The adventure begins as Master of Scrolls Kreighton Shaine summons you to the Overflow Archives, an annex of the Grand Lodge libraries, to investigate a sudden flood of seawater.
"I have no love of puns," announces a peeved Kreighton Shaine, the Master of Scrolls in the Grand Lodge, "Yet it cannot go unremarked that the Overflow Archives have begun living up to their name." The pale elf gestures across the library’s stone lobby toward a pair of shut double doors from beneath which water steadily seeps. He is only one of the midnight visitors bearing witness to this disaster. Next to Shaine, Paracountess Zarta Dralneen reclines on a beautifully upholstered divan that shows off her low-cut scarlet gown to great advantage. Languorously stretching, she raises herself up on an elbow to glare at an initiate whose hair and clothes are utterly drenched. All three speak at once, but Shaine’s shrill voice rises above the din. "Magical shenanigans in the archives are prohibited, especially this soon before the Grand Convocation!"
"Let us prioritize," Dralneen suggests. "Are the artifacts within the vaults in danger?"
"How should I know?" Shaine barks back. "This delinquent initiate — what was the name? Wormell?"
"Virml, sir," replies the sodden Pathfinder.
"Virml says he sneaked into the archives on a dare," summarizes Shaine, painfully emphasizing the initiate’s name with scolding disdain. "Presumably, he thought the holdings would be harmless. Instead, in his naivete, Virml triggered some dormant curse or other. So, yes, thanks to Virml here, the archives and the vaults below continue to flood, threatening all the books therein."
Miserably, Virml holds up an armload of soggy manuscripts. "I salvaged a few, sir."
Sighing, Shaine leads Virml towards the stairs. "Take them up to the scriptorium. Start making dry copies." Then, turning to survey the rest of the room, he continues issuing orders. "The remainder of you should wade in there and plumb the origins of this deluge. Stop it, if you can. I must report this debacle to my colleagues and begin organizing the cleanup." Abruptly, he seems to notice the paracountess for the first time. "What are you doing here, Dralneen? And where did that divan come from?"
Ignoring Shaine's question about the furniture, Zarta smirks and shrugs. "Unlike you, Shaine, I love a good pun."
Shaine stares at the Paracountess a moment with narrowed eyes, then turns back to the rest of you. "Do you have questions?" Shaine asks impatiently.
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Wadi yawns and stretches as he tries to shake the sleep from his body. What a way to be summoned! Rudely awakened while trying to catch up on my sleep. It was a long trip!
As he listens to the Master of Scrolls scold his young charge, his gaze travels over the ex-Paracountess, his heart skipping a beat. She is as lovely as ever!
As he notices the divan he does a double take. Is that who I think it is? Well he seems to have taken to his new position well!
Once the briefing is finished, he smiles at the Paracountess. "Always a pleasure to see you, milady!" To Kreighton Shaine he asks in a more business like tone, "How far did Virml make it inside the archives? Do you know of any artifacts we may encounter that are known to be a danger?"
If the whole place is flooded, it will NOT be very pleasant for me...
"The Overflow Archives?" Zarta Dralneen smiles at both of her Dark Archivists. "They are merely an annex of Master Shaine's vast libraries." She gives Shaine an arch look. "Specifically, this is where he stows the oddities he doesn't know what else to do with.”
Kreighton Shaine frowns at the blunt admission. "There is far more to it than that. This was once a temple dedicated to Desna before it collapsed and the Pathfinders built the Grand Lodge! Truly, it's a marvel of..."
"Shaine," Zarta chides, "this is no time for a long-winded history lesson. Think of all that is at stake."
"I didn't make it far inside." Virml sheepishly relates, “I…I merely picked up a wee scroll, read part of it aloud for fun— some kind of riddle about birds and fish? And then it flew to bits in my hand, and I caught the quickest glimpse of a handsome man…and then ker-sploosh! I washed out here!"[/b]
"Dangerous artifacts?" Shaine raises an eyebrow and gives a sardonic look to the Paracountess. "All knowledge worth preserving is dangerous when in the wrong hands."
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A former temple to Desna? Well I supoose she doesn't have much usse for a temple as we tend to be the traveling type, but it seems odd to me. 1 that there was a temple to Desna, and then that it is no longer.
If is Temple to Desna is good place for me. I ready to go find problem whenever everyone ready.
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Archon nods his head at Maurice, all the while thinking "and he had such potential".
"So, let me get this straight," he says softly, "We are called on once more to fix another of Zarta's blunders. It is said, Master of Scrolls, that the price on NOT learning from the past is the curse of repeating it. Clearly we have not learned from Cheliax. However, knowledge and wisdom are the greatest weapons after faith, and the more we know, the better prepared we are to handle any situation," and looking Draleen directly in the eye, (and not lower), "regardless of what else it might reveal that someone might wish hidden. Please continue, Master of Scrolls."
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The young man in the corner of the room suddenly sneezes loudly, provoking his hair to catch on fire. Not preoccupied by the fire, he speaks up calmly, moving his body with a natural and noble grace, displaying years of education in the good manners. His garb has a lot of chelaxian features.
"My name is Dioneo Starnon-Oberigo, the second of the name. I was born in Westcrown. The NEW Westcrown, freed from the Thrunes' influence."
When he says this, he has a somber face and his eyes begin to drift away in the void, but he clears his throat, regaining composure and he stares with a dark look at Zarta. After a few seconds, he changes his face and smiles charmingly.
He stands on his feet proud and tall and says heartily with a bright smile "Well, no time to wait for this mission, then, isn't it? Worm!" he says, shouting at the initiate. "What did that handsome man look like? Did he have a grace like mine?"
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Wadi raises his eyes at Archon's display of anger towards Zarta. Fascinating. I should remember that for later.
"A pleasure to meet you Dioneo. I am Wadi Ahk'kolon." He smiles shaking the other man's hand.
"It is not the Paracountess' fault Jan that this one here..." he indicates Virml, "decided to show a decided lack of good judgement here. Though he could certainly redeem himself if he can tell us more of his escapades." He replies in a cool and dismissive voice.
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A young Osirian man enters. Patting down his clothing, trying to get the dirt and dust off, but to no avail. He sighs. He throws something in a direction and turns to the group. A chittering, munching and crunching sound could be heard in the direction he threw the something
"Well, please excuse my lateness. I rarely keep track of time. Sutekh Amun. At your service my lady" he gives a short and quick bow
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Zarta Dralneen raises an eyebrow at Archon. "It appears that you're sadly misinformed about the Dark Archive's mission to save and preserve precious artifacts, but I shan't waste precious time reeducating you... No matter how delightful the experience would be for both of us." She smirks. "Perhaps we can make time after you complete your mission." She then nods to Dioneo, and says pleasantly, "I've also recently been freed from the influence of House Thrune."
"My... um... escapades?" Virml swallows at Wadi's question.
“Our delinquent initiate here is vague on the details." Shaine glares coldly at Virml. "But clearly, some unclassified item in there must have borne a well-concealed curse.”
Virml sheepishly produces a dripping fragment of a scroll.
Shaine snatches the parchment and hands it over to the party. “It appears to be one of the rhymes from The Name of the Fox. It's an odd little scroll of Varisian doggerel, scripted in Sylvan. There's nothing remarkable about it—”
May the winner wear gold while the loser eats crow
Knowing nothing save that which he knew not to know.
ross! Cross was the owl at the albatross
For catching the bulk of the fish
So the owl cast deeper, awaking a sleeper
Who made of both feathers one dish.
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“Nothing until now, perhaps?” The Paracountess asks, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"The handsome man?" Virml's face lights up at Dioneo's question. "Oh, he was spectacular! His every word intoxicating, his wit sharper than any weapon and his charm would seduce even the most cloistered of ascetics."
Virml blushes. "Um, I just noticed he was pretty..."
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"Hrmph" - Oloch snorts from the corner, his armor grating once he changes position from leaning against the wall to standing tall with his arms crossed over his barrel chest - "So the lad there released some 'flooding curse', and we're supposed to go down there, wade through water, and stick a cork in whatever is producing it - did I get everything right?" - he chuckles, staring at the young Pathfinder - "I wonder if you're hiding anything? Anything else you want to share with us? Was this simply a dare?"
"I am Oloch" - he offers his greetings to those not known to him yet, without ever taking those red glowing eyes from Virml.
Kreighton Shane angrily dismisses Virml. "If you can't help here, go off and copy!" Virml hastily retreats up the stairs with his armloads of soggy manuscripts.
As you start to head out towards the interior of the archives, Zarta Dralneen asks, "May I have a private word with Wadi and Jan?" She crosses her arms, looking at Shaine with a questioning gaze.
"Keep it brief." Shaine nods curtly to Dralneen, and then steps in with the rest of you just inside the lobby doors, where you can start to see the effects of the flooding.
"You have the situation in a nutshell." Shaine nods approvingly to Oloch. "Don't waste your time with the individual pieces. You must arrest the flood at its source—or reverse it, if possible.”
"Um, normally, but now..." The mimic pops out an eyestalk and swivels it around like a periscope, studying the water already seeping under the doors. "Mimics don't swim! However, if these guys can dust a mummy, they sure as heck can plumb a drain."
"Then it is up to you two tasty talents." Zarta turns her smoldering gaze on both of you. "You brought me back not only Maurice, but a hand of glory and the most delicious cursed gem that I've had the pleasure to behold. So clever! A periapt of foul rotting disguised as a periapt of wound closure!"
She almost purrs as she recalls the items you returned from Pharoah Sekh-pa-Mefr's tomb, then recovers herself.
"The Dark Archive thrives by the good graces of the Decemvirate and Ambrus Valsin, yet I can tell that some still doubt our ability to handle truly dangerous relics and the rare disaster like this. As a result, there remain many storerooms barred to our comprehensive study, including the Overflow Archives—until today, that is. It is critical that you minimize the damage to these archives and do so in as professional a manner as possible. If I can demonstrate that my agents are capable and trustworthy, we may win permission to study the truly mysterious treasures beneath the Grand Lodge.”
She shrugs and smiles before continuing. “That said, I know that there is more than junk beyond those doors. I've heard that someone squirreled away a copy of The Darklands Precepts somewhere in there, and it's far too dangerous a tome to leave lying about. Get it out of there and return it to me, no matter what excuse Shaine might make to toss it back in the pile."
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In a moment, Jan and Wadi rejoin you. Zarta waves airily to you all, and exits the facility, followed by her tasteful divan, which appears to have sprouted wheels and is rolling along behind her.
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He glances briefly at Jan before turning to face Zarta, hus face reddening slightly. "Paracountess, We will make every effort to take care of this with minimal damage to the Archive. As for this tome you seek...do you have a description of it? Also are you aware of any magical powers it has, if any?"
Wadi returns to the others and nods, "I am ready to go here."
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This spacious library is a damp catastrophe. A lake of dark water clogged with books, scroll cases, and a few overturned shelves obscures the floor. Steps descend into the brine from the western doors, while at the east end of the room a spiral staircase rises from the water to a mezzanine above. The same metal staircase must descend into a sub-basement below as well, for the water there burbles downward in a dark, lazy whirlpool.
As you start wading through this shallow bog, you notice a disorganized wealth of papers, treatises, baubles, and books, many of which were dislodged by the floodwaters and now drift gently throughout. Across the vaulted ceilings and around pillars, faded murals feature elaborate patterns interweaving moons, stars, and butterflies. Everburning torches provide normal light, and the many bookshelves here rise about 10 feet in height.
As you approach the spiral staircase, you hear shrill whistles and the angry clicking of a beak coming from behind one of the bookcases. "It's my fish! Let go! I fished the fishy-fish out!"
"Whhhooooo spotted it? Whhhhhhooooo told you it was there?"
You approach cautiously and see two odd birdlike creatures with humanoid bodies and bird heads. The creatures—one owl-faced, the other resembling an albatross—have converted a mahogany bookshelf into a fishing boat. The pair are casting their crude fishing rods and bickering very loudly with one another over a sodden piece of paper on a hook.
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He raises an eyebrow. Which in turn gets him a quizicle look from his scorpion
"Gathlians. Pass time. Contests and arguing... very odd to see them here. Fey like creatures. Be on your guard" the Osirian warns as he unslings his bow. Still at the back though. He motions for Serket to go to the front. Just in case things turn violent
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She gives a few clicks and scuttles forward. Joining the front party members. Ready to jump at these things her friend seems to recognise. Hmmmm. Wonder if she can eat them?
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"Im not saying they are a threat Jon. Im saying be careful. Be cautious in dealing with them. They are still fey"
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"It is said, Master of Scrolls, that the price on NOT learning from the past is the curse of repeating it. [...] However, knowledge and wisdom are the greatest weapons after faith, and the more we know, the better prepared we are to handle any situation," and looking Draleen directly in the eye, (and not lower), "regardless of what else it might reveal that someone might wish hidden. Please continue, Master of Scrolls."
Shaine rubs his eyes, and sighs. "No, Dralneen's right. I can give you the history lecture after the mission. Saving the Archives is your first priority."
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The two Gathlains are still squabbling loudly over the torn piece of paper on the hook.
The Albatross whistles and clacks his beak again.
The Owl counters, flapping his arms angrily.
Then they suddenly notice you.
The Albatross Gathlain makes a shooing motion with his hands.
He seems to be utterly ignoring the fact that he is shouting and you've been talking in normal voices.
Slightly less excitable than his friend, the Owl looks at you, quizzically. "Whhhoooooo are you, anyway? What you doing in bestest fishing spot?"
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"My name is Sutekh. And we did not know this place HAD any fish." he said with a puzzled expression
"Then again, this place was not suppose to be flooded. What kind of fish are you trying to catch? Maybe i can help? "
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"Whhhhhhhooooooo catches fish with bow?" The Owl peers at Sutekh's unslung bow suspiciously.
"He must catch fish! Good fish! The Albatross points to Serket, scuttling in the water.
The Owl peers at Serket. He studies the scrap of paper they caught, then looks again at the scorpion. "No, looks nothing like our fish!" He grumbles, crossing his arms.
And they bicker again, with much hooting and whistling and flapping of arms.
The question puzzles both Gathlains, who stare at their piece of paper and then at Dioneo for a moment. Then the Albatross blinks, cocking his head. "Ohhh, an oracle! You must be one of the blind ones! Fishy look like this!" He holds his catch proudly up.
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He looks at their "fish"
"Mighty fine catch there. Can we trade or maybe have some sort of competition for it?"
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Now that it seems these things are friendly toward the rest. She decides to enjoy the water a bit. They usually go into dark damp muddy caves. First time in a while she could enjoy splashing about. Chittering happily
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Lighty flattered to be acknowledged for his power, as he sees divine elects to be more powerful than the others, Dioneo lets out a charming smile and quickly throws back a fiery-red lock of hair backwards, standing tall and proud.
"True enough! I am a mighty oracle, chosen by Her Lady in Fire, Ymeri herself! Well, I am not blind, though, only burnt to the bone! Comical for an Ifrit, isn't it?" he says, bursting out laughing.
"You were talking about a contest. Whatever it is, I am in!"
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Archon looks on with a mixture of confusion and amusement, silently contemplating calling on a real, and much larger "fish" for the pair, but decides against it while the two bicker, and the other Pathfinders try to negotiate.
"Come on, I'm sure you could both do better than that. That's such a tiny fish. More bate than anything, if you ask me."
"Whhhhhhhhhooooooooooo doesn't like a competition?" The Owl claps his hands, answering Oloch.
"A fishing competition with our fishy as prize? Okay, sound good to me!" It's pretty clear that thw two have little real attachment to the 'fish' that they've been arguing over since you arrived. The Albatross whistles happily, for once agreeing with his friend. He looks eagerly to all of you. "How we gonna do it?"
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"I dive underwater, and try to catch a fish, and you can use your fishing pole to catch one. And we see who gets the biggest fish? "
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"They seem tot think scrolls and parchments are fish. Im just going to look around under water for the biggest scroll I can find" he whispers
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"Whhhoooo's the best fisher fey?" The Owl gets out his crude fishing rod and throws out his line, wildly, trying to catch another 'fish'.
His hook hits the water, but does not catch anything.
"My turn! My turn!" The Albatross takes the old 'fishy' off the hook and offers it to Dioneo. "You hold it for me, okay?"
He actually hooks a scroll despite his clumsy efforts and utter lack of technique. "I did it! I bestest fisher fey! That's two times!"
"Says whhhooo?" The Owl crosses his arms and sulks. "Maybe diving guy beat you! Your turn, diving guy!"
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The Rover grins, he points to the scroll with two fingers from his eyes, and then goes under water. Scouting the bottom for a scroll that might still be intact inside its casing, if not, he tries to find the biggest scroll or parchment he can
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