WttSS session 45: 'I Swear There Are 9 Black Tablets, Honest'

General Summary

The party had sent a probe through the now quiet and still arches. Passing a tunnel of some 100m, it came to a chamber, enclosed all but to the sky hundreds of metres up. In contrast to the previous chamber, this one had the shape of a circular column, ~200m in diameter, with natural, rough cut walls. These walls had the natural outcropping and ledges of the mountains, despite the still unnatural formation.   Rocks on the ground were placed throughout the chamber, their origin unknown but unlikely to have been brought about by any natural process: In each of them it was possible to make out human shapes - never a whole person but nonetheless having recognisable parts. Coming in two sizes, larger rocks had a general outline of perhaps a head and shoulders, maybe a waist but no features or discernible arms; smaller rocks were more humanoid, with arms, perhaps even a flat face, though never with features.   The legends of the City of Brass could be seen in this chamber, though in a slightly altered shape. The far wall of the chamber was perfectly cut: a straight, black piece more than 100m wide. Hundreds of metres tall, though not reaching the sky, it offered a temptation of trying to climb or fly over it, but the party's eyes were instead drawn to two alcoves some 50m. Within both hung a floating pillar, some 100m tall by 10m diameter square prisms. Making no sound, and with no obvious generation of gravitons, the pillars floated in place touching nothing. Upon the front face of the pillars there were 9 lights in 3 lines of 3 groves, mostly white but flickering into pink then purple - the fires on the black wall.  

Many experiments

  As the Ghodar evening progresses, the party continues with its investigations through a drone, bringing it in and out a few times to equip it with a variety of sensors and kit. On one trip the drone collects a physical sample from the standing rocks, which it brings back for greater analysis on the Caliban Crow.   Of the rocks they determined:

• The number, position and shape of the rocks, so they can be sure if any move or change
• The smaller rocks are about Murad size and the larger ones proportionally bigger as Murad is to humans
• There are ~40 small rocks, whose human qualities suggest that they are all pointed towards the pillars, looking a little like a wave of creatures surging towards them
• The larger rocks - lesser in number - seem placed totally at random but could be seen to be interacting with each other
• Later analysis and comparison to the language etchings on the entrance archways shows that the position of the rocks would match one of the 'paragraphs' of spiral text - if you drew lines between the rocks, these lines would trace the swirling text
• Neither type of rock has any moss on them, in contract to the rest of the chamber that does support populations of plant, insect and lizard life
• A chemical analysis shows the presence of an ooze, reminiscent of that of the creature the party fought at the Crossroads
• The smaller rocks contain the ooze
• The larger rocks have been subjected to the ooze but do not contain it

  Of the chamber itself they determined:

• The light in the chamber and tunnel isn't right based on what the star of Ghodar should provide at the angles the light should fall: sometimes to bright, sometimes too dark and always too blue
• The light of the sky over the chamber suggests a different chemical composition to that of Ghodar, though one that could be achieved using the atmosphere technology the party has found across the planet - the volume of air altered here though, would suggest a capability far beyond that of both the Abouelkassem and Khamzi
• The sunlight nonetheless scatters in the same direction as it does outside the chamber, suggesting the same relative location to the star of Ghodar
• Some 40m or so up, the drone reports system trouble as it rises - this is different to the labyrinth effect that caused it to turn around without realising, as the drone recognises and reports increasing system trouble the higher it goes - the party did not push this further and thereafter kept the drone lower down

  Before the drone can conduct any further investigations, its feed is lost, even sitting at ground level. When asked, Caliban reports that there were no detectable energy surges or equivalent that might have caused the loss. As the party discusses going into the chamber to take a look there then comes the sound of rock fall.  

Nine black tablets

  With the loss of the drone, the party heads in to investigate in person. Passing through the tunnel, they experience the strange light of the place for themselves. Some resist the effects - Murad doesn't even feel it - but Zarzur and Kerman are unnerved. To them the black wall feels like it's a black hole. They know this is impossible but the feeling builds in their minds and tries to take over.   Zarzur hides behind Kerman. Kerman in turn, notices that none of the others are sweating as he is and makes to cover it up, marching boldly forward to confront the danger head on. First into the chamber, he sees the drone, smashed by falling rock. Otherwise though, the area is quiet and still.   Kerman slowly moves into the open expanse with the party following, Murad taking up the rear, so both sides of the party are covered. As they move through the area they refer back to their initial scans: the stones from which they took their samples have indeed healed up, returning to their original shape. The stones take no action though, and it's only when Kerman reaches the centre of the chamber that anything else moves.   The lights of the pillars return to a stable, white colour and a shadow forms between the two pillars. From the shadow then rush the nine black tablets promised by legend, flying through the air towards Kerman. They are the size of his chest and move at a speed to easily kill him but he holds his nerve and is thus rewarded when the tablets serve away at the last minute. The come to a resting situation by taking up positions equidistant in a circle around him.   The tablets remain apart from each other but close enough such that Kerman might read the text upon them... if only he could read the swirls of language that match that of the entranceway arches. His instinct instead is to look for the one of the nine that would be blank, identifying itself as that of the Faceless One, but all nine tablets bear writing. As no-one can read the tablets, the party decide it prudent to get Zarzur to attempt full communication with the AI she's been in contact with through subconsciousness and dream.   Reaching out her thoughts, Zarzur tries to focus on the other presence that lingers at the back of her mind... and is instantly transported away to another place. She finds herself in a broken landscape, torn apart by earthquake and fire, turned upside down by tornado and wind. Wherever it may once have been, the place is now only a ruin, surrounded on all sides by what might once have been a mountain range but now only seems a wreck of sundered peaks. In the distance, a shadow plays across those peaks, bringing further ruin, chased by purple flame.   Back in the chamber, Zarzur collapses but is caught by Murad. He lays her gently on the ground and the party gathers round. All except Kerman, as when he moves to leave the circle of tablets, they begin to break off. Masruq asks he remain in place and, as long as Kerman does, the tablets settle, circling him. Khalil scans Zarzur's headpiece and confirms that it is active; she is using her mystic power.   In the other place, Zarzur feels she is gently falling. Though she is already standing on the ground she feels herself moving downwards until her feet register a soft touch down on the floor. Looking up, she finds that she is standing before herself, an image that looks back at her with an equally surprised expression. She says hello and the other her returns the greeting.   In the real world, the party hears Zarzur speaking the words as if talking in her sleep, though they can't hear the response. When they speak back to her the words come to her as if on the wind in her dreamscape.   Zarzur asks the other her who it is and it responds by sweeping out its arms, indicating that it is this broken place in which she now finds herself. Seeing the presence of the dark shadow on the peaks, Zarzur reaches down for a stone, wondering how much she could interact with the landscape, but the other her responds by holding out its hand in warning and Zarzur stops. She sees her mirror image slowly shake its head, a look of sadness on its face.  

Nasralleh makes his move

  As the party speaks with the AI, Legionaries play their advantage, appearing in the heights of the chamber, upon the rocky ledges. Six appear in all, pointing rifles down at the party. Kerman draws his gun but for now holds.   Professor Nasralleh's voice is then heard over a speaker. He declares that his forces are poised to strike the Xinghur caravan and will do so unless Zarzur opens the door. Kerman radios back the caravan to warn them but they confirm Legionaries are already there. However, the caravan's defensive position means that the Legionaries can't just fly freely into the attack and a standoff is in place. Kerman reports that the party has its own trouble too and the caravan will have to take care of itself for now.   In the other place, Zarzur moves towards the other her, asking for help in the real world but her mirror image moves backwards and falls, leaving Zarzur standing over it.   As all this happens Khalil engages in a back and forth with Nasralleh, trying to trick the professor through attacks in his ego and emotions but Nasralleh has been waiting for this moment for too long. He swats Khalil's barbs aside and repeats his threat. Khalil was only buying for time however, and withdraws the Orb of Ghodar from his pack, giving it the commands: Legionaries, 6 and 'hate'.