bermuda triangle ♔ hopelessly weighed down by your eyes of steel

[cigam]

WHO || David, Charming, Emma, Gold, Hook, Francesca, Risa, Zatanna Zatara, Giovanni Zatara [closed]
WHAT || Following the compass to find Zatanna's mother
WHERE || The Devil's Triangle
WHEN || April 23rd [backdated]
HOW || Actionspam

It's been a long journey at sea, as the Knights, Zatanna, and her father followed the enchanted compass' guidance from Europe, across the Atlantic Ocean. Risa stands on the bow of the boat, a shawl wrapped around herself as she stares out into the gathering gloom, frowning.

"The Devil's Triangle," she announces, out of nowhere. "That's our destination, isn't it."

Comments

[undealt]

[Now that he's free and healed and only concerned with the approaching army, Gold's capable of actually thinking clearly and he limps up to join Francesca.]

It's not as if you stand to lose anything by indulging us. [(Diplomacy 24)]

/insert free action speaking tag 1/2

[besmitten]

[ the mage keeps her eyes on francseca, but lowers the staff. ]

An offer.

If we take this offer, it does not change the fact that Sindella's vessel can no longer support the Medulla Jewel. It must be transferred to her daughter before this day ends, or she will die. The jewel needs a host to control its energies: and without one, this city will collapse, the spells we need to conceal our home unraveled. We will stand exposed to your world. Our guardians will flee.

I cannot risk that for my people. If Zatanna will stay, we will accept your alliance.

[cigam]

[ zatanna stands up defiantly. ] You keep these people against their will. They're no more than slaves, who you force to kill! You keep them from their families, their loved ones... You steal their lives just to shield yourselves from your own curse.

I will not be party to that.

[uncease]

Once we find a way to break the curse, no one will have to be party to it. [Charming doesn't like the sound of any of this, but the terms the blonde has put forward don't really seem negotiable.]

We won't leave her here alone. [They have no way of knowing if the state Zatanna's mother has been left in is the product of years of exposure to this jewel or minutes. And if one or more of them stay, they may be able to stall. He looks to the others, leaving Emma for last.] Go. I'll stay. [He wouldn't be much use to them in solving a magical problem, anyway, and his sword might be of use here to keep the girl safe.]

[uncurse]

What? No! [ she drops her voice, realizing she could jeopardize their attempts at diplomacy, and pulls charming closer. ] No! Are you out of your mind? No one is staying here, their civilization being revealed is not our problem. The fact that they're enslaving someone to protect it is.

[generaldavideus]

I'm with Emma.

[His voice isn't as low because he frankly doesn't care. Because these people mind whammied him and if he has any beserk button, it's that.]

These people are using magic to screw with innocent people and it has to stop.

[unhand]

[Meanwhile Hook missed all the exposition and is REALLY REALLY CONFUSED. He slowly stands up and turns towards Risa.]

...what's going on?

1/-

[amazingzatara]

There has to be another way. [ zatara seems torn between looking at sindella and his daughter. ] There must. We can't leave Zatanna here, but you --

[ sindella shakes her head, and gives him a tearful smile. "I love you. Go," she says, and closes her eyes. she begins chanting something, and slowly a light begins to grow around her skull. ]

[besmitten]

[ don't think she doesn't catch that. her head snaps in that direction, and horror floods her expression. ] What is she doing?! [ it's all but screeched in the desperate tone of someone who already knows the answer. she raises her staff and jerks it to the right and zatara and zatanna are wrenched away by an invisible force, knocked off the dais entirely as the magi starts stalking in that direction, as she snarls at the knights: ] You planned this. Your offer was a trick!

[layonhands]

[ risa hops onto the dais, and reaches out to touch sindella's shoulder, bestowing her with spell resistance lest the mage try and stop whatever she's doing. ]

[undealt]

When this is over, let the record show that we did try to be diplomatic. [It's not clear if he's saying that to the mage or the rest of the assembled group, but he holds any action. Like Francesca, he seems more interested in how this is going to play out than showing any desire in interfering with it.]

[cigam]

[ still clutched in her father's grip, zee finally manages to get a hold of herself enough to act at the sight of the approaching mage who is stalking towards her mother. She waves a hand looking suddenly furious ] Mrasid! [ at the shout, the staff is wrenched from the woman's hands and goes clattering near charming and Emma. ]

[uncease]

[Charming grabs the staff off the floor so that it can't be returned to its owner. Lets hope that choice doesn't end badly for him...]

[socialgraces]

[ Taking my held action now!

She smirks at Gold's comment as she deftly draws her firearm, leveling it to aim as she says: ] I like that. [ And then she lets off three shots at the Magi in rapid succession. (attack 34 for 10 damage; attack 28 for 9 damage; attack nat 20 for 30 damage with penetration). This is her only other option for distraction, sorry guys 8( It felt like it was heading this way anyway. ]

[uncurse]

[ oh fucking great.

the roll of emma's eyes speaks for itself when she hears the gunshots, and she draws her own gun and levels it at the woman who'd been holding the staff; a warning. she's not shooting yet, but she is sending a message. ]

Don't move!

[ she glances sideways toward sindella and the other zataras, alarmed. when she demands an answer, she doesn't really feel the need to clarify that it's demanded of gold. ]

What is she doing? [ it's a hurried question to begin with, but it becomes more dire and she renews her grip on the gun handle. ] What the hell is she doing?!

[ because everything is getting really really bad now and there's no way they're getting out without fighting this army. ]

[undealt]

They need that jewel to keep their protectors under their command. [Gold's still observing even with everything breaking into chaos around him. That's Gold for you. IT'S STILL FASCINATING.] I believe Sindella is giving us a fighting chance.

[And while he notices that Zeechans looks a little distraught about it and what that might mean, he... doesn't really care.]

[generaldavideus]

[David glances between Gold and Sindella for a moment, before raising his sword and glancing at the people around them.]

If she's going to give us a head start, then let's use it.

[besmitten]

[ I GUESS I SHOULD PUT THIS TAG IN HERE since it's pretty important. francesca's bullets fly through the air with unerring precision... but seem to strike the air around the magi and stick there for a moment as the others say and do their pieces, in some weird shimmering sphere that becomes visible only when struck. i'll give them some magical hanging bullet time, aw yeah. but then they... ricochet back outwards, back at francesca. all at the same attack roll.

imsosorry. ]

[unhand]

[Yeah, Hook has no idea what the fuck is going on still but he knows a fight when he sees one coming up so he'll pick up his sword again and look ready to stab when the time comes.]

1/2

[amazingzatara]

[ zatara, meanwhile, waves both hands at the army that looks just on the brink of charging all y'all's faces, and says: ] Raelc a htap! [ like dominos, several of the enchanted soldiers are knocked backwards on either side of an invisible pathway, that keeps extending back through the city... though it's obviously tenuous and very temporary. ]

[besmitten]

[ you'll be mine - the pierces

sindella lets out a sudden cry of pain, her hands moving up to clutch at the sides of her head as if her brain were in a vise. risa's eyes widen, but the woman looks up at her, and says through gritted teeth: "GO. It has... to be... destroyed..."

the magi, hearing this, casts a desperate look around, even as the army leaps charges forward at those on the outskirts. but they have some truly hideous rolls so the ones swinging at emma, david, and hook are easily outmaneuvered.

finally, the magi's eyes land on her staff, and there's a look of pure triumph on her expression, a wild smile flying across her features as she turns that way, but the slightest flick of her expression up the arm of the person holding onto it - charming - causes her entire aspect to change.

the anger in her eyes changes to bewilderment, her mouth dropping open slightly as if she's been entirely taken aback. she holds charming's gaze, and seems unable to look away, as if she were jacob black and he was a really sexy baby.

yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

after that slow-motion moment, she manages to break away long enough to look over the surging army, and horror floods over her. with a sudden burst of passion, she cries out, over sindella's rising screams: ] No!

[uncease]

[Charming doesn't move bc it's not his turn to do so BUT LET THE RECORD SHOW that he is totally oblivious to any of those hearts drawn in the magi's eyes (wisdom 12). Just gonna keep holding this staff and watching shit spiral out of control...]

[socialgraces]

[ This is certainly an unexpected turn of events (wis check 17) but she can't help the relief that floods her, even as she's still reeling from the impact of three bullets. She staggers a bit, taking in the scene, but then turns to Gold, motioning to the opening Zatanna has granted them. She speaks loudly enough for the rest of the group to hear: ] We have to go!

[layonhands]

[ don't have to tell risa twice. she heads that way, keeping one eye out for anyone who gets injured, just in case. ]

[undealt]

[Gold realizes what's happened (wis 15) and it's like there's HOPE IN THE WORLD, because this situation went way more pearshaped than he imagined. Rather than go for the opening, however, he goes for Charming.] Ask her to make them stand down.

[(Diplomacy 25) Look trust him, Charming. He's got this.]