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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Thanee" data-source="post: 4720194" data-attributes="member: 478">The rooms that still contain readable books, cover the subjects of Philosophy, Rhetoric, Mathematics and History. It takes a while to get an idea what the books are about, and so the adventurers spend quite a bit of time reading.In the meantime, Storm has brought the Madman to Jade, who promised to get help for him, and is on his way back, carefully, not intent to run into one of the humanoid patrols all alone.Some of the books stand out and might contain useful bits of knowledge.The Philosophy section includes natural philosophy, theories of art, and supernatural sciences. Nearly all the material is dry reading, but there is a scroll entitled Fyerdetha’s Discourses On Power. This scroll is a study of supernatural sources of power. Among all its dry text, it has this to say about the Pool of Radiance.“Fountains and pools hold great power that can only be reached by performing proper ceremonies. Most sure of these is immersion, for in this way the bather surrenders himself to the spirit of the water. That spirit or some portion of it thereafter enters into the bather, whereby he gains great powers. Woe to the weak-willed whose spirits are sure to be consumed by demons that put even the strong at great risk. Yurax holds that the Falls of lxce are greatest of all these. Morden writes that the Pool of Radiance is greater still.”Elsewhere in the philosophy section is Urgund’s Description of Darkness, a grim account of his imprisonment in the lower realms. It is primarly a listing of names and palaces, the horrors there being beyond written description.“...and seated foremost in the Hall of Minor Courtiers were the lesser powers: Maram of the Great Spear; Haask, Voice of Hargut; Tyranthraxus the Flamed One; Borem of the Lake of Boiling Mud; and Camnod the Unseen. These too fell down and became servants of the great lord Bane.”Other titles (of no particular use) include the Meditations, The Harmony of the Rock, Strom’s Discussions of Poetics, the Chronicles of Arram, and a Discourse of the Nature of Writing.Rhetoric: There seems to be nothing of immediate use here. Most of it is speeches from famous murder trials, pronouncements, public debates, and the like.Mathematics: There seems to be nothing of use here, although there are many ponderous and bizzare books on all forms of mathematics — geometry, calculus, metamagical math, etc.History: This includes biographies, court histories, and geography. There is little or no distinction between myth, legend and reality, so the material is often quite confusing. However, this is obviously the greatest source of information about Ancient Phlan. The following books seem especially useful.Lex Geographica: This is a atlas drawn by the great mathematician Tomarus. In the collection is a map of Phlan and the lands to the north. The work bears no date, but is over 200 years old. Naturally since that time, there have been changes both natural and man-made, reducing the total accuracy of the map.The History of the North: This is an inaccurate and highly colorful account of the northern lands. When paging through the book one can find all sorts of colorful exaggerations, obviously wrong. Other parts seem quite accurate. There is one passage of particular interest.“Ten days ride north of the Varm is a barren and dead country called the Lee-wai, land-in-pain or land-of-caused-pain. Further to the south this place is know as the Tortured Land. It is said to be an evil place, shunned by the Riders. They speak little of this land but yearly during Ches they make a trip into its heart. Their they go to adorate the spirit of a glowing. spring. This they have done for ages and so shall they do for years to come.”The Grand Historian’s Records of the Arts of War: The binding on this mouldering old book crumbles at a touch. This is a single volume of a massive work dealing with the history of warfare from before time was even recorded (such records being of course possible through magical means). In it there are innumerable little mentions of this group defeating that group and being attacked by another group who in turn are attacked by a fourth, etc. There are accounts of abductions, failed alliances, broken treaties, petty squabbles, diplomatic intrigue and more. The book’s tone is strongly moralistic, attempting to set forth the proper principals of governence in times of warfare. It is also very anecdotal. From the crumbling pages comes the following passage:“At this time their ruling the Twisted Ones was a powerful general named Tyranthraxus. He strode before his armies cloaked in flame and led the Riders out of the waste. At his hand the kingdom of Barze was conquered. Turning south he led his army to conquer the Horreb and the Vane. Tyranthraxus was a cruel man and leveled all that he had taken, murdering the princes of these lands. But the flame that surrounded him consumed him, destroying his body. Freed of its shell, it flew among the men of his army, lighting on each and claiming it. It was then when Baron Schodt imprisoned Tyranthraxus in a vial of water which shone like the light of day. This he sank in the watery depths of Lake Longreach, defeating the armies Tyranthraxus had raised.”Storm has reached the library now and finds his companions reading.</blockquote>

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