You tell Foggledonk 'Should I fear you?'

Foggledonk tells you 'Fear not. I think.'

u
The Fifth Story of the Laboratory
| [OBSERVATORY] Several softly glowing magical orbs, suspended
| in mid-air, illuminate the room enough to navigate it without
| stumbling. The orbs' delicate glow allows an observer to take
| full advantage of the array of telescopes without light pollution.
@ | Telescopes of a variety of shapes, sizes, and positions line
| the circumference of the room. The largest telescopes point
| towards the sky, dedicated to the study of celestial bodies.
| The remaining telescopes point different directions across
| Serin, committed to the study of this realm. A pile of star
---------+ charts lay on a table, peppered with scrawled research notes.
A set of stairs along the eastern wall lead down.

[Exits: down]

where
Players near you in A Large Lodge:
<PK> Liraz The Fifth Story of the Laboratory

Pose set to: Liraz is here making herself comfortable.

Foggledonk just spotted you from A Meadow at the Base of a Cliff!

Foggledonk walks in.

Foggledonk gallantly tips his hat.

Foggledonk utters the words, 'gaiqhjabral'.
You are surrounded by a white aura.

Foggledonk says 'Just in case...'

Liraz's smile is soft and secretive.

Liraz parts bloodred lips 'Greetings, S--Foggledonk.'

Liraz recovers from her gaffe quickly.

Foggledonk says 'Greetings, Liraz the Clever.'

Foggledonk says 'So, what is it you wish to know?'

You say 'Let's start with everything.'

Foggledonk says 'I will be transparent with you.'

You say to Foggledonk 'After I departed, you found the stone?'

Foggledonk says 'Everything? Well then we'll need some food and drink.'

Foggledonk utters the words, 'qcandusahz yaae'.
A cream tart suddenly appears.

Foggledonk utters the words, 'qcandusahz yaae'.
A cream tart suddenly appears.

Foggledonk utters the words, 'qcandusahz yaae'.
A cream tart suddenly appears.

Foggledonk says 'I cannot produce alcohol so this water will have to suffice. Just pretend.'

Foggledonk utters the words, 'qcandusahz gsfuio'.
A magical spring flows from the ground.

Foggledonk drinks water from a magical spring.

Liraz procures the tastiest looking tart for herself.

You get a cream tart.

You eat a cream tart.
You are full.

Foggledonk gets a cream tart.

Foggledonk eats a cream tart.

Foggledonk says 'Yes, after your departure we did acquire the Oblivion Stone.'

Liraz stalks around the observatory, occasionally stopping to regard one of Foggledonk's
contraptions. A clever observer would note, however, that her eyes never leave the gnome.

You say to Foggledonk 'Set the scene for me. Where was it, after all that?'

Foggledonk says 'Ayinti eventually worked her way through the Void to discover a key. The very key
that would open the doors to the Void Wraith.'

You say 'Voraxen?'

You drink water from a wondrous waterskin.
Your thirst is quenched.

Foggledonk nods at you in agreement.

Foggledonk says 'Voraxen.'

You say 'Did you battle?'

Foggledonk says 'Not immediately.'

Foggledonk says 'He pleaded with us to help him use the Oblivion Stone to reunite him with his
deceased wife.'

Liraz seems patient enough to let Foggledonk unwind the yarn, though she hangs on every word as if
suspended by a hook.

Liraz remarks 'His wife? How sad.'

Foggledonk nods in enthusiastic agreement with you.

Foggledonk says 'But was it a trap? We weren't sure.'

Liraz quotes the High Herald 'If it has a name, it has ambitions.'

Foggledonk says 'We decided to separate him from the Oblivion Stone by way of violence.'

You say to Foggledonk 'Was there much of a fight?'

Foggledonk shakes his head at you.

Foggledonk says 'Not with Ayinti at the front.'

Foggledonk says 'Once he fell, we noticed a journal in his possession.'

Foggledonk says 'A journal detailing his plans to bring his wife back from the other side.'

You say 'The other side of what, I wonder? Did he plan to summon her from Acadia?'

Foggledonk says 'Once I read the journal I thought we ought to complete his task. He seemed honest,
anyways.'

You say 'Do you have the journal?'

Foggledonk looks in a mysterious bag of the Magi.

Foggledonk shakes his head.

You say 'Who kept it?'

Foggledonk says 'I am unsure who wound up with it due to the events that followed.'

Liraz tries not to let disappointment color her tone, though it is still black.

Liraz says, half to herself 'As the Chronicler of History, it should be remanded to my possession.'

Foggledonk says 'Trillian snatched up the Stone and returned to the Rest to have a discussion.'

Foggledonk says 'He was adamant this was a trap we were walking into.

Foggledonk says 'I disagreed. As did Bonfo and Ayinti.'

Foggledonk says to you 'You'll have to take that up with your fellow Consortium members.'

Foggledonk says 'But it wouldn't surprise me if Bonfo walked away with it unbeknownst to anyone.'

A storm cloud crosses Liraz's features before clearing once more. She doesn't speak for a moment.

You say to Foggledonk 'He is quite clever himself.'

Foggledonk nods in enthusiastic agreement with you.

You say 'I take it this disagreement over the stone was not . . . resolved amicably.'

Foggledonk shakes his head at you.

Foggledonk says 'It was not.'

Foggledonk says 'Trillian was becoming flustered, I could tell. And so was I.'

Liraz nods before quieting down once more to digest Foggledonk's story.

You think 'This is getting sticky.'

Foggledonk says 'He decided that disagreement was tantamount to demotion.'

Foggledonk says 'And thus demoted me to Oracle.'

Foggledonk says 'My blood boiled.'

You say 'I did not realize he held such sway among the Mystics.'

Foggledonk says to you 'Nor did I. Let alone abuse it.'

Foggledonk says 'Anger consumed me.'

Liraz speaks, again half to herself 'Though, I suppose in the absence of an Abecedarian . . .'

Liraz concludes 'This is troubling, Foggledonk.'

Foggledonk says 'In that moment, our entire history, him helping me create my earrings, our
engineering of the tripods, was erased. All of it.'

Foggledonk removes a curse-reverse earring of gnomish engineering whirring softly from his ear.

Foggledonk wears a curse-reverse earring of gnomish engineering whirring softly on his ears.

Liraz's voice catches in her throat. She does not try to release it.

Foggledonk says 'I opened up the ground and unleashed streams of hell upon him.'

Foggledonk says 'He crawled away and recalled to safety.'

Foggledonk says 'Though deep down I knew I did not want to kill him. But I felt I wasn't in complete
control either. A very odd, uncomfortable feeling.'

Foggledonk says 'I certainly don't recommend it.'

You say to Foggledonk 'Were those feeling stirred by the stone?'

Foggledonk says to you 'I believe so.'

Foggledonk says 'I pleaded with Avenar about Trillian's tyrannous acts.'

You say to Foggledonk 'And what response from the Oracle of the Stars?'

Foggledonk says 'He was most curious how things escalated.'

Foggledonk says 'And reminded me attacking a fellow Consortium member is strictly prohibited.'

help consortium
'CONSORTIUM'

The Consortium gathers the brightest and most curious minds of Serin. It is
located in Ivory Towers at the center of Timaran, with branching outposts in
taverns in Seringale and the Silent Grove. Its halls were formed from the
time-honored coteries of HERALDS and MYSTICS, with the addition of SCHOLARS,
a group devoted to all types of learning. These three factions now form
the basis of the Consortium. Members ultimately DEDICATE their study to nine
PILLARS of knowledge. During their pursuit of knowledge, the Consortium
produces the MYSTIQUE newspaper, public and private EVENTS, and maintains
the CODEX for the denizens of Serin.

Consortium members will be expected to have excellent backgrounds and roleplay
exceptionally well. Interested applicants should submit an Application to
Consortium for consideration, after which the patron Immortal or one of the
members will be in contact with further instructions.

Membership requirements:
1) Must be level 20 or higher
2) Superb roleplay
3) A superbly well-written description
4) A thorough well-written background
5) Must not invade cabal grounds

You say 'I had not myself realized.'

Foggledonk says 'What will become of the background scrolls of the citizens of Serin? They will
amass infinitely. Never to be read!'

You say 'I assumed it was custom rather than compulsion that prevented us from accosting our
fellows.'

Foggledonk says 'I worked my way back to my laboratory to ponder what had transpired.'

Liraz appears fully immersed in Foggledonk's story, her heavily lidded eyes a little wider than is
typical.

Foggledonk says 'As I walked, I began to feel a sense of regret slowly seeping in. Anger replaced
with regret.'

Foggledonk says 'But more than that, how did this happen?'

Foggledonk utters the words, 'oculoinfra uizug'.

Foggledonk shivers uncomfortably.

Foggledonk says 'Did you just feel that?'

You say to Foggledonk 'No--was it a remnant of void magic?'

Foggledonk says 'I started to wonder if the Stone had somehow influenced me. Corrupted me. Used me
as a pawn for its bidding.'

Foggledonk nods at you in agreement.

Foggledonk says to you 'A shiver all the way down my spine.'

You say to Foggledonk 'You ascribe sentience to the stone?'

Foggledonk says to you 'I am unsure. Perhaps.'

Foggledonk says 'I suggested this to Avenar, who seemed intrigued, but disappeared back to the
heavens before elaborating.'

You say 'And the High Herald yet has the stone?'

Foggledonk shakes his head at you.

Foggledonk says 'Unless he went back to retrieve it.'

You say 'I thought he brought it to the Rest?'

Foggledonk says 'The Stone rested on the ground when our feud began. He fled and I pursued. We both
left the Stone behind.'

You say 'Surely Mistress Ayinti would not leave it to languish.'

Foggledonk says 'Ah yes. But I forgot to mention we did bring it to the Void where all this began.
Where Mordras first tasked us with finding it.'

Foggledonk says 'As for its current location I would presume Ayinti. Though I'm unsure.'

Foggledonk says 'I am seen as an enemy of the Consortium currently. Or so I believe.'

You say to Foggledonk 'You are not my enemy.'

Foggledonk thanks you heartily.

You say 'Did you encase it in the cube as instructed?'

Foggledonk nods at you in agreement.

Foggledonk says 'We did encase it.'

Liraz's smile is soft and secretive.

You say 'What else would you have me know? Or have your fel--former fellows know? I will write about
it.'

Foggledonk says 'After Avenar's departure I suggested the same to Trillian.'

Foggledonk says 'He claimed not to recall the immediate events leading up to the violence nor
expelling me.'

Foggledonk says 'And also wondered if he was influenced by the Stone.'

Foggledonk says 'Ayinti seemed unaffected, though how can we be sure?'

Foggledonk says 'And what of Bonfo?'

Foggledonk says 'More questions than answers, to be sure.'

You say 'I hope they are the right questions, at least.'

Foggledonk says 'I will send a scroll to the Consortium outlining my thoughts.'

Foggledonk says 'Whether or not it will be read remains to be seen.'

Foggledonk says 'I have felt no inklings of violence since we began talking, for what it's worth.'

Liraz's smile is still soft, still secretive, but now it is a little sad too.

Foggledonk says 'It seemed distancing myself from the Stone mitigated its influence.'

You say to Foggledonk 'Well, perhaps we can use you to discover it again. The more murderous you
feel, the closer we've come.'

Foggledonk says 'Hence my clarity as I headed away from the Void.'

Liraz does not betray her jest with a wink or an aside.

Foggledonk says to you 'Clever as always.'

Foggledonk bows his head in worship of Vanisse.

You say to Foggledonk 'What happens now?'

Foggledonk says to you 'Your guess is as good as mine.'

Foggledonk says 'I need some time to think. Process. Ponder.'

Liraz sounds cross for a moment 'I don't like this business one bit, Foggledonk.'

Foggledonk says 'Have I been reckless with my actions?'

Foggledonk shrugs helplessly.

Foggledonk says 'I can't help but wonder if this has a deeper meaning.'

You say 'Was Mordras absent from the Void?'

Foggledonk says 'I wish to better understand the Stone, though I wish not to go near it again. At
least not with anyone I care about.'

Foggledonk says to you 'He was.'

You say 'That seems strange.'

Foggledonk says 'I believe more will unfold.'

Foggledonk says 'But when...I know not.'

You say 'I hoped your words would bring me clarity, but I am more confused than ever.'

Foggledonk says 'Should the Stone be destroyed? I should think so. But how? Will destroying it lead
to calamity?'

You say to Foggledonk 'You no longer wish to aid Voraxen's quest?'

Liraz mumbles to herself 'I must see this journal.'

Foggledonk says 'How can I if I'm endangering those around me?'

Foggledonk beckons for everyone to follow.

You say 'Carefully, I assume.'

You now follow Foggledonk.

*The pair travel back to the Broken Shrines.*

Foggledonk walks east.
You follow Foggledonk.
Broken Shrines
z-z-z | You tread upon what seems like to be an old place of worship.
| | Several altars are laid out here with some broken pedestals
z | in between. They are solely made of a bluish type of rock
| | that you have not seen before. Three prominent pillars stand
+-+-@ | out, each with geometric shapes inscribed on them. Crows
| from a distance gaze down and scream shrilly in the moist
| air.
|
|
---------+

[Exits: west]
A bluish cube statue is here, placed on an ancient pillar.
A bluish pyramid statue is here, placed on an ancient pillar.
A bluish sphere statue is here, placed on an ancient pillar.
Foggledonk the Sage of Arcane Power is here.

Foggledonk kneels in front of a bluish pyramid statue.

You kneel in front of a bluish pyramid statue.

Foggledonk kneels in front of a bluish sphere statue.

Foggledonk says 'We cannot return it seems.'

You say 'I no longer detect the magic either.'

Foggledonk says 'That opened a portal last Renewal.'

Foggledonk sits down and thinks deeply.

Foggledonk says 'Nor do I see Voraxen. Perhaps he is gone forever.'

Foggledonk says 'And by see I mean detect his presence.'

You nod at Foggledonk.

You say 'The Tear in Reality.'

Foggledonk nods at you in agreement.

Foggledonk says 'I must return to drafting my scroll for the Consortium. But before I depart, have
you any other questions?'

You say to Foggledonk 'What will you do now? Do you know?'

You say to Foggledonk 'After the scroll, I mean.'

Foggledonk says to you 'I do not. It almost feels like I no longer control my own fate.'

Foggledonk says 'Once again, an uneasy feeling. I do not recommend it!'

You say to Foggledonk 'Are we but figures on a board for the amusement of some unknown power?'

Foggledonk says to you 'It does make you wonder, yes?'

Liraz says, a touch greedily 'Oh, and can I have another tart?'

Liraz licks her lips.

Foggledonk utters the words, 'qcandusahz yaae'.
A cream tart suddenly appears.

You get a cream tart.

You eat a cream tart.
You are full.

Foggledonk says to you 'Beware the High Herald.'

Liraz's flippant demeanor dissolves some at this last.

Foggledonk says 'He felt the corruption consume him as well.'

You say 'I worry for you both.'

You say 'But my worry will not save you.'

Foggledonk says 'If he acts rashly, be suspicious. And be wary.'

Foggledonk utters the words, 'qcandusahz yaae'.
A cream tart suddenly appears.

You say to Foggledonk 'He always acts rashly.'

You say to Foggledonk 'But I will watch. I like to watch.'

Foggledonk says '[REDACTED]'

You say '[REDACTED]'

Foggledonk says '[REDACTED]'

Foggledonk says '[REDACTED]'

You say '[REDACTED]'

You say to Foggledonk 'I am still your friend, if not your fellow.'

Foggledonk thanks you heartily.

Foggledonk says 'Be on your toes. Even around me.'

Liraz looks down to her toes.

Foggledonk says 'I once lost a toe...'

Foggledonk says 'But that is a story for another day.'

Foggledonk waves happily.

You stop following Foggledonk.
Foggledonk has left the realms.