Bridge over Troubled Waters cont'd.

[West]

Starting a New Scene for Location Change...

After long hours of Rituals to enhance their Arcane Sights, Animus, Jack, and Jordan have returned to the Tower Bridge to continue their inspection...

Jack concentrates on the Bridge, trying to discern the makeup of the spells woven on it. Strong, powerful threads of Space, Matter, Fate, Prime, and Time are knitted together like a cable sweater. He's never seen a spell this powerful, and it's strength seems depthless to his eyes. There's something else, too... bright, powerful points in the spell, like knots joining threads.

The Herald Master looks at the unliving stone and steel with his own perspective, finding the same threads -- but not caring what they're made of. He feels a light vertigo, similar to what one would feel at the edge of a precipice, or at the apex of a great height. The feeling of warm sunshine warms the top of his head, even as shadows loom around him. He's filled with the sensation of divides needing to be spanned, and of joinings. There's something else, too... bright, powerful points in the spell, like knots joining threads.

Jordan aks the Sybil to show him what Lachesis is up to, and even as he forms the Imago, the dark man and young girl turn to stare at him.

[Kailaria]

Where are the "knots" to the spell(s)? Do they all touch the bridge's structure at some point directly, or are there some that seem to float in the air? Do they seem reachable on foot, or do they seem likely to need some other means to reach them, either mundane (via cherry-picker or special permission to access maintenance areas) or magical?

[Sherrinford]

Jordan had completed his "stretches" and did a knee bend or two to "loosen up." He doesn't stare at the couple but clears his throat so the other two can hear.

OOC

Do I spot active spells on that nice couple? Come in, Lachesis.

[West]

Answers

The knots are located on the bridge structure itself, at various points... most in hard-to-reach places up high, or down low.

Jordan does not see any Active Spells, and his Sybil's Sight doesn't seem to pay them any attention at all.

[Animus]

Using a bridge to span gaps. Animus might have laughed, if the rest of the imagery didn't point down darker roads. He remembered the obelisks all too well. What if this was something similar? What if what it was reaching toward was, in fact, the Abyss?

He delves into one of the knots, wondering if the higher concentration there might provide a clearer image.

studying the knot

quality of resonance

2010-01-14 19:25:31	[03] Animus rolls 6 to Int 3 + Occ 3 (10 Again)	5, 2, 5, 6, 8, 1	1 success
2010-01-14 19:25:31	[02] Animus rolls 6 to Int 3 + Occ 3 (10 Again)	6, 3, 8, 4, 9, 3	2 successes
2010-01-14 19:25:31	[01] Animus rolls 6 to Int 3 + Occ 3 (10 Again)	9, 1, 10, 6, 1, 5, 4	2 successes

[West]

The knot appears to be... a knot.

But...

...for some reason, it makes Animus think of cardigans and Starbucks.

[Animus]

Cardigans, Starbucks ... probably just picked up off the regular traffic through here. It's not like I lost anything looking, though. Idly, he wonders if he isn't reading too much into his previous impressions, as well. On the other hand, if he did interpret it correctly ... I can't go around doubting myself.

He walks back to Jack and Jordan, pitching his voice low. "I think the caster has a sense of humor. The impression I'm getting is that the spell itself is an attempt to bridge a divide." He sighs. "My fear is that it's the Abyss they're trying to reach."

[Jack Falley]

Jack thinks a bit about this information on top of the stuff he gleaned from his scrutiny. "I guess that could explain why half of the known Arcana were used in the spelling of this place... I'm wondering if those knots aren't runes similar to how we extended our Sights, but they're so far away... You'd probably have to have Space to place them where they are, or Matter to move them there, which could also explain why those are two of the five..."

Jack pulls out a notepad and pen and makes note of everything he's deduced so far as he continues his vocal thinking. "Even if we just 'untied the knots', I'm pretty sure the person who placed this here would just be able to come back and retie them. Those knots probably hold all of the spells together, though, so a Dispel at one of those points would likely break the entire thing... But, with so many Arcana used, I'm wondering if you need all of them to dispel it, or just the ones holding them together..."

Jack also writes down a few other things besides notes on what he just said, if Animus or Jordan are watching what he writes. Pot. 4-10, Space, Prime, Matter, Time, Fate, knots?, bridge to Abyss?

[Sherrinford]

Animus' assertion that the bridge was literally to the Abyss brought concern to Jordan's eyes. With surreptitious glances at the man and woman, he said to his companions:
"I don't like the sound of that at all. Who knows what kind of arcane contamination could come over? Any number of Awakened spells could be tainted.This needs to be controlled or eliminated."

[Animus]

"Are you sure all of them aren't involved in holding it together? I don't think a frontal assault is likely to work here. I think the lines are the key here. The motes seem to be feeding off them, probably to power the spell. And whoever cast it felt the need to hide everything -- including the lines themselves. I think if we can somehow disrupt the motes, cut off some of the power, it will disrupt the spell on the bridge. How much of the lines have you studied? Do you have an idea of how extensively the motes run?"