In an emergency: Drop the human disguise and run/fly in to help Elys.
But her just being the destraction as a weapon of snack destruction does sound pretty great.
Chosen by the Dragon God
- Thread starter Chandagnac
- Start date
- Original
But her just being the destraction as a weapon of snack destruction does sound pretty great.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
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- TM 91
The storyline name is "Heart of Gold" in the threadmarks, if you want to reread.
It seems like a good idea in my book. We have the pieces, now we need the board layout.
Precisely why it's funny!
If questioned, we could offer that as an explanation, but a group of three school-aged girls at a school celebration (if one mostly crewed by adults) isn't the most suspicious thing. I definitely think that at the absolute most, Raef or Samaya would be the only non-child coming in with us, everyone else is waiting at the ambush point.
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
I know I'm supposed to be the QM and not a contributor, but I've just starting writing the next update and I had a cool idea that I kinda want to include in this latest storyline. Let me know what you think of this:
In School of Sorcery, there was a group of pupils who'd got hold of a book about portal magic and had the bright idea of using it to break into Mishrak's treasure horde and steal some of his gold in order to pay their school fees (I know, it's the kind of plan that ranks up there with inventing wondrous supervillain technology and using it to rob banks). But what if they succeeded? What if they ended up trapped in Mishrak's pocket dimension and he caught them? He'd have to figure out what to do with them, so I thought maybe he'd say to Elys, "Just take them back to the Tyrepheum Academy and tell them not to do anything so stupid ever again." That would give her the perfect excuse to gatecrash the party: she could just say she was delivering the unfortunate treasure hunters back to the school.
Or maybe Catharne could act as Mishrak's ambassador, demanding to speak to Prentigold and providing a distraction while the others whisk Green Flame away and remove her slave brand. I'm sure no one will be able to talk about anything else other than the embarrassment caused by the would-be portal mages, which should mean the 'Green Flame rescue attempt' will go entirely unnoticed.
Um. Am I making things too easy for you?
In School of Sorcery, there was a group of pupils who'd got hold of a book about portal magic and had the bright idea of using it to break into Mishrak's treasure horde and steal some of his gold in order to pay their school fees (I know, it's the kind of plan that ranks up there with inventing wondrous supervillain technology and using it to rob banks). But what if they succeeded? What if they ended up trapped in Mishrak's pocket dimension and he caught them? He'd have to figure out what to do with them, so I thought maybe he'd say to Elys, "Just take them back to the Tyrepheum Academy and tell them not to do anything so stupid ever again." That would give her the perfect excuse to gatecrash the party: she could just say she was delivering the unfortunate treasure hunters back to the school.
Or maybe Catharne could act as Mishrak's ambassador, demanding to speak to Prentigold and providing a distraction while the others whisk Green Flame away and remove her slave brand. I'm sure no one will be able to talk about anything else other than the embarrassment caused by the would-be portal mages, which should mean the 'Green Flame rescue attempt' will go entirely unnoticed.
Um. Am I making things too easy for you?
I think you are supposed to have fun.
Had we had those troublemakers that sounds like a very reasonable idea.
On the last sentence:
Prentigold could wonder why Catharne is sent and not his Elys, his chosen he has interacted with before. Prentigold sounds like he could have a "cover his bases" approach and if he hears that Catharne didn't come alone and there also was someone matching Elys description...
That sounds like fun.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
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- TM 91
As the QM, I am fairly certain that you are the most important contributor!
That sounds like a crackerjack idea to me, very fun. Truth be told I had not forgotten those two fellows, and their portal magic. I can imagine them setting up a ritual circle for the portal, opening it and stepping through, then get distracted by greed long enough for the portal to close behind them. And with no book to reference in the hoard, they'd be trapped like Tela in a dragon cave, if she wasn't just pretending to be powerless.
That's a good point! Either we'd want Catharne to pretend to be us, or we should send Jana! It'd certainly be fun for her to show him up after last time with that organ grinder crack.
Those could be combined!
If Catharnes Shapeshifting was good enough:
She shifts to look like Elys, but stays silent.
Jana does the talking and and they pretend that Jana speaking exclusively is a (immature) diplomatic tit-for-tat for the attempted theft.
Through guests seeing two Elys could cause issues again.
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
I love it.
And now I'm thinking that adding the wannabe thieves to this latest story arc would be too much. I mean, it's overstuffed already. But I definitely want to do something with them sooner or later.
The problem is that Catharne isn't a particularly skilled shapeshifter. She can assume her 'twelve-year-old girl' form easily enough, but has great difficulty with forms she hasn't practised thousands of times.
Anyway... I'll keep writing. I'm sure you'll have to adjust your plans when you see what's going on inside the 'banqueting hall'.
Yeah, feared so.
Future plot hooks. More plot hooks to stuff our face with!
...
That sounds ominous.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
Nothing bad to Green Flame, I hope. Prentigold has a list of rumpus demerits long enough to roll out of his office door, he better not be adding to it.
He could be auctioning her off.
(or gifting her to the military for politics reasons)
The Price of Liberty (Part Three)
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
I don't know if what I've written is better or worse than you anticipated. Still, I hope you... Hmm, maybe 'enjoy' isn't the right word for it.
Indignation on Green Flame's behalf. That's what I want you to feel.
*
The Price of Liberty (Part Three)
Before entering the 'banqueting hall' in which most of the evening's entertainments are taking place, you take the time to consult with Jana and Catharne, who are still lurking outside the school gates.
"Green Flame is in there," you say, pointing. "All dolled up and acting as 'decoration', apparently."
Jana frowns, looking discomforted. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Wearing a skimpy dress, having used her shapeshifting powers to enhance her good looks, and maybe she'll have to dance and flirt with a few local bigwigs. That sort of thing."
"I suppose it could be worse," says Jana, with a relieved sigh. "All right, how do you propose we go about this?
"I intend to go in there and see what's what. You should come with me," you say.
"Are you sure? The more of us there are, the greater the chance that someone will notice we're not supposed to be there," Jana warns. "You might be better off on your own. Or I could go instead?"
"Or I could," Catharne offers. She seems eager to contribute.
"We'll all go," you decide. "We'll sneak in, pretend to be students here at the Academy, and no one will notice."
"Surely the teachers will notice. Or Prentigold himself," says Jana. "They're bound to realise they don't teach any of us."
"We'll stay out of their way and be very subtle." You give her an encouraging smile. "Trust me."
"Yeah, right. Subtle. That's not a word anyone has ever used to describe you before," Jana mutters. "But… all right, we might as well get on with it."
Inside the school building, you see a crowd consisting largely of the local aristocracy: fat middle-aged men swathed in fine silks; sour-faced women who appear to be clad in cushions or curtains studded with glittering jewels; various others who are even more ostentatiously or eccentrically dressed, most of whom you assume must be teachers here at the Academy; and a few teenagers serving as waiters, carrying trays of drinks or canapés. You recognize Dorian, Venta, Philander and Isolia among them. They're wearing their school uniforms and looking rather anxious, stiff and uncomfortable.
Catharne makes a beeline for the nearest waiter and helps herself to a canapé. And then another one. You give her a nudge and point her towards the buffet table on the other side of the room. Watching her wriggle through the mass of people blocking the way, rushing towards her goal with single-minded enthusiasm, you wonder if it was a mistake to bring her with you. Of course, you can't really blame her for her behaviour: as a dragonling, she is as large as a horse, which means that she needs huge quantities of food just to stay healthy. Even when she has shapeshifted into something smaller and lighter, she still needs a great deal of nourishment. She may appear greedy and gluttonous, but it isn't as if she has much choice; if she doesn't keep eating, she'll starve.
"Maybe she'll be a distraction," Jana mutters. "Anyway, let's do what we came here to do."
You look around for Green Flame. It takes you a few minutes to find her. She is surrounded by hungry gazes, as if she were a rare and delicious morsel to be fought over. Of course, she is a beautiful, elegant woman, as always; but today, she appears distinctly curvier than usual, is wearing a slinky backless dress that reveals a startling amount of cleavage, and her delicate face is framed by masses of long dark green hair. Her expression is as blank and emotionless as ever.
"S-she's exquisite," says Jana, reverently.
Shaking your head at her, you say, "Come on, Jana, you're better than that."
Blinking a few times, she shakes her head and makes a visible effort to pull herself together. "Um. Y-yes, ma'am."
As you circle around Green Flame, considering the best way to approach her, you can't help but notice that the edges of her slave brand are just barely visible where her low-cut dress meets the small of her back. Seeing that, you can't help but feel indignant on her behalf.
"Give us a smile," says one of the men. "You'd be perfect if you smiled more."
"Entirely possible," says Green Flame, without much interest.
You are about to intervene when another man appears, shoving his way through the crowd. He is a stocky older fellow with dyed and pomaded hair, bedecked in so much glittering jewellery that he looks like a chandelier. Much to your surprise, you see he is dragging Opernus Prentigold with him. The headmaster looks irritated, but doesn't protest or make any attempt to extricate himself.
Pointing one stubby finger at Green Flame, the bejewelled figure says, "I want her. Name your price!"
"Three billion gold pieces," says Prentigold, straightening up and dusting himself off.
"Don't be ridiculous!"
"Who's being ridiculous? I possess that which is unique; therefore, it is mine to keep, or I may choose to sell it for whatever price I wish. I trust I don't need to explain 'ownership' to you, do I?" Prentigold shakes his head and looks at the bejewelled figure with an expression of insincere pity. "Besides, she doesn't belong to me: she belongs to the Academy, to this institute of learning as a whole."
"As do we all," says a portly fellow with a yard-brush moustache and a pudding-basin haircut, who is as plainly-dressed as a monk; after some thought, you conclude that he must be one of the teachers. "In different ways, of course."
"Indeed," says Prentigold, acknowledging him with a nod.
You spend a few moments contemplating the price for which Prentigold said he'd sell Green Flame: three billion gold pieces! Is there even that much money in the entire world? Gold pieces are actually quite rare; silver shards and copper bits are more commonly used for day-to-day transactions. Each gold piece is worth approximately twelve silver shards – their exact value depends on how much they've been clipped or debased with lesser metals – and each silver shard is worth approximately twelve copper bits. Three billion gold pieces would be the equivalent of thirty-six billion silver shards. Across the whole of Creation, you doubt that such a colossal sum of money of money exists; even Mishrak doesn't have that much money in his vast treasure hoard!
It seems clear to you that the enigmatic headmaster has no intention of selling Green Flame, not for any price. But would he be similarly unwilling to release her from slavery, if someone tried to persuade him that it was the right thing to do? Honestly, you have no idea.
At the same time, you consider what to do next. Perhaps Jana or Catharne could cause a distraction while you approach Green Flame and smuggle her away. For instance, Catharne could suddenly reveal her true form, which would be very distracting… but there are a lot of powerful mages here, so she would very almost certainly be badly hurt or killed if she did that. Alternatively, you could… uh, do something outside that would attract a lot of attention. Perhaps Dorian and his friends would be willing to help with that. Or you could approach Prentigold directly, you suppose. It's possible that he's willing to be reasonable.
"So many admirers you have, my dear," says Prentigold, reaching out and cupping Green Flame's chin in one hand, forcing her to look directly at him, meeting his piercing gaze with her own blank stare. "I can only hope they have been suitably restrained in expressing their… ah, feelings for you."
"One of them tried to touch my breasts," says Green Flame matter-of-factly. "But I stopped him."
"And how did you do that?" asks Prentigold, looking mildly concerned.
"Slapped his hand away," is the reply.
Her 'owner' chuckles at that. Before withdrawing his hand, he pats her cheek as if she were an adorably precocious child. "Well, there you have it," he says, turning to survey the assembled crowd. "A lesson for you all: look but don't touch. She has my permission to defend herself. With whatever force she deems necessary."
I've had this scene in mind for quite a while. I suppose that's weird, come to think of it.
What should Elys do next? How will she carry out her plans?
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Better, I feared that there would be a situation where either we had to act now to be able to save her.I don't know if what I've written is better or worse than you anticipated. Still, I hope you... Hmm, maybe 'enjoy' isn't the right word for it.
Prentigold is a cunt for treating her condescending like that. Good that he at least lets her defend herself, but still a cunt.
Now, Catharne going Dragonling and then happily eating at the buffet... Would probably work in distracting, but much too risky due to the whole "mages in attendance might turn her into a pile of alchemy ingredients" issue.
She could besiege the entrance to the kitchen and eat the servers plates empty until someone is called to have a word with her, but questionable if she can escalate it to the point of Prentigold being called.
Part of the group leaves, and then Jana returns with Catharne (Dragonling form) on a bridle (illusion from gob camp).
Pretend that Elys is ... uhm... visiting the temple and coming afterwards? Someone leading a horse sized dragon to the buffet, calling it the mount of a princess should be weird enough to get Prenti called asap. The dragon being on a bridle would hopefully convince people that she is the mount/pet of an attendee and that attacking her would be a major offense to the academy.
Raef is needed under cover, so using as part of the distraction would have the issue of how to hide him again.
@Chandagnac Raef and Samaya can learn a new Shapeshifting form quickly, right?
Samaya could turn into a Prentigold clone and cause chaos by ordering people around... But once real Prentigold arrives that could get dangerous.
Bleh, that was well written.
I think we should talk to our allies for ideas.
I think we should talk to our allies for ideas.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
Not that, thank goodness.
Well, success on that front. Huge success.
Jana failing her save vs pretty woman.
It ain't a crime to enjoy food! It ain't even a crime to enjoy a lot of food. If you have to eat a lot anyways, might as well enjoy it, y'know?
Green Flame internally adding that man to a List. She's perfect just as she is, though.
Sambia's next.
Just all of that, urgh. Even if Prentigold says "I was acting as they expected me to act, blah blah" this one ain't coming off the rap sheet. Such an anime villain thing to do.
This gave me an idea. Not enough of a one for a full plan, but Elys is fairly proficient at illusions, and Bellona, iirc, is far better. Elves don't breathe. If we could get everyone to look away for a moment, we could obscure Green Flame and leave an illusory copy in her place.
I bet we could even get the help of GF herself if we inform her of that part of the plan. If Prentigold ordered her to allow them to look at her, looking at an illusion of her would technically fit the bill! Creatively interpreted, of course.
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
They're skilled and experienced enough that they can look like anyone they want to, yes.
Transforming into nonhuman forms is harder for them, though. They're not as skilled as their brother, Nialliv (who is quite possibly the greatest shapeshifter in existence).
They would certainly have to send someone to deal with a distraction like that. Quite possibly they'd send Green Flame.
Yeah, that's the reaction I wanted. Thanks.
Just all of that, urgh. Even if Prentigold says "I was acting as they expected me to act, blah blah" this one ain't coming off the rap sheet. Such an anime villain thing to do.
Which allies? Jana and Catharne? Dorian and his friends? Or back to Goblin Town where your heavy combat team is waiting?
(Elys can find somewhere to hide, open a portal and teleport back to Raef and the others, if you like.)
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Yeah.
I'm not sure an illusion replacing Green Flame is feasible, given that there are a lot of high level mages around who would each have a chance to notice the switch, and that a bunch of them are paying close attention to Green Flame.
Also, Green Flame's slave brand is intentionally visible in her current get up. That means that when/if she re-enters the party after we free her, we'll have to do something to fake the slave brand so that no one notices it's gone.
On the bright side, Cadre 1F being at the party means that as long as we don't make contact with them they have a very strong alibi about not being involved in freeing Green Flame.
I'm not sure an illusion replacing Green Flame is feasible, given that there are a lot of high level mages around who would each have a chance to notice the switch, and that a bunch of them are paying close attention to Green Flame.
Also, Green Flame's slave brand is intentionally visible in her current get up. That means that when/if she re-enters the party after we free her, we'll have to do something to fake the slave brand so that no one notices it's gone.
On the bright side, Cadre 1F being at the party means that as long as we don't make contact with them they have a very strong alibi about not being involved in freeing Green Flame.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
A fire just outside the walls... perhaps that could do. It would draw attention, though. Can anyone think of something unglamorous enough it'd be assigned to Green Flame but not so interesting that it'd draw the crowd to look at it? Perhaps something that gives off an odor or an unpleasant sound so that the rich folks will stay away? Like some yowling cats or something. Perhaps we could fake an emergency call from the village or something? That would draw GF away long enough to not be suspicious when it takes her a few minutes to come back, and would also be far enough away that the partygoers wouldn't bother looking.
Another simple task for Illusions! Or perhaps we just paint one on regular style. Or she shapeshifts that patch of skin to just look like that naturally. We have a couple good options, there.
The Price of Liberty (Part Four)
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
All right, well... I've taken all of your suggestions into account and I hope the update below is acceptable.
*
The Price of Liberty (Part Four)
The Price of Liberty (Part Four)
Unsure of what to do next and how to extricate Green Flame from this overcrowded place, you decide to return to the local Goblin Town and ask some of your friends for advice and suggestions. However, in order to get there and back quickly, you need to find a safe place where you can open a portal without being seen. It occurs to you that the lavatories, which a continual stream of partygoers are either visiting or coming back from, would be the ideal place. Safe, private and out of sight.
No one bats an eyelid when they see you and Jana go in there together. Apparently, it's quite common for teenage girls to visit the lavatories in groups, for mutual protection and to scare off would-be predators, or so they can continue to chatter and gossip while doing the necessary.
While you are in there – and before you can open a portal – you notice that the Tyrepheum Academy has flushing toilets. Runic magic is used to remove water and human waste from the bowl after a handle is pulled; then, a different set of runes refills the cistern with fresh water. It occurs to you that it would be quite easy to disrupt this process, simply by damaging the runic matrix, but first you would need to overcome whatever enchantments are supposed to guarantee its security and keep it from being interfered with. You're not an expert on enchantments and rune magic, so you may need to enlist someone to help you with this.
"Do you know anything about enchanting, Jana?" you ask, bending to examine the runes around the toilet bowl.
She shakes her head. "Nah. Why? What are you thinking?"
"If we tamper with these runes, we could cause these toilets to stop vanishing whatever is dropped into them. Instead, it would build up and eventually overflow, spilling foul-smelling slop everywhere."
"You mean shit and piss," says Jana, giving you a confused look. "Why are you being so euphemistic about it?"
"I was trying to put it delicately," you explain. "Because we're delicate flowers, aren't we?"
"Sure we are, Miss Muscles," she replies, with heavy irony.
"Actually, because it would be a problem if someone dropped something precious down the toilet that couldn't then be retrieved, I bet whatever gets flushed away doesn't just vanish into thin air," you theorize. "It's probably sent to a storage tank of some kind, where it gets filtered and sifted through before it's released into the sewers. So… what it there was a way to reverse the process? What if, instead of scooping things up from here and dumping them in the storage tank, it was the other way around?"
"That's disgusting," says Jana, catching on quickly. "You're horrible. And I used to think you were such a nice girl!"
"It's supposed to be disgusting. If the lavatories are getting filled up with human ordure, who do you think will be sent to clean it up?"
"Well, surely they must have a janitor?"
"First, they'd have to find him, explain the situation and tell him where to go. It would be easier to send Green Flame. Elves always get the mucky jobs. Maybe Prentigold will make her strip naked first, so her admirers will get an eyeful and she won't ruin her pretty dress."
Jana shakes her head at you. "Again, you're horrible."
"Tell me I'm wrong!" you challenge her.
"No. You're probably not wrong." She blinks rapidly and takes a deep, shuddering breath. "But I hate it. I really do."
"Well, that's why we're here," you say, pulling her into a hug. "There are wrongs to be righted, villains to be thwarted and so on. That's our job."
She sniffs and gives a barely perceptible nod. "It's hard, sometimes."
There comes a hammering on the door. "Are you nearly finished in there?" cries a panicky female voice. "It's just I really need to pee!"
"Maybe Simony would be willing to help us," you muse. "He seems like he'd enjoy a good practical joke."
"Or we could get Bellona, like we planned," Jana reminds you. "Either way, we should probably get out of here before that poor woman out there–" She indicates the door. " –wets herself."
What will Elys decide to do next?
Lol, toilet humour! With every update, I sink to a new low!
So yeah, I thought 'causing the toilets to backfire' would be a good way to get the attention of Prentigold and his cronies. Because it would be happening in the same building where they're having the party, it wouldn't take a long time for them to find out about it, they'd be forced to do something about it, and there's a pretty good chance they'd send Green Flame to deal with the situation.
Of course, you could decide to do something else, if you prefer. And Elys would need someone to help her with the enchantments involved. Probably Raef or Bellona. Or you could try Simony Balasteros. Or Elys could try to do it on her own, if you're feeling lucky.
What do you think?
So yeah, I thought 'causing the toilets to backfire' would be a good way to get the attention of Prentigold and his cronies. Because it would be happening in the same building where they're having the party, it wouldn't take a long time for them to find out about it, they'd be forced to do something about it, and there's a pretty good chance they'd send Green Flame to deal with the situation.
Of course, you could decide to do something else, if you prefer. And Elys would need someone to help her with the enchantments involved. Probably Raef or Bellona. Or you could try Simony Balasteros. Or Elys could try to do it on her own, if you're feeling lucky.
What do you think?
Or see if we can mess with the targeting of the port-the-poo-away enchantment, so it sends to the main hall instead.
...
What makes you think i may be suggesting that for the sake of having rich elf-harassers get covered in excrements? *innocent whistle*
If we give Simony a symbolic bit of money for helping us screw with the event he is paid for helping with, would that get close enough to simony for him? (and of course the chance of messing with the rich douchebags)
Also, we could have asked the guards we hired for information.
If, for example, they know where the poo-tank is, elys could open a portal from it to just under the roof of the party hall.
Edit:
But seriously, that would be perfect:
Green Flame is likely to get the task.
Snobs won't want to follow her if they know that she'll have to work with that.
In related new, is there any god of mischief she could pray to?
Offering the mischief caused by the toilet tank manipulation as sacrifice.
Requesting that it causes more mischief as a distraction for us.
...
What makes you think i may be suggesting that for the sake of having rich elf-harassers get covered in excrements? *innocent whistle*
If we give Simony a symbolic bit of money for helping us screw with the event he is paid for helping with, would that get close enough to simony for him? (and of course the chance of messing with the rich douchebags)
Also, we could have asked the guards we hired for information.
If, for example, they know where the poo-tank is, elys could open a portal from it to just under the roof of the party hall.
Edit:
But seriously, that would be perfect:
Green Flame is likely to get the task.
Snobs won't want to follow her if they know that she'll have to work with that.
In related new, is there any god of mischief she could pray to?
Offering the mischief caused by the toilet tank manipulation as sacrifice.
Requesting that it causes more mischief as a distraction for us.
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Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
The Night Blades? Good idea.
If you did that, you wouldn't need to mess with the runic enchantments at all, neatly circumventing the main difficulties that would require you to ask for help.
Ekku the Signifying Monkey would be perfect for this.
"It had been quiet in the jungle for quite a bit,
'Til up jumped the monkey who said, "I'm gonna throw some shit."
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