Noticing Kurat and Hsang looking at the paintings, Tyrol decides to join them and look at the paintings.

"Interesting, aren't they?" he says, not having heard what they were whispering about. He steps closer and examines one in detail.

"Frescoes. Explains why they've lasted so long. Except... they usually start to crack and crumble after awhile."

He glances around the room again.

"No direct sunlight to cause them to fade. I'm sure the doors are closed when the weather is bad. Do they all have a green star on them? Is that symbolic in the painting or do you think they really have a green star marked on them?"

"What if the green star only shows when we touch one? And what happens to these Wonders if we succeed in stopping this destruction in the prophesy? Or what happens to them if we fail? Oh. I suppose, if we fail, they'll be destroyed just as we will be."

He moves to look at the three paintings on this section of the wall.

He then proceeds to cast a spell and concoct a potion which he drinks.

Spell cast: True Seeing
Potion drank: Detect Magic

10:46, Today: Tyrol Halverschlagen rolled 34 Perception,27 Alchemy,32 Arcana using 1d20+15,1d20+18,1d20+18 ((19,9,14)).

Kurat nodded at Tyrol coming over, "Most likely they were protected by magic during this time. True Seeing, so you are a cleric? I'm a wizard and monk. Such is beyond my abilities right now."

Chess ala'riina was a bit startled when one of the others took notice of her and loudly spoke about what she thought, something she is used to dealing with.  Being from a Drow city where Females rule and the males were the lesser beings.  She also took noticed of how two males moved closer to speak in whispers in front of everyone else.  Thinking it was pointless being some here might be able to read lips or hear better than the average being.

Looking to Bash "Thank you and your help would be most grateful.  Even with others reading them, others may find a different pattern that was hidden.  Something that a lesser mind wouldn't think of. she was sure that all heard her slight pun.

She then waited for Jarvis to comment on the Oracle in the Monastery.

"Those wishing to read Esmeralda's journals or look at the maps may follow me," Jarvis announces.

Jarvis then leads Hsang and the others out the west doorway and down the hall to the stairs going up to the next level. From there, they climb the circular iron stairs up to the lowest level of the western tower.

"All the maps and similar documents are kept here at the lowest tower level," Jarvis explains. "As you can see, long wide shallow shelves have been built to keep maps flat. They get old and brittle, and if you roll them up, they tend to crumble when you try to unroll them."

"The journals are on the next level up. While we consider them treasures, we don't feel they have as much value as other books. Not even other Oracles have been able to comprehend the visions Esmeralda had."

No sooner than Jarvis left with the others than a hooded woman emerges from the east doorway and approaches Chess ala'riina.

"I am Tamara, the monastery's current resident Oracle," she says to Chess. "You wish to speak with me?"

Chess ala'riina was pleased to know that the journals were kept at a more secluded and safer level on the monastery. She was even more pleased when the Oracle came to speak to her seeing that she might of foreseen that request.

"Greeting Tamara.  I would like to know what Mystery do you profess to being bonded to? I have been blessed with Lore,  Seeker of Knowledge. she replied.

"Jarvis informed us that you might have some insight for us?

Whether it is Tyrol's Gnomish disposition, his penchant for illusions, or his alchemical acumen, it's hard to say. Probably a blending of all three.

The paintings definitely detect as magical, a faint transmutation aura.

As an alchemist, he's aware of a few tricks that other alchemist's use to make their formulae book unreadable, one of which is mirror writing. He sees that was used here, on the paintings, as decorative background lines. It's been further disguised by inverting the second line, pushing it right up against the line above it, and then distorting both of them in opposite directions, like a fun house mirror. And each painting has this in a different language.

From left to right, the three paintings on the southwest wall are the Medallion, the Staff and the Boots. He only recognizes one of the languages: Gigantik.

Because of the distortion, though, it's hard to read.

The circular gold Medallion hangs from a gold chain and shows a green pentacle with an eye in the center.

The green wooden Staff is topped with a green pentacle inside a golden triangle with extensions below that are fasted to the staff.

The green leather Boots appear to be high boots that go up to about mid-calf. The top of the boots have been folded over to form a sort of cuff that has decorative gold thread on it. One of the boots is laying on its side such that you can see the bottom of the boot and the green pentacle inset into the heel.

While it may seem obvious to most folk, Tyrol (perhaps because of his smaller stature) observes that the paintings all appear to have been painted to life size.

"I am bonded to the Heavens," Tamara answers Chess.

"I do not know why Jarvis would say that. I am not nearly as enlightened as Esmeralda was. Perhaps with a few decades of experience, that may change."

"I did not even foresee this event, not even days away. I have tried to see something about it now, but it's as if I am being blocked. Or maybe I am just not strong enough."

"All I've been able to see is that it is an ancient threat. It... I think it was banished long ago, though those that did the banishing may have thought it was destroyed. It has been waiting."

Chess ala'riina nodded to Tamara's words and it was something she might of feared when hearing about It an ancient threat, banished.

"Many believe they can destroy an evil Power, but there will always be someone or someway to change the threads of Fate. she offered "I don't think your weak but the latter is most true.  Something or someone is blocking you and we will uncover It or their true purpose. she ponder for a moment not having seen Esmeralda journals yet.  "Would you happen to know of Esmeralda's blessing bond?

"I think 'mystery' was her Mystery," Tamara replies with a hint of humor. "From reading her journals, it sounds like she had two bonded Mysteries--Ancestor and Elemental. She died about 400 years before I was born, so I don't know for sure. If you read her journals, you'll see the same thing."

Chess ala'riina's eyebrow arched at the mentioning of two Mysteries.  Was that possible and if so then she was surely a special Oracle before her time.

"I do plan on reading them and hope to understand more of her life so many years ago. she smile.

It seemed that many keep speaking of the past but in truth the past and the future are intertwine as one, those who know about Fate and Destiny are to be gifted Seers.

Looking at Tamara to confirm she was human.

"Holy Schnikies!" Tyrol exclaims as he drops to the floor, landing on his backside.

"There's writing on the walls! On the paintings! All that squiggly kind of stuff around the actual paintings... it's coded writing. Well, it might be coded. I can't quite read it yet."

"To start with, it's mirror writing! That is, it's written backwards. Then this upper in each pair is distorted--narrow at the top, widened at the bottom to further disguise the lettering! Then the second line has been squooshed along the bottom and widened at the top, and then it was pushed up against the top line to make it look like the shadow, but you see how they aren't identical."

"It also looks like each painting has a different language. I only recognize the one around the Boots; it's Giant-speak. You know, Gigantik."

"I was thinking we might have to copy it all down onto parchment and then try to read it in a mirror. I've got another idea. I can use an illusion to un-distort it."

Vogh had followed Jarvis to go look at the journals with Chess and whoever else went with.  Vogh stayed in the background as Jarvis talked about each of the floors.  But, as they made their way to where the journals were and were introduced to Tamara, Vogh nodded her head in acquiescence.  Chess was an inquisitive one and certainly had plenty of questions and comments to make that Vogh just let the dark elven woman speak.  Vogh would listen and wait till she heard something that would possibly give her a question or an answer.

Hsang nods gently.

"The answers the Oracle wished us to have are right here - if we have the wit to see them.  I saw directions, headings in which to travel but then I can fly for as long as I can stay awake.  The question is are the three of us enough to find the location and all the clues or not.  For the question of unity, I suspect that the different destinies may be deliberate, it may be that the items are to be found by the three of us while others attend to different destinies or that the paths travelled by others may find other things that help."

Ozrus deliberated for a while as he hung out on the ceiling, trying to decide if he should stay and look at stuff in the monastery, or go on ahead with the scouting party. When Tyrol mentioned about the writing on the walls, however, Ozrus made up his mind. He always did enjoy a good puzzle. He crawled over to the image closest to Tyrol and examined it from above. "I know quite a few languages," he said to the gnome. "Maybe I can help."

The druid then proceeded to shuffle around the room on the wall, looking at the writing on each image. He did his best to identify each one, and translate what he could. He cast Guidance upon himself before examining each image, just to give himself an extra little edge.

---

Using Linguistics, with Guidance. He knows 17 languages and is attempting to identify as many languages as he can.
14:29, Today: Ozrus Wither rolled 36 using 1d20+19.  Linguistics, with Guidance - Identify languages.

Kurat listened to Tyrol's observations and then added "I am fluent in sixteen languages. Giant is one of them. I also speak Damaran of course and languages normally found in that region. Orc, Dwarven, Draconic, Goblin, Undercommon, Uluik and in my travels I've learned a number of other languages Chondathan, Aglaraondan, Chessentan, Mulhorandi, Turmic, Elven and Gnoll. Is it possible for you to copy the writing you cannot decipher and perhaps I can translate it for you?"



OOC: Keep in mind Kurat appears as a Damaran human male, however with Tyrol's True Seeing you would see that he is a hobgoblin.

Ki'nae listed against the doorframe, a boot both in and out the room. She sipped, studious, eyes burning with quiet inquisition. They all set to the task of the hunt like gutterats to scraps. Hopefully their findings would be more palatable.

It took no time for Tyrol's tangent to tickle her interest. She knew little of what he talked about, but it didn't bother her in the least. Celebrities were always the more intolerable. "Lemme take a gander," she grumbled, shimmying alongside the gnome. She squeezed her simmering peepers at the painting, searching for the lines in the play painted before them.

"Huh."

"It may be that the items are to be found by the three of us while others attend to different destinies or that the paths traveled by others may find other things that help."

"Destiny's a word as strong as oaths, pardner," Bash said, shoving the last bite of her cheese sandwich straight down her gullet. "Right now we're lil' more 'n a snake's belly in a wagon rut. But I see yer point. Though I'm not one fer flyin' m'self..."

Ki'nae let her voice get lost in the parley of linguistics. How'd all these nerds know so many languages? Mayhaps why they do so much talkin'. Should she had gone out to recon with the others in their green star group?

She looked to the door.

She looked back down to her half drank beer.

Nah.

17:52, Today: Ki'nae Bashemath rolled 34 (Perception for wall-painting),4 (For aid with Linguistics) using d20+20,d20+2 ((14,2))

When Bash looked at the door there was a bright tall man standing there who wasn't before. He was, a the moment, picking through a box covered in cloth that held a number of candied orbs. He was late but that was due to the fact he had taken his sweet time and did not have the means to teleport, nor accepted a chance of getting snatched up.

He waved hello with one hand before picking out a white orb with blue lines and popped it into his mouth.

He followed a call and found people mid research it seemed.

Alas for Bash, linguistics doesn't let her decode the writings on the paintings, even though she now knows they are there.

However, she does spot an oddity.

Vogh waited to be shown the journals by Tamara.  She was excited to learn more about this duel mystery Oracle.

"I can't speak for Chess here, but I am excited to go through her journals."

Vogh and Chess are show to the next floor up from the map room where Esmeralda's journals are kept. There are other books on this level, but the journals are kept on the back shelf, 15 journals per each of the 5 shelves.

Depending on exactly what you want to do, it'll take about an hour to go through each journal.

Vogh went to the back shelves and pulled out the first of the journals.  "I can start here if you want to start over there and we can meet in the middle and discuss what we find if you like, Chess?" Vogh said to the dark-skinned elf.

Chess ala'riina was walking to the last book as Vogh spoke to her and she smiled.

"I look forward in meeting you in the middle, Vogh. she smiled as she then pulled out the last book and before even starting she invoked a spell to help her see any Magical Auras anywhere.

Casting
Detect Magic and  True Seeing

 Trick shrugged, important-looking people, doing important-looking things. So he joined in the fun rather than warm the bench.

As it was journals he assumed the behavior. He looked for the least dusty but most opened book if the condition of the spine was any indication. It would be the one the author would have gone to the most as authors often have less care with their own property than the people who venerate them.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 00:31, Sat 10 Oct 2020.

Vogh starts with the first journal, so identified by the year stamped on the binding in gold. It's closer to being a diary, as Esmeralda talks about her childhood, always being able to find things that other people lost, even when they didn't know they'd lost them. On two occasions, once when she was 7 and another when she was 11, she saved another child from 'certain' death. The first was a warning and the second was rescuing the child from drowning.

It was after that she found her calling. Her visions came much more frequently. The majority of them were about things around her, like a bird's nest in a tree or just the right stone to use in a sling. She began giving advice to 'adults', most of which ignored her and then got angry with her when something bad happened, thinking she'd caused it.

"Do not light any candles tonight," was advice she'd given to Brockstone, a local farmer. Apparently he didn't heed her warning, and his farmhouse burnt down in the night, killing him and most of his familiar. Esmeralda then made the mistake of telling others that she warned him. When she tried to explain, others either didn't believe her or began treating her with suspicion. Rumors of her being a witch began to spread. She knew then it was time to leave.

That's all that's in the first journal. There's more detail in the book, embellished with her thoughts and feelings about the events, both before and afterward.


Chess saw that several of the books in this room of the tower had magical auras, not particularly strong ones, but none of the journals are magical.

Chess isn't so lucky with reading them. As she reads the last journal, she starts getting headaches. The writing is disjointed, nearly incoherent at times. Esmeralda's visions often overlapped--she'd have two or three at the same time, and wasn't always able to separate them from each other.

One, towards the end, said the sky was burning and the earth was on fire and the birds sang in harmony while the moon cried. Another was about shoes--hundreds of shoes, tapping, marching, climbing the walls and sticking to the ceiling so firmly that an effort to bring them down collapsed the ceiling. Another was about a banana that started growing until it was so big it fell over and crushed a house, but it apologized afterwards to yaks that had been living in the house.

"The lightning bolt swam through the puddle until it was eaten by the seven silver rhinoceroses," was one line.

About one out of ever ten 'visions' seemed to be about something happening at the time that was relevant--a flash flood, a poisonous birthday cake, the birth of a baby girl. These were all things that happened a long, long distance away, beyond her ability to warn anyone. She later found out about the events and spent days crying and depressed.