Tanuchan

Nehrathi, finally seeming to pay attention to her surroundings after Napheen being gone, hears Benny and nods slightly. "Khe accused Napheen, didn't he? If he's innocent, at least he'll be paying for that with my friend..." Her voice, once crystalline with laughter, is now cold and almost as dead as her body. ~~~~ OOC: Accusing Khe/Knight

*hugs Sal* So good to see you around, Sal ! *grins* ~Tanny

It was part of the activities held by occasion of the Summer Solstice Carnival... we had lots of chances to earn geld and spend it You can see the threads involved here (index) and here (geld rules). The event where we spent most of our geld was the Bachelor Auction, with the results here. There was also another auction for some items. (The thread on the items auctioned is accessible just for Pages and up... but you can see the stories at Assembly, if I'm not wrong.) Next event of this kind will be the Winter Solstice Carnival, in about a month. ~~~~ Edit: typos... and Sal also answered below

Well, this is not official... but it seems something like this... (please, correct me if I'm wrong ) Ozy (Purple Shadows) Death of Rats(Katz) Vlad (Jade) Falcon2k1 (Izabella) Dean the Adequate (Izabella) Regel (Signe) Aural (Alaeha) ~Tanny

Nehrathi hugs her friend, still unwilling to believe such evil thing as accusing one among themselves of being responsible for Hemahibe's disappearance. "Oh, Napheen... this is terrible!" "Someone must be desperate to divert suspicion from himself, from herself, to try to make me look guilty of something I don't even understand." Napheen accepts the comfort of her friend's hug. "Khe... he's also accusing... quick, oh so quick..." Nehrathi listens to Napheen, and for the first time in her life (and un-life) she's forced to look upon her people with suspicion. Her heart heavy, remembering the dark accusation by the Ambassador, she nods. ~~~~~~ OOC: accusing Khe/Knight. It's just IC for Nehrathi to follow Napheen...

"Napheen?!" Nehrathi turns to face the Ambassador as she listens to his accusation, her gentle temper gone and being replaced by a cold glare. Both Esaneh and Rahotep recognize the glare, one resting a calming hand on her shoulder and the other whispering, "Nehrathi, he doesn't know Napheen... " She ignores both men, and talks in a clear, cold voice, "Ambassador, I respect your office and your knowledge. But I've grown up with Napheen and she is the gentlest person I've ever known. That's why she was entrusted with the Pharaoh's children. To see any evil in her is inconceivable." The Ambassador frowns at her. "Child, that's exactly why she's dangerous. She has everybody's trust. What better to hide evil?" "I refused to believe there's evil among us, Ambassador. But, to see evil in Napheen... that shocks me enough to start believing there's darkness hidden in your soul." ~~~~ OOC: No accusation yet. I'll come back later with a vote.

THE END Great end, Crypt - thanks!! And great game and RP, all! *hugs everybody*

Nehrathi, right beside Rahotep when Maesha whispers her conclusion, grabs his arm in horror and disbelief. "A traitor among us? After all this milennia? It can't be! Rahotep, that's not possible... we live our un-lives in contentment here..." Rahotep shakes his head, after all this time still wondering at the sheer innocence and trust in his friend. "Nerathi, dear... you could never accept that there's evil in everyone, even in those with whom we shared most of our lives, and all our un-lives." "But having evil within does not mean that we have to be evil, Rahotep... we can choose not to be evil. No one has true need to be evil..." "Sometimes they think they do." Esaneh wraps an arm around Nehrathi's slim waist. "You're just too good, dearest. Not even the court, or the crypts, changed you. But I'm afraid that we may be in danger." She trembles slightly, still unwilling to believe in malevolence from people she has considered friends since they've been entombed together. "Esaneh, Rahotep... I love you both... " Both men smile at her, each one kissing her on the head. "We love you too, 'rathi." Rahotep turns his attention again to the group. "And believe us, there's evil among us." Nehrathi still shakes her head, her eyes pleading with Esaneh to contradict Rahotep.

Well, it's up to Celes to answer about the crypts... But yes, we vote using an OOC line in the post. As we did at the Halloween game

Yup, what everybody said... *hugs* Rest, and be well. A wolf sits down at the foot of Ayshela's bed, keeping an eye on her and another on the germs, making sure that they don't dare approaching her recovering friend.

*hugs* We'll miss you around... hope you're doing well in your finals and that your computer can be fixed soon!

Nehrathi gasps in surprise at the news, looking around for Esaneh. Finding him, she rushes to his side and hugs him. "Esaneh, Esaneh... how could something like this happen to Hemahibe? Where is she, how could anyone take her from us?" Esaneh holds her closely, trying to comfort her while he asks the same questions in his mind. "It's a terrible thing... in all this milennia here no one has disappeared before..." he glances around, but soon turns his full attention to his fiancée, comforting her with soft words. Napheen wanders over to them, lost. "Nehrathi, I'm so glad to see you. This is quite disturbing! Have you any idea what happened to Hemahibe? I only heard the last of the announcement, and I don't quite understand what's happening." "The last I saw of her was when we were leaving for our tombs... they say all of her has disappeared, her heart and her belongings also... " The two friends get closer, finding a measure of peace in each other's presence. "Hemahibe was quite a dancer... so gracious and lithe... no one here would do anything to risk her, I'm sure of that!" The other mummies also gather in small groups, and Nehrathi sees Rahotep with his guard detail. From his positioning and the way he stands, she knows he's observing unobtrusively all that happens. A small smile come to her lips as Napheen follows her eyes and also rests her look on the "young" officer. "He's handsome, isn't he, Napheen?" Nehrathi glances at her friend, still smiling. She knew Napheen would have been blushing slightly if she were alive.

As Wyvern and Venefyxatu pose for the phographers, there's a subtle rumbling below their feet. Wondering, they look at each other in confusion as the the rumbling becomes a trembling. "An earthquake? At the Pen?!" mumbles Wyvern, looking around frantically. "That reminds me of the newest Almost Draconic..." A small hole opens under Wyvern's feet, topling him and cutting his words as it widens to engulf his ankles, then his shins. Venefyxatu looks around, sensing something not quite right, and locates a very angry-looking young woman knelt amid discarded arms and legs. "Ummm... Tanuchan..." he asks politely as she narrows her eyes at Wyvern. The earth closes around the Elder Lizard's legs, keeping him immobilized from knee down. Letting the flow of energy go, Tanny picks all discarded limbs in her arms and walks purposefully in the direction of the reporters. "I am sure that The Other Candidate will lower the taxes on zombie limbs, but I wonder how he got possession of this many extra limbs? And what does he intend to do with them... maybe sell as spare parts for the unfortunate ones who lost them in the first place?" As the reporters look at each other, scratching their heads and trying to guess if there was really anny innuendo in her words, Tanny justs turns and dumps her armload of legs and arms onto Wyvern's head. Then, smiling to Venefyxatu, she invites him to leave. "I'm sure you'd like to know the Pen... I can show you some interesting places, and maybe present you to one or other Undead that also live here or nearby." Wyvern's voice accompanies her to the door, "H-hey Tanuchan... you can't leave me here..." She grins at him, after scanning whatever there is outside the office. "Oh, it's just a hole, Wyvern dear... you can dig yourself out. Or maybe that bunch of people I see coming here can help you out... they seem to be looking for you, and in a very determined way." Wyvern rounds his eyes, remembering all too well his latest schemes. With a wicked grin, Tanny leaves with Venefyxatu while the reporters try to get some words from The Other Candidate. lol Welcome, Venefyxatu... never mind all those arms and legs...

Just a question, Celes... will we have the Listkeepers (aka backup mods) for this game also? If we are, I suggest both the first lynchee and Mynx... she doesn't have much time, but she checks the boards and both Gryph and Cryp have contact with her. It seems Katz' having too little time free, unfortunately...

Smiling at Esaneh, Nehrathi whispers her love, and they talk absolutely unaware of the world outside. "Where is Imhotep, dearest? Maybe tonight we can finally talk to him..." Nehrathi looks around, searching for the cleric, and her eyes fall on Rahotep. Smiling, she waves at him. After some words to Esaneh, she kisses his cheek shyly and runs to her childhoood friend and confidant, hugging him. "Rahotep! I didn't see you last night... where were you? Maybe finally you asked Napheen out?" Her lips form a perfectly mischievous grin, eyes twinkling in a way Rahotep recognizes. He laughs quietly, returning the hug and looking at her affectionately. "Stop trying to throw Napheen in my arms? She's a gentle, nice young woman but I don't think she's interested. And I'm not sure I am interested either, you little sprite!" He pats her cheek, an amused tone in his voice. "And besides, where I would ask her 'out' to?" He winks. "Aww..." she pouts, but it's clear to anyone who has known them that it's part of a common byplay between them, Nehrathi having always been good-natured and filling the Queen's chambers with her gentle laugh.

For those who don't know about Chrissiania's Jewel... the story is here and why Merelas has it, here.

*hugs Ayshela* Be well, dear friend ~~~~ Well, back to the RP... I guess you'll have to deal with two unconscious people if there's anything else to do . Tanny won't recover conscience easily, and will probably need a certain amount of Healing. Backlashes are nasty... I think now it's for Cryp to work out the release of the Curse... did the spirit "die" or was simply banished, cut forever (forever?) from this plane? Does it affect the book? Yui, it was a really nice post of yours, there... feel free to take care of the cleansing if you feel like doing it And to everybody else, please be free to complete your reactions... I'll wait at the least for both Cryp's and eventually Yui's posts before closing the story. Ah, Ayshela... in case you come back in time, my post gave a hint of you also hitting the spirit together with Merelas. ~Tanny EDIT: Answering Gryph... Well, I know Ayshela was the one really worried about the whereabouts of people... Tanny would probably know but... What I do know is: * battling the Spirit => Tanny, Gryph, Itchy, Vahk, Merelas, Ayshela (well, I put her there in the beginning... ), Celes, Yui * in shadow form, recovering the book => Cryp * supposedly unconscious during the battle => Gwaihir * MIA => Finnius (disappeared when 'lynched'), Katz (well, I didn't write her anywhere, I think... ) * inactive at the end of the game part, but alive => Nave, Leif, and the other cannon fodders (well, put them still around the house, but no need to worry a lot about them).

As the battle goes on and on, Tanny feels more and more strands of energy escaping from her control, and she tries vainly to grasp them. Knowing she won't be able to hold the flows, she just releases her draw on Merelas. ::I can't hold. Help them as you can...:: Her mental voice dies in a strained whisper, her attention already fully back to the weakening shields. The Spirit senses the diminishing power that holds him trapped in the material plane, and his next probing attack against the shields make them flicker and almost vanish for a fraction of a second before holding him. Grinning in mirth, the Spirit blasts his nether-worldly fire against both Gnarlitch and the shields, confident on his power. Tanny cries in pain as the shields vanish, the energy backlash involving her as the blast reflects on the dwarf's shield. She makes still a feeble attempt to grasp the flow of earth as Vahktang uses his second wand, and sees both Ayshela and Merelas using their weapons. The last thing her mind registers as darkness claim her is Merelas slumping on the floor.

*hugs* Don't worry, Nave... we sure understand Hope RL hasn't been too hard on you. Come back when you can, we'll be always here waiting for you! And, of course... if you have the time, post at the thread! Papa Smurf may have some fun with the Spirit of the Curse ~Tanny

Well... I got the Spirit into the material plane. I see it now as a powerful Undead that can actually be affected by either physical combat or spells. In other words, anyone there can attack and help. Tanny will be trying to keep the shield. She can't do it for long, though - the strain of controling three energy flows (air, fire, mana) completely different from those she uses (earth/water) is steadily draining her. She will collapse sooner or later. Have fun!

Part of Tanny's mind registers Gnarlitch's presence at her side, and it triggers a line of thought. Physical combat with incorporeal beings... just if they're brought into the material plane. I'm keeping it confined in his plane... can I invert the shield? While still straining to hold the shielding, that part of her mind analyses critically the way she's weaving the mixed energy flows. Earth... tainted. Fire, elusive... contained by earth. Air... a separate thread, as Celes'. All three woven in a rigged net. Invert the flows...? Still analysing the flows, she sends to Merelas, ::I'll need to draw quite a bit for some moments... can you bear it?:: As he agrees, she whispers to Gnarlitch, urgent, "I'll try to trap it in the material plane, but I'm not sure how much I can block of his magical skills. Gryph!" Gryphon turns to her, intent on her words. "Gryph, it will be tricky... attack the Spirit with magic as soon as Mer signs you. Vahk, use your amulet... try to hit the Spirit with it. I want to bait him into the material plane." There's a small hesitation on them as they both nod. Gryph checks with Merelas, who explains briefly, "She mindspeaks to me. She has a plan to force him to go into hand-to-hand combat." Tanny ignores the shouts of her friends as they get prepared, focusing completely on what she intends to do. Can't really control mana... hope it will hold. Thinning the barriers, she feels the Spirit grinning at her apparently weakness. ::Now!:: As Gryph attacks, Tanny lets go part of the shielding. The Spirit, in his confidence, lunges to possess the mage in front of him when Vahks hurls the Amulet towards him. To the surprise of many, a bright white glow involves the Amulet briefly when it makes contact with the Spirit and actually hits him. Screaming in pain and rage, the Spirit materializes completely, flinging the Amulet away. At that instant, Tanny reforms the shielding in a subtle way, forming a net of mixed flows that cuts the Spirit from his plane, each thread helping to block a different part of the complex energy of the Spirit. "I don't know how long I can hold... attack!" And hopefully his magic won't be as strong with my shielding interfering.

Both shields would be of different nature... I don't think Tanny can handle that. You see... the Spirit is incorporeal, so the shield is basically confining its energy in another 'plane', so that it can't interact with us. A shield to protect people weaves earth/water flow around one person so that it can't be hit by other kinds of energy, including magic. To specifically shift the shield so that it holds everyone else except Itchy is just too much for her. She protects one person, probably two (with weaker barriers). Certainly not all of them; if there's a *huge* amount of energy she can channel she can shield more people, though. So, while Tanny's shield can give protection against magic to anyone who decides to go hand-in-hand with the Spirit, it won't protect the others. Also, her shields are not meant to protect against physical attacks. She can work in other ways to help the combat (giving endurance is one of them) but, without a good, clean source of energy she's completely familiar with, she can't both hold shields and feed endurance into another. As for fighting... well, please does anyone know how to fight Undead that are at least partially incorporeal? 'Shela? Merelas? Yui? EDIT: I remembered one thing... an incorporeal being can't interact physically with the material plane; to be able to do so, it must become corporeal, right? (Basic DnD rules). And while corporeal, it can be hit as any of us. So... I think I can write the Spirit taking corporeal form to escape from Tanny's shielding... I just have to work out one detail, but she could try to shield his access to the other plane so he can't just alternated corporeal/incorporeal forms. Locked into the material plane, he's a target to any kind of attack... magical or hand-to-hand. Does that solve our problem? *grin* At the very end, I think Yui or anyone with the power to, could banish it so the curse is removed and the House, cleansed

That's exactly what happened... About Yui and the other 'cannon foddeers', it was Katzaniel's plan to be working with them and having them pranked as the co-moderator of the game. Unfortunately, RL got hold of her and he wasn't able to keep with her plans... And as I had also some trouble, I could barely write enough of the game modding posts, and no chance at all to think about the NPCs. My suggestion, Yui, is that you could have been investigating the house/library since entering the house and being aware of the cursed nature of the place. I see you as being in the background all the time, but at different places from the active players until Tanny brought you all together to deal with the Spirit of the Curse. I have no idea what that one is, by the way... when Crypt came up with that idea, I asked him to take care of that impersonation and the book. So... guess we'll have to work with him to see what's happening, after all. 'Shela, honey... what Gryph said is true: we aren't doing anything IC, just struggling to hold that malevolent 'thingie' there . By coincidence, the ones discussing OOC what to do to deal with that were the ones whose best skills are in magic! So, if the fighters of the group have any idea at all, please do come in and add your posts! You know your characters best of all, so I'm sure you'll have ideas on how to help... as Gryph, at the moment I don't have any ideas, so Tanny's just busy holding the shields (and avoiding get involved in a hand-to-hand fight... lol... ) The thread is open to anyone who wishes to post, really -- even those who weren't at the game/party. Just be sure to use your Pen characters and provide a plausible explanation for your presence there... please post here or PM either myself or Gryph about that if you're in doubt. (Gryph, I'm electing you as co-mod for this part... ) I'll let the thread/story open until we solve the Spirit situation. I have some ideas to wrap it up, but I need some time to organize them. *hugs all* ~Tanny

*hugs Gryph* Go and rest, Gryph You'll surely feel better tomorrow.

Erm... Gryph, are you a childhood friend of Ayshela's, or mine? I'm Nehrathi, Ayshela's Napheen... of course, we can all be friends.