In the Light of Black Stars (Strange Aeons)

Game Master Thackery Baxter J Thorington

Hearda glides over to the shattered desk, moving as silently as a ghost. Glancing all around him he steps over to the south doors and presses his ear against the surface, straining to hear anything on the other side...

Feliks padded in after Hearda to check the northern door. Last thing they needed was to leave an enemy behind them by rushing on.

Perc first, but he'll open it if he doesn't hear anything concerning.

The old man wanders quietly to the middle of the room, looking around in fear and wonder.

While Hearda investigates the southern door and Feliks the northern one, Amber draws her bow and carefully moves further into the room. She stands in front of the desk and gazes watchfully down the eastern hallway.

Nothing of interest in the desk?

Hearda glides over to the shattered desk, moving as silently as a ghost. Glancing all around him he steps over to the south doors and presses his ear against the surface, straining to hear anything on the other side. All is silent beyond the doors, the keen ears of his savage nature hear naught but the still dripping of water falling from the eaves. He peers through a gap in the door and sees a yellow fog surrounding the asylum. Strange, dark shapes boil and seethe within its roiling clouds. They undulate and pulse, half-formed and self-consuming deep within the mists.

Feliks pads in after Hearda to check the northern door. Last thing they need is to leave an enemy behind them by rushing on. The wood is stout and thick. He hears nothing from beyond. It is silent as the grave.

The Oldest One finds a thick guest book in a drawer of the desk. Names are written on it precise handwriting. Beside him, Amber hears moaning coming from deeper down the hall. `It's a gurgling, burping moan, like mud rolling over itself.

Feliks opened his door as quietly as he could.

Hearda returns to the others whispering softly, "The exit...as sealed as if by stone. No escape there."

Seeing Felix about to open the door he draws his mace and moves to the other side of the halfling, ready for trouble.

"And there's...something down that way," Amber whispers, nodding towards the darkened hallway. "Some sort of noise. We need to be careful while we're looking in other directions."

"I've found a book - a list of names." The old man looks around as he speaks quietly "I doubt it'll be much use to us in our escape, but it may be it holds my name, or clues to our histories. I'll put it in my bag for now."
"As for the noise - would we better to investigate it first? Doors can be braced."

Hearda returns to the others whispering softly, "The exit...as sealed as if by stone. No escape there."

"And there's...something down that way," Amber whispers, nodding towards the darkened hallway. "Some sort of noise. We need to be careful while we're looking in other directions." The noise continues, although it doesn't grow louder.

As they speak, Feliks cautiously opens the northern door. Beyond, is a room of aged and forgotten knowledge. Sagging shelves, held together by dust and an extensive system of rolling ladders, ring this library of husky, dull-looking tomes. At the room’s center broods a heavily worn
table surrounded by uncomfortable chairs. A chandelier of iron vines dangles above. The scents of leather and old paper pervade the high-ceilinged space, but so does a distinct bestial musk. The floor is strewn with the tatters of books and scrolls ripped from the now-barren lower shelves of the bookcases.

Once the library is revealed to him, Hearda forgets all thoughts of the dangers lurking out in the hall and starts to step inside...stopping as the bestial part of him grabs hold of him, his motion stopped.

Fool! That smell...can you not smell it? This place is claimed by a foul beast, and must be dealt with before we plumb this place for answers!

He slowly moves to the opening and peers inside, all his senses straing to catch sign of the beast he knows must be lurking here.

Feliks barely lifted his foot off the floor before the scent took him. An animal? where? He eyed one of the sturdier looking books and reached out with his mind.

Once the library is revealed to him, Hearda forgets all thoughts of the dangers lurking out in the hall and starts to step inside...stopping as the bestial part of him grabs hold of him, his motion stopped. He slowly moves to the opening and peers inside, all his senses straining to catch sign of the beast he knows must be lurking here. Keen though his savage eyes are, they cannot pierce the darkness and find the source of the smell.

Behind him, Feliks barely lifts his foot off the floor before the scent takes him. An animal? where? He eyes one of the sturdier looking books and reaches out with his mind. It topples over easily, crashing with the bookshelves on the far side of the table. Atop the shelf, he hears the scuttle of rats scurrying across the shaking wood, as though they were afraid of the flying tome.

Just rats? Thank the gods...

"It's just rats," he said, smiling. "Someone said there was a noise? We could lure whatever it is to here and ambush it?"

He took an experimental step into the library.

The old man peers into the library - and leaps back as a book crashes to the table - moving as if by some unseen force. A cry escapes his lips as his hands fumble for a vial and his eyes search for the threat. "Rats? I think not. Rats don't topple a book like that."

The old man peers into the library - and leaps back as a book crashes to the table - moving as if by some unseen force. A cry escapes his lips as his hands fumble for a vial and his eyes search for the threat. "Rats? I think not. Rats don't topple a book like that."

"That was me," Feliks said.

The old man gave Feliks a look within which distrust warred with disgust. No trace of his thoughts showed in his voice as he responds quietly. "Ah. I see. Yes, I should have realised." Changing the topic he continues "Amber - could you describe the noise you heard?"

Hearda turns to give his fellow dreamer Feliks an unreadable look. "You certainly have many talents." He comments as he slowly steps into the library. An unbidden spell comes to his lips as he holds out his hand, a pale light begins to emanate from his palm. "Let's have a look around...we can close the door behind us."

"And bar it." agrees the old man, then takes his own advice, quietly closing the doors and looping his belt around the handles.

"I suggest we be methodical. We go through everything, and form a stack of interesting candidates on the table. We can take back what we find and peruse it at leisure." the old man looks around the library "Even with all of us, I suspect it'll take at least an hour to do even a causal search, but may well be time well spent. We have days, after all."

The old man continues "If you find an item you cannot read, put it by the door. We can each check to see if any of us understand it."

A frown clouds the old man's visage. "While I would not normally expect rats to be dangerous. Given what this place has done to the sentient inhabitants, it behoves us to be cautious."

The old man gave Feliks a look within which distrust warred with disgust. No trace of his thoughts showed in his voice as he responds quietly. "Ah. I see. Yes, I should have realised." Changing the topic he continues "Amber - could you describe the noise you heard?"

Feliks shrugged, "I don't know any more than you do."

The old man continues "If you find an item you cannot read, put it by the door. We can each check to see if any of us understand it."

"That's a good idea," Feliks said, looking over the shelves.

"It sounded like some sort of...moaning and slopping, like mud being churned over itself..." Amber grimaces as she moves to follow the others into the library. "But I don't think it was coming closer, at least. Shutting the door behind us probably isn't a bad idea, though..."

With the group in agreement on giving the library a more thorough search, Amber flits over to the southeastern corner and begins giving the books a look.

Once the door has been secured, Hearda turns his attention to the books at hand...

Disturbed by Amber's description, the old man stands a moment with ear pressed to door, listening for sounds. Finally he takes a deep breath, muttering to himself, and turns his mind to cataloguing the decrepit library.

As the dreamers search through the tattered and rat-eaten tomes, they gain a sense of the former status the asylum once held in the medical community. It becomes increasingly apparent that Briarstone's library boasts an impressive collection of texts covering advanced psychological theories and treatments, common medical practices, and matters of regional record. Hearda recognizes many of these tomes as copies of texts that would probably be held at Rozenport's Sincomakti School of Sciences; some even bear the university's imprint. How they ended up in Briarstone's library is no mystery, although the exact events are shrouded in fog; institutions of learning and science are always engaged in a form of "friendly" rivalry, and employ any tactics necessary to gain the upper hand, although violence is almost unheard of.

Beyond the texts, four rolling ladders span the 8-foot-tall bookshelves here, one for each of the four contiguous sets of shelves. The ladders are attached to the shelf frames, and the dreamers find that they roll easily along steel tracks.

The book on the bottom shelves are mostly destroyed, and of little interest, mostly uninspired texts about medical techniques that are found in any scholar's den. But, beneath a pile of half-eaten paper and droppings, the Oldest One finds several tunnels dug through the stone and earth of the building. One, in particular is well-used and is too small for him, or any full-sized person to go through, but should just be wide enough for Feliks to wriggle through.

It is at this precise moment, that is his mind reaches out, unbidden and he feels the pull of several books.. each a veritable trove of information. And danger. Perhaps it is this the sudden burst of information that overwhelms him, quickening his steps as he sees Amber gasp in shock while the others are lost in their researches.

At her own corner, Amber hears a scratching, squeaking sound. Like a rat attempting something like human speech. Something...someone... or, perhaps, both is attempting to marshal eldritch powers against them!

Surprise Round! Amber isn't surprised, everyone else is. Order is Amber, then rats. Then Round 1: Feliks, Oldest One and Amber, Rats?, Hearda.
Sorry this took so long. I kept thinking i could wrest myself from RL issues. I thought wrong.

"Watch out, here in the corner-!" Amber cries. Though she's not sure how, she knows that some sort of foul magic is being conjured against them. Instinctively, she takes a step back as her hand darts into one of her pockets and grasps a small round stone.

Surprise round!
"Watch out, here in the corner-!" Amber cries. Though she's not sure how, she knows that some sort of foul magic is being conjured against them. Instinctively, she takes a step back as her hand darts into one of her pockets and grasps a small round stone.

As she does, she turns and sees a nightmare come to life. To her eyes, and those of her companions, the yellow-ragged horror from their pulls itself from the piles of papers and detritus on the floor. It grins, saliva dripping from its fanged wound of a mouth as its rags reach out to the dreamers. It is a horrific vision, to bare witness to this abomination is more than any mind can bear. Amber, Hearda, and Feliks scream in abject fear as their minds are confronted with something that cannot be. Only the Oldest One, who's back is turned as he studies a book for clues remains unaware of this nightmare.

Round 1 Starts! order is Oldest One, then Ratlings. Then, Round 2 starts and regular initiative order ensues

The oldest one turns at the cry, how mouth dropping open in horror as he beholds the apparition amidst the debris.

Nope he's not feared. I tan his will check up above. He gets an actual action.

The old man charged the abomination with surprising strength. The book he carried became an impromptu weapon as he fumbled for his stick.
"Wake up!" he shouted to the others "Weapons up! Stop thinking and act!"

The horrific figure in yellow tatters flickers in the Oldest One's vision, as though it is not real. and, he realizes, it is not! It is a false image! A cruel illusion! He sees the the lie for what it is as the room fills with squeaking and rustling papers!

Round 2

Feliks, Amber, Oldest One UP. followed by rats? and then Hearda!

"B-back! St-stay back!" Amber cries from her spot in the corner. Hands and arms trembling, she draws her bow and takes aim at the horrific creature in front of her and fires off a shot!

What in the gods' names was that thing? Feliks forced himself to fix his stare on it and loaded his crossbow with shaky hands.

round 2
"B-back! St-stay back!" Amber cries from her spot in the corner. Hands and arms trembling, she draws her bow and takes aim at the horrific creature in front of her and fires off a shot! Her mind races, searching for understanding, desperately trying to bring meaning to the impossibility before her.

Her arrow sails clean through the nightmare, as though the monster before here was but smoke and mirrors. For a moment, her mind reels. Impossible! The only way for this to happen is if the creature weren't there at all! But, she can see it! Plain as day. Unless... yes! It's an illusion! She's certain of it! The creature before them isn't real!

On the other side of the room, Feliks fixes his gaze on the lie. Convinced that it is real, he loads his crossbow.

The creature appears to cough, and a cloying yellow fog billows from its nose and mouth. the fog fills the air for a moment, pulling at the dreamers' eyelids. Sleep threatens to pull them down, but they fight it off and stay awake!

Hearda rises to his feet, finally freed of the paralyzing fear which had crippled him.

Where...where is IT?! His keen eyes manage to pierce the veil and he sees the origins of the fog.

"The...the Corners! It's the fog...where the fog is coming from! Outside! We have to get out of here!"

Even after his human side is gripped by terror, the orcish part still warred with him and catches upon an obscure ritual in attacking anothers mind...without nary hesitation he casts his fury outwards at the only visible target he sees: The rats.

Where...where is IT?! His keen eyes manage to pierce the veil and he sees the origins of the fog.

"The...the Corners! It's the fog...where the fog is coming from! Outside! We have to get out of here!"

Even after his human side is gripped by terror, the orcish part still warred with him and catches upon an obscure ritual in attacking anothers mind...without nary hesitation he casts his fury outwards at the only visible target he sees: The rats.

Hearda reaches out with his mind, forming a mental barrage of thought fury. Like a lance, his rage cuts through the intervening space between him and the rat-thing. he feels it try to resist his fury, but the creature's mind is small, weak. It caves beneath the brunt of his assault and with a squeak it stumbles from the shadows to the edge of the bookcase, blood trailing from its beady eyes and ears. It's ill-formed, and abomination of natural laws! The face of a man, twisted and contorted with verminous-features: sharp incisors, a stretched muzzle, whiskers. To the sides of its head, human-like ears stretch and melt into the tiny ears of a rat! Its body is rat-like, complete with tail, but instead of four paws, its front two legs end in clawed human hands! It glares with malign, human-like intelligence at the dreamers, especially Hearda and grips a scroll in one hand.

Two more creatures burst from the shadows, each with a scroll in hand.

End of round 2 start round 3. Amber, Feliks, and Oldest one UP

The ratlings are like 20' up. So, melee attacks won't work, unless you choose to climb the ladders. The bookshelves are 5' deep. wide enough for a single person to stand and walk, but it'll take an acrobatics check if someone wants to pass around someone

"They're using illusions!" The old man's mind moves fast, as he spots the despicable creature plummeted to the floor through his companions occult curse. With speed born of desperation, the old man slips under the massive wooden table. "I'll burn this place down!" he calls "And them with it!"
His voice is accompanied by the telltale click of a flint and steel.

Feliks stepped back from the shelves and fixed his gaze and crossbow on the rat thing nearest him. A man-rat? He fired.

Amber gasps as the strange horror melts into nothing - an illusion, the whole time. But then that meant...

"!"

She spins as the sound of rustling comes from behind her and several horrible creatures emerge from the bookshelves up above.

"Gods, what are these things!?" she cries as she takes a step back and fires a shot at the one lurking above her.

Amber gasps as the strange horror melts into nothing - an illusion, the whole time. But then that meant...

She spins as the sound of rustling comes from behind her and several horrible creatures emerge from the bookshelves up above.

"Gods, what are these things!?" she cries as she takes a step back and fires a shot at the one lurking above her. Her shock upsets her aim, and the arrow plants in the wooden case beneath the rat. Beside her, Feliks fires his own bolt. It slams into the wall behind the rat-thing, as the beast ducks low.

"They're using illusions!" The old man's mind moves fast, as he spots the despicable creature plummeted to the floor through his companions occult curse. With speed born of desperation, the old man slips under the massive wooden table. "I'll burn this place down!" he calls "And them with it!"
His voice is accompanied by the telltale click of a flint and steel.

One of the creatures laughs. You're lying. You would never burn this place. Not with the fog... It opens the scroll. Besides, knowledge is power... It lifts a clawed finger and points at the Oldest One. Larvoj. Malsano. Vomaĵo. Putri! The other two rat things follow suit, pulling out their own scrolls and reciting as well. Three blackened rays burst from their fingers, striking Feliks, Amber, and the Oldest One in the chests. Their gorge rises in their throats, but they choke it down.

Hearda UP

Hearda glances at his fellow dreamer, a look of incredulity on his face. How could you expect them to buy such a weak bluff? Still his focus is fixed upon the true threats.

"Yes, Knowledge is power...let me demonstrate to you..." Quick as a flash he swings his arm around and a stray tome flies off from the table and into the ratling hovering directly above him.

Hearda glances at his fellow dreamer, a look of incredulity on his face. How could you expect them to buy such a weak bluff? Still his focus is fixed upon the true threats.

"Yes, Knowledge is power...let me demonstrate to you..." Quick as a flash he swings his arm around and a stray tome flies off from the table and into the ratling hovering directly above him. The book collides against the wall, missing the rat-thing by several feet.

End of Round 3 start Round 4. Amber, Feliks, and oldest One are UP

After fighting off whatever the rat's magic had attempted to do, Amber quickly takes another step back from the shelves and towards Hearda, wanting to close the distance and prevent any of the rats from being able to attack from behind.

"Whatever you tried to do won't work! We are stronger than you realize - leave us be or suffer!" she calls out as she raises her bow and fires again at the rat-creature in front of her.

Safely hidden from view under the table, the old man's eyes close.

These things need to die. Feliks kept his gaze set on the nearest and reloaded his crossbow.

Feliks locked gaze with the rat-thing even as fumbled with his crossbow. It took some doing, but yes! There! The bolt was in place. At the last moment, the human-faced rat blinked about in confusion, and Feliks knew he'd one! It was a contest of wills, and the rat lost. And in so losing, Feliks faded from view and spelled the creature's doom!

In the center of the room, cowering in fear beneath the table, the Oldest One's eyes close. His psyche, pummeled over these past days in this nightmare prison, finally, explosively snaps. A silent, mental scream of anguish rips from his mind, unknown to all, including himself.
The ratling facing Hearda, its mind already beaten by Hearda's wrath squeaks again in pain as its fragile psyche is assaulted by the Oldest One's fear. But, the pain of its turmoil has hardened its resolve, somehow it comes the other side unscathed!

On the other side of the room, Amber quickly takes another step back from the shelves and towards Hearda, wanting to close the distance and prevent any of the rats from being able to attack from behind.

"Whatever you tried to do won't work! We are stronger than you realize - leave us be or suffer!" she calls out as she raises her bow and fires again at the rat-creature in front of her. Her aim is true, and her arrow runs through the creature's flank, hobbling it.

The ratlings curse with rage and speak in a foul, dark tongue of ill-formed words and writhing, twitching meanings. Two blackened rays of sickly-green and yellow light burst from the corners piercing Hearda and Amber, both. Hearda is unfazed by the assault, but Amber's gorge quickly rises to her throat. The stench of this room,t he moldering books, the decay, the scent of rats and other foul things fills her nose, and doubles over with sick. Far within the walls, the dreamers hear the squeaking, the maddening squeaking and oily slick of rats scraping and clawing and churning in the walls and beneath the floors!

Bottom of round 2Hearda UP

The sound of the rats fills Hearda with a growing sense of dread and he finds himself fighting off a feeling of panic...

NOOOoooo...the rats will devour ALL of us!

He grits his teeth and eyes the rolling ladder, knowing what he must do. Whipping his hand outwards he sends another book flying at the rating...and even before it has connected with the ratling he is on the move...

Bottom of round 2
The sound of the rats fills Hearda with a growing sense of dread and he finds himself fighting off a feeling of panic. He grits his teeth and eyes the rolling ladder, knowing what he must do. Whipping his hand outwards he sends another book flying at the rating...and even before it has connected with the ratling he is on the move. The strength of his savage blood pulls him up the ladder, quickening his blood and movements with primal speed. Even as he hauls himself up the ladder, he hears his book collide with with the rat. The shatter of tiny bones is unmistakable.

End of round 2. Start Round 3, Amber, Feliks, and Oldest One UP

Feliks trained his crossbow on the rat-thing that was blind to him and smirked tensely as he opened fire.

Underneath the table, the old mans eyes roll back in his head. Teeth grind, and hands clench. A snarl forms on his features before they relax back into blank passivity.
His mind lances out at one of the rats. Harder now, with less subtlety.