So you have found my stolen casefiles and think that you can unravel them? Mirror duplicates. Temporal anomalies. A book neither living nor dead, with a mind of its own? Each topic presenting enough questions to fill a library, and each a mystery I was unable to solve. I know there must be something more behind them. Perhaps you will have better luck...
K.H.W.
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Eando Kline, head of the Vigilant Seal faction, pauses in his reading of the book's forward. He peers up at Tess, the duskwalker elf who brought him this disturbing book. He raises a sceptical eyebrow. "And you say you found it... in the Boneyard? Pharasma's Boneyard?"
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Tess shakes her head, pulling her hood back from her face. Her arms are covered with tattoos of skulls, spiderwebs and Pharasma's spiral. "My mother did. She's a morrigna, you see." Tess pauses, pacing back and forth. "Mom said it didn't belong there. It's still alive, and has an agenda to fulfill."
"Exploring it without backup is a fool's errand." Eando Kline purses his lips and reluctantly pulls his hands away from the book. "A living magical tome with its own agenda of unsolved mysteries? We must assemble a team and start investigating." He nods and taps his field desk. "I have the perfect agents in mind."
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Eando starts writing a personalized summons to each Pathfinder, ending each note with, Dangers abound. Come quickly.
Eando Kline called you to meet him at the current headquarters of the Vigilant Seal, the Pathfinder basecamp near the ruins at the Inspiriting Wellspring, located in the deserts of Thuvia. After receiving Eando Kline's summons, you recently traveled to the Thuvian city-state of Aspenthar, and from there took a well‑supplied camel caravan to the Wellspring itself.
The Inspiriting Wellspring, once a lively settlement, has been reduced to a single tower sticking out of the desert sands. A bustling camp sprawls on the north side of the tower. At its south side, ropes mark off large sections of sand and canvas tarps on poles provide shade for the Pathfinder agents busy with careful archaeological work. The tops of multiple buildings have recently been dug up from the sand, and cartloads of sand are being moved away from a partially unearthed building. Among the tents stands a large pavilion, easily identified by its pennants as belonging to Eando Kline, the leader of the Vigilant Seal faction.
You get greeted by a dashing gnome with a neatly trimmed purple beard, a dashing turban and a monocle. "Aha, fresh off the camel trains, I see. Hello, I'm Zendel of Oprak." The gnome prestidigitates your clothing and offers you fresh glasses of water. "Are you here to help with the dig, or with..." the gnome pauses and lowers his voice, "...Eando's other matter?"
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“Where can we go swimming?” a bronze dragon immediately asks the gnome. This dragon is still a little on the small size, only about 12’ long with their head at about 4’ height.
“Amvolwatt!” A kobold with bronze scales exclaims as they come rushing up to join the dragon.
“I told you, we are here to get a mission. Swimming and fish cookouts usually come after the mission.”
Looking to the gnome, he says “So sorry, he is a bit grumpy about a mission where we are sent into the middle of a desert.”
With a dismissive wave of his claw, he says “Anyways, we are here because of this missive.” holding up the message and map.
“I’m Tarcog, and this is my friend Amvolwatt.”
He accepts the offered glass of water, taking a sip from it before whispering back “What other matter? I’m not sure, the missive wasn’t very detailed.”
The dragon looks around, then turns three times before laying down just barely out of the way. He is coiled with his head resting atop his forearms, the very end of his tail swishing back and forth held slightly above the sand.
Sounding a bit petulant, he says “We did a mission. We found the place from the map.”
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"You wish to go swimming?" Zendel raises one purple brow, amused at the small dragon's enthusiasm. "Lucky for you we're in an oasis. There's a small series of pools near those trees over there, but clean off before you go swimming. That's also the camp's main source of drinking water!"
Then Zendel turns politely to Tarcog, and studies the papers. "Ah, so you are here for Eando Kline's other matter then. He and another Pathfinder have been studying a book that she brought in the dead of night. Well, I can offer you shade and some food while you wait. I hope you're not fussy. I've come to the conclusion that when you're this far in the desert, sand becomes the secret ingredient of every meal."
“I don’t think it is a secret. Having previously had a mission in the desert, I’ve learned to consider it a special texture.”
“Thank you, we will accept the shade and food. That is most hospitable of you.”
At mention of a series of pools, the dragons head immediately lifts up as high as it can go and swivels in the indicated direction. He stares intently, but evidently can’t see the pools from where he is.
He allows Tarcog and Zendel to finish their little talk before saying to the kobold “We should rest at the pools! You can clean me before I go swimming!”
Tarcog waves the dragon down and says to Zendel “We can wait where ever is convenient.”
With a chuckle, he adds “It is good to know that others wake the venture captains in the middle of the night. Most of the agents talk as if it is only the venture captains waking agents up.”
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Though the sea voyage had been thankfully short compared to some she'd recently been on for the Society, Jayma still dreaded the long stretches of time aboard ship. The endless days of staring out at a featureless sea and the constant repetition of the same tiresome chores found her regularly examining herself with a mirror for any signs of an early bleaching.
The amenities on ship were quite appalling. There was essentially no privacy and little comfort to be had anywhere. Jayma daily gave thanks to Shyka that she'd learned certain spells from her grandmother that allowed her to keep herself clean and warm or she would have gone completely mad long since.
When not otherwise engaged, Jayma usually headed to the forecastle near the bow where the rush of the wind and spray of the oncoming waves was the most stimulating experience available on board. If you looked there on most days, you would see a small female gnome dressed in an impressive set of cutting-edge clothing of the latest Absalom fashion gripping the gunwale and looking out at the horizon.
Your eyes would first be drawn to her pixie-cut bright orange hair framing a beautiful, but strangely otherworldly face. They would soon move to take in the multi-colored hooded coat covering a peplum bustier that barely concealed her ample charms. Her leather breeches and boots in coordinating colors completed the outfit. At her belt were two sheathed matching daggers.
Moving unceasingly from one shoulder to another, occasionally diving into Jayma's coat only to quickly emerge elsewhere, would be her white ermine familiar Twyl, with his oddly intelligent eyes.
As they'd all come over together, Jayma had already become acquainted with the other members of her new team on board. She was overjoyed to arrive in Aspenthar with all its exotic appeal, but only managed to spend a few hours working her way through the markets and soaking in all the sights and smells particular to Thuvia. When she was informed that their destination was in the desert and that she'd be riding a camel to get there, she groaned. A long boat voyage was a walk in the park by comparison. She once again wondered why she kept being sent on missions into the middle of nowhere when there was plenty of stuff that needed doing back home in her beloved adopted city of Absalom.
Once they arrive at the Inspiriting Wellspring, Jayma gladly gets down from her mount and prestidigitates herself clean before Zendel gets to her. In fact, she'd been cleaning herself (and her mount) up with magic almost continuously during their trek over the sands, almost to no avail; the sand managed to find its way into everything with remarkable speed. When Zendel mentions the dig, Jayma blanches. "Oh, Shyka help me! Surely I wasn't sent to this ungodly place just to spend every waking minute digging sand? If we aren't here for..." she too lowers her voice to match her compatriot's, "...Eando's other matter... then we soon will be." Anything would be better than digging sand. She looks around the camp. "Indeed. Where is the faction leader?"
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Twyl had quite enjoyed his time on the ship and had managed to explore most of it while his mistress was otherwise distracted. But the desert was another thing altogether. Much like his mistress, Twyl did not enjoy the sand, so spent most of his time sleeping soundly in his little hideaway inside his mistress's sleeve. Her getting down from the camel had woken him and he cautiously poked his head out for a quick look before ducking back. Still way too much sand for his liking.
When Jayma asks about Eando’s location, Tarcog says “Unless something dangerous has been found, I would guess in there.”
He points towards the large pavilion with pennants sitting amidst the tents.
The lithe figure of a young half elf woman emerges from an alley near The Bashful Bunyip's berth. She briefly glances over her shoulder then heads to the ship. She takes great care in quickly moving from hiding place to hiding place, keeping out of sight of anyone on the nearby streets or emerging from the alley. She makes her way to the deck of the ship and conceals herself behind some barrels.
Some of the crew give her puzzled looks but she quietly reassures them. "Don't worry. I'm not a stowaway. I'm supposed to be here. Really." She places two fingers in her mouth and emits a shrill whistle and waves, summoning a snow-white owl that flies from a nearby building to land at her side. She risks a quick peek from her hiding place before ducking back and sighing with relief.
"I think we lost him, Silence. We better stay hidden though until the ship sails. Just in case."
The owl ignores the girl and begins to preen his feathers.
"Really? Now? Okay fine but pace yourself. We don't know how long we're going to be gone and we didn't have time to buy too much."
She reaches into a belt pouch and pulls out a piece of meat covered in wax paper. As she hands the treat to the owl she spots a familiar face.
"Hey, it's our friend Jayma! Psst...Jayma. Over here!" She waves her hands wildly, trying to get the gnome's attention without making too much noise.
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Skin burned and peeling after the long desert days wearing far less than he was accustomed to in Avistan, Turiik wandered back to the caravan's camp with a book in one hand and a pair of small desert succulents in the other hand. "I will never stop being amazed by the diversity of plants in the warmlands. Did you know this one can help with sunburn? I am going to experiment with that promptly. And this one can soothe an upset stomach if chewed?" the Erutaki man monologues absently in his accented Taldane as he alternates between looking at the open book in his hand and the way in front of his feet.
These afternoon forays into the wilds, wandering back with collections of random plants and idle rambling while flipping through reference books has become an accustomed pattern of behavior. He's done it most nights except when spending the night in the city--he went to visit herbalist and tea shops--and on the boat where there were no wild places to explore.
Turiik slides off of the camel, a book in one hand and eyes glued to the writing making it a slightly ungainly process. "I would love to get my hands on a sun orchid," he comments quietly as he meanders after the others. "Oh!" He closes the book and tucks it under his arm.
"Apologies," he says to Zendel. If his face was not burned from the sun, one might be able to tell he was blushing. "I'm Turiik. Did you say oasis? Could I go see the oasis while we wait for Eando?"
A certain dragon nods his head and says “That sounds like an excellent idea!”
Turning his head to Tuiik, he then says “I like the way you think.”
As a certain dragon unwinds itself and starts towards the oasis, Tarcog says “Alright, I’ll try to get him out of the water in time.”
He then rushes to catch up with Amvolwatt.
At the pools, Tarcog looks for the one the animals are drinking from.
He uses his magic to thoroughly clean Amvolwatt before the dragon dives into the water. It immediately submerges and swims around in the deepest sections of the pool.
About five minutes after submerging, Amvolwatt pops his head out of the water and call out “Isn’t anyone going to join me for a swim?”
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As the group is heading toward the oasis without him, grumbling can be heard near the tail end of the caravan. "I didn't know civilized people still traveled by camel." And "I'm not sure how I got stuck with this nag. I've seen faster oozes." Admonishing the beast, "By all means, take your time. It's not like I'm needed on urgent Pathfinder business."
A middle-aged elf, smartly dressed in fine studded leather toting an overflowing bag of books, sighs and hurries to catch up. "Yes, yes. Thank you all for waiting." It doesn't occur to him that no one was, in fact, waiting. He continues, "You can rest easy. The Doctor is here."
He looks around and spies an orange-haired gnome looking impeccable as ever, "Jayma! Always good to be working with you." Turning to the others, "Greetings my colleagues. I'm Dr. Lazarus. You may simply call me 'Doctor'." He pauses momentarily before continuing. "I'm a renowned forensics professor at the University of Osirion. You may have heard of me." After getting blank stares, he continues, "Ahhh, no matter. While somewhat skilled at healing..." he pats his healer's toolkit on his bandolier, "... I joined the Pathfinders to hone my investigative skills. I can't wait to explore whatever mysteries our faction leader has in store for us."
After a glass of water, he says dismissively to Zendel, "Thank you, my dear boy. But after a trip like that, I brought my own libation." Lazarus pulls out a carafe and fills a brandy snifter. He takes a long drink as he follows the group to watch Amvolwatt go for a swim. Noticing the sunburned barbarian, the Doctor says importantly, "Turiik, is it? Yes yes. Looks like you're knowledgeable about herbal remedies, but if you'd like the Doctor to take a look, just ask." He savors another sip of his brandy.
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Having carefully traversed the bustling docks to avoid bumping into (or stepping onto) anything that might damage her latest sartorial acquisitions, Jayma makes her way up the gangplank and onto the ship assigned to take them to Thuvia. She was not impressed; she could tell this was going to be another dreary passage. After stowing her equipment, she heads to the main deck to get some fresh air. She's looking out over the harbor when she hears someone whispering her name nearby.
Surprised, she looks about her and eventually finds the source hiding in the shadows to one side. She starts responding in her normal stage voice, "Why, if it isn't Meadow, what a pleas..." she frowns and lowers her voice at the half-elf's frantic shushing motions, "...ure." Jayma frowns and looks around suspiciously. "Why are we whispering..." then, finding nothing to explain Meadow's furtive behavior, frowns and turns back to the shrouded figure. "...and why are you hiding?"
Jayma joins the others as they head to the oasis. "At the very least, this should be more interesting than endless piles of sand without a drop of shade to be found." She turns when she notices that Thurston is lagging. "Come along Doctor we don't have a lot of time. Why don't you just leave your dreary books with Zendel and come relax for a little while?"
Once they reach the oasis, Jayma finds the shade of a nice palm tree to sit under and enjoy the breeze. She looks out over the water and shudders a little. When Amvolwatt calls out about joining him in the water, Jayma laughs in the high trilling way she uses to indicate good humor. "Oh, Amvolwatt, how droll of you. A half-dozen dragons like you couldn't get me into that water. No, I think I'll sit here and enjoy the fresh air instead." The thought of stripping down to her skivvies in front of everyone just to go submerge herself in a liquid of questionable origin held no appeal to her, what... so... ever.
Smiling, Amvolwatt replies “I find the water refreshing!”
Looking to Jayma, Tarcog remarks “You’re lucky he didn’t take that as a challenge. I suspect part of the reason is it would cut into his swim time.”
The kobold then neatly piles his equipment and most of his clothing in the shade of the tarps. Leaving his pants on, he then wades out into the water to join Amvolwatt.
“I’ll join you, but we only have a short time to swim.”
Having carefully traversed the bustling docks to avoid bumping into (or stepping onto) anything that might damage her latest sartorial acquisitions, Jayma makes her way up the gangplank and onto the ship assigned to take them to Thuvia. She was not impressed; she could tell this was going to be another dreary passage. After stowing her equipment, she heads to the main deck to get some fresh air. She's looking out over the harbor when she hears someone whispering her name nearby.
Surprised, she looks about her and eventually finds the source hiding in the shadows to one side. She starts responding in her normal stage voice, "Why, if it isn't Meadow, what a pleas..." she frowns and lowers her voice at the half-elf's frantic shushing motions, "...ure." Jayma frowns and looks around suspiciously. "Why are we whispering..." then, finding nothing to explain Meadow's furtive behavior, frowns and turns back to the shrouded figure. "...and why are you hiding?"
Meadow sighs. "Well...you remember when I was trying to find someone to train my geckos and I told you and Plisken about ruining some wizard's spellbook in the library? So his name is Ezren and it turns out that Silence has been pranking him ever since. So a few things happened and yadda yadda...Silence and I need to leave town for a few weeks." She risks a quick peek at the docks before turning back to her friend. "I don't suppose you could do me a solid and keep an eye out for him would you?"
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Jayma narrows her eyes in thought when Meadow shares her plight. "Ezren, you say? I don't suppose you could be a little more specific my dear; Ezren seems to be a very popular name with wizards in this town." Then her eyes open a little in recognition. "Oh, I know the Ezren you mean. The one that hangs out with Valeros, Merisiel, and that bunch." She frowns again. "Though now that I think about it, that doesn't exactly narrow it down a whole lot." Jayma takes another more careful look around the docks. "I think you're safe for the time being. I don't see any of the Ezrens I know about anywhere nearby. If I see one I'll make sure to send him on a wild goose chase... or should that be a wild owl chase." She punctuates her little joke with a pleasant trilling laugh.
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At the oasis, Dr. Lazarus finds some partial shade near Jayma's palm tree. He laughs when the amusing gnome suggests he leaves his precious books behind. "Oh heavens! My dear Jayma. The mind can always be enriched. By books. Perhaps this one?" The elf reaches into his bag to retrieve one of his thinner tomes, Thistles of Thuvia. When Jayme politely declines his offer, he begins reading from a bookmarked page in the middle.
Even though no one is listening ... or interested ... he muses aloud, "Did you know the indigenous lavender desert thistle often flowers twice a year ...." His voice trails off, as he continues reading.
After about ten minutes of swimming, Tarcog comes out of the water. At the edge of the water he uses his magic to dry himself and his pants off.
He then goes over to his clothes and equipment. Hearing Lazarus read aloud, he asks “Studying the local environment, Dr, Lazarus? I hope you don’t intend to quiz us on this!”
Once he has everything in place, he cleans himself again.
He then closes his eyes and looks like he is meditating for a moment.
Amvolwatt breaks the surface shortly after Tarcog concentrates.
“Already?” the dragon asks. “We just got in here!”
There is a moments pause, then he says “Alright, I did agree to help you. Be right there.”
Tarcog walks back near the edge of the water, giving Amvolwatt room to come completely out. He then drys and cleans the dragon.
Turning to the others, he says “Probably about time to go see what Eando Kline has planned for us.” He then starts walking back to where the group met Zendel.
The inside of the pavilion is as hot as the outside, but its shade and the rushes on the floor provide reprieve. Within there are two people, Eando Kline, and a pale elven woman with fiery red hair and pharasmite tattoos. The woman is rocking back and forth, cradling a leather book, and singing to it in an odd language.
Tarcog, Jayma and Turiik recognize the woman as a duskwalker, and the language that she is singing in as requian. In addition, they realize that the symbol embossed on the front cover was the symbol of the Dark Archive, the faction that archivist Zarta Dralneen used to head.
"Pathfinders, thank you for coming," Eando Kline says. He hands you some more water. "A few days ago, Tess brought to me a book that had been lost -- perhaps deliberately -- in the Boneyard. This book is filled with casefiles that once belonged to the Dark Archive faction of the Pathfinder Society, a faction that was disbanded four years ago." Eando drums his fingers angrily on his desk. "Many consider the Vigilant Seal a natural replacement for the Dark Archive faction, which recorded, stored and researched hazardous objects. But there were times that the Dark Archive was quite simply reckless, and the Society unwittingly unleashed magical horrors upon the world that we had to then clean up. We in the Vigilant Seal believe that this tradition of cavalier recklessness must change."
Eando points to the book. "This book is a list of casefiles of some of the most disturbing and strange cases researched by the Dark Archive. Over the past few days while I was waiting for you to arrive, I've done some research on this book, and communicated a bit with Zarta about its existence. It turns out that its author, K.H.W., wove magic into its creation, linking the book directly with locations where he'd previously investigated. Although he did not resolve the dangerous phenomena, he left behind beacons which the people at those locations could use to call for help." Eando closes his eyes a moment, and then takes a deep breath. "The magic of the book is complex. It's designed to send a group back to these locations precisely when they are needed -- which I assume to mean precisely when everything goes deeply wrong and horribly dangerous."
As Tess continues to rock back and forth, soothing the book, Eando looks at all of you. "There's a bit of time magic woven in here, but the book has been restless. Without Tess keeping it calm, I think it would have sent a random group of pathfinders from our archaeological dig to go deal with the problem. Many of them are a bit too green for such a task. I'd rather the group be experienced volunteers, and that they go in with their eyes open. Would you be willing to be that group of investigators?" He rubs his eyes. "Of course, you likely have questions. Ask away."
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Jayma's first question is: "Why didn't the Society continue with the development of this wonderous teleportation magicology, which may well have saved me the arduous voyage required to get here?" But, she doesn't think it will be well received.
She clears her throat. "<Ahem!> What does the book have to say about the case in question? What's the horribly dangerous situation we are likely to face? And, do we know precisely where the book will be sending us?" "... and, will it be kind enough to send us back to Absalom afterwards?" She once again omits asking the last question for the same reason that she omitted the first.
Having spent all of his time at the oasis inspecting the plants growing around the water, Turiik wanders into Eando's tent dissecting a flower with his fingers. He spends much of his time preoccupied with the parts of the flower while Eando Kline speaks.
However, he must have been listening as he asks, "Do you have any idea where the book intends to send us if not when?"
Frowning, Tarcog asks “Will there be a way to get back, preferably without a visit through the boneyard?”
Wait, he said time magic! This is really going to get strange.
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When Tarcog asks about a quiz on the local flora, Lazarus doesn't understand he's joking. "I'm not certain we'll have time for such pastimes, but if you'd like to borrow this later to study up ..." He holds out the book.
Staring at the amazing book, Dr. Lazarus gasps, "Fascinating ... I didn't dare believe it still existed." Sipping from his brandy snifter, he rubs his chin thoughtfully as Eando talks about the Dark Archive. Lazarus says knowingly, "Yes, yes, all true scholars have studied the former Dark Archive faction. I myself have had several illuminating chats with Zarta." He subconsciously puffs out his chest.
When Eando finishes, the Doctor asks, "Do you have any idea the nature of problem we'll be investigating today?". He sets down his brandy, takes out his writing pad, and takes notes.
“I doubt we will have time, but ask me again tonight.”
Eando nods. "Tess is a duskwalker, and the book... seems fond of her." Eando sighs, and continues. "Tess believes that the book is alive, with its own soul. Tess will carry part of the book's soul." Eando shakes his head, "The ancient Osirians believed that the soul was not a single united item, but a complex and many layered wonder. I thought this was just a theory, but Tess tells me that this is part of how duskwalkers are made... combining the best parts of some of these souls, and forging them with a new purpose."
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"I will be carrying the book's khaibit, the soul's shadow. It's the part of the soul that can sometimes wander, following the things that the soul longs for. Adepts can use it to astral travel." Tess smiles at the book. "I will keep part of it here with me, while the rest of the book travels with you."
Eando turns back to the rest of you. "As for where you'll be going, I was able to glean a bit of this case while Tess kept the Case Files from grabbing random Pathfinders for its mission. From what I understand, you will be traveling to Yllaldo Castle, a keep near the town of Tapláche, in the Arcadian nation of Xopatl. K.H.W. wrote that locals would sometimes wake with nightmarish abilities that would be too powerful for them to control, and that these powers would eventually destroy them."
Eando's lips purse. "This will be dangerous, but I'm hoping you can contain this danger and help save the locals."
“Are these powers a curse, a blessing, or something else? If the powers could be controlled, would the community be better off?”
“Do they swallow their breath weapon rather than release it?”
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Dr. Lazarus nods and hastily scribbles down notes in his writing pad, specifically listening for the answers to Tarcog's questions.
All the while, he continues to marvel at the living Book. He addresses the duskwalker, "My dear lady, after this mission, perhaps we can sit down and you can share more about this fascinating tome." he quickly adds, "Do you like brandy? I have the finest vintage in Osirion."
Turning to Eando, Lazarus responds, "You had me at 'nightmarish abilities'. A worthy investigation indeed. Rest assured, dear Sir. Dr. Lazarus is on the case!"
Eando turns back to the rest of you. "As for where you'll be going, I was able to glean a bit of this case while Tess kept the Case Files from grabbing random Pathfinders for its mission. From what I understand, you will be traveling to Yllaldo Castle, a keep near the town of Tapláche, in the Arcadian nation of Xopatl. K.H.W. wrote that locals would sometimes wake with nightmarish abilities that would be too powerful for them to control, and that these powers would eventually destroy them."
Eando's lips purse. "This will be dangerous, but I'm hoping you can contain this danger and help save the locals."
Meadow speaks up. "Of course we'll help the people there. What sort of powers do they end up with and why are those powers so hard to control?"
Silence flaps his wings.
Meadow gently scolds the owl. "Oh hush. Owls wouldn't necessarily be any better at controlling strange powers than people."
"Yes, yes, all true scholars have studied the former Dark Archive faction. I myself have had several illuminating chats with Zarta." He subconsciously puffs out his chest.
Meadow nods. "I think Silence and I have met her too. She can yell really loud."
She scrunches up her face for a moment, lost in thought. "Hey. What do we know about this K.H.W person?"