Call of Colthulhu: Team One's Adventures

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Arcana Roll:
1d20+15+5 = 18+15+5 = 38, 43 if HoC applies.

Rolling Mechanics...7 (1d20) + 13 + 5 = 25

For a moment, all is silent.

Then, at once:

Flashpoint's hooves suddenly crash through the wooden flooring into the concrete barrier below, as strength beyond strength surges through his body. For a moment, he feels enough power to lift the entire world...

Aurora clutches her head in pain as a wave of raw, uncontained magic flows through her. Spells, ancient and long forgotten, stream into her and briefly, she peers into the heart of all magic...

Torque gasps as his eyes suddenly flash, and before him, lain out clear as day, the mechanics of the world. Everything an interlocking part of the universe's machine, each a cog in a greater mechanism. For the fraction of a second, he sees this, but the vision fades away as quickly as it came.

Had anypony the spare effort to see, Skyline is suddenly surrounded by lightning, as though wearing a cloak of storms. His body spasms, and he falls, panting in exhaustion as the cloak dissipates. Shayma, meanwhile, has disappeared entirely.

The gem glows.
"I..."
A voice comes, out of nowhere, out of everywhere, from every direction at once.

"Wha-GAAAAH!" Needless to say, between the rather painful surge and trying to hold her head as a result, Aurora did a rather ungraceful faceplant onto the ground, which kept her from screaming too much if only from a bruised pride to go with everything else. Though, as pain gave way to understanding, she broke out in unsteady, possibly crazed laughter. "I...I see it...! Ah, ha, ha...! I see it! I understand! I-WHAT!?" She blinked, pushing herself to her feet after what, to her, felt like an eternity, but was more than likely only a moment...Though, she took a moment to compose herself from laughing mad to attempting to understand what had just transpired. "I...You...Gifts? I...Was worried that-...What...WHAT JUST HAPPENED!? I...I didn't mean to hurt you...Whoever-...I don't...Did...Did everypony else see what I did?" It couldn't have just been a hallucination, it was too real...She felt like she was on the verge of an epiphany, only to have the rug jerked out from under her!

"Nope. Saw what I did." Flashpoint says, looking at the cracked ground beneath him. "Why'd the glowy gem voice make me super heavy all of a sudden? Is he calling me fat?"

"I...I saw it. The workings of the universe were laid out before me. The fundamental interactions, the macroscopic and subatomic, all meshing together as one unified mechanism. It was so clear, so complete, and...then it was gone." Torque shook his head. "What manner of gift is it to glimpse the pinnacle of what you seek, and then lose it? There must be something retained, something improved, something left." Torque looked through his memory to see if he could better recall what he had seen...and he was also curious as to whether they were still in some kind of illusion or not. Where did Shayma go, anyway?

Perception for memory...13 (1d20) + 8 = 21
Perception for surroundings...4 (1d20) + 8 = 12

Lyntermas wrote:"I...I saw it. The workings of the universe were laid out before me. The fundamental interactions, the macroscopic and subatomic, all meshing together as one unified mechanism. It was so clear, so complete, and...then it was gone." Torque shook his head. "What manner of gift is it to glimpse the pinnacle of what you seek, and then lose it? There must be something retained, something improved, something left." Torque looked through his memory to see if he could better recall what he had seen...and he was also curious as to whether they were still in some kind of illusion or not. Where did Shayma go, anyway?

Perception for memory...13 (1d20) + 8 = 21
Perception for surroundings...4 (1d20) + 8 = 12

You see.... something. Fleeting, tantalising, but nowhere near complete and virtually useless. Whatever the vision was, it's gone.

The room seems relatively unaffected by the events. However, the floorboards around Flashpoint seem to spontaneously flash into flames and then extinguish moments later. The flooring under Skyline is also slightly blackened by the concentration of energy that had left his body moments prior. Shayma is... gone, save a little bit of smudged somethings on the floor. Markings? Compared to what Torque just saw, they seem horribly uninteresting and his eyes can't seem to focus on them.

"I saw it, the spring that all magic comes from...For a moment, unlimited power was mine...Immortality? Fixing those that are still comatose? Surpassing the princesses themselves!? I could have done all that! I could have done anything, but it was taken from me! It sounds crazy to say it aloud, but I had unlimited power at my hooves, then it was jerked away!" She wasn't happy about that. "Professor Shayama, surely you under-...Shayama?" She glanced around, blinking. "Did she run while all that was going on? To be fair, I suppose I do sound like some novel's villain right now, but...Absolute power...It's a real rush when it hits you all at once." She was curious as to what the gem had done, but if that was it being nice, it being cruel would be frightening indeed. Though, first things first. Unexplained magical phenomenon. Hopefully Shayama had simply fled when everyone was busy dealing with their gem-induced issues. If not, she had no idea what had happened to her. "One step at a time, Arcane...Is...Is anypony hurt? I can take a look if so."

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...And because Lynt had a good idea with that memory roll...I dunno...Arcana to check and see if any of that 'heart of magic' stuck with her?
1d20+15 = 15+15 = 30 ...Eh, probably nothing.

Flashpoint goes over to look at where she was standing. "Seriously, you two, get a handle on it." He examines the floor, trying to discern if the marks are random, or if they might be intentional. "One of you calm down and come look at this, please."

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I doubt Flashpoint would be able to read into any runes (unless they're daedric), but he can at least determine if theyre a clue. Perception: 9+11= 20

Caden2112 wrote:"I saw it, the spring that all magic comes from...For a moment, unlimited power was mine...Immortality? Fixing those that are still comatose? Surpassing the princesses themselves!? I could have done all that! I could have done anything, but it was taken from me! It sounds crazy to say it aloud, but I had unlimited power at my hooves, then it was jerked away!" She wasn't happy about that. "Professor Shayama, surely you under-...Shayama?" She glanced around, blinking. "Did she run while all that was going on? To be fair, I suppose I do sound like some novel's villain right now, but...Absolute power...It's a real rush when it hits you all at once." She was curious as to what the gem had done, but if that was it being nice, it being cruel would be frightening indeed. Though, first things first. Unexplained magical phenomenon. Hopefully Shayama had simply fled when everyone was busy dealing with their gem-induced issues. If not, she had no idea what had happened to her. "One step at a time, Arcane...Is...Is anypony hurt? I can take a look if so."

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...And because Lynt had a good idea with that memory roll...I dunno...Arcana to check and see if any of that 'heart of magic' stuck with her?
1d20+15 = 15+15 = 30 ...Eh, probably nothing.

Again; nothing particularly solid sticks out to you, though there are instances where you have the answer juuuust on your tongue tip.

"...I can't..." Torque stamps a hoof on the ground. "It doesn't matter now. It's just another tease like Xenith was...although I'm not sure of the cost as of yet." Torque tried to clear his thoughts. "We need to focus; Skyline's "gift" seems to have done a number on him, and I have no idea what happened to Shayma." Torque then went over to where Skyline had collapsed to see if he was okay.

Rolling Heal on Skyline...11 (1d20) + 7 = 18.

OOC: Alene, don't forget about Flashpoint's Perception check.

A1C Bronymous wrote:Flashpoint goes over to look at where she was standing. "Seriously, you two, get a handle on it." He examines the floor, trying to discern if the marks are random, or if they might be intentional. "One of you calm down and come look at this, please."

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I doubt Flashpoint would be able to read into any runes (unless they're daedric), but he can at least determine if theyre a clue. Perception: 9+11= 20

It's not a rune, more...
a picture? It seems to be the image of a glade of sorts, burned into the wood of the floor. Right in the middle of the image is a dancing elk, of unrecogniseable appearance.

Lyntermas wrote:"...I can't..." Torque stamps a hoof on the ground. "It doesn't matter now. It's just another tease like Xenith was...although I'm not sure of the cost as of yet." Torque tried to clear his thoughts. "We need to focus; Flashpoint's "gift" seems to have done a number on him, and I have no idea what happened to Shayma." Torque then went over to where Flashpoint had collapsed to see if he was okay.

Rolling Heal on Skyline...11 (1d20) + 7 = 18.

OOC: Alene, don't forget about Flashpoint's Perception check.

(You... do mean skyline as the one who has collapsed, yes?)

Skyline seems to have vented all of his pegasus magic at once, if you had to hazard a guess. He's just exhausted. A nap and a hearty meal and he would probably be back in action, maybe a bit flimsy at flying and anything else, but definitely no lasting damage.

OOC: Aaand that's what happens when you make a post while tired. Fixed original post.

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"Skyline's fine, if a bit drained. Although I wonder if it was some weird interpretation of his "heart's desire" or whatever, or was merely the cost for our fleeting "gifts."" Torque then walked over to the place where Shayma stood. "...That's odd. Some sort of elkish teleportation, I hope?" Torque wondered if there was some significance to the picture. Perhaps some sort of ancient elkish symbol of some kind?

Rolling History on elk picture...19 (1d20) + 10 = 29

Lyntermas wrote:OOC: Aaand that's what happens when you make a post while tired. Fixed original post.

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"Skyline's fine, if a bit drained. Although I wonder if it was some weird interpretation of his "heart's desire" or whatever, or was merely the cost for our fleeting "gifts."" Torque then walked over to the place where Shayma stood. "...That's odd. Some sort of elkish teleportation, I hope?" Torque wondered if there was some significance to the picture. Perhaps some sort of ancient elkish symbol of some kind?

Rolling History on elk picture...19 (1d20) + 10 = 29

Torque can actually quickly scan through Mirrored Clear's notebook to find that the stylised picture is an elken sigil meaning 'Origins' or 'Creator', especially in an arcane or mystical sense.

Flashpoint glances at his wingpony. "Quit napping, Sky. You've been hit by worse." Flashpoint backs off to let Torque examine the rune. "I take it that's definitely not a random scorch mark. Soooo." He turns to Alene. "Ok, now's a good time for theories- go nuts. What exactly is that gem- in regular pony speak please- and what is it trying to do to us? Tempt, kill distract, what?"

"According to this notebook, the sigil Shayma left behind means "Origins" or "Creator", especially in an arcane or mystical sense. Beyond that, I would leave what actually happened to Shayma for Aurora to analyse." Torque put the notebook away. "As for theories, if I had to guess, the soul in the gem wants to, well, be left alone. I think Aurora's magical analysis was something it wanted to stop, and it did so by presenting us "gifts"; a split second example of that which we value most. I saw the complete mechanics of the universe, Arcane Aurora felt the source of magic, and you...I suppose it felt that you would either value strength or the ability to start fire at will. Skyline may have wanted complete control of storms or something, and...well, I have no idea what happened to Shayma. At any rate, if that's the kind of power it has when it's being "nice", I don't want to see it angry."

"In short, don't poke the soul gem with magic anymore; it doesn't like it."

"I'm with Torque. Given we don't know how it was created, it may have taken even the soft touch I was trying to use as an attack. I don't think it's malevolent, mind. Just...There. It certainly explains why I couldn't figure out the nature of the enchantment on it, though. It was trying to hide from me, for whatever reason. Perhaps it was afraid I'd tear it apart out of curiosity? Considering the circumstances surrounding how we found it, I could hardly blame it." Aurora spoke, partially to herself, partially to the others as she moved to take a better look at the scorch marks. "If I knew a safe place to put it...Like, a really safe place, where it would never be found? I'd probably put it there. For now, I'm not entirely sure what to do with a sentient gemstone." She focused, her horn glowing slightly as she checked for magical residue. If she'd teleported or something, there should be evidence left, right?

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Alrighty then! Arcana to check for magical residue on where Shayama was, I suppose.
1d20+15 = 16+15 = 31

If there are other rolls I need to make, let me know.

Caden2112 wrote:Alrighty then! Arcana to check for magical residue on where Shayama was, I suppose.
1d20+15 = 16+15 = 31

If there are other rolls I need to make, let me know.

Wherever Shayma went, it's... very, very far away. Definitely not anywhere in Equestria, and with a boost from the gem, perhaps not even on Equus. But Aurora can't be sure, not with her limited understanding of elken magic. She thinks it might be to the east, in the direction of the elken Shimmerwoods, but that might just be confirmation bias based on the fact that Shayma is an elk.

"Shayma's...Gone. She teleported...Elsewhere, I don't really know where, I can pick up the magic, but, well...If she was using unicorn magic, I might be able to tell you more, but, well, she didn't. If I had to guess, it's somewhere steeped in magic. Elken Shimmerwoods would be my first guess, but the Jade Mountains or past the Crown of Ice. But I know for sure she's not here in Equestria anymore. With the gem having done...What it did, it's hard to tell." Aurora was a little frustrated about the lack of intel, but still, she was alive, so that was a start.

(Holy crap, wait! Heart of Courage applies!)
RETCON
Aurora is not quite sure, but based on the arcane runes, and measuring the rate of decay on the magical signature, she most definitely jumped to a location beyond Equestria. That location is likely very magical in nature, which rules out locations such as the Ashen Plains or Zebrica, which are almost devoid of ambient magic. The Jade Mountains of the Qilin might be a candidates, so are the Elken Shimmerwoods, and the magically charged snowdrifts beyond the Crown of Ice. But the interference of the gem's enigmatic power makes it difficult to track down exactly where Shayma went.

"Well then, I think that illustrates my earlier point. The search for knowledge, power, answers, whatever, vs the common goal. That thing gave us each individual gifts, whatever it decided we might want through its extremely shallow perception of us. Gave us gifts individually- but if Shayma's gift was to go, say, home, now she's been zapped to Luna-knows-where, and our investigation has hit another obstacle. A pretty big one, too, if she was to be our source of information on ancient and exotic magic." Flashpoint looks around the room again, looking for anything of interest or import. "But... our gifts wore off. Shouldn't hers have too? Wouldn't she be coming back?"

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General perception- anything else that might have been changed by the gem.
19+11=30

A1C Bronymous wrote:General perception- anything else that might have been changed by the gem.
19+11=30

Out of the corner of your eye, you see it again; a shimmer, roughly the size of a foal, at the corner of the room. You get the sneaking feeling that the moment you look at it directly the shimmer with disappear, and as you carefully observe it, the shimmer slowly lifts up, floating up to the ceiling. 

You also notice that the board seems to have reacted to the gem in some measure, as the markings around the center setting have changed from an eight pointed star to unordered angry spikes, spreading unevenly from the gem at the center. What's more, you see it continue to change, albeit fairly slowly.

"Well, the gift may have "worn off" for her while she was at her destination, stranding her there. I hope it's somewhere relatively safe. Still, it's quite possible that we may not be seeing Shayma anytime soon. That's...really unfortunate, for a number of reasons." Torque sighed. "So, I guess the next real "lead", once Skyline recuperates, is to visit Subterranean the gemcrafting teacher...or Diorite, the crystal geometry teacher. Hmm, I wonder which would be better able to track where the gem we found with the spirit board is transmitting to." Torque pulled out Mirrored's notebook again to see if it could clarify the difference.

Rolling History to figure out the difference between gemcrafting and crystal geometry...4 (1d20) + 10 = 14.

Taking a cue from Flashpoint, Torque glanced around the room to see if there were any signs of more subtle effects of the soul gem's "outburst".
Rolling Perception...3 (1d20) + 8 = 11.

Lyntermas wrote:"Well, the gift may have "worn off" for her while she was at her destination, stranding her there. I hope it's somewhere relatively safe. Still, it's quite possible that we may not be seeing Shayma anytime soon. That's...really unfortunate, for a number of reasons." Torque sighed. "So, I guess the next real "lead", once Flashpoint recuperates, is to visit Subterranean the gemcrafting teacher...or Diorite, the crystal geometry teacher. Hmm, I wonder which would be better able to track where the gem we found with the spirit board is transmitting to." Torque pulled out Mirrored's notebook again to see if it could clarify the difference.

Rolling History to figure out the difference between gemcrafting and crystal geometry...4 (1d20) + 10 = 14.

Taking a cue from Flashpoint, Torque glanced around the room to see if there were any signs of more subtle effects of the soul gem's "outburst".
Rolling Perception...3 (1d20) + 8 = 11.

Gemcrafting appears more in line with practical knowledge: enchanting, preparation, and different types of crystal circuits. Crystal geometry is more theory and focused on the structure and applications of different variants of crystals.
Torque doesn't see anything particularly important.