Lost Lore 13: Touched By An Angel
General Summary
After our conversation with Digby, Charity, Ospher, and I had a brief talk with Lorgan and Tadlo to make sure they knew we appreciated their help thus far and that they're welcome to make a replica of the clockwork familiar as further recompense for the amount of danger they're subjecting themselves to and promise of a future discussion regarding the dwarven gun we found.
We would love to have multiples of that gun. We could sell that, we could make a business. If you guys want to go into that, we could start a little gun factory.
Oh, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I didn't come to this city to become an arms manufacturer.
Well nobody comes to Frial to be anything in particular, it just happens.
I'm just trying to put a positive spin on getting rich from running a factory.That evening in our various research efforts, Charity and I were able to discover in one of her books that the creature in the first room was called a corpse flower and that the attached zombies would effectively attack targets en masse and would be able to possibly consume someone whole at the central mass. The zombies at the end of the tendrils were an extension of the entire monster but focusing an attack there meant limiting the amount of damage someone could do to the entire creature. We thought on that and then looked in the The Promise of Dawn to see what we could do about Olivia if she decided to get hostile with Ospher in regards to her possession. We determined that there were a number of factors we could incorporate into the actual exorcism that would lessen the power of her tie to the the realm of the living and make it easier for the power to Nisaba to drive her to her due reward in the afterlife. Ospher and Tadlo used the afternoon to gather materials to make some more Dynamite in the case we need it in the Abbey. Setting out from the 12 Carrots in the morning, Brightshine met us outside with all of his worldly possessions and explained that he had, in fact, been expelled from the Grand Order of the Lion. Their loss? Our loss? We'll decide later. He explained too that he would need money for lodgings at 12 Carrots as well, since he spent all the money we gave him on a weapon, a rusted battle axe. Lesson learned, I suppose. Digby was outside as well, bedecked in what must have been his old adventuring gear, scale mail that was a few sizes too big, a pointed hat made out of chain mail, a steak knife tied to the top of a walking stick, gigantic spellbook strapped to his back.
Is there extra rooms inside your carrot?We also made a stop by Tucker Street Apothecary on the way to Bellhaven to see Bianca and see if she had anything we could use for our upcoming fights in the Abbey and let her know the bad news regarding Digby and the Gate which wasn't a portcullis. I let her know that she was welcome to come with today as well to observe the gate, since there was almost no certainty that it would be operational after today. She declined due to the mortal jeopardy we explained the situation would likely contain, but we invited her to look later, assuming we were succesful. She wished us luck and gave us a Bead of Force and explained she found it on the moon. We asked after her new inventory, and she explained she had healing potions, some scrolls, and a summonable magical boomerang that had Banishment, Bane, and Shield of Faith ((DC 14)) that could be cast from it once per day. She explained that some of these items had come from a tomb she paid some people to loot and we discussed the marking on the item itself and concluded it was from the old Empire of Skyrir. We haggled with her for it and offered the Trapmaster's peculiar sack and one of the pre-Rebuke manacite. We told Lorgan that he would be using the Boomerang to keep him further from harm's way while we finished things out today.
There are.
Are those rooms... for free?
Well, are you going to destroy the gate?
He's coming with specifically to turn it off himself since he thinks we're dullards.
His words.
History is confusing and varied. Bones atop bones atop bones.
This boomerang is a powerful relic, we'll need it back after today.
In battle who knows what could happen! Now it seems like a real responsibility and there's a lot riding on it! Why'd you have to come and say that?
Soften that next time!We then made our way to Wagner Abbey and observed Street King Nimoy and six of his chosen hanging around across the street. We stealthily saluted one another since Digby was hanging around near the tree waiting for us since we stopped by Bianca's, and proceeded within. Digby's loose armor was jangling even more loudly than mine, due to it's ill fit, and we proceeded to appraise him of the conquests within Wagner and what remained. Surprised by the description of the Birthing Corpse Flower in the adjoining room to the gate room, Digby was gracious enough to share with us three Potions of Sharpness that he made himself in order to make sure that we would be up to the task. I applied one of potions to Brightshine's glaive, directed Tadlo to deploy his Protectobot that he'd been gushing about earlier then Brightshine and I opened the door (as we remain the most armored among everyone).
I've given much more powerful relics to actual villains and it worked out, so I have confidence in you.
One day you'll have your own cache of ill-gotten gains that you can just pull from.
One day.
Must be nice!
It is nice, not for for those whose gains I got... ill.
You probably shouldn't be walking around telling people that.
I can tell you anything, you're my trusted cohorts!
If you weren't my trusted cohorts, I would have sent you in [the abbey] for a small amount of gold and you'd be dead already.
I could have been the greatest of them.
You are the greatest of them, look at you now!
I'll show them that...
If you die, everything you have becomes property of the house though.
Hey!
The barrier is impregnable, and beyond that, we don't want to preg it.
They're yours to use for now, but I'll take them out of your salaries.Immediately, the Corpse Flower's zombie-tentacles started moaning at us and swarming towards the door. All 20-ish of the tentacles flung themselves not just at the doorway but at the zombies clogging the door, causing the wall to begin to buckle as wood creaks and stone grinds as ancient dust starts to loose from the wall. Based on Ospher's calculations, we determined that before the wall came down, the tentacles were long enough to allow zombies 20 feet beyond the door, assuming a stationary base. Brightshine swung his glaive covered in Oil of Sharpness, demolishing a zombie, Charity flung an Ice Knife, destroying one outright and grievously wounding another, Lorgan flung the boomerang (of destiny) at one by Brightshine, severing the tentacle which dropped the monster to the ground. Tadlo's Protectobot was able to channel positive life energy into all of us and a few of the zombies, killing one that Charity wounded. Brightshine was then struck by a few of them teaming up to lunge at him, but his tactical supremacy affected him a desperate parry, shielding him from much of the damage. Ospher fired off his Magic Missles at injured zombies, trying to limit the reach of the flower, while I cast a Word of Radiance, annihilating yet another wounded zombie as Divine Fire bathed the zombies nearest Brightshine and me.
We have salaries?!
You will once you are teachers!
Why is it?! What is it!?The wall came crashing down now, with us well out of the way of being crushed by the debris, as Digby seemed to not handle the horror of the Corpse Flower very well since it proved itself capable of ambulation. The central mass was akin to a large mound of tough flesh with a lidless eye that was just staring at us, I struck with another Word of Radiance and pulled back, as the remaining 18 tentacle-attached zombies were then starting to make their way over the rubble to engage us. Lorgan proved to be dangerous with the Boomerag, and Tadlo's robot was able to fire positive energy at the central mass as well as taking out an injured zombie, though his Magic Stone didn't connect with the large horror. Charity's Witchbolt struck the creature's center as she then moved back to sustain the lightning. Ospher then lit a stick of Dynamite and Catapult'ed it at the mass, cracking open the leathery cocoon, revealing a humanoid figure within that seemed to be connected to this entire monstrosity. Zombies then attempted to overwhelm Brightshine again, but he was able to not only dodge the attack but strike and sever a zombie's body as he danced away. The mass tried to then bite at Brightshine and swallow him whole, but it was able gash his feathers significantly, while the remaining available zombies began to batter Tadlo about. Attempting to defend his betrothed, Lorgan flung the boomerang at the creatures but it went wide before returning to his hand. Surprising all of us, Digby rolled up his sleeves, pointed his weird spear forward and unleashed, what looked to be a Flame Strike on the creature, reducing 4 tentacle-zombies to ashes, leaving it with only 8 limbs. Tadlo's device was able to overwhelm three more limbs and harm the center mass, Charity's spell continued to unleash electrical pain, and my Radiant Bolt dealt a large wound to the central mass, cracking the shell further. In response, it attempted to pin me down with Zombies while the mass bit through my armor and pierced my midsection and its other remaining tentacles lashed Lorgan with claws and attempted bites. Ospher's Dragon's Breath then killed half the remaining zombie-tentacles, and Brightshine closed with the central monster, slicing through it with no resistance thanks to the magical oil as it continue to bleed ichor onto the floor. Tadlo's Eldritch Cannon then overwhelmed the last of the creature's defenses with life energy, the tentacles deflated, the zombies screamed as they lost all animation and the thing inside the core thrashed about as it yielded it's connection to the mortal realm.
To be fair, we don't know if they're your spells or your weapon's spells.
They're one in the same! Lore Slayer and I have been together for years.
The name keeps changing...
I did it, I did it! This machine is the best!We sat down to tend to our wounds and recuperate and sent Tadlo, Charity, and Ospher to check over the room and discovered that there were 6 more of these Corpse Flowers waiting to one day sprout, and the door to the gateway room was still intact, Ospher used the last of his spell to ignite these eggs and destroy them. Within the room's cabinets, we found a pittance of silver, a pristine set of thieves tools, rope, and a map of a local mansion; clearly a heist in progress, and finally a piece of music that was religiously inspired with a Bless spell and Hideous Laughter inscribed thereon.
Adequate.
I wish my grandfather would have helped from the start.We cast a couple of bolstering spells on ourselves and I directed everyone to put in their ear plugs, and we made our way inside. The room was very eerie and surprisingly dark considering the prismatic wall on our left, there were occasional sparks between the gate generating device that provided some light but we stayed fairly close to one another as we treked into the dark of the room lit only by one of Charity's cantrips. And as we approached people wearing the kobold's goggles noticed that the darkness seemed to undulate and move of it's own accord at the peripheries, as if alive and when we got closer to the pylons, they sparked more consistently and more and more energy accumulated in the space between them, filling with unnaturally bright light as something started to take form. Even through our earplugs, we could hear and feel a keening that cut through us as some nightmarish aberration took shape, neither banshee nor angel nor alive. It drifted from the portal and the closer it got, the stronger and more painful it's presence became. Ospher (with some of Olivia's memories) knew this thing could enchant the freshly dead, it would be immune to non-magical attack, necrotic and poisoning damage, and that it was exactly as Professor Rabinger said, it was from somewhere outside of Tairos and it was never 'alive'. He later told me he then experienced a flashback of the Proffesor pacing about in the lab, looking over books and seeing him very anxious. At various point while we were in the lab, we each saw some of these flashbacks, as if the scene was playing out in front of us, transposed through time atop our world. Based on his reckoning, Ospher opted to cast Magic Stone and fling a stone imbued with force at this not-a-banshee, as it closed to collide with the thing, the stone degraded due to entropic forces. I told Lorgan to use the Boomerang's Banishment power, which the creature resisted and he then struck the creature with a throw. Tadlo's Magic Stone met a similar fate to Ospher's cast of it, Charity threw a Witchbolt at the creature with extra Oomph behind it and it then closed on Brightshine and nearly put it's hand through his chest, which he took very well by blocking with his sword, and then it's mouth-crater widened and it's horrible keen tore through both of us and which then awakened the shadows of the room to assail us with clawing and scratching.
That's him, that's the Professor! He built this! Is he here?I healed Brightshine and backed up slightly, and saw another flashback of Rabinger, pacing and haggard, his hair ragged raving about soemthing, I couldn't piece together. Ospher then nailed the beign with his second Magic Stone breaking off pieces of it that quickly decayed, and I then took the opportunity while it reeled to throw Bianca's Bead of Force at the creature which it wasn't able to evade, capturing it within the magical spher. Knowing it would outlast my Beacon of Hope spell cast from the Qinbi family wheel, we took the time to spread out a little hand out magical Candles of the Deep for magical light, and Ospher, Digby and Charity ran over to check out the gate machinery, while Brightshine went over to attempt to destroy the machine while I went there to get in his way.
Whatever is going on, I don't think is happening in the world of the living.
Maybe he's a ghost, give him your body!
I don't think that's how this works, and not a lot of room left in here.
I'm missing time, I'm losing track of hours, I'm hearing the echo in my dream. The corridor, its the same... it's the corridor, the noise, the echo.
Containment is failing, it's in my head. It's not a corridor, its a door and its in charge of what it opens to.Charity's assessment of the machine was that it creates a pull to something from elsewhere by using a corridor, but initially unable to determine how to turn it off. Based on Ospher's assessment of the control panel, the machine was enabled by the keys and could similarly be disabled through a "failsafe" in order to flush the otherworldly things back out. Charity then was able to discern which holes line up with which Wagner keys, and Digby explained that he determined after that, the there was a large lever that would need to be thrown down afterwards. The force sphere ended and Ospher's final Magic Stone landed a strong blow in the creature's chest. The banshee(?)'s wail then filled the room, dealing significant wounds to Ospher and Lorgan, and throwing them to the ground as they resembled corpses. Though after a second Ospher stood back up with an oddly different posture, as Olivia took over his body. It then grabbed Brightshine by the neck, crushing his throat and throwing him to the ground, his feathers draining of color, and his body dessicated and then almost started glowing with that rainbow Light we had seen before. I ran over at this point to distract the creature and cast Gentle Repose on Brightshine, dispelling the light from him and restoring his vigor, though he remains dead.
The rest of them, they call it a banshee because of its song, but that's so uncouth, so crude. It's an Angel of the Void.
This creature, distance and time are the same to it. It's able to stand on its home shore at the same time.Back at the at controls, Charity grabbed the keys from Ospherlivia, who then cast Magic Missile at the creature, turning the creature to what looked like mostly formed ashes in the air. Lorgan's boomerang strike on the otherworld being, broke of the creature's arms and then administered a potion to Tadlo. I then observed one of these time separated phantasmal scenes of the Professor calling it an Angel of the Void, and based on a subsequent scene, understood that even after a banishment, with the gate on, the Angel wouldn't be cast from our world. Seizing the initiative, I directed Charity to put the keys in and Digby to throw the switch, Digby's potence was insufficient to fling it, so I ran over and flung it myself. As the rusty lever fell, lots of clicking came to cascade about the room and for a moment the pylon cut out and the room went dark. Then the pylons kicked back on, but based on the dust floating in the air about the room, it had changed to a strong suction. I was able to resist the incredible tug of this gateway, but Digby was immediately picked up into the air and came into contact with the portal and was immediately rendered into ribbons of dust and slurped what was left of him up. The Void Angel was initially able to resist this pull, but since everyone in the room had been affected by the angel, we all felt the tug of the portal. I grabbed up Digby's weapon, planted it into the stones of the lab and slid the staff into my armor to grant me assistance in resisting the tug, I cast Enhance Ability on myself then and screamed for everyone to run from the room.
You have to go!Ospher was able to wrestle back control from Olivia at this point and cast Expeditious Retreat to run from the room, observing that the Angel's taint had crept into likely the entire Abbey and if the machine wasn't turned off, the whole place would be sent back to who knows where. The Portal's pull strengthened, drawing the Void Angel in close enough to grab at me, dealing me a serious blow, but I was able fight off its enervating effect. It then lost it's grip on our world and as it slammed into the portal, it too turned into ashes. I then cast Guidance and swung the lever back to the off position and collapsed from the strain in a quiet and dark room. Charity, Tadlo and Lorgan came back in with a lit lantern to check up on me as I then sought to get the Digby's spear out of my armor. We flopped down to catch our breath, and then we heard it. A voice calling out from towards the front door. We saw a young boy standing near the doorway, gazing around with wonder and he announced that he's here said sorry that they're a little early, referring to the 6 other children standing behind him in the vestibule. He handed us a scroll, in what Charity confirmed was Digby's handwriting , stating it was an "Invitation to join the College of Magic" and that they've been induced. They explained that they each had found the invitation secreted into their rooms with a pouch of coins and that they should definitely sneak away from their families to come here. Most of them were between 10-14 years old, and had come from fairly nearby, minus a kid, Bogart, from Becklinberg. I dispatched Ospher to get the kids settled into the dormitory while we made sure that there was nothing else in the lab. We found a pittance of gold, a couple of uncommon magical items, scimitar and shield, 10 pieces of the ancient manacite, and a rotted pack of items. Digby's ledger at his room in the 12 Carrots indicated he sent out 60 of these letters. There, we found his stash of items, 21 pieces of manacite, his two "wizard killing knives" Dagger of Venom.
I can't leave you, you might die! Did you see what happened to my grandpa?
Are you Headmaster Digby Sparrow?And so we have become shepards anew, for Digby's final goal. Our Sending spell was unanswered so we must assume the worst until such a time that he re-magics himself into our presence, demanding to know why we haven't saved him. The ownership of the College has transferred to Charity, with our charade continuing on the books as an Orphanarium that cares for and educates the unfortunate. In Digby's disappearance, we set to renewing the ruin taking up such a commanding presence on Salavoy Street. The road we share with the main thoroughfare into Frial proper now sees regular trips from local shops, deliveries from bakeries and farms and carriages no long halt at the start Nimoy's kingdom, though all of this goes largely unnoticed by a great many of Frial.
He's unavailable presently.
Indisposed.
The Assistant Headmaster Charity can meet with you at a later date.
Rewards Granted
Spear of God Smiting (+4) - Lore Slayer/Lore Slasher/Deity Decimator/Deity Breaker/God Slicer, it changes every day. By magic.
Missions/Quests Completed
Wagner Abbey has been exorcised of all that dwelt within. While one former denizen is within Ospher, we can remove her at our will.
Bianca has given access to study within the Lab to determine if anything on this gate could be used on her ancestor's gate. Further information to follow at a later dare. We've also shared the old magical item creation manuals we discovered.
The Order of the Basilisk is aware of our new responsibility and has allowed us to have regular exemption from their nightly fight against the evening terrors within Frial in exchange for the College to serve as a backup haven for clandestine activity.
Character(s) interacted with
Tadlo Lerby - Although saddened by Brightshine's evident demise, we explained that we had access to magics that could return him to life as he did not pass for long enough to depart Tairos. He made his copy of the clockwork familiar, but I'm not certain either of them used it yet.
Lorgan Honeysuckle - Following our completion of Wagner Abbey, Lorgan and Tadlo are still about town, but back to planning their nefarious deeds. I wish them all the luck my goddess may bless them with.
Ser Brightshine - Returned to life by use of the Revivfy spell granted to me by Nisaba. He was befuddled and seems to be ok now.
Charity Sparrow - Grappling with the responsibilities of her new life, but is putting her all into the School.
Digby Sparrow - Gone with no hope of contact. We know he had the rest of his manacite with him, so if he didn't die in the transmission, he had a strong fighting chance.
Lorgan Honeysuckle - Following our completion of Wagner Abbey, Lorgan and Tadlo are still about town, but back to planning their nefarious deeds. I wish them all the luck my goddess may bless them with.
Ser Brightshine - Returned to life by use of the Revivfy spell granted to me by Nisaba. He was befuddled and seems to be ok now.
Charity Sparrow - Grappling with the responsibilities of her new life, but is putting her all into the School.
Digby Sparrow - Gone with no hope of contact. We know he had the rest of his manacite with him, so if he didn't die in the transmission, he had a strong fighting chance.
