Dark Rumblings

[Ebiris]

"At last," she agrees, opening a fresh gate back to Sylica. "Lets go home."

And to Mystra she sends word. I have retrieved the Warrior's Spelltome.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Avatarlicia: 644/644
Active spells: Extended nondetection (CL 32), many moments of prescience (CL 31), epic mage armour (CL 31), extended greater anticipate teleportation (CL 32), extended repelling shield (CL 32), sensual blessing (CL 31), greater heroism (CL 31), recitation (CL 31), dance of the unicorn (CL 31), keen edge (CL 31), foresight (CL 31), ray deflection (CL 32), magic vestment (CL 31), greater magic weapon (CL 31), mass energy immunity (CL 32, cold), mass energy immunity (CL 31, fire), extended latha's sunmantle (CL 32), seira's arcane thesis (CL 31)
Defences: AC 81 (touch 32), CMD 86, spell resistance 46, energy immunity (fire, cold, negative energy), status immunity (polymorph, petrification, disease, energy drain, ability damage, ability drain, mind-affecting, and fear), nondetection (DC 47), ray deflection, damage reduction 20/-, 20 damage to anything striking in melee
Stat buffs/penalties: +13 armour, +9 shield, +4 morale attack/saves/skills, +3 luck attack/saves, +25 competence perception, doubled crit range, +2 insight AC/reflex, +1 enhancement attack/damage, +8 str, +4 con, -2 dex, +2 natural armour, -1 size. +10 CL vs SR, +5 DC on spells
Perceptions: Darkvision 60, arcane sight, low-light vision, scent, blindsight 60, tremorsense 60, perception +73
Sorcerer spell slots: 6/12/12/10/7/6/11/3/2/0/4/2/2/0
Duskblade spell slots: 6/17/17/10/1/4
Quick cast: 0 left.

[Anastasia]

Justice is done. Well done, my avenger.

[Ebiris]

And back in Sylica, the avatar Alicia hands the tome off to the real Alicia so she can actually read it!

[Anastasia]

As Alicia does that, Latha says, "It is done. What lies within the tome?"

On a glance it looks complex, something that may take mortals weeks, months or even years to decode. You feel as if you have a free afternoon and that should suffice.

[Ebiris]

"Secrets of arcane and martial skills alike," Alicia's avatar answers as the real deal vanishes to cosy up in her study and have a proper read through. "I'll be able to tell you more once I've properly digested its contents."

[Anastasia]

Do me a favor and list your feats, Alicia?

[Ebiris]

Feats: Exotic weapon proficiency (two-bladed sword), two weapon fighting, improved initiative, (p4)power attack, whirlwind attack, (d2)combat casting, arcane strike, rapid metamagic, celestial familiar, extra spell, (f1)improved two weapon fighting, (f2)greater two weapon fighting, (s1)eschew materials, (s5)consecrate spell, (s10)energize spell, (s15)quicken spell, (s20)maximise spell, (domain)weapon focus (two-bladed sword)
Epic Feats: Blinding speed, (s23)epic spell capacity, perfect two weapon fighting, (s26)multiaction, vivacious spell, (s29)improved metamagic, improved metamagic

[Anastasia]

It talks of the martial and the arcane, of the tricks to ignore the distractions of armor. Secrets you already know, long ago established in your life. Yet you can see how they can be stretched farther, taken to the limit.

On reading that you feel the tome reach out. Ah. It has an instinct, a low grade awareness. To learn from you, to spread your teachings to those that are worthy. To those who would bleed on it. It gives and it learns in exchange. If you were to give such a thing your divine blood, surely it would become yet stronger. But in doing so, would you be able to learn more from it? You don't know for sure, such matters are difficult even for you to predict.

You gain battle caster as a bonus feat.

[Ebiris]

She feels like her and Saint Bevor are on the same wavelength, only while he died in his prime doing what was right, she was able to survive longer and reach even further. And so while the various treatises on battle she's written are just words, Saint Alicia herself has become a greater existence, while Saint Bevor is gone but his writings have more power. Placing the book on her desk, she stands up and takes hold of Bonds, her hand positioned above the closed cover with the blade of her sword pressed to her palm.

"As you have taught, take what I have learned through blood and toil," she says before she slices the weapon hard into her palm, exerting herself for its sharpness to push past her divine toughness and splatter her life's blood onto the tome.

[Anastasia]

Your blood falls on the book, not a single splatter. It sinks into it as if water tossed onto the parched sands of the Fiefdoms.

'Thank you.' A voice, a man's voice, proud and strong. 'What remains of me can rest in peace now, for you are my equal and superior.'

[Ebiris]

She nods in recognisance of Saint Bevor's words. "Superior in life perhaps, but in death you are beyond me," she says as the skin of her palm heals, paying tribute to his sacrifice, one that she'll never know if she can match until the very end.

[Anastasia]

The tome now sits there, clean of blood and pristine. You know now it is bound to you, yours to give out as you see fit.

Warrior's Spelltome

This artifact is a wealth of lore about the arcane and martial blended together. To most, it is a tome with nothing interesting within. To those with martial and arcane training, the book is an invaluable wellspring of insights. To benefit from the Warrior's Spelltome, the reader must fulfill the following prerequisites:

- At least 3 levels in a class that grants +1 base attack bonus every level (such as fighter, paladin or barbarian).
- The ability to cast 2nd level arcane spells.
- Three feats that can be selected as fighter bonus feats. They do not need to be taken with actual fighter bonus feats, but only be eligible to taken as fighter bonus feats.

Those that read the tome find it full of practical advice on blending fighting ability and arcane magic together, as well as sections of Alicia's dogma. It takes a minimum of a week's study to learn the secrets within the tome. When this reading is done, the reader gains new insight which manifests as a bonus feat from the list below. The exact feat is chosen by the book (or Alicia if she wishes).

Arcane Strike, Battle Caster, Combat Casting, Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Eschew Materials, Extend Spell, Improved Initiative, Knowledge Devotion, Practiced Spellcaster, Toughness, Weapon Focus.

Additionally, the reader gains inspiration for a new spell. This may be an existing spell or a new spell, but is no higher than the higher spell the reader can cast minus one. Developing this spell takes only a single day, after which the reader gains it as a spell known or in their spellbook, as applicable.

Backend Stuff

Alicia understands the book perfectly and can discern where it is at any time (barring the actions of other deities or certain rare situations). She can choose the exact benefits anyone who reads gets, as it is her divine power supplying them. This is treated as a deific gift. As such, a reader who does not qualify for one from Alicia may be required to go on a quest before gaining the benefit of reading the tome. A reader that chooses to accept and follow Alicia as a result of the tenets of the faith expressed in the book is counted as advancing Alicia's interests and thus qualifies.

As blood created this book, blood can destroy it. Should the blood of Shar or the blood of a quasi power or higher that serves Shar touch the Warrior's Spelltome, it is destroyed for all time. Alicia is fully aware of this.

In time Alicia could adjust the feats offered by the book or even change it further within theme. This would require hands on time with the book but allows customization. This will get harder the more its used, so if you want to change something, soonest is best. Right now the artifact is remade and reborn, in a phase where change is possible.

[Ebiris]

Alicia's quite happy with that, though it could do with something a little bit extra so she elects to spend a bit longer with the book, adding her own personal touch to it.

Since channelling spells is such a big part of Alicia's combat style I'd like to add something like that. Like once per day someone who possesses the book can channel a spell they know into a melee weapon to be discharged on its next strike, like the spellblade class ability.

Her avatar will also tell Latha what it does, since she was curious and she fought just as hard to recover it.

[Anastasia]

Sure, that's entirely workable.

The tome now sits there, clean of blood and pristine. You know now it is bound to you, yours to give out as you see fit.

Warrior's Spelltome

This artifact is a wealth of lore about the arcane and martial blended together. To most, it is a tome with nothing interesting within. To those with martial and arcane training, the book is an invaluable wellspring of insights. To benefit from the Warrior's Spelltome, the reader must fulfill the following prerequisites:

- At least 3 levels in a class that grants +1 base attack bonus every level (such as fighter, paladin or barbarian).
- The ability to cast 2nd level arcane spells.
- Three feats that can be selected as fighter bonus feats. They do not need to be taken with actual fighter bonus feats, but only be eligible to taken as fighter bonus feats.

Those that read the tome find it full of practical advice on blending fighting ability and arcane magic together, as well as sections of Alicia's dogma. It takes a minimum of a week's study to learn the secrets within the tome. When this reading is done, the reader gains new insight which manifests as a bonus feat from the list below. The exact feat is chosen by the book (or Alicia if she wishes).

Arcane Strike, Battle Caster, Combat Casting, Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Eschew Materials, Extend Spell, Improved Initiative, Knowledge Devotion, Practiced Spellcaster, Toughness, Weapon Focus.

Additionally, the reader gains inspiration for a new spell. This may be an existing spell or a new spell, but is no higher than the higher spell the reader can cast minus one. Developing this spell takes only a single day, after which the reader gains it as a spell known or in their spellbook, as applicable.

Finally, those that carry the book find their magic to leap to their weapons in bursts off inspiration. Once per day, a person who has the Warrior's Spelltome in their possession may channel a spell, as if they had the arcane channeling class feature of a 3rd level duskblade.

Backend Stuff

Alicia understands the book perfectly and can discern where it is at any time (barring the actions of other deities or certain rare situations). She can choose the exact benefits anyone who reads gets, as it is her divine power supplying them. This is treated as a deific gift. As such, a reader who does not qualify for one from Alicia may be required to go on a quest before gaining the benefit of reading the tome. A reader that chooses to accept and follow Alicia as a result of the tenets of the faith expressed in the book is counted as advancing Alicia's interests and thus qualifies.

As blood created this book, blood can destroy it. Should the blood of Shar or the blood of a quasi power or higher that serves Shar touch the Warrior's Spelltome, it is destroyed for all time. Alicia is fully aware of this.

In time Alicia could adjust the feats offered by the book or even change it further within theme. This would require hands on time with the book but allows customization. This will get harder the more its used, so if you want to change something, soonest is best. Right now the artifact is remade and reborn, in a phase where change is possible.

[Ebiris]

Cool. Alicia doesn't have anyone to hand it out to quite yet so she'll hold onto the tome for a bit.

We're probably due for a new thread so barring stuff happening or Honey Belle catching any leads, I'll look into better figuring out the Icon of Sensations by finding something that can shape and tame chaos.