RECAP:
- The heroes had followed the servant of the priestess for half an hour, through a maze-like collection of chapels and cathedrals
- Came upon a coloured marble pyramid with amazing architecture
- A long staircase led upwards, at the top of which was visisble large, human-headed sentinels
- Arriving there, the heroes were confronted by the guardians and forced to defend themselves!
And so….
- After having defeated the Iron Golem and escaped the vicious Lammasu Priest sentinels, the heroes gasped for breath
The heroes are reminded that they’re here to try and investigate how, in the temple devoted to the god of logic, things are happening illogically. An essence of chaos has corrupted this spirit of multi-coloured light should be a passive observer, but instead – they’ve started taking on the concept of ‘self’ – the beginning of chaos.
- Entering ring portal and skin crawls with energy before stepping through – to an octagonal arena full of myriad colours and geometric designs
- A coloured pillar of light descends from above and says we are not required here for The Great Equation – leave or be obliterated
- Black pyramids with glowing spheres of magic ring the octagon
- geometric patterns are scattered on the floor – Legion surmises that this is actually a library, but each pyramid and sphere are actually the a node to access the lore of the worlds that’s been gathered by The Wardens of Reason – not sure though but the multi-coloured object in the center of the room is speaking…
- “You are not required here, *I* am not required here… i can see possibilities… you… you are variables in existence… if I eliminate you faulty theorems, I can be restored… I can be chained again…
- Idris & Legion understand that in this place, geometry has power – shapes on the floor of this octagonal room, it can benefit the person standing there in some way…
ENGAGE!
- Idris boldly approaches the Decaton, “What if we knew the cause of your condition and we could eliminate it for you?”
- The Decaton pauses, and it’s bright lights dim – “EXPLAIN … EXPLAIN”
- Legion, listening intently, proposes the following:
- * **M** = magical energy input
- * **R** = runic or verbal accuracy
- * **a** = caster skill coefficient
- * **D** = disruption or interference
- Then build logically:
- 1. **Eliminate energy as the issue**
- 2. **Test structure (logic step)**
- 3. **Look for interference**
- 4. **Conclusion**
- “Therefore, the most probable cause is interference or a flaw in the spell’s structure, not insufficient power.”
- * If **power was low**, effect would be weak but stable
- * If **structure was wrong**, effect would be chaotic or fail completely
- * If **interference exists**, effect would distort or redirect
- “Arcane outcomes must obey consistency. When the result violates expected scaling laws, one must assume an unaccounted variable.”
- The Decaton looks elated, spinning around, then frusrated, confused:
- I am not used to being *I*. This is illogical but Ihear the logic of your words – perhaps you can restore the grand theorem – you must do so quickly – too many possibilities – it is disgusting – revolting – too much chaos
- fix this problem before I undo all of creation!
- The Decaton starts spinning idly – the heroes have the impression it’s ‘waiting’
- it shimmers in the direction of a portal on the side of the room
- as the heroes approach, a ghostly figure coalesces towards you
- “We thank you for doing what we could not. The very holiness of this place is turning against us – you must find the source of the chaos.”
- There is an interloper that has brought chaos with it…
- … I just know Chicken Salad Sandwich …
- … Carnival Fairy Economics…
- Idris “I regret nothinggggggggggggggggg………….”
- The heroes leap through the portal!
- The heroes enter a large spherical champer, the walls & cieling decorated with
- A large, purple skinned ogre with runes on her skin,
- It said I would meet worthy oppenents here, those that would bring order to chaos, come – let us see
- The stars pull away and start to sizzle with lightning…
ENGAGE!
- her body drops as Idris is holding the shard with Ka Lail now trapped inside
- Idris can see an image of her in the crystal, trying to break out – and she’s almost through!
- Idris knows he can’t shatter an abyssal shard – it would release the chaotic energy into the world!
- using the holy energy of his sword, Idris wraps the shard with holy energy, binding it together and keeping Ka Lail trapped
- Using all the power of his sword, the light is extinguished from the hilt of his sword, but shard is successfully bound
- the funk and chaos of the arena stops almost immediately – the lightning weirds turn back into stars on the cieling
- the ogre mage ‘comes to’ – doesn’t know how it got here
- It says, “Why have you brought me here?”
- Puki: You were the corruption we were trying to stop
- OM: I am no corruption
- P: In this area, you are – the person who brought you here, brought you here to corrupt – go home
- OM: Who brought me here?
- P: The Abyssal Lich
- OM: I owe you a great debt, I will see this debt paid before a year has passed
- P: What is your name?
- OM: You could not pronounce it
- P: I must know who knows the debt.
- OM: SKJSLKJFL:kJH:LKJSDF
- Nidalru: How do you spell that?
- OM: Many S, many O, many K…
It leaves.
- The heroes bring the bound shard back to the two priests to show them that this is the source of the corruption.
- They pull out parchment & quills, and they start writing.
- Legion recognizes it as math, but not much else
- Together, they make a circle with their scrawlings – checking each other’s work
- Asking Idris to place the shard on the parchment in a place within the equation, and the shard goes dull, the light returning to Idris‘ sword
- congratulating each other, they say it’ll hold for now
- they ask if Idris is a member of The Golden Order – asking him to inquire if other members might know how to better secure it, citing that it needs to be very carefully bound
- Puki recommends protecting the parchment with the shard in its place with stoneshape
- They promise to come up with a formula to beat Pheig‘s protection against scrying, but you’d need a way to see it..
- Legion: The Inverse Observatory…
- They say, “you’ve seen the observatory?” There’s no chance of failure….
