19.11.2022 - Scribe-5 - Arriving at the Palace

• Late in the evening Sylword gets a very formal summons through Sending from Glannon
  • A tiny dark purple butterfly carries the message
  • Sylword tells the rest of us
  • Scribe-5 warns him that Glannon was acting weirdly last time we spoke with him
  • Sylword suggests one of us follow him sneakily, Void is chosen
  • They make a complex system where Sylword sticks his hand out of the bubble with a certain number of fingers to convey different meanings
  • They head to his office
    • The city is pretty busy for being late in the evening
    • Arthur Montagu (aasimar knight, leader of path of hill(??)) waves Sylword in
    • Sylword tries walking in with Void, and neither is stopped
      • Glannon is drinking tea, and there is no teacups for them, nor seats to sit in
      • He is pointedly ignoring Void
      • Sylword is addressed as Leader of the Path of Horn
      • Sylword guesses that he was summoned because he was not doing a job he was not aware needed to be done
      • Glannon laughs genuinly and acknowledges that someone has made a mistake
      • Void and Sylword are now given teacups and seats
      • Sylword shows Void three fingers, as both sit down
      • They get different tea from the same pot
      • Sylword signals four fingers followed by two
      • Glannon explains Sylword's job: to advise the emperor
      • He mispeaks exchanging advising the emperor with leading
      • Sylword tries to get out of doing it, since he is busy
      • Glannon takes it as if Sylword thinks advising the emperor is beneath him, and mentions that he will get amazing food and living quarters
      • Sylword has to seek out Auren the custodian (who was previously the technical leader of the path of horn before Sylword came)
      • Auren has not reported back since the rebellion
      • Glannon is bad at hiding that he doesn't think well of the emperor
      • Sylword is given written instructions (a very thick and crumbling tome in ancient elvish) of his role, and he can delegate the job to someone else he trusts if he wants
      • Sylword signals 1, 1 and 3 fingers
      • The emperor hasn't been seen since the rebellion
      • Sylword tells him that when he is done with the emperor, he will no longer remember his parents...
      • Glannon also wants Sylword to deal with the Path of Strength
    • When they leave, Sylword reprimands Void for not Detecting Magic on the drinks when he signalled for it
  • When they come back, Sylword tells the rest of us about his duties and the missing emperor
• Scribe-5 and Desa cast Guards and Wards, and Teleportation Circle together, but after learning it today Desa can cast it on her own from now on
• Scribe-5 helps the workers (all dwarves) sign magical contracts, which they all do without hesitation
  • Desa keeps watch over them, and makes sure to scare the foreman sometimes
  • Magic is used extensively during the construction process
• We talk a bit about Glannon's weird behaviour with the contracts
• Then we head to the palace, taking the public route
  • We pass some collapsed buildings and burned areas
    • Survivors tells us that path of strength are looking for challenges
  • The palace is on the slope of the volcano
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  • The guards by the gate lets us through once Sylword shows his ring, given us an escort to lead us to the palace proper
  • Sylword taps his hammer to not have an escort, and we're given more guards
  • The guards ring a chime once we reach the doors
  • Sylword and Bucket doesn't wait, and just opens the doors
  • The guards announce us as Heroes of the Awarth and our titles
  • An old male halfling waits for us on the other side, bowing and welcoming us to the palace of the sun emperor
  • He will show us to Auren, and is confused by our questions of if the emperor is here
  • Sylword signals 2 and 4 to Void, who Detects Magic on the drinks and food we're offered. They're non-magical
  • We're asked if we are ready for excitement, and are led to Auren
  • Our guide gives us the history of everything we see
  • The foyer:
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    Servants are wiping our footprints as we walk
  • Everyone is very excited and happy that we're here
  • No magic is being used, but there are subtle depictions of leaves burning and people being burned on the stake
  • We reach the Sunset Study, with a high ceiling and a large fireplace with a broken mirror over it. A person is standing inside
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    Massive bookshelves line the walls
    • A warforged is held aloft on railing, as if a statue
    • Sylword points out the broken mirror (it is not nearly as big as the one we saw in the mirror dimension)
    • The halfling announces us, and identifies the person as Esteemed Custodian Auren
    • The halfling leaves on Aurens command, and we're left alone with him
      • The warforged is of similar make as Scribe-5, made for scribing, but she doesn't recognize it
      • Sylword introduces us, and tells him that Sylword is the leader of the path of horn
      • Auren confirms that he has seen the emperor since the rebellion, as it is his job to advise him
      • When asked for the emperors name, Auren tells us that he is His utmost higness the god emperor of the sun whose rays we follow in his footsteps, the esteemed light of the realm, Sun Emperor Lysanthir Eveningstar
      • Scribe-5 brings up that he has not been in contact since before the rebellion, and he explains it as an error and caution during turmoltuos times
      • He is not telling us the whole truth, and is unsure what to do with Sylword being the new leader
      • He is shaking a bit, and his eyes are darting between us
      • Sylword thanks him for his service and tells him he is free to go
      • However Sylword is hesitant to live in the palace, he suggests Auren rents the living quarters here so he doesn't have to move out
      • Sylword asks the party if we can make at-will sending stones to give to the emperor
      • The halfling butler comes and whisper something to Auren
      • Sylword answers at the same time, and makes the hafling confused
      • The coachman has collapsed and isn't breathing, probably dead
  • We're led to the gardens, where a few servants are tending to the body
    • Void tries to look around, but is distracted by suspiciously hospitable servants
    • Sylword asks Bucket and Scribes to find out what is wrong with him
    • Scribe-5 has no expertise in this area and asks Void to Detect Magic
      • He detects a strong magical presence by the gate
      • The outher layer is illusion, and the inner layer is conjuration and necromancy
      • The object is invisible, and he tries to touch it. His hand gets colder and colder the closer he gets until his hand turns invisible
      • He feels a tug on his being, but is able to resist it, hearing familiar laughter in his mind
      • Inside the bubble of invisibility is a metal orb(?)
      • He is able to carry it, and feels moving cogs on it
      • He shows it to the party and scribes offers to dispel it (but rolls too low)
    • While this is happening, Sylword is assisting Coty in finding out the cause of death
      • They notice his fingertips are black, with small tendrils crawling up his arm
    • Sylword casts Revivify
      • To convince the soul to return, Sylword grabs his hand and tries to talk him into returning
      • He senses an obstacle with the soul on the other side
      • The muffled voice tells him that he was cleaning when he fell and touched something
      • he feels very cold, and is getting colder
      • Sylword tries to control the heat of the diamon he is using for the ritual to go into the coachman's heart
      • Void feels the object he is holding growing uncomfortably warmer until it cracks
      • The coachman is dragged back to his body and gasps for air
    • We talk about the invisible object, it is still warm to the touch, but the cogs are no longer moving
    • The necromancy is also gone
    • Scribe-5 crit fails another Dispel Magic :/
    • We head over to investigate the area the device was found in
      • The object was placed on an octagonal platform with the letter 5 in draconic
      • The object and the platform was a pair
      • Bucket also fails horribly at dispelling the invisibility
      • Void puts his face inside the invisibility bubble, and is able to see the object
        • The mechanical object has an octagonal bottom matching the platform
        • There is a large crack in it, showing a red crystal 5 cm in diameter
        • An antenna is ripped, and a placard says "Arnini's multidimensional mega-measurment device" in common
      • Scribes lifts the platform, it is a spike that was driven into the ground
      • She thinks it was placed here a few days ago
    • We talk to the coachman who tries to act like he is fine, with fingers still being black
    • Sylword puts him over his shoulder
    • The other servants tells us that sickness means you have not been properly following the path of the emperor
    • They want us to take him into the basement, in a place to "rest". It is a "sickbay"
    • Bucket heals the coachman, and he is very insistent that he is perfectly fine and doesn't need to rest
    • Sylword signals 3, 1 and 2 to Void
    • Sylword tells the coachman that since he is feeling well, he can tell us what happened
    • The coachman will tell the custodian everything, so we introduce Sylword as the new advisor
    • He requires more proof, so we head to Auren
• We get back to Auren in the study, the coachman in tow
  • Auren knows that the coachman and several of his family members work as palace staff
  • The coachman is called Gorvenal Cartwright
  • Gorvenal tells us that he was simply opening the gates, and he fell
  • He was trapped in a cold red-crystal prison
  • There was a nigh ta couple of days ago that he saw someone who should not have been here
  • They weren't wearing servant uniform, and were short (about ot his waist)
  • They were walking along the walls
  • The coachman says both the empress and the emperor is in good health, so everything is fine
  • Sylword advices the coachman to take the day off
  • Auren backs him up, convincing the coachman that since we are not the emperor, it is okay to rest sometimes
  • Sylword pivots to suggesting the coachman goes for a walk and looks for any diamonds laying around
  • Auren will supply us with some diamonds as thanks from the emperor
  • Coty pipes up and asks if we can see the pretty lady
  • Auren understands that to mean the empress
  • Sylword wants a fluid transition into the advisor position
  • Auren suggests that he can be here in Sylwords stead when Sylword is out adventuring
  • The guards the coachman mentioned is Edmund and Milange
  • Auren believes they are guarding the basement, outside the Sun's Rest
  • After the coachman leaves, Scribes asks Auren if similar disturbances has happened before
  • People have died with black fingertips several times recently. They have dealt with it internally to prevent panic in the citizens
  • He goes on a speech about the necessity of the emperor
  • There has been 3-6 disappearances a day
  • Mostly gardeners and guards along the walls, but a few inside the palace. One was found close to the Sun's Rest
  • Scribes fills Auren in on the device and it's connection to Malagnim
  • They do not practice magic, so they have no means of finding the devices
  • Void offers to find them
  • Auren recommends starting in the lower levels, where the emperor and empress are in the Sun's Rest
  • The Sun's Rest is a place to rest and be reborn when the sun rises again
  • He really wants to tell us something, and tells us that he would have to answer Sylword if commanded
  • Sylword hints at Scribes, and she starts casting Telepathic Bond
  • Auren stops her and sends the servants out of the room, then stands with his back turned while Scribes finishes the spell

Plan