Early Bird

by **Atropha** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 4:02 pm

The book appears to be handcrafted and is bound in very light, smooth leather. It's probably best not to dwell too much on what kind of leather it is. There are no markings on the cover aside from a couple of small brown dots of varying size in no particular pattern.

by **Samantha McManus** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:01 pm

She thumbed through, looking to the later sections, where the plans were presumably found.

by **Atropha** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:05 pm

The pages are filled with indecipherable scribbles made up of jagged and disjointed handwriting. Often the pages are littered with what at a first glance appears to be smears and leaks from writing with a quill. It's best not to dwell too long on the fact that their brown colour doesn't match the ink used for everything else. Interspersed are drawings ranging from maps, land and cityscapes, unfamiliar people and scenes filled with violence... Some of them stand out though.

There are drawings of Sam with Nailah, another one of her sitting at her desk.

A Sphinx holding a familiar looking staff, clothes and weapon splattered with blood.

A woman looking like an old time General with her riding crop, commanding a small army.

A faceless crowd in front of a towering shadow.

A page that has been ripped into by a claw, the page behind it showing through with it's sketch of a nondescript alley.

A dragon crushing some kind of armored vehicle.

A man in a labcoat from behind, seeming to step away from the viewer.

A swarm of ravens over the backdrop of a eerily detailed sketch of the university.

A winged figure ascending a flight of stairs.

A disfigured woman, arms and legs made of sprawling and twisted architecture.

London's skyline disappearing under a dark shadow.

by **Samantha McManus** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:08 pm

"...not the most stable individual, in spite of the act she put on."

by **Atropha** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:15 pm

"I think she wrote most of that in trance, but no..."

"She found a way to see into our world, that's how she knew. It's all in there. Ritual instructions, descriptions..." she says, reaching out to take the book from Sam.

by **Samantha McManus** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:17 pm

"If that's the way back to the portal..."

by **Atropha** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:23 pm

"She used it to scry and for visions. Who knows, it might be possible to even create a portal." she says, taking a small trashcan and putting the book into it.

"Maybe she even wrote it down." she goes on as she snaps her fingers at the book and flames begin licking over the pages.

by **Samantha McManus** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:25 pm

"...but we don't want to find out, apparently."

by **Atropha** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:29 pm

"Not us, not anyone. Ever. If I had read it all I would be asking you to burn it from my mind just to be sure."

by **Samantha McManus** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:33 pm

"I think it's clearer to me now where you belong..."

by **Atropha** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:36 pm

She manages a wry smile. "Maybe..."

by **Samantha McManus** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:38 pm

"You're not her. Not hardly."

by **Atropha** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:42 pm

"That doesn't absolve me."

by **Samantha McManus** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:43 pm

"It doesn't have to. It does however remind me of what I admire about you."

by **Atropha** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:49 pm

"That I can twist the laws of physics into making fire?" she asks, trying to avoid the topic.

by **Samantha McManus** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:50 pm

"That's a bit newer."

by **Atropha** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:55 pm

"Right..." she mumbles.

by **Samantha McManus** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:58 pm

"Neither here nor there though, is it?"

by **Atropha** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 6:00 pm

"Not quite, no." she sighs.

by **Samantha McManus** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 6:04 pm

"You're not unrecognizable, I'll leave it at that for now."

by **Atropha** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:57 am

"Well I'd hope so or I'm not sure why you would have believed me in the first place."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:58 am

"Rather not trying to push my luck here."

by **Atropha** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:06 am

"Anyway... There were some useful information in there, but not much. Bottom-line, I'm not sure we can infiltrate that place and make it all the way to the portal generator."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:07 am

"But that generator is still our surest bet, aye?"

by **Atropha** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:08 am

"It's our only bet."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:12 am

"Then, given that you and I against the world is questionable in several respects right now, that still has to be our focus."

by **Atropha** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:29 am

"We'll need help."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:30 am

"Paladin could be convinced."

by **Atropha** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:34 am

"No. We'd need a small army and someone to distract Hellsmith."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:38 am

"...you're not suggesting that we..."

by **Atropha** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:39 am

"You've run into her, haven't you?" she figures from Sam's reaction.

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:43 am

"You said yourself, the lot of them were only kept in line because they thought he was a god."

by **Atropha** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:46 am

"Well... and because he had the power to back up that claim. They're not that deluded."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:49 am

"Do we even have time for that sort of pissing contest?"

by **Atropha** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:51 am

"Not really, but do we have much of a choice?"

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:52 am

"At any rate yes, I have encountered some of them. I fled because I didn't want to have to kill them."

by **Atropha** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:57 am

"Probably a good call considering we need their help now."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:58 am

"They all seem to want things the hard way, though."

by **Atropha** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 3:03 am

"As a rule of thumb you can talk to anyone here until they come to the conclusion that you're weak. Or weaker than them anyway."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 3:04 am

"...have to keep that bluster up, then."

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