The prim voice on the other side says, "What ruins? This city is built upon generations of ruins. We don't need donations and we aren't soliciting outside research work, so I bid you good day."
He put his hand into the slot to stop him from closing the shutter.
He tried to guage what the man wanted.. not wealth or research then maybe fear would work.... He hated trying to be the bad guy.
Allow me to try Beautiful...." He began winking at Saersha, he should really try to bed her one day. They were to much alike...in a lot of ways.
"House Derexhi... Needs access to this tower to study something and you will take me to your master. I dont waste my time with mere servants. And before you try to tell me that House Derexhi has no sway here i will retort that my house has no direct sway in this city i will nod and acquiese.. then point out that the riches my house does have access too do hold sway... and i will pay heavily to watch this place burn and sift through its ashes.... now take us to your manager..."
Looking ominously behind Trendon, Ryn is quite visible to the person peering through the opening. "If you value having a job...or a roof over your head...you'll do what he says."
The eyes behind the shutter blink a few times, then there's the sound of a heavy metal bolt sliding, and the door opens with a creak.
"If you're in such a hurry to check out a book, don't let me get in your way," says the librarian, revealed to be a hunched-over very old woman in a red robe. She stays partly occluded by the door as she holds it open.
The Spire itself is a six-story perfectly circular tower, but the interior is so cluttered that the immense structure isn't even visible—all you can see is rows of books on the walls and carpets on the floors. A pair of small alcoves to either side of the entrance, which would normally serve as guard posts, have turned into librarians' offices. A massive column in the center of the chamber bears a broad circular stone staircase that heads both up and down.
The librarian shuts the door behind you and bolts it again with a large, heavy metal bolt.
"You're not here about ruins, so what do you really want? Besides threatening old women," she says.
"it was not done for spite or joy mam. Our needs are pressing and we dont have time for niceties. What recompense can we offer the insult to your dignity?"
He asked the old woman making a subtle motion with his hands to his friends letting them to know he has the lady distracted for now take care of our business....
With a cough, the matronly librarian says, "If I were pursuing money, I wouldn't be a librarian."
She gestures to the stacks. "Bottom floor is all reference indices, arranged by categories. That massive tome there—"—she points to a heavy book bound with metal rings—"—is a list of the categories themselves, in alphabetical order. Just don't burn the place down."
"I would have thought that a librarian would understand words...i said recompense you.. not pay you with coin... not all compensation is money my dear. I have resources as a noble that would make some pale. I do thank you for your time though.
"Alright, anyone have any ideas on what we should be researching first?"" Ryn says quietly to those more likely to track down the information they seek.
"Well if we're looking for one of the Shards, maybe we start there. Speaking of, when's the last time that Saersha pinged our existing shards for a direction?"
Being more of an oral history man himself, Ulfr asks Where are the sagas of powerful deeds done here?
"Look for anything about the runelords... Sihedrian shards....
He called out heading to the large tome with the indexes of whats where....
The librarian putters about with a large index book and then says to Ulfr, "Recorded oral histories, mostly material brought in by the Pathfinder Society. We have a collection of transcribed runic and oral traditions, kept in fourteen volumes of leather-bound folios, if you want to see them."
To Trendon she says, "Sihedron shards? A curious coincidence. Various knowledge-seeking groups come through the Therassic Spire from time to time, of course, and the tower connects to deep underground repositories, including some areas that scholars suggest may date back to the Runelords, or even earlier. Information about pre-Starfall is sketchy and unreliable, of course. Did you want to know about a specific Runelord or Sihedron fragment?"
Yes, but tendon worded our main question better, so let's do his request first.
The librarian scuttles over to a reference desk and flips through several books before she produces a sheaf of papers loosely bound in a red leather folio that looks extremely old. She pages through it for a few moments, then says, "It is interesting and possibly fortuitous that you've arrived now. Not long ago we—meaning the librarians of the Therassic Spire—received a communication from a society far, far below, in a subterranean settlement called Xavorax. These, um, under-dwellers, for lack of a better term, indicated that they had discovered the location of a Sihedron shard, accessible via the byways from this very Spire. They offered to collaborate in recovery of the shard."
She carefully holds up the red leather folio to show some scribbled notes and a picture of a humanoid creature with a bifurcated jaw and a hunched posture, with several integral, biological armored plates over its shoulders and neck and no eyes on its otherwise smooth and hairless head.
"Our library sent an expedition to meet with these folk, but the expedition hasn't returned. They consisted of a human woman named Hasari, a halfling named Perotus, a bloatmage gnome called Luonim the Vast, and a dark naga woman named Silasni."
"According to these creatures, the shard is in a location that they call the 'Dark Forest'—not ominous at all—and if a team meets with them by following the byways below the Spire, they can transport the team to the location of the Shard. Their interest is ostensibly academic."
The librarian very carefully closes the book and says, "Obviously, our level of trust in these creatures is low. Why would they simply give up a Sihedron shard? What do they really want? Is this just bait to send people to be eaten? But at the very least, now we need a team to rescue the missing expedition."
With a wry twist of her wrinkled lips, the librarian says, "If you or someone you know fits that description, and can do so discreetly, the Spire has set aside some amount of funds for such an operation."
As they entered the library Saersha looked around curiously as she considered the place. She headed towards the large book, along with at least a couple of the others, to look through the index. As she did so she listened to the discussion going on with the librarian and said, "The Runelord who would have ruled here actually. From the sounds of it the area below the tower may be a good spot to check.:
Saersha thought about the shard she carried and pulled it out for a moment. She focused on the piece and used it to try and get a fix on the shard they were looking for.
Eventually the Librarian spoke of the offer they had received and the missing group and, once she finished her search, responded, "Interesting. I do not believe this is a coincidence and I think we should look into this. From the sounds of it one of Zutha's, Saersha said the name with disgust, "sinspawn may be involved if the bifurcated jaw is any indication."
"That sounds very promising," Ryn chimes in. "Looks like we might be making a trip below the city."
If only that delightful dark skinned friend of our employer was about. I dont suppose you miss librarian would know of any guides in the city for hire? or did your troupe take them with?
"The expedition that went below previously said that they had some experience in navigating the depths. The Therassic Spire doesn't connect to a wide range of meandering tunnels, so it's challenging to get lost," says the librarian.
"Then it seems we should be able to manage if we go down there ourselves," Saersha said. It was was good to know but there were other important things they were doing and they should be about them."So how would we get down there," she asked the librarian.
The librarian says, "If you want to go rooting around downstairs, then bring your blades and I'll unlock the cellar door and lead you through the passages to where the tunnels go into the deeps. The Therassic workshops below have been sealed for a long time, aside from the last group that went down there, but once you have bypassed the various research laboratories, you should be able to reach a long passageway that, according to our distant confederates, provides a gateway to the Dark Forest, a small extradimensional realm."
Perhaps a quick trip back to the inn, to secure our things and perhaps say some farewells....
It was clear he was thinking of the lovely Nyxra... not so much their joy toy boy Arnic. Though perhaps it was nice to let him know he was on his own again... unless he wanted to travel into darkness and danger.
I'm carrying my life with me, as always, so I'm ready whenever youall are!
"Maybe pick up a few things to help with illunination, for those of us not blessed with the ability to see in the dark..." Ryn suggests, giving Azura a wink. "...and rations. Food...or at least what we think of as food, might be scarce."
Azura says, "Yeah, you're right, we need to make sure that Arnic isn't left hanging. He may be safe for the moment, but if we're gone for a while, he may need to make other arrangements."
"Let's get our business in order and come back here when we have fewer loose ends."
With this in mind, the team returns to let Arnic know about their expedition. The high-strung aasimar is nervous, but you have an ace card to play: Nyxra can play house-sitter to your guest while your team heads down below.
With the wealth of merchants in the city, it's a simple matter to purchase several days of expeditionary supplies, though some of the items on offer are rather distinct from the tastes of your home towns. Preserved food becomes more than just hardtack and jerky; the offerings include a variety of pungent pickled vegetables in ceramic jars, in the Hwanggot style; dried powdered eggs that definitely didn't come from a chicken; and a small array of fresh fruits with thick, green rinds that the seller claims will remain viable for at least a week as long as they aren't peeled until just before they are eaten. At least it'll be some variety.
With Arnic and Princess Puffball safely under the watchful eye of Nyxra and her associates, you have the leeway to spend one last comfortable night in cozy beds before making your way back to the Therassic spire on the morning of the following day.
~~~~~~~~~~
When you pound your fist on the library door, the slide opens, the wizened eyes squint, and then the door opens after a loud clang from the bar. The librarian sighs and says, "So you're serious, eh? I half expected not to see you again."
Koifa (the librarian) takes up an oil lamp and leads you down the staircase and past several windy shelves of books. You descend two more stairs, both in remote corners of subterranean levels, realizing that she could easily get you lost in here, and the connections between levels in the library are not obvious. Finally she arrives at a barricade, where a hallway is blocked by a half-dozen overturned reading tables and a dozen quiet, tense-looking librarians. In whispered tones, Koifa explains to them that you are here to locate the missing party below and finish making contact with the strangers in the Dark Forest in the depths, and the librarians wave you past the barricade, which requires you to shove some tables and climb over some stools.
The halls here are unlit, and you leave the lamplight of the librarians behind as you head... southeast? you think... into stone-worked passages that are doubtless centuries old. The ceilings are ten feet above and squared off, and the hall narrows to five feet wide, requiring you to proceed single file. It circles and arches, going ever downward, sometimes at a slight angle, sometimes in a tight, twisting stairwell, and finally comes to a smooth stone wall with a slab of stone hanging open—presumably a secret door that would mesh flush with the wall when closed. Koifa gestures to the chamber beyond.
"This is as far as I go," says the librarian. "Good luck."
Beyond the stone aperture is a simple square room, 20' by 20'. The chamber is bare save for a single ornate, high-backed wooden chair against the near wall. In the room’s center, a head-sized blob of condensed purple fluid slowly pulses and warps, like a drop of heavy oil suspended underwater.
The effort of moving the multiple bits of furniture arranged to block the subterranean entrance, completely distracts Ryn from the details of her suroundings.
Once they're through, she reaches into a pouch on her belt, taking out a tiny ioun stone with a continual flame emanating from it, tossining it into the air where it joins the pearl white spindle already orbiting her head. ”Soooo…I’m assuming that thing somehow acts as a portal to this Dark Forest place?”
One of the librarians snorts and says, "No. We don't even know what that is. This is just the pathway that leads to... wherever the Dark Forest portal lies. The expedition group went this way and never came back."
Another librarian says with a sprightly wave, "Good luck!"
The strange blob wobbles and pulses in the air as Ryn's ioun torch brings light to the chamber. A closed door is visible on the far wall.
"Anyone want to check out the door before we just open it?" Ryn asks, moving in the direction of the closed door while giving the weird pulsing blob of condensed purple fluid a sidelong glance.
"And does anyone have the faintest idea what that thing is?"
I have no idea. But yes, I'll check the door. Ulfr moves along the edge of the room, careful not to get any closer to the odd blob than is necessary...
As Ryn and Ulfr skirt the edge of the room as best they can, the blob pulses and then a pleasant femme-sounding voice emits from it.
Saersha was hesitant to go inside until someone checked things first but once the strange blob in the room spoke her eyes widened. Her gaze turned to the blob and Saersha responded to it in the same language.
The pulsing purple floating blob seems to hesitate for a moment, then its pulsing motion reshapes into a jagged, angular rune, floating in the air.
Note that this is damage, not drain, so if your Strength goes to 0, you don't die, you simply become unable to move.
Then the rune resumes its blob-like state, floating placidly in the air.
Ulfr grunts as his muscles turn to jelly. His weapons now feel as heavy as they look. Saresha? he growls. What was that?
Ryn frowns as the blob shifts to form some kind of rune, feeling...something...that she manages to shrug off. "I think you just triggered the defense system. You alright Ulfr? How's everyone else feeling?"
Stay back ladies i will speak with the...
he had never been a strong man... but he wasnt weak either. . . he found himself staggeting under the weight of his armor and his pack. He fell back hard on his ass.
Ulfr grimaces. Weakness. Oof. I haven't felt like this since that bout of Crown Flu a few years back!
Azura steps in to grab Trendon and help him back out.
"Must be some kind of ward or guard!" she says.
Only a few seconds later, the blob emits the same words in the gentle feminine voice.
"alright you stupid blob..." he grumbled studying it...
" Some sort of spell effect... im guessing it triggers when you reply to it wrong wither language or the way in which its worded... if we leave and come back it will probably reset..."
Saersha staggered as the wave of magic washed over her but she managed to withstand it and backed out of the room while glaring at the orb. "Well, I did not expect that to happen. It must be set to respond if the wrong response is given." Her eyes narrowed as she considered the problem and asked, somewhat distractedly, "Is everyone alright?"
Azura says, "I'm all right, but Trendon's rather limp."
"So Searsha, think you can...I don't know switch that thing off, or would it be safe to just ignore it?" she asks the sorceress, their expert on weird Runelord magic. "We have no idea what we're going to run into down there, so it might not be a great idea walking in with a few of us already weakened."
Having considered the issue Saersha finally responded, "I think that my accent might have been the problem. The...magical construct is old and likely unfamiliar with how the language sounds now. I might be able to mimic the right intonations to make it behave but if I mess up it will do the same thing again. Probably better to just try and shut it down, I think I can manage that much just...," Saersha hesitated and then finished, "get ready to pull me to safety if I mess it up and go down."
With that Saersha stepped into the room and spoke once more in Ancient Thassilonian being very careful of her accent.
The rune pulses and says something in reply.
The blob shrinks to a very small sphere, still floating in the air, and stops glowing.
"Well that seemed to work. Nicely done, Searsha!" Ryn says, taking a moment to study the now seemingly inert orb. "Ulfr, Trendon, do you feel up to heading below now or should we find a way to recover your strength first?"
Ulfr shrugs. I'm not going to hit as hard like this, but I won't be useless. I can go on.
Azura'a words cut as his pride a little. He knew they shouldnt but they did. When Ryn asked him if he was okay the face he made was obvious.
He tried to stand up straining to get to his feet with his pack and gears the effort obvious on his features.
"I am afraid i am about as useful right now as ... bah. If i could just get to my feet i'll be fine."
He lied still struggling to get upright.
Ulfr takes Trendon's hands and helps him up with uncharacteristic effort, then doesn't let go. They stand there for a moment, leaning on each other. We should probably find a way to get us back to full strength. he puns.