Whew, we made it inside the village. For being nestled in such a dangerous place, the village was quite pleasant. We were paraded to meet their Elder, Bolero. He was busy mediating at the time, but allowed us to interrupt. They were all quite welcoming, and happy to share with us their stories. They even held a feast in our honor that evening.
But even more surprising, at least to me, is that they let us leave. Thousands of years ago, their ancestors were charged with protecting the tower by the gods. They tried to talk us out of going, telling us that the new guardian would surely kill us, and that we were unlikely to be able to enter, even if we did make it there.
This new guardian is an older, larger, and much more powerful version of the creature that chased us into the village. They had sent many parties to try and fight it, or even sneak past it to get to the tower, but it always found them, and few, if any, lived to return.
The Echidnox don't live alone in this village. They are joined by a few Oni. The Oni are powerfully built, red skinned creatures with horns. They don't look like something I'd like to cross. This is only confirmed after watching them help defend the walls in the present and in the past.
The Echidnox also keep pets. Bolero has a pet caterpillar. In other areas we see that people have kept smaller rust monsters as pets. A few Echidnox even ask us if our "junk" is meant for food for their pets.
Everything they use is wood. They have manipulated the ley lines that crisscross the village so that they can manipulate the forest around them. The walls around the city can shift to impale assailants, or open to let us through.
They have formed different shapes with the ley lines. Apparently different shapes have different effects. Triangles are supposed to be good, and I did see them everywhere. Squares are supposed to be bad, but I don't understand why. Whatever the reason, they are able to continually refresh without a nexus present. Nexuses are a liability out here, as they attract all sorts of monsters.
Originally, the Echidnox, the Oni, and the Platipods were nomads, all working to protect Arcadia. Then the Tarrasque appeared. Their leader at the time (the Vanquisher, an Oni), decided they needed to defeat the Tarrasque to defend Arcadia. "The Battle of Sorrows".
Many died in the fight, and the Tarrasque remained. The platapods lost faith in the charge and returned to their nomadic ways, while the Echidnox continued to defend Arcadia. The Oni were split, and The Vanquisher left in shame, having vanquished his own people.
I tried to contact Iraja, but something was blocking me. I just wanted to let her know that I was close, and would be approaching the tower in the morning.
I was sorry to go, but there was a tower to explore. The first matter at hand was how to get there. We discussed trying to fly, but the airship didn't seem like it could get close enough. We also considered flying steeds, though they are much slower, and could leave us exposed to attack.
I scouted the area by jumping from tree to tree. I can go further in these trees than I could in the fey wood. I should be able to go fast enough to avoid the Tarrasque as long as I don't just come upon him.
We decided that I would treestride to the tower, carrying everyone else cramped into a portable hole. It looked a little cramped in their, and everyone had to hold their breath. I decided to try to make the trip a little faster by simply teleporting there.
It's a good thing I did, as I was transfixed by the tower. I see ley lines coming out of the water and climbing up the tower.
Then I see a vision of the tower that feels ancient. I see a dark haired human woman in purple armor at the base of the spire. She's covered in bruises, but looks very determined. She flies up past the clouds, above the ring. All the ley lines are bound to the ring.
She hovers there for a moment and smiles. She then begins to draw in energy. Her head leans back and feathery wings sprout from her back.
The vision moves on, but now there are 2 of her, but floating there, channeling energy when a quake occurs. Then there is one. She then looks around, gestures, and a portal appear in the ring and she dives through it. Then the tower begins to shake, then collapse. The ley lines became as chains and choked it apart. The ring also descends, and the portal disappears as it reaches the ground.
It seems like there is more, but it is blocked, though the block feels familiar....
I see a little more. 18 people in a large circle. They are far apart, but look joined. Together they invoke power magic that causes the ley lines to tie back into the ring and reform it. <what is it? The ring, the tower?>
The vision ends, and I can no longer see. I can hear the Tarrasque though, so I don't have a lot of time. I open the portable hole, and trade places with someone else. It ended up being Sahrit. This confused me, as he wasn't with us when we left the village. Apparently another quake happened during my vision.
Sahrit gets us to the door, and he, along with Cameron open the door and we go in just in time to avoid a blast of energy from the Tarrasque.
I manage to gather enough energy to heal my blindness. We are in a huge room with 20 alcoves and a few corpses. The corpses are from half a dozen or so devils. They are fairly chopped up, so it's hard to tell. They look fresh, but I have no idea of how time works in here, so I don't know when this really happened. If they are truly fresh, then I have to wonder who did this? The answer to that, I can't even imagine.
18 of the Alcoves have shrines to gods, though not every god is represented. Arwel is annoyed that Cuthburt isn't represented and builds her own shrine in a corner. This place feels important, though I don't put much stock in the gods, so I can't say that I am horribly interested.
The 18 probably relate to the 18 in the circle in my vision. Did that act make them gods, or were they gods before that?
One of the empty alcoves had a door that we couldn't seem to open. Maybe it only opened from the other side. The other had a staircase that led down into the real treasure of the tower. There was a giant room with a projection of all the nexus in the world. It also shows the state of each nexus, normal, inverted, or collapsed. It also confirmed that the world is a ball.
I couldn't find separate nexuses for the underdark. But it's unlikely that this map would be missing them. Also, it's strange but the nexuses in the empire are inverted, where I would have assumed that they would have been collapsed.
I knew that there was some tie between the empire and the underdark, but I never thought it was tied through the nexuses. I can't even begin to imagine what this means. I'm sure Cameron has something to do with it though. At least now, I don't know about the past.
Does this mean that the empire is inverting nexuses for the sake of the underworld? If so, who knows about it. That's definitely not the party line. Maybe no one is to use them because they are inverted. But what does this have to do with their deal with the gods?
Do they really have a deal with the gods, or is this a deal with the devil? It's hard to deny that there is some sort of deal. People don't wither, and goemancy is smothered in their boarders. What other than the gods could cause that?
If the gods are behind it, is it really the good gods? Sure, there is some benefit to those in the empire, but there is also benefit to those below. But then again, if they could prevent withering in the empire, couldn't they do it for those in the underdark as well? Or is that part of their curse?
I should have paid more attention to their history when I was down there. I'll have to make another trip soon to find out more. I need to find out how they got cursed. I also need to find out how they are tied to the empire. The empire may have some answers for me as well, but honestly, I'd rather go to the underdark than back to the empire.
I don't know what to make of this world. I thought by exploring it I would understand it, and understand myself better. But with everyplace I go, I seem to understand it less and less.
And what about my vision? Who was the human lady in the purple armor. How did she grow wings? Why did she look beaten up? Where did that portal lead to? If that was really eons ago, and there were ley lines, how old does that make Kith? Or did they happen in different histories? What about the humans that came from places without nexuses? Or those that did?
For that matter, where did they come from? What caused them to be? Were there quakes before they existed, or are quakes and nexuses linked?
I tried to contact Iraja again. I couldn't contact her directly, though hopefully next time she sleeps she will learn that I was close. Maybe I'll try again tonight.
We heard a noise and all rush upstairs. The doors crash open. Vance is there and says "Son.. I've been looking for you EVERYWHERE."
What is he doing here? I've never met the man, and I've only seen him in Sahrit's past. Though I'm guessing he was our visitor when I was in Haroun's dream. I don't know what he's doing here, but I'm doubting that I'll like it.
Throughout my life I was given to believe that the lands we live in is the center. That the wilds surrounded civilization, that we were the norm and they were the exception. Here in this long forgotten (by us) temple, furthest away from civilization that any of my kind has likely ever been, after evading a guardian so terrible that it has laid waste to entire species, I find myself confronted with an uncomfortable truth.
I’ve been to the center of the world. As grandiose as that sounds, there is no more accurate a statement to describe it. Everything comes together here, even the gods. The very energy that our societies rely upon originates Here. That which gave me life sprang from Here. What does it say about us that the one place the gods have ever agreed on anything is the one place most guaranteed to kill us? Why does it lie furthest away from our known borders? Are we the exception or the rule? Are such distinctions even valid?
The Tarrasque thing throws a volley of spines at us while it keeps rushing us... We get in, and we hear a splurtch sound as it impales itself on the walla nd we can feel the wall shake as the creature thrashes. One of the echidnox says that the wall doesn't always hold. The Creature, after a while., stops throwing itself at the spike wall and moves away. Note that this is definately not normal wood.
We look at the village. Thre are more trees. They've been shaped into various shapes. It looks as thought he ground is covered in ley lines in a lattice pattern. This village is made completely of ironwood. The homes are otherwise similar and the trees have been grown or manipulated into those shapes.
When the trees moved around, the ley line thing glowed a bit. The ley line thing is kinda a grid, but there are no nexuses here despite the intersections
The scouts say that spellcasting if it slips is very very dangerous
The scouts say that 'they wish to visit arcadia' to a collective gasp and murmur. Various things like "you're crazy, the gods will punish you, that creature would devour you."
Looking around this village, there are other echidnox warriors. There is another race common here. A hulking well muscled race. Horns and red skin, They look meaner than ogres.
know 28 history: This is some variant race of ogres. Something like this hasn't walked the known world for millenia. These are Oni. They are legendary badasses... you don't fuck with the Oni. We Didn't know they even know they lived in this world. Legends speak of them kinda like demigods... kinda like the typical genie. They look mean and scowl at us with distrust.
The Echidnox are concerned and curious and a bit distrustful at us as well.
Another echidnox comes up to us. 'I am Izzicks'
'You must speak to Bolero... Bolero is in meditation, Bolero is in his hut. WE will take you to Bolero.'
I ask if bolero is the venerable one. Izzicks says 'yes, he is the eldest among us.'
Izzicks says that he is eager to have us meet, but in the way they say the name Bolero, we sense that he's the guyw ho wants to know right away... so we're being brought to him to placate him in a sense.
here are echidnox children. We pass a large cage... and there are a bunch of very crowded rust monsters.
Patrice and the other scout are still with us, but Izzicks is more exerienced. All the other echidnox are following us... we're totally a strage happening... they don't get visitors.
There's a hut with smoke coming out and a blanket covers the entryway. izzicks stops 'Bolero Inside'.
Izzicks says that we are supposed to basically report to Bolero immediately... but he's in mediatation which is not meant to be disturbed.
An oni goes in and alerts the elder to us and steps back out and his eyes are bit dialated. andthe elder was in fact alerted.
Several of the Echidnox are playing with small crazy version of animals... ones gota caterpillar like thing on hsi arm... that's like several feet long. An Oni has on his shoulder an imp. The imp bites the Oni's finger but can't pierce the skin.
(Simone looks at Oni and sees them fighting a smaller tarrasque... and with a lot of difficulty win [note that it was a difficult fight WITH the creature impaled on the spikes])
Bolero comes out, he's not armed trpically, but he's got a bunch of symbolic stuff and a bunch of pouches. His eyes are compeltely dialated. He sweeps the smoke away a bit. Everyone else (And our party) Bow respectfully.
He turns to a child with the caterpillar. He lets the caterpillar 'Mala' crawl onto his arm.
'I hope you enjoyed your journey.'
'I am Bolero, the Venerable. But you proabbly knew that. What are you doing ehre?'
Simone Introduces us all (But I also introduce Wrin)...
Bolero Asks if this is our first visit to these lands.
'Yes'. Bolero says that this is quite the event.
We explain that we were brought right to him.
He doesn't look young, and he's not quite as vigorous, though he shows not particualr aging beyond that.
Bolero points out the dwellings... gestures to the Ley lines... 'We have developed a technique to defend ourselves form the dangers of this place. It is called irrigation. This lattice allows us to controlt eh way the trees grow.
Simone: "did you create or find this Lattice:?
Bol: "We controlled the path of the lines, but if there werent so many, it wouldn't have worked.... I doubt it would work futher into the farlands. With this lattice we recieve plenty of energy fromt he lands at all times. We don't need to visit the concentrated areas... which draw the fearsome creatures."
"Long ago we settled here to protect arcadia and warn any who would go there... *turns to the others* I think this should have a feast!"
And Oni says 'I will start the fires'... preparations.
I see some of you do not have animals...
Long ago my ancestors were tasked with protecting Arcadia, but over time this place became wild. It became difficult, and then impossible to do so. We nonetheless tried to defeat these creatures... and we tried to keep our presence here, and were driven away."
"Before you came here... where'd you come from?"
"Twas before my time. The earliest I knew of my people was when we were unified with others in protection of arcadia. There was a great rift... it is a sad tale."
'But we ask to hear it'.
Chulak Pah (Rust monsters). They are plentiful in this area. They eat waste...
I ask why its called waste... There are places where these metals are found, plants cannot grow. THe Chulak Pah return it back to the earth.
"My People and athe Oni were once unified with te Platipods. If you encounter them today on your journeys, be very careful, they would not hesitate to harm you. They have changed from how they once were. Sadly, they are our enemies."
We Keep walking.
'What caused this rift?'
"THe Battle of Sorrows was many years ago. A great monster... we call it the Tarrasque.... it came to be... I know not how... because of the nature of this place...? It fed at the spiritual energies in arcadia and grew territorial. To Liberate arcadia, our leader, an Oni pledged we would come together to destroy it, but it was a tragedy. The Beast was too Strong. WE were nearly wiped out. I was but a young Echidnox at the time... I've lost many memores fromt hat time but I will never forget that battle. Many blamed our leader for the failure of his plan and he was cast out of the Village. But the remnant of the Platipods felt that this... They felt that thtis heralded a new era... that it represented a failure of hte old ways... that Arcadia was no longer worth protecting. I have lost count of how many years it has been since these days."
I ask why the Platipods are stilla rodn it not to develop Arcadia.
"They have returned to their Nomadic ways... and these ways disagree with ours... THey see us as failures... Many of the Oni went with them. It is a sad story for their people, because they could not agree if the leader was to blame. Those who remain here are the most loyal to our cause. And so you see I cannot allow you to visit Arcadia... The monster will destroy you."
Simone: So why have you been protecting Arcadia, and from what?
"Arcadia is a sacred place... it is where everything comes together... It must be protected from evil men who would use its power for selfish gains."
"Many times have i sent scouts to attempt to reach arcadia. The creature always knows. -Always-...
Cameron: The creature then guards arcadia, yes?
"Perhaps... it does, I suppose... but it killed so many of us... perhaps it is the lands way of defending arcadia... but I can never forgive the creature."
Regarding hte spire.
"It is a shrine"
Who built it?
"The gods."
To Whom?
"The gods... It is a shrine built for and by the gods... and aplace of great spiritual power... its exact purpose is not known tot hte mortals, but we know that it is sacred and so we protect it."
Cameron: Who tasked you with guarding it?
"The gods tasked us and that responsibility has been passed down., Many of the oni and Platipods were displeased when the gods didn't help at all witht he task they demanded."
Gwen: Living here in the charged place is their gift.
It has been many centuries... thousands of years? I have lost count. (Bolero's in meditation most of his time.)
Gwen asks what will be served... "Many things from around here... I have heard that those from the far lands are less hardy to such things." (Such things being poisonous food).
I ask what and how they know about the farlands.
"We have visitors once every few generations. The Girnon have visited... the last one was about 100 years... The Girnon are one of 5 major tribes. Bolero says "Some among the Girnon have visited us and thought it was worth the journey, but they do not undertake this journey lightly... it is not safe for them... they lack our protections.."
'What is here that they desire?' Asks Cameron.
Bolero: "The Girnon are not a people of desire... they believe in doing that which they are supposed to do, but I would like to believe that they come to visit us *smile*" "They Do trade with us. The plants here are very valuabel in their lands"
How often have they been visiting?-ed "An ancient tradition. Not all nomads despise our people."
Bolero says that his people are an abberation, because they have settled.
Ed asks for a description. Bolero dances and ululates and creates an illusion... it's a duck billed platipus person. "They Stay within the Wilds" (Which is why we haven't seen them). "Though the platipods dislike arcadia, they prefer these lands. we find it uncomfortable to be in the far lands."
"THe Girnon who visited learned to use magic more easily, but only after a time." Basically, they became acclimated.
"We made it clear that traveling further than here is death, and they all turned back."
'My scouts have made it to the place, but not without great loss. It hunts my people, and it protects its young."
What means does it have to swat things out of the air?
"I wish not to speak of this. Suffice to say the creature would destroy you."
SImone: Are there other villages?
"Yes, but only a handful. WE've formed a perimiter, if you will, around Arcadia."
Simone Asks whats past arcadia?
Bolero: The Farlands.
(So the world is round?)
Bolero: "Is it true that the farthest lands have no plants at all?"
Yes.
"How best to explain... And if you travel as far as you can from here, and you reach these lands, what happens if you keep going..."
Basically, one pole is arcadia and hte other pole is hte wasteland.
(We're going To arcadia because there might be a way to kinda stop the war a bit... Cameron knows this.)
(How big is the world? The known world is a bit more than half the world.)
We ask how far it is to arcadia? We coudl walk there in one days time to the base. Except that you would die."
Gwen: "Is the tarrasque the only thing that would injure us."
Bol: "Oh, most certainly not."
We hear a cry fromt he distance and a bucnch of the echidnox snap to attention. THey don't say much beyond like... "Hurry to Arms!"
I ask what the alarm was. "Oh, just some creatures, probably. The guards use the trees to protect us, but its safe to have some poeple there as well." We go and check out the attacking creatures.
Perhaps we could fly well above it if we were very very high... above the clouds.. however, if you wish to visit the temple, you must go throught he doors, which are not very very high.
The Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It's the same everywhere? Don't ask astronomy questions, because they haven't really been fleshed out. Eventually if you always followed the sun you would keep going in circles. But if you went towards the spire everyday, the sun would rise in a different place. Day length is the same.
I ask about the ring above the spire.
"That is the binding of all... the binding of all the lines. All the lines in all the worlds... this is where they all go."
We keep talking to the elder and some of the children.
Warforged Batteries remain full here in the village.
Bolero says that they don't use written word often. THe Grinon were surprised that we didn't have books.
Ed asks for a maps.
We move back to the gate. The trees have formed into spikes but some creatures are jumping over the the trees... and some things are burrowing under the trees. Kinda like malevolent moles... Bullettes aka landsharks. THye are tring to invade te village by getting in. A bunch are getting spiked by the trees actively, but many get over and under it. And then a bunch of Echidnox oummel the ones who get through. I use good hope to help them. They fight very defensively. THey take one attack and then curl up into a ball where their spines come out, and then the bulettes bite and the echidnox spine them as a result. THe Oni are a minority in the village. They kinda stand back. One blasts a cone of at ones that get through.
The Vanquisher may well be an Oni. Many of the Oni dance around the fire at the celebration using skull masks like the Vanquisher. Yeah, He's almost certainly one. Dang. That explains a lot.
After about 12 hours of Simone looking at the elder's past, She sees some Platipods, and an Oni who kinda exudes an aura of confidence and leadership. He speaks passionately. Part of those visions, we see another scene. Piles of corspes... THe creature can't even be seen in its entirity. A massive cloud of spiritual energy grinding into bone. Its devastating. The scene is full of sorrow. It kinda breathed the spiritual energy of cutting.
The Echidnox fight using deadly poisons. Their spines and weapons all have a lot of poison. We are told that the echidnox posions are rudimentry and they don't like to use a lot of differnet poisons... they speak of it with content. We don't like it, but the platipods really go nuts with it and relish painful death. THe Echidnox have focused on defenses rather than the offense that the platipods do.
The Platipods believe that thebest defense is a great offense. And also bel;ieve that running from the beast is a good idea.
Every Echidnox and Oni all have animals, but the Oni's are all finedish like Imps or quadrapeds. Many of the animals here have more eyes than those in the far lands.
There's a lot of dancing. THey have a funny dancing thing.
We help with the performance. and we all totally party it up.
Gwen asks about the lattice that was made. Bolero describes it as sort of moving o f the lines. Below the ground, the lines don't move much. But we have found some patterns work better than others. Squares are not good. Triangles are... every so often you need one of these *complicated structure) With one of these, the ground can be expanded. But I do not believe this technique will work in your lands.
He says that some of the scouts he sends would come back if they went in big groups...
Landshark for dinner.
THe Doors Are sealed, so they can't enter.
next morning.
(We discuss entry strategies).
Bolero walks in. "I'm sure you've all abandoned your foolish idea."
Simone: "Nope."
Bolero: "I thought not. I appreicate your honesty, though, and at least our feast was a nice sending off to your afterlife. Well, I can send you on the path, though it has not been maintained."
Simone says that her reason to go there is that people haven't been there. Simone is more concerned about the return.
Who has been there and not returned? "My people, but as I said we have not been inside... it is not ours or your place to go inside."
"If it is what your gods desire, -perhaps- they will open the door for you."
Ed finds this place devoid of gnomes.
Bolero seems very convinced that going to the spire is death.
We mention that we might be able to stop the horrible things in the farlands.
He says "You should be certian that you are doing what you want when you go to your death."
Bolero shows a path that leads out of the village. "This is the way my scouts have gone. This path once led to arcadia. If you look closely, you can still see where it was marked." Its a way overgrown path sort of thing. WE see a hint of some other material... like a stone brick. "There was a path here."
I ask where the door is. Specifically, which side on the base. From this village, you would travel around hte spire Travel to the right around hte spire and you will find the door. If travelling fom the air, be careful of our orientation.
I ask Cameron his source of information... Cameron says its from within the empire.
We question the trustworthiness.
The Sotry about the Oni leader... we hear more about it at the Festival. "Ojo Lanre" Is his name. He rallied the oni, fey, Girnan, platipods and echidnox. The important fact here tat seals this beyond a doubt is that the name his people gave ot him after his defeat is 'the vanquisher' because he vanquished his own people. This event is why the girnan tribe is so militant about their fatalism.
The Vanquisher Is almost certainly that Oni. Shit....
In shame, the vanquisher left this land and has never returned.
Bolero has little respect for our abilities.
(Simone gets Isaline's past... Her parents look human, and the village is attacked... there are nexuses and ley lines. The village was on a small nexus. Edge of the imperial district at the time. THe Vanquisher led an attack and slaughtered everyone there. Isaline lost her eye and was left for dead, but was rescued by the duke. That's about as far back as it goes. There's not really a break anywhere, unlike everyone else. However, she has a clarity that has only ever been seen in other humans... just the one past...But at one point she's with a deva who is ancient. See a ymbol of the raven, Its strange... if there's anything that might be a break, that's it... the symbol can be seen, but she doesn't really understand it like she understands other parts of the vision. Gets a mysterious vibe from it... its a soft break though. )
The plan Ojo Lanre had was binding the creature with ley lines... it didn't work. THe Creature wasn't bound... compeltely uneffected... like trying to catch a ghost with a net.
As to why we're even going:
Cameron says "I am an agent working for the empire. I was told that there was something that could prevent this war. While travelling in the land of the prophets, I learned that these poeple must be the ones to go there."
"You Don't keep goatse to yourself" - Jeff.
Cameron says "It is possible to transport myself away, and anyone within the extradimensional space I have would be able to teleport away as well," It can take us back home, but that is all. There are trees all the way up to the spire.
Simone suggests that they can all tree stride if everyone's in the extradimensional space.
If a portable hole is ruptured, the space keeps existing. Simone can tree stride really far here... about 5000ft/tree here.
The beast is probably less than 200 feet tall.
How are we going to get there?
I ask about Oni. They have Gaseous form, can become invisible and can cast darkness, cone of cold 1/day. All fey have true names. THey consider themselves fey. I not have a good idea of an Oni's strength. They are not associated with demons. They seem like they take a lot of importance with the distinction between demons and devils. They're more lawful. The Oni have a reasonable human sort of distribution of evil, and echidnox are rather nonevil. Overall, a neutral culture.
The Scrying Fails... It's garbled. Its the powerful magic scrambling here. It's because of the wilds. If I scried somewhere from somewhere else closer, we'd be able to contact them.
We ask how many of the smaller tarrasques there are. Bolero says "Many? perhaps 2 dozen in the area of our village. They've been growing more numerous of late." WE've also noticed a change in recent years. They've become stranger in more ways. Some of the most recent attacks they have done things we haven't seen them do. As they grow older, they become more like the elder one. The elder was always more terrifying than the young. I don't know if it grew stronger over time, but I believe it has.
(I have the highest quality locks DC 40 on my cranks. And The Key is between me and Wrin in the 'saddle'.)
We all cram into the hole. It will take us 2 rounds to tumble out of the hole if its put on a wall. We all pile up... Ed and I are at the bottom. We all pack in.
Gwen, Ed, and Cameron are in front, others are in back.
So we're all in the hole and its folded up.
Simone then does the following, which none of us know. Teleports to there. She finds herself at the base of the spire. To The left is a lake. But is beyond the short of the lake. Standing on the rock. All around are piles and piles of Ley lines. They come out of the water and go straight up. Now she tree strides to try and find hte entrance. The spire is mesmerising. It is terifically beautiful. So... pretty... and Simone is transfixed by its beauty.
She sees a vision of a human woman. She has pale skin and dark hair. Clad in armor with a purple hue and has an aura of leadership and fury. She stands at the base of this spire and in the vision flies upward. The vision follows her perspective. She flies straight up the spire past the coulds to the very top. Adn at the top is a ring. Huge. As big arounda s a city block at LEAST. All the ley lines come up and they're all bound up and tied up in the ley lines. The woman hovers in the center of the ring, looks around, and smiles.
She holds out her arms and begins to do something. BY being up there she's tapping into something there. Her head rolls abck and feathery wings sproud out of her back. The Vision moves on. Its her again, on top. But its also her on top. There are 2 ofer her up there, they look identical, both seem to be channeling, they both smile, but as the energy channels into them, there's a bit of shaking... kinda like a quake and then BAM and they are merged together.
Oh god... we're quaked. Isaline and Gwen disappear and are replaced by...
Belladon becomes barnabas, Sahret replaces Isaline, and Arwel replaces Gwen.
Anyway, back to the description of the woman. She is darkly beautiful but very focused at the task at hand. many bruises and scars on her skin. The two bam together. That vision continues. She looks down at her hands and blinks liek she's trying to take it all in. She makes a gesture and the ring becomes a portal. She looks pleased and dives into the portal, but hte whole structure starts shaking and it looks like this has caused instability, and hte rock is kinda disintigrating. The spire is destroyed by the ley lines that climb up the tower and htey take on a chain like appearance, and theyre squeezing hte spire which causes it to break apart. The ring eventually descends with the spire as it is crushed, until the portal disappears when the ring reaches the ground with the destroyed the spire.
Simone gets the feeling that this was truly ancient. Like. Aeons ago. There's something even further back in the past... but she can't get it quite... It's that block again... and its got that signiture of that woman.
Simone now sees the area again, but there's not spire. 18 people of varid shapes, sizes, and races. They all join together, as htough by their hands. They invoke some sort of epic thing, and the ley lines(Sahret has shiny new armor... no eather armor. tie into the ring and reform it.
I channel positive energy To save Arwel. I hear a small animal scream.
Simone puts the hole on the side of spire. Simone is standing there... looks vacant eyed. Simone comes in, Sahret goes out.
Sahret is handed a bag of holding so we don't get way screwed.
The spire is about a mile in diameter.
After a tree, Sahret's at the door.
Sahret puts the hole on the spire. We all pour out.
There's writing on the doors and above the doors.
The first thing Wrin says is: "Authorized personnel only."
I ask Wrin "Are we Authorized."
Cameron lays his hands upon the doors. As soon as he touches the doors, feels is conencted to something much more than himself. Can feel the will of the doors... Like its a shell protecting hte place. It kinda wants to let him in, but the door doesn't open. The doors almost kinda give. Ed Feels nothing. Sahret Feels the will of the door. The one that has the shoulder that is inflicted reacts to the door, and hears a defense crack... the the door opened... by the two of them together.
I channel positive energy as everyone is pushing on the door. I Invoke Garl Glittergold's name.
Fuck ton of ley lines.
We go through quickly after I grab the portable hole. A blast of positive energy blasts againsts the doors as they close.
We're in a large stone chamber. It is lit by regular torches. They lit as we entered. They are everburning torches, so no heat. The room is roughly square. there are several alcoves containing motifs and murals of great craftsmanship. We can see some from here. here are a number of corpses littering hte floor. They look fresh.. They're humanoid corpses... My 35 knowledge planes check: They are fiends... devils, I recognize all of them: 4 barbed devils, 2 horned, 1 ice devil. They Look like they've been shredded. By blades... kinda like if they were in a blade... like maybe a lot of blade barriers.
Glancing at the murals on the walls and alcoves, each alcove seems like a seperate shrine. 1 devoted to each god. There's not carpeting.
Several murals. 18 of them... actually 20 murals. 18 of them are portraits of the gods, 2 of them maybe are or maybe not...
One Mural is an an empty alcove. There's another alcove with a stairway down, and one mural is not in an alcove, but on a wall.
There are 18 shrines. (Their shrines contain their symbols and such)
"The Fey will always remember"... some kind of memorial (For the mural of the field)
There's a mural of a figure with her back turned towards us, a silhouette. Shes got Raven hair and is elfish/Fey-ey "Love brings the fiercist betrayal of all".
The other 18 do not have writing (These are the shrines).
The 18
Man in a gray robe, Loo of musing, empty hand stroking his bear. Boccob.
Man with a long beard, looking to the horizon (Fharlanghan)
Golden cape gnome: Glittergold.
in this mural: 2 men in full plate, back to back looking towards eachtoehr one in white the other in black: Heironeous and hextor.
A humanish looking guy, Well muscled, lightning above his head... painted as badass: Kord
Next mural is painted. The stones that made up the man/woman/person whatever... some hare missing and have been removed. It was intentionally incomplete: Olidamarra.
Long flowing beard, Pelor.
MAn in black rob and such Holy symbol IS a hand and an eye even though the image has an eye and a hand. BUt we don't know that Vecna lost those things: Vecna.
Woman carrying scales who is old: Wee Jas.
Those were in a row on the left side
In a row on the right:
A fearsom goblin warrior: very fit, poisoned spear: Bane
Fine boned man, pointed ears, longsworded: Corellon.
In the same Mural at his side, a woman with silver hair, one hand is an animal claw: sehanine. Somehting about her reminds us of hte woman with her back in that one mural that's labeled.
A massive Oni clad in hides: red skin with horns, look of fury on his face: Erythnul
A one eyed orc: Gruumsh.
A multicolored metallic disk: A jagged edge down the middle, when you look at the shrine you see imagery for bahamut and Tiamat.
Placid looking eladrin staring out of the mural, like he's aware he's a mural: Ioun. (Skill in prophecy).
Regal looking dwarf wearing a crown, braided beard: moradin.
Intense looking ageless man... Obad-hai
Halfing leaping thorugh the air: Yondalla.
Cameron Recognizes the unnamed raven haired pointy eared lady. But says not her name. It's on the right. (This was the one that was).
Those are all the gods That are here. BUT
The emperor sent out a proclamation saying he's dead. So the government is in a great civil war with the church of bahamut: One says they're allying with withered, the other says allying with Tiamat.
Sahret Looks angry at the srhine of Vecna.
There is a third inscription. Its ringed around the room. "This monument marks the first time the gods come to together as one.
There is a stone slab that looks like it was designed to open. Probably an escape hatch of sorts.
As Ed goes down... Wrin says regarding ed "Inferior Model, matter of factly."
Arwel and Ed and arwel's horse sebastian descend. THere are staris that were made of stone, hbut they gradually become walls of force, and floor is made of force and can see through it. It's a spherical antechamber like thing.
A curved cieling and floor with lots of tiny points. In the center of the room there on the floor of force is a tracing of light making a rune. The room is lit by the thousand poitns of light with lines in the dome. Those docs are the location of nexuses, and the lines are the ley lines. . Below you see pinpricks of red and black. There's eds map, but completed. The perspective is screwy. This is all of his map. Ed memorizes hit.
Arwel says they found a map.
Straight up in the map is where you are, right below is the wasteland.
We descend into the sphere.
The rune in the middle means something like "perspective."
Simone stands on the rune and I sense something like a bardic music. And she feels she can count the
Inverted nexuses: Arx, Terminus are inverted. , Fochluchan has a normal nexus.
Simone slowly turns the sphere until terminus is on top. The distortion is gone...
Ed stands on the rune and controls the map. He tries to center it on Alexandria and it whirls around.
Ed has it focused onn the empire, which has a lot of red/black nexuses.
Ed's going to do a search function for inverted nexuses not in the empire. Arx and Terminus show up... after excluding those: There are about 5 in The Swamp of the black dragon priestess. After those. There are no others.
Inverting them allows them to revert.
Cameron takes 10 minutes and contacts someone, Ed is memorizing and transcribing the map. Magic flows easily in here (no more concentration checks to cast.)
It's a nice search feature. We collectively notice... there is a dot that is not connected to any lines. It is in the empire: Nifleheim. Zooms way in... The thing is moving... We let the others know. And Arwel says that its Haruhn, probably... bizarre.
This disrupts The Scrying that Sahret was casting. There are no others.
I ask what blinded Simone. Simone said it was the tower himself.
We hear a sound from above... the sound of grinding stone (very faint because the staircase is enormous.)
Ed has managed to transcribe most of the steppes, the area around sigil, all the empire, the inverted nexuses, the wastes.
Sahret turns into a dire wolf: I haste us.
We get to the top: Across from this alcove is the hidden alcove. It has descended... there is a gaping opening... when we hear "BAM". There's a man holding the door open (It's Vance). He looks to Sahret and says "Son... I've been looking for you... _EVERYWHERE_"
Simone's Journal
Whew, we made it inside the village. For being nestled in such a dangerous place, the village was quite pleasant. We were paraded to meet their Elder, Bolero. He was busy mediating at the time, but allowed us to interrupt. They were all quite welcoming, and happy to share with us their stories. They even held a feast in our honor that evening.
But even more surprising, at least to me, is that they let us leave. Thousands of years ago, their ancestors were charged with protecting the tower by the gods. They tried to talk us out of going, telling us that the new guardian would surely kill us, and that we were unlikely to be able to enter, even if we did make it there.
This new guardian is an older, larger, and much more powerful version of the creature that chased us into the village. They had sent many parties to try and fight it, or even sneak past it to get to the tower, but it always found them, and few, if any, lived to return.
The Echidnox don't live alone in this village. They are joined by a few Oni. The Oni are powerfully built, red skinned creatures with horns. They don't look like something I'd like to cross. This is only confirmed after watching them help defend the walls in the present and in the past.
The Echidnox also keep pets. Bolero has a pet caterpillar. In other areas we see that people have kept smaller rust monsters as pets. A few Echidnox even ask us if our "junk" is meant for food for their pets.
Everything they use is wood. They have manipulated the ley lines that crisscross the village so that they can manipulate the forest around them. The walls around the city can shift to impale assailants, or open to let us through.
They have formed different shapes with the ley lines. Apparently different shapes have different effects. Triangles are supposed to be good, and I did see them everywhere. Squares are supposed to be bad, but I don't understand why. Whatever the reason, they are able to continually refresh without a nexus present. Nexuses are a liability out here, as they attract all sorts of monsters.
Originally, the Echidnox, the Oni, and the Platipods were nomads, all working to protect Arcadia. Then the Tarrasque appeared. Their leader at the time (the Vanquisher, an Oni), decided they needed to defeat the Tarrasque to defend Arcadia. "The Battle of Sorrows".
Many died in the fight, and the Tarrasque remained. The platapods lost faith in the charge and returned to their nomadic ways, while the Echidnox continued to defend Arcadia. The Oni were split, and The Vanquisher left in shame, having vanquished his own people.
I tried to contact Iraja, but something was blocking me. I just wanted to let her know that I was close, and would be approaching the tower in the morning.
I was sorry to go, but there was a tower to explore. The first matter at hand was how to get there. We discussed trying to fly, but the airship didn't seem like it could get close enough. We also considered flying steeds, though they are much slower, and could leave us exposed to attack.
I scouted the area by jumping from tree to tree. I can go further in these trees than I could in the fey wood. I should be able to go fast enough to avoid the Tarrasque as long as I don't just come upon him.
We decided that I would treestride to the tower, carrying everyone else cramped into a portable hole. It looked a little cramped in their, and everyone had to hold their breath. I decided to try to make the trip a little faster by simply teleporting there.
It's a good thing I did, as I was transfixed by the tower. I see ley lines coming out of the water and climbing up the tower.
Then I see a vision of the tower that feels ancient. I see a dark haired human woman in purple armor at the base of the spire. She's covered in bruises, but looks very determined. She flies up past the clouds, above the ring. All the ley lines are bound to the ring.
She hovers there for a moment and smiles. She then begins to draw in energy. Her head leans back and feathery wings sprout from her back.
The vision moves on, but now there are 2 of her, but floating there, channeling energy when a quake occurs. Then there is one. She then looks around, gestures, and a portal appear in the ring and she dives through it. Then the tower begins to shake, then collapse. The ley lines became as chains and choked it apart. The ring also descends, and the portal disappears as it reaches the ground.
It seems like there is more, but it is blocked, though the block feels familiar....
I see a little more. 18 people in a large circle. They are far apart, but look joined. Together they invoke power magic that causes the ley lines to tie back into the ring and reform it. <what is it? The ring, the tower?>
The vision ends, and I can no longer see. I can hear the Tarrasque though, so I don't have a lot of time. I open the portable hole, and trade places with someone else. It ended up being Sahrit. This confused me, as he wasn't with us when we left the village. Apparently another quake happened during my vision.
Sahrit gets us to the door, and he, along with Cameron open the door and we go in just in time to avoid a blast of energy from the Tarrasque.
I manage to gather enough energy to heal my blindness. We are in a huge room with 20 alcoves and a few corpses. The corpses are from half a dozen or so devils. They are fairly chopped up, so it's hard to tell. They look fresh, but I have no idea of how time works in here, so I don't know when this really happened. If they are truly fresh, then I have to wonder who did this? The answer to that, I can't even imagine.
18 of the Alcoves have shrines to gods, though not every god is represented. Arwel is annoyed that Cuthburt isn't represented and builds her own shrine in a corner. This place feels important, though I don't put much stock in the gods, so I can't say that I am horribly interested.
The 18 probably relate to the 18 in the circle in my vision. Did that act make them gods, or were they gods before that?
One of the empty alcoves had a door that we couldn't seem to open. Maybe it only opened from the other side. The other had a staircase that led down into the real treasure of the tower. There was a giant room with a projection of all the nexus in the world. It also shows the state of each nexus, normal, inverted, or collapsed. It also confirmed that the world is a ball.
I couldn't find separate nexuses for the underdark. But it's unlikely that this map would be missing them. Also, it's strange but the nexuses in the empire are inverted, where I would have assumed that they would have been collapsed.
I knew that there was some tie between the empire and the underdark, but I never thought it was tied through the nexuses. I can't even begin to imagine what this means. I'm sure Cameron has something to do with it though. At least now, I don't know about the past.
Does this mean that the empire is inverting nexuses for the sake of the underworld? If so, who knows about it. That's definitely not the party line. Maybe no one is to use them because they are inverted. But what does this have to do with their deal with the gods?
Do they really have a deal with the gods, or is this a deal with the devil? It's hard to deny that there is some sort of deal. People don't wither, and goemancy is smothered in their boarders. What other than the gods could cause that?
If the gods are behind it, is it really the good gods? Sure, there is some benefit to those in the empire, but there is also benefit to those below. But then again, if they could prevent withering in the empire, couldn't they do it for those in the underdark as well? Or is that part of their curse?
I should have paid more attention to their history when I was down there. I'll have to make another trip soon to find out more. I need to find out how they got cursed. I also need to find out how they are tied to the empire. The empire may have some answers for me as well, but honestly, I'd rather go to the underdark than back to the empire.
I don't know what to make of this world. I thought by exploring it I would understand it, and understand myself better. But with everyplace I go, I seem to understand it less and less.
And what about my vision? Who was the human lady in the purple armor. How did she grow wings? Why did she look beaten up? Where did that portal lead to? If that was really eons ago, and there were ley lines, how old does that make Kith? Or did they happen in different histories? What about the humans that came from places without nexuses? Or those that did?
For that matter, where did they come from? What caused them to be? Were there quakes before they existed, or are quakes and nexuses linked?
I tried to contact Iraja again. I couldn't contact her directly, though hopefully next time she sleeps she will learn that I was close. Maybe I'll try again tonight.
We heard a noise and all rush upstairs. The doors crash open. Vance is there and says "Son.. I've been looking for you EVERYWHERE."
What is he doing here? I've never met the man, and I've only seen him in Sahrit's past. Though I'm guessing he was our visitor when I was in Haroun's dream. I don't know what he's doing here, but I'm doubting that I'll like it.
On Perspective
Throughout my life I was given to believe that the lands we live in is the center. That the wilds surrounded civilization, that we were the norm and they were the exception. Here in this long forgotten (by us) temple, furthest away from civilization that any of my kind has likely ever been, after evading a guardian so terrible that it has laid waste to entire species, I find myself confronted with an uncomfortable truth.
I’ve been to the center of the world. As grandiose as that sounds, there is no more accurate a statement to describe it. Everything comes together here, even the gods. The very energy that our societies rely upon originates Here. That which gave me life sprang from Here. What does it say about us that the one place the gods have ever agreed on anything is the one place most guaranteed to kill us? Why does it lie furthest away from our known borders? Are we the exception or the rule? Are such distinctions even valid?
New questions arise, old ones remain.
Blue teams notes
11/13/2009
Session 9
No one who goes to the spire ever returns... eh?
The Tarrasque thing throws a volley of spines at us while it keeps rushing us... We get in, and we hear a splurtch sound as it impales itself on the walla nd we can feel the wall shake as the creature thrashes. One of the echidnox says that the wall doesn't always hold. The Creature, after a while., stops throwing itself at the spike wall and moves away. Note that this is definately not normal wood.
We look at the village. Thre are more trees. They've been shaped into various shapes. It looks as thought he ground is covered in ley lines in a lattice pattern. This village is made completely of ironwood. The homes are otherwise similar and the trees have been grown or manipulated into those shapes.
When the trees moved around, the ley line thing glowed a bit. The ley line thing is kinda a grid, but there are no nexuses here despite the intersections
The scouts say that spellcasting if it slips is very very dangerous
The scouts say that 'they wish to visit arcadia' to a collective gasp and murmur. Various things like "you're crazy, the gods will punish you, that creature would devour you."
Looking around this village, there are other echidnox warriors. There is another race common here. A hulking well muscled race. Horns and red skin, They look meaner than ogres.
know 28 history: This is some variant race of ogres. Something like this hasn't walked the known world for millenia. These are Oni. They are legendary badasses... you don't fuck with the Oni. We Didn't know they even know they lived in this world. Legends speak of them kinda like demigods... kinda like the typical genie. They look mean and scowl at us with distrust.
The Echidnox are concerned and curious and a bit distrustful at us as well.
Another echidnox comes up to us. 'I am Izzicks'
'You must speak to Bolero... Bolero is in meditation, Bolero is in his hut. WE will take you to Bolero.'
I ask if bolero is the venerable one. Izzicks says 'yes, he is the eldest among us.'
Izzicks says that he is eager to have us meet, but in the way they say the name Bolero, we sense that he's the guyw ho wants to know right away... so we're being brought to him to placate him in a sense.
here are echidnox children. We pass a large cage... and there are a bunch of very crowded rust monsters.
Patrice and the other scout are still with us, but Izzicks is more exerienced. All the other echidnox are following us... we're totally a strage happening... they don't get visitors.
There's a hut with smoke coming out and a blanket covers the entryway. izzicks stops 'Bolero Inside'.
Izzicks says that we are supposed to basically report to Bolero immediately... but he's in mediatation which is not meant to be disturbed.
An oni goes in and alerts the elder to us and steps back out and his eyes are bit dialated. andthe elder was in fact alerted.
Several of the Echidnox are playing with small crazy version of animals... ones gota caterpillar like thing on hsi arm... that's like several feet long. An Oni has on his shoulder an imp. The imp bites the Oni's finger but can't pierce the skin.
(Simone looks at Oni and sees them fighting a smaller tarrasque... and with a lot of difficulty win [note that it was a difficult fight WITH the creature impaled on the spikes])
Bolero comes out, he's not armed trpically, but he's got a bunch of symbolic stuff and a bunch of pouches. His eyes are compeltely dialated. He sweeps the smoke away a bit. Everyone else (And our party) Bow respectfully.
He turns to a child with the caterpillar. He lets the caterpillar
'Mala' crawl onto his arm.
'I hope you enjoyed your journey.'
'I am Bolero, the Venerable. But you proabbly knew that. What are you doing ehre?'
Simone Introduces us all (But I also introduce Wrin)...
Bolero Asks if this is our first visit to these lands.
'Yes'. Bolero says that this is quite the event.
We explain that we were brought right to him.
He doesn't look young, and he's not quite as vigorous, though he shows not particualr aging beyond that.
Bolero points out the dwellings... gestures to the Ley lines... 'We have developed a technique to defend ourselves form the dangers of this place. It is called irrigation. This lattice allows us to controlt eh way the trees grow.
Simone: "did you create or find this Lattice:?
Bol: "We controlled the path of the lines, but if there werent so many, it wouldn't have worked.... I doubt it would work futher into the farlands. With this lattice we recieve plenty of energy fromt he lands at all times. We don't need to visit the concentrated areas... which draw the fearsome creatures."
"Long ago we settled here to protect arcadia and warn any who would go there... *turns to the others* I think this should have a feast!"
And Oni says 'I will start the fires'... preparations.
I see some of you do not have animals...
Long ago my ancestors were tasked with protecting Arcadia, but over time this place became wild. It became difficult, and then impossible to do so. We nonetheless tried to defeat these creatures... and we tried to keep our presence here, and were driven away."
"Before you came here... where'd you come from?"
"Twas before my time. The earliest I knew of my people was when we were unified with others in protection of arcadia. There was a great rift... it is a sad tale."
'But we ask to hear it'.
Chulak Pah (Rust monsters). They are plentiful in this area. They eat waste...
I ask why its called waste... There are places where these metals are found, plants cannot grow. THe Chulak Pah return it back to the earth.
"My People and athe Oni were once unified with te Platipods. If you encounter them today on your journeys, be very careful, they would not hesitate to harm you. They have changed from how they once were. Sadly, they are our enemies."
We Keep walking.
'What caused this rift?'
"THe Battle of Sorrows was many years ago. A great monster... we call it the Tarrasque.... it came to be... I know not how... because of the nature of this place...? It fed at the spiritual energies in arcadia and grew territorial. To Liberate arcadia, our leader, an Oni pledged we would come together to destroy it, but it was a tragedy. The Beast was too Strong. WE were nearly wiped out. I was but a young Echidnox at the time... I've lost many memores fromt hat time but I will never forget that battle. Many blamed our leader for the failure of his plan and he was cast out of the Village. But the remnant of the Platipods felt that this... They felt that thtis heralded a new era... that it represented a failure of hte old ways... that Arcadia was no longer worth protecting. I have lost count of how many years it has been since these days."
I ask why the Platipods are stilla rodn it not to develop Arcadia.
"They have returned to their Nomadic ways... and these ways disagree with ours... THey see us as failures... Many of the Oni went with them. It is a sad story for their people, because they could not agree if the leader was to blame. Those who remain here are the most loyal to our cause. And so you see I cannot allow you to visit Arcadia... The monster will destroy you."
Simone: So why have you been protecting Arcadia, and from what?
"Arcadia is a sacred place... it is where everything comes together... It must be protected from evil men who would use its power for selfish gains."
"Many times have i sent scouts to attempt to reach arcadia. The creature always knows. -Always-...
Cameron: The creature then guards arcadia, yes?
"Perhaps... it does, I suppose... but it killed so many of us... perhaps it is the lands way of defending arcadia... but I can never forgive the creature."
Regarding hte spire.
"It is a shrine"
Who built it?
"The gods."
To Whom?
"The gods... It is a shrine built for and by the gods... and aplace of great spiritual power... its exact purpose is not known tot hte mortals, but we know that it is sacred and so we protect it."
Cameron: Who tasked you with guarding it?
"The gods tasked us and that responsibility has been passed down., Many of the oni and Platipods were displeased when the gods didn't help at all witht he task they demanded."
Gwen: Living here in the charged place is their gift.
It has been many centuries... thousands of years? I have lost count. (Bolero's in meditation most of his time.)
Gwen asks what will be served... "Many things from around here... I have heard that those from the far lands are less hardy to such things." (Such things being poisonous food).
I ask what and how they know about the farlands.
"We have visitors once every few generations. The Girnon have visited... the last one was about 100 years... The Girnon are one of 5 major tribes. Bolero says "Some among the Girnon have visited us and thought it was worth the journey, but they do not undertake this journey lightly... it is not safe for them... they lack our protections.."
'What is here that they desire?' Asks Cameron.
Bolero: "The Girnon are not a people of desire... they believe in doing that which they are supposed to do, but I would like to believe that they come to visit us *smile*" "They Do trade with us. The plants here are very valuabel in their lands"
How often have they been visiting?-ed "An ancient tradition. Not all nomads despise our people."
Bolero says that his people are an abberation, because they have settled.
Ed asks for a description. Bolero dances and ululates and creates an illusion... it's a duck billed platipus person. "They Stay within the Wilds" (Which is why we haven't seen them). "Though the platipods dislike arcadia, they prefer these lands. we find it uncomfortable to be in the far lands."
"THe Girnon who visited learned to use magic more easily, but only after a time." Basically, they became acclimated.
"We made it clear that traveling further than here is death, and they all turned back."
'My scouts have made it to the place, but not without great loss. It hunts my people, and it protects its young."
What means does it have to swat things out of the air?
"I wish not to speak of this. Suffice to say the creature would destroy you."
SImone: Are there other villages?
"Yes, but only a handful. WE've formed a perimiter, if you will, around Arcadia."
Simone Asks whats past arcadia?
Bolero: The Farlands.
(So the world is round?)
Bolero: "Is it true that the farthest lands have no plants at all?"
Yes.
"How best to explain... And if you travel as far as you can from here, and you reach these lands, what happens if you keep going..."
Basically, one pole is arcadia and hte other pole is hte wasteland.
(We're going To arcadia because there might be a way to kinda stop the war a bit... Cameron knows this.)
(How big is the world? The known world is a bit more than half the world.)
We ask how far it is to arcadia? We coudl walk there in one days time to the base. Except that you would die."
Gwen: "Is the tarrasque the only thing that would injure us."
Bol: "Oh, most certainly not."
We hear a cry fromt he distance and a bucnch of the echidnox snap to attention. THey don't say much beyond like... "Hurry to Arms!"
I ask what the alarm was. "Oh, just some creatures, probably. The guards use the trees to protect us, but its safe to have some poeple there as well."
We go and check out the attacking creatures.
Perhaps we could fly well above it if we were very very high... above the clouds.. however, if you wish to visit the temple, you must go throught he doors, which are not very very high.
The Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It's the same everywhere? Don't ask astronomy questions, because they haven't really been fleshed out. Eventually if you always followed the sun you would keep going in circles. But if you went towards the spire everyday, the sun would rise in a different place. Day length is the same.
I ask about the ring above the spire.
"That is the binding of all... the binding of all the lines. All the lines in all the worlds... this is where they all go."
We keep talking to the elder and some of the children.
Warforged Batteries remain full here in the village.
Bolero says that they don't use written word often. THe Grinon were surprised that we didn't have books.
Ed asks for a maps.
We move back to the gate. The trees have formed into spikes but some creatures are jumping over the the trees... and some things are burrowing under the trees. Kinda like malevolent moles... Bullettes aka landsharks. THye are tring to invade te village by getting in. A bunch are getting spiked by the trees actively, but many get over and under it. And then a bunch of Echidnox oummel the ones who get through. I use good hope to help them. They fight very defensively. THey take one attack and then curl up into a ball where their spines come out, and then the bulettes bite and the echidnox spine them as a result. THe Oni are a minority in the village. They kinda stand back. One blasts a cone of at ones that get through.
The Vanquisher may well be an Oni. Many of the Oni dance around the fire at the celebration using skull masks like the Vanquisher. Yeah, He's almost certainly one. Dang. That explains a lot.
After about 12 hours of Simone looking at the elder's past, She sees some Platipods, and an Oni who kinda exudes an aura of confidence and leadership. He speaks passionately. Part of those visions, we see another scene. Piles of corspes... THe creature can't even be seen in its entirity. A massive cloud of spiritual energy grinding into bone. Its devastating. The scene is full of sorrow. It kinda breathed the spiritual energy of cutting.
The Echidnox fight using deadly poisons. Their spines and weapons all have a lot of poison. We are told that the echidnox posions are rudimentry and they don't like to use a lot of differnet poisons... they speak of it with content. We don't like it, but the platipods really go nuts with it and relish painful death. THe Echidnox have focused on defenses rather than the offense that the platipods do.
The Platipods believe that thebest defense is a great offense. And also bel;ieve that running from the beast is a good idea.
Every Echidnox and Oni all have animals, but the Oni's are all finedish like Imps or quadrapeds. Many of the animals here have more eyes than those in the far lands.
There's a lot of dancing. THey have a funny dancing thing.
We help with the performance. and we all totally party it up.
Gwen asks about the lattice that was made. Bolero describes it as sort of moving o f the lines. Below the ground, the lines don't move much. But we have found some patterns work better than others. Squares are not good. Triangles are... every so often you need one of these *complicated structure) With one of these, the ground can be expanded. But I do not believe this technique will work in your lands.
He says that some of the scouts he sends would come back if they went in big groups...
Landshark for dinner.
THe Doors Are sealed, so they can't enter.
next morning.
(We discuss entry strategies).
Bolero walks in. "I'm sure you've all abandoned your foolish idea."
Simone: "Nope."
Bolero: "I thought not. I appreicate your honesty, though, and at least our feast was a nice sending off to your afterlife. Well, I can send you on the path, though it has not been maintained."
Simone says that her reason to go there is that people haven't been there. Simone is more concerned about the return.
Who has been there and not returned? "My people, but as I said we have not been inside... it is not ours or your place to go inside."
"If it is what your gods desire, -perhaps- they will open the door for you."
Ed finds this place devoid of gnomes.
Bolero seems very convinced that going to the spire is death.
We mention that we might be able to stop the horrible things in the farlands.
He says "You should be certian that you are doing what you want when you go to your death."
Bolero shows a path that leads out of the village. "This is the way my scouts have gone. This path once led to arcadia. If you look closely, you can still see where it was marked." Its a way overgrown path sort of thing. WE see a hint of some other material... like a stone brick. "There was a path here."
I ask where the door is. Specifically, which side on the base. From this village, you would travel around hte spire Travel to the right around hte spire and you will find the door. If travelling fom the air, be careful of our orientation.
I ask Cameron his source of information... Cameron says its from within the empire.
We question the trustworthiness.
The Sotry about the Oni leader... we hear more about it at the Festival. "Ojo Lanre" Is his name. He rallied the oni, fey, Girnan, platipods and echidnox. The important fact here tat seals this beyond a doubt is that the name his people gave ot him after his defeat is 'the vanquisher' because he vanquished his own people. This event is why the girnan tribe is so militant about their fatalism.
The Vanquisher Is almost certainly that Oni. Shit....
In shame, the vanquisher left this land and has never returned.
Bolero has little respect for our abilities.
(Simone gets Isaline's past... Her parents look human, and the village is attacked... there are nexuses and ley lines. The village was on a small nexus. Edge of the imperial district at the time. THe Vanquisher led an attack and slaughtered everyone there. Isaline lost her eye and was left for dead, but was rescued by the duke. That's about as far back as it goes. There's not really a break anywhere, unlike everyone else. However, she has a clarity that has only ever been seen in other humans... just the one past...But at one point she's with a deva who is ancient. See a ymbol of the raven, Its strange... if there's anything that might be a break, that's it... the symbol can be seen, but she doesn't really understand it like she understands other parts of the vision. Gets a mysterious vibe from it... its a soft break though. )
The plan Ojo Lanre had was binding the creature with ley lines... it didn't work. THe Creature wasn't bound... compeltely uneffected... like trying to catch a ghost with a net.
As to why we're even going:
Cameron says "I am an agent working for the empire. I was told that there was something that could prevent this war. While travelling in the land of the prophets, I learned that these poeple must be the ones to go there."
"You Don't keep goatse to yourself" - Jeff.
Cameron says "It is possible to transport myself away, and anyone within the extradimensional space I have would be able to teleport away as well," It can take us back home, but that is all. There are trees all the way up to the spire.
Simone suggests that they can all tree stride if everyone's in the extradimensional space.
If a portable hole is ruptured, the space keeps existing. Simone can tree stride really far here... about 5000ft/tree here.
The beast is probably less than 200 feet tall.
How are we going to get there?
I ask about Oni. They have Gaseous form, can become invisible and can cast darkness, cone of cold 1/day. All fey have true names. THey consider themselves fey. I not have a good idea of an Oni's strength. They are not associated with demons.
They seem like they take a lot of importance with the distinction between demons and devils. They're more lawful. The Oni have a reasonable human sort of distribution of evil, and echidnox are rather nonevil. Overall, a neutral culture.
The Scrying Fails... It's garbled. Its the powerful magic scrambling here. It's because of the wilds. If I scried somewhere from somewhere else closer, we'd be able to contact them.
We ask how many of the smaller tarrasques there are. Bolero says "Many? perhaps 2 dozen in the area of our village. They've been growing more numerous of late." WE've also noticed a change in recent years. They've become stranger in more ways. Some of the most recent attacks they have done things we haven't seen them do. As they grow older, they become more like the elder one. The elder was always more terrifying than the young. I don't know if it grew stronger over time, but I believe it has.
(I have the highest quality locks DC 40 on my cranks. And The Key is between me and Wrin in the 'saddle'.)
We all cram into the hole. It will take us 2 rounds to tumble out of the hole if its put on a wall. We all pile up...
Ed and I are at the bottom. We all pack in.
Gwen, Ed, and Cameron are in front, others are in back.
So we're all in the hole and its folded up.
Simone then does the following, which none of us know. Teleports to there. She finds herself at the base of the spire. To The left is a lake. But is beyond the short of the lake. Standing on the rock. All around are piles and piles of Ley lines. They come out of the water and go straight up. Now she tree strides to try and find hte entrance. The spire is mesmerising. It is terifically beautiful. So... pretty... and Simone is transfixed by its beauty.
She sees a vision of a human woman. She has pale skin and dark hair. Clad in armor with a purple hue and has an aura of leadership and fury. She stands at the base of this spire and in the vision flies upward. The vision follows her perspective. She flies straight up the spire past the coulds to the very top. Adn at the top is a ring. Huge. As big arounda s a city block at LEAST. All the ley lines come up and they're all bound up and tied up in the ley lines. The woman hovers in the center of the ring, looks around, and smiles.
She holds out her arms and begins to do something. BY being up there she's tapping into something there. Her head rolls abck and feathery wings sproud out of her back. The Vision moves on. Its her again, on top. But its also her on top. There are 2 ofer her up there, they look identical, both seem to be channeling, they both smile, but as the energy channels into them, there's a bit of shaking... kinda like a quake and then BAM and they are merged together.
Oh god... we're quaked. Isaline and Gwen disappear and are replaced by...
Belladon becomes barnabas, Sahret replaces Isaline, and Arwel replaces Gwen.
Anyway, back to the description of the woman. She is darkly beautiful but very focused at the task at hand. many bruises and scars on her skin. The two bam together. That vision continues. She looks down at her hands and blinks liek she's trying to take it all in. She makes a gesture and the ring becomes a portal. She looks pleased and dives into the portal, but hte whole structure starts shaking and it looks like this has caused instability, and hte rock is kinda disintigrating. The spire is destroyed by the ley lines that climb up the tower and htey take on a chain like appearance, and theyre squeezing hte spire which causes it to break apart. The ring eventually descends with the spire as it is crushed, until the portal disappears when the ring reaches the ground with the destroyed the spire.
Simone gets the feeling that this was truly ancient. Like. Aeons ago. There's something even further back in the past... but she can't get it quite... It's that block again... and its got that signiture of that woman.
Simone now sees the area again, but there's not spire. 18 people of varid shapes, sizes, and races. They all join together, as htough by their hands. They invoke some sort of epic thing, and the ley lines(Sahret has shiny new armor... no eather armor. tie into the ring and reform it.
I channel positive energy To save Arwel. I hear a small animal scream.
Simone puts the hole on the side of spire. Simone is standing there... looks vacant eyed. Simone comes in, Sahret goes out.
Sahret is handed a bag of holding so we don't get way screwed.
The spire is about a mile in diameter.
After a tree, Sahret's at the door.
Sahret puts the hole on the spire. We all pour out.
There's writing on the doors and above the doors.
The first thing Wrin says is: "Authorized personnel only."
I ask Wrin "Are we Authorized."
Cameron lays his hands upon the doors. As soon as he touches the doors, feels is conencted to something much more than himself. Can feel the will of the doors... Like its a shell protecting hte place. It kinda wants to let him in, but the door doesn't open. The doors almost kinda give. Ed Feels nothing. Sahret Feels the will of the door. The one that has the shoulder that is inflicted reacts to the door, and hears a defense crack... the the door opened... by the two of them together.
I channel positive energy as everyone is pushing on the door. I Invoke Garl Glittergold's name.
Fuck ton of ley lines.
We go through quickly after I grab the portable hole. A blast of positive energy blasts againsts the doors as they close.
We're in a large stone chamber. It is lit by regular torches. They lit as we entered. They are everburning torches, so no heat. The room is roughly square. there are several alcoves containing motifs and murals of great craftsmanship. We can see some from here. here are a number of corpses littering hte floor. They look fresh.. They're humanoid corpses...
My 35 knowledge planes check: They are fiends... devils, I recognize all of them: 4 barbed devils, 2 horned, 1 ice devil. They Look like they've been shredded. By blades... kinda like if they were in a blade... like maybe a lot of blade barriers.
Glancing at the murals on the walls and alcoves, each alcove seems like a seperate shrine. 1 devoted to each god. There's not carpeting.
Several murals. 18 of them... actually 20 murals. 18 of them are portraits of the gods, 2 of them maybe are or maybe not...
One Mural is an an empty alcove. There's another alcove with a stairway down, and one mural is not in an alcove, but on a wall.
There are 18 shrines. (Their shrines contain their symbols and such)
"The Fey will always remember"... some kind of memorial (For the mural of the field)
There's a mural of a figure with her back turned towards us, a silhouette. Shes got Raven hair and is elfish/Fey-ey "Love brings the fiercist betrayal of all".
The other 18 do not have writing (These are the shrines).
The 18
Man in a gray robe, Loo of musing, empty hand stroking his bear. Boccob.
Man with a long beard, looking to the horizon (Fharlanghan)
Golden cape gnome: Glittergold.
in this mural: 2 men in full plate, back to back looking towards eachtoehr one in white the other in black: Heironeous and hextor.
A humanish looking guy, Well muscled, lightning above his head... painted as badass: Kord
Next mural is painted. The stones that made up the man/woman/person whatever... some hare missing and have been removed. It was intentionally incomplete: Olidamarra.
Long flowing beard, Pelor.
MAn in black rob and such Holy symbol IS a hand and an eye even though the image has an eye and a hand. BUt we don't know that Vecna lost those things: Vecna.
Woman carrying scales who is old: Wee Jas.
Those were in a row on the left side
In a row on the right:
A fearsom goblin warrior: very fit, poisoned spear: Bane
Fine boned man, pointed ears, longsworded: Corellon.
In the same Mural at his side, a woman with silver hair, one hand is an animal claw: sehanine. Somehting about her reminds us of hte woman with her back in that one mural that's labeled.
A massive Oni clad in hides: red skin with horns, look of fury on his face: Erythnul
A one eyed orc: Gruumsh.
A multicolored metallic disk: A jagged edge down the middle, when you look at the shrine you see imagery for bahamut and Tiamat.
Placid looking eladrin staring out of the mural, like he's aware he's a mural: Ioun. (Skill in prophecy).
Regal looking dwarf wearing a crown, braided beard: moradin.
Intense looking ageless man... Obad-hai
Halfing leaping thorugh the air: Yondalla.
Cameron Recognizes the unnamed raven haired pointy eared lady. But says not her name. It's on the right. (This was the one that was).
Those are all the gods That are here. BUT
The emperor sent out a proclamation saying he's dead. So the government is in a great civil war with the church of bahamut: One says they're allying with withered, the other says allying with Tiamat.
Sahret Looks angry at the srhine of Vecna.
There is a third inscription. Its ringed around the room. "This monument marks the first time the gods come to together as one.
There is a stone slab that looks like it was designed to open. Probably an escape hatch of sorts.
As Ed goes down... Wrin says regarding ed "Inferior Model, matter of factly."
Arwel and Ed and arwel's horse sebastian descend. THere are staris that were made of stone, hbut they gradually become walls of force, and floor is made of force and can see through it. It's a spherical antechamber like thing.
A curved cieling and floor with lots of tiny points. In the center of the room there on the floor of force is a tracing of light making a rune. The room is lit by the thousand poitns of light with lines in the dome.
Those docs are the location of nexuses, and the lines are the ley lines. . Below you see pinpricks of red and black. There's eds map, but completed. The perspective is screwy. This is all of his map. Ed memorizes hit.
Arwel says they found a map.
Straight up in the map is where you are, right below is the wasteland.
We descend into the sphere.
The rune in the middle means something like "perspective."
Simone stands on the rune and I sense something like a bardic music. And she feels she can count the
Inverted nexuses: Arx, Terminus are inverted. , Fochluchan has a normal nexus.
Simone slowly turns the sphere until terminus is on top. The distortion is gone...
Ed stands on the rune and controls the map. He tries to center it on Alexandria and it whirls around.
Ed has it focused onn the empire, which has a lot of red/black nexuses.
Ed's going to do a search function for inverted nexuses not in the empire. Arx and Terminus show up... after excluding those: There are about 5 in The Swamp of the black dragon priestess. After those. There are no others.
Inverting them allows them to revert.
Cameron takes 10 minutes and contacts someone, Ed is memorizing and transcribing the map.
Magic flows easily in here (no more concentration checks to cast.)
It's a nice search feature. We collectively notice... there is a dot that is not connected to any lines. It is in the empire: Nifleheim. Zooms way in... The thing is moving... We let the others know. And Arwel says that its Haruhn, probably... bizarre.
This disrupts The Scrying that Sahret was casting. There are no others.
I ask what blinded Simone. Simone said it was the tower himself.
We hear a sound from above... the sound of grinding stone (very faint because the staircase is enormous.)
Ed has managed to transcribe most of the steppes, the area around sigil, all the empire, the inverted nexuses, the wastes.
Sahret turns into a dire wolf: I haste us.
We get to the top: Across from this alcove is the hidden alcove. It has descended... there is a gaping opening... when we hear "BAM". There's a man holding the door open (It's Vance). He looks to Sahret and says "Son... I've been looking for you... _EVERYWHERE_"