Mongolchina is getting weirder and weirder. I'd like Getafix along just for the backup but I don't want the group to get too big. The druid would probably be counted among the Romans and I want this to be an envoy of equality.
I'll write back to Getafix. "Many thanks, my friend. You have answered my question concerning the powers of the gods of nature. Though I would very much enjoy your company on my upcoming mission (I have many questions about the nature of life and unlife) I fear I must take my little fellowship as it is. Best of luck and I will contact you if and when I return."
Ok, I guess its time to plan the trip to Azmayincania. The first thing I'll want to do when I get there is consult the local gods in a similar manner as I did when I got to Rome. I ask the Azmayincan for a rough break-down of his gods and where the best place would be to go to find a good number of their temples, perferrably close to the Roman border.
The Azmayincan asks in response where you hope to land and how you are crossing the great waters. There are temples and shrines throughout all of Azmayinca, but the great temples are in the great cities, which appear to be in central Mexico, the Brazilian jungles, the Andes mountains, and the American Southwest. There are lesser temples in lesser cities, but most of the empire is undeveloped, with its citizens largely itinerant hunter/gatherers.
--M. J. Young
I'm not too picky. Somewhere I can get a good sampling of gods. It might be easiest to talk to them in a smaller town where there might be less defenses but we'll have to go to a major town afterwards to speak to the people in charge. But I suspect, like in Rome, transportation will be provided by the military once we make ourselves known.
The nearest word in Azmayincan for "military" seems to mean "priests".
There are many places you can land, but the Azmayincan cannot cast a teleport from Roman soil. The Mongolchin suggests braving the waters with a boat, but the Azmayincan does not know what that magic is. The Mongolchin says you could fly there, but that you can't launch from Roman soil the way he would. The Roman suggests that a plane could get you close, but some magic at the Azmayincan end causes such systems to become unreliable, and landing would be very difficult.
--M. J. Young
My plan is to use Roman teleportation technology to get us to the roman border, then we can figure out a way from there once we cross the border.
I ask the Azmayincan if merely the act of crossing the border would set off alarms, and how the border would likely be defended.
Rome holds all of Europe and Africa, including Iceland, and part of the Middle East (enough to take a land route to Africa). Azmayinca holds Greenland and what you would call the Americas. Azmayinca and Mongolchin divide the Pacific islands between them, somewhat unevenly; Mongolchin owns Australia.
Azmayinca holds no land boundaries with either of the other empires; it is entirely isolated by water.
--M. J. Young
Ahhh, that's why they were asking how we would get there.
So, I suppose my plan is this: We will get a ride to a convenient point in the ocean from the Roman military that is close to Azmayincan territory but not so close that it will prompt an Azmayincan counter-force. We will journey the rest of the way in our own sailboat (kindly provided by the Emperor). I request coastline charts and celestial navigation tables from my servant.
In order for this to work, we probably need to be invisible to the Azmayincan magical radar. I will prepare a new ritual to make us undetectable by magic.
The material components will be mirrors attached to the vehicle (up to a maximum of 40' long) or person to be made undetectable. The mirror will 'deflect' detection magic away from the direction that the mirror is pointing. Thus, a mirror mounted at the front will make the vehicle undetectable from the front. Only a maximum of 6 mirrors would be required (front, back, left, right, top, bottom). The mirror must be at least 1/12 the size of the side of the vehicle or person being protected. The frame of the mirror will be specially prepared with symbols of the moon, sun, planets and stars, which will take 1 hour per mirror. Once fixed to the vehicle or person, they need to be activated with a 10 minute ritual of cleaning the glass (requiring at least a rag and water) and saying, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all. Now you see me, now you don't!" The spell then lasts 1 day.
Does the Azmayincan have a magical detection spell that he could use to test my spell?
Coastal information for the Azmayincas amounts to broad spectrum satellite photography. Primary currents are sketched by detected infrared giving estimated water temperature, the movement calculated based on assumptions of depth and the depth by assumptions about movement. The Romans have never been able to do a coastal survey, nor even a reliable conventional overflight in Azmayincan airspace. A lot of the information is partly speculative. But you get what they have.
You also get the promise of the sailboat. Your assistant (is it Andronicus? My mind has lost it) asks whether you want full computer automation on the sail controls, which I presume you decline.
If I am reading your spell aright, and assuming you are not going to attach a mirror to the bottom of the ship, it will take you five hours to prepare five mirrors, and then fifty minutes to attach and activate them, to fully surround the ship, and the durations will begin to expire ten minutes apart, twenty-four hours after the first activation is completed. You say it will protect the ship against "magical detection" which you analogize to "radar". Does it make the ship invisible (to protect against enhanced telescopic vision skills)? Does it blind clairvoyant-type spells without making the ship invisible? Does it disguise the ship as something else (a friendly, or a whale)? I'm looking for what sort of protection this is, ultimately.
--M. J. Young
I do indeed refuse computer controls.
I imagine the mirrors to be deflecting magic around the boat much like how a stage magician would hide something. However, the boat would not be invisible to normal eyesight. How that works with magically-enhanced telescopic vision I'm not sure. Magical clairvoyance I would expect to hide from unless the viewer happened to be inside the ring of mirrors.
I do apologize; I'm having trouble wrapping my head around this one, and it's probably largely because of the rather distracted personal life situation I have at the moment and not at all because of any failure on your part. Please bear with me.
One thing that is bothering me, I think: if you are placing six mirrors, does that mean you are casting the spell six times, once for each mirror, and using the fact that you can do the set up and the conclusion (as with your bones) as separate spells each cast individually?
Also, does it specifically not affect psionic detections, or are they specifically included assuming they are similar?
--M. J. Young
Each mirror installation, with it's later activation is a separate spell. So, it would be possible for a failure on one of the spells to leave an opening in the cloak.
The spell is specifically for magic. I'm banking on the Azmayincans using their more powerful magic to protect their borders, if indeed they can possibly protect every inch of them. What I'm really hoping is that a small boat would not be noticed anyway. And if someone is watching, they will continue to watch the Roman fleet as it moves on by instead.
You get a mirror and teach yourself the spell using the mirror.
What are you going to attempt to hide with it?
Your Azmayincan says he has a detect enemies life skill that might be useful for this purpose, if you stand behind it.
--M. J. Young
First, we'd best test his spell. I'm not completely happy that he might consider me an enemy still. I'll have him try the spell with me just standing there just to see how his loyalties lie. If it doesn't work, I'll take up a knife to threaten him as an enemy and try it that way. Then, to test my cloaking spell, I'll tie it onto a loop around my neck and let it hang on my chest, using the threatening knife if necessary.
Sorry--it seems that when I was typing the system dropped a few words (it hangs every once in a while, and I don't always catch it). I was listing two distinct skills, one to detect enemies and one to detect life. The latter might not be what you're trying to shield, but he does not think that he would detect you on a detect enemies skill (although he might be able to detect the guards).
Also, pretending to be his enemy would not make you his enemy, and the detection would not work in that circumstance unless you used a power to deceive the detection into seeing you as an enemy.
--M. J. Young
Ok, let's test my spell with his detect life spell.
He casts the detect life. "Well, it's a bit blurry," he says, "as if there were something in the way, but I can detect you through it. I'd say the spell just wasn't strong enough to block mine."
--M. J. Young
I guess I'm going to need some more practice on this. I'm going to rig up mirrors on a car and attempt this spell:
1@1 TV Remote Viewing 7@2 Temporary Scrying Aids. SM+13 Point tv remote at tv and change channel (hand not specified) while saying "Show me what ___ is doing right now." 0:06 TF 0:60 duration; television/crt and remote material components, not required to operate.
I've never used this spell to detect objects before (new use?) and I've never used the non-detection spell on a car before. If my spell doesn't work, I'll get inside the car and have the Azmayincan use his detect life spell.
The skill you've identified is specific to people. If you want someone to get into the car, that would work, or you can use it as the basis for designing another skill which scries specific objects or (if we stretch the concept) places.
--M. J. Young
I'll just have someone get in the car.
You recast the protection and place it on the car. The Azmayincan sits in the car, and you attempt to pull his image into your television screen. You get nothing.
You can try again, if you like.
--M. J. Young
I'll try up to 5 more times.
The fourth attempt (including the one from the previous post) gets past the protection and finds the person in the vehicle.
The Azmayincan points out that these things are rarely perfect, that it becomes a contest between the abilities of the two people, like a game of hide and seek. If you're doing both the hiding and the seeking, then you're competing against yourself, and sometimes you'll win hiding and sometimes you'll win seeking.
--M. J. Young
I'm going to try the cloaking and detection spells again, this time with the car moving. I'll try to detection spell 5 times.
Who is operating the vehicle? Remember, your three companions here are prisoners, confined to the building.
--M. J. Young
I'll summon Andronicus to drive. Failing that, I'll ask one of the guards to do so.
I'm assuming that you are re-using the mirrors and recasting the protection skill on another day, this time to protect a moving vehicle.
Note that I have increased the SALs of both the protection and the scrying skills for new uses.
You find the moving vehicle on your second and fourth of five attempts.
--M. J. Young
It's becoming fairly apparent I need a lot more practice with this cloaking spell if we hope to pass notice. I put in a requisition for as many mirrors as we can get and we start preparing them to mount on anything and anyone we can get a hold of.
I'm trying to think of new uses. Do different vehicles count? I'll try mounting mirrors on some kind of flying vehicle, then put two people inside and try to detect them both at once. (Show me Andronicus and Tiberius. Maybe I'll get picture-in-picture.) Maybe cloaking against other detections would count. We'll put mirrors on a roman guard and get the Azmayincan to detect him with the detect enemy spell.
You get the mirrors, and temporary use of a small hovercraft (you explained that you need to experiment with it and are not planning to travel anywhere).
Against the hovercraft, you succeed in penetrating the protection twice in five tries, the third and fourth.
You put two people in the hovercraft and penetrate two in five tries, this time the second and fourth. Oh, you're scrying is getting better.
You cast the protection again, this time for a guard; but the Azmayincan says it's either very weak nor not working, because he can get the detect almost every time.
--M. J. Young
I'll try cloaking the guard again for the Azmayincan to detect enemy.
Next, I will try a vehicle that floats on water. For the experiment I think I'll just use a model. If we have a swimming pool, or a fountain on the prison grounds, that will do. A bathtub will do in a pinch. Then I'll get something that floats that is big enough that the tiny mirrors are big enough for us to prepare them properly. I'll try detecting that with my detect discontinuities spell. Something floating on the surface of the water would affect the continuity of the water's surface.
I'll also ask the Roman prisoner and the Roman guards if they have any magical detection spells. It seems quite probable that the guards might have something. If so, we will use those spells against the cloaking spell as well.
"Sorry," the Azmayincan says. "I found him five out of five times. I think it did not work on him again.
You get dispensation to use the Roman Bathhouse half a mile from the prison; you and Andronicus may use it, but your prisoner companions may not. Unless you've got something else you can think of, you'll be using a fallen branch from the woods for your boat.
The guards know no magic; however, your Roman prisoner friend apparently has kept secret that he has picked up quite a few arcane tricks over the years, including some hiding and some seeking spells. He is a bit reticent to discuss these, but you've managed to trip him up a bit and he knows you know he knows.
--M. J. Young
The game from what I've read seems cool. So, I was hoping I could find this game with a pdf file as such(something to read and understand mechanics of gaming.)Thanks in advance!
Luke, I'd be glad to answer questions about Multiverser, but please start a separate thread for that rather than derail Graeme's game thread.
Thanks.
--M. J. Young
I'll attempt to cloak the Roman guard again.
A branch will do, I guess, but maybe a salad bowl will be more aesthetic for our official research.
If the roman is unwilling to cast the spells, I'll try to get him to teach them to me.
You fail to cloak the guard; it's pretty obvious to you this time that nothing happened.
You certainly can scrounge up a salad bowl for your boat.
The Roman is unwilling to let anyone know that he knows any spells, and the fact that you picked up that he did is something that upsets him and he's trying to ignore. If you want him to cast them or to teach them to you, you're going to have to persuade him. What line of persuasion are you thinking might work?
--M. J. Young
That guard is starting to drive me crazy. I ask him to relax - maybe he's willfully trying to counter the spell. I try the spell again.
I remind the Roman that soon we are all going to travelling into enemy territory together. Azmayinca won't be a picnic and we're all going to need to trust one another. If he doesn't trust us regarding the trivial matter of the spells he's gathered for himself, I might just have to send him back to his old cell. A quiet life, sure, but never freedom.
I continue my plans with cloaking the "sea-going" vessel and detecting it with my pendulum.
Again the guard is not shielded; he apologizes that he does not know why it is not working on him.
You have the definite sense that when you attempt to detect the ship the first time you were blocked--your detection found something else, a different anomaly in the water that was much smaller than the ship. Then you found the ship four times in a row.
The Roman: "I'm not entirely persuaded that this trip is a good idea as it is." He continues in a very low and anxious voice. "Look at it from my perspective. The guards don't know that I know any magic; the authorities don't know. I've been using my magic, quietly, for my own comfort and convenience. If they found out, they'd probably find ways to take it from me, or block it. I really can't let them in on my secret. I'm sure you can understand--the real strength here isn't what I can do, but that they don't know that I can do it."
--M. J. Young
Man, this guard is un-cloakable. I suggest maybe it will help if he's soaking wet. (Just for a laugh of seeing him jump in the fountain in his uniform.) I keep at it.
Do I get a new use on my spell for the water-going vessel, and another for detecting it with the pendulum? The only other kind of vessel I can think of right now is one that tunnels. I'll try setting up another model with cloaking mirrors and bury it for detection with the pendulum.
To the Roman: "Hey look, I thought you were sold on this idea of world peace. You said you were a pacifist and I took that to mean you were an activist, not a slacker. Do you really think the powers that be are going to just give up their war? Something has to proactively change the status quo. I've got the Emperor's blessing to give it a try. Don't you want to be a part of that?"
"But anyway, about the magic. I'm an expert at misdirection. I'll pretend I'm trying to detect the thing with my pendulum and I'll be showy about it. No one will notice you casting a spell unless you have to dance around naked or something. If we're going to get into Azmayinca undetected, we have to put this spell through it's paces."
Do I get a new use on my spell for the water-going vessel, and another for detecting it with the pendulum?
No, but I will give you a new use on the detect skill for detecting the cloaked water-going vessel, which makes the SAL of that 1@5.
You cloak the guard. The Azmayincan's first detect fails, and he comments that it seems to have worked. He then succeeds twice.
Then suddenly there is a surge of power as he attempts the detect again. A look of panic crosses his face, and suddenly you are caught in a blast that rips your body to shreds.
Is this the second or the third time you've been versed out by someone else's mag botch?
It is possible that one or more of your three prisoner companions might go with you--after all, they had already agreed to go with you into the significant danger of enemy territory. I can roll for that, but if you do not want them to come with you they will not come. Thus it is your choice.
I'll start the new thread after this is decided.
--M. J. Young
Oh man! I've been dead for a week! I hate going out like that - in the middle of getting ready for the adventure.
I guess that's twice on someone else's Mag botch. The other being the mummy. I was also versed out by Tad's Psi botch.
I don't think I want these companions. I was ready to send the Roman back to the prison if he balked at me again. The Azmayincan would have been a possibility if he hadn't blown me to bits. The Mongolchin just creeped me out from the beginning. And my slave was too much of a slave.
I felt more connection to Getafix or His Swiftness.
Ah well, Verse on!
We'll pick up the story in Graeme's Tangled Jungle.
--M. J. Young