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Ex Libris, Part 1

Players/Characters Present:
John Sikking - Basil Amantes (Ftr5)
Bruce Barnett - Bonzimir Amantes (Rog2/Hlf3)
Barbara Muth - Nereida Amantes (Clr5)
Chris Wood - Felix Amantes (Psi5)
Peter Drake - Demetrios Amantes (Ftr2/Wiz2/Hum1)

Having heard of the lost library of Anushirvan, the Amantes spent a few weeks resting (and preparing a powerful potion of healing, in Nereida's case), the party set out east along the road from Callistus to Adamos, and beyond to the Shanatar border. 

After months of peaceful but relatively dull riding across the central Acaris plains of Conorria, the quintet arrived at the mighty Esharias river and Adamos, the city of Bridges. Built on more than one hundred islands in the river, Adamos is a series of connected neighborhoods, much like the city of Callistus. It lies at the crossroads of the routes to Shanatar, Celendor, and Carhallas. But trade is only part of the business of the City of Bridges. Trade routes are also invasion routes, and Adamos boasts a unique ring of defensive towers, each the responsibility of a separate knightly order or school of wizardry. It is the summer home of the Emperor, and also the home of the Great Library, the center of Borlamnian worship.

Unable to afford the Adamos ID papers, the Amantes purchased a Pilgrim's Token, allowing them entry to the city for 24 hours. They traveled to the Great Library, and were surprised to find how small the actual structure was. Nearly 1800 years old, the black cube surmounted by a black dome (The Dome of Kardev) was much smaller and older than any of the large temples in Echoriath. Nonetheless, the plaza that surrounded it was quite interesting. Each of the hundreds of thousands of stones of the plaza was inscribed with a separate rune, and the whole was laid out in patterns difficult to perceive. Here and there, small groups of Preservers (the scholarly wing of the Church of Borlamnos, as opposed to Nereida's Seekers) studied the intricate intersections of these runes.

Inside, the smoky, low cathedral centered around a box filled with seven of the Sacred Keys of Heaven, and was guarded by an honor guard of four Knights of the Sacred Keys. Below the Cathedral, Nereida knows, lies a chamber into which only a few Borlamnians are ever permitted, the Well of Runes. This place is a sacred mystery to most Borlamnians and is the real reason for the location of the Library and the City.

After finishing their devotions, the Amantes sought out some knowledge of the Shattered Plains. They were warned of four dangers of the desert: dehydration; the bizarre Ashstorms; the Yrthaks, dangerous dragon-sized flying predators; and Lightning Sand, which can swallow a man in seconds. They were also told of the desert nomads, the Kamari, or dragon-men. These proud and dangerous inhuman tribesmen live in the deep desert and worship dragons.

The Amantes then bought their way into a caravan traveling through the Shattered Plains to Shanatar by means of Nereida's ability to create water. On mid-winter's day, the caravan stopped at a desert oasis and met with a large band of the draconic Kamari. The caravan-master purchased the right to use the water, but was warned not to approach the Kamari camp. In the morning, Felix used his knowledge of draconic and several pieces of jewelry to negotiate the hire of a Kamari scout named Ha'aress.

Upon receiving payment, Ha'aress immediately set out into the deep desert, telling Felix that the trip would take some ten days. The party endured a desert storm (not an Ashstorm) that killed two of their horses. They survived a close encounter with Lightning Sand, and they were attacked by an enormous Yrthak whom Ha'aress named "Shaitan". This immense beast resembles a blind pterodactyl with a large spiral horn on its head. The yrthak was capable of generating intense sounds with its horn that exploded the rocks around them, causing everyone to be injured. Even more fearsome was the result when it narrowed the beam of its sound to hit only Demetrios. One blast nearly killed the hardy brother. Luckily, the beast was not able to generate these sounds continuously, and some very good archery drove it off before it could kill anyone. Later, however, the party observed a yrthak (Ha'aress thought it the same one, Shaitan), not far off.

At last, early in the first days of 2806, the Amantes came to Anushirvan. Ha'aress refused to approach, saying he would wait for them in the desert. The lost library was situated in the valley between the three mountains, and was somewhat cooler and more verdant than the desert. Above ground, it was merely a rubble field with a few half-standing walls. They stabled their surviving horses in the most complete of the rooms and began to search. By using her ability to detect magic, Nereida discovered that a powerful source of magic (the most powerful she'd ever felt) lay below her feet at the western end of the field. 

Demetrios discovered a half-buried stone door leading down into the ground, and after Bonzimir removed its hinges, Basil was able to lift the door out of its frame with a crowbar and survive the resulting arcane explosion. Expecting defenders, especially undead, the party prepared its defenses and entered the catacombs. Almost immediately, they came upon some of the millennia-dead priests of Anushirvan. They were undead, as the party had expected, and were enacting some bizarre tableau in which two carried a third in a rotted sedan chair and the fourth swung a censer of foul incense in front of the other three. Nereida tried to hit the priest in the sedan chair with a "Searing Light" spell, but missed. The four undead priests rushed forward to attack, two with their bony hands, one swinging the foul censer and one with a light crossbow.

The Amantes almost immediately discovered that while these unarmored skeletons were no problem to strike, they were almost impossible to damage. Only Basil, by swinging as hard as he could (Power Attack!) seemed to injure them at all. And then the situation got worse. Attracted by the sounds of battle, another undead entered the fray. This priest was dressed head-to-toe in full plate armor, and bore a shield and morning star. The shield was painted with a tightly-bound scroll, a mockery of the eastern symbol for Borlamnos, the open scroll. The armored priest immediately used its evil powers to overwhelm the defenses of Nereida, a true Seeker. Nereida's Prayer, Mage Armor and Shield spells were dispelled.

[And here we paused, in mid-battle...]

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