[Mirikon]

>>>>>[Definitely true with established teams. However, when you're all pulled together by a fixer, and haven't worked together before, there's bound to be trust issues. That's simply natural. However, that's where reputation comes in. If you have a rep of being trustworthy and a professional, then you're less likely to have someone try and double cross you, because they want to have someone like you at their back. Furthermore, if you have a rep that says anyone who DOES double cross you gets taken down, and hard, you'll find the pool of people willing to betray you shrinking further. In my case, people know that if you betray me, I will come back for you, and I will kill you. However, because I'm a professional, I do try to avoid involving friends and family. The frenzy can make that difficult, so I try to choose the point of attack to be somewhere that the friends and family are out of the way. When blood is in the water, Shark does not always recognize 'innocent bystanders'.]<<<<<

--Iceblade (20:52:22/02-27-75)

[Keita]

>>>>>[ Having family or a loved one along on a run can definitely be a problem. The first problem a close partnership within a larger team creates is that the other team members know that when things go south, the close pair will look out for each other first, and the rest of the team - sometimes even the job - be damned. Back when Sinead and I ran together, we had a common grudge against Aztechnology which, at the time, we both considered more important than our lives. This is now my policy when I run with someone close to me. For that amount of time, the job becomes everything. When Miri and I did the big Aztlan run, we followed that policy. While on the job, you cannot afford to be distracted, even by the pain of a partner. ]<<<<<
          --Madrecita (14:56:31/02-28-75)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[Indeed. All you can do is trust in the other person's skills, and your own, to see you through it. In that regard, Wolf and Shark are better suited to such things than other totems. Hunters first seek to bring down their prey, and then worry about what to do afterwards. One of the totems that worries more about protecting than attacking would probably be easier distracted by the pain of a loved one. We know the quickest path out of danger is through the death of our foes. Fears and worries can wait until the battle is done. But it is not easy to put such emotions aside. Only through training and discipline am I able to do it. Indeed, it is that training and discipline that separates a warrior from a brute. Anyone can raise a weapon to try and take a life. But allowing your emotions to sway you during battle will leave openings and become your undoing. The first thing any fighter must do is master themselves. Or as Sun Tzu would say: "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." There are many times when we are uncertain of the enemy, or their capabilities, until we see them used against us. Therefore, you must know yourself, and master yourself. Only then can you have a chance of surviving through the battle.]<<<<<

--Iceblade (18:36:22/02-28-75)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[Another wedding update, for those who care. Just got back from the ruins of Mt. Shasta. There was one invitation I had to deliver in person, even though she's no longer there. I seriously doubt Prince Hestaby will come to the wedding, as she's got serious problems right now, but as the one my sister swore a Paladin's Oath to, it would have been a grave insult not to invite her. And I try to avoid insulting dragons, for all the obvious reasons. Didn't actually get to meet the Orange Queen, of course, but I left the invitation with a spirit of Air who lived there, who said she would try to deliver it to Hestaby, in return for a favor. So now I have a few flowers from Mt. Shasta that the spirit had protected growing in my garden.]<<<<<

--Iceblade (15:16:22/03-06-75)

<OOC> Edit for events in recent books.

[Longshot23]

>>>>> [Hoi, chummers all. Finally got a decker pal to set me up. Anyway . . . anyone know a spell or mana effect that could give the appearance of fossilizing?]<<<<<

-- Longshot (20:09:12/03-10-75)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[The <Petrify> spell turns flesh to stone, much like the mythical Medusa's gaze. There are several versions of it around. Most only affect a single target, and it has a limited duration, reversing itself once the caster stops sustaining the spell. However, there are other versions around. I fought a combat mage down in LA that used an area effect version. And Mother created one with a more permanent duration. She calls it <Gorgon's Eye>, and keeps the ones who are more pleasing to the eye as decorations in the garden at her estate. Most would be fine if they were ever released from the spell, but there are a few that wouldn't be so lucky. The spell doesn't affect things like cyberware, so there's a couple statues that will be missing some critical bits if released, and then there's the ones who were made into the fountain. A lovely trio of assassins who tried to kill Father years ago. I don't know what would happen if they were released, but I am betting having metal pipes running through your body probably isn't good for your health.

There are also similar spells that turn flesh into other substances, such as goo, metal, or ice. There was even a post on MagicNet about someone designing a <Flesh to Manure> spell to use on his ex-wife. Not sure how that one turned out.]<<<<<

--Iceblade (07:44:22/03-10-75)

[Longshot23]

>>>>>[O....kay. Then no, that wasn't it. <deep breath> My crew and I found something on our last op - probably unrelated to the op itself, but it's seriously out of the 'ordinary'.
We found what looked like a fossilized insect flesh-form - I get the shakes just thinking about it.
Another of my crew got pics of it, but we agreed not to spread word around until now.
Anyone heard of anything that could do this?]<<<<<

--Longshot (11:58:59/03-10-75)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[Three possibilities. First, if it was a flesh form, a <Petrify> spell might work on it. I've never tried it, myself, as I prefer to deal with bugs in a more emphatic manner. Second, it could have been a spell designed purposefully to turn spirits to stone. Third, if the cycles of mana theory put forward by Ehran the Scribe (and seemingly supported by the existence of ancient artifacts), then the flesh form could have been from an earlier age of magic, and fossilized in the usual manner: time and pressure calcifying organic material. What clothes, if any, was the flesh form wearing? What can you tell us about the location? Were there any artifacts (magical or not) in the area?

Either way, the folks at the ASPS, Draco Foundation, and DIMR might pay for those pictures, as well as any sensor readings you took, and the details of the location.]<<<<<

--Iceblade (10:52:22/03-10-75)

[Longshot23]

>>>>> [I get it. But a <Petrify> spell is likely to have resulted in a statue effect, right? Like the statue at the Alabaster Maiden? This thing was in - hell, part of - one of the rock walls on site. Looking at photos, I can't tell if the thing was wearing clothes - I'm no expert.
Not sure about releasing location details, since it could come back on us. I'll have to come up with something] <<<<<

-- Longshot (01:12:36/03-11-75)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[Inside one of the walls, huh? Or more like part of one? There are spells that allow one to play with throwing objects (or creatures) into walls and having them stay there. Simplest answer would be that someone combined the two spells. And the thing was definitely stone, and definitely not moving, right? Could be a fossil dug up in the creation of the tunnels that someone left in for decorative effect. Or it could be one of the creatures that knows a helluvalot more about magic than any of us mortals decided to throw the spirit there, as punishment.

Oh, and if the creature appeared to be stone and moving, either it was some form of golem instead of a bug, or you were watching an illusion. Either way, the creator has a sick sense of humor.

Sorry, but without more details, I can't begin to speculate on the exact nature of what you saw. But the DIMR is probably one of your best bets for finding out what the frag was going on. At the very least, they may pay you a bit for the story.]<<<<<

Iceblade (16:12:08/03-10-75)

[Smiley]

>>>>>[Sometimes, burying your head in the sand is the best option. You should just forget about it and not mention it again. Trust me!

Some secrets are best left fossilized and forgotten.]<<<<<
     -- Smiley (21:43:38/03-10-75)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[Normally I'd agree with you, Smiley, but anything that can do something like that to the bugs is either something you want to have, or something you want to stay way the hell away from. What you don't know CAN kill you.]<<<<<

--Iceblade (04:37:22/03-11-75)

[Wolfboy]

>>>>>[Send me the pics and if you feel comfortable the location. I'm kind of the resident bug expert and exterminator, I don't know about spells or mana effects but i understand aging and I know who to talk to to get a quiet carbon dating.]<<<<<

--Wolfgar (17:40:39/03-12-75)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[I seriously hope that whatever it is, it is from the last age of magic, or just someone combining those spells that allow you to store something in a wall and the petrify spell. That alone would probably take a moderate to high level mage to pull off, but it is doable. Anything else, and I want to know what it is, before I find that kind of power being turned against me. Let me know what you find out, Wolfgar.]<<<<<

--Iceblade (19:14:22/03-12-75)

[Longshot23]

[OOC: how do you want to do this? Because as far as my character is concerned, this is genuine, not a prank attempt or punking. But I haven't found a suitable pic or 3 to share (big surprise)].