04.12.2022 - Scribe-5 - The Secrets of the Palace

General Summary

• We remember that the ancient emperor we found in the ruins is the same as who Auren presented as the current emperor: Sun Emperor Lysanthir Eveningstar
• As Scribe-5 does her ritual, Auren stands with his back turned for deniability
• We teach him how to speak to us in his mind
• He tells Sylword that there are some things he should know as leader of the Path of Horn
  • We use different skills to convince him that we trust each other
    • Scribes: Arcana to protray the feeling of trust through the telepathic link (crit!)
    • Void: Persuasion (Second lowest he can roll is still an 11)
    • Coty: Nature - Drawing a line between us and pack-animals
    • Bucket: Religion - He is loyal to his religion, and therefore trustworthy
  • Auren is convinced, and warns us to brace ourselves
  • There is no emperor. At least not here. There has not been an emperor for centuries
  • As Path of Horn, it is their duty to continue their performance to prevent the citizens from panicking
  • Since they were counseling the emperor, they now just skip the middleman
  • Bucket questions if Auren is then technically the emperor. He is not happy with Auren for lying to the people
  • There are no records of him actually dying, he was just gone at some point after the calamity or during
  • Empress Ammon is still around, but is asleep and has been for centuries. They have not tried to wake her up since that would be dangerous
  • The emperor and the empress were not the kindest of people, so they decided it was best to not take any chances
  • Scribe-5 slips up and tells Auren and Bucket that we found the emperor through the Telepathic Bond. Telling them about the chained up emperor we found. (She doesn't tell where he is)
  • Chimes start going off in our heads as Scribe-5 breaks our oath to not speak about what we found
  • Auren wants to find the emperor, but we divert his attention
  • We agree to keep his secret about the state of the palace, and to look for the devices
  • He warns us that the Empress will seek revenge if she wakes up
  • Bucket suggests that they make the servants work in pairs, for safety
  • They are dealing with the corpses internally, putting them in the Sun's Rest
  • He warns us that the Sun's Rest is not for the lighthearted. If we hear wails of children, just ignore it
  • It is the child of the empress, the child has been around for a long time (about 50 years), but not as long as the time the empress has been sleeping
  • Auren's predecessor was , from very long ago (maybe 900 years). It doesn't say why she was relieved of duty
  • They suspect that the child is a product of Malagnim who somehow got to the empress and made the child with her
  • Technically, the child can be seen by some as the true heir to the throne
  • Malagnim was caught in here, and put in the tower of forgiveness for it
  • The servants of the palace knows about the child
  • They have set up some traps around the room of the empress
  • The emperor was known by his enemies as The Dominator, as he would brainwash people permenantly
  • The empress would use her beauty to get her will
  • Auren thinks the empress was who corrupted the emperor
  • There's some sexist shit going on
• Scribe-5 asks about the warforged used as decoration
  • They are not sentient anymore, as magic was seen as chaos before the rebellion. They took away the magic letting the warforged be alive
  • They didn't know that magic could be taken away without taking the soul away
  • Void doesn't see the same magic on the warforged that he did when they found Scribes offline
• Scribe-5 does the ritual again, excluding Auren
• Auren warns us again not to wake the empress, as she is extremely evil and powerful, toppling empires with a wink
• (telepathically) Coty wants to meet the empress, but the rest of us warn her not to. She was the one most affected by the manipulation of the emperor
• Bucket sends Auren to the archives to find out more about the political ramifications of the child of the empress
• The butler comes back to lead us to the Sun's Rest and show us where the traps are
  • We're given cookies and drinks
  • (telepathically) Bucket wants Coty to stay outside, and not near the empress. He doesn't trust Coty to not wake up the empress
  • Coty eventually agrees to wait outside with Bucket and Sylword
  • We decide to be cautious, but be aware that everything is not as it seems
  • As we're mentally discussing, the butler is giving us a tour and guides us towards the Sun's Rest
  • 
    Everything is very calm, and there is a singer somewhere in the background
  • Armed servants let us pass
  • There is some ceremony going on
  • The butler tells us that we're here, and leaves
  • In the back, there is a tapestry that can be parted
  • Coty casts Pass Without Trace on the party
  • Void doesn't see any devices from where we stand
  • We sneak closer to avoid disturbing the ceremony
  • Past the tapestry is a hallway filled with beautiful carvings and quotes
  • At the end is a heavy wooden door with a carving of the setting sun
  • Void senses magic on the other side of the door, but is not
  • Scribe-5 is worried about triggering anything when opening the door, but Coty wants us to do it
  • Bucket and Sylword open it silently
    • The room is 60 ft. wide and 10 ft. deep
    • There are alcoves with statues of the emperor
    • Straight ahead is another closed door
    • There is light from a fireplace at the left wall
    • A purple glow is coming from a bed
    • The closest statue is magical, but not like the devices
    • As we're discussing what to do, we hear a high pitched noise or something being turned increasingly fast
    • THe noise is coming from the bed area
    • There is also a beeping noise
    • Coty and Void go into the room, the rest of us take a few steps back
    • Coty and Void both easily saves, as the eyes of the statue lights up and tugs at their minds
    • The energy from above the bed is illusion, necromancy. It is like the other device we found, but bigger
    • The noise is coming from above the bed and is getting louder and faster
    • We enter a skill challenge to disable it

Plan

Disable the traps, especially the soul-sucking device above the bed that is getting louder and faster.
Scribe-5 will casts Sending to her mentor when she prepares it, to try to learn Modify Memory. If possible, she will use it to make Auren forget that she told him we found the emperor
Btw, Arnini knows that the emperor is alive and how to get to him. He hasn't taken the oath....

Report Date

04 Dec 2022