The Misadventures of the Missed Adventurers

[narf poit chez BOOM]

ooc:[it's mmyyy preeecciouuusss. mmyyy preeecciouuusss.]

as the sound of some distant thumps echoed through the manor, the guards on duty looked up. 'what? he's renovating again?'

ooc:[they'll start heading for the tower if they see or hear something dangerous. ]

Narp, slowly awakening with all the argueing, decides to investigate and at least tell the people to quiet down. grabbing his sword just because it's automatic, he straps on the sword-belt and heads up to the tower.

findign the bottom of the stairs, he proceeds cautiosly upwards, although he doesn't think the wizard has any traps where people would have to go to meet him. just to make sure, he thinks as peacefully as possible, which, considering the book on weather effects, means downright dull. keeping his hands away from his sword-belt, he proceeds up the stairs.

cloaking himself in illusion, D heads out to the yard in front of the tower.

ooc:[one of you'll have a better idea of when to pop him in. maybe D should do something.]

[ July 08, 2003, 21:33: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

[Krsqk]

Arthur "Hello, Jack. I'm doing fine, I guess. Yes, we were arguing about a ring. I need it to further my training."

Jack "Your training?"

Arthur "Mages from my family are bound by several odd rules. One of them requires an apprentice to secure three signet rings before he can officially begin his training. He can receive some education after receiving each ring, but is forbidden to seek training beyond a certain point. The rings are arbitrarily distributed by the master when a student applies for apprenticeship. The apprentice must then obtain the rings from their owners; this usually involves some sort of trial or quest before the owner will surrender the ring."

Arthur "I obtained the first two rings fairly easily. My father, who held the third ring, died before I was able to return from the second quest. It passed to my older brother, who is now the master wizard here at Lago. He refuses to give me the ring under any circumstances, probably because we've feuded since childhood."

Jack "Can't you take the ring from him?"

Arthur "I could, although it wouldn't help me. In fact it's sitting on that table." Arthur gestures toward a table in the corner of the room. On it sits a ring. The signet appears to be one third of a shield. "According to our rules, the ring has to be willingly surrendered by the owner. I would forfeit any possibility of further training if I took it by force. In fact, he could accuse me before the Guild and have me put to death."

Jack "Can the Guild intervene in a situation like this?"

Arthur "The Guild is old and stuck in their ways. They have the authority to do anything they wish, but they never exercise it--they prefer to stay huddled up in their library, debating over the meaning of dusty old tomes full of rules and regulations. Even if I appealed to them, John could simply say that I was not yet ready for further training, and they would buy it. In fact, they would probably view my appeal as proof of my immaturity and impatience." Arthur pauses a minute before continuing. "The master is permitted to intervene if he feels a ring is being unjustly held. Unfortunately, my father was my master. After his death, my brother became executor of my apprenticeship as well as owner of my father's third ring. I would not have to study with him, but I am forbidden to seek apprenticeship with another until I can present the entire signet of my previous master as evidence of my ability and trustworthiness."

Jack "How have you been able to study, then?"

Arthur "After it became clear that my brother would not return the ring, I began to study on my own. I am forbidden to seek or accept training, but self-study is not prohibited. I visited libraries everywhere and I watched wizards and mages performing their various spells. I could not ask or answer questions; and if there's one thing mages and librarians hate, it's being ignored when they've spoken to you. My knowledge is broad, but limited, because I've been run off from nearly everywhere I've visited as an arrogant young upstart. I had to leave other places because the people I was studying caught on to what I was doing and started to try to teach me. Refusing help isn't looked kindly on, either, and I was back to being a know-it-all youth." He stands, streches, and walks over to the window by which he entered. "After about fifteen hundred years of self-study and being run out of town, I decided that it would be better to get the third ring and seek training. Not that finding training will be easy--most teachers don't appreciate students with broad, shallow knowledge. It's seen as a lack of commitment, or worse, an inability to study. I'll probably have to get a Guild board appointed to teach me, which hasn't been done in seventy-five thousand years or so--not since Rellath began his formal apprenticeship. Of course, that's not a bad sign--Rellath was the Last Grand High Master Wizard we had in our family."

Arthur "Not to change the subject or anything, but what's your take on this?" Arthur relates to Jack the particulars of his readings from the northern underground.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

on the roof of the building, the wizard cancels his fireball and starts muttering to himself: 'what was i thinking? he wants the ring. he can't have the ring. he's not ready. he's reckless. he just wants to cause trouble. no, he's never caused trouble. maybe i should just teach him a bit myself.' and so on.

at the door of the wizard's tower, Narp knocks.

in the yard, D uses a spell to make himself weigh about as much as a sack of flour and starts easily climbing up to where he can hear the wizard muttering. it looked like things where coming to a head and that shielding spell was needed. because he's still cloaked in illusion, no one can see him.

the guards continue there rounds.

ooc:[well, i think in a few minutes the telepath will be alerted.]

[Jack Simth]

ooc:[Precap (long post): Narp has both Narp's and D's talismans, but they aren't distinguishable by normal vision; three options for Arthur's observations, mostly already decided for option three: mind control; three as-yet undecided options for fixing Arthur's problem: get from thief (shady), ask dead Dad (lots of requirements), fix brother's mind control (possibility; still depends on brother); some background on Jack and his world.]

At that point, Narp knocks on the door, and Jack opens it for him

Jack "Hey, I finished your talisman. Here."

Jack hands Narp the thought-gaurding talisman designed for him.

Jack "Oh, and if you see D, give him this one."

Jack hands Narp another thought-gaurding talisman, not distinguishable from the first by normal vision....

Jack "As for the Northern underground, I see three possibilities. It could be that a travel agent does business there."

Narp "Travel agent?"

Jack "Sorry, a teleporational travel agent; most teleportation methods can only take someone where they have either been or can see. A travel agent is a mage of some level that has been to many different locals, and can thus teleport people to places they haven't been or seen. It's one of the things my Master back home does for money. This would explain the sudden changes in the numbers, as people keep popping in and out. Sure, the timing with your brother is suspicious, but coincidences do happen."

Jack "Another possibility would be certain types of complex spells. I read an article a while back on life detection spells where it noted that the most complex 1% of golems often registered on such spells when they were active, as do some of the most complex data processing spells when processing a lot of data at once. However, those are the cream of the crop for complexity; the golems that registered as such could usually read and write quite well (and could always be taught to do so), as well as properly interperting most vauge orders, much as a human servant might. Again, this possibility makes for quite the coincidence on timing, but coincidinces do happen."

Jack "The third possibility I can think of is a class of certain types of communication. Telepathy and some thought communication spells do that."

Narp "Didn't we conlclude that the Wizard was being mind-controlled by a telepath earlier?"

Jack "Yes, yes we did; I'd gotten so wrapped up in making the talismans that I had forgotten why I was making them. I suppose that makes it the most likely, doesn't it?"

Jack "As for your problem with the ring, I'm only familiar with guild rules from my home. However, if the rules are similar here, I can see a few possibilities. Mind you, I already have heard enough to know that not all of them are - where I come from, a dead master is sufficient grounds for finding a new one, as he isn't fulfilling his obligations as your Master."

Jack "The first possibility is the intervention of a third and fourth party. You can't steal it, but there may be the option of buying it off of the thief after the fact, or buying it off of the person who bought it from the thief. Mind you, this would be a very shady workaround, especially seeing as how it requires dealing with thieves. It would probably also require someone who isn't affiliated with the Guild."

Jack "A second option would be to look very carefully at the guild rules; does the apprentice-Master relationship end with the Master's death, or with the obtaining of a new Master? If it is with the obtaining of a new Master, I have a spell that might help; it was a prerequisite for the intermediate eternity class I took back in prep school. Unfortunately, that particular spell would require your father's Name, as well as the time, place, and manner of death his most recent death."

Narp "Most recent death?"

Jack "Yes, my basic immortality class taught how to maintain onesself to prevent death from natural causes; that method is suffecient for five or six millenia. Virtually everyone in the society I come from learns the basic class. The intermediate class taught how to maintain life after the destruction of the body; that method usually tacks another ten to fifteen millenia on how long a person can hang on before moving on by extending a spirit-recall spell to continuous use on one's self. Roughly half the population knows the intermediate method. The advanced class taught how to maintain the intermediate stage indefinately, as well as how to rebuild a body to inhabit so that you can exercise the much simpler basic methods effectively, with the clock restarted. Roughly one percent of the population knows the advanced methods. They have come in pretty handy during my apprenticeship. There have been no recorded cases of someone who knows the advanced method becoming truly dead without their consent in the million years since the method was discovered, and it was one of the members of the current council who discovered the advanced method. However, for the spirit summoning, each time a body is destroyed counts as a death. If he still counts as your master, Arthur, and if you have all the info needed, we could summon him and ask. Likewise, it won't work if he is already back by some means, or just wants to stay dead. Necromancy is frowned on for good reason, but the non-compulsory spells and techniques are considered acceptable where I come from."

Jack "A third possibility is that your brother wouldn't acutally mind giving you the ring, but he is prevented due to mind control. Alternately, he could be sufficiently grateful if the mind control gets removed to just give it to you."

ooc:[Recap (long post): Narp has both Narp's and D's talismans, but they aren't distinguishable by normal vision; three options for Arthur's observations, mostly already decided for option three: mind control; three as-yet undecided options for fixing Arthur's problem: get from thief (shady), ask dead Dad (lots of requirements), fix brother's mind control (possibility; still depends on brother); some background on Jack and his world.]

ooc:[It's a good thing I checked for other Posts before posting this....]

[ July 08, 2003, 23:51: Message edited by: Jack Simth ]

[narf poit chez BOOM]

ooc:[krsqk, if you already have history planned that contradicts what i have down for the wizard's babbling, tell me.]

Narp quickly slips the second one onto his belt, before he forgets and puts the first one on his neck. "thanks." to Arther "may i presume that you've been caught in one of the 'object neccasary for apprenticeship' problems? now, there was one particular scholar who made a study of them..." before Narp can go on any further, arther cuts in "yes, yes it is."
Narp "oh. where's the wizard?" to Jack "Last i saw D, he was sleeping."

at that moment, D hoists himself up into the room. deciding not to drop his illusion yet, he instead makes sure there's no dangling loose ends to attract Jack. seeing that there's no apparent danger in the room, he decides to keep climbing. he had thought up an idea, if he cast a sufficiently complex mental illusion surounding the wizard's brain, he could confuse the telepath when he checked up on the wizard and make him think it was simple fatigue, although it wouldn't hold long it should be long enough. with this new complication, it seemed important to get the wizard out of the telepath's control fast. accordingly, he arranged all of the elements of the illusion in his mind.

ooc:[everybody in jack's world knows life-extension techniques?]

[ July 09, 2003, 03:51: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

[Krsqk]

Arthur "I tend to agree with the telepathy argument for the life detection responses. I suppose it would be possible for those sorts of coincidences, but I don't know how there would have suddenly been seventy of those complex golems or spells running around on my way here."

Arthur "As for the Guild rules, they are unfortunately clear and direct about both the terms of apprenticeship and necromancy. 11.1) Once application for apprenticeship, the apprentice is bound to secure all three signet rings. Until he does so, he is forbidden to seek or receive training from anyone, with limited exceptions upon gaining each of the first two rings. 11.2) The rings must be willingly surrendered by their owner. A third party may not be involved in the transaction. 11.3) Apprenticeship may only be terminated by the express desire of the master, or the master's death. The second condition is subject to rule 1) above. 27.3) Necromancy in any form is strictly prohibited by the Guild, and will be punished with death and/or banishment. There is actually precedent in the Guild case law which deals with this exact situation. In fact, it was Rellath himself who was the test case. Fortunately for him, pressure from the Guild as a whole (not the Guild board) caused the third ring holder to surrender it. Unfortunately for me, he had to wait about three thousand years before enough pressure mounted, and I'm only halfway there."

Arthur "As for the possibility that John would actually surrender it to me willing after/because of being freed from mind control, there is a chance of it. My only questions then are, who is preventing him from delivering it to me and what is his interest? If I/we can find satisfactory answers to those questions, I'll buy the possibility."

Arthur "Just so you know, I am opposed to taking any shortcuts or using any underhanded schemes to work this out. Just about any plan could be reverse-engineered, and there is no statue of limitations on violation Guild rules. The only way to have immunity is to rank either Grand Master Wizard or Grand High Master Wizard, and I'm about seventeen thousand years short of eligibility for that. I'll take shortcuts in just about anything else, but this has plenty of time to come back and bite me."

[ July 09, 2003, 04:44: Message edited by: Krsqk ]

[Jack Simth]

Jack "Definately vastly different rules. I can understand not wanting to break the rules or take shady shortcuts. After all, the goal is to get people to teach you willingly, and that requires their co-operation."

Jack "Any form of necromancy's illegal? Does that mean if I have to rebuild myself a body, they will execute me? That's amusing. Also rather pointless. Banishment might work. I might even accept it willingly if they give me a route home in the process. Then again, if this plane's Guild signed the Interplanal Castaway treaty, they would be obligated to do so. I'm not sure what the chances of that are, however, as there is a very large number of planes that were missed, or didn't have a strong Guild at the time. You seem up on Guild history; would you know? It would have been around fifty thousand years ago."

Jack "As for the why on the ring: at home, I've noticed that guild rules are seldom senseless, even when they seem to be so. It's possible that putting all three together restores an enchantment of some kind. However, there wouldn't be any way to tell what it does without all three. Of course, the only real way to track down the culprit and their motives would be to find the person controlling your brother. We might check those caves you keep getting the response from, especially with the timing. Can you cloak your thoughts, or do I need to make another talisman? Oh, and we should probably find D; with all the ruckus, I suspect the telepath suspects we're coming."

[Krsqk]

Arthur "Oh, there is no single Guild organized on this plane. There are several, and your eligibility is primarily determined by family (or, in some instances, nationality). My family's Guild is one of the three oldest, which brings with it both prestige and strong tradition. My particular clan has controlled the ruling body of our Guild for dozens of millenia. At times, though, the way we pointlessly follow tradition seems to outweigh the benefits of belonging to such a prestigious guild."

Arthur "Each of the top three guilds have Banned necromancy for their members. By default, most of the lower guilds have as well, and those that have not are forced to practice it in secret. The rules would not technically apply to an outsider such as yourself, but practicing it would be socially distasteful and would taint your reputation if it were widely known. It hasn't been necessary for long lives here mostly because those naturally possessing magical talent tend to live for several thousand years anyway, and also because natural causes of death are so easily avoided. Even accidents may be provided against without much trouble. Death in battle is generally accepted as final and is viewed as a sign of your foe's superiority. That makes achieving the Grand Master Wizard and Grand High Master Wizard ranks such a feat--one must have truly mastered his skill to survive so long. Also, both medicinal and magical means of extending life before death have been a focus of research, and are one of the few areas of knowledge which are freely and widely shared here."

Arthur "I do not believe that this plane signed the castaway treaty. In fact, few extra-planar visitors have ever stayed here for long, probably because there is little interest in changing the current power structure. Nearly everyone in content to leave things as they are, from the nobility to the peasantry to the wizards themselves. While there are few true conflicts, most are only interested in advancing their Guild or their own personal causes."

Arthur "It is possible that the three rings together release or create some enchantment. The practice was once common, but all but died out in our Guild fifty or fifty-five thousand years ago. Rellath was the first to have such a signet in seven thousand years, and I can't think of a single apprentice in any of the twelve clans with a similar situation since then."

Arthur "Perhaps we'll find out more after our explorations. By all means, let us find D and be off. If you have the time, I would appreciate your making me an amulet, probably with thoughts about the location of the rest of my home--it's useful enough to seem real, and not useful enough to possibly help anyone. I could do so, but it would take me quite a while (I'm rather weak in thought magic); and I need to dig through the Guild history to see if I can't find something to help me in there. Narp, I don't know much detail on the other Guilds; do you know of anything in their history that might be useful?"

[ooc: I'm leaning toward the releasing of some enchantment or other, but I don't know yet what would be important enough for someone to prevent, but small enough to fit in with the low-level characters we're dealing with. It's not like Arthur can suddenly be Supreme Lord High Ruler of the plane or anything. ]

[narf poit chez BOOM]

ooc:[Krsqk, in your post you made a reference to relath. Jack is from another plane, so the only way you could know about him would be to be from the same plane.]

[Krsqk]

[ooc: I thought I was the one to create Rellath. He was the Grand High Master Wizard on the current plane approximately forty thousand or so years ago. Did I re-use a name, and just not catch it? If so, point me to it, and I'll go back and change my Posts.]

[ooc: edit: If you're concerned about Jack not knowing about Rellath, Arthur mentioned him several Posts back, I think when referring to having a Guild panel appointed to train him.]

[ July 09, 2003, 06:14: Message edited by: Krsqk ]