Summary:Zatanna helps Dylan and they discuss a few things Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Castle Powis. The seat of the modern Earldom of Powis and the home of the historic Kingdom of Powys. It's been in Dylan's family for well over a thousand years. It has been modernized. Mostly. Dylan opened a portal to the castle and gave Zatanna a brief tour, introducing her to his father, the Earl, who was well aware of their heritage and Dylan's current role.
They went downstairs into the lowest level which once upon a time used to be a dungeon with cells but has been converted to a wine cellar. One cell was left empty of wine and it's this one Dylan led them into, pressing his signet ring into an almost unoticeable depression in one of the walls.
The stone shimmers then disappears, allowing them to pass within. This is the castle's magical workshop, separated into different areas depending on what needs to be done. A forge for smithing, work tables for finer work, a large open area with a protective circle inscribed into the stone floor. All is exactly as it was when it was created by his ancestor, Rhys ap Llywelyn, King of Powys.
"Here we are." Dylan says simply.
It's been a few weeks since Zatanna and Dylan spoke. She'd spent some time researching what she would be needed to do and gathering an assortment of items to act as focusses and the like.
The tour through the castle had been a good one, the Magician evincing interest in almost everything. Dylan's father, the Earl, had been treated to Zatanna's bubbling personality but now as she stands in the workroom, it's the more serious and studious side of her that emerges.
"So this area was built by your ancestor and the dungeon around it, I take it?" She'd seen the wine cellars and approved mightily of those but this room, almost took her breath away.
"You have the ritual to do the melding, yes? I'm to provide the power that you'll use to forge the components together?" She's confirming the requirements as they settle into the work. "Tell me, Dylan, how much do you know of Otherworld, The Dark Elves of Svartalfheim and the war that occured between them?"
"The other way around, actually." Dylan tells Zatanna, leaning against a wall as she looks around. "Our magical ability must have come from his mother originally as he was the first of our line with any serious magical ability. Once he inherited the castle, he had this built. Or rather, he had it made. Earth elementals made short work of excavating the area where it would have taken people years and years if it were even possible back then." Moving over to the circle, he answers "Yes. Sort of. I've made the components to be incorporated into the existing artifacts and worked out the ritual that should assist in binding them together as if they'd always been. But more than the power, you'll be the catalyst to fuse them together. Your magic works better for that. More of a shortcut." At Zatanna's question, he thinks a moment. "Svartalfheim? That would be the Norse. They have a decently large presence in the Isles as the Vikings raided extensively and settled in several areas. And the Otherworld, you're talking about the Sidhe and fairy folks? What of them?"
"Ah, my apologies. I really shouldn't assume. Shadowcrest was built by my ancestors to house … what we found. Normally I'd say you wouldn't believe the types of artifacts that we've recovered but …" She gestures to the room "I think you might."
Zatanna watches as Dylan gets ready and nods "Got it. Well, I'm ready when you are. I'm assuming you'll want to bring up some wards before we progress." Those types of wards are usually already there, dormant - only powered when matters of great working are afoot.
"Are we doing the bike first or?" Zee nods to Dylans statements. "Yes, the Dark Elves of the nine realms and the Sidhe, Fae folk and Avalon. A few centuries ago by our reckoning, the Dark Elves tried to invade Avalon. They were very nearly successful - the Knights of Avalon and the Emrys stood against them. Are you at all familiar with it?"
Dylan may be - or at least have heard something from his ancestors. Avalon, after all, is where Arthur and his Knights supposedly departed to. Supposedly.
"Hengroen is more complicated. Might as well start with the hardest first." Dylan answers. Stepping over to the side, he draws his dagger and cuts a doorway into space. A whistle and the motorcycle comes through, parking itself in the center of the circle. "I've heard stories. None of my family were directly involved. It's nto starting up again, is it? I've heard no rumblings but I've been in the States. I could ask MI13."
"Perhaps, yes." Zatanna answers, looking thoughtful. "The Dark Elves are sure that the Zatara's have an artifact that will give them an edge over the Avalonians. The Sidhe too. Brigid came looking for me a week or so ago and *asked* me politely to hand it back."
The look on her face says it all. Brigid didn't get it - the question is why.
"The Dark Elves have sent … representatives … I suppose you could say. And even Hounds of the Hunt to find me."
As the bike rushes in, Zatanna smiles. "Well, that's a well trained bike if ever I saw one. Let's get started." As Dylan prepares, Zee starts up a steady flow magic, feeding it Dylan when he's ready.
"Hengroen rather enjoyed his time under the dome. He'd never been flesh and blood before." Dylan says to Zatanna as he gets the crystal from a cabinet against one wall. "He's looking forward to being able to switch back and forth at will." The crystal is placed next to the bike so they're touching and then he steps out of the circle and activates the wards which spring into life. Having them carved into the stone saves a lot of time in drawing. "So both sides are trying to get you to give it to them. What is it? It's just a matter of time till they try to sneak in and steal it. And when that doesn't work, they may launch an attack."
It is certainly a benefit of having a fixed area to work in, the ability to have a permanent circle and permanent warding.
Zatanna smiles at the way Dylan speaks of the bike - it's strange in a way but she gets it.
"Exactly. Brigid basically said her brothers and sisters may not be so sanguine on the matter. At least Fenris was there to growl at her." Zee rolls her eyes as a steady flow of azure energy wraps her hands and fingers. Dylan can feel it and feel her nudge metaphorically, for him to connect.
"Supposedly it's called the Crown of Command. Made the Sidhe for those of Avalon during the war. The Emrys wore it to enhance his powers and push the dark ones back."
So a powerful artifact and Dylan might have something in his library about it.
Dylan turns his signet ring so the seal is facing inward with his palm. "I think I've heard of it. Or read about it. I'd have to check my books." One section of the workshop is an esoteric library with some very old manuscripts in addition to more modern texts. "You're welcome to hide it here. I have a very well warded chest. If you made a piece of junk as a decoy that gave off the same resonance so they thought you still had it…" Pressing the signet ring against the dome of the wards, he takes Zatanna's hand and channels the energy into them. "Now fuse the crystal into the bike as if it has always been part of it."
"Well now, you see, that's a bit of problem. Over the centuries, the Zatara's have collected a lot of things and Shadowcrest is … an interesting manor. It sometimes seems to have a mind of its own and … finding rooms can be difficult."
Magical houses, what do you do? "So I'm going through our archives and seeing what I can find. So far, there's been several coronets, a torque and a set of slave bracelets. But nothing we noted as 'Crown of Command'. I'll bear that in mind though, when I find it."
As Dylan takes her hand, the azure energy jumps to his and through him to the rings to make them glow. There's a short pause as the dark haired mage focusses on the crystal and speaks her spell, carefully, backwards.
The crystal glows, as does the bike, the physical barrier slowly dissolving.
"I'll see what I can find about it. If I get enough info, maybe I can whip up a dowsing rod or something. Not to find it but to find the route to it." Dylan suggests. As the magic ends, he releases Zatanna's hand and walks around the bike. "What do you think Hengroen?" The engine revs and then the bike turns into a horse, which neighs and snorts fire eliciting a chuckle from Dylan. "He likes it." The horses turns back into a bike then flashes back to a horse and rears. "A lot."
How long does it take to meld the crystal to the bike? Long enough - it's a delicate a task and requires finesse. Magic, of course, is not without cost and by the time they finish, Zee has to lean against the workbench and catch her breath.
Seeing the bike change itself, the mage chuckles. "You might need to negotiate with him not to do that while you're riding. Or practice it at least …" Images of Dylan in full biker gear on a mount that switches between bike and horse are amusing.
"I'm glad he approves. A dowsing rod may help. It's possible too that if my ancestor did take it, they didn't store in the house for long. We're normally careful like that but you know how things happen."
"It will pay to be wary of Otherworld as well. If the elves are launching another offensive, it may well spill over to this realm over time." She looks to see if there's more to do.
"Practice." Dylan agrees. He wouldn't put it past Hengroen to change back and forth on a whimsy. Fire elementals can be a bit unpredictable though not as much as those of air. "Lets catch our breath and then we can do the torc. It should be less taxing since the magic is lesser." Stepping over to a table, he takes out his phone and calls up the gallery. Flipping through it, he stops on one pic, points the camera at the table, and materializes a chilled bottle of white wine and 2 glasses. "Do you like Riesling? I prefer sweeter wines myself."
"Lots of it." Zee watches the bike/horse and approaches it carefully. "I'm pleased to meet you, Hengroen." She says.
The torque, yes, that's right. It will still take a bit but Dylan is correct in his assessment.
"Riesling sounds wonderful. Is this from the cellars I saw as we entered?" The phone gets a quirk of her brow "And that's nifty. Is that something you made yourself? I don't suppose you could scare up some cheese and crackers with it?"
"Yes, I enchanted the phone." Dylan flips through the gallery some more. "It is, yes though my father would call it an unimpressive wine. His palette is more refined than mine. Or so he'd say." And of course he has crackers and cheese and they appear next tot he glasses.
"And what does your father prefer?" Zatanna asks, looking to Dylan for permission to pour before doing so. "That's quite handy - it takes an image and makes it real? Or is it more than that?" The cheese seems to be a nice brie.
Mmmmm.
"You mentioned MI-13 before, are you on good terms with them? It would be helpful to check if they're hearing anything. New York is such a melting pot these days, there's all sorts there. If they've heard of movements within the arcane and supernatural world, that might be indicative."
"Now, tell me - you were born to the skill, obviously. How did you come to be with SHIELD?"
"Oh, he favors dry reds. He could go on and on about the different notes and complex aromas." Dylan is far from being a connoisseur. "The phone captures the image of an object and stores the object itself in its memory in the exact state at the time the photo was taken. I can them reform it anywhere at a time of my choosing so I never have to go anywhere without proper meals." "Except he hasn't gotten it to work on anything living." A different voice states. "And nothing bigger than a car." "That's Taliesin." Dylan explains. "Air elemental. To answer your question, I'm an agent of MI13 on temporary assignment to SHIELD." Which answers her other question. "I'll ask them if they've heard anything about a war brewing between the two realms."
Zatanna's brow quirks as the phone speaks. It's a delightful accent that makes her smile. "Taliesin. Pleased to meet you, as well. Your family power has its basis in elementalism, I take it? And you've become a … artificer?"
"Dry reds are good if you get the right ones. Most of those in the US are a little … young. I like some of the harvests from Nappa Valley though." she laughs at the caveats that Taliesin has added. "It's perhaps a good thing you haven't been able to capture something living - I'm not sure it would be entirely … moral to do so."
"A cars are sizeable objects - is it the size of the data it's converted into do you think? Or is a limitation of the magic?"
"Temporary assignment. Ah yes, I've heard SHIELD does that. And how are you finding your time in the … colonies?"
"No, we've always been artificers and we've sometimes called on elementals, once or twice on angels, but if anyone's called up a demon I've never heard about it." Dylan glances around the area but there are no demonic resonances to be felt. Nor angelic ones so it's probably rare. "Computer capability I think. There's nothing inherent in the enchantment to limit the size. Theoretically, it should be capable of storing a 767 if I had enough processing power and memory." He falls silent a brief moment then muses "Maybe if I was logged into a wireless 5G network with a fantastic upload speed and the other end was enchanted as well…" Something to experiment with in the future. "Limited application though." "You'd need a few more elementals to make sure the transfer was smooth." Taliesin puts in and DYlan nods. He's right. "New York is a wonderful place. The rest of America… is varied." WHich is a nice way of saying some of it is good, some sucks.
"Ah. That makes sense. You're a very talented artificer, if I might say so. And the wine is lovely, I appreciate you bringing it forward." Zee nods as Dylan admits its likely computer capability "In my experience not all technology plays nicely with magic. And not all places have 5G to boot." But it's certainly something for Dylan to play with and he's got some interesting resources available in SHIELD.
"New York is fine. There's some other places that are better and a lot that aren't." Putting her glass down, Zatanna looks around. "Should we get started on the torque then?"