Session 4 - Dinner, Court and a Curiosity

Feb 27, 2022
 
Captain Nylasha dispatches the household servants and attendants to ready the dining room for an informal reception of the Alvar family shortly for cake and coffee, since they had to cancel their dinner plans unexpectedly.
As the party takes a hurried dinner of meat and cheese and simple soup on the sideboard in the dining hall, the Captain gives them a quick debriefing.
"As you know, Jokku commanded me to reveal certain things to you a bit earlier than we normally would have done so. Recent events have forced our hand.
"You know that you were given a choice before entering service of House Ummo, and you were told that we serve a Patron of the House with a definite code of ethics. Well, our patron is none other than the reclusive, ancient silver drake Evyzarraxxa.
"She is one of the oldest surviving dragons of the Dragon Nation, and she makes her home in a secret lair rumored to be high above the cloud lines in the Whitecap Mountain Range, running from here near Seahold all the way up to the border of Esh and Cyre, splitting the continent wholly into the Grand Duchies of Parnath in the east and the nations of the West.
"While all of the Blood of House Ummo know who their family serves, very few in the household actually meet her from one generation to another. She sends messages through an envoy, though I confess I am not so privileged to know the Blood's business in this matter.
"Like most of the metallic dragonkind, Evyzaraxxa serves an ethos of goodness. And like most silvers, she operates from behind the scenes, her presence felt in the actions of her minions, not herself directly.
"It is the support of Evyzaraxxa which has kept House Ummo from feeling any sort of negative economic effects this past decade that the Portals to Ffelyani have been sealed closed on the order of the Empress." She does not utter the honorific wish for the ruler's eternal life.
"Most of the trade that supported the other Great Houses here in the Qidyrian Empire in Fryth Anvor was originally back to the Imperial Capital of A'ffha back home, and He'shabha is the city whose gate connects closest to A'ffha, thus the city enjoyed privileged status, and all of the Great Houses gave up their large estates and homes for the chance to be close to the Suzerain Court of the Governor and the Gates back home.
"A number of the trading houses made aggressive moves in the marketplace, though, once the first year had passed and the Empress did not immediately reopen the Gates home. They ruined over half of the Great Houses who were based in He'shabha, and forced them into vassalage to gain just enough trade power to survive and maintain appearances, and in doing so effectively purchased votes and choice council slots.
"It was the Purr'tan's father, Purr'tan Ummo Kheskio, who uncovered the plot and revealed that they were plotting to subvert through extortion and kidnapping hostages the very Governor himself. There were several large families involved in the trade coup attempt, and the largest and most involved were rounded up and summarily executed for sedition and treason.
"The lesser houses involved in the plot were punished, sent far away from the Suzerain Court where they could do little harm. But they never forgot House Ummo's involvement. They assassinated Purr'tan Kheskio. Meksu succeeded him quickly and translated the goodwill of the Governor into strong positions for himself and his family at the Suzerain Court, digging himself in like a tick in He'shabha, and using the money and economic support of Evyzaraxxa to ensure that the security and integrity of House Ummo was sound.
"My friends, I tell you this so you might understand some of the danger that you are in. The orders which were given to you to dispatch the blue dragon did not, you see, come from the throne of the Dwarven Nation as you were originally told. Those orders came from our Patron. For whatever reason, the Silver wished the young Blue removed from life. And you served Her wishes and did so. Quite handily, I might add.
"But this has put you at a position of danger here. Yesterday while you took your leisure about the city and I saw to the disbursement of the cargo, the enemies of House Ummo here spun a tale for the Mayor and the rest of the Council of Seahold, accusing you of murdering the blue drake in cold blood, and unprovoked.
"The complaint was raised by Melthranax the Mighty, Ambassador from the Dragon City of Askolvieth. He is a Dragonborn who is also a half-drake offspring of Ethranax the Terrible, Queen of the last Red Flight. He is a brute, and incredibly powerful in magic, being a Draconic bloodline Sorcerer and a very charismatic speaker who spins lies with his Draconic Charms and it is said holds members of the Council here under his sway.
"To make matters worse, my informants tell me that Melthranax the Mighty is assisted by the tabaxi Velkato Shen. Shen is the ambassador for life to Seahold specifically, and occupies the title of Ffelyani Consul here. As he has, since he arrived shortly after his mother was executed for her role in plotting sedition against the Suzerain Court, one of the families who was exiled due to the actions of Purr'tan Ummo Kheskio... Ummo Meksu's father.
"You will need to appear before the Council tomorrow. And you will need to defend your actions concerning the slaying of the dragon. Or you will not be allowed to leave to teleport home. The Gnomes of Gimraeth who run the Teleport Gates across the continent will not allow you to use their magic without the Release paperwork of the Mayoress.
"And to top it off, the Alvar family is coming within the hour for a social visit. They are local allies of House Ummo, if indeed a smaller House. But no less important. Tonight you must navigate a dessert-style party which will be held here because you will no longer be allowed to move freely around Seahold until the Council meets with you to decide your fate tomorrow. And then tomorrow you must find some way to keep our Patron's involvement hidden, yet still justify your actions to the Council in killing the drake.
"I will be interrogated of the incident under separate review. I will of course point out that the DSS Scrimshaw patrol clipper acknowledged the threat of the dragon by coming to warn us in those waters. But since it is an official inquiry, they will need to summon the Scrimshaw, which could take weeks. And Evyzaraxxa has commanded you to return with all haste to He'shabha.
 
Within the hour a bell will ring at the front and Larento will answer the door, then appear in a few moments with a few felines following him.
Alvar Qeshka is an older female Ffelyani with the long orange hair and black stripes that call a tigress, though a tigress of some age with white about her nose and mouth and sides of her neck. She comes bedecked in simple robes of pure scintillating white with a sari-style wrap overlaying them. The Sari itself is made from enchanted cloth which shimmers as it moves, depicting a scene of a desert horizon at night, a faint glow of orange on the horizon, and overhead myriad galaxies and stars wheel about as the cloth moves. As it settles, faint lines begin to form between the stellar lights, and after long moments of stillness, patterns of unknown constellations emerge, only to break apart into a scattering of stardust and darkness as the cloth moves once again. She leans on a gnarled staff of natural driftwood, the burls of which at the end are hung with a net of silver chains dangling with lapis lazuli of midnight blue and startling gold, and around her neck hangs a rusty iron holy symbol on a simple leather thong of a star. She is the matron of House Alvar, and introduced by Larento when she enters as an Oracle of Kryptikos, God of Horizons.
Alvar Gomki is a male tiger-hued burly beast of a Ffelyani. He wears sable colored leather armor of thick hide that shifts about him, with four long furr tentacles of black descending from the shoulders and upper back. The armor gleams with blue-black glow, and as he moves, he flickers in his appearance, often arriving at his destination before the appearance of him moving seems to have caught up in crossing the space. He carries little else, but about his neck is a malachite holy symbol depicting a hunter drawing a bow, arrow nocked. He is the heir to House Alvar, and introduced by Larento when he enters as a 'Moon Hunter' which Gomki explains with a friendly grin to Vedemis as being a Druid of the Moon and a Hunter Ranger by vocation. "Father was a Hunter and Champion of Oriona. I loved accompanying him on his treks as a child. The wilderness was so much more fun than court. Alas. Duty calls me back to the cities."
Alvar Bespia is a younger female tabaxi with a charming plumpness to her form, and patches of tiger coloration intermixed with the gray short fur that in actual cats would be called 'blue'. One eye is brilliant green, the other is gold. She is dressed in noble attire, low cut and quite flattering, in deep burgundy-colored silks with matching long silk evening gloves that have fringe down the outer seam. She is perfumed by a scent that is quite intoxicating, and seems to waver between the hint of honeysuckle and warm vanilla spice. She appears to be no older than 18 years of age. Her mother, Qeshka, informs the group when they arrive that Bespia is in her training as an Artificer specializing in alchemical preparations. She wears a pendant on a silver chain depicting a hammer striking an anvil.
The guests will bring hampers full of 'light fare' to contribute to the feast, but it will turn out to be a princely spread including more than just desserts, but also many foods which may have been prepared for the dinner party originally. The chefs of the Alvar household are Parnathi, so the feast is spiced differently than the fare they have been enjoying at He'shabha, far heavier a spice hand with small plates of meat pates and sherbets and palate cleansers of blander fare to accompany the sauces and stews and smoked meats.
 
The skill challenge: It quickly becomes apparent, naturally, that the family members of House Alvar have something that they want from the party. The party's objective is simple - survive dinner, without promising anything to the Alvar's which might interfere with their duties to House Ummo, or entangle House Ummo in ways that would be impolite or impolitic.
Because the encounter is a social one between political allies, the number of successes which must be scored is only 7.
Because the party has already given cause for possible offense to the Alvar's through their late refusal of the dinner invitation itself, the party begins the Skill Challenge with one Strike already against them.
Because this is a challenge between allies, the DC for success will be reasonably low.
But because you don't understand the stakes of the game you are playing, even though the challenge will end after 7 successes... not every success counts toward a Win. Some will simply move you toward closing the Challenge out and ending the evening. You won't know until the evening is over whether it ended with a Win or a Draw, however.
Because of the new circumstances for this particular Challenge... you do not have to participate in every round with a social attempt. However, the same party member cannot go more than once in a turn. And every member of the Alvars *will* participate each round. There are no Hazards to worry about, but the Alvars will not spare you because you decline to make an effort in the Turn.

 
Vedemis and Gomki hit it off discussing the wilds (success). Pietr apologizes and provides the reasons for their absence from the dinner (success). Umlilo offers to protect from scrying and cast detect magic (unknown success). Rhys observed for insights and aids us and shifts us around (success). Espy looks around.
Bespia fumbles a seductive look and Qeshka asked Pietr if he was married and asks after the Purr’tan’s wifes pregnancy and mentions Bespia’s fertility.
Vedemis draws Bespia into a conversation about Gomki’s armour (success). Gomki lets Vedemis know Qeshka is trying to marry Bespia as high as possible in the house. Umlilo tells a story but fails (failures). Rhys deflects from the pregnancy talk (success). Pietr further deflects asking after Qeshka’s calling (Success). Challenge succeeded.
Qeshka says that Kryptikos’ touch is all over the party from what she can see.
 
Lady Alvar will say at the end of the meal, "I can see that the Lord Ummo's trust in his new Coterie was well placed. As a long ally of House Ummo, House Alvar is ready to stand beside the interests of House Ummo once again. As a Cleric and Oracle of Kryptikos, I am afforded a diplomatic status within the Dwarven Nation which will allow me to stand beside you tomorrow as your Holy Advocate before the Council, and speak on your behalf. Furthermore, if I am present, then House Varkato, despite being Consuls for He'shabha, will be neutralized as any kind of threat or support for that blowhard. In return, I ask for your help to gain official permission to enter the Curiositorium, to enter shrine of great power to my God, and there, Prophesy for the good of the party, the good of my faith, and the good of the Realms. I will meet you before you leave for the meeting tomorrow afternoon, here. And then, I would beg an additional favor of you accompanying me inside the Curiositorium should we be allowed in. Never mind specifics for right now, I will explain all about it tomorrow. We've begged enough of your time for one evening. Gomki, Bespia, time to take our leave."

When asked after the Curiositorium, she says she doesn’t want to overstay her welcome.
 
The answer to that question is long, for there is much lore to tell. But I will answer your question and reveal this secret to you, out of trust, for I sense that our purposes may be aligned here.
I know that the God Kryptikos has touched you, for I am his High Priestess and Champion here on this plane. I am also called to serve him as an Oracle of the Horizon Lord as well. And it is in this capacity that I speak now. Listen close, for I shall not repeat this secret to you again.
When Time was made, Kryptikos already Was. As all of Creation was brought forth by the cthonic godforms who have long since risen, shone, and fallen to dust or wandered off to other vibrations of energy... as these Elder Gods did their work, Kryptikos watched. He took one of the first stones imagined into being, and perched upon it in the Astral Plane, to gaze into the forming Horizons and view the outcome of all of Creation and Time. This outcropping of stone was later fashioned by the Younger Gods into a shrine, an altar of sorts, in honor of Kryptikos the Horizon Lord. It is known as the Horizon Stone. From it, the devotees of Kryptikos, the seekers and seers of secrets lost, Diviners, and those who follow the path of the Horizon Walker rangers can peer into Time and Creation in all Directions, but for a price. Sanity is taken from many who attempt it, for the vastness is such that only the minds of the Gods and Devils may perceive it without losing something.
The Horizon Stone is here, in Seahold. Its entry is supposedly hidden within the Grand Curiositorium, an extradimensional museum which is controlled by the Queen of Dwymir Vale, the Dwarven Throne.
The Curiositorium was a gift to the Dwarven Kings of old from Kurspirex, a half-dragon Eladrin wizard who was quite mad. Kurspirex blended the magic of the Shining Lands and the magic of the Dragon Lords. Rumors say that the mischief of the Shining Lands entered the substance of the Curiositorium, and the museum itself delighted in the treasures and curiosities which were placed on display there. But the energy of dragonkind is covetous, and soon the Curiositorium became demanding of more and more treasures.
It began to grow in power, and Compel lesser beings to its will to serve it. The Librarians of the Curiositorium traveled the planes, seeking treasures, seeking marvels. Thieves in love with the heist, adventurers seeking gold, lesser dragons too immature to stand against the will of the ancient drake magic. So the Throne went back to Kurspirex, and asked him how to contain what had been unleashed.
He told them how to move the entrance to the Curiositorium. If it were no longer on this plane, then it would break the direct bond with the Librarians, and there would be no one left to serve the Curiositorium. So Kurspirex used his magic and did something that made even the Hags quake in fear -- he put the Curiositorium, an interdimensional storage space, inside a Bag of Holding. And stabilized it.
The energy that stabilized it required great energy. Geomantic energy. So it was placed suspended over the magma chamber underneath the volcanic caldera of the city of Seahold. Because of the danger associated with the fascination magic, and the multiple layers of interdimensional spaces that Kurspirex somehow managed to stabilize, the Throne has standing orders forbidding anyone access to the Curiositorium. Yet within its halls lie the entrance to the Horizon Stone.
As an Oracle and Champion and High Priestess of Kryptikos, if I can gain access to the Stone where the Horizon Walker viewed all of Time and its ultimate result, I will be able to Scry any Vision of the past, present, or future, and there would be precious little, if anything, that could be hidden from my Sight.
I seek entry because of a prophecy I was given after a pilgrimage to one of the former Champions of Kryptikos when I was nineteen, the one who converted me to the New Faith from my dutiful role as a Sister in the Convent of the Imperial Veneration temples. That one day I would meet five strangers from beyond the Horizon, and sense the Horizon Walker's touch upon their souls. That my greatest Oracular work would be at hand -- the reason for my life's path. The strength of the Oracle is only partly dependent upon the skill of the seer - the rest is determined by the place where the vision is read. And I can think of no place more powerful than the Horizon Stone for one of my path.
If you help me to attain the Stone, I will also See for you, to divine the reason behind your selection, and the result of your fate's momentum, such as it might be. Since the Horizon Lord does not reveal except to those who Seek, you may not have another chance to learn any of the reasons for your selection otherwise.
As to why she thinks we can help. The Dwarven lords did put out a call for hazards to the shipping lanes and as we did that, we would be granted a boon which we could use to access the Curiositorium.
 
With that she took her leave, and we rested for the night.
 
Sets of dwarven guards arrive when it's time to bring you to the Council Chamber, and they escort you up even farther into the heights of the caldera's center. Off to the southwest the afternoon sun is illuminating the center of the mountain cleft, all the way up the bore and well into some of the lava tubes and chambers higher up.
You come to a large door cut from a single slab of the basalt, and you are led inside a magnificently, impossibly tall vaulted chamber with windows facing the southwest, open at this point in time to let in the full glory of the sunlight.
High above there are walkways in the rafters for the chambers. Green inlaid marble tiles form a pattern in the floor. A huge clock lies beneath a clear crystalline faceplate, with a dark unicorn at one end, and a light unicorn at the other, inlaid in the floor tiles.
There are five tall stone chairs with table extensions before them, with the tallest chair just behind the pattern of the black unicorn on the floor. In this chair in ceremonial robes of red sits a rugged dwarven woman with scars across the back of her hands, and braids to either side of her face which were once blonde but now are shot through with white and gray. An orb of stone sits before her on her table, half white and half black but looking all of a piece and resting on a small tablet of red stone that matches her robes. A rose made of red garnets and green peridot makes a brooch on her lapel, with a gold insignia of the dwarven crown floating above it.
To her left sit two male dwarves dressed in white, and to her right sit two female dwarves dressed in black, their robes a perfect match to her own in everything but color.
Three other individuals are standing in attendance before the council as you enter. One of them is a human male, wearing expensive tights, a doublet of dark silk over a white linen blouse that shows through slashed sleeves, and an almost comically large codpiece and short kilt fitted over his hose. On his feet are soft gray velvet boots turned down just below the knee with pointed toes with bells on them, and his eyes are painted with black kohl, giving him an exotic look. He is well into his middle years, and his once-dark hair is now almost exclusively gray, and his face is mapped in wrinkles, but his eyes are still bright and clever and he stands with ease in the chamber.
Another standing along the edge of the giant clock is a tabaxi of luxurious white fur and blue eyes, with smoky black hands. He wears the same style of clothing you have seen from the Ffelyani city of He'shabah. His clothing is quite exquisite in flowing and voluminous dark silks of greens and grays, and he wears one sash in a bright yellow, and a second, thinner sash on top of it which is a braided cord of black and thread-of-gold. The tabaxi's face reveals nothing as he looks at you as you enter, but his tail flicks back and forth with annoyance or anxiety.
It is the third person standing before the council, however, who holds most everyone's attention as you walk in. There in the center of the clock in the floor is the biggest Dragonborn you have ever seen, if not Huge, then at least Large and knocking on the threshold of Huge. His features are incredibly draconic, even for a Dragonborn, right down to the deep burnished garnet red scales that catch every glint of the light and smother it in its sleep with darkness. Two enormous serpentine wings lie folded along his back, his robes cut to allow his powerful, hulking build to free both wings and an impressively thick and powerful tail with spikes beginning to grow out of it, and the line of scaled plates that start from tip of his tail and end at his snout. His eyes are swirling embers of molten gold splashed among glowing furnace coals, and two wisps of smoke trail from his snout, as though the effort of speaking without exhaling flame is taking obvious concentration. His robes are deepest black, and a rainbow cord woven of all of the dragon colors including a few you are unfamiliar with serves as his sash.
"And so, Mayoress, as the Ambassador from the Draconic Council of Askolvieth, I request... no, I demand justice be done, and these murderers be turned over to my government to stand trial for crimes against Dragonkind, at once ." He ends, pointing one hooked and wicked talon at the party as they enter.
The woman in red looks to you as you enter, and there are whispers from the dwarves to her side for a moment as she considers you. Finally, she picks up the stone orb before her and bangs it back down, and the chamber quiets while the Red glares at you cruelly.
"Extradition has been requested by the Ambassador for purposes of the pursuit of swift Justice. Who speaks to this claim?"
One of the male dwarves in white places his hand on his table and says, "How very convenient that justice is demanded now by the Lord Ambassador when for weeks now the entreaties of this same Council fell upon deaf ears when we asked for the Lords of Askolvieth to deal with one of their own who ranged outside of their lawful territory. I decline."
One of the women in black placed her hand down on the table before her next and said, "While I am inclined to agree with Angus, now that the Coterie is present, I would hear them answer the allegations of murder before rendering final vote."
The woman in red considers for a moment, then bangs the orb twice more. "A second has been found. The Coterie is present. This Council will hear their answer for the charge of Murder of the Blue Dragon Androsharax, whose head was taken and displayed as trophy of war as they approached our city, as the testimony of the Master at Arms of the Scrimshaw has demonstrated. The trophy display having been noted, the act is not contested, but let the Council now turn our attention to the question of motive. What say you, Coterie of Ummo? Why did you murder Androsharax?"

We stated our innocence of murder in varying degrees of diplomacy. Then Lady Alvar took over.
 
Honored Mayoress, Esteemed Council Members, and visiting dignitaries. My name is Sister Qeshka, Oracle of Kryptikos, and High Priestess of the Temple of the Horizon Watcher in Seahold. I present myself as friend of the Throne to speak as Legal Advocate for the Coterie, as a favor to the Purr'tan Ummo of He'shabha, whose Great House has long been a patron and taxpayer here at Seahold, and in good standing with the Dwarven Throne for many years.
The male dwarven councillor who had not spoken previously stands and bows toward the Mayoress, who gives a nod and taps her orb once. "With the recognition of Councillor MacCleod, the Council accepts your Advocacy, your Emminence. You may proceed."
Melthranax gives a huff and a small cloud of brimstone vapors rolls out and wreathes his head for a moment, his eyes burning through the cloud like embers. "This is highly irregular. We must protest."
The Mayoress arches one eyebrow, then shrugs. "Then we shall add it to the long list of your many protests, even as we continue with the Council business before us. Step aside, Ambassador. You no longer hold the floor."
A long staring match begins, but Melthranax bows suddenly in graceful mimicry of acquiescence, and mutters a smooth plattitude as he manages to both stomp and seem to undulate in a slink off to the west side of the chamber.
Lady Alvar gives a nod to the Mayoress, and says loudly for the chamber, "This is all a misunderstanding of the highest sort, and can be easily remedied." She produces a scroll with the seal of House Ummo on it from within her robes, and hands it off to one of the Dwarven Guards, who brings it to the Mayoress. "This is the formal order from Purr'tan Ummo Meksu commanding his new Coterie to venture forth upon the waves in the flagship of House Ummo to answer the call of the Dwarven Throne issued through this very august Council of Seahold to dispatch and remove the threat of the marauder, Androshanax, and restore peace to the shipping lanes between Seahold and the West, by any means necessary.
You will find the order witnessed by the Suzerain Court's Chamberlain and sealed by the Purr'tan's own seal, over that of his Majordomo, Jokku. You may of course inquire with the Suzerain Court officials of He'shabha City, but you will find the order quite legal, which, of course, means that this cannot be tried as a murder, and the complaint of the Ambassador from Askolvieth lies not with the lawful agents of this action, but rather with the Council itself. I suggest that his Lordship withdraw his complaints or face the charge of Concilliatory Contempt, according to the Laws of the land.
The Mayoress will examine the document briefly, then hand it to the guard and nod toward the Councillors at either side. The Guard begins to walk to each of them in turn, but they simply wave him on, until he brings it back to the north of the hall and hands it off to waiting clerks and a Dwarven Mage.
The Mayoress stands, and everyone in the hall either comes to their feet or comes to attention. "I find the orders legal, pending confirmation from He'shabha City. In light of this evidence, all charges of murder are formally absolved, again pending confirmation. Until such time, this Council on behalf of all of Seahold and the Dwarven Throne itself declares a debt to the Coterie, who have taken action when the Council of Askolvieth itself did not. Therefore, members of House Ummo's Coterie, we do not punish you, but instead, honor you.
By my order as Mayoress and Chairperson of this duly constituted Council of the Throne, I declare you each to be Honorary Knightst of Seahold, and I give to each of thee a Boon of the Council. You may ask for any favor you wish, and if it is within the power of the Council of Seahold, it will be granted to you.
This is a cause for celebration. I declare a formal banquet in your honor this evening, in the Ballroom. You shall be our guests of honor.
And now, there being no further business, I declare the matter closed with provisions as declared, and this Council adjourned.
 
We asked for our boon to see the Curiositorium and were informed that would use all our boons, less minor requests. As minor requests, Umlilo asked for an Imp familiar upgrade and Pietrs purchase sped up for the +1 shield and longsword.
 
We all go to the banquet all dressed up fancy and it was basically boring. Vedemis had an encounter with a red fox. Umlilo has a run in with a djinn who wants some lovin’.
 
In the morning, we are met by Alvar Qeshka who is flanked by dwarf guards. We proceed deep into the volcano.
 
A vast reddish glow shines up from below here as the party emerges in the depths beneath Seahold in the main magma chamber. Ledges and rock protrusions ring the cavern, with stalactites reaching down from the ceiling, wreathed in fumes and smoke. Various lava tubes from eruptions past lead off in smooth passages angled upward from the central chamber.
A huge obsidian catwalk is suspended from the ceiling here, and in the center there is a circular platform open in the middle from which is suspended several large crystal structures underneath on metal arms with winches attached to machinery on cranks.
About 60' below the thick magma rests fairly placidly, small islands of rock forming as parts cool, and floating gently about the pool before crossing hotspots and melting back down slowly again.
Dwarven forges lie empty down below about 30' from the catwalk, unused in decades, but at the ready to be activated again should the dwarven artificers require any earth magic to fuel their creation in the service of the Crown.
On the lowest ledges all about the chamber stand dwarves who have shaven heads, and some, shaven faces for the men, women also bald. Tattoos instead cover their heads, and they wear robes that begin at the bottom as a deep fire red, and fade to charcoal and black at the deeply cowled hoods, which most wear down about their shoulders. They stand facing into the chamber, and a deep melody is being sung into the echoes and noise of the volcano's heart, one which echoes off of the walls and blends in strange harmonies with the other singers on the other side of the caverns.
Qeshka will turn to you and explain "Those are the Dwarven Earthsingers. Seahold is the largest choir assembled outside of Vale City. They sing with magic that the earthblood responds to, and it is the Choir which prevents the volcano from erupting again, in essence, spending their days crooning magical lullabyes to stop the volcano from awakening to destroy the city above. Come, what we need is in the center platform."
Walking out over the magma everyone is hit with a blast of massive heat, even though giant metal fans vent the heat upwards into chutes that distribute warm air where needed and disperse the heat out into the sea and sky nearby, yielding the hot springs and bathhouses and hot water for the entire city above. Everyone else needs to make a Con save DC 13 or else suffer from the heat (Umlilo excepted) with Disadvantage on all Skill Checks. Those in metal armor or weapons who fail their save will also be at Disadvantage on the catwalk for any attack rolls.
In the center of the platform a dwarven sorceress with golden draconic scales and wings greets you and heads over to the machinery. With her bare hands she turns a crank and a small, 5' wide bridge of stone plates with stone railings to one side appear connecting the ring with a small object floating in the center.
The sorceress says to them, "Your arrival was foretold. Bold of you to seek entry to the Curiositorium. You must cross and enter the bag of holding one at a time. I warn you... do not bring any extradimensional spaces, handy haversacks, or bags of holding with you. You may place those here in the bin for retrieval if you return. Once you enter the bag, go directly to the door for the Curiositorium. Use this key to open it," she says, producing an iron key with a golden C in Dwarvish runes on the blade of it, "And proceed down three flights of the main stair. Get out there.
"The Horizon Stone is within the central chamber. You will need to find the lever to disengage the force barriers to access it, however. You will see many wonders on the way. Not all are safe. But I cannot caution you not to interact with the Curiositorium, for it will be curious, and it will interact with you.
"Just know that any attempt to remove items from the Curiositorium will awaken the Librarians, spectral forms who will try and drain your soul away. If you fall to their magic, you will rise and join them, and only a Wish may undo that bond. So be careful. I do not know whether or not you will return. It would be a shame to lose the key, but I can conjure it back eventually. Any questions?"

You see inside the bag of holding stands a doorway made of stone with a golden dwarvish rune for "C" emblazoned upon it. There is a keyhole. Around the edges of the doorway is some kind of rift, a tear in the fabric of reality itself, through which you can see the Astral Plane spinning chaotically beyond. The rift is covered over by some kind of magical field of translucent arcane energy.
Umlilo gives a low whistle and says, "Kurspirex didn't actually stop the magical explosion from putting extradimensional containers inside the bag of holding... he just interrupted the explosion so it moves very slowly. No wonder it takes the concentrated magical force of an active volcano's heart chamber to stabilize it."
Espy gives a small chuckle and adds, "No wonder the Hags of the Greenwild fear what Kurpsirex did. I wonder what would happen if I --"
Pietr, Rhys, and Vedemis all chime in, "No." At the same time.
Espy says, "But I just --"
"No," the rest of the party says in unison.
Disappointed, Espy and the party use the key without issue and go into the museum beyond.
 
We enter the Curiositorium without further incident.
 
On the way down the grand spiral staircase the party sees halls full of stuff leading off in a strange twilight glow, as though the place were lit by moonlight at night, not fully in darkness.
Rhys and Espy, both being of the Fae themselves, immediately sense the strong currents of energy from the Greenwild in the very bones of the halls and galleries. Umlilo, Espy and Rhys being arcane users can almost hear the sound of gold coins or metal-hard scales whispering as they rub together in the back of their mind, speaking a litany over and over again of a single word in Draconic speech… Mine
Three floors down, the stairwell opens up into a 40' high series of chambers, and the air becomes cool like the desert at night. To the east, a massive oak tree hangs with shards of Crystal carved into wind chimes that give a pleasant array of tinkling noises.
A river curiously runs down out of the south through rushing whitewater rapids, and a high cliff with a waterfall tumbles through what looks like a wall of force in the shape of a cage over to the southeast, into a deep and wide pool that looks like it descends quickly from a shore of sand that borders the grassy hill by the roots of the crystal tree.
A small boat with a sail and room for six people is tied up here, with the sail up in green with the golden C rune in dwarvish again. No oars are in the boat.
To the east, the passage drops sharply and the sound of more rushing water comes from there, with spray and whitewater rapids and small falls coming from it.
 
We get in the boat.
 
The chimes begin to ring out with a delightful song of crystalline notes and the sighing of wind over bamboo flutes begins, while the babble of the river and gurgles over the rocks adds in a chorus that repeats over, and over again in Sylvan as the boat begins to move clockwise around the rooms, propelled by magical wind that now begins to fill the sails. Those not already on board will need to either hurry up and board, or swim.
 
We proceed around in the river, viewing different odd rooms. One a shrine with various animals and six scroll cases; one a room with a harp and dancing spears; one with 7 plinths with bracers atop them; one with 2 huge pillars arcing chains of energy towards a huge hourglass, a djinn/dao is trapped in the hourglass slowly turning to sand; one with 3 divans on animal pelts and shelves of glass animal figurines living and dying endlessly; one with 7 stone dwarf women standing around a spoked wheel and a chamber; the last held thousands of flying knives that attacked anything that made noise.
 
Attempts to cast silence were dispelled. In the end, all of us but Espy went underwater while Espy commanded the boat.
 
Then we found ourselves back in the first room. We proceeded around again, stopping in each room.
 
In the shrine, the scrolls were of reincarnation and the focus was a magic item related to reincarnation. In the gold orbs were 2 scrolls of thunderwave, which we took to counteract the flying daggers.
 
In the harp and spear room, Rhys tuned and played the harp to no effect until he played a shanty. Then the spears lined up dancing behind him. When he switched to his pan flute, they still danced. When he used his bardic inspiration, they got larger and held by spectral knights. We took some spears.
 
Next in the room was the bracers, that when identified summoned a variety of pestilence and plagues. Nothing Else
 
We ended in the djinn room.