"I am going to repeat your terms to the rest of my group; some of us do not speak Thassilonian," Jeevika announces carefully.
She turns her slightly to the others and repeats the terms in Common.
"So what do you think?"
Ryli shakes her windy head. "If you're content to stay here, we'll gladly learn from you and leave you in peace."
"Ok then, we're agreed. Do you need to come with us, or can you explain the process from here?"
"We are?" Jeevika inquires, glancing at Zoli in obvious confusion, "Only two of us have agreed, Zoli. Mr. Silva, our new allies, and I have yet to voice our opinions."
”Ye kinnae be dealin’ wit’ some demon infested sot like ‘im! Les jus’ bury an axe in ‘is chest an’ be done with it!” Gadgorin protests.
Lorthan shakes his head. ”If we can avoid further bloodshed, it would be preferable, Gadgorin.”
Elthariel nods. ”Lorthan is right. But, this is your mission, Rangers. We will abide by your decision,” she says as she absentmindedly fiddles with her bowstring.
"...The big issue I have with fighting is that it usually brings the entire wing down on our heads. Greed was the major exception," Jeevika explains to Gadgorin.
Perhaps Pride too, but even, from what Jeevika has heard, Vraxeris' lingering minions had converged surprisingly quickly on the Rangers, and it could have been infinitely worse. If Setsuna had been able to see her own reflection, then her stupidly stealth doppelgangers could have Feebleminded Eugeni, Plane Shifted Zoli to Hell, and then used Chains of Light to bind Rilee for an easy sickle to the throat.
"Even if we eventually won, there was always a major price to pay. Eugeni has had his mind shattered like a mirror and been turned into a statue. The entire trip to the Iron Cages was a traumatizing disaster for everyone. Setsuna and Rilee actually died in the Crypts..."
Jeevika sighs. There is always one big issue with worshipping Shelyn; the elf often has no idea what course of action her patron goddess actually prefer. Shelyn's paladin code emphasises diplomacy and forgiveness, but then again, Jeevika is not a paladin. Despite essentially pushing the Rangers to butcher that seemingly peaceful demon the Vaults and ignoring Azaven's peace offers, Jeevika's spell privileges had not been revoked. Clearly, given how She had been willing to punch Zon-Kuthon himself in the face, Shelyn clearly understands that sometimes love hurts.
"It appears that I have plenty of reasons to agree. If Mr. Silva does not strenuously object, then I am willing to accept the terms," Jeevika announces. She studies Jordimandus and Sobloch intently, "However, there is something I want to know: how did you learn about the tuning fork in the Crypts? Yes, yes. I just revealed its existence, but you clearly already knew about it. However, Azaven or someone else took the pains to carefully hide the thing, and the time from Eugeni studying it to its storage was a minute at most. You even knew its specific attunement."
Jeevika gets the feeling that Elthariel suddenly seems to be paying a lot of attention to what they say next...
”Huh huh huh,” Jordimandus chuckles. ”I’ve been scrying the other wings in secret for centuries. I know much about what has transpired in the Runeforge over the last ten thousand years. Vraxeris and Delvahine’s trists. Ordikon’s gradual murders of his colleagues. Azaven’s desperacy for test subjects. The decline of the warriors of wrath and their desperate struggle to maintain enough humans to breed. The secrets of Ethillion...yes, I’ve known about this and so much more.”
"Ooh, Ethillion. Who's he?" Ryli perks up, curious.
”Not who. What.” Jordimandus says with a sly grin. He then nudges Sobloch with a finger.
Sobloch speaks up, asking ”So? Do we have a deal?”
"There's just one little thing. The whole 'You leave forever!' clause has a slight complication. It's nothing regarding you; it was that blasted lich," says Jeevika carefully, "Azaven stole something very important of ours. My daughter's magic Quill. I tore up the Crypts looking for it, but he somehow hide it beyond divination. Discern Location will not work because I have never actually held it. We need the Quill back because it would be extremely useful against Karzoug. On par with the Runeforge weapons."
Jeevika taps her chin.
"Let me put it this way. This Quill will maximize our chances of winning and minimize the odds of Karzoug's goons barreling in here if we lose. Since you spied on Azaven for hundreds of years and knew about his secret tuning fork, you likely know a lot about how he would think. If you could tell us where he might have hide it, we would be extremely grateful. Moreover, getting it back would truly conclude our business here."
"Help us get the Quill back, and you have your deal. Just that tiny amendment, and the terms will be carried out in full."
Jordimandus scowls.
Sobloch says ”Lord Jordimandus is not responsible for everything and everyone that becomes lost in the Runeforge. If you cannot find your quill, that is your responsibility not his. If you claim to be unable to find it in the Crypts, then it is most likely hidden elsewhere. The terms stand as is!“
Eugeni listens to the back and forth before speaking his opinion. "If you are content to continue your slothful sovereignty over this midden for all eternity, then I for one am content to leave you to it. We will leave this place once we have what we need, and seal it forever so that none will ever dare disturb your repose again, Lord."
As Eugeni voices his thoughts, Jeevika studies Jordimandus for a long moment before shrugging, "It appears that we have a deal."
The elf retrieves the tuning fork for the Runeforge from storage.
"Now how do we activate and work the Runeforge?" she says, offering the requested item for presumably Sobloch to take.
Sobloch flies forward and takes the tuning fork from Jeevika. It brings it back to Jordimandus, who studies it a moment to confirm without a doubt that it is in fact the correct one, before tucking it away.
"The Runeforge awakened some time ago, with the awakening of one of the Runelords. I have since learned it was Karzoug who quickened to awakening. Not that that concerns me terribly. But, the question you truly seek to have answered is how to create a Dominant weapon," Jordimandus says before yawning. As he does so, he waves to Sobloch to continue.
"Dominant weapons are what you need to oppose Karzoug. To do so, you will need to acquire certain materials infused with the schools of magic opposed to him. Lust and Pride. Master has studied the proper items needed to craft such a weapon. You will need a shard of any mirror the imbecile Vraxeris has looked in, as well as one of Delvahine's...toys," the quasit says with a snarky grin. "Place the weapon you would like enchanted within the pool, then add the mirror and toy at the same time. THE SAME TIME! Then, their powers will flow into the weapon and turn it into something more!"
Jeevika carefully studies Jordimandus and Sobloch for any signs of deception, lies, or treachery. They seem to be telling the truth; after all, Vraxeris independently reached the same conclusion. However, there could still be something sinister in the works.
She briefly locks eyes with Elthariel, who appears to be of similar thought...
"That's surprisingly straightforward. Thank you. Now, I expect our business is concluded?"
”Once you leave, yes.” Jordimandus says with a dismissive yawn.
Jeevika studies Jordimandus and Sobloch for a long moment before nodding.
"Thank you, Lord Jordimandus," she says sincerely. Despite the prior moments of tension, Jeevika performs another curtsy. The elf then turns to the other Rangers and says, "I believe that's it. Let's go collect the required components."
Unless something else happens, Jeevika leads the way out of the Festering Maze.
Once safely outside the Festering Maze, a thought occurs to Jeevika, "Mr. Silva, could you use your Blood Money spell and Limited Wish to mirror the effects of Commune? I will heal the damage with Heal. I could probably prepare the spell tomorrow. I seem to recall that we collected incense from the Iron Cages, and we likely have enough silver from our collected treasury for me to create the holy water. However, Limited Wish is simply much, much faster..."
Jeevika takes a moment to write the questions for the Commune and hands the list to Eugeni.
1) Where did Azaven hide the Revelation Quill?
2) Did Azaven hide the Revelation Quill in the Ravenous Crypts of Gluttony?
3) Did Azaven hide the Revelation Quill in the Festering Maze of Sloth?
4) Did Azaven hide the Revelation Quill in the Vaults of Greed?
5) Did Azaven hide the Revelation Quill in the Iron Cages of Lust?
6) Did Azaven hide the Revelation Quill in the Shimmering Veils of Pride?
7) Did Azaven hide the Revelation Quill in the Halls of Wrath?
8) Did Azaven hide the Revelation Quill in the Envy wing of the Runeforge?
9) Is the Revelation Quill still in the Runeforge?
10) Does Soldara know where Azaven might have hidden the Revelation Quill?
11) Has Zazeron found the Revelation Quill?
12) Did Azaven hide the Revelation Quill in a wall?
13) Did Azaven hide the Revelation Quill in a floor?
14) Did Azaven hide the Revelation Quill in a ceiling?
15) Did Azaven hide the Revelation Quill in a solid object?
Once Ryli has returned to her centaur form and retrieved Kallie, she turns to Jeevika. "How much holy water do you need? I've got a few flasks."
"None on my person; I left the embassy so quickly that I left a lot of basic supplies behind," Jeevika says with a sheepishly smile. "Could I use some of yours?"
Another thought occurs to her.
"Alternatively, we could use the Divination spell. That would be a lot more direct than 15 Questions, wouldn't it? I... Wow. I can just prepare that spell tomorrow, couldn't I? Those incense burners from the Iron Cages never run out of fuel, and we have plenty of potential offerings worth well over 25 gold pieces."
Ryli digs deep into her old pack and finds four flasks with a leather thong tied around it. "Oh, yeah..." she says with an air of reminiscing. Looking up, she has a wistful smile as she passes the flasks to Jeevika. "Way back when, I don't know, it had to have been a couple lives ago, me and Olympus had a trick where I'd give him something and he'd fly over the target and drop it. He's gotten a little big for that."
Reminding herself, she pulls out the figurine and returns her roc companion to full size.
As the group makes their way back to the central chamber of Runeforge, their new friends of Gadgorin, Lorthan, and Elthariel become clearly unnerved.
"It's...it's almost the same as when we were here," Elthariel says uncomfortably. "This was the last place we were together. All of us..." she says as she looks to Lorthan with a tear in her eye.
He reaches a clawed hand out and places it reassuringly on her shoulder. "I...I'm sorry for the loss of Kragath. I...I know you cared for him. He was a good man. Gavin was the first real friend I ever had as well. The first one to not see me for a monster," as he says this, he pulls his scaly hand away from the soft skin of her arm and returns it to his weapon.
Meanwhile, Gadgorin is mumbling while walking alongside Zoli. "I jus' don' get wha' tha big deal is o'er a stupid quill. I kin get ye a quill anytime ye want one off'a tha' big bird up thar!" he says as he points to Olympus. "'Ell! I could e'en get ye a nice 'orse-'air brush offa tha lasses backside if'n ye'd like an upgrade!" he adds with a chuckle while nodding towards Ryli.
At that, Lorthan reaches up and slaps the back of Gadgorin's helmeted head. Instead of the expected ire, the dwarf just laughs. "HAHA! I was jus' jokin' lad!"
As they gather around the Runeforge, the trio look to you all expectantly. "So, how many of these weapons can be made? Do we even know?" Lorthan asks.
"And what weapons will you enchant?" Elthariel asks.
Ryli goes to the Wing of Lust to get some of the incense Jeevika needed, popped out to deliver it, then quickly returned while the holy vindicator cast her spells.
Long after the divinations were cast, she dreamily returns from the Iron Cages with a languid smile on her lips. She lets her horse body down to the ground where she leans against the feathered form of Olympus and stretches her arms and back.
"I'm going to miss..." she cuts herself off quickly. "...some of this place."
Upon the topic of weapons, she shrugs. She draws her rarely-used scimitar and holds it out. "We can test it on this, but if there's a limit to how many we can make, we should start with something that will at least get used. I usually fall back to my spells, or my nature forms in combat."
While Ryli is gone, the sounds of "sexual pleasures" cannot be mistaken echoing forth from the Hall of Lust.
If Lorthan could blush, he would. The moans and cries of ecstasy cause him to reflexively give Elthariel sheepish glances.
Elthariel, meanwhile, has developed a nice rosy shade of red on her cheeks, neck, and chest from the extensive blushing she IS capable of.
Gadgorin, meanwhile, watches the group with a mischievous grin and chuckles at Lorthan and Elthariel's discomfort.
In the morning, Jeevika casts Magic Vestment on her buckler and armor. She also charges her shield with Shelyn's sacred energy. Finally, she casts Moment of Prescience and prepares some Extended Tears to Wine for the group.
"Uh, Grandmother, we already collected the everlasting incense burners..." Jeevika says softly before Ryli gallops off again.
Using her own stash of diamond dust, Jeevika funds five castings of Divination spells. She uses the incense from the Iron Cage's everlasting incense burners to fuel the spell's other material component. Using the information they give her, she is able to piece together that Azaven hide the Quill on the Ethereal Plane. Going by her knowledge of spells, she guesses that means in a Secret Chest. With Azaven dead, that means that the Quill is effectively lost forever.
Jeevika sighs and prepares a Sending that she has been meaning to fire off for awhile...
Jeevika thinks about the final words her Divinations seemed to say to her. Almost like a subtle message from Lady Shelyn herself. A gentle nudge to continue forward.
(Granted, that could just be her projecting...)
After casting her spells, Jeevika collects the required components without issue. When the group gather to forge their new weapons, Jeevika explains that fate of the Quill.
When Lorthan asks his question, Jeevika shares what she knows.
"We have an idea. Vraxeris estimated that about six weapons at most could be made with the Runeforge's current reserves. As a test, we can use Love Hurts first. Between her, Baern's Breath, Elthariel's bow, Gadgorin's axe, and your swords, we should cover everyone. Mr. Silva and Grandmother typically do not use weapons."
. . 8th—frightful aspect,
. . 7th—heal,
. . 6th—heal, heal, heal, mislead[D] (DC 20)
. . 5th—break enchantment[D], communal air walk,
. . 4th—death ward, freedom of movement, freedom of movement[D], good hope,
. . 3rd—beacon of luck, beacon of luck, borrow fortune[D], dispel magic,
. . 2nd—augury[D], bear's endurance, lesser restoration, lesser restoration,
. . 1st—divine favor, divine favor, divine favor, shield of faith, shield of faith, true strike[D]
. . 0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, detect poison, stabilize
Gadgorin guffaws.
”It’s a ‘ammer ye daft pointy ear!” he says as he holds his warhammer up in frustration.
Jeevika winces at her mistake.
"I apologize, Gadgorin. I sometimes think so quickly that I fumble my words."
Eugeni seems excited about the prospect of using the forge. "Such powerful magic is a rare treat. Might I be the one to administer the ritual?"
"Certainly, Eugeni," Ryli responds, still basking in the afterglow. After a time, an uncertain look grows on her face. "You don't suppose using the Runewell will be dangerous, do you? Do you think I should keep Kallie away?"
"It might not hurt to stand back," Jeevika remarks thoughtfully. "If Shion was present, I would definitely keep her away from the Runewell."
Once everyone is ready, Jeevika hands Love Hurts to Eugeni and then watches as the tusked arcanist carefully performs the ritual...
Zoli stands there, excited, watching, with Baern's Breath in hand.
"Take Kallie out? I don't know Ryli, I mean, this is Ancient Thassilonian magic that hasn't happened been witnessed in millennia!! Wouldn't you be bummed if your mama kept you from seeing it? What kind of story is she going to tell when she grows up?"
"Perhaps just standing back a bit would be sufficient." Eugeni takes the blade, and does as proscribed in the ritual.
With a new allotment of spells, Ryli casts her usual repertoire of combat and exploration spells so she can be prepared in case the ritual ends up being dangerous.
She then stands back, next to Olympus, and watches nervously.
As Jeevika retrieves her blade from the Runeforge pool, she instantly can feel it’s new power. She feels as if she is truly in command now and can lead these Rangers, who let her daughter die, to victory over the Runelord Karzoug.
Suddenly, the Runeforge pool explodes with energy as a golden beam shoots forth into the statue of Karzoug, which animates and stares down at you all. ”You. Again. I can’t help but be inspired by your optimism, but alas, your weapons will never reach Xin-Shalast. Your fate is death, here in Runeforge.”
__________
Everyone! STAY BACK!" Ryli shouts, worried that something like this would happen. She gestures and chants, causing a 10-foot high wall of liquid-hot magma to erupt from the ground and surround most of the statue. The heat of the molten rock radiates from the wall in all directions.
Jeevika hisses in slight pain at the heat emitted by the wall of lava. Her gaze turns to Ryli, who earns an angrily out-of-character scowl from her granddaughter. With a sigh of annoyance, Jeevika retreats and takes the moment to cast a spell. Once again, her form swells greatly in size. However, compared to her brief time as a giant the Vaults of Greed, Jeevika seems vastly more powerful. Almost supernaturally so.
She notices a slightly singed Elthariel fall back and draw her bow. The ranger also takes a few seconds to charge her quiver with a spell. Elthariel rolls her shoulders and begins reaching for an arrow...
Eugeni flies back and casts a spell, going invisible.
"I do not fear fire, I sssshall close the gap!" Lorthan announces with a hiss and a growl. He casts a quick spell which causes images to spring up around him. He spreads his wings and covers the distance of the chamber easily.
"Whoa!! He really is alive! Or at least his statue is!
"Sorry, fella but if you think we won't reach Xin-Shalast,
"You've got somethin' to learn...really fast."
Seeing she can't get close to the animated statue, Zoli sings an arcane ditty to boost her speed, and gets as close to the searing-hot wall as she can without singeing herself.
The statue closes a set of stony lids over its eyes and smirks before lashing out at Lorthan with its glaive. He hits Lorthan twice, delivering bone crunching blows to the draconian. With one of the strikes, Lorthan noticeably winces and moves less fluidly after.
__________
Jeevika winces at the immense sheer power behind the statue's attacks.
"Lorthan, fall back! It's too powerful to fight in melee!" she commands, her voice sounding like a general yelling orders to her troops.
Jeevika moves over to Ethariel and very gently taps her on the head.
"Fire at will. I just augmented your aim, so don't worry about missing."
Ethariel nods and unleashes a hail of arrows against the golem.
"...It seems that I'm a little rusty," she grumbles dryly as her spell starts to refill her quiver.
"Damn it, get back, Lorthan!" Ryli shouts, then begins to chant to bring in an ally from the powers of nature.