The Keys of Telku / The Book with No End pt. 3 / Eire the 7th, 3592 CE / 10-20-19

Having just escaped the flaming library in Xavian's tower, the Adventurers make their way up to the third level of the tower, finding themselves in a cramped hallway where they can catch their breath. At the end is a secret door which seems to lead to a kind of study. There they find a book resting on a pedestal, a long-dead Adventuer laying before it. Securing the adventurer's magic gear, including an intelligent longsword named Ironlaw, the party determined that the book on the pedestal is not the all-powerful artifact of their quest, but Nari takes it for safekeeping nonetheless. Alejandra points them to an alcove with a crystal ball that seems to be focused on the actual book they seek, though the image is strangely fractured, and, as Alejandra points out, crystal balls usually work for locating people but not objects. An adjacent room appears to be a workshop, and Xiao points with trepidation to the large humanoid shape under the sheet, indicating this is the next of Xavian's guardians, the one he refers to as "Pain." The party springs into action, attacking the figure, which turns out to be an immense flesh golem. However, due to their fast reactions, the party is able to destroy the monster before it can fully rise from the table. While Nari uses spells to repair some of her companions items, Roisyll notices a hidden panel, on the wall, behind which is another magic item, a rod of spell absorption. However, taking the rod activates a force cage, trapping Nari and Roisyll. Deducing that the force cage only activates when the rod is removed from its alcove, the party utilizes one of Moss's summoned animals to retrieve the item without trapping anyone. Another secret door leads to a game room, with a game of Pawns on a table at the center. The Adventurers must use their wits to decipher the clues they've received so far, and deduce that a piece from the board is missing and must be returned to unlock its secrets. They locate another workshop, this one guarded by the guardian Hatred, a junk golem. After a fraught battle with the monster, it is destroyed and the missing game piece hidden within recovered. With the final piece of the puzzle in hand, the party unlocks the secrets of the game board, revealing a staircase to the next level of the tower. There they finally locate the object of their quest, the incredibly powerful Book With No End, watched over by Xavian's final guardian, a glass golem (Ambition). Once again the Adventurers fight hard, destroying the glass golem and revealing the key within, no doubt intended to unlock the clasp the seals the Book with No End tightly shut. However, fearing the book's power to suck life energy and devastate the land around it, no one dares open it. With some debate over what should be done next, the party ultimately accepts the solution that Alejandra's gods have guided her towards. Ascending to final level of the tower, the party is confronted by five portals, which Xiao informs them are intended to connect with five other Towers of High Wizardry, though he cannot say if they all still work. At least one of them, it appears, does, as Alejandra directs them to bring the book and key to the lair of Raupp the Sleeper, an ancient green dragon whose dreams have overrun its tower lair with wild vegetation. Raupp will only wake if an object is taken from his hoard, and so the party deposits the deadly and poweful book and glass key within the pile of gold and treasure, trusting that should anyone ever discover them there, they will not live to tell the tale. With that, the party uses Xavian's personal teleporter to exit the tower.