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"harfbuzz", "harfbuzz",
"Hergatha", "Hergatha",
"hidpi", "hidpi",
"homebrewed",
"Hornblade", "Hornblade",
"Iggwilv", "Iggwilv",
"illithid", "illithid",

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# Umbral Gaze 6: The Monoeye # Umbral Gaze 6: The Monoeye
Arriving back in Waterdeep after [a hectic day at work](/writings/umbral5/), our heroes stop at Laeral's home to discharge their mission's final obligation; Cisconian's corpse goes through the sallyport. Her note arrives late that evening by household courier--- Lord Silverhand is pleased; her words even carry a tinge of sympathy to the party's predicament. Ambling to their rooms through narrow streets, cloaks cinched and jackets buttoned against spates of dusky drizzle that force vermin and person alike to dart from overhang to lamp-lit awning in efforts to keep dry, the party are surprised to find Tasha--- dressed in the robes and pointed hat of her profession--- lurking in the lobby to accost them. Arriving back in Waterdeep after [a hectic day at work](/writings/umbral5/), our heroes stop at Laeral's home to discharge their mission's final obligation; Cisconian's corpse goes through the sallyport. A note arrives late that evening by household courier--- Lord Silverhand is pleased; her words even carry a tinge of sympathy for the party's predicament. Ambling to their rooms through narrow streets, cloaks cinched and jackets buttoned against spates of dusky drizzle that force vermin and adventurer alike to dart from overhang to lamp-lit awning in efforts to keep dry, the party are surprised to find Tasha--- dressed in the robes and pointed hat of her profession--- lurking in the lobby to accost them.
The witch puts voice to the exasperation heretofore heard only through Almuth's letter, and is slower today to move on to more amicable matters than in writing before. The interaction reminds the party unfavorably of the speech Laeral gave yesterday under similar circumstances, and--- as then--- indignation plays at the backs of their minds; the choices their patrons force upon them are not easy. Conversation finally turns to Cisconian, and Tasha debriefs the adventurers. The witch hisses her exasperation heretofore heard only through Almuth's letter, and is slower today to move on to more amicable matters than in writing before. The interaction reminds the party unfavorably of the speech Laeral gave yesterday under similar circumstances, and--- as then--- indignation plays at the backs of their minds; the choices their patrons force upon them are not easy. Conversation finally turns to Cisconian, and Tasha debriefs the adventurers.
Word from Tasha's informants in Silverymoon, received through magic while the party traveled, tells of a network of pre-existing traps that the admittedly-still-unusually-intelligent Cisconian coopted for his own purpose. Now that the monster is excised, librarians have uncovered regions of the basements long-forgotten in which great treasures and ancient histories rest to keep scholars busy for many years to come. Further and more immediately, wizards of Silverymoon believe the six recovered artifacts of Cisconian's gauntlet to be multifarious fragments of [a powerful magical item](/assets/mantle.png)[^mantle], a mantle left by the very founder of the city untold centuries ago, thought lost until now. Word from Tasha's informants in Silverymoon, received through magic while the party traveled, tells of a network of pre-existing traps that the still-unusually-intelligent Cisconian coopted for his own purpose. Now that the monster is excised, librarians have uncovered regions of the basements long-forgotten in which great treasures and ancient histories rest to keep scholars busy for many years to come. Further and more immediately, wizards of Silverymoon believe the six recovered artifacts of Cisconian's gauntlet to be multifarious fragments of [a powerful magical item](/assets/mantle.png)[^mantle], a mantle left by the very founder of the city untold centuries ago, thought lost until now.
Few historians remember and can perform the procedure to join the fragments, but one luckily works in Lord Silverhand's employ, and Tasha is confident that she will help. Of the party, only Clementine has the skills and knowledge needed to make full use of their prize, and Tasha promises to send a message to Taern Hornblade on her behalf requesting permission for her borrow the artifact--- at least until the beholder threat is vanquished from the land. This is promising news, but a less fortunate development also comes to the fore: Tasha aims to purloin the party's clerics for some outside business, her temporary need for assistants diminishing their numbers by a third; the two are in no position to refuse, Almuth agreeing eagerly and Warren so with a trepidation that vanishes into a hearty chuckle of resignation. The party will take differing paths in the morn. Few historians remember and can perform the procedure to join the fragments, but one luckily works in Lord Silverhand's employ, and Tasha is confident that she will help. Of the party, only Clementine has the skills and knowledge needed to make full use of their prize, and Tasha promises to send a message to Taern Hornblade on her behalf requesting permission to borrow the artifact--- at least until the beholder threat is vanquished. This is promising news, but a less fortunate development arises too: Tasha aims to purloin the party's clerics for some outside business, her need for divine assistance diminishing their numbers by a third; the two are in no position to refuse, Almuth agreeing eagerly and Warren with a trepidation that vanishes quickly with a heartily resigned chuckle. The party will take differing paths in the morn.
{.thematic} {.thematic}
*** ***
The war-chamber of Lord Silverhand's mansion is as our heroes remember, but for a stark emptiness of the desks and seats in its periphery. Laeral and Tasha stand together on the dais ahead of the great, low table, which reflects the light of a chandelier in sharp and dancing relief. The pair halt their conversation as the party approaches, and Tasha speaks up to Clementine before the meeting starts in earnest. She has Taern's reply: Silverymoon is glad for the ranger to have the cloak. The war-chamber of Lord Silverhand's mansion is as our heroes remember, but for a stark emptiness of the desks and seats in its periphery. Laeral and Tasha stand together on the dais ahead of the great, low table, which reflects the light of a chandelier in sharp and dancing relief. The pair halt their conversation as the party approaches, and Tasha speaks up to Clementine before the meeting starts in earnest. She has Taern's reply: Silverymoon is glad for the ranger to have the cloak.
Laeral explains the party's next task: they must travel to Lantan[^lantan], where the Monoeye beholder secrets itself away from prying Torilian eyes. Though popular understanding holds that Toril forgot those islands in the time of the Spellplague[^plague], merchants of the Sword Coast have recently known self-proclaimed Lantanese to come bearing technological marvels, shield golems and their like, which they readily offer in trade. The party is not to mention the history of Lantan, nor what they may find in their journey there, beyond these war-room walls. Laeral explains the party's next task: they must travel to Lantan[^lantan], where the Monoeye beholder secrets itself away from prying Torilian eyes. Though common understanding holds that Toril forgot those islands in the time of the Spellplague[^plague], merchants of the Sword Coast have recently known self-proclaimed Lantanese to come bearing technological marvels, shield golems and their like, which they readily offer in trade. For reasons undisclosed, the party is not to mention the history of Lantan, nor what they may find in their journey there, beyond these war-room walls.
To get to Lantan will require the use of a planes-shifting device--- Almuth gives his Amulet to Carmal in anticipation of his own absence. Laeral's table recedes into the floor on whirring mechanisms to make space for Tasha to blow a hole in the atmosphere; a portal to the trackless sea five-hundred miles south thunders into place with a rush of wind that shakes the great doors of the war chamber on their hinges even as Gottlob braces them with all his meager strength. Under instructions to use the Planes' Amulet only when the thinnest eddies of fog obscure their hands before their faces, the party passes through the witch's gate. To get to Lantan will require the use of a planes-shifting device--- Almuth gives Carmal the Planes' Amulet in anticipation of his own absence. At Laeral's command, the table recedes into the floor on whirring mechanisms to make space for Tasha to blow a hole in the atmosphere; a portal to the trackless sea five-hundred miles south thunders into place with a rush of wind that shakes the great doors of the war chamber on their hinges even as Gottlob braces them with all his meager strength. With instructions to use the Planes' Amulet only when the thinnest eddies of fog obscure their hands before their faces, the party passes through the witch's gate.
It takes little time to appraise the island on which they land--- waves crash no more than a few strides off in any direction while impenetrable fog occludes their vision to distances beyond. A canoe, with seating for twenty, lies halfway in the washes of the surf, oars in locks, waiting to carry the heroes onward. The party casts off, rowing until they reach a point at which the fog hangs heavily in the air and resists the returning strokes of their oars like a lesser stratum of sea, whereupon Carmal--- with Louisa's expert help--- casts "plane shift" as directed. It takes little time to appraise the island on which they land--- waves crash no more than a few strides off in any direction, and impenetrable fog occludes their vision to distances beyond. A canoe with seating for twenty lies halfway in the washes of the surf, oars in locks, waiting to carry the heroes onward. Climbing in and casting off, they row until they reach a point at which the fog hangs heavily in the air and resists the returning strokes of their oars like a lesser stratum of sea, whereupon Carmal--- with Louisa's expert help--- shifts planes as directed.
A different beach greets the party now--- silver-colored sands, gouged deeply and thrown about like the dross of some crazed and careless excavator, keep the boat upright by its keel. Though the sky gives no sign of the sun's position or of clouds that might cover it, a flat, diffuse glow from above paints the scene in watery gray. Adventurers disembark directly onto solid ground. Shore becomes verdant jungle as they move inland toward a confusion of cables wrapped and knotted about boles and branches too far off to make out well. Farther still, a trio of cylindrical towers--- columns of glass and straight-sided stone--- rise defiantly toward the heavens in peaked punctuation of the landscape's brilliant but monotonous green. Some of the broad-leaved trees that crowd on all sides appear strange to the party; close examination reveals that roughly one in three is a false, metallic, manufactured replica of its organic neighbors. Trees both real and artificial teem with dog-sized spiders, some of which give the party a start when they approach, but the things seem peaceful, or at least reluctant to attack. Further scrutiny of the arachnids shows that whatever constructed the trees must also have built the spiders. Delicately wrought automatons of copper and steel clatter and click as they move like drawers overfull of cutlery. Another beach greets the party now--- silver-colored sands, gouged deeply and thrown about like the dross of some crazed and careless excavator, keep the boat upright by its keel. Though the sky gives no sign of the sun's position nor of clouds that cover it, a flat, diffuse glow from above paints the scene in watery shades of gray. Adventurers step overboard straight onto solid ground. Shore becomes verdant jungle as they move inland toward a confusion of cables that wrap and knot about boles and branches too far off to entirely decipher. Farther still, a trio of cylindrical towers--- columns of glass and straight-sided stone--- rise defiantly toward the heavens in peaked punctuation of the landscape's brilliant but monotonous green. Some of the broad-leaved trees that crowd on all sides appear strange to the party; close examination reveals roughly one-in-three as a false, metallic, manufactured replica of its organic neighbors. Trees both real and artificial teem with dog-sized spiders, some of which give the party a start when they approach, but they behave peacefully, or at least with reluctance to attack. Further scrutiny of the creatures makes clear that whatever constructed the trees must also have built the delicately wrought automatons of copper and steel--- not spiders at all--- that clatter and click as they move like drawers full of cutlery.
Nearing the edge of the forest's heart, adventurers discover again the tangled mess of wood and metal seen before from afar. At this near vantage, they make out rows of buildings suspended at least fifty feet above their heads, patchwork structures of steel cables and solid, organic plates anchored securely into the jungle canopy--- their layout suggests dense inhabitation. Louisa, Clementine, and Carmal teleport straight above, wary to climb the disused and dangling ropes that seem the only way to access the city from below; Gottlob "levitates" as a safety measure before hauling himself hand-over-hand up one such rope with ease. As they near the edge of the forest's heart, where trees grow wider than a dozen men and a hundred times as high, adventurers discover again the tangled mess of wood and metal they saw before from afar. At this near vantage, they make out rows of buildings suspended a vara above their heads, patchwork structures of steel cables and solid, organic plates anchored securely into the jungle canopy--- their layout suggests dense inhabitation. Louisa, Clementine, and Carmal teleport straight above, wary to climb the disused and dangling ropes that seem the only way to access the city from below; Gottlob "levitates" as a safety measure before hauling himself hand-over-hand up one such rope with ease.
The art find themselves in what passes for a street, pausing for a moment to take in their surroundings. Many and varied automata make a flurry of activity everywhere they look. Rock gnomes and the occasional human work on dismantled machines in street-side stalls while others ride atop examples that stride down the boulevard with all the sense of place and purpose as a horse-drawn cab in Waterdeep. Spiders cling to walls and strands of cabling strung between rooftops, watching and doing who-knows-what above. The party's reveries of sightseeing are cut short as an especially large robot stops in front of the party--- it extends a hand on which stands a gnomish woman, small even for her kind, who greets the party in an unintelligible tongue. After some moments of confusion, Carmal casts "comprehend languages", and acts his best translator. The art find themselves in what passes for a street, pausing for a moment to take in their surroundings. Many and varied automata make a flurry of activity everywhere they look. Rock gnomes and the occasional human work on dismantled machines in street-side stalls while others ride atop examples that stride down the boulevard with all the sense of place and purpose as a horse-drawn cab in Waterdeep. Spiders cling to walls and strands of cabling strung between rooftops, watching and doing who-knows-what above. The party's reveries of sightseeing are cut short as an especially large robot stops in front of the party--- it extends a hand on which stands a gnomish woman, small even for her kind, who greets the party in an unintelligible tongue. After some moments of confusion, Carmal casts "comprehend languages", and acts his best translator.
@ -41,18 +41,24 @@ The adventurers slink up a wide and gently curving stairway to take positions on
Questions abound on both sides. Interlocutors hurl "Where did you come from?", "What do you want?", and the like at one another. Eventually, some understanding is reached. The beholder's name is Rwntincer; he is not surprised that the lords of Faerûn would send a kill squad to clean up his mess. Still, he explains, his aims are ultimately peaceful. He came to Lantan to be far away from his dreary home in the outer planes and from the interference of strangers like the rock gnomes and themselves--- in the latter, he may have misjudged. Rwntincer has the air of a solitary, socially disinterested character, and the party are inclined to believe his claims that he wants to be left alone. His work in the sky forge is of academic interest--- the gnomes' methods of automaton construction far outstrip his own; he labors in the tower to reverse-engineer their process so that he too may produce manners of golems beyond the humanoid forms that are all he has managed thus far. He pushed the gnomes out of their city only because, when he first took up the Sky Forge, they attacked him unprovoked! Questions abound on both sides. Interlocutors hurl "Where did you come from?", "What do you want?", and the like at one another. Eventually, some understanding is reached. The beholder's name is Rwntincer; he is not surprised that the lords of Faerûn would send a kill squad to clean up his mess. Still, he explains, his aims are ultimately peaceful. He came to Lantan to be far away from his dreary home in the outer planes and from the interference of strangers like the rock gnomes and themselves--- in the latter, he may have misjudged. Rwntincer has the air of a solitary, socially disinterested character, and the party are inclined to believe his claims that he wants to be left alone. His work in the sky forge is of academic interest--- the gnomes' methods of automaton construction far outstrip his own; he labors in the tower to reverse-engineer their process so that he too may produce manners of golems beyond the humanoid forms that are all he has managed thus far. He pushed the gnomes out of their city only because, when he first took up the Sky Forge, they attacked him unprovoked!
The Lantanese see the situation differently, as the party explains. _Of course_ they attacked the Monoeye when he showed up from nowhere to insert himself in the mechanisms of their critical industry and displace them from the sites of their work. It is they who acted in self defense by retaliating against such an outrage, not he by responding in kind. In the course of the heated debate that follows, the beholder confirms a suspicion that took root in the party's minds at the notion of "his mess" and his unsurprise at their arrival: Rwntincer's egress from the outer planes produced the fissure through which all nine beholders entered the Sword Coast. Carmal "sends" Tasha the news. The Lantanese see the situation differently, as the party explains. _Of course_ they attacked the Monoeye when he showed up from nowhere to insert himself in the mechanisms of their critical industry and displace them from the sites of their work. It is they who acted in self defense by retaliating against such an outrage, not he by responding in kind. In the course of the debate that follows, the beholder confirms a suspicion that took root in the party's minds at the notion of "his mess" and his unsurprise at their arrival: Rwntincer's egress from the outer planes produced the fissure through which all nine beholders entered the Sword Coast. Carmal "sends" Tasha the revelation alongside a report of their current situation, piquing her interest and prompting an immediate response. The witch didn't expect to uncover the cause of the progenitor rift so easily; even as she formulates her reply, she silently formulates a plan to end conflict between Rwntincer and the Lantanese.
It takes much skillful parley, but Rwntincer eventually seems to understand, and some convincing calculus from the mouth of Gottlob persuades him that his time and effort would be much more efficiently spent somewhere he needn't bother defending a _stolen_ lair. An agreement is reached: the party will fetch representatives of Lantan and bring them to the Sky Forge to negotiate in good faith for the reclamation of the complex and relocation of its operator. Unsure that he can trust our heroes, and eager to dissuade them from any thoughts of double-crossing, the beholder makes a show of force--- a lance of pure heat, the intensity of its light washing out all other qualities, makes a searing triangle between the crystals our heroes noticed earlier. Moisture flees their every exposed bit of skin as the laser punches a hole in the floating ceiling above their heads, superheated metal forming rivers and little glowing pools in tension along the wound's boundary. The task demands much skillful parley, but Rwntincer eventually seems to comprehend the natives' position, and some convincing calculus from the mouth of Gottlob persuades him that his time and effort could be more efficiently spent somewhere he needn't bother defending. An agreement is reached: the party will fetch representatives of Lantan and bring them to the Sky Forge to negotiate in good faith for the reclamation of the complex and relocation of its operator. Naturally skeptical of the party's intentions {%creativity%}, and eager to dissuade them from any thoughts of double-crossing, the beholder makes a show of force--- a lance of pure heat, the intensity of its light washing out all other qualities, makes a searing triangle between the crystals our heroes noticed earlier. Moisture abandons every exposed bit of skin as the beholder's laser punches a hole in ceiling directly above their heads; superheated metal forms little rivers and faintly glowing pools that cling in stringent tension to the boundary of the wound. Flashy--- if pointless--- posturing complete, Rwntincer binds two of his glass golems to the party's will; they will act as tokens of legitimacy and good faith in the party's communications with the Lantanese, and our heroes set off toward the populated city.
{.thematic} {.thematic}
*** ***
Almuth being finally finished the task Tasha foisted upon him--- the lucky first, as Warren labors still--- the witch presses him again into her service, this time to play the messenger. His party needs assistance, and he will carry the news of Tasha's plan to them. Unwilling to waste time away from her work faffing about with boats and arcane amulets, Tasha expends a substantial share of her power to deposit Almuth directly onto the silver sands of Lantan's gouged coast--- she leaves him with a message, repeated three-fold.
> Trust in me and, even more, trust in yourselves. No matter how bad things may seem to get in the coming hours, know they they will never reach the terrible conclusion they might suggest.
The cleric wanders inland in pursuit of his companions; vegetation closes densely around him, obstructing his view; with such limited perception, his search becomes one more of luck than of careful observation. Almuth finds the party beneath the treetop city, where a serpentine automaton prepares to help them ascend. They exchange quick words that bring everyone up to date. The snake, like the rest of Lantan's machines, is a dense beast of steel and copper filament glimpsed between armor plates welded to a body of springs, rods, and gears. It carries them on its back, ascending with a screw-like motion over the protrusions of a twisted tube extending from the forest's floor to the heights of its canopy{%something colorful%}.
Having achieved the raised city once again, Gottlob finds a disused crate and, placing it in the middle of the street among automatons and pedestrians that zip by far too close, hops onto his makeshift stage. He shouts a desperate plea for a translator in the Common tongue--- the party must be able to communicate; this language barrier is intolerable.
A passerby merchant, a squarish gnome, hears the satyr's cry; he makes himself known to the party. In the relative tranquility of the sreetside, the trader introduces himself; his is dressed in familiar garb that seems out of place among his fellows', and where the digits of one hand should be, the tools of a tinkerer protrude from his palm. Many times a sailor to the Sword Coast, he is willing to listen to our heroes' plight, both surprised and impressed that the beholder should be willing to negotiate.
[^mantle]: This is basically a lightly homebrewed [Nature's Mantle](https://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:natures-mantle). [^mantle]: This is basically a lightly homebrewed [Nature's Mantle](https://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:natures-mantle).
[^lantan]: Torilians believe tsunamis, smoke powder, and spellplague destroyed [this island cluster](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Lantan#History) _circa_ 1385 DR. In fact, it was transported to [Abeir](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Abeir). [^lantan]: Torilians believe tsunamis, smoke powder, and spellplague destroyed [this island cluster](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Lantan#History) _circa_ 1385 DR. In fact, it was transported to [Abeir](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Abeir).
[^plague]: The [Spellplague](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Spellplague) was the calamitous result of Mystra's assassination at the hands of Cyric and Shar. [^plague]: The [Spellplague](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Spellplague) was the calamitous result of Mystra's assassination at the hands of Cyric and Shar.