PurpleProse

I'm fine with skipping to Parkhurst. I'm going to make an Arcane Lore check. Arcane Lore 1d20+16=29

"ARGH!!" Nocturne shielded her face as a powerful wave of heat washed over her. Her forcefield took the brunt of the blast, but not ALL of it. She felt her skin grow hot and burn, like a cooking sunbather on a equatorial beach during summer. Her dress smoked slightly, the fabric discolored. They DARE to strike us?! To ruin my dress?! Sombra-La shrieked in Danni's head, the Dark Lord's voice reverberating with rage. Unacceptable! We must DESTROY this disgusting machine for its impudence! "For once, I think we're in agreement," Danni growled. We've got to take this machine down before it gets any further... Her flight spell left crimson contrails in the air as she swerved around the tripod, angling herself so that she wasn't in the way of the thing's eye. A ring of crimson light and black runes sprang up in front of one hand as she extended it before her, hand in a 'gun' shape with index and middle fingers extended. "Magic dark and dread, heed these words," she intoned as black and crimson lightning began to crackle and surge around the center of the ring. "Come now as lightning to strike down my foes! Baleful blast, surge forth!" There was a thunderclap as the blast flashed out, a packet of black and red lightning about as big as a man's head launching like a rocket at the thing's main body. The blast connected, spraying sparks dramatically as it did so.

Nocturne is going to move away from the group, circling around to the back of the tripod and blast it with a Baleful Blast. Attack Roll 1d20+5=21 Hit! DC 29 Toughness Save.

"Um, Nocturne, Sorceress of Twilight," Danni smiled nervously, returning the curtsey with a clumsy one herself. "Though that name is kinda silly. I mean, I'm still working on the whole 'super-heroic identity' thing." I think that much is obvious, child, Nocturne noted, causing her to groan and roll her eyes. "A-anyway. I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing. So, are you, like, an independent, or do you have a super-team?"

And this is why I don't trust do-gooders, Sombra-La growled. The first whiff of dark magic and they become zealous fools and inquisitors! "And that's enough out of you," Dannica glared at the book, then looked at Changeling and put a hand on her hip. "I'm not going to destroy it. Sombra-La promised to aid me in exchange for her life. Swore it, in fact. So with all due respect, I'd rather not kill her." Hrmph... Sombra-La did not seem very happy about that. I did indeed swear it, upon air and darkness and spirit. I did not have much of an alternative.

Basically, the grimoire is a very elaborate, very elegant soul jar. It's pretty strong, considering the age it is, but it's recently been upset. Whoever's currently inside it can't break free right now... and given the evil readings it's giving off, that's probably good.

"Um...yeah... no offense, but I don't really want to just hand the book over to you. I'm sort of responsible for her. But here, if you want to know more..." Danni extends the grimoire out to Changling, the old book looking a little worse for the wear. The second Changeling touches it, she would hear a voice in her ears. A feminine voice, like velvet rustling over steel with a hint of malice to it. Don't you dare release this book, Danica. We made a promise, remember? "Yeah yeah, I know Sombra-La. Calm down. She just wants to know what's going on." And you trust her? Naive child. Hrmph. And you. Changeling would feel the voice's attention shift towards her, a sound of pages flipping. Gheh! A child of Avalon, a pox be upon the lot of them. You stink of Faerie glamour. Speak then, what truck would you have with me, Sombra-La the Witch Queen? Danni glances apologetically at Changeling. "She's always like this. Don't take it personally."

Rolling Arcane Lore (for Sombra-La) to figure out Changeling's magic. Arcane Lore 1d20+16=32

Probably. But the question is, would Etain know about the book talking to Danni? Only Danni can hear her right now.

Nocturne stared at Phil in equal irritation. Could this guy honestly be serious? He wanted to film someone called 'Hellqueen?' He'd gone past 'well-meaning and obnoxious' and veered head-long into 'amoeba-with-no-survival-instinct-stupid.' "Um... you do realize that Hellqueen would probably roast you alive? For fun?" 'Tis probably best to write the fool off and leave him to his fate, child, Sombra-La muttered darkly. It would be safer in the long run for all involved. And if he meets a dreadful end, then it's his own fault. "No thanks, Sombra-La..." She sighs, looking at Phil. "Just a fair warning; doing something stupid like that will probably get you hurt. Or worse. Leave magical stuff to the magic folk, alright?" When Changeling beckoned her out, she followed. As the pair made their way out of the theater, Nocturne frowned and whispered a spell under her breath. A great black disk outlined along its circumference with bands of red and purple runes sprang into being over her head, hovering along and blocking the rain for both of them. She paused as Changeling drew a knife and started asking. "Um... well, that's a bit of a long story. It's mainly due to this." She held up the tattered-looking Grimoire she was carrying. "I came across this book at an estate sale, and when I opened it... well, things just sort of happened. I can tell you this. I wasn't this tall to begin with, or this..." she gestured to her rather imposing figure and pallor, "everything. I'm kind of a sorceress now, I guess." She glanced at the knife. "Um...is that really necessary? You might cut your finger or something doing that."

Nocturne stared at Phil with a good deal of incredulity. "Uh, dude? What part of 'soul-sucking demonic camera' do you not quite get. You're lucky some horrible Faustian demon from the pits of hell didn't show up to, I dunno, force you to watch Battlefield Earth for all eternity on repeat or something." She paused. "Or something else properly horrible. I dunno. Do demons do film?" Unlikely, Sombra-La snorted telepathically, Most demons have poor taste in culture. "Anyway! Don't think you're getting the camera back now. Or ever." Nocturne turned toward Changling and blushed. "Um... thanks, I suppose. It might help if I went with you to deal with the camera. If you had a library I could use, I could probably whip up a spell to eliminate it without hurting the spirits trapped inside."

Hey SC, I'd like to make a Knowledge: Arcane Lore check to figure out a good way of disposing of this thing without hurting the spirits trapped inside.

Reflex 1d20+8=10 Looks like Nocturne doesn't dodge out of the way. Can her defenses hold? Tougness 1d20+15=26 Ouch! Just barely tagged her. Nocturne is now Bruised

Nocturne blinked, her hand still clenched in the Grand Grasp spell as Changeling appeared in the theater's arena seats. Another superhero? She hadn't expected something like that. "Huh? Oh! Sure!" She lowered her hand, her gown fluttering in a phantom wind as she did so. The spell circles and the scarlet light in her eyes faded as she dropped Phillip onto the ground. "I'd be careful with that camera, ma'am!" She called out, hopping down from her perch. "It's a soul-eating camera. It captured the Silver Scream in it, and probably some others as well... not that I'm questioning your competency, I mean..." She grinned nervously, running a hand through her hair. Why are apologizing? We were doing quite well, even without this pumped-up poppinjay... "Shut up," Danni muttered under her breath at the tome.

"You've got to be kidding me," Nocturne mumbled under her breath, bringing her arm up to shield herself from the massive wave of heat from the thing's blast. What abomination is this?! Sombra-La hissed in Danni's mind. A twisted thing of metal and glass? Surely this is nothing from the Netherworlds. "I don't think it's from the Netherworld, Sombra," Danni replied, her flight spell activating as she took to the air. "But we can't let this thing leave the park! I'm not going to let some giant robot that fell from the sky ruin Halloween for everybody!" Danni swung her hand outwards, then forwards, her finger quickly sketching an eight-pointed geometric finger in the air before her, a ring of blood-red runes springing into existence before her hand. "Powers of twilight, heed my words. Snare this fool in chains of shadow. Let steely shackles steal from him freedom, in the name of Sombra-La!" Nick and Equinox would see a flash of red light as crimson and black chains with octagon-shaped loops spring up and around the tripod, swirling about its legs and up towards its body like angry, vengeful serpents.