Round 21 Transcript

At The base of a crumbling stone tower, the shared situation sharpens into an immediate decision point. What is already in motion no longer supports waiting or circling. The next concrete move will determine how this scene changes.

I step forward, mace at the ready, and scan the tower's base. The stones weep magic into the air, like sweat from pores. Whatever's inside isn't just alive—it's hungry. We need to find an entry point that avoids those wards directly. Halie, keep casting your protective spells. We'll need them if we're going in there. I'll take the lead with Merrin, map every inch of ground level around this damn tower. Jeane, get above those visible wards entirely and give us a proper aerial map of the upper floors. Seraphine, start that wider detection spell now, but do it quietly. We've only got an hour before whatever's inside notices our snooping. Let's move.

I circle twice more before descending. The wards feel alive—predators on alert—and the magic they feed on isn't sunlight or moonlight. It's something inside the tower. Something that hungers. We need to complete this ground map and identify the core energy source before whatever's inside notices we're snooping around its dinner plate.

I approach the tower cautiously, senses on high alert. The air feels thick, charged with an ancient malevolence that prickles at my skin. A low, ominous humming emanates from deep within the structure - it almost sounds... hungry. "Jeane," I call out, keeping my voice low. "I need you to fly higher and get a bird's eye view of those upper levels. We need to know what we're walking into before we set foot inside."

As I speak, I crouch down to examine the ground more closely. The stones here are old, crumbling at the edges, but there's an odd sheen to them, as if they're sweating some invisible liquid. I mark a suspicious slab with a small stone, my hands shaking slightly. "Varrika," I murmur to my fellow party member. "We need to map this ground floor thoroughly. Every crack, every slab - we can't risk missing anything."

The tower looms above us, its crumbling facade hiding who knows what dangers within. But we have a job to do, and the sooner we figure out how to get inside, the better. "Seraphine," I call out to our wizard. "Anything on that detection spell yet? We need to know if these wards are going to trip at the slightest touch."

I straighten up, wiping my hands on my pants. The fatigue from our journey weighs heavy on my shoulders, but there's no time for rest now. Whatever's inside this tower, it's not going to wait for us. "Alright everyone," I say, my voice barely above a whisper. "Let's get to work. We've got an hour before whatever's in there notices we're snooping around. Let's make the most of it."