Cynwyd and Anise depart. The winds remain unchanged as does the presence of the ship which does not pursue the other two Amberites with their snake. If anything, it seems to have drawn closer to Xander. The nearer it gets, the more it appears to be fashioned in the shape of a flying serpent. Ygg seems unaffected one way or the other by its presence and as Anise predicted tolerates the wind gusts without complaint. Then again, ygg may just not be capable of communicating with Xander.
Xander continues to observe the ship as he continues to change his spells in the order stated. The sylphs will warn him of any other approaching dangers. As soon as magesight is completed..he will cast that and observe the cicle first, fhen Ygg..then the ship and any surrounding areas…although he estimates that Ygg is surrounded by some form of ritual blood magic. The circle has all the needed characteristics for such a casting.
Once he's done that and ascertained what he can..he will then continue with the other spells.
Flying serpents..could mean they are from Chaos..although that is an obvious opinion.
The sylphs keep a wary eye out and seem well suited to their assigned task. His spells seem to take longer to adjust and the experience is somewhat mentally fatiguing. He gets the impression that it is a result of the ygg boundary that is causing this.
He definitely gets the impression that the circle was formed as part of a powerful dark magic blood ritual. So powerful in fact that his mage sight cannot penetrate it to assess ygg.
The ship itself does not seem to have any exterior magical properties that he can detect with his mage sight. Perhaps it is simply a feat of technological wonder. Perhaps any magical conduit between the mage he detected and the snake has been severed now that the snake is dead and Cynwyd's has been rendered sightless by the Amberite's cloak.
He can definitely detect a faint magical aura coming from the cliff that Cynwyd and Anise now stand beneath. He is too far away to get any other impression beyond that. For all he knows he could be detecting pockets of natural wild magic that have nothing to do with what is going on.
Now and then a flash of lightning creases the sky. This strikes him more as magical "fallout" than active magic.
Regardless, he should be glad he is a mage because clearly there is more at work within the shadow than an enemy's blades and bows.
Xander is concerned with the immedeate possible danger of this ship..although it is reassuring that it hasnt done anything but observe..yet.
He pulls out his binoculars and takes a closer look at it with the magesight up. He is trying to ascertain exactly where there are possible weak spots..a place where a sudden increase in air pressure may damage it. Or a sudden change in the chemical composition of the air would cripple it.
He is now focusing his mental observance and air sense on the ship…seeing what makes it tick if he can.
Once thats done and he has the rest of the named spells set..if nothing else occurs..he alters the air between his position and the ship so that his voice will carry more efficiently between them. Then he says..
"I wish to parley. If you wish this as well, send someone down here. "
No threats. No show of strength. Just a simple request that should entail a simple answer.
Xander hopes its not a violent one
He also wishes that he had spent more time studying magic rituals than… other interests.
He doesnt have enough data to relase Ygg.
That has to come from someone..or something..else.
He cannot sense any weak spots in the ship. In fact he cannot even detect any particular spot where they are drawing clean air into the ship.
His voice carries beautifully. They do not send anyone down. He does feel himself being drawn upward toward the ship in a tractor beam of sorts.
Xander readies the spell of protection …and then he orders the sylphs to stay and continue guarding the tree. He is always aware of where the tree is to his own placement. The sylphs are his marker.
There seems to be no point in resisting just yet. But he readies a few things along the way up.
If need be…he knows he can turn himself into a being of air and escape.
And although there are no weak spots seen from outside the ship..he's sure he can do damage with corrosive forms of air within some of the ships critical areas if need be.
But he also realizes if they meant him any harm..they would already havee done so.
So with his offer accepted on their terms..he continues to be wary and study the air currents, levels oif humidity and chemical composition of the ships atmoshere.
He'll keep hiis goggles on just in case..putting away the binoculars.
He stands confidently. Sure and controlled in his actions.
Hopefully, trhey are in a talking mood.
But Xander is prepared otherwise.
The side of the ship almost seems to melt away, leaving a portal that he passes through. The beam ceases once he is entirely within a small dim 12x12 room. The room is empty. The hath is gone without a trace. The air seems normal enough, but a bit thin even for the Amberite. The only lighting about is that which is provided by a runway of tiny pale blue lights along the edge of the floor like what one might see in a movie theater to guide patrons to their seats on shadow earth. What appears to be an unlocked door is at one end of the room. He believes he can hear a faint humming on the other side of it, but it might just be his ears playing tricks on him. Thus far he can detect no sentient life present anywhere near him.
Whatever has happened..he does not feel as if he is in the same place as Ygg and the sylphs now.
He's broken his promise to Anise..because he is no longer where he can help to defend them.
So..he readies himself to turn into a being of air, but not yet. He has to find out what he can first beofore he leaves. This is thaT opportunity. And the sylphs have their orders. He hopes that will be enough.
Xander feels…troubled that he allowed himself to be taken in here so easily. He thought he had outgrown that sense of curiosity that got him into so much trouble when he was a child. It seems he hadnt grown out of it yet. Thats a pity.
This thing wasnt showing any outward signs of anything..so logically… a trip inside was needed.
But he still feels as if he let Cynwyd and Anise down.
Better to think oif other things now. Time for regrets later.
He continues to sense the air around him. If this thing is completely automated..it wil have no need of air and could change or take away the atmosphere if it feels threatened. Something to keep in mind in his next actions..if any.
He moves along the lighted path and heads for the door..entering if its permitted..readying his protection spell just in case.
He's trapped..but hopefully not helpless.
He is able to pass through the doorway unmolested. He is in a hallway. Perhaps every 100 feet or so, a small pale blue circle at shoulder height casts a pool of light around it. Both ends of the hallway are shrouded in darkness. He gets the feeling that the way to his right might actually curve around a slight corner and the humming sounds like it might be coming from that direction.
Without any source of illumination..he doestt want to mess with the stuff of shadow here just yet..he goes where the blue lights lead him. Towards the humming..but he wont enter its souce before taking a closer look. He hopes hes not too much of a mouse in this maze.
All the while..he continues to feel and sense the air currents..making sure there are no abrupt changes to them or their chemical composition.
That would be a detremental sign to him.
Onward he goes.
Senses opoen.
The humming grows increasingly louder, but the lighting remains the same. He can continue on ahead toward the humming, or head through a door hidden in an alcove to his right. The air near the door seems charged with a bit of static electricity or something similar. Someone other than Xander would never notice the change, but to him it is easily detectable.
Xander does not like the loudness of the humming. so he decieds to go the less painful route..approaching the hidden door with the static electricity field.
He is also looking for sensors or cameras in the walls..just in case.
He wil see if he can ascertain how to open it without getting electrocuted… being very careful not to expose himself too much when and if the portal is accessed.
He will continue to sense the air as he does this..any change will be relevant to his safety from this point forward.
He hopes to find someone to reason with.