GM Rednal's Planehopping from Bard's Gate (Inactive)

Game Master Rednal

Will stares intently at the being as it answers, committing the information to memory. When it talks about the sun being buried and how the sky changes, he looks about at the walls and the sky. He hadn't thought about that. It would be fascinating to watch and this being would be interesting to talk to. But his time with the Arms Society and the Longhunters had at least instilled in him a duty to finish a mission. He looks back at the immortal. "Is Khepira located at the large orb of light in the distance?" he asks pointing at said light they were heading for. "And given an average of 6 miles per hour, could we reach Khepira before it buries the sun? Would that prevent us from asking a question?"

A Hustle is 6 miles per hour on the overland movement chart.

"We should check it once we are done with Kephira, I bet that dusk here would be quite a sight. ” Commented Asem after listening to the creature ‘true, but hardly useful’ reply. With a human, he would have found its evasive behavior more than suspicious, but perhaps it could have been natural for it, after all, he could not expect otherworldly beings to reason the same way mortals do. He did not think that Kephira would bury the sun though, having imagined that she would roll it from one side of the plane to the other. It made sense however, as much as a giant beetle carrying the sun in a massive planar terrarium could at least.

'Yeah and that…’ He thought when Will expressed his new questions to the planar being. “Do you know what Kephira does after burying the sun? ” He asked the floating outsider, hoping that the creature would not reply with a ‘yes’, but half expecting it, given the way it had managed their questions until now.

Then it came to his mind that they have not yet introduced each other with the creature, assuming that’s something you do with a celestial of course, but for him it just sounded right to do so. Immortal, outsider, or ‘floating rings guy’ were perhaps serviceable way to call it, but a name would have perhaps been more practical. “By the way, I forgot to ask it before, but how can we call you? ” He asked. “Myself you can call me Asem, do your kind even need or uses names the way we do? ”

Anders scratched at his beard as he considered what the being had said. "What do you mean about the land where all skies are connected? Is this place some kind of planar nexus of sorts? Or do you perhaps simply mean that the sky here is bounded on all sides by these strange walls?"

Barion considers to say nothing, as the others have asked plenty of questions on their own.

<The outer planes - like this one - are as much idea as place. The Sun Fields here are an entirely separate world unto themselves, yes, but they are also every sun crossing a sky from morning 'till night. That's the whole point, of course. This land is a physical incarnation of the very concept of having a day, and so long as it exists, terrors like the Rough Beast cannot blot out the light of your home. ...Not all at once, anyway. It tried, once, but the Everlight and others like her stopped that, and erected this land to ensure it didn't happen again.>

<As for Khepira, the only thing likely to result in her refusing to answer is you refusing to pay her cost. It is mild, as such go, merely agreeing not to cast magic that brings darkness for one year. Some of her peers are more... difficult. I believe you can still catch up to her before she finishes burying the sun - after that, she just does the same thing as most creatures do when night arrives. She sleeps.>

<As for me... Well, I don't think I feel like giving you my true name. You may refer to me as Sahaq, though.>

‘So she just sleeps, weird for a demigod… But well…’ Reasoned the young man as Sahaq replied to their questions.

“I guess we should go then if we plan to catch Kephira before nighttime.” He commented.

“Fine I guess you are wise in keeping your name for yourself, it was nice meeting you Sahaq.” He replied after trading names with the celestial being, wondering if perhaps it would have been wiser for him to not to share his own. ‘I got to remember that next time. ’ He thought.

Will considers the information and finds such terms, if that is what Khepira requires, would be acceptable. Though darkness would be a useful spell, he had no means of casting it. He wondered if making an item that used the spell would count. If the item didn't actually darken the world then maybe. Will says goodbye and hustles a little faster towards the other end of the plane.

"It's been a pleasure," Anders said, then turned to hurry on and catch Khepira before the opportunity passed. I've never been comfortable in the dark anyways, so avoiding darkness magic should be easy enough, he thought.

So the price will be a promise... Barion thought, and hoped that one of the others would be willing to pay it for the whole group, as he moved on with the others.

Your destination was several miles yet, and the box-like sky of the plane was definitely moving through evening by the time you arrived at the far end. There, busy digging a hole, was a beetle roughly the size of an elephant. Unlike most of its kind, there were white, gold, and blue highlights on its carapace, and it seemed quite intent on burying a brilliant ball of golden light, some ten feet across, into the soft dirt before it.

Unsure how to politely catch the beetle god's attention, Barion drew two small drums out of a pouch and tapped a simple melodic rhythm.

Perform (percussion): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

Will squinted at the giant ball of light. Though it was mostly buried it was still extremely bright. It wasn't helpful that the beetle's carapace was reflective too. Just in case it was also hot, Will drew a rune in the air, one that glowed red and was wrapped in orange flames. He then grabbed it and pushed it into his chest. A warmth spread across his body that made him sigh in relaxation. The rune could be maintained indefinitely and had several beneficially abilities. The most obvious was that he now glowed bright like a torch. The more subtle ones were high resistance to fire and increased natural healing.

Will now glows like a torch if light is needed to attract her attention.

As the others found their own strange ways of communicating, Anders fell back to what was comfortable with. "Excuse me, Khepira," he started, "we are here on the behalf of the Wizard's Guild of Bard's Gate, to request information on where a copy of On the Inverse Calculus of Unseen Refraction can be found. If you could provide that information, we would be greatly appreciative."

When he was finished, Anders looked at his companions and shrugged sheepishly. He figured that a giant divine beetle probably had more important things to do than stop and wait for elaborate formality, so it was probably better to be straight and to the point.

Not quite the diplomatic approach to speaking with a demigod, Barion chuckled to himself, But maybe she'll appreciate the bluntness.

The enormous beetle - evidently Khepira - looked up slightly as she continued to dig into the ground. She seemed to be considering for a moment - then started speaking in rather fluent Common. (Or maybe that was just how you were interpreting it - many Powers were able to be understood no matter who they were talking to.)

"Ah, yes. It is a most curious tome, is it not?" the great beetle inquired. "This first advice I will give for free - tell your Guild to prepare spells of invisibility or powerful dispels. The book you are looking for is made of special inks and dyes that render it permanently invisible, and one must either be invisible themselves or dispel its invisibility for a time in order to read it properly." she paused for a moment. "Also, let them know that only one of their librarians should actually read it. It is not a safe book, but as I recall, they have staff trained to handle such things, and that will suffice. I do not wish any readers to be hurt for lack of warning. As for the answer you are looking for..." she paused in her digging for just a moment. "There is a price for that information. The four of you must each swear to forego spells of darkness for the next year. You will be magically bound to this oath - the light of truth is not for those who also wish to conceal themselves. Swear it, and I will tell you where your book can be found."

Asem hesitated for a while to look at the demigod, it was an amazing creature wasn’t it, despite its theoretically humble nature. It was also surprisingly gentle for a divine being, busy with a specific purpose. His eyes darted back and forth between the creature and the sky above, witnessing to the strange dusk that must have been the product of a massive beetle burying the sun.

A book with invisible writing on the subject of invisibility, how fitting.

“Sure no problem for me, I swear to forego spells of darkness for the next year. ” He promised confidently, was it really a cost for him though? As he himself lacked the power to conjure darkness, yet, as far as he knew, fate has a special way to make you appreciate what you thoughtlessly give away, he hoped though that it would not be the case this time.

"I swear," Will says. He'd put that on his calendar at home when they got back. he knew he was likely to forget.

"That seems like a simple enough bargain. I don't believe I even have the capacity for darkness causing magic, and I wouldn't be able to see anything in the darkness anyways. I swear not to use darkness spells for the next year."

"Darkness, eh?" Barion pondered. "Guess ol' Circleface was right on the nose with that one. Still, I've always been fond of the darkness. Don't answer if it takes away our one question, but does that include spells of darkness cast on us, by friend or foe? Either way, I guess I've gotta take the bargain as well, but it's good to know these things."

"I would not attempt to control the actions of others." Khepira told Barion. "It is one thing for you to freely accept a binding in return for a service - it is quite another for me to try and interfere with the actions of others. It is your personal use of such spells that is restricted. If someone casts a spell on you, you are in no way in violation of your oath."

"Neat."

"OK sounds fair."

Anders cleared his throat, "Uh... I think she's waiting on you to actually make the oath."

"Ah, right, well, I thought it was assumed." Barion shrugged, and bowed. "I do."

You have all gained the following trait, and should add it to your profiles:

[ b]Oath to Khepira: In payment to Khepira, you have sworn a magical oath against the use of certain spells. For one year, you cannot use any magical effect with the [darkness] descriptor, any talent from the Dark sphere, or any magical power that that specifically reduces the light level of an area. Mundane methods of darkening an area (like raising a wall in front of a light source) and indirect ways of reducing light (dispelling a light-generating spell) are unaffected.

As Barion spoke, the beetle nodded, and continued her digging.

"The nearest copy of the book you are looking for - starting from your home - is in a shop known as The Lazy Black Cat, located in the city of Freeport. It is currently located on top of the third bookshelf to the left of the store's entrance, where it has been gathering dust for some years - it should be easy enough to find." she explained. "Your answer is given - but should you wish to ask another question, you are welcome to return in a year."

The Lazy Black Cat. Freeport. Top of the third shelf on the left. Got it. Will wasn't sure what protocol was here so he bowed and turned back towards the way they came from. The instructions said they would be able to get back home the way they came in. It would turn night here well before they got back considering how far along Khepira was.

'Sounds easy enougn to find.' Thought Asem. 'Hopefully not too easy if we are going to be the ones to get there first though.'

“So I guess it is time to part ways” Replied the young man to the demigod. “Thank you for your kindness in replying to our question.” He continued. “Farewell then Kephira.”

Then he hesitated for a while watching the giant Beetle as it finished burying the sun, marveling at that weird wonder, one that very rarely a man has more than a chance to witness in his lifeteme.

“So we should better go back.” He told shortly thereafter, wondering if traversing the plane at night would be as easy as during the day.

"Yes, thank you for your assistance. If I manage to find my way back here in the future, I may take you up on that offer." Anders was a bit surprised that it had been this easy, but he had learned long ago to appreciate when things go right, since such an occurrence tends to be quite rare.

When the others were ready, they set back along the way they had come.

"Whee. So we just walk back, then?"

As you turned to go, there was an amused chuckle. "Just make sure you've released your beetle friends and walk through the edge somewhere." Khepira said. "'Tis one of the traits of this plane - you will be returned to where you left."

"Oh, so we don't have to walk back the long way then? Thanks for the advice," Anders said cheerfully as he turned to the nearest edge instead of back the way they had come.

"Even better. Let's get paid, I guess." And Barion set off, a little suspicious of how easy the whole thing had been.

“Oh well, thank you again Kephira, waiting here for an year to ask again would have been kinda awkward.” Replied Asem, playfully. 'Yeah and those mages could have shared the detail...' He thought. As he followed his companions toward the edge of the plane.

Will stops as Khepira mentions any edge will take them home. He turns and follows the others.

Passing through the closest wall, you found yourselves back in the great square on Central Island, right where you'd left. A few people jolted aside in shock as you came out of nowhere, and one of them waved a fist at you, saying something you probably wouldn't repeat to a kid before going back about his business. The only change was that it was evening here as well.

"And a ***ing **** to you too, blessed be," Brother Barion replied, and bowed. And then, to the others, "So, we walk back to the tower, then? This whole thing seemed... surprisingly uncomplicated for men of our expertise."

"I'm sure they'll be sending us on much more trying tasks before long. I'm happy to take the occasional easy one as it comes along every once in a while," Anders remarked as they headed back to the tower.

“**** off!” Asem replied to the man, before turning to face his companions.

“Yeah oddly easy, the world jumping deal was pretty amazing though.” He commented. “I wonder if the information would be enough to get the pay or if they would expect us to retrieve the book too.” He added.

He did not lower his guard though, after all if the information was precious enough to traverse the planes and pay for mercenaries there was still the chance that someone might try to stop them on the way to the tower.

It was odd. Why was copulation used in such a way so often? It had become a very versatile word over the last few years. So much so it could be almost every word of a sentence. Noun, verb, adjective, adverb. Like a lump of iron waiting to be molded into its final form by the hammer and anvil that was vocabulary and imagination.

"The mission was information. The Dominion Arcane will handle retrieval," Will reminded them. He was a little disappointed that his first mission was so uninteresting. The novelty of the plane wore off quite quickly as it was small and closed. It did offer perspective into the lives of caged creatures.

"Yeah, they did ask us specifically to not attempt to retrieve the book ourselves, and I don't know about you, but I can't see invisible objects anyways. Probably best to leave that to the wizards."

"Yeah, but a talking dog could've handled this one. If they just wanted to see us jump through a few hoops as a prerequisite for employment, I would have preferred actual hoops."

It was, of course, quite possible to walk back to the Guild if you wanted to report right away - which was probably what they were expecting, though they hadn't ordered ordered you to immediately return to them once you had the information.

"I suppose I could use a good meal before we spend another hour waiting in the mages' guild," Barion suggested. "Perhaps we should meet outside the place in an hour or two?"

"I'd prefer to get it over with now, plus if we delay there is the slim chance that someone recovers the book before we're able to relay our information."

"Eh, I'll follow the group consensus on that then."

“Yeah, I'm all for having a drink after the deed is done. But, I mean it's our first time working with the Mages, easy or not I guess we should try to look as efficient as we can.”

Efficient it was - for a certain value of the term, anyway. Here in the evening hours, the hall where you'd gotten your assignment wasn't nearly as crowded, but it still took nearly twenty minutes before you were able to approach Spinel. She gestured over something on her desk, and the sounds from around you abruptly muted.

"The Apprentices try to listen in sometimes." she explained, blatantly ignoring the fact that she didn't need to have had instructions delivered to your home before... unless you counted keeping the beetles hidden, anyway. "How fared your expedition to the Sun Fields?"

"Khepira informed us a copy was in the city of Freeport, in The Lazy Black Cat. Top of the third shelf on the left," Will rambles without much preamble or fluff. In the Longhunters efficiency was important. Then he starts as if he had just thought of something. "Who are the Apprentices and why do they listen?"

I assume they're wizards' apprentices, and they're bored? Like I don't think this is a big mystery hook.

"It's also not an easy book to see," Barion added. "Invisible except to the invisible."

Natural curiosity. Figured its not but who knows.