Echoes of the Eternal
Twenty Fifth Day of the First Month 294 AC
"Did you earn your papers of passage?" The note of almost grandfatherly amusement in which Heronious asks the questions makes for an odd contrast to his still infernal mien, though not as much as the cup of tea set in front of him with another at your end of the table. It smells like something halfway between mint and ginger, refreshing but with an unexpected kick.
You take a sip. It tastes even better. "Yes, the lieutenant on guard claimed to find my company pleasant, though I suspect there was slightly more than that involved," you laugh, just a touch uncomfortably. It would not do to seem either too blasé or wholly naive.
"That is how it usually begins with visitors. It costs them little, after all, and is worth much to those not of Heaven's Shore." A sigh of frustration passes his lips. "It is difficult enough to navigate the twisting streets without the added impediment."
"It would be churlish of me to speak ill of my host's home," you reply with the sort of deliberate politeness that twists around into a jest.
From there matters progress to more serious negotiations. As a first pledge against the tome so dearly sought, you decide to state the ritual for investing living souls into a body of metal and gears you obtained from the Red Faith, much to Heronious' well hidden initial excitement. Alas, it dims somewhat when you explain the limitations of those reborn through its power. Souls unable to shine brighter, minds unable to expand upon new lore, fire contained in metal.
"A novel means of ensouling, and interesting motive and cognitive mechanisms just the same," the oracle devil muses. "Is there anything more of this ritual you can provide, base principles, a hint as to its origins? I have always found it easier to
see the way forward when presented with a path not a tool and it is clear to me this is the latter, someone's attempt of making an durable army relatively cheaply from plentiful mortal stock. My intentions, as Echyr shared at the auction, are considerably more
ambitious."
"There I fear I cannot offer much help," you lie smoothly. "I found the ritual intact in an old grimoire sold in one of the lesser shops of the Vault. "I suspect It had escaped the gaze of less attentive buyers by virtue of being mostly filled with incoherent scribblings. I suspect the author was quite mad by the time they penned the tome, and whatever they may have needed an army for was likely their end."
"A pity, a great pity, but so it goes," Heronious sighs, the expression far more thoughtful than when he had mentioned the city's roads, likely thinking of whatever path had lead him to such uncommon sanity for his kin. Awaking from his reverie with a start, he lays down the book you had only glimpsed before on the table between you and gives a brief account of that is contained within, just as you had done with the ritual.
The lore is all you had hoped for and a bit more besides, not just the sordid secrets of the present Lord of Heaven, thankfully. According to Heronious, the sheer breadth of otherwise little studied inner-life of those born of law would be of great use to any mind healer dealing with such a patient. He had apparently used it himself for just this purpose on occasion, though he would not name upon whom.
Accounts of the Great Wheel and its Turning:
- +6 to knowledge rolls dealing with the deep history of the Law-aligned Planes.
- +5 to all spellcraft and knowledge rolls to fundamentally alter souls (excluding necromancy)
- +7 to mind healing rolls when dealing with lawful outsiders
- Unlocks and adds 8 progress to Research to create non-elemental outsiders
- Unlocks Research and adds 4 progress to resurrect outsiders
"Name your price," you say, struggling a touch to keep your voice level. Just because you are willing to spill not just a king but a kingdom's ransom for this does not mean you should be obvious about it.
"Five hundred thousand Glassteel Scepters, in addition to the lore already pledged," he replies simply.
Do you pay?
[] Yes (Lose 1,000,000 IM)
[] No
-[] Write in counter-offer
OOC: The exception for necromancy basically involves everything that includes negative energy. Heronious has not worked much with it, though another part of his collection includes what notes he does have on it. Not yet edited.
