Loose threads Who exactly is Gabriel Renoula, and how did his life lead to his fall?
Participants Felix Arceneaux, Holt Forrest, Ubukata Gaho, Cadiri, Samrat Gyani
Locations The Great Library
Short summary:
After finding their way into the Great Library, the party encounters the Skeleton Bard and a spirit who provides them directions to sections of the Library that some members of the party would wish to seek out. One such section contained a mystical book that pulled the party into scenes of the life of its author, 'Gabriel Renoula'. Eventually, the party engaged in battle with a disillusioned Gabriel in the last couple pages of the book. After a great deal of fighting, they manage to defeat Gabriel, who is then turned into a lifeless statue in his manifested armor.
Full Report
Our job started with a sailing trip, where we were dropped off at the port in the Avis River Basin. After a great deal of travel on foot (and a skirmish with some leeches in Desert's Belt River), we brave the sandy winds of the Desert of Rydess only to find ourselves stopped by an illusion that seems to prevent us from getting any closer to the library. When we try to use blindfolds to somehow get us closer to the tower, we actually manage to make our way into the Library, greeted by an orchestra of skeleton players conducted by another skeleton in fine dress when we take off our blindfolds. After explaining our own individual reasons for our arrival to the spirit accompanying the Skeleton Bard and resting for the night, we first make for Holt's desired choice of read, lycanthropy.
Apparently, the room containing books about lycanthropy contained actual lycans, where we fought off werewolves and skeleton wolves in a forest lit by moonlight. After the last canine is felled and Holt deals with a miniature identity crisis, we press on to the section detailing myths and legends and such. While the others were doing their own thing, I found myself taking a book off the shelf in a moment of boredom. 'Gabriel Renoula' was the name of it. Peculiar, yes, but what was truly perplexing was the contents of the pages. To put it simply, they were all blank, not even a spot of ink in the parchment. But when I tried for a closer look, I found myself someplace else. It was evening in a forest. I was seated next to a campfire, and across from me was a man with a halo and eyes of gold. A Nephilim, I believe.
I am still not quite sure how I managed to gleam this information, but I knew this man was Gabriel Renoula, the name on the cover. When I found myself back in the library, I relayed what I saw back to my colleagues. According to Ubukata, this queer book worked not through sight, but through thought. Words were not printed on the pages of the book, but feelings, memories of sorts. Deeply immersing oneself in the book would allow them to live out their entire life alongside the subject of the book, but it would risk 'losing' oneself in the life within the parchment. These memories can also be read aloud like words, allowing those around the reader to immerse themselves in the book with each other.
And so, we dove into the life of Gabriel Renoula. From what we managed to gather from the pages, Gabriel was a mage with heroic ambitions that seemed to have been wittled down by his adventures both mentally and physically. He was your average hero-mage, but as the book progressed, we witnessed his growing resentment and his flesh being replaced with clockwork technology as he sustained injuries.
On the second to last page, Gabriel talks with an unknown entity, not visible to our eyes. Or maybe it was the air itself. I don't quite know. Gabriel explains his disillusionment with the gods, as well as talking about some way to reach them. When the entity refuses his invitation to follow this method of enlightenment, Gabriel summons manifested armor accompanied by two axes and begins to fight us directly. The battle ended when the axes were felled and my steel buried in his flesh. The moment I pulled back and the wound began to gush, Gabriel recalled his armor onto his body, laughing all the while. But he didn't laugh for too much longer, suddenly trying to tear the plate from his body as he began panicking. His limbs grew stiff and the sound of a ticking clock grew loud until...
An inanimate statue of clockwork stood in front of me for but a moment before I closed the book. And that is where our quest ended.
My hands still shake at the unsettling sight of watching a man be imprisoned within armor, something meant to protect the flesh. Even if it was just a memory, even if I did not actually kill him myself, something still gnaws at my conscience. A feeling that I have not felt since before my arrival here in this world. But I suppose this is the life I chose for myself. Anyways, this is the end of my report about our exploration of the Great Library.
Signed,
Felix Arceneaux