Open Chronicles Painted Red

[Yffry]

"So you fired your arch-mage..." Desmene prompted.

"Yes..." replied Duke Ardlenton. He insisted on meeting the group of people who had come from far and wide to answer his request for help. He insisted on wearing his heavy chains of office too.

"But when, after that falling out, he sent your daughter a painting as a birthday present..." Desmene didn't finish the rest of the sentence. She imagined it would have angered the man.

"Well..." he explained, shaking his jowly face. "...it was on amicable-ish terms."

The look on his butler's face said otherwise.

Desmene spent most of her time looking for lost elven treasures. She didn't normally deal with men like this. The story had piqued her interest.

Behind the Duke and his man was a strange assortment of people who had also taken an interest in the story or - more likely - the reward.

"And you send a soldier in to get her out?" Desmene asked, turning to look at the painting. She leaned forwards, getting as close as she could without touching the enchanted canvas.

"Damned fool probably got lost in that hedge maze."

"He wore a blue tabard?"

"Yes! How do you know?"

Desmene pointed to a small speck outside the hedge maze in the painting. A small body, in blue, lying in a pool of red.

"Oh dear."

 

[Raphael Thrice]

Raphael had heard the conversation as he approached the door to the manor. He really hoped he hadn’t been late but it sounded as if the discussion had long ago begun. It wasn’t his fault he slept in so long! It was the beer’s fault!

He also hadn’t intended on swinging the door open so loudly or so aggressively that it would reach it’s own hinges and swing back towards him. Raphael, already making interruptive noise, was now forced to catch the door on its way back. Meeting eyes with some of the other adventurers who’d come to see the issue. He waved and slowly closed the door with an awkward grimace on his face.

Once the conversation picked back up, he dusted himself off and walked towards the painting in question. They discussed of the little blue dead man in the center of the hedge maze who it sounded like he’d gone in for a solo rescue mission.

Raphael spoke up,

”Well, it has to be some sort of like pocket dimension, right?” He interjected as if he hadn’t been listening at all. He had, just not a whole lot.

“The problem with that is you may be dealing with an entire other realm of physical laws.”

 

[Kallach]

Raphael entered the mansion first, followed by Kallach about a minute later.

He moved with all the grace and fluidity of a wildcat despite his impressive brawn.

He looked around the interior with only a passing interest, noting what caught his eye.
All things considered, it was a likable estate, a little bit large for his taste but nonetheless well-built.

Kallach's sensitive ears attended the chitchat in the background.
It started out faint, but as he got closer to its source, it got stronger.
He soon came across a sizable wooden door that was undoubtedly made of oak.

He placed his palm flat against it and immediately felt vibrations traversing throughout the frame.

Beyond these doors, there are more people.

He knocked on the door and waited. One second, two seconds, three seconds...

That was enough courtesy on his end.

He gripped the doorknob tightly, turned it around, and shoved the door open. His large frame spilled from the half-darkness of the hallway and into the more well-lit chamber. Illumination befell him, accentuating his features.

He was a large man, well muscled and clad in an exotic, vibrantly colored attire that clashed somewhat with the rest of his appearance.

"Have I missed something?" he inquired, barely concealing his triumphant smirk. He had somewhat accurately assessed the number of people present and with minimal use of magic at that!

 

[OlivianaAl'Vere]

Oliviana was already in the room listening to Desmene and Duke Ardlenton. She found the whole thing quite fascinating and that was why she had come. The reward was great and all but this was an adventure she had never had before. It was new and exciting. You would think that after barely escaping a vampire's magic soaked hell manor, she would think twice about going into a painting but she had not.

The door opened, drawing her attention to the fair haired man who she (unfortunately sometimes) knew all too well. Raphael. He looked hungover as fuck but she felt absolutely fine. She may have fed him too many shots last night in the hopes that he would forget about this little adventure. He was liable to get them all killed...no...that wasn't far...he was liable to get himself killed by pissing her off.

"Laws that apparently do not take kindly to visitors," she finally spoke up gesturing towards Desmene and the small blue and red fleck.

She crossed the room to stand by Raphael and smiled sweetly up at him. "How are you feeling this morning?" She asked in the sickly sweet tone she reserved for only him nowadays.

Another man entered shortly after Raphael and she internally chuckled at the thought that Raphael was not the latest for once.

"You've only missed talk to clarify some details," Liv answered the new man before anyone else spoke up.

 

[Garrod Arlette]

Garrod grumbled, and looked on as the others spoke of the painting.

Portals. Laws. Pocket Dimensions.

He clicked his teeth as he grimaced. His greatsword at his back, his armor dawned an his gauntlet crossed before his chest, folded over his left arm. The opalescent jewel that sat crowning his right forearm seemed to stare at them all. But a stone. It almost seemed alive as light reflected across its surface.

How fun. A whisper said within his mind. Its voice all too familiar to the swordsman.

"So, the soldier is dead," Garrod cut into the conversation. "What killed him?" he asked beneath furrowed brow, and his green gaze looked over the painting. Saw the bright blue tabard the other professional had pointed out, and he looked for any hints. Any clues. "There," he pointed to a trail of red. "Looks like something was large enough to drag them,"

 

[Yffry]

"Well, you all know the pay," The Duke stated. "I suggest you get on with the task as you best see fit."

"You could apologise to the wizard?" Desmene said. As expected, the suggestion received no response and he left them to the corridor.

Desmene turned to look at the trail of blood.

"Well that isn't good..." she murmured. "Also...That window is lit up. It wasn't before. "

There was a squat castle in the centre of the hedge maze.

"I never see anything change," she said, twisting her lips to one side. "But it does when we're not looking..."

 

[Kallach]

"You've only missed talk to clarify some details," Liv answered the new man before anyone else spoke up.

Kallach snorted derisively.

It was a neat group of weirdos that the Duke had managed to assemble, himself included.

"I already received the brunt of the information in a letter some days ago. That said, this is a highly technical matter, and I'd rather be safe than sorry."

Magic surged into his eyes, and they lit up, practically glowing. He focused his newfound occult prowess on the painting. Surprisingly enough, there wasn't much to be seen. The painting radiated magical energy, but in such a way that Kallach couldn't tell where the magic was coming from, how it functioned, or to whom it belonged.

He sighed, letting the feeling of defeat wash over him. A small part of him hoped that the situation could be resolved without anyone, much less himself, having to enter the painting.

"Well, you all know the pay," The Duke stated. "I suggest you get on with the task as you best see fit."

"You could apologise to the wizard?" Desmene said. As expected, the suggestion received no response and he left them to the corridor.

Desmene turned to look at the trail of blood.

"Well that isn't good..." she murmured. "Also...That window is lit up. It wasn't before. "

"Oh, right!"

Something clicked in his brain, and he turned to address Desmene.

"I was about to say that we could kill the wizard, but now that I think it over, it wouldn't be the smartest way to go about doing this."

"Magic, and curses in particular, can get stronger post-mortem, especially if the caster departs from the world under the influence of strong negative emotions."

 

[Raphael Thrice]

Oliviana Al'Vere​

Oh right. He'd gotten hammered with Oliviana again, hadn't he? He'd felt pretty okay considering how poorly the first excursion had gone. Raphael offered her a shrug before she spoke to the giant man who seemed to be unamused by her words.

"Uh, I'm fine, thanks, Oliviana. You seem chipper as ever."

He looked at Kallach with a raised eyebrow. The man seemed to be scanning the painting with some sort of detection magic. At least that was his guess. Raphael wouldn't say it out loud, but he didn't have any fucking idea. Glowy eyes could mean just about anything.

He turned to face him,

Kallach​

"That's not always the case though. Some spells are attached to life force from the caster. But I agree, we have zero way of knowing if that would work or not."

Raphael was going to hazard a guess that this guy knew a lot more about this kind of thing he did. But he still had his studies he could rely on and be some sort of help in this mess.

Garrod Arlette​

One of the one's who'd been here prior spoke about how the guard in the painting had died. Another form of mystery to this was the fact that they had no idea what lurked in the painting. It was probably smart enough to not let itself be seen.

"Uhhhhh yeah. I'm wholly lost on that one.

Desmene​

What she'd said further clarified his theory about whatever was in there not wanting to be seen. Be it a temporal disruption that acts as a barrier, or something that could be moving a light speed, it was a big, BIG issue. Whatever was in there was killing indiscriminately and with ferocious intent, as well.

All of this for a loss of a job? Geeeeeez, this arch mage was a crybaby.

 

[OlivianaAl'Vere]

"Uh, I'm fine, thanks, Oliviana. You seem chipper as ever."

Oliviana huffed at Raphael's response. She was quite chipper, thank you very much. He was cute though. Of course, she would never admit that. Out loud. Ever. She hated the fact that the little shit had even grown on her a little bit.

Raphael moved on to speak with some of the others so Liv moved closer to the painting to study it. She swore she saw something move as she watched it but nothing else happened.

She looked over at the group before her attention returned to the painting.

"Uhhhh...guys..." Liv said in a worried tone. "I think whatever it is likes to eat its victims..."

She pointed to the spot where the body had been a little bit ago and then followed the trail that had appeared afterwards. Now there was a head laying in the blood while the rest of the body disappeared. She could only guess that he had become a snack.

 

[Garrod Arlette]

Garrod eyed the one who'd so easily mentioned potentially killing the wizard.

What fun, this one. Whispered Belephus.

But little more than a lip twitch and a further furrowed brow changed upon the monster hunter's expression. He let out a breath and turned away from the painting as the young woman pointed out a new detail. He huffed.

"Do we have any mirrors?" he asked, and kept his eye closed. "Sometimes they can get around certain... curious conditions,"

 

[Yffry]

Humans always seemed to put together plans that involved destruction and death above understanding and growth. It was in their nature. Building a castle for yourself was good, knocking down everyone else's was better.

"Haven't got a mirror," Desmene replied. "Polished glass isn't exactly cheap. I bet the Duke will have one somewhere."

"I'd rather something that eats its victims," Desmene reasoned. "It might get full."

Desmene retrieved a small object from a pouch. It was a small wooden box with intricate patterns etched into the gilding and a round button in the centre.

"This normally breaks me free of a magical trap," she explained. "No good going in if we can't go out. Can't test it from here. I don't supposed anyone else wants to volunteer?"

 

[Kallach]

​

"That's not always the case though. Some spells are attached to life force from the caster. But I agree, we have zero way of knowing if that would work or not."

"As I said," he wagged his pointer finger, "better safe than sorry."

"If we unalive the bastard and his magic redoubles..."

He paused, reaching out to snag the nearest chair.

He thought to himself as he allocated it: what a nice piece of furniture, cushioned even. Kallach sank into its soft embrace, throwing his head back. He stared at the ceiling, carefully picking his next words.

"It seems like I'm the only sorcerer in this room, and honestly, I'm not the best at removing enchantments. Not without breaking the object, at least. "

Kallach chuckled quietly, conjuring some distant memory of when he was still a twerp. Well, relatively distant. He was what, 24 and bordering on 25?

"My older mentor used to reprimand me for approaching most obstacles like a battering ram."

"Do we have any mirrors?" he asked, and kept his eye closed. "Sometimes they can get around certain... curious conditions,"

"Right! Quick thinking."

Kallach slowly hunched forward, resting his elbows on his knees, fingers neatly interlocked under his chin. He gazed at the mercenary with a rapidly broadening smile.

"I'm sure you've heard it, but silver-lined mirrors can be used to detect vampires. Has something to do with silver's ability to combat negative forces. "

 

[Raphael Thrice]

Oliviana Al'Vere / Kallach​

Oh boy. He said the V word. Didn’t need anymore of that in their lives. He looked cautiously back to Oliviana who he had just thrust into the den of a vampire not very long before this. Escaping with their lives just barely after a long winded fight with the damned Countess. In her defense, he was trying to rob her.

”Well, I’ll say one thing. I can one hundred percent confirm that vampires basically shrug my magic off.”

Desmene​

He was glad someone had come prepared. Because all he’d come with is a light hangover. Whatever that contraption was had a yes/no chance to save them all when the time came. But a thought occurred to him.

”I think even if we fail, we’d be okay. The laws of magic prevent it from existing forever. And in the same, makes it a danger to the user. This is a wildly powerful spell that definitely has a consequence. My guess? He has to be in there with everyone else.“

 

[Garrod Arlette]

Garrod looked to the others. "Silver would be best, aye," he agreed with the sorcerer. "The metal is bane to many of the more occult denizens of our world," he said with an odd smirk. "And any information we glean at this point is likely to help." He looked to one of the attendants who still lingered about as the deliberations still went on. "You there,"

The attendant, a chestnut haired man, gave a wide eyed look. "M-me, sir?"

The monster gave a nod. "We require a mirror, lined with silver, if possible,"

"Ye-yes, I... I shall see what our lord has that we can make use of," and he hurried off.

Garrod turned his eye back to the woman with the object, then the others who were part of their party. "I can take the plunge," he offered, a roll of his shoulder had the iridescent white of his gauntlet flux in its strange color. "Course, you'll have to tell me how to activate the thing first," he smirked.

 

[OlivianaAl'Vere]

Oliviana was seeing this as a terrible idea with each passing moment. She looked at Raphael before stepping closer to him.

"I think I am just going to stay here and make sure that the Duke doesn't go doing anything else stupid. I will be here when...if...you all return"

 

[Yffry]

"I can take the plunge," he offered, a roll of his shoulder had the iridescent white of his gauntlet flux in its strange color. "Course, you'll have to tell me how to activate the thing first," he smirked.

"Excellent," Desmene replied.

She tossed the puzzle box towards the tall, white haired man.

"All prepared, you just need to push the button."

”I think even if we fail, we’d be okay. The laws of magic prevent it from existing forever. And in the same, makes it a danger to the user. This is a wildly powerful spell that definitely has a consequence. My guess? He has to be in there with everyone else.“

"Existing for a long time is relative," Desmene turned to say. She didn't want to be one of those elves that spent their time demeaning humans for their short lives, but they did tend to measure time in very short spans.

"If he paid enough of a price then I'm sure it could last long enough for the girl to die in there. Naturally in years or, I suppose, when she starves."

If Garrod decided to reach for the canvas he would feel the world spin around him. Then he would land on grass. A portrait of the corridor and the adventurers looking back at him.

 

[Garrod Arlette]

Garrod caught the puzzlebox out of the air, and stared at the carvings, and the button. "Right," he replied as he turned the contraption over in the palm of his hand.

A curious thing, his demon noted. More curious that you volunteered to throw yourself into the painted realm, oh bearer mine. And then they laughed.

"No use in waiting around," the monster hunter muttered, and slipped the box into one of his well worn belt pouches. He stepped forward, his relic-armored hand stretched out toward the painting.

Into the unknown, and you put me before you, Belephus whispered with amusement. Like a child cowering close to their mother.

The world turned about, a sense of vertigo turning Garrod's stomach about before he plopped whole body onto some grass. "Ouch," he voiced, his head swirled with a sense of daze, and his rump and back ached from the strange drop.

He worked himself onto his belly, greatsword still strapped to his back as it was, and got up from the ground, armor plate and chainmaile clinking and clanking some with the effort. When he rose up onto one knee, his hand instinctively dug into the pouch in which he stashed the get-out-of-magick-trap box.

"Still there," he told himself, his eye busy as it scanned his surroundings. Lastly, he turned back to face the painting of the corridor, and saw the others staring back at him. "That's... weird," he confessed, and waved a hand at them before he turned back to the scene of the hedge maze and grassy field. Above the walls of the maze, he could see the towers of the castle looming overhead, and noticed the sky.

It was smeared and spread. A strange heaven laid in by fervent brushstrokes.

 

[Kallach]

"Of course. There are rules and stipulations one can force upon themselves to strengthen their magic. The more detrimental they are to the user, the stronger they'll get as a result of it. "



Kallach yawned. Things were moving slowly and just to his liking. He'd have preferred to send in a familiar to do the dirty work, but if Garrod got the better of him by going into the unknown seemingly by himself.

He thought to himself, "Knock yourself out, hunter," but kept his tongue from saying anything. Why would he risk his own hide when someone would willingly do it for him?


He made a hand gesture, and soon one of his loose sleeves bulged, coming to life as something wriggled inside it. Kallach shook his arm, expelling from the cloth a strange, insectoid creature no larger than a dove.

It could more easily ascend sheer surfaces thanks to the length of its legs and the huge hooks on the ends of each pad. And like a predatory bird's beak, the proboscis on its lengthy head curled slightly.


The wasp-like entity buzzed its membraneous wings and perched itself atop his shoulder. The room's dim lighting bounced off its pair of complex eyes, forming a kaleidoscope of colors.

He tapped it twice on the head. In response, the creature hopped off his shoulder blade, repositioning itself near the painting.

 

[Raphael Thrice]

Raphael felt a bit embarrassed by everyone's lack of desire to consider his opinion. It was true he wasn't well versed in the rules of adventurers and arch mages. He was however always on the nose when it came to the laws of magic. Mostly because they've happily blown up in his face more times than once.

All that aside, he wasn't skeptical to go in, until he heard Oliviana speak.

"You aren't going?" He asked a bit concerned. He thought he should stay behind. That came from both a sense that he owed her, and that he didn't want her left alone. Though it was foolish of him to think she couldn't handle herself.

"Try not to get too bored." He joked.

He locked his fingers and stretched his arms over his head.

"Aalllllrigghhtyyyyrooo!" He said flippantly. "Guess it's time to go painting diving."

As he approached, he realized the wasp thing summoned by Kallach was also near the painting. He looked at while he held his head back away from it, praying it didn't choose to suddenly destroy him for no reason. Raphael nodded Kallach's way with a look of disgust.

"Cute pet, my guy." And with that, Raphael put his hand to the painting as Garrod had. He made note of where Garrod was in the painting with the hope that if he considered it hard enough, he'd follow suit and find him. That way neither of them would be dealing with it alone.

Make Peace with Your Gods
​

The same sensation that had swallowed Garrod up did the same to Raphael. A dizzying feeling of being washed in magic and paint. Transportation was always a strange magic, and often felt like a total loss of bodily control. Raphael was just happy that when he did finally arrive in this pocket world that he hadn't shit himself.

Raphael did not fall or collapse as Garrod had. He simply stood where he'd been transferred. Frozen, though, as he was quickly aware of exactly where he was. Which was simply not where Garrod had been moved. He felt stupid for not considering how different the points of entry may be, but this was a worst-case scenario.

The young mage stood somewhere lost in the hedge maze. He saw no trace of the knight who'd been likely devoured but he saw the man's blood drying in front of him.

To the wolves, it seemed.

Oliviana Al'Vere Garrod Arlette Desmene Kallach​