[The keys turn, the door opens, and they find themselves stepping through to the other side in time with the rest of the rooms. All eight of them stand over a basin that flows down into a ceremonial setting flanked by six coffins. In the center of the setting is a stone pillar with six names carved in relief that they can see:
John Gainor Elizabeth Howe Susannah Gainor George Harper Louis Melroux Celeste Marchant
Beneath them, four more names seem to have been struck from the roster, bodies destroyed and witches dead.
But in between them and that basin are a proverbial flood - but instead of water, it's spirits. Every spirit who was forced out of their bodies so the parents could ascend. Every child abused by their ancestor so they could remain encased in flesh. They stand guard, faces flickering as they wait for the coven who came to challenge them to descend and try to get to the last remaining anchor of the spell.
( Luke's steps up next to his sister, their brother to his right, and then his friend Annie rounds them off. On his left, Jo, Bonnie, Rowena, and then finally Freya come up beside him.
The room is ornate and ceremonial. It would be pretty if they're weren't a bevy of trapped souls below them. )
Are they waiting for us to free them or are they looking for a fight?
All spirits are different, but Sam told me about what happens when a spirit doesn't crossover. Sometimes, their humanity strips away and madness sets in. They could act like rabid dogs if unleashed.
( And do they have to be unleashed?
Bonnie walks the line along the river, Shepherd peers into the infinite abyss of souls and Rowena does an arcana check: (13 with advantage, she'd old, but, not Inner Circle) )
[Rowena feels ... something like a magnet. A very specific magnet designed for a very specific kind of spirit. She doesn't know for sure, but she senses that the Inner Circle likely needed somewhere to stash the souls of all the bodies they were hijacking.
Freya also tries to sense something off the ghosts (13), but she sees the sigils built into the walls and she squints at them curiously.]
I think the only thing that's keeping them from finding peace is what's holding them here.
[One of the spirits leans closer to Bonnie, and there is something familiar in his features. The sandy dark hair, the sharp angle of his face reminds her of someone she hasn't spoken to in a while. "Bennett ... Bennett witch ..." The voice fades, and he struggles to find the words again. "Will you ... release ... " The runes flare, and he flickers before being forced back into his original position.]
( She stiffens, the spirit approaching her, but she'd recognize the mischief, the facial hair, the scowl. )
Mr. Gainor?
( She watches him flicker and end up a few feet away again as she notices the sigils.
"This chamber acts as a magnet for the souls they absorb," Rowena says, eyeing the spirits and then the sigils. "If we overpower these sigils, I believe they'll be nothing standing in the way between us and victory."
Hell, if they do it right, these spirits could probably take the bodies down with them. They are poised.
Luke reaches a hand out, testing.
Shepherd feels the nearby wall to see what he can glean (15). Can a siphon drain the nearest sigil? )
[Luke's hand is met with a small amount of magical resistance, almost as though he's pressing just against the edge of a bubble, and one of the witches near him presses closer, almost as though sensing the life it's been deprived of.
Annie notices Shep siphoning, and she can't help a hesitant:]
Careful.
[This is a trap made for Gemini witches. They might be prepared.
The first thing he notices when he starts is that there is a great deal of magic behind the sigils. Even with the little bit he takes, there seems to be a well of magic to fill back in and take it's place.
Not re-siphoning him the way it did for the twins in Prague. But he can feel the edges of a trap lurking there, even if he can't figure out exactly how it's going to snap.]
There's endless power here. Keeps reconstituting itself. I took some in, just to see if I could. If I kept going, I don't know if I could ever stop. it's probably designed that way.
[There are ways. They just have to find a way to cut the rune off from it's power supply and that may take more time than they have.
Annie makes a face. "Are you regretting not taking the boss instead of me?" It's mostly a joke, but Abernathy is the runes expert. Not that he would have been as happy to help.]
[The magic is almost an infinity loop. The runes bind the ghosts to the space. The ghost's magic is drained to the bubble, which is then fed into the runes which hold them in place. And all of the power lines of the cage run directly back to the pillar standing in the center of the bubble.
His sister, who also rolled incredibly well (nat 20), steps up next to him.]
You see it too?
[That the center of the problem means getting past all those ghosts?]
They could be spelled to attack if we engage. Or attack the big rock.
("Well, we can't all just stand here forever, now, can we?" Rowena asks, gesturing to the pool of spirits. "Who has a theory? There are no wrong answers."
Or a plan?
"I could 'invisique,' see if that gets me -- in." Luke offers, considering that possibility. )
[She nods to Liv, because she doesn't want him to be alone, invisible, in a sea of spirits that could turn and attack him.
In the meantime, they can work on something else.
Freya turns to study the runes behind her, the pattern starting to emerge clearly. "We could also break the pattern, maybe? Disrupting it hear might weaken whatever control they have on the spirits."]
[Liv nods and slowly follows after him, keeping her steps in line with his as they move down into the crowd of spirits, all of them ignoring them for now, but still stepping aside as though to make space for the spell they can't see.
Freya glances over at Shep, before turning back to the runes.]
How much can you siphon safely? Even if it's only one or two runes, there might be some backlash. You could potentially absorb it, but I don't want to overwhelm you.
( Luke is careful, keeping his hand in his sister's as they make there way through the sea of spirits, drawing closer to the pillar.
"Honestly, I don't know. Even what little I siphoned from before, it felt like what I took was replenished the instant it was taken," Shepherd says.
Rowena contemplates trying to materialize a sledgehammer. "Runes such as these can be overwhelmed. Shorted. But, we are one angel down with that much power." If there were someone to channel, to balance Shepherd out, she wonders. "Perhaps if he had something grounding him. Like rubber and electricity," she posits. )
[She's never been an overtly powerful witch, everything about her more kinetic than overtly magical. She can channel energy or magic in different directions, so it would be fairly easy to use herself as a conductor for whatever Shep is siphoning.]
He siphons, I channel him and draw the magic down, you two break the runes?
[Meanwhile, in the sea of ghosts, they don't seem to have noticed the twins yet (10). Luke and Liv continue to weave through the spirits, and as they move deeper into the throng, they can see the spirits deteriorate as they get closer and closer to the pillar the longer they've been trapped here. Some of them barely have faces.]
( Smirking, taking her hand in his, their arms and interlocking fingers swing. He wouldn't channel anyone else. )
I'm good with that.
( Luke doesn't dare speak out loud, only observing as they press forward. The older the spirits are - he guesses, the less form they take. Maybe they deteriorate over time. Still, he tries to weave around them and not touch them. (14) )
[Freya nods before reviewing the runes in front of them again before selecting the one that would be the most useful.]
This one. "Stay."
[If it releases the ghosts, then all the more ease for them to cross through to the main event. She scans the space and picks up a heavy candlestick and turns back to the stonework.]
Ready?
[Annie gives his hand a squeeze in return. If he's ready, she's ready.
It's unclear who flips the switch - if it's Liv's foot scuffing against a shoe, or Luke's arm brushing against one of the ghosts before they can move away, but one of the ghosts snap towards them, piercing through the veil of invisibility (19), and opens their mouth and begins to scream.
The other ghosts begin to swarm closer, looking to trap them in the sea of spirits and Jo swears before glancing to Bonnie.
("Let's go," Bonnie yells, sending a spell forward. "Phasmatos separatio," she surges forward, trying to fling spirits off of the Parker twins. (11).
Shepherd quickly takes Annie's hand, slapping a hand against the wall. He balances between taking power in and Annie making sure it doesn't get the better of him.
Rowena finds a different rune and a metal rod holding a basket. )
And this one. "Attack."
( She targets that rune while Freya targets the other one: (nat 20) )
[The spirits are pushed away by Bonnie's effort (7), making frustrated noises when they can't get where they need to go. Jo places her hand on Bonnie's shoulder, letting her channel her and giving her advantage on the next push. Liv doubles the effort Bonnie started (17 vs. 2), cutting a path through the spirits and pushing her brother forward.
Rowena's rune shatters, releasing a burst of magic that Shep is quickly able to siphon, and Annie does her best to ground it (7), the magic is starting to spark as it hits the ground, rippling over the ghosts which draws their attention back towards the rest of the group, noticing Bonnie and Jo close to the edge of the bubble.
Freya then follows by bringing her own mallet down (18), cracking the stone and letting the magic be free to run into Shep.]
( Bonnie sends a cyclone of power at the spirits indefinitely, keeping them off of the twins who reappear, but are able to push through the crowd (nat 20 w adv).
Liv and her brother make it out the other side, to assess what might be needed from there.
Rowena shatters another rune nearby (nat 20)vimbuing her purple magic in her swing.
Shep balances, because he's supposed to, because this is his family's (nat - freaking - 20) )
[The magic swells around them, but the witches manage magnificently, clearing a path for the twins to get to the central pillar. Now that they're close, they can see that it's more than just a pillar of stone. They can make out the twisted shape of an arm or a leg - someone is trapped in that pillar.
Liv takes a step closer to it but she can't make out much of the magic (3). Only that it feels familiar, somehow, even if she can't make out why.]
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everyonelives2025-07-26 07:05 pm
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John Gainor
Elizabeth Howe
Susannah Gainor
George Harper
Louis Melroux
Celeste Marchant
Beneath them, four more names seem to have been struck from the roster, bodies destroyed and witches dead.
But in between them and that basin are a proverbial flood - but instead of water, it's spirits. Every spirit who was forced out of their bodies so the parents could ascend. Every child abused by their ancestor so they could remain encased in flesh. They stand guard, faces flickering as they wait for the coven who came to challenge them to descend and try to get to the last remaining anchor of the spell.
Liv stares down at the mass of them, eyes wide.]
Holy shit.
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The room is ornate and ceremonial. It would be pretty if they're weren't a bevy of trapped souls below them. )
Are they waiting for us to free them or are they looking for a fight?
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[The she pauses, because the more accurate answer is likely:]
Both. If they've been collecting the ghosts here since the beginning, some of them may only have the rage left.
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( And do they have to be unleashed?
Bonnie walks the line along the river, Shepherd peers into the infinite abyss of souls and Rowena does an arcana check: (13 with advantage, she'd old, but, not Inner Circle) )
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Freya also tries to sense something off the ghosts (13), but she sees the sigils built into the walls and she squints at them curiously.]
I think the only thing that's keeping them from finding peace is what's holding them here.
[One of the spirits leans closer to Bonnie, and there is something familiar in his features. The sandy dark hair, the sharp angle of his face reminds her of someone she hasn't spoken to in a while. "Bennett ... Bennett witch ..." The voice fades, and he struggles to find the words again. "Will you ... release ... " The runes flare, and he flickers before being forced back into his original position.]
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Mr. Gainor?
( She watches him flicker and end up a few feet away again as she notices the sigils.
"This chamber acts as a magnet for the souls they absorb," Rowena says, eyeing the spirits and then the sigils. "If we overpower these sigils, I believe they'll be nothing standing in the way between us and victory."
Hell, if they do it right, these spirits could probably take the bodies down with them. They are poised.
Luke reaches a hand out, testing.
Shepherd feels the nearby wall to see what he can glean (15). Can a siphon drain the nearest sigil? )
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Annie notices Shep siphoning, and she can't help a hesitant:]
Careful.
[This is a trap made for Gemini witches. They might be prepared.
The first thing he notices when he starts is that there is a great deal of magic behind the sigils. Even with the little bit he takes, there seems to be a well of magic to fill back in and take it's place.
Not re-siphoning him the way it did for the twins in Prague. But he can feel the edges of a trap lurking there, even if he can't figure out exactly how it's going to snap.]
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There's endless power here. Keeps reconstituting itself. I took some in, just to see if I could. If I kept going, I don't know if I could ever stop. it's probably designed that way.
( It could probably overpower any of them. )
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[There are ways. They just have to find a way to cut the rune off from it's power supply and that may take more time than they have.
Annie makes a face. "Are you regretting not taking the boss instead of me?" It's mostly a joke, but Abernathy is the runes expert. Not that he would have been as happy to help.]
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( He promises.
Luke studies the runes, the walls, the invisible forcefield, and closes his eyes, doing his own sensing. What does he glean from his (17) )
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His sister, who also rolled incredibly well (nat 20), steps up next to him.]
You see it too?
[That the center of the problem means getting past all those ghosts?]
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( "Part the red seas, as it were," Rowena says, unable to find an in to the spirit field (8).
"I don't think they mean us harm," Bonnie says, stepping close again, looking to see if she sees the elder Gainor. )
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Jo trusts Bonnie, but she's not sure if she can trust that assessment.]
They may not mean it, but they also may not have a choice. They have to be here for a reason.
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( "Well, we can't all just stand here forever, now, can we?" Rowena asks, gesturing to the pool of spirits. "Who has a theory? There are no wrong answers."
Or a plan?
"I could 'invisique,' see if that gets me -- in." Luke offers, considering that possibility. )
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[She nods to Liv, because she doesn't want him to be alone, invisible, in a sea of spirits that could turn and attack him.
In the meantime, they can work on something else.
Freya turns to study the runes behind her, the pattern starting to emerge clearly. "We could also break the pattern, maybe? Disrupting it hear might weaken whatever control they have on the spirits."]
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( Luke grabs his sister's hand and he smiles. It always comes back to them. Together, they say it at the same time: "Invisique," they say.
Rowena sticks close to Freya.
"We could crack the stone," she says. "A sigil is only as powerful as it is intact." )
We could definitely do some disruption.
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Freya glances over at Shep, before turning back to the runes.]
How much can you siphon safely? Even if it's only one or two runes, there might be some backlash. You could potentially absorb it, but I don't want to overwhelm you.
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"Honestly, I don't know. Even what little I siphoned from before, it felt like what I took was replenished the instant it was taken," Shepherd says.
Rowena contemplates trying to materialize a sledgehammer. "Runes such as these can be overwhelmed. Shorted. But, we are one angel down with that much power." If there were someone to channel, to balance Shepherd out, she wonders. "Perhaps if he had something grounding him. Like rubber and electricity," she posits. )
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[She's never been an overtly powerful witch, everything about her more kinetic than overtly magical. She can channel energy or magic in different directions, so it would be fairly easy to use herself as a conductor for whatever Shep is siphoning.]
He siphons, I channel him and draw the magic down, you two break the runes?
[Meanwhile, in the sea of ghosts, they don't seem to have noticed the twins yet (10). Luke and Liv continue to weave through the spirits, and as they move deeper into the throng, they can see the spirits deteriorate as they get closer and closer to the pillar the longer they've been trapped here. Some of them barely have faces.]
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I'm good with that.
( Luke doesn't dare speak out loud, only observing as they press forward. The older the spirits are - he guesses, the less form they take. Maybe they deteriorate over time. Still, he tries to weave around them and not touch them. (14) )
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This one. "Stay."
[If it releases the ghosts, then all the more ease for them to cross through to the main event. She scans the space and picks up a heavy candlestick and turns back to the stonework.]
Ready?
[Annie gives his hand a squeeze in return. If he's ready, she's ready.
It's unclear who flips the switch - if it's Liv's foot scuffing against a shoe, or Luke's arm brushing against one of the ghosts before they can move away, but one of the ghosts snap towards them, piercing through the veil of invisibility (19), and opens their mouth and begins to scream.
The other ghosts begin to swarm closer, looking to trap them in the sea of spirits and Jo swears before glancing to Bonnie.
"They focus on the runes, we help the twins?"]
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Shepherd quickly takes Annie's hand, slapping a hand against the wall. He balances between taking power in and Annie making sure it doesn't get the better of him.
Rowena finds a different rune and a metal rod holding a basket. )
And this one. "Attack."
( She targets that rune while Freya targets the other one: (nat 20) )
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Rowena's rune shatters, releasing a burst of magic that Shep is quickly able to siphon, and Annie does her best to ground it (7), the magic is starting to spark as it hits the ground, rippling over the ghosts which draws their attention back towards the rest of the group, noticing Bonnie and Jo close to the edge of the bubble.
Freya then follows by bringing her own mallet down (18), cracking the stone and letting the magic be free to run into Shep.]
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Liv and her brother make it out the other side, to assess what might be needed from there.
Rowena shatters another rune nearby (nat 20)vimbuing her purple magic in her swing.
Shep balances, because he's supposed to, because this is his family's (nat - freaking - 20) )
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Liv takes a step closer to it but she can't make out much of the magic (3). Only that it feels familiar, somehow, even if she can't make out why.]
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