All Abuzz (Open RP)

[Aswe]

Aswe stared at the rod of Erlick in a mixture of awe and vexation. It had been a few days, almost a month since it started making noise. First in her depot, then an office above the library and following a noise complaint from the librarians, here out in the woods under a mighty and gnarled eldan oak, she'd hoped the wisdom would rub off on her.
The physical structure of the rod hadn't changed, still a thin iron rod, still cold to the touch, still had a moveable section to cover the light,still had some level of apparently useless engravings,all of that hadn't changed. The only thing that had was that a small, imperceptable whine had increased in volume until it had become a noticeable hum and now an angry drone, though she was certain the light within now began to flicker as well.

She'd subjected it to several tests over the last few days, most in order to quieten it. She had swaddled it in thick rags to muffle it, she'd buried it in earth, she had even submerged it in water (That seemed to make it louder) and without any magical knowledge or expertise she was decidedly diffident to disassembly.

Aswe's own investigations into the artifact hadn't turned up much of interest as to why it would be doing this. The rod itself was created in Albar for a somewhat cowardly nobleman named Erlick who had an incredibly pointed and debilitating fear of the dark, but also had a curious responsibility of ensuring the family crypts were not being misued by necromancers or errant Chergan heretics. Thus he had the rod created by (as the documents called him) 'An itinerant mage of Lor Angur'. it's powers reported to repel the undead and to give out unerring light without fuel. How it came to be in Runewick is a mystery of it's own, but her own theory was that it was traded by some impoverished noble or one who had no fear of the dark.

She shook her head in consternation, she was being beaten by an iron rod. She would bury it here again, and return home to her beloved wife, Irina, "she can help" Aswe thought "Her mind matches mine."

After several hours of discussion, postulation and thesis they had come to some sort of theory:

Aswe spoke: "I will.. have to track down any mage i can and shake them by the shoulders" it felt as though admitting defeat, but she knew one could not ask a blacksmith to be a surgeon, why ask her to be a mage?
Irina looked to her, her mind swimming in contemplation "I still think it's possible that something is trapped in this rod"
Folding her arms Aswe nodded. "I am leaning that way as well, or some level of corruption from the island."
"When you put it in liquid it gets louder you said? Afraid of drowning?" Irina postulated
"Possibly...Hrmm.." Aswe stroked her chin, various speculations entered her mind, and almost just as many left again
Irina looked at her. her brows furrowed"What's going on in that pretty head of yours? Tell me"
"It is supposed to.. repel the undead, isn't it? If something has gotten inside - an undead soul, perhaps it is an expression of pain?"
Irina pursed her lips slightly "An obvious thought"
"What do you think?"
"I wonder how this defence works? Maybe it's something that lives off the undead and is hungry?"
"Perhaps... Perhaps i should find some Undead and test their reaction?"

The next morning Aswe placed a notice on the boards: "Mages sought for experiment" and sent a few choice doves.

[Asphy]

An elfess sits at a small table in Runewick's tavern and takes turns writing on various parchments, some of which seem to have barely room for more than a few words.
She looks thoughtfully at the parchments spread out in front of her and leans back a little. As her gaze wanders around the room, it lingers on the notice board next to the entrance door.
Finally, she lays the parchments on top of each other and carefully rolls them up like a well-kept treasure. After tying the scroll together, she looks around the tavern and quickly stows the scroll away so that nobody notices it.
She places a few pieces of silver coins next to the empty wine glass, rises and goes to the notice board. An apparently newly posted letter arouses her curiosity.

"Mages sought for experiment" Aswe

She lets out a short laugh as she reads the text. "Look at you, experimenting with mages! If they're so careless with their mages, I'm not surprised I don't see any here," she says half aloud and looks mischievously at Rose, who has just picked up the empty wine glass and coins from the table.
"It's been a long time since the magicians came here to celebrate." Rose calls back and adds: "I don't know what they do with them here. Anyway, hardly any mages come in here anymore. But I don't miss them anyway, they weren't as generous with their tips as you are."

Asphyxine turns back to the board with a smile, then takes a quill and writes a message on the lower blank area of the parchment.

Aswe. We have only met briefly, but I am pleased to inform you that Master Cartaphilus has now reached Runewick. If I interpret your request to mean that no experiment is to be carried out with the mage, but that you are looking for an experienced mage to support you in an experiment, then I am happy to offer you our assistance.

Best regards, Asphyxine

[Clairette]

Clairette didn't watch the letter dove fly away. She opened the letter and read it. Then she frowned.

---------------

Some days later, the dark skinned elfess wrote an answer to Aswe.
Sitting at the table in the flat surrounded by everyday chaos and her pets, Claire dipped an quill into an ink bottle and began to scribble on a paper.

Dear Aswe,

consider me intrigued, I am willing to help you with this riddle.

And yes, Clairette was indeed curious.

I do suggest we either meet in Galmair, or if you prefer we can meet at the Hemptie as well. Left Hand Oxiana is as curious as ever about magic experiments and wishes to accompany me.

That was not the whole truth, both Clairette and Oxiana did not want the mage to go to Runewick. The reasons for this were the political development between the realms as well as general suspicions and bad past experiences. Clairette thought that Aswe might be aware of this already anyway, and that it was a nicer gesture to not spell this out in her letter. "Aswe tries to fix this chaos", she thought and muttered to herself in her odd elven dialect: "So I should not discourage her."

Further allow me to ask a few questions:

Asking more questions, and preferably keeping written answers had become a way to go about experimenting. It had been very troublesome that noone had kept past records on the events around Letma. So, Claire had decided to at least take notes of whatever she could write down about her studies and findings. Given the writings could prove helpful in a few decades taking written notes was no big effort.

Plus, asking questions helped to narrow down a theory, depending on the answers. Yet, not having seen the artifact in question and Aswe's letter being sparse on information, there was not much of a chance to narrow down the theories just now. The questions were more like tossing stones at a target - blindfolded.

- When did the rod change it's behaviour? Did anything happen before that? Has it been magically charged for example?

- Has it shown this behaviour in the past?

- Does it still fullfill it's purpose for keeping undead away?

~ Mage Clairette

Clairette re-read her letter, muttered some more. With a content gleam in her eyes she went up the stairs to the balcony and told her pet dove, a tiny white bird, to carry the letter to Runewick.

[Aswe]

Aswe looked over at the well written pages, one from a haughty dove and the other torn from the corner of a poster. she nodded to herself, ample enough help she decided. two replies, three people. One purported to be a master of magic and science. She took a quill to paper and began to write two replies, detailing the situation, the gist of it, what she had tried, what she feared, and of course what she asked of them.

Thank you for replying to my message.
I seek magically inclined minds to study this rod. Given it has two known properties of giving out light, and repelling the undead my thoughts are to test them both. Looking at the light in the rod, it seems to be losing its strength and power. The light has dropped from a powerful cone to a flicker and now it can barely light a thimble full of space. So it stands to reason that perhaps its other function is now diminished as well. While it now emits a noise that would certainly attract the undead, I wish to know if this noise overwhelms the magical compulsion to flee the rod should impart upon them.

For this, I would require others to join me to the dead marshes to determine if my hypothesis is correct. While preparing this expedition, I will provide access to the rod. Do be aware, in my own studies I have found it to be almost poisonous to the mind and the disposition. I have found my own emotions twisted by this artefact, from anger to happiness to sadness and everything between. All of these emotions are amplified and intensified, and this is prior to the annoyance created by the noise the rod emits.

Clairette raised some queries in her reply:
- When did the rod change its behaviour? Did anything happen before that? Has it been magically charged for example? The rod changed its behaviour a few weeks ago. it was sitting safely in my depot in Runewick before this.

- Has it shown this behaviour in the past? Not since it has come into my possession.

- Does it still fulfil its purpose for keeping undead away? This is something i hope to determine.

Aswe leaned back in her chair, thoughts of how things could go wrong waded through her mind briefly, she added another paragraph

Given I have no magical knowledge or expertise I shall have to defer to you and your colleagues in how to organise the examination. I ask that you all be respectful and open to suggestions, I do not wish for this to be unseated by disagreement, Runewick and perhaps all of Illarion's safety may rely on this.

I ask you to come to the hemp necktie in two days, where we can discuss this.

- Aswe

She nodded to herself, and after a quick proofreading (repaid with a kiss on the cheek) from Irina. Aswe attached the notes to a dove's leg, fed them a little grain, and let them go.

[Asphy]

Asphyxine looked at Cartaphilus, waiting for him to read through the message she had received from Aswe.
Cartaphilus looked up and gazed over the railing from the roof platform of the mage's hut into the distance. Then he turned to the elfess sitting next to him and gave her a brief nod. Asphyxine took the letter from his hand and skimmed it again, then began to write on the back of the parchment.

Dear Aswe

Your message tells us that it is about a staff that has magical properties. In your letter you point out that you have no magical knowledge. How did you get this staff and how long has it been in your possession? And where does this staff come from? What seems important to us for a qualitative assessment of the change: Was the magical property of the staff examined by a person with magical expertise before the changes you described?
Master Cartaphilus and I will be happy to assist you with the investigation.
Please give us a date for a meeting to discuss the next steps.

With best regards
Asphyxine

After Cartaphilus, who was watching her writing, nodded again, she rolled up the parchment, got up and went to find a messenger.

[Aswe]

ASwe looked over the back of the parchment, silently reading the words. She nodded to herself and pulled another sheet from Runewick's apparently inexhaustable supply.

"Councillor Aswe? The head street sweeper is here to see you" came a voice. It was her new aide. Hiring him had been a stroke of genius. She was no longer burdened by the minutia of her own personal logistics.
Aswe nodded to her aide, then spoke "A few minutes. I must reply to a missive."

Aswe dipped her quill into the ink. taking a few moments to think.

Greetings.

The rod itself is something of a mystery to us. It was recovered in an expedition to the pauldron isle. An island which fell to the undead and ruin a long time ago. Some years later, an expedition was held to either explore or retake the isle, this failed and the rod was lost for some fifty to seventy years. it's original home appears to be Albar, created some two centuries ago. Given that on it's recovery a year ago it displayed no behaviour that raised suspicion i felt that an examination was not necessary. We should meet in two days, just east of the hemp necktie. I do not wish to bring the rod into a populated area, in case there are any complications.

- Aswe

[Cartaphilus]

Asphyxine and Cartaphilus returned to Runewick from the Dewy Swamps, which Aswe had elected as temporary hiding spot for the Rod of Erlick. There the two mages had learned first-hand what led Aswe to bury it in such a remote place: Once unearthed, the Rod's horrendous buzzing was so unbearably loud that it made a conversation between the three all but impossible, until Aswe returned it to the boggy soil again. Back in Runewick, the two mages dipped their feet in the creek at the inn to wash off the swamp's mud before entering the establishment, where they ensconced themselves on its balcony to recapitulate their observations and thoughts.

Although simply burying a magical artefact in the ground is hardly an appropriate way to store it, at least it should cause no harm there. Besides, the Rod's arcane structure was doubtlessly already ruined by decades of exposure to the mana vortex of Pauldron Isle, or so they surmised. Whatever damage it would suffer while laying buried in the bog would be negligible in comparison. While the mana vortex on Pauldron Isle must have fully drained the Rod of its mana and warped its arcane structure, its return to Runewick with its rich mana streams may have replenished and overcharged the broken artefact's mana flow, causing its strange behaviour. This at least would explain the Rod's change from dormancy to malfunction while it was in Aswe's possession. "Akin to a cup, which has been cracked," as Aswe fittingly described it, the damaged artefact was now leaking its "content" in unexpected ways. While the Rod's buzzing was a nuisance, its other reported effect was more worrisome: the Rod amplified its wielder's emotions, such as sadness or anger, or so Aswe claimed. If the Rod only affects Aswe or also others in this manner was not known yet.

Unfortunately, no records were found in Runewick's archive how the Rod of Erlick worked before it was lost during that fateful expedition over fifty years ago, which made Cartaphilus doubt if it ever worked as intended to begin with, not to mention its dubious origin from an unnamed "itinerant mage." If the Rod was the work of a charlatan, it would explain why the Rod's purported ability to repel undead did not avail the unfortunate adventurers who brought it with them to Pauldron Isle. Without any records, the Rod's true nature could only be revealed through personal arcane examination and careful experimentation. Only once the inner workings of the Rod's arcane structure and the extent of its damage were understood could its restoration be considered.

It was decided to deliberate with other fellow mages on the course of action. To this end Cartaphilus dictated a letter to Asphyxine, his assistant:

Fellow students of the arcane arts

After a precursory inspection of the Rod of Erlick, we are led to believe that its arcane structure must have suffered severe damage through a suspected mana vortex on Pauldron Isle.
To gain further insight into the artefact's arcane structure and the cause of its current behaviour, we suggest performing a ritual of arcane examination.
Due to the Rod's noisiness, which would disturb our chants and concentration during a ritual, we decided to commission a soundproof wooden box to contain the Rod for the planned rituals.
The box shall be cushioned to muffle the Rod's buzzing and made of magically inactive wood, such as dead thornbog wood, so that it won't interfere with the flow of mana.
Furthermore, we are interested in studying some of the Rod's current, peculiar effects. For this, we would require a test subject, preferably one without magical affinity.

Together we may be able to unravel this artefact's mystery and learn how to restore it. We look forward to your professional advice and cooperation in this matter.

Sincerely,
Cartaphilus

After having made sure that all was written to her master's satisfaction and signed by him, Asphyxine sent copies of this letter to Caswir Drakull in Runewick and Clairette in Galmair.

[Cartaphilus]

Cartaphilus lounged in his chair, enjoying his pipe and the warmth of the chimney's crackling fire, safe from the cold wind and lashing rain outside, which heralded the beginning of Chos. The table to his side was occupied by a stack of parchments and a narrow, long box made of bogwood, which Aswe had provided to soon house Erlick's Rod - small progress in tackling the Rod's issue, but progress nonetheless. The sorcerer took one of the parchments from the stack and a deep drag from his pipe.

"Too busy pursuing own research to support Galmair and its allies," he read to himself and exhaled a cloud of smoke at the letter in his hand. "Clairette's research must be most intriguing, or perhaps urgent, if she declines to examine a magical artefact such as the Rod of Erlick. One wonders what she is working on," Cartaphilus mused and took another puff of his pipe.
Aswe had mentioned some "political wrangling" to Cartaphilus, but he cared little for such mundane issues as politics, and doubted that a fellow student of the arcane would be deterred from studying a magical artefact by them either.

At least Caswir Drakull, whose acquaintance Cartaphilus had finally made, seemed keen to investigate the Rod. As Runewick's foremost mage, second only to Elvaine Morgan himself, and leader of the local mages guild, the Illuminates, whose ranks Cartaphilus had recently joined, it was, of course, Drakull's obligation to lend Runewick his aid in this matter, but also his prerogative to helm this magical phenomenon's investigation. Cartaphilus pulled another parchment from the table, a map of Runewick's surroundings, which had been assiduously annotated and covered with intersecting lines of blue ink.

"Our efforts of charting the local flow of mana streams are already proving useful," murmured the sorcerer as his fingertip followed the blue lines on the map, pausing at one of the intersections. "This area is replete with mana, perfect to conduct a ritual. As we seek arcane insight, spirit will be our ritual's chief element, which should be fortified by aligning our ritual circle towards the Eldan oak there. Suitable incantations must be prepared and pure elements procured. I shall confer with Drakull on this matter."

Cartaphilus turned his eyes from the map to the window, the raging storm rattling its glass panes. "If only he weren't so elusive. The month of blood is nigh, and at this pace the Rod won't be restored in time to avail us against the coming darkness. Though perhaps we will find other ways to use this Mas to profit our research."

[Cartaphilus]

Led by Aswe, the three Illuminates Caswir Drakull, Cartaphilus, and Asphyxine marched into the Dewy Swamps to reclaim the Rod of Erlick from the bog in which Aswe kept the artefact hidden. On the way, Aswe explained the Rod's curious effect on the emotions of those who touch or spend enough time around it, and urged the mages to not bring it into Runewick proper until its study was concluded and Mas had passed.

Cartaphilus surveyed the swampy copse around them suspiciously - this wasn't the first time that they came here for the Rod, and he couldn't shake off the feeling that their dig didn't go unnoticed. Well, it certainly didn't: Henry Darter, the strangely reclusive butcher, watched and heard it all. What if he had stolen it? What if other witnesses had learned of the Rod's whereabouts? Somehow, Cartaphilus felt that they weren't alone, but whenever he heard something rustling the shrubbery, it just turned out to be a pig. Perhaps the Rod's influence was getting hold of him, Cartaphilus reasoned, turning his cautious suspicion into paranoia.

Caswir's shovel pierced the muddy soil where Aswe pointed to, and as the hole became deeper, the Rod's distinctive buzzing noise became louder and louder, leaving no doubt that this was indeed the right spot and that the Rod was still there. Finally, the Rod of Erlick came to light, and its deafening buzz echoed through the entire swamp, causing the pigs to scurry away and flushing flocks of birds out of the trees.
"Please," shouted Aswe over the loud, droning noise, "put it in the box!"
Asphyxine hurried to rinse off the dirty Rod with a bucket of clean water which they brought for this purpose from Runewick, before Cartaphilus, wearing gloves as to avoid direct contact with the Rod, shut it away in the bogwood box. The Rod of Erlick was secured, and its loud buzz muffled to a quiet, but still fairly annoying hum.

While Aswe returned to Runewick, the Illuminates carried the chest containing the Rod to the Quadruped Red Bird in Yewdale, the headquarters of the Illuminates, to safely store it there and to decide how to proceed with the Rod. A few bottles of Caswir's home-made, elven wine were opened to celebrate the Rod's safe recovery and to simulate the imminent discussion. Caswir argued in favour of a careful approach, wishing to observe the Rod first to see if its mana flow would stabilise, before subjecting it to any spells or experiments, being even hesitant to cast a warding circle around it as to contain whatever magical effects the Rod may have on its surroundings, though his two colleagues in the Illuminates were sceptical to leave the Rod without any protective spells.

"Originally, it was intended to repel undead, but in its broken state it may do the very opposite and attract undead or other abominations with its mana energy. In the worst case, it may act like a beacon during Mas, luring all kinds of horrors to Yewdale and the guildhall itself," Cartaphilus and Asphyxine cautioned, but ultimately consented to their guild leader's decision to leave the Rod untouched for a few days before casting a spellbinding circle around it.

With all said and done, Cartaphilus and Asphyxine bid Caswir farewell and made their way back to Runewick, spotting a strange man dressed like a wizard skulking around Oldra's altar as if he was watching them. His behaviour seemed rather suspicious, and they hadn't seen him in Runewick before, but maybe he was just one of Runewick's many magic students wishing to pray to Oldra. Why else would he have been there?

[Cartaphilus]

Cartaphilus placed his quill in its inkwell, having finished the latest entry in his notebook on the Rod of Erlick. In the dim light of his desk's candle, he proofread his work one last time, mentally recapitulating the recent events.

24. Chos 72.

The month of blood draws near, and the Rod of Erlick and all of Yewdale are in grave peril. Drakull reported that a band of thieves tried to break into the Quadruped Red Bird, the Rod's current repository. One of the thieves fit the description of the mage whom Asphyxine noticed last night prowling around Yewdale. We surmised that our excavation yesterday drew some unwanted attention, which is unsurprising, for the woods are rife with outlaws who certainly were alarmed by the Rod's permeating noise. One of them, presumably the hedge wizard, must have witnessed how we dug it up and carried it away in a chest, resembling a successful treasure hunt. He must have stalked us to the Quadruped Red Bird, and after I and Asphyxine departed, summoned his accomplices, set on pillaging our treasure. Fortunately, Drakull kept watch and made the thieves pay for their trespassing with their lives; drastic measures, but the artefact's safety mustn't be compromised.

Worse than mundane brigands, groups of undead found their way to Yewdale. They must have marched all the way from the Dead Marsh. Drakull dispatched them, but for all we know more may arrive. There is no doubt that the Rod of Erlick lured them to this place. The corruption of its arcane structure must have reverted its effect: Rather than driving the undead away, the Rod emits some magical pulse which attracts them, even across a long distance. The chest which contains the Rod may muffle its sound, but its bogwood is magically inactive, with mana energy passing through unimpeded. Inaudibly, invisibly, the Rod of Erlick beckons, and the mindless undead heed its call, drawn to it like moths to light.

It must be contained. A spellwarding circle must be established around the Rod immediately, but such a demanding ritual will require Drakull's presence. With Asphyxine's assistance, I have cast a warding spell on the Quadruped Red Bird's door to prevent any undead from breaching it. It is an emergency solution, we must hope that the enchantment will hold until Mas has passed.

[Cartaphilus]

Entries in Cartaphilus's personal notebook on the Rod of Erlick, written over several days. Some of the pages are singed by fire and smeared in dried blood.

03. Mas 72.

We are under siege! Since three days Yewdale is beset by drow, beholders, and a seemingly endless horde of their undead minions - an unholy alliance of two chthonic races. Worst of all, they brought skeletal dragons, reanimated by their dark magic. Magnificient creatures, terrifying weapons, spewing fire and noxious gas, clawing and biting even through shields and armour. How have they learned such astounding arcane arts, what forbidden knowledge may they possess that we do not?

The fiends must have come for the Rod of Erlick, for they surround our guildhall. It is fortunate that we recovered and brought the Rod into safety just in time before Mas, for there is no doubt that if it still remained in the swamps, this dark army would have found and claimed it unopposed. What twisted designs may they have for this corrupted artefact? It is better we never find out.

04. Mas 72.

The magic seal which we placed on the guildhall's gates before Mas bought us valuable time to organise its defence, but the seal's power is waning and it may soon be broken. Drakull, Asphyxine, and I desperately fight to defend the Rod and our very lives. Sir Sirt (Note to self: Inquire about proper spelling of his name in Common script), a reptilian knight of Cadomyr, came to our relief, fighting no less doggedly. We have barricaded ourselves in the guildhall, shooting spells and arrows through the windows to drive the invaders back, but no matter how many undead we slay, their broken bones continue to reassemble. The undead dragons unleash their lethal breath against the guildhall's walls and through the windows, engulfing us in flames and setting the interior ablaze. Fortunately, Drakull kept a water barrel in his bar, so that the conflagration could be quenched. The guildhall's stone walls stand firm, and so does our defence, but our supplies are diminishing fast. If no reinforcements arrive soon, we will have to evacuate.

05. Mas 72.

Tragedy! Drakull and Sir Sirt attempted to make a sally, but the besiegers used the opportunity to breach through the unlocked gate, pouring inside. At the very same time, Asphyxine was preparing a ritual to shield the Rod. Even a skeletal dragon broke into the hall, wreaking havoc. Fire and chaos. I sought refuge upstairs in the keep. Clamour and screams downstairs. I saw Drakull fall as I hurried upstairs, and heard Asphyxine cough and choke violently on the smoke and poison gas below. Sirt managed to push the intruders back and to barricade the gates before he followed me upstairs, his scales burnt and bruised. Reduced to two, and with the guildhall still surrounded, we saw little choice but to evacuate to Runewick through a magic portal which I opened on the keep's roof.

01. Eldas 73.

Thanks be to Cherga, we found Ashpyxine in the hospital, enfeebled by the dragon's toxic breath, but alive. She will recuperate with enough time and rest. No sign of Drakull, though. I fear Cherga claimed his soul. Foolhardy as he may have been, he fought gallantly and gave his life in our and Runewick's defence. May he rest in peace.

Ksah (Note to self: Ask her about proper spelling. Pointless, she does not speak Common and is presumably illiterate), a skittish lizardwoman and companion of Sirt, found her way to Runewick and joined our party. The Common tongue is as alien to her as the use of clothing. Armed with a primitive sling and with no armour but her very scales, she was of negligible use against our formidable foes, but needs must, and in our desperation all help was welcome. More importantly, Ksah brought news of someone else still fighting against the undead dragons in Yewdale. More reinforcements?

We made haste to Yewdale and found a lone swordsman who introduced himself as Bidukan, knight of Kallahorn. It is evident that Sir Sirt and Sir Bidukan are rivals, though I do not know their story yet, and the urgency of our situation allowed for no questions. Despite their differences, both knights lent us their help and fought side by side, proving their skill and valour against the invaders. With Eldas's dawn, the influence of Mas waned, and the numbers of the fiends dwindled. Sir Bidukan by himself made sure to purge Yewdale of any and all remaining undead before he departed again.

Mas is over, the fiends are vanquished, and Yewdale and the Rod of Erlick safe. When all had left, I returned to the battlefield to retrieve samples of the bones and ashes to which the undead were reduced. Residual mana energy of the necromantic enchantments which once animated them still lingers in their remains, and their study will surely be a worthwhile endeavour.