====Part 8 of the [[FoundationoftheNine Foundation of the Nine]] - Developing a Plan====
**Date:** 11 November 659 CE
**Location:** [[TheScholarsGuild The Scholar's Guild]]

[[VirgilBelmont Virgil]] says, "They have taken the [[WuleiCrystal crystal]]...and they are building the machine. I saw it with my own eyes." Before he sinks wearily into a chair.

[[Miyen Mi-yen]] starts helping the wounded. "But they have only one door to the sewers when there should be two." She looks perplexed. "What is this sunlight room you have mentioned?" she asks [[WuWong Wu]].

“It’s a room with an open atrium, like the garden.” Says [[DeviWong Devi]]. Various people move to help the injured, make them as comfortable as possible.
[[Alaistar Rolo]] approaches [[AshamAshari Asham]], “what do you need?”

[[Miyen Mi-yen]] continues treating the wounded, "They will need moonlight and sunlight." She glances at [[SebastianNemo Nemo]], "The last time I saw it working, they had doorways letting in such light. I do not know how they will achieve it with only one doorway".

[[Alaistar Rolo]] goes over to [[Winter]] and gently touches her on the uninjured shoulder, "Let me attend to your wound." [[Winter]] gives [[Alaistar Rolo]] a thankful look and lets him help.

[[Raven]] says wearily, "I bound the doorway, in the first battle. They will not be able to redirect their doorway away from the sewers, even the one they have will not provide the light they need."

[[ZinRaishin Zin]] says, "I cannot believe they would come this far without knowing that we would attempt to thwart them, if I know the Snakes they have a backup plan."

[[TomoLuKang Tomo]] says, "Then we must not allow them to use it, we must somehow stop them, in a way they do not expect."

[[Miyen Mi-yen]] nods in agreement, her lips pursed with thought.

[[Raven]] says, "[[Alaistar Rolo]], when you spoke of my sister, you said she bound a wraith...how?"

“When I walked in the wraith was trapped inside a circle or runes that she was writing with chalk” [[Alaistar Rolo]] answers. “There were over a hundred. I remember some, but that is all.”

[[Raven]] continues, "Binding runes...Perhaps if we knew a few we could devise something, my sister has more skill, but even some I might be able to do something."

"Yes, she used similar runes against me. Perhaps we can use that and the Wraiths own plan against them" suggests [[Miyen Mi-yen]], "They have trapped us in here with their runes, perhaps we can trap them within the chamber they have taken. Stopping them from accessing the light they need as well as us."

[[Raven]] says, "That is good, here" She grabs the paper, "the binding runes, any you remember, any that can be used on the wraith write them here."

[[Alaistar Rolo]] starts to sketch. [[Miyen Mi-yen]] picks up another pen and draws a few more on another piece of paper for [[Raven]].

“What about the ones [[VirgilBelmont Virgil]] and the others saw outside?” asks [[Alaistar Rolo]]. [[VirgilBelmont Virgil]] comes over and adds his.

[[Raven]] says, "These are good, there are a few I don’t know but I think I might be able to devise some binding."

[[SebastianNemo Nemo]] comes over, "I can help you strengthen it, it is my area of expertise." He smiles.

[[Chen]] says, "Perhaps there is more we can do." All eyes turn to him. "Wraiths are already bound when they are in this world, they are trapped within their human flesh. They can change bodies as we change our clothes, but they still remain stuck within their skins. When wraiths punish their own, exile them, they break their ability to leave their human hosts, cut them off from both the world of shadow within and from changing to another form. Breaking their link back home."

[[TomoLuKang Tomo]] says, "But that’s not what we want...not exactly. While it might do to trap them, we don’t want them trapped here. We want them trapped back where they came from, their home realm."

[[ZinRaishin Zin]] says, "A terrible place."

[[SebastianNemo Nemo]] says, "That’s right, you've been there. How did you get there?"

[[ZinRaishin Zin]] says, "I’m not sure, Po had a mirror that acted as a gateway, he forced me into it. Doing so destroyed my body. What exists now is my pure will." He holds up his hand which flickers between flesh and shadow. "If I do not continue concentrating I will simply evaporate...perhaps I will return there...I do not know."

[[VirgilBelmont Virgil]] says, looking confused, "So there is another place? Another world where the wraiths exist?"

[[Chen]] says, "Yes, it is where they come from and where they draw their terrible power."

[[Miyen Mi-yen]] adds, "And from where they hope to free a more powerful one."

[[SebastianNemo Nemo]] says, "That is the purpose of this machine? Ah I see how that would make sense." [[Mi-yen]] looks gravely at [[SebastianNemo Nemo]].

“Does anyone know how they come to our world in the first place?” asks [[Alaistar Rolo]].

[[DeviWong Devi]] adds, "And how do they continue to gain access."

[[Chen]] says, "The human soul rests on the boundary between the two worlds. A soul is made up of two types of energy, some light, some dark. Wraiths can corrupt and touch souls and if the soul has lost all hope, they can break though and posses this individual."

[[SebastianNemo Nemo]] says, "There is a weakness in their machine though. I think." He continues. "Let me see if I have this right. Human souls act as a gateway to this "wraith world" though which they can escape. Human souls, must be...well as far as the wraiths are concerned, incredibly tiny. They can only fit a thimble full of their essence though the hole. This contraption they have built is like a soul magnifier. Its not very complex I don’t think, at the end of the day what it does is magnify the size of the soul placed on the end here." He says indicating the alter at the tail end of the machine. "Basically it takes the tiny pin prick opening, and opens it right up."

“So they need a human sacrifice?” asks [[Alaistar Rolo]], “or can the steal a soul and use it?”

"They chain someone to a table surface here," [[Miyen Mi-yen]] points to the spot on the plans. "I am not sure if they seek only one or if anyone can fill that need."

[[SebastianNemo Nemo]] says, "I don’t think they need to sacrifice it, no I’m pretty sure it would survive, though I’m not sure about the targets soul...it would just get really really...."big". Not sure what that would do."

"I saw Hollow once, on the verge of becoming a wraith." [[Miyen Mi-yen]] says slowly. "In his chest grew a circle of black. It looked much smaller but similar to what think needs to appear here," points again to the plans.

[[SebastianNemo Nemo]] says, "fascinating, what did it look like?"

[[DeviWong Devi]] says, "Yes I can see that, now but you were saying a weakness?"

[[SebastianNemo Nemo]] shakes his head and continues. "Sorry yes, don’t let me get sidetracked." [[SebastianNemo Nemo]] says, "When the soul is...well, enlarged, it will be projecting itself into their world, creating a kind of big, space, a reflection. If while that is happening someone were to do a binding I think it would universally block access to all human souls. It basically creates a ripple though all the pinpricks, closing off the gates. Yes, yes I’m 90% certain it would work, but its going to require a lot of oomph, at least 9 ritualists, a good rune structure, and it has to be done from inside the shadow realm. Well maybe 80%.”

[[RenjiYoritomo Renji]] says, "So basically we have to go into this shadow realm, which according to [[ZinRaishin Zin]] destroys your body, and then lay down a rune binding just as the wraiths fire off their big machine.”

[[SebastianNemo Nemo]] says, "Yes basically."

[[Alaistar Rolo]] laughs.

After a moment of thought, [[Miyen Mi-yen]] says grimly, "I would survive their machine…I think..." she add softly.

[[SebastianNemo Nemo]] says, "The [[LifeSpark Life Spark]] would most likely survive the process...though without more tests I cannot be sure."

"I do not think I would be much help as a ritualist." [[Miyen Mi-yen]] adds with a shrug.

[[SebastianNemo Nemo]] says, "But that still leaves us the issue of how to go to the shadow realm, hopefully without...you know the unpleasant side effect of death."

[[DeviWong Devi]] says, "I think the answer may lie in [[PoratomoRaishin Po's]] plans."

[[ZinRaishin Zin]] says, "How so."

[[TomoLuKang Tomo]] says, "Surely if within hours of seeing these plans we have seen the weakness, others must have as well."

[[DeviWong Devi]] says, "Exactly, I believe [[PoratomoRaishin Po]] knew the weakness."

[[ZinRaishin Zin]] says, "If he did, he would have been preparing to use it on the wraiths, if he could have done so the power he would have gained from the blackmail alone would have made him a minor god."

[[TomoLuKang Tomo]] says, "[[Alaistar Rolo]], you were closest to [[PoratomoRaishin Po]], besides these plans, what did he have you get?"

“He wanted [[Winter]],” [[Alaistar Rolo]] answers, “who he got, but only for a short period of time.” [[Winter]] shivers, remembering. “He had me recover Lyn, the daughter of a high ranking member of the [[TheScholarsGuild Scholar’s Guild]]. He said the [[TheWarriorsGuild Warrior’s Guild]] was holding her hostage and he wanted her rescued for his friend but he used her as leverage to try for the weapons molds. Perhaps we needs to use the dagger to pin the soul in place.”

[[DeviWong Devi]] says, "My cousin yes, a unfortunate business...I believe the weapons are the key." [[DeviWong Devi]] turns to [[Hugh]], "The daggers were built by an ancient Scholar."

[[TomoLuKang Tomo]] picks up where [[DeviWong Devi]] leaves off. "The woman, whose name is lost to us in time, believed that the soul was something that was inside a person, and that with the proper configuration of rune structures she could bring the soul outside. She experimented long and hard but every time she drew a soul out of the person the soul died. Her theory was that if the soul was outside, the body must be in. She built the daggers as focal points, allowing a person to invert, bring the soul out while the body retreats inward. The weapons themselves remain fixed, allowing the soul and body to rotate around them. Before her theory could be tested the daggers were stolen from the guild. She was killed in the attack. The daggers were lost, we thought, for all time...but it seems that fate has brought them back to us.”

All eyes go to [[Hugh]]. [[Miyen Mi-yen’s]] body tenses, wanting to protect her friend.

[[Hugh]] says, "I did not take them from the guild, nor did I kill this woman. I took them from a man, who was going to give them to a Wraith. The wraith had killed my village, my family, to slake his terrible hunger. Whatever he wanted I meant for him not to have. I killed the man bearing the daggers and took them. Much to my eternal regret. They do not work completely as intended, touching them tore my soul apart. They do send your body to that dark place, while your soul comes to this world. But my soul is destroyed and I am forever bound to the blades.”

[[TomoLuKang Tomo]] seems shocked. [[DeviWong Devi]] speaks. "You touched them both at once? They were never intended to be used together. I am amazed you survived, much less continued. Yes I can see how that would have an affect on your soul."

[[Hugh]] shrugs. "I lived."

[[ZinRaishin Zin]] says, "So why would a wraith want the weapons?"

[[Miyen Mi-yen]] glances at [[Hugh]] for a moment, then back to the others. "Perhaps there is a way to use the daggers to transport the 9 to the shadow realm." she suggests.

[[DeviWong Devi]] says, "It’s only a guess, but wraiths are halfway in our world, one foot in, one foot out, if they got the weapons as a root point, I think they could pull themselves fully into our world." [[DeviWong Devi]] shakes her head in response to [[Mi-yen Mi-yen’s]] suggestion. "Not as long as [[Hugh]] lives, the weapons are tied to his soul now, they cannot be used by any other."

"Then there must be another way." [[Miyen Mi-yen]] says softly.

[[Alaistar Rolo]] turns to [[ZinRaishin Zin]], “What are they in their world? Do they appear as these shadowy figures?”

“Yes but more solid, more fully formed.” Answers [[ZinRaishin Zin]].

[[TomoLuKang Tomo]] says, "But..."

[[DeviWong Devi]] smiles at the old man, "Yes, we built the first weapons, we still have her records."

“I don't know the process, and I hesitate to suggest it, but could not more be created?” suggests [[Alaistar Rolo]].

[[SebastianNemo Nemo]] says, "Then we can create more, but we would need [[ColdSteel Cold Steel]], and a cold forge."

[[DeviWong Devi]] says, "We have the [[ColdSteel Cold Steel]]," and she looks at [[Winter]], "and I don’t think we will need a forge...I know now why [[PoratomoRaishin Po]] wanted [[Winter]]."

[[RenjiYoritomo Renji]] says, "So we need to pick who goes over to the other side to kick some wraith ass."

[[Omi]] says, "One step at a time my student."

[[TomoLuKang Tomo]] says, "First we must move, and acquire the [[ColdSteel Cold Steel]] and a place to forge it."

[[DeviWong Devi]] says, "Agreed. We can use my lab, but it is across the complex." She looks at [[VirgilBelmont Virgil]].

[[VirgilBelmont Virgil]] stands, hand at his sword. "I will gather my men, we will arrive safely."

[[Raven]] snatches up the paper and everyone else makes ready to go.

[[Alaistar Rolo]] walks over to [[Alexi Tessa]] and the child. He tells them we must move to another room. [[Alexi Tessa]] nods.

[[VirgilBelmont Virgil]] says, "The wraiths can move far too freely about the halls of the guild. I don’t have the manpower to secure the entire complex. But I believe if I pull them back I can hold your lab, as well as a rough path to the storage room where the machine is. We have enough strength left for that at least." [[TomoLuKang Tomo]] and [[DeviWong Devi]] nod at him.

[[Justin]] says, "We have some things in our room that we must collect if we are to abandon them." [[Nicodemus]] adds, "Things that we would not want the wraiths to get their hands on."

[[VirgilBelmont Virgil]] says, "I do not have the men to spare to protect you."

[[Nicodemus]] waves his hand, "Worry not we will be quick and join you shortly. we have our own ways to protect ourselves."

[[SebastianNemo Nemo]] says, "I will go with the group then, I have nothing in my lab of import."

[[Nicodemus]] says, "Brother [[SebastianNemo Nemo]] if you would come with us though, I have something I wish to discuss with you on the way." [[SebastianNemo Nemo]] nods.

[[Omi]] says, "Well if that’s settled then we should move quickly, before the wraiths move to stop us."

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