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Summary
Summary
The Westbound fellowship makes it through the Caves of Greth Mountain, where they come across a strange magic pearl and a terrifying creature which was drawn to it. After climbing the Stairs of Fate to the summit, they are greeted with a tremendous view and a pathway to the monastery of Zorn.
Chapman Luwen, an old halfling, and six other monks greet them and explain that there are no more “Knights” of Zorn, simply monks of the Chain who preserve the Last Archives of the Old Empire. Chapman explains that they must be deemed worthy to be permitted access to the archives by subjecting themselves to a scrying test.
Naturally, Jinx and Rick devise a clever plan to hide their true selves from this exam; Jinx disguises himself as Rick for the exam and uses the Ring of Mind Shielding selectively, inventing memories for Rick which are believable enough. He successfully fools the monks. Then, Jinx’s turn for the scrying comes, and he uses the Ring again, this time slightly less successfully. However he is still able to fabricate a few of his thoughts, the most critical ones. Marvin does the test honestly, and the three of them are permitted access to the Archives.
Opus Magnus had already gotten access to the archives, and Chapman leads the others to the entrance. He does a strange, ritualistic hand motion on a back wall in the monastery and opens a foggy, cylindrical portal of sorts which transports them deep into the mountains. The Archives are immense, and Chapman gives them a final warning about the knowledge they may find.
Naturally, Opus is frantically searching for the Eternal Tomes of Zarkhin. He receives aid from Marvin. Meanwhile, Rick finds a book on the Denmer Code and Pontium Robasack, and Jinx is looking for spell scrolls or magical artefacts. Opus and Marvin finally find the Eternal Tomes, however the answers within were not at all what Opus imagined could be true.
They discover that the Cult of Domecus was not only behind the fall of the Old Empire, but also the Foundation and the destruction of the Great Library, which housed the rest of the Eternal Tomes and other priceless knowledge. And, to Opus’s dismay, the Cult of Domecus also founded Zarkhin, and created the false gods Atarius and Corrus as fronts for Domecus serving different purposes as they further their plans across the realm.
Jinx offers to erase Opus’s memory of what he just learned, clearly shaken by the revelation as well and especially by the fact that someone else now knows too much about his organization. However, Opus refuses, and with a dark look in his face, leaves the Archives.
Rick finds the Oracle, and asks his one question: How do we kill the Wilderman?
He gets the following response:
- Negate the active Curse
- Find the Onyx blade of Blackyon Roy
- Pierce him with the blade at the “gathering of the four divines”
At this point, Jinx has found some items of value, and he and Marvin have regrouped with Rick. Rick blackmails Marvin into using his Question to ask about the whereabouts of Blackyon Roy’s sword, and learns that it is in the crypt of Zorn of which he was buried. They find a book on the Crypts of Zorn, and narrow Roy’s resting place to two crypts: one near the border of Lurisia and the HOWL HQ and one south of the Green Highlands.
Finally, Jinx secretly asks the Oracle how he could become a God. He receives the following answer: by slaying the energy trapped by the gathering of the four divines, one could potentially harness the power and become equal to a god themselves. However, this has never been done.
Marvin also learns some dark truths about his Denmer Code: its origins with the last Emperor Arium the Eternal, the fact that the Denmer Code is really an interpretation of the druidic god Logos’s power, and how reincarnation is only possible for wraiths. This shakes his entire worldview, and gives him a new purpose: to be the first non-wraith to reincarnate himself, becoming a new legend among followers of the Code.
They also come across a book on Asili, the deity which created lesser evil deities such as 0, and who is the manifestation of madness, grief, shadows and deceit.
The fellowship eventually realizes that the four divines must be:
Domecus, Logos, Asili and Zorn.
After leaving the Archives, they find Opus’s robe of eyes burning in the snow, and his shoes at the edge of a cliff. Marvin presumes that he is dead, but Jinx is not buying it. Chapman hastily calls the group to an urgent meeting, and directs them upstairs.
They are greeted by a handsome elf with emerald eyes and ornate robes, and numerous Lurisian soldiers with him. He tells them about his informant, Elso, and they have been relaying information to the Queen about their quest. She is very interested, and also wants to destroy the Wilderman. The elf, Lysarius Vandran, reads an official summon from the Queen, also known as the Mother of the World, demanding that they meet her in court in Navara, Lurisia, and insists that they are on the same side.
After stepping outside for a “moment to discuss”, the three of them sneak down to the monks, who are terrified and gathered together. Chapman pleads that they should simply meet their demands and go with them, since they are holding the summit hostage, and the elf has already gruesomely killed one of the monks. The three of them, with Steve, devise a plan to escape instead. Marvin remarks that “nothing good has ever come from Lurisia”.
Jinx had acquired the spell Teleportation Circle, and read in the Archives where the existing Circles exist in the realm. Because of Marvin’s excellent memory and his newfound drive, he perfectly emulates the hand motion of Chapman required to enter the Archives, and the four of them escape to there. Jinx destroys the Oracle, Rick collects all the books necessary for their quest, and they set a trap which would start a fire if the Lurisians were to follow them. Jinx draws the Teleportation Circle, picks the destination closest to the Green Highlands, and the four of them step inside the Circle and vanish…
Featured Characters
Featured Locations
- Caves within Greth Mountains
- Greth Summit
- The Monastery of Zornacles
- The Last Archives
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