"The archive is not the most comfortable place, but that never stopped scholars in the past from falling asleep from exhaustion. Once you are rested, I can assist to send your consciousnesses into the Dimension of Dreams to the same untempered dreamscape that 322 sought. What awaits you there, I do not know.” She pauses before adding with a half smile, “But isn’t the chance to find the answer exciting?”
The party is able to strech out on the dusty floors and get some measure of sleep. When you awaken, Bon Jon and Elby find they have recovered from the crushing emotions of the Lower Archive.
Aliyas gives an overview of the ritual; its casting will take approximately sixty minutes and will require one of the party to serve as the primary caster (as she will not be travelling) but she can assist or perform one check.
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She pauses before adding with a half smile, “But isn’t the chance to find the answer exciting?”
”Oh yes” smiles back Daratar.
Once the ritual is explained, Daratar scratches his chin. ”Unless one of us is really good at singing, I’m guessing that Patrick would be best to lead on the ritual, with maybe me as the secondary caster?”
”Does anyone have a wand that can cast the heightened awareness spell? It occurs to me that that spell could be quite helpful in focusing the mind during the ritual.”
The necessary circles, runes and candles remain from the previous invocation. Forming a circle with everyone except Aliyas around the book, Patrick begins the rite. The casting is a long, tiring prospect, with many words in Aklo to pronounce correctly and nuances to emphasize. Toward the end, Daratar and Mun speak part of the rite in unison.
Vibrant, billowing smoke streams forth from between the pages of the Libram of Forgotten Dreams. These soporific clouds churn furiously like a tornado, swallowing up the entirety of the room. Between the wisps of clouds, the Archive Absentia begins to fade away, and with it Aliyas.
What was once the Archive Absentia of Forae Logos is now a crumbling stone lodge with a sagging, dilapidated roof. Half of the lodge is simply gone, crumbling away into a barren gray rock. Beyond the lodge’s walls lies an infinite sea of muted rainbow-hued clouds that churn above and below. A brilliant red-orange sunset glow comes from one end of the flat horizon, though no sun is visible. In the opposite direction, the horizon is a curtain of impenetrable darkness.
What remains of the world appears to be little more than an island of stone set adrift on a cushion of swirling clouds. Huge pieces of jagged stone float weightlessly in the sky beyond— some of them studded with crumbling statues of elves in armor, others carrying mighty coiled serpents of carved stone that embrace the fragmented islands. Enormous mirrors rise at skewed angles, having ruptured through the nearby stone surface. These mirrors reflect the dreamscape around them, but curiously, not any creatures.
As a standard action a number of times during the dream equal to the creature’s Charisma bonus (minimum 1), the dreamer can attempt one impossible action, such as casting a spell, gaining an effect of a spell as if it were cast, or conjuring a magic item. This requires a successful Charisma check (DC = 10 + the level of the spell being cast or spell effect replicated or half of the caster level of the item conjured; nonmagical items are caster level 0). Other fantastic feats are also possible with GM approval and a Charisma check with a DC determined by the GM. If the check fails, the dreamer cannot perform the feat. During this adventure, a PC is unable to create effects whose spell level is 7 or higher.
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Before starting the ritual Daratar thanks Aliyas for all her help.
Once the party arrive in the strange new landscape Daratar casts his gaze around looking for any obvious threats.
If none present themselves he retrieves his wand of mage armour and cast various enchantments on himself and the party.
He recalls a few things about the dimension of dreams which he explains to the rest of the party.
Finally he casts detect magic to see if anything they can see is magical.
As Daratar scans the area, he finds it would be a shorter list to detail what isn't magic, as the demiplane seems suffused with mystic energy. The most notable sources seem to be the scattered mirrors, which he notices flashing images within the surfaces of - an Elven woman in a dark cloak fighting with other cloaked agents. Spells flicker across the silvery surface, blurs of some battle that come in and out of view like ink dissolving in water.
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”I think these mirrors show memories relating to 322. Shall we split into groups and see if we can glean more information from them about her and the lantern? It looks like getting information from these may require a different skill set from our past research, so I’m not sure if that changes who would be best to lead each group?”
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Once they arrive in this strange realm, Bon Jon asks Daratar to once again activate his wand of mage armor and he also casts barkskin on himself .
Once Daratar explains the nature of the dimension of dreams, Bon Jon decides to try it out for himself.
"Master always said, 'To truly see a cucumber once must hear even the web of a spider.'"
Then Bon Jon turns his attention to the memories pooled within the mirrors.
Team 1
Primary Researcher: Daratar (28+2)
Secondary: Elby (Headache)
Secondary: Bon Jon (Aided)
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Fortunately Patrick knows Aklo so pronouncing it isn't too much of a problem. Upon arrival he looks around warily.
He also renews his Mage Armour and See Invisibility.
The most logical possibility is that this Three Two Two has been subjected to experimentation as a ... erm ... specimen, for quite some time, but has escaped from this 'Professor' who has sent minions to bring her back against her will. I hope I never stoop to that level of depravity. But why do you think she is associated with the Aspis?
He then looks into the mirrors to see what he can glean.
Team 1
Primary Researcher: Daratar (28+2)
Secondary: Elby (Headache)
Secondary: Bon Jon (Aided)Team 2
Primary Researcher: Daratar (27+2)
Secondary: Mun (Aided)
Secondary: ?
You see an image of Bon Jon, standing before an oversized circus tent, roaring crowds visible within, while a spotlight shines on an open ring. The monk stares with longing towards the empty stage, before turning to the road, where the Grand Lodge stands at the end of the path.
The goblin suddenly give Daratar a surprisingly serious look. “This is where we keep all of our best stuff. No one must know about it. If you tell, we will find you and slice you up.” The wayang raises an amused eyebrow “Oh, don’t worry, I’m good at keeping secrets. Now show me this treasure you need identifying.” The goblin proceeds to move aside several rocks leaning against the wall of the collapsed sewer and disappears into a cramped crawl space beyond. After clambering though the hole in the damaged sewer wall, they eventually come out into what appears to be an abandoned cellar. The goblin makes a wide gesture with her arm. “These” she declares proudly “are our greatest treasures.” Daratar surveys the pile of, junk, shiny objects and alchemical supplies piled up before him and casts detect magic….
You see your companion Mun before an altar, blood stained and cruel. He takes a stone from the bowl upon it, setting it in motion around his head before turning and walking out with a cruel expression. As he walks the streets, he passes temples of light, good and law, but turns his face away each time, caressing the stone as it passes by his face.
You see Patrick walking the streets of Absalom, alone and furtive. Passersby pay him no mind, but each time a woman comes in sight he pulls his cloak close, shying away and seeking escape.
A half-orc child marches through a camp, surrounded by other orcs and half-bloods. She brutalizes a smaller child in her way, the attack leaving the victim broken and crippled. The children and even the adult orcs laugh and cheer the savage act.
A vision boils to the surface of the mirror, showing an elven girl with dark hair hiding in the hollow of a tree at night. She is barefoot, soaked in rain, and covered in dirt. A flash of lightning causes the girl to look up, and suddenly a figure in a hooded cloak wearing a golden owl mask stands before her. The masked figure offers out one hand to the girl as the vision ends.
Team 1
Primary Researcher: Daratar
Secondary: Elby
Secondary: Bon JonTeam 2
Primary Researcher: Daratar
Secondary: Mun
Secondary:
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Bon Jon eyes the mirror with a troubled expression on his face before turning to Mun, "Yes, ahem, ah Mun, perhaps it would be best if you don't start a bunch of stones flying around your head. Or develop a fondness for blood sacrifice, for that matter. I don't see it working out well. As master always said, 'Sneeze if you must, but wash your hanky afterwards.'"
Team 1
Primary Researcher: Daratar
Secondary: Elby
Secondary: Bon JonTeam 2
Primary Researcher: Patrick
Secondary: Mun
Secondary: Radiarch (Aided)
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Daratar briefly pauses his research.
”I think these mirrors must be able to pick up the memories of anyone who interacts with them. It looks like 322’s memories are mixed in with some of our own memories?”
Having noticed Bon Jon successfully impose his will to cast a spell, Daratar also decides to give it a go himself.
He will then press on with investigating the memories in the mirrors.
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Bon Jon eyes the mirror with a troubled expression on his face before turning to Mun, "Yes, ahem, ah Mun, perhaps it would be best if you don't start a bunch of stones flying around your head. Or develop a fondness for blood sacrifice, for that matter. I don't see it working out well. As master always said, 'Sneeze if you must, but wash your hanky afterwards.'"
Mun's hand instinctively catches the ioun stone circling around his head; he looks at its deep ochre color before sending the rhomboid flying around again. He asks Bon Jon "What do you even mean? And why bring that up now?" His questions are tinged with both defensiveness and suspicion.
He doesn't even wait for Bon Jon's answer before turning on Daratar. "I just saw a vision of you visiting some goblin's treasure pile, to help identify it? What's that all about?"
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The wayang grins.
"That's funny. I had been thinking about the goblins, it was all of that sneaking around yesterday... the goblins taught me a few handy tips when it comes to sneaking!"
"Don't worry, it was part of some Society initiative to build better relations with some of the more cooperative goblin tribes who we have dealt with in the past."
He pauses, before giving a conspiratorial glance...
"You didn't see where the treasure was? They were quite insistent that no one should find out where they kept all of their shiny stuff... kept insisting that they would chop me up if I told anyone!" he chuckles.
Team 1
Primary Researcher: Daratar (27)
Secondary: Elby
Secondary: Bon JonTeam 2
Primary Researcher: Patrick
Secondary: Mun
Secondary: Radiarch (Aided)
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Elby tries to edge away from Patrick, and does so with the grace of a half-orc paladin in full plate.
"If we saw our own memories as well as this elf's, then presumably they must have been here recently, or are still nearby. And the person in the mask - friend or foe? Or both?"
She looks into the glass again, hoping for more clues and less history of the party.
Her head clears, but the vision does not.
Team 1
Primary Researcher: Daratar (27)
Secondary: Elby (Vision Cloudy)
Secondary: Bon JonTeam 2
Primary Researcher: Patrick (+4)
Secondary: Mun (Aided)
Secondary: Radiarch (Aided)
The same girl from before appears standing in a field. The owl-masked figure approaches her from behind, resting a hand on her shoulder. The girl raises one hand to the sky and a blot of darkness filled with twinkling points of light appears above her. The masked figure nods, approvingly, before the vision fades.
Team 1
Primary Researcher: Daratar
Secondary: Elby
Secondary: Bon JonTeam 2
Primary Researcher: Patrick
Secondary: Mun
Secondary: Radiarch
Patrick tries to read the constellations in the vision, but the patch of sky is too small to help without further reference. The blot does not look like any spell he has heard of, if it even was a spell at all considering the lack of sigils or commands.
Team 1
Primary Researcher: Daratar (42)
Secondary: Elby
Secondary: Bon JonTeam 2
Primary Researcher: Patrick
Secondary: Mun
Secondary: Radiarch (Aided)
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He pauses, before giving a conspiratorial glance...
"You didn't see where the treasure was? They were quite insistent that no one should find out where they kept all of their shiny stuff... kept insisting that they would chop me up if I told anyone!" he chuckles.
"Well, not really. I suppose if I happen to be in that exact sewer, I might recognize the spot, but I didn't see how you got there, so I'd have no idea how to find it," Mun assures Daratar.
Mun continues searching the mirror for additional visions.
Screams emanate from the mirror as the image of the elven girl—now an adult—appears. She is strapped to a bed, where she thrashes wildly. Men in black jackets and wearing onyx masks in the shape of animal skulls stand around her. As she thrashes, tentacles of darkness erupt from the air around her body. One snatches a masked figure by the head, and the others recoil in shock. The tentacle squeezes, there is an ear-piercing scream, and then an explosion of bone and gore that ends the vision.
The elf fades into view wearing a hooded black cloak and dark armor. Someone outside of view discretely hands her a lantern of metal and whorled glass. There is concern visible in her features, and there is no mistake now that she is the assassin who killed Aram Zey. Another cloaked figure wearing an Aspis badge addresses her by a number, not a name: “322.”
Aram Zey’s stoic face comes into view, lit by an eerie blue glow. Blood covers his chin and jaw, and an obsidian scythe blade sticks out of his chest. He exhales luminous, whispering vapor. The vision follows the twisting path of this spiritual energy through the air, before it is trapped within a lantern held by the elven woman.
“You are under orders to return!” cries a voice from within the mirror. Several hooded figures dressed in black and red, wearing onyx stag skull masks surround 322. “The Professor expects you, 322. Come with us.” The encounter is clearly taking place in the now sealed wing of Forae Logos.
322 shakes her head and brandishes a knife at one of the masked figures. “You don’t own me. No one owns me anymore! Come, take your chances with the Void!” Darkness flecked with stars engulfs the elf, and the vision fades.
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"I agree." says Daratar
The wayang snaps shut the small black notebook he'd been making notes in and packs it away.
"It seams we have learnt all we can from here. I think it's time to press on..."
"But before we do, shall I check the path to those doors, just in case 322 or anyone else has decided to leave any unpleasant surprises for us?"
Daratar creeps across the island towards the stairs and the doors beyond, keeping an eye out for potential threats such as traps and using detect magic to help identify any magic threats.
The twisting path of winding stone that leads to the next dream island ends at a crumbling tower that looks to be torn free from a much larger building. Loose bricks float through the air around the tower’s disassembled peak, and a warped wooden door provides direct access inside. Daratar notices nothing hazardous on the stone path as he advances. No new magical auras present themselves either.
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Daratar beckons to his allies indicating that its safe to move forward, before continuing to sneak up to the door and checking it for hazards. He then tries to stealthily see if he can spot or hear anything beyond it.
If no obvious threats are identified, Daratar waves his colleagues forward and then step back to let some of the bigger party members open the door.
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Patrick turns to response to Elbesamya although he still looks wary having assessed her as a danger level of 8, on a scale of one to 10. 8, being female with big hurty weapon .... and I do not want to be hurt by that ... be very very cautious. 9 - is for arcane female spellcasters and 10 is reserved for entities such as succubi, other creatures that use pleasure to harm and Zarta Dralneen. 9.5 is a rather attractive female undine astronomer/wizard who matches Patrick in power level.
Logic would indicate so he replies And in answer to your earlier question, the man is the mask is definitely foe, being that of the Professor. I can only conclude that Three Two Two is extremely traumatised and needs to be handled ..... delicately. If she can be saved, then we should do so.
And that last vision was ..... rather distressing ... that Professor needs a good smiting. No lady should be subjected to that
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In his young age, Radiarch has seen many a wild and bizarre defending not only against the demonic onslaught in his kingdom, but bearing witness to the impossible and strange across continents... and now planes. What they just experienced was truly extraordinary. Little did he know a trip to an old dusty library would eventually lead to where they're at now, on the edge of madness. He feels proud to call this very capable and brave party his colleagues. His admiration then snaps to when Daratar beckons them to move forward. Bow in hand, Erastil's hunter continues towards the door, ready to strike if needed.
Daratar sees nothing suspicious around the door, waiting for his party members to move up and join him.