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This Meeting Will Now Come To Order
On 5 Norstan 1120, all three parties were summoned to a meeting at the Adventurers' Guild library. Following is a rough transcript of that meeting.
The library of the Adventurers' Guild is closed for the day so that you can all discuss the matters at hand in reasonable privacy. Groups Two and Three are in attendance along with the surviving members of Group One – Merkator and Tolisa – and their new companions Tana and Auric. Grimaldi enters last, accompanied by an elderly-looking man with glowing blue sigils circling his head. “Everyone,” Grimaldi announces, “this is Tideborn Nostrigari. I've asked him to join us this morning because he's been researching the topic I'd like to focus on for this session: who, or what, is Azazel?” Nostrigari speaks with a thin, reedy voice. “Ancient mythology and languages are something of an interest of mine, which is why I was given the task of translating the scroll that was found with the galadiir. I'll assume that you've all read that translation and just continue from there. “The libraries of Tideborn Cabal are, of course, limited because of the circumstances of our own history. For the benefit of those who don't already know, Tideborn Cabal was founded by refugees who fled when the then Supreme Sultan sent his armies to destroy Firewing Cabal in 1042. The original Tideborn founders preserved as much as they could under the circumstances but naturally the majority of Firewing's records had to be abandoned and are probably long destroyed. Still, Tideborn is not without resources, and since completing your translation I've been occupying myself reading through them for mentions of this Azazel. “Among the kuo-toa the name Azazel refers to a legendary captive god with three eyes and the power to enslave any mortal. They say that Azazel was imprisoned by Blibdoolpoolp, the kuo-toan deity, to protect her people and if the kuo-toa ever reject Blibdoolpoolp she will unleash Azazel to punish them. “Triton folklore includes a legend about Azael, an ancient monster of world-ending power that was destroyed by the gods. Their legend says that when Azael was destroyed each piece of its body morphed into a separate new race of monster, thus creating the first of the kraken, the scyllians, the aboleths, the megalodons – in other words, every kind of monster that a peaceful aquatic race would fear. “Aventi mythology also includes references to an ancient evil imprisoned in the deepest, darkest, coldest waters. They call it Asiel, which is similar enough for a rough match, and describe it as older than time and more evil than the Lords of Hell. Exactly what Asiel is and how it came to be imprisoned are lost, but the character lurks in the background of their oldest legends as an eternal threat to be guarded against. “The aquatic elves have a very old story, hardly ever told anymore, of a creature they call Mai'Nareen, which is an Elven name that translates roughly as 'ancient death in shackles.' According to the story this creature was lurking in the oceans long before the creation of elvenkind and when the aquatic elves began to populate the waters it threatened to destroy the world to eliminate the elves. In the end it was taken down not by the elven gods but by the combined efforts of three of its own offspring and imprisoned in suspended animation for all eternity. The name 'Azazel' doesn't actually appear in the tale but the circumstances are similar enough to the scroll that it seemed reasonable to mention. "Tideborn Ashkurlea's contribution to the collection is not a myth but current events. The sahuagin, who for generations have worshipped the goddess Sekolah exclusively, have taken to paying respect and tribute to a new god they call the Deep Master and whose symbol is a large golden or yellow eye. There is no direct link to any of the Azazel stories, but of course the phrase 'Deep Master' appears several times in the translated scroll and the eye device is very similar to that used by the Servants of the Beast Below. “Most interesting of the lot, perhaps, is the story that doesn't exist. After weeks of intensive searching through every available resource about the Servants of the Beast Below, I can't find a single reference to Azazel or anything more than vaguely close to it. When the organization first surfaced – which is usually placed at Nessenese year 980, though it's possible the original clans were founded a decade or two earlier – the Beast was depicted as a sort of ultra-powerful draconic style sea monster. In later years it became unfashionable to describe the Beast's physical appearance at all, possibly to increase the awe factor among the faithful. It wasn't until fairly recently, say the last 35 years or so, that the submerged eye symbol was used and it's widely believed to be an abstract symbol representing vigilance more than an actual depiction of the Beast's eye. “But aside from the Beast's form, or lack thereof, the folklore doesn't match anything else. The Beast, according to doctrine anyway, is not in any way imprisoned or restrained; it simply sleeps in the deep and will awaken and take over when it's good and ready.” Nostrigari sits down and pours himself a glass of water. “That's what I have for you. How much of it you'll find useful is anybody's guess.” Grimaldi thanks the illumian and looks around the table. “Well, any thoughts? Questions? Brilliant ideas?” Q&AMelian: Were there any signs or symbols associated with Azazel, Azael, Asiel or Mai'Nareen? If so, what were /are they Nostrigari: Nothing that survived, anyway. These stories are all so old that most of the details have been lost. That scroll, sad to say, is the most explicit account of the lot. Perhaps if we had access to a better library ... but my people don't have one. I've already been to Loreguard Cabal in Nessen and exhausted their stacks. Mrs. Wilkins: So Azazel sound like an epic level uber-aboleth, or perhaps something like an avatar of Dagon. Nostrigari: Aboleths don't revere deities at all; they acknowledge that gods exist but consider them just another set of powerful beings. And aboleth culture has no mythology at all, so there are no legends or folk tales to examine. Mrs. Wilkins: The three eyes and enslaving other skill in the Kuo-Toa legend certainly seems to suggest something aboleth-like. Grimaldi: Aboleth-like, yes. But if there's ever been an aboleth powerful enough to do what happened to Betty Price and Warden Seacrest, it's never made its presence known. Nostrigari: I can't offer an opinion that. I was merely suggesting that since aboleths do not revere deities it would be highly unlikely for one to serve as a deity's avatar. Mrs. Wilkins: I'm tempted to think that the beast below is some powerful psionic eye of the deep that's taken over the cult of the beast below for it's own purposes, and is aiming to get Azazel released, rather the two being the one and the same, and we've got to stop it. Perhaps Azazel is possessing eye of the deep, or is the Sauron to the beast below's Saruman? Nostrigari: Who to the beast's who? ;^) Strontium: I agree that the Servants existed first, and the current Master just took over an existing framework. Mrs. Wilkins: We aren't powerful enough to deal with the beast below I presume, but could scupper a scheme. My vote (and Derrick's) is to seek out and deal with the leaders of the underwater brute squad (which may or may not be Miss Seastar's parents). Strontium: We need to solve that mystery for her, ASAP. That is who I feel we should chase. Mrs. Wilkins: We need some sort of powerful location spell perhaps (or a clairvoyance type spell), with some sort of item belonging to Aria's parents as a focus maybe? Does she have anything belonging to her parents? Would a sample of her blood help track them down? Grimaldi: Well, the ultimate spell of that sort would be discern location, an 8th-level spell. That's the only divination I know of that would have any chance of working under these circumstances. To find a person the caster has to have seen that person or have an item that once belonged to the person. Aria's blood belongs to Aria, as does Aria herself. Strontium: We do NOT need to take on BBG (Big Bad Guy, Inc.) until we clear out more of his/her/its minions - and we owe it to our companion to, if at all possible, free her parents - and if not possible, grant them eternal rest. Grimaldi: I agree. That half-illithid army is killing people. You seven probably can't stop it by yourselves, but if you can take out the leadership that should slow it down and give the remaining villages time to muster better defenses. Before you go after heavy hitters like that, though, it might be wise for Caenus to seek a weapons upgrade -- nobody at his level should be relying on an ordinary trident as their primary combat weapon. Strontium: Caenus, in his entire career, has only bought a Cloak of the Manta Ray. He should therefore have a dumptruck load of money to spend... Grimaldi: Send that young man shopping, will you? [DM note: Shopping was done after the meeting. Caenus now has a shiny new +2 aberration bane halberd and a Helm of Iron Will to boost his Will save.] Tika: I think it does seem extremely likely that whatever is stirring at the bottom of the sea is taking advantage of existing infrastructure. If we are dealing with some legendary evil god, then it is entirely possible that the ultimate goal is to wipe out all intelligent life and leave behind only slaves and those who might be useful in playing out whatever other-worldly grudge matches might be on the docket down the road. For some reason evil things always seem to wake up cranky. In any event, slowing down the machinery is really the only way to buy us enough time to figure out what's really going on and muscle up to the point of being able to do something about it. Nostrigari: Stopping the slaughter, or at least slowing it down, is important, but if all efforts go in that direction we are unlikely to learn more about the ultimate enemy. There are three parties here; perhaps you should take advantage of that to pursue multiple avenues. Mrs. Wilkins: Are there any other libararies? legends of libraries in far off sources (even on other planes) that might yield a clue? Grimaldi: Didn't your group encounter someone on another plane like that? Some kind of collector of arcana with a legendary private library? Strontium: Isn't he even one of the three people in our career we didn't leave pissed off at us? :) [DM: That's probably true. You did no damage to his person, compensated him for the slight defacement of his property and construct bodyguards, and obtained his cooperation by reason instead of force. I'd say there's a good chance Yulach would talk to you again if suitably approached.] Mrs. Wilkins: A discern location spell seems to be the way forward then - does Aria possess anything that once belonged to her parents? Would the magic gloves count or are they too associated with Aria now? Is there anything that she has from home, or the monastery? [DM says: You don't know who owned those gloves prior to Aria. Amy didn't specify whether Aria has anything in her possession that once belonged to her mother or father so I'm going to say "not that she knows of." ;^) ] Tika: OK, so let's do a bit of math here and see how many questions have immediate answers... The translated scroll that mentions Azazel also says that he was trapped beneath a mountain - specifically, without light or water. A little over a hundred years ago the (presumably) evil wizard Akhnar loses a war and slopes off someplace to sulk - quite possibly someplace mountainous, given the landscape he came from. A few years later, Akhnar comes blazing back to Marhaven with enough magical firepower to destroy the natural landmass that used to be the center of the city. I note that islands are just underwater mountains that happen to be taller than the sea. Cracking one into pieces might, in fact, let water into places that it hasn't been in oh, say, several thousand years. Shortly after helping to refloat Marhaven, Castanamir restarts his adventuring career in the company of two aventi, a paladin, a scout, and an aquatic elf cleric who hails from the main (and hidden) city of that race. But the company, while very active, is also very closed-mouth. A couple years after that, Castanamir is fished out of the sea, raving beyond repair about impending doom, and as soon as he's physically able to, disappears from the healing house. So, here are some questions:
[DM: Grimaldi and Nostrigari both look at Tika with something approaching admiration. While Grimaldi hustles into the stacks to locate the Guild's biography of Castanamir, the members of Group Three are able to fill in some of the blanks from information they gained from previous adventures. Based on their experience in Castanamir's villa, it seems certain that Castanamir secluded himself there after leaving the house of healing and devoted himself to research and experimentation involving aberrations. He had obtained at great cost a copy of the Codex Anathema (so rare only 5 copies are known to exist and their locations are closely guarded secrets), created a magic room that summoned monsters -- aberrations only -- and had scratched the name 'Azazel' into his desk with a knife. The materials recovered from Castanamir's study -- other than the Codex, which Chandrakar stole and left them stranded -- were personal journals and mementos of Castanamir's younger adventuring days. If he kept journals of his last years they were not at the villa. In chasing down Castanamir's granddaughter, Chandrakar, the group learned that Castanamir had traveled to the city of Sigil, on the Concordant Domain of the Outlands, and made use of the library of an amoral collector named Yulach. According to Yulach Castanamir was looking for a way to travel to the Far Realm, a plane of twisted reality that is said to exist beyond the known planes. Chandrakar, who was losing her grip on sanity after spending some months studying the Codex, made that same journey. The party saw her get flung through a portal by a monstrous beast into a place where multiple realities seemed to overlap and everything looked weird and menacing. And if you're thinking that the two aventi who accompanied Castanamir were Aria's parents, forget it. That party was assembled 95 years ago, before Aria's parents were even born. The parents have been missing 16 years.] Nostrigari: I couldn't find any record of a 'Dudael' in any maps or records that we have, but then I really didn't expect to. Most likely 'Dudael' is a name used by the original author of the scroll, and that culture is long dead. Clearly the mountain must still exist, but the scroll gives us no clue as to where Dudael is so it's anyone's guess what it's present day name might be. Your idea that it might be the foundation of the original Marhaven is as good as any other. Grimaldi: I found the names of that last Castanamir-led party. They are all highly respected, good-aligned types; among the cream of the adventurer crop of their day. It'll take more looking to be certain, but it doesn't appear as if any of them aside from Castanamir was seen or heard from after the summer of 1026. As far as searches go, when Castanamir secluded himself on his island the general attitude was that the poor man was nuts and should be left alone to die in whatever peace he could find for himself. There was no second search when he disappeared again. In fact, nobody really knew that he had disappeared again; it was just assumed after nobody heard from him for a few years that he was dead. Tika: Let's look, then, and see what we can find out before we go schlepping around in unpleasant places, and if we can get thumbnail sketches of all those adventurers, so much the better. I think I need to spend some time upgrading my knowledge of the planes anyway, which will take some time - where's the best place to do that? Mrs. Wilkins: Hmm, I tempted by the idea of making use of Yulach's library (or use him as a resource to find another library) to conduct some more research. If there is an ancient map somewhere with the location of Didael, that might answer some questions. If Castamir went mad and then vanished - might it be possible that he lost a mental battle and was taken over by the big bad? Tika: Possible. It's also possible that spending too much time reading things like the Codex Anathema makes Jack a crazy boy. I'm inclined to think that's at least part of it, in view of what happened to his granddaughter. But I'd also like to know why his granddaughter was looking for that Codex in the first place. Does Castanamir have other living relatives? Grimaldi: The Codex has a long history of driving people insane, starting with the original author. It is widely believed that the contents are simply too much for a mortal mind to absorb and remain stable. That's why the few copies that exist are hidden so well." [DM adds: Castanamir does have descendants who live in Nessen. Group Three has visited them a couple of times to ask about Chandrakar and to return to them Castanamir's journals from the villa. Chandrakar told (then) Group One that she needed the Codex because it is the absolute most complete and accurate reference ever created on the origins, abilities, psychology, and biology of aberrations. According to Yulach she was trying to retrace Castanamir's last steps, which led to her taking the Codex, studying it, and ultimately seeking a way to the Far Realm.] Strontium: His (Castanamir's) relatives were a pretty useless bunch, IIRC. No data, really. Melian: It's also possible that Castanamir fought the big bad and didn't lose but also didn't win. For example he survived by fleeing after taking serious mental damage and that studying the book was the final straw. Mrs. Wilkins: You may have covered this before, but when did the resurgence of the beast below's cult (and the new eye symbol) begin? And was this relatively soon after the disappearance of Castanamir? Or am I just getting confused? Nostrigari: The first records of the Servants of the Beast Below date back to year 980, though it's likely the group really formed a decade or two earlier and just didn't get noticed right away because its roots are in areas that most would not call civilized. The use of the submerged eye device didn't start until 1095 or so. [DM adds: You already know what happened to Castanamir, at least according to Yulach -- he traveled into the Far Realm and never came back. You don't know exactly when that was, but it would likely have been somewhere between his retreat to the island in 1026 and 1030 or so. Talking to Yulach again might pin it down, assuming he's a reliable source.] Tika: I'm thinking it might be useful if some of us tried to pick up the trail of Castanamir's Last Party. Perhaps there are legends to learn or libraries to search through to get some idea of what they were thinking or doing during those last years. A return trip to Sigil might be in order, if there's any chance Castanamir left some notes behind or Yulach could/would provide some additional details about books he read, questions he asked, people he met, etc. Some of us have more ready access to certain cultural resources than others, so perhaps we can work those connections individually and compare notes. Grimaldi: If there are any written records of that party's activities, we don't have them. They seemed to spend most of their non-adventuring time in Marhaven, so if there were any journals or letters this is likely where they'd be. Not sure what else you could look for. Strontium seems to have the best handle on what Yulach is all about, so I'll defer to him on that. Strontium: We seemed to be talking the same language, Yulach and I - but Tika is right; the other group would probably be best employed tracking down any trace of Castanamir's adventuring group for now. Tika: Would you remind me - how old is Athesto? Is it possible he might know something of Castanamir's last adventures? We might also ask him about the galadiir, while we're at it. In fact, we should probably all carry a detailed sketch of that particular little artifact with us in case we get the opporunity to research it in a new place. Grimaldi: You described him as a juvenile bronze dragon; that puts his age somewhere between 26 and 50, which would make him too young to have any first-hand knowledge of Castanamir's adventures. You'd have to ask him if he knows anything about the galadiir, though it would seem unlikely since it was kept under wraps in Aniel for, apparently, several elf generations." Strontium: ANY extra data on the galadiir - perhaps anything on it's creation - would be good data to have. Tika: Hm. I wonder if there's anything to be gained by manufacturing replicas of the galadiir for each of our parties? We might get an interesting reaction if we brandish it in the right place, depending on how you define "interesting", of course. Nostrigari: A good gemsmith could reproduce the look of the galadiir using black onyx or some such, but we can't make an exact replica because we don't know what it's made of. The original material defies identification so far." Strontium: Until we know what it is, what it's for, and how to use it, let's not advertise - the rightful owner may get grumpy. Tika: Probably true. An accurate sketch will be important for researching it, but the mock-up would only add shock value. I'm thinking it might also be prudent to see what we can learn about the current Magus. He might not have anything to do with the present goings-on, but if I was looking for a big, evil playdate that's probably the first call I'd make. Grimaldi: The current Magus has theoretically been in place since 1037 when he retook Mohlarcan, which had been basically an ungoverned orc tribal land since the defeat of Akhnar in 1018. We don't know diddly about the Magus, which is probably by design. Heck, I can't even say for sure that the Magus now is the same Magus who took over 83 years ago. Researchers are divided on the subject: some have gone to Mohlarcan to learn what they could about it, and the rest are still alive. Tika: Let's look, then, and see what we can find out before we go schlepping around in unpleasant places, and if we can get thumbnail sketches of all those adventurers, so much the better. I think I need to spend some time upgrading my knowledge of the planes anyway, which will take some time - where's the best place to do that? Meanwhile, we also need to look at a map and see if there is a pattern to the raiding that's been going on so we can try to find the most efficient method for quelling the violence. By the by, has there been any noise from the remnants of the Fell Armada lately? And what's the Ironprow League been up to? Grimaldi: Damn, you ask a lot of questions. I can get you a short bio on each of them but it'll take some research time. What exactly do you expect to learn from that? Every once in a while somebody spots a red-sailed ship on the open sea, but for all intents and purposes the Fell Armada is done. There hasn't been an Armada attack reported since you took out their leadership. My opinion? I think the remnants just devolved into small-time freelance pirate crews. I haven't heard anything about the Ironprow League lately either. Mind you, almost everything I heard about them before was them taking out Fell Armada ships, so maybe they're trying to figure out what to do with their spare time. [DM adds: You don't really have enough data points to tell whether there's a pattern to the raiding or not. You know that at least on the eastern side the uglies tend to overrun one place, use it as a base to launch attacks against other nearby settlements, then move on. Upgrading your knowledge of the planes is a matter of taking ranks in Knowledge(the planes). If that's not practical your other option is to go to a source who already has lots of planar knowledge, like a library or a sage, and research/ask the specific question you need answered. Example: The Guild library you're sitting in right now has resources equivalent to 15 ranks in Knowledge(the planes). If you have a specific question that's beyond your current knowledge (Knowledge check failed or isn't worth trying), you can research the question in the library and gain a re-roll at +18 (the library's 15 ranks, your INT bonus of +1, and an extra +2 'aid another' bonus because you do have a +8 personally in Knowledge(the planes)). Or you can seek out a sage and pay them to make the check using their normal bonuses on your behalf. The time required, check DC, and fees are a function of the question and the source. You get the use of the Guild library as part of your dues but a sage will charge for their time and expertise. ] Strontium: OK, we have 3 threads to pick up - Aria's parents, Castanamir's party route and exploits, and a info trip to Yulach. Thoughts? (...and NO, Mrs. Wilkins, "let's split up and investigate" will NOT work here.) Tika: Sounds like the second's likely to be a dead end, unless someone can point us to an untapped source of information. I'm still interested in knowing something about the original party, if only to get an indirect measure of the strength of whatever it was they were pursuing. Melian: I'm not so certain that tracing the route of Castanamir's party would be a waste of time. We are assuming that the battle which sank the original island of Marhaven released the big bad. However, there is another possibility, the wizard who attacked Marhaven (I'm blanking on his name) had some sort of power boost when he sank the island. It is possible that he found/released the big bad prior to attacking. Right now we don't know which it is and tracing Castanamir's route might tell us. Tika: Have any of us done any favors for the aquatic elves that might buy us entry into one of their venerable libraries? Grimaldi blinks, looks at the two aquatic elves in the room, and says nothing. ;^) Tolisa: Just a thought, with regards to planar research... I took some ranks in Knowledge: The Planes. Don't remember how much, precisely, but I think I built on those for a couple of levels. Perhaps I and Tika could work together in such a way that they'd both derive maximum benefit from what levels they've got. Unfortunately, as a Seakin I don't really have any special diplomatic pull with the Aquatic Elf community, but since I'm a local maybe I've got some kind of family connection that I might be able to exploit? (Yes, I realize that this is highly doubtful, but it never hurts to ask.) Grimaldi blinks again, clears his throat, and looks pointedly again at the two aquatic elves in the room, one of which is a member of Tolisa's party. Tika: As far as planar knowledge goes, with only 4 skill points/level, my options are somewhat limited - but I'm only looking for a basic sort of knowledge anyway. It would be nice to know which are the "instant death" planes; and in the other planes it could be handy to know what the major life forms are, what sort of weapons we should carry to protect ourselves, stuff like that. I'm not looking to drive a cab there, if you know what I mean... Grimaldi: Oh, is that all you want to know? Aisles D through F. Have fun. [DM's longer but less snooty answer: Common knowledge says that the Positive and Negative Energy planes are instant death zones for pretty much anybody. The elemental planes are pretty hostile to those not suited to the element, obviously. The Astral and Ethereal planes are neutral and easy to travel if you know how. The Outer Planes are all different. Some are strongly aligned such that the very environment will kill someone of an incompatible alignment; some are less strongly aligned and are uncomfortable but not fatal to incompatible alignments; some are neutral and harmless, at least environmentally speaking. There's no such thing really as "native life forms" in general; each plane has its own personality, its own indigenous population, and likely all manner of immigrants, squatters, followers-on, etc. Recall that the Outer Planes are home to the deities and to Outsiders, and ultimately where souls end up when people die. Aside from the generally safe assumption that you'll encounter mostly folks who share the alignment of the plane (except neutral planes, of course) anything goes. Each group has done some plane-traveling already. The survivors of Group One spent time on the Elemental Plane of Water (Tana was a long-time resident of same); Group Two has been to the Plane of Shadow via Tarus's weird magical yacht; and Group Three has been to Sigil and other parts of the Outlands.] Tika: Any word from our favorite undead mage? Oh, and I guess it might be interesting to find out if Grimaldi and Nostrigari have heard of Hakran Vatheer. Actually, I wonder how old he is? Perhaps it might be worth showing him the sketch of the galadiir and making inquiries about the Castanamir party when next we meet. Grimaldi: Hakran who? Never heard of him. You sure you got the name right? Strontium: I have quite a few levels of knowledge (planes), but this is what sages or a collector is for - once a real question comes up. We still don't know enough to ask the right questions. :) I have not heard any plan better for Group 3 than to chase the Seastar parental units.
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