Aldyne

"Captain," says Aldyne, as he reads the last pages. "I think you might find this interesting." Handing the captain the book, the paladin picks up the spellbook the mage had referred to, and takes a quick look in it.

@ Aldyne:

The book the mage refered is bound in skin from a human or humanoids head, the face is clearly visible on the front cover. It makes you uneasy to touch it. The characters in it are unrecognized by you, and written on some type of vellum in a brownish red ink. As you look at them they seem to move slightly.

ikaruga

"If you need someone to read the book, perhaps it's in the celestial language of the gods? The gods frequent my realm and I am able to inteperat their language." Ikaruga speaks up slightly recognizing the type of book cover from her monstery's library.

Aldyne

Browsing through the book, not being able to understand anything of it, Aldyne gladly offers the book to the female who had spoken.

The book is written in some form of draconic.

"So" Ransel started, a bit affraid of the answer "what does the book say?"

Aldyne
"Well," starts Aldyne, and quickly tells the others what he had read. He then turns to Ikaruga. "How is it going with that book? Any idea what the mage meant in his last input in the diary?"

Since no-one seems capable of reading the tome, Captain Merlo says "perhaps we should take it to someone more learned? I know a mage who can probably be trusted and is knowledgeble about these things. What do you think?"

"Fine. Let's go there then. Nothing much to do here anyway." Ransel takes one last look at the room and then faces the others to see if they agree.

Nodding in agree, Aldyne motions for the Captain to show the way.

OOC: Hmm, where did MO go?

OOC: Where did everybody go?

OOC sorry for the delay, things should be back to normal now.

Captain Merlo collects the books and possesions of the dead mage, and takes the lead. You travel out of the inn and through the streets, still muddy and humid from the rain, and down to the waterfront. The peirs are a busy place, ships and barges being loaded and unloaded, seaside markets hawking fish, supplies and items to numerous to count, to an ornate and brightly colored boat sitting at a small pier. The craft is a shallow bottomed river raft, broad in beam, with a house more suited to a field of grass in rolling hills than a wooden deck in a large port city built on the deck. You have never seen anything quite like it, a small tower sits aside the thatch roofed dwelling and there is even a small water wheel rotating beside the tower.

The captain calls to the Boat, and is given permission to come aboard by a crewman in a seamans uniform. The party steps aboard and is lead into the houses main room, and seated in comfort around a roaring fireplace and offered refreshments by the crewman. A few minutes later a younged robed man enters from a side door, and talkes to Captain Merlo, who hands over the books. The apprentice takes the books and goes back through the door he entered from.

"We should wait a while" says the captain, as he pours himself a second brandy. "Nortsa is a learned man who has travelled far and studied much, if anyone can tell us of that book, it is he."

The captain sits by the fire, stretches out in the warmth and sips the brandy.

Aldyne

Nodding at the captain, Aldyne finds a place to sit down, and studies the room for a short time. Then he turns to Captain Merlo. "Captain, how did you make an acquaintance with this man? He seems rather... exotic."

"Yes, he is... exotic. It is my business to know what powerful people are in town, and this boat isn't exactly stealthy, even in a city this size so naturally when it arrived here several years ago I investigated." He stops and takes a deep drink of the brandy. "Nortsa is a follower of Thoth, and has aquired considerable knowledge and the ability to aquire knowledge. He is very willing to help me in investigations from time to time, in return for knowledge and a certain level of immunity. I think because I am a dabbler in magic and also seek knowledge, both at a lesser level than Nortsa, that he puts up with me".

"So Nortsa has the advantage here." Ransel starts, and continues to explain "Nothing is stopping him from leaving, but if he were to leave you would lose your source of information and knowledge, right?" He was very interested in the nature of the relationship between two of possibly most powerfull men in town.

Captain Merlo clears his throat. "Don't underestimate what he receives in return for his aid to the city guard, he remains unbothered by the guard and thieves guild, and is free to persue his search for knowledge unmolested.

Aldyne

"So how long time will he use with our documents?," Aldyne asks. "I mean, is he often busy with other things, or are you priored?"
Not finding himself very comfortable, Aldyne wanted to leave the ship as soon as possible.

The side door opens and a older man walks in, and looks around. He is almost the sterotypical mage, white bearded, wearing floor length rune embroidered robes that seem a blueish color but change slightly with the lights reflection.

"Hello Merlo", he says, and quickly goes through introductions.

"Well, to the business of the book," he holds up the tome with the human face on the cover, "it is written in a form of draconic, and it seemed at first glance to be cyphered. However I was able to discern that the contents were, in fact, just gibberish. written with just enough information that a person would think there was knowledge within."

He sets the book down on the table and invites everyone around it. "The true value of this book is not on the inside, but rather on the outside. Poor Ilustro, according to his journal, was completely fooled"

With that Nortsa pulls out a small silver knife and carefully cuts through the thread sealing the lips of the face on the tomes cover.

You watch amazed as small pinpoints of light appear in the gems that fill the eyesockets of the tome, and the mouth curls up into a smile.

"Its about time someone not a fool happened to find me!" says the book in a deep, echoing voice.

"It speaks!!!" Ransel screamed. "What is that!?"

Nortsa answers "As near as I can tell this individual was soul trapped within the gem that was used to form the eyes, then his body was skinned and used to construct the book, he definitely is evil, and my guess is he was a spellcaster of some sort, and this was done as punishment, but that is only a guess. Along with that several permanent spells are placed on the books from several schools of magic, but to find out more will take some time, at least a couple days. Meanwhile, I think it best not to put much trust into whatever this book may say."

With that the book says "Nonsense, I am not evil, what you detect as evil are the magics that bind me here, and not my essence, but I do know some secrets that can make you all very rich and powerful people!" The expression on the book seems to show a sly grin "All I need is a new body prepared, and I will reward you all greatly!"

Aldyne

Recovering from the sudden surprise, Aldyne ignores the book's rambling and asks, "How come the Mage at the inn had you in his possession?"

The book looks at Aldyne and smiles, the eyes close and the brow furrows for a few seconds, then the eyes open and the smile ruturns.

"My dear boy, my life story is long and boring, nothing you would be interested in, I am just a poor victim of circumstance looking to undo the crime perpertrated upon my person." The book sighs. "As to where I have been, whos hands, I don't know much, while my lips were sealed I only had a fraction of cognizance, and much of that was spent inside a pouch."

Captain Merlo looks at the book askance, not sure what to make of it.

"Nortsa, do you have any suggestions on what to do with this... thing?"

The old wizard strokes his beard for a moment. "I am not familiar with the spells that would be used to make a person into a book, or undo it, and I am not sure it would be wise to release this soul until we know more about him. Research will take time, I cannot say how much, perhaps a day, perhaps far longer. We could question the thing."

The book speaks up "What kind of people are you? I need to be released, it is the right thing to do, all I need is a suitable soulless body!"

"Wait. We need some answers before we decide to release you. Answer the questio.?" after a small pause, Ransel continued "And we may give you his body to.. inhabit."

"What questions do you want answered?" says the book

"The mage was involved in finding information about a cult. What do you have to dowith that cult?"

"Cult?" "Mage?" The book gets a quizical look on its cover. "Perhaps you need to put things in perspective, fill me in a bit, and then I will have some framework to answer questions from. Who was this mage and what is this cult and how am I connected?"

After thinking about for a second, Captain Merlo decides to fill the book in on some details. "You were found in the room of a mage who was assassinated while investigating a cult. The cult appears to be a cult of assassins that has been building a powerbase somewhere around here, we feel that, given the circumstances you are somehow connected."

The old mage cuts in. "This book is not to be trusted. I think I should exam in for a few days to find out as much about its history and the spells that made it as I can, then we lock it in a heavy lead lined strongbox and toss it into the deepest part of Dragonmere."

The book atually looks scared. "Wait, I can help you, I really don't know much, but if you take me with you I know I can lead you where you want to go."

Merlo turns to the party. "What do you think?"

"We're not doing a thing untill you tell us how you came to this form you're in now. Who made you a book?"

The book clears his throat, a look of sincerity is displayed upon his cover. "It was many years ago, and in world distant from this one. I was the head cleric at a large temple. Because we were so loved by the populous we recieved many donations, and even though we did our best to feed, cloth and heal those in need with our wealth, we recieved more than we could spend, especially in magic and rare items that couldn't be easily converted into gold." A sad look crosses the book cover. "We were not warriors or battle clerics, and many came to try to steal and loot our coffers. One group, lead by a powerful mage eventually did overwhelm us, but not before my spells wreaked death and havoc among his cohorts. In the final battle I fell to his dark magics which froze my will and robbed me of conciousness, when I awoke he had imprisoned me into this form as revenge for those bandit friends of his that I did manage to stop, and used me as his spellbook. It gave him pleasure to taunt me before he studied his spells." The books expression suddenly gets somber. "He eventually put me in a shelf as he gained new spellbooks, where an enterprising thief stole me, and sold me to another mage, who tired of my pleas to be freed, and sewed my lips shut, since then I have been passed from mage to mage for many a year and across many a world, but usually stuffed in some book pouch."

The book suddenlly smiles. "But now you have found me, and I know I will soon be freed!"

[ 02-05-2004, 03:10 PM: Message edited by: MoldyOldie ]

"I'm just curious as to waht temple were you a master of? What were you worshipping?" Ransel becomes interested in the book.

"Oh", says the book, "our god is not known here, he is called Set".

Nortsa snorts loudly

[ 02-05-2004, 05:08 PM: Message edited by: MoldyOldie ]

Ransel turns to Nortsa and asks "You know about this.. Set?"

OOC: Hate to make it seem like I planned this, but I'd like a Knowledge: Religion(I have a 2, not a 4, just to be sure) check to see if I know anything about Set.

@ Ransel: You know Set is an evil God from a pantheon to your knowledge not worshipped in the realms.

Nortsa says "Set is evil personified, a dark and jealous god who spreads murder and decipt."

"Who were these people who attacked you? A rival cult? An opposing diety?" the story of the book was getting interesting.

"Greedy worshippers of Osiris, trying to take what was ours and turn the people away from Set!"

OOC: another religion check, please.

Osiris is another god from the same pantheon, the god of the underwold, and you think he and Set are bitter enemies.

"Hmm..." Ransel thinks how to procede with the questions, and then continues "Do you remember being in rooms of a cult or a monastery recently?"

OOC: Come on, people, where is everyone!?