AMiH Sidequest: Lydia's Little Room

[inexorabletruth]

Lydia’s cottage is small, but cozy, with only a minimal amount of clutter. A pile of empty sheets of vellum adorn her desk, next to a few old hand-me-down beakers, a pestle and mortar, and two rusted measuring cups. A potbellied stove sits, cold and dark, in the corner of the room. A collection of old bones, with arcane symbols etched into them sit in a sorted pile next to a clay jar marked, “Do not touch!” A heartwarming painting of Lydia and a humanoid covered in tiger fur playfully hugging and laughing adorn the wall near her bed.

The place is clearly designed for one, with a small bed in the corner, 1 bowl, 1 plate, 1 spoon and 1 cup. Her cupboard is sparsely stocked, and mostly reserved for spices, herbs and other items typically small, strange items, like torn pieces of cloth, a bat's wing, or vials labelled "sweat" "tears" or other such items.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oLZ4lwhJ-SM/TtGKi3o4wTI/AAAAAAAAC5g/tz6mRJo9oSM/s1600/old-cottage-design.jpg

[missmvicious]

"So, uh, this is my place." Lydia says awkwardly gesturing for Natalie to go inside. "Its for the best if you just don't touch the stuff on the desk." she gingerly places the vial amongst the beakers. "Let me get some spare blankets."

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

The group arrives horseless, with Vlad tagging along on his way back to Ehlonna's Respite. For the first few minutes, Natalie was asking whether he'd be okay on the latter part of his trip, to which he insisted yes, he'll be fine. Which is probably true. It's not even that much farther, plus there will be a freaking lion made of bushes to protect him when he gets there.

At some point in the uneventful walk, Natalie just kind of forgot about her paranoia and started looking forward to the sleepover.

"Huh?"

Naturally, being told not to touch something brings it to the forefront of Natalie's attention. "Oh, is this your wizard stuff? Cool!"

She lets her gaze drift about the room and soon notices the portrait, which brings a smile to her face with its cuteness.

"Who's that?"

[missmvicious]

Lydia recoils "Wizard stuff?" and it looks like fireworks have gone off around her she glances around nervously taking in the sights of the little cottage. Okay maybe its a little obvious….Should not have had company over.She replies quietly. "Yes, well no, its alchemy stuff, but it has to stay secret. There is a price on the head of any wizard. But I am not insane [POP POP] so there is no danger from me."
She fidgets a bit as several more sparks go off around her. She shuffles a bit and adds even more quietly. "That was Monica, or Mighty Mo as she was called a lot back home."

[Lexin]

Vlad looks around the place finding no obvious source of trouble, unless there was a monster hiding under the bed.
Or the ladies wanted him to squish a spider...
Nope, a jar full of spiders was just by the one with bat...pieces. They will be fine.

"Do you need my help with anything?" he asks just to be sure.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

"Oh! Right. Uh, alkami," Natalie repeats. "Runes, pink stuff and whatnot. Sorry, I won't tell anyone. And I didn't say you were insane! Did I? I don't think I did. You're not."

She can't think of anything she needs from Vlad. "Just be careful, okay? Say hi to your friend at The Respite for me."

Natalie's attention returns to the painting. She sighs; the, 'was,' in Lydia's answer was pretty easy to work out.

But, mom always says you should be happy that someone lived, not just sad that they died, so Natalie adopts a position of relentless good cheer. "I've never even met a real cat-person before. It must have been fun, having one as a friend! What was she like?"

[missmvicious]

When Vlad asks if they need anything else Lydia shakes her head in response "Thanks though." And she nods in agreement with Natalie's advice to be careful while out and about.

Then she lets her gaze fall upon the painting herself and Mo and lets out a doleful sigh. "She was amazing, she was actually a shifter? Have you heard of them? They have lycanthropic heritage. She was fierce and centered and loyal and sweet and caring."

[Lexin]

Vlad nods to that "Good night." he says and leaves, finally going home.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

Natalie tilts her head helplessly, needing a quick reminder to put it together. "Shifter? I don't think so... is Lycanthorp a city, or... Oh! Oh oh oh. Okay, yeah. Well, Mighty Mo sounds amazing alright, so I sure wish I knew more about them now, ha ha!"

She waves and says good noight to Vlad, and with a big yawn, she thanks Lydia for the spare blanket and lays it out on the floor. "But yeah, we should probably hit the hay... uh..."

Natalie reaches up under her suede cuirass to unbuckle it and takes it off over the top of her head, revealing a cotton peasant's shirt marked with enough farm-related stains that its original color is anyone's guess. The mark left by their adventure from earlier remains easily striking - her left shoulder is still covered with enough thick, dried blood that the shirt seems to merge with her neck.

She sits down on her blanket to set about removing her arm guards and scratch pants. "This leather's pretty great during the day, but I can never get to sleep wearing it." She looks back up to Lydia. "So, how did y'all meet? Uh, you and Mo, I mean."

[missmvicious]

Natalie tilts her head helplessly, needing a quick reminder to put it together. "Shifter? I don't think so... is Lycanthorp a city, or... Oh! Oh oh oh. Okay, yeah. Well, Mighty Mo sounds amazing alright, so I sure wish I knew more about them now, ha ha!"

She waves and says good noight to Vlad, and with a big yawn, she thanks Lydia for the spare blanket and lays it out on the floor. "But yeah, we should probably hit the hay... uh..."

Natalie reaches up under her suede cuirass to unbuckle it and takes it off over the top of her head, revealing a cotton peasant's shirt marked with enough farm-related stains that its original color is anyone's guess. The mark left by their adventure from earlier remains easily striking - her left shoulder is still covered with enough thick, dried blood that the shirt seems to merge with her neck.

She sits down on her blanket to set about removing her arm guards and scratch pants. "This leather's pretty great during the day, but I can never get to sleep wearing it." She looks back up to Lydia. "So, how did y'all meet? Uh, you and Mo, I mean."

Lydia, rather then preparing for bed sits down at her desk. "She was a monk that worked to help protect the college in Highwyn, that is where we met." She begins pulling little things out of jars and mixing them into beakers.

I'll roll OOC

[inexorabletruth]

Natalie awakens to the sight of Lydia asleep at her desk next to a boiling beaker of roiling crimson goo. A trail of drool connects her face to her desk. To her right, is a scroll emblazoned with a strange, beautiful script.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

Natalie yawns and wipes the gunk out of her eyes. Yesterday really was a long day; she fell asleep as soon as she laid down.

She picks herself up and notices Lydia, still at her desk.

"You're up early... I fell asleep before I got a chance to ask what y'all were... oh."

...fast asleep. Was she up all night? Well, may as well let her sleep in, then; I don't think she was going back to work today. Was she? No. Was she? Shoot, can't remember.

...oh for heaven's sake, she was still up all night, don't wake her. What's that bubbly red stuff?


"Uh..." Natalie nervously slides the glass of thick, smoking slime to the corner of the desk, away from Lydia's face. She also regards the cool scroll. "Whoa," she whispers, "I guess you really are a wizard, huh?"

Anyway, she promised Mr. Grundy that she'd be back in to work this morning, and also she's starving and Horsie is probably also starving. Natalie grabs up her leather stuff and straps it all back into place. It takes a minute, but it's still easier than carrying the whole set without a pack.

Move Silently to avoid waking Lydia: [roll0]

[inexorabletruth]

Natalie sneaks out the front door to a typical scene.

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/128/7/b/shanty_town_by_joakimolofsson-d4yx69h.jpg

It's filthy and smelly. To your right, a few hundred feet away, some guards are chasing down someone who is most likely a criminal. A few cottages down, a couple is fighting loudly. Apparently the husband was out all night drinking and now doesn't feel good enough to go to work and the wife is in no mood for this because the rent isn't going to pay itself.

The creatures of the night, prostitutes, beggars and thieves mostly, slink home to get some rest from a long, stressful night. Your walk to the forge is otherwise quiet and calm.

[missmvicious]

"Zzzzzzz" [pop] *snores gently*

[missmvicious]

Lydia shifts a bit in her sleep and a pop goes off startling her awake. "Phluh wha- huh" She sits up and looks around then blinks. It is morning now. I fell asleep at my desk... Then she glanced over at her work from the night and smiled a bit, it had been a productive night. "Night… oh yeah, wonder what happened to Natalie." before thinking about it further her eyes landed on the vial of strange blood from the creature last night. "Hmm" She picked it up looking at it more clearly now in the light of day. She proceeds to take a small sample out of the jar and begins experimenting on it, trying to learn its properties.


1d2-+3
Sorry for the flat science description.

[inexorabletruth]

After about an hour of tests and study, you conclude that this is most certainly the work of necromancy, and the effects on the blood suggest it is a zombie. The blood is human enough and the craftsmanship was pretty stable, so you have to conclude that for the zombie to have survived long enough after summoning to wander into the Poor District, engage in a fight, and last long enough for guards to come and take it down, the wizard was fairly competent... you'd say at least level 5.

But what's truly odd about this blood is that it didn't disappear when the monster was destroyed. It's possible that it has something to do with the crazy nature of magic these days, but the more likely answer is that it wasn't summoned. It may have been constructed. With such a small sample to go on, it's hard to say. But this is definitely human zombie blood.

[missmvicious]

Lydia thinks about what she knows about zombies for a bit before deciding the right course of action is expand on what she knows. She'd heard of the great library in the Tower of Knowledge and this seemed like a good day to finally visit. She spent some time changing the spells that she had prepared before heading out.

[inexorabletruth]

Your walk takes you through the Merchant District and on to the Tourist District with little diversion. You enter the vast structure, a spiraling tower of rosewood and stone, where a nearly obscene amount of books, scrolls, maps and tomes are found.

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs19/i/2007/280/1/4/the_library_by_DawnElaineDarkwood.jpg

There is a receptionist's desk in the middle of the main lobby, and it's a long walk on cold stone to get there. When you make it, a sour-faced old man looks up at you from the desk and adjusts his spectacles. He raises an eyebrow inquisitively, but says nothing. The refraction of light from his spectacles magnifies his eyes to comical proportions as he stares up at you.

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2013/053/9/f/librarian_by_homoseptimus-d5vwoiw.jpg

[missmvicious]

Lydia fidgets nervously a bit. "Uh hello, I'm trying to find books on zombies and the undead, could you point me in that direction?"

[inexorabletruth]

The old man blinks twice and his chin trembles a bit before he speaks, like a rusty door that isn't used to opening. "M-my dear. Um-uhhh-um. F-fantasy and f-fairy tales will be directly ahead a-and to your right. Um-ummmm-uhm. Yes. Science and research on, on, on the subject can be found on the third floor. Umm. Necromancy and Dark Arts are on the restricted section, I'm afraid. You'll need a form to go up there at the moment, I'm afraid. Um-um. Yes."

[missmvicious]

"I would like to go up the third floor please then." Lydia replies.

[inexorabletruth]

The librarian goes back to his reading when you head up the stairs to the third floor. The halls are more silent than a tomb and your boots clack hard against the stone, inciting angry glares from patrons of the tower. Winding your way up the massive structure you estimate that there must be over 20,000 books here, not counting scrolls, maps, tapestries and other works of literature and art.

Finally, you reach Sciences and Research section. Following the books in alphabetic order, you reach a book called Libris Mortis: The Book of the Undead, Chapter 1 Excerpts.

Only Chapter 1 remains of the book. The rest has been carefully removed, due to restrictions and censorship. However, the first chapter has most of what you need:

Table of Contents:
What is Undead?
- Manifestations of Undeath
- Origins of Undeath
Undead Physiology
- Undead Metabolism
- Undead Propogation
- Undead Development
- Undead Senses
Undead Outlook and Psychology
- Sentience
- Time and Immortality
- Compassion
- Spawn
- Sidebar: Influencing Undead
- Sidebar: Undead Density
Undead Society
Undead Religion
- Deity Descriptions
Fighting Undead
- Know Your Foe
- Know Its Weakness
- Defensive Tactics

Another book, one of your early Necromantic study guides is also in this section. It’s titled Monster Manual 1, which you recall has a detailed dossier on Zombies.

[missmvicious]

Lydia spends quite some time pouring over the Libris Mortis and the Monster Manual 1. She has the Monster Manual 1 while she reads the Libris Mortis and the Libris Mortis copied while she goes over the Monster Manual. She finds the undead quite fascinating so its easy to get lost in the work.

its 2 sp to get the stuff copied.

[inexorabletruth]

The scribe offers to have the work finished in a couple of hours. In the meantime, you are free to roam the unrestricted areas of the library.

You find your studies to be quite rewarding and gain a +1 insight bonus to damage when fighting Undead subtypes.
Once scribed, as a full round action in combat, you can research any Undead subtype to receive a +2 Insight bonus to Knowledge Checks regarding the Undead. Out of combat, you can take one minute to accurately and completely know any data available in Chapter 1 of Libris Mortis or in the Zombie dossier in Monster Manual 1.

[missmvicious]

The giant library reminded Lydia of home back at the collage in Highwyn. The library there was not so grand but she had spent many long days and nights in some corner of the library surrounded by piles of books. She took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the ancient tomes and ink before striding off looking for a read to pass the time while the scribe finished copying things for her.
Thinking about it a moment, it seemed that Ibra Down was her home now so reading up on it seemed like the right choice. To the history department!

[inexorabletruth]

Ibra Down’s history isn’t overly deep, but it is wide, with a massive influx of new culture and trade spring-boarding it into one of the most prominent cities in Hepmonaland over the last century. There are almost no books about lineage, royalty or foundational facts. Most of what you find involves celebrity information, census statistics, trade information and demographic studies. The reading is a bit dry, but overwhelmingly informative.

Roll a Concentration check to determine how much you can retain.

[missmvicious]

[roll0]

words and ****

[inexorabletruth]

The reading takes the remainder of the time waiting for the scribe to finish his work. A little gnome attendant hands you your notes, now written in common for your perusal.

Add the book Libris Mortis: Excerpts, CH 1 and the scroll Monster Manual I Excerpt: Zombies to your inventory.

Your time reading about local culture grants you a +1 circumstance bonus when rolling Knowledge Local checks and Knowledge Nobilty checks.

[missmvicious]

Lydia rubs her eyes fighting off drowsiness, she feels quite pleased with her efforts today. She leaves the library and steps back into the hustle and bustle of the bright sun then starts heading to the cemetery to look for clues.

[inexorabletruth]

You have little trouble picking your path to the Cemetery. And soon, you are crossing the old stone path and approaching the forlorn walls of the once great Ruby Tower.

http://www.vangoghpaintings.com/paintings/JH772,%20The%20Old%20Cemetery%20Tower%20at%20Nuene n.jpg

Guards can be seen passing by the windows and another guard is strolling through the cemetery.

[missmvicious]

Lydia sighs melancholily and gets a far off look in her eyes when she sees The Ruby Tower. It reminds her of home and that makes her heart feel heavy. She takes a moment to be lost in memories of life in Highwyn before entering the cemetery. She takes a casual pace and keeps her eyes peeled for fresh looking graves and places where the ground has been disturbed.

[inexorabletruth]

The cemetery is quiet at this hour of the day and you’re able to conduct your inspection mostly unhindered. However, when it becomes apparent that you aren’t there to honor someone’s memory, a guard approaches you. His expression is sympathetic, respectful of the notion that most people come here emotionally distressed and sometimes disoriented.

“Pardon me, miss, for disturbing you, but you seem lost. Is there someone I can help you find?”

[missmvicious]

Lydia kept a cool head while the guard approached her. She planned ahead for something like this, now she just needed to get through human interaction convincingly. "Uh yes" she said shyly. "I was looking for the grave of the famous paladin May Upnam."

[inexorabletruth]

The guard thinks for a moment and nods when he remembers. “Ah yes, of the Crimson Guards. She, like all the other paladins and crusaders of Wee Jas, would be entombed in the crypts within the Tower. It’s easy to get lost down there, if you’ve never been there before. Will you require an escort?”

[missmvicious]

Lydia paused for a moment considering the guard's offer, wondering what a normal person would say, if he'd suspect her of magic, if she would actually get lost, and if she'd like to actually visit the paladin's grave. "Sure" She concluded finally. "That would be lovely. I imagine the crypts aren't very pleasant when lost." Though saying it made Lydia wonder if she wouldn't enjoy spending a great deal of hours lost amongst the ancient warriors.

[inexorabletruth]

He shows you to the crypt, which is well maintained, considering the low approval rating the followers of Wee Jas have right now.

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/236/e/5/Crypt_Interior_by_Vermin_Star.jpg

“The priests who used to tend the crypts have all fled or been imprisoned since the new law banning the worship of Wee Jas,” the guard mentions explaining why the halls seem abandoned. “This place used to be both a crypt and a temple, where tourists used to come and honor the dead and offer tribute to the goddess. Now, workers from the monastery come here once a day at dawn to clean up. The rest of the time, it’s just us guards.” He seems to be rambling nervously as you cross the threshold into the sanctuary of the dead.

“Never really liked it here though. Ever since the zombie uprising, I just keep waiting for it to happen again. But the pay is right, and I’ve got a family to feed.” He lights a torch and guides you further into the catacombs.

“I’m pretty sure the paladins are on the second level. The ground level is mostly for worship and ritual…”

[missmvicious]

Lydia listens as the guard goes on while trying to remember the path through the crypts. "Were you a guard on duty for the zombie uprising?" She asked eventually.

[inexorabletruth]

“Yes, but I wasn’t posted here. Back then I was doing border patrols. After the uprising, Captain Cronus assigned round-the-clock patrols around the cemetery. He even offered hazard pay for those who would patrol at night or evening.”

You descend further into the tomb and the guard is clearly nervous. Rats scurry from the light, but their hateful amber eyes occasionally catch the glow before they scamper deep into the dark.

“We still have problems with rats and vermin, but the only undead we ever find are the occasional Tomb Motes… a typical occurrence at any cemetery, really. My guess is, this place is still under the protection of the paladins here that served Wee Jas. Even in death, they still bless this place, and if I remember correctly, clerics and paladins of Wee Jas really hate undead. What happened that night was a fluke, I say. Probably won’t ever happen again.”

At about this time, you’ve made it to the paladins chamber… a gray, dusty hallway lit by everburning torches. Each doorway has etched in stone a bust of Wee Jas at the peak of the frame. You count 37 of 80 doors sealed and labelled. You find the door marked with May Upnam’s plaque. According to the words on it, she died a hero at the age of 24, rescuing a lost merchant caravan from the clutches of a powerful swamp hag. Her resume was quite impressive. She served Ibra Down for eight years and then served four years as an elite member of the Crimson Guards, performing special missions for their organization. She is survived by her adopted daughter, Jade, and her husband Ru.

The guard stands quietly, but occasionally glances at the way out.

[missmvicious]

Upon waking Lydia spends some time in bed, pondering about the rogue zombie. "If its not from the cemetery then where did it come from?" She asked the emptiness around her. She rubbed the last sleep from her eyes and rose quickly from bed, heading straight for her spell book. She spent the next hour pouring over spells preparing for the day. Though she was unsure what course she should take for the day. Not knowing many friendly souls in Ibra Down she finally decided to track down Natalie to bounce ideas and theories off of her about what she had learned. She briefly had considered speaking to Aria about it since she seemed somewhat in the know, but she didn't quite trust Aria's loud mouth.

Gonna head over to Grundy's unless I would know a better place IC to start looking.

[inexorabletruth]

The most knowledgeable people regarding the undead in general right now would be the following:

the exiled priests of Wee-Jas (either in hiding or not currently living in Ibra Down)
the remaining necromancers locked in the Tower of Secrets (among the most powerful wizards and sorcerers in Ibra Down and most likely completely insane)
any cleric or paladin living within the city walls (possibly helpful, but might be curious about why you'd want to know so much)

The above listed would be high risk for a low level character with limited social skills and more than one functioning "tell" that you are a wizard.

The most knowledgeable people regarding the particular undead creature that night would be witnesses to the event:

the wife of the victim
the guards who finally killed the thing
anyone who might've been in the Poor District, near the forge at the time.

The above listed might not know much about undead, but might be able to provide uneducated eye-witness information regarding the event.

I'm going to assume you move on to the IC for now unless you post again here.

[inexorabletruth]

Aria and Lydia make it back to Lydia's humble home in the Poor District...

Nothing seems to be, as of yet, disturbed. Thanks to Lydia living a mostly secret life and keeping a lock on her door helped deter the interest of would-be thieves. However, after all you've been through, the room feels strange and almost uncomfortably empty.

Lydia’s cottage is small, but cozy, with only a minimal amount of clutter. A pile of empty sheets of vellum adorn her desk, next to a few old hand-me-down beakers, a pestle and mortar, and two rusted measuring cups. A potbellied stove sits, cold and dark, in the corner of the room. A collection of old bones, with arcane symbols etched into them sit in a sorted pile next to a clay jar marked, “Do not touch!” A heartwarming painting of Lydia and a humanoid covered in tiger fur playfully hugging and laughing adorn the wall near her bed.

The place is clearly designed for one, with a small bed in the corner, 1 bowl, 1 plate, 1 spoon and 1 cup. Her cupboard is sparsely stocked, and mostly reserved for spices, herbs and other items typically small, strange items, like torn pieces of cloth, a bat's wing, or vials labelled "sweat" "tears" or other such items.

[missmvicious]

Lydia ushers Aria in and quickly closes the door behind them. She doesn't hesitate to head over to her desk and check on the experiments she had left waiting for her, relieved that nothing seems to have gone wrong with them in her absence.

[RaggedAngel]

Aria made the journey to Lydia's cottage in relative silence; she puts most of her attention towards watching out for trouble and reviewing what she's learned over the past few days. Days for her, weeks for everyone else.

Once inside, she turns to Lydia. She hesitates for a moment, then puts her hand on the wizard's shoulder. The gesture attempts to convey closeness without being as personal-space-invading as a hug might be. "I'm going to be honest with you, Lydia. I'm terrified right now. I don't want to talk to the others about it; they look to us to have clear heads and a plan. But having two weeks slip by unnoticed? We're completely out of the loop, now, and I hate that. It makes me feel helpless, in a way."

She looks around Lydia's cottage, smiling at the various arcane components and alchemical reagents. "In other, better news, I really think you should consider joining the Paragnostic Assembly; they would be happy to have you. They seem to be one of the only groups in town actively trying to protect arcane knowledge and our dwindling supply of arcane spellcasters. They can provide protection, resources, guidance, and steady work. The kind of jobs that, while dangerous, are important and pay well."

She pauses, choosing her words carefully, then changes tracks a bit. "But you can't lie to them. That's their single, greatest rule. You don't lie to the Assembly, you don't hide information from them, and you don't go behind their backs when it comes to knowledge or understanding. That means telling them that you're a wizard. And frankly, they're going to ask how you've managed to avoid the Madness this long." Aria looks Lydia in the eye, suddenly very focused. "So I wanted to ask you first. Do you know anything that you haven't told me? Are you simply lucky, or is it something else? You may be one of only a handful of arcane spellcasters in the entire city who remains sane."

[missmvicious]

Lydia was taken aback by Aria's gesture and question. She opened her mouth to reply but found a lump in her throat that made it extremely difficult to force any sound out. She took a long moment of silence trying to rationalize with herself that it was okay to say, she stole a glance at the picture on the wall to steel her nerves. "I...I am not so sure I'm entirely sane." She says quietly looking away. "It could be that I never was and its what lead me here in the first place. But I've heard whispers and its left me with a trepidatious feeling about my own mind."

You might think making such a confession would take a weight off, carrying such a secret was very burdensome, but there was no relief for the necromancer. Every millisecond that passed since she started talking felt like eons. The air in the room felt oppressive, like Lydia might just be crushed by it. A hissing sound, not unfamiliar to anyone who'd spent time around her before, starts low and gets louder filling the would be silence.

[RaggedAngel]

Aria frowns, and crosses her arms. She remains silent for a moment, watching her friend, before responding. "I know more about the plague of arcane madness than nearly anyone, and I feel like I barely understand anything. At most, I know that it affects people faster the more spells they cast, and that it has an incubation period. But the amount of time it incubates, whether it's a physical disease or a magical field of some kind, the effect that the madness has on each individual?" She shakes her head and shrugs.

"But what I do know is that while you may not feel sane, you're definitely not a madwoman. You're cognizant, capable, and you've acted rationally whenever I've been around to observe you. You're not very violent, despite the stereotypes about your magical discipline. I think, for now, you shouldn't worry. It's normal to feel a little crazy right now; these are stressful and dangerous times. But that's very different from the kind of personality-altering madness that the plague represents."

She looks around the room, then refocuses on Lydia. "I'm going to try something, so bear with me. I can now properly pronounce two utterances, two special words in Truespeak, that can give someone access to knowledge and understanding that was previously hidden from them. I'm about to use them both on you. After that, I want you to concentrate on the arcane plague. The utterances will build on your personal knowledge and understanding; you may be able to provide us with a new understanding or insight."

Assuming Lydia consents, she'll then chant out a long series of strange, twisted syllables and words. Lydia doesn't feel anything for a moment, and then the world expands around her. She sees everything, and her mind feels sharper and quicker than moments before.


Aria will keep attempting Universal Aptitude on Lydia until it works; it's a DC 21 + (2 x Lydia's Level), so with a +23 to her check it shouldn't take too many tries. After that Aria will use Hidden Truth, which should be DC 15 + (2 x Lydia's Level) because she hasn't used it yet today.

That will give Lydia a +15 bonus on her next Knowledge check (and +5 on all of her checks in the next 30 seconds).

We're going to figure this thing out, even if it's only one piece at a time.

[missmvicious]

Lydia felt slightly comforted by Aria's points, though crazy was still crazy and she wasn't going to forget that. She didn't have the deepest understanding of truespeak but she gave a nod of consent that was only a touch hesitant. "Okay"

[inexorabletruth]

Almost instantly, Lydia falls to the floor with an involuntary shriek of agony, and vomits on the floor. She lays there, twitching as if having a seizure for several horrifying seconds.

[RaggedAngel]

Aria rushes to Lydia's side, desperately trying to discern the cause of the seizure. She can't use Universal Aptitude until it wears off of Lydia, so she has to go in blind, supporting Lydia's head as best she can.

Untrained Heal check: [roll0]

[missmvicious]

With a literal bang Lydia's eyes focus suddenly as she finished processing the information, the ideas, that had rushed over her. She sits up suddenly and wipes her mouth, still silent, trying to pick her words before they all begin spilling from her mouth. "It would seem like the more one uses magic, the more quickly they would succumb to the madness, arguably higher level spells would also make it more likely. Which would explain why masters in the field have lost their minds already. And while I heard strange whispers while detecting magic, a sustained spell. Of course that is just arguably the most logical theory."

Lydia stands now and begins pacing. "BUT, what if its not magic users going mad at all? It could be the magic itself? Such an idea would explain the temporal distortion in the Ruby Tower, as well as the increased occurrences in sentience and ego in magic items." She pauses a half second to wonder if she already knew that about the magic items or it was another gem from this flood of information. She doesn't dwell on it though and with a trail of sparks following her she resumes her pacing. "Magic in the Temples is distorting as well WHICH would have been cast primarily by divine casters. It seems like its plausible that divine magic should be causing madness as well, but why aren't the clergy going down like wizards are?" She asks the room loudly. "Perhaps its to crazy, not the case at all. But what if it was?"

A buzzing starts up, from where one couldn't be certain, there is a mad look in Lydia's eyes. "There was something-something else. What? What? What was it? Oooooh!" Silence suddenly as the buzzing cuts out. "Shock?" she asks aloud, not specifically to Aria, she looks uncertain, trying to figure the sound of the word out in her head. "Shock." She repeats slower trying to think if she misheard it, where it could be relevant. The raspy voice stayed clearly in her mind. "I'll have to, go to go to the library." She adds in a fervor grabbing her things again to leave.

Finally she faces Aria directly as if remembering for the first time that she wasn't in the room alone. "There is something evil. I could feel it. It burned my mind with an overpowering aura when I thought about it. How strange that simply trying to think about something would do that. I mean with spells it can happen when you find someone or something remarkably powerful. But just, with no preparation, just thinking about the causality of it all, its a...shock." There is an occasional spark jumping in the wizard's vicinity now, punctuated with an odd twitch of hers. She's finally quiet, though still practically buzzing with energy herself.

[RaggedAngel]

Aria seems extremely taken aback; for a few moments she's completely without words, which is unusual for her. She eventually manages to find her voice again, but not before Lydia is halfway out the door. "If... if you're feeling alright, I'd be happy to accompany you back. I didn't expect such an extreme reaction. That... that is very concerning. The only things that can cause such a reaction from merely thinking about them are wildly powerful; gods and extradimensional entities."

She shakes her head, gathering her focus again. "But I do want to go back. You'll easily earn a spot in the Assembly, especially given the dire circumstances. They need all the brilliant minds they can get, and you're certainly that."

She had been planning on using her utterances on herself, but decides to hold off for now given Lydia's reaction. If Lydia has gathered her things, Aria will load them onto her mule, Sebastian, who's definitely been around the whole time and wasn't forgotten.

[inexorabletruth]

You make your way quickly back to the Tower of Knowledge, where you find Natalie riding up with her horse alone.


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