The Tales of the Fellowship of the White Cloaks

Chill took a moment and reflected on what has just happened.  

"Used one of my nine lives on that one I think." He suddenly said out loud to no one on particular.

Refocusing he turned his attention to the scattered items on the tables and floors and began searching through them.

As the last foe appears to fall, only then would the dragonborn allow for a small sigh of relief alongside a bit of exhaled electricity. "Then, we shall endeavor to /not/ to get caught up in another." Rhogar said with a bit of a chuckle, before sparing a moment to finally take in the room. "Mn. I have little doubt we won't find at least something useful -- but, I'd refrain from touching anything until /after/ we've taking a moment to patch ourselves up with more mundane means. As I've little doubt that even -- no, especially within so private a sanctum, we are bound to come across wards or the like to further ruin our day." He urges.

However, if Chill and the rest yet insist on trying to be productive, the Dragonborn would but sigh and resolve to sit down and tend at least to his own injuries. That, and then in due time, let his mind drift back to Iroirlathas state, and what he could recall about such beings who have cheated death/lingered long after their demise. All with a little of whispered guidance from Vivix.

Arcana: 17 plus guidance: 4. 

Chill frozen in place.  His eagerness to find something of value in the mess left behind from the flight had left him vulnerable.

"You are right Rhogar, some patching up might be a better idea."

Leaving the mess behind he goes to sit with Rhogar.

(It seems that Chill and Kazri are the ones worse for wear, so I will hear the two of us with her Lay on Hands)

"Here Chill. Allow me to give you some healing." She gently touches the Tabaxi's shoulder. (Kazri heals Chill for 25 hp with Lay on Hands) Then she heals herself for 25 HP. "The fight is over, but we should remain vigilant." She says to the group.

She scans the around with her Divine Sense to make sure they are truly alone in this chamber.

Kazri reaches out with her divine sense and she feels nothing.  Of what she can sense nothing lingers in the chamber.

Rhogar tries to recall what he may know of Iroirlathas state.  He understands that Iroirlathas was a demilich.  He also knows that a demilich is what becomes of a lich that neglects to feed souls into its phylactery. Thousands of years ago the wizard that ruled this now fallen kingdom was actually a lich.

At the conclusion of his idle musings, the dragonborn quietly scoffs and mutters something along the lines of "Small favors". Then with a shrug that bled into a pained grunt, he soon took off his backpack to start fishing around in it for cooking supplies. "Not the most ideal setting for a lunch, but this place will have to do. To my understanding, it should take the fool several days to reconstitute himself, for even as demilich, such remains sadly..." He sighs. "Very much within the realms of possibility. And if we should stumble upon it carelessly before we're prepared, we might yet stumble upon some hidden contingency he might yet have set in place." Rhogar further went on warn the group as he eventually go together what looked to be a small campfire from the extra supplies in his backpack. "But in any event, stew should be ready in a few minutes."

If able to get complete a short rest:
*Recovering both warlock spell slots
*Spending 3 Warlock Hit Dice, regaining 21 Hp.
*Everyone that spends at least 1 hit die regains 5 hp from Chef

“So it could reform itself? Can we do something about it?” Krom asks as he sits down beside Rhogar.
While the dragonborn prepares the stew, the dwarf reaches into his backpack and pulls out the Professor Orb. “He might be able to provide us with some useful insights,” Krom adds if the group asks about it.
“Veneranda mentioned something about finding Iriolarthas’s staff. Do you see it anywhere around here?” the dwarf asks, glancing about the chamber.

If Chill or someone else begins searching the room during their rest, Krom quietly chants a hymn of guidance to aid them in their efforts.

If able to get a short rest:
- I'll use my last slot of Harness Divine power to recover 1 2nd spell slot.
- I'll spend 4 Cleric Hit Dice, regaining 51 hp (Edit: I used the wrong dice in the original post - Re-rolling 28 )
- I recover 2 uses of Channel Divinity and 1 use of Second Wind

"Mr. Nimbatuul. Do you think that we could rest here for the night (long rest)?"

(Kazri spends 5 HitDice. Restoring 31HP. Game Log.)

With the danger eliminated from, at least creatures, you take some time to rest and patch yourselves up.

(Short Rest)

During that time nothing bothers you.  It doesn't take much energy to poke around the tables and items strewn on the floor or look at the books in the library.  There seem to be no wards.  The difficulty in gaining access to this chamber seems to be all the security needed.

The sunken library in the middle of the study has shelves lining its 10-foot-high walls and a ladder that can be pushed along a circular track to reach every shelf. Among the books and scrolls kept here is a bundle of parchment maps and schematics detailing aspects of Ythryn.

Please let me know how much time you wish to spend studying these items.

On the tables and found amid the rubbish on the upper level of the study you a small metal case containing four vials of quicksilver, an intricate crystal rod, a hefty spellbook titled The Incantations of Iriolarthas,, a scroll and a staff

“Your stew is always excellent, Rhogar,” Krom says as he finishes his share. “It seems we’ve also found some interesting items.” The dwarf gestures toward the objects scattered across the tables and the upper level of the study.
“If some of you start examining the maps and schematics detailing aspects of Ythryn for clues on how to reach the Mythallar, I’ll begin a chant of divination on these items, starting with the staff,” Krom adds.
“Since each ritual will take about ten minutes, I should be able to tell you more about them and their properties in a little over half an hour. I’d leave the vials aside for now.”
If no one objects, Krom retrieves his blessed chisel from his pouch and carefully begins the ritual of divination.

(OCC: If there aren't objections, I'll Identify the items in the following order: staff, crystal rod, scroll and spellbook)

Chill rests and uses 5 hit dice (game log)

After eating some of Rhogars food he starts to take a look around the room seeing what might be of value helping to collect the items found.

With regards to the question about the demilich, Rhogar looked thoughtful for a long time while still tending to the stew. But eventually, the dragonborn breaks the self imposed silence to say, "There... is, but... I need some think about it a bit more. Perhaps by the time the stew is done, I'll the answers." He assured the dwarf alongside a grin, then sighed and returned to preparing the meal. Unfortunately, even with all the spices he'd prepared in advance, the broth was a little lacking in saltiness, but otherwise the stew made for a fulfilling meal.

Whether sometime before or during the meal Kazri asks her question, Rhogar is hesitant to answer. "...If we find no wards or the like worth notice, I suppose it would be secure enough. My only concern would be leaving Oli with so little company aside from Gorrah, and... ooh, and I suppose the potential other residents of this city. But, I'm sure the tower is secure enough that, so long as he doesn't wander off, he'll be /should/ be fine enough. But, probably best we at least sort out a means of coming and going from this place 'fore trying to settle on anything just yet."

With that, it's back to matters with the stew. Unfortunately during that time, even if tending to it didn't require all of his attention, Rhogar wouldn't chance burning the meal while examining the place. But afterwards, he nod along in agreement to Krom, and simply add: "Sounds good. If need be, I would not mind pressing onward for another full hour to study them as well -- the maps and schematics and so forth, that is. Though, we might need to call on the professor for any translations though... ugh.."

"You are right Mr. Nimbatuul. With all the excitement, or frustration, I forgot about Oli." Kazri stays by the entrance to the chamber. "I will make sure that we shall not be disturbed from the outside."

The party spends a couple of hours in the chamber, resting, healing, cooking and looking at the things that they have found.

The staff that Krom first looks at is clearly the staff of power that they were told to look for here. The crystal rod holds no magic but looks to be worth quite a bit of gold.  The hefty spellbook titled The Incantations of Iriolarthas holds many spells, but there is no magic that protects it from you reading it.  

The scroll is a scary find, to know such a things still exists.  Krom's ritual reveals that it is a scroll of tarrasque summoning .

Professor Skant is so excited about the discover of the scroll that he doesn't seem nearly as annoying for a short period of time.  He is quite an expert on the creature and is excited to tell you anything you want to know about  the tarrasque.  He doesn't even mock Rhogar when the dragonborn needs assistance on some of the papers that he studies.

You learn the following information:

• The city was held aloft by the Ythryn mythallar. Up to eight mages could attune to this device at one time. If all of them agreed, they could use its power to move the city through the skies or control the weather for miles around it.
• If disaster ever struck the city, the wizards could exploit the power of the obelisk to turn back time and avert ruin. The schematics contain instructions for activating the obelisk, which requires a staff of power as a power source.
• The command word to reopen the magic door to return to the chamber with the 8 seats is “Saldrinar,” which also happens to be the name of a long-dead Netherese archmage.
• The command word to deactivate the force field around the spire is “Olostin.” If this name is spoken aloud within Iriolarthas’s study, the force field surrounding the spire would be deactivated permanently.

Krom scratches his beard thoughtfully after finishing the identification rituals and listening to what they’ve learned about Ythryn. “Turning back time… that construct was not lying after all.” He pauses, frowning. “I’m not sure I fully grasp the implications of such an arcane feat, but restoring Ythryn to the past could bring the entire Netherese civilization back to life.”

The dwarf shakes his head grimly. “Just think of what Iriolarthas, as a lich, and the other archmages could do to this region, to all of Faerûn, with a restored flying city and a functioning Mythallar at their disposal. Nothing good would come of it, my friends. Nothing good at all.”
Krom rises to his feet, leaning on his shield. “I don’t think we should even consider such a course of action, nor speak of what we’ve learned here.”

Krom then hands the staff to Rhogar. “So, how do we proceed? The damaged Mythallar is almost certainly that strange floating crystal we saw in the chamber near the Chamber of the Ebon Star. Yet we’ve seen no sign of the Frostmaiden or her servants. How do we stop her?”

The dwarf pauses again, “At the very least, we should deactivate the force field surrounding the spire and return there.”

Despite Professor Skant's lack of his usual demeaning wordplay, Rhogar still remained at least a little edge throughout the study period. But never so much so as to not derive moments of pleasure and excitement pouring over the various scrolls and documents, as the dragonborn was at heart a scholar.

"Lying?" Rhogar asked during Krom's first pause, yet wouldn't press while the dwarf had been clearly organizing his thoughts. Upon doing so and continuing on, the dragonborn "ahs" and nods and smirked a little despite the dwarf's concerns, as such potentiality had long since been processed by the dragonborn and reached a similar conclusion. Nonetheless, he continued patiently listen and accepted the staff without much fanfare, before eventually proceeding to say his own piece.

"For starters, I said before that I would give it some further thought, and can but conclude we at minimum would have a day before that demilich reforms. Or several, if we're more fortunate. Unfortunately, without knowing where he secreted his phylactery or even what form it takes, destroying it and thus completely sending him off to oblivion is sadly will be easier said than done. Nevermind whatever added security measure he might've put in place to further shield it." The dragonborn conveyed, slightly derailing things just to clear the air.

He then sighed and looked to the new staff in hand. "As for deactivating the force field, that is something we should hold off until we as Kazri suggested have been able to rest more at length. Which on that front, by all accounts we could use this study... provided of course we manage to get Oli up here, as I'd very much would prefer not to leave him and Gorrah alone too overlong in this place." He adds alongside a bit of a chuckle towards the end. "Now with regards to the Goddess, who going forward we should refrain from, uhm, referring to her or her monikers, as such divinity has been known to, ehh... be attentive to such things, even if only slightly so." The dragonborn sighs. "But regardless, I can only hazard to guess they are either having more trouble then we did navigating the ice caves and its many dangers, or have been bade to wait until the barrier is down. For while the goddess might've managed to slip past the barrier using divine guile or might alone, the same cannot be said for her followers. Nor... should we discount a certain trio of hags making their own play at it, if'n they were of a mind to linger in the city."

He pauses there, if only to let the others digest things before continuing: "But otherwise, I believe you are right, Krom, about what the Mythallar is. If we could commandeer it, we could even use it to thwart her -- to contend with the goddess long enough to remove her influence from the land, and with any luck, ensure the Mythallar can be used again afterwards. Failing that, it might take a miracle, but... but if we can somehow wear out any Avatar she might use to directly intervene, we might yet be able to ward her off long enough to complete our mission... Yet, it should be understood that what we're trying to accomplish will... will not likely be without sacrifices made."

“Regarding the construct, I probably chose my words poorly, Rhogar. Considering how much time has passed since the fall of the city, and her current state, I assumed her memory might have grown hazy. It seems I was mistaken, now that we know time itself could truly be reversed,” Krom says, clarifying his point.

“As for getting Oli up to this level of the spire, we could try using my block and tackle set.” The dwarf pulls a set of pulleys and rope from his backpack, the hook clinking softly. “He’s heavy, but if we combine our efforts, we should be able to haul him up.”

“Since we can’t be certain where the demilich’s phylactery lies, I suggest we set that concern aside for now. However,” Krom adds, “given what Rhogar told us about its ability to reform, we should limit our stay in this chamber to no more than a day.”

He pauses, thinking. “As for the Mythallar, eight wizards were required to attune to it to move the city—but perhaps it can be used, to a lesser extent, by a single practitioner of the arcane arts. I could perform a ritual of identification on that floating crystal. It might grant us a better understanding of its nature.”

Krom then hands the Scroll of Tarrasque summoning back to Rhogar. “If the goddess manifests an avatar, this may be our only way to stop her. I’ve only heard rumors of such a creature, but they say it is immensely powerful.”

Patting the handle of his hammer, the dwarf concludes, “Shall we leave this chamber and try to haul Oli up? We can return here afterward and take a proper rest.”

"Mmn... As an absolute last resort, perhaps, but... I fear we may be ending one threat only to be dooming the world with another using it." Rhogar confessed while stashing the scroll away in his bag of holding. "But yes, I, uhm.... actually come to think of it, I could just as well bless Oli with flight. Him and another, as he'll need someone there to guide him a little. But it'll be far less risky than hauling him up that tunnel. After we've rested though, we can revisit the block and tackle method to get him back down... uhh, assuming we have such items available, of course."

With a bit of a chuckle, he gathered the other schematics had no one else done so, and so those secured in his bag of holding as a just in case measure. But as the group is presumably making their way to where the portal opens, Rhogar goes on to say, "With, uhm... With regards to the Mythallar, I... I am not so confident it is something a singular wizard, well, any single mage can manipulate. When it was intact, eight archmages were 'required' after all, not just as a matter ceremony. But as things stand, we may not have much choice except... improvise, I suppose." He looks to the others with a sidelong grin. "To that end, though our callings may be different, our wills have gotten us this far. So, mayhaps together we can manage a miracle, if but for a moment... if it comes down to it. But Krom, if what you intend to do requires you to touch it, I'd caution against it. For as much as we'd need information, if things go awry, the consequences may be far more terrible than even a single mage's attempt to manipulate a Mythallar."

"I can help Oli.  I don't need wings to climb and can do it easy with just a rope.  I've made the trip already and can do so quickly.  This place seems safe enough to rest in at the moment.  The goddess could be anywhere but she isn't here.  We'll need to gather our strength.  If we try and leave we may encounter her. Best to take our chances here."

Kazri tries to keep up with the conversation between Krom and Rhogar, but the only thing she hears is the possibility of releasing a Tarrasque onto the world. That would be a most dangerous action. "Gentlemen, I hope that we will have to give it much thought if we are to release such a monstrosity upon the world. I have not seen a Tarrasque in my lifetime, and I hope that I will not have to." She leaves her shield resting near the entrance. "Perhaps we could worry about fetching Oli and get some rest first."