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"What year?" The oread thinks for a moment. "Hmm. I'll admit I'm not 100 percent sure. Time's a bit hard to judge down here in Orv. But I'm guessing from you expression it's been a bit. What is it, 4710? 11?"
"And what do you mean my services are needed again: has something gone wrong?"
Jötunn grumbles as he tries to find the words. He glances at his comrades, as if to signal that he needs support with his explanation.
"Master Westyr, I joined the Society in 4711. That was five years ago."
He pauses long enough to see if his words have any affect before continuing.
"Your absence needed to be filled. A man named Aram Zey stepped in as the new Master of Spells. He held that title honorably for ten years, until recently..."
Jötunn crosses his fingers over his chest in a traditional Iomedaen "Solute to the Fallen".
"Your service is needed urgently. His death was at the hands of the despicable Aspis Consortium."
What are you talking about? I am huma... Sorrina speaks incredulously at Forlorn and extends a hand to the halfling. Catching a glance at her own arm, she looks at it fascinatedly, then touches her face and chest.
Huh. Intriguing. What a curious effect. I wonder if it's part of the Archive, or maybe the Womb itself. She shrugs, surprisingly blade about her transformation. Well, something to be worried about other I suppose. Now, you say Zey was my replacement? Zey? Sorrina whistles. A competent Mage to be sure. I'm just surprised he was chosen - politics are not his forte.
Well, I'd be happy to return, but I'm afraid I still have some obligations here. I haven't yet discovered the location of Saurizel's Tears. The Archive is vast, and carries echoes of all that happened neared elemental earth - on the right crystals at least. Just like rings on a tree, they speak to those who know how to read them. She traces a finger lovingly upon the nearby column.
Perhaps... she says thoughtfully. Sorrina gestures at the grand cavern around you. I...I had not realized just how long it had been. With Nethys’s magic, I created my own meals, yet long ago my hunger for knowledge supplanted my hunger for food. Still, there are dangers to this place, and the Archive has a series of Fey guardians who looked at me with suspicion. We soon negotiated a deal: I could remain as long as I pleased so long as I did not trespass in the library’s deepest reaches.
Of course, it seems I may have been a poor haggler a second time. s best my research can point to, the most likely place any information on the Tears may have appeared would be exactly one of those forbidden corners: an area called the Sapphire Stacks. The fey guard it vigilantly, though I have not seen them recently.
She studies the nearby pillars for a moment before adding Several of these hum with dissonant tales, and this one has developed surface cracks, almost as if the Lucent Archive were suffering. I had assumed that the fey were giving me room to work, but perhaps they are instead combating this malady instead.
Sorrina cracks a sly smile.
Of course. I shall travel with you as far as I can. Until then, perhaps my magic can follow where I cannot. Tell me, are any of you mages yourselves?
Suddenly her face darkens, as the weight of the situation seems to shift in her mind.
Wait. If it has been ten years, what of the others. Did Setik ever return? Do you know what happened to him? To Nissira?
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Numair shrugs modestly.
"Arcane power flows through my veins, although truth be told, I think an Aureum Draconem has something to do with that..."
When the woman mentions her concerns, Numair sighs regretfully.
"Sadly, none of them have, thus far, made it back to the Grand Lodge. So far, we have found Braethin's body, as well as that of Setik - sadly, he did not make it back, as he did not have the stone. As to Nissira, we have no idea - apparently, when last seen, Nissira was scouting around, looking for you. As to Grave Treader, we know that that one was bonded to serve a family of Shaitans for a time, but that period of service should have been over by now..."
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Jötunn beams proudly, "I am no researcher of arcane magic, but the blood of Dragons flows through my veins. Ever since I was a lad I have been able to manifest minor arcana."
When the conversation turns grim, he adds, "Aye, m'lady, although it is temporarily irreverent, I carry with me the remains of Braethin and Setik. Until your voice graced us, we worried that a similar fate had befallen yourself."
Sorrina crumples slightly at the news of Setik. Setik was a good man and a good companion. His name will shine bright on the Wall when we return.
As for the fey, the ones I dealt with were Pechs. Small earthen fey: little, candles on their heads, all of them have a pinch of earth magic and mastery in them though a few tend to tap into it better than others. They move about the place ‘curating’ as well as guarding. Every so often I’ve seen them extract a slice of a prism and move it into one of the lager chambers. I don’t believe that the pech are the ones who created this archive, but whatever or whoever tasked them to look after it certainly made sure they took it seriously.
She nods appreciatively as the entire party admits to some form of magical aptitude. That is good. I may not be able to accompany you into the Sapphire Stacks – at least with the current wards still in place – but I am sure Nethys wouldn’t mind his gifts shared with the initiated.
Hmm. Sorrina thinks. Perhaps 30%? It's true you may have more luck than I as temporary visitors rather than long term guests, but the few times I've talked to the pech they've seemed... particular. Even for fey.
As she talks she slowly walks with you and guide you through the disperse forest of crystal pillars towards one end of the large cavern housing the Lucent Archive. Looking ahead, Sorrina seems to be directing to a series of large and massive octagonal structures, much grander in size and width than the pillars dotting the ground floor. The tower the Master of Spells guide you towards bears a high-peaked set of double doors made from blue-tinted glass and silver.
As you begin the walk within 100 feet of the set of chambers, Sorrina stops. The oread's flesh starts to flake, and small cracks appear on her stony skin.
The Sapphire Stacks are over there. I'm not sure I dare get closer at the moment; with the wards I might be more of a liability than an asset. If the information contained within is physically anchored, you may need to research and transcribe it as best you can. Or if you can just extract the records in a way that won’t harm them, that would be simplest. Either way, I wish you luck
As Sorrina finishes casting her own reserves, she bids you well. To use the All-Seeing Eye's power in in search of knowledge will never require thanks.
Stepping forward, you slowly push open the large double doors.
The entryway swings open into a large octagonal chamber whose smooth walls of bluish crystal rise eighty feet to a peaked, eight-sided dome. Triangular designs etch the floor, and a pair of two-foot-tall triangular daises of blue-tinged stone stands between double doors set into the north and a pair in the south wall. Placed throughout the room are stacks of hundreds of inch-thick glassy plates tower higher than the doorframes.
As you enter, four pale yellow humanoids cease their chanting and turn towards the now open door. Each clutches a pickaxe in knobby hands as its bulging white eyes stare at you angrily.
The closest one yells at you in a series of languages.
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Jötunn looks up to see the confused looks on everyone's faces.
"Inheritor, bless me with your resolve and grace. Make me appear as sincere as I feel."
Jötunn reaches slowly for a slender steel wand with a rounded bronze tip, but makes no effort to hide the motion. Caressing it gingerly, he activates it.
As the snake makes its way into the room and Jötunn activates his item, the pech yell even more, and grip their weapons tightly as they continue to yell and charge forward.
Initiative
Simon
Simon recognizes that these are indeed the pech that Sorrina warned about. Like many fey, their skin is somewhat resistant to magic and hardened to damage, but cold iron can overcome the latter issue. As deep, earthen fey, pech's are dazzled in bright light, but are adept in fighting when in touch with the earth and can shape stone a few times each day.
While the gnome blesses the party with speed, two of the pech's rush forward, one slamming its pickaxe at Nagani while the other stabs at Irizati.
for
for
Initiative
Irizati & Nagani
Numair
As Jötunn attempts to translate the pech's words, he replies just in time to see the pech in front of Irizati drops under a flurry of claws and bites that scratch through its stony skin and cause it to fall.
Nagani only attack the once. It has a similar result: she latches, squeezes, and her almost-food crumbles. Both seem alive, but hurt. Especially Nagani's target.
Initiative
Numair
The half-elf chants and gestures as a ball of flame emerges right around the far pech. However, the fire seems to lick harmlessly against it
With a curse, the pech Numair targeted drops his pick and scurries to and up the wall. Pausing ten feet above the ground, he gestures towards Nagani as stones and rocks from around the chamber swirl together and launch themselves at the snake. The serpant's stony skin absorbs some of the attack, but it still buffeted by the earthen blast.
for
Initiative, Round 1
Jötunn
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Jötunn sighs heavily at all of the carnage.
My strength is not in my sword, but in my heart.
He kneels down next to [blue], making sure that the two remaining Pech can see the motion. He then draws his massive sword , and holds it next to the Pech for just a moment, before dropping it .
As the sword clangs against the floor, Jötunn leans over [blue] and touches him with a holy light .
The 'blue' pech stabilizes, but stays still and knocked out on the ground.
The last guardian to react looks at Jötunn for a moment before turning its gaze to Simon. It charges past the Kellid as it swings its pickaxe at the gnome.
for
It lands, but all of the blow's force is absorbed into the Stoneskin.
Initiative, Round 1/2
All are hasted
Forlorn