#An illuminated section from a talismanic scroll

[blueiscoool]

An illuminated section from a talismanic scroll Egypt, Mamluk, Mid-14th century

[unsanctixned-vtm]

LEARN SOME MANNERS (v: DnD) || w/ @botanyandbrilliance

Sitting on the highest point of the sloping tiered city that sits built into the hillside up against a rather magnificent lake sits the Antyllus family manor. 

It’s been centuries that the noble family that used to control the city actually lived there. Except for one of them. The one that in life brought nervous side-eyed glances - and now cultivates an even stronger sense of fear. It was one thing to deal with when he was a creepy kid stealing from the city catacombs and buying sketchy magical items off travelers. It was another when he returned from a long excursion with a honed magic experience and a myriad of dangerous artifacts. 

The Humans and other ‘quicker’ races of the city now treat the manor with much great suspicion. Antyllus still lives. That is known. How - that is of some speculation. Some talk that it’s a gift from the elderich god he supposedly worships while others manage to hit the nail on the head - a lich. He comes and buys things in town on very rare occasions. Usually simply appearing in a shop - dropped a handful of coins then vanishing again. No one knows all the much about him. Other than ‘he’s a lich’, ‘he lives in that manor’, and ‘some of the people that go up to the manor never come back’.

On talk of the manor : it has a more widespread reputation than it’s owner. Travelers come from all around to access it’s library of tomes, books, scrolls, and magical artifacts. So long as you do not try to take anything and don’t happen to run into the owner it can be a great resource. 

The visitors that Antyllus has today however - are not so interested obeying his ‘library rules’ and have made it clear that they have come as looters. Misguided adventurers seeking to earn fame and honor by slaying the lich and liberating the knowledge he’s been hoarding. That or maybe someone in another city pulled them all together with the allure of gold and whatever loot they could carry.

Getting in the front door would have been eat for them. Left unlocked it’d opened up into a wondrous foyer - lined with narrow marble columns reaching to the ceiling that matched the flooring. Magical lights hung off the sides of them illuminating the area. Within this initial foyer there was immediately a doorway on either side of the initial more narrow section - but what would have caught the groups interest more immediately would have been the the granite plinth sat directly in the center of the hallway. Any interaction would have caused faintly glowing words in common to appear and start asking a questionnaire -

‘What are you looking for today? How did you hear about this place? What are your intentions?’

The plinth will not accept lies for answers. The moment the group establishes themselves as a threat the symbols change to simply ‘please leave’ ... yet nothing else happens. This plucky group of course is not going to be so easily off-put! Where the foyers opens up wider and a staircase takes center stage they can see a balcony looking down upon them from the second floor - so many doors so many choices! They’ll learn quickly that the doors are locked and attempting to open them results singed gloves & hands. Physical attacks blast them back, set people alight, and eletrocute... one fatal flaw in this defense : it’s magical. A simple dispel magic lets them traverse forward.

Most of the above ground areas are rather plain - albeit a bit cluttered with items and themed for the particular area of study. Each room has at least one skeleton sitting politely in a chair that will try to shoo them out upon entering. They are easily taken out and only resort of violence once hit. Each room also has a black plinth somewhere -

‘To the group in X room. Please leave.’ 

The group will learn quickly that items placed in cases are typically tied to that room and attempting to remove them deals psychic damage. As the individual that tried it first drops dead to the stone floor - an intercom chiming noise rings from the plinth. 

‘To the group in X room. Please leave. Shexhi has been dispatched to your location.’

From there the real fighting begins. Every now and then a creature coated in either inky black or a strange porcelain plating will show up. The morphology of each is slightly different and their sizes vary. Some are akin to dogs while the largest they end up facing towers over them by a couple of feet even while trapped in a crouch by the confines of the space it’s in. Not all of the party make it through the fight. Claws and tendrils of that one will have beaten at least a few back.

Finally, after all their hard work - the party stumbles into the... lair? Of the lich. It’s not very lair-y. It’s more like they’ve walked into someone’s living area in comparison to the rest of the place. It’s there they’ll find him - the lich. And in an act of vengeance for their fallen compatriots the parties wizard boldly lashes out trying to engage with combat. Things don’t last long from there. Everyone is exhausted with the exception of said lich....

Soon - there is only one left alive. The one who seeing their friends cut down so swiftly now cowers in the corner (at least from the liches perspective). With the fight over the skeletal mage, it’s bones wrapped with paper talismans and sigils, draped in elegant embroidered robes drops to it’s knees and... cries? At least one can presume it is from the body language. It does calm after a little while and mope off into a backroom. 

In it’s place returns a man standing at 5′0″ (heels excluded), who appears to be... mid-twenties but tired? Heels click against the stone floor - now mildly singed robes hang limply in comparison to how they’d fluttered in an invisible wind before. Large round rimmed glasses sit pushed up his nose and slip down slightly as he crouches before the one remaining member of the party.

Ever so gently, a cup of tea will be placed beside Olivia. Clinking ever so delicately against it’s saucer as it meets the tiled floor. The man doesn’t stay too close for too long - opting instead to back off and settle down on the other side of the room with his own beverage. 

“So - would you mind explaining to me what all of that was about?”