The Basement Library

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willpell
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by willpell » Mon Nov 17, 2014 11:02 pm

"Excellent, thank you." With an obvious acquisitive delight, she accepts the proferred scroll, opening it away from herself (but not toward you), perhaps just to make sure it isn't booby-trapped (or at least out of a habit with such motivation, which she hasn't "turned off" even when the present is from a colleague like Master Greborsk). Bringing it around, she examines it cursorily, growing a slow smile. "Your Master knows me well, young friend; this will make a fine addition to my collection. By the way, I could not help but notice...I hope you do not mind my asking, but you have draconic blood, yes? If so, it puts you in fine company; I courted a sorcerer in my younger and more vivacious days, and spent some time living among the Dracaena people, an entire race who credit their descent from the great wyrms as the source of their talent for extemporaneous arcana. My latest creation is indeed finished; would you like to see it?"

(If you've by any chance played Diablo II, picture Kylara as speaking in a voice nigh-identical to Akara's, though without the ultra-formal inflections.)
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
My long-neglected blog.

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Patdragon
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by Patdragon » Mon Nov 17, 2014 11:28 pm

Looking a little embarrassed that she picked up on what he considers a defect. He stutters shyly a little at first then continues.

"It is one possibility mistress Kylara, neither of my parents have any clue where it comes from tho as they are both normal and they have assured me i am theirs. It is one of the reasons i'm working for Greborsk currently researching ancestries and such, but on to other things yes I would love to see your latest creation."
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by willpell » Mon Nov 17, 2014 11:43 pm

"Ah, well, the blood of the darastrixan is impossible to dilute; even a drop can overpower an ocean of the less virulent strains of life. Those who have a dragon in their family tree remain marked by that ancestry, even after twenty generations of otherwise 'normal' family; frankly it's a wonder (though a known fact) that there are any lifeforms on Material Plane which aren't dragon-blooded by now; after all, they've been mingling with whatever struck their fancies for longer than most of the mountains have stood. Or at least so they claim. Very well, come on back."

(That's all I can give you for tonight; please respond even if you can't think of anything much to say, just to show that you've read this and I should move on.)
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
My long-neglected blog.

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Re: The Basement Library

Post by Patdragon » Tue Nov 18, 2014 2:31 am

He nods his head in agreement "That does seem to be what I have found out, but it does look like those of dragonic decent in the stories always die before they have children so perhaps it almost like a curse for those who are more closely related to the purer strain of the blood.
Shrugging his shoulders with his theory he then follows the lady to the back room to see what she has been working on.
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by willpell » Wed Nov 19, 2014 3:17 pm

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For whatever reason, Kylara does not reply to your latest comment, simply leading you back to her workshop. Maybe she didn't hear you, maybe she could think of nothing to say, maybe she disagreed but saw no point in arguing - you don't know, and perhaps that's just as well.

Inside the sanctum, there are a dizzying array of mystical artifacts to observe; you recognize a common Headband of Intellect (obviously manufactured by the Imperial foundries, which are responsible for the relative ubiquity of this and other "standardized wearable enhancements"), a Lore Gem (famously created by the elven House of Kiraan, and far less common despite their tremendous utility), a Tome of Ancient Lore (similar to the one found in nearly every Boccobite temple, where they are regarded as holy relics despite seeming like fairly ordinary spellbooks to your untrained eye), and several blocks of Incense of Concentration (relatively cheap and tremendously useful to every wizard or cleric, these consumables are the subject of an insatiable demand, and frequently fetch triple or quadruple their officially sanctioned price in unregulated market, while in the aboveboard economy they are simply incredibly scarce and sell out in hours of their release). The fact that she's not wearing either the Gem (which adheres of its own accord to the forehead, you've heard) or the Headband is easily explained by the Circlet of Mages she has on, an elegant silver tiara bearing a seven-pointed star flanked by out-facing crescent moons; much to the tragedy of everyone wealthy enough to own dozens of magic items, sometimes you can't use them all at once; only one piece of headgear will fit on the head, and ditto for any of the other "energy gates" dotting the body (whose number is variously stated as between seven and twenty-one; you haven't yet learned which of these counts are accurate).

At least four times this many obviously magical objects are visible, but you have no idea what they are or do; notable examples include:
* a suit of black quilted armor patterned with vicious-looking red glyphs (any other armor in those colors would seldom be worn by those who didn't want to be viewed as a public menace waiting to happen, but the padded cloth is downright cuddly-looking, and could pass for a pair of pajamas if not for the symbols covering it);
* a ring-shaped amulet made of what appear to be strips of vellum cut from scrolls and wrapped around each other like rope, whose surface flickers with small arcane symbols in a hideous orangey-green color;
* a thumbnail-sized blue diamond intricately etched with a tiny and magnificently detailed, though still rather abstract, icon of a hammer;
* a set of pipes that could have been taken of the stereotypical satyr, except that each flute bears a tiny diagram which resembles a hand closing about exactly such an instrument, as if the thing is instructing its holder on how to play it (and certainly no satyr would need such lessons);
* a tiny figurine which apparently represents the legendary matriarch of evil dragons, Eightfold Tiamat, whose various reptilian "enthusiasts" worship as if she were a god (even though it's widely understood that dragonkind has no use for the deities, no respect for the followers thereof, and most definitely no capacity to grant clerical magic)...the statuette is particularly curious, because graven idols of the octocephalic monster invariably portray her necks straight out with their mouths opened widely and fiercely, but this one shows them curving up, around, and back inward to almost-face each other, and the eight sets of jaws are almost closed, parting just enough that the tongues can loll outward without looking completely ridiculous about it;
* a tightly folded mass of incredibly thin black fibers, which sparkles with tiny lances of color that are barely visible as they play along the strands; closer inspection proves that the cords are threaded together into a fine-mesh net. (OOG note: Just FYI, this sentence is terrible, terrible English; I have this recurring condition where I will try to think of the best possible synonym for a word, come up with a long list of words I think are cool, and end up deciding I have to cram all of them in there somewhere, no matter how stupidly redundant the result ends up sounding.)
* two broken halves of a single rune-dotted staff, whose damaged condition might be the result of it having been constructed to taper from the hand-filling thickness of its ends to a middle section thinner than some poorly-spun varieties of yarn or sash-cord; the final rune on one end of the staff is in the shape of a "plus" + sign, while the other end bears a circle with two parallel diagonal slashes through it;
* and a foot-long rack containing numerous rows of pegholes, roughly a third of which are dotted with more than twenty tall, narrow glass tubes capped with brass cones - each tube is almost completely filled with liquid, no two of the liquids are alike (except for the pair on the very left, both of which are a particular shade of lavender-purple which looks almost like silver from the right angle), and with each cap inscribed with a different sigil, of which you recognize the "Live Openly Lawless" motto of the Olidamarran "church" (more like an Empire-wide bandit guild which claims to have a religious ethos, affording them some measure of ironic legal protection under the Clerical Freedom codes, even as they openly flout the law to line their pockets) and the latter component of the motto inscribed over temples to the Saint of Paladins, "HEIRONEOUS B.I.G." (you don't know what B.

All of these curios, however, merely catch your eye as it wanders around the room; the obvious focal point stands on a pedestal in the center, with an arcane lamp, a magnifying lens, and two sets of multi-use tools all mounted on poseable armatures which are clustered around it - clearly all four of these maneuverable devices were employed working on the object, though they have now been folded away from it somewhat to leave it in clear view. The item itself is a gorgeous gold medallion, shaped like the ubiquitous Sun Disk of Pelor (the populist sun deity who is probably the most widely worshipped of the dozens of major gods, at least by anyone sane enough to function in society), obviously more expensive than a conventional silver holy symbol, but nonetheless rather ordinary-looking. As if anticipating this assessment, Kylara gestures expansively toward the medallion (which has not yet been mounted on a cord so it can be worn, though it bears a small loop at the top which obviously will serve to enable this). "I call it the Divine Spark! Looks a trifle boorzhwa*, I know, but it's actually quite nifty, if I do say so myself. Observe."

*
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She picks up the amulet, holds it in her open palm while partially covering it with her other hand, and closes her eyes in concentration. You see the visible part change color, first to pinkish "red gold", then rich orange copper, and finally a lustrous brown bronze. At the same time, it seems to melt into a shapeless puddle in the artificer's hands, only to begin recrystallizing into a new shape which Kylara moves her hand to reveal - the abstracted shape of a heart, found on one of the 4 (or sometimes 6) suits of a pack of tarot cards (which are used for gambling or as a pastime far more often than to actually fortune-tell), but which is also worn as a holy symbol by the cult of Berna, a minor deity of passion and forgiveness which you happen to have heard about through Lissy. The symbol returns to its gold color as its shape stabilizes; Kylara then touches it again and concentrates some more, and it assumes the form of a slightly more complex (and sinister) eikon, the six-arrows-in-a-mailed-fist emblem of the tyrant-god Hextor, whose aggressively expansionistic and militant church has a strong Empire-wide following despite its known or suspected involvement in literally thousands of tragedies, atrocities, and pointless wastes of life. While its record contains a legion of black marks - most notably a propensity for egregious violence, sanctioning of torture, almost daily practice of bullying and fearmongering, not to mention a policy of blackmail, extortion, shady business dealings, and rumors of outright slavery beyond Imperial borders - and it is roundly condemned by nearly all the Imperial authorities, it nevertheless holds a huge amount of populist support...for all its "evil" nature, it has a demonstrated ability to keep the peace and protect citizens from far worse organizations, and many otherwise "good" individuals will admit that they trust it farther than they do the so-called "Good gods" and their Celestine allies, particularly those on the Chaotic end of the alignment spectrum.

Touching the symbol one more time, Kylara wills it into the hourglass symbol held sacred by the very rare (but not at all secretive, thus that you've easily heard of them) followers of Cyndor, the god of Time, and then sets it back on the pedestal. "Pretty neat, isn't it? But it would hardly be worth 15 Platinum if that was all it could do; there aren't many people who change religions often enough in their lifetimes to require a mutable insignion. No, the real trick of it is this: elishar tamat kripyar thakan takhaza. What did I just say?" Having absolutely no idea (and no reason to lie), you averr this. With a satisfied smile, she picks the emblem back up and repeats, elishar tamat kripyar thakan takhaza. What did I just say?". This time, for no visible reason (other than the obvious), you realize that what she said means "the black dragon flies at midnight, so that none may see his coming in time to escape". Not only did you not recognize the language, but you've never heard of any tongue which can pack that complex a meaning into only five words, totalling ten syllables. (Celestial comes close, from what you've heard, but certainly would not have all those harsh clicky consonants and sibilant diphthongs, nor would Infernal contain such elegant-sounding words as "elishar". Elven and dwarven combined might sound like this, so perhaps it's some odd dialect of Gnome, which has linguistic roots in both the gnomes' ancestors' languages...but has long since mutated into something which sounds nothing like either progenitor tongue.)
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
My long-neglected blog.

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Patdragon
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by Patdragon » Thu Nov 20, 2014 8:01 am

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Glancing over the magical items there was a brief thought that this would be a good haul for some crafty thief tho given her skill this place must be protected quite well. The collection is impressive and she has obviously worked hard to get to this point, perhaps this might be himself one day.
Following her to her newest creation, the amulet, he does wonder at the purpose of a changeable holy symbol at first and can only think of infiltration based uses.
When the symbol of Hextor pops up he retains his composer ignoring the fact his parents were unspoken supporters and in a way he was too and is pleased when she changes it to Cyndor, both for the effect and the change of unpopular possible topics.
When she asks him to speak he wasn't expecting to much maybe an action of some kind but no it turned out the device itself was some kind of translator, which again would be useful for infiltrating.

"Hmm a new exquisite and interesting item for your collection, It appears it allows me to understand what you just said. It seems kind of like one of those reverse comprehend languages spell I've heard about but here it lets others rather than oneself understand the meaning, I can see it being useful for speeches to a multi-language country or travelers with extreme destinations where people don't speak the common tongue.
What language were you speaking by the way? It sounds a little other worldly."
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Anger is fleeting, Remorse eternal...
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by willpell » Thu Nov 20, 2014 1:26 pm

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"Hmm a new exquisite and interesting item for your collection, It appears it allows me to understand what you just said. It seems kind of like one of those reverse comprehend languages spell I've heard about but here it lets others rather than oneself understand the meaning, I can see it being useful for speeches to a multi-language country or travelers with extreme destinations where people don't speak the common tongue.
What language were you speaking by the way? It sounds a little other worldly."
"Yes, actually, and the truth of the matter is, I'm not quite sure how that happened. It was supposed to be a standard Comprehend Languages effect, but I observed the ideomorphic flow reversing itself as I emplaced the basal stratum, possibly due to an interaction with the protective resonance I already worked in, although I must stress that this is only a theory. Damnedst thing, really...like writing a book and finding that one of the characters decided to alter his own dialogue. Oh well, the important thing is that it does something, and that we know what it does. I've inspected it quite thoroughly for any sign of a curse; there isn't one, and it does more than I expected it to based on how much it cost me to make, so I would call that free profit.

"The language? That's...one I learned from Master Greborsk. Sort of a private joke between us, actually. I'd better let him tell you about it, if he's willing. Wouldn't want to repay his generous gift with my spoiling his surprise to you, after all."
Kylara's eyes twinkle mischeviously as she smiles, and you find yourself suspecting that there's a bit of subtext here which you're missing. Mages, particularly ones of great erudition, are in something of a class by themselves; they have access to so much information which the average person can't even dream of, and are so accustomed to accomplishing impossible feats, that naturally they've developed a sort of meta-culture unto themselves, with social protocols that are peculiar at best, perhaps even frightening or horrifying, to those outside their clique. Giving someone a box with a bottle of nitro-glycerine in it would be an act of attempted murder in the normal world, but to a pair of sufficiently refined enchanters ("sufficiently" to, say for example, summon an Efreet out of the Elemental Planes and bind it within a ritual circle to extort its services), having a letter delivered to one of their colleagues with an "Explosive Runes" spell scribed on the final page might qualify as little more than a prank, as harmless as dumping a bucket of water on someone's head seems to an ordinary child. You therefore suspect that you are perhaps being used as a catspaw of some sort in one of these little games between Greborsk and Kylara...maybe, even, a courtship?
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
My long-neglected blog.

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Patdragon
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by Patdragon » Sat Nov 22, 2014 3:31 am

"Well i hope you find a buyer for it, it certainly seems useful, If i had the money and it could read books with it'd certainly be on my wish list. would have saved my a hell of a time on today translation. Not every day you find out you were translating the from the wrong language, sneaky Tyranski looking so like under-common."

His stomach grumbles.

"I will indeed ask master Greborsk about the language in the future as it might come up in something else he gets me to translate. Is there any message you would like me to return to him at all as it appears my stomach is being a little rude currently and i should do something about it."

If she has nothing else much to say he will bid his farewells.
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Anger is fleeting, Remorse eternal...
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by willpell » Sat Nov 22, 2014 7:07 pm

"Just my thanks and well-wishes," Kylara concludes, and you take your leave.

(A game should be starting soon, so we need to get you caught up, therefore I'm going to fast foward past the rest of you character's day off about town, and get back to the action.)

Arriving back at the shop, you work the several locks on the concealed entrance to the downstairs collection, and head down to see if Master Greborsk is around. He does not seem to be; indeed, you appear to have the library entirely to yourself.
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
My long-neglected blog.

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Patdragon
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by Patdragon » Sat Nov 22, 2014 9:21 pm

Having had a pleasant evening seeing Sloxx at the gambling and chatting to a particularly interesting traveler who was passing through. He had retired early before any other the nights activities started up, knowing he had to get to work in the morning. Being early was a good way to catch up on any work that was behind, unless of course Greborsk saw you and gave you more work to do. In this case he was first to arrive so it was a rare occasion at best and he was pretty much up to date on the tasks he had been given, so it was a perfect time for "extra credit" What to do today tho...He could do some more research into dragons and learn a bit more on being able to speak it, he was getting better he hardly needed to use the translation book at all for draconic script. Maybe it was in the blood to learn it as Kylara had mentioned.
Pondering the question of what to do he decides to just pick out a random book that sounds interesting from the collections, perhaps further increase his knowledge of things from the other day. The touchstones or the Yaun-yi myth were things to look into more.
If Greborsk has left the syllabus out he might glance at that too, but mostly he uses the time for following his interests.
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Anger is fleeting, Remorse eternal...
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by willpell » Sun Nov 23, 2014 1:36 am

Your search for info on dragons leads you to stumble upon the tale of Ashardalon, a semi-mythic account of how a red dragon once dabbled in demonic magic in an attempt to become genuinely invincible, and how various other archetypal heroes ostensibly banded together to defeat this literally-heartless foe. You're idly perusing one of the better-written accounts of this tale, an epic written by someone who claims to be the squire of one of the Company of Six who led the final assault, when you come across a strange cross-reference, which you would swear was written in Greborsk's hand. It appears to be a reference to particular pages in another book, but you don't recognize the abbreviation-code which would signify the book's identity; as best you can guess, it's located in a section of the library which you've always been forbidden to enter.
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
My long-neglected blog.

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Patdragon
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by Patdragon » Sun Nov 23, 2014 2:59 am

Flipping though the book and scrutinizing the cross reference he was sure it was Greborsk that had made the mark, but as far as he knew dragons were not on the top of his list to research at least not since he had been here, perhaps it was an old scribbling he had done ages ago. Draconic demons... that would be a force to be reckoned with.

The "forbidden" section of the library, this was about the 4th time it had prevented him from reading any further. The first time he had encountered a reference to it he had searched out Greborsk and asked about it. Only to be given a speech about how not all knowledge should be given out freely as some of it could be dangerous in the right hands. Greborsk had a key to that area and didn't let anyone in there as far as he could tell, He had thought that at one point access to the room was going to be what his reward would be but something Greborsk said seemed to make that not the case.

Putting the book down he leans back thinking, what do i need to do to improve my standing here. dutiful work is fine for now but translating texts when someone with a bit of magic could do it much easier seemed a waste of his talents and mind. Still all good stories start with the youngling training under a master doing tedious chores for an unknown beneficial reason, maybe it was the same here and if that were the case with his odd heritage he was bound for greater things...eventually surely... That section of the library was going to be his first accomplishment on his story to greatness, if it didn't happen soon tho he might just have to have a sneaky peak...His thoughts turn to where Greborsk keeps the keys to the library.

OOC: As i saw you posted in the other threads that you have lost most of your material I guess I can scrap looking into binders. (typical tho i just downloaded MIC and started to look for equipment)
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Anger is fleeting, Remorse eternal...
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by willpell » Sun Nov 23, 2014 9:49 am

(No, this game is actually one that I still feel able to continue, although you might not get to become the full level 7 version of yourself for a while.)

On impulse, you go to visit the door to the forbidden section, and you see it standing open. No sound of activity is within.
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
My long-neglected blog.

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Patdragon
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by Patdragon » Mon Nov 24, 2014 7:56 pm

That's was odd It was normally locked. Could there have been a theft last night? He clear his throat and quietly asks "Greborsk? " cautiously he goes in expecting to see the place ransacked.

OOc: short post bit busy this week moving flat.
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Anger is fleeting, Remorse eternal...
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by willpell » Tue Nov 25, 2014 2:50 pm

There is no answer. Inside, you see no evidence that anything is missing or damaged, however a large blue book is lying on one of the three central tables. The spine bears no title, but one of the paper slips that Greborsk uses to code the locations of untitled books is sticking out of the volume. Not being familiar with this section, you'd have to look around a bit to figure out where the book was removed from.
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
My long-neglected blog.

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Patdragon
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by Patdragon » Tue Nov 25, 2014 9:34 pm

He goes and looks at the book, and then at the slip of code. Intrigued but cautious he quickly checks he is indeed alone here and scans the selves for where the missing volume came from. After that he returns to the book and delicately opens the book to see what language it is written in and reads a little of the first page.
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Anger is fleeting, Remorse eternal...
- Karn, Silver golem

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Re: The Basement Library

Post by willpell » Sat Nov 29, 2014 7:43 pm

You are puzzled to notice that the coded location features an apparently identical book, complete with its own code slip, seemingly both written in Greborsk's hand; it seems contrary to the elder sage's habits to have two books coded to the same location. If you take the second book from the shelves and compare it to the one that was sitting out, you will find that it's an incredibly clever copy, even to the point of being cracked open at the same frequently-referenced pages...only when you compare two pages from further inside the volume do you discover that there are discrepancies. As to the content of both books, they appear to be a treatise on theoretical cosmology, speculating about the relationships between the observed Outer Planes and hypothetical others, which no-one on record has visited or scried into, but which various working models of the dimensional structure predict must exist, in order to counterbalance observable forces. There are several mentions of an ostensible "Ordial Plane" which is believed to connect the Inner and Outer Planes directly, bypassing the Material Plane which normally connects them all, as the Shadow and Mirror planes are known to connect directly from the Material to one of the other two extremes, but not have a connection to the second (thusly, you've read that a wizard cannot Shadow Walk across the Seven Heavens or the Nine Hells, because the Shadow Plane does not extend into the afterlife; the Mirror Plane, however, does - or maybe it's the other way around, you're not sure).

(Since we have no game if you choose to respect your mentor's privacy and avoid prying further into these books, I'm going to assume that you're nosy and continue reading.)

Eventually, the author apparently reaches the conclusion that there's no evidence to support the existence of this Ordial Plane; the four known Transitive Planes apparently encompass the entire cosmos among them, like a pyramidal spiderweb with all of existence somewhere within its four quadrants (the Astral Plane, which connects all realities through the medium of thought itself, forms the "outside" of the tetrahedron in this model, while each of the others is a "fourfold triangle" slicing through the interior, isolating reality into Material, Primordial, and Supernal segments, which touch each other only at thin points in the "network"). However, the writer does concede that something must exist beyond the very boundaries of existence, citing three enigmas that remain unexplained by standard cosmology: the inscrutable realm of Zoretha hinted at in the writings of the githzerai sage Yosh'kadrak, the yet-undiscovered home plane of the horrific Kaorti, and most persistent and intriguing of all, the residence of "such vanished entities as the legendary dwarven overqueen Parmenalya, who lie beyond the reach of even the gods themselves, yet whose vestiges remain accessible to any who scribe their seals and call out their honorifics".

The book then moves on, having apparently dismissed these "vestiges" as simply another enigma...but the author apparently find it necessary to come back to the topic, and describes Parmenalya herself in some detail. The section is headed by an illustration of a strange circular seal, with a series of lines, smaller circles, and three gracefully symmetrical curves crossing or curling away from the horizontal median. According to the subsequent text, Parmenalya was originally born in the Eighteenth Cycle of Kharazd (you're not clear on the nuances of the dwarven calendar, but you think this would put her at least thirty thousand years in the past) to a powerful clanhold in the lineage of the modern Clan Bartholomew...and in fact the tragic end of her tale is thought to have tainted the honor of her cousins and their descendants, leading to such bitter acrimony that the clan split into its two vehemently feuding sub-branches which still refuse to acclimate. Back then, the dwarven clans numbered only four, and for a brief time she united them all into a single vast empire, which conquered more territory than the underfolk have ever ruled since then, even managing to push back the slaver-fish and their amphibious minions, who at the time ruled virtually unchallenged in the cavern-system below the two-mile mark (this was before the other races that currently maraud the Underdark had separated from their parent races, or in the case of the monstrous Illithids, seemingly before they existed at all).

At first, the dwaorm sung the praises of their hierarch, for she had won them greater territory and prestige than anyone ever believed possible...their fealty, however, soon turned to scorn when it became clear that the Queen had only one motive for the conquests she ordered: unquenchable greed. Every territory of the vast dwarven nation was required to tithe richly to Parmenalya, and the toll she levied was so steep that only wars of conquest against the declining giant kingdoms could satisfy it; though her citadel was the size of a mountain, she filled its every chamber with valuables, dwarfing the hoards of the ancient dragons themselves, and still demanded more wealth, none of which she would ever see spent. Having run out of giant nobles to raid, and suffered heavy retaliatory losses as a result, the empire was beginning to prepare for war against the elves, who had previously been too distant for the dwarves to even really notice, when finally majority sentiment turned against the Queen, and a revolt began. Eventually, the rebellion turned into an outright war aimed at deposing Parmenalya, and those families who remained loyal to her; as quickly as the colonies had been brought under her banner, so they joined the insurrection and marched against her capitol. The city that had sprung up around her palace was beseiged and put to the torch; it was built to withstand any assault, but there were hardly any soldiers left to defend it, for the Queen had ordered thousands of dwarves put to work on packing up her treasure for transport to a secure location. And when most of the hoard was away, and she became increasingly paranoid about the possibility that the rebels would intercept the shipment, she began to personally supervise the transfer, counting every coin by hand to ensure that none of her remaining wealth was lost, in case it would prove to be all she could retain.

According to eyewitness accounts of the time, when the army finally burst into the chamber where Parmenalya was personally loading her last few roomfuls of treasure, they found a holocaust of flames, a lake of molten gold, and the queen burned from head to foot, with half-melted coins pouring out between her fingers as she screamed out a sequence of numbers, presumably the tally she'd been futilely keeping even as she roasted alive while the money liquified in her grasp. With her last breath, she cursed the dwarven overgod Moradin for failing to protect her, and the witnesses claim that the god himself appeared in high dudgeon, cursing her in return - while it's possible that some nuance is lost in the translation from ancient high Dwarven, the author acknowledges, the basic message seems unambiguous enough despite its seeming impossibility. "FOR YOUR AVARICE, YOUR TREACHERY, YOUR SPITE, AND ABOVE ALL YOUR FAITHLESSNESS, I NAME YOU ANATHEMA, AND DENY YOU A PLACE IN MY KINGDOM BEYOND. YOU SHALL KNOW NAUGHT OF HEAVEN, NOR OF HELL, NOR INDEED OF ANY OTHER REALM; AS YOUR GREED AND FOLLY ARE WITHOUT EQUAL IN ALL CREATION, SO DO I BANISH YOU FOREVER BEYOND IT." That, the manuscript claims, was the gist of the god's message, and the author claims that he believes the curse was a literal one - that Parmelanya's sole was driven outside of existence altogether. Yet, even today, he claims, she can be summoned forth from whatever non-realm she inhabits, simply by drawing the sigil which represents her essence (the circular diagram above the article, although it must be reproduced at a far larger size, "roughly the span of a man's arms", and with all its proportions scaled up exactly to fit), and calling out to her with the title that has entirely replaced her original name in reference to her, "Queen Avarice".

As you finish reading this section, you find yourself absolutely convinced that it's all true (the stuff about Parmenalya at least; who knows about the earlier parts), and you are powerfully tempted to make an attempt at calling forth this "vestige". You know where Greborsk keeps his chalk, and a blackboard of adequate size which you could erase afterward. As you're contemplating this, you idly consult the copy that was left on the shelf, and discover that it contains a subtly different glyph in place of the one in the book that was sitting out, and that there are small alterations in the text of the entire section, including a subtly deceptive typo in the title. Further perusal demonstrates that later sections of the book describe similar such entities, again showing a seal (most of them far more complex-looking) and specifying a title (many of which sound rather ridiculous), and that once again, the second book seems to imperfectly reproduce them.
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
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Patdragon
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by Patdragon » Sat Nov 29, 2014 10:48 pm

The urge to summon the Vestige is strong but when he takes a moment to listen and makes sure no one else is still in the library, a small bit of common sense kicks in and the question why should he try and summon this vestige. There were always stories of people summoning demons and it ending badly, because they failed to basic preparation. Haste was not needed in this case when two important answers still needed to be found. One how does one dismiss the vestige and what is the cost, there is always a hidden cost to these things. Going to the original book he checks for these to things and finds a small passage that he scanned and missed. A small part about making a bargain. Scanning for information of dismissing the vestige seemed harder to find there was no real information on that other than it disappeared after a bargain was made....what if he didn't make a bargain...then what... would it just stay here...would it go after a time...what would happen if he just broke the seal, breaking seals always sounded ominous in his mind, but should end things.

As time was ticking and all still sounded quiet, he decides that times like this do not happen often and he should at least try it. It wasn't a demon so his soul shouldn't be at risk and perhaps it was more akin to mages summoning animals. Going to find the chalk and black board he finds an out of the way place and attempts to draw and summon.
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by willpell » Sun Nov 30, 2014 11:40 am

You continue to be quite alone in the library; Greborsk isn't due back for at least four hours. Drawing the seal meticulously on the wall-mounted chalkboard, you touch it and call out the name...you begin to feel a strange sense of presence, and the seal seems to flicker and waver momentarily, but then both effects pass. Eventually, you conclude that the rippling motions seemed to be trying to rise out of the seal, but were foiled by gravity; you decide that to produce an effective manifestation, you need to draw the seal flat on the ground, so that the "vestige" can appear above it.

While this enforced pause is upon you, you read a little further in the book and discover several cross-references, which lead you to several other books in the library; it seems as though quite a few of Master Greborsk's tomes mention this "vestige" concept, though usually it's by way of allegories and roundabout half-mentions. However, it seems as though most mentions dictate that the "pact" between a vestige and the one who "binds" it to his soul, (the last word is explicitly mentioned several times, but the indications aren't too ominous; there's no mention of a vestige stealing or damaging the soul, only being temporarily anchored to it), regardless of the terms it entails, invariably lasts for precisely one rotation of Terrestra about its axis - 24 standard hours. This specification is one commonly used by magic items; the theory you've heard is that the forces of magic must "sleep" every night, just as living beings must, and that perhaps it is the very act of surrendering consciousness for a third of a day which triggers their regeneration. Some speculation has suggested that a person who avoids sleep in some fashion (such as by being an elf) might be able to extend a daily magical duration, but that seems to be counter-indicated here; the pact is apparently always fixed in length. You're unable to find any mention of a way of altering that fact, either plus or minus.
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
My long-neglected blog.

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Re: The Basement Library

Post by Patdragon » Sun Nov 30, 2014 11:24 pm

With plenty of time to think he reads as much as he can and the more he thinks about this situation the more he convinces himself the door was left open on purpose, and this was another test by Greborsk. As he never leaves the door unlocked the only thing this could mean was a test of his willingness to take opportunities when then were there. As such he attempts to draw the seal on the floor (or board if it can be put on the floor). If this was all planned by Greborsk then obviously the page of this Queen Avarice was the one he wanted him to try... trying once more he calls out her name.
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by willpell » Mon Dec 01, 2014 12:44 am

The results are immediate. No sooner has the title left your lips than a mass of substance burgeons into view, as if welling up liquidly from the ground, but immediately assuming the shape of a coiled mass like the body of a giant earthworm (such creatures exist, you know; they pose no threat to anyone save the occasional squeamish dwarf - a rarity indeed among that species - and are never seen above ground, since unlike their diminutive cousins, they are not at risk of drowning in their deep earthen tunnels during any but the most torrential of rains). From inside the heap of annular-segmented flesh, a three-headed form rises, massively muscular beneath a robe of rich brocade, with swellings on the chest which could equally well be thick, round pectorals or broad, flat mammaries. A round, pompous crown of the very style found on Imperial gold coins, which is today considered so cliche as to be utterly foolish and thus never worn by contemporary rulers, sits atop a head which seems ordinary enough for a dwaormachen, but the effect is rather marred by the presence of an additional head upon each of her shoulders - a lion on the left and a bull on the right, both merging just above the neck with her humanoid head, thus that it has no ears. Gaudily jeweled rings sparkle on every finger of her hands, one of which is holding the lion-head's mouth clamped shut from the moment it rises into view; only about half of the fingers have only one ring upon them, and her left middle finger appears to bear three, one on every joint (there are probably close to twenty rings in total, and their combined worth would have to be in the tens of thousands even if they aren't somehow enchanted - what you know of magesmithing says that nobody can effectively wear more than two magic rings, even if they have more than two hands, but perhaps such limitations don't apply to a being banished from the cosmos altogether). The other hand clutches a branding iron which ends in a five-pointed iron star, its entire length glowing red-hot and smoke rising from the palm which holds it; as she draws herself up to a regal height, you see that the massive worms which loop about her are in fact attached to her hips in place of legs, and they flop feebly about as she settles into position, liquid gold oozing like slime from the cracks between their muscular rings.

The ominous alien figure stares dispassionately at you for a moment.
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
My long-neglected blog.

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Patdragon
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by Patdragon » Mon Dec 01, 2014 1:17 am

Seeing this weird figure appear before him, he is shocked into silence for a moment as it stares back at him, he was not quiet sure what he was expecting but this was not quite what he had imagined. Taking a deep breath to calm his fear and excitement he looks at the rings and thinks Kylara could properly makes something like that, if they were magical like he thought. The heads and worm body were what had most of his attention those as that was not something he was expecting. At this point he is not exactly sure what to do, that fact that it worked and so easily causes the brief thought of why is this not more common place in the world to spring up momentarily but then he decides just to speak in a mostly inquisitive form.

"So you are...were Queen Parmenalya then?... Cursed by Moradin and not allowed to go to any of the after worlds. Tell me where do you reside now and how is it your essence is bound to a seal?"

He keeps an eye on the brand in her hand and tries to keep eye contact with the main head, though he shakes a little with uncertainty for his own safety, a single bite from a lion could kill a man.
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by willpell » Mon Dec 01, 2014 5:31 pm

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Ignoring your questions, the vestige speaks in a boomingly imperious voice that seems to echo from down a distant tunnel. "We presume thou hast called us here to offer thy fealty. We accept. Hold out thy sinistral palm."
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
My long-neglected blog.

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Patdragon
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by Patdragon » Mon Dec 01, 2014 8:46 pm

Maybe summoning a ex-queen was not the way to go if he wanted answers perhaps she didn't even know, though in this case the swearing of fealty might be how they bind souls.

"I have not come to swear fealty to you but wish simply to know more about you.......However if it is apart of the process to get you to talk then i may do so."

He thinks about holding up his left hand and it does move slightly as he glances at it but does not proceed yet.
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Anger is fleeting, Remorse eternal...
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Re: The Basement Library

Post by willpell » Tue Dec 02, 2014 3:40 am

Parmelanya (with what you presume to be her primary face) frowns angrily. "Dost thou believe we are thy servant, to be called up when it conveniences thee? Think not to trifle with thy monarch, wretch! We shalt--" As she speaks, her left hand releases the lion's mouth in order to point haughtily at you, but the moment it is unmuzzled, the lion lets out a fearsome roar, and the bull immediately begins lowing in terror. The dwarf head winces at the cacophony and the hand hastily seizes the leonine jaws again. Her mouth set in grim irritation, the vestige simply stares at you as if asking, "Well?"
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
My long-neglected blog.

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