RP: 8/30
HP: All PCs have 1 HP.
Krohan: Krohan has not been used this hour. All PCs, except Jaxi have 2 uses remaining. Jaxi has 1.
Historical Friezes. RP 3/10
Reading Room. RP 4/10
Statue Room. RP 1/10
Korox continues to explore the Statues room. He feels it's easier to "Feel" things when offered in 3D instead of just painted without depth on a canvas or page.
Dwarven Lore w/Guidance
Well. Let's see what this one is all about.
Korox continues to stalk the displays in silence and thinking.
Might as well call on old Krohan and round that off to a 30.
RP: 10/30
HP: All PCs have 1 HP.
Krohan: Krohan has een used this hour. Dyrm, Halanestra, and Zothan have two remaining uses. Jaxi and Korox have 1.
Historical Friezes. RP 3/10
Reading Room. RP 4/10
Statue Room. RP 3/10
He continues to enjoy the Friezes
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The second hour of research goes very well indeed, and the group feels like it is making significant progress.
You have learned some minor details about the possibly legendary birthplace of Taargick, Felgunn, a kingdom believed to have been deep in the Darklands, if it even existed. Before Earthfall, it was supposed to have been wealthy, prosperous, and even idyllic, which explains why many dwarves were reluctant to leave. However, no maps or even rough locations of where is was exists, and it may even be a myth.
You have also learned about some of King Taargick's closest companions during the Quest for Sky.
Hrungul Ironeye initially defied Torag's call but after Taargick bested him in a duel, he became a fervent believer and loyal companion.
Ferghaz, a young priest of Torag, gave religious legitimacy early on, and his tireless advocacy of Torag's vision kept the migration energized.
Yuli Rholdammen led the vanguard of the migration. She became a heavily decorated and scarred general from countless battles, many against orcs and xulgath.
9 Lamashan, 4723, 11 AM to 12 PM
RP: 11/30
HP: All PCs have 1 HP.
Krohan: Krohan has not been used this hour. Dyrm, Halanestra, and Zothan have two remaining uses. Jaxi and Korox have 1.
Historical Friezes. RP 4/10
Reading Room. RP 4/10
Statue Room. RP 3/10
Korox continues to study the statues some of them stirring his memory of stories told around the dinner table by his grandmother years ago. Ah I remember that name... and that one.
Dwarven Lore
Since he has already visited the other two rooms, Zothan moves on to the Statue Room where he tries to match his knowledge about Highhelm and it's history to the statues.
Invigorated by what he's learned, Dyrm moves to the reading room and sits down for a bit to enjoy the written word.
Still having a lot of fun moving around, Halanestra's motions are beginning to slow down as fatigue sets in. Not quite the same as the basilisk's effects, it still reminds her of it. She shudders, almost falling.
RP: 13/30
HP: All PCs have 1 HP.
Krohan: Krohan has not been used this hour. Dyrm, Halanestra, and Zothan have two remaining uses. Jaxi and Korox have 1.
Historical Friezes. RP 5/10
Reading Room. RP 4/10
Statue Room. RP 4/10
Jaxi would get done with the Reading Room and decide to go check out a different portion of the area allowed to them. Moving to the Statue Room, she'd hum to herself as she just looked around. Nothing more, just keeping her eyes peeled to see what she could find.
Perhaps due to being a little hungry, the pace of the research slows a little. While taking a quick break for lunch, the group's discussions don't reveal any new information.
9 Lamashan, 4723, 12 PM to 1 PM
RP: 13/30
HP: All PCs have 1 HP.
Krohan: Krohan has not been used this hour. Dyrm, Halanestra, and Zothan have two remaining uses. Jaxi and Korox have 1.
Historical Friezes. RP 5/10
Reading Room. RP 4/10
Statue Room. RP 4/10
Climbing down from the frieze she was perched on, Halanestra takes some time to refresh with some lunch, stretches, and gets cozy in the reading room. She finds some religious tomes that she reads in the original dwarven, finding some interesting points that she'll want to share with Korox.
She returns to the Statue Room after lunch, grumbling about not finding anything. Deciding to try and use her actual knowledge a bit more, she requests Kohan's help in her endeavors.
A bit disappointed by his lack of succes among the statues, Zothan is determined to do better. The lunchtime meal does wonders for his mood and he returns to the Reading Room with Krohan in tow to help him with any finer nuances of dwarven culture he might miss.
RP: 16/30
HP: All PCs have 1 HP.
Krohan: Krohan has been used this hour. Dyrm, Halanestra, and Zothan have two remaining uses. Korox has 1 Jaxi has none.
Historical Friezes. RP 5/10
Reading Room. RP 7/10
Statue Room. RP 4/10
Dyrm humphs, he is sure he is missing some insights. He tries the Statue room if nothing else it should be impressive.
RP: 17/30
HP: All PCs have 1 HP.
Krohan: Krohan has been used this hour. Dyrm, Halanestra, and Zothan have two remaining uses. Korox has 1. Jaxi has none.
Historical Friezes. RP 5/10
Reading Room. RP 7/10
Statue Room. RP 5/10
Korox listens half-heartedly to Halanestra's speech about some books she read as he continues to absorb the spiritual magnificence of the Statue room. I could spend all day in here.
He hardly notices others entering the room as he stands before each statue for a moment and closes his eyes imagining the deeds and true faith of each in turn.
Dwarf Lore
Strange I do not remember this one
Dwarf Lore (Hero Point)
He then spots the device the individual is holding and the memories flood back. Ah yes. In grandmothers' stories she mispronounced the name.
Over the course of your combined research, you have learned about schisms during the Quest for Sky. Some wanted to settle down after years of wandering through the Darklands. Some wanted to turn back. Some clans abandoned Taargick's path and ventured in different directions.
As you keep studying, you notice subtle shifts in artwork and documents from this time, about halfway through the migration, that hint that many dwarves were starting to resent and regret that the Quest for Sky was causing so much bloodshed and earning the dwarves new enemies.
However, artwork and documents from when the Quest was over seem to show confidence and fervor that drowned out the past concerns and depict the battle fought as righteous and warranted.
9 Lamashan, 4723, 12 PM to 1 PM.
RP: 18/30
HP: All PCs, except Korox, have 1 HP.
Krohan: Krohan has not been used this hour. Dyrm, Halanestra, and Zothan have two remaining uses. Korox has 1 Jaxi has none.
Historical Friezes. RP 5/10
Reading Room. RP 7/10
Statue Room. RP 6/10
A bit disappointed by Korox's interests laying elsewhere, Halanestra decides to keep those bits to herself. Instead, she follows along with Zothan and the books and scrolls he's looking through. She's clearly not grasping the subject as well as he is, but she's still pleased with how she holds her own in the discussion. She even finds herself responding at times in dwarven!
Pleased at his succes, Zothan returns to the Historical Friezes, once again using his acrobatics skill to gain a good vantage point.
This time, he manages to enlist Krohan’s assistance before anyone else. The dwarf happily gives him a boost.
RP: 19/30
HP: All PCs, except Korox, have 1 HP.
Krohan: Krohan has been used this hour. Dyrm and Halanestra have two remaining uses. Korox and Zothan has 1. Jaxi has none.
Historical Friezes. RP 5/10
Reading Room. RP 8/10
Statue Room. RP 6/10
Korox continues to explore the statues in the room... almost considering them as friends now.
Dwarf Lore
...but as the statues become older... they become more obscure.
Dyrm returns to the Historical Friezes, so far his favorite
Jaxi just walks over to the Historical Friezes and walks around, trying to get a good look at everything. See if she can find something important.
Half the time allotted to the research is over. You have made good progress, and Ria is impressed when she checks in with you.
You have five hours left before you have to take the time to set up the ritual.
9 Lamashan, 4723, 1 PM to 2 PM.
RP: 19/30
HP: All PCs, except Korox, have 1 HP.
Krohan: Krohan has not been used this hour. Dyrm and Halanestra have two remaining uses. Korox and Zothan has 1. Jaxi has none.
Historical Friezes. RP 5/10
Reading Room. RP 8/10
Statue Room. RP 6/10
Zothan does not give up in the Historical Friezes, but keeps trying to glean some insights. He tries all sorts of poses and perspectives, even doing a handstand at some point.
Halanestra has been sitting for too long, gets up, stretches, and changes her focus to books on dwarven culture. The book she finds turns out to be more about dwarven beverages--specifically coffee--and she has a quite a hard time making progress or getting anything useful from it when she does.
Korox starts down another row of statues hoping to find things he's familiar with.
Dwarven Lore
RP: 21/30
HP: All PCs, except Korox, have 1 HP.
Krohan: Krohan has been used this hour. Dyrm and Halanestra have two remaining uses. Zothan has 1. Korox and Jaxi have none.
Historical Friezes. RP 6/10
Reading Room. RP 8/10
Statue Room. RP 7/10
Dyrm humphs as he nearly slips
And tries the Friezes again
Tired of just looking around, Jaxo decides to head back to the Reading Room. Asking around to see what info she can clean.
Working with some of the librarians, Jaxi manages to continue to add to the knowledge that the party has put together.
By this point, your research has progressed to the actions Taargick took after the dwarves reached the surface and he became High King. Much of the information is bland and positive, with him building this or declaring that. The greatest shock of his reign came when the artisans of Koldukar, the first Sky Citadel the dwarves built, which is now the capital of the Orc Nation of Belkzen, crafted him an elaborate tomb. He declined the tomb, and soon after, he vanished into the Darklands, never to be seen again. A few years later, a massive cave wurm burrowed out outside the Hihghelm Palace, vomited up Skysunder, the very dagger you recovered, said the High King was well, and vanished.
However, by reading between the lines, you find out that his descent into the Darklands was not a shock to some people. His faith wavered, due to the atrocities that were committed in Torag's name. He attempted several unpopular initiatives to right past wrongs. The historians of Tar Taargath, the first dwarven empire in Avistan, seemed especially keen to sugarcoat Taagick, the Quest for Sky, and the actions taken during it.
9 Lamashan, 4723, 2 PM to 3 PM. 4 hours until the ritual needs to start to be set up.
RP: 22/30
HP: All PCs, except Korox, have 1 HP.
Krohan: Krohan has not been used this hour. Dyrm and Halanestra have two remaining uses. Zothan has 1. Korox and Jaxi have none.
Historical Friezes. RP 6/10
Reading Room. RP 9/10
Statue Room. RP 7/10
Now he's starting to get the hang of deciphering these Historical Friezes! Zothan keeps at it, balancing and bouncing all over the place.
Perhaps a little bit too overconfident...
Having enough of books for now, Halanestra takes to the Statue Room which she hasn't been to yet. She enlists Krohan's help and tries to decipher some of the statues referencing bits of arcane magic.
Dyrm returns to the reading room and gives that another go, seeking out books of High Helm's proud history at first, but it must be said, while you shouldn't judge a book by a cover, any that has archaic designs might catch his eye.
Dyrm finds a few older books that help a little, and Halanestra and Krohanm working together, make significant progress.
RP: 25/30
HP: All PCs, except Korox, have 1 HP.
Krohan: Krohan has been used this hour. Dyrm has two remaining uses. Halanestra and Zothan have 1. Korox and Jaxi have none.
Historical Friezes. RP 6/10
Statue Room. RP 9/10
Jaxi decides to return to the Statue Room, feeling a little iffy about the entire situation. Humming to herself, she tries to understand the occult significance that might be present in the chamber.
Jaxi pierces together more clues.
RP: 26/30
HP: All PCs, except Korox, have 1 HP.
Krohan: Krohan has not been used this hour. Dyrm has two remaining uses. Halanestra and Zothan have 1. Korox and Jaxi have none.
Historical Friezes. RP 6/10
Growing tired of the statues, Korox notices time is running short and decides to grab a drink of water and take a look at the Friezes.
Dwarf Lore
By four, you feel you have learned all that you can.
You have learned about misdeeds some of Taargick's subordinates may have committed.
Rhetoric from the priest Ferghaz became increasingly xenophobic and zealous as he did his best to drown out more moderate voices from the Rivethun.
Absolved by the religious mandate, General Rholdammen and her soldiers committed war crimes against orcs, xulgath, and other Darklands inhabitants.
Taargick walked a fine line: he stopped what he could but he knew that a major controversy could break morale and end the migration.
You have learned a lot, and not all of it paints Quest for Sky, all those thousands of years ago, in a positive light.
You spend some time comparing notes and going over things once more. Since you are so far ahead of schedule, you can even take a break for a real dinner before setting up the ritual.
Ria helps you set up the ritual. She emphasizes the importance of sincerity and empathy in its performance, encouraging Krohan and the group to consider what would be important to Taargick, what the clan dagger represents, and what experiences the PCs might share that would help them sympathize with aggrieved spirits.
By the time they are done, Dyrm looks rather shaken
"I have...always thought our past was glorious, and honorable. The Five King Mountains and their great Sky Citadels testament to a purity of purpose and dedication with integrity. Now, we compare notes and I am.... perhaps I was naive, but our history is not what I thought it was."
Halanestra nods to Dyrm, her eyes soft and sympathetic. With soft-spoken words, she does her best to reassure him. "History is a political tool, little different from speeches in front of crowds. Those who control the publicly-accepted version of history shape society. It's a long-term goal, for sure, one where the people writing the history may not live to see the effects they have in mind, but that does not diminish its power. I've uncovered a fair few such surprises as we have today, and I can tell you this: they are not looked upon kindly, either by those in power or the populace. Indeed, you should be commended for having such an open mind."
She does a full body stretch, looking rather like an upright cat, accompanied by a deep, long yawn. "Much as I love spending time here, I'm famished! I don't know about you, but I've never conducted a ritual on an empty stomach!" ... or at all for that matter, there were always far more qualified people for that!
"When knowledge of the truth brings misery, no wonder so many of us prefer the comfort of old lies," A sigh, but he does nod to the elf "Thank you, Halanestra. Your words appreciated. And yes, I suppose we should eat."
"I am beaten, that took a while. Some food would be excellent! We can talk about who should be in charge of the ritual while we do so. Definitely not me, there's others who are probably better at it. Korox or Halanestra, you two seem to know a lot of things about things, think you could do it?" She just starts heading straight to the nearest place to get food, humming happily to herself as she does so.
Korox takes a moment and pulls Halanestra aside.
Halanestra
"While I would be happy to lead the ritual, I feel that you might be a better choice. We as Dwarves have discovered some unsettling things about our past motivations... and I fear our decisions and actions might influence the ritual. I'll take great pride in assisting you, but in this case an unbiased individual might be the better choice. What say you"?
A series of emotions pass through Halanestra as she listens to Korox. She stares at him with wide, incredulous eyes. "You want me to do this? But I'm not trained! I'm just a thief who likes books! I mean, I guess if you're not comfortable, I can fill in. I mean, I've helped out here and there, but leading this?"
Then, her incredulity fades as her thoughts turn to Krohan, the one she agreed to work for. He did mention something like this. I guess I did agree to help him return the dagger, and this is the last step.
With a sigh, she nods to Korox. "Okay, I'll do it. Just, um, I've never done anything like this before, so can, um, can you tell me where to stand, do I say or not say anything? What do I do with my hands? Do I need special attire?"
You hash over the roles you will each take during a nice dinner as you are well ahead of schedule. Ria walks you through the nuances of the ritual, as well as teaches all of you the Ritual of Repatriation.
After the dinner, Olfri leads you deeper into and under the palace to a memorial to Taargick that feels more religious than just a memorial.
Krohan has continued to grow anxious. He is resolute in his desire to repair the damage that he did in the past. But, he feels as if he is already being judged by his ancestors, and the weight of that clearly affects him.
Once in the shrine, the ritual is set up, and then Ria and Olfri step back and out of the way. Krohan sets the dagger on one small pedestal and the pommel gem on the other.
Then you begin the Ritual. As it continues, mists swirl out of the gem and the dagger. The mist crackles with lightning and slowly forms into several dwarven forms, though they lack details.
Finally, Ria calls out from the back of the memorial. "The Council's gathered. Make your case."
Krohan speaks up. He begins by telling how he stole the clan dagger out of youthful ambition, lost it through recklessness, accepted his punishment, learned through his shame, and recovered it with the aid of new friends. He offers a heartfelt apology to the Spirits of the High King and the Council and then gives any of you a chance to speak about how understanding his mistakes, and/or returning the dagger, relates to any of your own mistakes or any redemption for you.
Halanestra thoroughly enjoys the dinner, opening up more socially than she has with the group until this point. If there's alcohol offered, she politely declines, noting that there's still work to be done tonight and the celebration can happen later. When the topics of conversation relate to things she knows, she eagerly contributes--perhaps too much sometimes, but always with genuine exuberance. When it comes to Ria discussing the ritual, she takes on a sudden silence, her features relaxing to neutral, her hands folded in front of her. She voices those questions to Ria that she asked of Korox earlier--where does she stand, what does she say, what does she do with her hands.
After Krohan's speech, she follows with one of her own, much like the introduction she made to the group what seems like months ago, though she begins a bit nervously, choosing her words too carefully. She speaks about her own youthful transgressions, the rare forgiveness she was offered, and how that forgiveness provided her the opportunity to do more good in the world than she would have otherwise. As she continues, her confidence grows, her surety in her words growing as she becomes more conversational and less scripted. She focuses primarily on the element of rehabilitation that forgiveness offers, how those who have been given the opportunity to learn from their mistakes can become the most stalwart forces for good. Her final point is that experience breeds empathy. Knowing the harm one has inflicted is strong motivation for serving others so they do not suffer that same harm.