>"Would the original ward work in a constrained passage? It is hard to lead one astray when the only way to go is forward or backward. And, would the caster have to know about the openings to affect them? I would imagine, if she is trying to make a powerful and subtle ward, she would want to focus where she knows the problems is going to to be, not where it may potentially might be. As for making a way in, perhaps you know of something that may help? Or...perhaps we might get lucky and be able to hire an oni to assist us. They live down there, or at least they did in my world."
>"It may still be possible for it to work even in a constrained passage. You think you're moving forward, but find yourself somehow returning to the entrance again. Then again, it might not. Still, I was thinking more along the lines that once you emerged in the forest, unless you were right on top of Eientei, you might immediately find yourself misled again."
>"As for making a passage, I suppose the oni might be capable of helping. If you could manage to convince one of them. I imagine they're still down there, although one hasn't been seen above ground for a very, very long time."
>"At the very least, I may be able to assist you in finding the correct spot, while underground." She gets up and retrieves a small device from a nearby worktable. It has a triangular frame, made of thin beams of sculpted metal. In the hollow space in the middle of this frame is suspended a thin, deep green crystal. "You can think of it as a magical compass, of sorts," she says. "You can set an anchor point, and the crystal will continually point in the direction of this anchor."
>"It might be a stretch to think, but locating the space directly beneath the mansion and finding a way to get directly to it from below would catch them completely by surprise. But there are many ways to conceal one's location..."
>"True, and I cannot guarantee that this will work, even if you overcome the various technical challenges inherent in such an endeavor. Still, I think it may be worth the attempt."
>Did we ever mention Marisa to anyone at the SDM before?
>You asked Patchouli. She had not-so-fond memories of her, although she stopped coming to the mansion a few months after the Scarlet Mist Incident. She has had no further contact with her since.
