The Vault of Valdarius

Marko_Markoko · July 5, 2013, 5:56am

So, what are your seasonal plans, and do they involve investigating any of the contents of this vault?

Peregrine_Bjornaer · July 6, 2013, 12:11am

Vibria would offer to investigate some of the items, but her InVi lab total sucks ass. She might be able to add +4 to someone's Lab Total (+5 if it's Ignem) if they made it worth her while. bats eyes at Vulcanus

Ryu · July 6, 2013, 2:24am

Vulc has no Intellego yet and only 5 Vim. He'll need to study first before he has any chance at unlocking the items' secrets. He'll start studying Int and Vim in Autumn 1230 (the first time he's free) and then start looking at the sword once he's able.

Do we really need to investigate the bottle? Don't we really just need to make sure it stays hidden? ("Keep it secret! Keep it safe!")

Prince_of_Boredom · July 6, 2013, 2:45pm

Solomon has a fairly decent InVi lab total....

Ryu · July 6, 2013, 3:33pm

Vulcanus would definitely ask Solomon about investigating the bottle (and probably also some of the loot from the Drake Hunt) but he'd prefer to keep the Phoenix Sword in the Valdarian lineage.

He would likely ask his mentor Andres to investigate the sword to see whether we can unlock any lost mysteries. (And even if he can't, the old man would definitely want to see his grandparens' handiwork.)

Prince_of_Boredom · July 6, 2013, 5:08pm

That makes sense.

Marko_Markoko · July 8, 2013, 2:08am

Allright Solomon, where shall we start?
I think we shall start by you being harrased by a ghost

Prince_of_Boredom · July 9, 2013, 11:20pm

Um...yay?

Marko_Markoko · July 10, 2013, 4:00am

Yay!

It is more annoying than anything else. They let you in the vault to take a look around, see maybe where you wanna start. Supposedly, beneeth the floor you are standing upon, is the crypt of Valdarius himself. There is a book by Dimir Taar on a table next to you. Vulcanus has the swrod, a brass bottle encased in trasparent steel sits on a pedestal, a closed chest off to the side, and a slab of iron inscibed in ancient Greek.
It is when you look at the slab that the gost hrasses you. Like I said, more annoying than anything else. It is an incorporeal phantasm of an ancient Greek soldier, more of a shadow really, and it's might is way to low to affect you in any way. It would be really scary if you were a mundane, but you have faced much darker and dangerous things in your life than this (you remember the monestary?).

Ryu · July 10, 2013, 4:11am

Oh no no no, the bottle isn't still sitting out where anyone can see it. There's a big iron anvil sitting on the side of the room, and the bottle is in there. Vulcanus, lacking subtlety, also left some tongs and hammers and other smithing items "strewn about" to make it look, umm, natural, and NOT SUSPICIOUS LOOKING AT ALL.

Marko_Markoko · July 10, 2013, 4:32am

Marko_Markoko · July 29, 2013, 2:29am

So how do you react to this?

Prince_of_Boredom · August 1, 2013, 1:05am

As Solomon enters the vault, he slowly walks around the room, making a cursory examination of everything while sensing for anything unholy before going any further. Assuming nothing 'pings' he'd go over to the slab to see what it says, when he instinctively leans back as the ghost appears.

After recovering, he nods to the ghost and speaks to it in Ancient Greek, "My apologies, warrior, have I interrupted your slumber?"

Sense Holiness & Unholiness:
1+6 (evil specialty)+8 = 15

Marko_Markoko · August 1, 2013, 7:32am

The ghost registers neither.
With what seems like great effort, it tries speaking to you in a couple of different languages. One of them sounds strange and unlike anything you know of. The other sounds like it could be Greek.
Then it fades away...

Prince_of_Boredom · August 1, 2013, 11:36am

Solomon shrugs, "I might need to work on a spell to chat with him later..." He then turns back to the slab, casting Odor of Lingering Magic to see if there are any active magics on the slab that might explode or something as he tries to read it.

If he doesn't detect any, he reads the slab.

Odor of Lingering Magic:
17+13+2+5+[invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4156252/]4[/url] = 41 (17 penetration of it matters)

(Also, when is this happening?)

Marko_Markoko · August 1, 2013, 5:47pm

Nothing detected. But I should point out how very old this slab is. Ancient, pre-Roman. The inscribed writing is in an archaic form of Greek.
Oh, I see that you know Greek

The translation is lengthy. I will write it up and post it later tonight after work.

Marko_Markoko · August 2, 2013, 5:43pm

The ghost was speaking archaic ancient Greek, and had said "Help! Hekp! Our prince needs your help!"

The tablet, made of Iron of China, reads as follows...

In the name of God, the Eternal, the Everlasting throughout all ages; in the name of God, who begetteth not, and who is not begotten, and unto whom there is none like: in the name of God, the Mighty and Powerful: in the name of the Living who dieth not.—To proceed:—O thou who arrivest at this place, be admonished by the misfortunes and calamities that thou beholdest, and be not deceived by the world and its beauty, and its falsity and calumny, and its fallacy and finery; for it is a flatterer, a cheat, a traitor. Its things are borrowed, and it will take the loan from the borrower: and it is like the confused visions of the sleeper, and the dream of the dreamer, as though it were the sarab 5 of the plain, which the thirsty imagineth to be water: the Devil adorneth it for man until death. These are the characteristics of the world: confide not therefore in it, nor incline to it; for it will betray him who dependeth upon it, and who in his affairs relieth upon it. Fall not in its snares, nor cling to its skirts. For I possessed four thousand bay horses in a stable; and I married a thousand damsels, of the daughters of Kings, high-bosomed virgins, like moons; and I was blessed with a thousand children, like stern lions; and I lived a thousand years, happy in mind and heart; and I amassed riches such as the Kings of the regions of the earth were unable to procure, and I imagined that my enjoyments would continue without failure. But I was not aware when there alighted among us the terminator of delights and the separator of companions, the desolator of abodes and the ravager of inhabited mansions, the destroyer of the great and the small and the infants and the children and the mothers. We had resided in this palace in security until the event decreed by the Lord of all creatures, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earths, befell us, and the thunder of the Manifest Truth assailed us, and there died of us every day two, till a great company of us had perished. So when I saw that destruction had entered our dwellings, and had alighted among us, and drowned us in the sea of deaths, I summoned a writer, and ordered him to write these verses and admonitions and lessons, and caused them to be engraved upon these doors and tablets and tombs. I had an army comprising a thousand thousand bridles, composed of hardy men, with spears, and coats of mail, and sharp swords, and strong arms; and I ordered them to clothe themselves with the long coats of mail, and to hang on the keen swords, and to place in rest the terrible lances, and mount the high—blooded horses. Then, when the event appointed by the Lord of all creatures, the Lord of the earth and the heavens, befell us, I said, O companies of troops and soldiers, can ye prevent that which hath befallen me from the Mighty King? But the soldiers and troops were unable to do so, and they said, How shall we contend against Him from whom none hath secluded, the Lord of the door that hath no door-keeper? So I said, Bring to me the wealth. (And it was contained in a thousand pits, in each of which were a thousand hundred—weights of red gold, and in them were varieties of pearls and jewels, and there was the like quantity of white silver, with treasures such as the Kings of the earth were unable to procure.) And they did so; and when they had brought the wealth before me, I said to them, Can ye deliver me by means of all these riches, and purchase for me therewith one day during which I may remain alive? But they could not do so. They resigned themselves to fate and destiny, and I submitted to God with patient endurance of fate and affliction until He took my soul, and made me to dwell in my grave. And if thou ask concerning my name, I am Kush the son of Sheddad the son of ‘Ad the Greater.
     Shouldst thou think upon me after the length of my age, and the vicissitudes of days and circumstances, 
I am the son of Sheddad, who held dominion over mankind and each tract of the whole earth.
All the stubborn troops became abject unto me, and Esh-Sham from Misr unto ‘Adnan.
In glory I reigned, abasing their Kings, the people of the earth fearing my dominion;
And I beheld the tribes and armies in my power, and saw the countries and their inhabitants dread me.
When I mounted, I beheld my army comprising a million bridles upon neighing steeds;
And I possessed wealth that could not be calculated, which I treasured up against misfortunes,
Determining to devote the whole of my property for the purpose of extending the term of my life.
But the Deity would nought save the execution of his purpose; and thus I became separated from my brethren.
Death, the disuniter of mankind, came to me, and I was removed from grandeur to the mansion of contempt;
And I found [the recompense of] all my past actions, for which I am pledged: for I was sinful!
Then raise thyself, lest thou be upon a brink; and beware of calamities! Mayest thou be led aright!

Prince_of_Boredom · August 3, 2013, 2:53pm

Solomon stands over the tablet reading it slowly, ensuring he ingests every nuance of the language and meaning.

(okay, so I know this is from the City of Brass story of One Thousand and One Nights...but would Solomon pick up on any of the references on the tablet? I'm not even sure what skills you'd be looking for here.)

Marko_Markoko · August 5, 2013, 3:07am

Well, depending on where you the player learned of the reference, I may throw you a bone. If all you know is from reading Tales of Power, then Solomon knows nothing much. If you personally have read this story, Solomon has some idea of what this thing refers too.
As for a roll, I would think Magic Lore, Egypt Area Lore, Arabic Folklore, and such as that.

Prince_of_Boredom · August 5, 2013, 2:25pm

I read it a LONG time ago, but that's not how I got the reference...I just have strong "google-fu" 8) I'm at work right now, so I can't rool at the moment, so I can make the Magic Lore roll when I get home tonight, or you could do so for me.