Tales of Jahe: Escape into Danger
 

There are always opportunities to stop a disaster, but rarely those who take them.
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"So wait, why are we executing these guys again? I can understand the assassin and the necromancers, but why are the Lupos of all...” Job asked as he paced behind his father down the hall. His father stopped suddenly, cutting off Job's current thought.

"Job, if we only got rid of the obvious threats, the smaller threats would grow complacent, then the would realize they have nothing to fear." The older, shorter, less warrior version of Job said. "The Lupos are such a threat, by showing them they too are subject to our rules, they will try harder to follow. Understand? These are just a few dropped stones in the city we are trying to build. In a few years, after all of Jahe have been converted, no one will remember these few sacrifices.”

"But…” Job struggled to undermine his father’s stalwart ‘faith’ in the Church, “but the Lupos have always been our allies, the High Priestess is willing to sever that alliance, just for example? They are a proud race Father, they might retaliate.”

“Let them, we will show them and all who think likewise the true power of the Church’s army. Plus, it would give us free reign over all that lumber. Plus, this is just a ploy to keep new threats off our backs for the time being, some research or the such the Priestess is very interested in.” The elder said, beginning his walk anew. Job followed, and both ended at the same place, a balcony overlooking a large clearing, where currently a number of prisoners of all the races were gathered. Surrounding them was a translucent bubble that kept them inside that clearing, with a number of the Church’s top mages maintaining it. “Poor saps I guess. Well, tomorrow is the scheduled public execution, I expect you to be at my side and presentable, don’t disappoint me.”

Job stared at the soon-to-be-executed and went to his room to contemplate.

V'hassa Silvergem hid her grimace under a mask of dull boredom. She had already tested the bubble that imprisoned her and the other fellow beings and had found it very strong. The mages stood in a circle, guarding and feeding the cage, from within it stood the fated.
How she, of the Naga race, had gotten into this situation, was very vague, even to her. She just chose the wrong moment to go for a little trek into the human world out of pure curiosity.
Damnit, she fumed under her mask of indifference and shifted a bit, the coils of her serpent half unwinding and winding as she moved restlessly about. To be restricted to such a small space... Silvergem cursed herself for getting into this situation. The translucent bubble that encased them also seemed to cancel out her illusion tecniques, and therefore she couldn't use her magic to reach outside the imprisonment. This was a bad predicament. Her, of all the races, apart from the Lupos. To be executed by mere humans. The only reason they have the upper hand is their sheer number and ability to multiply at such an astonishing rate, she thought gruffly, and their sense of religion is appalling, too.

Naerzul poked the bubble, wincing as the White magic shocked him. He shook his finger, giving an amused look at the spellcaster right outside. The young woman glared at him with a look of righteous fury, increasing as he gave her a suggestive look and waggled his eyebrows....almost in a parody of a lecherous leer. When he began making obscene gestures at her, it looked like she was barely able to hold in her rage.

He had been caught at the edge of the swamp, just as he was in the process of raising a dead python. They had taken him by surprise, and now he was here. Fugging self-righteous bastards...but as soon as he got out, this might be fun!

He considered making pelvic thrusts at the girl outside, but decided against it...that was just going too far. He settled for a lewd wink, and mouthing a promise to make it up to her later. Her pretty eyes bulged, and he blew her a kiss goodbye as he turned toward his fellow inmates.

"So, what crimes against the Church got you in here? I suppose you were caught by patrols too?" he smiled around at the others, "I don't suppose any of you can dispell this damned thing?" his gaze strayed to the naga, fascinated. He had never seen one of the snake people before...

Timothy was sitting down, since he knew he couldn't beat the magic of this prison if the Naga woman couldn't. "I was searching for lost spellbooks in an ancient Naga surface library...I only got this stupid piece of gold." Timothy held up a small bauble. It did not seem to be magical, but it had a nice diamond in the center.

Splitting Howl tried to shake the bars to his 'cage' for what seemed like the umpteeth time. He growled and almost spat, and looked at his fellow inmates, those he could see, and growled, "Well, are you all just going to sit here and accept whatever fate these humans have for you?"

OOC: I don’t recall giving my character eye colour. How stupid of me.
New note: her eyes are violet.

BIC:
“For your information,” Silvergem’s illusion mask snapped at the Lupos, “I can’t sit unless I’m in a more complete form,” she pulled a distorted face before dismissing the mask and revealing the expression beneath: Sour and grimacing.
“I didn’t know that hunting in their territory was forbidden,” she stated matter-of-factly, answering the black hume’s question, “I triggered a ward when I killed a rabbit, and before I knew it, the mages were upon me,” she turned a fierce, slitted eye towards one of the mages that fed the prison walls. Even without a mask, the mage flinched slightly at the angry glare, but his magic did not falter. Unfortunately, the illusions were filtered out by the time it reaches those that stood outside the incarcerated. Fortunately, they knew nothing about the beads in her hair, not even those that beat out their frustrations in the prison. At a single, secret word known only in Serpent, the beads would unlock their treasures and be ready to use in an instant. Save for one, insignificant factor: the damned mages were smart enough to put in some spell sedatives into the bubble prison so that her beads would lie dormant until their initial release.
So she turned her eyes on the jewel held in Timothy’s hand. Diamond. That reminds me, she moulded an illusion of a small book that swirled into existence. It fell to the ground and lay there, bits of grass and other stuff poking through its leather-bound cover. I guess I can use this filtration to my advantage, Silvergem hid a grin as she lowered herself down. Her illusion opened to the desired page of D.

Yes. It was a dictionary on the gems she had studied.

Diamond: …. Magically, diamond can be used to focus large amounts of life energy and magical energy without shattering or breaking. When used in---

Hmm. That is useful, she mused, dismissing the illusion before turning to Timothy.
“May I take a look at that bauble?” her tongue flicked out forked, and her serpentine accent was distinct. An idea had formed in the back of her mind.

Firecall sighed as he sat crosslegged on the 'floor' he had been given. He'd already tried to break the cage open, to little avail and much frustration of the barbarian, and before his ventures hurt him too much, his emerging, calm shaman side had taken over and prevented him from getting killed. Thus he sat silently, waiting for what fate would deal to him.

"I don't think any of us want to just sit here...so it's time we figure a way out of here. I'm worried that Lady Righteousness out there," he jerked his thumb at the young, attractive priestess he had been taunting, "will try to force me into a more commited relationship than I'm ready for...besides, I'm bored." he idly fingered his staff as he spoke, the dark wood smooth beneath his fingers.

"So, anyone have any ideas? We could wait until they're asleep, and then dig out....assuming that this dome doesn't go underground as well." the half-hume grinned, his golden eyes flashing.

Tim tossed the bauble at the Naga woman. "Sure. I have no use for it at this moment. This is a spell bubble holding us, correct? Well, maybe we can overpower those holding us captive if we all concentrate on destroying it."

Howling Call stands up. "That could break the spell, but we also need to find a way to neutralize the mages who maintain it. The last thing any of-" The albino Lupos glanced at the nearest necromancer. "The last thing most of us need is a bunch of dead bodies of both parties. In any case, I could use my staff to escalate the mana in the area so we can break out more easily."
Pacing slowly in a circle around the cage, Howling Call began to trace a circle in the ground in a manner that looked to their keepers that he was dragging his staff. "I'm isolating the benefit to within the sphere. It won't take all of us to break out now. I suggest the rest of us be ready to unleash the Great Winter once the field breaks." He glanced at his fellow Lupos present. "You especially should prepare yourself. Contemplate on what our visitor said about going to war with our people and the benefits. He mentioned lumber."