Bard seemed pleased with the mention of the jewelled sages. He still seems loyal, though the many years of brooding and scheming against Saruna will have had its impact on his mind. Sauna speaks with bitter resentment when it comes to the sages - it's only a thin veil that the 'stubbed toe' was some sort of wrongdoing by the sages. She too is bitter with a mind twisted through time. Whether any of them is to be trusted is highly doubtful.
Reason to fight, or fight for reasoning? Books disappear, and reason disappears, and what comes in return?
"I think we can stand assured that Badru is still loyal to the Jewelled Sages. Saruna, however, is bitter and resentful of the Sages, due to some apparent wrongdoing. I don't really trust either of them, but perhaps more information would be helpful." He proceeds to direct a question to Saruna, either directly or through Hagnar. "What have the Jewelled Sages done to anger you so?" To Badru, he asks, "What has Saruna done, that you would call her disloyal?"
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Kress comments "While we could let them decide by battle. The library is not a proper arena and would sustain more damage. I believe the sage asked us to keep the damage to a minimal. Let us hear the wrong and see if it can be righted. It seems the diamond sage chose two guardians for some reason. "
[ooc]Badru and Saruna are in two entirely different rooms, and wouldn't be too keen on knowing they are negotiated with simultaneously. I'm assuming Oloch addresses his questions to Saruna.
Preservers of knowledge fought seekers of ground. What creature has wings, yet stood at sage's side? It guarded sanctum with riddles of mind, while preserver of knowledge sought secrets of sand.
A ritual found, of blood and gems. And I now speak having long since died. The sage asked for commitment of heart and soul; he left cold stone and a ragged hole.
The mummified sphinx then adds: I seek but that my knowledge is not lost to the world.
Badru, meanwhile, offers a bit less cryptic explanation of what transpired:
I was mortal once, and I served the Amethyst Sage with devotion, aspiring to be the steward of a sage jewel in time. When the servants of the Padishah emperor first appeared, my master, the Amethyst Sage, undertook dangerous missions to preserve Osirion’s history and the sages’ work.
Naturally, I volunteered when the Amethyst Sage had most need of me. When his experiments into immortality needed the transfer of a soul, I stepped forward. He made me what I am today: an immortal construct. I have served my master ever since, faithfully, as his archivist. I await his return, while the traitor Saruna...
She does not appreciate her gift. She is disloyal, and must be removed.
Hagnar continues his conversation with Saruna. "We seek to discover and preserve knowledge. Will you forsake your bitterness and this feud to aid our mutual cause? Or is hatred for the Sages now your master?"
Saruna says Forsake or pursue, that is the riddle. I will not forsake my knowledge in this world, and I will pursue my vengeance on the one that betrayed me. These things I must accomplish before I leave this world.
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Kress comments to Saruna via the translator "The Diamond sage sent us, and she spoke of the Amethyst sage in the past tense. If he is dead then only the need to pass on you knowledge would remain ."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Here above we’re left alone, left to fight over forgotten tomes. Fled or dead? One way to know: seek out the library and the beacon below.
Hagnar huddles with the rest of the Pathfinders. "I don't think we can settle this argument, and I'm surprised the entire library hasn't been destroyed after their centuries-old feud. Perhaps neither is willing to actually damage the library, and we only thought we were helping. Maybe we should leave them to their quarrel. Or bring them both before the Sage and let her decide their fate..."
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"I think we should pick a side and help one against the other. Not only would it restore peace in this place and make it a place of learning once again, but we would gain a valuable ally. From what I've heard of both sides, that sphinx is so disgusted with herself that she wishes to die, so..." The orcish sorcerer stops mid-sentence, lost in his scheming.
... why not indulge here! Unless... Unless we find her a new purpose? Zarta told me she was looking for a new head librarian for the Dark Archive. She would be a valuable asset indeed. Badru has more strings attached here, he wouldn't agree to leave.
After pondering things, he resumes, whispering to make sure that no one can hear them. "I could help Saruna find a new purpose in life, one that would put her talents into light and put an end to this endless battle. If we could make sure to turn her into an ally, for example by finding a way to lessen her self-disgust, then she would help us with the cataloguing of this place. Let's keep an eye out for such an opportunity in our explorations."
Oloch nods. "Battle without purpose is wasted. Let us continue and find that purpose below."
The alcoves in the corridor hold scrolls filled with ancient poetry.
The area Saruna is in is a large chapel to Toth. A search reveals three powdered diamonds - the type used to bind elementals of the air type.
Badru slinks away as the adventurers no longer keep him in conversation. Find me in the workshop below, he says as he moves into the mists of the foggy northern hallways.
The hallways to the north are lined with intricate glowing hieroglyphs.
Sandor finds one particularly valuable scroll, which resides in a fireproof case hidden in one of the alcoves along the west wall. The text records the deathbed account of a wizard who witnessed the Pharaoh of Forgotten Plagues binding the daemonic harbinger Zelishkar of the Bitter Flame.
Hagnar looks at the glowing glyphs, sounding them out...
The writing appears to be some kind of catalog of items - enumerating a vast range of knowledge stored somewhere else. It appears that the catalog is magically linked to a collection, and will even update automatically.
What is worrisome, is that items seem to be in the process of being removed from the list, at a somewhat steady pace.
The hall of the catalog are filled with fog, just like the rest of the corridors here, and there seems to be some spell active that causes those wandering in the twisty passage to become confused and move the wrong way. In the absence of threats, however, it is of little detriment.
The whole area is under the influence of a 'Guard and Wards' spell, concealing all doors behind an illusion, and creating fog and confusion in all hallways.
"I do not like the looks of this. Someone - or something - is removing items from this collection. Worse, I think this fog is a detriment to our cause, but I am unsure of its origin or true purpose..." Hagnar muses out loud.
The hieroglyphs only contain a list of what is available in a collection, and items seem to be dropping off.
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"There's a powerful spell at work here, one that block our path and hides our way. I think the illusive walls we encountered earlier were consequences of that. If anyone is capable of dispelling, we could suppress one of the effects, like the veiled doors for example."
Responding to Hagnar's observation, Shandor snorts. "We'll have to hurry then. I suggest we start by finding what removes the items, then survey the reminder of the archives later."
"Concur. Let's get moving!"
Oloch nods, "We need to get going, fog or no, if we're going to save the collection."
Kyra's dispel is unfortunately not sufficient to dispel the illusory shielding effect on the door on this level.
There's a corridor on the northeast side, leading into another twisted hallway, filled with webs. To the south, some scorch marks end abruptly at the southern wall. There seems to another pathway that has seen some action, which also ends at the wall. ().
Takahiro manages to see through the illusion that is the wall to the south, and immediately points it out to his co-adevnturers.
"If you say so...I'm not seeing it, though."