Notes on the Aether (Rae judging)

[Rae ArdGaoth]

Beneath the pillow, Tommy finds two long, tapered rods, which Tommy recognizes as wands. One emits the minor evocation aura, the other, a minor illusion aura.

"The problem is, if we leave this room with its summoning devices intact, how do we know that the next elementals they summon won't be able to come out on higher floors?"

Keldar chimes in, "Didn't Cassandra say there was a containment field between the third and fourth floors? So the smaller elementals wouldn't be able to get up there even by the stairs."

 

[Solange]

"Doesn't mean we should leave the ones on this floor in tact," Rapture says. "Or are you having trouble finding them Keldar?"

 

[Wik]

Galwynn leans against the wall, having been almost entirely silent since he was brought back to the land of the living. Panting, he does his best to avoid notice, although he feels as if he's about to topple over. "Let's... keep.. going..." he whispers, slowly sliding down the wall until he finds himself sitting.

"Maybe... I could wait a few... minutes."

 

[Trouvere]

"We're in no shape to go on, Galwynn. And although I could try to disable the devices that are surely in the fireplace, I think one more dart would be more than I could take. I still feel a bit woozy. Tarag, the poison isn't still spreading, is it?"
Keldar gathers everyone around into a huddle. "Alright, council of war, people. Tarag, where are you? Oh, right. Down there. If I do remember right about the containment field, the elementals can go no higher than this floor - no further than this room, in fact, if we close the door. I hope they will be unable to get out, but if they hear us moving about, they might get worked up, and burn things. I know you've all been busy ransacking the room of trinkets - and so I hope it is a long time before I hear the word thief bandied about - but I really just meant we should perhaps take Thyrin's valued books somewhere else... his magnum opus, perhaps his spellbook, though tales tell it can be dangerous to disturb a wizard's most valued possession, eh, Tommy? Well, I'll let you decide that. I want to sit down and drink."

 

[Trouvere]

OOC: just a quick note to say I'm back, and will probably manage to think my way back into Keldar's head (scary!) soon enough.

 

[Solange]

"I could use a drink and some rest," Rapture says. "You look like you could too m'lord," she says to Galwynn.

 

[covaithe]

Tommy stares at the wands for a long moment before turning and speaking. "I think the best situation would be if we could disable all the summoning devices and secure this floor and the forge room. But, Keldar, if you don't think you'll be able to find and safely disable the rest of the devices, then you're right. We can neither allow elementals the chance to escape this room nor allow them to be trapped in the presence of these valuable books. As you have guessed, that large book over there is Thyrin's spellbook -- a copy, I hope; I can't imagine how horrible it would be to be trapped in a saferoom for days without even a spellbook -- and there are a number of magical scrolls on the shelves. And, of course, these wands." Tommy makes no move to take the books or wands yet. "So, Keldar, what do you say. Can you make this room safe, or not?"

 

[Trouvere]

"Yes and no," says Keldar, subdued. "I can find the candles and bags. I can probably find any traps there might be. But finding and disarming are two different things. I had no idea about that dart until it hit me. And it hurt. What sort of man fills his house with poison darts!? All right, I'm Keldar the hero," he says, with limited enthusiasm, "and probably another trap won't kill me. But to make this room safe, I need to fix up to four of them, and two are in a furnace that is pretty hot, and won't cool down inside twenty minutes, even if pulling those cylinders is the right thing to do. So...." There's a long pause as Keldar admits he's out of his depth. "No."

OOC: incidentally, I don't think Tarag had a CMinW left over for Keldar - I'm pretty sure he used one downstairs the first time Galwynn was hurt, plus one to get Galwynn to 1 hp just now, and his 3rd slot on Detect Magic.

 

[covaithe]

Tommy nods approvingly. "Temovius says that the wise man knows himself, and the fool only fools himself. Help me carry these books, would you? We can have a look at them tonight and see if there's anything in here that will help us."

Tommy takes the wands, Thyrin's spellbook, the books containing magical scrolls, and any books that appear to either be rare and valuable or to be written in Thyrin's hand. He'll keep Thyrin's spellbook himself, wrapping it in cloth before storing it carefully in his pack, and generally treating it with care and respect. The rest of the books he'll hand to other members of the party to be carried to safety. Before leaving the room, Tommy will also look for any magical supplies, particularly the kind of inks required for writing new spells into a wizard's spellbook.

 

[Trouvere]

Keldar accepts whatever Tommy hands him and stows it away in his pack.

"I had no idea I was so wise. It's also said that great wisdom may resemble foolishness, and I'm always being accused of that, so I guess it must be true. What do the wands do, Tommy? Maybe I'll use one of them in battle tomorrow!"

Keldar takes a look at the door, to see whether it can be barred from the corridor side.

"Tarag, I can't stand seeing Galwynn so badly off. Fix him up, we'll go into town, and then, the drinks are on me. Well... at first, anyway."