Necrommander

@ziccarra_liafador:

"Giza it is, then," he replied with a nod. While Stonehenge was constructed in a tradition he was more intimately acquainted with, he would be a poor arcanist indeed if he did not know how to tap into the energies channeled by the tombs of the ancient rulers of Egypt. "Assuming you do not wish to wait several months, we will need some form of sacrifice; one of both power and purity. The greater both those qualities are, the smaller our chance of catastrophic failure becomes."

He took a long sip of his libation, considering his words well before continuing. "It must be understood that failure may mean far more than us simply being unable to break through to this other reality. A partial success could result in us forging a link with some other, random reality, possibly one where the conditions could be...ruinous to this reality, or vice versa."

That series deserves all the awards. And then to have a few created solely for it.

This wouldn't be the first reality claimed by entropy. Nor would it be the last.

@naomi_delacour: Another bidder, hm?

This could be...fun.

@ziccarra_liafador:

"Caution is a laudable virtue." He moved to the nearest window and gazed out, not at the ground, but up at the sky. he considered the various arcane calendars and where they were, geographically. "If we were making this move a month ago, we'd have been able to plan this for the winter solstice, which would have given us any number of locations to choose from. As it is, the next time that will maximize our chances will be the spring equinox, which is in late March."

He turned back, sipping again at his wine. Such a heady vintage; grapes of this kind generally did not grow far to the north, and while international shipping was far simpler than it was in his youth, he insisted that there was something to be said for enjoying a drink close to where its fruit was harvested. "That said, we can also...what is the expression...'split the difference?' If we don't have the luxury of waiting for the most auspicious date, we can still make the attempt; we would just need to select a particularly prominent location, and add some...enhancement to the ceremony. With where we are right now, I might suggest either Stonehenge in Britannia or the Giza Pyramids, in Egypt. Both locations still hum with resonant power, though most have forgotten how to harness it."

@naomi_delacour: Do it.

@ziccarra_liafador:

"Hmm..." the fae-blooded Asgardian stroked his immaculately-bearded chin pensively as he considered her question. "We have several avenues that could be pursued. The easiest method to actually breach the veil between realities would be to select a location where it is already naturally thin, and a night when the astrological alignment would make the chances of success most favorable. While that would make the actual breaching much simpler, that also involves waiting for the firmament dome to be just so and, of course, getting you to that location, and if your freedom of movement is restricted, that could complicate matters. Additionally, those locations will almost certainly be watched at those times, so some manner of confrontation would be all but inevitable."

He rose, pacing about the room as he sipped his wine. "Of course, there are rituals for accomplishing what you desire that are less dependent on specific conditions, but these are naturally far riskier and come with a much higher cost." He turned, and gave her a meaningful look before continuing. "Such a ritual would require a considerable sacrifice, either many souls or a smaller number of especially powerful ones. We must also keep in mind that these methods are largely theoretical. There are tales of magi that have performed them, of course, but none of which can be confirmed with any real degree of credibility"

At this point, I will settle for "Incrementally Less Sucky New Year."

@ziccarra_liafador:

Accepting the drink with a polite nod of gratitude, the sorcerer took a sip. It was quite good, despite his host's apologetic tone, certainly a far cry from quaffing ale around a fire on the permafrost of Asgard. "I see. Not to pry into your personal affairs, but is this lack of freedom something I might assist with? Beyond it being a parameter of my mission, I would not have it be said that I am an ungracious guest."

He took another, longer sip, savoring the complexity of the wine on his palate. Having experienced the state of being undead, he had an unusual depth of appreciation for sensory experiences. "As for this becoming bloody...well, that's a bit of a complex question, I'm afraid. There are a number of ways one can go about breaching the barriers between realities, in theory at least, but most sources agree that the most effective is a mass blood sacrifice. Most Midgardian historians would scoff at the notion, but quite a few of your world's more notable atrocities were motivated by this very theory. Beyond that, even were we to pursue a less...extreme manner of ritual, every reality has its guardians, whether or not they realize they play this role. We will certainly face some form of resistance."

@shanana: Thanks!