861 - Reflecting On a Slow Tempo
“What do you want?”
The whisper caused Adagio to whirl around, staring at the mirror on the far wall of her expansive washroom accusingly. “It’s about time you contacted me!” she snapped. “I sent you a message hours ago!”
In the mirror, the blurry figure – their image and the area behind them equally impossible to make out under what Adagio knew were myriad layers of defensive and obscurement spells – made a shifting motion that might have been a shrug. “I was busy.”
One of Adagio’s eyes twitched, and she made herself count to ten before replying. “When you imbued this ring” – raising her right hand, she extended her middle finger toward the mirror, taking petty joy in knowing that the recipient would think nothing of the gesture, noticing only the emerald-covered bronze ring that she was wearing on that particular digit – “with a one-time only spell that would let you know I needed to speak with you, you said that it was for emergencies only. So if I saw fit to use it, what does that tell you?”
A sibilant chuckle came to her ears through the mirror. “That despite all of the assistance I’ve rendered you, and your repeated assurances that you’d succeed, you’ve still managed to somehow make a mess of things.”
“Don’t you dare talk down to me. I’m not the only one who’s benefitted from this partnership.” Adagio had to stop herself from growling that last word, finding the entire concept of give-and-take distasteful. She was a Siren, born to be adored; anyone who found themselves in a position to do something for her should have fallen to their knees in gratitude for the privilege! “Or have you forgotten that those passages from Lashtada’s book I’d memorized are the reason your research finally made a breakthrough, despite lifetimes of trying on your part?”
“Oh, I remember what a useful test subject you turned out to be,” came the whispered reply, still infuriatingly smug. “The same way I remember that I was the one who saved you from being stuck performing menial duties in Queen Iliana’s military, all without anyone being the wiser for it. Or would you have been able to make an autonomous puppet in the likeness of your old body?”
“You never could have raised an army necessary to invade Kryonex’s realm!” sneered Adagio, her patience starting to fray. “Not without drawing more attention than even you could handle!”
“Don’t you have children that you can vent your insecurities on?” came the bemused reply. “Or is your big emergency that they’ve finally managed to break free from your influence?”
“My children,” hissed Adagio, “are all dead! Except for one, who stole the weapon I was making with Kryonex’s godsblood!”
Despite how humiliating the admission was, Adagio knew she had to swallow her pride. She’d endured an unbearable number of indignities already, but the stakes were too high for her to lose everything because of one more. Once she had the weapon back and finished the artifact she was making, she’d finally be able to get everything she deserved...and her treacherous “partner” would get what they deserved, too.
“...and then she teleported away,” finished Adagio, having summarized everything that had happened with Nenet. “Or rather, she was teleported away by someone else.”
“And you haven’t been able to trace it?”
Adagio groaned and rolled her eyes, wanting to make it exactly clear how frustratingly stupid she found that question. “Did you not hear the part where I told you that my children are all dead?! Nenet is my only remaining spellbook, and she’s turned on me! I can’t prepare any spells to trace her with!”
“And now you want me to scry on her and see where she went?”
“So glad to see you’ve finally realized why I contacted you,” replied Adagio, making sure to lay the sarcasm on extra thick. “You did that the last time we were spied upon, remember? So do it again now.”
“...”
Adagio frowned as the billowy presence on the other end of the spell made no reply. What was going on? Time was of the essence! Every second that passed was one second closer Kryonex came to catching up with her!
“Well?!” snarled Adagio after several seconds of waiting. “What are you waiting for?! Get to it!”
“Nenet’s brand...”
“Brand?” Narrowing her eyes in confusion, it took Adagio a moment to remember that was what cutie marks were called here. “You mean the cutie mark on her flank? What about it?”
“Describe it to me in detail.”
“Why? You can just scry her and see it for yourself!”
A low sigh came from the mirror. “You should have asked all those creatures that you prostituted yourself to for greater intelligence instead of just greater magic. If your daughter went from a weak and sniveling creature to being a sphinx of noble heritage – which is what her form-changing signifies – then it stands to reason that she might have taken precautions against scrying.”
Stalking toward the mirror, Adagio slammed her hands on either side of it, feeling the stonework crack beneath her palms. “I’ve put everything on the line, and you’re too scared to take one single risk?!”
“Risks must be taken with caution and consideration,” came the infuriatingly unflustered reply. “And above all, only when necessary. Right now, we can potentially minimize our exposure-”
“You mean your own exposure!”
“-our exposure to further pitfalls if we remain calm and act intelligently, rather than throwing fits like some teenage brat. Now, do you want to keep arguing, or will you tell me about Nenet’s brand?”
What Adagio wanted was to reach through that mirror and wring that coward’s neck. But even if she’d known a spell for that – and had it prepared – she knew this wasn’t the time. Until she dealt with Kryonex, everything else would have to wait. “It was a lectern, I think, in front of some bleachers or something. Why?”
“If she had a brand, then whoever turned her against you was a pony. And I think I know which pony.”
“So what?” Putting one hand on her hip, Adagio gestured impatiently with the other, trying to figure out where her so-called partner was going with this. “Why does that matter?”
“Because I kept up my surveillance of the person who was spying on us the night I gave you the idea of raiding Kryonex’s realm. And that shadow with the glowing eyes turned out to be a pony with the exact same mark that your daughter had.”
That was enough to give Adagio pause, an uneasy tingle working its way down her spine. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know yet,” came the answer she’d been least hoping to hear. “But if that pony was the one who empowered your wayward sphinx, then he might have heard more than either of us thought.”
“If it’s the same pony that turned Nenet against me, we don’t have to worry,” snorted Adagio, crossing her arms under her chest. “She let it slip that the spine Paska brought me belonged to her ‘master.’ He’s good and dead.”
This time, the sibilant laugh was full of naked condescension. “You’ve spent too much time around those soul-eating daemons. Or have you forgotten that I’m living proof – pardon the pun – that death can be defied?”
Adagio’s lip curled. “If this pony had your way of coming back to life, he wouldn’t be a problem for, what? Years? Decades?”
“Perhaps, but if he’s already found a way to be resurrected, and is the one who teleported your daughter away, then this is good news.”
Adagio gave the mirror a flat look. “Someone strong enough to fight an ancient dragon has somehow managed to come back to life, turn my own daughter against me, and stolen a half-finished artifact designed to channel the latent divinity of godsblood, and that’s good news?”
“Yes.”
Adagio frowned, this time in confusion. There was no undercurrent of mockery in the voice anymore. “How?”
“Because you’re his type.”
Adagio didn’t know whether to scowl or burst out laughing. “I’m a Siren. I’m everyone’s type.”
“This particular pony has intimate knowledge of Sirens,” insisted the blurry form beyond the mirror. “Indeed, he fancies himself as being the one who tames them. When Nenet tells him exactly who her mother is – if she hasn’t already – then it’s only a matter of time before he comes looking to add you to his collection.”
“Hah!”
Unable to stop herself from rising to the bait, Adagio couldn’t resist the urge to preen. One foot rose onto tiptoe while the other stayed flat, making her hips sway. Her right hand reached back to brush her fingers through her hair while her left came to her mouth, tongue darting over her index finger as it tugged suggestively on her lower lip for just a moment before coming to rest on her cleavage. Completing the ensemble was a coquettish giggle that was designed to contrast with the hungry grin she flashed, knowing how the juxtaposition left her prey confused, a little frightened, and very aroused.
“I’d like to see him try. Even if he’s been with-, wait a second...” Despite knowing that it ruined her image, Adagio’s brow wrinkled as the other part of what she’d been told hit home. “What do you mean he has intimate knowledge of Sirens? I’m the only one, except for...for...”
Her sexy pose collapsed as her eyes went wide. “You mean...Sonata and Aria?”
“Now do you see why we can’t treat this as a coincidence? There are too many similarities here. Too many common factors to dismiss this as some sort of-”
“Wait, just...shut up a second.” Squeezing her eyes shut, Adagio put a hand to her forehead as she tried to process what she’d just been told. “You...you actually saw them? You saw my sisters when you were scrying on...what’s that pony’s name, anyway?”
“Lex Legis, and yes, I saw them both. They’re ponies now, like him, but he referred to them by name on multiple occasion, and he and they both referred to them as Sirens.”
“And you’re just telling me this now?!”
“It wasn’t relevant before now. I scryed on that stallion and your sisters for several days, and then lost interest when it seemed like they had no further bearing on our plans. Besides, you never mentioned them except to say how much you hated them, so I figured you wouldn’t care.”
“That’s not the point!” snarled Adagio, glaring at the mirror in outrage. “If you had told me that my sisters had turned into ponies and were shacking up with some guy-”
“Then you would have become distracted by that news, the same way you are now despite the imminent threat of an angry demigod.”
“Then why mention any of this to me at all?!” shrieked Adagio, throwing her arms into the air.
“As I tried to say before,” replied the voice, this time with an unmistakable note of irritation, “since Lex Legis has taken your sisters for his lovers, it’s highly likely that he desires you as well. So when Nenet guides him to your little mountain stronghold, do what you do best: seduce him. Lure him into your bed, put your new body to good use, and make it so that he can’t live without you. You’ll get back the godsblood, gain an ally powerful enough to defeat Hvitdod, and have a donor to give you more children.”
“Pony offspring are useless,” murmured Adagio, her eyes wandering as she thought about everything she’d just been told. “Only inherent traits are passed on, not learned ones, and ponies have nothing notable in that area.”
“At least you’ll have souls to pay for more daemon mercenaries. And with the godsblood back and a wizard ally, you might be able to finish what you started before Kryonex arrives.”
Taking a deep breath, Adagio glanced back at the mirror. “And if I can’t? The entire thing was half-finished when Nenet took it, and she doesn't know any of the magic I was using to put it together; if this Lex guy undid the spells I already cast, I won’t be able to renew them.”
“Then you’ll have to use the trump card I gave you.”
Adagio froze at that, feelings goosebumps rising on the back of her neck. “Absolutely not!”
“I really don’t know why you’re so afraid of it,” came the whispered sigh. “So long as you use the talisman, it’s perfectly safe, not to mention powerful enough that even a demigod would be nervous about confronting it head-on.”
“You mean besides how incredibly difficult it is to transport?” shot back Adagio, trying not to sound as unnerved as she felt. “Or how it has a severely limited range? Or the fact that it can only be used to destroy, rather than compel? Or how about that even with that ‘talisman,’ it can still be turned back on the user, which in this case is me!”
Glowering as she regained her equilibrium, Adagio glared daggers at the figure in the mirror. “The entire point of all this was to make an artifact that would make it easy to chase off my cosmic debtors and take over the Pony Empire! Not to use one that’s almost as dangerous to its wielder as it is to their enemies!”
“Desperate times, Adagio. Seduce Lex, make him your guardian, take back what he stole from you and complete it, and use his children to buy more mercenaries.”
The voice was growing fainter now, the whisper fading in volume with each word.
“Don’t you dare end that spell yet!” raged Adagio, grabbing the edges of the mirror despite knowing that wouldn’t affect the magic in the slightest. “I’m not done talking!”
“Otherwise, you’ll need to use what you have when Kryonex arrives.”
In her grasp, the blurry figure faded away, and a second later Adagio found herself staring at her own reflection. Clenching her teeth so hard that her jaw ached, she needed came very close to smashing the glass, instead settling for giving a heavy scream of frustration. Why was nothing ever easy?!
Taking several deep breaths, Adagio marched out to her bedroom, biting her lip as she glanced down at the velvet carpet that covered the floor. For a moment she hesitated, caught by indecision, before she sighed and began to drag the furniture to the far side of the room, freeing up enough space to roll the carpet up enough to reveal the small trapdoor it was covering.
Ignoring the defensive spells she’d put there – as their caster, she was able to bypass them without taking any special measures – she slowly undid the latch before reaching in and withdrawing a small, cedar box. Grimacing, she quickly put it down on the desk before fixing the room, dawdling in the task as long as she could before finally returning her attention to the box.
Pausing just long enough to remind herself that the talisman was nothing but a control device – that the artifact itself was still safely hidden away – Adagio opened the lid and glanced within.
The simple loop made out of adamantine chains was still in there.
Licking her lips, Adagio reached out, brushing her fingers lightly against the dull metal...
And felt a gentle tug in her mind, as though being drawn toward-
Snatching her hand away, she slammed the box shut, taking several large steps away from it.
Waiting until her heartrate slowed down, Adagio silently reprimanded herself, grabbing the box and stashing it in the back of the desk’s lowest drawer. It was lead-lined, guaranteed to defeat detection magic, and the interior was padded with concealment spells anyway. It wouldn’t be found.
Repeating that to herself a few times, Adagio rolled her shoulders as she put thoughts of the talisman – and what it controlled – out of her mind. None of that would matter once this Lex stallion was eating out of her hands...and other parts.
Smiling at the thought, Adagio marched back into the washroom, getting ready to freshen up.
She had a seduction to prepare for.
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Seduction on Lex… Good luck on that. But that neckless. Something that can be turned against the user, Sounds like something Lex would find very useful be it on his paws or not.
Looks like Adagio's backer have left her to her devices from now on. If he scry-ed Lex then he must know that there is no way she gonna seduce Lex. And the entire plan hinges on seducing Lex. This is not gonna end well.
This is going to be very intresting, seeing what Lex has at his disposal for magical scanning and sense improvement if he gets in that room, like as expected the mirror will have a flatter patch on the carpet in front because she is vain etc.
do stealth spells covery everything as they are, or only the various methods that the spell creators know about from observation over the years, like Bats sonar fro picking up different sounding objects that appear identical?
IfAdagios last is hard to move yet pulls so much, its not a Singularity as they already have portable holes?
Even if, and this is a big if Adagio manages to seduce Lex, who's to say she won't bow down to his amorous prowess. After all, he did get trained in that area by Kara of all beings.
Then there's this magcguffin that she supposedly has with the power to contend with demigods temporarily. Albeit with a supposed inherent drawback, Lex has no issue with his powers, but he is also new to them and the full extent of them is still unknown to himself....
This is setting up to be very..... Educational to all the gods who are undoubtedly watching.
11679680 The funny thing is that as a mortal, Lex would (probably) have had a difficult time resisting a seduction attempt by Adagio, even if what she was doing was transparently obvious. Despite his antipathy toward humans, he started lusting after her the moment he first saw her through his scrying spell, don't forget, and that was without being in her presence, let alone her trying to tempt him. And that was right after Sonata and Aria beguiled him into promising that he'd find Adagio for them...and get her to love him the same way they did.
But now that Lex is a titan? It's a whole new ballgame, not to mention that he's apparently realized that he can push his thoughts and feelings onto others through will alone. Of course, Adagio's grown far beyond her sisters as well, so it'll be interesting to see how things shake out.
As for Adagio's mysterious partner, the implication from their conversation was that they were scrying on Lex in the days following his scrying on Adagio, which means that they were spying on him during his trip to Las Pegasus and maybe during his time in the city, after which they apparently decided they'd seen enough and moved on to other things. So there's certainly some outdated assumptions being made, there.
11679747 It's uncertain just how much Lex's improved sensory abilities would be able to trace the connection used in that communique Adagio's mysterious associate used, but there's certainly a strong possibility. Of course, the person she was speaking to seemed rather overwrought when it came to hiding their identity, so perhaps they're capable of foiling what he can do? Being a titan has made Lex exceptionally powerful, but without knowing the specifics, we can only speculate...of course, he has to examine the place first.
With regard to stealth spells...I'm not sure that I'm understanding your question correctly, but the ideal is that the spell description is straightforward enough that there aren't any ambiguities involved. This is rarely the case in practice, however. Consider, for instance, whether or not an invisibility spell works against the "infravision" (i.e. seeing into the infra-red spectrum) that Lex has used several times now. That's an area where the game rules are silent (albeit only because the "baseline" d20 System rules doesn't have infravision...but certain d20 System-based games, such as Everquest d20, do, as do older editions of D&D). So in that regard, some judgment calls do have to be made.
Having said that, the basic method of approaching such things is to look at the game rules and see if there's an area of extrapolation, and then figure out how to translate the answer into an in-character "how it works" understanding. In this case, we know that invisibility defeats darkvision (the last paragraph above the "Illuminating Darkness" header), which itself is a visual method that doesn't seem to rely on processing light from the "normal" part of the electromagnetic spectrum, so the answer to the above question is yes, invisibility would defeat infravision as well. We then explain from the characters' standpoint that the "field" of invisibility which a character wraps around themselves bends all of the waves from the EM spectrum, not just the visible ones, so while you could potentially feel their body heat if you were right next to them, you wouldn't be able to see it.
Or at least, that's the basic idea. At some point the explanation is going to come down to "because that's how magic works." It's more important (narratively) that unnatural forces be consistent with themselves more than charting specifically how they interact with the laws of physics.
As for why Adagio's so scared of that talisman...I suspect we'll find out in the relatively near future!
11679761 I suspect that the idea that she could be beguiled by someone else never even crossed Adagio's mind. That part where she posed in front of the mirror was her flexing, not to mention her line about "I'm everyone's type." Remember, the entire reason she's doing all this is because she couldn't stand being in a world that had creatures whose beauty equaled - or even exceeded - her own. That wounded her ego and her sense of entitlement so much (both of which were well-fed by her time on Earth, even if she could never capitalize on them due to her powers being curtailed) that she's essentially dug herself into a hole pursuing greater heights of erotic/aesthetic appeal, all so that she'll be adored.
Of course, she's smart enough to know that there are creatures that won't work on, but that's why she's been trying to develop a weapon of her own; so she has a fallback for those entities that are literally unable to appreciate her. Conceited though she may be, Adagio isn't stupid...even if she can't imagine that she might end up adoring someone else.
As for that trump card that she's apparently scared to use, well...at this point it's largely an unknown, but if Lex gets his claws on something even a demigod fears, things could get very interesting indeed...
11680398
Im wondering just how much invisibility spells physically affect the light, and how much theyre actually a localised Notice Me Not spell, or Someone Elses Problem field, which work on the psychology of the observers after all the sensory equipment has passed the signalling?
Maybe like the Gorilla in teh basket ball game which even works with recorded images?
So that's how Adagio has been able to evade detection from the Pony Empire. Must be a damn good puppet if no one has caught on to her absence all this time. Though it does imply that Adagio's partner is a powerful spellcaster who is capable of creating something that could even make demigods cautious. Not to mention their knowledge of demons as well as the ability to resurrect themself even if it takes a long time.
Wonder if that's how Adagio encountered her partner like stumbling upon them shortly after their resurrection during her enforced duties to the Pony Empire.
Regardless, things are going to become quite interesting once Lex comes to meet with Adagio. I wonder how she'll handle Lex's new status as a titan.
11680411 Ah, that's a much easier question to answer. If you look at the listing for the invisibility spell, you'll notice that it's an illusion spell of the glamer subschool, meaning that it's a spell which "changes a subject’s sensory qualities, making it look, feel, taste, smell, or sound like something else, or even seem to disappear." There's no mental component, the way there would be with, say, a phantasm subschool-based illusion; it's also why the listing for invisibility doesn't have the [mind-affecting] descriptor. Contrast this with the psionic power of cloud mind, which essentially reaches into the target's mind and subtly convinces them not to notice you.
11680446 This does indeed answer some questions about how Adagio's been able to do so much with apparently no interference from the Pony Empire. So while she's in her mountain hideaway tangling with demigods, there's a copy of her that's making nice with the army over in Silverdream (which is to say, I was aware of Adagio's appearance in the later chapters of David Silver's Potions and Swords and made sure to explain how she was apparently in two places at once).
Of course, who exactly she's working with that was able to make a copy of her that's apparently undetectable raises further questions. Which in turn suggests that there's more going on here than originally suspected. But then again, when you have a plot this intricate, it's no surprise that there are numerous strings; hopefully they won't become loose ends that come back to bite Lex later.