Wyr'palja's mausoleum

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Tomb of Wyr'palja. Murals outside. Very steep, narrow stairs to entrance.

Top Level

  • Aviary: Glass bird scultptures, animate like obsidian butterflies (but peircing) when anyone enters the space between the steps. Statue and pool filled with coins; might also be a Grimtooth-style "spear dips down into the pool to electrocute anyone messing with the coins" trap to discourage mortals (tomb built by dragon-blooded, after all).
  • False Tomb: Find three fire pots, one five colors of jade, one moonsilver and starmetal, one orichalcum. They have faint scents. Rack of potions without labels on the outer aviary well, can match by smell or with serious botantical/alchemy skill. Disks for each circle of magic. When pots filled with correct stuff, and put in correct location, then lit, smoke swirls around white circle. For one hour, those who step on circle are teleported to second level. If mixed wrong, lethal gas. Sarcophagus itself trapped (essence explosion). Meaningful murals on all, including one map of pre-Contaigion Creation (possible hint to Parlainth-type lost cities). Hints on founding of city.
    • Mosaic of First Age Creation
    • Lots of birds
    • A winged Wyr'palja's holds a caduceus up to a hideous dragon that appears to be made of shadows of people.
    • Standing on the tip of a tree, Wyr'palja raises a city from the forest.
    • Wyr'palja surrounded by strange symbols (salt, quicksilver, gold, etc.)
    • Numerous small paintings of Wyr'palja's life and exploits. Fighting various creatures, lecturing, teaching alchemy, spell craft, etc. In one, she stands over an apparently dead woman, channeling energy into her mouth while others battle a dark force in the background.

Second Level

Vestibule

Automaton, possibly something like the Feathered Serpent (which would be right in character with Wyr'palja), but more lethal. Maybe two or more. Animates when door opens. Murals with hints.

Hall of Mist

when all in room, door shuts, room fills with mist. Those inside teleported to random locations in room. Pitch dark and filled with mist. Like simulacrums of smoke. Each round, essence darts fly around, dealing damage. Pits as well. Possibly a Cloak of Deadly Automata (guardian) defends the place, scary in the smoke. Basically, best defense is not to enter.

Alchemy Workshop

The Dragon Blooded who built Wyr'palja's tomb constructed two workshops for themselves within, to hide some of her treasure from other terrestrials. One of these was an alchemy workshop which, while a pale shadow of Wyr'palja's real alchemy cathedral, remains an impressive facility.

While small, this well-stocked workshop acts as an advanced workshop (Savant & Sorcerer, pg. 32) for alchemy, complete with First Age tools. In addition to a large assortment of jars, beakers, magical braziers, pots, steam works and inscrutable apparatus, the following can be found within this room:

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Salt

This leather bound book, written by hand in High Realm by Wyr'palja in black ink, introduces readers to mortal alchemy, providing step by step instructions to master salt circle alchemy. While most of the book is extremely clear, roughly every tenth page is written in some kind of code, and strange symbols litter the margins throughout the book. Products of this circle are the weakest of potions, but also the easiest to make. This circle focuses on the "three essentials" of alchemy -- salt (the contractive force), sulfur (the expansive force) and quicksilver (the integrative force) -- so is sometimes called "sulfur circle" or "quicksilver circle" alchemy.

Those who follow this book's instructions and make all of its formulae can learn the thaumaturgical science of Alchemy ● without a trainer. This book includes the following formulae:

  • Blood-Staunching Compress: Bandages that stop bleeding
  • Hallucinogenic woad: Pain killing hallucinogen
  • Court poison
  • Venom-Allaying Draught (several versions): Allows mortals an automatic roll to resist poisons.
  • Wound-Cleansing Unguent: Prevents infection during surgery
  • Draught of Blessed Respite: Sleeping potion
  • Maiden tea: Contraceptive and abortifacient.
  • Philtre of Desire: Improve social interaction with a specific target.
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Aether

Similar to Salt, this sharkskin bound book was also written by hand in High Realm by Wyr'palja in silver ink. This volume details the aether circle, a more advanced form of mortal alchemy. Its formulae are more complex, but also more effective. This circle focuses on the "elements" of alchemy: air, earth, fire, water and wood. More coded pages are scattered throughout this volume as well.

Those who follow this book's instructions and make all of its formulae can learn the thaumaturgical science of Alchemy ●● without a trainer. This book includes the following formulae:

  • Eagle's Eye Potion: Improve eyesight.
  • Final Vengeance: Allows mortals to ignore all wound penalties and succeed at Valor tests.
  • Ghost flower: Allows communication with ghosts.
  • Ice fern: Dream enhancer, mild divination enhancer.
  • Munificent Antivenin: Counteracts poision.
  • Seven bounties paste: cures disease.
  • Valiant Warrior Formula: Allows an extra to be treated as a normal character.
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Gold

The last of Wyr'palja's tomes on mortal alchemy, the gilded pages of this book are bound between gold covers. The gold circle described by herein represents the perfection of mortal alchemy, symbolized by the most perfect of mundane metals. Coded pages appear about twice as often in Gold.

Those who follow this book's instructions and make all of its formulae can learn the thaumaturgical science of Alchemy ●●● without a trainer. This book contain a number of so-called "Heavenly Transmutation Processes" for transmuting mundane materials into more noble, yet still mundane, materials:

  • Glass into a transparent material that resists hammer blows.
  • Lead into gold
  • Raw iron into flawless steel
  • Wood into ivory
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Alkahest

The universal solvent, described in the book Alkahest.

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Berith

The philosophers stone, described in the book Berith.

Celestial Phoenix Cauldrons

These two cauldrons are wide-mouthed orichalcum vessels held up by the undulating coils of a dragon with crimson gems for eyes. The the 2,000+ pound body of each is about a yard across at its widest point, with a two foot wide mouth standing about five feet tall.

These cauldrons can produce alchemical products of up to berith circle alchemy, provided the correct ingredients are added and motes committed. Nearly any alchemical recipe known to the First Age can be produced, but the cauldrons themselves provide no knowledge of these recipes whatsoever, so the user must have a formula to make something.

Instances

A pair of these are held in the vault of the Forgotten Manse.

Game Information

Summary: Large vats that mix potions
Rating: ●●●●
Commitment: 0
Activation: 5
Repair: ●●●
Materials: orichalcum

Resplendent Satchel of Healing

A rectangular green case 12"x12"x3", containing healing items. It is described in Wonders of the Lost Age, pg. 69. Contains:

  • Rod of Cleansing the Body
  • Wound Mending Needles
  • Jade implements giving +4 Medicine
  • Instrument of Regrowth

Potions & Reagents

Scattered in various cabinets, drawers and shelves are a number bottles and other containers filled with dusts, liquids and various raw materials. These are all labeled in Old Realm, but not otherwise explained. All told, you find:

  • "Ash Devourer - Ashia" - 1 box containing 12 star topaz, shaped like very large teeth
  • "Ash Devourer - Baramini" - 1 box containing 12 star topaz, shaped like very large teeth
  • "Ash Devourer - Chiruku" - 1 box containing 12 star topaz, shaped like very large teeth
  • "Black Jade Dust" - 1 tiny bag
  • "Black Jade Ink" - 6 vials
  • "Black Jade Oil" - 8 vials
  • "Black Jade Water" - 10 vials
  • "Blue Jade Dust" - 1 tiny bag
  • "Blue Jade Ink" - 6 vials
  • "Blue Jade Oil" - 9 vials
  • "Blue Jade Water" - 13 vials
  • "Briardust" - 5 vials - coarse greenish-grey powder
  • "Cage Sweat" - 3 vials - clear liquid
  • "Clarity Spirit" - 2 vials - thin, pale turquoise, slightly carbonated liquid
  • "Dragon Walker" - 1 vial - like champagne, with a slight greenish tinge
  • "Eight-Scream Devil Powder" - 2 parchment bags, sealed with beeswax - dusty red powder
  • "Elemental Memories" - 1 box containing 7 small, but flawless, emeralds
  • "Empty Canvas" - 3 small jars - viscous brownish paste
  • "Firedust" - 5 vials - coarse reddish-black powder
  • "Forest Mimic Horn" - 1 jar - coarse white powder
  • "Green Jade Dust" - 1 tiny bag
  • "Green Jade Ink" - 6 vials
  • "Green Jade Oil" - 6 vials
  • "Green Jade Water" - 14 vials
  • "Green Jade Whiskey" - 1 vial - whiskey with a slight green tint
  • "Hound's Tongue" - 2 vials - thick purple liquid with swirls of black
  • "Moonsilver Dust" - 1 tiny bag
  • "Moonsilver Ink" - 4 vials
  • "Moonsilver Oil" - 4 vials
  • "Moonsilver Water" - 22 vials
  • "Nitric Acid" - 50 gallons
  • "Omen Juice" - 6 vials - bright pink liquid
  • "Orichalcum Dust" - 1 tiny bag
  • "Orichalcum Ink" - 5 vials
  • "Orichalcum Oil" - 7 vials
  • "Orichalcum Water" - 20 vials
  • "Quicksilver" - 3 gallons
  • "Red Jade Dust" - 1 tiny bag
  • "Red Jade Ink" - 6 vials
  • "Red Jade Oil" - 7 vials
  • "Red Jade Water" - 16 vials
  • "Skin-Like-the-Mountains Oil" - 3 vials - metallic blue-black oil
  • "Skydust" - 5 vials - coarse bluish-grey powder
  • "Starmetal Dust" - 1 tiny bag
  • "Starmetal Ink" - 10 vials
  • "Starmetal Oil" - 3 vials
  • "Starmetal Water" - 24 vials
  • "Stonedust" - 5 vials - coarse grey powder
  • "Tree-singer Urine" - 1 gallon jar, one-quarter full - golden/yellow liquid
  • "Vinegar" - 50 gallons
  • "Waterdust" - 5 vials - coarse black powder
  • "White Jade Dust" - 1 tiny bag
  • "White Jade Ink" - 9 vials
  • "White Jade Oil" - 9 vials
  • "White Jade Water" - 15 vials

Artificing Workshop

Once a serviceable workshop for artificing, this room was consumed by fire when the death of the terrestrials who used the tomb released the fire elemental under service within. This spirit is long gone, but left behind a ravaged room. Remnants of books, wooden racks, barrels and so on are in evidence, but all reduced to an ashy shell. Even metal tools have been warped by heat. Standing in stark contrast to these are a number of items that, though slightly scotched, remain in good condition, obviously magical. They are:

  • One Hand of the Mountain, with lines of mystical runes down its arms and legs, which indicate to occultists that it is built to be animated by a fire elemental. It is from this automaton that the elemental that torched the room escaped. This automaton stands in an alcove evidently built for the purpose. Originally, it was intended to do heavy lifting and tasks that required hands capable of withstanding high temperatures or dangerous chemicals.
  • Five Folding Servants, folded into six inch cubes of steel and jade (one of each color of jade). These were originally intended to act as artificing assistants, as well as handling mundane tasks in the workshop, such as cleaning. These are stored in shelves within the same alcove as the other automaton.
  • A large crystal Unconsuming Forge dominates one side of the room. It is unlit.
  • One one of the stone workbenches, surrounded by piles of ash, is a pair of Forge-Hand Gauntlets, casually dropped there by their last user.
  • Five ingots of blue jade
  • Five ingots of black jade
  • Five ingots of green jade
  • Five ingots of red jade
  • Five ingots of white jade
  • Seven ingots of adamantite
  • Five ingots of orichalcum
  • Three ingots of moonsilver
  • One ingot of starmetal

Acid Rainforest

  • Acid Rainforest: Forest of crystal trees. When far door touched, unless trigger hit, starts rain of acid.

Reality Engine

like Wonderous Globe of Precious Stability, but bigger and draws power from the wyld itself, not a hearthstone. Section of floor hides stairway to lower level.

Lower Level


Stairs

The floor section reveals a five foot drop onto a landing from which marble stairs lead down. The ceiling continues only five feet above the stairs, leading into a short hallway, also with a five-foot ceiling. All but the shortest characters must crouch, putting them at a -2 penalty for any Dexterity based tests.

On each side of the two yard hallway are extremely realistic paintings men and women in ornate jade armor, apparently portraits of dragon blooded. Each kneels on one knee, their swords at rest like crosses, point down with a hand resting on the pommel. All bow their heads, more in shame than reverence. At the end of the hall is a door, ornately decorated with the five colors of jade. A theme of wings and birds is consistent throughout, with the solar imagery on the right giving way to lunar on the left.

Perceptive characters who understand Old Realm may notice the design contains a subtle inscription:

Here lies a golden sun, to whom we owe, and from whom we took, everything and the silver rain that saved millions by killing one.

The door has a complex mechanical lock (Dex + Larceny (4)). Touching the door triggers a magical trap, causing the paintings to sprout phantom arms that thrust phantom swords into the hallway. These blades are intangible and can hit unmanifested spirits. They also completely ignore all armor and cannot be parried by physical weapons. Unless the trap was detected (with Essence sight, for example), the attack is likely unanticipated, working as an attack from behind (meaning 0 dodge dice without charms, no shields). The attack is as if made with a jade daiklaive thrust, made with seven successes, for a total of 12L damage. In addition, each blade hits as if backed by Dragon Graced Weapon (db.208) of the element of the dragon-blooded in the painting. There are two of each type of element. On the right side, from the stairs to the door they are: earth, air, water, wood, fire. On the left side, the order is water, wood, fire, earth, air).

Inner Hall

Another low ceiling. Filled with poisonous flying automaton. Same -2 to Dex for those crouching. Long weapons at another -1.

More paintings, all with a very macabre tone, as if intended to scare away intruders. Many scenes of death, destruction, and callousness. Among the scenes:

  • Wyr'palja turning a neighborhood into glass.
  • Wyr'palja fanatically engrossed in an experiment while mortal servants helping her are being burned and crushed to death in the background.
  • Wyr'palja idly watching while vicious creatures stalk and savage mortals in the back alleys of a city.
  • Wyr'palja officiating a ceremony where lizard men sacrifice hearts cut out of living victims to the Unconquered Sun.
  • Wyr'palja in radiant glory in front of a crowd of people with unnaturally vacant, adoring stares.
  • A series of paintings showing Wyr'palja casting a flashy spell in front of a hundred children. As the sequence progresses, the children rapidly age until dead, while Wyr'palja becomes slightly more youthful.
  • A large painting of a naked half-man, half-parrot, kneeling on a bed, pointing a silver sword to his own belly. His clawed hands are covered in blood. Behind him, a dead Wyr'palja is tied naked to the bed with golden silk rope, bleeding from eviscerating wounds to her abdomen.

Lunar Tomb

This ten yard radius tomb is crammed full of grave goods and effigies. Underneath it all, it was built to resemble a forest, made of jade. Perhaps some stray snake automaton?

  • Lunar: parrot-based lunar. Other loot.
    • Mummified remains of pack.
    • Oaths?
    • Demon bound?
    • Warstrider?
    • Some sort of flock artifact? Surveilance? Maybe something that creates phantom versions of a familiar?
    • Spellbook
      • Becoming the Wood Friend
      • Blood Lash
      • Calling the Wind's Kiss
      • Commanding the Beasts
      • Eye of Alliance
      • Hound of the Five Winds
      • Personal Tempest
      • Thunder Wolf Howl
      • Virtuous Guardian of Flame
      • The Faithful Ally
      • Summon the Army of the Wyld
    • Monsoon Needles

Solar Tomb

  • Solar: spell book w/ celestial and solar spells. Other loot. On the solar side, one chamber holds the real body and the goodies, the others all hold Minions of Deadly Touch, all created by Wyr'palja and made to look exactly like her. All will pretend they were in suspended animation and that they are the real Wyr'palja. These minions also contain pocket of Elsewhere containing Wyr'palja's most prized possessions, which she entrusted to no one.

Data

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