Session 74 - Research Interruptus

General Summary

44th Sov’van

The next morning Denye was the first up as usual and spend the early hours in her workshop so as not to disturb Janora sleeping in the other bed. She was quite excited about the chance to examine new magictech and wanted to get her notes in order to present to the High Archivist. Coming back down she found that the witch had risen and wasn’t in the sleeping room.
Denye found her friends gathered into the sitting room sipping java and discussing the wonders to be found in this pleasant tropical city. Pouring herself a cup of the warm, rich drink and adding a splash of milk, she asked, “I’ve got that appointment with the High Archivist in a couple of hours, did anyone want to come with me?” “If you think you’ll be able to get to study the broken stone,” said Ranunkel, “I would love to join you for that, but I think It would be better for you to go by yourself to get the permission. I would just screw something up.”
“You wouldn’t be a problem,” protested Denye, “but of course you can come study the stone with me. After all, you know more about it than I do, you might recognize things I don’t. Either way I’m sure everything that you can remember will be very helpful.”
Food arrived at that point and the conversation was paused as everyone broke their fast. As plates cleared, the talk resumed and the rest of the party opted to stay back as well, feeling that they had achieved most of what they had hoped to find in White Gryphon. So after the meal the Corva wizard bid her friends goodbye and headed for the ascending tube.
It took a bit of time but it wasn’t difficult for Denye to find her way back to the Concilium Hortus, the flowers of the garden perfuming the air with sweet and pungent scents. From there it was simple matter to make her way into the Hall of Records and presented herself at the office of High Archivist Val’rekia. The receptionist checked his list and nodded before asking her to have a seat, promising the Archivist would see her soon.
That ‘soon’ turned out to be more than an hour as Denye sat, watching scribes and other visitors come in and leave papers with the secretary, or occasionally taking them away. One or two of these were even waved through the doors behind the office. The wizard shifted in her seat when that happened and while the receptionist said nothing he did offer her an awkward but apologetic look.
Eventually however the doors of the inner office were thrown open, causing the secretary to jump to his feet. An elderly looking Kassas, wearing ornate and stiffly embroidered robes swept out, followed by a whole train of assistants, scribes, and attendants of various ranks. The receptionist gave them a deep bow and when they had gone turned to Denye and said, “High Archivist Val’rekia will see you now.”
The inner office was a long rectangle, walls covered by bookshelves and at the far end stood a large desk of a rich deep purple wood. Behind the desk stood the High Archivist, an older looking La'naris with shoulder-length silvery hair, wearing brown robes with a high collar and decorated with silver and green embroidery. He was examining a book, but looked up as Denye approached the desk. A look of surprise flashed through his eyes but was quickly suppressed as he smiled and gestured to one of the chairs before his desk.
“Thank you for seeing me High Archivist,” said Denye, giving him a short bow before taking a seat, “I appreciate you making the time. I’m sure you are quite busy.”
"Yes, yes," said the old man, waving a hand, “I do apologize. With the festival starting tomorrow there are many things that must be organized.” He sighs and rubs his forehead a bit, “And of course High Designer Fahalla absolutely must speak to me…personally. Now how may I help you?”
Denye nodded and took a deep breath before squaring her shoulders, "My name is Denye Starwing of the Clan Dance of Twilight and I am seeking permission to spend some time studying two of the artifacts that you have on display in the Hall of Founding. If possible I would like to examine both the broken stone of connection and the shoulder splitter." At the mention of the second artifact, the Archivist's eyes narrowed and Denye held up a placating claw, "I understand that these are dangerous and very old. If I may, I'd like to show you my credentials and demonstrate that I have the knowledge necessary to do research without harming them or harming anyone else in the process." As she spoke she pulled out the folio of letters of introductions from her teacher/colleagues within Obscure Veritas.
"Oh, yes, yes," nodded the older man before beginning to shuffle through a stack of paper, "I have a report here about that. If I may ask, what is your interests in these long forgotten technologies?"
"Partially academic curiosity," replied the wizard, handing him the folio, "I have been working on this line of research for some time, not so much the weapons themselves, but the means to power them and other things that they can do." Pulling out the repaired force pistol, she said it on the desk "In my travels, my friends and I have found a number of fascinating applications of magitech. As you can see from my notes, I was able to repair this pistol because we originally discovered a working model. I have also been able to grow my own power crystals and have been working on a more efficient method of recharging them. These is much in this ancient tech that has been lost to us could be on the cusp of rediscovery."
"Fascinating, fascinating," muttered the Archivist scanning through the notes and letters of introductions. "I haven't heard of your orginazation but I do know Aubergine and I've heard of Secret of the Bluff, he has a school over in Arborlisle Harbor, doesn't he?" At Denye's nod, he went on, "You clearly have spent quite a bit of time researching this technology. As I'm sure you have learned, such devices caused much damage in the long ago war, and I worry that rediscovering such weapons will only cause more war and destruction."
"I am aware," said Denye, "as I said I am interested in the general technology and concepts rather than trying to specifically recreate these weapons. On the other hand, such destructive power may become necessary." Taking a deep breath she asked, "Do you know of the Bells of the Shiners and the Binding of Ollamaas?"
"I am familiar with the tale," replied the Archivist leaning back and steepling his fingers. "Such was a legend even before the rise of the Mad Mage and the senseless war that followed."
Denye nodded, "My friends and I have been traveling since mid-Planting. In those journeys we have found reason to believe that there is a group of people working to find a way to release the Dark Titan. We believe it has something to do with the Great Conjunction of planets when the comet Vehacarro returns next year. My friends and I are in possession of two of the Bells and have some vague directions to the others. We obviously want to stop such a thing from happening and we've already stopped at least two these cult members, but we don't really know who all is involved. It seems to me we should gather as much magical knowledge as we can, for who knows what the future may bring."
Archivist Val'rekia blew out a breath and sat back, "That is quite a tale...a very disturbing story indeed. My immediate reaction would be to dismiss such a story out of hand, but your scholarship is quite excellent and you do not strike me as someone who would spin yarns. If such a thing is true, then it is of concern to all of civilization."
"It is the truth," said Denye firmly, "I would never joke about something so dire. IF you would like to see the bells, I could bring them later, my friend Janora is holding onto them at the moment. But I agree, it is something that we should all prepare for. The Wayfinders of Haven know of this prophecy and I have reason to believe they have passed the word to the western leaders of Ellebore. I honestly don't know if it has been passed on to the Caisian Theocracy. They aren't very friendly and that is far too much politics for me. I don't know that we've seen any sign of the cult here in Umberfell." Cocking her head, the wizard thought for a moment and added, "Well, there was the crater on the other side of the mountains. We don't have proof that this cult was involved, but several signs pointed in that direction."
The Archivist listened to all of this, drumming his fingers on the arms of his chair. "That does make me feel a bit better and thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will speak to the Council and we will reach out to Queen Askhevron of Haven. If it is truly a year away there is time to plan and such news may not be particularly helpful for the general populace to know at this time." Leaning forward he laid both hands flat on the desk, "You have convinced me, you will be allowed to examine both the stone of connection and the shoulder spitter. I must however insist on a few rules; only one object at a time, under the supervision of one of the Senior Docents, and you cannot further dissemble anything."
The young wizard was a little put out that she couldn't take apart the weapon to study the interior, but she nodded and agreed readily enough. The High Archivist quickly wrote a letter to that effect and after sanding it, pressed his signet ring into the wax and Denye noted a quick flash of magic. The wizard accepted the letter gratefully and after gathering up her research notes and other items she gave him a final bow and bid him goodbye promising to leave a copy of her notes with the docent.
She waved goodbye to the receptionist as she exited the office and headed back out to the terraced avenue. It was later than she had thought, almost noon, and her stomach growled to remind her how long ago breakfast was. Looking around, Denye nodded and headed off for the nearest staircase to drop a level. Over the link she called, "Ranunkel, I was successful and we have permission to look at both objects. I was thinking of starting with the stone of connection, do you want to meet me at that cafe we stopped at yesterday? The one with the lattes?"

---

About an hour or so after Denye disappeared on her errands, Ell decided that he wanted to stretch his legs and see what he could learn about the trading situation here. With all the excitement of finding Gral, he hadn't really had a chance to get a feel for the pulse...and he still a Darnet and always on the lookout for a deal.
As he made his way down toward the docks, it was clear that there was a buzz of excitement in the air. Folk were in the streets, hanging decorations and Ell overheard several mentions of the festival starting tomorrow and he realized with a start that tomorrow night would be Longest Night and the turning of the year. That brought up thoughts of his family and all the Turning parties that would be happening in all the great houses of Haven.
Pushing those thoughts aside he found a cafe to settle in and listen. He heard quite a bit of local gossip, including some excitement about new markets and rumors that the airship would be heading there soon. He also learned that there was a Trading Chapterhouse that acted as office and clearing house for anything brought into the city.
That was his next stop and he spoke to several people who were very interested to hear that Ell was from Haven. It was clear that the rumors of the airship traveling north were true and folks were very interested to hear what would be of interest to the northern markets as well as what could be had. The young man managed to secure offers of interest, though only one actual contract.
While he was there, he learned that Colphar Adlee, the merchant that Grol was going to swindle, had an office here. The young man presented himself to the older man and told him the tale of how the pirate had been falsely flying the Darnet flag. Colphar was shocked but accepted the proof of Ell's signet ring with the house crest. As a sign of good will and thanks that the trader had been willing to trust the Darnet name Ell offered to buy the goods, presuming he could get a real ship here soon.
Colphar was more than happy to sell the cargo to the young man and even offered to secure transport on the airship for delivery. He was also willing to take a letter of credit for half of the fee with the rest due upon delivery. Pleased at the merchants initiative, Ell offered to add an option for two additional shipments, twice as large, at the same price, pending the approval of his father when when he sees the goods. It would also take some consulting the arrangement of the fleet, but Darnet ships sail to Djedbura so it should not be difficult.
The trader was more than happy to accept and signed two copies of the contract. Ell did the same and saying his goodbyes, the young man headed back to the inn for lunch before heading to the library to research more about the governmental structure of White Gryphon.

---

After a delicious snack, Denye and Ranunkel made their way themselves at the Hall of Founding. The wizard headed directly for the front desk and the smiling attendants there. Both of them looked a bit panicked when Denye presented the letter, but after a dozen whispered words, one of them vanished through a door behind the desk as the other turned and promised that someone would be with them soon.
It was only a couple of minutes before an older looking Kassas bustled out from the back and up to the pair. "Good afternoon," she said, "I hear that you are interested in studying a few of our artifacts. My name is Jayla Wela, I had word from the High Archivist that you would be coming by and I will be happy to assist you. If you'd like to come with me, I have a work room prepared for you."
"Excellent," said Denye, "thank you for this, I am very excited to get a closer look at both items. My name is Denye Starwing and this is Ranunkel. Please, lead on. We are ready to get to work."
The pair followed the older lizard woman out of the main museum and through a series of halls and offices to a medium sized chamber. A large metal table dominated the room with a bright light overhead. Several stools were scattered around the table and a counter ran across the back. "Will this do for your needs?" asked Jayla, ushering them inside.
Denye scanned the room quickly and nodded, "This should do nicely." Moving over to the table she began pulling out several notebooks as well as her roll of tools.
As she stepped to the end of the table and pulled the ring of homesteading, the docet asked, "Which item did you want to study first? I shall go get it while you are setting up."
Denye pulled the ring open and dropped it on the ground. Looking over her shoulder she replied, "Let's start with the broken stone, I think. It's the more important item. I want to do a through survey and that will probably take most of the afternoon." Scampering up the invisible ladder, Denye disappeared into her workshop.
"Of course, I'll be right back," said Docet Jayla nodding. When the Corva wizard vanished, the Kassas' eyes went wide but she controlled her expression and vanished back down the hall. Ranunkel chuckled as he ambled over to the ladder and took the toolkit that Denye handed him.
By the time the wizard had things prepped, Docet Jayla returned, carrying the glass topped display case. Setting it down on the table, she touched a ring to a small indent on one side. A moment later she lifted the glass off and Ranunkel noted with awe that the stone actually seemed to flow away and release the glass. The Kassas sat the glass top aside and turned the pair, "I shall stay and watch of course, but the floor is yours. And please, let me know if there is anything you need."
as she pulled a thick pair of gloves on over the white cotton ones she had put on first Denye turned to Ranunkel and smiled, "You ready for this? Just write down what I tell you and if you notice anything yourself, say something." 
The next three hours flew by as the Corva wizard took detailed measurements of the stone pieces and diagrams of how they fit together, as well as the sections that were missing. Several things about it were immediately apparent, for one it was difficult to tell if the stone was actually stone or some sort of tempered glass, but none of the researchers could find any sort of tool marks. Denye was also able to identify seven symbols of constellations (Fist / Lightning Bolt / Book / Hoe / Sunrise / River / Mirror) that ringed the outer edge of the stone. There was also a sort of gold inlay of wires that twisted and connected these various symbols through the greenish stone. Frustratingly there did not appear to be a discernable pattern that would have allowed the wizard to replicate the missing pieces.
As Denye worked and Ranunkel tried to keep up with her comments, he tried to recall all the stories about the standing stones and the connection stones. The connection stones were thought to be holy objects, found deep in the heart of the earth and given as gifts to the spirits of air as a tribute to the Star Mother. Unsure of exactly why he did it, the young druid reached out and laid a hand on the largest piece and swore when he found it somewhat warm and with a slight vibration to it.
As he pulled his hand away quickly, Denye asked, "Did you feel something when you touched it? What did it feel like? Did you get an impression, a memory? Ooo....did you hear a voice?"
"No," said Ranunkel, shaking his head and rubbed his fingers against his shirt, "no voices or anything, just a sense...a sense of power. Even in this broken condition, I think it still holds some sort of deep power from the bones of the earth." He stopped and began chewing on his lower lip as he thought, "It felt much like the heartbeat of the earth, the pull that the other druids and clerics talk of feeling. Some say it is Tak's heart, others say it is his hammer blows as he works to forge new depths for us to explore."
"Interesting," mused Denye, "I don't feel anything when I touch it. It's finely polished and quite smooth. I wonder if that means you can attune to it in some way." Turning to the docet who had been watching and taking her own notes, Denye asked, "Would you mind touching it as well? I'm curious if it was specific to my friend or maybe it just doesn't work for me." 
The elderly Kasses came over and laid one pebbled claw on the stone. She left it there for a few moments before pulling away with a sigh. "Nothing," she said, "it feels like an ordinary smooth stone, perhaps a touch of oil or something to keep it slick...but how would such a thing last for so long? I'm sure none of the staff here would do such a thing."
"I'm not sure," said Denye, "but it does seem to be related to the material. As you can see, there really isn't anything on the stone that would feel liquidy like that." After noting all the physical attributes of the broken stone, Denye turned to examining it magically. By the time she was done, the wizard had a splitting headache, but had managed to learn quite a lot.
"I think," said Denye, hesitantly, "I think I've learned about as much as I'm going to from studying these pieces. I will need to go over my notes and analyze what we found, but that will be a task for later." Nodding at Ranunkel she added, "we should probably get back and check on the others, maybe see about dinner....those pastries were a long time ago."
"I can't think of anything else to check or ask," offered Ranunkel, "I'm not sure if we are any closer to knowing how to make one, but this is the closest I've come to completing my quest."
"If nothing else," pointed out Denye, "at least now you have some idea what it looks like. I'm not sure I can replicate it yet, but give me a chance to study those notes and we'll see what we can do."
Docet Jayla finished securing the case around the broken stone once more and asked, "Did you want to look at the other artifact now?"
Denye just rubbed the side of her beak, "No thank you, I need some time to put all of this together. Would you mind if I came back tomorrow morning to take a look at the shoulder spitter."
"Not a problem," assured the elder Kassas, "you have a very thorough and precise mind when it comes to research, not to mention a delicate touch. I will have everything waiting for you here in the morning. For now though, let me show you the way out."

---

Dinner was a friendly affair as Denye chattered on about all they had learned about the stone of connection, as well as asking Ranunkel to expand on some of the things he had mentioned. Tear also got to tell everyone about his day in the kitchens, it seems the Kassas head chef had taken a liking to the young goblin and was teaching him some new tricks.
After dinner, the conversation turned to discussing the future and where the team planned to go next. As they were talking, there was a soft popping sound and suddenly there was a halfling standing in front of the fireplace. He was wearing long black robes and in his arms sat a large cat with cream colored fur, except for the eyemask and tips of tail and ears, which were a blazing red. 
"Oh praise be unto the Lord of Light," said the halfling, "I found you. Jump to you, Alberich said he could, but such a thing, surely a miracle it is."
Most of the party had reacted as expected when a stranger materialized in the room, pulling out weapons or calling up arcane power. Janora narrowed her eyes in thought and then asked, "Zendack? Zendack Duskhill?"
"Ah good," said the halfling, smiling, "you do remember me. I have discovered something terrible and I am needing some help to make things right. I...I didn't know who to ask, but Alberich suggested you all. I remembered how well you took out that hag on the riverboat."
"Speaking of that riverboat," began Ell, suspiciously, "that was only 6 moons ago or so. But you look like you've aged at least 20 years since we last met."
Zendack looked down at his hands, "Ah yes. After I returned to Sunhame, I was given a small reward and made a full priest and was relegated to the lowest ranks of those who serve in the High Temple of Kandis. Shortly after that I met Alberich and my life took, how you say, a sharp turn. I...left for a while, but have returned to find things even worse than they had been before." 
Over the link, Ranunkel asked, "So do you guys know him? Do we like him?"
Denye replied in the same manner, "He was nice enough when we met him. Something of a kid and when his mentor got killed, we ended up figuring out that another passenger, a green hag if I recall correctly had been responsible." 
Out loud Janora snapped, "Well sit down boy and tell us where is this problem and what do you need?"
The cat leapt out of Zendack's arms and the young priest collapsed into a chair, covering his face in his hands. "Foulest necromancy has taken root in the heart of our great Temple. Sacrilege there has been for many years, leaders of the church who seek their own pleasures and power, caring not for the people. I fear many of the sunpriests have become deaf to the voice of Kandis."
"It's been that way for at least a few hundred years," said Denye, "at least according to the histories I've read. What's different now?"
"You mentioned necromancy," prompted Janora. 
"Indeed," replied the halfling priest, and then seemed to change the subject, "have you heard of the plague that decimated my people?"
"Some details," said Ell, "but not much beyond that there was one."
Zendack shook his head, "I say decimated, but the plague took between a third and a quarter of the entire population and almost as many of the cattle, sheep, and horses. Caisia is struggling to survive and more will likely die in the coming cold season."
Janora huffed, "What does that have to do with necromancy, beyond giving one an ample supply of bodies I suppose."
"I promise it is connected," assured Zendack, "when we returned, Alberich here was able to discover that the plague had been created magically. From there we began to investigate and to my horror learned that Sun's Ray Maelrich Volen was the one responsible. Even worse, it was only in preparation for his true goal. He has gathered an army of undead within Esher's Vault and plans to unleash them tomorrow night." The priest blew out a ragged breath, "If he is not stopped, Sunhame will fall and it will not be long until all of Caisia is beneath his thumb."
"Why don't you tell your senior priests?" asked Jilken, "Surely there are some strong enough to stop this person."
Zendack sighed, "Perhaps there are, but I do not know them and Sun's Ray Volen is second only to the Son of the Sun himself. It would take a direct command of the Son and while Roccrit Barel is not exactly an evil man, he is petty and will hear nothing against a member of his inner circle."
"Are you sure it's tomorrow night?" asked Ell, "I'm sensing some time travel stuff happening here, you couldn't have come back to give us a bit more warning?"
"Actually tomorrow night makes a lot of sense," muttered Janora, "good time for dark workings."
"Why," asked Ell, "is there something special about tomorrow?" 
Denye did a couple of quick calculations in her head and offered, "It's Longest Night."
"Exactly," said Janora nodding, "it's the winter solstice and the turning of the year. In my tradition at least, such times were believed to have a special significance and much more powerful magics can be worked on those days."
"Not just fables," quipped Denye, "there is some documented evidence that the barrier to the Shadowfell gets thinner around this time. Especially in places that are dedicated to such work." Now it was Denye's turn to blow out a breath, "I suppose I will have to send a message to the Hall of Records to get a raincheck on the rest of my research." 
"But how are we going to get there before tomorrow night?" asked Ell, "Janora, do you know any forests near this Sunhame?"
"Alberich can Jump us there," promised the halfling priest.
"Who is Alberich?" asked Ell, "you keep mentioning him."
"I am Alberich," said a rich, mellow mind voice with just a hint of an echo in everyone's heads, "and my young friend is correct, I will be able to Jump you all, just not until the morning." The suncat turned brilliant blue eyes on all of the party, "I can Jump one or two people overnight, but there are far too many of you to take without aid." 
"The cat talks," rumbled Ranunkel, surprised. 
"That is one of my skills," said the suncat, giving the dwarf a slow wink. In Ranunkel's head only he added, "I am also a Hunter, Child of Tak and I sense that you are as well."
The dwarf didn't respond, but Ell finally broke the silence, "Well then I guess we'll leave in the morning. And I suppose you'll need a place to sleep, Zendack?"
"Oh yes," replied the priest, "I can easily take one of these couches if you do not mind."
Surprising even himself, Ranunkel offered, "There is a spare bed in my room, you and the cat can sleep there if you'd like."
Zendack gratefully accepted. Alberich only yawned and said, "I smell fish, I need fish." He headed for the door but vanished just before he reached. The priest only chuckled, "I must apologize, his heart is pure, but his mood can be mercurial."   
Janora grunted, "Well he is a cat! If you want loyalty you should get a dog." That brought laughs from most of folk and broke up the serious mood. Ell poured Zendack a glass of wine and the conversation turned to some of Zendack's travels through worlds beyond imagining.
Denye slipped away and headed to her room with Janora following a few moments later. The witch found the wizard rummaging through her bag and muttering, "I know this is important, but when am I going to get back this way. This is so inconvenient." 
Janora stepped inside and laid a friendly hand on Denye's shoulder, "We'll get you back here soon."
The Corva wizard clicked her beak a couple of times and blew out a breath, "I know, this is important, and honestly it's fine. I managed to collect quite a few notes on the stone of connection. I need to study those...I've got so many projects right now. And maybe this will be good. High Archivist Val'reika was concerned about me studying the shoulder spitter. I explained that I wanted to learn to create shields, but whatever, we had a whole conversation about it so maybe not touching it right away will be seen as a sign of goodwill. I'll accept it, it's fine, it's disappointing. I'll live but I do appreciate your offer."  
Denye looked down at the ink and paper she had pulled out. "I should send a note to the Museum, let them know that I won't be able to come back in the morning." Janora nodded and proceeded to start getting ready for bed as Denye quickly wrote a note for the senior docet letting her know that a situation had arisen and Denye wasn't going to be able to make it in the morning, but hoped to come back at some point in the future. Taking it downstairs, Denye found one of the messenger kids who hung out by the door and even paid a silver to get a signed receipt back.   

45 Sov'van

The next morning the party reassembled in their sitting room and began discussing when they should leave. Several of the party wanted to leave right away, but Janora pointed out that there was no reason to skip breakfast. "He won't be doing anything until tonight," she said, "ain't no reason to fight on an empty stomach, better to fuel up first."
"The sun should be a bit higher anyways," said the suncat, strolling out of the bedroom, "if you're getting breakfast, I want fish." After a moment he added, "And a bowl of cream, as the Handmaiden said, one should treat always treat one's self."
Tear offered to go get breakfast and vanished out of door. He was back within about 10-15 min and along with breakfast brought a reply to Denye's message. Senior Docent Jayla was sorry to hear that the wizard wasn't able to come, but promised that the invitation remained open. She also offered a letter of waiver to learn the runes for the public teleport circle so that Denye could return at her leisure. 
Denye was cheered about that and asked if the party could delay leaving for a bit longer so that she could go learn the runes. That seemed like a good idea and Janora even offered to fly her up while the others checked out of the inn. Heading out first, the pair met up with Forest and they took off, rising into the air as the light broke over the cliff face. 
The circle was located in a sloped open area where the eye of the gryphon would be. Thick square walls that surround an open square with the circle in the middle. Enormous crystals at the four corners project a shimmering field of force overtop. Denye presented the sealed letter from Jayla to the gate guards and spoke with one of the attendants. She learned that there was a 25gp fee due for each transit through the circle. There was usually also a fee to learn the runes, but the docet's letter waived that, and the wizard spent some time memorizing the sigils for this anchor point.
Janora spent the time with Forest, the dogsues doing some tricks. Just before Denye returned, the rest of the party appeared in a blink of an eye as Alberich Jumped the group up a dozen levels so the pair didn't have to come back down. When the wizard returned they decided that it was time to go. "Everyone touch me again," said Zendack, holding the large suncat, "this will be just like last time." 
There was a sensation like falling forward into the center as everything went dark, followed by a weightless nothingness. This feeling last stretched out for a moment, or a lifetime, it was hard to tell but eventually there was a snarl and hiss and the whole group popped out and several of the party stumbled for a moment as they knocked into clay pots, or in Janora's case, a rake. 
The suncat seemed to have dropped them in a largeish gardening shed. As the party was looking Alberich spoke in all of their minds, "I do apologize, it was significantly harder to get her than it should have been." 
"Is that the cause of the rough landing?" asked Denye, looking over at the suncat, who was laying bonelessly in Zendack's arms, fur and ears flat and limp.
Before the cat could respond Janora added, "And it wasn't due to the number of passengers, was it?"
"No," replied Alberich, "properly prepared I could take twice as many souls. It seems the foe has managed to raise the ancient wards and turn them against me....he should not have been able to do so."
"So where are we," asked Ell, "and why is it dark?"
"On the grounds of the Temple, we are," said Zendack, moving toward the door. Opening it carefully he peaked out before throwing it open. "Night it is," he said, shocked, "never has a jump taken such time."
Jilken and Ell started swearing as the priest turned back to look at the suncat. He had regained some strength and had begun grooming himself. Without stopping Alberich sent, "I told you it was harder. It took some time to restring the wards and slip through. And before you suggest I could have changed destinations, you know as well as I do that this group would not have made it through the city gates, much less the gates of the Temple." 
Denye and Janora had both gone over to the door to get a look. It was much colder here than it had been in White Gryphon. The shed appeared to be at the back of a set of formal gardens that slept under a heavy blanket of snow. On the other side of the gardens loomed the High Temple of Kadnis, a sprawling and enormous complex that was both castle and temple. Made of a polished red marble, the main structure was a two-story building, shaped like nine-pointed star. A wide-based tower rose up from the center, topped with a enormous onion dome, and similar towers were built above each of the points. 
Looking up at the sky, Denye asked, "What do you think, Janora, about six hours until midnight?"
"I hate this time shit," Janora muttered, "but yes, I think you're right. I'd say the sun only set two, maybe three hours ago. Call it 4-5 hours before midnight. That most likely when this man is planning to complete his ritual."
"So how are we getting into the temple?" asked Ranunkel, "I grew up in the Summerberg Mountains, you Caisians aren't exactly welcoming to outsiders...especially magic users." Pulling off his stocking cap, he dropped his staff into it as he added, "Or followers of other gods for that matter."
Zendack's face fell and he nodded sadly, "You are not wrong, and like most things, it's all about control. Magic users who are useful to the church are taken in as children...those who are not are fed to the Cleansing Fires. Such things are perverse and vile and I would stop it if I could, but I am only one underpriest. I am not the only one who feels so, but we are very much in the minority." Rubbing his hand over his eyes, he added, "Kandis has promised a change is on the horizon, I pray that means that the Sunpriests will recall that they are meant to be the servants of the people, but until that day comes I can only hold to faith and hope."
Going over to one corner, Zendack retrieved a stack of fabric. These proved to be loose black robes with wide sleeves and a deep hood that covered the face. "These are novice robes," said the priest as he began handing them out, "they will cover everything. If you put them on and I lead you, I believe that we'll be able to walk right past any guards. It's only if we run into one of the high priests that we'll have a problem. But we'll worry about that if it happens. If we do get stopped, let me do the talking." 
This seemed like as good a plan as any so the party quickly donned the robes. The sleeves covered the hands completely as did the hoods, but the party found that a strip of the fabric was significantly thinner and it was just possible to see through. As Zendack let them out of the shed, Janora lifted her Cerberus cudgel and whispered to one of the heads. The dog face animated for a moment and let a softish chuff as the witch cast Pass Without A Trace.
The trip through the gardens and into the temple was tense, but apart from a dozen or more guards at various points, the halls were mostly quiet. And as the halfling priest had predicted, none of the guards looked askance at a priest leading a string of novices. Although the suncat wasn't visible, his voice echoed in everyone's mind, "All the upper priests are in the High Sanctuary, I think you will be able to slip by." His mindvoice dripping with distain, Alberich added, "Well I say all, but of course Lorisha is the only one of the Nine and One present, but most of them are probably still enjoying their high feast."  
That seemed to cheer the halfling priest for while he said nothing, he quickened his steps and led them deeper into the temple. Over the earrings, Ell asked, "So do we think this is a trap?"
"A trap," repeated Janora, "how is it a trap if we know there are a bunch of undead and some sort of necromancer?"
"Zendack seems honest enough," added Denye, "and I don't think something like the suncat can lie. I've read of them once, but I can't for the life of me recall when or where. If I could just look at my notes."
Zendack led them past the open door of the High Sanctuary where the sound of a choir chanting could be heard. Rank upon rank of Sunpriests were gathered, kneeling in the darkened space, facing toward the high altar at the back of the room where a single low flame burned in the air. A number of candles floated in the air above the gather throng, but none of them were lit. 
The party's guide led them past and into a nearby room filled with busts and a square pool in the center. Zendack went to the back wall and twitched aside one of the hangings, revealing a large mirror in a ornate gold frame. He pressed two spots along the frame and whispered something and the surface of the mirror rippled. Stepping aside, he whispered, "Just step through, I'll drop the curtain back into place after us."
The party cautiously stepped through and found themselves in a replica of the room they had been in, but unlike that room a tall golden statue of an angel holding a pair of swords knelt on one knee in the pool. It's head turned toward the party immediately and it stood and would have began advancing but Zendack slipped past and into the path of the guardian. He presented his holy symbol and spoke a few words in Caisian. The statue returned to it's previous pose and the priest turned and said, "Sorry about that, I forgot about the Watcher. But we should be safe now, if you want to take off the robes."
"So where are we?" asked Denye as she began to doff the novice robes.
Janora sighed, "It's another damn demi-plane." 
The priest nodded, "This is more of an antechamber really, the main space is through those doors." This last was said pointing at the double doors that led out of the room. "It's a strange space, sort of the inside of a enormous cube. It's...it's hard to describe, I've only been here twice; the first time when we laid my master to rest and then a few days ago when Alberich came down here to confirm that there were undead in the Vault."
"Did you kill them?" asked Jilken holding out the robe.
The halfling took it, along with the other and piled them in a corner of the room. As he did so he said, "No, only Turned them and ran away. Some sort of spectral warriors they were, but I thought it would be better for Volen not to know he had been discovered." Looking down at his hands he added, "I'm not really the best with combat, my skills mainly lie in healing and protection." 
Jilken just hefted her crossbow and nodded, "More for me, so are we ready to go after this bastard?" At nods all around, the Aiel headed for the doors and opening one headed down the stairs beyond. 
The others followed, but as Janora stepped inside her crow finger began to itch almost uncontrollably. "Damn," swore the witch, "this entire place smells like undead. I don't know if I'll be able to tell if any we are about to run into any."
"Don't worry, Mistress Janora," said Tear, encouragingly, "I have very good hearing, I keep eyes and ears looking."
The room at the bottom of the stairs was oval shape, the walls made of bronze panels that rose 30ft into the air, and no ceiling, only open air. Another large golden statue stood in the middle of the room. This one was strange in that, it did not have a head. When Zendack saw that, it was his turn to swear, "The foul demon has put out the sun!"
"Do you know how to turn it back on?" asked Denye, "I feel like having light in here would be good."
"Or where this Volen is likely to be?" added Ell.
"He is likely in the Sanctum on the far side of the cube," replied Zendack, "but to answer your question, Denye, I honestly have no idea. I wish I did because I agree. I can do this for now." This last was said pulling a rod from his belt and clicking a button in the side. It extended, much like Jilken's, but without the electrical spear head. Touching his holy symbol he whispered a short prayer and the top of the staff began glowing.   
If it's just on the other side," asked Janora, "why don't we just fly across?" Before the priest could reply, Forest leapt into the air and with labored wingbeats began climbing. He didn't get too high before the witch discovered that there was a ceiling after all, it was just invisible." Cursing about demi-planes she landed again, "Fine, we'll do this the hard way, do you know how to get there from here?" 
Zendack shook his head, "I've never been to the Sanctum, just one of the chapels, but it shouldn't be too hard to follow around the edge of the cube until we get onto the right face."
The double doors at the far end of the room stood ajar and Janora and Forest approached cautiously, but heard nothing so the mount nosed the door open and found a hall that ran to either side with a door at the end. "Looks like we have our pick," said the witch, "I don't sense any traps. Do we want to go left or right?" 
"This floor is still stone," said Ranunkel, "I should be able to feel if anything is moving behind the doors." He followed the witch into the hall and discovered that there were 8-10 creatures moving around behind the left door but nothing to the right.  
When he reported this, most of the party wanted to go for the right door, although Jilken argued strongly that they should just start destroying the undead. Eventually however she gave in and the party took the door to the right. The room beyond was square with a fountain filled with murky, brackish water. 
Forest led the pack with Janora and Ranunkel following behind, but as they passed the fountain, two swirling vortexes of water swirled up into some sort of watery snake. Over the link Janora called, "Shit, there is something in the pool. Stay back until we know what we're dealing with."
Tear ran up and crouched in the doorway, his force pistol in his hands and Jilken charged through the door and delivered a quick flurry of blows with her spear. The water creature did not seem to like and hisses before lashing out and trying to wrap itself around the Aiel, but she managed to dodge. The other tried to grab Ranunkel but caught short when Denye threw a Ray of Frost that caught the water weird near the base and froze part of it's form.  
Janora threw a Firebolt at the nearer creature and backed up as Forests sat back on his haunches and howled. The sound scared one of the creatures, but the other only steam hissed again. Ranunkel slammed his fist together and shifted into Rocknunkel before slamming two fists into the partially frozen water weird. Ell and Zendack stayed out in the hall, having been told to stay back but readied cantrips in case anything came through the door.
With them guarding the door, Tear shifted around to keep an eye on the back hallway while in the room, Jilken finished off one of the weirds with a stab and a butt strike. As the form dissolved and splashed back into the pool, the elf stepped to the side and slammed the spear into the other elemental. It lashed out and tried to grab Jilken, but again Denye stopped it with a Ray of Frost. This time the entire creature froze solid and Ranunkel finished it off with a punch to the head that splintered the ice into a thousand pieces.
After taking a moment to check in and make sure everyone was good, Janora sent Forest though the far door. The next room was empty, a long rectangular room with pillars down the center. Most peculiar however was the way the far 2/3 of room was folded up at a 90 degrees angle. The witch followed and noted a door across the hall and another at the far end.
Deciding that moving across faces was the best move, Forest headed for the far door. As the party advanced, they noticed that the pillars were carved with names and Zendack explained that this was the Hall of Bishops. It was a strange experience crossing the bend, for as they approached, it seemed to flatten out and the party walked across the room like any other.
Rather than a door at the other end, it was an open doorway that led into a square room with doorways going in all three directions. Thinking out loud, Denye said, "If we moved from that side of to the cube to there, and we want to get to the opposite side, then we need to go that direction," pointing at the door across the room.
The next room was rectangular with a series of four sarcophagi. There was a doorway to the left that led to a hallway and another at the far end of the room that Denye said would lead back to the other face of the inner cube. Janora sent Forest down the hall as Ranunkel and Ell went to look at the tombs. The dog scouted ahead and found a couple of rooms including another chamber with a half dozen ornate sarcophagi, but as he turned a corner, something lashed out of the darkness and struck him across the nose. 
Tear ran in that direction, pulling his force pistol, but couldn't see around the corner. Forest Barked in an attempt to Banish the strange sort of swirling mass of black energy with pale green and purple lightning that detached from the shadow.  When it didn't work he nipped off one of the shadow tendrils and then spun and ran away as another tendril slapped him across the back. Janora ran up to mount and slipped onto his back before laying a healing hand along his neck.
Denye ran to the doorway and threw out a Storm Sphere in the path of the monster before slamming it with a lightning bolt. It fought it's way through the howling winds and lashed out with three tendril attacks against the wizard. She managed to dodge two of the blows but one managed to hit her square in the chest. It was a heavy shock of cold energy that seemed to suck the lifeforce from the wizard and she dropped the Storm Sphere.
Ranunkel, still in rocky form, said, "We should check these sarcophagi, make sure they are empty." Bending down he lifted the marble lid and found a strange looking body with elongated limbs, jagged teeth and long knife-like fingers.  Not taking any chances, Ell came over and fired two Eldritch Blasts into it's face. 
Meanwhile, Jilken fired off two crossbow bolts into the swirling voidling, adding a touch of ice damage to the attack. Back in the other room the strange creature sat up in it's sarcophagus as with a loud clatter, more of the creatures pushed off the lids of the others and sat up as well.

Character(s) interacted with

High Archivist Aroword Val’rekia (La'naris) - Current leader of the Chapter of Scribes and Chair of the Quill
Jayla Wela - Elderly Kassas, Senior Docet of the Hall of Founding
Zendack Duskhill - Halfling Sunpriest, who the party first met on their first trip from Haven

Report Date

30 Jun 2023