Portents of flame

[DM Bob]

He nods an affirmative.

The rest of you realize that the fort's gates take a solid hour of travel to get to, so you'll be leaving at sun up on the morrow.

***

Librarian Gruv is more than happy to accommodate such a request from Quila.

"A common enough question. That city of ruins is generally considered cursed. Many dark magics have been said to have been worked there and it was a place where ancient fell races once called home. These degenerate races were eradicated during the Cleansings that ravaged the land. Some say that while these genocides were in some ways terrible, that little was lost due to the malevolent, sadistic natures of these beasts being wiped from the face of the world. But I tend to wonder how they could be more terrible than some of those that call the various city states home at the present.

Oronis once came and investigated a book referencing an Aman the Maker and the same ruins... It was when he hunted the Beast of Nightmares that once plagued our borders a decade ago. Let me find it."

After a few minutes a slim black leather bound tome is produced.

A quick read leaves you with a story of two brothers that both practiced the mystical arts. Aman created simulacrums for one called Rajaat and his sibling was tasked to eradicate something called a troll or boogeymen, dark warped fae beasts that were said to be near impossible to kill. His sibling's name? Myron. The tale speaks of Myron donning a mask of woe, that cursed him with sympathy for his once foes. He then turned against Rajaat in the ultimate act of betrayal and was put down by warrior named Manu. It is whispered that this Manu was not completely successful in ridding the world of Myron, for his brother was skilled at piercing the Grey...

But soon had his regrets and imprisoned his brother alive, in a tomb of his own design.

That is all Quila is able to fathom.

[Attilius]

Attilius takes his leave and goes over his armor and weapons, cleaning and sharpening where needed before the hitting the sack.

[AthasianLaborer]

"Hello" 'Muiko replies politely to Chat'cho but offers little in the way of follow-up. He isn't hostile but he's not super friendly either; answering when he's addressed but not initiating conversations on his own.

Peering incredulously at Niachi's lack of recognition, 'Muiko slips a placated and soon-to-be sleeping Yvera into a pocket of his robes as a knowing grin grows across his face “Quite convincing, you almost had me believing that you didn’t recognize me! I know better though friend!" When he is visibly startled by Attilius' sudden outburst of laughter, he scrambles to open his portfolio to a blank parchment and begins frantically sketching Attilius through the laugh. "My breath! [Elven] that's fucking terrifying" 'Muiko says as he keeps looking at Attilius while the Half-Giant laughs. Quickly producing a three panel progression of Attilius' face at rest, then mid laugh (all wild eyed with exaggerated teeth and jaw extension), then with mouth mostly closed. Afterwards, 'Muiko begins sketching portraits of the others present in charcoal on parchment.

Almost instinctively, in response to Quila's comment to her pet, 'Muiko's free hand darts into his pocket and he quietly shushes a muffled Yvera "[Elven] Test me kitty **yawns** don't think I won't ride you into battle like a crodlu" while not slowing down his sketching in the slightest. "I will gladly share the rituals if the potential for this behavior from your companion xerichou is something you can bear friend" looking from Niachi to Quila "though, if I recall true, your [Elven] fine steed [back to Common/Trade] wouldn't benefit?"

When Quila brings up going to the library, 'Muiko goes along to provide any assistance he can.

Artistic Ability rolled a 20 needing under a 13 (Failure: 'Muiko ruins every sketch on the page as he hyper focuses on getting Quila's curves just right, failing even that, he hurriedly flips the page and slides it deep in the stack of parchments hoping that no one saw his failure)

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- Skrye nods and shakes Attilius' finger - "Well met" - smiling at him, then her eyes scrutinise all the other arrivals.
- "The sands be with you,
whispers in expansion,
wastelands passing through,
the tune your companion" - getting closer to the Thri-Kreen in curiosity - "Good day to you, first time I met one of your kind" - a bit excited with the opportunity, although wary enough to not let the guard down

[Deleted]

Chat'cho is somewhat perturbed by the approach of this creature that she has never seen the like of before. She seems rather eager to get close to her, scanning her as she nears.

"I do not know oxh your kind, little one. Ixh it is not too large an intrusion, would you allow this one to cast a s*ell to learn oxh your kind?"

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- In polite tone to Chat'cho - "What would you cast? As I can also learn from you, never seen of your kind yet I heard about. Other races call us tari" - looking at her

[Deleted]

"I haxhe a Know Customms s*ell. Ixh you agree, I can use it to learn oxh your culture." She sways back and forth slowly, her mandibles idly swishing through the air.

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- "That's fine" - looking at her

[Deleted]

Chat'cho will attempt to cast a Know Customs spell on the Tari! "Thank you."

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

Nov 7, 2023 15:06:00 GMT -12 DM Bob said:

Librarian Gruv is more than happy to accommodate such a request from Quila.

"A common enough question. That city of ruins is generally considered cursed. Many dark magics have been said to have been worked there and it was a place where ancient fell races once called home. These degenerate races were eradicated during the Cleansings that ravaged the land. Some say that while these genocides were in some ways terrible, that little was lost due to the malevolent, sadistic natures of these beasts being wiped from the face of the world. But I tend to wonder how they could be more terrible than some of those that call the various city states home at the present.

Oronis once came and investigated a book referencing an Aman the Maker and the same ruins... It was when he hunted the Beast of Nightmares that once plagued our borders a decade ago. Let me find it."

After a few minutes a slim black leather bound tome is produced.

A quick read leaves you with a story of two brothers that both practiced the mystical arts. Aman created simulacrums for one called Rajaat and his sibling was tasked to eradicate something called a troll or boogeymen, dark warped fae beasts that were said to be near impossible to kill. His sibling's name? Myron. The tale speaks of Myron donning a mask of woe, that cursed him with sympathy for his once foes. He then turned against Rajaat in the ultimate act of betrayal and was put down by warrior named Manu. It is whispered that this Manu was not completely successful in ridding the world of Myron, for his brother was skilled at piercing the Grey...

But soon had his regrets and imprisoned his brother alive, in a tomb of his own design.

That is all Quila is able to fathom.

While browsing and skimming the black leather bound tome, Quila looks up every now and then to engage with Gruv when he's standing near her, between whatever other tasks he needs to do.
"Thank you Gruv for procuring this volume, very insightful indeed. Where would one go to let one's thoughts be written down for others to later read? Some historical figures mentioned in this book we might have other information about. It would seem this Rajaat was an entrepreneurial and scheming fellow indeed."

Almost as an afterthought Quila notes, "Oh and I would almost forget all the information we gleaned from our experiences aboard the Messenger. Somehow this Rajaat was in contact with the comet which was actually a ship. I tell you, Gruv, I'm so lucky not be just an historian but can also get out there in the field."

While reading and immersing herself in anything that might indicate something about the precautions or dangers concerning the ruins, Quila also digs into her memories, and tries to see whether anything clicks or makes her have an insight from her historical font of knowledge.

(OOC: I use my Ancient History[Green Age] specifically to ascertain whether there used to be a name for this city, any important historical troll or anything about trolls in the Green Age at all that I can remember, anything about Myron or Aman or a Manu. Or did the book mention where these gentlemen came from? As player I know Myron came from Yorum and Manu from Deche, but if it's not in the book, it's not in the book.)
(Edit: rolled a 1 on 16, success.)

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

Nov 8, 2023 2:31:22 GMT -12 AthasianLaborer said:

Almost instinctively, in response to Quila's comment to her pet, 'Muiko's free hand darts into his pocket and he quietly shushes a muffled Yvera "[Elven] Test me kitty **yawns** don't think I won't ride you into battle like a crodlu" while not slowing down his sketching in the slightest. "I will gladly share the rituals if the potential for this behavior from your companion xerichou is something you can bear friend" looking from Niachi to Quila "though, if I recall true, your [Elven] fine steed [back to Common/Trade] wouldn't benefit?"

When Quila brings up going to the library, 'Muiko goes along to provide any assistance he can.

"I welcome you going along to the library 'Muiko, [Elven]but let's keep the crodlu outside."

[DM Bob]

The tari are commonly referred to as ratmen by the other denizens of the Tyr region. They are small, furry humanoid scavengers, capable of thriving on food and water too polluted for humans to ingest. Bunted freely as pests, the tari are the barbaric descendants of a once thriving culture who inhabited lands to the south of the Tyr region.
The tari are unimpressive creatures, roughly 5 feet tall and weighing 100 pounds. They move about as bipeds, but sometimes walk on their knuckles. Their tails are about 2½ feet long, used mainly for balance, and just strong enough that they can wrap it around a branch and hang from it. Their entire bodies are covered with fine fur, usually brown, but sometimes gray, golden, or even silver, or a combination of any of these.

Tari bites are well known to cause a disease akin to desert fever. This is due to the diet and polluted waters that they can often consume that others cannot. When eating, tari generally sit away from others, even their own kind and quickly nibble & devour their meals. Often, they regard cooking as a waste of fuel and time, but rarely turn down food in any form.

Many tari use dyes from gyava berries to create rings or spots of color for decoration. Males and females alike often braid the longer hair along the back of the neck and the base of the spine and decorate these with beads or feathers. Their mouths are filled with needle-like teeth, and to either side they have long black hairs that add to their overall ratlike appearance.
Tari wear no clothing, though warriors sometimes have leather jerkins or even chitin greaves. Chieftains and warriors are taller than other tari and the former are usually highly decorated with dyes, beads, and ceremonial garb. Tari have a high-pitched, squeaky language all their own. They can send and receive some signals that are beyond the human ear’s ability to hear. Chieftains sometimes have psionic powers that allow them to communicate with their packs and other beings. Tari can learn other languages, namely human and elven, though the sounds of humanoid speech are difficult for them to make with their mouths.

The lives of the urban and wilderness tari are quite different, though their tactics for the kill are universal. Both travel in packs, but their approaches to survival are quite different. The urban tari are denizens of the sewers and garbage heaps. By day they sleep beneath the filth of human society, and by night they gather the food and water to keep themselves alive, but they also seek out creature comforts for themselves and their chieftains. The small, furry thieves scour the buildings, scurrying up walls and through windows, stealing everything they can. They aren’t particularly good thieves, making a lot of noise, upsetting tables and toppling chairs in their clumsy approach. The urban tari lair is a hodgepodge of stolen finery and trash. Crates are covered with silk and linens, while plush pillows and rugs adorn the floors and walls. Ratmen tend their chieftain who wears the jewelry and rags the neighborhood provides. If left alone, a tari pack can live in relative luxury, unnoticed beneath the bustling city. The wilderness, however, is not so kind. Wasteland tari are nomadic scavengers, scouting miles in all directions to find the richest grounds, contending with the desert’s other creatures for the little food to be had. Wilderness tari move their few belongings and families in triangular frames of leather and wooden poles. These frames are piled with belongings and dragged along the ground. Occasionally, tari use pack animals, such as inix or crodlu. Corralling such a beast can take an entire pack and cost many tari lives. Tari animal handlers are very rare, but can become very important to the wilderness packs. The tari race once boasted a thriving culture far to the south of the Tvr region. Ythri, the legendary capital city, is now a ruin lost among the crags. Their education and knowledge was much greater than today and their technology allowed them to build stone and concrete structures. What happened to their civilization is a mystery. The tari of the Tyr region have no written history. What remains is a collection of exaggerated myths and legends describing wondrous works.

Tari mate once per year. The females of a single pack go into heat during the conjunction of the moons, initiating the mating season. Each female gestates for six months before giving birth to a litter of 2-8 young. The baby tari rely on the mother for their nourishment for the first three months of their lives, after which they are taught to hunt and survive on their own. Young tari require another year to gain full maturity. During that time they are taught the harsh survival skills of the wilderness or the thieving and stealth skills of the city.

***

Gruv is physically excited at the thought of new tomes being written, possibly more than the actual content or discoveries that Quila has made thus far.

"When you get back from your travels, be sure to spend some time with the scribes and have them take down your findings and tales. In fact, I would love to personally assist. Do come back safely, my dear."

Maybe it was dust, but you swear he wiped a small tear from his eye.

[DM Bob]

Tnor’morken may have been the original name of these ruins, originally a hold for strange extinct creatures known as trolls or boogeymen. Much of it was said to lie underearth, as these creatures were fabled to have had poor eye sight under the sun. A few songs have been sung to scare children, where they (trolls) are said to steal and eat those that wander too far from their wards.

This is such an old settlement though, that it may have have other names or occupants. History does tend to work in layers when resources are involved. There is a good chance that these trolls were only one of the races that called Tnor-morken home. It begs the question, "How were races that hid beneath the ground wiped out during the Cleansing?" Must have been an extremely difficult task and may have required especially destructive magics.

[AthasianLaborer]

'Muiko smiles and holds up his hands, fingers splayed wide [Elven "I see no cavalry but you"] 'Muiko says while gesturing at Quila's Black Lancer uniform. The observant might notice the soft snoring emanating from 'Muiko's robes. Walking on with Quila [Elven "She sleeps much of the day and is only unruly when hungry or tired, which admittedly, is much of the time she's awake."]

Later in the library, at the mention of more books and scribes "Would it be possible for me to sit in and observe their methods? I would very much be interested in learning how to collect disparate pages into bound books that I might expand my own collection"

'Muiko wasn't intending on be just a tag along at the library but would gravitate towards his own historical specialty, the Time of Magic. Specifically, what's known about our destination during the Time of Magic. If he found anything interesting or relevant, he'd bring it to Quila first via ping as soon as he noticed it.

Ancient History rolled a 14 needing a 16 or less.

[DM Bob]

The Time of Magic is plagued by lies and half truths, propagated by the current Sorcerer Monarchs... heck, most people have no clue that things were ever different than they are now.

Yet 'Muiko does have something he heard once in an overheard discussion of magics betwixt a few defilers that had once held him captive. That troll blood was considered a powerful component or addition to forgotten spell use and simulacrum work. There were two places that trolls were said to frequent before their eradication... well three, if you believed in fae and their lost realm of fantasies. They dwelled both far north and far south of Tyr... but were once places that wizards would trap and hunt these terrible creatures for their life's blood.