Cleo's Spirit Eye

Cleo's Eye

## Discovery

Cleo's eye is an artifact of unknown origin. He found it in a locked safe, where it was guarded by hundreds of magical runes. The sage Gorgias Nuovo had first discovered the old door and in the end was the one to unlock it's runes and unleash what it was holding within.

The room was cylindrical and had words from hundreds of languages engraved around it. The most notable engraved language was a celestial quote around which all other quotes seem to circle. The word s said in bold black letters, "***In the street of the blind, the One-Eyed man is a King.***"

As the sages searched the room, which housed all sorts of collected golden age treasures was vast in it's collection. It had everything from old toys, like a wooden unicorn or Dragon duel cards to items of elegance such as fine china, old artworks, and jewelry. As the sages looked over these innumerable wonders with fascination and glee, Cleo turned his head slowly to notice an altar of sort rising nine feet into the air, the top of which was lit by a single penetrating beam of light, somehow finding it's way through the old crumbling cavernous ceiling.

Cleo slowly walked forward as a heavy feeling set into his gut. He felt that he was walking forward toward a destiny which he could avoid simply by turning away, yet the thrill of an old forgotten power or knowledge pulled at his very soul. He walked with trepidation as the other sages noticed, and slowly followed. Before long, all in the room were in a slow procession to the altar. which had a stone staircase spiraling around it. Cleo climbed it, every step lifting him higher into the air towards this mysterious shrine. He wanted to stop, but he was only but moments away from discovering something surely incredible. Slowly he ascended the staircase, leaving the earth and finally resting besides the small stone altar.

   In common was inscribed on the base of this old withered stone: "Things will never be the same." Cleo stepped forward as the sages all watched from the ground, none of them daring to climb the stairs. He examined the items on the altar. The first item which he picked up was a scroll case. It was locked shut with an old rune that Cleo recognized as Golden-Era rune magic - however the rune was a much stronger one then he had ever heard of being created. Then he turned his attention to the other, smaller object on the altar.

A cool blue gem, which seemed no bigger than a sapphire gem. Cleo took it between his fingers and examined it closely. He noticed a faint dim as he picked it up and thought it was rather strange. Even stranger, this object seemed to be getting brighter. Cleo mused over this, and didn't even notice the ball heating up until it was so hot it physically burned his fingers. He withdrew his hand with haste, grabbing it and calling out cries of pain. However, the blue ball and not moved from the spot where Cleo held it in the air.

Cleo stared dumbfounded as the ball began to rotate and spin at an incredible speed, it began whirring and whizzing about around Cleo, until finally the small blue of energy exploded into flame. It flew across the room lighting old braziers around the room. The braziers produced smoke which fed into large grated holes in the ceiling above them. Suddenly the room came to life with loud metallic clanging as the room began to spin. As it did so the blue fire from the braziers grew into small sprite like creatures, creatures that floated on the smoke of the braziers shooting down at the sages.

The fire sprites began flying around the room after the ball, as the sages used their magical and ki powers to defend themselves against the much more powerful creatures. Cleo however was focused on the ball zooming around the room. Cleo had to know what it was, he couldn't leave without knowing what this incredible artifact was. As spells flew across the room, shooting ice that exploded against the huge stone walls causing frost to cover the wall, and beams of pure radiant energy as the sprites rained down fire. Cleo paid attention to the movements to the ball and as it went to zoom past him he used old Vasilian magic to cast Shillelagh on his staff. He readied himself, and as the ball was speeding past he hit it with his staff, knocking it across the room to the floor where it stopped glowing and flaming - going completely cold.

Cleo gave a shout of triumph as all the sprites grew weaker and dropped their weapons. The sages picked each other off the ground, as the wizened old wizard Pittacus and Ari Naaman preformed healing rites on those who were in critical condition. Then, without warning the ball shot back into the air with even more intensity then previously. It glowed brighter with a bigger flame then it had previously, and it began to rush towards Cleo with gusto. Before he could react it hit him in the face sending him flying back ten feet, off the pedestal and onto the ground. The clanking in the wall got faster as it spun more and now began to sink, at an alarming rate. The ceiling rushing toward them, and the fire sprites now all disappearing after seeing this, the sages rushed to pick up Cleo and carry him away.

   The first to reach him, the bard Secor Havorum, recoiled in fear at the pale and convulsing Cleo, who lie on the ground clutching his face. The Alchemist Socrum Calliope pulled the screaming Cleo's hand from his face to reveal a horrific sight... Cleo's eye had melted and the ball had taken it's place. Socrum told the others they'd help him with that after they saved him from the doom of the ceiling which was coming down speedily. When the wall sunk past the part, however, with engravings and quotes something even more incredible happened. The walls began burning with the same blue light as the eye's flame, which covered half of Cleo's entire face.

The words got brighter and brighter as they reached the ground and when they finally began to sink beneath the earth the words burned so bright that they flew off the wall, and clung onto Cleo's skin. Another round of pained yelling arose from the battered old man who had words of fire affixing themselves to his flesh. As the last words flew from the wall to Cleo's skin, the room stopped sinking only leaving them 6 feet of height . The other sages, defeated and scarred dragged Cleo from the room, and brought him to rest in the Sage Tower.