This incredibly fragile scroll is written in a crabbed, faded script in an unfamiliar tongue. Some of the words suggest Ryzhaen, but the lettering seems strange and jumbled with odd diacritical marks. In some places cracks have obliterated lines of text and stains have blotted out words.
Enough of the first part of the scroll is intact enough to suggest that it was a lexicon, a list of words translated from one language to another. If the words of the Ryzhaen-like language are strange, the strokes of the few intact words of the other tongue are occult and sinister, spidery shapes woven into unsettling ideograms that suggest dormant things that want to crawl off the page and look for warm flesh to lay their eggs in.
The middle part of the scroll is intact enough have actual paragraphs of the unfamiliar but less disturbing language…
“Kerosiak wrote this.
“An interpretation of text from the Lamentation of Last Days…
“So it is that We are brought low. Our dreams are drowned beneath the waves; the plots of Small Men unmake Us; the blows of Large Men shatter Us. The Dead Men labor for Us still; they claim the greatest of them will become the instrument of Our vengeance.
“Our vengeance! We have wrought Our Wrath on the Large Men, they who (befouled? sundered?) Our nests; the screams of Our Young echo yet in the dreams of the last of Us. Just as We shall be no more, so their seed will corrupt until they are no more!
“But the Small Men…even now, they are too many; too many. We cannot unmake them; their (tools? spells?) are too potent; their (drones? warriors?) too numerous. They sweep Our (spawn? creatures?) before them. Even the Dead Men prepare to flee. They think that We do not know, but We always knew. They think themselves Our equal. So they direct their minions to make haste to gather their (paraphernalia? tools?) and take refuge at the Fane in the Spine, which is
[crack in the scroll obliterates lines of text]
“Let the Dead Men scuttle into the cracks of the World. Perhaps they will yet fashion one of their own into the (Staff? Scepter?) of the Final Doom and scourge the accursed Small Men from Our World!”
Later Revelations: This scroll was written long ago by Kerosiak the Mad, a passionate collector of ancient and forbidden texts that have long since been lost to time, along with Kerosiak. This particular scroll contained notes that he was translating from even older texts and are written in Retlanir, an almost forgotten tongue that was a precursor of Ryzhaen.
While Roderick is using wall of stone spells to enclose the corpse of the terrasque that is under the effects of gentle repose, a figure appears perhaps a hundred feet away, most likely by teleportation, surrounded by several other figures. They all appear to be human; the oldest among them raises a hand and calls out.
“Lord Denchoss, we would speak to you, if you will, about your offer to the Syndic’s Council for the tarrasque.”
As they approach, Roderick recognizes the elder as Belcham Magherrick, leader of the Ordo Ars Magica Ninetowers guild, which means he is the current leader, insomuch as wizards will accept a leader, of the entire O.A.M. He seems spry despite his age, and he smiles as he observes Roderick’s arcane efforts. He also recognizes a couple of the Council members, but a few of the guildmaster’s entourage he does not recall meeting.
“I see you are making an effort to ‘cover your asset’, as it were,” Magherrick quips. “Is there someplace we can discuss that asset more comfortably?”
Roderick deploys the private lodge and everyone (who wishes to) goes inside. It is somewhat crowded, but its anti-scrying magic is a suitable precaution for both parties. Magherrick’s subordinates, with varying expressions of distaste, seat themselves on the bunks, leaving the chairs for the guildmaster, Roderick, and the other party members. Jade’a contents herself to assume raven form and perch on the writing desk to observe. (Some of the party may have the foreboding that she will suddenly declare, “Nevermore!”)
When everyone is seated and introductions have been made, Magherrick begins. “The Syndic’s Council has discussed your offer for the tarrasque. They have, as you likely have anticipated, objected to the price. While there is no established Order valuation for the corpse of the tarrasque, there are certainly established prices for the items you requested above and beyond the fee of 20,000 pounds aurum(“One million gold pieces!” declared Dr. Evil.) The Order speaks in pounds of gold to keep the digits down when discussing the prices of magic items. One pound aurum is equal to fifty gold pieces.. While the Order can afford that, it would disrupt budgeting for years to come.
“As for the magic tomes you requested, I am sure you are cognizant of the Order rates for such, which is 2,750 pounds aurum137,500 gold pieces. whether it is a five-wishThe Order doesn’t speak in terms of pluses, but they definitely know how many wishes it takes to make a +5 manual or tome. manual of gainful exercise, manual of quickness of action, manual of bodily health, tome of clear thought, tome of understanding, or tome of leadership and influence. Volumes such as these cannot be found in even the establishments of the most prestigious sellers of magical books; if they are made, they are soon used.
“Certainly seven such volumes—there are seven of you, am I correct? Seven such volumes of just the types you…wish…” Magherrick pauses for a small chuckle, then continues. “…whichever those are, cannot be found ‘on the shelf’, so to speak. They will have to be made. This will require the efforts of seven wizards at least as powerful as you, Lord Denchoss, if they are to be made within a reasonable period—seven wizards that, I may add, must be willing to schedule the time and make the personal sacrifice of casting a combined total of no less than thirty-five wish spells.
“The Syndic’s Council concludes that your asking price is just that: an asking price. They have therefore decided on a counteroffer that I think they would be extreme unlikely to better: they are willing to trade the tarrasque for either your seven books, or the equivalent in gold962,500 gold pieces, not counting fees for security, transport, messaging, etc.. They are willing to put the gold value of those books in escrow with Higgenbotham’s Fiduciary Services against the timely production of the books, which would take a minimum of 138 days to produce, plus a reasonable time to assemble the mages to craft them. Messages could be magically sent to the larger Order halls who are believed to have wizards that are capable and perhaps willing to handle a job of this magnitude.
“Now, before you answer ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ to this offer, I should point out that while the tarrasque is, indeed, unique, killing it, historically, is not. It rarely appears more than once in a generation, but someone—or something—keeps bringing it back from the dead, most likely through the use of true resurrection spells, since there has been at least one case where the slayers went to the trouble of using a sphere of ultimate destruction spell to annihilate the corpse, then scatter its dust across several planes of existence. Unfortunately, the cirmcumstances never seemed to allow the use of a trap the soul or a barghest’s feast spell to prevent this, assuming either spell would work on it.
“My personal assessment is that the Council is likely to argue the price back and forth until the corpse moulders, your grandchildren succumb to old age, and whatever nemesis is resurrecting the tarrasque does so again.”
“Well. This old spell-lobber has heated the air with his words long enough. Do you have something to say in return, or do you want time to discuss it among yourselves?”