Faction verse: Secrets of the Old Monsatery

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Cons
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Character: Ashi Kirino

Faction verse: Secrets of the Old Monsatery

Post by Cons » April 18th, 2022, 8:01 am

Ever since their abrupt arrival to the Province, Ashwalkers from Khaduraas have been a constant threat that loomed in the South. They fortified their position in the old monastery, next to the southern marsh that shelters the pirates and their ships. While their presence around the old Consortium towers has all but disappeared, their operations within the underground catacombs of the monastery thrived. One can only wonder how far would their tunnel sprawl if they operated unchecked. Thankfully, there have been more than a few brave souls that have ventured into their halls, some because of their duty to protect the people of the Province, while others searched for famed filaments, an exquisite resource that is valued above all else by the engineers. Yet, it was not fame nor the lucrative filaments that cough Ashi’s attention. Few adventurers, those that explored the maze-like dungeon in its entirety, spoke of a vast library deep within, full of books stacked from the ground to the high ceiling of the library hall.

Obtaining but a tiny drop of the knowledge about teleportation, portals and warding runes that the cult possesses would give us insight into their operation and the necessary tools to fight back meaningfully. With the help of Malik, who has visited the place before, a newcomer Doctor Drusilla and a veteran arcanist *redacted*, they made their way South. The winding path to the library leads them through narrow corridors full of traps and dead ends. It was clear from the first sign that Ashwalkers place a great deal of attention on the runes along the corridors, but perhaps even more prominently in laerger halls. The library seemed to be the most well-guarded one out of all the places. A fierce head librarian defended the knowledge to her last breath, along with the army of dark spectral wolves.

It took them a few minutes to secure their position. The fleeting light from the candles illuminated the vast halls of the underground library. Ashi slowly moved to the bookshelves close to what would appear to be a place of worship. To her surprise, she found on those shelves were Decusian prayer books. She went over the title and recognized a few corporal works. It was clear that the books here have been used recently (and frequently). *redacted* has more luck at the other side of the library. The group gathered in the middle as she presented a peculiar book: it looked relatively new and not heavily used as the prayer books before. The thick cover made of black mamba skin was adorned with circular arcane etchings. The only runes they could make out were "Vas Wis Grav Rel Por". The cover also held four distinct crystals in its own corner: green malachite, purple amethyst, blue aquamarine, and a bright orange citrine. They turned the pages and observed highly stylized and illuminated pages. However, the texts inside seemed foreign and did not match any known language of Vitaveus. Between the text, however, were depicted various locations across the world of Eden: deep caverns full of strange crystals, deep underwater trenches, fiery volcanic cores and high stormy peaks. Equally puzzled and amazed, they exchange their looks and nod satisfyingly. As *redacted* was about to close the book, Malik extended his gloved hand and rested it on one of the stylized landscapes. His eyes sharpen just so slightly, obviously pondering.

“We might have something here. Follow me.”

The group followed him even further into the dungeon until they reached what looked like a dead end. Or so it would appear at first.

“It is quite something, isn’t it?” said Malik.

Others stood motionless in the middle of a long hall with four openings, two on each side. And within each opening, a window into a distant place. They took a few steps towards what would appear to be a fiery cavern. They could make out small humanoid silhouettes in the distances as they approached. They were gretchen, hunting the nearby lizards. They seemed to have spotted the newcomers and started approaching the barrier, but they disappeared into thin air as they came close. The opening of the opposite side was a stark contrast to the first one. Drusilla and Ashi stepped closer as the mist slowly started to dissipate. It was as if they were standing at the top of a high mountain peak, overlooking a large body of land stretching towards the west.

“Is this ... Collatia?” asked Ashi.

Drusilla slowly nodded. Their first thought was that they were gazing upon the gateways to the different planes, but as it would appear, the portals led to the places in Vitaveus.
“Just like in the book we found,” remarked Malik.

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Cons
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Character: Ashi Kirino

Re: Faction verse: Secrets of the Old Monsatery

Post by Cons » April 18th, 2022, 8:04 am

At the end of the hall, past the openings, was another curious object: a trigger lock of some sort. Malik warned the rest of the group that it triggers a temporal disruption of the warding barriers at the gateways and allows primal “elementals” to pass through. The opening started to dissipate for a brief moment, and hostiles started to march in. It was not until the last wave that a paragon of sorts appeared. A colossal fiery being started marching towards them, but Malik’s sword was quick enough to intercept. The whole room was soon engulfed in flames, but the group prevailed. The massive golem collapses on the floor, parts cracking and oozing with lava. Ashi was quick enough to grab a piece of metal that served as a temporary pickaxe to try and uncover the creature’s essence. After some deliberation, a sliver of a fallen creature was extracted. A peculiar, small object, warm to the touch with a tiny ember of fire within. By some strange chance, they all make it back alone and in one piece with the specimen (and the book) preserved. However, the real work is just beginning…

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