Aralu's eyes shift to Hrusk, "Another problem?"
"Argh! Ruby stuck!" Kajala stops trying to pull the ruby out and lets Rhanviel inspect it.
The ruby is set in a hole in the Pedestal, and there is a circle and arcane symbols carved around the ruby. The carvings on the side of the pedestal seems to display the tale of a warrior. It shows the warrior fighting many foes, then lying in a bed and a spectre leaving his body and entering another, then the warrior killing people, then the warrior being surrounded and killed, then the spectre leaving his body, then the spectre killing people, and then a group of mages performing some sort of ritual, pulling the spectre into a stone.
When Rhanviel asks Kajala if the gem was placed by a Mystbinder, Kajala answers:
"Kajala don't know. Talaath might know... but Talaath dead."
"given what these carvings show perhaps we should leave this gem in place at least until we can confirm that we won't release a hostile spirit by removing the gem."
Niusha approaches the pedestal and carefully examines the various carvings.
Niusha, you immediately recognize the story that the carvings display. It is the story of Malnoc Gonarth - Malnoc the Mad, Malnoc Kinslayer, a malaborian warrior-king who when mortally wounded in a battle against the iltaani, had a necromancer perform a dark ritual, transferring his soul to another body. But the legend goes that the necromancer's black magic twisted the spirit of Malnoc, and Malnoc in his new body began murdering his own people left and right. When Malnoc's vessel was defeated, his murderous spectre was released and caused further mayhem. Finally a group of malaborian mages managed to trap his spirit in a ruby - the Heart of Lêr Gonarth.
"The gem and the pedestal are drawing in focused myst, and unfortunately, we have now defeated the guardian. Anyone with misguided agendas can do as they please if we do nothing." Aralu kneels by Talaath, and begins searching him for anything with a similar glow or perhaps something that might pertain to the ruby.
Aralu, you search the green-robed dead aratheël and find:
"This might be of use." Aralu declares as she opens the journal in one hand to examine the contents; she smells the potion vials with her other hand.
You flip through Talaath's journal. One of the last pages read:
"I have uncovered the words that must be spoken to remove the Heart of Lêr Gonarth. They are 'Sahul Malnoc Ma'azula Tiran'. I have "befriended" a barbarian bhakiri by the name of Kajala, who can help me deal with the guardians of the Heart. Once the mausoleum is cleared of guardians, the illeterate fool will find that the treasure can't be removed, and I will return later to claim my prize. Once the Heart of Lêr Gonarth is mine, I can set my big plan in motion."
You identify a Potion of Mage Armor and a Potion of Cure Light Wounds.
"Talaath, intended to use you Kajala. *Sniff* curious, Sorrow no more for the loss Kajala, for he knew the gem couldn't be removed, *sniff* iron, and planned to come back and steal it away for reasons of his own, *sniff* bread and perfume" Aralu speaks rather plainly as she smells the the vials' contents interjecting her conclusion of each. "Armor and Wound Curing are these vials. I'm unclear on this one and the dagger is carrying myst aura as well but I'm unstudied on myst in tool form. I never thought I'd ever see myst in a weapon. The craftsmanship of the weapon alone is masterful." Aralu trails off as her gaze is lured into the dagger, a faint smile waxing and waning as she turns it in the light, dropping the journal.
After looking over the pedestal's carvings, and then looking at the stone itself, Rhanviel deduces its deep meaning.
"Friends, I think there's a killer in the ruby. Andddd it's a ghost. A ghost faced killa. Can we kill ghost faced killers?"
Rhanviel turns to Aralu after she reads the journal.
"What did the dead man tell?"
He seems collected and whimsical at best, but Rhanviel is beginning to prepare casting a spell against the ghost.
"According to Talaath's journal, once he came back and spoke this phrase, the gem would be released, allowing him to proceed with his bigger plans. The journal mentions nothing of fighting once the gem was removed, but it is possible Talaath planned to strike a deal or maybe enslave the spirit. I think it is a gamble to remove the gem, but I think we must."
"Well, my dear, look at these."
He points to the inscriptions on the pedestal.
"It seems pretty obvious that there were Mystbinders who trapped a revenant soul inside. If we remove it, we'll have to prepare for it... But blades can only go so far against spirits."
Rhanviel sighs at what he's about to say, for the size of the ruby is magnanimous, and he would use that money...
"It might be best for us to leave this one alone."
We should definitely leave that ruby hold alone. Have you heard the stories of Malnoc Gonarth? That ruby holds his spirit.
"To leave it alone, is to leave it unguarded and to whomever happens upon it. Talaath is certainly not the only one to knows the secret phrase, if we do nothing, we leave it to those that seek it to abuse it. I do not like the idea any more than anyone, but think of what happens if the wrong person gets a hold of it."
"Well, everyone has demons to deal with... ...but I guess everyone needs aid. That still leaves us at a conjuncture... Anyone know how to stab spirits?"
"Kajala stab anything! Skeleton, shambler, statue, spirit! Kajala stab it! Stab it good!" Kajala makes stabbing movements with his greatsword. Then he stops and lowers his head. "Kajala can't believe Talaath would cheat Kajala. Kajala think we should take ruby. Kill spirit if it comes. Make good deal with ruby in Palanost. Share derims. Derims from ruby would make Kajala feel better."
"removing the stone is a risk, but leaving here a greater one, perhaps we can bring it to the authorities and say we found the temple with the guardian already dead?"
"Authorities not always wise," Hrusk murmurs. "Or just." He pauses, shifting almost uncomfortably. "Could send to my father, mother. Wise mage, would know what to do. Better than Hrusk..." the Ogren continues, hanging his head...
Rhanviel's eyebrow raises at Hrusk's mention of his parents being mystics.
What sort of secrets could the Ogren hold of the depths of the Myst? Probably not much...
Rhanviel dismisses the idea of the Ogren and decides to just roll with the flow... ...of the myst.
"Well, I think stabbing the ghost is still an option... Here, let me see your brand, aratheel."
Rhanviel begins to weave Myst patterns together to anoint whichever weapon is handed to him, hopefully to bite the revenant with all fury.
Aralu hands Rhanviel her Scimitar, its leather grip worn down to the metal in places, and its bladed edge jagged from years of use. "This dagger has myst energy as well, will it be able harm any potential spirit as well?"
Drozak will hand the mystweaver his blade.
Rhanviel whispers eldritch words as the wisps of the myst enshrouds the Drozak's blade. He sees the logical eagerness of Aralu and when the ritual is finished with the first blade, he turns to her.
"We can only hope, milady. Here, lend me your own blade. I've only so much ardor left in me, but I can infuse a light aura into it still..."
As the Lhurienathi completes the second ritual, he wipes the sweat from his brow, seeming a bit weaker than his regular snippy countenance.
"Those weavings are far from permanent, comrades. If we are to slay the slayer, we must recite the magic words, posthaste... And if you make it rhyme, maybe the ghost'll give us a dance!"
Rhavniel steps back from the pedestal after eyeing the carvings over one last time, and motions Aralu to speak the ritual.
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Niusha sings to inspires courage in her comrades.
If there's somethin' strange in your neighborhood
Who ya gonna call?
If it's somethin' weird an' it don't look good
Who ya gonna call?
I ain't afraid o' no ghost
I ain't afraid o' no ghost
If you're seein' things runnin' through your head
Who can you call?
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"Sahul Malnoc Ma'azula Tiran" Aralu chants the words as she moves to raise the gem, without a moment's delay.
1/10 Magic weapon +1/+1 Scimitar
Inpire courage +1/+1
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As you chant the words, they seem to echo unnaturally across the room and the carvings on the pedestal begin to glow. When you finish the phrase you feel a burst of air from the pedestal as the large ruby pops up from its socket. No ghost appears.
"Maybe the spirit is still trapped inside, is there perhaps a way we can use this to our own purposes?" Aralu wonders aloud.
"Let's not tarry here longer than necessary." Aralu says giving the room a final once over, before turning to leave.
"Maybe we can find someone that can discern the mystical properties of this gem before we decide if we should sell it or not."
"Well that was... more pleasant than one could have expected. Quite right, Aralu. I wouldn't know anything about the enchantments laced on the stone, but perhaps a suggestion: let us exchange the ruby before the killer comes out... Money good. Ghost faced killers... bad."
Rhanviel lets out a cheesy sheepish grin. He is exhausted.
As you ascend the stairs from the dungeons to the ruins above, you find yourselves surrounded by six warriors. Two are human. Two are aratheël. One is a dhouvarr. One is an urak. They wear chainshirts and helmets. Some are wielding sword and shield. A couple are armed with longbows. The urak is wielding a two-handed sword.
"Ger er tir e Ka'adara flatch?! Gar na Ka'adara Lêr Gonarth kana!" a voice says.
A humanoid in dark blue robes with the hood pulled over his head comes around the corner of a ruined wall. A reptilian-like snout sticks out from the hood, and a reptilian-like clawed hand holds an exquisite blackwood staff with carvings which glow with a soft blue light.
The reptilian humanoid lets down his hood, revealing his dark green scaled head and intense reptilian gaze.
"Ah. I'm forgetting where I am. I am Varathklar, of the Ka An Narath. A Lore Seeker." The words roll of the krilith's tongue eloquently. "This is the ruins of Lêr Gonarth, an old malaborian mausoleum. The legendary malaborian warrior-king Malnoc Gonarth - Malnoc the Mad - is buried here. In a way. You have the Heart of Lêr Gonarth. I must warn you. The Heart is not what it seems." He pauses.
"There is a reason why the ruins were sealed and why the Heart of Lèr Gonarth was guarded by undead and the guardian of stone. The Heart of Lêr Gonarth is what keeps the spirit of Malnoc Gonarth bound to his mausoleum. If it is removed from Lêr Gonarth, Malnoc might again be released into Myrndur. You see, when Malnoc Gonarth was about to die from mortal wounds he had been inflicted in a battle against the iltaani, he had a necromancer perform a dark ritual, transferring the soul of Malnoc to another body. But the necromancer's black magic twisted the spirit of Malnoc, and he began murdering people left and right. When Malnoc's vessel was defeated, his murderous spectre was released and caused further mayhem. Finally a congregration of mages managed to trap his spirit in a ruby. But the spirit of Malnoc wasn't fully trapped. He may possess whoever is in possession of the ruby. That is why the Heart of Lêr Gonarth must not leave this place. And that is why I came here, when someone set off a ward in the mausoleum a few days ago. The Ka An Narath does not only gather lore. We carry the burden of responsibility that comes with the knowledge we hold."
"Krilith just want ruby for self!" Kajala interrupts. "Kajala and friends will not be fooled by krilith lies."
The glowing blue markings on Varathklar's staff begin to flicker with a stronger blue light. "Know that I must stop you, if you do not put the Heart back where it belongs!"
"Krilith can't stop Kajala!" Kajala yells and draws his greatsword.
"Krillith, there is gravity to your tale, but the wards have been broken, and the guardian defeated; to place the gem back now would merely delay its inevitable theft." Aralu says crossing her arms. "If you've given it thought, then your bluff is unraveled in its own creation. If otherwise, which I hope is the case, then proof or elaboration of what you intend to do to ensure its safety would do greater good here than threat of violence. Truer guardians would have preparred for this day."
"Perhaps you're right. Perhaps I should bring the Heart with me to the Citadel of Remembrance in Ampur, to be kept safe in the citadel's vaults." The blue-robed krilith searches his pockets, then produces a large silver medallion and a scroll. "This medallion is given to members of the Ka An Narath. It bears the scroll, quill and sword of the Ka An Narath. And this..." he passes the scroll to Aralu. "..is a letter of officialdom."
The scroll reads:
The bearer of this scroll: Varathklar Darathkha is a 4th degree Lore Seeker of the Ka An Narath. Signed: Naraklor Grathran, Grandmaster of the Ka An Narath.
Handing the scroll around to the others to inspect as they see fit before handing it back to Varathklar, "Once the gem is removed from here how will you protect yourself from the gem's supposed influence?" Aralu asked with a trace of sincerity. She then looks for guidance from her associates.
Befuddled by the language and the speed, Hrusk watches quietly as he ever did in his father's laboratory...
"and how do we know that you haven't simply given yourself a convenient cover and are here to take the gem for yourselves?"
Drozak is suspicious that they showed up right at this time.
"Provided that I take it with me to the Citadel, the Heart would be placed in a magical container. I have shown you what proof I can of my identity. Now it is up to you if you want to believe me or not?" One of the armsmen looks at Varathklar pendingly, and Varathklar motions for him to calm himself.
"You have proven yourselves quite capable, and I understand why you are reluctant to hand over the prize you've just earned. But as I've said, the prize is cursed, and if you sell the Heart, its new owner would soon become a mindslave of the twisted spirit of Malnoc. To do so knowingly would be outright evil. The Ka An Narath's only interest in this matter, is keeping that from happening. Now I know that you don't trust me. Why should you? Perhaps you've never even heard of the Ka An Narath. And a ruby is a valuable gem. But if you make this easy and hand over the gem, know that a powerful organization would be grateful to you. If you don't, I have no other choice, than to take it from you with force. And if you happen to be the victors in such a scenario, know that you would have crossed a powerful organization, and that other members of the Ka An Narath would soon find you and set things right. Now, the choice is yours."
I tried warning the others that ruby was cursed. I knew after seeing the carvings that that ruby was the Heart of Ler Gonarth. But alas my comrades did not heed my warnings and removed the gem. I suggest we hand over the gem. We do not know how to handle it ourselves nor would I be comfortable pawning off a cursed ruby to the unsuspecting. having the owe us a favor could prove to be a boon later in the future.
"We removed the gem after discussing the consequences, and after determining it was safer with us than abandoned for anyone to find, we removed it." Aralu started. "Since Niusha is most familiar and trusts Ka An Narath then I have no more reservations." Aralu removes the ruby from her backpack, and barring anyone's protest, turns it over...
"I am glad that the matter could be settled with words. Know that you have done the right thing. There will be no safer place to keep the Heart of Lêr Gonarth than in the vaults of the Citadel of Remembrance. "
Varathklar takes the ruby and puts it in a black wooden box with strange silver carvings on it and into a leather bag which hangs from his hip.
"Now, since you have proven yourselves both capable in retrieving the Heart and reasonable in handing it over, I have a proposition to make. There is trouble in Palanost. There has been an outbreak of undead in the Black Oak Cemetery, and it has been locked down. The Ka An Narath have knowledge that it might be the work of a Black Skull hierophant by the name of Ivorin Beroth, a real troublemaker. If it is, the undead outbreak might merely be a distraction, and the Ka An Narath are interested in finding out what Ivorin is really after. Father Folric at the Cathedral of the Sun is looking for volunteer adventurers to help deal with the problem in the Black Oak Cemetery as well. You should go speak to him. But whatever you discover in the Black Oak Cemetery, you report it to the Ka An Narath. You'll find an agent of the Ka An Narath in the Drunken Merrow in Harbortown. His name is Rhynveir Telathian. You'll know him when you see him. He wears dark blue robes like mine, has a long scar across the left side of his face, long dark hair and shimmering golden eyes. Like you..." He nods at Aralu. "He has the gift of Mystsight, and he is very knowledgable. He will be able to identify any magical items you bring to him. Now, if you choose to work for the Ka An Narath, you'll find yourselves not only rewarded, but with access to a great amount of knowledge and information. Consider it. And see Rhynveir Telathian if you so choose. I bid thee farewell now, adventurers. Come men. Back to the portal."
The krilith and his armsmen leave into the Palewood.
"Kajala don't like this," Kajala says angrily. "Ruby worth many derims. You just give ruby away for nothing."
Aralu nods in agreement to Varathklar before he leaves.
Turning to Kajala at his outburst, "The agreement was for the guardian, and the guardian alone. The price of Ka An Narath for you was too high. Take satisfaction in knowing you were not deceived by your previous associate and still have your health. If you do not find solace in this, then either seek retribution on us, or the ones with your gem. Think hard before you answer Kajala" Aralu turns to walk away back towards town. "I believe there is more we have to do before the week is out."
During the whole spat, Rhaviel lay propped up against the gate into the ruins, completely spent. He decided to let the wit of Aralu and the company take care of matters. He didn't like to see the money go, but there was another lead.
Ka An Narath... A host of knowledge. Perhaps one day I will pilfer their secrets and free my forests... Sibilune, give me strength.
Rhanviel follows the company back to the town. After a while, he starts to regain some of his strength, and with it comes his quippery...
"So, a company we're forming here? What's a company without a name? If we don't have a proper title for our little gang here, that's all we'll ever be! If we think of something flashy, and then do some epic feat or notorious deed, we could garner some fame, and coin, rather quickly... ..........I suggest we call ourselves 'The Poisonous Kiss Motley Crew!'"
With nothing but an unashamed grin plastered on his face he shares his self-deemed 'brilliant' idea...
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"I'm not sure of the use of the word motley." Aralu states plainly.
It is midday when you find yourselves back at the bustling marketplace in Palanost, having returned from your endeavour in Lêr Gonarth in the Palewood, empty-handed but with new-found allies in the Ka An Narath, a network of Lore Seekers based in Khandalar, and with information about trouble in the Black Oak Cemetery. Varathklar suggested you should seek out Father Folric at the Cathedral of the Sun, help him deal with the trouble in the Black Oak Cemetery, and bring any information you might learn to Rhynveir Telathian at the Drunken Merrow in Harbortown.
"Kajala will go to Yawning Wyrm and have a drink. Come with Kajala if you want." Kajala says and goes to the big green building that is the Yawning Wyrm.
Aralu will head to Yawning Wyrm of coarse to discuss tomorrow's plans to find the bandit camp or look into the Black Oak Cemetery problem.
Once at the Yawning Wyrm, and everyone is settled it, Aralu begins with saying, "I have no preference as to our next coarse of action. I dont know what the Cemetery or the bandit camp have to offer, but I feel both have a limited time frame to take advantage of. If bandits remained separate from the ones we enencountered, then the most valuable spoils will have been absconded, where as the longer we don't deal with the cemetery, the more likely another thrill seeker, mercenary, or adventurer will steal away the opportunity. What is everyone's thoughts on where to head forward?"
Hrusk just shakes his great head, having little preference at pursuing either path...