<div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/b/bc/Belanor.jpg)</div><strong>Dask</strong><br/><strong>Current Identity:</strong>Mirodas<br/>Changeling Alienist<br/><strong>HP:</strong>51/51 ;<strong>Status:</strong>Under the effects of Extended<em>Greater Mage Armor</em>, Extended<em>Greater Magic Weapon</em>, Extended<em>Resist Energy</em>x5 (Resist 20 vs Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire, Sonic), Extended<em>Tongues</em>, Extended<em>Water Breathing</em>,<em>Overland Flight</em><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spells Memorized (CL 10, DC 15 + spell level)</div><div class="spoiler_body"><ul class="bbc_list"><li>5th (3/day + 1) - <em>Greater Blink</em>(Spell Compendium)<em>, Telekinesis, Telekinesis</em> + <em>Wall of Stone</em></li><li>4th (4/day + 1) - <em>Charm Monster, Mordenkainen's Black Tentacles, Polymorph, Ray Deflection</em>(Spell Compendium)<em> + <em>Dimension Door</em></em></li><li>3rd (4/day + 1) - <em>Haste, Haste, Shrink Item, Unluck</em>(Spell Compendium) + <em>Stinking Cloud</em></li><li>2nd (5/day + 1) - <em>Invisibility, Mirror Image, Ray of Stupidity</em>(Spell Compendium)<em>, Rope Trick, Web</em> + <em>Glitterdust</em></li><li>1st (6/day + 1) - <em>Nerveskitter</em>(Spell Compendium)<em>, Ray of Clumsiness</em>(Spell Compendium)<em>, Shield, Silent Image, True Strike, True Strike</em> + <em>Grease</em></li><li>0th (4/day + 1) - <em>Launch Item</em>(Spell Compendium)<em>, Mage Hand, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation</em> + <em>Caltrops</em>(Spell Compendium)</li></ul></div></div><hr/><br/>Keeping the angel satisfied enough to not cause trouble proved to be a simple enough task, even if it was something of an unwelcome diversion.  People took notice of the blonde elf leading the beautiful woman with a dazed and lustful expression on her face off into the arena restrooms, and Dask didn't doubt that they'd notice a thin trickle of his seed dripping down her inner thighs after he left, but the changeling was able to walk towards the competitors' waiting lounge without shame because it was the elven wizard Mirodas that they would be talking about.  He would simply need to change his face as soon as his business in Damalla was done, and this embarrassing and annoyingly erotic week would be left behind completely.<br/><br/>He had a few questions about the tournament for the nearest attendant once he was finally free to enter the competitors' lounge, but it didn't take long for him to figure out that the staff had been ordered to keep silent about the nature of the competition.  They couldn't give any specific answers to his questions when asked, only tell him that the competition itself would be about more than just battling one another in a standard tournament setup.  There would be various different types of challenges that they would all compete in, but no word on just what exactly those challenges would be.<br/><br/>This was probably done to keep the various spellcasters involved from trying to game the rules in some way via magic, so Dask didn't bother to complain about it.  And when he finally entered the waiting area and saw that<em>Spell Engine</em>bathing the room in its arcane light, he quickly understood just how big of a risk there really was of the various mages trying to game the system.  Just thinking about the possibilities of being able to instantly prepare, switch out, and cast any spell from his spellbook as needed already had him thinking about how best to exploit the spells he knew for maximum performance; he actually had to stop and remind himself that his plan involved losing the competition.<br/><br/>It didn't take long for Dask to switch gears from the competition to the competitors.  His next immediate action after spending those few seconds marveling at the<em>Spell Engine</em>was to look around the room and take in his competitors, comparing their appearances to what he'd heard of every powerful spellcaster that was in the area.  There weren't that many possibilities; when signing up to the tournament, he'd been told that his entry would be decided upon based on a combination his personal ability as a mage and his reputation and the deeds to his name, and yet being capable of casting 5th-level spells had been enough to get him selected in spite of having no reputation whatsoever.  In particular, he had little difficulty in recognizing Medah Blackfeather, the Sage of Forgotten Arts, and his eyes did linger on at least a few of the other contestants as he identified them.<br/><br/>They also lingered on the obvious changeling who had openly entered this competition while wearing her true form, though after that he steadfastly avoided looking directly at her.  While he had changed his own appearance, Dask wasn't exactly a master of the art of disguise.  Anyone with sharp enough eyes would have little trouble seeing through the awkward way he moved his body, all the little signs and tells he gave that indicated that he was wearing a form that wasn't his own.  They wouldn't immediately jump to the conclusion that he was a changeling, since this was a competition for spellcasters; using some form of<em>Alter Self</em>or<em>Polymorph</em>spell to alter his appearance and hide his identity was also an option.  But the complicated mixture of emotions that rose to the surface when he looked over at the other changeling in the room would easily give everything away, especially since Dask himself didn't have much of a poker face.  It wouldn't take much effort at all for the other contestants to look at the evidence and put two and two together.<br/><br/>This was only the second time that Dask had met another changeling in his travels, and the first had wound up parting company with him on less than agreeable terms.  Thinking back on it, Dask was sure that Parm would have some choice words for him about leaving another sleepy countryside village to be razed to the ground by horrible monsters, but that was assuming that the fool hadn't gotten himself killed by the army of goblins that had been massing to attack the first one.  This new changeling woman, however...  Looking at her brought up all sorts of conflicting impulses and emotions.  The urge to go up and talk to her, the fear of rejection, admiration for her ability to be so open about her true identity, scorn for her stupidity and willingness to trust that the law of the land would protect her when the people around her viewed her as a monster, sympathy for some of the hardships that she must have gone through, the ice cold grip of an emotion too dark to identify settling around his heart as he once again remembered the Fey'ri woman's words, and what it might mean to have the blood of a walking incarnation of evil running through his veins, alongside that of something utterly alien to this plane of existence...<br/><br/>Pulling out the spellshard that he had recorded all of his magical knowledge onto was something of a relief for Dask, a welcome distraction away from his own inner thoughts.  He could focus instead on his own strategies for the upcoming tournament, and specifically on his strategies for getting ahold of that ticket.<br/><br/>The fact that the actual nature of the competition had been hidden from the contestants meant that the changeling could only speculate in a limited fashion about the spells the other wizards in the room would be preparing.  They wouldn't be able to tailor their spell lists towards overcoming a specific sort of challenge, so their best option under the current circumstances would be to cast as many long-duration buffs as possible before the tournament began, then fill their minds with knowledge for spells that were multi-purpose and useful in a wide variety of situations.  That meant things like<em>Glitterdust</em>over<em>See invisibility</em>,<em>Grease</em>over<em>Magic Missile</em>, and so on.  Dask himself would do the same, but with extra copies prepared of<em>Telekinesis</em>,<em>True Strike</em>, and<em>Mage Hand</em>, just in case he needed to grab the ticket from a distance or needed to guarantee he would be able to take it.<br/><br/>But before that, there was a large collection of other spells that needed to be cast, starting from the longest duration and ending at the shortest.<br/><br/>"Extended<em>Water Breathing</em>." 40 hours.<br/><br/>"Extended<em>Greater Mage Armor</em>." 20 hours.<br/><br/>"Extended<em>Greater Magic Weapon</em>." 20 hours.<br/><br/>"<em>Overland Flight</em>." 10 hours.<br/><br/>"Extended<em>Resist Energy</em>: Acid." 200 minutes.<br/><br/>"Extended<em>Resist Energy</em>: Cold." 200 minutes.<br/><br/>"Extended<em>Resist Energy</em>: Electricity." 200 minutes.<br/><br/>"Extended<em>Resist Energy</em>: Fire." 200 minutes.<br/><br/>"Extended<em>Resist Energy</em>: Sonic." 200 minutes.<br/><br/>"Extended<em>Tongues</em>." 200 minutes.<br/><br/>It was actually a bit of a rush, to feel so much magic washing over his skin and permeating his body all at once.  Having the freedom to Extend and cast even a situational spell like<em>Tongues</em>simply because there was a slim chance it might come in handy at some point within the next three hours was rather liberating, as well.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">And Knowledge (Local) rolls for the rest of the mages present...<br/><br/>Warlock: 28 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=136970)<br/>Arcane Warrior: 24 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=136969)<br/>Witch: 31 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=136968)<br/>Mystic: 17 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=136967)<br/>Psychic: 29 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=136966)<br/>Unassuming Man: 19 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=136965)<br/>Beastfolk Mystic: 27 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=136964)<br/>Asgardian Mage: 33 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=136963)<br/>Maya: 17 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=136962)<br/>Silverfish: 21 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=136971)<br/></div></div>