And then some...
You know pretty much every use for the prismatic crystalline flower, which is a rare mineral bloom called a Iridescent Zunsum. It only grows on the coast near Bluffside and originated in the ruins of Sem La Vah. It is a rare manifestation of magical energies. When it blooms, it usually means there has been a great magical convergence. In its inert state, it looks similar to a gemstone wrapped in vines. In its current state, it is one of the most beautiful sights that magic and nature create together.
However, it's beauty rarely leads to peace. It is indeed used as a planar key and can be used to help strengthen a weak portal or create a new one from scratch, if enough of the Zunsum is collected and gathered together to form a catalyst. Since you found no historical evidence that a portal ever existed in this spot before (see below), it's very likely that this Phelix person used the bloom to create this portal. It would have taken some time to perform the rituals, and the effects on him would have been painful without the aid of a
supernatural being.
Zunsum is valued for its ability to enhance the crafting of magical items, and can strengthen a new items caster level by as much as 50% if the caster is willing to give up part of his life force in the process. (In game terms, this is temporary ability score damage [1d8+1/bloom] based on the caster's magical leanings. So, for a wizard, Intelligence, but for a Sorcerer, Charisma. This temporary damage lasts twice as long as usual and if the caster gives up too much, he/she starts losing Constitution, permanently.)
The one bloom on the table is worth nearly 25,000 gp, but the sale of it is restricted by the Wizard Council. They would never let anyone sell it in Bluffside. It's value increases significantly in other lands (nearly twice as much).
Neurotic said:
Local: 1D20+11 = [10]+11 = 21
Neurotic said:
<-- local gossip, history, area details
Old City is where the origins of Bluffside were forged. Early archaeologists and treasure seekers plumed the region including Sem La Vah. The first lord mayor of the city was known as Jarmine the Wise. The descendants of the original settlers still call Old City their home and families known as The Five are the most important of these merchant-nobles. You know well the story of the Goblinoid War and that when the goblins came, the bridges of Old City were raised. This left the rest of the new city to burn under the torches of the krugs. This has left a lasting divide between Old City and the other districts.
Today, Old City is one of the most patrolled and protected districts in the city, which makes the current murder spree in Old City quite troubling to its citizens. Add to that the knowledge that the renegade sorcerer who caused the disaster in New City is now loose in Old City has the people on edge. The wealthier displaced citizens of New City, taking refuge in Old City while their home district is under martial law, shout loud for justice and that Old City be turned upside down in order to find the sorcerer. The high-ups in Old City want the man found too, but mainly so he can be hanged publicly and the New City citizens can get out of Old City.
Most of the current gossip about the district has more to do with the daily lives of its citizens than Phelix. You do know that he attacked Big Tim, Relgar, Custodio, and their old companions in the inn known as the Golden Lantern, yet the renegade wasn't actually there. Somehow, he set a magical trap for them keyed to saying his name out loud. Thus, why Tim and Custodio are hesitant to say the man's name out loud (just in case). They and their old allies nicknamed the renegade,
Waldo. Rumors surrounding the Golden Lantern speak of another assassination plot against one of remaining members of The Five, but why would one of them go to that inn after what happened there already?
The main information you're learned about the Gardens is that the dragori-fehr servant of the Great Mother, Sylemis, who helps tend the Grove of Peace and Harmony has come down with an ailment that even he can't cure. Normally, he can brew almost any potion for any need, but he's able to cure himself. It is whispered that he may be cursed due to his past failings in the Dragori Empire.
http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=229709
Neurotic said:
Planar: 1D20+11 = [3]+11 = 14 <-- it doesn't go to Feywild
When the Wizard Council first asked you to take a look at the Growers' Tower (and then the portal), you were quite surprised by maddening, runic writing in the tower and the planar map that existed on the bottom level of the tower's interior. Those writings are not normal; it's as if the person who wrote the markings at the top of the tower's interior wasn't the same person who wrote the insane markings at the bottom of the tower.
The planar map shows all the standard planes (as they exist in the Mirrored Cosmology), but the map seems focused on finding a connection to the Far Realm. The council had warned you of this ahead of time, but seeing it was still unnerving.
The portal itself was nearly invisible to the naked eye, and if the council hadn't had it outlined it black chalk, you would have missed it. The portal itself seems quite plain in comparison to the tower, and you couldn't see any evidence that it would go anywhere other than the Ethereal or a demiplane that coexists alongside Kulan. Note that the portal isn't in the tower. It's on the district's outer wall that connects it to the Gardens.
http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=229709
Neurotic said:
Gather Info: 1D20+8 = [6]+8 = 14 <-- whatever he found out from the mobs
I assume you're mainly interested in learning the latest rumors about Phelix, the Growers'
Tower, and the portal.
One of the Elite tower wizard guards of Wyndlasmere House, Finnola Jardine, has gone missing. It is believed that she stumbled into one of Phelix's plots and was murdered, but her body hasn't been found.
The citizens living near the Gardens whisper that they've seen a man matching Phelix's description walking along the top of the wall that divides Old City from the Gardens.
There is talk that Master Gervas Rosenberg might close down the Golden Lantern in its current location and move it to the other side of Old City, if the renegade isn't found soon. Phelix's name has been bad for business, and he seems really nervous when inside his inn. (He was almost killed by the
fireball trap.)
A fist fight broke recently out on the street near the primary gateway that connects Old City to the Gardens. The troublemaker was none other Carl I of the Temple of the Ooze. He has been spouting mad doctrine that Phelix the Renegade is actually a prophet of the Great Ooze and that he should be praised for his actions. Carl I was taken into custody and hasn't been seen in Bluffside since.
The latest rumor about Old City's serial killer is that he's an assassin working for a foreign power and is trying to disrupt Bluffside's trade and security.
A drunkard who was stumbling through the Sublime Bazaar late last night, ran screaming from what he believed was the ghost of the murdered Lord Mayor. The Regulars caught him this morning and dumped him in a cell at the barracks to dry out.
A new inn has appeared in the Undercity below part of Old City, seeming out of the blue. No one is sure who built it, but the new business is called The Shady Dragon Inn. The local miners are avoiding it like the plague, while a handful of young adventurers recently visited it and came out very excited. Perhaps there is some new type of exotic entertainment? If so, Glamor Glitterod of the Black Boudoir won't be happy.
Someone saw a weird creature in the street near the Tribunal. It looked like it had tentacles and it was horrific to behold.
http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=229709
Neurotic said:
History: 1D20+13 = [2]+13 = 15 <-- what happened last time the portal opened
No matter how hard you looked, you could find no evidence, in any of the libraries open to you, that a portal exists where one does now. Your research into the history of portals in Bluffside was frustrating since the walls of Old City are specifically warded to not allow portals or gates to be created on them or even near them.
You had to go look a the place where the Wizard Council found the portal just to make sure in your mind that hadn't made a mistake. They didn't; it's there; it shouldn't be there. That revelation sent a chill down your spine. Mortal magic did not create the portal alone.
http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=229709
Neurotic said:
Bardic Lore: 1D20+11 = [10]+11 = 21 <-- secrets of this particular portal or grove
Sylemis of the Gardens was once a bodyguard for an important dragori noble in his homeland, but he was disgraced after he was discovered asleep while that noble was assassinated. It didn't matter that he wasn't on duty at the time, and he was forced to leave the empire in shame. (They cut off his tail.) He wandered in the Dragon Sands for years before eventually finding his way north to Bluffside. The druids of the Gardens took him in and he has healed much of his soul. Most of the populace don't know his origins, but regular visitors to the Gardens have come to respect him greatly.
Wyndlasmere House is known for many legends about its construction, but you've learned that most of them are false. (The one true one is a doozy.) Regardless, the guard house is one of the more prestige postings in the entire city of Bluffside, but most of those postings go to young Elite guards who are members of the more influential families in Old City. One of the main exceptions is the current leader of the house, Towermaster Alel Monderand. The grizzled old kindred dwarf came up from within the Regulars to eventually become one of the Elite. He is highly respected for his role in the Goblinoid War. He helped defend those outside Old City after the bridges were pulled up to seal off the wealthy district. His appointment to Wyndlasmere House has pissed off many of the old guard, but the Regulars and Elites under his command would fight to the death for him (and he, them).
Wyndlasmere House was once the home of a powerful cleric named Roxana Tryphosa who was one of the last surviving heirs to the Imperial Throne of Ticinum. She lived in Bluffside over 100 years ago and disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Her identity wasn't known to the peoples of Old City until after she disappeared and her house was seized. She left behind so much priceless art from her homeland that filled half of the treasure vault of the Palace. Rumors abound that not everything was found and that there are secret passages under the house that lead to the Underearth. Towermaster Monderand simply laughs when he hears these rumors.
http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=229709
Neurotic said:
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OOC:
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Crit on the arcana and yet rolls under average  Good start!
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FYI, for my campaigns, I treat crits. on skill rolls as if you rolled a 30. So, you're 33 is actually 43.
