Session Four

 Starting from [[Mathema]], the group travels southwest back to [[Grund's Vale]]. As they haven't really done any exploring through the forests, they remain on the roads.  [[Friedel]] won't accept going back to his village, but that's not the destination anyway.

Going to the gnome/goblin cave shouldn't take too long. Whoosh and his fellow goblin are guarding the trash pile island but won't challenge them as they're known. Of the two kings, only the pantless one is awake. He's very willing to take them at their word basically no matter what they say. He asks them about the stolen item. [[Camillune]] rolled an insight against everyone's deception. She spotted [[Kaupu]] but didn't pursue the matter. [[Kaupu]] successfully snuck the pole of expanding into [[Ardour]]'s bag.

[[Cael Vista]] is open to them. The [[temple of Y'so]] is in the center of the city. It is on the crown of the hill that Cael Vista is on. The temple is a crystal edifice. It is of a similar design with the rest of the city, but that it is made of semi-transluscent crystal instead of white marble.

Inside are many people, perhaps two dozen. There are only one or two humans in the mix. Everyone else is a different species. Everyone seems to be conducting experiments in one way or another. Some are studying their spellbooks. A few have set up ritual circles and triangles and pentagrams, some solo and some together. One is floating about a foot off the ground seated in a lotus position as she meditates.

There is no dias or throne and there only appears to be one official priest on hand. She stands in the middle of the room and appears to be watching both the door and everyone at once. Her name is [[Madal Dawnseeker]] and she is a dark skinned half elven woman.

She explains that everyone here has been sent from their various homelands to try to figure out why magic is beginning to fail. She can provide no answers and her best suggestion is to speak to [[Y'so]] directly. No one thus far has been able to get very far with Madal's best suggestion.

She says there is a priest who has the means of contacting [[Y'so]], downstairs. Everyone who has gone down has come back in a very short time unsuccessful though. Only the most diehard remained after that frustration.

The stairs are behind a pillar in the back. It's only one flight of stairs and the room it lets into isn't terribly impressive. It's a single open chamber made of blackened crystal. At the far side of this 30' square room is a ritual circle. It's very large, with half the circle on the floor and the other half on the wall behind. In the center of the circle is a seat built into the wall (think like beds in a stone prison).

On the seat is a priest named [[Khal]]. He is Yuan Ti, with a snake's head and a man's body. Around him there are three duplicates of himself. He is insane and babeling but all the beings speak as one.

As they come down the stairs, he is saying, "...there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds."

Pointing out [[Ardour]], he says, "On the day that a giant dwarf is out-wrestled by a young wizard.... wait.... that's a different...."

[[Camillune]] starts writing down everything he's saying in her prayer book.

To [[Peltogyne]] he says, "Apprentice's Master is a MUCH better title!" and when Pel attempts to protest, [[Khal]] z-snaps and says, "I will not be taking questions at this time."

Apropo of nothing, he stands on his box like a podium and announces, "Ich bin ein Berliner!"

When [[Camillune]] tries to question him, he answer, "My memories reach back to when I was six years old. Before that, there is nothing, only a blank gulf no exercise of my mind has ever been able to pierce. Prior to that day at Moonseye, there is... wait... dammit. That's wrong."

He tries again, "Though you wipe your hands and brush off the dust and dirt from the vessels, what is the use of all this fuss if the heart is still impure?"

Sitting back down, he says to [[Kaupu]], "Wabi-sabi." in a very serious voice.

[[Lorrin]] is trying to make all this nonsense make some sort of sense, and [[Khal]]tells them, "Be extremely subtle even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent’s fate."

[[Lorrin]] introduces themself and [[Khal]] challenges them rather than responding with his own name. He asks how certain Lorrin is of their identity. When Lorrin tries a different tack, Khal redirects his attention to [[Ardour]] again.

He says, "Little did I dream you could be so reckless and so cruel as to do an injury to that lad." Which Ardour hotly refutes.

Basically he's waiting to see how long it takes for them to get frustrated. The stone bench he is sitting on has a cistern style lid that opens into the hill. They aren't leaving and [[Lorrin]] is being persistent, so [[Khal]] decides they've succeeded in passing his test. He opens the hill to them.

 They make their way down and end up having to fight a group of magical guardians. Having defeated them, they find an iron door.