Post by Haskalah on Apr 3, 2016 9:58:57 GMT -7
Total Session XP: CL + 2
Total Session Gold: CL + 2
Session Time: 4 Hours
Session Level: 15+
Influence: 2 + 1 (Got past the challenges and into the "Transcendence" section of the library).
GM Rewards: Varian Jaskas (Haskalah) 192,000 xp + 17,222 gp
Player Rewards:
Rainen (Xemadus) 256,000 xp + 19,500 gp
Dryth (Pantera) 128,000 xp + 13,333 gp
Joy (Zen) 256,000 xp + 19,500 gp
Lemon (kenpui) 192,000 xp + 17,222 gp
Miere (Geck) 256,000 xp + 19,500 gp
Summary:
The archaeological nobles studying the Starstone Manor had learned months ago how to create phantasms for training purposes and small portals to other planes. One such plane held a large monolithic building identified as a library, but before anyone else could go in to check it out, Nerull showed up and everyone was distracted. With that and the unrest in Rook the project was shelved, though it has just recently been prioritized.
The group head to the basement of the Starstone Manor and Lady Jaskas and Lady Zotla fiddle with a control console. As usual their first attempt resulted in a portal to the Elemental Plane of Air being formed. Despite its obviously-hostile nature, the group successfully talked it down and convinced it to just head back home no harm, no foul. It's wife is probably bitching at it for not killing enough adventurers even now.
Their second attempt is a success and the group travels to the library, which is located down a crystalline crag in an apparently-underground space. The group floats down and across a narrow chasm to the building, which is inscribed with all manner of glyphs and depictions that describe a space dedicated to the collection and creation of knowledge. Attempting various known magical means of simply passing into the space fail, including Ethereal Jaunts and Passwall, but once each character touches the handle and reaffirms their desire to learn and understand, they are permitted to pass.
The group arrives in an extremely dusty antechamber. Just thinking the Prestidigitation spell is enough to clean everything up. The group splits into three, Miere literally splitting himself in 7, and they head off through the three doors in the room. One leads into a dining area and kitchen that, while dusty, appears ready to prepare anything that the diner desires. In another room are trophy cases and cabinets filled with various magical devices that are more suited to the study of various arcane schools than for personal gain. There are what may be some minor artifacts, but all of them are sealed behind apparently-glass cases. Inside one "glass" cabinet is a codex that lists all of the library's device assets, including references to 10 schools of magic, a fact that is quite puzzling. Rainen's group discovers this fact first, followed quickly by Joy's.
Miere, meanwhile, heads with Dryth into the library proper, a vast, open space with many floors of bookcases dedicated to various arcane and other studies. They see some people walking around at ground level and flag down one of them. The man appears to be polite and interested in their arrival, but appears to have trouble with the concept of time. He repeatedly notes that he has been here for 34,734, which turns out to be the number of books he has fully memorized. He's also, incidentally, an Intellect Devourer living in a continuously freshened body, but he doesn't take a single hostile action and appears to be a study in congeniality.
The gang regroup after checking out some topics in the library including necromantic theory, this new "Transcendence" school, and of course, beauty tips. Apparently any information but references to the new school can only be found in the basement. The group descends, passing through an alarm-type enchantment that causes a mental ding, and they hear several other telepathic voices wishing them good luck. They pass through increasingly-powerful magical deterrents including a Symbol of Sleep, Insanity and Death, a room of tentacles (that has some fun with Lemon once Rainen throws him into them), and eventually into a long hall with two Adamantine Golems that are guarding a single door with a silvery handle.
The Golems tell the party they must be defeated to proceed, and Rainen stops time to construct Force Walls around the Golems and prepare some defenses. When time resumes Miere begins a chat and the Golems nonchalantly Greater Dispel the Force Walls. The Golems cannot be reasoned with or cajoled as it isn't in their programming. They give the group the following riddle:
Total Session Gold: CL + 2
Session Time: 4 Hours
Session Level: 15+
Influence: 2 + 1 (Got past the challenges and into the "Transcendence" section of the library).
GM Rewards: Varian Jaskas (Haskalah) 192,000 xp + 17,222 gp
Player Rewards:
Rainen (Xemadus) 256,000 xp + 19,500 gp
Dryth (Pantera) 128,000 xp + 13,333 gp
Joy (Zen) 256,000 xp + 19,500 gp
Lemon (kenpui) 192,000 xp + 17,222 gp
Miere (Geck) 256,000 xp + 19,500 gp
Summary:
The archaeological nobles studying the Starstone Manor had learned months ago how to create phantasms for training purposes and small portals to other planes. One such plane held a large monolithic building identified as a library, but before anyone else could go in to check it out, Nerull showed up and everyone was distracted. With that and the unrest in Rook the project was shelved, though it has just recently been prioritized.
The group head to the basement of the Starstone Manor and Lady Jaskas and Lady Zotla fiddle with a control console. As usual their first attempt resulted in a portal to the Elemental Plane of Air being formed. Despite its obviously-hostile nature, the group successfully talked it down and convinced it to just head back home no harm, no foul. It's wife is probably bitching at it for not killing enough adventurers even now.
Their second attempt is a success and the group travels to the library, which is located down a crystalline crag in an apparently-underground space. The group floats down and across a narrow chasm to the building, which is inscribed with all manner of glyphs and depictions that describe a space dedicated to the collection and creation of knowledge. Attempting various known magical means of simply passing into the space fail, including Ethereal Jaunts and Passwall, but once each character touches the handle and reaffirms their desire to learn and understand, they are permitted to pass.
The group arrives in an extremely dusty antechamber. Just thinking the Prestidigitation spell is enough to clean everything up. The group splits into three, Miere literally splitting himself in 7, and they head off through the three doors in the room. One leads into a dining area and kitchen that, while dusty, appears ready to prepare anything that the diner desires. In another room are trophy cases and cabinets filled with various magical devices that are more suited to the study of various arcane schools than for personal gain. There are what may be some minor artifacts, but all of them are sealed behind apparently-glass cases. Inside one "glass" cabinet is a codex that lists all of the library's device assets, including references to 10 schools of magic, a fact that is quite puzzling. Rainen's group discovers this fact first, followed quickly by Joy's.
Miere, meanwhile, heads with Dryth into the library proper, a vast, open space with many floors of bookcases dedicated to various arcane and other studies. They see some people walking around at ground level and flag down one of them. The man appears to be polite and interested in their arrival, but appears to have trouble with the concept of time. He repeatedly notes that he has been here for 34,734, which turns out to be the number of books he has fully memorized. He's also, incidentally, an Intellect Devourer living in a continuously freshened body, but he doesn't take a single hostile action and appears to be a study in congeniality.
The gang regroup after checking out some topics in the library including necromantic theory, this new "Transcendence" school, and of course, beauty tips. Apparently any information but references to the new school can only be found in the basement. The group descends, passing through an alarm-type enchantment that causes a mental ding, and they hear several other telepathic voices wishing them good luck. They pass through increasingly-powerful magical deterrents including a Symbol of Sleep, Insanity and Death, a room of tentacles (that has some fun with Lemon once Rainen throws him into them), and eventually into a long hall with two Adamantine Golems that are guarding a single door with a silvery handle.
The Golems tell the party they must be defeated to proceed, and Rainen stops time to construct Force Walls around the Golems and prepare some defenses. When time resumes Miere begins a chat and the Golems nonchalantly Greater Dispel the Force Walls. The Golems cannot be reasoned with or cajoled as it isn't in their programming. They give the group the following riddle:
There is a story that a man and not a man
Saw and did not see a bird and not a bird
Perched on a branch and not a branch
And hit him and did not hit him with a rock and not a rock
How is this possible?
Saw and did not see a bird and not a bird
Perched on a branch and not a branch
And hit him and did not hit him with a rock and not a rock
How is this possible?
The group ponders his words, but inspiration strikes when Miere considers that the "man and not a man" might refer to a Eunuch and that a "rock and not a rock" could be pumice, a rock-like material that is in some ways not a rock. The rest of the riddle then becomes clear, and the answer in full is that there was a eunuch with bad eyesight who saw a bat perched on a reed and threw a bit of pumice at him, but missed.
The Golems nod, and the door opens. Each person steps inside this room and finds themselves in an extremely odd area where space appears to be distorted. Despite feeling as though their bodies are connected, each person can see themselves from various perspectives with various body parts spiraling off in different directions. Determining that they had discovered enough for the moment, the group heads out of the library and back to Rook.
The Golems nod, and the door opens. Each person steps inside this room and finds themselves in an extremely odd area where space appears to be distorted. Despite feeling as though their bodies are connected, each person can see themselves from various perspectives with various body parts spiraling off in different directions. Determining that they had discovered enough for the moment, the group heads out of the library and back to Rook.
