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Metis

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Illegal Incantations, stage 7:

 

Unfinished Citadel

 

Finally you know exactly where the plume is located. Storeroom 415, from what you've heard, is storeroom no one really uses anymore. On paper it's still actively watched and guarded, but very few people use or even plain care about it. To put it nicely, it's currently mostly filled with historic junk that has lost relevance. Now back in the day it was a somewhat high-profile storage containing all sorts of juicy secrets and artefacts, being watched at all times by a pair of guards at the door and one periodically patrolling inside...but as the years passed and the secrets became common knowledge people mostly stopped caring. Now the storeroom has a guard looking at it maybe once or twice per hour, and that little only because it happens to be on his patrol path. All of the actual security is probably magical. Octavius knows that the last thing the Academagia needs is to spread it's already few guards out even more. As for getting the plume out of the storeroom, you again have a few options. Infiltration is one obvious method, although you'll need a good Negation to disable the alarms in the room. You doubt anyone except the one guard will care even if someone saw you walk inside in bright daylight, but if an alarm goes off that's another matter. Another option, speaking of the one guard, is to convince him to get the plume for you. Which will involve lying to his face, but no magical security. It's not actually unheard of for an item to be taken out of storage for "academic purposes" or whatever, but of course you need official permission for that and...well, you don't have that. In theory you could ask a professor for permission, but considering what you intend to do that would be what the sneaking business calls a "monumentally stupid idea", so lying it is. You're not too worried about what happens after you take the plume, whichever way you take the plume, since you don't plan on keeping it longer than you have to. Still, a Glamour to make sure no one remembers you having the plume taken out of storage will probably be a good thing regardless. It's said that you can never be too careful, and in this school that proverb is true more often than not, especially because you've heard the guard on duty in this hallway is a bit of a gossip king. As for the Sisterhood, they will be happy enough if you simply tell them where the plume is located. Stealing it for good and dealing with the aftermath of that can be left as their problem. The plume's Pheme is pretty much the only valuable thing you believe you can get out of this mess, so you're going to go the extra mile and "borrow" the plume to take a look at it, only to put it back later, even if it kills you. Which it very well might, given what the Pheme did to Hellen, but you're sure you won't make that mistake. Either way it's going to take a bit of magic, so which method will work best?

 

[Negation]: Disable the alarms.
-You wait for the hallway to storeroom 415 to be empty beyond yourself, which takes all of zero seconds because beyond that single guard patrolling the hallway there's no one that walks through this hallway anymore. That's the door to the storeroom, so you start with casting a few detection spells to see exactly what kind of security is present. There's indeed a few security spells in place, although none of them are at all impressive. It's honestly sad how easy it is to Negate the magical lock on the door and Negate the magical tripwire that would have triggered an alarm if you tried to step through it. With those security measures disabled you slowly open the door to the storeroom and carefully look around again, but there's no more magical security here. That was it, just a magic lock and a magic tripwire. Pathetic, absolutely pathetic. Now that you're in the clear you close the door behind you and take a good look around. The room is filled side to side with racks of all manners of odds and ends, with larger pieces of old junk set against the back wall. A thick layer of dust covers the entire floor, the items in the racks have apparently been warded against it. Unconcerned by the fact that you're disturbing the dust on the floor you walk past the racks and look for your chosen prize. And there it is. Unceremoniously dumped under an obsidian staff busted into roughly forty pieces and next to a few pieces of old parchment lies what most would mistake for a quill long past it's prime. But you're a bit better informed than most. Honestly, for having a ghost tied to the mortal plane because of it and a band of thieves hiding nearby in the hopes of stealing it the plume itself looks no different from any other large, overused feather. A quick detection spell cast on it reveals a very old, though still active preservation enchantment as well as...something else you're not quite sure of. That's probably the Pheme, but drawing it out of the plume might not be the easiest thing to. In any case this thing is now temporarily yours in absence of anyone that says otherwise, so it's time to take this somewhere less restricted and do some research.
-- PROCEED WITH ADVENTURE

 

-A quick spell reveals that the storeroom's actual security in indeed magical, and unfortunately nothing like you've ever encountered before. You decide not to mess with the storeroom today and instead spend time in the library trying to research old security spells. You really don't want to risk giving yourself away, since if someone finds out you're after the plume getting to it will only become that much harder.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[Glamour]: Bluff your way to the plume.
-You wait in the hallway until the guard shows up, and from a greater distance than he should be able to see clearly you cast a Glamour at him. The spell works, and the now charmed guard casually walks up to you with a disturbing grin on his face. You put on your best smile and politely ask the guard if he would kindly enter the storeroom and take out Hellen's plume, adding some vague statement about Professor Badcrumble asking you to bring it to her. In any other situation, like one with a guard less susceptible to charm or in a hallway that wasn't otherwise completely empty, you're pretty sure this wouldn't have worked. But since you are otherwise alone in a hallway with someone who isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer...yeah. With an even stranger grin the guard nods and stumbles over to the doors to Storeroom 415, flailing about as if he's intoxicated. You...really need to work on refining your magic, because this...this is not how a spell that manipulates a person's senses and judgement should look. At least there's no one around to see it, so unless this guy trips over his own foot this should still work. After a few failed attempts at unlocking the door the guard finally manages to figure out where, exactly, the keyhole is, and with an overly dramatic...you don't even know he swings the doors wide open. You may have overdone it with that Glamour spell. Although considering why you cast it in the first place that sentiment probably says something about the relative stability of your state of mind. Well, no matter, the guard fishes a feather out of a series of racks filled with junk and stumbles over to you. "Here you go dear, say hi to Professor Badcrumble for me.". You sputter out a half-finished thanks as you try not to kneel over and die from the way that guard called you "dear". As soon as the guard turns around you run away as fast as you can get away with. At least you got the plume, and that's what matters most.
-- PROCEED WITH ADVENTURE

 

-Before trying your magic on the guard you practice with your Familiar, and it slowly becomes apparent that the spell you intended to use isn't good enough for what you want it to do. You'll hold off actually trying to get the plume then, because you really don't want to risk this not working on the first attempt.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[Plot]: Is there another way?
-While you can't think of a way to bypass the alarm beyond either silencing it yourself or convincing the guard to get the plume for you, permission doesn't need to be vocal. If you can forge a convincing enough permission slip the guard shouldn't ask any questions.
-- UNLOCK BELOW OPTION, TRY AGAIN

 

-You can't think of a way to bypass the alarm beyond getting "official" permission or silencing it yourself, so you'll have to work with either.
-- TRY AGAIN

 

-[Forgery]: Forge a permission slip.
--It takes quite a bit of quality parchment, ink and a few spells, but an hour of toiling in your room later you've managed to forge a perfect permission note. As for the gossip-loving guard, you already have a story in mind, so with permission slip in hand you head over to the storeroom and wander around until the guard shows up. Thankfully it doesn't take long, although when the guard sees you he looks at you with obvious suspicion. You don't care and walk right up to him, permission slip in hand. "That is storeroom 415, right? Professor Badcrumble wants an item from it.". The guard looks at the permission slip and looks at you with now insincere suspicion. You know he doesn't have a problem with the permission slip, but he's a sucker for rumors and he's not above putting needless pressure on students to try and get some. Of course if you tell him to stay professional there's a greater than even chance he'll somehow ask Professor Badcrumble directly, which you really don't want, so you're going to have to humor him. "Did Professor Badcrumble tell you why she wants the plume? It's not mentioned in the permission slip.". It's not because it doesn't need to be, especially when the slip is a forgery. You have the perfect answer ready, however. "No, she didn't.". The guard nods and very slowly starts walking towards the door. "So she just asked you to come here and transport...ah, a feather without a word?". You shrug and casually mention that you asked, but the Professor refused to tell you anything. A proper guard would likely become suspicious at this point, but this one seems more curious than anything. That's probably why he got stuck patrolling an empty hallway with historic junk, come to think of it. "Oh, that certainly sounds strange...". The guard attempts to look suspicious, but it doesn't really work when there is a giant question mark all over his face. With a smirk you say "I can guess why.". The guard is clearly interested, if he attempted to hide that fact he failed miserably. "Rumor is that Oriabel Sidot has devised a bizarre experiment of sorts to try and summon a ghost. Not Gates magic, of course, but something...well, astrologically suspect.". The guard nods and opens the doors to the storeroom, finally, leaving it open behind him just so he can keep gossiping with you. "Yeah, I heard that name before. An Avila student, right? So what does this feather have to do with it?". The guard takes the plume out from a rack, at least you assume because it looks like an overused quill. This is what has Hellen tied to the mortal plane? "I don't know, Professor Badcrumble doesn't want Oriabel to find out so she's either keeping it quiet or denying everything.". The guard has a bit of a shifty look to him when he hands you the plume. "Alright, you'd better deliver this.". You take the plume and nod. Finally you got the plume, and the guard probably won't cause trouble down the line. He's the sort of gossip that prefers to keep juicy information to himself until it becomes public knowledge, so he can brag about how amazing his...whatever is. And since you don't intend for this plume to come anywhere near Professor Badcrumble or Oriabel, that will take a very, very long time.
--- PROCEED WITH ADVENTURE

 

--You spend quite a bit of time, parchment and ink trying to forge the perfect note. But in the end you just cannot manage to forge a permission note that you're sure will pass without question. You really don't want to risk trying this with anything less than a perfect note, since if you give yourself away it'll only become that much harder to get the plume.
--- STOP ADVENTURE

 

 

Getting the plume, which time has not been kind to, in a fairly straightforward stage. That obsidian staff may or may not matter later, I've not yet decided.

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Illegal Incantations, stage 8:

 

Lowering Life Force

 

Plume in hand you head off towards your dorm room, since being seen experimenting with the plume in public is probably a good way to get unnecessary questions asked. As for the plume itself and the Pheme supposedly inscribed on it, well, there's no actual inscription that you can see on the plume. Unsurprisingly, since even if there is you're quite sure that without magic you wouldn't be able to read it. Drawing the Pheme out of it will take some effort, but you've got time to study it. Question is, how are you going to study it?

 

[Dialectic]: Try to think things through.
-You sit down on your bed and think. Hellen cast a spell that took the form of arcing lightning, if you remember the history book correctly (as far as the history book itself was correct to begin with). The spell drew power from her heart, shot it forth as lightning, and arced from person to person as it killed everyone it came into contact with. There's undoubtedly very few spells that do such a thing, and it makes you certain that whatever Pheme is in the plume is the Pheme that made the spell so fatal for it's victims and caster alike. What made the spell fatal for Hellen is certainly the part where it drew power from Hellen's heart, But what else did it do to the victims? More to the point, why use such a Pheme to begin with? Even a first year can conjure electricity, if not a proper bolt of lightning, but still. What did the Pheme change to make it worth using, especially with the cost it has? Hellen didn't express any regret for what she did, only with wanting revenge against who was (perhaps indirectly) responsible for putting her in the situation where she cast her spell. That gives you the impression that whatever the spell did was what Hellen wanted it to do, so...was that what she wanted? Utter devastation, even at the cost of her own life? You stand up, tuck the plume securely away in your robe and head to the library to start researching this. There must be an answer, and that answer will lead you to figuring out how to Pheme is drawn. Eventually, after an hour worth of research, you've finally pieced together enough information to realize that the answer has been staring at your face the entire time. You haven't noticed it before, but there is a pattern to which strands of the plume are next to each other and where the smaller bundles separate. It's very strange and it definitely seems intentional, but you have no idea why this might be. Your best bet is that it's the result of Hellen's work, perhaps a final attempt at spite. Either way when you hold the plume upright by the tip and trance the strands with your wand (which is much easier said than done) you end up drawing a Pheme you don't recognise. But from it's shape, structure and source...you can be sure that this is the Pheme you've been trying to figure out. Now all that's left to do is give it a name, since Hellen apparently never did, and although uncreative you think you have the perfect name in mind for it.
-- PAUSE ADVENTURE, INFORM [Plume] PHEME

 

-A few hours of fiddling with the plume has granted you the knowledge that...you really haven't the slightest clue what you're doing. At least you're smart enough not to damage the plume, so you can always try again later.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[Enspell]: A spell should reveal the plume's secrets, if it's very well cast.
-Very careful use of magic detection spells on the plume reveals that the plume has one basic enchantment cast on it, one enchantment that looks closer to something inscribed through Orthograpy than actual Enchant, one magic charge-like enchantment that appears to have been spend, and something else you can't even begin to place. Nothing related to the Pheme, at least, so you just ignore it. The spend charge is likewise unfamiliar to you, so you're not going to be able to recharge it yourself. Thankfully it's not what inscribed the Pheme onto the plume so you won't have to mess with it. The basic enchantments is, true to what Hellen told you, just a preservation spell. A long one, since it's lasted for centuries and will likely do so for centuries more, but not really complex. Another thing you can safely ignore, since you don't want to disrupt it and it's not going to decay to the point of needing to be repaired within your lifetime. The orthography enchantment, however, is the important one. You can't determine what it's exact purpose was, but you can determine that this is what inscribed Hellen's Pheme in the plume. And absolutely nothing else, leaving you confused as to why she bothered. Well, the point is that you found the Pheme, in theory all you need to do now is figure out how to draw it. You can't trace back what exact spell Hellen cast to make this enchantment with just the plume and the limited knowledge you have, but you can manipulate the enchantment in such a way that it shows the Pheme as clearly as you can manage. From there it's a relatively simply task to trace it. After some quick practice you put the plume away and trace the Pheme a few times without it, to make sure you remembered it. And you do. Holding back some excitement you suddenly remember that the history books aren't aware of this Pheme, much less it's name. So as it's current owner you think you should give it one, if only so you don't have to constantly refer to it as "the Pheme from Hellen's plume". And you've got the perfect (if uncreative) name already in mind.
-- PAUSE ADVENTURE, INFORM [Plume] PHEME

 

-You spend an hour waving your wand around, but it's no use. Extracting the Pheme through magic is much harder than you thought it would be, maybe because of the plume's ties to Hellen's ghost? Than again, it could also be Christel's enchantment interfering. Or something else entirely. Or a combination of any manner of possibilities, those are always fun to try to figure out. Either way you're not sure, and since you really don't want this plume anywhere near a Negation you're just going to have to try again and try harder.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[Temperance]: Do you really want this Pheme?
-You give it some thought, but the long and short of it is that you simply do want the Pheme. Sure, it killed Hellen and it perhaps could kill you, but what magic can't? You could have set yourself on fire with Incantation, you could have Revised yourself into a lawn ornament, driven yourself mad with Glamours, the list goes on. You're here to learn magic and how to use that magic so it won't kill you, not how to shun every spell that you come across because it might hurt you. Of course there is something to be said about a student too curious for [his/her] own good doing something [s/he] shouldn't, so perhaps it's time you stopped trying to do everything yourself. Perhaps it's time to look for a teacher. Of course you can't exactly approach an Academagia professor with an illegal artefact you knowingly "borrowed" from the Academagia, so who could you actually ask to teach you?
-- UNLOCK BELOW OPTION, TRY AGAIN

 

-You've gone through all this trouble, you're going to get something out of it even if it kills you.
-- TRY AGAIN

 

-[Wits]: Ask the Emperor's Sphinx for help.
--Only one teacher comes to mind, and that is the Emperor's Sphinx. You hide the plume in your robe and head out towards the Imperial Palace. It seems you're in "luck", since every guard normally stationed between the entrance and the Sphinx's room is conveniently patrolling somewhere else. You walk all the way into the Sphinx's room uninterrupted, and from the way her perpetually bemused expression is marred by a disapproving frown it's obvious she is indeed expecting you. "Word is that you've been researching an old incident as of late.". You know there's no need for pretence, so you take out the plume and show it to the Sphinx. She looks more curious than interested, although she studiously observes it all the same. "[PC FIRST NAME], you must know what the spell inscribed in this accused quill did to it's last owner. Do you really think it would be wise for you to learn it?". You nod and start to explain your earlier reasoning, but midway through you stop yourself suddenly. "Wait, spell? You think Hellen inscribed her spell in the plume?". The Sphinx looks curiously at you, and nods. "That's not what she told me. Hellen's ghost, I mean, she said she only inscribed a Pheme in the plume.". The Sphinx takes another look at the plume and draws a line of Phemes you couldn't hope to replicate without hours of practice. Then her eyes widen. A little under her breath, but not so much that you can't hear it, the Sphinx jovially says "So the Imperial records were falsified after all, and to that extend no less. That will have interesting consequences, no doubt.". The Sphinx looks up at you and says, with a very strange grin on her face the entire time, "Now [PC FIRST NAME], do you truly wish to learn this Pheme?". You nod, trying as hard as you can not to look smug. The Sphinx nods in turn and says that in return for a first hand account of recent events surrounding the plume as you witnessed it, she'll teach you how to extract the Pheme from the Plume. You don't have a problem with that deal, so a long explanation and a session with the Sphinx later you're some knowledge, a Pheme and some interesting court gossip richer. Imperial documents, falsified, and to a degree that has the Emperor's Sphinx grin at herself in amusement? "Interesting consequences" indeed, you just hope that if they involve you it won't involve another kidnapping.
--- PAUSE ADVENTURE, INFORM [Plume] PHEME

 

--You contemplate asking the Emperor's Sphinx for help, but she strikes you as someone more likely to lecture you than show you how to extract the Pheme from this plume. Perhaps it would be best if you just researched how to do this yourself after all.
--- STOP ADVENTURE

 

 

One of those stages that would be so much easier if I had any clue about how Y2 mechanics work...but I don't, so I just make stuff up and hope it kinda sorta mostly fits. I seem to recall having this same issue with The Training Continues, as well.

 

Plume in hand the PC gets the Pheme. The Temperance investigation would have opened up a Social Skills roll where you could ask a Schohanwicht professor for help, assuming the PC is actually a student of Schohanwicht, but due to...reasons...this would not work. Nor would summoning Hellen's ghost if the PC had the Gates knowledge to do so. Speaking of, a few of you might be wondering "okay, the PC has the plume now, why doesn't Hellen show up like she did in stage 6's Astrology option?". The answer is Deus Ex Machina. I want the PC/player to try out the Pheme (and plume if it's a physical item at that stage) before wrapping things up, so Hellen goes AWOL until that is done. In universe there could be an explanation of some sort, but for me at least it's mostly Deus Ex Machina. I'm sure people won't mind that much.

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Illegal Incantations, stage 9:

 

Inscription On A Tombstone

 

With the Pheme finally in hand, as well as the plume itself, it's time to see about contacting Hellen's ghost and putting her to rest. Only...you're not sure how to go about doing that. Last time Hellen just kinda showed up out of nowhere, and summoning spirits is not something you want to do (even if you know how). You think the best way to try and get Hellen's attention would be to head to a secluded place and "replicate" how she died. It's not exactly academically proven whether that method will attract the attention of specific ghosts, but you have no better alternatives. Especially because you don't want to give anyone the impression you're using Gates magic in any way, shape or form, and you don't want people to ask questions. You could walk around yelling everywhere for Hellen, but that would lead to uncomfortable questions being asked. Of course another part of it is because you already know the perfect spot for your re-enactment plan. Dorm Tower Eight, home to the perpetually unwelcome male students in College Avila, has a slight problem in the form of a small goblin invasion. Nothing major, you've heard, just a handful of stubborn miners and a thief or two trying to tunnel their way into the basement of the tower so they have a staging ground for executing raids. The dorm tower isn't in any real danger, at least on the goblin front since the male seniors can protect their dorm well enough, but it's an opportunity for you to try your theory nevertheless. You head into the Dorm Tower Eight basement to take a look at the situation, and it seems like the goblins have been diligently finishing their tunnel overnight. At least, you're pretty sure that goblin-shaped hole isn't supposed to be there. It's a bit difficult to tell with this building being as dilapidated as this. There aren't any goblins here now, they're probably waiting for nightfall before doing a raid (foolishly enough, since at that time most student will be in their dorm rooms rather than stuck in a classroom), but you're sure that there's a guard somewhere along the tunnel that you can get the attention of. There are plenty of rocks you can toss in the tunnel to alert any guards to your presence, but are you ready for this?

 

[incantation]: Use the Plume Pheme.
-With everything done that you can you grab a rock and throw it down the tunnel as far as you can. In hindsight perhaps a spell to fling it would have worked better, but from the surprised chatter you know you've attracted attention. You stand ready before the tunnel, wand and plume in hand, ready to face down a few goblins. Now you are, of course, absolutely certain that adding the Pheme to your spell isn't going to kill you. It'll hurt a bit, but the spell you've chosen to use for this is nowhere near powerful enough that adding the Pheme will outright kill you. The goblin's surprised chatter turns into a series of back-and-forth angry snarls as you hear a number of footsteps rushing through the tunnel towards you. You prepare your spell, and as soon as the first goblin steps into enough light that you can see it you complete your spell and let it fly. The spell draws a charge from your heart, which causes it to abruptly stop for a second. It's enough to suddenly force you to your knees as your body desperately tries to recover from the shock. The goblin that the spell hit isn't so lucky. His knees give way completely, and with a helpless squeal he falls face-first onto the floor of the tunnel. A moment later he stands up and briefly looks at you with an expression of unrestrained terror, before scrambling to start running back into the tunnel. Desperately calling for a retreat with a series of words you're probably glad you can't understand, the goblin and his friends run away as fast as their legs can take them. Which, for the goblin you just hit, isn't nearly as fast as his friend that very quickly rushes out of sight. You knew what to expect so the shock to your system wasn't so bad, but after the goblins leave you're still sitting on the ground, breathing more heavily than usual. And you got off lightly. Seeing how freaked out that goblin was makes you wonder how he experienced it. And how Hellen did, not to mention those four hundred-some farmers and mercenaries. You've really stuck your hand into a beehive this time, it seems like, but you don't regret your choices. Suddenly you notice the air in the basement become colder, and slowly you see a familiar ghost take shape in front of you. It's Hellen, so your plan at least worked. "You found my plume...". You can't tell whether Hellen is besides herself with relief or whether she's lamenting her inability to repeatedly bang her head against the wall in disbelief. Her expression looks like either could be right, honestly. You don't feel like questioning it, anyway. Still taking it deeper breaths than usual you stand up and say "Yeah, I did. So...can you find peace now?". Hellen leans over and takes the plume from your hand. Despite being a ghost she can still touch it, somehow. As her ethereal fingers stroke the plume it visible begins to change. Centuries of dust, smoke residue and ash stains vanish as the dull feather suddenly changes into something that you can distinguish from a mistreated quill. Hellen hangs her head and quietly whispers her sister's name before vanishing again, hopefully having found peace. The plume, now a majestic feather that is white as snow and very dimly shining in what little light enters the basement, slowly falls down from where Hellen held it into your hand. You can feel the presence of the magic inscribed within, no different then it was a moment ago, but somehow it feels like part of the plume's magic was purified along with the plume itself. This would have been the point where you planned on putting the plume back and letting the Sisterhood deal with the rest, but on second thought it's probably best if you simply show them the plume as it currently is. You get the sneaking suspicion that they wanted to steal it for the express purpose of trying to purify it, so showing them that it's already done will save everyone trouble down the line.
-- DAMAGE, PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

-Anxious and nevertheless determined, you throw a rock down the tunnel and wait. And wait. And wait some more. Eventually you get fed up and throw another rock down the tunnel, but it appears as though the goblins aren't around at this time of day. What, are the miners on strike? Did the goblin guard guild recall all it's superfluous members because of something else going on, or what? No matter, dejected and a little relieved you stomp out of the basement, swearing that next time you'll test both your spell and your theory.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[strategy]: How about some setting up some terrain advantage first?
-You take a look around and see a few old boards scattered in the corner of the room. Probably old fortifications the goblins took down and stashed here so they can put it to use themselves later. You take a few planks and lazily place them against the hole. It's not going to stop anyone with enough strength in their legs to stand upright, but it should give off the impression that you're here to barricade their precious tunnel. That should get the goblins riled up, and as you know all too well an enemy that loses his cool is an enemy soon defeated.
-- +CoS%, TRY AGAIN

 

-You don't see anything that could give you an advantage, magical or non-magical.
-- TRY AGAIN

 

[Mammals]: Do you know anything about goblins that can help you here?
-You don't know much about goblins, but you do know that they are actually a pretty divided lot. Some goblins will hunt humans just for sport, some will forge and craft tools to sell them on the market (goblin or rarely even human), yet others will build themselves a nice underground home somewhere in Elumia Proper and live out a quiet family life. The goblins pestering Dorm Tower Eight are of the kind that don't see humans differently from any other animal, despite humans being far more skilled and capable than any animal those goblins are likely to have ever seen. Fittingly enough most humans, in turn, view those types of goblins as pests barely more noteworthy than rats despite the fact that you've never seen a rat dig a tunnel with a hand-crafted pickaxe. Thinking about that does give you an idea of sorts, insofar as that you don't have to worry about getting ideas. These goblins are intelligent, you don't really have to go the extra mile to make it obvious that you're here. They'll figure it out themselves, and sooner rather than later at that.
-- +CoS%, TRY AGAIN

 

-Beyond the fact that goblins have a humanoid build...you don't know anything of value.
-- TRY AGAIN

 

 

One of those rare (and potentially annoying) stages where you absolutely have to roll one specific skill, so the difficult gets cranked down a notch to compensate.

 

Trying out the Pheme, realizing that using it is kinda far more horrible than the PC thought, and realizing that it's time to wrap the adventure up. Next stage, at least. Mechanically I'm actually not entirely sure how to define what the Pheme does. I mean "Damage target and caster by X" is simple enough, but how to prevent it from, say, working with Geometric Trap (Spell)? Another thing that would be so much easier if I actually knew Y2 mechanics.

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Illegal Incantations, stage 10:

 

Illusions of Eternity

 

With the plume secured in your robes you head towards the so-called hideout of the Sisterhood, hopefully for the second and last time. The path isn't any different than it was the first time, but it's amazing what a little daylight will do to make a path seem significantly less foreboding and ominous. And less lethal, can't forget less lethal. The Sisterhood hideout looks the same as it did before, although this is the first time you actually bother to take a closer look at it. For a make-shift hideout constructed of nothing but logs and rope it's a very respectable looking house. You walk up to the door and knock on it, after which a familiar sounding man opens the door. Not dressed like he just swam out of a lake of ink you can actually see the man's face, and it looks nothing like you envisioned. The same can be said for most things you've seen lately, actually. "[PC FIRST NAME]? Did you find something? Did you find the plume?". Straight to the point as before, but than you didn't say that the same could be said for everything you've seen lately. You nod and take the plume out from your robe. The man's eyes widen considerably when he sees the plume, and without thinking he yells for the other two. The younger woman shows up before the older woman, and now that you can see all of these people's faces one thing becomes immediately clear. The old lady and the man are related, mother and son you think. The old woman shoves her son aside as politely as her patience allows, and she takes a look at the plume. You can see that a weight fall off her shoulders, and to a lesser extent the same could be said for the other two. "Ah, the plume. So, Hellen must have found peace already. Wonderful, I'm so glad Christel's work was not in vain.". It takes you a second, but you remember that Christel is the name of Hellen's sister. You don't know what the lady means by "her work", though, so you curiously ask. The old lady happily answers your question. "Christel was the one who contacted us and told us we had to retrieve the plume. She finally learned what tied her sister to the mortal world, and asked us to make sure she could find rest.". Wait, hang on, Christel contacted these three? How? The old lady is either blind or choosing to ignore your confusion, because you're sure she couldn't have simply missed it. Than again she might be too happy to notice, because quite cheerfully she adds "Regardless, her sister's spirit has finally been put to rest. Now, [PC FIRST NAME], was it? I really do think we should give you some reward for what you've done, but...I'm afraid there's little we can offer. Though, there's one thing I can think of, wait here while I go fetch it.". The woman turns around and walks out of view, leaving her son and the younger woman standing with you a bit awkwardly. Not for long, though, because you have a few questions to ask. "Christel asked you to find the plume? How? Isn't she, well...". The man rolls his eyes and casually adds "Dead? Yeah, been that way for a while. She send us a bunch of visions, telling us to go to the Academagia and find the plume.". You suppose that's not unreasonable, but that does beg a(nother) question. "Why didn't you just ask that the plume be taken out of storage for Hellen's sake? Heck, I could have talked the Legate into doing that.". The man shrugs, and the younger woman mentions they tried to get in contact with the Legate, but they couldn't get the request passed on to him. You're not entirely surprised about that, the Legate is notoriously difficult to get a hold of, though you are surprised that they'd immediately resort to thieving. Coming from inside the house you hear a muffled voice yell "Ah, here's where I put it!", and a moment later the old lady shows up with a decorated wand in her hand. "Here you go, [PC FIRST NAME]. This is Christel's old wand, one she made for herself after she lost her sister and her sister's plume.". You take the wand and look it over. It's clearly been enchanted heavily, and well maintained as well. A nice prize, but in the back of your mind something is nagging at you...

 

"Where did you find this wand?"
-Both the old and the young lady turn their head and stare at the man, who frowns. "That's a question I'd like to know the answer to myself. Remember what I said about us three getting visions? Well, one night I got a vision and woke up with this thing in my hand. That's also the point where those visions started to become clear enough to make some sense, by the by. I'll admit I don't know much of magic, but that doesn't seem like a coincidence to me.". Yeah, you're going to have to agree on that point. "So you're sure that this is Christel's old wand?". The man confidently nods. "Yeah. I even brought it to a guy I trust that works in the Minetan Hall of Physical Records, had him take a look at it. And if that guy says it's genuine, it's genuine.". You suppose that a bit of magic could easily tell whether an item is indeed as old as it should be. Still, it's weird that it would suddenly show up out of nowhere. You guess that Hellen did manage to pick up the plume earlier, maybe the same is true for Christel and her wand? In any case that's about all you're going to get out of the Sisterhood, so you thank them for the wand and say goodbye. As for the plume, well, you'll find some time to put that thing back. Eventually. There's still questions left unanswered, and while you may or may not care to pursue those answers now, you don't feel like putting the plume to rest yet.
-- +1 INTELLIGENCE, ADD ITEM [Oathkeeper], INFORM [Oathkeeper], ADD ITEM [Hellen's Plume], INFORM [Hellen's Plume], END ADVENTURE

 

"What should I do with the plume?"
-The three adults look at each other confused, and the man shrugs. The old lady, who apparently acts as the group's leader and spokeswoman, answers your question. "I don't know, [PC FIRST NAME]. Perhaps it's best if you keep it. Hellen would not want it to be stored in some cabinet and left to collect dust, especially as it is now. If it fell into your hands, than as far as Hellen is concerned the plume is yours.". You look at the plume and think back to the incident in Dorm Tower Eight. Indeed, the plume did fall into your hand after Hellen dropped it. Truth be told, you don't exactly feel like returning the plume. It helps that the old lady is right, too. Hellen indeed wouldn't want it to be put back into a rack and left to collect dust. You nod, thank the old lady for the wand, and promise you'll look after the plume as best as you can. After that you say goodbye to the Sisterhood and return to the Academagia. There's a few things about this mess that you don't quite understand, but if you ever get curious about something you're going to do the smart thing this time and just looking through a library.
-- +1 CHARM, ADD ITEM [Oathkeeper], INFORM [Oathkeeper], ADD ITEM [Hellen's Plume], INFORM [Hellen's Plume], END ADVENTURE

 

"What happened to Christel?"
-The old lady sighs, and she looks at you a bit wistfully. "She...after she protected herself from her sister's spell she teleported to the other side of that battlefield. There, amid a pile of bodies and with fires growing all around her, she found her sister's body, with the plume resting on top of her. Christel used her magic to teleport them both away to some place safe and secluded, where I don't know exactly, but there she saw to it that her sister was given a proper, if annonymous burial. After that it's said that she fell into the care of a man who pledged to look after her, and later she joined a temple, but no one knows for sure. Even I don't. After the battle she faded into obscurity, that's all I know.". Something to scour the history books for, if you ever care to do so. Honestly, you're quite tired of dwelling on the past of these two girls. well, maybe one more question. "Do you know exactly where Hellen was buried?". The old lady shakes her head, which you suppose is for the better. You thank the old lady for the information, and say goodbye. As for the plume, well, you get the distinct impression that Hellen wouldn't want it to be put back into a rack to collect dust for another couple hundred years, especially as it is now. You're going to need to think about this for a bit, but somehow you're confident you'll think of the right answer.
-- +1 LUCK, ADD ITEM [Oathkeeper], INFORM [Oathkeeper], ADD ITEM [Hellen's Plume], INFORM [Hellen's Plume], END ADVENTURE

 

 

And the adventure is over already. Okay, so I suppose that technically this is only part one (I mean clearly), but still. I'm not sure whether an attribute point and two items is too generous for such a short adventure, but, well, the items aren't Sword of Kush-level easy to get or as useful, so I think it'll be fine.

 

Just a brief "which attribute would you like to raise?" question and some last-minute backstory. I'm not sure whether the follow-up adventure will be a Y3 deal or a second-half-of-Y2 deal, but probably the latter since by the time I'll have knowledge of Y3 mechanics...yeah. What I am (semi-)sure of are the two items. The Oathkeeper is to be Christel's old wand and have the effect of increasing the CoS of Prayer type actions, along with giving +1 Piety or something else minor (though topical) like that. The plume is...not as obvious, because what it does depends on what, exactly, the Plume Pheme does.

 

My intend is for the Plume Pheme to add a multiplier of some sort (2× damage? Damage²? Damage×[caster's Skill X/Y]?) to an electricity-based attack spell, with the cost of making that spell do equal (or slightly less) damage to the caster. So a really, really weak spell like the PC's spark in stage 9 will deal approximately jack on it's own, but adding the Plume Pheme will make it deal respectable damage to both caster and victim (especially if, as in the goblin's case, you're a bit worked up and don't know it's coming). Conversely, Hellen's Chain Lightning spell that deals serious damage on it's on will straight-up murder anyone not magically protected in some way, including the caster, when the Plume Pheme is added to it. If this is what the Plume Pheme does, the plume item is intended to have the effect of reducing the Pheme's difficulty to 0 when equipped. Mechanically insignificant since it has a low difficulty on it's own and you only need one of them in any given spell anyway (multiple Phemes won't stack), but that's what it does.

 

If any of that is mechanically impossible and the Pheme instead does a simple "Deal X damage to caster and target" (or "Deal X damage to target and Y damage to caster"), than instead the plume item will probably just increase a few Incantation skills and spot an affinity for Electricity spell types. Assuming the latter does something in Y2. I'm not entirely certain.

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It's one of the adventures currently in my adventure folder, though there's not much to it yet. My schedule for typing is pretty much "whenever I feel like it" so I only post stuff when I have something that's like 90% ready, and currently I don't have a single adventure approaching the double digits.

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The idea is for it to be exclusive, as there's absolutely no need for a discreet tutor when you already have at least two who the Captain has on speed dial. It'll also be a Y2 adventure, in part because Y1 is kinda full up on adventures as is, and in part because learning Sync on your own in Y1 isn't really so hard you need a tutor.

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When I say "exclusive, as there's absolutely no need for a discreet tutor when you already have at least two who the Captain has on speed dial", I mean the Sphinx tutoring adventure is only open to people who didn't touch An Outing... in Y1. Which is to say people that learned the Sync skills through non-An Outing... methods and want to get anywhere with those skills in Y2 (and possibly beyond).

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  • 2 months later...

For Schohanwicht, stage 0:

 

Adventure In The Books (Schohanwicht)

 

It's late at night, you're in your room sleeping as peacefully as you can when all of a sudden you're jerked awake by a sudden unseen force that's trying to pull you out of your bed. Normally that'd be a bad thing, but this is a sensation you're quite familiar with. It's a Gates spell, and whoever is casting it is trying to convince you to go somewhere. Schohanwicht. It must be a summon from Schohanwicht. Strange, usually they're not this...well, crude about this sort of thing, but than you don't know who else would use a Gates spell to summon you. And if you're wrong about who it is, well, Schohanwicht would be a good place to find out without running head first into danger. As quietly as possible you don your robes and grab your knapsack, after which you use the Portal Key to head off. It takes all of half a second before someone runs up and talks to you after you arrive, which is a new record. "[PC FIRST NAME]? Come with me, please.". You want to take a second to orient yourself, but the professor (you assume based on the person's build and robes) practically drags you inside and through a door that's usually off-limits for students. Whatever news they have for you will be big, let's just hope it's good. "Alright, we're all here now. Euneycia, would you explain the situation for [PC FIRST NAME]?". Now that you've got a moment you take a look around and see three other people in the room, Euneycia included. Two are covered by black robes and matching hood, but you can reasonably conclude they're faculty of Schohanwicht. Actually, now that you take a look Euneycia is covered likewise, though given how the other gentleman just announced her name you can reasonably conclude it's her. "Had a moment to collect yourself, dear?". Yeah, it's definitely Euneycia, you'd recognise that voice anywhere. "Yeah, I'm fine now. I guess you were the one who cast that pulling spell?". Euneycia nods, although you can't see the expression on her face. "I apologize for that one, dear, but I'm afraid time is short. Do you recall what you told us about the Endless Section, and the vampire living deep in Elumia Proper?". You nod, the priceless expression on the professor's face is something you'll remember fondly for a long time. "That is why you're here. We've made preparations to go out and talk with him tonight, and we need you along.". You were looking forwards to this, although now that it's time you're more nervous that anything. It's the tense atmosphere in the room, the hesitation and nerves you can hear in Euneycia's voice. They're not excited, far from it in fact, and if there's anything you learned it's that if your professors - especially the Schohanwicht professors - are afraid of something, you should be as well. Although despite that you're certainly not backing out, so you ask when you're all leaving. Just as one of the professors answers your question you notice the other drawing a wand. "Right now. Stay close to Euneycia, [PC FIRST NAME], you'll take point once we enter the Vampire's home.".

 

C: Do so.
-You run up to Euneycia and hold her hand, just in case. You doubt the professors don't know what they're doing, but Gates magic is never entirey safe. Nor, for that matter, is Elumia Proper. The professor with the wand completes his spell, and quickly you feel like your body being pushed again. Only this time the force is strong enough to actually push you somewhere...
-- PROCEED WITH ADVENTURE

 

 

Wasn't really planning to post this adventure, but, well, done too much already to completely scrap it and I need something to keep me motivated and working 'till the end. As the stage name suggests this adventure is...sadly lacking in things people would normally associate with "adventure" but, well, let's just say that there's a bigger plot and sometimes you need to do some work before you get to the good stuff. For Schohanwicht, hence why the state name clarifies that. I've not done any work on the non-Schohanwicht side to this adventure, but, eh, I'll get to that if and when I get to it. First off I've got this side to finish.

 

FYI, this is planned to be a Y2 continuation of the The Endless Section Library path A adventure. No, I do not know whether or not there'll be a different follow-up adventure exclusive to the B path or whether it'll just be mostly the same adventure with just a different intro for infodump purposes (probably the latter, if either). This is what I have right now, so I'll see what, if anything, happens afterwards if and when it's finished.

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For Schohanwicht, stage 1:

 

Do you seek Knowledge...

 

With an unceremonious splat you suddenly fall face-first on grass covered mud somewhere you don't recognise. It's dark (as one would expect at night), it's raining, it's cold (for the time of year that it is) and the combined noise of the rain and the wind blowing through the trees means you're not able to hear all that well, either. You looks around and quickly spot Euneycia and the other two professors near you, who don't look much better off than you are. They each stand up and cast a spell to clean their robes, and then another one to protect you all from the rain. Not that it's storming, but it's a cold enough night even without the rain making it worse. "That didn't go entirely as planned. Are you alright, [PC FIRST NAME]?". You say you're fine (in between attempts of spitting out the last of the mud that ended up in your mouth), as Euneycia casts a spell for you to get rid of all the mud on you. "Looks like we landed a bit east of our planned destination, only a minute walk away though.". One of the professors is drawing Phemes in one hand while gazing at the sky through a person-sized telescope held in the other other hand, the latter of which is promptly put back in his robe. "Well, that and about foot higher. Either way we're close enough, although I wonder what disrupted our spell.". "Best not dwell on that now.", Euneycia says. "We've got to get moving, time is short.". The professors nod and the one with the telescope leads the four of you to a familiar basalt tower, which is almost invisible during the night hours. It reminds you most of the Nanna bulls and the weird sun-less space they occupy. If you had to find one in these conditions with no help but Durand, well, you'd have both been up a creek without a boat or a wand. "[PC FIRST NAME], do you know how to open these doors?". You take a look at them and shrug, they look exactly the same as last time. "As far as I know it's not locked, it wasn't the other three or so times I went through here.". Both of the professors nod to each other and push open the doors, loud creaks screaming through the mostly quiet night as they do so. It's nerve-wrecking, and the sight of the hallway full of eroded statues doesn't help. You cast a light spell and take a step inside the hallway. "I take point from here, right?". Euneycia nods, although now that you can finally look at her face you notice that she looks...well, not like she usually does. You'd guess she's scared, but you're not sure about that. Either way you lead the three through the hallway of broken statues, towards the brightly lit centre chamber. You don't see anyone inside, even as you step onto the podium and look up (as far as you can before the bright lights blind your view of the upper floors). "So is this-" one of the professors begins to ask you as he, his college and Euneycia slowly walk up onto the podium, but he's interrupted by the familiar sound of a choir-like voice that seems to come from every direction. "Do you seek knowledge, students of Schohanwicht...". You take another look around at the upper floors and this time you just catch the sight of a humanoid shape poly-morphing into a bat after jumping off the railing, flying down towards the bottom floor and gracefully landing on the podium while shifting back into a human shape. Lord Krazoa, who's expression betrays nothing, casually dispels the Glamour projecting his voice and adds "Or do you seek death?". You're about to start casual conversation when you suddenly feel Euneycia run up to you. Looking at her and the other two professors they seem much more terrified of Lord Krazoa than you are, or heck, than even Durand was at first. They also appear to be either too awestruck or terrified (perhaps a combination of both) to speak, so you turn back around towards Lord Krazoa and start that casual conversation anyway. "Knowledge. And, eh, how did you know who's students we are?". Lord Krazoa begins walking around the edge of the podium, like he did before when you and Durand first met him. You notice he keeps a closer eye on Euneycia and the two professors than he does on you, and from the way he grins you suspect he's pleased to see they're afraid of him. "I could sense your cocktail of spells suddenly brought within my domain from here. A risky approach, though I can guess why you decided to take it, regardless. You're here, seeking knowledge, and as Kane doesn't appreciate individuals using his library to study illegal magic I imagine you are not here to meet my herd. In which case, have you come seeking knowledge from me?". You nod, but apparently neither Euneycia or the professors are any less terrified. Lord Krazoa finishes his circle around the podium, and returns to standing in the middle of it, facing the four of you. "I've no interest in brining those who would hunt you down to my doorstep, but that is why the children of light choose to cross their paths in the dark, as the Nanna would say. You are here, and you have my attention. What knowledge do you seek from me, students of Schohanwicht?". You look towards Euneycia, and the other two professors, but they still appear to be frozen stiff. You don't think it was part of the plan for you to take the lead in the conversation, but apparently that's what you'll have to do. Of course no one really told you exactly what you're here to ask of Lord Krazoa...so what do you ask about?

 

[Gates Methods]: "We wish to study the circle of stones, in the cave below."
-Lord Krazoa nods, like he was expecting that answer, and turns to face the professors. "Is that all?". A long and awkward silence later one of the professors finally says something, although his voice sounds raspy. "N-no, we'd also like to...eh, study your herd. If...possible.". You really don't know why Euneycia and the professors are so terrified. And honestly, you're probably better off not knowing. "Why do you wish to study my herd, exactly?". Euneycia and the professors look amongst each other, and one of them answers "We...wish to study how the transformation became hereditary.". Is it just nerves or did the professors want to keep that a secret? It certainly sounds like Lord Krazoa is dragging it out of them. "For that you will have to gain their trust, and knowledge, on their own terms. For that I will allow you to enter my domain, so long as you observe and respect your own tradition. I give no respect to those who betray that makes them stand out from the Enemy, or my trust.". After saying that Lord Krazoa glares at Euneycia and the other two professors with an honestly familiar-looking scowl on his face, kind of like a professor warning a student not to do something that shouldn't be done. Only you're pretty sure that Lord Krazoa doesn't hand out detention, at least not the kind you can walk away from. For their part, Euneycia and the professors definitely got the message. "Than I suppose it's time for me to show you the way into the 'basement'.". Lord Krazoa taps on the podium with his shoe, and a moment later it starts rising up in the air towards the second floor, like it did before. Euneycia and the professors appear startled, but they calm down fast enough (as much as they can, anyway). "The way downstairs is through the arch directly looking at the engraved Dragon. And be mindful of the spirit of the werewolf, I cannot say he'll be as accepting of your search as I am.". One of the professors nods while Euneycia nearly drags you with her downstairs. You get that she's slightly terrified of Lord Krazoa, but really now. Maybe she's excited? Ah, you'll figure it out later.
-- PROCEED WITH ADVENTURE

 

[Theory of Gates]: "We wish to study your herd."
-Lord Krazoa stares at you for a moment, and then shifts his gaze to one of the professors. "Is that all?". It takes an uncomfortably long time before the professor answers, and when he does he speaks slowly with a raspy voice. "We...we'd also like to study the circle of stones, beneath this tower, I believe? And...your herd, yes.". Lord Krazoa seems to give it some thought, and turns his attention back to you. "Of those two, which would you prefer to study?". That's a fairly simple question to answer. Circles of stones you can find...well, not everywhere, but they're around if you know where to look. The vampire's herd, by contrast? Much harder to come by, not to mention approach when you don't happen to be on speaking terms with the vampire that's made a full-time job out of looking out for them. So, with confidence, you answer "the herd". Lord Krazoa nods and stares at the professors for a moment, but you can only see one expression on them. One that rather clearly says "Oh Gods please help me". You don't understand why these three are so terrified of Lord Krazoa...but that's probably for the best. "[PC FIRST NAME], have your professors taught you about the Curse?". You turn back to look at Lord Krazoa, who actually looks curious rather than like a statue. "A little. It's related to why Gates spells don't always work even when they're cast correctly, right?". "Indeed. You are interested in what caused it and how it could be undone, yes?". Definitely, although you're not so naive to believe that you could so easily make such a large difference. If you could, though, you definitely would. "That circle of stones in the 'basement' is a pre-Curse relic. One untainted by...whatever tainted the school of Gates.". With wide eyes you starts to reconsider your earlier answer. An intact circle of stones with pre-Curse Gates magic infused in it? That's still easier to find than the vampire's herd, but if it could teach Euneycia and the others anything about the Curse...that'd be worth it. While you're mulling it over Lord Krazoa stares at Euneycia and the other two professors. Only this time there's a grin on his face. "Curious that those who are shunned by the light would seek answers in the dark, as the Nanna would say. But than there's always more interesting things to find in the dark.". Before you can think about what that's supposed to mean Lord Krazoa taps the tip of his shoe to the podium, which slowly starts to raise up towards the second floor. Euneycia and the professors are startled by the sudden movement and noise of stone scraping against stone, but they don't do anything other than look wildly about. "Do you remember the path downstairs, [PC FIRST NAME]?". Yeah, that's the hallway that's directly facing the engraving of the Dragon. "Than you know where to go. As for my herd, you have my permission to travel within my domain so you can approach them on their terms. How you will gain their trust and knowledge is up to you...though I would advise you not to betray that which separates you from those who hunt you. Nor my trust.". The grin on Lord Krazoa's face has definitely made way for a scowl that, you will admit, is pretty intimidating. Euneycia and the professors, who seem like they've got the message loud and clear, simply nod in response to what Lord Krazoa said and half-walk, half-run down the staircase while dragging you along. Never thought that you'd see a Schohanwicht professor, or Euneycia at that, so afraid of someone. And you're probably better off not knowing why.
-- PROCEED WITH ADVENTURE

 

[Wits]: What should you ask about?
-You remember what you told the professor before, and while you don't know what he and the other professors researched in the mean time there's only two things that they wouldn't have readily available access to. Namely the circle of stones, and the vampire's herd. So it sounds likely that Euneycia and the professors wish to study them...and study them both, now that you think about it.
-- UNLOCK BELOW OPTION, TRY AGAIN

 

-You remember bringing up the true nature of the vampire's herd, his knowledge of the library's true history, and the circle of stones in the cave below the podium...but you have no idea which of these, if any, are more important than the other.
-- TRY AGAIN

 

-[Gates]: "We wish to study both."
--"Both?". Right, your internal monologue is, as the name suggests, internal. "The circle of stones in the cave below the podium, as well as your herd. We'd like to study both. And don't worry, we know not to violate tradition.". And awkward silence hangs in the room while the vampire looks over Euneycia and the professors. After what feels like an eternity one of the professors slowly says "We...we have an interest in trying to discover what caused the ancestors of your herd to become what they are, as well as an interest in studying the circle of stones in the cave.". The silence returns for a bit, until the professor adds "We...wish to study how the transformations became hereditary. As for the circle of stones, we believe it to be a...pre-Curse relic.". The professor looks like he has more to say, but he stopped himself. The vampire appears to give it some thought, and he turns his attention back to you. "You, too, wish to study these things?". Primarily you're here because you met Lord Krazoa before, but the chance to see Euneycia and a pair of Schohanwicht professors study centuries-old Gates artefacts up close? Heck yes, you want to be part of this study group (although you doubt you could keep up with anyone). The vampire briefly studies the excitement spread all over your face, and with a slight grin on his own says "Very well.". Less than a second later he taps the front of his shoe to the podium. There's a brief rumble, and slowly the podium rises towards the second floor, as it did before. Both Euneycia and the two professors look around wildly, but you don't see any reason to panic. "Do you recall the path downstairs, [PC FIRST NAME]?". You nod, it's the hallway that's looking directly at the engraving of the Dragon. "Than the four of you know where to go. Mind, I cannot speak for the spirit of the werewolf that still resides in the circle of stones. How he will respond to your search for knowledge I cannot say. As for my herd...you have permission to traverse within my domain, so you may approach them on their terms. Gaining their trust, and their knowledge, you will have to accomplish on your own. Though, as your student notes, it would be wise to observe and follow tradition within my domain. I do not approve of those who betray what makes them stand out from those they hunt...or my trust.". The glare that Lord Krazoa shows to Euneycia and the other two professors after mentioning his trust looks like an angry professor who's lecturing a misbehaving student. You never thought that Euneycia would be looked at like that, although many things happened that you never thought possible. For their part, both Euneycia and the professors definitely seem to have gotten the message. Still, you're a bit confused. Isn't the study and use of Gates against tradition now? Are Lord Krazoa's "traditions" separate from actual laws? Than again, with how old he is he probably learned his fair share of Gates before it was banned. And probably Mastery as well, come to think of it. Euneycia tabs you on the shoulder and motions for you to follow them downstairs. The look on her face is...one you've never seen before. That's really the nicest way to describe it. You follow them downstairs while Lord Krazoa stands and watches the four of you, towards the ritual room.
--- PROCEED WITH ADVENTURE

 

 

One of actually quite a few stages that don't require you to roll anything, necessarily. It'll actually be a pretty short and simple adventure, all told, but than there's not much actual adventure to be had. And with this being a follow-up to The Endless Section Library I think short and simple will work perfectly fine in this case.

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As do I, really ;). This one was more coincidence than anything since there's a few points where it just doesn't make sense to fail, and not too many stages in between.

 

Yeah, that's half the reason why typing Y2 adventures is such a gamble right now. Y2 Mechanics? *Shrugs*, just make something up and hope it fits. I've certainly had to, this adventure included.

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For Schohanwicht, stage 2:

 

"Truth"

 

Studying the circle of stones in the ritual room is sadly a very dull affair. Euneycia insists that you keep your distance since she can't be sure the circle of stones, or the werewolf for that matter, will end up reacting badly to their magic. You're quite disappointed you don't get to help them cast various spells and pen down all manner of things on parchment that is quickly put away in a small bag that you're pretty sure should be overflowing right now. At least you got them in here, so you did something right. "Tired of being made to wait by the sidelines?". You jump and quickly turn around, startled by the sudden noise. Lord Krazoa has somehow managed to sneak up on you, apparently he's capable of walking down a stone staircase without making any noise. He looks incredibly amused for whatever reason, and is patiently waiting for an answer. "Eh...actually, yeah. Like, I know Gates can be dangerous and all, but how am I supposed to learn it if it's too dangerous to study? That circle of stones isn't...well, it's not that dangerous, is it?". Lord Krazoa actually seems to be giving it some though. Slowly he walks up to the stone pedestal, and while staring at Euneycia and the professors he asks "If I told you it isn't, would you be convinced to join your professors?". You look towards Euneycia and the professors yourself and give the question serious thought. The answer, at least, comes to you quickly. "No, no I wouldn't. I want to see what they're doing, learn what they're doing, learn what they're learning by doing it...but I don't want to put myself at risk. If they ask me to stay on the sidelines and watch...I know it's for a reason. Gates...isn't forgiving.". Lord Krazoa nods, although he doesn't turn to face you. "We learn from our elders, and our elders learn from their mistakes. That is something my Dialectic professor used to say.". You sigh and nod. You know he's right, you know Euneycia is right...but it's still boring to stand and wait here. Really, you're surprised you haven't been send back to the Academagia already. "Incidentally, did your professors not mean to ask what I know about Dragon's Doom?". You shrug in response, since you still don't know what Euneycia and the professors want to ask about and/or study exactly. Lord Krazoa looks at your shrug a bit curiously, but he doesn't let it bother him. "I suppose the younger generation isn't taught the mystery of the Dragon's Doom collection. Understandable, as Man seems to have given up on it.". Dragon's Doom collection? Yeah, you do remember Lord Krazoa mentioning something about that before. About how the Endless Section, or Dragon's Doom as it was called originally, was rediscovered without the books it was supposed to house. Apparently there were plenty of suspects, but the books remain lost. "So no one ever found the books? Not even a trace of them?". Lord Krazoa shakes his head. It makes you wonder where those books went. And just how valuable they would be. "Thinking about something?". Despite not looking at you Lord Krazoa sill noticed your curiosity. Maybe he really did learn some Mastery tricks over the years? Than again, it shouldn't take Mastery to realize you're a curious sort. Especially when you're bored. "I was just wondering...how valuable are those books? Would be, rather?". "Valuable, at least to an historian or collector. The collection contains a comprehensive account of Man's struggle against the Enemy. Their strategies, spells, weapons both metal and vocal that they used, and all that it took to discover, along with correspondence and orders given out by the Dragons themselves that fell into Man's hands. Written copies penned by the less-than loyal stewards of the Enemies in that last case, of course.". That indeed sounds like quite the prize, pity that it's missing...though you wonder if it really is. Lord Krazoa doesn't notice the increasing numbers of ideas written on your face, so he continues with his history lesson undisturbed. "That's not to say that anything truly valuable is believed to have been in those books. After all, anything so useful or valuable was used against the Enemy and recorded by all those that witnessed it. To wit, how often do your textbooks mention how a great King or Queen used a fantastic spell to fight the Enemy, as opposed to the three weeks it took to research the spell and the thirteen failed attempts at casting it before it actually worked?". Very often, though that just makes you curious about why the other thirteen attempts weren't as good as the fourteenth. This might be a waste of time, but it's not like you have anything better to do right now. "Who all were suspected of stealing the books, again?". Lord Krazoa doesn't turn to face you, but you can still see a grin slowly spread over his face. "The magic behind the Exile, the Emperor's personal servants, the citizen who discovered the library, the Thieves Guild, the old Gates masters, and an unknown agent that turned to the cause of the Enemies. Now, who do you think is responsible for the missing books?".

 

The Exile.
-Lord Krazoa nods as you sigh and shake your head. Such a fun mystery, yet such a distinctly not fun answer to it. Not that you were hoping to get the chance to play treasure hunter, but...it'd be a nice adventure. "The Exile is indeed the logical, and some would say realistic explanation. Though, you're not willing to give up quite so easily, are you?". No, you're not, although you're a bit confused by Lord Krazoa's choice of words. He looks and sounds like he's planning something, but what? The ever-widening grin on Lord Krazoa's face is one you recognise, though you never thought you'd see that knowing grin on someone so old. "From what we can reason out the Exile being the culprit, knowingly or not, is the likeliest truth. But...what the is the likeliest untruth?". The what? Finally Lord Krazoa turns to face you, showing you the wide grin on his face in all it's glory. It's...unnerving. "When truth is unattainable, determine untruth, and let it lead you back to right and proper truth. Another thing my Dialectics professor taught me, and a lesson I've been applying to this matter of the missing books.". You're not sure you follow. Lord Krazoa apparently didn't expect you to, because he continues without pause. "What my professor meant by that is that when you can't figure out what happened, take a step back and consider what certainly didn't happen. And from there keep chasing impossibilities until you're back on the right path.". You don't follow how that applies to this mystery. Is he implying that the Exile wasn't responsible? Couldn't have been, even? Lord Krazoa slowly shifts back towards Euneycia, apparently pleased to have thoroughly confused you (seriously, what's the plan here?), and with a much too casual voice says "I have my own theories on what happened to those books...and they don't involve the Exile. Information tends to blur over centuries, become scattered and lost, and this case I suspect is no different". Oh, you think you understand what Lord Krazoa is getting to. And frankly? You like it.
-- PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

[CONDITION: PC DOES NOT HAVE [it wasn't the Emperor] MEMORY

The Emperor's Servants.
-Lord Krazoa looks at you curiously. "Interesting theory, but why would the Emperor have the books confiscated?". You shrug. "For the prestige, for his own personal collection, just to be able to say he had it, You know how royals can be.". Lord Krazoa sighs and shakes his head, although not because he agrees. "You know, the Emperor posted a prince's bounty for the return of the Dragon's Doom collection. I suppose you could argue that he offered so much because he knew he wouldn't have to pay up, but is that really a smart thing to do? Call attention to a collection that you, yourself, have 'acquired' for yourself?". Well, no, it wouldn't be. Still, even in the early days it's wasn't just the Emperor doing everything. "Are you sure that it was the Emperor who posted that bounty, not a member of the court? Maybe a member demanded that it be posted?". Lord Krazoa shakes his head. "No, it was definitely the Emperor himself.". Well, there goes that theory. And come to think of it, taking an historical collection out of the historically notable library they're meant to be a part of doesn't quite sound right, either. But if it wasn't the Emperor, than who was it?
-- ADD [it wasn't the Emperor] MEMORY, TRY AGAIN
END]

 

[CONDITION: PC DOES NOT HAVE [it wasn't the citizen...was it?] MEMORY
The Citizen.
-A grin slowly creeps up Lord Krazoa's face. It's...unsettling. "So, you'd accuse the citizen? Might I ask...why?". Yep, definitely unsettling. Your reasoning for naming the citizen, however, is simple - he's the only one who had a good opportunity, being the first to discover the library. Lord Krazoa seems to agree, surprisingly. "Yes, the citizen is who I suspect as well. Of course, him being the culprit isn't so simple.". Of course it isn't. It never is, isn't it? "There's the question of why the citizen would have stolen the books, how he would have stolen the books, why he announced the discovery of the library if he had indeed stolen the books...among a few other thing, as well. Still, I...am not convinced that it was the Exile that took away the books, and while the citizen might not have been the culprit personally, if there's a mystery to solve here it starts with him.". Just now a completely reasonable question occurs to you. "And you want me to solve it? Look into the history of the library, try to find the collection centuries if not a millennium after it was so confirmed missing that everyone gave up on it?". Lord Krazoa doesn't react at all to your question. The grin on his face remains, and it remains unmoved. "Most everyone, and I'm asking nothing...though if you wish to pursue knowledge...the basics are always a good place to start.". You're not sure what Lord Krazoa is getting at here, but you understand enough. Perhaps a later visit to a library is in order.
-- PAUSE ADVENTURE
END]

 

[CONDITION: PC DOES NOT HAVE [it wasn't the Thieves Guild] MEMORY
The Thieves Guild.
-Lord Krazoa slowly nods. "A valid theory to go along with a valid suspect, but incorrect. The Thieves Guild was very thoroughly investigated for the Dragon's Doom collection, and they were proven to have never seen it.". You can imagine, but if they found the collection before people realized they could have smuggled it out of Mineta and fenced it somewhere before people knew what happened. You're sure you're right, but Lord Krazoa shakes his head. "The Dragon's Doom collection was an entire library worth of books, scrolls and other writing materials that, individually, contained no more information than a basic history textbook. Too risky to smuggle piece by piece, too risky to smuggle all at once, and not worth the effort regardless. Especially after the Emperor announced a prince's bounty for the collection. Someone would have realised what they purchased from the thieves, and than it would have ended very badly for all of them. I also seem to recall that the Thieves Guild agreed to be investigated, to prove their innocence I believe. It's not a good thing to be suspected of having stolen that which the Emperor so dearly wants, as you can imagine.". Yeah, you suppose that all makes sense, although the Thieves Guild "agreeing" to be investigated just sounds silly. If the Emperor was that desperate, though, you're pretty sure that for the Thieves Guild it wasn't a show of good faith so much as them not wanting to risk the wrath of the Emperor. Oh, the rumors that would have sprung up if the Thieves Guild stubbornly refused to speak truthfully about their dealings with the books. It still sounds weird for the Thieves Guild to do anything the guard tells them to, but if it's that or the Emperor's wrath...yeah, that's possible. Silly, but possible.
-- ADD [it wasn't the Thieves Guild] MEMORY, TRY AGAIN
END]

 

[CONDITION: PC DOES NOT HAVE [it wasn't the Gates masters] MEMORY
The Gates masters.
-Lord Krazoa looks at you a little funny. "Remind me, when did these 'Gates Masters' band together so they could remove the public knowledge of their own craft?". That would be when Gates was last banned, roughly three centuries ago. Which was long after Dragon's Doom was discovered. You really didn't think this one through. "Well...maybe-", but before you can even try to think of some justification Lord Krazoa interrupts with "Gates wasn't banned when Dragon's Doom was found, nor was it being criticized.". Your idea thoroughly deflated you hang your head in shame. Not an impressive show of deduction skills, you're just glad that only a few people are around to hear it.
-- ADD [it wasn't the Gates masters] MEMORY, TRY AGAIN
END]

 

[CONDITION: PC DOES NOT HAVE [it wasn't a Draconic agent] MEMORY
An agent of the Dragons.
-Lord Krazoa seems to nod to himself, sort of. You're not sure, really. "A valid theory, insofar that such a theoretical agent wouldn't have been discovered if he or she succeeded...but why would the Enemies have tasked one of their agents with destroying the books?". "For revenge? Because they were afraid the books contained important knowledge, maybe?". Lord Krazoa shrugs, and not in a good way. "I can think of a few more important things that such an agent would have targeted, and as I've said, the books are of little value in terms of learning how to fight one of our Enemies. Anything that was useful against them was used against them before the Exile, and that information was spread far and wide. The Dragon's Doom collection actually ended up making itself outdated, in the end. It was certainly proven by the Exile that the Enemies weren't especially comfortable with their ability to win. One single library didn't accomplish that.". Lord Krazoa has a point. Why go after the Dragon's Doom collection as opposed to, say, the Academagia? Or the Imperial Palace? You suppose the Dragon's Doom wasn't nearly as risky a target...but than there was probably a good reason why it wasn't. You're not quite willing to rule out that the Dragons trashed the library just out of spite, but maybe there's a better suspect...
-- ADD [it wasn't a Draconic agent] MEMORY, TRY AGAIN
END]

 

[Logic]: Who could have done it?
-It quickly becomes clear to you that at this point, this mystery is a question of motive and opportunity. Going down the list the Exile definitely had the opportunity, and probably no need for a motive. The Exile...kinda goes beyond the scope of "this one library", so the books were probably just a coincidental casualty, if anything. The Emperor had the opportunity, but probably not a motive. If he wanted the prestige he wouldn't have had the books removed from the historically noteworthy library they belonged to that he just discovered, and if he wanted to keep it secret (for what good that'd do for him) he'd probably have kept the library itself a secret as well. The citizen definitely had the opportunity, being the first to discover the library, but did he have a motive? Whatever he wanted to gain from keeping the books to himself he certainly could have gotten from the Emperor, and it seems odd that he'd reveal the library if he had stolen the books from it. No, he definitely wouldn't have made that announcement if he did. The Thieves Guild definitely had plenty of motive, but no real opportunity. The collection of books are only valuable as that, a collection. Smuggling the entire thing out of Mineta, maybe even the Empire of Man as a whole, and fencing it all at once would have been far too risky, whereas smuggling and fencing the books one by one wouldn't have paid enough to justify the risk of getting caught. Someone would have noticed what those books belonged to, and than things would have gone downhill for the Thieves Guild fast. They're smart enough to know that. The Gates Masters are an interesting case in that they would have had a very good motive...but no opportunity, as that motive didn't exist until Gates was banned about three centuries ago. You remember Lord Krazoa mentioning that the so-called old Gates masters tried to destroy the history of Dragon's Doom then, three centuries ago, and not back when it was discovered. Actually back during the days that the library was discovered Gates wasn't banned, so "the old Gates masters" as a faction who would have needed to find the books to keep them from the Emperor didn't exist. That brings you to the final suspect, which is a Draconic agent, but while such a person might have had the opportunity he or she wouldn't have a motive. As Lord Krazoa said, anything Man successfully used against the Dragons was recorded in more than just the Dragon's Doom collection, and you're sure that the Dragons understand this just as well, if not better. They wouldn't care about the library, if they even knew of it to begin with. So...in the end, you're left with only one suspect.
-- ADD MEMORIES [it wasn't the Emperor], [it wasn't the citizen...was it?], [it wasn't the Thieves Guild], [it wasn't the Gates masters], [it wasn't a Draconic agent]; TRY AGAIN

 

--So many suspects who had either a motive or the opportunity, yet no one who appears to have had both. This will take some clever thinking...or less clever guesswork.
--- TRY AGAIN

 

 

The last of the "don't have to roll" stages until the end, though there's an opportunity to apply a bit of logic to the situation. And, perhaps, make a few assumptions along the way.

 

Watching, waiting, chatting with a supremely old vampire and learning that, oh, he has an agenda that you may or may not be able to become part of. I don't think the team will agree to the long-term plans I have for this guy (probably much to Free's chagrin), but I'm sure that even if so he'll find a roll to play by the end.

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For Schohanwicht, stage 3:

 

The Impossible Search

 

Lord Krazoa has given you some interesting ideas when it comes to the mystery of the missing books from Dragon's Doom, or the Endless Section as it's now called. Being honest with yourself you don't really believe the books still exist. Someone would have found them by now if they did. But with Lord Krazoa apparently unconvinced that the books are really "gone"...and really, if anyone would be able to reasonably guess that they're not...it'd be him, right? Perhaps it's a futile project, but you've decided to head into the Venalicium to research this matter anyway. It was tempting to research this in the Endless Section itself, but you don't want to risk tipping off Kane about why you visited with Lord Krazoa recently. You doubt he'd ask too many questions, but no student of Schohanwicht was ever caught being too careful. Besides, the Venalicium doesn't require you to walk through Mineta, and when it comes to physical exercise you're feeling like taking it easy for a while. So, onto the books. Into the books? Eh, you'll be doing both anyway. You walk to the Venalicium's History section and look at the shelves. You're not going to find any juicy information in the books that are so easily available. Basic facts, sure, but you want all of the interesting details, and that's going to require more effort than just looking for a good book and reading it. Where are you going to get all the interesting information from?

 

[Filing]: Find where the interesting books are.
-Feeling a bit silly for not doing this in the first place you walk back to the reception area and look through the registry. But when you see no mention of Dragon's Doom in any of them you suddenly remember why you didn't bother with this. It's a Gates-created library. The Venalicium, at least the public section of it, doesn't really put books with Gates history in easy to reach places, if it puts them somewhere at all. That's a shame, but you can still look up books that should make some mention of Dragon's Doom, if not discuss it in as much detail as you'd like. You really were looking forward to seeing some juicy details, but apparently basic facts will have to do for now. Well, not like it'll hurt to get some basics facts on the table first. Ah, here's a good book to try. "Discoveries Great And Small During the Early Empire", written by an author who you're fairly certain has at least three tongues or otherwise a very creative way of pronouncing his own name. Satisfied with your choice you head back to the history section, take out the book and go to a study cubicle for some reading. It takes a bit of flipping through the book to find Dragon's Doom, and it sadly takes quite a few more books to get anywhere close to a complete picture of it's history (at least that which can be mentioned in the Venalicium's public area), but it's an interesting set of reads nevertheless.
-- PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

-With some reservations about looking through the registry you nevertheless drag yourself to the reception and look through it. And you find nothing. Literally nothing about Dragon's Doom. You look through it repeatedly, even through a few books that sound like they should have information on it, but no, nothing. Absolutely nothing. After having wasted quite some time in the library you decide to maybe try a different approach at a later date.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[Conversation]: Talk with history buffs and see what they know.
-You look around and see if there's anyone in the history section that you recognise. No Durand de Thiomines, no Basia Rydz, no Zoe Melis, not even, oh, Professor Viada? Not that'd you'd ask him, but...still, really? No one? While you keep looking around you're suddenly tapped on the shoulder, and turning around you see Malthezar Mhadi standing behind you. "Looking for someone?". Malthezar is far from the first student you think about when you think "history buff", but he certainly fits in that category all the same. "Something, actually. Can you help me with finding out more about the events surrounding the rediscovery of the Endless Section Library?". Malthezar blinks, and for a moment you think you're going to have to put in actual effort anyway. "Dragon's Doom, if you want to go by it's original name.". Suddenly Malthezar's face lights up. "Ah, Dragon's Doom? I think heard of that before, yes...". Malthezar looks around and walks past a few shelves until he apparently finds the books he's looking for. You take a look, but the titles he's pointing to seem quite a bit broader than just Dragon's Doom. Malthezar notices your sceptical look and says "These are the best you'll find I'm afraid. I, eh, guess you don't know why?". Actually you do more clearly than Malthezar most likely ever will, but if he wants to believe otherwise that's definitely not going to hurt you. So you shrug in response and quickly try to change the subject. "Thanks for the help, Malthezar.". You wanted to say something else but couldn't think of anything to add. Malthezar thankfully seems to take the compliment and forget about his earlier question, which is indeed a good thing. Well, you got your books, time to put them to use.
-- PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

-You loiter around the history section for a while, and yet no history buffs you can talk with show up at any point. Figures, they really are never around when you need them.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[Observation]: Does anything catch your observant eye?
-You let your eyes wander about while you contemplate how to best find the information you want...when you suddenly see a small note tucked between two books. Curious, you walk over and read it. "cainnbymnozzxlijizzcmchmnoxswovcwfya". Well than. Either the message is encoded or someone has a cold that's so bad it's infecting that person's writing (not impossible considering the school you're in). You can't imagine this message is meant for you...but you're really curious as to what it contains...
-- UNLOCK BELOW OPTION, TRY AGAIN

 

-You look around and briefly wonder when and how a Dragon managed to sneak in here, but you quickly realize it's just a stylized book cover placed in just the right light to look real when you're not really looking at it. An interesting little observation and a fun (if frighting) diversion, but sadly not a useful one.
-- TRY AGAIN

 

-[Cryptology]: Decode the message.
--You take the note and grab a book about basic cryptology methods. Quickly you determine the message is encoded using the old "advance letters" trick. Simple and easy, but easy to break as well. A few minutes more and you determine the message was encrypted by advancing six letters, so decoding it is just a matter of time. Slowly, letter by letter, you decode the message as reading "igotthestuffdropoffisinstudycubicleg". "I got the stuff, drop-off is in study cubic leg"? No wait, that's probably "study cubicle G". The study cubicles are numbered, not lettered. Than again, G being the seventh letter in the alphabet you can make a reasonable guess it's talking about study cubicle seven. Or maybe the g is actually a 9? No matter, you'll just check both. Since you're closer to study cubicle nine you check it first, and find it empty, but study cubicle seven has something in it. "Something" being...a book someone apparently forgot to put back in the shelves. You're pretty sure that's not the drop-off, so you look around the room some more and even cast a few Negations to look for Glamours. But...nothing. Nothing but the book. Curious if there's something hidden inside the book you open it and flip through it, but there doesn't appear to be anything stuck inside the book. Maybe it's not just the book someone forgot to file away, but the message as well? That'd be a shame. You look through the book one more time, just to check, and are surprised to notice the book mentioning stuff about some great archaeological dig started and sponsored by one of the early Emperors. You never checked the title of the book, did you? You didn't, so a bit later than you should have you close the book and look at the title. "The Rediscovery of Dragon's Doom", written by someone who's name you're not even going to attempt to pronounce. Well, isn't that a happy coincidence. Like, really, who put this book here? Shouldn't this be in the Restricted Section? You flip through the book again, actually paying attention to what's written in it this time, and indeed, it's a comprehensive (if basic) account of the rediscovery of Dragon's Doom. You're quite happy with getting this book handed to you on a...well, somewhat splintered wooden platter, and you know you shouldn't look a gifted horse in the mouth. But this is a really strange horse. Ah, no time like the present either way. Time to start reading (and hoping no one is going to miss this book until you're done with it).
--- PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

--You figured it'd be a simple code, but somehow you've gotten completely stuck on it. Well, no matter, you got the message, so you can always try again later.
--- STOP ADVENTURE

 

 

Oh hey, a stage where you actually have to roll something. Mind you, it's a pretty gently start. Than again you're not really going to find overly much, either. BTW, is anyone keeping track of how often "wait for a History buff to show up" has been an option during my adventures? It seems to be a common theme lately.

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For Schohanwicht, stage 4:

 

Dust To Dust

 

The information from the Venalicium gave you a good grasp of the basic facts concerning Dragon's Doom, and what surrounded the disappearance of it's titular collection. In short, an ordinary citizen is given permission to dig out a basement under his house. With shovel and lantern in hand he digs and digs, until he discovers that the ground below his house is strangely compact and mixed with stone dust, like some force pushed earth and stone against each other until the stone was more than merely crushed. The citizen contacts a mage and asks what caused the strange mixture, and the mage, through the use of magic, discovers a large building buried underground. The citizen and the mage dig and dig, and after some work they discover Dragon's Doom. At least they discover the ruined remains thereof, completely devoid of books. They tell a city official, who pushes the information up the ranks until it reaches the Emperor's ear. The Emperor, pleased with the discovery, sets his court's mages to restore Dragon's Doom to proper glory (as best they could, lacking the titular collection of books), and two years or so later the library is restored. There were some rumors about "covered up accidents" and "ulterior motives" on the Emperor's side, rumors backed by the fact that the library wasn't made available to the public, but the rumors never became anything more than that. A smart man would later point out that the latter rumor doesn't really amount to much if the earlier rumor hold any weight to it, seeing as how something that creates "accidents" probably isn't safe, but the sheer bitterness the man showed towards his fellow man when pointing that out is the only reason it was deemed historically noteworthy. A surprisingly informative (and, at the end, humorous) batch of information, because you don't recall Lord Krazoa bringing up that mage before. And while you don't think it changes anything...there's that slight chance. If it wasn't the citizen, well, it probably wasn't the mage either. You don't think the citizen could have kept secrets from a mage, given how they worked together, and how long it would have taken the citizen to somehow get rid of a library worth of books without any magic. However, if it was the mage, the citizen might never have noticed, and there's also always the chance the two were working together to stash the books away. You don't know why either (or both) would want to hide them, the book your read gave you nothing other than the fact that both existed so if they had a grudge against the Empire or if they were members of the Thieves Guild you don't know, but if the books weren't taken by the Exile you're sure it was either of these two (though more likely both). These two had the best opportunity, and you're sure that if you dig deep enough you'll find a motive. Which, incidentally, is why you're once again standing in the Venalicium's history section. You know the citizen and the mage existed and when, but no more. No names, no exact dates of birth and death, no ties to organizations or titles, nothing. The first step (and the easy one) today will be to get a better grasp of who, exactly, these two people were. The second, and much harder, task will be to try and dig into these people's personal histories. So that you can dig up any motive they might have had to stash away the books, away from the Emperor's hands. So...where to start looking?

 

Give up, you're completely stumped.
-You weren't expecting miracles, but avoiding utter failure would have been nice. Maybe you need to take a step back and think things through again...
--STOP ADVENTURE

 

[Decipher Handwriting]: Before you start, what are these two people's names?
-It's strange that you haven't learned their named already, for how popular and important they were during their days, but that's a problem easily fixed. A few quick glances through a few books, an enchanted reading glass and some cross-referencing old Elumian language books later and you're two names richer - Bennus Howerton for the ordinary citizen and Serton Qobef for the mage - though nothing beyond two names that the former in particular apparently wasn't sure how to write. How a man that apparently had trouble writing managed to get anything through City Hall is a greater mystery than the missing books, but even so you're still going to be looking into the latter. That took more effort than it should have, but you're making progress. Next step, figuring out who these people belonged to.
-- UNLOCK BELOW OPTION, TRY AGAIN

 

-You flip through page after page after page, but after an extended session that ends up hurting your eyes you're no closer than you were towards...anything.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

-[The Early Empire]: Look up which guilds or other organizations either of these two probably belonged to.
--Quite a few books and records later you've come up with absolutely nothing. Bennus apparently enjoyed his brief moment of fame, but didn't really think or do much with it beyond that. Serton, meanwhile, used his brief fame to land himself in a comfortable position within a prominent guild that, ironically, was pushed into bankruptcy less than a decade later. It's mentioned that the guild was folded into whoever they were competing with, but no mention of Serton anywhere. He could have been rehired or let go of, now that his fame wasn't a factor anymore, either way there's no trace of him. You really hope the trail didn't just go cold on you, because this is starting to look like a dead end...
--- TRY AGAIN

 

--You look through history accounts of prominent guilds (and guilds that probably didn't wish to be prominent, but were anyway), but you don't see any mention of either Bennus or Serton. You also don't find any record of either of the "renowned discoverers" being awarded anything for their discovery, or even noticed in general. Given how such things worked in the Early Empire you're sure at least the mage would have joined a guild based on his success and brief moment of fame (voluntarily or otherwise), so you decide to give this a second look later. There has to be something to find here.
--- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[Logic]: Is there a fault in your reasoning so far?
-You think things through, and stop yourself when you realize you completely missed something. If these two really wanted the books, either for themselves or for some other reason, why would they announce the discovery of the library to begin with? Maybe to deflect suspicion, but they must have know the Emperor or someone was going to ask about the books, and it's never a good idea to force yourself into a position where you have to lie to authorities if you can help it. Then again you suppose that someone else would eventually be digging a basement and find the library themselves, and then the crime would come to light, so maybe they thought it would be best if they announced it themselves and at least were forced to lie on their own terms rather than whenever someone else wanted a bigger basement? Wait, hang on..."someone else would eventually be digging a basement and find the library themselves, and then the crime would come to light"? What if...what if that's exactly what happened in the first place? Or in the second place, whichever. You remember that the Gates spell that was cast over the library went awry as a result of the Exile, but what did that really do? It certainly didn't end well for the ancestors of the vampire's herd, but than they did actively attempt to change the spell. Maybe the spell wasn't so harmful by itself, only when provoked? Maybe whoever stole the books did change in some way, but that person was a good enough mage to escape notice? Maybe he changed in a way he didn't even notice himself? Didn't the second set of mages fail at removing or stabilizing the spell, they merely discovered a way to bypass it's effects? Didn't you, yourself, walk through that very Gates spell at least once and came out perfectly fine? Or was that just the result of centuries of time taking it's toll on the spell, or maybe someone did manage to take the teeth out of it at least at some point? So many possibilities and so little actual information to go on. It's just a theory...but this might still bear further investigation.
-- LOCK ABOVE OPTIONS, UNLOCK BELOW OPTION, TRY AGAIN

 

-You think things through again, but no, you don't detect any problems.
-- TRY AGAIN

 

-[Research]: Do more research on the library's discovery and see if anything is out of place.
--With much greater enthusiasm than last you were here you dive into the bookshelves and start looking for anything that sounds useful. You end up with a terrifying amount of books by the end, but dangit you're here to study and if it might end up with you discovering something awesome you will study. And if not you'll make this the subject of a class project or something, put it to use some other way. That's a bridge to cross for if and when you get to it. For now you bring your haul into a study cubicle and start putting together every useful bit of information you can find. There's disappointingly much repetition for how many different historic accounts you read through, but than you suppose there's only so many ways you can describe a clear and publicized event. After far too long your patience is thankfully rewarded. A relatively modern geology book (surprisingly enough) that goes into detail about the dirt and stone dust mixture that tipped the citizen off about something being hidden beneath what was to become his basement gives you just the hint you need. The book notes that the particular mixture of dirt and stone dust isn't natural, as is to be expected when Gates is involved, but it goes on to say that even with the library's spell going awry it's odd that it affected the surrounding ground like that. The library was hardly the only Gates-created space hidden beneath the ground, the book says, and yet no other area had the same curious dirt and stone dust mixture. The more recent book's editor inserted a note after that section, pointing out the difference in size between the usual Gates-hidden caches and Dragon's Doom, which is apparently to blame for the curious mixture. The library wasn't the only hidden cache, but it was the only one who's physical space was so large that the pressure it exerted on the stone surrounding it was actually enough to crush it into dust. You suppose that's a reasonable argument, but as someone who's studied Gates it doesn't feel right. You'll need to run this by the Schohanwicht professors, and preferably quietly. Silly as it may sound you don't want to spoil the surprise in case you really are on to something. Or make them think you're delusional if you're not, probably the latter.
--- PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

--Despite quite the thorough search you end up finding absolutely nothing. Maybe you're just not looking in the right books? There has to be something you're missing here...
--- STOP ADVENTURE

 

 

So here's the reason why typing Y2 adventures is...tricky. This entire adventure relies on the idea that a certain form of high-end Gates magic not only exists, and exists only at specific points at that (will become important later), but that a particular aspect of it works in a very specific way. Of course, what does the Legate have to say about that?

 

...come now, you already know this is all [Redacted]! :)

Yeah. I mean, no surprise, but still. Yeah. Now thankfully if it doesn't work I do have one excuse at hand...but I've no guarantee that the excuse will work, either in lore or for the adventure, and even if it does it'll be a lot of typing to fix the adventure. Le sigh -_-...

 

Oh, and the sharp-eyed might have noticed that people who answered "the citizen" two stages ago have already been told the revelation of the Logic check by LK, yet they still need to roll. The reason why that is is because the "The Citizen" text was actually typed after the Logic check text, and someone is too lazy didn't think to fix it. I'll just say the PC forgot. Frankly it's not easy to keep all the information in line even for me, so I imagine that it's no easier for the PC. Another thing the sharp-eyed might have noticed is the exact point where this entire mystery clicked in my head. It was a glorious moment, I assure you.

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For Schohanwicht, stage 5:

 

Digging up The Dirt

 

With the knowledge that perhaps Dragon's Doom wasn't quite as undiscovered as people originally thought you're currently sitting in your room, debating on where to go. You want to see for yourself what happens when space created by a Gates spell is suddenly returned to physical space. The book your read mentioned that the compressed dirt and stone dust was the result of the library's sudden return exerting so much pressure it literally reduced the surrounding stone to dust, which sounds like it makes sense, but does Gates actually work that way? You intend to find out, not just find out even, you want to see it for yourself. See it happen with your own eyes, or at least see the results with your own eyes. Unfortunately your own skill with Gates isn't nearly that great and it's not a good idea to cast Gates spells if you can avoid it anyway, so you're going to need some help here. Schohanwicht would be the obvious choice, but you'd rather not ask one of your professors if you don't have to. It's silly, but you want to keep it as a surprise in case you're really on to something. Besides, last you checked they were all still busy with checking out Lord Krazoa's domain anyway (which, naturally, you weren't invited to for a large number of reasons). So, Gates space returned to physical space...who could help you with that?

 

[Archaeology]: The book you read mentioned other caches that were found, find one and dig around.
-As you feared (and fully expected), it is sadly impossible to find the location of such a cache that hasn't already been excavated completely or otherwise declared off-limits to practically everyone. Fortunately however, you do find a picture book that records the discovery and excavation of one of the caches that were found long ago. The books...honestly seems a bit out of place in the Venalicium, especially for the public area, but of course the book makes absolutely no mention about how the cache was created. Just that is was "a Dragon's doing", or something else vague. As for the portraits of the dig they were certainly made by some sort of magic, as even small details and shadows are incredibly clear. More important is the, to you, obvious problem these portraits show. The cache is rather large, and despite the cache containing chests and other containers made of solid metal (for...reasons, you guess) the stone around the cache is completely undisturbed. It might just be a very strong stone, but it doesn't really look that way. It's white stone, smooth but broken off in places. It's not marble, you've seen enough marble to be able to tell if it was marble, so what is it? A quick check tells you that the most prominent type of stone in the area around where that cache was discovered is chalk, not a stone that's know for it's hardness. That doesn't match up with how people explained the stone dust around Dragon's Doom, although the book you read earlier was written pretty recently, at least relative to when Dragon's Doom was found. You're quite glad to finally be on to something, but still. This whole situation seems to nag at you. Time to put this book back where you found it and think it over.
-- PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

-You spend a long while trying to find mention of the exact location of a cache that wasn't entirely dug out or something, but alas, it seems like you're out of luck. It figures that any cache written about has already been looted, though. Maybe a different approach is required.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[Gates]: Do a little experiment of your own. Very carefully.
-You head to Schohanwicht to read up on what you're trying to do, but the material is so far over your head that you think it just flew past the New Gods. Doing this yourself is going to require something that's not going to call on your insufficient Gates skills. Something known as "a different plan".
-- +CoS, TRY AGAIN

 

-You spend a long while in Schohanwicht trying to prepare yourself for this, but the material is just way too far beyond you. Maybe copious abuse of spells will allow you to gain enough temporary insight to pull it off...but you doubt it, and you really wouldn't want to risk it even if it did.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[Persuasion]: Ask Lord Krazoa for help, you think he'd be interested.
-Sighing at the prospect of walking all the way to Lord Krazoa's domain and back you nevertheless pack your knapsack and start walking. Not that walking is a problem for a mage who can levitate, but, well, it's the principle of the matter. Or something like that. Once you've...well, levitated all the way to the central room in Lord Krazoa's tower you call out to him. "Lord Krazoa, I've come seeking knowledge.". There's no response for a moment, until you hear Lord Krazoa walking up behind you. Well, walking and talking, that's how you can tell it's him. "Interesting that you should visit my domain today, child. I don't assume you're here with your professors, are you?". You shake your head and explain what you've discovered so far. There is a very noticeable grin on Lord Krazoa's face by the end of it, and for once you're not terrified by it. "Remarkable progress indeed, especially because it's such an easy thing to miss when Gates isn't prevalent. Stone dust, I had no idea...but I like it. So the knowledge you need, perhaps a demonstration of compressing space through the use of Gates?". You nod, but not as excitedly as you thought you would. You're sure Lord Krazoa knows that he's doing, but a Gates spell from him? Cast for you, at that? You're scared, just a little, and you're pretty sure you should be. Lord Krazoa just continues to grin as he takes out his wand, which much like the furniture in his room it looks like it should have fallen to pieces many time over by now, and starts stringing Phemes together that you've never seen before. A moment later you see...something happening to the centre of the podium, and part of it's floor vanishes into thin air, leaving a smooth half-globe of empty space behind. "I don't suppose you have a stick?", Lord Krazoa asks casually. You turn to him and shrug. You have a wand, but that's probably not what he's talking about. Lord Krazoa, still grinning, shrugs and strings more Phemes together, and what looks like a crude walking stick materializes in front of him. "Not the most brilliant use of Incantation, but a substitute for matter will work well enough.". You quietly not, hoping that this will all make sense, and with his wand Lord Krazoa directs the stick into the hole. Somehow it stays balanced, though that's hardly the strangest thing you've recently witnessed. "Ready?". You nod again and keep and eye on the hole, which seems to shift a little strangely as the stone suddenly comes back. It looks really weird, the best way you could describe it is that it looks like a Glamour being tested, or improperly Negated. The podium's floor is as smooth as it was before, minus the stick, which you examine up close. If there's anything off, you don't notice it. "Try pulling the stick you.". You look towards Lord Krazoa, who's still grinning, and shrug. Might as well try. The stick is easily picked out of the floor, it seems like the stone didn't bother it at all and just reformed around it. Which...is odd. That's not what supposedly happened to the stone near Dragon's Doom. You're going to have to research this further...
-- PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

-You head all the way to Lord Krazoa's domain, call for him and wait a while, but he appears to not be home. Of all the problems you thought you might run into, this wasn't one of them. Well, you have no idea where that vampire might or might not be, so it looks like you don't have a choice but to try again later.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[study Habits]: This "keep it secret" thing is just silly, go to Schohanwicht for help.
-On second thought, it's really stupid that you have access to this wonderful school full of people that study and teach others Gates...only to want to go off and try everything yourself just because you might surprise someone with it. Isn't that the reason why people have bad things happen to them when they study Gates, anyway? They don't respect it, and so they end up doing stupid things? Yeah, you grab your Portal Key and head off to do the smart thing. Unfortunately it seems like there aren't any professors around, so you ask an older student reading in the library where everyone is. The senior looks confused at you for a moment before answering, you're not sure why. "You haven't heard? The professors are all on a field trip, so to speak. Highly unusual, but they got permission to hang out in a vampire's domain and study the Gates artefacts he has laying around. Seriously, how have you not heard of this? It's the talk of the entire school.". You can't help but sigh. Decide to fetch a professor, learn they're all hanging out in a vampire's domain you got them access to. Just...great. "If you need help with anything, you can ask, you know.". Right, the stuff you needed. You explain to the senior that you need to see what happens when a Gates-created space is suddenly returned to physical space, for..."reasons". The seniors puts his book down and gives you a strange look. "Sorry if I misinterpret your age and skill, but that sounds quite a few levels beyond what you should be studying.". You nod and admit that it is, but you need to see it regardless. The senior seems to mull over something, and he closes his book. "Alright, compressing space in any meaningful way is beyond even me, but if you just need to see what happens when space is uncompressed I can help you.". You thank the senior, and together you set up a simple experiment outside of the Schohanwicht building itself. You dig a small hole in the ground, the senior compresses the space that the hole is made up of (using a string of crazy Phemes you've never seen before), and with the space compressed you fill the hole back in with dirt and a few very fragile glass circles the senior helpfully provided through Incantation. With everything in place you ask the senior to dismiss the spell, and from a safe distance (just in case) you see the filled-in hole shift a bit strangely, but nothing more. More importantly, you don't hear any glass break. When you dig out the hole again two things become apparent. One, the dirt isn't compressed at all, it's just as loose as it was before. Second, the glass circles aren't disturbed, much less broken. When the senior walks over and sees your confused face he asks what you were expecting to see. "I'm...not really sure, but I expected the ground here to be a bit more disturbed. Maybe it's just because the compressed space was empty?". You look at the senior, who offers to try the experiment again. You nod and set it up the same way as before, only this time the senior compresses dirt into a Gates-created space, and you fill the hole created in with other dirt and the glass circles. The senior dismisses the spell, and...the hole shifts again, only more noticeably this time. You dig around and again notice two things. First that the dirt indeed seems more compressed than it was before, but more importantly, the glass circles are intact. None of them are even cracked, and you know they crack easily. Heck, just testing one out you manage to snap a piece off easily! You clean up here and head back to the library with the senior, where he tries to explain what, exactly, happened. Most of it is so far over your head it's not funny, but you do manage to understand one thing very clearly...okay, clearly enough. Matter in compressed space that is forced back into physical space doesn't exert any pressure on matter that is in the same physical space as the now-released matter formally stuck in compressed space. Simply put, the two will be pushed together, like the dirt earlier was pushed together, but not in a way that could break even the most fragile item, like the glass circles earlier...much less the solid rock that Dragon's Doom supposedly crushed into dust by it's return to physical space. The citizen and the mage weren't the first to discover Dragon's Doom after the Exile disrupted it's magic, not if they found the library in the state that they claimed to have. You're making progress!
-- PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

-You head off to Schohanwicht to find someone who can help you with this, but it appears that quite literally everyone that could is busy with whatever information was gleamed from Lord Krazoa's domain. Not just professors, even senior students have been drafted into whatever knowledge frenzy is going on here. Just how much information can you get from one circle of stones and the vampire's herd, anyway? Apparently allot more than you thought. With no one around that can help you you instead head off into the library and take a look at how possible it would be for you to try it yourself, but no. The material is way beyond your skill level, you're going to need someone's help with this.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

 

Oh hey, finally a stage where you do something other than stand around and talk or read stuff in a library. Guess what the next stage will consists of ;). Oh, and does the Legate have any comment on the exact mechanics behind Gates-created spaces compressed down into physical space bringing stored matter back in matter-occupied physical space?

 

Thought not :).

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Hmm, I'm slightly confused on the physics of the gate mechanic you are describing.

 

 

If two pieces of matter try to exist in the same place and push against each then they will - by definition - create pressure since pressure is the force they exert on each other and their surroundings.

 

If both gate space and real space matter is treated equally I'd expect a similar effect to layers of dirt being compressed into sedimentary rock or, if the increase is fast enough to create a lot of heat, metamorphic, although with appropriate variations and inclusions to reflect the abnormal geology.

 

Or, you could have the gate space that is expanding into reality unaffected and only the space it is expanding into affected by the pressure wave, or, if you wanted to weaponise the technique, have the gate space expand into reality reducing all to quantum foam ahead of it although that's possibly a tad keen.

 

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Literal magic as observed by a 13 or 14 year old from a society that may or may not understand (and teach it's 13 or 14 year olds) Scientific Method...oh, fine. But you're talking to someone who scored a, what was it, 36% on his middle-school Physics final like 4 years back or so? Don't expect anything to make any degree of scientific sense, I'm literally running off of "whatever sounds like it could work" here. Oh, how the once-"mighty" have fallen...but that is neither here nor there.

 

Basically, my idea is that while the spell is still in the process of going away matter will compress, and if necessary change shape based on where other matter (is trying to) exist, but until the spell is fully gone there's no actual pressure being exerted on anything, not in the form of heat of anything else. And once the spell is fully gone the above process will have finished with things having settled in place, no measurable amount of pressure being exerted on anything no matter how fragile and no heat generated by anything or anything else of the sort at all. Just stuff that's a little more compact than it should be, and not in a way that'd break anything.

 

I suppose you could use that quirk by, I don't know, Gating away an ingot of metal and bringing it back in a mould made out of depleted uranium? Probably also something about time but, eh, yeah. School, worthless, I've said this before.

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For Schohanwicht, stage 6:

 

Neither the first or the last.

 

You're quite excited that you're making progress, but not so excited that you miss the obvious question this revelation brings up. If this is something that you, a mere student of Gates in a time where Gates is proscribed, can figure out, why couldn't an entire Imperial court worth of mages, nobles seeking to impress, historians from then to now and a who knows who else not figure it out? The modern side seems fairly obvious. You know full well that the old Gates masters did a fantastic job of destroying public knowledge on Gates, so it's likely that people in this day and age simply don't know better. What is said to have happened sounds logical enough, especially if you've never studied Gates, and there aren't too many people around who have any real authority to claim otherwise (not to mention that the vast majority of the few that do would be beheaded for doing so). And as if that's not enough, it's been centuries since the books have vanished. Who's going to look for books that vanished centuries ago unless you were "asked" to do so by someone old enough to have personally witnessed the re-discovery of Dragon's Doom? Not many, you'd guess. But what about way back when? Gates wasn't banned when the library was discovered, and while things that are common knowledge to you even in these days wasn't discovered way back when, you're sure that someone would have done an experiment and discover that the story behind the compressed dirt and stone dust doesn't add up. Whatever knowledge people may have had or not have had in those days they certainly would have known how to compress space through Gates like Dragon's Doom was, otherwise people would never have been able to create Dragon's Doom in the first place. Unless that knowledge was lost because of the Exile, which isn't impossible, but it's not something you're going to assume is true until you discover otherwise. So this time you've actually gone to the Endless Section, because you're pretty sure that the Venalicium isn't going to have the information you're looking for. At least not in the public section of it, and you don't want to risk being in the Forbidden Archives when you have a perfectly good library to look through which isn't as risky. You're here to read up on what, exactly, people way back when actually did to try and explain the missing books, and more specifically the stone dust. You're absolutely convinced that you're not the first person to discover this, and so you want to know what other people tried and failed at, so you won't be making the same mistakes. Of course the Endless Section is a little bit more stingy with it's information, so you're not going to be able to look through books until you find something useful. This is going to require a plan...so what will be the plan?

 

[Dialectic]: Focus on what people wanted to try, what they tried, and how they interpreted the results.
-Whatever magic people may or may not have had access to at the time, it ultimately comes down to how this magic was used and how people interpreted the results, so focussing on how experiments such as these were conducted back in the old days seems like the best place to start. You head into the Endless Section and start looking around for the right books, and after quite a bit of searching (mostly through books that go a bit beyond what you can understand at this point) you find something useful. One book actually goes into detail about using experiments to advance the knowledge of not just the spell that's being experimented with, but other spells who's effects can't otherwise be clearly divined or replicated. "If you can't examine something directly, than examine what it effects", the book's author stresses throughout the entire text. And a few chapters in you hit the jackpot. It seems that the book's author, who's name you don't recognise but was apparently a noteworthy philosopher at the time, was one of many who discovered the oddity of the stone dust and created an experiment to show clearly, even without access to the advanced kind of Gates magic that created Dragon's Doom, where the stone dust came from. His experiment consisted of a box carved out of a hard rock, for which the philosopher used basalt, filled half with dirt and half with something harder than the dirt, but more fragile than the stone the box is made of. In the philosopher's case he used wood taken from a willow tree, which neatly fits that description. The philosopher used an Incantation spell to create dirt within dirt (which was apparently created specifically for this kind of experiment, at the time), and once enough dirt was Incanted you could hear the wood breaking under the pressure. This, the philosopher argued, explains the stone dust surrounding Dragon's Doom. Except...Gates doesn't do that, but apparently the results were close enough to other similar caches that people accepted the experiment as valid. It probably helped that apparently the knowledge of how to compress space through Gates was indeed lost during the Exile, at least the author claims that none he talked with could suggest a better and more direct experiment. That explains why the mystery of the stone dust was never solved, but it doesn't explain the mystery itself. That stone dust shouldn't have been there, so why was it? You've spend enough time in a library today already, but you're sure that if you find out where the stone dust came from you'll be one step closer to the books.
-- PROCEED WITH ADVENTURE

 

-You look through a number of books, but don't end up with anything you consider conclusive. "Maybe" isn't going to cut it in this case, you want to know what people tried and why. Finding that out will take another day, though.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[The History of Magic]: Focus on what magical knowledge people had available way back when.
-You figure that, no matter who did what and why, ultimately what was done was done by way of magic, so focussing on the magical aspect of this problem seems like the correct choice. You grab your map and head off into the Endless Section, hoping to find some good information in the wing dedicated to the history of magic. There obviously isn't a Gates subsection here, so instead you look through the other books. Just as well, you figure, since you doubt people tried to find the books solely through Gates. And you quickly learn you're right. There's a few books about magic during the Early Empire here, and a few books actual describes spells being used in the context of people trying to find the missing books from Dragon's Doom. So it definitely wasn't for a lack of trying, that really begs the question why no one managed to come to the same conclusion you did. You continue to study book after book, reading spell description after spell description while keeping an eye out for any mention of Dragon's Doom, and finally you find what you're looking for. A compendium of old Incantation spells (far too old and far too complicated to be of any use to you beyond historic record) the author describes a spell that Incants dirt "within" dirt. You're not sure why anyone would bother, but than you read on that the spell was devised as a way to test the effects of filled Gates-created spaces breaking down and returning to physical space, as the knowledge of properly creating such things was lost during the Exile. People criticised this method as unreliable, but the author of the book dismisses these concerns and assures you that the results of the spell were thoroughly compared with every Pre-Exile cache that was discovered, and the spell was never found to be inaccurate in replicating the results of a Gates cache being brought back into physical space. That really tells you everything you need to know. That faulty method of testing was all people had available until the proper methods were rediscovered, and so they didn't know that the stone dust shouldn't have been there. Which, come to think of it, really begs the question of why it was there, but that's a question for another day. You've spend quite a long time looking for this precious little information, but you still think it was worth it. People didn't know the stone dust shouldn't have been there, so they didn't question why it was. The next question you need to answer is where the stone dust came from, and you think that when you have that answer, you know who the true person was that first discovered the library.
-- PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

-You look through a number of books, but don't end up with anything you consider conclusive. "Maybe" isn't going to cut it in this case, you want to know what people tried and why. Finding that out will take another day, though.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[Astrology]: Can the stars be of any help in this situation?
-You take our your wand and, on a hunch, cast a few detection spells first. And as you suspected, you appear to already be under the influence of some sort of Astrology spell. You can't even begin to try and determine what it does and who cast it, it appear to be both far too old and far too complex for that, but you're sure that this effect isn't trying to hinder you. With how old it is and how much of it may or may not have broken down you can't say for sure how helpful it is, but something is better than nothing.
-- UNLOCK BELOW OPTION, +CoS, TRY AGAIN

 

-You try to cast a few spells, but for some odd reason they all seem to be breaking immediately after you cast them. Maybe something to do with the Gates bubble you're in, since you're standing in the library, and you're too lazy to walk all the way up the staircase just to cast a few spells. You didn't learn these spells be sitting around and doing nothing, right? You should be able to find information by just using your wits and eyes.
-- TRY AGAIN

 

-[Pure Luck]: Look around and try to get lucky with a good book.
--You really don't know where to start looking in this case, seeing as how Gates...isn't exactly a readily available subject, but if you've read the stars right you might be able to find what you need if you trust your luck. Well, that and some actual effort put into looking into things. The right book isn't going to fall conveniently on top of your head, most likely. But where to start? Well, you want to know why people never figured this out (or how they tried to explain it if they did) and you think you have the modern angle covered, so...to the history section. Which is huge. Going through every book here is going to take far longer than you have years left in the Academagia. So...which books to look through? You could look through spell compendiums and hope one describes the...no, wait, Gates is illegal. That spell won't be in here. You scratch your head and think about it while looking at the massive shelf of books looming over you, it's almost feels like you're shrinking. Still unsure you start looking at titles, hoping that something sticks out. "Designs and Architectures Big And Small"? Eh, might have something on Dragon's Doom, but you want to look into the stone dust. "Court Hairstyles For The Aesthetically Challenged"? Nope. "Famous Acts And Plays"? Not currently and probably not later, either. Apparently you wandered into the aesthetics subsection of the History section? You're never going to figure out this place's bizarre filing system. Than again, maybe it's a Gates thing. This building is...unique, to put it one way. You ponder whether or not you should head off elsewhere when a book's title suddenly catches your attention. The book's spine only says "Svad's Collected Essays", but it has a very curious and eye-catching style. The letters are all stylized after building materials and common features of buildings, like pillars and arches. Why not? Better than just walking around aimlessly. You pick up the book and look it over. The front is mostly just a bigger version of the stylized stuff on the book's spine, but the back lists the various essays collected within. And the "Essay on complications prevalent in magic-aided construction" seems significant. You open the book, flip over to the right page and after a bit of reading through stuff you don't particularly care about (or weren't aware of already, particularly the part about buildings being heavy) you find not quite what you're looking for, but close enough. "As the philosopher of varying greatness, depending on who's opinion is given, Weiél Harbot demonstrated even the magic school of Gates cannot simply whisk away the pressure that a building exerts on it's surroundings. Quite the opposite, in fact, if the discovery that called for his experiment is anything to go by". Okay, so it doesn't mention the library by name, but can that by anything other than Dragon's Doom? Just to make sure you look up this "demonstration" of the philosopher that was mentioned, which is easy enough to find even in the Endless Section. And indeed, the demonstration was of an experiment he devised to try and explain the stone dust around Dragon's Doom. His experiment was faulty and produced incorrect results, at least compared with your own research before, but it matched the pattern of Gates caches found thus far and since the philosopher didn't have access to anything better it was deemed accurate. And apparently no one bothered to double-check even after the proper methods were discovered. Something to do with a patent and an Imperial Decree to enforce that patent onto death, which got nowhere because the organization that held the patent didn't last long. That, to you, smells like the Emperor's Court trying to make sure another "herd" wasn't created, but nevertheless, that explains that mystery.
--- PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

--Unfortunately you don't end up with any information. Sure, you find a few hints that would suggest something or another, but nothing conclusive, and you're not going to let this matter drop until you find something conclusive.
--- STOP ADVENTURE

 

 

Here's half if not three quarters of the reason why this adventure is a pain to remember. All the little details. Also, little hint as to why sometimes the PC just happens to stumble upon exactly what s/he needs in the least likely ways, at least as far as this adventure is concerned.

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Literal magic as observed by a 13 or 14 year old from a society that may or may not understand (and teach it's 13 or 14 year olds) Scientific Method...oh, fine. But you're talking to someone who scored a, what was it, 36% on his middle-school Physics final like 4 years back or so? Don't expect anything to make any degree of scientific sense, I'm literally running off of "whatever sounds like it could work" here. Oh, how the once-"mighty" have fallen...but that is neither here nor there.

 

Basically, my idea is that while the spell is still in the process of going away matter will compress, and if necessary change shape based on where other matter (is trying to) exist, but until the spell is fully gone there's no actual pressure being exerted on anything, not in the form of heat of anything else. And once the spell is fully gone the above process will have finished with things having settled in place, no measurable amount of pressure being exerted on anything no matter how fragile and no heat generated by anything or anything else of the sort at all. Just stuff that's a little more compact than it should be, and not in a way that'd break anything.

 

I suppose you could use that quirk by, I don't know, Gating away an ingot of metal and bringing it back in a mould made out of depleted uranium? Probably also something about time but, eh, yeah. School, worthless, I've said this before.

 

If the gate spell created a small pocket universe / linked to it, then when the spell collapsed one outcome would be the pocket universe expanding into our reality.

 

That could slowly push stuff out of the way if it expanded slowly, or crush stuff that was there together if it expanded fairly quickly. The faster it expands the less time the stuff present before has to get out of the way, so the more heat/fusing/compression you get.

 

Your description sounds fairly medium, fast enough to ram stuff together and break some bits apart, but not fast enough to melt the rock or even really cook the dirt together.

 

You could have the stuff in the pocket universe completely unaffected, or equally affected, it would depend on what the expansion did - and in particular if the gates spell protected it until the pocket universe completely emptied into reality.

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Ordinarily it would, which is half the reason why people in modern times with access to the magic didn't figure it out (up until it was banned, which is the second half of the reason why people never figured it out), but as far as I imagine it it's not how it actually works. Because magic, pretty much. Well, that, and it's kinda necessary for it to be a safe, non-reactive process by nature. The library itself wouldn't exist if it should have been reduced to quantum foam or whatever, and people wouldn't bother to store anything in such Gates caches if taking stuff out resulted in the stuff being fused with whatever to create...whatever that stuff would fuse into. It'd be mighty embarrassing if you, like, stored a bunch of metal stuff in a Gates cache and when taking it out you instead end up with a blob of superheated plutonium.

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For Schohanwicht, stage 7:

 

The Other Kind Of Dust

 

It took quite a bit of doing, but you think you've made good progress. The citizen digging out his basement and the wizard he contacted weren't the first people to discover the library after it went missing after the Exile. Instead, someone or something else discovered it first, and you're sure that whoever did is the one that not only left that stone dust, but also who stole the books. There's still the question of how these books were taken out of Mineta, if they were taken out of Mineta, but without an Emperor having everyone look for the books you're sure that smuggling them out of the Empire would have been possible. Risky, not to mention difficult, but possible. There's also the matter of the stone dust that shouldn't exist, but you're fairly confident you've got that figured out already. If your earlier studies about Gates-created spaces are accurate, what happened when the spell on the library was disrupted is that the library was returned into physical space, and since it was underground it ended up with hallways absolutely filled to the brim with stone, dirt, and other materials compressed against the shelves and, if they were there, books. Whoever first discovered the library wanted access to the books, and with no way to get rid of so much stone without drawing attention to themselves they had no better choice than to grind it all into dust, which they somehow (through magic, most likely) mixed in with the dirt and stone surrounding the library. This created the weird mixture that the citizen discovered, which lead him and the mage he hired to the now empty library. You're sure it's a good theory, but it begs the question of who was the first that discovered the library. Among others, but you'll focus on who for now. You really don't think someone else was just trying to dig out a basement, but you also can't imagine a band of thieves tunnelling below Mineta for whatever reason "coincidentally" discovering the library. Unfortunately those are the best ideas you can come up with, so you're going to work with them. As for finding leads to follow, if it was another citizen digging a basement there should be record of the permit that citizen would have needed to legally expand his basement. If, instead, it was a band of thieves digging a tunnel somewhere, than...you're going to be in a spot of trouble. If nothing else looking up the permits for expanding basements will give you one piece of information - how long the theoretical basement-expanding thief had to dig out the library, displace the stone dust they created in doing so, and get rid of the books in whatever way they used. So that is where you'll start your search, with the centuries-old records that are stored in the very large archives below City Hall. How are you going to get access to those in a timely manner, though?

 

[Administration]: Out-paperwork the paper pushers.
-Well, here goes nothing. You walk up to a clerk and start filing for a request to review the archives. Name, date, information to be reviewed, whether you want to make copies (you don't), other stuff, reason for review? Oh boy, eh, how to phrase this, you're sure this paper is going into someone's desk somewhere and you don't want to leave a record. Eh, just say "school project". You're a student, that always works. And some other stuff, and...done, one request filled in. Now to bring this request to another clerk, who has to verify the information you filled in, your identity, a lack of criminal record and other things. None of that is a problem though, and of course the clerk takes one look at "school project" and never bothers with it again. Admittedly that's probably because you only really need to list a fantastic reason if you want to update or correct the old records, but you don't, you just want to look at them. With that that sorted out and written down on a different form you take both it and the request and give it to the clerk's supervisor, who checks to make sure that everything is correct and some more filling in of paperwork later you finally you get your visitor's pass, granting you access to the archive. That...took entirely too much effort, but you got what you wanted and that's the important part. With the pass in hand you walk up to the archives, show the guard the pass (he glazes over it and nods, not the best guard honestly) and step into the basement of City hall. Racks upon racks upon racks, along with desks and even plain old boxes line this massive room filled with parchment of all shapes and sizes, kept fresh through preservation magic. It takes a long time before you find the records you want, but you do find them. One permit for digging a basement (you have to wonder how much effort it was to get this through the paper pushers), signed to Bennus Howerton. Some might call this permit a piece of history, you call it a piece of-oh Gods you can't wait to get out of this place and back into the sunlight. First, more looking around, you need to know who else got a permit to dig in the area where Dragon's Doom was located. Thankfully this archive has something akin to a filing system, so it's just a matter of looking in the right place while walking in one direction. Two months worth of records away from Bennus' permit you finally find another permit for digging basements, this one signed to Molters Vengrabs. So, Molters had two months to himself if he found Dragon's Doom, than? That certainly would have been enough time to dig out Dragon's Doom and stash the books somewhere, if he was a mage...so was Molters a mage? You look around the archive (now that you're already here, and all), and before long you stumble across a copy of a set of investigation rapports on Molters, the...some magic academy (not the Academagia itself, some cram school) graduate and suspected member, if not ring leader, of an unnamed band of smugglers. Well, you've certainly found your suspect. Now it's just a matter of figuring out why no one else figured this out.
-- PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

-Try as you might, no one seems willing to give you the time of day. As if you'd have nothing better to do than ask for a centuries old record just to waste a clerk's time.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[Negotiate]: Bribe one of the clerks to help you quickly
-You head over to one of the clerks that's apparently off the clock, drinking tea by himself in an out of the way corner, and ask what it would cost to have him look up something for you from the archives. The clerk gets a seedy look on his face and quietly asks "Depends, what do you need?". You explain what you need - a copy of the old citizen's permit to expand his basement and a copy of whichever permit was approved for the same general area previously. The clerk nods and says "That far back in the Archives is a ways away, you know. That'll cost 50 Pims.". Frankly, you consider 50 Pims a low cost for not having to deal with this building any longer than you have to, so you agree to the price and watch as the clerk walks off. A few minutes later he returns, with three records in hand. Odd, you only requested two. "Found something else you might be interested in, just remember who your favorite and most productive clerk is.". That last part sounded rather ominous, but if he found extra information for you you certainly won't dispute his usefulness. You hand him the promised amount and take the records off of him, promising to do as he suggested. Doing so makes you feel a bit uneasy, but that feeling quickly fades when you read the dates printed on the two permits you requested. Apparently the person who expanded his basement before the citizen (correctly listed as Bennus Howerton on the permit) was one Molters Vengrabs, and going by the dates on the permits, this Molters had no less than two months to do whatever he wanted in Dragon's Doom without any sort of interruption. What's especially interesting is the third document that the clerk handed to you. It's an investigation rapport about Molters, who was apparently a suspected member of a smuggling ring competing with the Thieves Guild. That is odd by itself, the Thieves Guild isn't know for tolerating competition or being unable to deal with them, but more interesting is that Molters was caught trying to leave Mineta not long before Bennus got his permit to expand his basement. Molters was very thoroughly searched for any sort of contraband, but nothing was found on him that he couldn't prove he legally purchased, so he was allowed to leave town. This is all very interesting information, and you're definitely going to have to look it up in greater detail later.
-- -50 Pims, PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

-You covertly ask around, but unfortunately no dishonest clerks seem to be on (or off) the clock right now. Best leave and lay low for a bit before someone starts asking unfortunate questions.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[spy]: You don't need permission if no one sees you.
-You briefly question if you've lost your mind, coming up with the idea of breaking into City Hall, but it's the fastest way to get what you want...and the least noticeable, if you do it right. After making sure that everyone around you isn't paying any attention to the random student walking around you casually slip off into what's non-public area in City Hall, break into the first empty office you find by picking the lock on it (easy, since the locks on these offices are hardly up to snuff), and keeping your head low while rooting through the cabinets and desk. A bit of looking and...there's what you need, one official pass granting the holder access to the archive from dawn to dusk. Admittedly it'll only give you permission to root through it, not make copies, but you don't need copies anyway, so that's not a problem. The real problem is that you need it signed by at least two people, and you even need a third signature on top of that. You have to sign it yourself, signed by the clerk who approved of the request, and you want a professor's signature simply to make it look more believable. It seems risky, but you're sure that with a professor's signature no one will give it a second thought. The problem is getting them. Your own signature obvious isn't a problem, nor is it to actually get the clerk's signature - you simply take one of the many discarded parchments from a nearby trash bin with the clerk's signature on it, carefully cut the parchment where the signature is, and apply some ink. It's a delicate trick that requires some skill, especially to make the faked signature look nice and clean, but running afoul of Regent von Rupprecht during your last year has taught you well (whether that was intended or not). As for the professor's signature...well, first off, any professors that filed a request with City Hall recently? If you could do the same trick for the professor's signature, that'd be great, and since you're in this office full of stuff to look through anyway. You search the trash bin, carefully to make sure it won't appear disturbed, and rejoice when you find exactly what you need. Normally you'd never be happy with someone's misfortune, at least when said misfortune involves pushing paperwork in City Hall, but it seems like someone made quite a typo when updating the records on Academagia staff salaries, and who's signature would you find on the paper but...wait, that's Professor Sido's signature. Shouldn't the Legate have handled such a mistake? Ah, no matter, Sido's signature will work perfectly fine. Better, probably, since his name won't warrant nearly as much attention as the Legate's would. Using the same trick as before you copy Professor Sido's signature, fill in the rest of the pass and there you go. One totally legitimate pass granting the holder (you) free access to the archives until dusk. You put everything back where you found it, not that you disturbed much to begin with, and after putting some distance between yourself and the office you casually stroll back towards the public area. Naturally a clerk catches you, but that's exactly what you wanted to happen. As soon as he says that you're past visitor space you show him the pass and lie about getting lost. The clerk looks over the pass and frowns. "You mean your Professor didn't give you directions?". "He did, but 'turn right at this person's office' doesn't really help when there's so many offices and no name tags on the doors. Really, this place is much bigger than I thought.". The clerk nods and takes you to the archive, where you're free to look up whatever records you wish. After some walking around and looking you finally find the paperwork you're looking for. The famous citizen's permit for expanding his basement, signed by Bennus Howerton. Okay, so who was the last person with legal permission to dig around Dragon's Doom? It takes some sleuthing, but after looking through far too much parchment (all of it enchanted so it won't decay) you find the digging permit that was handed out before Bennus'. It's signed by Molters Vengrabs, and it was issued about two months before Bennus got his permit. Which is interesting in it's own right, since that means this Molters had enough time to discover and clean out the library, but what's really interesting are some of the investigation requests that the guards filed the day after the digging permit was signed. Requests for approval to spy on Molters, the suspected member of a smuggling ring involved with a small gem heist that was executed not too long before his digging permit was filed, all of which were approved by servants to the Court of the Emperor. Oh, you are definitely going to have to look into this in more detail later. Oh you certainly will.
-- PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

-You try to sneak into the archives, but before you even find it you're caught, dragged outside and escorted (by a guard) all the way back to the Academagia. The rest...you'd rather not remember, but you certainly are going to have enough others things to focus on instead! That's great, right?
-- REPRIMANDED, LOSE MERIT, STOP ADVENTURE

 

[social Skills]: Any other options available here?
-You look around City Hall and notice two clerks chatting with each other, one drinking from a cup of tea. You'll need to put on a good face to get them to talk about work while they're taking a break, but you can do that. You quietly walk up to them, politely tap the desk next to them to get their attention, and with a smile mention that you need a long-shot request pushed through, but you don't know how you'd go about getting that done before the millennium turns. The two clerks slowly shift their heads to give each other what you can only describe as a dark look of pure, unrestrained glee (at your expense most likely), and one of them slowly turns towards you. "Well...", she says with all the innocence of a tiger about to rip a defenceless rabbit to shreds, "If you can convince one of the paper-pusher pushers to oversee your request, you can get what you need relatively quickly.". A paper-pusher pusher? That doesn't sound like a real thing. The fact that the other clerk is ineffectually hiding a grin behind her cup of tea doesn't really add to their credibility either. "Oh don't look so sceptical.". The grin on the other clerk does not fade, even as her friend continues to assure you they're not joking. Well, might as well ask. You can extract messy and glorious vengeance upon them later if need by. "Okay, so...what's a paper-pusher pusher?". "You don't know? It's what we call our supervisors. We push papers, they push us, so they're paper-pusher pushers. It's a bit of an in-joke here in City Hall.". You suppose when you work in City Hall, of all places, you need to find something to entertain yourself. More to the point, the two clerks don't look like they're lying about anything. "Alright, so how to convince a paper-pusher pusher to oversee my request? I assume just asking nicely won't work.". The other clerk puts her cup down and answer the question before her friend can, although why she chose to interrupt her you don't know. "Oh, asking nicely can work, but don't expect to get anywhere with just a pair of puppy dog eyes. Our supervisor, for example, is...well, I'm not going to say she's a cold-hearted ice princess witch of the B variety, but...don't expect her to do anything just because you ask her to.". Sounds like another possible opening for convincing someone to get what you need, and if not that you're sure that mentioning this "cold-hearted ice princess witch of the B variety" (what a lengthy title) will break open a few doors otherwise left closed. "Eh, Gracia? Ice princess at three o' clock.". The other clerk briefly looks wildly about and practically runs to the farthest away person who looks like they need help. Ignoring the fact that she ran off while there was, and still is, someone who needed help right in front of her for the past three minutes or so it seems like you've been given an opportunity. But will you take it?
-- UNLOCK BELOW OPTIONS, +CoS, TRY AGAIN

 

-You try to talk with a few of the clerks, but it appears that every last one of them is either too busy or too burned out to listen to a teen ramble about whatever teens ramble on about. This might take effort.
-- TRY AGAIN

 

[CONDITION: PC FINISHED [The Training Continues] ADVENTURE

-Who is this fearsome supervisor?
--Half expecting to see a Dragon walking down the hallway instead you see a woman who looks to be in her early to mid twenties, wearing professional-looking clothes that ill-suit her in more ways than one. It has the odd effect of making her look younger (and more immature) than she actually is, since she really isn't pulling off the "professional office worker" look. Or trying to, by the looks of it. Actually, as she approaches closer she almost looks familiar. While you're sifting through your memories she walks (almost stomps) up to the clerk left standing here and asks, with a hint of fury in her voice, "Did the kid ask for a rapport on the latest gossip or are you two still off the clock?". The clerk she's talking to looks at her friend and shrugs. "Still off the clock, but apparently someone is feeling very motivated today.". The supervisor throws a glare at Gracia's back, who can apparently perceive the glare with nothing but the back of her head, and the supervisor turns back to the other clerk. "And you? Not feeling as motivated or are you just lacking things to do?". The clerk casually shrurgs. "Neither, just waiting for my break to end.". The supervisor throws a glance at a nearby clock, frowns, and than takes a look at you. That disapproving frown, the intimidating figure, the straight-to-the-point manner of speaking with the distinct tone of anger held back not by force but by conscious choice...it all reminds you of someone. Kinda like Joana, sort of, but more...hang on, you do know this woman! "Rain? You're Rain, right? Nhordum's friend?". Rain, who apparently was trying to remember you herself, suddenly nods and breaks out a smile. It's slightly less intimidating than the scowl from before. Slightly. "Yeah...[PC FIRST NAME], right? Ha, didn't think I'd ever see you during my work hours. What brings you to City Hall? Surely you didn't run out of things to study?". Even if you did there's tons of places you're rather spend your time than in City Hall. Heck, you'd literally prefer a vampire's domain over this place! Naturally, you shake your head. "Oh heck no, I'm here because I need some information. Copies of old records from the archive, actually.". You explain in detail what you need, and Rain (who clearly has no idea why you care) shifts her glare towards the other clerk. She sighs, but there's nevertheless a large smile plastered all over her face for some reason. "Alright, I got the hint. Be back in a few minutes.". The clerk walks off and you spend a few minutes making small talk with Rain, who not so quietly mentions the many times people have given her all kinds of interesting nicknames behind her back. Gracia...seems to become increasingly nervous as time goes on. At least until the other clerk walks in with a few papers in hand, which she holds out for you. "One copy of Bennus Howerton's digging permit, one copy of Molters Vengrabs' digging permit, and a little something extra that I thought you'd be interested in.". You take the papers and the clerk shifts over to Rain. "As an apology for Gracia's enthusiasm.". You look over the records with excitement, as this is definitely the break you've been waiting for. But had you been paying attention to Rain and the clerk you'd have noticed Rain casting a glance at you in response to the clerk's apology, giving the clerk a non-committal shrug, and walking off towards Gracia with considerably less murderous intent. As for the records, it looks like Molters got his permit two months before Bennus got his, so if Molters discovered the library first he'd have had plenty of time to clean it out. The extra record, and frankly the most interesting one, is a copy of an investigation rapport on none other than Molters Vengrabs, who was being investigated for suspicion of being involved with an unnamed smuggling ring. And that investigation was closed after Molters left town, without any form of contraband despite a thorough search by the guards, not too long before Bennus received his permit to expand his basement. You're definitely going to have to take a closer look at this later. Oh yes you will.
--- PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

ELSE:
-Who is this fearsome supervisor?
--You look around and see a few people, but one that stands out is very clearly the person Gracia was talking about. Younger than either of the clerks and appearing much more immature than even you due to her unfitting (and clearly uncomfortable) uniform the woman almost stomps through the hallway, a scowl chiselled on her face that reminds you all too much of Joana. Really, if it weren't for the unfitting uniform you'd have her pegged as Joana's bigger, meaner sister. More important is that you notice that one of her hands, both of which are stuffed in pockets too small for her athletic build, is clutching a wand. Looks like the "witch" part of her title wasn't ironic. When she finally reaches the two of you she looks around, and than turns to face the clerk who's name you haven't heard yet. "Did this kid request for City Hall gossip or were you two just making conversation?". The way she, this immature-looking bully of a person in an unfitting uniform, calls you a "kid" actually ticks you off a bit. Not nearly enough to open your big mouth, though. The clerk, for her part, is not moved. "The latter. I'd have offered to help [him/her], but, you know, off the clock and all that.". The supervisor shifts her gaze towards Gracia, who despite her best attempts at appearing to be working hard (during a break, which might account for why her act is failing miserably) can apparently perceive the supervisor's scowl with nothing but the back of her head. The other clerk, who is either trying to cover for her friend or throwing her under an airship (you're not sure which), sighs and says "Yeah, somehow she's just incredibly motivated today.". The supervisor, who looks no less furious than she did a moment ago, turns her head towards the other clerk. "And you? Lacking motivation or simply lacking work to do?". The clerk points to a clock hung up on the wall behind her and says "Neither, just off the clock.". The supervisor looks like she's thinking about how to respond to that, which is your chance. Only...how are you going to convince this supervisor to help you? And without hurting you in the process, if possible.
--- UNLOCK BELOW OPTIONS, TRY AGAIN

 

--[bully]: Pressure the clerk into helping you.
---With a few snide comments and gestures meant to look threatening you "ask" that the other clerk repeat what her friend said earlier. You expected that the supervisor would go along with you and that the other clerk, if not Gracia herself, would be forced to help you as an "apology", but what instead happens is that both the other clerk and the supervisor stare at you blankly. It just now occurs to you that a clerk who's used to someone you just described as "Joana's bigger, meaner sister" probably isn't going to be especially afraid of you. The supervisor suddenly smiles, which for better or worse doesn't look as unfitting on her as her uniform, and rubs your head in the most childish, condescending manner possible. With a voice to match she tell you "Well look who the big, intimidating school bully is. Just a few more years and you'll be getting paid to push people around.". What? What the heck just happened? Who froze time, murdered the supervisor and replaced her with a body double when you weren't looking!? This is not how you expected her to react at all! "That said, the precious kid does have a point.", the supervisor tells the other clerk after she stops petting you for Octacius' sake. The other clerk, who's either expertly hiding her amusement or slightly more unhinged than you expected (you're not ruling it out at this point), shrugs and, with a completely neutral voice, asks "Wouldn't that just be a formality? Either way I got the hint, so what long-shot request did you need pushed through, kid?". It takes a moment to compose yourself, but you manage to explain what you need. The other clerk nods and walks off, leaving you to try to stare holes through the supervisor. She...isn't intimidated in the slightest, and casually taps her foot on the floor while waiting for the other clerk to come back. Gracia, meanwhile, has evidently gone off somewhere while the rest of you were talking. Sure, you got what you wanted in the end, but Gods. "Want some advice?". Huh? You turn your head to the supervisor, who's staring down at you (admittedly because she's a head and some change taller than you). "Don't judge a book on it's cover. Heck, don't judge a book on it's content. You don't even want to know what kind of people you can run into.". You can tell from the lack of a smile and serious tone that she's, well, serious about that. A clear sign of some personal experience, but you don't bother to ask. Instead you nod and quietly thank her for the advice. Not that you didn't know it already, what with you being a student of Schohanwicht and all. You just hope the irony of her statement is lost on her. A few minutes later the other clerk shows up again with a few parchments in hand. At least you got something out of this horrible, horrible trip to City Hall you swear you will erase from your memory at a later point. "Two copies of digging permits and a little extra as an apology. If I should be the one to apologize.". The other clerk flashes a very insincere, playful smile at the supervisor when mentioning the last part, though the supervisor doesn't seem to react to it. You just look over the documents and hope to every God you know that this embarrassment was at least worth something. And it was. Oh yes, it was. The two digging permits, signed to "famous discoverer" Bennus Howerton and person of no real note Molters Vengrabs. According to the permits Molters, if he indeed discovered the library when digging his basement, had about two months worth of time to do whatever he wanted in the Endless Section. More important is the extra document the other clerk brought you, as it's an investigation rapport about the surveillance of a suspected member of a smuggling ring...by the name of Molters Vengrabs. Oh, yes, that was indeed worth it. You've got some very interesting information to look up in the Endless Section later.
---- PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

---The supervisor shifts her head towards you, gives you the single most vicious glare you've seen since you last visited the menagerie, and ignores you from that point on. That didn't exactly go as planned, but at least you're alive enough to try again later.
---- STOP ADVENTURE

 

--[Persuasion]: Convince the supervisor to lend you the clerk's hand.
---This definitely isn't the situation you expected to be in, but you were told to ask a supervisor and what do you know, here's a supervisor. Seems like a good time to put your silver tongue to work...or otherwise die trying. "If you need more work to assign, I am looking for a few records.". The supervisor shifts her head to look and you and gives you a once-over. You don't know who this person is, but going off of what you've seen so far you imagine that a straightforward request would work best. With a small question mark written on her face the clerk asks "Right, so what do you need?". You explain what you need, and now the other clerk has a question mark on her face as well. Like you didn't think to prepare a cover story, though. "School project and no, the Venalicium wasn't helpful.". It's not even a lie, really. If this search for the books doesn't end up working you're sure you can write a very good (if...heavily edited) paper about this. The supervisor gives you a knowing nod, indicating that as you thought she's indeed a former Academagia student...although not the studious type. "Alright, I know who can fetch you a copy of those records...", the supervisor says with a predatory grin while staring at Gracia. Although despite that the other clerk speaks up and cheerfully says "Quite right, I had to stop by Manderly's office anyway. See you in a few minutes.". Before either you or the supervisor can react she starts walking off, leaving the two of you standing next to each other in awkward silence. Although not for long, as you quickly (and quietly) ask "Is she always like that?". The supervisor stares at you for a bit, shrugs, and answers "For as long as I've known her.". Someone who's not even slightly intimidated by this supervisor. You...don't want to know. After that you simply wait for the clerk to return, and as she said she returns a few minutes later with a few records in hand that she gives to you. "Two copies of recorded permits and a little something extra.". She turns to face the supervisor. "I'm also motivated, just not doing my breaks.". The supervisor simply nods and the two walk off. Weird. But you got your records, so you'll call it good. As for the records, one is a digging permit signed to Bennus Howerton, the citizen that "first" discovered the library, another digging permit issues two months before Bennus' signed to Molters Vengrabs, and an investigation rapport on the latter. For suspicion of participating in theft, smuggling, fencing, breaking and entering, trespassing and a few other crimes. Looks like you've got your suspect.
---- PAUSE ADVENTURE

 

---The supervisor listens, but does no more than that. Apparently when the clerk said that puppy dog eyes wouldn't work she wasn't at all kidding.
---- STOP ADVENTURE

 

 

Now that is how an adventure stage should look. Tons of options, investigations that lead to interesting things, the minor twist to drive home the point of yes, there, in fact, exists an actual living world and adventures aren't simply pre-defined strings that aren't related to each other at all beyond a common theme, the works. Only minor is that I of course put the Bully exit behind a Social Skills investigation, but eh, it's not Fish. Oh, and eh, the surprise cameo was just a thing that happened that I decided to include because, eh, why not? It wasn't planned, as such...but it worked.

 

BTW, if nothing else I expect that this stage contains more lore errors than the Gates magic experiment (stage 5)...although I promise nothing about the ratio of lore errors per word count. This stage has...quite a few words.

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Ordinarily it would, which is half the reason why people in modern times with access to the magic didn't figure it out (up until it was banned, which is the second half of the reason why people never figured it out), but as far as I imagine it it's not how it actually works. Because magic, pretty much. Well, that, and it's kinda necessary for it to be a safe, non-reactive process by nature. The library itself wouldn't exist if it should have been reduced to quantum foam or whatever, and people wouldn't bother to store anything in such Gates caches if taking stuff out resulted in the stuff being fused with whatever to create...whatever that stuff would fuse into. It'd be mighty embarrassing if you, like, stored a bunch of metal stuff in a Gates cache and when taking it out you instead end up with a blob of superheated plutonium.

 

The only issue is that the gates spell expired and the library tried to appear inside solid matter - if the spell was maintained, or emptied into a void it would be fine - air would push out of the way without any real trouble.

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For Schohanwicht, stage 8:

 

The Plan That Went Oh So Wrong

 

Once again you're in the Endless Section, here to look up information on Molters, the Thieves Guild and the unnamed smuggling ring that Molters was suspected to have been a member of. You're absolutely convinced that the city watch, back in their day, investigated Molters and that smuggling ring (and the Thieves Guild as well) unto death and beyond when Dragon's Doom was found devoid of books, and you want to know their respective alibis. Since you don't want to have to rely on City Hall if you can help it, and since you're sure that these now high-profile investigations were recorded by historians, you've come to the Endless Section to find information. You debated on whether you should start with the Venalicium, but the Academagia's library is a bit too far away from centuries old investigations for your taste. Whereas the Endless Section has every reason to care about the investigation...and than some. Knowing what to look for you head over to the reception, take out the registry and look through it. And wouldn't you know it, there's a book listed in here that apparently is dedicated to the city guard's investigations into Dragon's Doom. You really should have looked this up earlier, to be honest. Feeling a little silly you walk over to where the book is (remembering to grab your map first, of course) and casually read through it. Only...Molters isn't mentioned. His name doesn't come up once in this book, nor does that smuggling ring. Even the Thieves Guild is only given a passing mention here and there, the only major points of investigation are trading lines and the docks. What? Surely the guards would have been suspicious, what with Molters "digging a basement" and everything. Why isn't he mentioned anywhere? You have to dig through a few more books before you find the answer - the smuggling ring he supposedly belonged to was caught, rounded up and executed for unrelated crimes not too long before it became public knowledge that the Dragon's Doom collection was missing. It was confirmed, through very thorough searches, that they were never in the possession of any of the books, and so the city guard considered that matter closed. They never came up (or were written about by historians) afterwards, even after the missing collection was made public knowledge because, well, they were both confirmed innocent and dead. Okay, that sounds reasonable, but what about the Thieves Guild? Some more published investigation rapports later and you learn that they sort of, in a strange way, cooperated with the city guard to bring their competition to (final) justice, and part of making that deal work for them involved allowing them to be investigated very thoroughly for the Dragon's Doom collection. Which they were painstakingly proven to have never been in the possession of. As for Molters himself, he's not named anywhere. After he emigrated from Mineta he just fell through the cracks of recorded history. No mention of him being executed along with the rest of the smuggling ring, no mention of him ever returning to Mineta, of him being arrested or making trouble wherever he chose to emigrate to, nothing. The last time he's mentioned is when his basement was searched after he left, before Bennus received his permit and Molters' house was put up for sale. The guards didn't find anything suspicious or out of place, let alone a path to the library, so for them that meant case closed on Molters. Right now, this leaves you with only one question remaining. If Molters was indeed a member of this smuggling ring and he discovered Dragon's Doom...what happened to the books? He couldn't have smuggled them out of this own home, much less Mineta and the Empire of Man, with both the city guards and the Thieves Guild on his case. For the same reason bringing in someone else to smuggle those books would have been impossible. You also don't think he could have dug a tunnel from the library to a drop-off point, since such a tunnel would have had to either come out in the Imperial Preserve, the basement of one of his suspected allies (who lived no closer to his house than the Imperial Reserve was) or through the side of a mountain. He wouldn't have had the time or a safe drop-off point. It's quite the ironic twist of luck that someone so closely watched for being a suspected member of a smuggling ring found Dragon's Doom and it's collection of books. If he did, you don't even know that for sure. He didn't have the stone dust to tip him off that something was amiss, but than he wasn't necessarily just digging a basement either. And why hide the books in the first place? Why not hand them in to authorities, did he just think it'd make him more money, in the end? Would that have caused problems with the smuggling ring? The Thieves Guild? Both, even? So many things you don't understand, but ultimately only one question you really care about remains. If Molters was truly the one that first discovered the library, and the books...where did he put them?

 

[Architecture]: Look for hidden spaces behind bookcases.
-It takes you a moment to figure out a decent way to check for hidden rooms behind the bookcases, since it's easy to hide something behind a bookcase when you're underground, but you do get an idea. With your wand you cast an Incantation that does nothing beyond blow some wind into the cracks between bookcases and the occasional bookcase that's next to an outcropping of wall. It's easy to see dust fly out of the crack when you blow wind at it, and it's clear that if that happens there's no secret room behind the bookcase, otherwise the wind would fly into it rather than up and down the crack. Sure, it's possible that the secret room was Revised in such a way to be airtight, but you're willing to bet that if that's the case a millennium and some change worth of rats, islequakes and other things would have broken the seal. And if not any of those, there's always knocking on the back of the bookshelf. Unfortunately your brilliant plan doesn't end up finding anything beyond an unhealthy amount of dust, despite you checking every single crack and knocking on the back of every single bookcase, at least every bookcase that could believably hide a secret room. Maybe you're on the wrong track?
-- +CoS, TRY AGAIN

 

-You try to take a look behind every bookcase you can find, a difficult task since the cracks are small and there's not always light around to see so well with, but you don't end up finding any secret doors or anything.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[Carpentry]: Look for irregularities in the floor boards.
-You carefully examine every square inch worth of floor of the Endless Section front to back, but as you've found out earlier the floor is well made and well put together. More to the point, the floor is clearly not centuries old, at most it got replaced like a decade ago. So what you're looking for clearly can't be a simple trap door visible to just a pair of eyes, no matter how well trained they are. Problematic...
-- +CoS, TRY AGAIN

 

-Several laps around the Endless Section later and you're a potential contractor for very well-done carpentry richer. Unfortunately you're an hour and some change worth of time poorer, and just as secret space poor.
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[Negation]: Use magic to try and find hidden spaces.
-If Molters had no way to take the books out of the library, but wanted to hide them anyway, there's nowhere he could have gone except deeper underground, below the library itself. You cast the best Negation spell for finding hidden spaces that you can, and begin pacing around the library. It's boring work, the spell doesn't last long and you quickly become afraid that you might have to crawl everywhere if you want your second-year spell to actually find something. But while walking around the brewing section your spell suddenly informs you that there's something amiss below you. You dismiss and recast the spell again and again to make it it's not just faulty castings, you even get down onto the floor to check whether it's not just noticing a rat nest, but every time your spell points to the same general area. To a room that is much bigger than a rat's nest by a fairly wide margin, not to mention much more rectangular. It couldn't be. Surely, it couldn't be. You mentally apologize to Kane as you sit down and start, eh, "revising" the floorboards into regular boards sitting on the floor. If you're right about this it'll be all worth it, and if not, well, you know how to repair floors. Hopefully.
-- PROCEED WITH ADVENTURE

 

-You do several laps around the entire library with your spell cast and recast every time it disappears, but you don't end up finding anything. Than again, short of crawling everywhere you weren't really able to check too deeply. You really need a better spell if you're going to do this (or otherwise an enchanted sled).
-- STOP ADVENTURE

 

[Theory of Gates]: Could Molters have messed with the library's Gates spell, somehow?
-A spell this complex, this old, and possibly left battered and broken by the Exile is something no sane mage would (or could) have messed with in any constructive manner without weeks if not months of research, planning and other preparations. You suppose that Molters might have been able to accomplish something, but if he did than he would have been a far better spellcaster than the entire Imperial Court combined, and for a thief that couldn't fend off the Thieves Guild that sounds highly unlikely. That means Molters had no way of creating another hidden space within the library, or otherwise expanding the spell somehow. If he dug somewhere he dug somewhere the hard way, and that means either a secret bookcase or something of that nature and an empty space. Empty spaces that Negations are excellent at finding at, if they're not disturbed by the Gates spell. Well, more specifically, if your Negations aren't. Fully educated spellcasters probably wouldn't have that problem, but, well, you're still a second year student. Time to see what you can do.
-- +CoS, TRY AGAIN

 

-You can't begin to imagine what Molters could or could not do, especially to something you don't understand yourself. Still, he might have been able to accomplish something, so you're not sure whether you should be looking for something magical or mundane.
-- TRY AGAIN

 

 

One of those instances where you're forced to roll something specific, so the difficult gets knocked down a notch. Also investigations.

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For Schohanwicht, stage 9:

 

The Prize

 

You make quite the mess in the Endless Section, but after a few floorboards, some dirt and a thin layer of stone you find a very dark and very deep tunnel. Thankfully you easily fit in it, presumably it was made for an adult, and while it's quite scary to go down into the dark unknown you have your wand to provide both light and relatively safe passage down. Much further down than you expected you end up landing on a large mound of dirt, piled on top of a bunch of planks that you guess were once a trap door and a set of support beams. Apparently someone went through great effort to make sure this tunnel was filled in with stone and dirt, at least at the top, probably to prevent Negations from finding it. Come to think of it, it's only because over half of it collapsed that your own Negation found it, and it did only barely at that. As for the rest of the room, well, there's not much to say. Several large boxes are stashed in a small room that is only barely large enough to hold them, and you don't see anything else. Actually, wait, there appears to be a scroll on one of the boxes. Given it's condition you're sure that this place is under some sort of preservation spell, in fact it's fairly obvious when you compare the wooden boxes with the remains of the trapdoor. The latter is clearly old and rotten, but the boxes look...well, not "new", but clearly they're not in as bad a shape. You check to make sure there's no traps around, and afterwards you pick up the scroll. It's written in old Elumian, but a quick translation spell fixed that problem. Mostly. "Friends, if ye be reading this, you know what to do. If someone who's not a member of the Wilted Rose is reading this, then I must assume my plan - and my group - have failed. In that case, allow me to write down my side of the story. Not to defend myself for the crimes I've committed, but to leave behind an historic record of my actions. Call me a thief, 'tis what I am in act, but I am an historian at heart!". You doubt that. "This mess started on Kaliri 28, when me and my allies stole a collection of old jewels and other precious trinkets that were brought into Mineta from some archaeological dig. Only after the heist did we learn that we had stolen these items right under the Thieves Guild's nose, and they don't tolerate competition. We had to smuggle the stuff out of Mineta - painstakingly, I might add - in order to fence it, but the Thieves Guild caught wind of us regardless. I tried my best to play the part of a totally legal citizen, but I don't think the watch bought it. For reasons I can't even remember I decided to expand my home's basement - with permission, of course, Octavius forbid I dig under my own house without - and while digging an escape tunnel (I...think) I found this here library. Now I don't know in what state this library will be found when the authorities finally learn of it, but when I found it the place was completely stuffed with stone, dirt, stone, some shelves, some more stone and a few books I guess, but mostly stone. Like someone forgot to actually dig out a basement before building a giant library underground, weirdest thing I tell you. Digging this place out myself was a pain, even with my trusty wand, but I did it, and I did a thorough job of it too! Unfortunately the shelves didn't survive my gentle caressing of the stone - something to do with how I set up the Incanted drill-mounted sledgehammer, I believe - but I made sure that the books were spared. I know (knew?) someone who'll pay better money than the Emperor for those books, but of course with everyone watching my pretty behind I can't smuggle them out! So that's why I dug this here secret chamber, to stash all this stuff. I'm writing this as I'm making final preparations to get my pretty butt out of this city, without any contraband so the guards can't raise a big enough fuzz to keep me here (and I'll bet my wand they will try). From wherever I'll end up I'll send a message to the rest of my crew, through trusted contacts, so they'll know where the library is and where I stashed the goods. Except, if you're reading this, they failed to do so. Good job team, way to go, hope you appreciate me digging out this entire place so you can get yourselves caught and thrown in jail or something. Honestly, I think it's more likely they won't...didn't? Argh, grammar ain't my thing. Either way, I doubt they'd want to go in here. I don't know a portcullis from a Gates spell but even I can tell you this place is bad news. If it weren't for my magic I wouldn't have survived coming in here, Gods pity whoever tries to mess with it. All the gold these texts are worth that they come to a terrible end, I'll bet on that. Myself, I got what I wanted out of this, now it is just a matter of my band doing their part. Or was. -Signed Molters Vengrabs, ringleader of the Wilted Rose, discoverer of this accursed place of doom, gloom and more stone than I'd want to shove down a Wyrm's throat, and hopefully man living a happy life with all the gold me and my band made from the gem heist.". What a wordy ringleader, no wonder his band didn't end up accomplishing much. You put the scroll back where you found it and very carefully take a peek in one of the boxes. It is filled completely with all manner of old books, scrolls and other writings carefully arranged so that nothing is crushed under all the weight. You cannot believe that this actually worked, but now that it has, the obvious question lies before you. Now what?

 

Head to Schohanwicht and tell them about the books.
-A quick trip back up the tunnel to fix the floorboards later you use the Portal Key to head to Schohanwicht. It is, much to your disappointment, practically devoid of professors. They're still holding classes but beyond that they're busy processing everything they got from Lord Krazoa's domain. Which, by the looks and sound of it, was allot. You are curious about how the Gates spell on Dragon's Doom worked and how it affected the ancestors of the vampire's herd, but that's a question for another day. You unfortunately can't get hold of a professor, but you do end up finding Euneycia walking around the hallway. You have no idea what she's busy with, but she won't be busy with it for much longer. "Euneycia! I got something I need to talk with you about.". She turns her head and rolls her eyes, you don't think you've ever seen her this tired. "Sorry [PC FIRST NAME], but we're all very busy with everything we've learned from Lord Krazoa's domain. Are you sure it can't wait?". You shake your head, much to Euneycia's chagrin, and you mention that you found the books. Euneycia looks confused. "Books? I haven't heard of any missing books.". With a massive grin quickly spreading over your face you mention you're talking about the Dragon's Doom collection, and Euneycia sighs while her eyes go wide. It's an uncanny look. "Like, the collection from Dragon's Doom? The one that's been missing since the Early Empire?". You nod and relate what you found in the Endless Section - the secret chamber, the scroll (which you should have brought with you, in hindsight) and the boxes filled with texts. Euneycia lets out another, very large sigh, and she asks you to take a seat in the library. You walk off to do just that as you hear her mumble something under her breath. The trip to the library is without incident, but before you can find a seat to sit in your notice a professor run in, looking wildly about. When he spots you he makes a beeline towards you, which confuses the other students here. "Seriously? You found, I mean...seriously?" is all he says, which confuses the nearby students even more. "Sure did, I assume you want me to show you were they are?". The professor blinks a few times and tells you to sit down. Somehow, you're not expecting that he has good news for you. "[PC FIRST NAME], you remember the problem with the Endless Section, right? We don't have maps to navigate our way through it, and even if we did we can't very well smuggle out entire boxes worth of books under that library keeper's nose. And we certainly can't risk a Gates spell right in the middle of Mineta. How do you propose that we get the books out of there without being noticed?". Oh. Right. Slight flaw in your plan. You'll fix that.
-- PROCEED WITH ADVENTURE

 

 

Since this is the Schohanwicht version of the adventure (spoiler: I don't (yet?) have a non-Schohanwicht version) you only get the option of handing the books to Schohanwicht, which...well, it'll have consequences, but that's for the next stage to tell. FYI finding the books and handing them in are separate (non-roll) stages because otherwise it'd be a massive wall-o-text, and I've had enough of those. Heck, just this can be counted as a wall of text...

 

If/when there'll be a non-Schohanwicht version of this adventure a non-Schohanwicht PC that decided to blab at the end of the Endless Section adventure (still have to do a B path thing too...so much typing work) will be given a choice of who to hand the books to. Possible choices might be:

 

-Legate Orsi (regardless; for fairly standard "handed in an adventure in Orsi's favor" rewards)

-Regent von Rupprecht (if you're Aranaz and seriously impressed VR at least once in Y1; he'll pay good money and spread the story about his favorite Aranaz prodigy doing great things for everyone - emphasis his)

-The authorities (regardless; you'll be questioned about this whole "vampire" business but you'll get a "finder's fee" eventually - nothing strictly illegal about hanging out with a vampire, after all).

-The Captain personally (if you did his adventure in Y1; he'll appreciate your judgement and not question you too much about the how's and why's, otherwise he hands out the same as the authorities)

-The Emperor's Sphinx (if you know she exists; she'll reward you not with money or Glory but with knowledge - how that'll work exactly I don't know, but it'll be worth it I'm sure)

-Lord Krazoa (regardless; he'll give you vague hints that he might have opportunities for you in the future, which...is a whole barrel of things that's mostly Team-dependant, so who knows what that'll entail)

 

The adventure may or may not force you to first tell Kane about your find, him being the owner of the library and all, but he'll just go along with whatever you suggest because mind = blown.

Edited by Metis
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