Khipu, Codex, Eye, and Mirror

 Continuing the theme of various research done in the course of downtime, the Scribes now note the topics covered in certain texts and artefacts recovered over the past months:

First, more than a few codices were retrieved by the Survivors of the Tel and their comrades from the Sixth House of the Attine-Klackons. While Bartholomew Pettibone looked in particular into the magical writings ("knottings"?), Raoden pursued the more onerous task of magically reading and summarizing two other texts with the help of a mysterious "Bob" personage, as a prelude to his next task of summarizing and organizing the wider collection.

1) The Klackon Spellbook(s)
Looking into the magical writings recovered from the Sixth House, Bart found that what had seemed at first to be one spellbook was actually a spellbook-and-a-half. The works are a combination of typical Klackon khipus--strands of silk knotted in complicated patterns to form words and thoughts--accompanied by elaborate drawings on silk-paper of what seems to be a kind of platform or dais with intricately ornate interior, surrounded by abstruse mathematical formulae.

Bart recognizes in the sketches the "translation platform" he and his companions encountered, and it can be surmised that the wider collection has further notes on the device. But as to the spellbooks and magical-research, the Klackon magic-user developing his or her sorcery was obviously taking "translation" as the inspiration for magic. The first book is complete, and spells may be learned from it normally; the second, in which the principles of teleportation were being worked out, is not quite finished--perhaps the work could be taken up by an enterprising enchanter?

First Principles of Matter Translation, by Itzkatl Xhoa
Drawing on the observations of the "translation platform's" operation, and mathematical-philosophical developments of the underlying formulae that allow it to function, the sorcerer-author turns their mind to replicating such "translations" without recourse to any device other than a thinking and knowing mind, directing the energy of the universe through arcane channels. The "first principles" thus developed allow somewhat limited kinds of "translation"
III. displacement
IV. dimension door

Translation and Farcasting, by Itzkatl Xhoa
Building on the First Principles, this book works out the formulae for "farcasting" matter that has been translated into energy to a distant location, directed by the "coordinates" held in the mind of the spellcaster (rather than in the "mind" of the platform). Unfortunately, this work was left incomplete--probably by the disaster that overtook the Sixth House--and any magic-user wishing to utilize the half-developed sorcery would be advised first to refine the formulae.
V. teleport (incompletely developed; attempting to cast the spell as it is written will no doubt incur interesting results)

2) Experiments Toward the Creation of Ancient Warriors
Amongst the broader collection of Sixth House khipus, one in particular stood out immediately as "of interest" to the Survivors of the Tel. Casting his eyes over the various works with eyes enhanced by the magic of read languages, Raoden saw one strand that claimed to contain Experiments toward the creation of Ancient Warriors--which perhaps also called to mind certain encounters of a different kind in the Necropolis of the Tel.

To "set the scene", the khipu opens with a description of the dread-warriors of the nomadic Doulii-Klackons, the nomadic war-hosts that laid waste the land in days of old, most memorably as the Immortal Columns fought by Dalan II.:

... And when they marched all together, they covered the face of Ardha, rank upon rank upon rank. And the warriors were the vanguard and the rearguard and the bodyguard of the Shahbanat, and they marched to left and to right. But in the center of the column went the helot-drones who carried the brood and the baggage, and drove with them the proxx and the dlakolel, and too they bore the Mandat where the Shahbanat reclined.

The helots were fed on the dross of the midden, while their Princesses ate the offal of the proxx. And the Shahbanat and her brood and the dores of her pleasure ate the flesh of all beasts of Ardha and Ocean. But the bones and the blood were given to the warriors, and these they mixed in great cauldrons, and thus with the secrets of their warrior-sororities did they make the melas zomos, the "black soup" by which they nourished their strength.

And mighty was that strength! Each one was equal in strength to a Bulrathi or more, and a single rank could stand against an entire Human host, while a lochos of warriors would lay waste a walled city with ease. Nor did they die when struck down, but their bodies were carried back to the taphoi where they lay in rest, and then stepped forth made new with the next rising sun ...

Following that short historical summary, the author continues with a brief report of the discovery of a great underground "life-manufactory" (found by use of the "translation platform" and "... detailed elsewhere ..." according to the text). Within the dome-complexes of the manufactory were discovered various biological creations, among them Klackon-like insectoids.

Beholding this, the natural-philosopher Xixitlatzali and his apprentices and assistants theorized that this--or manufactories of the same sort--must have been used to create the dread warriors of the Doulii, and so they began cataloguing insectoid-type creatures held in great vats within the mysterious domes, and taking samples of such creatures back to their laboratory-workshops in the manor of the Sixth House for extensive experimentation.

The experiments, detailed in this account, consistently failed to produce any drug or agent that could be used to develop "dread-warriors", but did develop at least one especially powerful nerve-toxin that would be extremely dangerous to fellow Klackons or to the aloof and inimical Hlyss, and other insectoid creatures, while being inert to mammalian physiology, among other more venal discoveries.

The last reports concern dissections and experiments into certain egg-like biological structures and pale beetle-like creatures possessed of a paralytic venom in their stingers. ...

3) The Black Book of the New Moon's Shadow, by Tulket ibn al Rahm
Not a Klackon text at all--though accompanied by khipu-strand notes and annotations--this aged codex, held now in a gleaming case made from true-black dlakolel chitin, is a copy of one of the codices composed by the legendary demonologist Tulket ibn al Rahm, whose Clavis Arce Lune earned him both renown and infamy in his day.

The Black Book is a lesser known work of nature similar to the Clavis, being a description of certain of the Demons known to dwell in the shadows of the Fortress Moon, and an explication of how one might attempt to command their allegiance--at the summoner's terrible risk!

• el Iylat -- "the Wearer of Forms"
  This demon can only be summoned when the Fortress Moon hangs above, and always departs as the Moon sets--and thus clearly dwells within. It can appear in any form, though regardless of its appearance it attacks with a stroke of lightning, even when there is no storm. It is known to offer secret knowledge--or lies?--in return for allegiance to itself. Some legends declare that the Iylat is also the Urh min Gothuz, while others maintain that the two djinn are quite different
• el Rulanh -- "the Headless Ghilman"
  The Rulanh is a warrior-demon that can be summoned with certain brooches or magical arrowheads, among other means. It appears as a headless suit of armor that lays waste all before it. Some say it is a kind of ru'un, and no demon at all
• el Kelb el Tindhalas -- "the Crooked Hound"
  A kind of hell hound, the Tindhali Kelb is a demon that seems to exist permanently in a state between the translation of matter and energy. It is a favored demon by assassins, as it can appear anywhere, and rarely leaves a victim alive
• el Notul -- "the Ragged Shadow"
  Superficially similar to the dreaded biridlu mantle-creature that dwells in certain underworlds and smothers its victims, the Notul is a winged shadow that descends on living creatures and attempts to steal the warmth of their breath. It can sometimes be distracted by a fire or other heat source

The Klackon annotations indicate that Xixitlatzali (see above) and his servants encountered the Notul during their investigations of the biological manufactory, and so studied this codex to ready themselves in preparation for encountering other demons; and also that the discussion of the Tindhali Kelb aided Itzkatl Xhoa in drawing out the principles and formulae of translation.

a depiction of el Rulanh

4) The Eye and the Mirror
The final two items of note in this report were recovered on a quite different expedition, one not into the Tel al Safina, but into Medina al Taht ("the Undercity") beneath the very streets of Cothon itself. From within the vaults of some kind of crypt-shrine and vampire-lair, the company retrieved, among other things, another of the strange orb-like "eye" devices, this one marked with script, as well as a curious plane of greenish zortrium, polished on one side to a reflective mirror-finish, and marked on the other side with a set of strange logograms spiraling in toward a central point. This apparent mirror is scratched and marked along its edges in a way suggesting that it had once been fastened into a frame of some kind, and it was noted by Heijo that it was still touched by traces of magical dweomers.

Raoden, again using his sorcery, was able to read languages on both devices: 

The Kzinti script on the eye, formed of combinations of what appear to be dots, commas, apostrophes, and other such claw-like marks, reads fairly simply:

               So cast now your gaze  |  on the coy kzinret
               And your harem will grow  |  even greater than the Patriarch's

Meanwhile, the logograms on the "mirror" proved far more curious, evocative of some incantation of magic, or of praise to a Demon, or one of the grimmer Heroes. The particular references and kennings are mysterious; furthermore, the outer symbols of the spiraling kennings are clearly arranged in some meaningful pattern, but one which will take some further examination. As to the literal translation:

 Bel Wasat, Bel Phage, Hufrat min al 'Elam, Murtadi al Fuligin, al Da'ira, Kelb al Jahim, Rab al Bayt al Aswad, Nadhir fil 'Ufuq

Or translated to the trade tongue: 

"Lord of the Center, Lord Eater, Pit of the World, Wearer of Fuligin, the Circle, Hound of Hell, Master of the Black House, Warner at the Limes"

On the face, it would appear that this mysterious Bel Wasat or Bel Phage is some kind of Demon, though reflection on the legends of the Heroes would remind one that more than a few such are grim lords who demand dark rites in order to protect mortals from the worse hungers of the demons. Given the vague nature of the titles or kennings, the meaning of the spiraling logograms could be further investigated in two obvious ways (and almost certainly in other ways not immediately to mind for the Scribes!):

1. Research the kennings themselves to understand just what or who it is they refer to, and what connection they bear to various legends, or
2. Investigate the pattern of the outer logograms to divine what revelation is secreted there

A third topic of investigation, perhaps separate from the symbols themselves, would be to attempt to divine just what kind of enchantment the residual dweomers once imbued to the "mirror".

Plunder from Yramrag

About two months ago, a courageous company ventured into the sea caves of the Ocean's Throat, seeking the bounty on the rogue alchemist Yramrag, and to free the renyu serving him from the heavy yoke of his command.

That company included these adventurers:

• Durham
  Pako
• Mara
• Dehuhada
• Persephone
  Finbar and Tanit al Jamila

They succeeded in their mission--returning to the Kantor Kabljauhof with the inkvine-scarred head of Yramrag, and thus earning the Hanse's bounty for his demise, as well as declaring alliance with the freed tribe of renyu, now known as the Wasgo Tribe.

the inkvine-
scarred head

What's more, they plundered Yramrag's illicit alchemical laboratory, and thus came into possession of his equipment and inventory, but also laid claim to his spellbooks, notes, and correspondence. Now, as the Scribes have finally returned to updating this chronicle (their work on the upcoming tax-code reform being finally complete!), an accounting of these things is provided here, so that those who joined the expedition may properly divvy up their plunder:

Potions and Elixirs

• 10 "illicit" Sakkra blood potions (they appear darker, almost black, than the Kantor's potions)
• 8 "Elixirs of Heroic Vigor" (these potions inure the imbiber to pain or fear, granting temporary hit points and a bonus to attack and morale)
• 2 Potions of Heroism (per the OSE SRD)
• 1 bottle of poisoned wine
• 3 vials of "Yramrag's Perfect Antidote" (purported by the alchemist's notes to completely neutralize any kind of poison or venom)

Four Spellbooks

A Game of Death
This work includes a copy of part of the saga of the Red Pirate Galba in which he challenged a Sikelian pirate to a simple game of wits--"Which cup holds the poisoned wine?" Galba's success, of course, relied on his poisoning both cups, and being himself immune to the dose he proffered.
Following the excerpt, the spell-writer--perhaps originally Karmer himself?--lays out the principles of various spells involving poison, sniffing it out, and its slowing or neutralization.
I. preserve flesh
II. renyu's nose, Karmer's wine to poison, slow poison

A Prologomen to the Hidden Nature of Reality and the Lightness of Being
A peculiar treatise in which the arcane-philosopher disputes the reality of "matter", arguing instead that everything that exists is mere emanations of light--and such, once one understands the simplest such argument, one can perceive that "weight" and "mass" really are nothing, and that gravity is easily negated, just as light shines where it will. Unfortunately, this is only the prelude to the full argument (in which was promised much greater magics!)
II. levitate, lighten load

The Hunt for the Fuligin Feshenga of Zendak
A copy of a narrative poem about Jabborg, a smith-hero of the Bulrathi, and how he wielded the jagged lance of lightning in the eponymous hunt alongside other heroes and demigods. The cadence of stresses and harsh consonants is renowned among poets as onomatopoeia for a thunderstorm, and the spell-writer uses these cadences to actually effect lightning merely by proper recitation of the proper verses.
I. magic missile
III. lightning bolt

The Rhetoric of Genius
Yramrag's self-aggrandizing accounts of how self-talk that one is a genius can lead one to actually becoming one, and how talking oneself and one's accomplishments up in the right way can so overwhelm lesser minds that they fall sway to the dictates of one's own genius.
The possession of this original spellbook, which contains a polished mirror plate on the inside cover, opposite a mantra of self-praise, if regularly appraised, causes one's charm spells to be saved against at -1 by other creatures.
I. charm person
II. hold person
IV. charm monster

A Library of Notes

Several folios of notes, meticulously taken and organized, detailing various experiments both successful and failed. The example of his organization, as well as the extensive notes on various agents and reagents and their reactions, would aid any would-be-alchemist in designing and effecting their own experiments, and so anyone in possession of these notes while practicing alchemy can roll at +1 on their dice roll.

The notes include certain formulae, and also could be used to research certain narrow topics:

• formula for "illicit" Sakkra blood
• formula for "Elixir of Heroic Vigor"
• formula for "Yramrag's Perfect Antidote"
• extensive notes on Sakkra physiology and anatomy, as well as notes on their social organization and fighting tactics, as reported to him by the Wasgo
• similar notes concerning renyu (physiology, anatomy, social structure)
• details on his strange experiments in crossbreeding

Private Correspondences

A trove of letters and notes exchanged mostly between Yramrag and the pirates who are known to have a kind of fortified lair in the Ocean's Throat. Much of the exchange has to do with Yramrag's supply of the pirates with his potions,. in return for money and supplies, and as such is rather quotidian. However a quick skim through the notes reveals to potential topics of further inquiry:

• a regular exchange of magical notes, as well as investigations into the strange "Green Doors" in the caves, lights moving under the dark waters of the caves, and other such things, signed either Vikonyá or Hadisha (in different hands)
• certain cryptic "invoices" (as it were) which seem to indicate similar trade with a group other than the pirates--and signed in a way that seem to implicate the Barcidae of the Migdol!

Either of these lines of inquiry would require downtime to research, as sifting through the correspondence for relevant papers and letters would be rather time-consuming.

Ancient Coins and Klackon Cordage

(or, "of Knots and Numismatics")

Two sets of loot taken from the underworld of the Tel al Safina in recent weeks defied simple liquidation into lucre: a large collection of ancient and foreign coinage retrieved from a crypt in Colossian Temenos, and a small library of khipus--intricately knotted strands of silk, variously dyed and strung together, and thus comprising "written" records--taken from the so-called Sixth House of Attine Klackons in their Great Spire.

All credit to Torkol of the Survivors of the Tel here, for it was his efforts in the last couple weeks, on behalf of his comrades, that led to the sale of the one, and the interpretation of the other. So:

The Numismatic Nightmare

Confronted with the hoard of coins--silver, gold, electrum; dinars, guineas, thalers, drachmae and pentadrachmae; from the mints of Gadeed, of Misra, of distant Solwe--the adventurers' first thought was to seek out a moneychanger to convert the lot into something easily useable. Unfortunately, such services would come with a fee of 10% of the total value thus changed, not a small amount when the estimated value is around 8600 gold ...

Fortunately, Torkol stepped up to volunteer his time to find someone willing to buy the collection entire and at its full value, rather than going through a moneychanger. After all, Torkol has made a number of friendships throughout the city, including the proprietors of Cothon-Under-Star, the Free Klackons of whom Ix is a member, and the noble Bani al Rashid as well. Seeking out these contacts, Torkol found little immediate interest, but was directed by Zendaya al Rashid to a certain other house, where he received an offer of 8000 gold for the lot ... a little better than the 7740 that would remain after the moneychanger ...

But fortunately, he remembered one other contact--not "his" contact, exactly, but a personage known to fellow Survivor Ravna: the mysterious green-eyed Khadra al Qamari. Sending a message up to her from Under-Star, Torkol was thence collected by some of her green-and-silver-liveried servants, and led up through the streets to the old Klackon tower in which the lady makes her abode. Inside, observing a number of ancient weapons and strange artefacts, Torkol felt he had come to the right person to sell the old coins--and indeed, the Lady Khadra agreed to pay the full estimated value of 8600 gold. Her only condition was that Torkol and his compatriots in the Survivors consider it a kind of investment:

"I'll expect you and your heroic friends to venture once more into those crypts," she tells Torkol, peering at him with green eyes over a silver veil as the two sip wine over the deal. "Soon! And this time, you'll come to me first with anything interesting--especially anything to do with Dalan and the Moon."

The Cut

• 1620 gold each to Avin, Sesel, Ravna, and Durham
• 810 gold each to Vlana and Ix
• perhaps Torkol deserves a share of some kind?

The Klackon Khipus

Ever busy, Torkol thereafter embarked on the project of identifying the topics of the various khipus collected by his compatriots on their recent delve into the Sixth House. This he did mostly alone, using his personal knowledge of the Klackon language (being an interpreter by trade), wishing to avoid bruiting too publicly just what was discovered in the Spire.

A number of the works were seized merely because of their valuable appearance--fine silks, delicate dyes, elaborately decorative knots. These mostly comprise a variety of Klackon romances and epics, annals and pedigrees. Altogether, they can be sold for about 1600 gold.

More than a few, however, are of a more particular nature, covering topics of metallurgy on the one hand, and alchemy and "biochemistry" on the other hand. No doubt these could be sold to the right buyer for a tidy sum--immediately to mind are Cothon-Under-Star for the alchemical works, or the Barcidae for the metallurgical works. But taken together, and with certain notes found on a much earlier foray, as well as the Barcid-codex taken on the same delve as these khipus, the works all form a small collection that could become the core of a library. The topics would be rather narrow and obvious:

• metallurgy generally, the creation of good metals or alloys for a variety of purposes, though most especially for weapons and armor;
• alchemy, particularly involving the fungal predilections of the Klackons, paralyzants, creature-venoms, and antivenins; and
• biological studies of certain creatures within the Tel; only certain creatures are represented, but the studies could be taken as an archetype to begin a new study on a different creature

There are also two spellbooks amongst the collection:

Jabborg and the Thunderbolt
A copy and translation of a Barcid hero-song detailing the labors of Jabborg as he fashioned the legendary weapon of the storm-god. Many lines have been glossed by Klackon explanations and similar verses from Klackon epics are added by way of comparison.
II. heat metal, resist fire
III. striking

The Pale Beetle Under the Knife
This work is a detailed study of an alien creature discovered in the bowels of the Tel. It includes a number of detailed explanations of dissections, as well as chemical and biological analyses of the creature's venom sacs, reproductive organs, etc. Following are philosophical musings, noting that the creatures almost seem to have been bred or created specifically to hunt and kill Klackons. The cosmic horror of this implication--that a higher intelligence would devise new creatures specifically for such a purpose--pervades the work ...
As an original spellbook, this work really communicates the author's sense of cosmic dread, and a magic-user who has learned and memorized spells from it, and who studies the work semi-regularly, is able to impose a -1 penalty to saves against fear rolled against his or her own spells.
I. cure light wounds
III. paralyzation, fear

The Cut

• 200 gold and xp each to Sesel, Avin, Ravna, Durham, Bartholomew, and Heijo
  
• 100 gold and xp each to Vlana and Gan ad Din
• the library and spelbooks--what to do with them, whether to sell them off or divide them or whatever, is left up to the player-characters