Reason's Guild report - 0.5.17 agf

Whispers in the dark

In the northeastern reaches of Elanora, where the blight's grip tightened like a vice, stood Solara's Spire—a grand tower cloaked in mystery and darkness. The once-brilliant beacon atop its spire had gone dark, casting the surrounding lands into shadow and despair.

It was here that Mabel the elderly human barbarian, Aemon the centaur ranger, Tungadil the dwarven paladin, and Kyle the Wood-Elf rogue, members of the esteemed Little Warrior Adventurer’s Guild, embarked on a quest of the utmost importance at the behest of Damien Ironbrand, the guild's artificer.

Upon entering Solara's Spire via the recently fixed teleportation device, the adventurers were greeted by the crackling of arcane energy and they stood in awe of the towering architecture that surrounded them. At one end of the room stood 2 impressive archways that stood resolute on either side of a rather inconspicuous door. Guided by their instincts they pressed onward, wary of the dangers that lurked in the shadows.

Atleast, most of them were wary! The ever courageous Mabel walked proudly into the fray with nary a thought of self preservation, as she made her way towards the archway on the right; this intricately detailed structure with a symbol of a sun engraved into its surface. The beautiful white light that seemed to emanate from this entryway only grew in brightness the closer she got until it was too much to bear; poor Mabel was blinded, it was as if she had stared into the sun itself, and in her hasty attempts to back away ran head first into a wall!

With Mabel now tethered to Aemon as a means to keep her safe while her eye-sight returned they investigated the remaining archways; Aemon and Tungadil eyed the door in between the archways with suspicion. Rather unremarkable in its appearance, it seemed almost inconsequential, overshadowed by the grandeur of the archways the stand on either side. Kyle on the other hand made his way towards the archway on the left; which was just as intricately detailed as the other, although this one seemed different. The closer Kyle got the more he began to notice how the light surrounding him bent towards this entryway as if the light itself was being sucked into this endless void.

His vision began to falter, but not like Mabels, this was not a blindless that had been experienced before; it was like the light was no longer able to reach his eyes. With the knowledge of what happens when approaching the archways in mind, the party decided to prepare themselves and take a leap of faith by entering the sun archway. With hoods drawn over their eyes and the delightfully soft scarves that Mabel had knitted wrapped tightly around their heads they stepped into the white light. Once beyond the archway they found themselves within a brilliantly white room made of pristine white marble in which a single pedestal stood in the centre of the space.

Floating above this pedestal was an orb, one unlike anything they had seen before, that pulsed with a radiant white light. Mabel still courageous as ever, albeit acting on a “blind” courage now, dragged the still tethered Aemon towards the orb. Like a moth to a flame, the light called to her and she could not resist reaching out and touching it.

The moment her fingers touched the glowing orb, the balls of light that drifted around the room letting off brilliant prismatic bursts of colour, as if in celebration, reacted with such speed that caught all off guard and attacked Mabel. Aemon was first to react at the sudden onset of aggression but in her haste at firing two arrows somehow managed to lodge one directly into Mabel shoulder. Once the others caught onto what was happening, it didn’t take long to dispatch the remaining threat and tend to the wounded Mabel. Once the dust had settled and the orb had been retrieved, they hastily made their way towards the dark arch at the request of Kyle who felt the orb would assist in their exploration of the space void of light.

Stepping past the threshold of this darkened archway that absorbed light as if it were a blackhole, the party now surrounded by a dim dome of light that fought back against the ever-encroaching darkness began their search within this void, ever present of the feeling that someone, or something, was watching and waiting just outside the protection of the light.

In the centre of the room their stood a pedestal, not unlike the one in the sun room, only this time instead of a floating orb there just sat a concave glass disc. Hesitant at the thought of suffering the same fate as before, the party tested all avenues of investigation and experimentation before Kyle “accidently” pushed Mabel towards the disc.

Mabel, in her attempts to halt her fall, reached out and planted her palm squarely on this disc and it was as if time stood still. They waited… and waited… for what ever was to occur next. But nothing did.

So with that, Aemon’s magehand bravely picked up this glass disc as one final attempt at ensuring their safety before firmly grasping it in their own hands. It didn’t take long for Tungadil to figure out that the shape of this disc when held certain ways would either focus or diffuse the light being shone from the orb. One was like a torch in which the light spread far across the area in front of them and the other was like a beam of pure light that wrought destruction wherever it was directed.

With that knowledge safely locked away and the items in tow, the party made their way back out to the final door. This unassuming door, made of what seemed like weathered wood, worn by time and neglect began to transform before their very eyes as the light from the orb shimmered across it’s surface. Where there was once simplicity, there is now a complex tapestry of symbols and sigils, pulsing with a newfound energy as if awakening from a long slumber. With a soft click, the door unlocked of its own accord, swinging open to reveal a passage bathed in golden light. Stepping into this new room, the door slamming shut behind them with a thud, the party found themselves alone with nothing but a door and a lever positioned in the centre of the room.

Mabel, once again invigorated with her ever lasting energy and no longer afraid of previous consequences for her actions, hastily strode towards the lever and without hesitation pulled it with all her might. It did not take long for the whirring of cogs and the slow grinding noise of stone on stone for the party to realise their once cathedral height ceiling was now ever so slowly getting closer to their heads.

Many attempts were made to halt this sudden reduction in head room but to no avail.. it wasn’t until the quick thinking Tungadil used the light of the orb to scan the room that they found the clue they needed. The blurry smear across the ceiling that Mabel had uncovered earlier, shimmered in the light to reveal a message written in ink that said “Accept your fate”. This and the knowledge Aemon uncovered in investigating the door frame lead them to make a decision that they must accept what is to happen if they are to move beyond this room.

Those last few moments when waiting for the roof to reach the door frame seemed to stretch on for an eternity.. had they made the right decision or was this to be the end? And then they heard it, the audible click of a door unlocking the moment the roof touched the top of the door frame. Free at last! They moved quickly through the door and up the stairs, happy to be out of that death trap.

At the top of the stairs they found themselves within a grand room but they were not alone. At the far end of the room stood a robotic construct, the likes of which none of them had ever seen before. They had found themselves face to face with the guardian of Solara’s Spire. Luckily for them, it was friendly.

A brief discussion with the guardian informed the party that if they were to relight the beacon they first must complete the trials to ensure that they were worth of this sacred duty.

First was a test of their intellect, they became pieces of a much larger game in which there was only a select few ways to win.

Second was a test of their strength, in which the guardian put up a valiant fight before succumbing to the onslaught of the party.

Once the trials were complete and they were found worthy; a plinth rose from the floor, atop of which stood a metal bracket. With the orb in place and the glass disc positioned above as a lens; a vibrant beam of white light shot through the centre of the ceiling and ignited the beacon that hovered above.

This beacon burst into flame and spread it’s light across the land surrounding the tower. All remnants of the disease and corruption caused by the blight that was suffocating this area burst into flames and crumbled into dust that would be soon swept away on the winds.

Where the light touched was now free of this affliction. Overjoyed at the thought of success the party reactivated their portal back to the guild and stepped through; already planning their celebrations once back in the inn.

But their victory was short-lived, for the moment they stepped into the portal, the guardian came alive once more but the voice that spoke was not the one that had guided them before.

And it came with a warning… “You fools! Do you understand what you have done! By re-igniting the beacon you have announced your presence to those who would claim this towers power as their own. The conclave will be drawn to this place like moths to a flame. Prepare yourselves, for they will stop at nothing to possess the Sunstone’s light.”

It was the voice of Reason…