Delve the Scroll

Among the shaded canopy of the forests outside of Alexandria there is a strange sight to behold. An area of dark mist stands out starkly against the greens and browns of the forest, some 30 feet in height and 60 feet across. The tops of trees poke out from inside of the dark mist and standing before it is Cesran. He's asked Zeke to meet him out here and he's got his spellbook open as he's doing some last minute studying on the spell he's about to perform. He's standing on a carpet that's hovering just a few inches off the ground and in front of him stands his staff, it's head scanning around watching for anyone approaching.

GAME: Cesran casts Mage's Private Sanctum. Caster Level: 20 DC: 27

Zeke, called to this meeting arrives with his tail flick-flicking behind him. He is obviously nervous to be meeting someone out here all the way outside the the city The dark mist only serves to make the whole situation all the more creepy for the sith-makar who is none to great a fan of arcane magics in the first place. The blue-scale approaches Cesran uncertainly, his green eyes sliding over the general area as if expecting something lothesome to appear and eventually nods to the other man. "Peassce on your nessst."

Ral'sara is the first to greet Zeke as she makes a clearing of the throat noise, made even more impress that she doesn't have a throat, "Peace on your nest Zeke." Cesran looks up at that and he closes his book, "Ah Zeke thank you for meeting me out here." He waves his hands towards the mist, "Don't mind that just a new spell I'm trying out." He looks around his eyes glowing the faint blue as he looks for anyone that might have followed Zeke out that might be invisible or otherwise concealing themselves. "I'd prefer we talk inside. Don't worry it's perfectly safe." He says as he goes to enter inside of the mists.

In spite of the assurance, Zeke seems still uncertain about following the mage, but he would rather not be left alone so he follows the mage from the clearing into the mists after offering a short polite nod to both the man himself and his staff as well. One can never be too safe when dealing with intelligent items.

Once inside it's easy to see the brightly colored forest, it's like the mist never existed. "Thank you for your faith in me." Cesran says as he stands a bit away from where he entered. "The spell you saw from the outside is called Mage's Private Sanctum. It blocks almost all but the very strongest of divination spells such as scrying. Those spells cannot perceive anything within the area, and those within are immune to detect thoughts. The ward prevents speech between those inside and those outside because it blocks sound, but it does not prevent other communication, such as a sending or message spell, or telepathic communication, such as that between a wizard and her familiar. The spell stretches 300 feet long, 60 feet wide and 30 feet tall, at least in this current configuration" He tries to be quick in explaining the spell, "I'd like to go maybe a 100 more feet in just so we are not at the edge, but if you feel more comfortable here then I'd like to set up some other protections."

Admittedly the spell description means little to Zeke initially, but he's glad to think that no one can see within the walls of this strange mist. He glances around once more, feeling slightly reassured by the mist rather than intimidated by it now that he knows its source and purpose. "Thisss one will go in further if that isss desssired." He offers quietly, his voice seeming to him somewhat muted. There's no echo of sound as there might have been normally in the forest. No sounds of birds chirping or insects buzzing, and he realizes that its this lack which unsettled him so before. He motions for the mage to lead the way, and then putters along silently behind him further into the mists.

Cesran smiles, "Please then step on to the carpet of flying and we can be off." He says as he waits for Zeke to get on the carpet and the carpet takes off as a comfortable pace, keeping towards the ground. "I have a spell called Analyze Dweomer that I think will help me unravel the secrets of that magical item you have. I'm going to put us in telekinetic sphere to try to limit any outside influences. Once we've determined what that magic item can do I'd like to try a few experiments to see if Mage's Private Sanctum can protect us from it. If there is any trouble I have some teleport spells prepared, we can be back in Alexandria in a moment."

Zeke has never been on a flying carpet before, and there's an instinctual thought to sit down the moment that it starts flying that's difficult to ignore. Or hop off. It's /flying/. Moving along at a pace faster than he could manage himself and he finds himself very disturbed by this fact, and does his absolute best not to move lest he fall off the thing. Thus he is /very/ glad when he is allowed to disembark. "Thiss one underssstandsss that you wissh to dissscover more about the ssscroll. Thisss one too, iss curiousss. Thiss one hopesss that no-thing will be disssturbed by our effortsss, and that it will reveal sssome-thing of itssself to usss."

Cesran starts to cast a spell and the veins under his skin glow brightly for a moment as the mana travels through his body to power his spell. "There we are in a bubble made of force, very few things can get through something like this." He reaches into his pack to take out a ruby and gold lens, "If you wouldn't mind bringing out the magical object. I believe I'm ready to begin."

GAME: Cesran casts Telekinetic Sphere. Caster Level: 20 DC: 32

After just a brief moment of hesitation, of glancing around to be certain that they are alone, Zeke removes the scroll he has been hiding within his vestments. The scroll remains intact and precisely as it was the last time that Cesran saw it, at least near as can be told by a simple cursory examination. The scroll is then offered to the mage.

GAME: Cesran casts Analyze Dweomer. Caster Level: 20 DC: 28

Zeke watches Cesran handle the object with a great amount of interest no doubt tempered with an equal amount of trepidation. Every time they use this object he fears that they will summon the interest of the one who he believes created it. There's simply no way of knowing.

Cesran offers it back to Zeke as he takes a deep breath, "Okay there is a lot of information to tell you. This device is as insidious as it is simple. As we thought before it allows you to scry on a person and can easily allow other spells to be added onto the scrying, all through this magical item. It lets you see the individual which makes scrying much easier and allows blood or other bodily parts to be used to make scrying almost guaranteed, even across planes, so our trick with the mage's mansion did little good." He sighs as he continues, "From what I can tell it's connected to another magical item, probably the one that the demon has. I can break the connection but that would mean turning it off. I can't tell what information it's sending to the other magical item. Also I think that there is some sort of master key that allows you to add and take off names on this list, but without it I can't. Am I remembering correctly that the demon just gave it to you or did you steal it from him?"

"Thisss one iss not entirely scertain how the sscroll wasss obtained, but thisss one believesss that it wass indeed sstolen from hiss possesssion." Zeke could question whether an item /could/ be stolen from such a creature at a later date. "Iss thiss other devisce that it isss connected to the... masster key? Or isss there another one that it iss connected to?"

Cesran hmms, "Given that there is information going from this magical item to another or perhaps more and it's now in your possession there is a chance that it was not stolen and perhaps allowed to fall into your hands. I can't tell what the other magical item is connected to without looking at that other magical item. I can't tell how many of these magical items are connected together." He pauses to think, "It could be that this master key is what is holding all the information on us, such as our names, physical appearances and in some cases blood or bodily parts samples and this magical item can just access all that information allowing for the scrying to work successfully." He tries to think if there is anything else he missed or didn't say. "There is a chance though that the demon will know when we are using this device and it could draw him here, that's what I through to do it out here, where the only innocents around, you and I, might be hurt, we don't have to worry about a village being destroyed because we pissed the demon off."

Zeke shudders as he takes the scroll back, looking at it like it might just bite him. "If you turn it off, can it be turned back on by thisss one? That way it can be looked at by othersss of your cassste with lesss danger of thisss one being... watched while carrying it?" He shifts from foot to foot as he looks at Cesran.

GAME: Cesran rolls knowledge/arcana: (17)+37: 54

Cesran takes a moment to think about the question. "You can turn it off and turn it on again, but it's also possible for this other magical item that the demon has to turn your magical item back on remotely. Meaning if you turn it off and forget about it, the demon can turn it back on whenever he likes."

Zeke's hopeful expression quickly returns to one of resignation. "Thiss one isss beginning to think that it isss besst desstroyed. If all it iss, iss a tool for the demon to ssee usss... we sshould deny him that." He looks at Cesran. "Unless you can think of sssome further usse for it?"

Cesran frowns in concentration as he considers the implications of destroying this object or using it, "The only reason I can think to not destroy this device is that we can use it to locate the master device and destroy that as well. Once we've destroyed the master device we can destroy this one as well and any others that have been made. This device has horrifying implications for personal privacy. Not merely scrying on us as we make plans, but also learning details about our personal lives that we don't want to be shared with the world let alone a demon that will use every bit of knowledge it can gain against us."

"For that reassson, thisss one hass been remaining in ssseclusion." Zeke admits. Since he is the one that has largely been keeping the device in his charge. "It isss not sssafe to be left nearly any-where, nor even with any-one who might be learned sssome-thing vital of." He says nothing about the possible cost to his own personal safety. "If it can be usssed to desstroy sssome-thing worssse, then it may yet be put to good purposse. Though if it remainsss in Eclavdransss handss... desstroying sssuch a thing might be asss difficult ass desstroying him."

Cesran nods, "That's a good thought, but if the demon has something similar or a more powerful version of that magical item, he can still spy upon any on that list with impunity and who knows if there are more on the list that he has. Still if you'd be willing I'd like to move us back towards the edge and while you are outside of the mage's sanctum, but still in the sphere use the device to scry upon myself, as I'll be in the sanctum."

Thus, destroying it really did nothing so long as the demon had a similar device in his possession. A frightening thought. He nods low to Cesran. "Ass you ssay." He responds, moving toward the edge of the spell as he was bid to do. He waits a long moment to be certain that everything is ready before unraveling the scroll, and using it on Cesran. He finds the mage's name and presses it. Finding his picture there, Zeke presses again and after a moment... Sees nothig but fog.

He waits a moment longer to see if the fog will resolve, but it doesn't, so he swipes the image clean and slowly returns to Cesran's side. "Thisss one could not sssee you in the scroll. It ssseeemsss that this devisce can not ssee through the sspell which you have casst."

Cesran moves the Telekinetic Sphere to the edge and he breaths a sigh of relief as it works, "Good although I think I'm still going to invest in a spell called Mind Blank. It is sort of like this spell, but it's personal. There is a communal version as well, I might as well pick up both. You seem to be leading this effort against the demon. Is there a place that you'd like designated in the city that I could come up and set up this Mage's Private Sanctum every day so that we had a place to talk about the demon and to plan our moves against him without worrying about being scryed upon. I mean to ask Serene and Seldan as well know that I know the sanctum is a safe option."

Zeke glances downwards, a touch embarrassed. "Thiss one iss merely doing what thisss one can. The temple dissstrict isss off-limitss to outssidersss, sso we will have to choosse another location for meetingssss. Thiss one hass procured a home off the edge of the Temple Disstrict - jusst outssside the area barricaded. It iss unoccupied asside from thisss one and would be a good plasce for meeting."

Cesran nods, "Understood, but we might want to change locations as well, so that we are not being predictable and always meeting in one place. If a certain part of the city is always unscryable it will lead that place to be attacked no doubt. Although it we wanted to set up a trap that might be an idea."

For a moment Zeke thinks about it. "If we sset up sssuch a trap, it sshould /not/ be in the scity. The innoscent people that would sssurely be dragged into it... Thisss one could not abide sssuch. Better to move around between sseveral plascess for now. Perhapsss inssside and outssside the scity to remain scircomspect."

Cesran nods, "That's a good plan. This sanctum I've created lasts 24 hours and I can make the shape variable. Do you wish to be teleported back to the city? I need to send word to Serene and Seldan soon since I'm not allowed in the Temple District. Which is understandable, but mildly inconvenient."

"Thisss one will walk." Zeke says gently, offering an amused shift of his tail and shaking his head for emphisis. "Thiss one would ssuggesst leaving thisss area ssoon, sso that if were were watched, who-ever comesss to invesstigate will find no-thing here. Assuming any-one doess." He thinks about this and then nods once. "Thiss one will let Sseldan and Sserene know, if thisss one ssseesss them firsst."

Cesran nods, "Thank you again for letting me research this item. If it weren't being used for evil purposes it's an amazing feat of arcane craftsmanship. I could probably reproduce it, but it would take a while and be very expensive." He comments as he lets down the telekinetic sphere, "Be safe Zeke. I'm going to dismiss the sanctum, but not until I've left."

Zeke nods low to the mage. "Peassce on your nesst Scesran." He offers, and turns to leave the way he had come. It's not /that/ long a walk, but he doesn't seem inclined to make it shorter by walking faster. He has his own pace, and that's good enough for him.

Cesran walks Zeke out, although he does fly on his carpet. As Zeke leaves the sanctum Cesran once more casts a spell to teleport himself back to Alexandria and soon after the dark mist starts to rapidly dissipate leaving the area as it once was.

-End