Auric begins to focus his gaze once again as the book is brought in , as its set on the table he concentrates on it to discern what he can...
the full force of what he sees dulls his wits, and makes his blood run cold...
She looked at the young man first before the book as he put it down.
Auric stands aghast, the color has drained from his face and for the first time his smile is gone, replaced with a look of utter disdain... "This thing... is evil... more deeply and fully evil than anything I have ever seen... It must be destroyed. I don't know how that can be done... I expect no normal blade nor flame will be sufficient," he says shifting slightly away from it.
"The Lawbringer," Auric begins, seemingly unable to look away from the dreadful tome, "the head of my order, if he doesn't know what to do he must know who to ask... He's in Deep Furrow; we can go there after the ogres are dealt with... In the meantime does anyone know how to draw an inverted circle of protection, the kind summoners employ? I believe it might be in our best interest to keep this thing within such a circle until we can deal with it..."
Shaken
"What the hell is going on? What is THAT..." He pointed with a shaking finger. "Thing?"
Jun is stunned at what he sees and though his mind races to make sense of it, he cannot get his thoughts together.
Aya casts detect magic and concentrates on the book before the cover is recovered.
Her mind wrapped around what she was seeing even as she went though the depths of her memory looking to see if she knew of such a book in the old lores about magic, religion and history. Maybe she could give them some insight into what to do or even where to focus her thoughts.
Reiko speaks before they put the cover on.
Hold! Let me see it. Hold weapons on me if you want, but perhaps if I touch it, or examine it... It may reveal more than we think.
He holds his katana out to Antonio, and moves toward the book. When he gets there, he gently takes it from Sakuro's cousin, and begins to examine it closely.
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For a moment, Reiko has control - and then it reasserts itself. Reiko, for the moment, collapses, but regains consciousness almost as he hits the floor.
The book opens on its own, to a page early in the book - covered with arcane scrawlings.
Will save for the six closest, please - Reiko excluded. This is a spell. Bonuses against fear apply.
Those that fail a DC 20 Will save are frightened, and run in terror for 20(!) rounds.
Those who succeed are merely scared for one.
Nia'Nikta feels fear slam into her as she shudders and would head out quickly surprisingly quiet in her running in terror.
Aya stands, screams, bursts through the backroom door, and runs outside. She goes behind the Mug and cowers by a tree.
Antonio accepts Reiko's sword distractedly, and definately does not approach the... whatever that thing is.
Reiko staggers up, and then challenges the book right back.
Nor do YOU watch me and my allies without our permission! Who are you?!
When the book is opened the overwhelming aura of evil finally becomes more than Auric can stomach... His wits abandon him and he flees along with the others.
Farmer Gotson follows a number of the party out the door, Miriam trailing him.
What is it? Everything ok?
Jun follows the others out the door. Unable to stay in the room with whatever that thing is.
Alyra gasps, but holds her ground.
ANSWER ME!!
Watching in horror, Alyra grabs the book and slams it closed, stuffing it into the satchel as quickly as she can.
Reiko! Anger it no more! We will have to learn more before we can deal with this. For now, we have the ogres.
After a couple of minutes Aya returns to the Mug backroom.
I have NEVER experienced anything like that. We need to learn more of this but the fight with the ogres tonight, if they come, is far more important right now.
She then goes back to her scroll scribing.
Antonio stood up from behind an overturned table in the back.
"I just came back from the bathroom. WHAT THE HELL WAS ALL THAT?" He shouted, pointing at the sack with the book in it.
"I told you," Auric says, stepping cautiously back into the room, "that thing is wholly evil. It must be destroyed and it should not be meddled with... Alyra, do you know how to contain something in a circle of protection? Or any of the rest of you?"
Reiko stumbles for a bit, finally gets a hand on the table, and says cooly to Alyra
Or perhaps a way to restore my vision? That book seems to have blinded me...
Nia'Nikta felt like a child running the darkness of her home. Something bad was chasing her down the dark corridors of the basement. If she made a noise it followed faster. The image stuck with her until she felt the fear ebb away.
Panting heavily she looked around noticing she wasn't inn anymore. Feeling foolish but still a little shaken she started to find her way back to the inn. Having to ask directions once, not being familiar with the town. Her horse nuzzled her on the way back in and she stroked its neck. "Thank you Shadowstar." She said before heading back in and to the back. Her back was straight and she had a regal pose.
Entering the room once again she looked around seeing Alyra having the booked closed.
"May I examine the book without opening it?" Nia didn't intend on touching it if she could and she would cast her detect magic and look at the book. Magic items tended to be a specialty of hers.
Something about this seemed wrong and she wanted to identify what exactly was going on here. Titans and necromancy didn't mix but the stories of humans taking the blood of a titan floated in her mind.