Nyroth Update 9: The Ancient Library

Previous Update: The Automata

The Ancient Library

by CrazedPorcupine and CupcakeTrap

This is from the second round of island explorations.

6 November, 24 CLE—A great library, obviously enchanted, stands in the wilderness of Monsku. Its walls are covered in centuries of plant growth, and its doors are sealed with magic. It is likely that the tomes stored within will be difficult to decipher, but they may hold valuable secrets.

Who gets to try to decipher them? Ionia does.

I might add some more detail here when it’s not stupid-o-clock at night. Until then, use your imaginations. It’s a library. It is probably magical. It is full of books. And maybe ghosts?

Decisions for Ionia’s Summoners

We’re Ionia. We believe in balance and harmony. We’re now going to visit a library. So that we can learn things. About balance.

Try not to let the excitement overwhelm you, Summoner.

Assets

Ionia has the following stats. Consult the island exploration rules for more information.

• Military: 20 (above average)
• Navy: 50 (average) (no, you can’t bombard the library)
• Research: 60 (above average)
• Espionage: 70 (strong)
• A library card
• A scholarly tradition
• Literacy
• Karma, who’s very literate
• Irelia, who can probably spell her name, and can definitely carry books around for Karma

Options

Ionia gets to read some books.

Which Champion will take a look inside?

Ionia can send in one magey Champion to lead the research efforts. The library seems to get very upset if more than one Champion-level mage tries to cross the threshold. (It’s okay with lots of Summoners going inside. You guys are plebs.) There is a 10% chance that they’ll be injured somehow, or get lost in the library’s winding corridors, or what-have-you. However, they’ll add +10 Research for this mission.

The secrets of Nyroth: they’re in a book

You don’t get a choice in this. You will read books.

If Ionia succeeds in its rolls, it will have a few more choices to make.

The dark archives

There are some spooky books in here. Ionia can read them, increasing its research gains at the risk of unleashing something awful. (Ask Bandle City about that.)

Share?

Ionia could freely share the library’s resources with others, gaining Favor with the League.

Entry fees?

Ionia could also demand payment from any faction that wants to look through the archives.

Vote here

(Vote complete.)

Resolution

Ionia sent Karma into the library to investigate.

Ionia rolled a critical failure on its Research check. It scored a 14, against a Difficulty of 70.

The excursion ends in disaster. Karma is injured until November 14. The library is destroyed. The embarrassment costs Ionia 5 Favor.

Conclusion

“A most intriguing seal,” Karma remarked, tracing her fingertips along its embossed face. “The magic that binds it in place is strong. I sense it runs all the way through this building’s very structure.”

She noticed a curious purple gemstone set in the metal. “One could no sooner wrench the seal apart with brute force than one could, so to speak,” she brushed her fingertips over the gemstone, “tear the building itself from the ground.”

The gemstone illuminated. She felt the intricacies of the arcane luck drift along her hand, only a little too quickly for her to follow. The scraping sound of stone drew her attention away to an alcove embedded in the wall. The door covering it had sunken down into a recessed groove, revealing a thick tome with pages of gold leaf.

“Perhaps the mystery of this seal may be unraveled within these pages,” she remarked, stepping over and gently lifting the ancient book’s cover with a soft buffet of air magic.

A Summoner by the name of Synar came rushing after her, shouting. At that precise moment, Karma’s eyes fell on the words etched on the metallic page, and her curiosity got the better of her. “Fascinati—”

She only had an instant to shield herself before the blast hit. She awoke from her trance nearly a week later, speaking of the word-dreams that had flowed through her mind in this time. She had journeyed through the entire contents of that wondrous book, and now understood the riddle posed by its seal.

She was dismayed to learn that, unfortunately, neither the seal nor the library still stood.

Next Update: Aeaea