Episode 7c: Team-B advances the plot at Mendor's libraryTeam-B: Sturm, Raynor, Lina, Ritsuko, AxelEpisode 7c theme music
: On your third attempt you succeed in bashing down the door to the library.
: Told you you should have taken 'Knock.'
: Hey! You can cast spells too, you know.
: Not that one.
: So we'll know better for next time. Let's go inside.
: You see an empty room. The only feature is a series of frescoes on the walls of learned men and the heavenly patrons on art and learning. You get a feeling of peace.
: Damn it. I draw my weapon and back up slowly against a well. Do I see anything?
: ...an empty room with frescoes?
: What's a fresco?
: It's a kind of mural painted directly onto wall plaster.
: Why should paintings cause alarm, lady Akagi?
: Kyon doesn't just go saying things like "you feel at peace" unless something is about to leap out and try to eat us.
: Probably nothing in here but spiders and books. I'm all for caution. But don't be surprised if we don't find anything. What's the layout of this place look like?
: You came in via the north entrance, and from what you can see the place is filled with bookshelves divided roughly into four categories: Rhetoric, Philosophy, History and Mathematics. There's also a single hallway leading to the southern half of the building.
: Where should we start?
: History seems the obvious choice. That's what we most want to know.
: There are many hundreds of books. What are you looking for?
: I'd like a map, first thing.
: Straight away you find a Lex Geographica, an atlas drawn by Tomarus. It has a map of Phlan which, though old, still could be useful.
: In the same atlas you also find maps of the surrounding lands.
: Awesome. We're definitely taking that. What else do we want?
: Anything on our friendly neighborhood dragon? Tyranthraxus?
: You find a reference to a general by that name within a tome entitled 'The Grand Historian's Records of the Arts of War.'
: Our dragon was a human general?
: Could be a coincidence of name.
: Tyranthraxus doesn't sound like a common name to me.
: It says after being defeated, his soul was captured in a vial of water that 'shone like the light of day.' Could that be the Pool of Radiance?
: I notice that the book refers to him as an it, not he or she.
: Does it? It could be referring to the flame that burned up his body as the 'it.' It's not totally clear.
: Hey, Sturm. you know about dragons. Is our buddy Tyranthraxus male, female, or an 'it?'
: ...I...don't know
that much about dragons.
: Tyranthraxis might
be the pool itself in incarnate form.
: No, it says the vial glowed, and that could be interpreted as 'radiant,' but a vial obviously isn't a pool. Afterwards it was put into Lake Longreach. Maybe the lake became the Pool after being infused with Tyranthraxus' soul? But that doesn't explain how he came to be a dragon. Or if the dragon we know is even the same Tyranthraxus being talked about. Maybe it's a family name, not a first name?
: Somehow I don't think we're gettin' all our answers just yet. Any books about the Pool itself?
: You do find a vague mention of a 'glowing spring' in an account of the northern lands that could possibly be referring to the Pool.
: Not very clear.
: But it does say the Pool is in the north somewhere. That at least tells us it's not inside the city.
: But the landmarks listed appear to be rough translations from a foreign tongue. "The north" of where? Here? Or north of somewhere a hundred miles away from here?
: Maybe we'll find more information in another wing. Let's try philosophy next.
: You find works on natural philosophy, theories of art and the supernatural sciences. It's very boring. You do, however, find a passing mention to Tyranthraxus in a small black book written in a strange, halting hand:
: "The Flamed One?" Metaphorically flaming, as in 'glowing radiantly' like the Pool, or literally flaming like a demon?
: No obvious commonality in the naming scheme. Weapons, locations, occupations..."Flamed One" could mean anything. But that other book said that Tyranthraxus was burned up by the flame that surrounded him. The title might have been awarded posthumously.
: Who's Lord Bane?
: Whoever he is, he has his own temple. Look at our map of the city. There's a temple of Bane right next to the wealthy district.
: Isn't that the temple to Tyr that Bishop Braccio wanted us to help reclaim?
: I don't know for sure. We never spoke with him. But it might be.
: Alright then, let's keep lookin' Anything in here about the Pool of Radiance?
: Actually, yes. You find a lengthy dissertation about the Pool in a work called 'Fyerdetha's Discourses on Power.
: So the Pool of Radiance is not tied to one fixed location. So much for looking "in the north."
: And bathing in the Pool will either grant great power, or dissolve you into LCL.
: What?
: If your will is strong enough, you gain power from it. If not, it consumes you and adds your power to its own.
: So did the soul of the human general Tyranthraxus bathe in the Pool and gain a dragon form from it? Or was he not strong enough and merge with the Pool?
: Or somethin' else completely. I don't think we're gettin' the whole story just yet. Let's move on to math next.
: You find essays on geometry, metamagical math, universal geometry, etc. but nothing useful.
: That just leaves the section on rhetoric.
: These are the library stacks. Old and moldering books are stored on shelves. A sign over the entrance reads "Rhetoric." Inside, you see a dull brown reptilian monster. It doesn't seem to have noticed you.
: Right, because a big scary monster is the last thing we'd notice after moldy old books and signs.
: Basilisk! Don't look into its eyes or you'll be turned to stone!
: With the advantage of initiative, you defeat the basilisk with little difficulty. Within the room you find some potions and a cloak of disaplacement-
: Ooh! Mine!
: ...but the books in this room have all been destroyed beyond legibility, either by dampness or by the basilisk itself.
: Guess it's time to check out that hallway.
: Proceeding to the southern half of the library, you stumble onto a small party of kobolds, who respond by desperately scrambling for cover. Finding none, they hastily drop to the ground in submission.
: If spare our life we tell you all about here!
: I suppose monsters aren't chosen for their conversational skills.
: Or their valor, apparently. Still, he's kind of cute the way his ears are all quivering. I say we let him live.
: Indeed. We are not murderers. I give you my word, we will not harm you.
: And if you ask nciely, I'll even give you my autograph.
: ....oh, is nice humans! Dere are three scary bads here. One is dat way, one is dat way, and one is dat way over dere. Dat all we know.
: South, northwest and north? Basilisk was in the northwest corner. And we already came through the north entance and didn't see anything. Guess that just leaves one to the south.
: Out of curiosity, if there are all these "bads" here, why were you and your friends staying here?
: Is job to stay here. We fixed encounter. Pay bad, but benefits is ok. Have many baby kobolds at home.
: Are you saying that somebody actually pays you to sit around in dangerous places and talk to adventurers who show up?
: Yep. But encounter time is over so have to go now. Goodbye nice humans.
: I totally don't understand the economy of that.
: Employers probably figure they don't have to pay the ones that get killed.
: That still doesn't make it make any sense.
: Anyway, let's get movin'. If we're gonna clear this place we better take out these "bads" the kobold was talkin' about.
: Continuing south, you find a fighter with battered armor and wild eyes cowering in the corner.
: I hope this man is not a 'bad' you expect us to defeat.
: Yai! Mercy! Die! Die you slime form the pit!
: Whoa, now. Calm down there, fella.
: the man screams while frothing at the mouth "He is wrapped in fire and so cruel!"
: "Wrapped in fire?" The Flamed One? Tyranthraxus?
: "The big one, the evil one in the castle of flowers -- he is coming! It is coming!"
: Unless we suddenly find a castle made of flowers, I propose we don't take anything this guy says too seriously.
: The man is clearly quite mad. Do you take pity and invite him to go with you?
: That doesn't seem like a good idea to me.
: Perhaps, but surely we can't leave him here. The least we can do is escort him safely back to town.
: How's that sound, little buddy? You wanna come with us?
: But his minions are there! He will come too!
: You're worried someone's going to show up in town uninvited?
: Dont go there! Don't go on the hill!
: I'm not fluent in crazy, but I don't think he wants to come with us.
: Watching you warily, he inches away. When he is out of sword's reach he scrambles to his feet and darts out of the room.
: So much for that. Anything worth keeping in here?
: Buried amidst some trash and debris you find a book, and some sheets of gold.
: Sheets of gold? What are those for?
: I have no idea. They sell for zero gold, and I've played this game through several times and I've never found any use for them.
: Well, so far the kobold's help hasn't been very helpful. One bad that we've already defeated, one, and this last bad was just a crazy guy guarding a book.
: In a library, no less.
: Either way, we have what we came for. Let's head back the way we came and get out of here.
: As you attempt to leave through the north entrance, a spectre suddenly appears before you.
: Thief! I defended these books in life and I will defend them in death!"
: Lux?
: I guess not. Any advice for this fight, Lina?
: It's an undead. Don't let him touch you.
: Isn't avoiding blows the usual way of battle?
: Yes, but in this case if he touches you-
: Damn, that hurt.
: We must defeat him quickly.
: Don't look at me. I've been hanging out since episode 3. You guys are the combat veterans here.
: Damn it! Kill that thing!
: It's already dead. Sort of. It's undead.
: You know what I mean!
: After a few tense rounds of combat, the spectre has finally been defeated.
: And I'm back to level 2 now.
: Hey, you still have more xp than I do.
: Yeah, but you didn't just lose 10,000 to get there. Let's just hope the xp reward for turning in these damned books to the council makes up for some of that.
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Topic: Let's Play: Pool of Radiance, with no fourth wall (Read 87771 times)