Discovery Park, III (ATTN: Animus, Fiddler, Joshua, Zero)

Chanting briefly to focus the imago, Animus opens his awareness to both sides of the Gauntlet.

Peer Across the Gauntlet
03-24 08:18:46 Animus rolls 8 dice to Gnosis + Spirit + HS 3 successes
4,3,8,6,6, 10,6,4,9

As soon as the car stops moving, he gets out and heads toward the stones, looking around for Fiddler.

((Will wait for Fiddler to post, then will narrate))

Fiddler Kept moving back towards the park, ignoring the feelings of dread he felt about what might have happened.

Upon his return, he sees Animus and two people he doesn't recognize- but weary and confused, shouts out to them, "Animus, over here!" while waving, and continuing toward them.

Joshua takes a moment to look Fiddler, but once it seems Fiddler's okay physically he turns his eyes inward and focuses.

01-01-2008 10:00 Joshua rolls 6 to Grim Sight (10 Again) 8,2,9,5,3,5 2 successes

Everything now seems to have the color leeched from it, appearing mostly in shades of grey.

"Ok, that sounds easier..." he said to Animus after greeting both of the new guys. "Let's try to do this quickly, in case another stone goes off."

Animus shuffles his spells around, unwilling to limit his own investigations to this side of the gauntlet.

((dropping Sense Life))

Peer Across the Gauntlet
03-25 09:44:57
Animus rolls 8 dice to Gnosis + Spirit + HS
Failure
1,1,5,7,7, 5,6,5
03-25 09:45:39
Animus rolls 7 dice to Gnosis + Spirit + HS - 1
2 successes
8,7,4,4,4, 4,9

((Everyone perception checks please, PM results))

Joshua seems to notice that while distant trees and grass is beginning to show the signs of spring, the area around and in between the stones seems dull and lifeless.

Animus notices each of the outer stones is marked with a random boulder type rock, each of the inner stones seems to have a dead tree that corresponds in the material to the stone in the spirit realm.

Zero gets a pulse of weak magic coming off the material world stones that correspond with the location of the 'activated' stones.

Animus activates a second mage sight and begins to study the boulder and tree corresponding to Spirit and Life, respectively.

Pulse of the Living World
03-25 14:46:34 Animus rolls 9 dice to Gnosis + Life + HS 2 successes
1,10,4,7,10, 4,2,1,2,1, 7

Boulder
03-25 14:53:05 Animus rolls 6 dice to Wits + Occ 2 successes
7,7,9,8,6, 1
03-25 14:52:48 Animus rolls 6 dice to Wits + Occ 3 successes
3,2,8,9,10, 4,7
03-25 14:52:38 Animus rolls 6 dice to Wits + Occ 1 success
2,1,1,10,4, 5,2

Tree
03-25 14:54:31 Animus rolls 5 dice to Wits + Occ - 1 Failure
4,4,7,2,2
03-25 14:54:15 Animus rolls 6 dice to Wits + Occ Failure
6,1,1,3,1, 2
03-25 14:54:06 Animus rolls 6 dice to Wits + Occ 2 successes
1,3,8,4,1, 10,3

After a long period of silent concentration, he addresses the others. "Can one of you cast Grim Sight on me? I have something special in mind."

The Spirit boulder pulses with the magic of Making in the Spirit arcanum, the life tree doesn't seem to radiate at all.

"I'm planning to look into the past, see if I can glean anything useful from the effect Blackfire triggered." He sighs heavily, desperately wishing he could change the past, rather than just glimpse it. "Grim Sight would have been more suitable to the task, but I'll make do with what I have." What happened to Invictus? Why were we each affected differently? It makes so little sense.

Fiddler with his mind sight can sense the practice of Making on the Mind stone.

"I can only ever see a few seconds of the past, and the attempt must be fueled with mana. It is not something that I do lightly." Animus releases his Life Sight and immediately begins muttering in the Atlantean tongue. He concentrates, focusing on the instant that Blackfire first touched the Death stone.

Postcognition
03-25 18:36:22 Animus rolls 7 dice to Gnosis + Time + HS 2 successes
1,9,7,1,4, 7,9
Spent 1 mana. Mana is now 7.

Animus Scrutinizes the flash of light. He feels that the stone was close to activating anyway, but Blackfire's attempt to move it sped up the process a little. The white flash of light on the spirit side was a very powerful Unmaking magic. It instantly snuffed Blackfire's life, and cause his now soulless remains to char in an instant.

Animus' voice betrays no small amont of anger. "No, it didn't simply kill him. It took his soul first!" For the briefest instant, he looks as if he might strike the stone, but he checks his rage. After several seconds of silence, he looks over Zero's photos. Then he addresses Zero, his voice betraying only the slightest undercurrent of emotion. "Get pictures of the trees as well. They're the material reflection of the gross Arcana stones. Also, that boulder" He points at the material reflection of the 'prime' stone "is the one subtle Arcanum that hasn't yet activated."

Fiddler spoke to Zero, "I don't know where you come from, but the man is dead. show some damn respect."

Fiddler felt listless. first the shock of being flung and now the shock of Blackfire's death... he resolved to put an end to this collecter. "Do we need anything else? or do we have what we need?"

Animus glares at Zero, his eyes seeming to reflect the intensity of the Primal Wild itself. "Did you mishear me earlier? Blackfire was not simply killed. That thing" he gestures toward the center of the pentagram "didn't just kill him, it severed his soul first and probably added it to it's collection. Do not make light of an abomination against nature."

Animus concentrates on his breathing for several seconds, fighting to bring his emotions under control. Finally, he returns his focus to the problem at hand. "I think we've gathered what we can. Let's go."

((I need everyone to roll gnosis + stamina))

((Hold posts until I get Fiddler's and Joshua's Rolls))

As they are getting ready to leave, everyone feels a tug at the core of their magical being, their awareness, and though most people are able to stave the initial tugging away, Animus loses 1 point of mana. (I couldn't believe how poorly I rolled and how well all of you did).
It takes the stone a few seconds to pull the energy it needs from the world around it, but now you realize the stone has tapped into a source of energy.

Animus' attention instantly snaps across the gauntlet, studying the newly active stone so intently that he doesn't even notice when Zero breaks into laughter.

They actively pulse now, and you can almost see the abyssal lines connecting them. The spirit realm is barren, even the slow speaking spirit of earth seems to have retreated away.

Fiddler feels the tug, and realizes the last subtle stone must be active. "We need to leave. each stone has an effect on its surroundings. Most of these stones have making or unmaking involved in them, which means there will be terrible consequences for people near the gross arcana stones when they activate. we should report back."

Animus is already briskly walking back toward the car. [color=#7fff3f]"It's worse than that. The other stones have started pulsing on their own and the whole thing is tied together by the Abyss. I don't think we have much time."

((
On the way back in the car to the hostel, there is an accident that detours you, causing you to take an exceptionally long time to get back to the hostel. (you may post conversation after this post, but somewhere along the way, this article comes over the radio)
"And in the news of the weird, it seems just like yesterday that people were complaining about the state of the flora and fauna at Discovery Park, but now...

"Once thought only indigenous to Tropical regions and swamps, an entire area of Discover Park has been covered in them. Scientists have not yet been able to get out there to observe these plants, but several people have called in to report these strange plants.
'We've never seen anything like these before. They are much larger than the ones I've seen in the grocery store, and they are also quick growing, at least I think. I don't remember seeing them yesterday, but I could be wrong. Ah, my memory is a bit foggy anyway'

The university expects to send some scientists out tomorrow to collect samples and begin studying what might be a previously undiscovered plant!"

and in other news...

))

Animus sits in silence, mentally railing against the vagarities of traffic patterns. Why did this have to happen just when getting there quickly is the most critical? How long until the other arcana activate, and what happens then?

after listening to the radio commentary, Fiddler said, "Sounds like the life stone might be active? there are only four left now, and they seem to be accelerating the rate at which they activate..."

As you arrive, Calligan is not waiting outside to meet you, and as you approach the door, you can hear voices debating intensely about something.

Animus gets out of the car and heads for the door, clearly agitated. He stops cold at Josh's gesture, and waits for Zero's reply.

Fiddler followed the others in silence. He had never met Calligan, and he didn't want to appear the fool. Remembering his rather unkempt state, he made minor adjustments to his hair and clothing, to ease the weat and tear of his forceful expulsion from the spirit realm.

the park is the number one priority. he thought, and he waited.