The next day was full of opportunity.    Quinn woke early, refreshed from her rest.     After preparing the day, she and Marek entrusted Peony into the care of Paxem, gathered a few day's worth of supplies, the cage, and the rarified components.      They then set off deep into the woods to a predermined spot.<br/><br/>The trek took all day and ended a few hours before sundown.     Once they arrived, Quinn set up her cage and began preparing the legion of candles and incense that they had prepared.   Marek was exhausted, so she let him rest while she did most of the work.   This didn't bother her much at all; Marek would need his strength if something went awry.<br/><br/>By the time that sundown rolled around,  the entire clearing had been encircled in candles, and the scent of jasmine filled the air.    Lines of salt had been drawn around the cage, trapping it first in a mason's square, and then in a circle, and interlaced with the arcane algorithms used to bend Malfeas's body inside out.<br/><br/>Just before midnight, Marek woke and donned his jade armor and tiger claws, while Quinn meditated.    They didn't converse at all, for each knew that they needed to focus on their task.    Most of Quinn's effort would go into the binding, so she needed to be entirely focused on the task at hand, and Marek needed to be able to take down the beast quickly should she fail.<br/><br/>As dusk came, Quinn opened her eyes.      Standing confidently, she stroke over to the cage while pulling her spider-silk robe tightly around.    Her emerald orbs closed and she outstretched her hands as she began channeling her essence into the cage, and began to force a gate to Malfeas open.<br/><br/>As she did this, her caste-mark began to glow, as did she.    The light began to grow in intensity, slowly at first, but then quickly escalated into a bright column that lit up the night sky.   As this happened, an golden, glowing acorn began to form above the Savant's head, and then slowly fell to the ground as if it were a feather.<br/><br/>When it landed in the ground, a golden, glowing sapling began quickly grow.   The sapling stretched out it's limbs, which grew twigs, which in turn grew more twigs, as if it's growth were dictated by some fractal.   The width of the tree quickly grew, as did it's height.    It's branches reached for the sky, towering over the other trees of the woods.    Leaves began to spring from the branches, and an infinite number of flowers began to grow among the infinite number of branches and twigs, and from these flowers bloomed, budded, and then gave birth to every sort of  being that could conceivably exist, both beautiful and horrible.     To look at this vision was very near to looking into the sun itself,  and even as she worked, the tree seemed to grow around Quinn so that she was a part of it, and it a part of her.<br/><br/>(1wp, 40 motes.  20 for the spell, 20 to reduce the Agate's pool by 4.    Cage + accutrements give a +2 to Quinn's 11, which gives her a summoning pool of 13 to the Agate's 5.    In the intrest of keeping things moving, I'll roll for the demon as well, under the assumption that I'll alter it if Emp says otherwise.<br/><br/>Roll Result: Quinn Riley rolled: 13d10<br/>First Target Number: 7<br/>Second Target Number: 10<br/>Comment: Summoning Roll<br/>Result: 9, 2, 4, 1, 2, 9, 9, 8, 9, 6, 5, 5, 3,<br/>For: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,<br/>Total: 5<br/>At 2010-01-26 19:58:36, Quinn Riley (uid: 10026) rolls: 13d10 tn1: 7 tn2: 10 Result: 5 (http://dicebot.php?r=13565)<br/>Roll Result: Agate rolled: 5d10<br/>First Target Number: 7<br/>Second Target Number: 10<br/>Comment: resisting roll<br/>Result: 2, 7, 1, 2, 6,<br/>For: 1, 0, 0, 0, 0,<br/>Total: 1<br/>At 2010-01-26 20:00:53, Agate (uid: 10026) rolls: 5d10 tn1: 7 tn2: 10 Result: 1 (http://dicebot.php?r=13566)<br/><br/>Out Sux'd by more than 3!  Abyssic binding for A year and a day, Functionary:  Compulsion to count the miles that it flies. )<br/><br/><br/>Winds whipped around the glade, causing the candles to flicker as glowing essence would pour from her into the floor, and cause all of the drawn lines on the forest floor to illuminate, as if they were burning from glowing molten coals underneath.    The inscribed pentagram shown lightly at first, before bursting into white-hot flame.   As this happened, in the center of the cage the very floor seemed to split open, exuding a bright green glow that was accompanied by the smell of vitriol.<br/><br/>From this hole, a buzzing sound could be heard as a large crystal insect leg emerged from the hole and found footing within creation.   This was followed by a second, and then a huge wasp-like creature would pull itself from the ground.<br/><br/>The creature was painfully beautiful.  They stood about as tall as a large steed,  and their translucent bodies reflected every color in creation.   Their wings gleamed like the sunsets of the west, and their heads were anointed with gold.   Their stingers were reminiscent of the most glorious curved blades of the south.<br/><br/>The creature had a glorious aura of light that hung about them that was eerily reminiscent of that of the Solars.  When they spoke, they did so with voices that sounded like Church Bells and Crystals.<br/><br/>Words could not adequately describe its magnificence.<br/><br/>The contest of wills was a short one.   The Agate seemed awe struck as it viewed Quinn's glowing Anima.       She demanded it's name, and it answered with Issah.    She offered it escape from its torment and focus, which seemed to please the creature.     She demanded service for a year and a day, and the creature readily complied.<br/><br/>Once the binding was complete, the duo hastily broke camp and collected their things, mounted the Agate, and began flight to another spot,  about a eight hour's flight north.    The general idea was to throw off anyone who might have been distracted by the first anima display.<br/><br/>A couple of hours rest, and a sun-set, they repeated the ritual...<br/><br/>(OOC:  Roll Result: Quinn Riley rolled: 13d10<br/>First Target Number: 7<br/>Second Target Number: 10<br/>Comment: resisting roll<br/>Result: 1, 8, 8, 4, 8, 1, 1, 3, 10, 5, 9, 1, 10,<br/>For: 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,<br/>Total: 8<br/>At 2010-01-26 21:06:09, Quinn Riley (uid: 10026) rolls: 13d10 tn1: 7 tn2: 10 Result: 8 (http://dicebot.php?r=13567)<br/><br/>Roll Result: Quinn Riley rolled: 5d10  (Forgot to change the name to Agate :(  )<br/>First Target Number: 7<br/>Second Target Number: 10<br/>Comment: resisting roll<br/>Result: 7, 5, 1, 1, 4,<br/>For: 1, 0, 0, 0, 0,<br/>Total: 1<br/>At 2010-01-26 21:08:02, Quinn Riley (uid: 10026) rolls: 5d10 tn1: 7 tn2: 10 Result: 1 (http://dicebot.php?r=13568)<br/>)<br/><br/>She met with pretty much the same result, upon after which Marek and she sat towards home.   There, they rested for a full eight hours and returned home.<br/><br/>On the fourth day,  Marek, Peony, and Quinn saddled the Agate and flew West, to Great Forks, leaving Paxton in watch over the Manse with strict instructions to cover his ass first if anything went wrong.<br/><br/>While in Transit, Quinn kept a sharp eye out for the bigger boats in the river, and which ones that didn't look heavily defended.<br/><br/>(OOC:  Agate have good eyesight, so I figure they can follow a good vessel from a safe distance without being spotted.     General plan is to follow the ship into town,  land someplace inconspicuous, have the agate go immaterial, and then have them spy on the ship, and return with news of where the ship's captain is staying.<br/>