Game: Great minds think alike (Part II)

Ian munches on some dried meat trail rations, dons his cloak, and walks to the center of the room.

"All right everybody, time for another meeting. Naruk, that wine probably just saved us, because..." Ian trails off. He is staring, mouth agape, at the Masked Gnolls wings. He shakes his head once to clear it. "Did I miss something?"

There is a pause. "Right..."
Ian turns to Naruk. " Naruk, Blackthornes, I need to speak to you two... privately." Ian takes a few few steps off to the side, and waits for them to start towards him before he actually moves to one of the corners of the room.

"YAAAAARRRRNNNNN!!!"

MG yarns and steaches out his massive flind body as far is at can go. He slowly works his way to his feet and tries to flutters his newly obtained wings to see how they feel while opening his bag and talking down inside.

"Let's see what we have to eat this day Ms. Daisy!.... Portable Ram, no good.....Climbing gear and rope, can't eat that......Where is my packed lunch?.....Oh no."

Tears swell up behide a dirty ivory mask as MG dumps the contents of his bag on the ground revealing all his meager possesions: a Badger, a portable ram, and some climbers gear complete with rope. Fightining back sniffles he asks....

"Does anyone have food Ms. Daisy and I may eat?"

"We'll have to play the Gnoll thing by ear, but thats not what I wanted to talk about."

"I learned a lot of potentially useful information during my vision, and I'll tell the group most of it, but I wanted your opinion on something first. It would seem that Time travel is not the extent of Xanarox's powers. He also is a master of subtle manipulation, which I'm told can only be countered by a lack of self-deception on any level."

"Now, I had some... insightful visions last night that have helped me in that regard, and I'm assuming that Blackthornes did too. You saw past your own mask when we cleared you of those abyssal parasites. The three of us are, on some level or another, resistant to his manipulations."
"As for the others, I'm not so sure. Theres a chance that the Masked Gnoll is exactly what he appears to be, and free of risk. But the others are almost certainly fair game for Xanarox."

"My question is this: what would be more harmful to the group? Not knowing that they could be manipulated, or having them second guessing their decisions because Xanarox might be manipulating them, even if he's not doing it?"

Ian nods. "Very well, then."

He walks back toward the group. "So! Everyone gather round, then. We have much to discuss."

Ian looks a bit miffed as Blackthornes interrupts, but raises an eyebrow as he mentions his bargain. "You made a bargain with a building? Odd."

"I'm a bit wary of trusting such a bargain made in a vision, but assuming it holds true Blackthornes just solved a rather large problem for us. There are two things about the tower that would make it particularly difficult to navigate it. The first is that the tower itself shifts its hallways, I assume it is by this method that the Tower will move us to the time portal."
"Second, is the fact that Xanarox and his liches have placed arcane traps all over the tower. The vision allowed me to see a few of them in action, and even one of them could easily end our little adventure."

"Also, a question: in my vision, Xanarox and the liches seemed to be on the move around the tower. If I understand the nature of the deal, the tower will take us to Xanarox. This may not actually take us to the time portal, it will probably just take us to where Xanarox is. So, what leads you to believe that it is, in fact, the time portal that we will be led to?"

"Well, the time portal is certainly the most important room to us, but that hardly means its the heart of the structure."

"From what I overheard, Charrd's information about the Time portal being in the lowest room seems to be fairly accurate. They seemed intent on preventing us from reaching the cellars."

OOC: Blackthornes? You kinda need to say something before we can continue the conversation.

OOC: Sorry about that. My computer has been down for the last three-four days. Im at a library for now, so, I wont be able to check the forums as periodically as before. I'll try to get on everyday though.
*Blackthornes looks down at his feet.*
"Well, He didn't say anything that directly meant the heart is the portal, but, his answer to my proposal and my gut feeling is saying that that is were we will find what we are looking for. I think the tower will present us with the clearest, simplest path to its heart. We need not worry about anything that the chronomancer throws at us I think."

"Vision or no, I think its worth mentioning that ignoring the existence of the traps is a bad idea. But moving on..."

Ian takes a deep breath.
"Important note the first: Xanarox is more than a time traveler, he's a manipulator. I have reason to believe that this ability to control others without them realizing it is, in fact, at least as dangerous to us as his ability to erase us from time. Now, for our own separate reasons, Blackthornes, Naruk and myself have at least some resistance to this manipulation. The rest of you are probably fair game though."

Ian pauses and looks around the group, and obvious sign for them to feel free to speak.

"I have much more to tell, I simply thought that this need to be addressed separately."

"As for the how, apparently he has the ability to see the parts of you that you don't even want to acknowledge. Now, if he is able to read us as thoroughly as that, than I would highly recommend that you don't listen to any of the words that come out of his mouth. There is also a good chance he might know what you are going to do before you do. So, don't expect the element of surprise."
"I can't imagine exactly how this ability can be used against us, but it will be. So be on your guard, everyone."

"Hmph. I detest being manipulated. I detest malicious manipulators even more, though. If this Xanarox is able to see and influence time itself, I would like to avoid him entirely. If I never meet him, perhaps he will not know of me, but if I ever do..." Azure shakes his head, "Fie! Such paradox arise! On the positive, however, I have no fear of the undead, and am fairly astute and able to spot and disarm traps readily, even magical ones."

He turns to Blackthornes. "Well done indeed, my friend, if your vision-truce holds and we can count the tower itself as an ally!"

OOC: Oh, whoops! My bad.

"Even if the tower takes us to the time portal, directly, with no contact with Xanarox, we still have to use the hallways to be shifted. Traps are likely, and I would be very surprised if the portal itself isn't the heaviest trapped room of them all."

"Anyway. I overheard alot about Xanarox in my vision. Xanarox seems to be a bit divided. He was talking to himself, to some voice I couldn't hear that he repeatedly referred to as his father. He also mentioned that he seems to have two souls, one fiendish, one mortal. It was implied that this has something to do with divinity."
"Xanarox also mentioned that he would be less easily controlled if it weren't for the larvaeworms, whatever they are. He then took a small worm from a container on his belt, eat it, and seemed to be strengthened by it. After he eat the worm he stopped argueing with himself."

Ian looks around, giving the group another chance to interject.

*Blackthornes is lost in the long train of larveaworms and fiendish powers. He looks over to the gnoll, then walks over and sits by him."
"Don't worry MG. Im sure that we'll be alright. That tower wants Xanarox gone as much as we do."

*Blackthornes pats the gnoll on the back, carefully avoiding his wings and gets up*
"Im ready when you guys are."

MG finishes his morning munchings, then repacks his equipment. He then makes his way to the door. Once he is there, MG waits untill everybody is in place.

"Is everybody ready? What am I doing again?"

"I know that part, but what am I s'posed to do after that?'

Enlightenment fills The Masked Gnoll's eyes as he draws out his trusty flindbars....

"Ah, this plan makes alot more sense now! I just open the door then do what I allways door, solve the problem by breaking it! O.K.! On the count of three......one.....two.....THREE!"

with the shout of three MG opens the door.

occ: 11+14=25 listen, 18 +14=32 spot, and 10+16=26 hide for after the door is open

Ian steps out into the mist. "Azure and I'll take point. Blackthornes hang back a few steps, the rest of you, stay in sight of Blackthornes. If we run into something, this way we wont all be caught off guard at once."