, you pool of spinal liquor! I'll get your furry scaly hide!:: (Unlike people, and other humanoids whose most mid-range swearwords revolve around fecal matter, in chuuls the equivalent are the CNS components)
With that said, he picked up his bags, and holding the second lens in front of his eye by one of the tentacles, he began searching for the group.....
What i cannot create, i do not understand. - Richard P. Feynman
This is DMFA. Where major species don't understand clothing. So innuendo is overlooked for nuendo. .
Saphroneth



Drayco84

   After following the group for only a few moments, Zyrais heard the bizarre sound of the beacon he had left behind exploding.
   "I can never get those damn things to explode when I want them to..." He cursed under his breath. "Conversely, when they do, it always comes back to bite me..."
   "How about that one time one of those things exploded on me?" Dee asked, jumping off the gryphon's back and taking to the air in case she was needed.
   "You promptly wrapped your body around my neck and jabbed your stinger into the middle of my back where my hands couldn't reach to administer the full effects of a 'cure poison' spell." He replied, turning around to see Glup in the distance messing with his goggles.
   Wait a second... His goggles?! Aw, hell...
   "Whooooo-weeee... That is one annoyed-looking chuul..." Dee exclaimed. "Well, it's been nice working for ya, jerkass."
   Zyrais took a few moments to look around the area and find out one very important fact...
   "Well, if push comes to shove, this seems like as good a place as any..." He remarked, waiting for the Glup to approach him while standing in the middle of the cave.
   Yup... If only he had spent more time training his body, perhaps he wouldn't need to rely so heavily on offensive magic... Perhaps if he had also spent time building up the muscle in his wings, he could fly under his own power...
   Instead, he had spent his time learning how to empower his wings with magic and using them to enchance his speed and direction while using magic to actually fly, like with the 'Flight' spell he was casting right now...
   His wings took on a slight glow as he cast the spell and focused himself. Odds were good that he could talk himself out of this, but it never hurt to have a plan B...

VAE

#137
The thoroughly annoyed chuul was nearing to Zyrais at a pace of a rapid human walk, which was nowhere as impressive as his velocity in water but still looked intimidating, considering that he is a several meters long insect.
He did not curse... yet,  although his pincers were  clapping in a peculiarly loud and directed manner although it looked a bit like a nervous tic.
As he neared closer, Zyrais at first heard a faint hum, like near a set of high voltage transformets, getting slowly but steadily louder. The peculiar thing was that despite the "sound" interference he could hear everything around perfectly at the same time which felt a bit strange - it was as if it only existed within his mind.
details of what is happening now in OOC - don't worry not an attack yet  Of course anyone who is within the range can feel this as well - it is undirected
"YOU! YOU' *gargle-glurp* SHTHUPIDS  MAGIKSH PGLANKSH 'OKE MY GOGGLESH *gargle* I 'AD THEM MADE IN ZINVTH ! IT KOSHTH ME A DAMN KUBI BGLAIN ON BLAK MAGLKET!*glurp* AND IT NEAGLY KILLED ME! *gargle, glupglup*YOU 'OTHEN SHPINAL KOGLD SHTUB!*glupglupglup*"
Besides the fact that Zyrais could clearly see why was the creature in front of him named "Glup" , a rather entertaining fact especially since the bearer of the name did not recognise the connection,he could see that the chuul was preparing most of his tentacles for action, even to the point of forgetting to hold the glass in front of one of his eyes.
A careful, observant creature or being could see that the eye looked different - deeper, and that there were small, transparent crackles of psychic energy around the intersections of the plates on his forehead.think of the Predator moving through the forest
Clearly, even to a non-empath, he was mightily annoyed.

What i cannot create, i do not understand. - Richard P. Feynman
This is DMFA. Where major species don't understand clothing. So innuendo is overlooked for nuendo. .
Saphroneth



Drayco84

   "Daaaawwww... He looks like he needs a HUG!" Dee sarcastically advised. Ignoring her, Zyrais sighed deeply and looked at the obviously annoyed chuul.
   "My sincerest apologies, Glup..." He began. "The beacon was not meant to explode as I thought I had diverted as much of the energy used in its creation for producing light as I could, while still keeping it in a sustainable form. Which is why it didn't do much physical damage. Plus, I was in a rush and I'll admit it was sloppy. I know some magic that's quite effective in repairing objects like this. And yes, I'm aware that the last thing you want to hear about is more magic, but at least give me a chance to make amends."
   Meanwhile, he did his best to ignore the remark that the goggles cost a cubi's brain, which struck a little too close to home for him...

Zyrais's charisma is at maximum effect here.

VAE

Zyrais could feel the noise has stopped getting stronger even as the chuul had progressed a few more steps.  - it still was heavily irritating though. It  looked as if the chuul was now giving him some chance to speak, and although still angry and heavily wronged, at least he wasn't in "war-mode", which was definitely a plus.
The frequency of pincer-clicking has decreased, looking as if he attempted to stop it entirely and just wasn't entirely sucessful, and the strange blurriness about parts of his head which was apparent as he came close somewhat subsided.
It was clear that although still maintaining an angry mindstate - messing with the mind of a psionic non-humanoid definitely was not an easy task - Glup wasn't in a murderous rape-your-land-burn-your-women  state of mind anymore, and was at least willing to hear Zyrais out.
It does help, but also remember one of the magic missiles hit him right between eyes- it is not easy to camuflage as explosion
"Sho, you shay you *gargle* kan fiksh them?  A pethy magishian like you? Theshe wegle made by an ekshpeglt!*gargle glup glup*, Noth shomeone who tgliesh to shay he botched up a shimple beakon shpel! *gargle glup glup* "
What i cannot create, i do not understand. - Richard P. Feynman
This is DMFA. Where major species don't understand clothing. So innuendo is overlooked for nuendo. .
Saphroneth



Mechanisto

#140
A tiny, gentle hand delicately rested on one of Glup's more outstretched tentacles. Nadhiya's voice was calm as possible, there was obviously a tense edge to it.

"Now please, gentle... persons. I'm sure there's a rational explanation for all this. And I'm sure Zyrais is all too eager to explain what happened, apologize if nessecary, and offer to repay you for any damages suffered from this possibly tragic mistake. Isn't that right, Zyrais...?"

Her humanoid upper body looked remarkably relaxed, considering that she was essentially accusing an angel of being either incompetent or a traitor, while also asking him to apologize for something.... to what some might consider a "lesser creature," no less...

The entire rest of her serpentine body, however, was coiled like a hair trigger.

VAE

#141
Knowing little of her priest-identity, and given the pleasant experience so far, Glup turned to her and began explaining in deep speech Mistress Nadihya *gargle glurp* - this swine's misbegotten action has resulted in *glupglup* breaking of my goggles, specially crafted ones *glup glarg* with both price and usefulness higher than *glup gargle glop* miscreant probably understands
i decided to use one of the dark blue colours for deep speech- i hope you can read it- if not complain He pointed angrily with one of the tentacles at Zyrais, and for a split second the hum intensifies, subsiding again in a second or so to a merely irritating level
What i cannot create, i do not understand. - Richard P. Feynman
This is DMFA. Where major species don't understand clothing. So innuendo is overlooked for nuendo. .
Saphroneth



WhiteFox

"Lady Nadihya," Thessaly said, "Are magic users liable for harm caused through negligence?" Her voice was firm and even, though toneless. Her inking finger poised over the page of her notebook.

danman: the blue text is hard for me to read on a black background.
This is my pencil. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My pencil is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life...

Mechanisto

#143
"Not exactly, no..." Nadhiya's gaze remained on Zyrais; she was clearly waiting for his apology... or lack thereof.

"...Citizens are liable for harm caused through negligence."

techmaster-glitch

#144
   Xephelon's initial analysis and preparation of the crystal yielded an unusual result; it seemed the crystal was already absorbing trace amounts of magical essence. Nearly all crystals passively picked up trace amounts of magic when such a presence was nearby (though rarely ever enough of any significance), part of the reason they were sought-after as receptacles for magic, but this kind seemed to be actively pulling magic in. Very weakly, but still actively. Such naturally attuned crystals were just a little better than normal crystals at being magic receptacles when fully attuned and enchanted (though still not as great as a single, carefully-made synthetic one) and took less work to do so, and were that much rarer as they usually only formed with persistent but subtle ambient magic... or experienced a single event of great magnitude. Either way, Xephelon was excited; not only would this make his job even a little easier and quicker, but should he stay, he would have access to entire deposits of them! There was much potential...
  So engrossed he was in his thoughts of the possibilities and following the group automatically, he didn't notice Kittrick antagonizing Glup, nor Zyrais leaving behind a temporary magic "beacon" as the group moved on. However, the disturbance the beacon created did catch his attention. Xephelon turned around to see the large Chuul clacking its way over to the group, Zyrais specifically, and he seemed... very agitated.
  As Glup ranted at Zyrais, and filled the air with an ominous buzz, Xephelon did catch the part about "broken goggles", and that it seemed they were custom-made. Zyrais offered to fix them with his magic, although Glup seemed doubtful, to say the least. And Nadihya was saying with a bit of subtlety and tact that Zyrais should definitely fix, or at least pay for his "mistake".
  Xephelon approached the group, but didn't say anything--yet. He waited to observe how Zyrais would respond to this situation, and to see how well he could work his magic. This was the person he intended to "borrow" a spell from, after all...
Avatar:AMoS



Drayco84

   Zyrais took a few deep breaths before starting to speak as the psychic "noise" was incredibly distracting. Meanwhile, Dee was hovering above his head, holding a small cardboard sign with "LYNCH HIM" written on it in big, gold letters.
  "What started it was a beacon spell I had made to guide Glup back after he dived headfirst into the water." He began, only a little nervous but making sure to make eye contact. Well, it still beat that time he was getting impeached for abusing political power in that one town... "I did have a magic missile spell partially ready due to two factors. First, that the area was unexplored. Second, that my previous 'detect magic' spell failed to find anything as far as it could reach, with is highly unusual and to be honest, it unnerves me. So, I highly suspected that Glup would come rushing out with something on his tail. After some thought, I realized I had overreacted and that such precautions weren't needed. By that time, the group was moving on. I didn't want to take the chance of Glup getting lost down here, so I altered the spell a bit and combined it with a 'light' spell to create a sort of beacon. What was supposed to happen was the spell automatically dissipating once something got within a certain distance. My guess at what happened is that it somehow became a 'delayed magic missile', similar to a 'delayed blast fireball'. Believe it or not, I've been trying to find out how to craft such a spell for some time with little success so far..."
  Zyrais took a moment to pause and try to clear his mind, the noise was irritating and quite annoying. Plus, all of them kept making glances above his-"Dee!" He suddenly exclaimed, turning around for a moment. "Do you mind? This is a serious moment!"
  "Wah, wah, wah..." She openly mocked, rolling her eyes and putting the sign away. After he had turned back around, she moved off to his left side and pulled out a second cardboard sign, this one read "JERKASS" with gold lettering and below it had a gold arrow pointing to the left. Dee looked down, then turned the card over, revealing a similar design but with the arrow pointing toward Zyrais.
  "Regardless, I freely admit that this incident has been negligence on my part and I'm sorry. I've already offered to use my magic to try and fix the goggles, but if Glup refuses, then I'll understand. Either way, I'm willing to foot the bill for any materials, tools, and labor needed to repair the goggles and make amends." He explained.

Yeesh! I've only been working on this friggin' post for... An... Hour... Last time I looked, it was 7pm...

VAE

Glup eyed him with suspicion. Due to the calming  presence of Nadihya, Zyrais's efforts and the fact that some time has passed, he was now somewhat calmer, and more importantly began to think.
::The furry lizard thinks i'm an idiot... but let's play his game - i will either see him failing at the repair, or admitting that he did not mess up such simple spell.... bletch, i knew he was no good since i first met him::
He then noticed the floating familiar with the 'JERKASS'sign, and emitted  a noise resembling a bubbling drain - it was just a Chuul way to 'LOL'.
::What a loser - even his minions make fun of him - when i was back with the ilithids, i had larger subordinated but not one would dare to look at me wrong::
He then took down the goggles - the world suddenly became different, with soft shapes soaking one into other and enviroment - he could still see everyone and recognise them apart although with  difficulty. It did not help that chuuls had nothing to squint with.
"The'e you a' *glurp gargle* Le'sh shee the ekshpeglth at wo'k *kch glurp* If you bgleak them, i bgleak you. Slowly, legsh figlsht!"


What i cannot create, i do not understand. - Richard P. Feynman
This is DMFA. Where major species don't understand clothing. So innuendo is overlooked for nuendo. .
Saphroneth



Drayco84

   Zyrais carefully took the damaged googles and the loose lens while Dee swapped her sign for one that read "KLUTZ", with the same style of lettering.
   After careful examination, Zyrais figured out that the two studs holding the one lens in place were bent out of shape. Luckily, the lens itself was undamaged. Holding the lens in place with one hand, he cast a 'mending' spell to return one of the studs back into it's original shape, and then a second spell to do the same with the other. His task done, he exhaled, previously unaware that he had been holding his breath, and carefully handed the goggles back over to the still-annoyed chuul, half expecting him to make an attempt on his life.
   It wouldn't have been the first time...

I'm assuming that you just forgot about the loose lens, danman. If you didn't mention it on purpose, let me know so I can edit the scene.

techmaster-glitch

   Xephelon listened intently as Zyrais explained how his spell went awry.  For those who only cast "spells" and did not invent magic on the spot (like Xephelon), modifying or experimenting with it often proved to be a slightly dangerous endeavor. Yet, the information Zyrais was providing was fascinating; Xephelon's magic-oriented mind broke down and analyzed what Zyrais said and compared it against everything he already knew about magic--and in doing so, produced a new mini-theory of how certain combinations of magic worked. Experimentation was needed, oh yes, but it it was still useful even now...
   The pseudodragon, however, seemed intent on distracting everyone who could see it, including Zyrais himself. What a remarkably unhelpful creature... Xephelon thought.
   Glup finally relented and handed his goggles over to Zyrais to allow him the chance to fix it. Xephelon's "eyes" glowed even more intently as he leaned closer to what Zyrais was doing; Xephelon was using a sub-enchantment in the eyes to aid him in one of his natural aptitudes; analyzing magic as it was cast to understand and replicate it. He could naturally sense magic as it was cast, but the sub-ecnhantment in the eyes helped with a "visual/mental" representation. Xephelon could see what was hidden to all but a few; the "strands" of magic, all of different "flavors", flowing from Zyrais's fingers as they weaved into intricate patterns to create a specific effect. While Xephelon generally needed to see a spell cast multiple times to become familiar enough with it to both understand how it worked and thus duplicate it himself, this spell was simple, and was quite similar to some magics that Xephelon used fairly frequently, thus there wasn't much that Xephelon didn't already understand. When Zyrais finished the spell, Xephelon had discovered just a few tiny quirks about how the Angel personally used magic. Nowhere near enough to break down his entire magic-weaving paradigm, but just a few small quirks. Everyone had their own styles of structuring spells, even people with the same education and casting identical spells taught in the same way and had no true understanding of the underlying theories of magic at all, and merely repeated a practiced routine. It was just one of those things...
   As Zyrais returned the goggles, Xephelon finally spoke up. "Ah--Glup the Chuul? If I may interject?" He started. "Whether or not Zyrais has repaired your goggles satisfactorily, I believe I may aid in preventing another such mishap in the future. I could strengthen and reinforce your goggles, making them much more resistant to damage, as well as possibly adding some 'features' to it, if you allow me. And... if you would indeed like many features, perhaps I could create something entirely new; a helmet, perhaps. Any current functions your goggles facilitate will be preserved, and all any of this would cost you is time."
Avatar:AMoS



VAE

#149
Glup was set out by the speed of the repair, especially since he could not see what is happening.
::Now, how on earth was he able to fix such an intricate item so fast? He is no way that skilled! The lens has been infused in a pro..... The lens! Of course! I was still able to see with it holding it in front of...::
The lens was the complicated and enchanted part of the goggles, while the metalic frame and composite lace wowen from a mixture of elastic and cut-resistant polymer threads were entirely unmagical
::Wonderful. He did not only think i am an idiot, i made him right. And now, i cannot even kill him and sell his brain as a valuable component because everyone..... Argh! !#@#$#::
Glup started pacing with his hind legs unconsciously - it was obvious he was not only still annoyed but nervous as well.
He put the goggles on.
"I .... guesh thath shethlesh the mather... I, well if it wash ...." He regained his composure and added
"Sho , meansh  I will not kill you today, and neithe' the one who made thoshe! But be kaglefu'!"

He noticed Xephelon's offer, thought for a few seconds and replied:
"In a noglmal time, I would not think you wougld be kapable enough to do sho , no offenshe, but it sheemsh I get pglooven w'ong today at eve'y shtep ... If you wish i kan ekshplain to you the woglkinghsh"
What i cannot create, i do not understand. - Richard P. Feynman
This is DMFA. Where major species don't understand clothing. So innuendo is overlooked for nuendo. .
Saphroneth