2019-12-11 - One Of The Fae

Summary:

A newly arrived Mage to New York gets a magical ping.

Log Info:

Storyteller: None
Date: Wed Dec 11 03:32:08 2019
Location: Staten Island

Related Logs

None

Theme Song

None

bruce-waynedylan-greybarbara-gordon

There's been some weird goings on in Staten Island. Enough that might have caught the attention of WAND - but not enough that warrants much attention just the sort of 'this is strange' and 'might warrant looking into later when we're not trying to stop an interdimensional invasion' type of thing.

Tonight though, something pings on the magical radars across the city. It's a 'ping' that's been felt a number of times. For a newcomer to New York, it might be of interest and using various detection methods, they'll be led to a building in downtown Staten Island.

Where they'll find a red headed clad in black leather facing off against what looks to be a large spectral hound and a pale green, etherial, green skinned woman - both of which give off 'supernatural' vibes.

The black clad woman has just let off a flash bang, the area still filled with the haze it creates. She's retreated towards one of the exits, letting a batarang fly loose at the hound. Not that it does any good - it goes straight through it.


Everything's an adventure when you're in a new land. Even old, known magical sources are new to one who's new and Dylan likes to know just what the sources are so he can classify them as harmless, dangerous or undetermined. Keeping his phone out so he can find the source, he leaves the majority of driving to Hengroen. The source ends up being inside a buildign in Staten Island so he dismounts and walks inside, brows rising at what greets him. "What do you here, fair one?" he says, not in Welsh but in Old Brythonic. "What brings a Hound of Annwn so far from home?"


After dealing with an attack on Talia, Batman was back out on patrol, having left Damian to speak with his mother on things. Though his current thoughts were to make sure others were to team up - far be it from Bruce not to follow his own orders as he is going from rooftop to rooftop. When the latest WAND warning comes up from the SHIELD network, the Bat frowns, speaking into his comms.

« Anyone near Hylan and New Dorp? » comes the question, even as he fires a grapple line to swing in to land on a nearby rooftop. He notices the Batarang, and there's a frown. Yes. One of his is here, apparently.


Batgirl is. Oracle responds. Basement level. Batman can speak with Batgirl about going it alone, later.

The Brythonic address from Dylan gives the pale skinned being some pause, the pale eyes washing over him "Be ye one of the Gorgons come to help then?" She replies in the same language with the accent he'd expect.

The spectral hound leaps towards Batgirl as her Batarang has no effect. The redhead moves lithely, her hand dipping into a pocket on her utility belt, coming free and scattering something white and grainy. The Hound falters and howls but is only slowed a little.

"They're here to place that crystal…" the modulated voice from the redhead cuts across the room

Sure enough, in the corner of the basement is a small plinth with a gemstone on it and around it is a shimmering field. Within the field it is hard to see. The darkness and sparkles make it somewhat difficult.

The magic radiates from it like beacon.


When Batman makes the basement, the now 'asalted' hound turns it head towards him. With a low growl, it turns on the spot and leaps towards him, maw drooling … What will happen if it touches him?


Dylan's trying to keep his eye on the hound and on the girl while speaking to the Fair One and then on the Batman as well. "Nay." he reples. "I am a knight of Powys and would know what is going on. There is no need for battle here. Cwn Annwn!" he calls. "Halt your attack for now, let us speak."


Speaking seems to be the last thing on the hounds mind. « And the Samurai is not with her? » Batman's heard. How could he not have heard, considering how much he is embedded when it comes to things in Staten Island. Even the magical stuff. And when Dylan speaks up, the growl of the modulator really isn't needed. He just sounds gravelly all the damn time. "Explain. Quickly." it's snapped as an order.

As far as halting his attack? When the hound turns and lunges, the dark armored man yanks a Batarang from his belt and using it defensively has the creature bite down on it, instead of him. With his off-hand, if there is a such a thing, he's trying to punch at the spot behind the creature's ear in order to momentarily stun it.


"A Knight of Powys… " The pale haired fae woman frowns, her expression turning thunderous as the Knight dares to direct her hound. "Ye shall not interfere with our plans here … the time for talk is done. If ye aren't with the Gorgon, then ye are agains' us…"

That's all the warning that Dylan gets, as she raises a wand and sends a gout of magical energy at his chest. "Mortals will do our bidding here …"

As the light flashes off the wand, Dylan will see that it's decorated with bull motifs - something decidely unceltic.
He is not. Batgirl was performing a routine patrol. Which means, for all that Batman has heard she hasn't taken on a permanent partner.

"Woman. Hound. Placing the crystal." Batgirl summarises as Batmans fists passes through the etheral hound. It shocks Batman though - something he feels to his very soul. "I interrupted them. Bit like walking on in on Mom and Dad…"

"Cold Iron …" she tells Batman as she dips into utility belt again.


It's also all the warning Dylan needs as he pulls his dagger, the blade appearing from nowhere but the sheath appearing as it's drawn. Interposing the dagger between them, light falls from the torc he's wearing, turning into armor and surcoat with a longer sheath at his other hip. "I would not raise my blade against a Fair One but you leave me little choice." he tells it, Switching to English. "Leave before I am forced to do you damage."


Cold iron.

As the creature bites down on him, Bruce feels it deep down within - but isn't it true that Batman has no soul whatsoever? Yanking his arm back from the creature, the Bat gives a low growl in his throat as he withdraws several steps. Dropping his arm down, he waits to shake it off - and give the hound the appearance he's wounded.

But his other arm moves to a pouch on his utility belt. Dropping the items into his hand, he moves and slings it towards the hound.

As the pellets break and scatter in an explosion, it sprays cold iron out in a flechette pattern - a leftover from when the Nightfall attacks and kidnappings were happening.


The fae laughs at Dylan to begin with. "Oh ye think ye are so noble don' ye? Takin' the lands of the other folk an' leavin' us nothin'…" The magic bolt from the wand hits the dagger and is split to hit either wall. The concrete and masonry crumbles, a smoking hole left on either side.

As Batmans pellets fire, Batgirl tosses a handful of iron filings … the Hound howls and dissipates to smoke - the sound of pain lingering on the air.

The fae, who had been going to launch another attack, lets out an unearthly scream. With a couple of words that Dylan may understand, she too disappears to nothing. Leaving the two Bats and Knight of Powys in the basement with the crystal on the plinth surrounded by that field.

"Who are you, Knight of Powys?" The redhead asks, a little bluntly.


"That's hardly fair." Dylan comments after they've disappeared. "We've always respected the Fair Folk." The Welsh, that is. Sheathing the dagger, he turns as his armor disappears back into the torc. "Agent Grey, most recently of WAND. Who, I'll note, has no idea what the hell is going on here so an explanation would be appreciated. Just what is that and what's its purpose? It's very strong magic."


When the two creatures vanish, Batman's arm lifts slightly and he gives a low growl in the back of his throat. Magic. He's going to have to have a talk with a certain young mage on this. But his attention drifts over to Dylan and Batgirl.

"You are very far from Wales." Batman's voice rumbles. "Despite the fair folk." A look at Barbara at that as he turns his attention to the plinth and the crystal. His mask lenses lift slight, apparently taking scans of it. "Then what is this?" he asks them finally. While he's dabbled in some of the magicks, there is still much to be learned.


"That … is a very good question and one that we're trying to get an answer for. It can be destroyed, I have that on good authority, but it might be worth taking for investigation …" The redhead answers.

Batmans scans reveals the structure is that of a diamond. It's a big diamond too. There's some form of energy coming from it …

Energy that pulses, the shimmering, sparkling light brightens and the field abruptly expands. Everything within it sort of changes.

Batgirl is transformed to an archer wearing Sherwood Green. A mask still covering her face, though her long red hair is no longer tightly braided, but falls in a cascade down her back. Raising the long bow she carries, she aims at Batman as they stand there. "And who be ye, gentlemen. Do I lighten your purses?"

The other two are transformed as well…


"Too far." Dylan agrees. "But I go where MI-13 sends me." Which, in this case, is to WAND. He steps over to the plinth, hand raised to test the aura of magic without actually touching it. "Interesting, it's reacting to your scan somehow. I wouldn't have expected magic to…" Suddenly expand and encompass them all in response to technology. In Dylan's place, is basically Dylan as he was when he was armoured, helmed and bearing his weapons. "I? I am Rhys ap Llywelyn, King of Powys. What business do you have here?"


There's a growl that comes from the shimmer. "You lighten my purses at your peril, child." comes the rumble from the darkness. Stepping forth, the grizzled warrior's beard is white, scruffed along his features. The armor is battered and scraped. It's metal and leather, not bothering to hide the marks and dings from a lifetime of combat. In his hands is held a mace, with the head of it decorated in the motiffs of bats with it's wings spread. The cape that wraps around his frame is dark and thick, made of hide, leather, and cloth.

"I am Acerodon." comes the rumbling threat, "Lord of Waynwright. You are on my land."


"I am no child." The redheaded archer responds with a sniff. "If these are your lands, then you are responsible for the evil sheriff and the depredations he visits on us…" Evil Sheriff? Does Acerodon know who she means?

Dylans words get a frown "Ye come from a land far from here judging by your language." She says in something like olde english. "Do ye speak any other tongue?"

The bow is not lowered as the redhead looks around "This is somewhat familiar to me … The last thing I remember was seeking the sheriff to put an end to his activities here."


Dylan repeats himself, this time using the archer does. I am Rhys ap Llywelyn, King of Powys." He looks around at their surroundings and his hand tightens on the hilt of his blade. "Far indeed. I recognize not where I am. Nor recall how I got here. Transported by magic, no doubt. Is one of you responsible? If this be your land, Acerodon of Waynwright, did you summon us for aid?"


"I didn't summon anyone. I work alone." Acerodon responds with a low reverb in his throat. "I am aware of the Sheriff and his attempts to fill the coffers of a foreign queen that he tempts with treasure." the darkly armored man looks between the two. "If you are looking for the person to speak with, Lord Waynwright is the steward of these lands. His castle is beyond the forest of Staten." He looks back towards the redhead. "And you. Who does not share her name. Speak."


Barbara has it so ingrained to protect her identity, that she won't reveal the name that she remembers. "… my name is of no import but it seems that find ourselves in a predicament. It might be I summoned you, Lord." She nods to the welshman in their midst.

"We will achieve nothing remaining here though. I suggest we seek this castle you speak of."

The barrier has expanded to just past the edge of the room they are in. They can see the shimering, glittering wall that it forms but not beyond it. "Dare we step beyond and take our chances together? Or shall we stand here glaring at each other all day?"


Sheathing his sword, Rhys pulls his dagger and steps toward the magical barrier. "I shall bring it down so we may leave unhindered. Best you both stand in my shadow. Should there be a reaction to my actions, my armor is warded."


Warded armor? That only brings a glare from the dark knight as he folds his arms over his chest. The Bat is more than comfortable in let the other two go first and observe them - especially this supposed king that is about to slice through the barrier. "By all means." he says to the others.


The redhead says nothing as she steps behind Rhys, letting the welshman take the lead.

The daggers blade emits a soft golden glow and as Dylan passes it through the barrier, the barrier parts … his hand following easily.

Through the part they can see the stairs leading out of the basement … and the rest of the world ahead them.

Barbara steps through and immediately reverts to Batgirl - clad in black leather, with her hood and yellow lined cape. "Step through. The barrier won't harm you … "

When they do, they revert as well with all their memories - including the last few minutes, the shimmering barrier still there - and through they can just make out the gem on the plinth.


Rhys follows the arch through the barrier then stumbles as he reverts back to Dylan. Glancing at the dagger in his hand, he sheaths it and the sheath promptly disappears once the blade is fully in. "Whoa, that was trippy. His thoughts have never been so strong before. And I've never not been there. What the hell was that? No, let me guess… Someone is trying to bring back the magical middlle ages by setting these devices all over the world and once they're all set, the world will be a better place? Someone named the Gorgon?"


Stepping through the portal, Batman's lips pull into a thin line. "First the incursions of Nightfall. Now this." he rumbles. "It is not boding well for any." There's a frown in thought as he looks to the other two. "You are the one that claims to be a knight of Powys, perhaps you would do better to explain?" It's not really a question, though.


"We're … not sure …" Batgirl admits slowly. "How long were we in there, Oracle?"

A speaker on the redheads suit sounds "Eight minutes and fifteen point six seconds, Batgirl." So time isn't different, that's something!

"Gorgon, I believe, is more of a descriptor. A group, perhaps. I've come across a Gorgon named Eurayle." One of the sisters. "You may be correct though, they seemed focussed on Staten. Oracle and I haven't picked up anything else worldwide. What we do know, is that 'Gorgon' is organising the street gangs here."

Peering back through the barrier, the redhead considers … as she does the barrier pulses and dies, leaving just the diamond sitting on the plinth. "Do we risk trying to get it? Or leave it here? A certain Asgardian God told me with enough strength the gems could be destroyed."

Batman displeasure gets a look from the redhead, who turns a curious look to Dylan. "He did say he was from WAND, Batman … but it is a good question, Agent Grey. Have you seen anything like this before?"


"Incursions of Nightfall?" Dylan queries. "What's that? But to answer your question, I haven't a clue. This is the first I've run into these crystals. And while I could probably destroy it, that often causes lots of damage proportionate to how powerful the magical item is. I'd say this is extremely powerful." Reaching into his inside coat pocket, he pulls out his phone. "It's definitely not safe to leave though. So we'll do neither." Holding up the phone, he seems to be about to take a pic. "Gorgons aren't a Celtic creature, that's Greek. Eurayle was one of the gorgons of legend alongside Medusa. I saw bulls on the Fair One's wand too and that's not generally a Celtic symbol. It's could definitely be Greek or Roman though." Pausing, he fiddles with his phone. "Separately, I think. Just in case. But how did the Greeks get a Welsh fae to work for them? That's definitely the question of the hour." *click* The crystal glows a moment then seems to become two dimensional before it flows toward and into Dylan's phone. A moment later, the plinth repeats the process.


"It is something that has been handled." Batman responds to Dylan in reference to Nightfall. Since he's getting answers to his questions, he doesn't seem all that willing to share with Dylan. But when he breaks out the phone and makes the items two-dimensional, there's a frown. That is some dangerous tech that he's showing off.

And Batman will be working on a way to prevent that in the future. Because yeah. Just a little paranoid.


"Check your archives at WAND, Agent Grey. The Nightfall … it wasn't pleasant. A nasty childnapping cult associated with someone called Plokta." The Bats had worked with WAND on that.

"The Staten Island PD have a sarcophogus in evidence that is decorated with a similar motif." The redhead adds. "It's not the first time we've seen the mixing of the iconology and recently, we came across a mage calling herself Circe."

Batgirl seems to be a little more willing to share. Then again, she has a different approach to the older Bat.

When the camera does its job, Batgirl is impressed. "Will you share your findings with us, Agent Grey? Oracle can give you contact details … "

There's a beep on Dylans phone. The Oracle Avatar is attached to a message with a link to the Oracle App.

"All very good questions and things we're trying to find out. But the supernatural creatures and the gangs are getting organised …" beat "I'm going to comb the basement for more clues." There's a glance towards to Batman, will he be staying? She expects Dylan will be heading out to start his own investigations.


Dylan Grey glances at this phone and nods. "Sure, I can do that. If you've worked with WAND in the past, it shouldn't be an issue." Which means he's going to check and make sure of that. "I haven't quite decided though what I'm going to do with it. I don't usually approve of destroying magical artifacts but, on the other hands, if there are more of these crystals, I should be able to detect any that exist within 25 miles. Or if they were all created together from the same ingredients, then the Law of Contagion applies and I should be able to find them anywhere in the world. Should being the key word. There's no way to say for sure in advance of actually trying. But let's see if there's any more magic nearby. Taliesin, google maps please. Current location. Show nearby magic." The app gets loaded and a 3 dimensional map is projected above the screen showing their location. Any magic will appear as colored dots, possibly blinking.


There's no words from Batman. He's watching Dylan at work. And when he brings up the map - if there are any marks, damn right he's going to memorize their locations. Because someone else is going to be looking for them.

Because SHIELD isn't allowed to have all the dangerous stuff.

And he's the goddamned Batman.


The map on the phone displays … a lot. Some of them are moving and some are stationery. The amount of magic on Staten Island is … immense.

"Oh. That's not good …" the redhead mutters. "That there is another crystal." She points to a location. "It's one we didn't dare remove the other day and I haven't got back there."

Oracle uses the camera in Babs suit to take a recording of the screen. "Well, I guess we have some places to visit. If there's anyway to break this down, Agent Grey, I'd like to know. I'll get onto tracking these down though."

They're going to be busy. Very busy. And the Bats are already spread thin.

She's already moving to the basement again to begin her own investigation. The night isn't getting younger and she's sure they're going to be needed sooner than later.


Dylan… definitely seems surprised at the amount of magic the map shows. "Holy shit. I wasn't expecting to see this much activity here. You'd think we were near Glastonbury Tor." Reaching out, he 'taps' one of the spots to highlight it: the one Barbara pointed out as another crystal. "If I zoom in, they colors will change to indicate what specific type of magic it is: elemental, blood, magical creatures, supernatural, etc. And since there's another crystal there, I'll go get that one too. With a spare, I don't mind destroying one to be able to track them all."


Great. So it's like Pokemon Go for magicians in Staten Island. That is not what Batman wants to see. He gives a disatisfied grunt at it all. "I'll have someone in touch." Which means he probably already knows someone. Since it seems Batgirl and Dylan have this handled, he takes out his grapple. Firing off a taunt line, he lets it drag him off to continue with his patrol.

And further research the crystals.


There's a number of magical creatures on the display. And only three supernatural spots like the crystal. That's … something…

"I'll be in contact." Batgirl says to the departing Batman. In truth she's expecting a visit later on. She was out here alone, after all.

"That's a handy function to have and to think I was asking about a mage recently. One might think this was … fate." She's joking but it's hard to tell with that modulation. "You'll need to be careful, that's in an art gallery. I was investigating the owner for a friend." Break and enter anyone? Or perhaps Dylan can get a warrant. For what, is a very good question.


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