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The Book of It'Dupree's page

15 posts. Alias of Terquem.


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Thanks!


Would it be possible for someone to fill me in on what day it is now, in relation to when the game started?


Jackie, sweet, sweet Jackie, how many times do I have to tell you to please, let me do the talking for the two of us. You have to forgive my large, and I have been told quite beautiful friend here, she is sweet, innocent, to a fashion, and often very formidable, but has a tendency to misspeak when she tries to explain things she doesn't understand.


No, no, well, I suppose yes, but then again, no. You see, sweet Jackie, that hasn't happened yet. We are four years BR, in this particular scenario


A tall woman, almost too beautiful to believe, but also seeming to be made entirely of wood, yarn, and straw enters the tavern carrying a book.

The book speaks, the sound of a voice comes out of it. The voice is masculine, but friendly and warm

Fascinating. Yes Jacquelyn this looks like the place.


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I do not like the way the iconics are dressed, primarily because I prefer to set all of my adventures in or near a tavern/inn/brothel, where the challenges are mostly related to getting your cloths back after a night of over indulgence.

The current iconic artwork doesn't reflect my games at all.


When you gather around the book, the right hand page is blank, and left hand reads, in small pringt right in the center of the page,

I don’t understand

The words fade quickly as soon as everyone is gathered close enough to read them.

A moment passes and a new passage begins to write itself on the left hand page.

My Lady has detected that everyone alive is gathered close to her tomb and now she wishes for me to inform you of the following; The Goblin and Necromechadon armies are crossing the Nine Penny and Green Way bridges. The closer of these two bridges, the Green Way bridge, is being crossed by the Necromechadon’s, this will place them less than a quarter of a mile away, while the Goblins will be crossing the Nine Penny bridge soon, but not immediately. You are to leave now, and follow the south streets below campus to the west end of the city and then cross the Shaker’s Bridge to the north, and find one hundred forty four West Weaver’s Row, the residence of the Principal of your school. According to the best that she can tell, this part of town has been almost completely destroyed, with many buildings currently on fire. She, my Lady, believes it is unlikely that your principal survived. She is telling me that you must find his residence, and access the secret chambers below the drawing room, though she does not know exactly how that is done. In the chambers below the house is a special device, part mechanical and part magical that allows people to observe others at great distances. This device will allow you to contact her again, and you will meet a being of tremendous power who is the guardian of the machine. Her name is Deborah. When you meet her, she will know of who I am, but will not realize that she can help you communicate with me. You must convince her that she can, she will be reluctant to try, but you must convince her. Tell her that I am ready to negotiate the safe return of the object that belonged to her King. That should do the trick.

The long passage fades from the book and there is a long pause,
Again the small cryptic message appears

I don’t understand

Then the short message flickers, and another long passage begins to write itself.

My Lady insist that I tell you that now it is the time to leave, but that she has changed her mind, changed her mind about something that bothered her many centuries ago, something she had thought she did not care to think about ever again, something that did not go as she had planned. I do not understand. My Lady says that one of you is to tear out the page at the back of me, where the words, I’m Sorry are written in blood, but as I have repeatedly told my Lady, there is no such page within me, and I am familiar with every single page that makes up this book. She says to tear out the page, and fold it very carefully, bind it closed with wax or string, and place it inside a special compartment in the back of the head of the doll that was found by Asbques. Then you are to take the doll to the tomb of tears, a place I do not know, but my Lady says that you will understand. Place the doll on the bones within the tomb. Doing these things will activate a series of prepared spells, and will animate the doll. It is important, my Lady says, that you keep the doll safe and bring it to her. I do not understand

The long passage fades, there is a short pause, and then another message begins.

My new friends, this is all my Lady has said. She waits for you to follow her instructions, but I do not understand how she can expect you to do the impossible. There is no page within me that is beyond my control, and no page where any message appears unless I put it there.


The pages of the book are blank, for a moment, and then a small italicized script appears

Ah, a secret door, of course. You see, I cannot see you, or where you are, and I am only slightly aware of my position and surroundings. I rely on my lady to tell me the things I need to know. She communicates with me, in a very special way. I relay to you her wants and needs. When she had me tell you to stop bothering with things that do not concern you, I did not know what she meant. If there is something hidden where you are, that she does not want you to know about, then I should not help you, but then again…

The words fade away slowly, and then a new message appears

It was so very long ago. I was once something very different from what I am now. I can hardly remember what that was like, but I remember that I was curious and that a secret door would probably drive me to do things I was told not to do. This was one of the things that made us close, my lady and i. She would tell me that not always doing exactly what she told me to do was brave, and that she liked that in me. Yes, I remember. Try using a very slim knife and slide it along the edges of the door until you feel resistance. Of course if it is trapped, you might be in trouble, but if it is not, you should be able to open any latch with a good deal of pressure on the latch.


The Book of It’Dupree, is quiet for a moment, after Aureth’s question, and then a few small words appear on the left page

I can only imagine, as my lady is quite occupied by other matters at the time, that I can only guess that the enemies will goblins or necromechadons, or both, as these are the armies that are destroying the city at this time.


Hello again, the words appear in a small and straight forward script on the left page of the open book.

I’m afraid I have some disturbing news. My lady has informed me that she is losing her eyes. That is to say, that scattered throughout the city there are agents and objects that Lady MonStropidious has access to that allow her to monitor and keep informed of the goings on in around the city, but that it would seem that the invading armies have discovered this and are now actively seeking these agents and objects and destroying them. It is only a matter of time before these invaders learn of my existence, and then they will try to come here and deal with me in a similar fashion.

The words fade from the page and then after a pause they are replaced by larger words in a more friendly font.

But she says not to worry. They will not be able to enter this archive. They will, however, surround this building, no doubt, and that will prevent your escape. So, my lady has informed me that she believes you have approximately four hours to rest, gather what you can, perhaps take a short nap, for who knows when you will be able to sleep again, and then when the sun sets, make your exit from this place. She will continue to monitor what she can and if the enemy arrives sooner than expected, she will warn you. Good luck.

These words also fade, but then there is a sudden new message

Oh, yes, sorry, I forgot. She says to tell you that it is probably best for you to head straight to the principal’s residence, and search there for the device that is linked to your amulets. If she can, she will contact you once you have found that device, and from there she will direct your next course of action.


The warning vanishes in an instant

"My lady wishes for me to inform you,”

Words, in a small innocuous script begin to appear on the page

”that she has become aware of a significant event that has taken place in the city where you live, and that at this time it is most likely that everyone you know, everyone you hold dear to your heart, is dead, or in such a state that they wish they were.”

”An invasion has been undertaken by forces of two great evils in the universe. They have come together for a reason that is unfathomable, but their presence and systematic destruction of the city above you is clear.”

When these words fade there is a long pause

Words, in an elegant script appear,

”Forgive me, I am getting somewhat emotional. Ahem, yes my lady, please go on.”

An image of a powerful and elaborately dressed Goblin Crone appears on the right page

”This is an image of some being calling herself, ‘The Goblin Queen of Korgin Rugg Mearoth’ and she leads an army of tens of thousands of creatures who have invaded the city from the northwest.”

The image fades and is replaced by a repulsive image of a decaying multi-colored dragon like monstrosity that is part zombie and part machine

”This is an image of the Necrodreagonomechadon, a creature not of this world who leads an army of abominations against the natural world. They have appeared simultaneously all over the city. Apparently gated in through the work of spell casters working in secret for no one knows how long.”

”These armies will destroy the city. A powerful spell of eternal darkness has been dropped upon us, and there is nothing I can do to lift it.”

”But, this was once my city, and I will not see it fall. My ability to see through the shroud that has dropped is limited. I cannot be certain there is much, if anything that you children can do. But you must try, and the first thing you must do is find me.”

”I cannot tell you where I am, for this is one of the things that I ensured would provide me with protection. I hid myself, even from myself. But I am here, below the city, somewhere. Within my palace are the tools and the help you will need to drive the Necromechadons back to their universe, and defeat the Goblin Queen.”

”At this time it is unsafe to venture away from these catacombs, which are protected from me and from our enemies by magic more powerful than even I understand. If you are in trouble, try to return to this place, as I believe no one who is not of the right heart and mind can set foot within these chambers.”

”There are watchers, there were watchers, in the city. Powerful creatures with the ability to see through even the strongest illusions. One of these was a guest of the principal of your school. You must wait until I tell you it is safe, and that may be a while, but when it is, you must hurry to find his house, your principal’s house, and talk with the watcher. Maybe she can tell you how to find me.”

”remember, it is always safe here. Nothing that has fallen upon the city can harm you while you are here. Good Luck Children. I look forward to meeting you when you have found me.”

The words fade, and the book is silent.


DO NOT LEAVE THE CATACOMBS AT THIS TIME OR YOU WILL SURELY DIE!


”Anion, yes, come closer, good. My lady is still quiet. I can only imagine she is determining the proper course of action, so while I wait for her to inform me of what I am to tell you next, I will answer a few of your questions. How’s that? Help, me, well, no I shouldn’t. Promise me you’ll keep it too yourselves, no I can’t ask. Oh, alright. You see, it has been so long since I’ve been closed and opened a few times, and well, the spine, it becomes stiff and it aches so. And I do love to have my pages flipped quickly, if you don’t mind, just make sure you’ve put me back and left me open when you are done. She can become angry if people disturb her things.”

“As to the Lady I speak of, well, she expected you would not know who she is. Behind me is the sarcophagus that was prepared for her when she died, and you now stand in the room specially constructed to ensure that she would not lie there for all eternity. My lady is the Lich baroness it’Dupree MonStropidious, and she is delighted to have the pleasure of your company. She lived four hundred years ago, and died, well, that is a matter of a technical definition of some complexity, but she now resides in a place of deep mystery and…wait, yes, I think she is ready to speak. Please stand by.


”I am not altogether surprised that Anion is shy. It would seem it is a part of his charm. Oh well, never mind all that."

This lettering too dissolves after a pause and a new message appears, this time with a more grandiose script

”Children, allow me to introduce myself. I am Oscar, Book IV of the Sentinel Edition of Magicostrum Indorectori, one of the Books of It‘Dupree MonStropidious. Through me my lady wishes to speak to the one of you who is, as she says, “Calling the shots.” She has informed me that she believed this would naturally be the one among you who is the most charming, but now she is quietly reflecting on the absurd possibility that she was mistaken. Could you all gather around, please, and I will once again attempt to ascertain the information my lady desires, and then, if she is through with her contemplations, perhaps she will entertain a question from you before she explains the reason for my interrupting you while you are at play.”


”I accept your apology, Aureth. Well, now who is this? Ah, Rovasi. Yes, welcome. Now, eh, what’s that? Hmm, tell Miss Caelum, the Bright one not the Dark one, that she is possibly correct, and possibly incorrect. OH, I suppose I was a little abrupt with Aureth, I hope he understands. It has been a long time. Wait, what’s this? Tell the other Caelum that she should not look in places that were hidden for a reason. Now, WHERE IS ANION?”