From: hutch@hutch (Stephen Hutchison)
Subject: [DQ] Flights of Fashion
Reply-To: hutch@hutch.intel.com
Organization: Intel Corp., Hillsboro, Oregon
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 92 07:45:27 GMT


With the annoying net-lags lately, I thought I'd post something
minor having to do with preparations for departure.

TIME:  The morning after the night before.  Riddles have been pronounced.
CHARACTERS: 'Raelf, Valgar, Lancos, Dragon Questors and Inn Patrons
PLACE: Dragon's Inn
EVENT:  fashioning fashions and taking the air

The riddling was moderately well recieved.  A stranger, a fairly pretty,
glittery-feeling woman named Helen, described a rook, in terms which
suddenly made 'Raelf think of chess.  Too bad he'd never learned the game.
Go, yes, and shoji, but not chess.  But her idea had some merit... have
to think about it...  'Raelf was distracted by the sight of the gnome
she was sitting next to.  An incredibly noisy and intense Fire node.

( Oh, she called him Firecat.  Firecat.  Must be his footprints by the
door.  Gotta see if I can fireproof that floor.  Maybe get some credit
with LittleFair, cut down on my bar tab. )

'Raelf's reverie was broken by a silken voice.  Delena (another lovely
lady) was replying with her description of a parliamentary bird with
entirely familiar ways.  Yes, once the prime minister has finished
talking, the other old birds usually do tear him apart.  At their
first opportunity.  So some birds who do this are called rooks.

But that didn't seem to have a direct bearing, unless SunStorm knew of
something connected with birds.  'Raelf shook his head, flicking the
hair back (it had drifted down over his goggles again).  Surely one of
the others who knew the language better, might know some subtle clue
being hidden in the prophetic obscurities.

Well, things to do.  Lancos had brought supplies as requested.

'Raelf went over to the table and sat down, placing the heavily modified
snowboard against the wall behind him.  He traced the second rune on his
bandolier, whispering <<unlock.decompress.open ActivateNow>> and flipped
open the flap that appeared.  He withdrew a flat case, half as big as a
travelling spell book, flipped it open <<On>> and while the faerie fire
began glowing in the air above it, he rummaged through the pocket for a
minute, before pulling out a small glittering hexagonal stick.

"HA!  Found her."  He ignored the questioning murmurs of the others at
the table.  He pushed the stick into a slot in the flat box, and runes
of light began swirling in the faerie fire glow above the case.
<<CatalogsSelect DisplayTableOfContents Now>> he said, and the runes blurred
and shifted into columns.  "This one good maybe, <<BookSelect BananaRepublic>>"

A transparent image replaced the runes.  It appeared to be a flat drawing
of a person wearing some kind of complicated-looking garment.  'Raelf slid
a finger along the box, and the picture flickered and was replaced, very
quickly, with other pictures.  He stopped, suddenly, on a man wearing a
strange cape made with a hole in the middle, and a hood.  The cape had
a simple plaid pattern.  "Aha.  Poncho.  Will work.  Clint Eastwood eat
yer heart out, heh heh."

'Raelf touched a rune on the box and the picture became more abstract,
showing only the poncho, in abstract.  "Lancos, you got cloth bolt?" he
asked, and the red-haired man nodded and reached into the pile on the
next table.  He pulled out a heavy roll of grayish-brown cloth, a thick
denim or maybe light canvas.

"Right here.  What did you plan to do with it?"

"Watch." 'Raelf folded the bolt, measuring an amount, muttering in
distaste when he found a bug in the weave, and finally SNIKT cutting the
bolt off - with a suddenly sharp metallic fingernail.  "This is being
low power to do, but is also complicated to see in head," he commented
to nobody in particular.  Kadrys grinned sharply.  "Color of white not
to be found?" 'Raelf asked, and Lancos shook his head in negation.

The piece was laid flat over a hastily-cleared section of an adjacent
table.  SNIKT - SNIKT, SLICE, SNIKT-RIP dammit SNIKT SNAKT.  The piece,
now comprising several smaller pieces, was carefully laid out, some
edges touching and rolled in other places.  'Raelf touched the cloth,
staring intently at the pattern in the air above the box.  He closed his
eyes and spoke quietly.

Kadrys recognized a cantrip construction in Kutuk, in Weaver dialect.
--::One be One and Weave as Weft Warp to Woof and Seam be CLEFT::--
there was a flash of light along the edges and rolls.  'Raelf shook the
cloth, now one piece joined into something like the glowing image.
'Raelf pulled it on over his head, and grimaced, looking around.
Nothing reflective.  <<DeskAccessory Mirror On Now>> he muttered at the
box, and his image, in miniature, appeared superimposed over the runes
and diagrams in the glow.  The image looked as uncomfortable as 'Raelf.

"Fixing this now," 'Raelf grumbled, and closed his eyes.  The miniature
image started flickering, replaced momentarily by outlines of fire, then
clouds, then pebbles washed by waves.  Then it vanished.  Lancos looked
up from the image, and saw that the stiff cloth had changed, becoming
softer-appearing, a jet black color, with white splotches like marble or
granite.  Runes ran along the seam of the hood in shifting colors.

A second search through the images produced a sort of loose, flowing
trousers, tight at the ankles, with an elastic waist, also restructured
to be jet black, but this time with runes scattered randomly across the
fabric, shifting colors in unison with the poncho.  'Raelf folded them
and somehow fit them into the pocket on his bandolier.

"Hey, Valgar, you want maybe some new duds?"  he asked, flipping the
catalog images again.  Valgar looked up from his second bowl of porridge
that morning.  (Damn straight I'll get out of these wretched slave rags.)
"I'd be more than happy to let you outfit me," Valgar said courteously.

"Here to look at what you want."  'Raelf indicated the images above
the box.  The former galley slave looked on with fascination.  This was
a very different way to use illusion magic, not to enslave or to entrap
or even entertain, but to ... advertise??  He looked closer.  One of the
images caught his fancy and he pointed to it.

"Hey, I like this.  What is it?"

"Uh, yeah.  It supposed to has not select that one."  'Raelf carefully
suppressed a snicker.  It was not a catalog.  Well, maybe.  Too bad it
wasn't possible to erase just one part of a crystal.  Valgar persisted.

"See, it looks very practical, you could hide a lot of weapons in there.
 Besides, I like the style.  Kind of decadent-elvish."

'Raelf grinned, and flipped the Thrasher Magazine image to larger scale.
After a few minutes, Valgar had chosen a combination that wasn't too
impossible.  Dark blue or grey acid-wash color patterns, fake Levi's
and jeans-jacket, a long sleeved shirt made somewhat softer by a careful
transformation, and a leather vest, boots, and forearm-guards modified
from an extra leather saddlebag.  And lots of places to hide weapons.

[[OK, Ray, you get to describe it in detail if you feel the need to
  show off all the hidden pockets and concealed weapons.  Also any
  decorations and suchlike.]]

It was late morning when they were finished.  SunStorm and Lancos had gone
off to inquire of the guards what they could about disappearing dragons
and the mob riot.  They were not due back until later that day, with the
group due to depart the next morning, if the omens were right.

'Raelf sat at the table, twitching.  Talking was fine but this inactivity!
He'd been here for almost three days now, and hadn't gotten in a workout
or even a decent sparring session.  He finally gave up trying to concentrate
on the riddle discussions and the other conversations.

"I am hate this.  Kadrys, Val, is not good for I sit still in dark bar
all day.  Is nice day out.  I go get idea of what this burg looking like.
Back by dark.  If no, send note to ...sage."

He stood, checking his gear.  Yes, the box was stashed in the lock-pocket.
Yes, the goggles were working.   Yes, the recorder was working.  He turned,
grabbed the heavily modified snowboard.  "See y'all"

He laid the board out flat on the floor and stood on it.  The strange boots
CLICKED and a rune glowed at heel and toe of each.  More runes started to
gleam, and the board rose to tabletop level, 'Raelf balancing on it.
A sort of >kick< of the whole board propelled him towards the door, and out,
and with a sideways sort of slide, he started up into the air.

The city shrank below.  There was a good breeze going south, and he found
the local earthline ... strange, it deviated away from that urban blight
section ... Grab some sky and let's see what this place really looks like.
Climbing was good exercise.  The last traces of fatigue and hangover left
him as he focussed his attention on finding just the right updraft and
breeze to take him ever higher into the air.  Yes, he could just fly the
board straight up, but this was more fun.  He went into a slow banking glide
at about 600 feet and looked around.

North of the Dragon's Inn, a few blocks to the river.  Lots of commerce, but
only one permanent bridge, if you don't count the city wall to the east.
A hill off towards the west, and north of the river, looks like it goes to
cliffs on the other side, down into the ocean.  Fancy houses and terraces
all along.  Clearly high rent district.  East to the town square, yeah,
and some sort of city building on the other side of it to the east.  There
was the library to the north of the river, just west of the first of the
fountains...

Watch out, get away, you seagulls!  Bloody flying rats!!

There to the northern side of the city, a palace of sorts.  Figures.  This
would have to be another feudal setup.  Why do all these high-magic places
have to be feudal?  Oh well.  Two main gates, one south and one east.
Good harbor.  Traces of strong water magic - centering around the buoys
at the river mouth and ... oops.  Hey, it's cool, I'm not gonna tamper,
please don't zap me, mister hugely powerful mage ... there.  The scry slid
off.  Glad he didn't really figure out what was touching his spellfield.
That must have been that city magus, the master of the Vortex, that ...sage
had told him about.  Gotta think about preparing a few defenses.

He caught a strong updraft and rode it higher into the sky, pausing at
about 1500 feet.  Cloudy wisps were forming and evaporating around him.

<<HoverMode on>>  the board hung in the sky as 'Raelf gathered his thoughts.
The physical dangers here were not great.  Short of strongly enchanted
weapons, or really esoteric poisons, he was pretty hard to kill permanently.
Spiritual dangers more likely.  Element of Void.  So let us prepare three
"hanging" spells, waiting to be triggered instantly.

First, a defensive.  Mind blank, the zen state, mushin.  Yeah, just TRY and
remote-target me with that running.  Or even read mind.

Next, an offensive.  Hmm.  How about a little MTV.  Something hypnotic
and mind numbing but with enough quality mixed in to hold attention.
Pet Shop Boys, Megadeath, New Kids (that'll get em!) Enya, old Eurythmics,
a bit of Dire Straits for the final hook.  Enhance the glamourie, turn up
the volume, increase the visuals and hook in some full-sensory.  Should
get any mind-attacker.  Especially the locals - with no cultural protections.

Last one.  The warning was about vampires.  Will need a protection against
void-and-fire draining.  Hmm.  Two main approaches.  Overload or barrier.
With Kadrys around the Overload might not be a good idea.  How about a
fieldloop barrier.  There.  Any attempt to dominate or drain lifeforce
gets wrapped around on itself.  Good for a few seconds anyway, and can
reinforce it when needed.

Next.  That riddle was none too specific about who or how or where.  And
there's no great chance that SunStorm or Lancos can find out about the
dragon that easily.  How about a pathtracer.  Construct a bank of primal
archetype selects, dedicate some power.  Dragon, that's something like
<<Monster, FireBreath, Flying, Lizard, Hoard-Greed>> ...  put it into
one image and focus some reality.  Hmm.  Not bad, holding five spells at
once, still room for three actives.  Four in a pinch.  Let's start
scanning with the archetypes.  See if that dragon came this way.

... Wait.

Something weird below.  From the smell of it, a summoning, and supposedly
in water, but wait ... a BEER elemental?  Radical.  Let us stay clear of
that sort of thing.  <<HoverMode off>> 'Raelf kicked off against a small
drifting cloud and began a slow spiral over the city.

Any trace of dragonishness here?  Call up the archetypes, FLICK a small
glimmering dragon-statue of crystalline silver.  Tarnishing, turned
copper, then evaporating.  Down below, a smallish draconian image flying
off to the hills, but far too small for TrueSilver, and besides, it seems
like a copper anyway.  Well, frak.  Need a better set of delimiters to
keep the riffraff out.  Never find TrueSilver at this rate.  Maybe had
better show it to SunStorm first, see if it looks right.

Time to go back.  Been up for an hour and a half.  He carved the air,
gradually spiralling over the city, getting his bearings before cutting
in CAREFULLY towards the Dragon's Inn.  No crashing this time.  Phasing at
the last minute into Air to bleed off excess velocity, then back to Prime
behind Lancos and SunStorm as they walk into the Inn with their findings.