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[ZEITGEIST] The Continuing Adventures of Korrigan & Co.
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<blockquote data-quote="gideonpepys" data-source="post: 7123580" data-attributes="member: 79141"><p><strong>Session 14 (139) Part Three - The Mindmaker's Gambit</strong></p><p></p><p>THE MINDMAKER’S GAMBIT</p><p></p><p>In the relative safety of a private hotel room, they removed Quital from the <em>absurdist web</em>, roused him to semi- consciousness, then waited while he lapsed back into slumber. At once he appeared to jerk awake and try to talk. His words were slurred and incomprehensible. Perhaps Rumdoom’s blow had damaged his brain?</p><p></p><p>But no: this was just Alexander Grappa, attempting to speak for the first time in many years. He clumsily asked them to be patient and stumbled his way through some nursery rhymes and other repetitive speech exercises. Before he did so, he was at pains to warn them that any jolt or sudden noise could wake Quital.</p><p></p><p>At length he was ready to talk, albeit with a frustrating stammer. “What I am about to suggest may sound odd. But please b-b-bear with me.” </p><p></p><p>‘Odd’ was an understatement:</p><p></p><p>Grappa discovered toward the end of his time with his ‘previous employers’ that they were working with a group of frost giants based in the tower city of Knütpara, trapped over a thousand years ago in a massive glacier. He only managed a bit of investigation of his own, but he learned there was an unnamed frost giant lich whose phylactery was lost in that city, and that the last time he was destroyed a few centuries ago, he apparently reformed stuck in the ice.</p><p></p><p>The lich’s specialty was ripping souls out of people and planting other souls into the shells of their bodies, mostly as a service for allies of the Demonocracy, to let them be immortal, or so that they could infiltrate groups opposed to the demons. It was apparently quite effective, and could even fool magical detection. Grappa theorized that his former employers were trying to free the lich, but before sending his letter to the constables, he performed a divination and learned that the lich is still trapped in the ice. The other frost giants found him, but apparently haven’t dug him out yet.</p><p></p><p>Grappa risked only two sending rituals while trapped in Quital’s body. The first was to contact Tinker Oddcog (to no avail, Tinker’s reply was incomprehensible and offered no help to his old friend). The second was to ask if the lich would share his knowledge of soul transfer. The lich agreed, on the condition that he free it.</p><p></p><p>“D-d-d-do not d-d-doubt my intentions,” Grappa said at this point. “We shall definitely destroy him once we get what we want. I’d hate to release some ancient evil being on the world. But the ritual of soul-transfer could be our only hope of gaining access to the convocation. Security is paramount to our mutual enemies. Illusions, even shape-changing will not suffice.”</p><p></p><p>Gradually, the penny dropped: Not only was Grappa proposing to use the ritual on Quital, he was proposing to use it on them! </p><p></p><p>Elaboration was required: Once he had occupied Quital’s body, Grappa would contact Quital’s allies, informing them that he had escaped – better yet, defeated – the unit. (If they moved fast enough they might be able to achieve this before the Ob even knew something was amiss.) Then he would continue with Quital’s plan to meet with Ob officers in Mirsk station, and use the lich’s ritual to supplant each one of them.</p><p></p><p>The biggest drawback of this plan was that their bodies would have to remain behind – with a gentle repose ritual to preserve them – until they returned. Then Leon suggested they use the absurdist web to bring them along, in magical stasis and safe from divinations.</p><p></p><p>With that failsafe in place, what could possibly go wrong?</p><p></p><p>They began to plan for their hike north into the Shawl Mountains: an arduous slog through icy peaks; at least three days by Xambria’s reckoning. Matunaaga’s arm would take too long to heal. He would wait for the others in Mirsk.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="gideonpepys, post: 7123580, member: 79141"] [b]Session 14 (139) Part Three - The Mindmaker's Gambit[/b] THE MINDMAKER’S GAMBIT In the relative safety of a private hotel room, they removed Quital from the [I]absurdist web[/I], roused him to semi- consciousness, then waited while he lapsed back into slumber. At once he appeared to jerk awake and try to talk. His words were slurred and incomprehensible. Perhaps Rumdoom’s blow had damaged his brain? But no: this was just Alexander Grappa, attempting to speak for the first time in many years. He clumsily asked them to be patient and stumbled his way through some nursery rhymes and other repetitive speech exercises. Before he did so, he was at pains to warn them that any jolt or sudden noise could wake Quital. At length he was ready to talk, albeit with a frustrating stammer. “What I am about to suggest may sound odd. But please b-b-bear with me.” ‘Odd’ was an understatement: Grappa discovered toward the end of his time with his ‘previous employers’ that they were working with a group of frost giants based in the tower city of Knütpara, trapped over a thousand years ago in a massive glacier. He only managed a bit of investigation of his own, but he learned there was an unnamed frost giant lich whose phylactery was lost in that city, and that the last time he was destroyed a few centuries ago, he apparently reformed stuck in the ice. The lich’s specialty was ripping souls out of people and planting other souls into the shells of their bodies, mostly as a service for allies of the Demonocracy, to let them be immortal, or so that they could infiltrate groups opposed to the demons. It was apparently quite effective, and could even fool magical detection. Grappa theorized that his former employers were trying to free the lich, but before sending his letter to the constables, he performed a divination and learned that the lich is still trapped in the ice. The other frost giants found him, but apparently haven’t dug him out yet. Grappa risked only two sending rituals while trapped in Quital’s body. The first was to contact Tinker Oddcog (to no avail, Tinker’s reply was incomprehensible and offered no help to his old friend). The second was to ask if the lich would share his knowledge of soul transfer. The lich agreed, on the condition that he free it. “D-d-d-do not d-d-doubt my intentions,” Grappa said at this point. “We shall definitely destroy him once we get what we want. I’d hate to release some ancient evil being on the world. But the ritual of soul-transfer could be our only hope of gaining access to the convocation. Security is paramount to our mutual enemies. Illusions, even shape-changing will not suffice.” Gradually, the penny dropped: Not only was Grappa proposing to use the ritual on Quital, he was proposing to use it on them! Elaboration was required: Once he had occupied Quital’s body, Grappa would contact Quital’s allies, informing them that he had escaped – better yet, defeated – the unit. (If they moved fast enough they might be able to achieve this before the Ob even knew something was amiss.) Then he would continue with Quital’s plan to meet with Ob officers in Mirsk station, and use the lich’s ritual to supplant each one of them. The biggest drawback of this plan was that their bodies would have to remain behind – with a gentle repose ritual to preserve them – until they returned. Then Leon suggested they use the absurdist web to bring them along, in magical stasis and safe from divinations. With that failsafe in place, what could possibly go wrong? They began to plan for their hike north into the Shawl Mountains: an arduous slog through icy peaks; at least three days by Xambria’s reckoning. Matunaaga’s arm would take too long to heal. He would wait for the others in Mirsk. [/QUOTE]
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