Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars

[The_Snark]

Sinan

Sinan is wholly absorbed in seeing what the eyes have seen during the little altercation. "Nothing alive—oh really now, do you have to go and do that now?" Sinan snaps testily as the woman pleads and is dropped. "What was I saying? Oh yes, there doesn't seem to be anything alive near us. A few zombies, but they don't really count, now do they?"

"There's something odd beneath us, though. Some kind of crystal, quite large. It couldn't possibly have survived the towers falling by coincidence—perhaps we should go and have a look at it?" He looks questioningly around at the others, seeking approval.

[Shiny, Bearer of the Pokystick]

Rabina

Rabina stands mid-way through the attempt to comfort her, straightens her matted hair as best she can, and throws one hip out contemptuously.

::Idiot[!]Fool[?] I amNota child, not a young not a just-fleshed not a past-the-dream-only-seconds[.] Do notTouchme[!]::

She appears vaguely intrigued by the heartless one's condition, and softly begins singing a children's nursery rhyme in a horrible, gravel-choked voice. Judging from it alone, half her larynx is ribbons.

"Oh my sweet sister
You walk so soft;
Why do you weep on sacred ground?
Oh, he has stolen your heart away
And is no more to be found
Oh, sister, oh, sister
Walk a while with me
Through the wild and the loathly trees!
And after a time I will take your heart
And heartless we both shall be, shall be
And heartless we both shall be!"

She pauses a moment, then tilts her head to one side as if listening.

::I am unharmed [.] Efficient use of our time is paramount [.] We should begin exploration [.]::

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

"She's right... Kullauk M'kroloth." He flew over the side of the tipped-over tower and began flying downward, gaining speed and looking a lookout for any blue light. Whenever he sees it he teleports only five yards from it to observe.

[The Demented One]

What Vaajek finds is a sphere of luminous blue crystal, about ten feet in diameter. It is elongated, shaped more like an egg than a true sphere. In its luminous, crystalline exterior, faint glyphs and designs can be seen, assembling themselves into complex patterns and schematics. As Vaajek nears it, he hears a harmonic pulsing, a low bass that beats out a steady, intricate pattern. He feels a strange sense of uncannyness, as if something were watching him.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Mahogany is oddly silent for a time, looking out across the devastation. He snaps out of his thoughts however when the girl is lifted into the air. He is opening up his mouth to speak when the demonic being drops her and then goes over the side.

The elderly fellow reaches a hand down to help the woman up.

"You alright there lass? What he has the right to do such as that I cannot think." he says. "What is your name by the by?"

[The Demented One]

"Thank you," she says as Mahogany helps her up. "My name is Chesley, Chesley Beleth. I'm from Sharn, working on that airship to save up some gold and...now this. Well. It's good to know at least one of the people I'm stranded with isn't a monster."

For Mahogany, Rabina, and Sinan

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Something about Chesley's surname strikes you as being odd. "Beleth" is the Abyssal word for "song," an unusual name for a Brelish girl to have.

[The_Snark]

Sinan

"What an interesting surname. Delighted to meet you, Chesley." He smiles benevolently, eyes twinkling through his spectacles, and casts a brief spell to clean the blood off her hand. "If I may suggest it, I think you should avoid talking to our... mmmm... odd companion," he says, settling on a word. "Unsettling and unpredictable he may be, but he was most useful when attacking that beast."

"Now, shall we be on our way?" He extends a hand to both Chesley and Mahogany, offering his assistance in making their way down through ruined Sharn.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Mahogany

"Well now, don't go judging my state of horn and scale yet. Get me without supper in my belly and I might just get right monsterly." Mahogany says, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. "Right sorry as can hardly get out what's gone about. Have any folk of mention here?"

Mahogany takes Sinan's hand and shakes it heartily.

"Mahogany." he addresses himself with a wink, clearly getting the point across that he needs no help, but appreciates the gesture.

[dyslexicfaser]

Gahz

Gahz dips his head in wordless agreement with Sinan and returns to his giant eagle form. He flicks a wing as if in a parting salute to Mahogany, Sinan, Rabina and Chesley, before spreading his large wings and flapping his way clear of the tower before tucking into a dive, homing in on the link his Status spell had created between he and Vaajekk, instinctively knowing the direction and distance to find the abyssal one.

[The_Snark]

Sinan

"Sinan," the elf replies with a return smile, just in case he forgot to introduce himself. The offer turns out to have been more than just politeness; he rises a few inches into the air, lifting Mahogany with him. "Would you care to accompany us, my dear?" he asks Chesley. "It should be fairly safe here for the moment, but one can never be too careful, you know." He offers her an arm, a peculiar lightness tugging her gently upwards if she accepts.

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Between Telekinesis and flying, I think he can carry the both of them, if they're not particularly heavy. I'm not sure if they could get down without flying at all, but it'll certainly make it easier.

[The Demented One]

By wing and by spell, you all fly down to Vaajek's level. He stands on a caldera of rubble, a pit of unmortared bricks and crushed stones in what was once the side of a tower. In the center of the pit there is a blue crystal, the same one Sinan's divinations found. As the whole party approaches, the sound of drums coming from the crystal egg intensifies, becoming a pounding, frantic rhythm that all of you, even Chesley, can notice.

[dyslexicfaser]

Gahz

Gahz lets out a low whistle between pursed lips. "This is a day of firsts, it seems," he murmurs. "A creature, a crystal, and a cataclysm."

The pounding of the drums, for all its frenetic pace, is beautiful in its way. Almost hypnotic. He steps forward to the pulsing crystal egg, drawn to it, like a magpie sighting something shiny.

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Holy Star in its spell-blocking use, in case I trigger something painful. It'll block (1d4+3)[6] 'levels' worth of spells.

[The Demented One]

As Gahz draws nearer to the orb, it seems to react to his presence. The glyphs whirring across its surface begin to link together to form a massive glowing rune before him, a glimmering spiral about the size of a man's palm. The drumbeat accelerates, not quite reaching its climax by cresting on a fevered, percussive mania. Though Gahz prepares himself for the worst, there is no magic for his holy star to defend him against - any magic inherent in the crystal must be passive.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Vaajek draws his blade, years of warfare have not left him too eager to be unprepared. He approaches the crystal, holding his sword in a position ready to cut anything that might wish to to anything from destroy him to startle him. With his other hand he carefully puts it on the crystal, focusing his inner core of eldritch power to reach the minds of anything that might be within it.

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Walking up to it and using my detect thoughts SLA, first to detect if there are any minds in this thing, and if there are I want to read it. Will save DC 22.

[The Demented One]

As Vaajek touches the crystal, he feels its surface heat from ice-cold to almost uncomfortably hot in an instant. A glowing handprint forms under the demon's hand, and lines of light spread across it, forming an intricate lattice of light across the crystal. A glowing ring of light forms around Vaajek's handprint and begins to expand, growing to the size of a small window or door, an oval about five feet high and three feet wide. With a flash of light, the crystalline sphere opens, its surface retracting like an iris within the ring of light, creating a door. Within there is darkness, but those of you capable of seeing through the dark can make out what seems to be some sort of altar or panel, covered with crystalline screens. While the opening is awkwardly placed, with no steps or ramp, a small hop would be all that's needed to get in.

For Vaajek

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You sense a mind within the sphere, but there are no thoughts you can read. It is not that it is shielded or hidden; whatever it is, it is not thinking at all, though conscious.

[Ellas Aramond]

As the others talk to Chelsey, The Guardina goes to speak, hoping to make her feel more at ease. But right before, he flames begin to flicker ever so slightly, causing him to stop , using all his willpower to keep his fires steady.

"Jao Gao" he mutters, annoyed as always by his time limit.

After he is left alone on the tower, he begins to levitate down the other side; but only gets a few feet fore his flames, and his entire heroic form, disappear completely, causing him to tumble down the mound, all the way to the bottom.


"Ai yah tien ah!" he curses once he is able to get up. "Once, just once I'd like it if things actually went my way." Doing his best to brush himself off, he runs after the group.

"Oh thank the flame." he exclaims, once he actually reaches the group. "Others actually survived!"

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

He hesitates for just a moment and then steps inside, able to see everything perfectly thanks to darkvision. He gazes all around the inside of whatever this is and utters words almost unimaginable from him, "Yeh res ah myssara vero..." Spoken in a language too beautiful than should be spouting from him, but something deep down makes it feel like the language comes naturally from him.

For anyone that speaks Celestial.

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Figure I'll start translating what the hell I'm saying now.
"A thing of mystery indeed..."

[The Demented One]

As Vaajek steps in, lights suddenly flare into being. They do not seem to have any source, but simply permeate the whole space within the crystal. He mutters in awe as he looks at the inside, his mind barely able to process what he sees: the orb is bigger on the inside than on the inside. While the sphere itself is perhaps ten feet in diameter, the room within it is the size of a small courtyard, with a ceiling at least forty feet high. In the center is what looks to be an altar or panel of some sort, a jutting spar of gold-tinted metal with a violet crystal set in a plinth at the top. Crystalline screens ring it, each displaying words and images, though Vaajek cannot make them out from across the room. To his right there is a flight of metal stairs that leads up to a railing along the top of the wall, leading to a set of six doors. A plaque on each doors labels it, in both Common, Riedran, and a strange language Vaajek does not recognize. The plaques read: Quarters, Library, Vault, State Room, Null Room, and Sanctuary.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

He stopped at the altar in the center of the massive room and examined it but for a moment and spoke out loudly to the others, over his shoulder, "Come in, it's safe."

[Shiny, Bearer of the Pokystick]

Rabina

Rabina leaps nimbly onto Ganitai's back, and the hideous ur-thing makes her way to the crystal with an arachnoid tick-ticking of unjointed rib-legs; as they near it, the storyteller leaps off of the undead's back and skips toward it, laughing- it's a surprisingly full, husky sound, not in keeping with the mewling whine of her mental voice or the ravaged, reedy sound of her natural tones, which follow closely on the laugh in a strange tongue.

"Nes'qu quorghat nachata hramkhat oorquom oorplantaramaat!"

Translation from Quor

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"Oh, it's so beautiful, the mind-egg, the sleeping one!"

The Scrivener, hopping off of Ganitai's back, follows her, scribbling inanely as she makes her way up the stairs, heedless of danger.

What it Writes

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Even as the handsome, dark-skinned man put his hand to the device's surface, it flared with an aureate light, beautiful and pure as the heavens from whence he proceeded. He smiled rakishly, taking the dreamer's hand in his and helping her over the threshold; her skin flushed scarlet, just a moment, and Ganitai blew a lock of hair from her brow in bemused jealousy.

"But whatever is this thing, I wonder? It seems to be asleep, or elsewise dead. Oh, and I hope it is not dead! Nothing so beautiful should ever die, save that it is remembered, and I do not know it well enough for that."

Her fingers caressed its bronze railings, almost lovingly, and pressed her warm cheek against its cool crystalline walls.
"Oh, but I shall- I promise I shall, really I do."

Artifact Origin: Unknown 234923409 Artifact Type: Unknown 23942349032490234 Unknown/Unknown/Unknown QR/DD Temp.Ex. QUERY.

Rabina carefuly opens the door marked 'quarters'.

[The_Snark]

Sinan

"My word," Sinan says as he steps in, looking at the impossibly sized chamber. "This is... do you know, I can't think what it is."

He walks to the central plinth, carefully not-quite running his hands over it and examining it. Then he takes the strange staff in hand (the odd dull quality of the reflection is more apparent in the brightly lit chamber than it had been outside in Sharn), holds it in front of him, and channels potent magic through the staff, asking a single question in total silence.

What is this thing?

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Using the runestaff to cast Vision; spending a 9th-level spell slot in place of 72 XP. 28 XP spent. Spending XP... painful... like... pulling teeth!

Caster level check should automatically succeed, since it's at +19 and the DC is 20. The question is about the crystal object in general, not just the thing in the center.

[Ellas Aramond]

Slightly confused by the glowing vessel, Drann follows the others inside, then immediately has to run outside again as he tries to wrap his head around just just it was.

"What...?" He says, a look of confusion and amazement on his face. He had used a fair amount of extraplanar storage devices, but nothing like this.

Popping his head in and out of the vessel a few times only makes a wide grin form as he comes to appreciate the magical marvel sitting in front of him.

"It's...bigger on the inside. He finally says before stepping back in. "Qi miao!*"

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* Ignan for: Fantastic!

[dyslexicfaser]

Gahz

Gahz is about to make a rather tasteless joke involving taking bets on whether Vaajekk was alive after his sojourn through the crystal doorway, but the demon (devil?) swiftly assures his companions.

He approaches the doorway, stutterstepping a bit, considering how to fit his 10-foot-plus bulk through a five-foot-by-three-foot doorway. Finally he hits on the simplest method - he dives through the entryway like a rather large missile, hoping that there is no one idling on the other side.

Once he stands and dusts himself off, he stares around in like wonder. "Amazing," he say simply. "Truly astounding. What are the odds of finding such an artifact in the ruins of the city? Talk about lucky."

"It's almost as if it was left here for us to find."

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Ellas, is your base form significantly different from your heroic/avatar/whatever form, the Silver Guardian?

Incidentally - I wish I'd taken the Fine-sized swarm form, now. I was almost just defeated by a door!

[Ellas Aramond]

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Sorry for not putting a new description up. But yeah, we're talking a Spider-man/Peter Parker type difference here. For actual appearence, take a look at my sheet.

[The Demented One]

As Rabina opens the Quarters door, she finds yet another room, this one an impressive kitchen with ovens, pots, cutting boards, and cabinets and racks piled high with every foodstuff imaginable. A mithral pot hangs above a fire, and smells of savory meats and exotic vegetables waft out from it, tincturing the air with a pleasant aroma. At the center there is a huge, darkwood table, set with seven chairs, as well as a wide cushion which looks like it could support Ganitai. Past the kitchen there are seven doors, unlabled but otherwise just like the one that led into the quarters.

For Sinan

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The crystal sphere is an artifact, an immensely powerful one at that. Your divination does not bring you any legends or rumors of this machine - there are apparently none of it. However, you do gain a degree of understanding of its function. The crystal at the center is a conduit of sorts, an eldritch machine for channeling planar energies, allowing you to travel through the plane it is attuned to, most likely the Astral. The expansion of space within it is strange - it is like the extradimensional space within a bag of holding, but it is not a demiplane. Instead, space itself has been somehow stretched and expanded within the orb.

[dyslexicfaser]

Gahz

Gahz sees that people are splitting off to investigate the crystal thing, and does likewise.

He chooses to take a look into the 'Sanctuary', mostly because the name sounds warm and inviting.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Mahogany carefully follows the others within and a look of utter amazement and disbelief alights within his creased face.

"Oh my soul, I must have went abed and not yet woken..." he breathes, and pinches himself and twitches. "Why I am awake, leastwise as much as I ever am, but we've walked right into a tale, mighty folk. Lands, but never'd I think I'd see the day when I'd heard tell of findin' a for-real, jab you in the belly, true to toast Yester'eve Ship, must less be steppin' aboard..."

The old man simply continues staring, drinking in the sight.

[The_Snark]

Sinan

"A traveling device," Sinan comments absently, still staring at the central object. "That's what this whole thing is, I think—wait, what did you say? A yesterdayship?" He turns around, peering closely at Mahogany. "Do you mean to say you know what this thing is?"

[The Demented One]

As Gahz opens the door to the Sanctuary, he sees a field of grass that stretches as far as he can see - it must be at least a mile from one end to the other. Sweet grasses grow up from a rich black soil, with swatches of striking violet wildflowers interspersed among them. The walls and ceiling are perfect simulacra of the sky, down to the sun and the faint images of the moons and the ring, masterfully made images if not the real thing. In the center of the field grows a single tree, taller than any tree Gahz has ever seen, towering over even the greatpine Oalian. Its branches spread wide, and luscious red fruits hang down from them, fruits unlike any else on Eberron. The air smells as if it was just raining, the pure storm-scent mingling with the smell of the flowers and the earth. The whole room is of ideal clime, the air just warm enough to be pleasant without being hot, and wholly without humidity. A gentle breezes whirls through the room, lazily lingering through the grasses. A few birds and butterflies flit about the branches of the tree, but there is no other obvious animal life.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Mahogany

"All I know is stories of such, but it rightly fits the tales to the T." Mahogany says excitedly. "Can ye think it? Why, you could go back to a perfect day and just keep havin' it, or see what you wee one's wee ones'll look like. Reckon if we had this thing tackin' the winds of happenstance could sail ya right back and show you how Sharn was in it hayda..."

He trails off and his mouth opens in an O, showing teeth of great vitality. He looks at Sinan, "Do you reckon...?"