knightsoflegend | bermuda triangle ♔ hopelessly weighed down by your eyes of steel

And it's my expert opinion that the buildings are out of focus. [Deadpan.] It's likely an illusion of some kind.

[ The malignant cackling sound that cracks the air following gold's comment seems to resound all around them, bouncing off the towers and nearly deafening them.

"Very astute, indeed," booms the voice, dripping sarcasm. "I see we truly have a powerful sorcerer in our midst. To speak truly, I expected you to keep better company, Zatara."

It's hard to say which of the magicians are being addressed, but both of them turn to look at the center of the dais, as all around them, giant iron walls shoot up, trapping them all within the square where it rests.

On the platform, a green flame appears, and then blazes, fading away to reveal the form of an incredibly tall man in green and gold robes, sporting a heavy golden chain at his throat, and a small golden headpiece in his black hair. His pointed beard makes him look like a sinister villain out of a cartoon - and it probably doesn't help that appearance when he steeples his fingers and says: "Zatanna Zatara, at last. There's someone here we're dying for you to meet."

With a snap, another burst of flame comes and goes - and in its wake is a lovely blonde woman, supported on either side by a hooded guard, each carrying one side of her chains. While her coloring is quite different from Zatanna's, a 16+ spot check can easily recognize that they have the same eyes. The woman is dressed in a long blue gown, an ornate silver crown on her head and a red cape hanging from her shoulders. However, there's nothing noble in her bearing: her shoulders are slumped, her head bowed, her eyes all but dead as they stare sorrowfully out at the gathered group. Her wrists are manacled together, and no less than three separate chains bind her arms - another set locking her ankles together.

"I don't suppose introductions are even necessary," sneers the sorcerer, as John stares open-mouthed and Zatanna moves forward, anger clouding her face. ] Mother! [ it's her father who reaches out to grab her arm and snatch her back from doing anything too hasty ] What have you done to her?!

[David doesn't bother looking for her eyes - he trusts that Zatanna can identify her own mother but that doesn't mean he trusts that this isn't some kind of an illusion. Magic can make you believe anything it wants you to, given the right incentive, so he simply tightens his grip on his sword before moving a step closer to the Zataras.]

Is this the part where we get the unabridged version of the evil plan? Or are you going to just cackle us to death?

[ the green-robed sorcerer with the bad mustache leers at david.

"Evil plan? Oh no, you have us all wrong, young sir." he turns back to motion to zatanna's mother. "You might say in some ways that it is we who need your help." and he turns a somewhat creepy smile back at zee. "Or rather - hers."

zatanna glares from where her father has her locked in his grip. ]

Whatever you want from me you're not getting. You're going to let my mother free.

[ "Free," he muses, taking a step towards the edge of the dais and looking around at the gathered. "What an interesting choice of words. Considering your mother elected to be where she is - to do all of her people a great service. It is, in fact, the magic locked in her beautiful skull that enables us to remain cloistered here, away from a world we have no place in." he turns back to survey sindella with an exaggerated forlorn expression. "But soon, she'll be unable to continue sustaining that magic. You see, Zatanna, your mother was born with a very special magical condition - something we've termed a medulla jewel that helps her body channel quantities of magic most could never hope to achieve." there's a certain fondness in his tone as he wistfully steals a glance back at the zataras. "But even that has its limits. And by the end of today, she will have reached hers. That's precisely why we need you." ]

Edited 2013-06-18 03:05 (UTC)

[Well. Those who bet this wasn't a trap were going to be paying up shortly. (wis 18)]

So you faked the distress call to lure her here. [And he was hoping this wasn't going to turn into a conflict.] I bet you weren't anticipating her coming with an entourage.

[Charming may not know much about magic, but he certainly knows what a threat sounds like. He doesn't know Zatanna well, but the mission Wynn sent them on certainly didn't involve giving her up to the first magic whack job who came their way.

He positions himself in front of her, sword grasped in both hands in front of him.]

She's not going anywhere. [He does a fair job of putting on a serious business face (intimidate 15).]

She most certainly is not. [ behind charming, zatara moves to his daughter's side.

the sorcerer's face seems to falter a bit at charming's threat... but then he works up a smile again.

"You're right about one thing: we weren't expecting dear Zatanna to bring so many friends. However, that works out just as well for us. This island needs guardians, after all, and it's only so often that ships and planes come close enough for us to draw in more future sentinels. It's so much nicer when they just waltz right in." his grin spreads maliciously across his face. "And I think Zatanna will agree of her own accord to take her mother's place before midnight... because if she waits until her mother's medulla jewel is tapped out - Sindella will die." ]

Edited 2013-06-18 03:18 (UTC)

That's not gonna happen.

[ not because emma doesn't believe that it's truly running out and that the others will let it, but because emma's determined to find another way. she looks to zatanna, alarmed that she might be considering this. ]

Don't do this. We'll find another way to save her, don't go with them.

[Meanwhile, Charming turns to Zatara because it's time to have dad talk.]

What do you know about them? Your daughter won't leave without her mother. We have to find a way to bring them both home.

[Hook's hand goes to his sword.]

How about one of you takes her place, then? If it's so important to you.

[ zatanna's expression falls at the implication of her mother's quickly faltering lifespan, and zatara's eyes scan the ground wildly as he considers charming's question. ] I--

It's been so long since we met, and she told me so little. [ his brow furrows as he struggles desperately to remember anything useful.

in the meantime, the sorcerer sneers at hook's question. "Because only our dear Zatanna inherited the medulla jewel - you might call it a genetic anomaly, passed from mother to child. One that can save our people. Any of us would gladly make the same sacrifice, but I'm afraid we have no option but Zatanna." He places the butt of his staff to the ground with a clang. "So I'm afraid I can't let any of you follow through on your vows to take her away." he flourishes the scepter suddenly, and bellows out several words in an unidentifiable language...

and everrrrrrryone has to make a will save. those who get UNDER a 14 have fallen THRALL to the magi! until further notice, they will obey all orders issued by the magi, regardless of personal feelings, etc. those with a 15+ manage to resist the spell like the smooth mothafuckas they are, aww shit.

and as the spell settles on them all, the sorcerer gives his first order, gesturing at Zatanna: "Seize her!" ]

[And Hook with his whopping will save of 10 moves quickly, turning and reaching for Zatanna (atk 14, grapple check...5 if that hits) with his hand and hook. Too bad the hook has no opposable thumbs, huh.]

[Francesca knows he's cast a spell, but she can barely feel it reverberate off her before it merely dissipates, leaving her unaffected (Spell Resistance 30). For such powerful Magi, something is definitely off. But she also sees how easily he's enthralled Hook, and she'd like to finish this before someone's forced to do something they'll regret.

Sneaking around the back of the group (Hide 30, Move Silently 32), she waits until she's in the mage's blind-spot to draw her sword and plunge it into the man's back and through his heart (attack 32, damage 34).]

[ Zatanna is so focused on her mother that she doesn't expect the sudden movement of the pirate near her side... and Killian gets a solid grip on her, hook at her throat. The mage's pleasure at how quickly his thrall worked keeps him from paying any attention as Francesca sneaks up behind him - and it's not until the blade comes piercing out through his chest that his laughter is choked off and he looks down in horror. ] K-kill them... [ He manages to gurgle those words to his thralls, but they are his last. Life drains out of him visibly as he slumps to his knees, and something in his eyes changes entirely...

In fact, those not enchanted who get a spot check of 15+ will definitely notice that in the moments before his death he looks entirely bewildered, casting his eyes around wildly as if trying to understand anything that is happening, all traces of the malevolence there moments ago gone.

Risa turns around and raises her hands towards the stone wall, and the entire length of it glows white and then vanishes as she dispels it. ]

[Gold's spot check is 18, but it's wasted on him, because he sincerely doesn't give a shit. More important things. Like, oh hey, now is the perfect opportunity to whack Hook across the back of the knee with his cane to get him to drop Zantana (atk 13). It would have worked out a lot better if his attack was higher. Fuck Hook's high defense.]

[ well, at least having a cane whizzing at him distracts hook enough for zatanna to pull some sweet magician moves and worm out of his grasp with an amazing 39 escape artist check, dayum gurl. it does take her whole round though, but she backs away from him five feet to stand closer to charming and dad. ]

[With his nat 20 will save, Charming is playing super defender of Zatanna. As the others shift under the command of the mage, alarm raises in his expression. He nearly raises his sword to hack at the pirate (sry bro) but stops himself as Zatanna slips away from the pirate's grasp. His attention snaps to the mage as he calls out his second command. AND WITH A SECOND NAT 20 SPOT CHECK I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING, he sees the expression shift to confusion. ...And a third nat 20 wis check (something is seriously disturbed with rng right now guys...) he clicks those pieces together, wondering if perhaps the mage was just a pawn.]

Get back! [He calls to the others still under the spell's control.] Gold! Zatara! Can you break the spell? [He'll use his action to move directly in front of Zatanna, sword in hand. Prepared action to swing at the first fucker who comes near him... unless it's Emma...]

[ spoiler: it's emma, with her will save of a whole nine.

and because she's been sticking close to papa before the spell hit, when he turns to bark orders, it leaves her with a free shot at him from his other side. she raises her gun and fires a shot off at him (atk 20, dmg 6), which gets him in the shoulder.

that's what you get for being in the way of zatanna, motherfucker.

she'll be really, really sorry later. ]

[ /npcing david who... also failed. THRALL TOWN. and he rounds on risa, and backhands her across the face so she can't go around dispelling anymore of the bad guy's magic :| (atk 23). and then pulls his longsword, ho shit. ]

[Hook turns and slashes his hook at Gold's face (atk 23, dmg 6) and man, somewhere he isn't even upset about this because he's really enjoying trying to kill Gold. IT JUST FEELS SO RIGHT. He draws his rapier, turning to face Gold with an almost feral grin.]

[You know what.

He saw this going a lot better.

Getting hooked in the goddamn face does not make one exceedingly good at spellwork and since he botched his concentration check with flying colors trying to cast a spell... Yep. He's fucked. He's so fucked. HE CAN'T EVEN RUN. HOW IS THAT FAIR.]

[ zatara's got your back, gold. he waves a hand in hook's direction and says the magic word: ] Mrasid! [ and hook's rapier goes clattering across the ground. ... his hook got a nat 20 resistance save though so i guess he didn't get anymore dis-armed than he usually is.

ha.

ha ha ha.

zatara looks around rapidly at the disintegrating scene, and his eyes affix on sindella up on the dais. something seems to be occurring to him...

when the two guards up there turn on francesca, because, well, she just killed their boss. they both draw swords and swing at her with 15s that won't come even close to hitting, abandoning their chained up charge for the moment. ]

[She was hoping killing the spellcaster would end the enchantment, but apparently that's not the case. Seeing the chaos enfolding before her and deftly dodging her attackers, she briefly glances down at the mage's crumpled form and the staff lying beside him. In less than a second she disappears, completely invisible to anyone watching.

Now hidden, she crouches low, grabbing up the staff (which is still visible even as she holds it) and brings the orb adorning the top down hard on the platform (attack 23). It shatters.

She drops the staff immediately, still invisible.]

[ risa tries to cast another spell in david's direction but fails her concentration check and it fizzles out as he gets an attack of opportunity on her :C his sword slices into her arm and she cries out, backing away ]

[Gold gives Zatara a nod of gratitude and casts a Daze spell on Hook now that he actually can, because there's no such thing as overkill and he doesn't want him coming after him with the hook. He doesn't even pause to see if Francesca's breaking the staff did anything. He just felt like blinding Hook for a bit.]

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