Grey Lioness raises an eyebrow Well, I know of the stories of the Aged Man. His house on the cliff and so on so forth. Rumor has it that any who enters his home never return. She looks around pretending to be scared before smiling and continuing to dance Truth is I'm not terribly convinced that I'm not the Aged Man, the old fellow over there seems to obvious. The dwarf seems unlikely, White Dog seems far too emotional. So I suppose its me.
Oil Pig says Well I know a whole lot of old fellers but they all have names. Well one day I just got a letter on my front porch inviting me to some big party. I ain't never been to a party quite like this like I said I'm just a farmer. You a farmer too? Fruit farmer?
I can't rightly say lass, I'm just a humble smith from up in Nanyahr no idea why I would be invited to a party like this. Jolly smiles as Nalia drinks the beer Well you gotta know the right people, my cousin is pretty wealthy on account of his own brewery business that's the only reason I know about these fancy drinks. Might be able to speak with him if you're ever up in Nanyahr his business is called Bluntbelly Brewery and Bar. Upon the attempt to deceive the smith he smiles and says Well that'd make sense to me, the wealthy do know a lot about their beverages but bare in mind i'm also a dwarf, it runs in my blood he chuckles.
The snow elf woman looks at Vynya curiously My my aren't you just adorable she says in a condescending tone. I would love to have a conversation with you darling its not often I speak to the common folk let alone she looks you up in down and with a rude grin says homeless. You do notice she has an amulet with a symbol around her neck you can roll me a history check.
Vynya jumps with surprise when the woman speaks, almost as if she had forgotten the elf woman was alive. Oh! She gasps and starts chewing furiously on a lock of hair. I..I don't even know what to say to that. I mean, I don't have a home, so I can hardly be home less. I'm more likely to be home none. She then notices the odd amulet...
You're not quite sure what the amulet is as you look at it. What you've never even had a home? Aww how sad darling she says once again in a condescending tone. So I suppose you can't be the Aged Man she studies Vynya up and down.
Well if you are the Aged man I would have to change where I wanted this conversation to go. Archie adds with a wink. but if no one ever returns from his house, who tells the stories? What about that snow elf there, not as pretty as you by any means but she seems to have an odd expression?
Same here, I've been to parties before, but nothing like this. No I'm not a farmer, but I buy fruit from farmers and then sell it shops. I guess you could say I'm the middle man. You know what they say always use a middle man, never deal direct. Well that's me. Poppo blabbers on trying to sound convincing.
Oil pig, I get the pig part, but what does the oil part mean?
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Do you know anyone here? Or recognize anyone despite the names they go by? I'm trying to figure out the game, what brought these people together. What do they have in common? It can't just be random. And to add to it, if I don't know the aged man how would I recognize him when he's trying to deceive me?
As she's chatting she scans the people in the room, looking for anyone or anything that stands out.
The bards sing of me. Oh her? She's quite rude if you ask me. I mean you see what's been described, you have to speak to them if you want more information.
Well pigs are always covered and grease from feed, oily you know. Basically a greasy hog he says with a sure nod.
I don't know anyone, I think the only thing we have in common is that we all got invitations. You know I was thinking the same, maybe this twist the Butler talked about will help with that he shrugs.
Well Oil Pig, who do you think the Aged Man might be and why? Poppo asks directly.
Arch winks and kisses the hand of the Grey lion and excuses himself as he walks to the faun and introduces himself
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Well, who have you talked with so far besides me? And who do you think you’ll talk to next? And what do think about this music? Sort of cool and annoying at the same time. But the machine that makes the music is pretty neat. Think it’s magical? Figure we have about 10 minutes before the first twist. Hope it’s not that someone dies or something morbid like that!
Looking around the room she tries to see what other snacks are spread out that she can’t miss. Ok, if I need a walking beer for my travels, what kind would you ask for? Then maybe I can get one of these carbon copy butlers to rustle me up one. What I don’t understand is why these different people were invited. Have you done anything special to warrant an invitation? Save a nobleman or run off an invading army from another continent?
Well I ain't no investigator but that tiefling feller that walked in last might be him. Him or that other horned feller. Who do you think it might be?
You can talk to the faun in the 3rd round.
Well I tried to chat up that pretty elven lady but she gave me the cold shoulder. When you ask him who he will talk to next he smiles and holds up his tankard clearly more interested in the drink than opening a conversation with anyone else. Hmm certainly strange music, I don't know much about magic but that thing seems pretty magical.
A walkin beer? Try Gilliams Goblet Porter maybe? Nope I'm a simple smith ain't done nothin of note in my entire life, mainly make horse shoes and nails he chuckles.
Interesting, yeah could be. Maybe that abnormally large woman over there. Pointing over toward Nalia.
Seeing Nalia walk away from the pig farmer, Vynya scrambles across the room to meet him. She tries not to make eye contact with Nalia as they pass. Um..hello? It's...ah... nice to meet you? she asks uncertainly. Why are you here and how did you travel to this place? While speaking, she studies the man closely for anything that seems out of place or inconsistent with his story.
You all feel a pulse of magical energy and time almost seems to freeze around you. My my how many parties like this have I done before? Hundreds? Thousands? Though of all of them this one is the most boring. And why must I throw parties like this especially since the world is on the brink of complete collapse. A loud voice rings out through the chamber. You all feel as if you can move despite the figures around you having fallen extremely still.
A second more of this party and I think my brain would explode from sheer boredom. You all glance around and see that one figure has risen from his solitary chair in the corner, White Dog. And playing such a miserable person such a bore he glances at the dirt on his hands and in a second arcane energy pours from his mouth and cleans his hand. Purple and red robes soon envelope White Dogs body as he begins to walk closer to you.
Yes, yes I am the Aged Man blah blah. What a bore. You three are the agents of the Holy Order and you are an agent of Elnil correct? You are here to look at the Book of the Dead, all very obvious. Follow me. He says motioning for the doors to open which do with a bit of arcane energy.
Poppo looks around surprised at the sudden change. Okay, your right that's why we are here to see the Book of the Dead. Lead the way. He's says to the Aged Man.
Arch shrugs and walks over, kissing the Grey lion's hand and follows at the back of the party.
It was random, completely random apart from you three he points to Vynya, Poppo, and Nalia. I know who you are but was expecting the old fellow who practices to have the forth invitation. But no he's gone, walking to the Dark Tapestry apparently.
The Aged Man leads you to a pretty standard looking library We really don't have time to waste. The Aged Man casts a spell which causes many of the bookshelves to shift into a platform which the Aged Man steps upon and motions for you all to step upon it as well.
Poppo hops on the bookshelf, Which book is it! Poppo says excitedly.
Ugh, you'll know it when you see it. The Aged Man says as the platform of books begins to descend down beneath the manor through a twisted vertical tunnel of rock and books. The elevator stops at the bottom and the Aged Man continues leading you through the sprawling manor. You pass by a strange stone sarcophagi suspended in mid air by chains but the Aged Man pays it no mind.
Right he motions with his hand opening an incredibly complex metal door with thousands of locks on it. The complex door swings open with a loud thud and beyond is a room with a circular pedestal in the middle of the room. The pedestal is surrounded by water in a circular pool. Upon the pedestal is a massive book, bigger than some tables with a black leather bound cover. Right, which dead person is it that you would like to gaze upon? He asks raising one eyebrow.
As the Aged Man opens the many locked door, Poppo oft-hand comments. Imagine if we had to break in here, it would take forever!
He stares with his goofy grin at the massive book and one name appears in his mind, he holds back his tongue.
But his he dead or undead?
The Aged Man raises an eyebrow looking at Poppo as if he just read his thoughts. Once you gaze upon the book you will never be able to gaze upon it again without becoming a page yourself. Technically you could all gaze upon someone different but know that the book shows the brief moments before their death, nothing more.
Okay I think it's important we all focus on that Sun Priest from ancient Pyrean. That's why we've been sent. Poppo recalls pushing away thoughts of his lost friend.
Maybe we should go one at a time. That way if the first vision doesn't show us what we need, we may identify others that will. Archie suggest
That's an excellent idea, Arch. Poppo concurs.
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Sir, may we ask what you know about the Sun Priests, or the red madness? And if it's not being too impertinent, why are you helping us with this? What do you stand to gain by doing so? If we can only look once into this amazing artifact, I don't think any of us want to mess it up. Do we have a better chance if we focus together or could we gain more knowledge if we looked one by one as our friend Arch suggested?
Ugh Sun Priests? Red Madness? Sun Priests were the ruling class of Pyreans and powerful natural sorcerers. Red Madness is as a result of the Lightborn's deaths, whether its brought on by Taranor Coarek and his approaching "Cleansing" or the entity known as Hadar not even I know.
Why am I helping you? What a stupid question, I see the fates woven in each of you the fates to stop or not stop the impending doom of the world. I gain nothing, but you will gain much. It's ultimately up to you all, you cannot alter the memories just view them, it wouldn't hurt to have more people there but it potentially won't help either.
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Nervously looking around, worrying the world lies in the balance but not sure what the best decision is, Nalia grabs Arch’s hand and says, Look at this with me and help me remember correctly what we see! Focus on the ancient pyrean and maybe we’ll see how she died, and how we can crack this cocoon. With that she follows the aged man to stare at the book in whatever way he says is right.
Of course my lady, It will be my honor. Arch says and places his other hand over hers with a smile and a wink.
Very well. the Aged Man says with a hand motion as the massive books pages begin to flip backward closer to the beginning of time. Many of the pages are black written with white text in strange unknown language, but some of the pages are merely gray, the books lands on a black page. You will see the final memories of a Pyrean Sun Priest. With that both Nalia and Archie touch the page.
The two of you briefly see a swirl of black energy before you feel the sense of falling. White surrounds you and the image of thousands of backwards ticking clocks appears around you before they all simultaneously land on midnight.
You are suddenly both thrust into mind of a strange alien looking humanoid creature. The man has light blue skin, elvish ears, and what looks like gills just above the ears. The figure is largely nude apart from an ornate loin cloth. You gaze out from the eyes of what is clearly a Pyrean. He speaks in a language that normally you wouldn't understand Kauth is coming my mate, we must protect our young.
Across from the Pyrean Sun Priest is a female Pyrean dressed in ragged robes and two children similarly dressed. The female Pyrean nods and the Sun Priest begins to draw an incantation in the air trapping the children in two separate blocks of quartz like ice. But my mate? asks the female Pyrean If you and the other Sun Priest defeat Kauth how will you free them from this state.
My mate the Sun Priest says putting a hand on her face It is as simple as doing the incantation in reverse... as he says that the roof of the tree like home is ripped off by a massive crystalline pale dragon, with one swift breath of crystal shards the life of the sun priest and his mate is ended.
You feel a sensation of going upward at great speeds as you see the white surrounding you and the clocks ticking forward before once again landing on midnight. You are both back in the strange room that houses the Book of the Dead.
Having seen Nalia and Archie die in horribly painful deaths after touching a massive black leather bound book 3 nights ago in a dream, Vynya utters a truncated scream and grabs at Poppa's arm.
Forgetting that he is a halfling, she instead grabs his head in a noogie-like grapple and inadvertently shoves his face into her armpit while gasping at what must be 2 friends' demise.
Ahhh! Let me go! Poppo squirms as his face enters the armpit. Vynya!
He pulls free more surprised than angry or hurt. He gives her a side eyed look.
What was that for?
He then looks a Nalia and Archie. Did you see anything?
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Hold on, she mutters, I need to focus to memorize what I was shown. Arch, do the same if you can.
You see her drawing in the air over and over again until she stops and then focuses on the friends around her. Not understanding why Poppo and Vynya are disentangling themselves from each other, she just gives them an odd look. Is this really the time to be goofing off guys? In front of the Aged Man? She shakes her head in her best mom impersonation and then relays what she saw and then practices the symbols in the air again.
Is that what you saw Arch? I assume if we do the same symbols in the air in reverse it would reverse the spell, but that's just a guess based on what they said. Anybody else want to interpret what we saw in light of different information or memories?
Maybe. I think so. but did you see that dragon?
Maybe called or sent because of the incantation? If we use this we should make sure we are prepared for the dragon. That looks like you are doing it right, but your face is different than his was. I think he was smiling, maybe. But I dont think you know how to do that. So maybe it wont matter much?
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Nalia gives Arch a look and corresponding hand gesture that is clear in her meaning while she gives her best maidenly smile.
Vynya and Poppo, did you guys see anything odd? If not, should we ask our host if we are supposed to do anything else? I don’t want to draw him from his party any longer than we need to.
Nalia you think you have memorized but Archie you lose just as you get out of the vision. Poppo and Vynya have not touched the book yet.
Come on Vynya, it's our turn.
Poppo approaches the the book and waves Vynya forward.
Vynya stares oddly at Nalia as she makes the repeating gestures, but is snapped back to reality when Nalia rudely gestures at Archie. Muttering absently to herself, she robotically follows Poppa's lead towards the book. I don't think she was making that incantation. Was she!? if she knew what that meant for herself she would have stopped, right? Oh well, I will have to assume she knows what she's doing and this is not the path that leads to...that outcome.
Jerking out of her private conversation with herself, she makes eye contact with Poppo, but actually seems to be looking through Poppo and places a grimy hand on his straw-colored hair. I guess this is either the beginning or the end. She chuckles in an awkward fashion as she reaches for the book with Poppo.