Game 27

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\*David and Damian Heist the III

-Damian looks for magical traps. Doesn’t find them, but knows they should be there. David climbs up, finds a grate, and uses a crowbar to remove it.  Damian climbs up. In the attic they find blue vials recently moved in in large boxes. Damian uncovers a large golden statue of what appears to be a demon attached to a red mirror. Damian recognizes it and freaks out. Throws the blanket back over it.

*Dameon: “This is bad. I’ve only seen something like this before, and it was in a VERY BAD PLACE.”*

They decide to put a crate and the mirror into the pocket dimension. Damian notices a rune of the abjuration school that diffused when the mirror was moved. They start to hear movement downstairs. Damian jumps into the pocket dimension. David repels out. Burst of magic. David realizes he is visible and climbs the roof. They all look up towards him expectantly. IT’S KAZOO TIME!!! David plays the kazoo and mist forms all around him. Peterson appears from the fog and aids David in his escape. He opens 6 black holes. The Thay fall through. Petersen rides away on a giant bee, towards the sun. David makes his way away to the Dancing Goat.

-Inside the pocket dimension, Damian inspects the mirror.

-Later in the evening David and Damian meet back up with Tolfor. David says he’s worried that the Red Wizards may be causing plague. Tolfor says if they take evidence to the right people they may be compensated with gold. David asks if people know about “noise” (vault of sages break in). The answer is yes. David asks if there is a safe house. Tolfor gives him the name of Barton the Bold. They meet Barton at the safe house and go into the pocket dimension to continue to inspect the mirror. As Dameon meditates on the mirror, he feels a force as if something struck him hard. The spell ends. Dameon tries to cast the spell again but is literally knocked unconscious by an unseen force. David puts him to bed.

The Temple of Lethander:

The group wakes and heads to the temple. Otto sits and faces north. When first light hits his face, Otto taps into his understanding of the weave and of lethander. There, he will find on the wheel of a pillar something atypical which will allow him to speak. Otto hears Gileaus say he's seen 39,363 days since his last true dawn.

Gileaus: There is too much to tell you. Do you know who we are and what our order is called? The Hunters of Abraxis. There are a set of books chronicling Amaunator, the sun god. They (hunters) are known as the eternal sun, and in this they speak of a land called Abraxis. It is an ideal place where it is said that we will live in harmony and peace, in the land of the rising red sun. Many insisted that this was a metaphor, an ideal to aspire to and create here in Torrel. Others believe it is a real place that must be found. Our order stands between the darkness and the rays of the morning.

**Father Gilaeus Recounts the Past**

*“Even before I met your father I prayed to the god Ammunator. I met him under different circumstances. He was caught as a spy. I caught him. This was right before Rasilith and many things changed. Emperor Karsus fell there, his daughter to take the throne after him. To understand the Netherese side of the Andalonian wars, you have to understand the backdrop. I didn’t come to understand until later. Martine was posing as an archeologist. Well, he was one. He was a musician, archaeologist, and a spy. Briggs told me, that… While I was a sergeant, I fought at the battle of Razaleth, there was another war going on behind the scenes. After the battle, the king had fallen, the Nets emprei was in turmoil, There was a time of incredible uncertainty. This was post the time of troubles, a very different time. Gods were proved mortal in some ways. This shook the very notions of what we all knew and understand. The fear was electric and moved all of us into our baser notions. And Karsus came and offered us a future where we could create the paradise of Abraxas. We set out to do the work of Gods, and it seems fate has balanced us in the end. When Mystra died and the cities fell, a scapegoat was needed. The ruling council that supported the queen turned on her. I also took part, I’m ashamed to say. Then the massacre at Iraleth happened. Something had to be done. The city itself was sealed and banished. Combining our collective forces the great mages of the Netherese drew great runes within the city while Iraleth was said to be hiding in her keep.  She came back from the flames as a serpent and killed many people. We had to do something. We drew the glyphs around the palace and around the inner city and banished her to Pandamonium.*

*Martine rescued me from the battle field, rescued me from the despair of myself. Martine, while this was happening, was investigating the signs of the first man. He believed it to be a real place. To lie in our secret origins. He had many connections, and by then the order was somewhat larger. Martine had a contact at candle keep. His contact told him of a place at the spine of the world. A forgotten ancient temple. A great monolithic idol in the center. When the order went we found the temple not uninhabited. THere was some mysterious deity/group. We called it the forgotten god. The stonework ancient and polished in monolithic …. When we went it was a massacre. Most of the order was defenseless., and they killed without mercy. Martine and Briggs escaped. Tychundus was there as well. This was just before I joined the order. There were minor skirmishes. I think that cult of the dragon in Greenest may have been related.*

*Martine without allegiance to either side, believed in helping both sides. When it is said that when Martine went to Azram one of the Nets floating cities, it is said that he came back with two wards. It caused quite a stir. The order did not pull from the normal populous. Only people that had been brought back. He said they showed great promise. Aiden Gnoic and Merrick Zaltos. This caused quite a problem. Many did not understand.*

*This blight you speak of. There is more. We stopped this group of these followers of this.*

*We were betrayed from within. It was shortly after that that Martine left. It certainly appears as if he was the one to betray us. Briggs trusted his brother. And as the rest of the order doubted him, he was angry and uncertain. Hence some of his coldness towards you. I have a feeling that in your quest for this "Green Song" you will find Martine. If it is possible that this is indeed Merrick, he may have been the one that betrayed us."*

**Damian begins to identify the music box.**

You see yourself as a little girl with black hair and blue eyes. You see her playing. She opens and closes the music box. The music box appears whole. You’ve seen the interior of this room. You feel a gust of wind and you see a balcony where the doors are open. You walk over to the balcony and see a massive white city, resting in and among the clouds. You can faintly see the ground miles below. As you take in this incredible scenic view, you hear a noise. The girl has dropped the music box and the toy soldier breaks. She cries softly. There’s something else you want to focus on, but the vision is kind of hazy. Its  harder to focus than it normally would be. She picks up the toy soldier with the spear. She appears to be 4 or 5 years old. You follow her and she runs into the next room. In your other vision, you didn't walk in to this room because you felt you weren’t supposed to be in. You see her running down this hallway. She pushes those open as well. Inside you see a man wearing a cloth suit with dark hair and a trimmed beard. You see yourself, writing on parchment. His eyes are grey and filled with sadness. His voice sounds warm and friendly.

*C: “Darling what’s wrong?”*

*E: “It broke.”*

C: “Come here." You see him look at the papers as if he needs to keep working. *“Let me have it. He holds a finger up and blue energy and begins to melt the edges. Sweety, even broken things have a purpose.”*

...Vision begins to fade...

You hear a humming down the hallway. As the vision begins to fade, you struggle to pull back you know that something is important. You hear a soft humming, similar to music box. You find yourself back in the chamber the father is hugging the little girl. You feel compelled to go towards it. You walk towards the direction that you came. You are yourself. You are Damian. As you walk through this corridor. You see blurred faces of a man rocking his daughter. You go back into the room, you hear it and it grows louder. You see a woman in the corner of the room, you almost didn’t notice her. She was in the room with the little girl. She was there the whole time.

*“I can feel you there.” She says, her voice creaking. “You are here, but you are not here now. You are from time and space that is distant. Who are you. Tell me your name.”*

*“You don’t need my name. You’ll have it soon enough. Tell me. What changed.”*

*“Spirit. I do not understand your question.”*

*“Was it the loss of your father?”*

*“My father is of wood and blood.”*

*“What of the man down the hall?”*

*“I serve him. I am the nanny. I care for his child. She will grow to incredible importance and I will be there to shape her future. Now tell me your secret. Are you from before, or after this moment?”*

*“It’s a difficult question to answer. I’ve stretched across time.”*

*“You speak in riddles, like my sisters.”*

*“Well, I learned from the best. Your pupil in fact.”*

*“Ah. So you are from the after. Tell me. Where are you now?”*

*“Tell me. What’s your name. Answer me, and I’ll tell you.”*

*“Grandma Anastra...why are you talking to Merius?”* She smiles, and the vision begins to fade.

As you fall backwards you desperately try to cling to it. There’s a fact there. Something important. As you begin falling away, you try to cling back to it. You are crawling on a floor. Things are in dark shades of black and blue. You’re not sure where you are. It’s some sort of abandoned building. Could be a store or tavern. Bits of rock and rubble on the ground. You look around. The place appears empty. A side of the roof has fallen off. You can see outside. There’s very little light. As you step outside, you see a desolate empty street. This town is in ruin. You feel disoriented. As you look up, you see colors shifting in the sky. As you move outside you hear the whispers of thousands and thousands of people. You see a monolithic tree. At the base of it a small hovel. The town is exactly how you left it. You approach the hut. In front of the window a shadow moves in front. As you pull back the curtain you see her. The Witch of Irealith waiting for you. Her hands deep inside a cauldron.

*“Where have you been? Mariiiius.” You feel the compulsion.*

*“Here and there. But I’ve returned.”*

*“Come for the key have you?”*

*“No. Conversation.”*

*“Then speak and I will listen. But… as is our exchange. Information for information.”*

*“Very well. Ask of me first.”*

*“And Marius. I will know. Have you found the keys...any of them?”*

*“I’ve found many keys in my travels so far. I don’t think any are the ones I’m looking for.”*

*“Marius. Tell me what I want to know.”*

*“Very well. I’ve found one.”*

*A smile creeps across her face.*

*“Very good. Ask me your question.:*

*:Who is Anastra, really? She is not just the nanny.”*

*“She is. Yet she is so much more. She is of the Rashmani.”*

*“That’s not simply a made up word?”*

*“She is of the Rashmani witches. The ones that directly oppose the Thay. Do you believe in the God’s, Marius?”*

*“Certainly. I've seen evidence of their existence.”*

*“You shouldn’t.”*

*“What are the red wizards after? What is their goal?”*

*“I don’t know what the Red Wizards are after. You tell me.”*

*“Where are you Marius?” You feel the compulsion again.*

As you begin to pull away, you hear bells. You see her in the room as the full adult woman.

*“What is this. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO WEAR HIS FACE! I WILL FIND YOU!”*

*“Esper. Who is Merius?”*

NOTE BREAK---------------------------------------

Rowan and Tanden walk out into a room with a bust window and desk. He finds a couple of books, sketches the bust and looks out the window into a walled courtyard with white flowers. The red velvet continues down a hallway.

**Rowan Captured**

Specimen 94 delivered as promised. Lennithin. It is worthy, and will allow me to continue to

Experimentation of the manipulation of the blood. Many other tests yield inconclusive results. They provided me with some samples. Ive convinced them of my independence and refused to consume the substance myself. This substance. It changes everything Ive discovered. This group, it has independent access to it…

I found several varieties of a mineral that retains. Something in the fey. In the blood, that I can’t nail down since trial 3. Seemed to be the perfect storm in 37. I bellevue Ive created the right mixture. Balanced appropriately.

I’m called away. My benefactors want to meet. After that, its blank pages. The meeting is apparently to consult the 9. I’m afraid my research is starting to divert from their own intentions, beginning with trial 108. It’s thoughts seem to be …

I’ve figured out how to propagate this using a a simple virus. It seems Aiden has returned to Silvery Moon, looking for 37. I will have trial 108 meet just outside and lure him into the dark wood. The mythatler has helped immensely, but it has gone missing from the Thultan That laboratory.

Last chapter. It seems 37 has returned to Silvery Moon. My benefactors have demanded results. Trial 108 seems to have progressed smoothly. I’ll have to return to Silvery Moon.

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