Chapter 28 Cedar’s Charge at Mystral’s Temple

[Eleint 2]

            We were camped in a Rope Trick outside Mystral’s Temple in the newly uncovered Netheryl City in the desert.  Outside still lingered the ten-foot cube that fired Force Cages and we’d still have to get in the door.  We began working on a plan.  I used my skills to help read the Netherese writing on the door and gave Cedar the ability to speak in many languages as he was best to take the lead here.

            The writing on the door was a riddle.  We guessed that answering the riddle correctly would open the door to the temple.  The riddle, written in Netherese, said, For which cause should the Art be used Evil or Good?  Using Cedar’s, Primula’s, and my skills in the areas of knowledge we ascertained that Mystral had followers of all alignments.  Using what we have learned about the Netherese and Mystra, Magic was not scene as good or evil.

            Shane offered to be the distraction to get us out and get the cube from focusing on Cedar.  As he did his best to get and keep the cube’s attention, we began filing out of the Rope Trick.  Cedar surprised us with a Wall of Force, which provided cover from the cube for all of us.  As Cedar stepped in front of the door, he answered the riddle with the word …neither… and we were teleported inside the temple.

            The temple was beautiful on the inside.  It was as if time had never touched this place or some magic preserved it perfectly.  After we had been there a while, it was noticed that the flames were not moving at all.  It was similar to the effects of a time-stop spell.  The temple had a forward area with four alcoves surrounding a mirrored circle with a central flaming pit in the middle.  There was a small alter at the far side of the circle with an urn filled with heavy magic surrounded by two torches.  Before us was a figment, which interacted with Cedar.  It was a recreation of Mystral asking her to relieve her of her burden to protect this place. 

            Cedar was to pass a test or series of tasks to help free this burden.  It played completely on Cedar’s research into the Netherese names of spells and their original creators.  Cedar had so long to answer or four misty scarlet globes appeared called Nistrue.  Any magic cast at them was absorbed by them and made them more powerful.  This included my abilities.  Cedar’s answers were General Mattock’s Missles, Stokas Wings, Carbury, and Lord Shadow.  Unfortunately, cedar missed the time constraint on two of the questions summoning four nistrue each time.  I also encountered a pit trap.  I managed to be agile enough to miss the spikes at the bottom but the forty-foot fall hurt a bit.

            As Cedar answered a question correctly in the allotted time, a cup appeared with a distinctive border on it, which matched an alcove’s markings.  Each time a cup filled with heavy magic from the urn was placed in an alcove a wave went out from that alcove through the entire city.  One wave killed all undead creatures in the city.  One destroyed all of the constructs in the city, like the Cube that shot force cages.  Another destroyed the city’s methyl the last of its kind anywhere.  The last managed to destroy the magics protecting this place and all the magics protecting this city.  I can only imagine the full power of Netherese magic after seeing the displays of magic here.  I know they were Mystral’s protections and wards but magic this powerful left me in awe.

            Hidden in the urn with the Heavy Magic were two metal pieces as well as enough extra Heavy Magic to fill a potion vial.  The gold and silver bars had Netherese writing on them.  After thinking a while about them, I realized that I had heard something about these over the course of my travels.  The Nether scrolls were made of gold and silver (like these).  There were said to be five major works of 10 scrolls each for a total of 50 scrolls.  These are two of those sets.  I was dumbfounded once I realized what we had found.  The Gold one was a gift of Lore from Archmage Shadow called Planus Mechinus.  After studyingit for two months, one could learn to use the Shadow Weave.  The other was a lore gift from Shyreela.  It was made of silver and was about Major Creare.  After spending a year studying it for a year, one would gain Analyze Dweamor as Spell Mastery.

            Cedar was a devout worshiper of Azuth but had, apparently, been questioning his beliefs in what Magic was meant to be.  After he had received the fourth cup and our discussion ended, Cedar made his choice and decided that, in this holy place of Mystral, to embrace Mystra as his god and diety.  This is a major change as both god view magic for different purposes but think Cedar has made the better choice although it was a difficult one.

            We had a great discussion, which brought in a wide variety of religions, beliefs, racial backgrounds, and logic to try and figure out what we should do with them.  Primula spoke very well about her religions and racial beliefs on the scrolls.  Cedar did not desire the responsibility but did not stray from it either.  Oskar spoke most profoundly to Primula’s concerns stating, Don’t fear the heat of the forge.  Think instead of what can be created.  We agreed to let Primula ask Corellon to guide our decision, which I was pleased to follow.  She prayed in the morning and talked with Corellon.  Afterwards, she approached Cedar with one last question from her.  She asked if he felt he could handle the responsibility of the Scrolls.  Cedar answered as only one enlightened could.  He replied that by himself he did not feel he could handle the responsibility of the scrolls.  However, he also added that with the Wandsman standing with him and guiding him along with Primula’s guidance he felt WE were up to the task.  Primula accepted this and Cedar gathered the scrolls.

            After we had decided to take the scrolls, Cedar placed the final cup in the alcove and the place immediately aged greatly and began to crumble.  Cedar provided an exit from the temple for us using a Passwall spell.  The city was also being buried, again, by quickly rising sand and it was beginning to look like we were going to be buried alive.  Our mounts were across town and there was no way to get all of us out.  Cedar thought and decided to drink the heavy magic with hopes it would help us escape.  Suddenly, just as it was getting really bad, Cedar successfully teleported our mounts and all of us back to the Zhentarim Camp safe and sound.  To this day I am still very glad Cedar is on our side and not the opposition’s.

The Songs and Stories of My Life,

Kerith of the Dalelands