Deathtrap Dungeon: Meat and Greet (IC)

[Liatai]

"What? No!" Kittrick ruffled her feathers indignantly. The nerve! Just because she was on her back, the little draconic creature felt that she could order the gryphon around? She had another thing coming, in that case. She was in no mood to play steed at the moment. "I shall not show disrespect to a potential employer by appearing before her so... soiled!"

With that, she stalked over to one of the fountains in the lobby and placed her front paws on the rim, shoving her face forward into the stream. There was no time to take a proper bath, but at the very least, she could show that she cared somewhat about her personal appearance, she thought while she attempted to scrub the slime from her beak. Aah, that was much better.

"If you are not going to make yourself more presentable," she said tersely as she pulled her face out of the water for a moment, "then I highly suggest that you look for the lady yourself. I shall require a few more moments."

[Kafzeil]

Wait, some kind of sickness was going around? The priestess herself was infected? With what?!

Winston's moment of glee was all but erased, first replaced by panic...then a sense of curiosity.

"Sickness? investigation..."Winston grinned like the Cheshire Cat."I would LOVE to join you! Perhaps my expertise can be of aid? Why, I can recommend plenty of herbs and remedies for many a sickness! The Healing properties of plants are never to be underestimated!

Winston gave a quick glance around at some of his "Campatriots"...Some manner of Abomination. Oh well, make a big pot and fill it with boiling water. Not that he could enjoy such delicacies anymore. A Mudman. Charming! They always seem like a good idea until you need to shampoo the carpets. And demon...he didn't know what to make of him. Yet. The Naga seemed nice enough. As a Druid he did learn to respect other faiths. Then again her outfit indicated she was a clergywoman for a most evil deity. You never insulted them, unless you wanted your house to go up in a mysterious fire.

[Lisky]

As the group carried on, Baseel had hung back just long enough to hear the squicky *SPLAT* as the gryphon slid into the mudman.  There was an exchange of words, and it was clear just how uncomfortable the gryphon was, with regards to being covered in mucky slime.

The demon had heard the naga's reply, and then she was off with the others again.  She wouldn't miss him if he disappeared for a few minutes to help a fellow colleague out.  As such, the demon followed the mud-soaked gryphon to the fountain, he prepared a simple spell, solidify the shadows cast by the gryphon's wings and fur, and use that to form a skin-tight layer of solidified shadow, expand the shadow out, and remove the mud, while keeping the intended target perfectly clean and safe.

He walked over next to Kittrick,  silver trinkets in the long cables of hair jiggling softly, announcing his presence before the demon spoke.   When he opened his mouth, he said in a soft, pleasant tenor, "You seemed far more personable earlier... mayhaps you could use a hand with removing bits and pieces of a certain elemental?  Or, did i miss something else entirely that you might need assistance with?"

He wore a pleasant, polite smile.  His spell was floating above his palm, a black and gray shimmering ball of dark energies. His other hand hung loosely, and open palmed, at his side.  The relaxed demeanor, and posture was meant to further drive the point that this particular demon was quite friendly.  

[Liatai]

The gryphon lifted her face out the water again when she heard the soft jingling of the charms, ears pricking up. She turned to glance over her shoulder at the newcomer, noticing the spell in his hand. After a few moments of appraisal, judging the demon's apparent intentions carefully, she nodded. "Ah, yes. That would be greatly appreciated, thank you, sir."

She made sure to stand very still. She wasn't sure what, exactly, he was planning to do with that ball of dark energy, but whatever it was, she didn't want to complicate things for the spellcaster by moving around.

[Lisky]

Lifting the spell into the air, and very gently pressing it towards the Gryphon, Baseel started to pull the tiny shadows under Kittrick's fur and feathers together, he focused on being very gentle with the shadows as he began pulling them away from the the Gryphon's body.  The spell took only a few second before it'd grown into a dirt-covered globe, around the female.  Baseel waited just long enough for the mud to be well clear of the Kittrick before dispelling the darkened globe.  The spell, as it expanded, would appear to darken the world for a brief stint for anyone inside it, they would see the world as if everything were viewed through dark sunglasses.

"That should just about do it." The demon said, making a sweeping gesture while casting another simple spell, pushing the mud well clear of the path.  Taking a deeper bow, with additional flourish, the demon added, "Baseel Wolkshammar, warlord or fieldmarshall... depending on how you want to look at things."

He flashed a toothy grin, "Might i be so bold as to ask for -your- name... Miss?" drawing out the "s" a little longer than necessary, but well enough to make it obvious he was asking for both a first and last name.

[Mechanisto]

Nadhiya continued to move down the corridor, leading the group along while addressing each question systematically.

" We will have to consult Xephelon about any effect your altered form may have on the portal. But as for the magical diagnosis, do not fear, Barbarus; While most of my spells are arcane in nature, a few of my healing powers are celestial gifts. Their miraculous nature is unaffected by spell immunity, but they are much more easily resisted through strength of will. If you are willing, they should affect you normally..."

She continued slithering, silent for a moment.

"...probably."

She glanced over at Zyrais, looking deep in consideration for a moment. "I have no qualms about an analytical spell, if it remains limited to my person."

In stark contrast to that, Winston's enthusiasm seemed to actually brighten Nadhiya's mood slightly. She'd been stern and strict for most of the day, and seeing her cute-fanged smile was a tiny bit unsettling. "Excellent... I was hoping to have the help of both magical and scientific experts... and alchemy and herbalism is a fine blend of both."

"Ah, there. Just a moment..." She stopped moving, and went over to a nearby archway that connected the corridor to a medium-sized room. The archway itself had a pale, semi-translucent length of cloth hanging from it's arch. There were also a pair of hastily-improvised banners on either side, each bearing the universal symbol for "hospital."

She poked her head in, and spoke to Nethalzar. "Sorry to interrupt doctor; if you have a moment, could you prepare a brief presentation on your findings thus far? I have several potential investigators that need to be well informed. I'll have a nearby room set aside for the meeting."

-----

Baseel's magical spell had cleansed Kittrick's plumage quite effectively, and without causing the slightest harm. Before Kittrick could thank him, however, Baseel realized that a nearby person in the crowd was staring at him; a young feline male, dressed in the robes of a clerk or bookkeeper. The robes bore a few simple magical runes. He looked nervous enough already, but something had pushed him even further.

After only a moment of staring, he pointed a finger and shouted to the rest of the crowd. "That was a spell! That one there, he cast a spell on her! I saw it, just now! There's rules against that!"

The crowd didn't seem overly concerned at first; the spell hadn't been harmful. It hadn't even been loud or obnoxious. Then, the crowd seemed to realize that a magical plague had been set loose among them... and any use of magic, however harmless, could be suspect.

[Drayco84]

   Dee became rather annoyed at the gryphon's rather harsh refusal to report her knowledge to her potential employer as soon as possible, but was even more annoyed at the snappy response she gave her. It took everything she had to resist wrapping her long, lithe body around the gryphon's neck and jam her stinger into her windpipe, but somehow she managed. Since her ride obviously wasn't going to listen to her counsel, she crawled over the gryphon's head and rolled off into the fountain. AFter swimming around for a moment to wash off the muck and muddy the fountain, she climbed back out in time to see the demon working his magic to clean her recently-vacated ride. Shaking herself free of most of the water clinging to her smooth body, Dee jumped for Kittrick's harness and climbed back onto "her" spot.
  Then, one of the idiots had to freak out about how the demon had used a spell...
  "Ooooh! A spell! He used a spell! Dee began, using a mocking tone that anyone with even some talent at reading thoughts could pick up. "My word! Unleash a magical disease among some masses and all of a sudden, any kind of spell is an open act of hostility? Puh-leeze!"

I'm aware that Dee probably isn't helping. That's normal for her. If you don't believe me, just ask Zyrais.


  Zyrais followed Nadhiya to the makeshift hospital and overheard her speaking with Nethalzar. So that's where he ran off to... He thought to himself. So, either he knew about this because he set it up, or he was one of the first ones on the scene to offer his assistance. I guess we shall wait and see...
  "Alright then, my lady..." Zyrais began. "I shall see what I can find out. Just try to relax and let the magic work." Waiting until Nadhiya was ready, Zyrais cleared his mind and, if someone looked closely, they could swear that they could see movement under the silver gemstone on his forehead, kind of like a third eye opening, then he cast the Analyze Deweomer spell, eagerly waiting for whatever details the magic could provide.

Saving and still writing... Please wait... EDIT: Done.
According to the DnD rules, the spell will reveal any and all enchantments Nadhiya is currently under. However, since this is the GM's game, whatever he says, goes.

[Liatai]

"Kittrick," the gryphon said, bowing her head briefly while Dee climbed aboard. "Just Kittrick. Although, if you wish to use a surname, then --"

Suddenly, a nervous-looking feline man in the crowd pointed at them and shouted. Her ears went flat against the sides of her head. The pseudodragon's comment earned her a sharp glance from the gryphon, who then pushed herself away from the fountain and took a few steps toward the man, tail switching irritably from side to side.

"Need I remind you, sir, that more than half of us present in this hall can cast spells to some degree? Also, I believe that you may need a brief refresher on the rules of this gathering." Sitting back for a moment, she reached a taloned forepaw around to unhook the scroll of rules she had picked up earlier from her harness. Holding it so that the man could see the insignia on it, she unrolled it and laid it flat upon the ground. The ink had run slightly thanks to her encounter with the somewhat moist mudman, but it was still mostly legible.

"Ah, here we are.... Rule number two. 'I will engage in no brawling, trickery, or aggressive spell casting whatsoever during the event, for any reason.'" She tapped a talon on that line on the scroll. "Note the use of the term 'aggressive.' As I am unharmed, Sir Wolkshammar explicitly asked for my permission before casting the spell, and I explicitly gave my consent, I hardly believe that his actions qualify as aggressive spellcasting."

She smiled at the man with a predatory sort of gleam in her eye. "Do you have any further questions? I would be quite happy to clarify any points of confusion for you."

Go ahead, she thought. Try me.

[Lisky]

Bas was rather unprepared for the hostility, he tensed up at the pointing of the male feline, and immediately hardened his skin in response.  The small draconian seemed to be instigating things, while Kittrick seemed quite intent on trying to calm things down.  He let them both speak before chiming in to defend himself, "You act as though i'd killed someone, right here in front of you.  I have nothing but good intent, ask any 'cubi if you doubt my words... that is, assuming you can trust their word.  Also note that i swore to abide by the rules.  An oath of honor one doesn't take lightly.  Now, calm yourself down before your own paranoia gets the best of you, and you do something foolish."

Flashing a smirk, the demon added with a as if you could look on his face, "I would hate for you to do something, foolish"

Crossing his arms loosely over his chest, and folding his wings a little tighter around his back.  Baeel put his weight on his back foot, and took a calm and confident pose.

[WhiteFox]

   Nethalzar stood at the head of a long stone table, flanked by his minions.
   Thessaly, shrouded in heavy robes, only her softly glowing eyes visible under her hood, held a large stack of papers under her arm.
   Carter, a tall, gaunt, Jackal figure wrapped in bandages and adorned with ritualistic gold ornaments, and a golden death-mask fused to his face, Under his arm was a four foot long scroll.
   Nethalzar was no longer wearing his three button blazer. Instead, the towering giraffe was covered head to hoof in ornate black plate armor. The slick metal surface was embossed with skull motifs and filligreed with delicate sliver runes. A thick leather-bound tome, tied shut by a strip of linen, hung from his belt on a heavy chain. A seven foot sword was propped up in the corner, ornamented to match his armour. The blade was an organic and wicked curve, a foot wide at the hilt and tapering delicately to a point. Nethalzars tattered, blackened wings spread out behind him. When he moved, the spectral mist roiling from his mane whorled and drifted behind him.

   "Gentles," he said. "If you would care to seat yourelf." he gestured over the table.
   While the attendees settled themselves, Thessaly passed a everyone a document with the meetings outline and a summary of what the Necromancer had been able research so far. Every page had two columbs; one was written in latin and thaumatological runes, the other was a less technical version written in common.
   Once everyone was settled, Nethalzar nodded to Carter. The jackal held aloft the scroll and unfurled three feet of it, displaying a collection of notes and diagrams.
   Nethalzar took out a six-inch wand, which Fade was resting delicatly on the end of. Nethalzar lightly tapped the wand twice, and the wil-o-wisp swiftly drifted out to the spot on the large scroll that the wand was pointed at.
   "If I may have your attention; all of you no doubt know that an infectious disease has been detected on the premises, and that Lady Nadihya has sealed and quarantined the area. I, Nethalzar, was asked to assist in the situation. This meeting is to brief those present on the information at hand."
   Wordlessly, Carter unfurled another three feet of scroll, winding it back up at the bottom as he did. A small portrait of Roxanne appeared, as well as a series of events listed in bullet point form.
   Nethalzar continued. "Less then one hour ago, I was asked to assist an Undead guest that had fallen unconscious. I was able to stabilize her condition, and she regained awareness shortly after. After some cursory investigation, it was determined that she had been drained of vital energies, or life force. When it was discovered that the agent was a highly infectious agent, Lady Nadihya was immediately informed, and the lockdown was put in place."
   Carter scrolled through another few feet of the giant scroll, and Nethalzar continued. "All of this information is on the documents that were handed out, in greater detail." He said, then pointed Fade back to the scroll again. "Here is what I have been able to determine about the agent so far:"
    "The agent is highly contagious, and nearly all of the guests in attendance have been infected. Of greater concern, however, is that the agent is not of natural origin."
   Nethalzar took a moment to look over those assembled. "Let me take a moment to emphasize the significance of this. The disease has infected and impaired an Undead host. Diseases harm a host by impairing biological functions, and subsist off the host by doing so. Since Undead do not rely on biological functions of any sort to 'live,' diseases are either unable to survive in an undead host, lacking sustinance, or do not impair the Undead, since said functions are of no importance to the host."
   "After some examination, the agent was discovered to draw on the very spiritual energy of it's victims." He paused again for emphasis. "In over a milennia of experience as a Necromancer and death-knight, I have never encountered anything like this before."
   "That being said, I have been able to analyze the agent while Nadihya has been organizing a proper response to this crisis. The results have been... intregueing."
   Carter scrolled through another few feet, and Nethalzar continued.
   "First, the agent is rather selective about it's hosts. Every single guest present has been infected; some guests show a resistance to it, but so far none have been immune to it. Animals, such as pets brought by the guests, have not, nor has any bicrobiological life in the aquatic areas. Undead have been infected, while automatons, such as golems or necromantic homunculi, have not. Even more surprisingly, incorporeal spirits, such as Fade here-"
   The wisp suddenly danced about, agitated. Nethalzar scowled at the .
   "Settle down, please. As I was saying, even incorporeal undead have been infected. This, in conjunction with the fact that no biological component has yet to be isolated, leads me to conclude that this is not actually a disease... which is why I have been referring to it as an 'agent.'"
   He tucked away his wand, and Carter smartly furled the scroll, and tucked it back under his arm.
   Nethalzar took out a pair of small reading glasses, and picked up a set of notes from the table. "Currently, my best hypothesis is that this is a self-propogating malediction... or, in laymans terms, a 'curse'... that drains the host of spiritual vitality to maintain and spread itself. It requires a host with a soul, which is why it can infect incorporeal entities but not automata or animals... which, by necromantic definition, have sprits rather then souls."
   Nethalzar took off the spectacles in a very deliberate motion, and looked over the congregation gravely. "If this contagion goes unchecked, it will drain the life of ever sentient being here, without exception. If anyone can contribute any learning, ability, or resource at their disposal, now would be the time to do so."

[Meany]

Barbarus gave a polite bow to the Undead as he made for his seat.  This day was starting to look up, it seemed.  It was not difficult, even if someone wasn't trained as an assassin/spy to guess at the giraffe's occupation by his dress, company, and Race. 

Oh, how he positively adored Necromancers.  They were highly useful, professional, and their fashion sense, while a bit stale, was never dull.  Barbarus himself had never gone into the field, besides studying a bit of the theory, to sate youthful curiosity. 

He remained quiet, and thoughtful as the Necromancer gave his presentation, thereafter, he ran his eyes over the sheet he had been handed, analyzing every bit he could understand, and reviewing what he remembered the giraffe mentioning, retrieving his glasses when he needed to see the smaller text.


All in all, this news was troubling.  Ideas whirled around his brain, scenarios for how to respond to it.  None of them met his satisfaction.  "For what it's worth, I can re-enter to chamber where the bulk of the guests are, and attempt to gather information; maybe someone knows something and isn't sharing.  If needed I can also...remove them without drawing attention to myself.  Unlike my colleague Sir Zyrais, my contacts and resources are limited to those of similar profession to myself; spies, assassins, mercenaries.  None of them likely to help us in our present situation."  He neglected to mention that those that would have were either dead, or being slowly tortured into insanity as he spoke.  Espionage was not a field for the altruistic.

"Have you been able to determine how it is borne to the host?  Food, water, air?  Perhaps an investigation could be launched."

This post has been edited to comply with the information provided by Mech in the OOC. I apologize for jumping the shark. Blarghy-shnargy.

[WhiteFox]

     Nethalzar nodded to Barnabus. "At this junction, I've exhausted what means of investigation I have... further progress may require black bags and rubber hoses. I'm sure you'll want to speak with Nadihya about it. As for your question, I have not been able to determine the means of transmission yet. The easiest way to do this would be to observe it in action, but it may be difficult to do this if we are unable to find someone who has not yet been infected."

Hrumph. Maladictions and curses and people dying... this wasn't part of my contract. I'm charging time-and-a-half.

Also: Liatai, for the record, I like your style.

[Kafzeil]

"Well Fuck."Winston  blurted out. 

If there was one thing he admired about Necromancers was they didn't sugar coat things.But damn of all the places to pick for a job Interview. Maybe teaching a bunch of snot nosed middle schoolers science wasn't such a bad idea. On scened thought "Slow and Painful death" was preferable to years of suffering through bad attitudes and even worse music, considering Winston's memories of such a time.

Raising is hand to speak, Winston cleared his throat. Already his mere presence was beginning to cause the room to smell of Kudzu.

"I may be able to offer some assistance."Winston begun."Though this outside my normal area of expertise, so I doubt I'll be very useful in this endeavour. i can see if I find a cure or even a treatment, though most magical based plants tend to be finicky little bastards. They're a bitch to order, expensive, and growing them without magical tools is all but impossible.And again, I can't guarantee it'll be of any help."

The plant weasel leaned back in his chair."I'm as stumped as you are, my Undead Compatriot."

[VAE]

Curse... not a disease, curse
Glup began thinking, and as a side effect, his hind three legs began to pace in the familiar manner.
Means i can get it as well.... worse stuff has happened, and if the weak ones drop then I will at least....   
The realisation struck him like a hammer. If the curse affects, and destroys the undead too, and the brains are infected,  he will be unable to sell them, and  the whole shop will go bankrupt! Maybe this was the intention of the one who spread the curse - some bastard angry at Glup's cheaper and higher quality wares...
Clearly, this was a matter of business, and certain personal considerations had to go give way temporarily....

He raised his head and spoke loudly towards Nadhiya, although in a less eager tone than before. but looking in a significant direction...

"Mishtglesh Nadhiya. Do you have any shushpishionsh ash to who might have shpglead the cuglshe? Ish thegle anyone that i can athempt ... ekshtglashting infoglmathion fglom?"

Of course, the one whom Glup was thinking about was the mudman - in Glup's understanding he wasn't alive and so couldn't get the ailment... and this would of course fully explain the strange grin when they first met!

[Meany]

"Well, in that case I might be helpful after all."  Barbarus thanked whatever deity he hadn't insulted yet had arranged this.  So he wouldn't be useless after all.  "Madamne Nadhiya, know that I know where this meeting is taking place, I will go fetch my associates in the hall, so that, if Madame pleases, you can confirm our magic-negating abilities can halt and destroy this agent, then we, that is to say, I and my associates, may submit to Sir Nethalzer's studies into the development of the agent, and other activities you may assign.  I shall return in, to use the vernacular, 'two shakes'."

In a blur of motion, the human Barbarus had shifted to a medium-sized, heavily scarred feral feline, which padded out of the room, and into the hall.  As a cat, Barbarus had no problem locating his associates in the main grouping of other people.  It appeared they were more tense than ever, with a blue Gryphon, and the Demon lord from earlier being at the center of it. 

Oh dear.  This couldn't end well.

The other Were had split up into two groups, of three and two.  The two nameless ones were together, close to the food tables, while the other three were chatting near a wall.  Not one of them had assumed their human forms, to Barbarus' dismay.  He approached the nameless duo first, as they would likely jump on the oppertunity to be of use.

The aging Were transformed into the socially acceptable default feline form he possessed and approached them.  "Listen to me, you two," he said to the mongoose, and the rabbit female.  "I have an oppertunity to be useful to Madame Nadhiya, are you willing?"

"What?  And for this 'oppertunity' you want what?"  The rabbit spoke up.  She had a right to be suspicious.  Since their near extinction some centuries ago, Were society had gone from tight-nit family groups, to a race of loners who only functioned together for their personal reasons. 

"Two things, actually; if we are all of us employed here, neither of you compete with me for the position of Council rep.  And, I decide when and if you obtain new designations."  He let the two deny being nameless for about twenty seconds before silencing them.  "Listen!  We do not have time for this. To summerize, I've been in the game longer than you, and you don't hide it well.  Do you want the damn oppertunity or not?"

They looked wide-eyed for a moment, then nodded.  Midly irritated at this point, and running low on sweet caffiene, Barbarus proposed the same deal, minus the name choosing, to the remainin three.  Only two of them actually wanted it, but faced with the choice of being left alone, the large bull agreed as well.

At this point, Barbarus, led them off, reaching into his coat for his flask while becomming a human once again.  While he finished off the last few drops of the cherry soda, the other Weres assumed their magic-resistant skins as well.  In short order, back they were to the meeting hall. 

Barbarus replaced his flask, and led the five other humans into the meeting room.  "As promised, here they are."  Barbarus snapped his fingers irritatedly at the other Were.  "Well?  Introduce yourselves.  Oh, and Madame, there appears to be some tension building among the rest of the applicants."

[Mechanisto]

Dee's mocking tone seemed to irk the nervous man rather than embarrass him, and none of what was said to him seemed to frighten or intimidate him; he a strange, unfazeable air about him. "I happen to be a legal expert on the subject at hand. It is my business to find and identify loopholes in magical contracts and documents... especially those between creatures and beings."

He adjusted his glasses before responding. "I understand fully that everyone here can cast spells, and that many spells are harmless or beneficial. But this place is supposedly warded against harmful spellcasting. Which means that either this sickness is non-magical... unlikely... or it was triggered using a magical process that must seem completely harmless... but isn't. If it is the latter, the spell might indeed be harmless. But it would involve trickery, which the rules clearly prohibit."

He turned to Bas. "I'm not accusing anyone outright. But shouldn't we be careful about restricting magical use, especially that which is trivial or frivolous? Only the local guards and their agents should be using magic at all. At the very least, it would make it easier to locate and identify spells being cast without permission. I'm sure our innocent guests won't complain about such basic precautions."

-----

Nadhiya nodded to Barbarus after he spoke. "I'm looking forward to the possible results of such research. Thank you."

She turned to Glup as he spoke, let out a slight sigh, and placed a hand delicately on her forehead. "Unfortunately, I have no leads as to who may be responsible. To be honest, more than half our guests could find a way to profit from such an act of hostility. Someone may be trying to gain control the dungeon, or destroy a rival who happened to show up... or they may simply be trying to discredit and embarrass my employer."

"If this crisis is going to be resolved, you will all need to pool your efforts and resources, and show some initiative. Finding a cure or vaccine is our ultimate objective, but finding those responsible is a close second. I'm either going to have them executed, or..."

She paused, steepling her fingers in thought. "...well, if this turns out not to be a personal vendetta of some sort, I suppose I could always hire them."

By now, Barbarus had returned with the others of his species. Nadhiya couldn't help but look at them with a bit of awe; Were's were uncommon enough, and rarely seen together in public places.

"Nethalzar; see that our volunteers are studied appropriately. Although I'm sure it goes without saying, do not allow them to come to any harm. They are brave to have stepped forward, and should be given our trust and protection. Within reason."

She turned back to Barbarus. "As for tension... we can use this. Study people's reactions... including overreactions... and we may just learn something. I can tolerate anything short of actual riots and combat, if it helps us."

[Lisky]

"Such action is a double edged sword, being.  On the one hand, it makes detecting random spell-casting far far easier, yet it also has the downside of making those capable of detecting magical auras far less effective.  Also... i'm curious how is it that -you- seem to know so much about the security of this place?  I don't recall any specifics of the defenses being explained during the tour.  Ergo, anything -you- have said becomes suspect... now, doesn't it?"

The demon flashed the being a very toothy grin.  Polished, pointed, razor sharp teeth practically glowed at the being.  "Now, i won't be so rash as to make an outright accusation, but really... it's a very common tactic to throw the blame on others, or take a position of leadership for an infiltrator, especially at first meetings.  Perhaps if you'd be willing to have a cubi read your thoughts... i have nothing to hide, and would be quite open to the idea... so you'd be subjected to nothing i won't.  Or... perhaps you do have something to hide."

He gave a shrug, searching for some type of mind-reader to help with his little experiment.

[Drayco84]

   Zyrais followed the group into the makeshift meeting room that Nethalzar and his associates had set up. While he wasn't overly fond of undead, he didn't have any qualms against them either. Shortly after Nethalzar was done with his presentation and he had read over the list of results, choosing to review the more technical side, Zyrais closed his eyes and let his mind accept the knowledge from the Analyze Deweomer spell he cast on Nadhiya, which felt like it had taken weeks to finally take effect... He looked over the priestess's serpentine body wrapped in a revealing robe and wondered just where she was keeping not one, but two magical rods, a dagger, and a purse... He looked over the tiara she wore with an appraising eye and made a mental note to find out more about it later...
  The active spells on her person were few, and fairly normal... Mage-armor, anti-scrying, a spell to understand other languages, and Protection From Self.
His thoughts came to a crashing halt as that last one didn't make any sense, and his own magic couldn't figure out what the heck its purpose was. Well, he had two choices here... He could probe around and spy, but time was of the essence and he couldn't afford playing any games.
  "Nadhiya, I've detected a Protection from Self spell active on your person." He stated aloud. "Everything else makes sense, but not that... Can you fill me in on any details about it?"
  "Professor Nethalzar..." He began, addressing him. "How fast does the affliction drain a victim's life energy? I know undead would be more vulnerable to it since most no longer have biological functions to sustain themselves, but is it possible for living beings and creatures to 'outpace' the curse's draining effect? Regardless, seeing as you've been closely observing this affliction in action, you're most likely cursed as well, correct? If so, may I cast an Analyze Deweomer spell upon you as well?"



  Dee caught onto the demon's hints, but didn't feel like skimming the lawyer's thoughts without having the ability to retaliate quickly. So, she mentally whispered a message to both the demon and Kittrick...
  "Distract him so I can get close. This creature knows far more than what could've been gathered normally."

Yup, that was a none-to-subtle jab at the GM all right. Sorry, but I just couldn't resist. Anyway, now the rest of you know part of what Zyrais knows.

   EDIT: Removed text color at WF's suggestion. Sorry for any confusion.

[Mechanisto]

The being adjusted his spectacles, looking a bit flustered for the first time. "Don't' be ridiculous! Nobody here would agree to a mind probe, and there is no way to guarantee the Cubi would be trustworthy. And for the record, I never said you were guilty; just that you were irresponsible. As for the defenses, I don't know anything about this place in particular... but it's obvious the defenses draw power from a mystical contract. Probably the contract we all agreed to upon arriving."

The being had been addressing Baseel directly for the last few moments, and only now seemed to remember there was a crowd around them. He glanced around, realizing that the crowd was looking much less interested. "Look, I... I'm not accusing you. You're no more or less guilty than I am, at this point. I'm just saying that... from now on... people should be more careful with their powers. Can we all agree on that?"

-----

Nadhiya paused as Zyrais asked about the unknown spell. She stared at him for a moment, looking for a moment like she might be angered.

"What."

The flat inflection of her  voice indicated that the word was clearly a statement, rather than a question.

"Protection from..." She stared off into the distance for a bewildered moment, then snapped her gaze back at Zyrais. Her eyes were surprisingly, unsettlingly piercing. "I know no such spell. I know of no such spell, either. What does it do?"

[WhiteFox]

     The Deathknights eyes blazed momentarily. "No, you may not perform any such scrying spell on me. I can assure you that such an attempt would yield no useful information. There are any number of other undead that would be suitable for such a spell. Carter, here, for example."
    The lanky Jackal turned to Nethalzar, then gestured to the ankh at the end of his staff.
    Nethalzar blinked, then nodded. "A valid point... Carter would probably not be the most suitable subject." He gestured to his other acolyte. "Thessaly here would be more appropriate; you may scry her if you wish."
    Thessaly shot Carter a dirty look, and muttered something about weaseling out. She took out her small tome and scribbled a few notes.
    Nethalzar turned to Nadihya. "Protection... from self." he said, measuring each word. "It could be possible that the spell protects an undead from the very spells that animate them, choking off the energies that sustain them over time." He turned back to Zyaris. "I had assumed that living creatures, with a naturally occurring soul, had a certain measure of self sustaining life force. It would be difficult to measure what the rate of decay would be, without being able to observe the effect over time."
     He then addressed the entire room: "If anyone would be willing to volunteer themselves for extended observation, it would be appreciated. I can understand that anyone would be hesitant to leave themselves in the hands of an undead demonic necromancer, however."


For the record, I've been using coloured text to indicate a spell that is actively being cast. If the name of the spell is simply being spoken aloud, I leave it uncoloured.

[Meany]

The other Weres were confused by the naga's words.  Volunteers?  Brave?  Studied?!  What had been the bull Were stepped forward, and roughly spun Barbarus around by the shoulder, and glared down at him.

"What have you promised them we would do, old man?"  The white-skinned human growled down in the dialect of Were language his tribe likely used.  All languages Were tribes used were simple to understand by other tribes, but had a handful of keywords to retain some sense of self-determination.

Barbarus looked up at the significantly taller male, then over at the rest of his kind, seeing that they were of similar looks.  While looking back up Barbarus returned in the Hagoo dialect, "I promised them you would stand here, and shift between human and furre forms for however they wish.  So they can see how the virus works."  In a blur of motion, Barbarus had his hand up, gripping the front of the tall human's neck in a vice grip.  He tried to jerk away, but froze when Barbarus dug his nails ever so slightly into the flesh just above the major blood vessels in the Caucasian's neck.  "Do you have a problem with that?  Do any of you?"  Barbarus added, looking over at the other four.  He never raised his voice, but somehow, he gave the less-senior Weres a thoroughly disturbed feeling.  Perhaps it was the complete lack of emotion in his voice and eyes as he spoke.  Perhaps it was the memories of what enraged elders would do to juniors in their tribes.  Either way they backed off.  "Good.  Now I will not repeat myself again; introduce yourselves."

Barbarus spun back to the others in the room.  "So sorry," he said, in the common language this time.  "They objected to being examined by an Undead.  I have corrected their misconceptions."  He snapped his fingers again, and the human-Weres stepped forward one at a time to introduce themselves, as ordered.

The two canines, Barbarus believed they were from the desert tribes, as their human forms were red-skinned and black haired, like himself, introduced themselves as "Nuka", a hunter-soldier, and "Shihuei" a house-builder.  The bull's human form was white-skinned, and brown haired, and introduced himself as "Potan,"  a warrior.  The two nameless Weres, the red-skinned male who was the mongoose, and the yellow-skinned, long straight black haired female who had been the rabbit, they both stated their professions as strict magic-users, the male in the field of medicine, and the female at battle-magic, but provided no names.

"Ah, yes.  Madame, these two suffer from a Were tradition of stripping away the names of traitors, and weaklings.  I have been empowered by them to provide temporary designations, or you could, if you so wish.  They would be little more than something to call them aside from 'Hey, you!' until they are dismissed, of course."

Barbarus cast his blank stare over at the five when the Necromancer called for volunteers, then stepped forward.  "I will of course, volunteer for this extended study."  He made no move, no look, no twitch to indicate he was influencing their choices in any way.  Still, the subtle threat was there.  The five chatted amongst themselves for a few seconds, then stepped forward, looking at Barbarus every few seconds, to look for a reaction.

Rambling post is rambling.

[Drayco84]

   Zyrais sighed before answering Nadhiya's question. "To be honest, I don't know." He admitted. "My spell couldn't analyze it, so it's either legendary, or it's resisting my magic. Most likely, it's the latter. But, the fact that you're unaware of it leads me to suspect that it may be the curse afflicting the guests here."
   Zyrais noticed the sudden brightness in Nethalzar's eyes before he responded, but was careful to maintain his expression of concern, even when his first quickly offered underling also refused to let itself be analyzed.
   Very well, necromancer... Zyrais thought. I'll abide and let you keep your secrets... For now...
   "Well, if she's been exposed, she will also probably have the curse as well." Zyrais acknowledged, and taking him up on his offer by casting another Analyze Deweomer spell, this time aimed at Thessaly. "However, Nethalzar, as a potential short-term solution, how well do undead handle being inside an anti-magic field?"

[Lisky]

Giving a bit of a shrug, Baseel snickered, "While, yes, i could agree to forfeit using power, or use them sparingly... my supposition is that, should the situation we're in be magic based, the caster left their aura on the spell.  Assuming it is a spell.  If it's some type of disease, then clearly, you have more to fear than i.  Perhaps we should -all- try our various healing spells, and see if any work?  It has the added bonus of making -everyone's- magical aura known to everyone else who can detect such things."

Looking at the being, Baseel turned his back and walked off, "I offer you just the knowledge that i came here in good faith, and will continue to act as such.  If you really wish to cause a stir, or preach your claims of the evils of creatures elsewhere.  Rules and laws are only as strong as those willing to enforce them, after all."

Spreading his wings, to punctuate his statement, Baseel backtracked to the hallway where he'd seen Nadhiya and the rest of the group follow.  He could deal with the sheep later, for now, there was a problem about which required a keen intellect and careful observation.