⇨ INTERLUDE: A Dark Ritual

[ringleaders]

Who: The Ringmaster, Mari, Sans, Zecora, Childermass, Strange, and Lambert.
When: Day 58, at night
Where: At the devil mark in the trees.
What: The Ringmaster has attained what she needs to strike back at the leader of the vampires that have been stalking the carnival, but she needs some help.
Warnings: More wannabe satanism.

FIVE SHARP POINTS↴ Three of you were here for the original meeting in which the sigil was discovered - and two of you scryed in to watch said meeting against the Ringmaster's orders. Either way, the majority of those invited by the Ringmaster are familiar with the demonic sigil burnt into the ground within the carnival's forests, now in the center of a small crater instead of buried beneath fallen leaves. It's glowing an angry red, like burning coals, and has been every since they tried to destroy it with explosive a few weeks earlier. The Ringmaster has explained herself to you in advance, this time. She spoke to you in private, asking how strong your grasp was on the arcane, and if you'd be willing to aid her in a ritual meant to defend the carnival from its enemies. Presumably you said yes. She was looking for mages and magic users, the best in the carnival. Also Lambert is here, for some reason, despite only having turned up a couple days ago. She leads you out to the spot, and starts passing out a set of five obsidian daggers - one to each person, excluding Lambert. They have an odd weight for their size, supernaturally heavy, and read as deeply magical in a way that feels akin to a thick haze of black smoke. "I need you five to stand at the points of a pentagram, around the sigil. And be careful! We can't risk any geometric carelessness..."

Comments

[atouts]

That's quite a sight to behold, the spell the Ringmaster weaves and her transformation both, even Childermass will have to admit as much later. Throughout it, once he'd stabbed his own dagger deep into the point it was meant for, he's remained crouched down on one knee to keep himself stabilized with all the power that's crackling around them. It's also because he's anticipating the next step and it puts the damned thing within easier reach.

If she's using this to open a portal, then he's well aware she's going to need it to shut as well. Admittedly, firebombing (or spellbombing, whatever) Satan had not been what he had expected from this and the Ringmaster earns a startled look just before the next command comes.

You had better believe he's quick to yank that dagger back up on her word, especially now that he knows where that thing opens to.

[whattaprick]

Now this looks more like the magic Lambert's used to seeing. Showy, powerful, the kind of thing you see and think I'm glad that's on my side. When the portal rips open, he can almost feel all the hair on his body stand on end. His medalion's humming so hard he thinks it might rip off its chain, but he continues to stand with sword at the ready, narrowed eyes trying to look into that portal and remember what the world on the other side looks like.

After all, if this action has any consequences from denizens of another world crossing over, it would be nice to have some idea what to prepare for.