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The Face on the door scowls and replies "I the great Zanthar have not heard of mages that go by the name Farston and I have known the greatest magi in all of Ardeyn! Do not presume that the Archmage Zanthar is a giver of petty quests for favours! By the looks of you, you appear to be an upstart band of Adventurers and not the true veterans of war and conflict that could be of use to me. Any quest that I send you one you would likely fail, for your foe would be mighty and your strength is lacking."
"Perhaps they do not go by the name Farston, but they would be creators and purveyors of magical items, and would likely travel or not be available most of the time."
Evidently this poseur lacks the knowledge we seek, perhaps we should take our queries and our skills elsewhere. Siobhan makes no attempt to speak quietly outside the door.
If your knowledge is limited to Ardeyn alone then we have overestimated you and you have underestimated us. We do not shrivel behind doors and bared windows, you know nothing of what strange places that lie beyond and its not our responsibility to educate you in those matters. Keep to yourself and your small world, for we have more important matters than conversing with small minded fools. Armand replies angrily, having his humbleness returned with such disrespect.
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The face does not seem interested in Marcus or Siobhan and their comments or innuendo. However when Armand and says his words the face gives an intrigued expression and turns a gaze to him. "An interesting response Adventurer Golem. I know well the strange places that lie beyond for I have been to them. Would you also be one who travels the worlds beyond the realm of Ardeyn? Are you and your companions of the Quickened?"
Indeed we are of the quickened Armand replies, having never heard the phrase, but certain that the mage holds knowledge that could be helpful to him and his companions.
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The face smiles and says, "Ah, then you are of interest to me. I apologize for my boldness earlier but at first glace I thought you all were more of those dammed adventurers seeking fame and adventure and looking to see the old wizard for information. You can not believe the number of peons I get knocking on my door seeking advice of the great Archmage Zanthar. As fellow recursors you are a step above the normal folk and thus worthy of my hospitality. Follow the Golem through my tower and touch nothing without my permission. It will be good to speak to more world travellers."
With that the face vanishes and the door opens up into an entry hall. The hall is decorated with numerous statures and tapestries and is kept alight by lantern that cast a light that does not seem to be electrical.
Meeting you is a golem, a humanoid looking one with a bald head and skin of rough stone and wearing a stylized servant's outfit.
The golem gives a small bow and then speaks with rumbling voice, "Welcome Guests of Archmage Zanthar. Please follow me for the master awaits your company."
Well friend Armand, it appears you got his attention.
When in doubt, attack their ego mumbles Cassie to no one in particular.
Perhaps I divulged too much, but I didn't see another way. He might be our best lead in understanding how we came here, which at this point is more important than finding the Farstons.
Armand continues forward keeping an eye out for traps and taking note of any strange feelings he has when nearing objects in the house.
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The party is lead through the tower up a series of winding stairwells that go up the tower. Along the way they see more examples of magical power. Alchemy Labs, Book Shelves with numerous parchment tomes, strange magical contraptions and occasional display cases with a share of oddities. Armand gets that funny feeling when he sees a number of these items.
Eventually you are lead into a room covered with silks, tapestries, carpets, wall displays and the like. A sitting table lies on the floor with what looks like some porcelain snack plates laid out as well as mugs. In the middle of the table a silver tea set of some kind as well as a bowl of sugar cubes and a jug of milk. In addition there is a silver tray with a mix of different pastries as well as turkish delight cubes. At the head of the table is a man who looks probably in his 60's of middle eastern heritage. He is dressed in the finest of silk robes and wears a turban with an amber gemstone. He also has numerous rings and amulets on himself as well as a curved dagger in a shethe and what looks like some kind of stylized rod on his belt. The Man has a look of power about him though and Armand's strange sense picks up a great deal of the strange energy he's felt before. He looks to the party, gestures to some comfy looking cushions and says, "Welcome Recursors. Please take a seat at the table, share in my hospitality and tell me of your travels throughout the many worlds of the Strange. It has been too long since I have gotten a visit from someone beyond the recursion of Ardeyn. As for my identity, here I go by the title Archmage Zanthar although I have had many titles in my travels."
Armand takes a seat on a cushion close to the Archmage. My name is Doc Bayou, I hail from the recursion Earth. carefully not speaking for others, not wanting to the show their hand too soon.
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Zanthar gives a respectful nod and says, "It is a pleasure to meet you Doc Bayou. A resident of the Prime World of Earth I see. Every recurser knows of the existence of Earth, a nexus point in the Strange that shapes this region of the Dark Matter Network. Where I hail from, earth is a constant sight in the sky and I have travelled there quite often. Despite the significance of Earth though very few there are of the Quickened. You are most blessed to be one of those few who can transcend the mundane drudge of Earth and experience the universe as it is."
He reaches down and takes a sip of tea from his teacup and gives an intrigued smirk to the group.
Marcus introduces himself and asks, "What about Ardeyn? How many people are quickened here? I'm a bit new to all of this."
Hopefully, by introducing himself as 'new to all of this' he can ask as many questions as he wants without it effecting others. Hopefully his years as a con man might pay off now, when it really counts.
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Zanthar says "Ah yes, Ardeyn, Land of the Cursed. This is where we all currently find ourselves. A young but powerful recursion not born of fictional bleed as many recursions are but by a convergence of Strange energies, a Planetovore and something your Earthlings call a Massively multiplayer online game, or MMO for short. In the time of your world and mine it has only existed for ten years but Ardeyn has evolved from its origin code into a world of its own with thousands of years of history. As recursions go, I have witnessed that most people here have the Spark of sentience although there are still a few that are caught in the narrative of this world's history and programming. As for the Quickened, I am certain there is some from these lands but like Earthlings, only few evolve to become as such. Ardeyn is a diamond in the rough and I enjoy living here and settling down in this wondrous place."
He looks to Marcus and says, "Ah so you have only been recently quickened I see. How is it that you translated to this recursion might I ask?"
Marcus shrugs. "Mostly out of necessity and luck. Some people with guns burst into the building we were all in, and I jumped into a big glowing portal because I didn't want to get shot."
"I overheard something before people burst in. 'Recursion mining' and 'cyphers'."
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Zanthar chuckles a bit and says, "A sign of things to come I am afraid. Facing bullets and guns are only the "Tip of the iceberg" as you Earthlings call it. The Strange is a place of many wonders but also innumerable dangers and those who can't adapt to their new existence can quickly meet death or fates worse there of."
He pounders Marcus's words for a moment and then says,
"It appears you ended up here due to a Translation Gate. If it were an inapposite gate you would all still be bearing your earthly forms. As for your current shapes, it may have been a side effect of your translation. An experienced quickened has some control over what they may become when they first enter a recursion but due to your lack of experience it seems you all underwent some random transformation. Hopefully none of you ended up being gender swapped also in the process. That surely would be uncomfortable."
He gives a sly grin to that comment.
"Heh, I imagine that could be interesting" Siobhan says softly before coughing and looking at Zanthar.
"Soooo, if we're 'Recursers' we have the power to get back to where we came from?, or do we need something to kickstart it?"
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Zanthar nods to Siobhan and says, "Most certainly you can return, especially as Earth is your homeworld. The problem is that without knowing how to do so you won't be able to unless you make use of gates. Translating without a gate is a very involved process and any mistake in the process could have dangerous consequences. You also will teleport to the location you last left which if I am correct in hearing had its own share of dangers."
He takes a sip of his tea and says, "Now as for getting back you have two options. I could teach what you need to know but it shall not come without a cost. As you are Recursors, your skill set is more valuable than the average peons that inhabit this world. If you would be willing to do a task for me then I will make sure you are returned back to your home recursion. The second option would be to deal with the Crow-Folk, who have access to a gate and may well let you make use of it, in exchange for Cyphers. They may try and swindle you though as the crow-folk are tricky fellows."
Have you ever heard the Earth expression, "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.?"Pausing momentarily for an answer...
I for one would like to learn more about traversing recursions and controlling our abilities. Can you explain more of the task you would have us do?
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Zanthar nods and says, "A wise setimant Doc Bayou. Indeed, learning the skill of translating will be invaluable for all of you. The power to travel through worlds at will, the possibilities are endless for all of you and I can show you the path. Not until the task at hand is done however. I would not want you to leave here without upholding your agreement so I shall hold off the teaching till the job is done. The task if you chose to .accept it is a bit of Archeological work so to speak. I know of a Quephilim Ruin not to far from the city that has an artefact of great magical power, the Rod of Storms. Now certainly I could personally retrieve it but such a delve would waste valuable resources. The ruin has its share of occupants including Vault Spiders, Sark and most of all a Hydra exists in the ruin and you will have brave its dangers to claim the Rod."
"What the heck is a sark?"
Humm.... I'm sure we are physically capable but perhaps ill equipped for such a task, could you tell us more of the creatures, any weaknesses? Do you have any map or locations that you could note for us? Looking to the others for confirmation.
I believe it to be a fair bargain perhaps.
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"The Sark are Qephilim who betrayed their purpose and the Seven Laws of Ardeyn and thus have become cursed beings of sin and corruption. They are outcasts to more civilized society and many of them are little more than monsters seeking to indulge in their sins. They can be potent in battle and some have magical abilities. Qephilim ruins are a common place where the Sark make their abodes. Still the biggest threat you will face is the Hydra that resides there. It is a powerful creature and odds are that after it kills you, your heads will join its hideous gestalt. From what I have learned about such beasts, the Hydras of this world enjoy Quickened heads more than those of the normal variety."
Zanthar then says, "I of course will give you the location of the ruin, a map to get there as well as a pick of Cyphers to aid in your quest. However if you chose to accept this task, you must swear to the task and accept a Geas upon your group. Its not that I do not trust you but I cannot risk you selling the knowledge of the location to other parties or you keeping the Artifact for yourself."
What is a geas? Also we should know more of this artifact we are to retrieve. If you know of no weaknesses for hydras we should research it before departing.
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"A geas is a magically bound oath to perform a task. Violating the terms of the geas, will mean you will suffer a terrible curse until the task is done or I chose to lift you from your obligation. As for a Hydra, it is a creature with the body of a massive bear and multiple human heads on long snake like furry necks. Fortunately its size means the creature is not overly evasive but it'd heads give the beast many attacks and the creature is quite robust so it takes many blows to slay. A weakness you may be able to exploit is that the heads often talk to one another so could provide a distraction you can exploit."
As long as the geas includes your end of the bargain then I'm unopposed to the terms... Perhaps we might recover the artifact without slaying the hydra if its easily distracted... Can you speak more of this artifact you wish us to recover? Does it have a name?
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"The artifact you are seeking is known in the common tongue as the Rod of Storms. It is a powerful magical relic apparently forged by the Quephilim in ancient times to channel the power of lightning as well as control storms when they exist in the sky. Of course for more educated recursers such as myself I suspect this object was written into this world's fiction and evolved when Ardeyn became a recursion. Nonetheless the powers of this Artifact would be very useful to me hence unearthing it from the ruins and returning it to me would be a worthy price for my aid. It will likey be a dangerous quest and probably take on some aspects of your MMO style, "Dungeon Crawls" as the term goes. Traps, Monsters, Puzzles and the like. Odd things you earthlings come up with in your fictions."
Well now, I think this is the best lead we have anyway. I'm up for it if you all be.
"Okay, let's just get this over with. I'm still interested in finding the Farstons and having a discussion with them."
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"While I know nothing of these Farstons as you call them, if they are Recursers then there is two possibilities. They may be from earth and thus using your home resources you may find information on them. On the other hand they may be Recursers from another Recursion and thus you will have to find their point of origin among the many worlds that exist in the strange. Either way a daunting task to be sure. With what I teach you however, you should have the tools to follow their trail once you've found out where they reside."
I hypothesized the same earlier Armand says after the mage breaks the impossible news. Do you know how many recursions there are? How many have you been to? he says inquisitively, letting his guard down now that the mage is so willing to share information and confirm his own thoughts.
After some answers, Armand turns to the group, If you all feel ready, then perhaps we should arm ourselves with what he has to offer and be on our way...The trail of the Farston's grows colder with each passing minute he says turning his gaze to Cassie, not optimistic in being able to find them, but hating to be the bearer of bad news, which was too often in his profession.
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Zanthar chuckles and then says, "There are an infinite number of recursions and more are birthed from fictional bleed, astronomical events or through the use of Recursion Seeds. Where I come from, we even build craft that can sail through the Strange and discover new far off recursions and anomalies. As for myself, I have been to many either through translation or transition and believe me I saw much before I decided to settle down here in Ardeyn. At least being here gets me away from the bickering politics of my home-world. Here I can wield great magical power that can make life much more interesting I would think. But back to the matter at hand, do you agree to perform this task and retrieve the Rod of Storms?"
Aye, why not. Siobhan nods her assent.
"I believe I had already agreed."
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Zanthar nods and says, "Very well then, allow me to invoke the Geas and as promised I will provide all of you with all that you need."
Zanthar starts chanting words of power and waving his hands which start to glow with magical energy. He then points at each of you and a glowing ball of energy flows out and touches you. You feel a slight jolt in your body and then it subsides. However you now know the terms of the Geas. You have 10 days to complete the task, you are to tell no one else of what you are seeking and where the ruins are and you are to give the Rod of Storms to no one but Zanthar (but you can freely trade it among yourselves). If you violate any of these terms of the agreement you will be hit with a curse of misfortune . Game wise it makes every action you do +2 levels more difficult so its a pretty nasty curse. Upon delivering the Rod of Storms the Geas will be lifted.
He then says, "Well then, as promised I will give each of you a Cypher to aid you in your quest.
He goes over to a chest, waves his hand, looks inside and then four objects float in the air and are placed on the table you're sitting at.
Cypher 1
The first device looks like some kind of rounded glass mirror with a mix of different dials attached to it.
X-ray Extractor (Level 10)
Effect: When held up against a solid surface, this device allows the user to see through up to 2 feet (0.6 m) of material. The selection of dials allows him to discriminate between various items within the material, permitting him to see buried objects, supports in walls, or organs in a body. The device operates for one minute, and it works only if the cypher’s level is higher than the material’s level.
Cypher 2
The second device looks like a metallic silver headband of some kind with a rounded rune on the front of it.
Data Mine (Level 5)
Allows the user to tap into the mind of anyone in visual range and steal the target’s knowledge of a skill that it is trained in. The
user becomes trained in that skill for one hour. During that time, the target loses its own training in that skill.
Cypher 3
The third item is a leather wrist band with a strange red rune-stone in the center.
Teleporter (Mass) (Level 8)
The user teleports herself and a number of other creatures equal to the cypher level. They can travel up to 100 × the cypher level in miles to a location she has previously visited (only in the same recursion though). The group arrives safely with anything that they can carry, either individually or as a group.
Cypher 4
This device takes the shape of a multicolored wand of some kind.
Summoning Wand (Level 4)
This creates a momentary inapposite gate. A random creature whose level is equal to or less than the cypher’s level appears through the gate and attacks the closest target.
He fully explains how each of these devices work. You are warned not to carry too many on your person though as too many in close proximity on a person can cause them to become unstable and vanish.
Armand looks over each and suspects what a few of them are before they're explained, not yet understanding where the knowledge comes from, but content that they aren't being deceived.
The wrist band could be helpful in getting us back here and out of a tight spot once we've recovered the rod....That mirror might help us to peer inside a room before we enter, which could prove valuable once inside the ruins....That wand might summon a creature that could distract the Hydra, but we must be careful that it doesn't attack us instead...I am particularly interested in the head-band he says with a smile, picking it up for closer inspection and putting on his head, but only after he takes one of the eyes of the bird he carried before and sets it down on the table. I think it'll fit...If we need to go toe to toe with the Hydra he might have a few skills worth stealing that might mean the difference in life and death...Yes, I'll hold onto this one if no one objects, but I can't carry too many, one of you should carry an eye, if its too disgusting for you we could trade it in the markets for a more useful cypher.
After fiddling with the headband and making sure it fits and he can put it on, he stows it in a bag, assuming no one else makes a claim on it.
There doesn't seem to be anything overtly offensive, I still have this cypher Armand says, raising up the jewel he believes will explode in fire. But perhaps we can peruse the markets on our way out, each of you should be able to carry another cypher that could prove more helpful if the fighting gets thick. Then turning to the mage he raises the jewel and explain where he got it from. Those Farstons summoned some skeletons and after we killed them, one of them dropped this showing him to confirm his own intuition and limited knowledge of the cypher, looking for confirmation from the Mage, having never actually used a cypher and still a little unsure of their strange nature.
Cassie stood and stretched. She felt ready to be done with this conversation 20 minutes ago. Which as she contemplated on it, made no sense. When she had been both a hitter and a teacher, she had been very patient. Forcing herself to relax, she began to dial down her frustration. It must be this new body. I think it craves action. Realizing that she had missed several minutes of the conversation, she said "I'll carry what you want to hand me. I'm not currently carrying any of those cyphers."
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Zanthar looks at the gemstone and says, "Indeed, I can sense that this is a Cypher of some kind. It is possible it was used as a reagent to power a magical construct. Now that it has been removed from the source through it now is somewhat unstable and instead can be used to create a firey explosion when thrown at a target."
I'll take the Mirror, and I'll have an eye too, if no-one else want's it, I'm not squeamish
If we have to spread them out, I can hang on to the wrist band.
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After the Cyphers are distributed, Zanthar reaches into a sachel and pulls out an ivory scroll case. He hands the scroll case to Armand and says, "Within this scroll case is the map to reach the location of the ruin. It will probably be two days of travel through the mountains to reach there. The map has an enchantment that will show your relative location to the ruin so you hopefully will not get lost along the way. Do you have any other questions before you depart?"
Armand takes the map and replies : I believe we have all we need, we shall return when we have the rod. Then stands ready to depart with his companions.
As they leave he asks if anyone wishes to shop around town for items or information before departing for the mountains. He suggests some food for the journey as surely they'll need to eat and unsure what lies ahead of them.
"everyone should get some rope, cold weather gear, and 2 weeks food and water, as well as a backup weapon."
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Zanthar nods and says, "Very well. I appreciate your assistance on this task. It was a pleasure to meet all of you and I hope you all have a grand adventure. My golem shall lead you out."
With that you're lead out the wondrous tower to the exit. The door closes behind you and locks leaving you all ready to do the next part of your task. Still getting some rest would be good for you did push on through the night to reach the city.
I suggest we find somewhere to bed down for the night, I'd like at least one remotely comfortable bed before starting on a week-long hike. We can shop in the morning.
"I agree. Let's get some sleep and then we can talk in the morning."
Agreed, let's return to the Tavern we ate at and rest. I won't need a bed, doubt it would support my weight anyways... I feel as though I could sleep standing up in this form, though I might require a shaking to awaken.
[ooc] I don't mind if we skip ahead to the next morning, we'll get cheap rooms and/or share, Armand doesn't need a bed, just a place to stand. [/b]
"What, you don't need to plug in the wall or anything?" Marcus jokes.
I don't have any outlets Armand replies in kind, No need for me to wipe my ass with rabbits suddenly realizing he no longer needs to use the toilet or worry about which leaves are safe in the wilderness.