Yvonne in the Sky with Diamonds
| Yvonne in the Sky with Diamonds | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||
| Factions Involved | ||||||||||
| ShadowHaven | Seelie Fae | Elkvyr, the Greenland Dragon | ||||||||
|
Angra Mainyu Mara Mojo Joe Ty Vallynn | Moissanite | Astral Security | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | ||||||||||
| None | ||||||||||
Summary
Metaplanar rescue by heading to a portal owned by a fae and a dragon in Greenland. That's rough, buddy.
Background
See [[1]]
The Meet
The meet occurs when the Atlantean Foundation arranges the team to astrally project using an astral gateway of an earth spirit under their employ. Meeting up with Ahriman is possible due to her getting in contact with AF representatives at the end of Castaway and they're informed that there's a potential escape route if they head far enough in a certain direction. Unfortunately, the problem will be getting past the great form spirit that lives by the portal, a Seelie Fae of some kind.
The Run
Climbing the landscape is difficult as various astral phenomena disrupt typical magical utilities. Mojo and Mara end up performing greatly helpful magical spells including levitation while Ty uses his fantastic reputation among spirits as a chain breaker to talk through some of the tighter moments. Ahriman is weakened most of the time and has to climb mountainsides or run and jump through mundane means. Thankfully, the team also gets her water and food which is nice - this is mostly achieved through a Spirit of Man casting a Nutrition spells since the astrally projecting forms can't directly interact with her the same way.
Crossing a deep, deep fathomless body of water and silica makes for a dangerous passage. Ahriman opts to take a walk at the bottom of this silica lake, avoiding something dangerous lurking in its depths just barely and unsticking her boot from something latching onto it to emerge on the other side, mostly intact but with her armor thoroughly scraped by the abrasive silicate. Once on the other side, she helps the rest of the team cross and the mountain and lake are both behind them. Ty's reputation gets them the rest of the way across to Moissanite's regal estate, a castle-like palace of gorgeous crystal make.
Moissanite isn't charitable. The spirit demands tribute or extorting favors from the runners, each of them having to sacrifice a fair amount of utilities in order to be let through into the portal into Greenland. Each of the runners has to sacrifice something, whether it's true names of other spirits or exceptionally valuable reagents. The spirit, sated with this little bargain, shows them to the portal and promptly ignores their pleas for help from thereon out. An alarm ward on the other side risks exposing them to the dragon's attention and with limited resources all of the party members are in grave risk this far up north and stranded. Ahriman uses her anti-mage abilities to pass through it undetected and tells the rest of the party where the ward ends. With this knowledge, they take a highly risky maneuver of slowly shifting through the gaiasphere, thus going -underneath- the tunnel and emerging on the other side. After several hours, the astrally projecting mages emerge where the Foundation null is waiting and they all manage to sneak across the Greenland arctic terrain to the waiting rendezvous with a boat nearby.
Aftermath
The team arranges a trade to Moissanite, exchanging 10 drams of radical-quality gold and the true name of a crystalline entity for passage through the great spirit's metaplanar portal; they are able to successfully bypass Elkvyr's security and avoid dealing with a dragon. Ahriman is successfully purged of CFD via the use of overwriter nanites after spending several months resisting their influence; a long period of convalescence begins to heal the physical and psychological toll of her time in MCT captivity and being stuck on the metaplanes.
Rewards
- 20,000 nuyen
- 6 karma
- 6 CDP
- +2 Atlantean Foundation reputation
- Optional Contact: Alexandria (C8/L1 AI Archivist) for 8 RVP or 16 CDP
- Optional Gear Reward: Mana Compass (engraved with the AF emblem)
Optional Qualities:
- For Ahriman - Legendary Rep (Atlantean Foundation)
- For Mara - Closer
- For Mojo Joe - Focused Concentration (1 rank)
- For Ty - Sense of Direction