John and Thomas leg it in the Umbra and manage to intercept Red-Sun-Rising. John makes a formal apology, explaining that he did actually want to sit down with his pack, Frr and the Uktena and talk - he plain forgot about Alexandra Pde. Red-Sun-Rising looks at him for a moment and then says "Apology accepted. You show more wisdom than your pack leader."
You say "Anyway. Basically the trip on the Moonpath is pretty much as you'd expect, odd as you approach the fluxy goodness. Finally the Umbral mists clear and you find yourself at an infinite wall of Weaverness, split by the occasional eruption of Wyld energies. think closeups of IO" You say "Huge Weaver spiders move to close these gaps by excreting pure order over the holes. Occasionally you see one caught by the blasts of energy, and it isn't pretty. They mutate and worse, running amok, or just collapsing..." You say "The Moon path you are on turns sticky and then cold. And then happy." Thomas says "I spose to get in, we jump through one of the holes?" You say "Nope, you try and step through the gauntlet (small g)" You say "Ok, do peeps remember their gnosis?" john says "not sure of the diff b/w Gauntlet and gauntlet, but okay. gnosis=7" You say "Gauntlet = tween penumbra and Realm. This is a similr thing, but doesn't take you to the Realm." You say "Ok, type +roll 7 x 10 vs 10 - I'm assuming people are using willpower?" john says "here's a bad place to stick, yes." Eccles grins. "Big time bad. You say "Roll them electron bones" (John to Thomas Eccles john) The roll is: 1 2 4 5 6 9 10(1). 0 (+-1) matches vs diff 10. john says "Plus a willpower..." You say "Same for Thomas please mr kyle - replacing 7 with his gnosis." You say "Yep, cool, you get through" (Thomas to Thomas Eccles john) The roll is: 1 4 4 5 6. -1 matches vs diff 10. Thomas says "plus wpower..." You say "Which makes it just a fail..." john rolls around laughing (Eccles to Thomas Eccles john) The roll is: 3 3 6 9. 0 matches vs diff 10. Thomas says "your dice sick" Eccles grins. "Melissa goes straight through too. A large spider seems to sense the break in the contrainment, and starts heading towards Thomas.... john yoinks Thomas backpeddally like...Eccles notes John has gone already... Thomas says "again would be diff 11 yeah?" John says, "I thought I got + -1 matches, plus a willpower?" Eccles says, "Nup, its only -1 if you reroll 10s , which you don't on this roll" Eccles says, "If you spend 2 willpower, its 10 :)" Thomas says "sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet" Eccles says, "Or something - roll again anyway, and lets see :)" Other smaller spiders run ahead of the larger one, cascading forward towards Thomas. John says, "me roll again, or Thomas?" Eccles says, "Thoams" (Thomas to Thomas Eccles john) The roll is: 3 4 5 6 10(1). 1 (+-1) matches vs diff 10. Eccles says, "Ok, two succ @ 10 = 1 at 11, or near enough for me" Passing through the shell encompassing the Flux Realm is like being frozen - for a timeless period you cannot breathe or move, or think thoughts that you have not though before. There is no change, no dynamism. ...And then you emerge into the exact opposite. The surrounds are a riot of colour, noise and smell. Nothing stays the same for more than a moment, gravity surges back and forth, the 'air' itself feels warm one moment and furry the next... john tries to stabilise for a bit, to slow things down to think. Eccles says, "You can spend a willpower and roll to get something sensible to look at..." Eccles says, "Roll an approx manipulation + enigmas :)" Thomas says "si I spend a total of three getting in here?" Even your own forms change constantly, from lupus to human. Eccles says, "Only 2, in hindsight." Thomas says "did melissa make it through?" john says "roll vs what?" Melissa looks sick, but yep, she's there. John says, "roll enig + man vs ??" Eccles says, "Make it 7" (John to Thomas Eccles john) The roll is: 5 7 7 8 9 9. 5 matches vs diff 7. John says, "call me weaver boy :)" Eccles says, "Wow" John spreads his arms and concentrates, and a wave of sanity stretches out from him for 10s of metres. Ground is all one direction, the sky stays up high, even though it flashes colours. The noise abates.... Thomas says "and then john stabilised the wyld..." Melissa says "Thanks" and falls over "So dizzy. Remind me never to take drugs. Eccles says, "See what getting laid does for you :)" John says, "muhahaa. Call me Mr Laidback Weaver Master." Thomas says "I think being in that 10m area is a bad thing for what I am about to do"" Thomas says "or is it a good thing.... hmm" Everything still changes where you stand, but one thing changes at a time, and it does so slowly and in a sort of ordered fashion - from red to orange to green, for instance... john says "lets us get our bearings." john says "step out, do weaver stuff, step back to sanity..." Thomas goes through some items he has, photo, juggling balls, the had i used to use to collect busking money in Eccles says, "You could probably go to the edge and give it ago, but its only sane here comparitatively..." Thomas says "sounds good to me... so I'll prepeare in the "sane" zone, and then venture forth..." Eccles nods. "Ok, this you now do." As Thomas does his preparations, Melissa sort of points to the edge of the sane parts. "Its almost like television static... you can kind of see pictures in it.... john thinks about altering gift to be burny burny. Eccles grins. Can give it a go.... Thomas scratches his purple john laughs Eccles lols. "Ball? :) Eccles says, "Just going to the edge and thinking "arm" a lot?" Thomas says "righty-oh lets do this" Eccles says, "Ok" john gently nudges Thomas out of the stable bit. Thomas goes to the edge, and begins to think of the arm, and the things he has done with the arm... and wishes again to do (bah! to you all before you mention), Thomas says "into the wyld... gwowin' me a replacement arm... is this were we roill" As you all stare out into the void, pictures do indeed start to form. You see visions of weird and strange things, and much chaos. But after a time the visions settle down a bit and its you that you can see. But you in different futures - in worlds with inverted colours, female yous... A world where Thomas stayed a loner... A world where John did not save Peter the first time... Worlds where Melissa didn't frenzy, and managed to save her family.... the visions flicker and change constantly, sometimes showing you good futures, sometimes bad futures, sometimes just strange, like worlds with no blue... Thomas says "or even just me" Eccles says, "ok, yep, this is where you roll and spend bogloads of willpower :)" Eccles says, "It can be an extended roll as long as you don't fail.... cha+primal urge, and one willpower spent per oll" Thomas says "diff?" Eccles says, "Roll against 6" Thomas says "so i spend a gnosis n' wpower to start yes?" Thomas says "" Eccles shakes head. "Just willpower Thomas says "and spend a wpower on the roll as well, or not allowed" Eccles says, "You have to spend it to even try, so nope" (Thomas to Thomas Eccles john) The roll is: 1 3 6 9 9. 2 matches vs diff 6. Eccles says, "That's at least 1 sucess, you can keep rolling if you want to..." Eccles says, "More good :)" (Thomas to Thomas Eccles john) The roll is: 4 6 6 10(7) 10(1). 4 matches vs diff 6. Eccles says, "How much willpower do you have in total?" Eccles says, "permanent?" Thomas says "7" Eccles says, "Ok, you've spent 4..... you can keep going if you want...." Eccles says, "(that includes getting in)" John says, "leave at least 1 or 2 for getting out again..." Thomas says "one.... more.... push..." (Thomas to Thomas Eccles john) The roll is: 4 6 7 8 8. 4 matches vs diff 6. Eccles says, "Ok, now the prose description - benji, tell me if you want to try and mutate the gift :-)" John says, "yep" Thomas says "ahhhhhh... all armed up?" Eccles says, "I'll type in a long desc of what happens :)" John says, "okay." Thomas stands near the edge of John's little oasis of calmness and concentrates on his right arm, on the things he used to do with it, and how it used to feel. He draws upon the Wyld around him and tries to mould it into his image of how his body used to feel Energy flows and ebbs. Thomas can feel an itching sensation and starts to perceive a vague limbshaped bubble on his right. He concentrates on using it, and on how it used to respond to his command. Over time, the shape grows more and more arm like and Thomas begins to juggle. The sensations coming from the arm are more and more comprehendable, and now he can sense individual fingers and it bends where it should... finally he stands there with a new arm, perhaps not as muscular as it was, but complete and functioning. Eccles says, "Basically you have an arm... huzzah! :)" John says, "neato" Thomas says "and it changes when I shift?" As you reach up and shift forms, something else seems to move and unfold... enormous batlike wings unfold from under your arms, merging with the little fingers and spreading out to maybe 15 feet in either direction.... Melissa says "Holy fuck. john recoils a little, but not much Thomas says "fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck...." As Thomas spins around, John and Melissa can see that the wings are part of the tattoo on Thomas's back.... Thomas says "er.... um... ooooooooooooo-kay... ..." john says "Aww...that's sweet. Your passenger's getting more and more active these days..." Thomas says "we should probably go...."" john says "Hang about. Something more to do, first..." john starts concentrating. You paged Thomas with 'You can feel something at the back of your mind, a suggestion on how to undo the wings...'. Thomas says "so I have chrinos arms with wongs? or wongs instead of arms? or what....?" Melissa looks seriously freaked... Thomas undoes the wings Eccles says, "Ok John, same deal - roll cha + primal, high fiff" John says, "say again pls? Term problems..." Thomas closes his eyes and concentrates and the wings flow back into his arm.... Eccles says, "Spend a willpower each roll, charisma plus primal urge, diff ... well, roll @ 6. If you don't fail you can keep going...." (John to Thomas Eccles john) The roll is: 1 2 3 3 10(4). 0 matches vs diff 6. John says, "plus a wp." John says, ", makes 1 success..." Eccles says, "Can't add wp to the roll - gotta use it to even try" Thomas says "try what exactly" John says, "ah. Oh well..." You're not quite sure what you're doing.... wyld cascades everywhere, but nothing seems to have changed. Eccles says, "you could try agasin :)" John says, "shall do that..." Eccles says, "botching is bad" (John to Thomas Eccles john) The roll is: 2 3 4 10(8) 10(4). 2 (+1) matches vs diff 6. Eccles says, "Or to quote earlier - botch and you're a pokemon." John says, "succeeded. result?" Eccles says, "Not enough to be conclusive but some progress..." Eccles says, "How much wp do you have again? :)" John says, "shall try further..." (John to Thomas Eccles john) The roll is: 2 2 2 7 9. 2 matches vs diff 6. Eccles waits for Thomas to crashtackle him... John says, "about 4 left..." Eccles smiles. Eccles says, "Ok, that's a fail... so it doesn't seem to have worked really....." John says, "that's a fail??" Eccles said it was hard. Thomas is still al little phased and in shock John says, "ah. Not actually diff 6 then." Melissa comes over and traces out the tattoo. "Its changed" Eccles says, "Are you joking? :)" john joins melissa in dissecting Thomas. Eccles says, "Everyone would be here then :)" The tattoo's wings seem brighter, and more pronounced. Thomas is fairly sure they go further down his arm too. Thomas says "going is a good idea, I think the tattoo will be still changed later..." Melissa nods absently, but doesn't tear her eyes away. As you head for the edge of the Realm to try and leave, something changes in the 'ground'. There is a faint flash of silver, like a moonbridge opening, and then the ground goes black, expanding out from a point maybe 10 metres away into a circle about 5 metres acrosss.... Eccles gives people a chance to react.... Thomas motions for the others to be "still" john obeys. Freezing, prepared for anything, suave, sophisticated and collected :) The very centre of the circle brightens, shining silvery. There is a feeling of something rising (or are you falling?). The silvery light bounces off the wyldness around you, causing weird hallucinations and ghosts.... A figure, bent over and gaunt looking, rises up out of the ground... Thomas says "cowel'd?" Thomas says "or even shrouded?" The figure is on one knee, and it looks up at you. ... ... Its Mathias... Thomas says "mathias?" john says "verifies Matthis by smell?" Thomas says "in here?" Thomas moves towards mathias john shrugs As much as you can confirm, its Mathias. He looks like shit. You can get him moving though, and manage to head out of the Realm and back home. The End.