Scholarly Pursuits

Discovery, Exploration

in the Eternal City there's an archive that has been uncovered, or at least it's outer area. some adventurous souls go to investigate it.

"Why is it that a civilization burns down? Why is it that we cannot have peace and accordance? Why has it been proven time and time again that nothing lasts? Personally, I believe that there is something out there that does not want it to last, that believes civilization creates weak people, and that weak people have no place in the world. Only by creating a civilization that forges, encourages, and makes the strong can a civilization survive."   "If hard times make strong people, strong people make easy times, and easy times make weak people, and easy people make hard times, then it seems inevitable that something is determined to continue this cycle to make strong men. As if it could not abide the idea of people being weak."   These words, spoken by a Noscious scholar, were imprinted in a book discovered and translated from their high language. The scholar theorized that all civilizations spiral into chaos through an inevitable cycle of entropy, not merely because people give up on them but because people are made to act against them. This theory sparked significant conversation in his time as his own civilization was failing.   The Decline of the Noscious civilzation
The competent within Noscious leadership often fell or died, while the incompetent drove things into worse directions—be it through wars with surrounding wildlife and peoples, famine due to mismanagement of crops, or the execution of free thinkers leading to a death of knowledge. The final ages of this civilization were clearly marked for a terminus.   Despite their imminent collapse, the Noscious did not go willingly into the darkness. They intended to leave a lasting chapter in history. Recently uncovered by adventurers in the Fourth Age, their archive was made to protect the deep secrets and knowledge accrued during their time. This archive successfully preserved their secrets until one of their bloodline attempted to resurrect this knowledge, unlocking sections of the archive.   The Preserved Children
To protect their knowledge, the Noscious implemented numerous failsafes and defenses, requiring adventurers to explore the unlocked sections of the archive. Among the secrets, one stood out: the preservation of children trained to remember events in ways that text could not. Over time, the children's minds degraded, leaving them emotionally unstable.   * The Pscion: The first child underwent a mutation ritual, becoming a psionic creature capable of mental communication but emotionally unstable. It often lashed out and was sealed to prevent harm.
* The Necrocraft: Necromancy preserved the second child, whose body was stitched with parts of other creatures. This created an internal demiplane for fuel and persistence, but the constant negativity turned the child into a deviant creature with a playful sadism, torturing those who conversed with it.
* The Tree: The third child consumed a pill condensed from many sacrifices. This pill, formed from a seed obtained through struggle, eventually overtook the child's biology. The child descended into lethargy and, after seeming to perish beneath a lake, was reborn as a tree. This ageless nature preserved the child's mind due to the plant life's innate serenity.
  Ancient Guardians
Additionally, within these halls, there were two more creatures that had survived the passage of time. They were ancient guardians, the left and right swords wielded by a warlord of the family. Both spiritual blades possessed permanency that extended beyond many mortal lifetimes. In their madness, they struck out against the intruders, unable to distinguish between explorers and desecrators.   Their age had given them a form of madness, as all others who had come before sought to desecrate the archive. This threat was truly dangerous for the adventurers. Kenrith Vess, an adventurer in the party, was slain in the battle, his life captured and stolen away to the shock of his peers. Though of minor importance to the overall events in the archive, the consequences of his death and the havoc created by the following actions are worth a story unto themselves.   Adventurers' Task
To unlock deeper access to the demiplane, the adventurers needed the children's permission or their death.   * The Pscion: The adventurers, unable to interact peacefully with the psionic child, granted it a peaceful rest by ending its tortured existence.
* The Necrocraft: The adventurers entertained the second child's games, allowing it to harm but not kill. The child's lack of interest in killing those without hostility allowed a strange but peaceful resolution.
* The Tree: The most aware of the children, the third child, recognized a descendant of Noscious. This recognition granted the adventurers passage, allowing them to unlock deeper access to the archive. The awakened child silently beginning the reconstruction of the broken plane from the pieces splintered by time's erosion.
  Conclusion
The adventurers successfully navigated the defenses and unlocked the secrets of the Noscious archive. Their actions preserved invaluable knowledge and provided a glimpse into the fall of a once-great civilization. This session highlights the cyclical nature of civilization, the relentless drive for strength, and the enduring impact of ancient knowledge on future generations. Additionally, the encounter with the ancient guardians and the loss of Kenrith Vess add a somber note, emphasizing the perilous nature of uncovering such deep secrets.