"Ah well, that's terribly disappointing, I was so excited at the prospect of a hidden alcove."  Jarl sighs heavily.

Tarhall entered the room and looked around it fully, taking in everything fully.  Almost absentmindedly he answered a question someone had asked a while ago, even though the conversation had already moved on.

"Draconians are formidable creatures," he started, sounding like he was repeating something that he had studied.  "They can see in total darkness, eat and drink less than humans and are immune to magical sleep effects.  Some have wings and can glide, though they are faster on their feet.  There are five types I know of.  Aurak, Baaz, Bozak, Kapak and Sivak.  Does anyone wish to know particulars of any particular type?"

He headed further into the room, walking round the benches towards the lectern.

Kar answered Tarhall with a question "Do they all turn to stone on death and, for that matter, do they all prefer natural weapons as those we encountered dropped their swords as soon as they could?"

"I think they just stank at using them, is all," he comments.

"I suggest our next moave is back down the secret corridor. This is another un-secret room leading to it, I think, and as I have mentioned, if it's worth hiding- it's worth finding."

Despite his agreement with Owain's urgings to move on Tarhall chose to answer Kar's questions while he followed Owain's directions.

"My understanding is that only Baaz draconians turn to stone.  Kapak draconians turn into a pool of acid when they die, Aurak and Bozak draconians explode, and Sivak are the strangest of all.  When they die they turn into the shape of the one that killed them, if they were killed by a humanoid.  If they were killed by something else though then they burst into flame."

"Now with regards to their preference for physical weapons or natural weapons I don't really know the answer.  I believe that they can all use weapons and have a variety of natural weapons they can employ.  Of much greater concern is the magic that Aurak and Bozak draconians practice.  Aurak draconians in particular are powerful in the arcane arts."

"Great. Acid, stone, fire, and explosion. Let us know which ones we're fighting, would you please? And don't tell me their names... Tell me like I just said, which one they do when they die. And point out the spellcasters, if they aren't obvious."

"Frankly, I think I'm more worried about what the original residents might have left behind. At least you can hit draconians."

As they discussed the Lyceum and the draconians, the heroes returned to the corridor and moved forward.

As they continued, they soon found another corridor branching off to their right, ending rather abruptly after about 10 yards or so. While the corridor forward entered a large room, which as yet seemed to be empty and high ceilinged.

"Get ready, this looks like a good place for an ambush," he says quietly, heading in to see what's what.

The heroes moved forward into the large room ahead. The domed ceiling was more than 50 feet above them and supported only by the walls that were covered by a great fresco of intricate detail and the painstaking skill of unending patience. The fresco also covered the domed ceiling.

To the left of the corridor they had just entered a statue of a man made of blue marble almost reached to the ceiling and proportionate in every way. Whoever this man was, he dressed like someone devoted to the gods. The lightning blue robes were close to that of the followers of Habbakuk or Mishakal, but still different from both.

Two candles were placed at the feet of the statue and inbetween them someone wearing the same color robes knelt before the statue in prayer.

There were no furniture or other decorations in this room and besides the corridor that had taken them to this room, another left it to their right and another on the other side of the room.

[http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2011-2/1364172/2151688 for the Lyceum_Overview map and the close up is in the Game Map.]

"Hello," he said, expecting to be attacking in a moment. Guy is probably going to bring the giant to life, and swords will bounce off the stone. "I am Owain."

At first nothing happened, but in a little while the person moved and rose to his feat.

"Hello," he said looking at Owain and the others. "I'm Estigon. How can I help you?"

"Well... We were under the impression this place was abandoned. I presume you live and worship here. Would it be too much trouble to share a bit of the history with us?"

"The Lyceum was once a place of learning for the arcane arts," Estigon said. "It has not been used since the Cataclysm. You will find out the rest in your own time."

"So if it hasn't been used... No offense, but aren't you using it?"

"I'm just the caretaker," Estigon said. “So I’m not so much using it as I’m taking care of it.”

"Oh," he said, a bit disappointed. "I suppose going through here and taking valuable things would not be good, then. We were planning on something like that, since we thought it was abandoned.

"I don't suppose you'd offer a reward for removing those pesky Draconians?"

D'aden smiles as he watches the interchange between Owain and Estigon, then says,  to no one, "The most valuable thing in here was gone when they stopped using the classrooms."

Olven Wolf nods his head.  Ah, the caretaker.  Makes perfect sense.  But the king hadn't mentioned anything about a caretaker here.  He frowns a bit.  "I don't mean to pry, Estigon," he says, inclining his head, "but we weren't briefed on the possibility of someone still living here.  We've been charged with the King of Kalaman to retrieve any items of value that might be useful in rebuilding the kingdom.  Do you need what you have here?  The King requires it, and we have our orders.  Frankly, this place looks deserted."

As a mercenary, Olven always honors his contracts, and even though he doesn't have a formal one with the king, he still has his instructions.  Something doesn't seem right here.

"I remember him," Estigon said. "He was here with a wizard a year or two ago. They got lost though. Managed to get themselves out in the end. You may have the valuables you can carry if you deal with the invaders and do me a favor that we can discuss the details of later.”

"I don't particularly like the idea of an open-ended favor. You seem nice enough, but I don't know you. I would be willing to help you out, most likely. But owing something unspecified seems a bad idea, like agreeing to give up your first born or something- it's quite easy before the toll is due.

"I, as a general rule, don't like to renege on promises. Which means, I also don't like to make promises I might not be able to keep.

"Do you have any information on these invaders? How many there are, and where, would be quite helpful."

"They move around as do you and I," Estigon said. "I'm sure you'll run into them sooner or later. The favor is nothing that will break your honor sir knight. And in any case, you can leave everything here if you don't like it."

"Estigon, will this favor involve harm to either the people of Kalaman or our companions?" Olven asks.  "I'd be happy to help you, especially if that meant fulfilling our obligations to the king, but I can't if that means placing my employer or my comrades in jeopardy." He looks up at the sculpture.  "Nice statue," he says, impressed.

"Oh, another thing.  Have you seen or heard of any human children brought here by the draconians?" he asked.  "Well, teenagers, not children.  We told a farmer we'd help him find them."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:20, Thu 17 Feb 2011.

"I think the invaders have plans for them," Estigon said, answering Olven's last question first. "The favor has nothing to do with Kalaman, but it could place you in some risk."

"I'm not worried about risk," Olven says, shaking his head.  "Risk involves danger, but also opportunity."  Ah, so here was a real clue about the lost kids.  Olven had been concerned that they'd turned their back on them, but his responsibilities were to the king first.  "So you've seen the children, then?  Do you know where they're being held?"