The Found Book

The adjunct quarters of the Society for Progressive Arcanists is a grand building... from the outside. Inside, it's a cramped warren of passageways and doors, staffed by a perpetually bored War Golem at the 5'x8' 'lobby' just beyond the front doors. He is always studying, and seems to barely notice visitors, even when they ask for directions. When asked for Magpie's room, the answer is an apparently practiced "second left, third right, stairs one floor, first left, stairs one more floor, third right, second left, door 338."

Fortunately, Telamon came prepared, and swiftly scribbles the directions on a bit of paper with a pencil, before repeating them back. "Second left, third right, stairs one floor, first left, stairs one more floor, third right, second left, 338." He pauses. "Out of curiosity, how often do you have to send search groups out to locate lost visitors?" For his part, Tel doesn't look like a student. He's immaculately garbed in a new ruffled shirt in forest green, over deep blue trousers trimmed in white tucked into his boots. His hair is neatly brushed and ever so slightly tousled, with his circlet donned to hold the platinum locks back.

If the golem answers, great, if not, no worries. Telamon is fastidious about following the directions -- mostly because he figures if he doesn't, he's going to be in trouble because he can't just teleport out. "Wonder how many students wish for that," he muses aloud, as he finally reaches the proper floor, and door 338. Raising his hand, he knocks three times.

"Snack tables on every floor," the golem answers without looking up. "Keeps the snacks budget going. Someone'll find you before dinner, probably."

The knocking is answered with a muffled "WAUGH" and the sound of a pile of books becoming a walking hazard. "JUST A MINUTE!" Magpie hollers after a beat, before getting to work picking up the fallen stack.

When the door finally opens, the gnome looks harried, but used enough to visitors that she's already mostly looking up at Telamon's face, rather than the more expected moment needed to raise the head. Upon recognizing the starborn, her face splits into a wide grin. "Telamon, hey! How're you doing? C'mon in c'mon in!"

The door is widened for Telamon to enter, but... oof. Magpie is a *terrible* housekeeper. Fortunately since meals happen elsewhere, there's nothing *truly* distressing. Simply human-scale furniture in a student-scale dormitory, with only the bed truly sized for someone of Magpie's stature. And in between, piled of books, notes, and assorted bric-a-brac, with a visible path dug through for access to desk, bed, and door.

Once the half-elf has room to enter, she makes her way to the bed, flinging herself atop it and waving to the desk. "You have the actual chair, I need the change of sit anyway. So what's up?"

Telamon is still slightly bemused about 'snack tables on each floor'. "I'm not sure if I should spend more time here, or less," he muses. Hearing the thud of books, his eyebrows rise, but as Magpie calls out, he relaxes again. Waiting patiently.

His expression when she opens the door is cheerful, if a bit focused. It's not -just- a 'drop by to chat' visit, from the look in his eyes. But he still smiles, and makes his way inside at her urging. Whereupon he blinks. "Goodness," Books, notes, papers... "Is it finals week? I didn't think that was just yet... or do I have my calendar confused again?" He makes his way over to the desk chair, taking a seat. "Well... I have a problem. Not the usual 'world's ending, hand me the sovereign glue' problem, but something I need to deal with."

"...No this is just me," Magpie admits, twiddling her hands and clearing her throat. "I was an adjunct researcher, not a student. Which meant I hunted down the stuff students needed for their theses, so they knew what books to *get* instead of wasting time crawling through the stacks. But I got tenure, so I quit to do work on the Society's behalf for the Temple of Daeus. Which is great cos if I had to find materials for stupid studies like boiling frogs quietly *one more time--* Ehm. Anyway. Yeah. Problems. How can I help?"

He chuckles. "Well, it's not like I'm the sort to look down on reading and study, either. We'll have to compare notes at some point, see what we've found useful." He pauses. "Which... kind of brings me to my visit. There was a bit of an incident not long ago -- this was while I was being inconvenienced by the werewolves -- and an adventuring party retrieved a book that I -thought- had been destroyed."

He opens his haversack, and removes a fairly stout tome. The book is held closed by two thick leather bands around it, the buckles locked in place, but the title can be clearly seen: 'A Study of the Great Beyond and its Denizens'.

"Oooooh," Magpie says, bending forward to reach for the tome. Then, she catches herself, peering at the book, then Telamon. "...Those straps are decorative, right? Also who's the author?"

Telamon shakes his head. "They're not. I fitted them on... well, just in case." The author is... well, one of my ancestors, an elven wizard named Feadril Atlon. His study into the stars and worlds beyond caused him to fall in with the creatures called aboleths." His expression is sardonic. "So you can see why I might take care with anything written by him."

"...I have so many questions," Magpie murmurs, her reach still halted. "...I guess first off is, what d'you need from me? I can try to study it, sure, Albus'd be a big help with safety..."

Telamon shakes his head. "I brought it because I figured you'd be able to keep it safe, maybe get it placed into the restricted area in the library. I... don't know if it has any power. I don't -think- it does -- the last person who was reading it didn't go crazy or frothing at the mouth, he was just..." He stops, trying to find the best way to put it. "...stupid. And power hungry."

"Yeah I can do that," Magpie says, frowning, and resumes her reach for the tome. "...Gotta say though, now you got me curious. Is there a story behind that?"

He passes the book over to Magpie. "Yes. It might even amuse you, considering how it ends." Telamon leans back a little, one arm on the desk as he collects his thoughts. "Feadril... fell under the sway of the aboleths, but he didn't -stay- swayed. He was broken loose, and healed of their influence, but it cost him. He wound up burning his spellbooks and -- we thought -- all his tomes, and entering a monastery."

"In any case, my family moved on -- but there's always notes, references, and someone may pick up on a chance detail. A young wizard named Periandr Calathra ran across something like that, and decided to follow in Feadril's footsteps."

"...To the monastery?" Magpie hazards, turning the book over in her hands. "Sorry, go on, I'm listening."

Telamon chuckles. "More like 'to the aboleths'. The damn fool had used the lore he'd collected, plus whatever was in that book, to cobble together an arcane ritual that would transport him to Feadril's 'secret masters'." He snorts. "The problem was that Feadril no longer counted the aboleths as his masters -- well, he's also dead, too, but the ritual instead yanked Periandr -- and that adventuring party -- somewhere else."

Tel steeples his fingers. "You see, Feadril was saved -- though as I said, it cost him -- by a creature called the Watcher in the Stars. And Periandr's stupid, ill-advised ritual, instead of bringing him to the aboleths... deposited him on the Watcher's doorstep."

"...Now I'm sad I missed that," Magpie says, eyes wide. "But that completely makes sense, if your guy believed he owed his life to this Watcher thing... I'd bet you lunch that he altered the ritual -- probably *all* the rituals in his books -- before he decided that wasn't enough, burned everything, then missed this book here. But I mean... There's only one way to *test* that theory, and nuh-*uh.*"

The half-elven sorcerer barks out a laugh. "I think that would be prudent. I know sometimes I can be impulsive, but I will happily pass on -that- kind of experiment." He shrugs lightly. "There are few records about what Feadril -did- after being freed, aside from entering the monastery. I don't think we'll ever know for sure."

"But the adventuring party reported being transported to someplace -else- -- not another plane, but I believe a world entirely separate from Ea. They said the sun wasn't quite the right color, the grasses were blue, and the trees looked all different. It wasn't dangerous or poisonous, just... not here." He snorts. "And that's the best part, Magpie. That ritual, spell, whatever that Periandr cooked up -- you're familiar with how conjurations work. Summoning and calling and the difference? It -summoned- those adventurers, so after a short time they got returned to Ea, none the worse for their little trip. But Periandr..." He pauses. "He's still on that world."

Magpie sits back, shocked at this revelation. For a long moment, the gnome is simply silent, as if processing this information. Then, she *slams* her hands down. "I WANT INTERVIEWS," she says, then recoils in horror as she realizes she's just physically assaulted an ancient wizard's published work. "Oh no..."

Telamon looks slightly aback at Magpie's declaration, leaning back, before responding mildly, "I can have the Guild report sent on to you, but you'll have to track them down." The book, for its part, is unperturbed by Magpie slapping at it; it's leatherbound and sturdy.

"In any case, from what they told me, the Watcher seemed... unsurprised they were there. And that Periandr would remain in his... her... its care." He smiles wryly. "As I told Warrick Retzner, it's a prison of a different sort. No bars, no guards -- but Periandr cannot leave that place. Oh, there's clean water, and food, and a teacher -- the Watcher is pretty good at teaching -- but he may be there a while. Hopefully he'll learn some compassion, and wisdom."

"From everything you said, that's probably best," Magpie says, bobbing her head. "And sorry, just... I mean I've never heard of another whole *world* before. It really makes you wonder, do they have the same planes we do? What's their cosmology like, is it the same gods or different? Are they *really* different gods? If the grass is blue, is fire, like, purple? Is the *lightning* green? So many questions, and if I stop to think about it now I'll never get *anything* done."

Telamon shakes his head. "I don't know. It's one of those mysteries that we may never solve here and now." He strokes his chin. "But it's nice to know there are forces out there that are trying to do the right thing, the good things, just like we are. Maybe they tackle them differently, or see things with a different viewpoint. But it's heartening to think about."

He shakes his head. "I wish I'd been there. The Watcher... well, I knew of him, had encountered him in dreams connected to my magic. Strange, yes, even alien -- but compassion seems to be a strong trait for him." He looks at Magpie. "There's references in a couple of books about 'flumphs', kindly if unusual creatures, seeking to protect people. I guess Periandr is in good hands." A pause. "Tentacles. Oh well."

"Ten-- Flum-- you're serious. You're sitting here and you're serious because that *actually happened.*" Magpie's eyes are the size of dinner plates, her entire perspective on the world shattered to the very core. "Oh my gods, that *happened* and things like this *exist?!* I mean it's great that they're not, y'know, more qlippoths or whatever but... Oh wow I'm going to need *lots* of chocolate to get to grips with that..."

"Haven't we had this conversation? Sometimes you wind up falling into the stories you only read about before." Telamon's starry eyes dance merrily. "It's a fascinating world out there. Tiny dragons, tentacled guardians, books and swords that talk." He lets his gaze drop to the book. "So I guess my question is, what're you going to do with the book, first? I'd like to see it secured. Not destroyed. I... hate to burn any kind of book, and we never know if we might need it at some point."

"Well I mean, there's what I *want* to do, and there's what I'm probably *gonna* do," Magpie says, looking down at the book and heaving an outsized sigh. "What I *want* to do is get a dozen sausage croissants and some really strong tea, and spend my weekend reading through it. Probably with Albus' help, because I'm good but I'm not a *super* mage. That sounds like a really, really fun break from my work."

"What I'm probably gonna do, though, is take this down to the archivists, tell them what you told me, and watch it get put in a safe vault. Then I can have my fun once I've gotten permissions as *well* as tenure."

"Try the ones from Pilatyri's, he gets some of the best heartland sausage." Telamon adds, probably unhelpfully. "But... yeah. I... temptation -is- a thing when you're a mage. Did you ever read 'The Circles of Longing'? I suddenly have a new appreciation for what that author was warning about, the temptations of reaching for more and more arcane power."

He sighs heavily. "And if Periandr wasn't enough of a warning, Feadril should be. I mentioned it cost him to get loose from the aboleths. Specifically, it cost him his magic. He couldn't cast so much as a cantrip when it was done. That was the price he paid to be free of their influence."

"Well... I refuse to let it get me down. A possibly dangerous book, secured -- but not destroyed. A villain, hopefully redeeemed -- eventually. And a whole lot of things to talk and think about." He offers Magpie a grin. "There are worse things to contemplate over a cup of tea."

"Lemme tell you, just talking to Albus is teaching me a *lot* about how to become an actual, old mage," Magpie commiserates. "'Compilations of the Eternal' just *existing* scares the life out of me, but, the problem is it's *useful.* If you're desperate enough. And smart enough to cancel out the desperate. Which I'm not sure I am. Oh! Which reminds me," the gnome says, snapping her fingers.

"I'm getting the Study Buddies together on Variday. I've already reserved the workroom, and I'm bringing snacks. ...Which I should double up on, if Pothy's gonna be there. You heard about Andelena?"

Telamon grins. "There are old mages, and bold mages, but there's very few old, bold mages. Although at some point I should discuss things with Albus. There are a couple ways of... I won't say -cheating- death, but let's say sidestepping some of the issues. I'm wondering if he was the beneficiary of one."

Tel's brows come together at the mention of Andelena. "Yes. Fortunately, she bounced back -- she's one tough lady and Dolan's lucky to have her. But the idea of a fiend attacking the Temple of Daeus..." He shakes his head. "It's getting serious. We definitely need to get together, compare notes and figure out how we want to take the fight to them. Or at least discourage them from pestering us."

"I've been meaning to talk to someone in Artificer's about War Golems," Magpie says, lifting a finger. "What he *did* was supposed to be a contingency measure, but, nobody found his body until resurrection was, y'know. Not really doable. But War Golems, they got souls, right? So how do they get in there? And can it be *any* soul? Like, the soul of a wizard who didn't deserve what happened to him? That's the theory I'm working with, but-- yeah. The Study Buddies."

Magpie claps her hands together. "That's why I quit my job," she says. "I'm full-time on Jal'goroth. We're gonna be looking for a way to take him down, permanently. Without, y'know, doing the obvious and stupid thing. Basically I'm just gonna be asking everyone to lean hard on whatever research materials they have access to, so if you can't make it to the meeting... You're caught up. You and Cor'Lana both, if you've got time to spare."

Telamon looks thoughtful. "Might be worth investigating. I can't imagine being stuck in a book is much fun. Maybe a simulacrum, as well. Some kind of stopgap measure." He taps his fingertips on the desk. "Let me know if you want me to poke around a bit."

He smiles at Magpie. "Well, there are ways... but yes. Lana and I are in on this. He's caused enough trouble to our friends, and to us. Time for consequences, as the khazadi like to say. If I can't make it, I'll see if Lana can attend in my stead. After all, tell one of us something and the other will know it soon enough."

"Tell her I'll set up a snack table just for Pothy," Magpie grins. "And yeah, if you could help with Albus I'd owe you *big.* And I say that knowing exactly what it means when a mage is owed a favor."

He chuckles. "Oh yes. I've made that point myself to people. I am -not- above giving a little magical assistance to someone who's aided me. Nothing like gratitude, even if sometimes we'd prefer it in coin."

Tel hmmms. "If it gets too crowded for a study hall, let me know ahead of time." His eyes twinkle. "I picked up a scroll of magnificent mansion. It's an amazing spell. I've been spending time studying it and it's -intricate-. Like an artifice mechanism. And it makes for a wonderful meeting place."

He rises then. "I have to go, I'm afraid. I'll be in touch, Magpie. And if you see Dolan before me, tell him I got his message." His eyes glint, hard. "Seems I have some people who don't like me. Well, we'll deal with that soon enough."