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Events News Post #97

A monastery's well-kept secret

Written by: Anonymous
Date: Friday, September 19th, 2008
Addressed to: Everyone


The monks in the monastery next to the Grand Aetolian Library have
always kept to themselves. Hidden away behind the monastery walls they
have tended to their own business without bothering the rest of
Sapience. From time to time the monks have had to deal with people who
have vandalized or disrupted their peace and for this purpose they built
an underground prison. Not liking the idea that they held prisoners, the
monks tried their best to cover this by building beautiful gardens above
the prison, and one chapel in honor of each and every one of the Divine.

Several years ago, when books and journals went missing from the shelves
in the Grand Aetolian Library, the monks did as they usually do. They
started a thorough investigation and eventually they caught the thieves
and placed them among the rest. One of the new prisoners was a vampire
called Broondac and along with a necromancer the strategist gradually
seized control over the prison.

The old Abbot managed to seal off the prison with the help of all the
monks, by using an ancient ceremony. He then decided to give the
creatures in the prison one more chance. After making sure people knew
what to do in case he failed he entered the prison never to come back
again.

With a heavy heart Mauric, the newly appointed Abbot, left to seek help
from the nearest city. He seemed a bit lost as he approached Four
Corners in Enorian and humbly asked the present people if he had reached
Shallam. He was quickly corrected by Rhelora, who informed him that the
city had changed its name to Enorian a long time ago. He apologized,
saying he had not been out much for several years, and then proceeded to
ask for some help with the monastery's problem.

Then began the awkward process of explaining something that had been
kept a secret for so long and which had gone terribly wrong. The
confused monk, who had been spending all his adult life inside the
monastery walls, knew very little about the rest of the world, but the
people who gathered around him understood from his few vague
explanations where he had come from.

He explained that it wasn't really the library that had been overrun by
zombies, but the prison, and that the prison was locked and hidden away
in the gardens, and that the gardens were hidden away behind the
monastery. All the new information produced even more questions, making
the aged monk extremely embarrassed. He tried to justify their actions
by explaining that they had been criminals that had vandalized or
disturbed the peaceful monastery.

While Kylan hurried off to investigate, others stayed with Mauric
attempting to get more information and answers. The old monk, still a
bit awkward of having so many people talking to him at once, continued
revealing all the information he had. He said that even though he didn't
know the only way down into the prison, the old Abbot had told only a
little bit of information to everyone in the gardens, small things that
they could reveal if asked about the zombies.

When asked what the vampire had done, Mauric told them that he had
turned all the people in the prison into his minions and that the only
reason the monks had managed to lock them up was because all of them had
been gathered for that occasion. Before leaving, the old monk said, "I
should go back to the monastery. One more thing though. Jael has the key
to the cellar, but he will only give it to those who promise to fight
back the zombies." Rhelora assured him that things were being seen to,
and so he returned to the Library.

Sryaen, Moirean, Antoch, Ayshireia, Hix, Kylan and Piri went to gather
the information from the slightly reluctant attendants. After being
attacked by angry bees, running several laps around the gardens and
putting their minds to good use, the group managed to solve the puzzle
that allowed them entrance to the grey and filthy prison. After a minor
mishap, where Moirean managed to lock them all out of the prison again,
they managed to when she pulled an interesting lever. It was only by
pleading to one of the attendants that they managed to get in again.

In the underground prison the zombies put up much resistance as they
refused to die. As soon as they were struck to the ground, they arose
and began to attack once more. It wasn't until the group set up a
strategy, that they started to make progress. More people joined in and
tried to slay the vampire and his minions and eventually salvation was
brought to the gardens, granting the spirit of the old monk some peace.

Penned by my hand on the 7th of Lanosian, in the year 255 MA.


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