Aonar

Ugh.... Not sure I want to play another game right now, but I'm bored and blackout games don't come up very often.... Hrm. Signing up Aran, the hunter. Who may or may not be mourning the loss of his hounds.... : (

My original plans for Eternity involved finding Deathgale (possibly interrupting the conversation with Bioterror) and proceeding to play both sides. (This is the post I mentioned earlier.) If that's going to be too complicated/long/have too much potential to slow down the plot, I'm fine with avoiding/skipping/summarizing this to a degree, (even if we didn't skip it most after the I initial interaction would probably get summarized anyways I'm thinking). I'll get up a summary of the Dalles when I'm at home and have a computer, although I'm really not sure I'm the best person for that.

I'm still here. (Been debating posting things for Frosty (already written, just not sure if I should post, since I'm wondering if I should wait until other people have reacted to Fatebreaker's post) and Eternity (not yet written, but could be done shortly) but don't really know where/how things are going.) Eternity's powerful but not really in a destructive way. (Unless Upgrade got involved, then possibly, although it wouldn't be flashy.) Frostfire is more destructive, but also more limited.... Not really sure how I would directly contribute to Oregon's destruction. My characters might used as destabilizing forces, I suppose, pushing bigger Epics in their threads to do destructive things.

1: The hope is that everyone would at least make the attempt at RPing. And there are Neutral, Good and Evil Names, so your just as likely to take out an asset as a liability if you start taking out RPers willy-nilly. Plus, volume and quality are not necessarily indicative of having a Name (although they're obviously going to help a ton). It also has to be the right sort of story. And there are roles that are not Names, so if you start killing RPers off the bat, your liable to get screwed over by Mages and Alchemists, who might decide to RP less to avoid getting targeted. Plus, people with kill roles and people who want Named (and by extension, RPers) dead, are going to be Named, and have to be RPing themselves to use their powers.... making them targets in return. So while this could be a problem, I don't think it will be. 2: This is possibly an issue, and one I'm aware of. However, the only setup that would be truly unbalanced, I believe, would be a heavily Evil-biased village. Which is why I'm debating allowing the Heroes to substitute their quasi-convert action for a group kill as necessary. That might not be enough though, so it's definitely something I plan to think about more. 3: The mechanics don't slot nicely into a Sanderson world. If people are interested enough, it'll get run eventually anyways, and if they're not, then there never was a point in running it.

So since this game's first couple mechanics seem to be pretty well-received on the Discord, I figure I might as well present it here. It's based on the first book and setting of erraticerrata's web serial, A Practical Guide to Evil. LG: A Practical Guide to Elimination: The world has changed. Callow has been subsumed into Praes, and the forces of Evil are itching to extend their reach even further. Procer fights itself, subtly led on by the Dread Empress. The White Knight is holed up in the Titanomachy; the Calamities stand without equal. Creation demands a balance, and that means one thing. Heroes. More and more appear every day, and some are beginning to slip through the cracks, despite the best efforts of Scribe and Assassin. They need to be quelled, before rebellion can begin. In the city of Laure, said rebellion is already stirring. Heroes are flocking to the former capital of Callow, working to convince the people to throw off their Praesi oppressors. Said oppressors, in the form of the Legions of Terror and the Eyes of the Empire, are working double-time, trying to keep the city peaceful and functional despite rising tensions. With the Calamities themselves on the edge of stepping in, no one can say how much of the city will be left standing in the aftermath.... Factions: This game has one Village faction, and two Eliminator factions. Eyes of the Empire: You serve Praes, under the Scribe, Eudoika. You have been tasked to find and destroy the heroes that have arisen. Some of you are Named, sent by the Calamities. You have a doc to speak in, and once per cycle can request for Assassin to kill a player. You goal is to kill all Named Heroes. Callowan Countryman: You care little for the struggles of good and evil. All you want is to return to your normal life. But when you hear the heroes speak, you can’t help but wonder if life could be better without Praesi rule…. Choosing: You have a special ability you may use once per game. You may Choose. If you Choose Evil, you gain the Eyes of the Empire win condition, although you do not gain access to their doc or group abilities. If you Choose Good, you gain the Heroes of Callow win condition, although you do not gain access to their doc or group abilities. After Choosing, you have a much greater chance to gain a Name, based on activity and RP. If you do not Choose, your win condition is to survive, or have only neutral (unchosen) players remaining. Heroes of Callow: You are Named, given power to start a Rebellion and free Callow from the Praes occupation. You have a doc to speak in. Additionally, once per cycle you may target a player. If they have not Chosen, or have Chosen Good, you convince them to join the rebellion. Their win condition does not change, and they are informed that they are now a part of the rebellion. If they Choose after this, they remain a part of the Rebellion. As an action, instead of doing this you may incite a riot. All players you have convinced to fight will attack another random non-rebel player; when this attack is successful,.there is a 50/50 chance the rebel will die as well as the targeted player. When the attack fails, the rebel dies. Additionally, every time you incite a riot, one of your teammates must lead it, and is revealed publicly. Your goal is to eliminate the Eyes, and have all living players be a part of the Rebellion. Names and Roles: In Calernia, stories have power, and the more power you give them, the more you gain in return. You character’s actions shape their story, and their story shapes the power they can wield. As you write your character’s tale, you can guide them towards a Name, an archetypal Role. Dramatic actions, narrative patterns, thought patterns, strengths, weaknesses, background, etc., all contribute. Names will be handed out at the GM’s discretion, with input from the player. (It can be assumed however that someone who RP’s consistently and of consistent quality (say 2-3 hundred words a turn) are much more likely to gain a Name than someone who does not, even if the Name has to be shoehorned somewhat to fit.) Names will be tied to their RP and alignment; a Good orphan who has devoted themselves to swordsmanship is for example far more likely to become the Lone Swordsman than a wandering noble or drunken minstrel. (Who are, in turn, more likely to become the Exiled Prince or Wandering Bard, respectively.) The powers you gain are in turn determined by the Name earned as well as your RP. While powers vary, it can generally be assumed that, for example, a martial or combative Name (like Squire, Ranger, Champion, etc.) will gain an ability related to attacking others, or defending oneself, while Administrative Names (Like Tyrant, Scribe, Adjutant, etc.) are likely to gain an ability related to information and manipulation, and so on and so forth. In addition to the base power a Named gets with their Role, each Named can gain access to three Aspects. These are more powerful abilities, but they have stricter RP requirements to use. An Aspect takes the form of an imperative verb, related to the intent and theme of the Name. (For example, a Black Knight might have Lead, Conquer and Destroy, while a Lone Swordsman might have Swing, Rise and Triumph.) When a player decides which Aspect they want to come into, they need to reference it by name (not as an Aspect, but the word/concept/action must appear) at least three times, or in every RP post you make that turn (whichever is more), and must be similarly referenced on any turn you decide to use the ability. You can only tap into one Aspect at a time, and must wait one cycle before gaining a new Aspect. Notes: Claimants: If two or more players both attempt to take the same Name at the same time, they will be considered Claimants to the Name. As a Claimant, you will gain a base power, but cannot form any Aspects until all other Claimants are dead. Transitional Roles: Some Names are designed to transition into other, greater Roles. (For example Squire>Knight, Apprentice>Wizard/Warlock, Heir(ess)>Tyrant.) These roles cannot come into play unless their senior counterpart has already come into existence. In addition to being able to be gained normally, these Roles can be bestowed by their counterpart on to someone with the same Alignment. (This can be done even if there is already someone with the Role in play, in which case the become Claimants, following those rules.) Maintaining a Role: If your story begins to falter, or you act out of accordance with your Name and Role, you can damage your connection to it. At the GM’s discretion, or if you fail to maintain the RP requirements, you may lose the ability to access your Name’s power; leaving you unable to use your Aspects, or even possibly your base powers. During this time, other Claimants may arise. Win Conditions: Some Named may have special win conditions. Mundane Abilities: Named are not the only people with power in Calernia, although they may reap the lion’s share of it. Magecraft: Some few Callowans, and more Praesi, have the ability to directly influence Creation. You may have access to one of the following abilities: Scrying: PM two players of your choice each turn, or set up a PM between any two players. Unless you choose to keep the PM going, it will end with the turn’s end. Warding: Target a player. You are informed of who targets them. Healing: Target a player and prevent their death. However, mage healing is not perfect, and tends to leave the healed person fragile. Cannot target a player consecutively, and the player cannot take actions on the turn following their healing. Veteran/Legionaire/Pit Fighter (Depends on starting Alignment/player preference.): Your days spent fighting have granted you a superior constitution. While you may not be able to hold your own against a Named, you can shrug off one attack otherwise. Underworld Connections: You manage to know a bit of everything going on in Callow, thanks to your ties to the Dark Guilds.You may have one of the following abilities: Blackmail: One player changes their vote to a player of your choosing. Bribery: Target a player, and determine whether or not they have Chosen, and if they belong to the Rebellion. Pulse of the City: Determine how close any one Faction is to completing their win condition/learn the current size of the rebel Faction. Alchemist/Sapper/Goblin Munitions: (Again, depends on Alignment/player preference.) You have somehow learned the secrets of goblin alchemy, and can use their powders and explosives to devastating effect, although without the reagents mined from the Grey Eyries, they are a little weaker than usual. Once per cycle you can detonate a Brightstick near a player, cancelling any action they take that turn. Some Named may be resistant to this. Any thoughts?

I like the idea of Noble Stipends dropping after being expelled, actually. Has nice flavour, and would help balance things a fair bit.

I was going to post thoughts, but it looks like 90% of them have already been posted for me by El and Wilson. So I have to do less work now. (Yay! ) I was the one who suggested the maintenance idea; I mostly liked it with the current Apothecary build; as it nerfed those items pretty heavily. If Apothecary is already getting a nerf though, it's not really necessary. I do like the idea of A/A's getting some bonus to holding/using items of their type that others don't get though. Naming is just hella weird. I do think learning Names after being expelled is better, since it helps balance Namers a little more, with the greater insanity risk and lower chance of being left utterly helpless after being expelled. (Although I may be biased. ) In terms of social classes; Players don't need to be on objectively equal terms, but they do need to be on relatively equal terms. A Vint might be better at some things than a Ruh, but a Ruh should also be better at some things than a Vint. And given that both their abilities rely on a the currency system, and Ruh are not only weaker but very chance reliant, something probably needs to change. I do think there should be more at the Eolian.... but I have no idea what either. (Also, sympathy addendum: I think what we discussed was the RB still being contingent on having a mommet (the new "spend action to make mommet of target" would still be in effect), rather than just a straight roleblock. If you like that better though, I might suggest having a non-mommet RB have higher IP cost than a mommet RB.)

@queensteph

*singsong* "You can't catch me...." *faint laughter, high and not quite sane, drifts on the wind*

You know absolutely nothing about Naming, don't you?

Aonar. Aonar.

Aww, Wilson, that's nice of you to say. Also, please stop. I'm very glad now I've kept you in the dark as to my actual plans. >>

Y'all do what you want. It's none of my concern. Kill me, expell me, lash me, pester me with incessant unnecessary questions that you must know I won't actually answer, it doesn't really matter. If you were expecting an angry response you should pick less seasoned targets. Wearing your heart on your sleeve as it were is a quick way to get yourself killed as an Elim.

You're totally wrong about one thing. I'm not a Skindancer. Never have been, never will be. No sir. The other two probably are though. (Sorry Wilson. :P)

Aodhan was eating his supper at Anker's when the other students burst in, heated glares turning in his direction as they oriented themselves in the smoke and gloom. What's this about? "Aodhan!" William shouted over the slowly quieting din. "I have it on good authority that you are one of the Skindancers!" He raised his eyebrows and spoke under his breath for a moment. "Really now?" Aodhan's voice was quiet, but crossed the distance and cut through the tavern air regardless. "I wasn't aware that 'good authority' constituted damning evidence these days." The fading conversations ceased entirely, patrons uneasy at the subtle use of magic. "One of your fellow Namers came to me, said he had called the Name of the Wind to bring your words to his ears, and learned you were plotting to kill your fellow students!" "Ugh." Pushing his chair back, Aodhan stood, turning to directly face his accusers. "Someone spied on my conversations? That's frankly impolite." "That's.... impolite? No defense? No pretense of innocence?" "You want a defense? You seem to have already made up you mind." "Want? No. But I'm given to understand that one is generally a part of how things are done." "Fine." Aodhan drew himself up to his full height, invoking Wind again to amplify his voice and create a dramatic breeze. "Neener neener." In the moment the assembled students spent blinking in surprise, he called Wind again. The breeze turned vicious, knocking over sympathy lamps and putting out flames; shoving the students and the inn's patrons to the edges of the room. Under the cover of darkness, confusion, and just a touch of glamour, he left. Moments later, words were carried on the wind, whispered into the ears of each and every University student. So. It appears I have been outed. This is... unfortunate, in some ways, but is also almost preferable. To you, the Namer who has so callously stripped me of home, friends and education, it appears we need to have a chat. You have made quite the gamble, and it is one I am afraid may not pay off. You have turned the students against me, true. However, you have also turned this into a very personal war. You are aware that I am a danger; obvious enough given that you chose to spy on my conversations. But I do not believe you realize the magnitude of what you have done. You likely think you have ended me, but this will not be enough. It is true enough that you have dealt me a blow. Before you had, I was content enough to sit back, wait and watch as the students were picked off. But now, I have become, shall we say.... invested, in your personal suffering. Everything in my power will be put first towards your destruction, and then the rest of this University. You have forced my hand to attempt to defend myself and my kin, and necessity breeds invention, after all... In a sense, I suppose your actions have unchained me from the reserve that held me back in out goal. I believe I should thank you for that, at least once before you die.

PK, Omen recognition allows you to target a player (or an event, like a death, after it happens) and find out whether or not it was caused by a Fae. >> (I mentioned Omen Recognition for a reason. >>) This has nothing to do with whether or not a Skindancer sabotaged anyone that night (I honestly have no frigging clue if they did or didn't that night, I have not been paying that close attention.) this is just about an Archivist with Fae Lore. If this person isn't an Archivist, and happened to find out secondhand that my action failed, then.... what the heck? Oh, I'm a Skindancer who had my sabotage cancelled, I'm totally going to tell literally everyone who's PMed me (which is all of two people, but still) that my action was cancelled? That is such a brilliant idea. >>

...? Literally only thing I can think of is the your contact (whom I believe I know who is, or at least have conversed with an intermediary of) targeted me with Fae Lore two turns ago. I've mentioned to more than a few people now that Anker's caused my action (Wanted to mess with what Wind is capable of, a little; read currents in the air to learn who players targetted with their actions, would have been a random three and their targets) to fail that turn. I'm assuming they think they're responsible for my action failing, if this isn't a ploy on the Skindancer's end? I know your hypothetical contact (assuming I'm understanding things correctly) isn't the reason my action failed, but....? There isn't really any way to confirm, unless your contact is willing to step forward and claim Omen Recognition as well. If so, I'd be more than happy to tell them who my action is going to be on, so they can scan it.

Not an official physicsy person (Yet. Ish. I do plan to major in bioengineering, which will involve some physics, but not exactly focus on it. ), or the person mentioned but this seems more like like a pretty basic chem problem. So air doesn't burn, really. Air (or rather, the oxygen in air) allows other things to burn. (And if you somehow had legit air burn, (Despite the main component, nitrogen, being chemically nonreactive in diatomic form, the way it is in the atmosphere.) you'd have to deal with the fact that you'd have decidedly nasty toxic nitrogen oxides as a byproduct. (Which, really could be very cool in and of itself, a magic system that allowed you to change the reactivity/volatility of elements would be very scary and cool.) Either that, or handwave it as causing a spontaneous ionization of the air... which is really coming back to heat (well, more so electricity, in this case) manipulation and the problems you were originally trying to avoid. Although an interesting note if you did go this way, is that the flame would be a bright green-yellow, rather than the traditional orange.) Something I saw in a book series I read once that might work for you though were fire mages who controlled flammable gasses, not fire itself. So they can throw fireballs, cause explosions, be human flamethrowers, etc, but aren't just creating fire out of nothing. (With the caveat that they need a ignition source. Depending on the tech level, could be a flint and steel type thing (thinking something attached to ends of fingers, snap fingers to generate sparks) or a battery and some wires. Or you could just combine it with minor heat/reactivity manipulation, and justify it as being akin to changing the state of water in your example.)

Whichever one of the Nine stole my Namer status, shame on you. >> As another Ruh with a crappy pipes stat (and very little time to RP) basically my whole game plan revolved around getting Wind last turn. Now I get to hang out in Imre and do nothing for two turns. >>

Ugh, I need to post more. And post RP... my tuition is going to be garbage, and I'm broke to begin with.... I don't really have time though. >> Maybe next term. (Although since I'm not going to be able to pay tuition it's not like it matters...)

All you people saying that voting gives no information, back off. Voting in this game can give a literal ton of info, you just have to know how to use it. We may not get a kill out of it, but a village controlled multi-target roleblock is stronger, if anything. For example, Stick and Steph have not yet been to Imre; as such, they cannot take any actions this turn, and are less likely to be Elevated at cycle's end. This is something we can use. A player is suspicious? Throw a vote on them. Someone else disagrees and places a vote elsewhere? Good. This is a game where we're going to want a six/seven way tie every cycle: every player roleblocked is another player softcleared of certain actions and roles, every player expelled is another player that (probably) can't kill or sabotage University players. Likewise, because of this the Elims are going to be very careful with their votes; bussing or voting for each other is simultaneously both better and worse for their team than it would be in a normal game, and I wouldn't be surprised to see strategic votes to inconspicuously delay the elevations of certain players. Speaking of, Wilson. No real suspicions yet, and if I remember correctly, Wilson can take another two free votes this cycle. Will probably change if/when I get a good suspicion.

Just popping in to say not to expect anything major from me until Sunday night, currently playing volleyball in Minneapolis, won't be home until about 4 in the afternoon on Sunday.

Linguist/Sympathist for Uberpirate or Puppeteer? (Kinda screwed if you pick up the defensive ability, admittedly.) Alchemy/Sygaldry with a splash of Arithmetic for sheer versatility? Medica/Sympathy to be the ultimate support class? Or of course, pure Namer, for ridiculous raw power. Really though, they way the fields work, one singular person will never get too powerful. People working in concert though? Building their specialities to cover each other's weak spots? That where things can start to get really cool very quickly. (*Pointed look at whoever the Elims end up being.*)

I contributed again! It's been a while. Hopefully that moves things forwards enough for things to start happening.

Part three of a collab between Blackhoof and I. The woman, apparently the representative of some Epic named Accord, gloated in a disgusting and unseemly manner. Winterspell felt his rage grow as she laughed at him. A mere human, laughing at him! But his rage cooled as he considered the strange Epic behind him. His powers.... they were unlike any Winterspell had ever seen. What could this Eternity even do? Any move Winterspell could make, Eternity could escape, or freeze time. It was too risky, when he didn't even know what Eternity was capable of. He needed to play along, give them what they wanted... and find out how to get revenge later, if possible. If they wouldn't serve him, they were his enemies. "First. Why are you so eager to detain those who have business with your liege?" He glanced to the side, and noticed for the first time that no-one had emerged from the Keep, as they should have done immediately. And the word, it was strangely silent. What was... oh. He noticed the water beneath him, and it was completely motionless. A bird hung in the sky, an immobile speck. The world was frozen in time. Winterspell smiled, fighting down his sudden panic. He needed to get back inside time immediately, lest he be trapped here. "I'd be more than happy to answer your questions, I'll cooperate fully. Please, just un-freeze time and step away and we can discuss this in a civilised manner." Truce shook her head disdainfully. "You are no fun." She sighed. "Eternity, please show Winterspell the full extent of our hospitality. Release him." Eternity inclined his head, in acquiescence, and mentally banished Truce back into the regular flow of time. He kept his knife where it was, leaning a little closer to the ice Epic. "If you wish to survive this with your mind intact, you will listen, and listen well. "In a few moments, I am going to stab you through the heart. It will hurt. Quite possibly more than anything you have ever experienced. After you are done screaming, you will tell Truce everything she wishes to know. "Once she is satisfied, we will help you with your coup." Winterspell stiffened, clearly surprised. "High Epics are rather predictable. If you weren't planning one before--which I doubt--you are now. "Truce will have conditions. I, however, want only one thing in exchange." Without clarifying, Eternity released Winterspell, kicking him in the back and sending him stumbling forwards. He froze in place; an impossible statue just about to fall. Eternity stepped around him, carefully placing the point of his knife just beneath Winterspell's sternum, angled upwards. Time restarted. Winterspell's momentum drove the knife up through his lungs and heart. Blood spurted over Eternity's fingers, turning into water even as it flowed. Time stopped. Winterspell slid to the ground, gasping with pain. The ice knife was buried to the hilt in his chest; the edges of the wound had turned to ice themselves, as if it were some spreading infection. Truce, animate again and none the wiser, grinned widely. "Oops. I forgot that Eternity is not much one for hospitality. Let us try again, shall we?" Winterspell gasped as the knife penetrated his chest. While the injury couldn't kill him, it sure hurt. "Oops. I forgot that Eternity is not much one for hospitality. Let us try again, shall we?" His flesh reformed as he groaned through gritted teeth, expecting the knife to pop out as his body reformed. But it didn't. He glanced down in confusion, pain throbbing through him, and saw that while his wound was icy, it wasn't reforming as it normally would. Either something was wrong with his powers, or his bodily functions didn't work as normal in this out-of-time place. He shivered, and not just from the pain. "Very well, I will answer your questions. My... attempts to detain you were simply a response to how powerful my Epic told me Eternity was. I am planning a coup, and I thought that such a powerful Epic would be a vital part of my efforts, capable of disabling or trapping the very powerful High Epics that rule over me. What are your other questions?" Shunting Winterspell back into the regular flow of time, Eternity turned to Truce. “Thoughts?” “Nothing I didn’t already suspect. Two more questions to get a general sense of his capabilities, perhaps negotiate a deal, and we’ll be on our way.” “Fine.” She waited a moment for Winterspell to animate again, and spoke. “Given that you are already planning a coup, the next two questions are simple. What exactly are you up against? Accord has some information on the Epics that rule here, but it would be good to know which support Lucentia, and which will turn, as well as their exact power. Likewise, what are your capabilities, and how do you plan to overcome the likes of Lucentia and the Metal?” Winterspell scowled. "I have a plan that is coming together. The Metal can be distracted and blinded, and Lucentia is currently out of town. By the time she gets back, this town and all its Epics will have sworn loyalty to me." He gave a brief rundown of the main Epics that governed Astoria and enforced its laws in Lucentia's absence. Over the years, he had gathered detailed information about their powers, capabilities, and personalities. He provided enough information to satisfy them, but withheld the best tidbits- and any speculations he had about their weaknesses- to give himself an edge. "Well," He finished, "does that satisfy your curiosity? Can we help each other? I believe your powers of time manipulation can be very useful for dealing with foes such as the Metal, so he cannot interfere when I capture or kill the other Epics. Shall we form an alliance?" My powers are something of a parlor trick compared to the Metal's, but I suppose a distraction could be possible. Temporarily. Despite his observations, Eternity remained silent. Winterspell didn't need to know what he couldn't do. "Perhaps." Truce sounded pensive, as if she hadn't realized the magnitude of what was arrayed against them before. "We may even be able to help with more elements of the plan than just combat. Now is not the time to hash out the details of an alliance, but if you give us a time, we will return, to draft a formal arrangement. We will agree on exact terms then." Truce looked to Eternity, pins she had brandished as weapons disappearing somehow into the sleeves of her dress. "For us, it is time we were going. We still have others to meet, if we wish to get a complete picture of the events here. I would appreciate it, Winterspell, if when we return to normal time, you are quick to call off your guards and allow us passage. While they will not achieve much, the noise is bothersome." Winterspell smiled. He had secured the fractious, but useful, alliance of at least one powerful Epic in his plans. But more happily, he would be pleased to be returned to normal time, and leave this unsettling and terrifying realm of silence and stillness. "Of course," he replied. "They will be ordered to stand down instantly. I have nothing to gain from irritating valuable new allies, after all." He bowed, "I hope we can come to an accommodation." "Thank you. That is our hope, as well. Eternity?" A thought, and Truce froze, reentering normal time. Eternity took a step closer to Winterspell, looking the man in the eye. "Remember what I said." He stepped back, and the river below began to flow again. Muffled shouts could be heard from the fortress in the distance. Winterspell's wound closed, ice cracking. "Well then, we'd best be off. We'll be back sometime around sunset, if that is agreeable. Our entrance of course will be subtler the next time around." With that, she began walking to the fortress's gate, allowing Eternity to fall in behind. Winterspell winced as his wound healed, pain ebbing away as his body resumed its normal, immortal functions. It felt good to be back in real time. His soldiers were still aiming at the guests, but they waited for his command, completely unaware of what had just occurred. "Men," he called, "Stand down. These Epics are our guests and our allies. And open the gates!" With that, he flew into the air on a tentacle of water and returned to his fortress, while the gates creaked open to allow passage to Eternity and Truce. Lightwrought looked at him strangely as he landed in through the window. "You weren't gone for very long. And you are letting them through, despite their rudeness? Without extracting a toll? What happened?" Winterspell grimaced. "Lets just say that they are powerful Epics indeed, but I did extract a toll. They will help me in my plan of domination. At least while I figure out a way to destroy them...."