Extra Credit
Page 40
Armor stands lined the rest of the walls, displaying battle worn suits of plate forged in various styles, each badly damaged and stained with the blood of their former owners.
As we approached the sarcophagus, another spirit arose.
Clad head to toe in thick plate armor, the spirit must have been truly massive in life. The visor of his helm was opened as he gazed down, revealing two large tusks jutting from his lower jaw, their broken tips almost touching the green skin of his massive nose as he spoke.
“The Knights of Dusk had followed the Lady of the Dawn in many campaigns abroad, defeating the forces of evil that sought to subjugate the lands of light, but when she came bearing warning of a threat from within, we hesitated. I could see the disappointment in her eyes as she left us, having been driven out and accused of heresy for her words. We should have trusted in our ally. We should have stood with her and confronted that which was right before our eyes.”
“When the truth was revealed, it was too late. The cancer within struck our order like a coward, poisoning our food and drink. In the end some were able to resist the poison and stand firm with our brothers and sisters to stave off total annihilation, but we failed to truly defeat the darkness.”
“Do you have the resolve to endure the burning light of the sun? Can you stand to face the light of truth that we did not? Do so and earn the Keystone of Dusk, and the treasures buried here with me.”
Quest Update – The Forgotten Tomb
You have initiated the Trial of Endurance. The light of truth burns us all, but can you survive?
Criteria: Pass the Trial of Endurance: Show your resolve on your trek to the Sarcophagus. (0/1)
Reward: Keystone of Dusk, contents of the Sarcophagus
The spirit hung in the air and a blazing column of sunlight burst through the ceiling, centered on the sarcophagus.
I could feel the heat radiating off of it from across the room and my eyes started to burn in agony. I turned away from the column and pulled my cloak over my head, blocking out the light. “Nope, nope, and a whole lot of nope.”
I could barely make out what was going on in the room, catching a glimpse of Leilani crouched nearby with her eyes shielded as she tried to cast a spell. I glanced at my party window and saw that both Kelikk and Cedric’s health were dropping rapidly as the sunbeam burned through their flesh while they moved towards the sarcophagus.
Kelikk’s hit points were dropping rapidly, and Leilani called out, “Hun, get back here. I can’t heal you both!”
“Argh,” Kelikk cursed in frustration and jumped back before dropping to the floor in an attempt to put out the small fires still smoldering in his beard.
I squinted and tried to look at what was going on with Cedric but could only make out his silhouette as he moved step by step towards the sarcophagus.
Leilani cast healing spell after healing spell on him, but his hit points were dropping faster than she could keep up and after another minute he had to withdraw as well.
“Damn that hurts,” he said as Leilani healed him back to full. “I think I need to go a bit faster this time, I let the pain get to me a bit and I think that’s what got me. Let’s recharge and I’ll head back in.”
“Are you sure?” Leilani asked, concern evident on her face.
He flashed a confident smile and nodded. “I’ve got this.”
Leilani glanced over and Kelikk. “You stay back this time. You may be made of bacon now, but no need to get yourself fried. And all my healing’s going to Ced this time.”
The dwarf shrugged and sat back against the wall. “Go get ‘em!”
I shielded my eyes with the hood of my cloak as he dove back into the light, his skin burning as he pressed forward. Leilani’s healing spells kept his hit points out of the red as he moved forward, but the further he went the worse it seemed to get, and eventually even his sister’s healing wasn’t enough to keep up with the damage.
He was maybe two steps from the goal when his hit points dropped to critical, Leilani’s healing barely keeping them him alive.
“Fall back,” she cried, “I can’t keep up. My mana’s almost out!”
“No,” he growled, taking another step forward. “I can do it. I WILL do it.”
His hit points dropped to zero as took the last step forward, his lifeless body collapsing against the sarcophagus.
The room was suddenly dark, well, dark relative to the light that had been cast by the column of solar fire and the spirit hung above the crypt.
The spirit stared down at Cedric’s corpse and breathed out a cloud of golden light that settled over the paladin. His body rose into the air and his scorched flesh healed before our eyes, leaving a very surprised Cedric standing before us all, blinking but obviously alive.
He looked around in surprise, his eyes still a bit dazed from the experience. “Did I make it?” he asked, finally looking up to the spirit.
“Cedric Lightstrider, you have proven that you possess the resolve necessary to face what lies ahead and complete that which we could not. Take the Keystone of Dusk from its resting place within and use it to reclaim this place in the name of the Light. The contents of my sarcophagus are yours, as is a single boon that is within my power to grant. Choose now and may you always stand firm in defense of the Light.”
Our human companion looked like a kid in a candy store, his smile growing wider and wider as he read through the offers being presented to him. Eventually he nodded, and the spirit continued.
“A worthy choice Cedric. Kneel before me and you shall have your reward,” the spirit said and drew a ghostly broadsword that shone with an inner light.
The spirit touched Cedric on the right shoulder and said in a reverent tone, “As the sun rises in the morning, we are born, as you are now born anew.”
The spirit lifted the sword and brought it over to his left shoulder. “By the light of the midday sun, we shine at our brightest, as you are destined to do,” the orcish knight continued before raising the sword again and placing it on Cedric’s brow.
“And by the fading light of dusk, our life may fade as well, but resolved we will remain,” he finished, placing the sword upright between him and our human companion.
“Do you, Cedric Lightstrider, pledge to follow the tenets of our Holy Order. To protect, to defend. To guide, and to avenge, and in all things exemplify all that is good and just in this world?”
Cedric looked up, a fire in his eyes as he said, “Yes. I so swear.”
The spirit nodded solemnly. “Then I, Sir Tarik the Unbroken, do induct you into the Knights of Dusk and the Order of the Blazing Sun. Arise, Sir Cedric Lightstrider, and welcome.”
For a second I thought I saw a circle of spectral figures standing around the room, saluting our companion, and then they were gone.
Quest Update: Pass the Trial of Endurance (1/1)
Cedric stood up and turned back to us, giving us a huge grin.
“Sir Cedric, eh?” Kelikk asked. “What did you choose as your boon?”
“You’re looking at the newest Knight Bastion of the Order of the Blazing Sun,” he said proudly, puffing out his chest.
“Care to elaborate?” Leilani said, punching her brother in the arm. “What’s a Knight Bastion, and what is the order of the Blazing Sun?”
“It’s a class specialization for paladins, focusing on armor and damage mitigation. I gained a new skill that gives me an extra ten percent to my armor score and some nice skills that I can use to increase my damage reduction, but the best is the class specific skill that lets me choose a party member that is my sworn charge and I get bunch of bonuses to all my stats and skill while they are close by, and a once per day skill that makes me unkillable for thirty seconds that I can trigger if my charge is in danger.”
The kid was obviously super psyched by his new class and abilities, so we let him ramble on about his new stats and abilities and then gently reminded him of the respawn timer and pushed him towards the sarcophagus.
***
55
We returned the keystone to the main altar with thirty-five minutes left on the respawn timer and then rushed over to the last door.
The center of the door where the carvings on the others had been was blank, which seemed strange. Had the people who put together the temple not completed it?
The room was packed floor to ceiling with bookshelves holding hundreds if not thousands of tomes. Every conceivable surface was piled high, and I was surprised we were even able to get the door open.
I scanned the books, virtually drooling over the potential skills and spells they might contain, but for a change my luck and Scavenger didn’t kick in.
Not wanting to waste any time, we approached the sarcophagus and triggered the encounter.
The spirit was dressed in long, dark robes and held an intricately carved staff in her hands. The tips of her long, pointed ears peeked out from beneath her floor length hair, which floated around her as she rose into the air and spoke into our minds.
“The darkness did not come from without. There was no foreign influence, no external cause for blame. Instead, there was only the greed and lust for power that can grow within any heart. A perceived slight. Fragments of an overheard conversation taken out of context. That was all.”
“We, the Sages of Midnight, were charged with the study of those things that dwelled in darkness. Duty bound to guard against those dangers that might one day challenge the order, but in our preoccupation with outside threats we failed to see the darkness growing within.”
“We ignored our own, shuttered within our libraries, always studying and experimenting to deduce new ways to fight the darkness. But when the darkness revealed itself, we were as ignorant as the rest.”
“Do you have the knowledge and the focus to see what we could not? Does your mind possess the power to pierce the veils woven against us and to find the truth? Prove yourself and you may claim the Keystone of Midnight and those items interred within my tomb.”
Quest Update – The Forgotten Tomb
You have initiated the Trial of Knowledge. Can you pierce the veils of shadows hiding the corruptions within the temple?
Criteria: Pass the Trial of Knowledge: Use your wits to pierce the veils of shadows and discover the clues that eluded the Sages of Midnight so long ago. (0/1)
Reward: Keystone of Midnight, contents of the Sarcophagus
A large book appeared in the center of the room, opening to reveal row upon row of text that seemed to crawl across the page, shifting and flowing with every passing second.
From behind me I heard Leilani’s voice. “This one’s all you lizard man, just looking at that is giving me a headache and I think Kelikk and Ced may have passed out from just a glimpse.”
Ignoring their sputtered objections, I turned my attention to the book and focused on the text, trying to force it to hold still with my will.
Upon closer examination I could see that it wasn’t the text that was moving. There was a layer of shifting darkness on top of the text, and it was that darkness creating the crazy shifting surface.
I focused my will on the page, trying to see through it.
Quest Ability: “Pierce the Veil” Unlocked.
Pierce the Veil
This ability, when applied to an obfuscated object can reveal that which is hidden beneath. Each casting of this spell can be maintained at a cost of 10% of the initial spell casting cost, for however long the caster wishes.
Cost: 250 mana
My eyes widened at the cost. That much mana was steep even with my gigantic mana pool. And we didn’t have time to recharge if I screwed up.
I studied the page, looking for a good place to target with the spell. The shifting darkness seemed to cover the entire book except for the brief glimpses I’d seen through.
Picking a spot at random, I activated the ability and watched as the cloaking magic fled from the point of contact like an oil slick when a drop of oil lands in its midst. The radius was small, barely enough to uncover a tenth of the book. There had to be a better way.
I watched the obfuscation move over the surface, the spell flowing around the newly revealed area like water around a rock, and my mana slowly drained as I held the first spot, looking for something like a weak point.
Readying the skill for another use, I targeted an area already partially visible within the swirling eddies and activated it.
The magic struck the already partially revealed section of the page and spread further than my first attempt, revealing a good portion of the page and disrupting the flow of the cloaking magic.
Adding that second instance of the spell increased the drain on my mana, and I wasn’t sure how many more I’d be able to maintain.
I found another spot on the page, midway between the revealed sections and waited for another window. When I activated the skill, the opening spread further, connecting my prior two attempts and expanding them all.
The uncovered text was written in a language that I couldn’t read, but I didn’t think that was the point.
With some additional strategic ability targeting, and good timing I was able to build upon the progress I had made, and after another three activations there was only a small portion of the page still obscured, but my mana was almost out.
The remaining shadows were flowing faster than I could track, making targeting a weak point virtually impossible.
I figured I had one last chance to complete the puzzle, and if my timing was off, I’d probably have to start over.
I locked my eyes on the pattern and counted slowly in my head. I closed my eyes, not wanting visual cues to interfere with my timing and hoped that my luck would kick in.
One, two, three, ok, here we go. One, two, activate!
I opened my eyes as the spell take hold, clearing away the swirling shadows and expanding to meet up with the rest of the cleared pages.
With a sharp crack, the surface of the book shattered like a pane of glass, revealing the book. A blank book, which then disappeared.
The spirit nodded to me as I collapsed to my knees, my mana in the single digits.
“You, Kababala of Tobaladalaka Village, have pierced the veil to see that which was hidden from us by the darkness permeating our Order… and found it to be nothing. They hid nothing from us. It was our own failing, our own fixation on our books and our studies that led us to ignore the pain and heartache afflicting our brother.”
“When he brought the darkness down upon us all, claiming vengeance for past wrongs and justifying his own acts of cowardice and betrayal with claims of divine providence, we could do nothing to save him. Had we acted earlier, had we known what festering disease had taken hold in his heart, we might have saved him. But in the end, we could only imprison he who had the potential to be the greatest of us.”
“You have completed the Trial of Knowledge, and the contents of my sarcophagus are yours, as is a single boon that is within my power to grant. Choose now and may your mind always see through the shadows to the truth.”
Choose your reward:
1) Improve your Perception skill by 5 points.
2) Increase your Intelligence stat by 5 points.
3) Gain 5 skill points that can be distributed to spells only.
4) Learn the location of another Statuette of Dragonkind.
5) Gain a class-specific magic item of ‘Unique’ status.
The rewards were pretty nice, but none seemed to rise to the level of those that my companions had received. Then again, considering the improvements that the first stage of the racial evolution quest line had granted it was probably up there in power.
; With that in mind I made my selection. My world map opened and a new quest marker appeared, linked to my bloodline quest.
QUEST UPDATE: Draconic Legacy
The Sages of Midnight were renowned for their study of arcane history until their fall. During their studies, rumors of the location of a small statue of Drahk origins were uncovered and noted in their library, but never followed up on. This location has now been imparted to you. Seek out your heritage deep in the ruins of Sal’a on the southern shores of Savala.
My companions looked at me expectedly, so I gave them the rundown on my rewards.
Ced looked a little bummed for me, but once I explained that I’d gotten a lead on the second stage of the quest he seemed a bit more excited.
I opened the sarcophagus and took out the Keystone, a large book, and a jet-black amulet, carved into the shape of the sun.
< Amulet of Midnight >
An amulet prized by High Sage Ellynri Sunspire, designed to assist her in her long hours of research and study.
Properties: +2 Intelligence, +5 Perception. Pierce the Veil x1.
Pierce the Veil (Charges: 1): This ability can dispel one illusion or obfuscation spell per use. Mana Cost: 500. After each use the mana cost must be imbued into the item to recharge it.
Limitation: Daily.
(SOULBOUND)
Grimoire of Boundless Knowledge
This grimoire contains the combined knowledge of the Sages of Midnight, allowing for the user to benefit from their research.
Properties: Once every level, this book may be used to learn a new skill or spell that you meet the level and other prerequisites for without needing access to a trainer. Alternatively, this book may be used to raise a single already known skill by 1.
(SOULBOUND)
“What did you get?” Leilani asked, looking at the book. I briefly explained its properties to them all and I think their jaws may have hit the floor, literally. Not having to go back to town every time you leveled up was pretty awesome, plus an extra skill point at levels when nothing else was available would get pretty powerful as time went on. Go, go hidden dungeon loot!