Logos's Shadows of Sharn Campaign

[Akallabeth]

I nodded to Lucienne, summoned the flame, controlled it, and covered both Romulus and myself in it's protective sheath.

Then I picked up my crossbow from where it hung by my side, slid the safety off with an audible 'click', and looked at Maddock and Kegi.

"After you, sirs" I grinned, bowing and indicating the door that presumably leads to the lower levels of the Oaks.

Mage Armor for both Myself and Romulus

[Lucienne]

As soon as the door is open, Lucienne begins:

From Siberys' lofty realm to Kyber's lands below
Flows there the ancient arcane power, which powers all we know.
Now Aureon's art, the Shadow's lore, and all that lie between,
Revel themselves unto my eyes, their patterns to be seen.

Detect Magic.

And she's wearing the [i]Rose-colored Glasses{/i].

[Maddock d'Tharask]

"Aye, I'm ready to go in. Caution be damned."

Maddock readies his club, and pushes his way to the front of the party.

[Logos]

The Homeless man toddles off down the street, apparently unattended and unsuspectingly.

Cramming into the kitchen the vitrolic red glow causes irritation and doesn't illuminate that much. A little girl in a ripped up dress stands holding the everirritating torch in one hand and seeing you curteses and says "Welcome, I've been expecting you". You have the feeling she was waiting there the whole time..

The little girl while looking quite pale, like a porecelin doll complete with glassy eyes, is quite obviously a zombie or undead of some kind. her thick hair doesn't hide the fact that her skull has been smashed in at some point.

The Little Girl opens a trapdoor to the stairs, and gestures down them before walking down herself.

[Logos]

The detect magic detects moderate necromancy (the Girl) as well as many lingering aura's of necromancy.

The Rose Coloured Glasses show a bright and cheery inner kitchen, and the entire place as it must have looked before the mourning you think

[Akallabeth]

I stared at the apparition in the irritating red light, and continued to stare through her greeting and opening of the trapdoor. When Lucienne let me have a glimpse of what she was seeing with the glasses, the best line I could come up with was,

"Just when you think you've seen everything."

At the pitying look I recieved from the others, I resolved to visit more bard's performances in the immediate future, and pick up some beter one-liners.

I then followed Maddock into the stairway.

[Romulus]

This Little Girl sent out the message? Improbable. But she/it is expecting us so I guess she must be telling the truth. What the hell might as well get this over with.

I shrug and follow Akallabeth and Maddock and descend into the depths.

[Logos]

for those of you who follow, otherwise tell me what you are doing.

Walking into the Inn's Root Cellar, you pass another trap door and then a winding set of stairs leading down quite a depth. The Light from the torch is fleeting and you must keep quite close to the little girl in order to see if you don't have dark vision.

As you finally come to the final sub level having passed many more before t his, you see the girl open a huge double door that creaks and groans belying the apparent ease with which the girl opened it.

Inside is a comfortable and large apartment. Who's contents are strewn about with more of the mad notes that you associate with Pennywise's notes. A few mad scrawls in finger painting of that indeterminate dark material from before graffiti " We all float down here" and "I like Cake" The Apartment continues far beyond sight, its size almost boggling, either someone had quite the extensive dungeon or there's magic involved.

The Girl finally leads you into a room with a skeleton model done up with a paint brush and pallet in front of an easel are the only refrain from the dark mahogany meeting table that otherwise dominates the room. Gesturing to the chairs and not waiting for you she starts.

//My name is Loo, I've been tasked in the event of the death of Pennywise to provide aid and succor to any survivors of the Oaks Massacre. I have finally determined that you are the sole survivors of the massacre.//

//Pennywise....// Noticing the skeleton model had dropped his paint brush Loo walks over to him and restores it. She did not return to her original position and the paintbrush had again fallen out of the hands of the skeleton. Walking over she points her hands and the skeleton obedient followers her directions out of the room and sight.

//Pennywise was involved in research concerning the mourning, this research naturally drew the interest of the in term government of sharn, accepting their funding and help he managed to make great strides, however not all was well. Their were signs of sabotage as well as stolen information, that could only be attributed to a mystery cult. In an effort to combat this Pennywise was to set up a task force outside of the main hierarchy to find and determine the depth of the corruption. As predicted the seal underneath the Inn was undone before he completed the interviewing process, releasing the Skald of the lord of Drudgery. Also as predicted a handful of capable men and women survived, have banded together and have been prosecuted by the men in green and yellow. You are that band.//

again moving to fast to allow much more besides following and beckoning you onward. You quickly transverse deeper into the place. the literal feel of the place seems wrong. You pass several open quarters with skeletons standing inside them, apparently unattended and reclining or otherwise relaxing. Eventually you come to what you instinctively feel is the end of the underground features. Opening the door you walk forward to an impressively big room but empty and dusty and stony with metal scaffolding stairs leading down to the bottom (the room is easily 100' in each dimension or more)

Loo points to where the space feels the worst, where your eyes don't seem to want to meet.

//This is the seal, This Inn only has 2 Sub levels below the basement. Pennywise often commented on the bending however, which I can only surmise has become worst since it was undone//

Seemingly being off the script Loo looks up at you with surprising emotional if glassy eyes

//You must help prevent the other seals from opening or you know that would be you know a Big Boom, Earth Shaking and Fire Everywhere you know. The Skald must be stopped.//

In a robot gesture the girl hands her head, Her voice for minute exactly like Pennywise for those who know it.

"Please accept my apologies for drafting you into this, but its not me its prophecy. The Book you took from my study it quite clear, We are the cause of the mourning. The Space and time bending effects of the seal make the likely hood of the triggering event approach one."

Loo shudders and another recording takes over

"All of my work into the cause of the mourning agree that the point of origin come from the future. Divination spells have pinpointed its source to now. A Young Woman will be present for the final seals opening and she will be moved to the past and cause the mourning"

Loo Shudders again

"My Research into Necrogenisis, Time Travel, Remote Manipulation, Subliminal Messaging,Teleportation, Prophecy, Far Realm Invocations and the Cure to Syphilis, cannot fall into the skalds hands. You must protecting them, I grant you full deed and title to all of my work, and property, with the sole requirement that you do good by my memory, the unforunate test victims of the necrogenesis project and Loo"

Loo finally looks up her eyes glassy and dark with stagnant blood. "I've been instructed to help you in anyway possible, however I must say that the previous test subjects and myself have been granted permanent residence status and this will not change, Would you care to see the necrogenesis chamber? I know its a lot to go threw however we don't have long"

The Girl will stay their staring at you until you tell her to do something, She will not leave you while you remain in the Inn.

[Kegi]

I follow the others down the stairs after the zombie-girl. I try to stay near the back of the group so I can move and fight if I need to.

Once arrived and as Loo explains Pennywise's research endeavors and the events that lead to our present circumstances, I begin to glaze over a little. A talking zombie is strange enough, to think the gnome was involved in all this? Time travel? Necro-whatis? It's good we have a Gatekeeper and a bunch of wizards to help sort all this out.

Loo continues, and I struggle to stay on top of what she is saying. At least we have use of this place - for what it's worth. And if the Hollow Man is only the Skald and not the Lord himself, that can't be too bad, right?

My head begins to spin when she talks about a person from the present causing the mourning. I look for a place to sit down, but see only skeletons reclining in the chairs. Maybe I can get one to move...

I settle for an endtable and try to gauge the rest of the groups reaction to this revelation.

Kegi is not the type to volunteer to see necrogenesis, but he will accompany the group when someone inevitably agrees to go.

[Akallabeth]

My mind whirled even as I stood straight and tall, seeming to take all of this in as due course.
At least I HOPED that was the image I was projecting. In truth this was, overwhelming.

At last most of what 'Loo' and the recorded voice of Pennywise said sank in.

"I think we'll see the 'Necrogenisis' now Loo," I found myself saying, looking around to the rest of the group for confirmation. "But just give us the basics for now. We'll get the detailed info as,...when we need it."

I unloaded my crossbow and let it hang by its strap at my side. It wasn't my most powerful weapon anyway. "Pennywise obviously got a lot out of that book of prophesy. Did he happen to leave the whereabouts of the other gates for us? If almost no one knew about this one, I don't relish trying to find the others before they fail too."

[Lucienne]

Lucienne excuses herself, goes outside for a moment, and throws up.

When she comes back, she is no longer wearing the rose-colored glasses, and has her mace in her hand.

Logos, what kind of intelligent undead is this "Loo" thing? Knowledge (religion) is at +12.

[Romulus]

I hide in the shadows all throughout our descent.

My head spins as Loo divulge the enormity of Pennywise's legacy. I can just imagine the greed of those who wish to get their hands on them.

[Kegi]

Lucienne wrote:

When she comes back, she is no longer wearing the rose-colored glasses, and has her mace in her hand.

I take no notice when Lucienne steps out, but upon her return ready for combat, I hop off the table and ready my bow. Not quite understanding her motive, I assume she has encountered something in the other room.

"Be we under attack? Be they the same thugs as earlier?"

In the process of readying myself, I have quite unintentionally interposed myself between Lucienne and Loo.

[Logos]

Loo leads you up and away from the seal, you all being visably relieved by its absense. Leading into another lab room, large and wide but not very tall, loo tells you the basic story.

"Pennywise was a famed healer before the mourning, and afterwords he delved into ways to heal in the mournlands, mostly focusing on positive energy. Aside from a few half way successes they all failed. Regardless of whether it failed outright or just had unintented consequences it killed whoever it was surposed to heal. When he started working with the intermgovernment a future college jokingly suggested that he find instead a way to turn us all into the dead but retain our essence. Inflictions and the like are not impeded by the mournland but heal in the same way to the undead, as well some areas of the mournland appear to be infused with negative energy that would be beneficial to the undead, which is how in the second year...."

Realizing she was rambling Loo Stops , " Pennywise perfected a method to turn someone into an intelligent zombie I guess,more or less. I have retained my intellect and personality Pennywise said. The Skeletons you saw below were criminals who volunteered to test the device the portal in return for pensions for their families. But someone sabotagued the device, they remain their memories but have lost more or less all inclination. It can be restored briefly threw magic on occasion but naturally they will simply follow commands. They don't however attack wantonly and will defend themselves and others, which is the only way we knew that the device worked at all.

Loo leads you around a complex necromancy lab, (of the sort you would need for a clone spell among otherthings ). A great obsidian and onyx box is before you inscribed in horrid runes. Smears of dried blood stil l stand on the stoop leading to the device. "The only reason that pennywise ever tested the device on me was that my father, who originally owned the Inn and whom pennywise had rented the space had gone mad and killed mum and brained me a good one before offing himself. Pennywise saved me."

Loo points to a small mouse skeleton in a cage. whistling a small tune the mouse starts rolling on its back. " The Mouse is still trained afterword, the device is still operational, if you would want to use it"

[Akallabeth]

I shivered. I couldn't help myself. "I think we'll do our best to, avoid that possibility Loo. Thanks anyway." Shivering again at the thought, I turned around to the others.
'I can barely control,...whatever it is that burns within me now!' I thought. 'The thought of becoming one of,...what the,...?!?' I thought eloquently as I finally noticed the look on Lucienne's face, and the fact that she was holding her weapon.

"Lucienne?" I asked calmly, noting that her gaze was burning a hole in Loo. "What's wrong?"

As if sensing an opportunity, the fire welled up inside me. 'NOT NOW!' I shouted inside, fighting it down. Whatever was wrong, I could tell that an extra spark, pardon the pun, was the last thing this unexpectedly volatile situation needed.

[Lucienne]

"Loo, I need you to understand a couple of things. First, when I was about the same age you present yourself to be, my mother was attacked by the unliving and taken from me. I'm fairly certain she now walks with them, as a vampire.

"Second, her name for me was 'Lu'.

"If I could travel through time, I would do anything to make sure your father, or Pennyworth, hadn't done what they had. But here you stand before us, one of the restless dead. I can make a vow to do right by you and by the skeletal criminals, but that means finding a means to return you to life, or, failing that, to lay you to rest."

[Romulus]

Time travel... the idea is ludicrous but if I get a chance to change what has happened before... to see my wife again. I'd trade these powers away for that chance.

Intrigued by the implications, I look at Lucienne and ask, "You say time travel, do you mean we can change history?"

[Logos]

Loo looks up with angrish eyes "I don't understand what does your mother having my name have to do with anything? I don't want to die "
Loo ignoring the angry looking lady, says "Yes, Time Travel is for all impossible for us, however the lady is the one time traveling,if the last seal breaking could be stopped or at least the lady prevented from being there, penny wise said this whole thing could be prevented."

The girl seems blissfully unaware of the tension and discomfort in the room.

((Necrogenesis is available to whoever wants it , althought careful conideration of your teammates would be in order))

[Lucienne]

Logos wrote:

Loo looks up with angrish eyes "I don't understand what does your mother having my name have to do with anything? I don't want to die."

"No, my name was Lu. And as for dying, I'm afraid we're too late for that. But we'll try to make things right, one way or the other.

"But that's a matter for another day. Right now, we need to know: where are the other seals?"

[Logos]

Loo scruntches up her face and pouts, eventually giving it up.

The other seals bend space like this one does, you can't give an place for them they like to move. Pennywise got it pinned down to a few districts however. The Lower cogs, Middle Dura, precepitus, and ...city hall...

Loo then continues to scruntch.

[Akallabeth]

I looked at Lucienne as understanding dawned in my eyes. I glanced quickly at Loo, then at the others in our group to see how they were taking the news.

"Lucienne," I started akwardly, "All that time we spent working together, I never thought to ask,..." I cleared my throat and straightened back up. "I happen to be looking for a certain Vampire Commander myself." I said matter-of-factly. "I have something to give him." I grasped the longsword I carried. I grabbed it so tight that my knuckles turned white as I briefly recalled that day. Again.
I released the breath I hadn't realized I was holding and looked at Lucienne again. "But, as you say, we can compare notes later." I looked at Loo.

"Loo. As you can see, a few of us have,...issues, with undead. Speaking for myself, I'm sorry that Pennywise drug you into this. Though I'm sure he was only trying to help. I applaud his intent, if not his methods." I added, looking briefly at Lucienne. "I'm also grateful for the information you have, and the help you can give us. In return, I won't hold my biases against you. And I will try to find a way to help you if I can."

My mind raced, 'I thought she was just a programmed zombie. WHAT was he THINKING?!?' One part of me screamed inside. 'I can understand accepting criminal volunteers for research. Distasteful, but understandable. But to trap the spirit of a child in a shattered body?!?

[Akallabeth]

Logos wrote:

Loo scruntches up her face and pouts, eventually giving it up.

The other seals bend space like this one does, you can't give an place for them they like to move. Pennywise got it pinned down to a few districts however. The Lower cogs, Middle Dura, precepitus, and ...city hall...

Loo then continues to scruntch.

"City Hall,... of course. Wouldn't want to make it TOO easy." I grumbled.

Out of old habit, I began pacing as I aired my thoughts out loud.

"We can only hope that he took over City Hall because that was the only Seal he knew about. Or the first one he found, and he still doesn't know the locations of the others." I stroked my goatee as I pondered. "We obviously want to find the others first, and strengthen and defend them from Nemesis. Of course we'll have to be careful that we don't lead him TO them in the process. Hmmmm. 'Keep her from breaking the last seal, or prevent her from being there.' First we'd need to find out who 'she' is. OR,..." I stopped pacing. "Simply prevent any (more) of the seals from being broken in the first place!"
"Time travel. The mere possibilities it presents, both good and bad, give me a migraine. If we can prevent the mourning, then everything would go back to the way it was before,... But if we stop it from happening, then none of THIS would be happening, because I would still be lying on the battlefield,... but to PREVENT the Mourning. Who wouldn't sacrifice themselves if they,..could,..." I trailed off as I finally realized that everyone was looking at me. "Oh, bother." I muttered. "I did it again."

Pulling my wide brimmed hat lower over my face, I stalked to a corner of the room and continued to chase my thoughts in silence. My pout was just as pronounced as Loo's.

[Maddock d'Tharask]

Maddock's head started hurting.
The implications of what this little dead girl had described were horrific.

His heart felt near to bursting with regret for the little girl's family, and for Lucienne's revelation of her mother's state.

Priorities had to be set, though. As a Gatekeeper, Maddock knew that the greatest threat came from outside; invasion of the world by Daelkyr and their minions. An undead problem is an internal one. Once the world is safe from incursion, then there will be time to deal with the undead problem.

"Loo, Pennywise did you no favour, keeping you from death this way", Maddock says, his gentle tone incongruous with his hulking brutish form and his normal manner.

"That said, it appears we need to help each other. The weakening of these seals troubles me greatly. I must devote myself to keeping them whole. If anything else tries to come out of them, I'll be there to force it back in."
He pauses, and looks around at all of his companions, "Hopefully we will be standing together to do that. If there are objections, I suppose this would be the time to voice them".

[Logos]

Loo moves off to the side to give everyone a sense of privacy as they continue their deliberations. She starts humming a little tune, the lyrics come unbidden to everyones mind.

Where do bad folks go when they die
They don't go to Irian where the angels fly
Go to a land of despair and cry
see them again 'till the forth of Erye.

...

I knew a lady who came from Dolurth
Bitten by a dog with a rabid tooth
She went to her grave just a little too soon
Threw a late howl at the seventh moon

...

People cry and people moan
Look for a dry place to call their home
Try to find some place to rest their bones
While the angels and the devils try to make 'em their own

(Just a note, their is no happy afterlife in eberron. Much more greko roman lands of the damned/shades of the living/eternal torment and bleakness kind of place)

[Lucienne]

Maddock d'Tharask wrote:

He pauses, and looks around at all of his companions, "Hopefully we will be standing together to do that. If there are objections, I suppose this would be the time to voice them".

"None from me," replies Lucienne. "I'll need a quiet study area, and I can see if there's something in the prophesies that can help us.

She looks around. "I know. I studied an hour so that I could...study some more. Occupational hazard of the professional archivist.

"But, Loo, something's been puzzling me for several days now."

[Akallabeth]

Maddock d'Tharask wrote:

"Hopefully we will be standing together to do that. If there are objections, I suppose this would be the time to voice them".

"None here either Maddock. If anything else tries to slither out, I'll be happy to blast it back in while you reset the lock!" I smirked.

Lucienne wrote:

"But, Loo, something's been puzzling me for several days now."

"Just someTHING?!? I've got at least 20 things bothering me. And that's just in the last 10 minutes!" I growled. But I left my corner and rejoined the others to hear what Lucienne had to say.

[Romulus]

"Go ahead, Lucienne. Take your time." I step into the comforting embrace of the shadows.

[Logos]

Loo looks up with those big dead intelligent eyes and ask

"What is it lucienne"

[Lucienne]

Akallabeth wrote:

"Just someTHING?!? I've got at least 20 things bothering me. And that's just in the last 10 minutes!" I growled. But I left my corner and rejoined the others to hear what Lucienne had to say.

Lucienne smiles at Akallabeth. "That's because you're cleverer than I am, Darkling.

"Loo, why is the cake a lie?"

[Logos]

Loo stops and the first flickers of real emotion cross that passive pouty face. She halts and falters.

"My Parents, that night, My Father he said." Loo stops and that cold dolls face is back.

"My Father said there was cake, cake for all of us, said the voice in the portal told him so, The Voice said a lot of things to him apparently, told him he would have cake, friends , everything he ever wanted. He pushed my mom into the oven..."

Loo stops before continuing pulling something out of her belt pouch, " The gate made those glasses of yours, the gate also made this" she says as she holds out a cube of semi precious stone. Etched on each side was a heart and inscribed around the borders are (in common) Cube of Friendship, Keep me near and never fear you will always have a friend in need and deed, There was something else too but pennywise wouldn't let me see it. I wouldn't trust them if I was you." Loo thrusts the cube at Lucienne

loo turns returning to her corner and her own world and stops looking back, " If you hear a voice offering cake please ignore it, I can't hear it anymore it only affects the living but sometimes things change, the walls say there is cake down below, I'd ignore that too."

[Lucienne]

Lucienne takes the Rose-Colored Glasses out of her pouch and holds them between her first and second fingers. "Well, that explains why the dwoemer on these radiates as 'Illusion' rather than, say, 'Divination.' They don't actually lead you to your goals; they lead you to their maker's goals.

"Pennywise might have fallen for their allure, or the lenses might have been planted on him in the Waste Land for us to find and use. And, at that point, both we and our opponent wanted to get us back here, so our purposes were allied."

Lucienne tosses the Rose-colored glasses on a side-table. "I don't think that alignment would be likely to repeat.

"I wouldn't get rid of them; at some point, we might be able to use the aura on magic on this thing to track it back to its maker."

Lucienne looks at Loo, as much an orphan as a dead thing can be and locked away from life. And she thinks of herself, abandonned by her father, stripped of her mother, and locked away from the love of the gods. And her allies, much the same. She catches herself being vain; no, her allies are likely to have suffered worse.

When she speaks, there's a weariness about her, a sense of determination burning through past losses. "All right, then; let's see what we can find. Akallabeth, if you'd find the kindness, could you pull up a chair and help me go through this book of prophesy? Kegi, Romulus, I'd bet you'd have the best chances to find if Pennywise left anything else here. Maddock, thanks so much for guarding the portal; if it offers you cake, say 'no'. Hold out until it promises ice cream, too."

[Akallabeth]

I smiled grimly at the weariness in Lucienne's tone. It echoed the weariness in my own soul.

"I'll be glad to help Lucienne. I'm sure we all will. But not here." I added looking around the chamber. "No offense Loo, but this device gives me the creeps. This place is larger than I expected. We've seen Pennywise's office, we can use it. Unless,...Loo. Is there a library or another study that pennywise also used? Let's see ALL the resources at our disposal. THEN tackle this thing." I spoke to the group as a whole.

"If we already have narrowed down the other areas of the city that have gates in them, lets figure out how to find them. Maybe these glasses can be used to 'see' the space warping effects as you get nearer? Or maybe that's what the cube is for? Maybe they weren't planted ON Pennywise, maybe they were found by Pennywise before Nemesis could escape and retrieve them?" I shrugged.

"All I know is, Our sleep got interrupted, and that makes me cranky. And hungry. I want something to eat. And drink. And then I'll help read every blasted book Pennywise ever owned if it'll help us seal these blasted gates!"

For all-

Spoiler:

I'm NOT suggesting that we RP every room! Just wanting to get the general idea of what is available to us. (And maybe 'settle in'?) Then we can decide on our next course of action, whether that be going out and finding the other gates, setting a trap for Nemesis (Not likely to work THIS early in the story line, but I'm open to suggestions), or even using the time that we KNOW when Nemesis will be giving a speech to go and search City Hall for its Gate.
One last thought, If Nemesis is giving a speech at a large public gathering, that just sets off ALL kinds of alarm bells! Maybe we SHOULD go to it? Just to see what he's up too?!? Just one more option.
See you all in a couple of days!

[Logos]

Loo Looks up with at all of you and says " it has been a long night, you should all get some sleep" Whistling and murming soon a skeleton attendant is sent to escort all of you to sleeping quaters [All above ground] except for lucienne who Loo escorts privately.

Before seeing Luciene off, Loo promises to make a list of rooms and things.

(You can all talk as you please and such, probably should decide what you want to do and plan accordingly more info in OOC)

[Romulus]

I take up Lucienne's suggestion and make a thorough search of the area for anything interesting. Taking 20 here.

[Logos]

The Night Passes uneventfully and food and water and rest is served to everyone. It is the morning of the day of Hollow's Conference. If you take a morning or an afternoon to either search or read the book of prophecy please open the spoiler

Search(only valid on day of hollows conference)

Spoiler:

Having thoroughly searched the Inn you know there is nothing else to find. You did find however on the last search

All together:
Scroll of Identify (a)
Well made Tower shield
Well made Thieves tools
Potion of lesser vigor
9x Smoke sticks
4x Alchemist Fire
Scroll of Purify Food and Drink
3 Onces of Universal Solvent.

1st Searcher: Potion of 'Fun Chaser' Light
2nd Searcher: Map detailing some hazards of the city including mentioning a vampire infestation in percipitus, and several gangs of monsters in the firecogs of downbelow
3rd Searcher: Scroll of Mage Armour (d)
Rest: 30 Silver Pieces

Book of Prophecies [Only Valid Day of hollows conference]

Spoiler:

Inside the cover, the first page is only the incription "To Tell Only the Truth"

after much efforts at attempting to find passages slowly verses start appearing to you, some staying and some disappearing before even they were lost

What Happens to Them
Alternative Timelines Lost
The Lost Forest Here

Twin Aberration
Marked here, Saviors There Failures
Flowers Petals Fall

Twin Wanton Lied Here
Waiting, Messenger for Him
Lord of Still Places

The Twins Fight Fitfully
Woe to those who Interrupt
In the Lost Forest

Flower Petals Lie
Mark the Passing of Great Men
Here the Petals Lie

Kata of Fire Sees
Inside himself Damnation
Black Bamboo of Strength

of inconsequence
The Gems scattered in the mist
Easily Crumbled

The Mist invites them
forged of war and still of heart
Spurned Sapling Destroys

The Inn of Valour
Sits atop the ulcer and
Thrives like grave fungus

Angel blood hurts inside
Far Away from Help Solace
Father Wind Sires

The Fox hides alone
Unknown Betrayer Fox Lies.
Brings the End Grey Fog.

Black of Mood, Savage
Dragon is his teacher and
Oaks Strength, Owls Wisdom.

The Crossed staffs arcane
Lost Sergent's and Memory
The Willow and Yew Hewed.

Grey is the forest
Fox, wind, oak, Yew and Willow
The First Frost is here

Weel goes the surprise
unsuspecting the clearing
is Plowed, harvested.

These Verses are scattered throughout the book, all the rest of the book is covered in the same verse.

Darkness Darkness Dark
Darkness Dark Darkness' Darkness
Dark Darkness so Dark

[Akallabeth]

"Good morning all", I greeted the others at breakfast in the kitchen the next morning, smiling appreciatively at the pot of coffee someone had made.

'This huge hotel ALMOST all to ourselves,' I thought while watching one of the self-aware skeletons shuffle by the doorway, 'And here we huddle together in one of the smallest rooms in the place. What is it about us mere mortals that craves companionship?'

I sipped my coffee and smiled at the others again. My usual Nightmares aside, it had been one of the most restful nights I have had in a while. And that had left me in an unusually good mood.

"So, what's on our agenda for today? I was thinking, If we split up into teams we could probably give the Oaks one more going-over to make sure we haven't missed anything important or useful, while the other team sees what they can finds in that book. If anything. I'll be glad to help with either task."

"I figured that way we can probably still make 'ShadowWise's" speech at the orphanage tonight. Despite my earlier suggestion, I don't think a few hours is enough time to properly plan an infiltration of the city's best gaurded building and look for a well-concealed and well-gaurded gate. And I want to see what he's up to first hand. "

I sat down to join the others with my coffee and fresh-filled plate of food.
"Though if we DO go, I suggest EXTREME caution. Like watching from a neighboring building or skycoach level caution. With this guys track record with his Green & Gold's and people, I'd like to be out of the line of fire when the crossbow bolts start flying."

[Lucienne]

"Good morning, Darkling. I appreciate your good mood.

"There wasn't much in the book about the woman who travels back into thime and detonates the Mourning, whom I've been calling the 'Dread Traveller'. (I suspect that, if we check back late, some references to her might reappear.) But there were these verses:

'Twin Aberration; Marked here, Saviors There Failures; Flowers Petals Fall

'Twin Wanton Lied Here; Waiting, Messenger for Him; Lord of Still Places

'The Twins Fight Fitfully; Woe to those who Interrupt; In the Lost Forest

'Flower Petals Lie; Mark the Passing of Great Men; Here the Petals Lie'

I'll wager that the Hollow Man, this 'skald', is the Messenger. Anybody care to venture a guess as to who the Twins are?"

[Maddock d'Tharask]

Maddock stretches and yawns loudly, banishing the last remnants of grogginess.

"Interesting theories, Lucienne. If I may spend a little time with that book as well, I'd be willing to try and examine it with fresh eyes."

"The messenger sounds like a good fit for our friend. From our battle before, he also seems to be able to mimic our skills and abilities, though. 'haps he and we are 'twins'?"

"I'd like to be there when this 'announcement' or whatever it is goes down. I agree, being hidden and well out of shooting range would be best".

[Logos]

Luu who after making breakfast has been out of sight for a minuets commences back into the room draging something that resembles a small siege engine. This enormous heavy crossbow has multible bowsand is geared to fire 4 barbed bolts at once.

"The AcruBallista is here and we have poisoned and enchanted bolts somewhere, why is it that I can never find the bolts."

Luu disappears back downstairs.

L

[Akallabeth]

I stink at riddles, but here goes,...

"Well,... It's just a guess, but,..." I stopped. Got up, went to the large crossbow. and ensured that it was pointing AWAY from where we were sitting. Then I went back and sat with the others.

"That's better. As I was saying. I'm not the 'riddle-master' by any means, but riddles don't have to be literal. It could be like Maddock says. Or, Rom and I both seemed to have gotten our new 'abilities' by a direct influence of the Mourning. We could be the 'twins' in a mystical or spiritual sense. I can't tell if these verses are referring to the twins fighting each other, or if the twins are fighting something else. There are a couple of verses here that could be referring to or describing either him or I almost directly. And the verse with the beast references are almost a dead match for you Maddock. " I sighed, trying not to lose my good humor.

"And then the words 'aberrant' and 'mark' seem to be repeated fairly often. And thanks to our little visit to the 'other side', I think we ALL have marks, of one type or another. THAT definitely can be considered binding in a mystical sense."

"But that's the joy of riddles, you never know for sure what they mean until after the fact. And by then it's usually too late. That's why I never put much trust in the 'Dragon Prophesy". If you can get enough info out of this book to help us, that's great. But until it says something in plain common, like,..."Turn around Doubting Dark One, your about to be attacked', I'm taking it ALL with a pound of salt!"

[Romulus]

I nod as Akallabeth expounds on his thoughts.

"This spiritual connection is quite possible. But what would be the common thread besides the Mourning and our power? You think our place in respect to Khorvaire's geography could have anything to do with it"

Pointing at the "seige weapon," "That thing could have come in handy earlier."

[Logos]

Just as you are all cosing up with your coffee and your Sharn Inquisitor headline reading "Warforged Exodus Cripples Infrastructure" a loud earth shattering thud is felt, the building shaking and dust falling from above. Gasps,screams,moans and sobbing can be heard coming from the front.

Looking around in bewilderment you catch an editorial peice on the front page of the Inquisitor, Goblins Threaten Strike, City Threatens Lockout over backpay and working conditions. The tone is sneering and insulting insinuating that the goblins are a rabble of dirt to be expunged from the city , and expressing remorse that the mourning wasn't able to clean the cogs of the goblin menace.

The Sounds of Breaking Glass and Smoke fill the Air.

[Romulus]

"What is happening?! An earthquake?!" Newspapers are dangerous. The front page stories seem to be projecting dread and despair into the world. Not reading one again.

[Lucienne]

"Loo, is this disturbance a daily ritual?"

Only half waiting for her answer, Lucienne arms herself and waits for Kegi to lead the way towards the crashing and moaning.

[Logos]

Moving into the front of the Inn, where you all initially meet, you look out onto the street. The Remains of several people , many in different stages of dying are scattered about. It appears a bomb was planted not too far from the Inn, probably next door someplace. The Smoke mingling with the evergrey clouds of Sharn lets you know this was not an isolated occurance.

(50xp to the newspaper comment, even I can overuse stuff.)

Luu seems to be somewhat baffled and unsure what to do.

[Akallabeth]

I looked around at the devastation with a heavy heart. First the Mourning, then "ShadowWise" escaping the seal and taking control of a good portion of the city infrastructure overnight, and now newspapers spreading intolerance instead of reporting it, and apparently mad bombers taking action in retaliation.

"This just keeps gettin' better n' better."

I noticed the look on Loo's pale face. If I was having a hard time dealing with this, how was she coping? She was still a 12 year old girl trapped in there.

"Loo," I said in a voice that was meant to be kind and understanding. "Why don't you go inside. With the way the whole section of tower shook, we should probably make sure there's no damage to the building. Can you take the responsive,... converted, and do a thorough examination of the property? Especially the 'sensitive area'? We really can't afford to take chances. Thank you." I escorted her inside. With a final small smile of encouragement I closed the door.

I turned to see at least some of the others giving me odd looks.

I can never tell exactly what Rom is thinking under those bandages.

"What?!?" I said, rather more testily than I meant to. "Whatever else she may be, she's 12. She doesn't need to see this." I pulled out my wide brimmed hat and settled it forcibly onto my head. "The SIX knows I was hoping I'd seen the last of stuff like this." I muttered darkly.

I took a deep breath to calm myself as I settled my hastily buckled swordbelt I had grabbed on our way to the door.
"Even I'm not paranoid enough to think that an attack of this scale was aimed at us, but I AM paranoid enough to make sure. We should secure our perimeter and make sure there's not a secondary attack following up. Then let's see if we can help some of these poor souls."

I looked at the others directly. "That was only a suggestion, not a command. I'm not trying to take over. But in my,... Previous experience, it is always better to ensure your own security before trying to help others. That way you don't end up with TWO sets of casualties."

I began scanning the area, looking for potential hostiles among the wounded, as well as trying to see if there was any visible external damage to the building, and if any of our rooms had balconies we could use in the future.

[Lucienne]

Lucienne has a sinking suspicion about the explosions, the midnight raids, the hate-filled newspapers. "What a lovely excuse for an imposition of martial law." She shakes her head and looks around.

"Good call, Akallabeth. Thanks for engaging Loo. Everybody, feel free to ask anybody else for assistance."

Lucienne carefully makes her way to the remains of the explosion. "Kegi, Maddock, can either of you make out any traces of who might have set this, or where they might have come from?"

[Maddock d'Tharask]

Maddock takes a brief moment to scout around the wreckage, looking for signs of the source of the explosion, and for any clues to the identity of the responsible party.

Spoiler:

search (1d20+2=11)

After that, he rushes to any people in the street who look like they can be saved, and tries to stabilize them.

[Romulus]

I go with the others to the wreckage of the explosion. I take care to stay in the shadows. At the wreckage, I avoid contact with the authorities. I help anyone I can but I am alert and note the faces and reactions of people.

Anyone who does not show signs of horror and fear pique my interest. Moreso, if I see someone who appears to be drinking in the sorror and fear of the event. That would probably be our bomber, or at least someone linked to the bomber/s.

[Logos]

Maddock and Romulus spill out onto the street, taking in the surroundings. Maddock helps innocents and those that he can as Romulusu notices a lone figure in a heavy trenchcoat and bowler cap, just at the edge of the visable before it darts around a corner.

What is most ominous is the lack of city watch.

The sounds of scuffling and more explosions can be heard coming from city center.

Logos