(ROLLED 7) Another silver winged specter issues forth. This one from Imogen's wand. The Cultist is ready this time, but only just. The hawk is clever enough to move when the entity does, smashing itself into its shoulder. As the Cultist's left half explodes in black smoke, it releases another blast of purple light (ROLLED 3).
Imogen is fast with her Protego, but the silvery shield cracks like ice under the impact. The shield shatters, falling glitter fading before it hits the ground. Imogen is still standing, but the magical recoil staggers her for a few seconds.
Thankfully, Armani already has his wand raised. (ROLLED 10) The magical ropes do their work, lacing around the strange entity and wrapping tight. It slumps to the ground, captured, but for who knows how long. Its form seems to seep between gaps in the rope, dark gray steam.
The cultist sits motionless, but it's still making that sound. Whispering, chanting, groaning. "The garden looks very nice today. The garden looks very nice today. The garden looks very nice today." Over and over, without pause for breath.
Unprepared for the violent retaliation that had knocked him off his feet and left him aching and struggling to breathe, Aris can do nothing but lie there. His head is spinning and he's only distantly aware of what's happening around him. That strange droning chant, the garden looks very nice today, is the first thing his mind is able to put any meaning to and he groans.
That again?
He turns his head, looking dazedly for his wand as he tries to sit up.
Armani needs to see what's under that mask and he won't be satisfied until he at least tries. Maybe it's just part of the creature's body and isn't made to come off, but that doesn't stop him from trying anyway. He rushes forward to grab the mask and give it a rough and heartless yank.
Edited (sry i got distracted by puppy) 2020-06-07 02:10 (UTC)
Silence falls again, the Cultist's whispers quelled by Imogen's spell.
The mask resists at first, but a second yank peels it away with a slick ripping sound. Beneath, there are flowers. Clusters of purple blooms that glimmer slightly and begin to wilt. As the petals wither, turning black and fall away, beneath they reveal the face of a woman. A human woman, unfamiliar.
She's mouthing something, but she has no voice. Though no sound issues from her lips, the students gathered manage to catch one word: Free.
Light burst from the woman's mouth, her eyes, a flash of brilliant yellow sunlight, and she's gone.
[ENCOUNTER COMPLETE. Tokens will be awarded when you leave the area. You may leave the beach now or continue to search for the linchpin.]
Still dazed and still sitting on the stony beach, Aris just stares in quiet awe as Imogen silences the chanting cultist and Armani yanks off the mask. The moment of admiration for how tough and together his classmates are is brief, though, interrupted by the mask revealing a face smothered beneath purple flowers and the woman then disappearing in a burst of light.
It's all sort of surreal. But knows that it happened.
Finally (and slowly) pulling himself up, he says quietly, "She said... 'free', right? You guys set her free." That has to be a good thing and he smiles a little.
Armani can't look away. He begins to lift his hand to touch the face flowers, just to see what will happen, when the flowers begin to wilt and wither.
He gasps softly and watches. Watches her lips move to form what would have been her final words, if she could only speak them, and watches her dissolve into light.
Maybe they freed her. Maybe that's what she meant, what she wanted from them. He hopes it is. But either way, she's dead. And that's good.
Armani looks down at the mask, turning it in his hands to examine it, before dropping it on the ground. He turns, now, inhaling deeply and taking in the rest of their surroundings with a critical eye. They still haven't found the linchpin.
Armani moves with purpose toward the creature with the red crystal wreath, tiptoeing to steal its crown.
Under Armani's fingers, the red crystal wreath turns brilliant glowing gold. The warm light shines down on the dark face of the being, illuminating six gray orbs that must be eyes, the only visible features set into this strange, inhuman face.
Gathered at the corners of each one, faintly glittering, are tears, frozen in time.
Armani has found the linchpin.
[MEMORY COMPLETE! You have defeated the encounter and found the linchpin. There's nothing left to do but leave through the portal.]
Still dazed and certainly not thinking about the linchpin, Aris' dark eyes follow Armani as he moves quickly across the beach to grab the crown, which comes away glowing brightly in his hand before he drops it down on his own head. It looks a bit like a halo. He shakes his head and chimes in with open awe, "You're...really good at this!"
Then, almost as an afterthought, he moves to grab his journal from the ground; there's no reason to stay here now, so it's better to get moving.
Aristotle, Armani and Imogen completed the memory "A Distant Shore"!
Upon emerging from the memory out into the auditorium, the portal snapped shut behind them.
Completing this memory and defeating the encounter freed the spirits of a Coalseam Creeper Ritualist and an Infinity Cultist! Elsewhere in the auditorium, ramps, a magimagicicada was freed!
Aristotle, Armani and Imogen earned 5 Tokens for completing the memory!
They earned 5 Tokens for completing a difficult memory encounter, plus an additional 2 Tokens bonus each for fighting so well!
They earned 1 Token for finding the linchpin.
You can check your token totals in Pouch's shop here, and maybe see if there's anything worth grabbing while you're there!
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peckenpaugh2020-06-01 11:18 am
MEMORY: A Distant Shore
MEMORY: A Distant Shore
Imogen is fast with her Protego, but the silvery shield cracks like ice under the impact. The shield shatters, falling glitter fading before it hits the ground. Imogen is still standing, but the magical recoil staggers her for a few seconds.
Thankfully, Armani already has his wand raised. (ROLLED 10) The magical ropes do their work, lacing around the strange entity and wrapping tight. It slumps to the ground, captured, but for who knows how long. Its form seems to seep between gaps in the rope, dark gray steam.
The cultist sits motionless, but it's still making that sound. Whispering, chanting, groaning. "The garden looks very nice today. The garden looks very nice today. The garden looks very nice today." Over and over, without pause for breath.
MEMORY: A Distant Shore
That again?
He turns his head, looking dazedly for his wand as he tries to sit up.
MEMORY: A Distant Shore
"Silencio."
MEMORY: A Distant Shore
MEMORY: A Distant Shore
The mask resists at first, but a second yank peels it away with a slick ripping sound. Beneath, there are flowers. Clusters of purple blooms that glimmer slightly and begin to wilt. As the petals wither, turning black and fall away, beneath they reveal the face of a woman. A human woman, unfamiliar.
She's mouthing something, but she has no voice. Though no sound issues from her lips, the students gathered manage to catch one word: Free.
Light burst from the woman's mouth, her eyes, a flash of brilliant yellow sunlight, and she's gone.
[ENCOUNTER COMPLETE. Tokens will be awarded when you leave the area. You may leave the beach now or continue to search for the linchpin.]
MEMORY: A Distant Shore
It's all sort of surreal. But knows that it happened.
Finally (and slowly) pulling himself up, he says quietly, "She said... 'free', right? You guys set her free." That has to be a good thing and he smiles a little.
Re: MEMORY: A Distant Shore
He gasps softly and watches. Watches her lips move to form what would have been her final words, if she could only speak them, and watches her dissolve into light.
Maybe they freed her. Maybe that's what she meant, what she wanted from them. He hopes it is. But either way, she's dead. And that's good.
Armani looks down at the mask, turning it in his hands to examine it, before dropping it on the ground. He turns, now, inhaling deeply and taking in the rest of their surroundings with a critical eye. They still haven't found the linchpin.
Armani moves with purpose toward the creature with the red crystal wreath, tiptoeing to steal its crown.
MEMORY: A Distant Shore
Gathered at the corners of each one, faintly glittering, are tears, frozen in time.
Armani has found the linchpin.
[MEMORY COMPLETE! You have defeated the encounter and found the linchpin. There's nothing left to do but leave through the portal.]
MEMORY: A Distant Shore
"He dies tonight," he tells it sweetly. A threat and a promise.
MEMORY: A Distant Shore
Then, almost as an afterthought, he moves to grab his journal from the ground; there's no reason to stay here now, so it's better to get moving.
MEMORY: A Distant Shore - TOKENS!
Upon emerging from the memory out into the auditorium, the portal snapped shut behind them.
Completing this memory and defeating the encounter freed the spirits of a Coalseam Creeper Ritualist and an Infinity Cultist! Elsewhere in the auditorium, ramps, a magimagicicada was freed!
You can check your token totals in Pouch's shop here, and maybe see if there's anything worth grabbing while you're there!