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15:56, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Chapter 9: A Touch of Evil.

Posted by RaddekFor group 0
Judoc the Merciful
player, 210 posts
Sun 3 Dec 2017
at 06:24
  • msg #123

A Touch of Evil

The meeting had gone even better than Judoc could have hoped.  Not only had he gotten off scot-free, he had also secured official permission to continue his investigations.  He stands in the outer chamber for half a moment, collecting his thoughts, and then goes to find a place to rest and regain the energy he had expended on his Flight spell.

What avenues remain open to him?  The deacon had declined to reveal who R. might be.  Judoc could conceivably wait each Sunday to see if he could find out who R. might be.  Perhaps Malcombe would know.  If Samuel won't tell them, then perhaps the boy might.

OOC:  Judoc will return to his room to rest and reflect on the case and think about anything he might have overlooked.  Then, the next chance he gets, he'll return to talk to Malcombe and see if the boy knows who R. might be.
Raddek
GM, 467 posts
Mon 4 Dec 2017
at 06:35
  • msg #124

A Touch of Evil

Exhausted from his brief excursion of the day, Judoc decides to recover his energy back in his dormitory and once there he is reminded of his mounting studies clamoring for his attention.  He was still a student in this school after all and passing his classes came before investigations.  He would have the entire next day tomorrow to devote to searching the city as he already knew that he would be attending church with the blessing of the bishop.

Judoc spends the hours of the afternoon devoured in his books, attends the school dinner, and retires early, hoping to get to the Cathedral early, perhaps to try a new round of peppering Samuel with questions... if he could only think of them.

But for the second time in as many nights, Judoc finds his sleep broken.

A nudge at his chest is repeated with additional vigor, Judoc coughs and stirs, his vision fogged for a moment but even as it clears the scene in front of him seems surreal.  It is Alevius Cleppo, crouched down with his face pressed near to Judoc.  "I have to show you something."  Alevius says simply, turning his head as he starts walking, his body crouched low, back out the dormitory door.

OOC:  It is 0200 on the 21st of December.  Make two rolls for me, one labeled HT and one labeled ???.  If you fail the HT roll you are at -1 DX and IQ for as many minutes as you fail the roll by due to grogginess (you do not suffer any fatigue penalties).
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:00, Mon 04 Dec 2017.
Judoc the Merciful
player, 213 posts
Mon 4 Dec 2017
at 07:15
  • msg #125

A Touch of Evil

After spending the remainder of the day studying up on new spells and considering new combinations of spells, Judoc collapses in bed, worn out from the day's confrontations and studying.  He sleeps dreamlessly, blessedly free from exploding priests, until he is rudely awakened a couple of hours after midnight.

Groggy, he blinks stupidly around him as he wakes from his stupor.  "Wha-?  Who?" he manages, trying to focus on the face in front of him.  Alevius?  What the fuck?  "Get outta my face," he hisses softly, and as Alevius moves away, Judoc sits up sleepily.   He wants nothing more than to turn over and go back to sleep, but curiosity compels him to ease out of his sheets, rub his eyes, and climb out of bed to follow Alevius, although not before making sure the spell stone is safely tucked in a pocket.  "If this is a prank, I'm gonna kill you," he says quietly, adopting the same hunched over posture as he shadows the other student.

OOC:  No gear except for the spell stone.
Raddek
GM, 471 posts
Wed 6 Dec 2017
at 00:25
  • msg #126

A Touch of Evil

Grumpy and lethargic, Judoc pulls himself out of bed and throws his shirt from the previous day over his head with the spell stone still bouncing happily in its pocket.  Reluctantly, he begins to follow Alevius though from the first he suspects that the young man may have less than pure intentions as the two are not friends.

Judoc walks swiftly to catch up, the now familiar dim blue light that radiates eerily through the corridor lighting the way down the hallway like St. Elmo's Fire.  Judoc reaches the end of the hallway now just behind Alevius who holds the heavy door into the front entrance open and he bemoans to himself that Alevius could not have waited until morning.  Not only would Judoc have had a full night's sleep but Judoc would not have to deal with this cursed half-light which almost glowed over Alevius's pale skin accentuating dark circles under his eyes and making the boy appear much gaunter than Judoc knew him to be.  Whatever his appearance in the light, Judoc could see the quick alertness of his eyes and the sharp and deliberate movements of his limbs.

"Quiet now."  Alevius whispers as he pushes out into the main entryway.

While Judoc throat tightens at first, thinking perhaps that the other is taking him on some expedition back to the provost's office, he breathes a sigh of relief as Alevius instead turns, taking a servant's hallway around towards more secluded portions of the castle.

The two make their way down a servants stairwell and Alevius glances about before pushing out into the corridors under the castle.  Judoc feels his skin wrinkle into goose pimples as his breath wafts out from his face in a momentary puff of reflected blue.

While the majority of the workings upstairs, both on the ground floor as well as the upper floor and the towers dealt with the students: providing them berthing, a place to eat, classrooms to train, and libraries and briefing rooms to study the lower floor of the castle was dedicated to the servants who made everything upstairs possible.  Though magic dominated above, the ability for it to happen at all came from a platoon of servants dedicated to cleaning, cooking, washing and repairing everything for the spaces above.  These invisible ghosts would wander through classes and dormitories unknown to the students as they were engaged elsewhere only to return later to find their beds made, their classrooms cleaned, their food prepared.  It was easy to forget these people were here at all and likely Judoc might not know at all if he hadn't... been here before.

Alevius stops before a solid doorway with iron keylock.  One that Judoc had adventured into only months ago.  Just beyond was a stone stairwell leading further down and on into a storage room where all sorts of foodstuffs and barreled drink resided.  All sorts to include a secret passage that lead to the underground.

Alevius is only stopped for a moment, glancing in both directions before he produces a thick iron key from his pocket.

OOC:  Consider yourself free from the affects of the grogginess.  Not sure if you would have said/done anything up to this point but I figured moving on was the more important point for the moment as being caught out of bed in or out of the servant's area would probably have led to similar punishments.
Judoc the Merciful
player, 215 posts
Wed 6 Dec 2017
at 03:47
  • msg #127

A Touch of Evil

Following quietly behind the other student, Judoc can't help but wonder where Alevius was taking him.  His mind still fogged by sleep, Judoc stifles a yawn as pads along the deserted halls.  He at first suspects that the other young mage may be leading him back to the Provost's office, and after two brushes with Graves in as many days, Judoc is not keen on further trying the provost's patience even though the two have an understanding.

As he descends further within the castle, Judoc can't help but notice Alevius' fatigue-worn face.  Alevius has been doing this for some time, Judoc realizes.  What has he been up to during the wee hours of the night, and why had he decided to take Judoc into his confidences now?  Some secret, that's for sure.  Otherwise, why all this cloak and dagger business?  And for whatever reason, Alevius had decided to bring Judoc into this, likely against Cleppo's wishes.    Somehow, Judoc takes a smug satisfaction in this midnight sojourn.  Likely Alevius and whoever his cronies (probably Andros) are need of Judoc's help.

Odd that they're retracing the steps he and Eliot took back when they banished the demon.  And funny that Judoc is investigating possibly another demon.  Weird coincidence.  And Alevius has the sky, whereas Eliot needed a spell to enter.  How had Alevius secured the key to this door?  "Cleppo, you better have a hell of a good reason to drag me down here at this ungodly hour," he grumbles quietly.  And if this is some kind of hazing prank, Alevius is going to need some healing before this is over.

OOC:  Follow quietly.
Raddek
GM, 474 posts
Tue 12 Dec 2017
at 04:23
  • msg #128

A Touch of Evil

Judoc rankles his brain for the meaning of this midnight excursion, the unlikely reality that Alevius would have the key to this door, and any deeper meaning behind Cleppo's fatigue.  It seemed one thing was certain, this was not the first night that Cleppo had been wandering the castle.

Almost exactly as he had remembered from the last time (though this time he didn't have to hide), Judoc descends the staircase into the low-ceilinged storage room, following the outside wall by the light of one of the blue stones pilfered from a wall sconce.  This time from a closer view he watches as Alevius pushes on a hidden lever, opening up the false wall that slides back and away with a mere push.

The two make their way down the short tunnel, to where the edge of the castle walls end, and the tunnel opens up into the cave.  Again, Judoc is struck by the stench of shit and piss that must collect or funnel through these caves from the castle above.

As Judoc presses his sleeve against his face, Alevius ushers them off the path.  "It's just ahead here."  Though the youth is no longer whispering, his voice still falls softly and no returns echo back from the cave walls.  The two make their way off the path, headed on a slow descent into the earth.  Again, slowly the noxious smell dies away, though this time it is replaced with the stench of decaying flesh, and the floor of the cavern gradually becomes slick with a thin film of moisture.

Up ahead, Judoc can barely make out the eroded carcass of the imp eaten away at places, its thick skin clinging to its form tightly as if its insides had been removed by spell-work with nothing replacing them.  However, Alevius pays the decaying mass no mind and instead makes his way over towards the small ledge.  Placing a hand on the edge, Alevius lowers himself down perhaps only three or four feet before he hits bottom.

Judoc crouches down to look ahead before he takes the leap below and he sees the blue light reflecting off a brownish-black sand on the ground below that seems to be wet and hard-packed.  Judoc glances ahead and just sees the flicker of a soft light off in the distance.

"Come."  Alevius urges as he continues his trek forward.
Judoc the Merciful
player, 218 posts
Thu 14 Dec 2017
at 05:18
  • msg #129

A Touch of Evil

God, the stench of this place!  Judoc covers his nose in an effort to stave off most of the noxious smells down in the cave, but doing so fails to completely mask the odors.  When Alevius turns off the path, Judoc follows, suspicious of the other student but highly curious as to where all of this is going.

He notes with remembrance the corpse of the imp.  Odd how corporeal a supposed demon can be.  They reach the ledge that he and Elliot had stood over.  Then, Judoc had wanted to explore further.  He realizes now that further secrets are buried down here in the caves' depths, and he can't wait to see where they are going.

Scrabbling down, he looks around with interest and then follows Alevius further into the subterranean passage.
Raddek
GM, 480 posts
Thu 14 Dec 2017
at 05:55
  • msg #130

A Touch of Evil

His eyes engorged like bloated ticks, Judoc follows on, letting Alevius lead the way as his curiosity sends his his gaze spasming in all directions while his sandals crunch softly in the hard-packed sand.  The soft light ahead melds with the bluish glow cast from the pair of students, making things difficult to see in any real detail.

Still Judoc walks on, a soft buzzing growing about his person like the hum of a thousand bees vibrating his very core.  Judoc can taste the magic here, a bittersweet tang on his palate like the extracts from vanilla.

Ahead of him, Alevius stops, his breath projected in front of him in a reflected blue mist.

"It's just ahead."  Alevius whispers, his footsteps stopping though he beckons Judoc onward.

The words reel Judoc back to the present, his attention refocused on himself and the scene ahead.  He can now make out the soft outline of a dark silhouette some twenty yards ahead.  Behind lies soft shapes of grey and reflected ripples of purple light.  Though Judoc's curiosity draws him onward his mind explodes with unanswered, furious questions.
Judoc the Merciful
player, 219 posts
Thu 14 Dec 2017
at 09:35
  • msg #131

A Touch of Evil

What is happening here?  Why hadn't Judoc and Elliot found this place?  How had Cleppo?  What on Yrth is creating that light ahead?  Who else knows of this place? All these questions and more flit through Judoc's mind as he attempts to make sense of what he is seeing.  There is strong magic here, and he savors it. Could this be why the Templars founded their college here on the site of all this raw mana?  From his studies, Judoc knows that some areas of Yrth have much higher mana than normal, and others have  low mana, like Caithness.

Looking ahead, he tries to see more clearly what is in front of the light.  He continues ahead, almost hypnotized by the play of color.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:06, Thu 14 Dec 2017.
Raddek
GM, 483 posts
Sun 17 Dec 2017
at 05:06
  • msg #132

A Touch of Evil

I am afraid that our eyes are bigger than our stomachs, and that we have more curiosity than understanding. We grasp at everything, but catch nothing except wind.
- Michel de Montaigne, The Complete Essays


Since he was a child, Judoc had sought out truth in the unknown.  Perhaps it was since Judoc had always been overlooked, his elder brother always praised for his strength and vigor.  Perhaps that had made Judoc value knowledge and wit rather than meager strength and martial skill.  It was often a slavering Judoc who would sit at the library, researching a fact or figure to show up his father or brother.  Judoc clung to gossip, thinking it would make him more knowledgeable and powerful.  Judoc often saw the answer as more important than the understanding... perhaps it was to his deficit.  Perhaps such was the case right now.

Judoc stepped forward boldly, his eyes focusing through the darkness on the shadow figure ahead of him.  His thirst was insatiable.  He had to know who that was and what was going on.  It is for several moments that Judoc is without pause but all at once a chain of events throw his eyes swirling about the room.

At first Judoc hears rather than sees the body of Alevius collapsing to the sand behind him as if the boy had been held from marionette strings that were suddenly cut.  His head twitching back to look, Judoc sees Alevius sprawled out in the darkened sands behind him even as a bright purple light flares the room into a near-daytime luster.  His eyes darting back out in front of him, Judoc sees the cloaked figure in front of him stir.  Beyond the figure, Judoc sees the squared edges of a wide grey altar, with two purple candles blazing with an intense fury.  Beyond that scene, Judoc can now make out soft waves of a blackened underground lake lapping at the darkened sands below him.

"Ahh..."  The voice sends involuntary chills through Judoc's spine, though he has spent most of a year and a half training himself not to fear it.  "Here he is Alevius...  Here is our devil crazed boy."  The head beneath the black robe turns, one foot shifting in the sands to accommodate the new positioning.  Judoc would swear the underground air seem to take on an entirely newfound chill though there was no breeze nor other change to explain the discomfort apart from the light that was refracting through the still white beard that turned ever closer toward Judoc.  "Our murder seeker."  The words seemed to have new meaning now that they were spoken not by Bishop Abrams but by Brother Loke.

"Uggghhh."  Alevius gasps softly from the sands behind him.

OOC:  Brother Loke is about 10 yards ahead of you.  Alevius Cleppo is now about 10 yards behind you and has collapsed to the sands.  Give me a normal 60 seconds of action unless you want to start combat.
Judoc the Merciful
player, 222 posts
Sun 17 Dec 2017
at 07:49
  • msg #133

A Touch of Evil

So much is happening down here in these subterranean depths.  The stillness echoes in Judoc's ears, and the wet sand crunches under his feet.  Cleppo slips to the ground behind him, and vaguely Judoc remembers Baron Reisalter's description of a demon surrendering a possession.  Either that, or someone else had been in control of Alevius. The sudden light reveals a gray altar, purple candles, a cloaked figure.  A black mass?  A demon summoning?  Judoc's hand goes to his pocket, and he grasps the spell stone.  Too bad he had left his staff behind back in his room.  This could be it, the final showdown between the demon and the mage.  Raisalter had said not to engage the demon if Judoc came face to face with one, but how hard could it be to banish another demon?  He and Elliot had easily defeated the last one.  (Why had its insides been scooped out?  Was that its natural biology, or had someone recovered the thing's internal organs?)

And then, the voice of the person Judoc hates more than anyone else, more than Marcus, more than his father.  His tormentor, Loke, the man who had made Judoc feel like he was drowning like a fish on land.  Of course.  Judoc had suspected Loke when he had first saw how Father Thomas had died.  Had it been Loke?  An invisibility spell would have been all that Loke had needed to get away scot free.  Judoc has trained for this, studied the spells of destruction in order to wreak havoc on a battlefield.  He could deal with Loke despite the other man's greater learning.  Water beats fire, a small voice says in the back of his mind.

"Brother Loke," Judoc says, his voice hard.  "You killed the priest, didn't you?  Where's Agares?"

OOC:  Keep my distance.
Raddek
GM, 486 posts
Tue 19 Dec 2017
at 04:57
  • msg #134

A Touch of Evil

Brother Loke steps forward from the altar, his mouth twitching at Judoc's words as the shadows soften across his features.  "Oh no, I'm afraid it was Alevius who killed the priest.  Loke says with mock concern.

"No!"  Alevius moans behind Judoc, reminding him that the other is still collapsed on the floor behind him.  Judoc shifts his direction slightly and backsteps farther, trying to keep his distance from the Templar ahead.

"Yes, it most certainly was."  Loke continues, and as he creeps closer to the light of the enchanted stone.  The old man seems fatigued himself, though his self satisfaction is spewed out all across his face.  "I'll admit I helped you along, cast a spell of my own making, though it was undoubtedly your lips that cast the spell..."  The old man pauses, refocusing his attention on Judoc.  "The interfering twit had it coming.  I'd spent months developing my connection with Alevius until I could control him without seeing him, without being in the room, from across the town.  Then the priest inserted himself and he pressed and prayed to his pathetic god... I felt his summoning at one point...  I could see his face, I saw his terror.  I knew at that point he could not be allowed to live."

Loke takes another step forward and Judoc finds himself retreating to abreast of Alevius who still lays in the sands, his breathing labored though he has pushed himself to his side.

"I should have known the damage I had caused to Alevius and discarded him then, but the boy's degeneration into nothingness has drawn attention.  He is not the tool he once was.  Moloran has already told the headmaster that the boy is unable to continue his studies, that he believes the boy has not slept truly in weeks, that he should be sent home for a semester or more.  I cannot afford for more investigation.

Loke stops his forward progress, some six yards off from Judoc and Alevius.  "Which is why your intrusion is so welcomed."  Loke smiles.  "For I could not kill off Alevius by himself without causing further scrutiny... but if I kill off both of you, your disappearances will be forever intermixed, the one contingent and informed by the other.  Did Judoc kill Alevius and flee?"  Loke smiles viciously, glaring at Alevius.  "Or did Judoc spurn Alevius's advances and the latter killed Judoc and himself in his misery?"

OOC:  Ok, the jig is officially up, and I'll put all the answers requested on the table.  You didn't figure out the mystery on your own and I didn't want to draw out the thread interminably with you exhausting all the possible storylines (Malcombe unfortunately only became an NPC because you asked about him and had no information about the case).  However, I think overall you did some pretty good investigating with only a few avenues of investigation that were untapped.  In payment for any and all questions answered I'm interested in your feedback on the thread.  Both questions and feedback can be OOC or private as makes the most sense to you.

Loke is now 6 yards away from you, although he has stopped his progress.  We didn't really go into detail earlier, but if you wish to have one of the blue enchanted light rocks from upstairs in a hand, you may declare so now.  Your spell stone is in your pocket, and I'll even say your powerstone is on your finger, though it is only partially charged.

You are not officially in combat now, so you may continue the IC conversation (or take any other action) if you wish.

Judoc the Merciful
player, 223 posts
Fri 22 Dec 2017
at 01:21
  • msg #135

A Touch of Evil

Fly, you fool! Judoc thinks as the priest's murderer confesses.  Oh, yes, Loke claims that Alevius did the deed, but the Templar is as culpable as if he had cast the spell himself.  "Alevius used the same spell you cast on me that day, didn't he?" Judoc says warily.  He had been training in part to one day triumph over Loke.  Fire versus water.  Judoc should have picked up some Lightning or Plant spells to round out his repertoire.  He had suspected Loke from the first, but no witnesses had placed him at the church on Sunday.  The spell, drowning in air, is a speciality of Loke.  The Templar had left his fingerprints all over the crime scene.

Alevius' involvement surprises Judoc, however.  So R. was actually A.  Of course Thomas wouldn't have been so indiscreet as to put the person's actual initials in his diary.  And all this time, Judoc had been thinking the boy was from the town, when in reality Thomas had been referring to a student from the College.  It is as though the boy's mind has been taken from him.  The thought chills Judoc.  Loke has worked a grievous ill on Cleppo, but Judoc isn't surprised in the least.  Loke had revealed himself to be a petty, sadistic man from the first day.  Had he also been attempting to kill Graves?  If so, why?

"So Alevius cast Invisible on himself to escape the murder in the cathedral?  And your spell allows you to see through his eyes as well?"  He warily keeps his distance from Loke.  The Templar is tired now.  Perhaps Judoc can take him out with a few Flame Jets.  "Where you trying to kill the provost as well?  Did you have Alevius attack Baron Graves' room those two times?  To what purpose?"

OOC:  Keep him talking as long as Judoc can.  Yes, if he can have his ring and one of the blue stones, he'll take them.
Raddek
GM, 493 posts
Sat 23 Dec 2017
at 06:16
  • msg #136

A Touch of Evil

Though Judoc's mind screams at him to flee he yet stands firm, drunken with the sudden flood of free information he had been seeking for a week.  He finds himself rooted, watching Loke as the professor's face takes on a cast of blue with another step farther into the light.  The upward shadows catch his face, making the whole of his upper face and eyes seem like recessed black holes.

"Yes, it was the same, I'm glad you remember."  Loke pauses for a moment, his fists clenching and releasing as the air seems to shimmer vibrations of magic.

Alevius whimpers beside Judoc, pushing himself back in the sands as he pushes himself to a single elbow.

"Oh no,"  Loke answers, his eyes focusing again on Alevius.  "He teleported to outside the church...  Though he wouldn't remember.  My spell gives me complete control of him.  He has been my unknowing puppet..."

Loke looks back to Judoc as he asks his final question.

"No, I have much bigger goals for the provost.  His body would serve our purposes perfectly but the man has proven to be much more of a challenge than I anticipated.  His damn necklace has foiled my attempts to break his will through normal means and my efforts to take it have come to naught.  Grobbik proved to be less than useless, telling the man of his goals and no doubt putting him on edge.  Alevius too has been unsuccessful, for the first time the provost was gone and I lost my temper...  When Alevius went back the provost had trapped his door with a concussion spell that immediately knocked the boy unconscious and broke my control over him."

Loke looks up as a smile breaks on his lips, the fivers of his body and clothing wavering as if he were a trick of light and mirrors that had been suddenly cut by smoke.

"Ah."  Loke murmurs.  "The spell is ending."

The form of the professor shimmers into nothingness, the whole of the room dropped into black as he seems to drain the whole room of light.  Judoc feels and hears a pop like a burst of explosion from a fire as Alevius screams out from beside him.

The light returns to the room in a swift wave, revealing something monstrous and bestial.  Some ten feet tall it seems to have the torso of a man with the long flowing, bleached white hair.  It's face seems to be that of a feral cat.  Both arms, if they can be called that, end in wicked claws and the thing has the single-toed hooves of a horse.

"Goodbye Judoc."  The thing's mouth does not move as it begins it's motion forward with a single massive step...

Demon!

OOC:  Two rounds of combat please.  I'll stop you if anything happens that might change your plan.  It is 5 yards away, and you have your ring (with a charge of 2) and a magic light stone in your left hand and nothing in your right.

If the description wasn't enough (it never is) the demon looks to be massively strong and is somewhere around the size of a small giant.  Aside from his enormous claws he doesn't look to have any other weapons, though it is readily apparent by now that he knows quite a lot of magic.

Best of luck - Assume no light penalty due to your stone.  If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

Judoc the Merciful
player, 224 posts
Sat 23 Dec 2017
at 11:39
  • msg #137

A Touch of Evil

The revelations tumbling out of Loke's mouth make Judoc giddy with excitement.  The Templar is spilling all the details of his scheme and how he has manipulated both Clevius and, surprisingly, Grobbik.  Loke has even plotted against Graves himself and planned to take the man's body probably the same way he had commandeered Alevius'.  Our purposes, eh?  Either Loke is working with others, or he's employing the royal we grandiosely.  Judoc has to admit grudging respect for his tormentor.  Loke has played cunningly, but now, all his schemes will come tumbling down once Judoc subdues him and enables Alevius to testify against the professor.

But something seems wrong with Loke, almost as if the professor isn't quite himself.  Something about his eyes, and now, his image is shifting, almost melting.  Judoc gapes with astonishment and, for the first time, alarm.  Holy shit, there really is a demon!  Mustering up all the bravado he can summon, Judoc says, half-choking, "Agares.  Finally, you reveal yourself."

Hand trembling, Judoc grasps the spell stone in his pocket and concentrates.  Taking on Loke is one thing, but a fucking demon?   This situation just escalated from dangerous to hell-raising.  About the only way this could be more terrifying is if he had to fight a fucking demon dog.

Just beside Judoc, Alevius looks like he's down for the count.  If Judoc leaves him, Agares will definitely kill the other student and leave no one to corroborate Judoc's story.  Alevius is a punk bastard and one of Judoc's least favorite people, but Judoc the Merciful can't abandon another student to die.

OOC:  Grab the spell stone.  Concentrate.  Use it to turn this demon if he can.
Raddek
GM, 499 posts
Sun 31 Dec 2017
at 05:40
  • msg #138

A Touch of Evil

Judoc's trembling hand reaches into his pocket, taking the time he knows he needs to concentrate.  The process is excruciating, The demon makes quick work of the few paces, drawing back a single massive claw for a strike that would surely cleave Judoc in two.  Alevius's breath seems to have failed him as he stares blankly at the scene unfolding.  Just as the thing is about to strike, Judoc crushes the small stone in his hand, letting forth the energy of the spell.

At first it seems that nothing happens and Judoc prepares himself for the worst, but the fatal strike is not sent forth.  Instead, Judoc realizes that where once the demon stood solid and real now two of the monster overlap as if Judoc had gone suddenly cross-eyed.  The twin forms stand motionless in space, then slowly begin to converge back together.

Judoc does not need more than a moment to prepare himself to flee.  His body shaking and words spilling over themselves, ne nevertheless manages to cast twice the spell of flight, once each on himself and Alevius.  The magic springs from his fingers eagerly, it seems less effort than normal, though sweat trickles from his forehead from the exertion all the same.  Taking not a moment to waste, Judoc grabs Alevius by the wrist and begins moving them both at a breakneck speed from the scene of death and the suspended demon lord.

"Agh!"  Alevius shrieks as the two clear the chest-high bluff of stone that leads back up into the cave.  "Oh God, oh God, oh God!"

Judoc cannot blame Alevius for his fear.  At his swift pace of flight and with only the blue stone's light to guide him, Judoc's vision can discern the floor and obstacles only fractions of a second away.  Judoc doubts that if there were something that popped out in front of him he would have enough time to brace himself for impact let alone attempt to avoid it.  Still, faced with the options of certain death behind him and possible serious injury ahead, Judoc knew where he would place his bets.

Apart from that problem, it takes Judoc only moments to realize he is not entirely sure where he is going apart from up.  The cavern expands in all directions, sloping gently up ahead though Judoc was twisted and turned around enough to not be sure exactly which way he had come from.  The last time he had been here Elliot had led the way from the cavern, his steps sure and unfaltering as if led by a beacon...  A beacon which is hopelessly beyond Judoc's abilities or grasp.

But as he mulls over his dilemmas, Judoc becomes aware that his first and greatest is not entirely behind him.  "NOOOO!  The cavern shakes around him as the voice of the demon reverberates across all surfaces.  Judoc glances back, though the darkness seems to extend back forever.

Ahead, it is only the reek of the sewers that greets Judoc.

OOC:  Congratulations on a binge of successful rolling.  I'm assuming your destination is back up to the castle, but the scenery is so similar here that you'll need to make a navigation (underground) roll to get back to where you are going.  The roll defaults to IQ-5.  Success will direct you back to the tunnel that leads to the secret doorway and your margin of failure will dictate how wide you swing from your mark.  Secondly, before you get there you are going to need to renew your flight spell (or not).  It does not seem like the demon is following you, though you have no means to prove it.

As a follow on remark, as an aviator I think I've been remarkably generous in allowing you to travel 10 yards per second in near complete darkness and in tight confines.  However, I thought it a better course of action to put all of this in one post than to break it up into several to force you to roll vs. aerobatics or slow down.

Judoc the Merciful
player, 228 posts
Sun 31 Dec 2017
at 09:18
  • msg #139

A Touch of Evil

Every hair is standing up on the nape of Judoc's neck and the backs of his arms.   During this entire investigation, his theories about Thomas' murder have bounced back and forth from a human source of evil to an infernal one, and now, face to face with this supernatural threat, Judoc wonders if he has finally gone up against something that he is not ready to face.  But no, this is not the end for the young mage, for he has Raisalter's spell stone in his pocket.  As he concentrates, the monster comes closer and closer, but then, just as Judoc had planned, the demon is frozen in place, curiously almost oscillating.  "Let's get the fuck out of here, Alevius!" he manages to blurt out, and casts his spells to give both of them wings.  The spells go off easily, seemingly confirming his suspicion that this area has more mana than normal.

The two zoom back through the tunnels, narrowly avoiding stalactites and stalagmites lit only by the glowing blue stone Judoc carries on their voyage back to the surface.  After a minute, Judoc allows the Flight spells to end normally.  Surely he has put enough room between themselves and Agares.  But which way now?  From the blackness, he hears the demon's howl.  If the stakes were less dire, Judoc would permit himself a smirk, but he knows that he and Cleppo are not out of the fire yet.

"Can you walk, Alevius?" he asks quietly, looking around the underground cavern.  He is sure he knows the way, since this is the second time he's been down this way.  The gut-retching smell of the sewers points toward the exit and the stairway up to the castle proper.

"Come on, we need to hurry."  Still holding onto Alevius, Judoc prepares to cast another spell.

OOC:  If Alevius seems unable to walk on his own, cast Levitation on him.  If Alevius can run, cast Haste on both of them to give them each +1 Move.  Then, run toward the smell of the sewers.
Raddek
GM, 501 posts
Mon 1 Jan 2018
at 20:36
  • msg #140

A Touch of Evil

Onward the two students fly for heart-wrenching moments of fear, both for their pursuer behind and for the chance of striking themselves dead upon the rocks ahead.  But when no further torment comes, Judoc ends his spell naturally allowing the two students to land lightly on their feet then pauses for a moment to assess their situation.

"I can walk."  Alevius responds.  "Though I fear not quickly, I hadn't known Loke was..."  But whatever Alevius had been about to say, the words choke violently in his mouth as his body shudders, his face hardens, his eyes widen, and his hand jerks rapidly in the process of spellwork.

"Die."  Alevius spits as crackling energy begins to spark between his fingers.

OOC:  You didn't have enough time to appraise the situation and cast any further spells so no further fatigue was lost.  Roll vs. IQ to avoid a mental stun at Alevius's swift change.  You are standing one yard apart from each other.  There isn't any real terrain of note apart from loose gravel on top of the earth floor.  You have gotten to where the ground is mostly dry, however it is still uneven.  I can't remember off the top of my head whether or not you can step and concentrate at the same time, but if it is allowed then you must roll vs. will to avoid spoiling your spell.
Judoc the Merciful
player, 229 posts
Tue 2 Jan 2018
at 01:24
  • msg #141

A Touch of Evil

"Fight him, Alevius!" Judoc roars as the demon takes possession of Cleppo once more.  Judoc had hoped it would not come to this.  He knows Alevius is no longer in control, but the other student must be dealt with now.

Faced with the possibility of running or fighting, the mage chooses the latter as he begins wriggling his fingers to summon a jet of flame.  A proper mage duel, this.  A pity no one is here to witness Judoc's inevitable triumph beside the two combatants.

OOC:  I was afraid of this.  Begin casting Flame Jet, the 1D version.  Every turn, use it to Attack Alevius.
Raddek
GM, 504 posts
Thu 4 Jan 2018
at 06:32
  • msg #142

A Touch of Evil

Though Judoc does not relish the thought of putting Alevius down, he thinks less of Alevius as a demon possessed upstart attempting to take his life.  Far better would be the prospect of Allevius coming to his senses on his own, however it does not seem that outcome is to be.  Judoc is so surprised by the switch in Alevius's demeanor that he only barely has the time to cast his own defenses.  Alevius throws his hands forward, straight for Judoc's chest and lightening arcs in spectacular display of light at a range that could barley miss if Alevius had tried.  Only by the power of Judoc's magic does the bolt stray wide, breaking off to the right and high, illuminating the entirety of the cavern for the briefest of moments as Judoc can see the slowly sloping grade descending ahead, though as it darkens into nothingness the explosive bolt of light ruins Judoc's night vision entirely.

It is with some luck that Judoc has chosen his next spell, a sword of flame that spouts from his hand, which provides not only a weapon to strike with, but also another source of light to aide the nothingness of the blue stone.  Judoc strikes out high, hitting Alevius high across the chest with a blow that sears his garments in an instant but Alevius rears back for his own attack.

Judoc stumbles backwards thinking first of spellwork, but he is not prepared for the physical attack of Allevius, and the other manages to glance a blow across Judoc's chest that brings Judoc's breath back in full.

Judoc lashes out again with his conjured weapon of fire, but this time only glances a blow across Alevius's shoulder.

His face bloodied and his eyes reddened by exertion, Alevius pauses for a moment, his eyes glaring intently at Judoc and his hands working aggressively to conjure additional magic.  Judoc does not pause, but strikes again with his saber of flame, slicing clean the garments and flesh at Alevius's hip.  Alevius's lips cease their movement as his eyes roll to the back of his head and Alevius Cleppo hits the ground of the cavern, unconscious.

His hand still spouting cascading flames, Judoc looks off into the distance, though he sees no further disturbances...

OOC:  I had to use a hero point to keep you from being mentally stunned on the first turn (and taking a 3d lightening bolt to the chest) but apart from that you fared remarkably well and dispatched your foe in only three seconds.  Alevius seems both seriously injured and grossly exhausted (though potentially still possessed).  You can't sense any additional dangers for the moment.  Due to high skill, you have not burned any additional fatigue.
Judoc the Merciful
player, 230 posts
Thu 4 Jan 2018
at 07:35
  • msg #143

A Touch of Evil

Fire versus Lightning.  The purity of righteousness against the taint of supernatural evil.  Judoc and Alevius are locked in elemental combat, and as keen as Judoc is to face off in a true wizard battle, he knows that Alevius is not in control.  The lightning strike very nearly catches Judoc flatfooted, but he effortlessly conjures up an instantaneous barrier against the blast.  After a moment, Judoc's flame jet erupts, spilling its light out across the subterranean environment.

Cleppo seems incapable of shrugging off the effects of the demonic possession, so Judoc lashes out again and again with his conjured flame until Alevius falls.  Hoping that the other is merely knocked out, not killed, Judoc squats down to check Alevius's pulse, and then he straightens back up to consider his options.  Agares will be on his heels shortly, but Judoc does not want to abandon Cleppo to a likely death, as much as it would be easier for the young mage to escape on his own.  Too, he needs Alevius alive as a witness.

OOC:  Check Alevius' pulse.  Keep the Flame Jet burning for illumination.  Cast Levitation to lift Alevius and take full Move each second to head for the staircase.
Raddek
GM, 508 posts
Fri 5 Jan 2018
at 05:57
  • msg #144

A Touch of Evil

There are several moments where Judoc does nothing...  Staring into the darkness beyond, into his unconscious foe below, searching with his ears into the silence but eventually it is the overwhelming stench of the sewers that causes him to cough and move on, first searching for pulse, which he finds surging normally in the student's neck.  A quick once over and Judoc is sure that Alevius will live, though the burn on his chest bubbles furiously through the charred holes in his garments.  The burn on his hip seems not quite so bad, and though Judoc had not struck him there, Alevius bleeds in thin rivulets from each nostril.

Not wanting to tempt fate, Judoc weaves his hands in a quick motion.  "Levitare!"  In response, the unmoving form lifts from the ground as Judoc feels the stabbing pain of draining mana from his own body.  Still, Judoc does not make anything of it and sets out towards the outer walls of the castle.

The walk seems longer than he remembers, made worse by the levitating form following close behind him and the seemingly constant renewal of his spell.  Onward to the tunnel, through the doorway into the castle, and up the stairwells leading to the storage room and the servants quarters and up to the grand entryway.  Though Judoc does not know at first where he is going, the more he moves the more apparent it becomes.  Though the provost was undoubtedly powerful, Judoc was not entirely sure the man was on his side... not to mention Alevius had already discovered the penalty of trying to sneak up on the provost during the night.  Instead, Judoc moves towards the instructor's corridors, looking for Raisalter's office.

Judoc is only partially aware of the toll he is paying against his body.  His head slowly smolders into a throbbing headache, and the soft patting of blood droplets against the floor is his first evidence of the nosebleed that begins to trickle to the back of his throat.

But eventually, Judoc finds himself at Baron Raisalter's door, exhausted, his face bloodied, and with a seeming corpse floating along behind him.  His fist balled up in anger, Judoc knocks as viciously as he can, sending the echoing ripples throughout the castle.

"What, who's there?"  The groggy voice sounds from within.

A few moments later, Raisalter, in his bedclothes shows at his doorway, his mouth agape after only a moment of looking at Judoc and Alevius behind him.  "Judoc!  What the hell are you doing at this hour!"

OOC:  You made it successfully to Raisalter's door without impediment.  Whatever you wish for the Baron to do, roll against fast talk.  Note your dwindling fatigue and HP due to your continuing spells.
Judoc the Merciful
player, 232 posts
Fri 5 Jan 2018
at 07:39
  • msg #145

A Touch of Evil

"I found the demon, sir," Judoc says, exhausted from the late hour and weakened from the toll levitating Alevius had taken on his body.  "Sorry about the hour," he continues.  "It was Loke, or had replaced him.  Cleppo's still under the demon's control, or at least he was a few minutes ago.  May I come in?  The demon's still out there somewhere."

Defeating Alevius had been the easy part.  Forcing his own body to power the Levitation spell had been harder.  How many stairs had he climbed from the sewers up to the castle?  Judoc's head hurts, he's bleeding from spellcasting, and the demon is still alive.

He waits to be either admitted inside or left standing out in the hall.  "Sorry about the hour," he says again, and then continues with his tale.

"The spell stone worked just as you said it would.  The demon was controlling Alevius remotely and used him to kill Father Thomas when the priest started to guess what was happening.  It's still in control of Cleppo, I think, so we need to break its hold over him."

He looks to where Alevius is hovering in the air.  Judoc doesn't feel pity for the other student, but he does feel some kind of connection with the other young man somehow.  The two are not friends, but Judoc remembers again Cleppo's tiredness, his thorough blasting by Graves.  Cleppo had been there that day when the demon had accidentally been summoned, and he had been there during the arena duels.  Alevius probably killed his man.  If the situation had been reversed, if Judoc had been the one possessed, would Cleppo have tried to save Judoc?  Doubtful.

"Alevius came to me tonight and took me down to the catacombs beneath the castle.  It's a place of strong mana, and there was an altar and some strange purple candles set up down there.  Loke was there and boasted about his entire plan.  He had sent Alevius to try to attack Baron Graves.  He said they, whoever they are, wanted the provost's body but that the Baron had an amulet that protected him.  Then Loke changed somehow into this giant demon thing with claws, a cat's face, and horse's hooves.  I used the stone and the demon kind of shimmered/froze in place, and I got out of there with Alevius, but it took control of Alevius and tried to kill me, so I had to knock him unconscious."

Judoc pauses, collecting his thoughts.  "Can you free Alevius from its spell?  And we need to warn the College.  I thought of going to Meloran, too, but I figured it would be best to see you first.  Or should I go warn Baron Graves right away?"

OOC:  Ask to come in.  Warn Raisalter that Cleppo is still possessed.  Tell Raisalter everything.  Ask him to help warn the other professors, at least Meloran and Graves.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:39, Fri 05 Jan 2018.
Raddek
GM, 514 posts
Tue 16 Jan 2018
at 09:07
  • msg #146

A Touch of Evil

”What?!”  Raisalter’s first reaction is to the assertion that Loke was in fact the demon, though Judoc does not let himself get distracted with the interjection.  Instead, he continues to talk, his head clouded and throbbing from the toll that his magic has taken on his own body.

”Sit down.”  Raisalter insists, motioning for Judoc to deposit Alevius on a long, wooden bench that seems to offer little comfort.  ”You two have been killing yourselves.”  Raisalter’s tone is reproving, though he continues to listen to Judoc as he spreads hands across out across Alevius’s head and chest, his eyes closed as he listens.

The words are freeing to Judoc, who having spent so long on this mystery wishes only for its full truth to be realized.  He speaks even as Raisalter casts various magics on Alevius, even as Raisalter stands and begins to look upon Judoc, even has he sends forth a flood of mana into Judoc’s own body, clearing some of the haze and tiredness from his mind.

”We cannot keep this to ourselves.”  Raisalter says as Judoc finishes.  ”We go to see the provost.  I have a hard time believing everything you say but one way or the other it matters little, it will be up to him to make the decision.”

And so the two set out leaving Alevius with Raisalter’s assurances that he will be safe.  It is not long before the two are sitting in front of the provost, Judoc explaining, his mouth dry and his head foggy from the late hour.

”Tell me again.”  The provost’s words are maddening and Judoc wants to scream that they are wasting time, but he obliges, his tone beyond impatience.  It is only a moment before Graves cuts him off with two words.  ”Show me.”

The confusion in Judoc’s head is only momentary, for his racing thoughts speed from his awakening an hour ago, down the servant’s stairwell, through the storage room, into the sewer tunnel and down the slope to where the underground lake laps on the sandy shores.  There stands Loke and then Agares, towering high and lumbering toward him with a sharpened claw pulled back and ready to strike.

At once Judoc is brought back to the present with a feeling like the peeling of an orange skin from his mind.  Beads of sweat have rippled across the provost’s face, but his stern demeanor remains.  ”Get Moloran, Neranmal, Hilath, and Balantine – check to see if Loke is in his offices, but do not confront him if he is.”  Raisalter nods and exits the room.

The next few hours make for only a blur in Judoc’s memory.  The band of professors make their way down the same path, towards the underground lake, find the small altar and search the environs though they find nothing.  Then reclimbing back again to the castle the group heads to Loke’s office as Judoc is deposited back in the provost’s office.  Foggy headed and exhausted, Judoc is sure that he drifts to sleep before again hearing the sounds of the door opening and closing behind him.

”Gone.”  Grave’s explanation is singular and complete.  He sits opposite Judoc, his cold blue eyes locking into a stare.  ”You have been exceptionally foolish tonight.  You know our rules and have flouted them now on multiple occasions.  You are lucky to be alive.”  Graves sighs, sitting back in his chair as he places a single, gauntleted palm upon his cheek and forehead.  ”Though I must admit you have enlightened me on several vexing issues and have likely saved Cleppo from expulsion.  I see now that he had been driven to exhaustion from several nights and days of possession by this thing when before all we saw was a student who could not complete his work nor stay awake for his lectures.  I had already written to his father.”  Graves’s eyes narrow, looking Judoc full in the face.

”I think perhaps both of you could do with a semester off.  Cleppo to rebuild his mind after being made a plaything for hellspawn and you as I expect our disappeared friend may yet have a vendetta to accomplish.  I have a thought to where I could use you.  Siegebreaker has been pestering me to send a student down to one of the border forts on the other side of Megalos.  What say you?  I’ll overlook your flagrant rule breaking in exchange for helping me keep Siegebreaker off my back?  And in the deal you get to lay low while we make some effort to clear this Loke business?

OOC:  Congratulations!  You made it through your thread without dying :D.  You can close things up here with a final post.  I'll get you your rewards from the thread when I get the chance to organize my mind.  I thought briefly of the pros and cons of letting you play out some of the stuff in this post, but when it is all said and done, there isn't much that you could have had an effect on so I figured tying everything together was the prudent move given my limited time these days.  Graves is essentially offering you a deferred semester with a work program which gets you away from a murderous demon for the time being and also helps Graves.  Feel free to ask in PM if you have questions to particulars.
Judoc the Merciful
player, 238 posts
Tue 16 Jan 2018
at 14:51
  • msg #147

A Touch of Evil

Weary beyond belief, Judoc is relieved to collapse on the bench as he tells his tale.  Thus far he has held himself together sheerly through strength of will alone, and he gladly welcomes the chance for a temporary respite, though Loke/Agares may still be somewhere on the castle grounds.  Still, the demon has greatly underestimated his adversary, and Judoc doubts the creature is fool enough for s direct assault on the College.  How much control does it still have on Alevius?  Exhausted as Judoc is, he still keep a watchful eye on his fellow student, just in case Agares attempts to kill him again.  Raisalter's restorative magic proved rejuvenating, and Judoc sighs with relief as the fatigue and self-induced injury are washed from his body.

At the professor's decision to go to the provost, Judoc nods his head.  Every second counts, and so he hurried with Raisalter to Graves' quarters.

Judoc's reception does not go quite the way he envisaged it.  Rather than immediately acting on the crucial intelligence Judoc has obtained, Graves insists of Judoc beginning again, and then ripping right through his memories to pull the visuals from Judoc's mind.  Bloody hell.   The amount of knowledge the provost has at his command continues to impress Judoc.  When he gets over the initial shock of his mind being invaded, he finds himself lusting for this sort of power.  One day, he too will learn spells like these.

After showing the professors the hidden sanctuary beneath the castle, Judoc finds himself once again before the provost.  The student is sure that he will be thanked profusely for rooting out a demon who had been concealed beneath the College's eaves.  Too, Judoc had saved what had once been a promising student from being expelled from the College.

But no.  Graves highlights Judoc's repeated infractions of curfew breaking.  Out of bed at night?  After all Judoc had done?  How galling!  True, he could have been eviscerated by the demon or electrocuted by Cleppo, but as he has always done, Judoc has emerged perfectly intact.  In fact, the only physical harm he suffered had been self-inflicted due to Levitating Alevius.  Graves should give Judoc a medal for what he'd done, not censure him!

Wise not to let his displeasure show, Judoc is somewhat pleased at what Graves offers him.  Though taking a semester off seems less than ideal, some time learning the art of a soldier will come in handy should he join the legions later in his career.  Who knows?  He might even accumulate some valuable leadership skills during his time with the army.

"I'll do it, sir," he says, stifling back a yawn.  "And I'll go report to the bishop in the morning that we've located the killer and taken care of matters.  If you don't need me any further, I'd better get back to bed."
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