Mowenites Unite - Episode Four

## Summary:

Mowen had granted individuals the experience needed to hone their skills. In exchange, these people were called to begin their charge. Whether the agents attended the once secret but prestigious academy or were in service to the empire or owed them, six people were sought out and called into service to work the lines of diplomacy, sometimes within the shadows, getting done what needed to be done. Safety was not guaranteed. Mowen was working on a new defensive construction that the world had not seen since the Golden Age of Magic. The six were required to engage in skullduggery, cloak and dagger diplomacy, and questionable missions in service to the empire, all in an effort to build something important.

## Agents:

* Asher "Whiffle-Tongue" - Lizardfolk Wizard
* Gobin Glowstep - Halfling Druid
* Krixx Sharptooth - Kobold Artificer
* Merdaer - Drow Rogue
* Tar'ren r'Eehp r'Eehp - Frogfolk Warlock
* Xilon Harkus Starrati - Half-Elf Wizard

## Adventure:

After entering a hidden library in Nightseer's tomb and gaining knowledge about red corundums, the party entertained a sentient door named Dorian Lichenstubble. Dorian opened for them to move through him to another area of the tomb. Krixx cast Detect Magic and shut his eyes to not be blinded by the interplanar travel, then held onto Tourmaline and made his way through. The rest of the party followed along.

The space was small and had an effigy to Oen, the God of Knowledge. There was also a sarcophagus with an open book carved onto its lid. A warm light lit the area though it didn't seem to be stemming from anywhere at all.

Krixx opened his eyes. There was no sign of magic.

Asher and Xilon went to the statue of Oen. Gobin climbed on the sarcophagus to look at the book on top. Krixx looked around the sides of the sarcophagus. There were inscriptions on the side that said, "Education is the premise of progress in every society and every family." The book said something along the lines that knowledge was power and needed to be shared.

Krixx knocked on the sarcophagus. It was solid.

Merdaer wanted to open the sarcophagus. Krixx said they were supposed to pay respects to Nightseer, not disturb his rest. Asher agreed that opening the sarcophagus was a last restort.

Xilon saw an inscription at the base of the statue: "Clever people go after knowledge to attain it, and wise people attune their ears to hear it."

When they all went silent, they heard a slight hissing sound like a breeze coming from the sarcophagus. Merdaer shoved it open gently. The lid twisted off. Inside was an opening leading downward.

As they descended, the breeze continued to blow. The wind whistled a tune around them. Eventually they reached the bottom where the space opened up quite a bit. There was the sensation of being in an observatory. Little streams of light came down from above them and off to the sides were trinkets. Some of it glowed with magic to Krixx's eyes.

Asher saw several pouches that looked like spell component pouches. Krixx saw little artifacts that glowed. One item looked like a matchstick. There was a set of Sending Stones and a set of boots. Asher prepared himself in a defensive position just in case something attacked as they identified the items.

Merdaer picked up one of the bags with his daggers. Nothing happened. He opened the pouch and found several crystals, bone fragments, twigs, and other spell components.

Asher looked inside a pouch and found a pearl, a red gem, and a green gem. They didn't glow with magic, apparently empty.

Krixx opened the third, which had another pearl, a scratchy piece of volcanic rock, and some bits of dried seaweed. Krixx sat with his pouch and asked Nightseer's spirit if they could take things from the tomb to use for the good of A'lune. There was no response.

Xilon cast Identify on the boots and found out they were Boots of Speed. The matchstick was a Matchstick of Summoning. They didn't know what it could summon, but it could only be used once.

The group took the items and headed upwards. Krixx peeked his head out of the sarcophagus and asked Dorian if they were allowed to take the stuff from the tomb.

"Did you summon him and ask?" Dorian asked.

Xilon put the match in the center of the room and lit it. The match lit in a purple hue. The smoke from the magical flame congealed into the shape of a Human wizard.

The group introduced themselves and conversed with Nightseer. Asher asked about red corundums. Nightseer said that he had a red corundum, which Asher had found. Xilon said that they needed Wizards' Coral. Nightseer affirmed that the coral would be needed with the red corundum.

Nightseer asked if Mowen had changed, or if they still refused to share knowledge. Krixx and Asher said that Mowen shared knowledge with them by teaching them.

Xilon told about the war with the dreadhounds and said that Mowen needed the gem for some sort of defence. Nightseer urged them to find out the specifics and said that Mowen was the reason he met his untimely demise. They didn't share his ideal of sharing knowledge to give others hope. He told the group to watch their steps and to pay attention to the small details.

Krixx asked if Nightseer knew Anders Daxon. He didn't recognize the name. Krixx also asked if there was a book in the library that could help him teach Tourmaline how to talk. Nightseer said there would be some notes in there that would help.

Gobin asked Nightseer if he knew how to make plants walk around. There was an Awakening spell that could help.

Krixx asked if they could take the items from the tomb. Nightseer said that if they helped spread his knowledge, the items would be theirs.

Krixx asked what the components did. Nightseer said he didn't have the time to explain all that, but he had faith they could figure it out.

Tar'ren pointed to his map, asking if the Wizards' Coral could be found at the location he had marked out. Nightseer told them to follow certain constellations and to look out for the signs. The stars would lead them to the Wizards' Coral. He also said that Qajiotha could help them. They should guard their minds or at least have something to offer. Nightseer then faded.

The group went out of the tomb. They went back into the main room. Dorian yawned at them.

Krixx told Dorian that Nightseer said hello and let them use the stuff as long as they helped spread his knowledge.

Asher said that Nightseer wanted them to show Dorian the sky. The group put a flame into the statue staff to cause the constellations to reappear in the main room. Xilon noted the constellation pointed out to them by Nightseer and committed it to memory.

Krixx asked Dorian if it was wise to enter the third door. Dorian said it was the door that thieves used the most.

The door had no inscriptions, but there were statues flanking it. Xilon looked for runes or inscriptions. Gobin ran his hands over a statue, wiggling it. Krixx asked Merdaer to try the door and maybe unlock it.

Merdaer unlocked the door. The group went through and saw that the chamber before them was filled with gold.

Krixx took out his monocle that gave him truesight and looked over the gold. He saw that there was an arcane circle on the floor in front of them. Krixx screeched, pointed to Gobin, and said, "That's not Gobin."

Gobin said he was himself. Krixx said he looked like a featureless shadow through the lens. Asher cast Detect Thoughts and determined that it was, in fact, Gobin, or at least was as confused by the information as Gobin would be. He cast Remove Curse on Gobin, but nothing changed.

Xilon looked at the arcane sigils on the ground. It looked like a Glyph of Warding, but he didn't know what it did. It didn't matter because Tar'ren cast Dispel Magic on the Glyph of Warding.

There were 160,000 ounces of gold. The party stuffed their pockets and filled their bags.

The group went back to the main room and took a long rest.

Tar'ren checked the riddle on the door to the library. It was unchanged. Everyone got quiet. The passageway to the library opened. The party went into the doorway, but instead of a library they found a mundane room full of broken vases and other objects.

Gobin walked out, dropped his bag of gold, and walked back in. He still ended up back in the squallor with everyone else.

The group decided that they would figure out the rest of the mysteries of Nightseer's tomb later. They had other items to find on their list. But just in case, Tar'ren returned the gold he took to the pile.

In the end, Krixx took 7500 gold, Asher took 3822 gold, Merdaer took 1913 gold, Xilon took 1280 gold, and Gobin took 800 gold.

Gobin put a mushroom in the Pot of Awakening.

The group left the tomb and made their way back to Abishot.

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