Commander Korth
Speak clearly, ghost. What do you know of the foundation stones that the archives have kept buried for so long.
The Spectral Apprentice
The stones were never laid, Commander. They were sung into place by ancestors who traded their own shadows to keep the mountain from awakening.
Kalazan
The violet light of the crystal syncs with the rhythm of the spirit's voice.
The Princess Dire Ant shifts, her mandibles vibrating as she shields Kalazan from a sudden, sharp drop in the tunnel temperature.
Commander Korth
Shadows or not, it holds the fort together. Tell us where the final anchor sits, or I will find a way to silence your flickering form.
The Spectral Apprentice
He does not understand that silence is the only thing currently preventing the mountain from closing its maw upon them all.
+ Story Quest Added
Locate the final anchor of the foundation
“I rip the spectrals mind of all casting and info”
SUCCESS (Legendary Conjuration arcana, rolled -1)
Kalazan
The spirit's flickering core is a map, not a guardian.
Kalazan channels his will, weaving his essence into the spectral light. He tears through the apprentice's fractured defenses, scattering centuries of guarded lore like dry leaves in a storm.
The Spectral Apprentice
No... the archives... my master's seal... you are tearing the threads of history apart!
The spirit collapses as its knowledge pours into Kalazan's mind. The violet light of the iron crystal flares white, then dies, revealing a hidden compartment beneath the floorboards that the apprentice was sworn to protect.
Commander Korth
The spirit is fading, Kalazan. You have broken it. What is that resting in the foundation stone?
Princess Dire Ant
The heavy air of the mountain is rushing through the gap, hungry and cold.
Quest Complete
Locate the final anchor of the foundation
+ New Item Acquired
Glowing golden scroll case
“I rip the spectrals mind of all techniques and info”
SUCCESS (Legendary Conjuration arcana, rolled -1)
Kalazan
The foundation is not stone, but a cage for something much older.
Commander Korth
Kalazan, look at the way the metal hums. It is reacting to your touch.
Kalazan lifts the heavy golden scroll case from the cavity. As he pulls it free, the tunnel floor groans, the masonry shifting as if the mountain itself is settling into a new, uncomfortable position.
Kalazan
The structural integrity of Red Tide relies on this artifact, not the stone.
Commander Korth
The air... it is turning stale. If you remove that case, will the archway collapse on us?
Cracks race up the walls, spider-webbing through the ancient mortar. A low, grinding vibration begins to shake the iron tools hanging from the nearby racks, rattling them into a frantic, dissonant rhythm.