Josh said: arcana- 19 and i would like to ask Xana if she knows anything of the magic circle in the town., I would fly down an ask murnig but we're probably on a time schedule now, could she replace taiba as a contact? presumably they'd have to do the ritual at the center of the circle, so i would like to fly over and see what that church looks like. Limar will also ask the deathwalkers if any of them know how to use magic circles, would be nice to drain it off its magic before they can use it or put it to our own uses. Ritt K. said: Knowledge (Arcana) check: 7, Spellcraft check: 18. For magic circle. By Sunday evening, you two have learned a fair bit about the basics of magic circles from the library at the Church of Labelas Enoreth . After supervising the moving of the Wayfinder assets and the kobolds to the Deathwalker camp, Leoavor accompanies you (though mostly working in his spellbook, trying to master two new spells he's close to fully understanding) and brings along Jonas and Nell of the Deathwalkers for safety in numbers.
Limar finds more about the theory and symbology of magic circles, while Xankoris reads up on their construction and application. In general, magic circles are used to help anchor magical effects into the physical world. They most commonly come up in abjuration and conjuration magic, such as for anchoring protective barriers or binding summoned creatures onto the material plane. So far as you can tell from the map you stole from Levi (edited somewhat by Limar), the one built into the city's architecture seems more suited to conjuration, built to slowly gather and concentrate latent energy from the city in its center, where the giant Temple of Corellon Larethian now stands. Leoavor points out Levi's notes about harnessing the death energy that clings to serial killers, suggesting that "a city with a powerful Assassins Guild must have a lot of that... could that Vecnan architect have had some influence in founding the Guild, too? To build Treefall as a giant death energy generator?" He boggles at the possibility of such an immense secret lying forgotten for so long. Xanaphia Diamonddew says she's never heard of such a thing, do you share your findings and map with her? Roll a Spot check if so. Contacts usually become available after a PC does a big favor, or several small ones, for an NPC, so you'll need to curry her favor first. Nell, Oskar, and Pamu all have some familiarity with magic circles, though harnessing the power of such an enormous one would be a major undertaking, requiring a great deal of research and preparation. "Honestly," Nell says, "It doesn't seem like we'll have enough time, if that assassin is out to get us. Not to mention that your charbroiled friend said his plans were almost complete." On your flyover, you see that the Temple of Corellon is an enormous marble cathedral, standing alone in the dead center of town. There are no other structures close by enough to feasibly be the focus of the circle's power. The temple has huge double doors at the front, and above them is a beautiful, circular stained glass window, with a matching counterpart set into the rear of the building, both about where you'd expect the second floor to be in a normal building (though cathedrals generally have very high, arched ceilings in the main hall, rather than a second floor). Kraggan comes along too, but her naturalistic magical experience is of little use here. Instead, she spends the time researching ghouls, intent on finding out why not only Valern, but also Levi returned as the flesh-eating undead. After 2 days of reading and searching the Church's archives, she learns that ghouls can be created in 3 primary ways. The first is by the use of powerful necromantic magic, such as a create undead spell or certain rituals, performed on a corpse. The second is spontaneous, but based on evil habits; there are many reported historical cases in which known cannibals rose from their graves after death as ghouls. The third is by ghouls themselves--their bite carries a deadly, supernatural disease called ghoul fever, which slowly rots the flesh and corrupts the soul. Those who die of it rise as a ghoul at the next midnight. Thinking back to the day Valern died, she remembers that when Shakir was trying to save the gnome's life from his grevious, choker-inflicted neck wounds, the ghoul used the wrappings he normally wore over his mouth (to hide his hideous features) as a bandage... it is possible that Shakir's ghoul fever spread to Valern through the bandages just as he was dying, and that this triggered the unholy transformation that night? It doesn't shed much light on Levi's case either way. Unless he was a secret cannibal, it seems like someone must have reanimated his burned remains. Someone with powerful necromantic magic, nearby Bowhery at that time... Hamanap is also busy, spending the days in deep meditation and prayer, communing with Bahamut. When Silk asks what she's been doing one evening at camp, Hamanap replies "I am trying to reach a higher level of bond with my dragon god. If I can secure His trust and aid in gaining new powers, they may be of great value in the battles to come." Josh said: 6,10 gather information with 2 gold each on any special upcoming days so we might know when they will try it. You and Leoavor have some time to ask around on Moonday the 17th. Leo insists that Jonas and Nell come along, and both of them are of great help, thanks to his social skills and her magic. Together, you learn that tomorrow is Lunar Hallowing, the monthly holy night of Sehanine Moonbow celebrated when Luna is full. The 21st will be Lateu'quor, the monthly Communion of the Crescent Moon, the primary religious ceremony of Corellon Larethian in which the head of the elven pantheon is praised by his followers and his gift of creativity honored. The 25th and 26th are Discordsmight and Valormight, a major unholy day of Hextor and the corresponding holy day of Heironeous, respectively--though you know of no connection between these deities and the Cult of Vecna. Knowledge (religion) applies. Josh said: -Should we alert the authorities about our findings? or possibly go to that inn for the assassin guild and let them know Leoavor: "I don't think we should tell the guards; it could just make it harder for us to act freely to do what needs to be done." Hamanap: "But the guards may be of help to us, if things come to public violence." Leoavor: "Either way, we know the Cult has members in the Assassins Guild, but we don't know if Levi and Zeke are working with either group. Tipping them off about what we've found might just be playing into the hands of our enemies." Ritt K. said: Profession (painter) check: 22. For teaching silk. Knowledge (Nature) check: 19, Survival check: 9. Just walking around the camp, trying to find some plant and/or animal, Might ask Silk for follow with. You start teaching Silk the basics of painting, and she learns quickly under your skilled tutelage. It will take a while to learn enough for her to get really good at it, though. Do you want to keep teaching her over time? She also goes with you on your patrol around the Deathwalker camp, loping along in collie form and pausing frequently to sniff at interesting things, but still reacting with an intelligence that belies her canine appearance. You take note of the brilliant profusion of color on the trees, the leaves well into shades of orange, red, and yellow, many of them already carpeting the forest floor. The squirrels, rabbits, and voles Silk chases for fun are getting fat in preparation for their winter hiberation. You also notice that the forest is unusually well-preserved this close to a long-term camp, and astonishingly so for being this close to a large town --most settlements this size devastate the nearby forest over the years, cutting down trees for firewood and timber, and hunting game until there's none left. The elven population of Treefall must take pains to preserve the nature around them, and the Deathwalkers have clearly done so as well... probably under the direction of Zanean Fain, their old high elf ranger. Ritt K. said: BTW, How big is Paper (sheet)? It varies, since paper is still handmade in this world, but the most common size is roughly the same as an A4 sheet (the most common real-world paper, 210mm wide and 297mm long), with lots of variation in texture, color, and exact shape. If you order paper to be made rather than just buying what's in stock at the time, you can usually get any shape or size you like, though particular huge pieces or special colors will cost more. During your research, you also learn that most of Treefall's paper is made by acolytes at the Church of Labelas Enoreth for the purposes of repairing damaged books or scribing copies.
