Starker and Cyrus spend a few minutes looking around the room through pieces of glass and jewels of different colors. You note that some have sets of very fine lines scribed on them. Cyrus throws a (spider monkey) handful of very fine coal dust in the air while Starker slowly fans with the pages of his notebook. Starker walks around the room, snapping and timing the echoes. He suddenly sits on the floor and starts to quickly write and solve a set of equations. He slams the notebook shut and says
”Fascinating …. Somehow, the Weave here has no Conjuration threads whatsoever, and those associated with Necromancy are about 20% thicker, rendering magic of that School half again as effective as elsewhere. If a neveomantic casting would usually cause four toes to turn gangrenous and rot, in here you would lose six! As my attempt to use Mage Hand is doomed here, I must do this the old fashioned way.”
<Uses his meat mage hands (encased in the thick leather gloves often seen when he used to feed Cyrus numbered dried mango slices) to mix Essentia Vitae, Blackroot Elixir, and Amber Quicksilver into the empty flask.>
Starker gets old school and combines the set reagents together in the beaker on the top of the workbench. He lacks only the thick lensed dark goggles to complete the stereotype. The three compounds combine slowly, seeming to be barely miscible. He finds the balance and the beaker illuminates a baleful green color. The boiling beaker hisses and pops with this change and a green sphere rises from it, about 4" in diameter.
The floor of the room begins to vibrate and hum with magical energy. A metal shaft silently rises from the floor in front of each of the stairwells. The tops of these are flat with indentations upon them.
Yartol seems to jump out of his skin with the vibration, his bow VERY ready now.
The indentations in the pillars are a 4” diameter hemisphere, a 4” diameter cylinder about 1/2” deep and and 1 foot long rounded at the ends and bottom “hemi-rod.”
Starker:”Xymox has a rod and a disk and I a sphere. Let us deposit them simultaneously. Perhaps one of you might borrow the rod, as Xymox paid the blood fee for the disk. “
<stands at pillar with the hemispherical indentation holding the green sphere, waiting for two others to ready themselves for the deposition>
Starker, Xymox and Kragen stand at the ready. Upon Starker's signal they each insert their trinket into the seemingly paired receptacle. Each of them click into place and a low groan is heard from above. Fog begins to curl its way down each of the circular stairwells. A green illumination comes from above, lighting up the alcoves of the stairs.
Starker <taking off gloves and rubbing hands with delight> :”Highly satisfying. I will have to congratulate Illiandel for his cleverness before we end his existence and I claim my reward. But for the moment, it is time for me to take my place safely in the middle of the pack.”
<stands behind Chadwick, such that the paladin is between him and the nearest stairwell.>
Starker:”I think we are done with the altar, though I can’t be certain. Far be it from me to dissuade anyone from an act of destruction, but perhaps you might delay that gratification until we are on our way back. Up to you, Sir Chadwick and Father Kragen
”Xymox: well counted. Numbers as well as words, bolts, and music … a quadruple threat.”
hides under desk>
”I’ll be down here. Call me when you are ready to go up to the level indicated by the fish.”
Starker:”Well done, Colleague Xymox
“We have a silver rod and an iron medallion. Let me see what arises when I follow the recipe inscribed by these sigils.
”Prepare, members of The Company!”
<Uses Mage Hand to mix Essentia Vitae, Blackroot Elixir, and Amber Quicksilver into the empty flask.>
Starker casts Mage Hand and…nothing happens.
Cyrus looks at him, mouth agape. Then looks away, shaking his head.
Starker:”Hold, please. Something is wrong.”
Starker conducts an arcanic inventory of his abilities, trying other cantrips.
“I have not failed to conjure Mage Hand since my third lab session in Introduction to Conjuration. Something is very wrong.”
<arcana roll = 25>
Starker and Cyrus spend a few minutes looking around the room through pieces of glass and jewels of different colors. You note that some have sets of very fine lines scribed on them. Cyrus throws a (spider monkey) handful of very fine coal dust in the air while Starker slowly fans with the pages of his notebook. Starker walks around the room, snapping and timing the echoes. He suddenly sits on the floor and starts to quickly write and solve a set of equations. He slams the notebook shut and says
”Fascinating …. Somehow, the Weave here has no Conjuration threads whatsoever, and those associated with Necromancy are about 20% thicker, rendering magic of that School half again as effective as elsewhere. If a neveomantic casting would usually cause four toes to turn gangrenous and rot, in here you would lose six! As my attempt to use Mage Hand is doomed here, I must do this the old fashioned way.”
<Uses his meat mage hands (encased in the thick leather gloves often seen when he used to feed Cyrus numbered dried mango slices) to mix Essentia Vitae, Blackroot Elixir, and Amber Quicksilver into the empty flask.>
Starker gets old school and combines the set reagents together in the beaker on the top of the workbench. He lacks only the thick lensed dark goggles to complete the stereotype. The three compounds combine slowly, seeming to be barely miscible. He finds the balance and the beaker illuminates a baleful green color. The boiling beaker hisses and pops with this change and a green sphere rises from it, about 4" in diameter.
The floor of the room begins to vibrate and hum with magical energy. A metal shaft silently rises from the floor in front of each of the stairwells. The tops of these are flat with indentations upon them.
Yartol seems to jump out of his skin with the vibration, his bow VERY ready now.
Starker:”Three pillars with indentations, three objects, a silver rod, an iron disk, and a … green … sphere.”
<grabs sphere with gloved hands, looks at indentations>
The indentations in the pillars are a 4” diameter hemisphere, a 4” diameter cylinder about 1/2” deep and and 1 foot long rounded at the ends and bottom “hemi-rod.”
Starker:”Xymox has a rod and a disk and I a sphere. Let us deposit them simultaneously. Perhaps one of you might borrow the rod, as Xymox paid the blood fee for the disk. “
<stands at pillar with the hemispherical indentation holding the green sphere, waiting for two others to ready themselves for the deposition>
Amazed at Starkers ability to decipher the puzzle, Kragen shakes his head in wonderment and steps up to assist with the Rod.
”well done Mage Starker, you continue to amaze in more ways than one! Tyr smiles upon you. Smiles fondly at him.
stands ready with the rod over the silver column with the rod like indention. Nods at Starker he is ready.
Starker, Xymox and Kragen stand at the ready. Upon Starker's signal they each insert their trinket into the seemingly paired receptacle. Each of them click into place and a low groan is heard from above. Fog begins to curl its way down each of the circular stairwells. A green illumination comes from above, lighting up the alcoves of the stairs.
Starker <taking off gloves and rubbing hands with delight> :”Highly satisfying. I will have to congratulate Illiandel for his cleverness before we end his existence and I claim my reward. But for the moment, it is time for me to take my place safely in the middle of the pack.”
<stands behind Chadwick, such that the paladin is between him and the nearest stairwell.>
Most impressive as always Starker. And most…hmm… brave Xymox. I’m not sure any of the rest of us would have done that.
Oh-and can we throw the alter down the hole now before we head up to the green fog?
Xymox: "That's two puzzles for the brave bard, but who's counting?"
Starker:”I think we are done with the altar, though I can’t be certain. Far be it from me to dissuade anyone from an act of destruction, but perhaps you might delay that gratification until we are on our way back. Up to you, Sir Chadwick and Father Kragen
”Xymox: well counted. Numbers as well as words, bolts, and music … a quadruple threat.”
hides under desk>
”I’ll be down here. Call me when you are ready to go up to the level indicated by the fish.”