Metropolis - The Weight of the World (and Found Wanting)

[Phoenix]

Ymris frowns. "I'm just a messenger. No one said anything about needing a pass."

The guard sneers at Ymris through his half-helm, "Get out of here then." The other guards take notice of his comment and focus a little of their attention on the event. It seemed that the school had a strict admission, one that Ymris didn't exactly fit into.

 

[Bront]

Within the skeletal frame of a man held the remains of a melted candle in one hand. In front of him a large box of candles and an odd looking flint-device. The room itself looked like a small library of sorts, containing probably less than a hundred books. Obviously not the most important room in the building, but perhaps could offer something of use.

"He didn't light the candles like that, did he?" Jen asks, a little unsure.

She enters slowly, looking around carefully for signs of life or movement in the room.

 

[GlassEye]

The guard sneers at Ymris through his half-helm, "Get out of here then." The other guards take notice of his comment and focus a little of their attention on the event. It seemed that the school had a strict admission, one that Ymris didn't exactly fit into.

Ymris looks at the guard and hooks a thumb in her belt letting her hand rest near her pouch. "I've a message to deliver; any way I can enter without a pass?" She watches the guard closely trying to read the fellow to determine how he might react if she offered him a bit of coin.

 

[Phoenix]

"He didn't light the candles like that, did he?" Jen asks, a little unsure.

She enters slowly, looking around carefully for signs of life or movement in the room.

The room is cold and empty, the only movement that has occured recently has come from the skeleton. The only feelling of life from the area came from the echoing wails of the jackal far below.

 

[Phoenix]

Ymris looks at the guard and hooks a thumb in her belt letting her hand rest near her pouch. "I've a message to deliver; any way I can enter without a pass?" She watches the guard closely trying to read the fellow to determine how he might react if she offered him a bit of coin.

At the sight of Ymris’ movement the guard’s sword slid inches from its scabbard. The other guards came instantly aware of the potential threat and turned towards her, though their experienced stance gave no room for any to sneak past them into the estate.

“Take your business elsewhere woman, we have no time for you here.”

 

[Bront]

The room is cold and empty, the only movement that has occured recently has come from the skeleton. The only feelling of life from the area came from the echoing wails of the jackal far below.

"Even in death they continue their work..." Jen says, in a mixture of feer and admiration. She begins to examine the books, but is constantly checking back on the skeleton for movement.

 

[GlassEye]

At the sight of Ymris’ movement the guard’s sword slid inches from its scabbard. The other guards came instantly aware of the potential threat and turned towards her, though their experienced stance gave no room for any to sneak past them into the estate.

“Take your business elsewhere woman, we have no time for you here.”

Ymris takes a step backward before turning and walking away from the gate and the hostile guards. As she walks away she scans Adzan Square for a street vender or a tavern, anyone who might be selling a bit of hot meat and drink and might have a bit of information about the local area.

 

[Phoenix]

"Even in death they continue their work..." Jen says, in a mixture of feer and admiration. She begins to examine the books, but is constantly checking back on the skeleton for movement.

Minor Library of Zsath
an OOC post​

There are dozens of books in this minor library, listed below are a selection of interesting ones. Each is bound in a heavy cover and possesses some element of interesting knowledge or physical design. All of the other books are in poor condition, contain potentially useless information, or are too complicated to discern.
Should you choose to take or read any of the texts, please note them on your character sheet. Failure to do this will force me to assume that you have discarded or forgotten the information within. Note that each of the books weigh at least 20lb, choose wisely (the books may contain info handy later on that is not apparent here).

[sblock=A View of the Economy of the Dead]
This text details the economical benefits of animating mindless undead and using them in laborious positions. It discusses their abilities to function in work environments, their costings, and comparative calculations against living workers. There is a large section of the tome dedicated to estimating the cost of free will, initiative and creativeness. A small formulaic ritual is shown at the rear to show how free will can be increased in living workers should they be required.
Possessing: Taking this tome will grant the owner a +1 equipment bonus to Knowledge (local – sewer community) checks and +1 to Diplomacy checks when dealing with sewer dwellers in long negotiations.
Learning: With three hours of study one can master the Ritual of One. If given three minutes to meditate, the ritual grants a +1 bonus on all Will saves for an hour. The ritual must be studied from the book every week to remember the subtle mental exercises. [/sblock]

[sblock=Necromancy: a Three Edged Blade?]
A book based on the necro-elemental structure of magic. Unlike most other magic necromancies effect reaches into other realities, pulling at souls and manipulating the basic rules of reality. It goes into great detail about the manipulation of souls and the effects on the mortal coil that they touch.
Possessing: This book grants a +2 equipment bonus to Knowledge (religion) checks concerning undead.
Learning: Studying the book once per week for two months (and 1/wk afterwards) allows clerics that rebuke undead to do it at one level higher than normal.[/sblock]

[sblock=Bridging the Mortal Chasm: Speaking with the Dead]
This text talks of the social requirements of speaking with spirits, calling the dead and placating angry ghosts.
Possessing: Allows a person to prepare Speak with Dead as if it were a spell level lower.
Learning: After studying for a week, then once per week afterwards, grants a +2 bonus to all Diplomacy, Sense Motive and Intimidate checks against undead.[/sblock]

[sblock=The Anatomy of Healing Prayers]
Details the manipulating forces of life in the world. It also details surgery procedures and invasive healing spells that deal with dramatic life-saving healing spells coupled with regular healing skills.
Possessing: Grants a +2 equipment bonus to Heal checks.
Learning: Grants a cleric the ability to cast all Raise and Resurrection spells at one spell level lower.[/sblock]

[sblock=Physical Manifestations and the Consequences on Reality]
Discusses the ramifications of binding powerful magics to items, as well as the rituals required to tame the backlash of uncontrolled energies. It details dozens of artefacts of Zsath, their uses, and their possible creation methods.
Possessing: Grants the Craft Wondrous Item feat is used, but triples the creation time of items.
Learning: If referencing the book (taking two full rounds) the PC may add a +5 bonus to Use Magic Device checks.[/sblock]

 

[Tonks]

Azot shoulded a heavy door open and walked through the hall of an abandoned inn, his eyes careful to note the shuffling of homeless in the shadows. Climbing the stairway to the fourth floor, the dwarf pushed open a shutter that fell into the alley below with a clatter.

From here the view was less than spectacular, everything looked the same. There were streets, buildings, people, and everything was shades of grey. Surely divine questers were supposed to be guided by visions and portents in their journey, clues on how to reach their goal. Perhaps that strange ogre-man could've told him more, explained in more detail, anything.

A sweet sickly stench blew through the streets for a moment, distracting the dwarf from his musings. In the darkness below shadows flickered, but Azot's eyes pieced the darkness with ease and allowed him to see the dwarfs running along the alleyway carrying a long wooden chest.

While Azot did not care if the dwarves below were runners for what the Upworlders called a temple, or if they were simply looters of those around them, they were what he had once been before his rebirth in Sebek's embrace and perhaps he could use that to his advantage.

'If they are predators, I will show them Sebek's children are not prey. If they are runners they can guide me to their center and I can speak with the learned ones there.'

Pulling the hood of his cloak down, Azot returned to the streets and began following the fleeing dwarves.

 

[Bront]

[sblock=A View of the Economy of the Dead]
This text details the economical benefits of animating mindless undead and using them in laborious positions. It discusses their abilities to function in work environments, their costings, and comparative calculations against living workers. There is a large section of the tome dedicated to estimating the cost of free will, initiative and creativeness. A small formulaic ritual is shown at the rear to show how free will can be increased in living workers should they be required.
Possessing: Taking this tome will grant the owner a +1 equipment bonus to Knowledge (local – sewer community) checks and +1 to Diplomacy checks when dealing with sewer dwellers in long negotiations.
Learning: With three hours of study one can master the Ritual of One. If given three minutes to meditate, the ritual grants a +1 bonus on all Will saves for an hour. The ritual must be studied from the book every week to remember the subtle mental exercises. [/sblock]

Jen flips through one of the books quickly and then stashes it in her pack quietly.