Chapter 12 - Light of Burning Bronze

I'm pretty sure that Latin has an indirect construction that works the same way as the one in English.

Viola looks at Rodrigo blankly, for a very long time, as if she's not quite sure about him.

Scott

:smiley:
Allow me to describe it for you.
The Vault of Valdarius is located below the main keep of the covenant castle; down past the basement & cellar, beneath the catacombs and the donjon, in the deepest recesses of the covenant. A site of minor legend, this vault and (what was) the door were created by the (in)famous Valdarius of Verditius *.

What was once the enchanted door is now a pile of scrap and rubble. It had been a massive bronze door fifteen feet tall and ten feet wide. Until now, no one knew how thick it was (theoretically, it could have been designed to fill all the free space inside when closed). It turns out that it was only ten feet thick, and was made mostly of marble (only the façade was bronze). The only way to open it was with a magical key that made it disappear, and it could not be closed with anyone inside. There are three keys; Dimir Taar holds the original, Antonio held a copy (though Carmen would often borrow it without asking whenever she needed), and the second copy was given to Inigo who gave it to Rodrigo (the irony of an ultra secure vault with multiple keys that are traded around liberally).
The vault is a massive chamber hewn out of the solid rock of the mountain, a sort of man made cave. It is filled with treasures galore, magical and mundane. There are coffers of coins, gems, and jewels (a vast cash reserve that is kept untouched). There are many odd curiosities kept here as well; bottled water from the garden of delight, the True Cross, the Ark of the Covenant, the Shroud of Turin, and whatever runs wild in your imagination (though items are not always actually what they are labeled to be). Then there are enchanted items made and collected by members past and present. There is magical gear stored in here, taken out and put back as needed. The Flying Carpet, Rod of Transportation, and other useful items are kept neatly on a shelf. Other items are scattered all over the place, like the Crystal of the All Seeing Eye, the Sandals of Mercury, and many others. This is not because of ransacking, it is always cluttered and disorganized in here. No one has ever bothered to organize it and update the catalogue. Stuff is all over the place, on the floor, in crates & boxes, on shelves & racks, and even hanging from the ceiling.

andorra.wikidot.com/vault-of-valdarius

  • Valdarius was a friend and ally of Delendos (filius Flambeau), and was a co-founding member of the Knights of Seneca. He is famous for his heroism during the Schism War as well as his proficiency in creating (and wielding) magical armaments, and he is infamous for having joined House Flambeau after having renounced House Verditius and calling out his former Housemates for their cowardice and duplicity.

OOC: Oh...bother. Yes, I have been relying on Int as part of Spontaneous casting, as it was always the relevant attribute. The concept was that intellect allowed one to devise spells on the fly, whereas stamina was involved in the performance of rote magic that didn't require fast-thinking to get the Spontaneous spell just right.

Yes, taking extra Care worked for Spontaneous spells in previous editions, including 4th. One spends a minute per 5 levels of Spont spell being considered at at the end of that time one adds in one's Concentration score and reduces any potential botch dice by 1.

If I'm stuck with the revised mechanics, Vares will use fatigue but have the sense to wait the two minutes for the level to recover before casting the next spell to avoid depleting himself if possible.

Antonio is looking for Ameline...
:slight_smile:

Ameline is on guard in her room with Kesara so that Inigo was free to respond to the crisis. She is not taking a chance with her charge and ward.

I am sure he will figure that out eventually :wink:.
He comes to you, and you see a grim angry man. But Kesara looks up and says You look sad, tio (tio meanns uncle).
Antonio looks at the girl, placing a gentle hand n her shoulder, then falls to his knees weeping and embraces the girl. Then he looks up to you, and it is as if he is a humble beggar at you feet.
[color=red]Please sister, I beg you, please help me. My daughter, she, she is my whole life! She is the sun of my day and the moon of my night, she is the very light that gives my life meaning.
I, I know I am a horrible sinner. I have fought a holy war, but I have also fought for anger and for opportnity. I squandered my time drinking and wenching and in the vain pursuit of magical power. I am not worthy to call upon holy names, I beg thee, Sister Ameline. You have had communion with the saints. Petition Saint James on my behalf, beseech him to interceed and help rescue my daughter. What ever task is required of me, what pennance nd pilgramage I must make, whateverhe demands of me I vow it upon my life if he will bring my daughter back to me.
(crosses self multiple times)
[color=red]Blessed Saint James and Joseph, Hail Mary Mother of God, Christ have mercy.

Ameline speaks softly, "For your sins, you must confess to the priest and receive and perform your penance. Judgement is the Lord's. As for your daughter, you need to tell me more. I can not refuse a request for such as you make. I will gladly pray for your daughter but perhaps she can be found through our efforts as well."

The nun is a nun, she believe in god and his mercy, she beieves all sins can be forgiven to one that truly believes and accepts God. She will aid finding Carmen because it is right.

After recieving your blessing, Antonio regains his composure and stands up.
[color=red]Thank you Sister Ameline. I have called an emergency council meeting to take place at the end of this hour, which is now already half expired. There I shall gather all the information gained and share it with you. I shall go speak with Father Clemente, and will meet you in the chamber at the appointed time.

Note that the local priest, Father Clemente the former Templar, used to be one of Antonio's drinking and wenching buddies :smiley:. His repentance motivated him to take his monk vows more seriously and to later go on to become a priest.
Maybe Antonio should forsake magic and take up the cloth? Hmmm...
Nah, the padre will probably go easy on him. Maybe.

But anyway, it is time for all of you to rethink the visions and prophecies that have been revealed in the past.
Does not Antonio fit the description of an old powerful magus seeking repentance?
Did he not say that Carmen was the Light of his life?

As for lineage, check this out…
Lineage of Igigo & Kesara: Delendar, Flambeau, Delendos, Julius, Vanacastium, Resvinth, Isabeau, Inigo, Kesara
Lineage of Antonio & Carmen: Delendar, Flambeau, Delendos, Julius, Diego, Nicholas, Coronado, Antonio, Carmen

And keep in mind that it was Antonio who opened Kesara to the Arts, not Inigo. The prophecy is about a magical lineage, not a blood line. And according to the lore, there can and has been more than one Lumina.
Then again, people have claimed that Pietro of Tytalus was the Lumina, so this may all be smoke and deception and red herrings.

So, Sister Ameline, Antonio has begged you to petition Saint James on his behalf, and you have agreed to pray for him. Is this just a simple prayer, or are you Invoking Saint James?

OOC: Just let me know when Vares is able to rejoin the others. He'll spend his remaining time investigating the ruins for other information before concentrating on the Dagger, attempting to determine its provenance more precisely. What would be a relevant Ability check?

Not exactly sure what you mean by "determining its province". It is an old dagger, so there is no connection to its maker remaining or anything. Like I had mentioned, it is of North African design.

OOC: Yes, but North Africa is a big place, and has a long, long history. It could be contemporary, it could be centuries old. The Arabic writing suggests that it is no older than the 7th Century, however, the fact that it is bronze and not iron has other suggestions. The Djinn are known to favour brass and bronze, and the footprints he found had that kind of hue to them (the sigil effect). Although its principal link to its own as an Arcane Connection may vanish, it should have secondary Arcane Connections pointing toward its usual resting place (and thus, possibly, the owner's abode on this plane).

Apart from Fuego, who isn't present right now, is there anyone else at the Covenant versed in Arabic? Vares keeps meaning to learn it for his Alchemical studies, but has been preoccupied with many other things.

OOC: Lejla the Redcap speaks and writes Arabic - she is the "translator" character Jean-Michelle designed as a companion.

Lachie

Ameline heads for the chapel in the covenant and prays. She prays for the souls of Carmen and to give her strength in her trials. She prays even more for Antonio and that he repentance from sin is true and not just a show to try to get aid in search for his daughter. She does include prayers to St. James but mainly because he is the one that guided her here.

How long do I have to stare at Rodrigo before he gives me some hint what the heck I'm supposed to do with the Eternal Flame?

Scott

Forever :smiley:

He has no hints or suggestions for you. He is not exactly sure what you are capable of. Heck, I an not sure what you are capable of!
It is simply and only exactly as he said. He knows that Merinita magi can cast spells of "Fire" duration, and here he presents you with a flame that can never go out. Maybe you can do something with it, maybe you can't. I have no idea.
But what's important is that Rodrigo thinks you might be able to make use of it, so he has presented it to you.

Saint James (Santiago) is also a patron saint of Flambeau magi, specifically he is the patron saint of the Knights of Seneca. And of Andorra (the covenant) as well.
But anyay, you get the feeling that you should stick close to Antonio.

OOC - Since Inigo is an NPC, I was thinking of designating him Guardian of the Keep while others go off on adventures and such. He will keep watch over Kesara and free Ameline up to do whatever she needs to do.

Jarkman is awesome. Jean Michelle, Lejla is still kicking around the Mercere quarter last time I checked :smiley:
Antonio knows Arabic as well, and I think Rodrigo does too. Not sure who else. But I would prefer that Lejla act as translator, as I am trying to limit NPC actions to a minimum.

That would be interesting, drop some more alchemy texts and even scripts on you, but have them written in Arabic.
But anyway, I now realize we are both missing the point here. You are reading to much into the dagger, and I am being to dismissive of it. Let us see if I can create some details you may find interesting and useful.
I cannot think of any Arcane Connection that the dagger could provide you currently. It may very well be as you suspect, whom or whatever this dagger is connected too is probably in another Realm, such as the Magic Realm (Twilight &/or the Twilight Void counts as part of the Magic Realm, as do any Boundaries and vestiges).
Where did it come from? The spot you found it in would suggest that the jinn must have dropped it. But that seems strange. It may have been Carmen's, something she was studying. Though it looks exotic, it very well may be of terrestrial origin. It is old, but as you said it is not ancient. And why is it brass? Is it out of aesthetic preference? Was it turned to brass? Or was it conjured into existance by a magus or jinn with a focus in brass?
As for the connection between Jinni and Brass, it is the Efreet that are fond of BBrass as well as Bronze and Gold. Djinn favor silver.
But anyway, bring the dagger to the emergency meeting and I will allow you and the others to make checks against your Magic Lore to deduce further details. Yes, technically you could do that now yourself. But why steal the show? You have done plenty and should be proud. Let us move on to the meeting.

Actually, I need Marie and Dimir Taar to check in with their investigations in the vault. If you guys want, we can move ahead to five minutes just before the hour, most everyone is in the council chamber and waitng on Dimir & Marie (and Antonio, who shall arrive last to start the meeting).

OOC: Ergh. You're right. I meant Efreet. Efreet are Fire, hence the connection with bronze and brass, whereas the Djinn are beings of Air.

IC: With as much immediately confirmable information as possible already in his possession, Vares takes the Dagger and Carmen's journal and heads to the council chambers where he is to meet Antonio and the others. He sends one of the guards under his command to find the translator, Lelja, if she is around. He will ask himself if Antonio is available; he will give the senior Magus an advance briefing on what he has found if the man is not otherwise engaged in the aftermath of the attack.