[Deleted]

Almost out of place in the otherwise sunny and cheery Grace Academy, the Arcaneum sits boldly below its foundations, a basement renovated classroom built around the school's lowest floor. Below even this was the Arcaneum's experimental laboratory, created in part to develop less-than-ethical solutions to common problems in the Life Sphere. So far, only one was being finalized today. Something... horrifyingly effective.

The stench of bleach and cleaning solutions are strong in the basement's furthest depths as Miah Lunaris arrives through whatever means necessary to reach the Arcaneum's inner sanctum, the room where she was to revive a man fallen not too long ago. This was more than a mere 'cast res and hope for the best' instance. This was playing with powers beyond her reach by using the best instruments a thaumaturge could build. Beakers remain dormant, and bottles of fluids labeled in an unknown tongue are ordered (presumably) alphabetically. The small golems perk up at the hero's arrival, the beauty that would revive their master..! Quickly, they usher her towards the vat.

A grand, greatwood-bordered vat with a large, transfixed set of antennae on top. Filled to the brim with a glowing, blue fluid about as thick as syrup bubbles inside. A skeletal structure remains in the fetal position within, a soul flickering inside its furthest depths, no doubt the master of this place. It is clear there is much work to be done in order to build this body anew, but there was no clear, indicative direction to take...

Until a prism descends from the ceiling, displaying a hologram of the man within the vat. Or... the spirit of the man anyways. It was a pre-recorded message.

"Set it to record. Hello. You've no doubt been conscripted by my golems in the case this message is heard by you. Hultaglun, my servant and familiar, has left somehow, be it willingly or by force. You are entrusted with my revival. I have left detailed notes on my resurrection process. If you aren't from my world or from a world where Essentus and Soul-Weaving is a typical occurrence, please consult the reading materials listed on the back of the notations. End recording."

...On the counter to the right of the Vat were said detailed notes. The back of it shows five main books to consult.

(Miah! If you go to find a book, roll INT to sort through the bookshelves and find one of the books you're looking for. The higher your roll, the more likely you are to find multiple books. A modified 20 will find you ALL of them!)

Anatomy of Elvish Kind Vol. I
Basics of Essentus Vol. I-II
Braving The Soul-World - Why Soul-Threads matter
Delta-Sigma; A Theory on Rebirth
Tallow and You - How Golems Are Made

---

(This list is the step by step process for reviving Isonus! Consult it and your Keyword Repository and Key Item Bank for information regarding the ritual. Keywords are words that will tell you how to perform the ritual, or help in its construction. Key Items are self explanatory. Keywords are automatically attached to the ritual step they correspond to.)

Keywords: None
Key Items: Itemized Revival List, Wifi Password

Current Ritual Steps:
1). Ensure skeletal structure is stable. [ ]
2). Attach Soul-Threads to the Reassembler. [ ]
3). Ensure tallow integrity is above 55%. [ ]
4). Pull Actualizer Lever. [ ]
5). Wait for however long the vat describes (Wifi password on back if needed). [ ]
6). Engage Engalatron (lever on back). [ ]
7). Await for body to deposit out of bottom of vat. [ ]

[alchefire]

Miah found herself... smiling as she descended into the dark depths of the Arcaneum, the scholar was more than used to delving into the more dark and insidious parts of her own world. The darker atmosphere reminding her quite a bit of the old libraries she'd explored back when she searched around the ruins of Nym. Thankfully, the building was a lot more structurally sound, and likely held records that were in far better shape. Perhaps she could ask the owner of this place to spend a few nights?

Finally, the Au Ra came to a stop before the tube. Her eyes looking over the skeleton that was floating before her. She wasn't expecting to see something so... clean. It left her giggling grimly, at least until the hologram appeared and gave her instructions. The scholar very steadily memorizing the features of him while he spoke. She was going to have to recreate this after all.

"Well now, seems taking this job was a better idea than I first thought. I've been wondering what kind of books were kept down here. As the hologram faded she turned to the bookshelf behind her. She would need to find some of those books. Mainly, she kept an eye out for the Anatomy and Essentus/Soul books. They would likely help her get a larger grasp on the first two steps

(Int check to find the books.
sD0h1qV9p_1d20+4)

"Hmmmm, he's quite the collection. Are all of these from his own world?" The scholar shook her head after musing to herself. She would have plenty of time to go reading through the entire collection AFTER she was finished resurrecting the dead master.1d20+4

[Deleted]

(Congrats! You found three tomes! 
Anatomy of Elvish Kind Vol. I
Basics of Essentus Vol. I-II
Braving The Soul-World - Why Soul-Threads Matter
Get! Keywords within...)

---

Her fingers grace the various tomes, in all tongues and languages. There are even some books from her own world here! Though, Miah's focus pays off, and three of the tomes had eventually been pulled to her touch, and one was a two-fer-one! With these, she could find many seats, including that plush seat towards the back with the small table and full golem service. Tea, coffee, and what-have-you. Isonus had it nice here!

Reading through Basics of Essentus (both volumes, lucky you), you learn what Essentus is! Hell, after this, the world seems to swirl a bit. Are those... threads of that very substance? There's got to be more than this to it all, isn't there?
On top of this, you also figured out how mana ties into it!

KEYWORDS!
Essentus (noun) - The basic building block of Elaam'a, and theoretically other universes. There are approximately 65 types of them, mixed in various forms.
Mana (noun) - A basic energy tied to the soul of a living creature. Enables the manipulation of Essentus without using a gauntlet-and-focus system. Can also be channeled to convert into Essentus.

Reading through the Anatomy of Elvish Kind Vol. 1, you begin to understand the biology of the Elves better. Their tender structures and the intense physiological research gives you new insight into their biology, and some things to look out for when recreating a living being.

KEYWORD!
Elaam'aian Elf (noun) - A subrace of human, a rare species on Elaam'a. Inept at magic, but highly flexible and physically capable. Normally downtrodden and discriminated against for the stereotype of thievery surrounding them.

Reading through Braving The Soul-World, you begin to understand how Soul-Threads interact with living beings from Elaam'a, and perhaps even with yourself! These fantastic things are the origin of Elaam'aian Mana and Essentus. Not only this, but now you realize how the soul ties into this!

Miah may feel these threads within herself... Six in total.

Soul Thread (noun) - A thread of reality that ties the metaphysical and physical worlds together. Certain souls are the entry point of Mana and Essentus into the physical world. Every creature with autonomy and the ability to control energies has at least one. Typical beings have four. Excessive threads are believed to be tied to increased magical prowess.

Once her readings are done, however long it may take, there are new insights into this realm, and how the world is tied together seems to change ever so slightly for Miah. These... golems are living, breathing souls, given life once more. Old, ancient deities reduced to servants happily, willing to serve their master endlessly, until the day he may call upon them once more. It was clear - the man in that tube was the god those rumors spoke of. A God-Eating-God, how peculiar. 

Now - the soul within the vat is fully visible. Though, its words are still silent, no sound comes from the spirit inside. He has six soul threads, just like Miah, and protruding from his chest and back in the same manner as herself. Though she would have to focus to see them for now, perhaps training her eyes could be better in the long run for this mission, but there was still work to be done! Would she search for more good reads in the meantime, or perhaps start on the process, and read as she went? Both seemed to be valid strategies to function.

(Miah! Either go back to the bookshelf and read more tomes, or you can approach the vat to begin the process! You'll first need to assess the skeletal structure. Roll INT on either choice. If you choose to star the process, you roll with a +2 to your modifier given your knowledge on elven anatomy.)

---

Keywords: Essentus, Mana, Elaam'aian Elf, Soul Thread
Key Items: Itemized Revival List, Wifi Password, and required books (3/5)

Current Ritual Steps:
1). Ensure skeletal structure is stable. [ ]
2). Attach Soul-Threads to the Reassembler. [ ]
3). Ensure tallow integrity is above 55%. [ ]
4). Pull Actualizer Lever. [ ]
5). Wait for however long the vat describes (Wifi password on back if needed). [ ]
6). Engage Engalatron (lever on back). [ ]
7). Await for body to deposit out of bottom of vat. [ ]

[alchefire]

Miah rather cautiously set down each book at the table, opening each of them as she took a seat and called for the Golems to bring her a simple, herbal tea. Although she did give them a unique set of instructions as she handed one of them a very small, light blue, crystalline shard. It was a shard of pure Ice aligned Aether, which she told them to place in the pot 3 minutes after the brewing was finished. It was a special recipe that the Au Ra had come up with to help keep her focused during longer reading sessions and it worked wonders!

With her drink out of the way, Miah began flipping through those tomes at blazing speeds. The dragon's lust for knowledge and her natural curiosity driving her as she began to cross-reference between the three tomes she had laid out before her. Although after memorizing the skeletal structure of the Elves and writing a duplicate model of one of the diagrams. She put most of her focus on the the two more magically centric books. Each time she made a breakthrough on one page, it would lead to her understanding another part of another and then back to another page. This went on for minutes as she practically devoured the knowledge these tomes contained. It had been ages since she last had the chance to do something like this and she was loving every second of it!

Finally as Miah returned for the last time (for now) to the book on Essentus, she found herself starting to think. A lot of what was put on these pages was similar to the sort of thing she had been researching back when she first started out as an Arcanist. It had sparked an old part of her brain that she hadn't touched in ages as she observed how the threads connected to herself. "Intriguing, now is this Essentus just another word for Aether, or perhaps is it something tied to it?" Miah ended up writing down a few notes in her own tome, before wiping away the page clean with a swipe of her hand. Storing the note as an internal page number for her to call back when she had the time.

Just then the Scholar would shake her head before looking back at the tube. She could come up with theories when the man was alive again. For now she had a job to do and the sooner she got started on that, the sooner she could get to reading the other material that was in this place.

(Miah's INT check on Isonus's Skeleton
7Nhncdnqp_1d20+6)

Despite spending nearly an hour pouring over those tomes, Miah's eyes proved sharp as ever as she scanned for even the slightest blemish or inconsitency in the skeletal structure. Her gaze focused on ensuring that the bones were as stable as they needed to be. The dragon mentally drawing up the image of Isonus, whom she'd seen when this all first started. She wasn't just making sure the skeleton matched the diagram, she was making sure that it matched Isonus himself, perfectly. 1d20+6

[Deleted]

(Success! By a LONG SHOT! Would you believe me if I said that the threshold was 12? You DOUBLED it!)

There's a few faults in the structure, more resembling a human's body than an elf's, but that was to be expected given the integrity of the bone structure. Laden into a few bones are cracks, that with the right doses of Essentus found on the shelves easily cures. Not only that, but it seems this part was going perfectly. The little golems still marched about, cleaning up after the replacement master and showing her the kindest sides of their hearts. Or... lack thereof.

Furthermore, there were still more books to be read in regards to finding out the rest of this ritual's process, or perhaps, even trying to develop a further understanding of his own world. Miah had all the time in the world to work on this man's body. Though... something nags at her, in the back of her mind. Something about this felt... wrong.

(You've gained ten points of Warp! This was a hidden mechanic now revealed that causes Miah to slowly spiral into madness if left unchecked. Furthermore, all her modifiers will increase according to how much warp she's accumulated, but beware... It can have unintended side effects. Above your checklist and keywords is your Warp Meter. Keep a close eye on it, and detox for a turn if you need to...)
(...or delve deeper into madness.)

Miah's heartrate suddenly picks up. There's something behind her, it feels like. Watching her, waiting for her to turn around. If she were to turn, a brief flicker of a shapeless entity leaves her immediately. Though quickly, she may come to realize it was in her head. Something about working on Isonus' body was... indicative of another entity at play.

Another hologram boots up.

"Warp detected. Hello, researcher, student, or body revivalist. Sensors in my lab have detected Flux in your Soul-Threads. This is a nasty substance that develops into a Soul-Pathogen known as Warp. It will drive you mad if you're not careful. As such, my Golems will open the Arcane Spa, and prepare batches of warp-immunizing foodstuffs for you while you work. Be sure to consume any food outside of your workspace, and dry off accordingly before exiting the spa. The meter beside the spa's entrance will display a number of salt charges. These charges are good for one session that can clear approximately 102.1% of Warp accumulation in a being. Foodstuffs prepared by the golems will be rationed as well, but are easily available, and heal off less of the warp. These are resources I am being generous with. Do NOT squander them. End recording."

...To Miah's left, two walls come aside and reveal a large spa-area. A ticker on the side reads ten. Likely the salt-charges. The golems in the kitchen area now stand ready, holding a variety of odd ingredients, most notably, a glistening, pink-white salt. Possibly the secret ingredient that could help cure warp.

KEYWORDS!
Warp (noun) - A phenomenon of tainted Soul-Threads that induces madness. You realize that it can also grant you power, but is it worth the insanity?
Flux (noun) - A phase-shifting of the Soul-Threads of a being caused by supernatural presences, or the acquisition or practice of forbidden arts and knowledge. You can feel it giving you strength, but at what cost?

---

WARP: 10
Warp Status: ...did that shadow just move? No, must've been the wind...
Warp Bonuses: 1/3 chance to have Arcane Whispers tell you a secret of the Arcaneum, and how to revive its master.
Warp Debuffs: 1/3 chance to have a difficulty scale increase by 5

Keywords: Essentus, Mana, Elaam'aian Elf, Soul Thread, Warp, Flux
Key Items: Itemized Revival List, Wifi Password, and required books (3/5)

Current Ritual Steps:
1). Ensure skeletal structure is stable. [√]
2). Attach Soul-Threads to the Reassembler. [ ]
3). Ensure tallow integrity is above 55%. [ ]
4). Pull Actualizer Lever. [ ]
5). Wait for however long the vat describes (Wifi password on back if needed). [ ]
6). Engage Engalatron (lever on back). [ ]
7). Await for body to deposit out of bottom of vat. [ ]

[alchefire]

Miah found herself smiling a bit as she easily managed to fix the minor mistakes and fractures that dotted the structure. Her hands almost moving of their own accord as she let the knowledge she'd recently accumulated flow through her mind. The scholar letting out a slight click of the tongue as she scooted back a bit. Proud of her own handiwork.

Although, she had to wonder... Was this shape she was crafting actually the owner's original form? The technology and the techniques she'd witnessed thus far. They were far beyond simple idle studying. For a brief moment, it brought a certain memory back. The night she'd finally downed the Fantasia and crafted her own body anew...

... rrrrrmmmmmmmmmm Suddenly, Miah felt the skin on the back of her neck begin to tingle. She was being watched... Almost immediately, she grabbed her tome, opening it as she spun around, ready to unleash a spell if whatever it was proved to be dangerous... only for her to realize that it was just her imagination... The shadows she'd seen moving falling still now that she laid her eyes upon them.

And then another hologram appeared. The Scholar sighing to herself as she placed her tome back in it's strap. Attaching it to her hip as she looked up and listened to the figment of the one she would revive. So there was more to this than just reading some books and using the man's tools. There was a tangible threat to herself now... One that she would need to keep in mind.

After a small series of deep breaths, Miah brought her mania down a bit. This wasn't her first time dealing with something trying to pick her mind apart, and in fact she'd dealt with something like this no more than a few months ago when Dharkon attacked. She could handle this, at least for the time being.

"There's no time to waste, I'll take a break after I get some more reading done..." With that, the mage began to scour the shelves again. Keeping small, mental tabs of her own behavior.

(Int check to find more books
sPuepiZJp_1d20+4)
1d20+4

[Deleted]

(Warp Effect rolls are made at the beginning of every turn once you post! Don't worry about 'em, they're all calculated here.)

i_FwDpiwp_1d3p_1d3

(Roll for challenge failed, roll for success... success. You get a secret.)

Just as her hand touches the book, her mind blanks. Forcibly, against her will. Something else stirred in the dark, but it watched her with insatiable curiosity. Before long she is given a vision. A young boy, a half-elf, kneels over an altar, decorated with... a disgusting amount of viscera. He's no older than seven, and looks to the heavens, his bright orange eyes gazing into an infinite myriad of tendrils, teeth, and eyes that slowly descend to claim the carnage. A few brush his cheek, and he smiles.

"...thank you, dad."

Her vision returns, and her mind seems to resume immediately. That terrible insight may have increased her Warp a little, but... She is now in possession of the remaining books and an additional insight.

(You now have the other books!)

INSIGHT GAINED!
(Insights are labeled under the Keyword Category with an asterisk, but can be cashed in on their appropriate step to skip rolling entirely!)
Primordial Souls - You understand how the antediluvian and mortal threads intertwine, you find yourself... knowing more than you should. His, and your's, are Primordial Souls, capable of stealing a God's powers, and drinking their essence. This is how all things should begin, and end. The Threads of a Primordial soul... are fragile.

This place is getting to you. That isn't a bad thing, is it?

Now it was time to read up on the tomes, or perhaps... with her new knowledge on Soul-Threads and the Primordial Souls, especially that which sits before her, maybe she could get on with it? Regardless, the choice was fully her's. Though the disruption of an Insight seemed to cut into her time to read a bit, she'd have to settle back in.

---

WARP: 15
Warp Status: You saw through his eyes, the beginning of the end.
Warp Bonuses: 1/3 chance to have Arcane Whispers tell you a secret of the Arcaneum, and how to revive its master.
1/3 chance to retain an insight upon use, and transform it into another.
Warp Debuffs: 1/3 chance to have a difficulty scale increase by 5
1/20 chance to double Warp meter.

Keywords/Insights: Essentus, Mana, Elaam'aian Elf, Soul Thread, Warp, Flux, *Primordial Souls
Key Items: Itemized Revival List, Wifi Password, and required books (5/5)

Current Ritual Steps:
1). Ensure skeletal structure is stable. [√]
2). Attach Soul-Threads to the Reassembler. [ ]
3). Ensure tallow integrity is above 55%. [ ]
4). Pull Actualizer Lever. [ ]
5). Wait for however long the vat describes (Wifi password on back if needed). [ ]
6). Engage Engalatron (lever on back). [ ]
7). Await for body to deposit out of bottom of vat. [ ]

1d3·1d3

[alchefire]

Miah's eyes widened as she felt her consciousness shift. The Scholar feeling herself being ripped from her body and hurtled to a place that wasn't physical. Was this a memory? A vision of the future? Or perhaps, was it the present and this was happening in conjunction with right now?

Miah came to her conclusion as she looked towards the altar. Her eyes widening in horror as she saw all of that viscera and gore, as well as the young boy in front of it. He seemed familiar somehow... Just then it clicked, this was the man she was resurrecting, this was a glimpse into his past...

Miah looked upwards when one of the tendrils grazed the small child's cheek, a small gasp escaping her as she looked directly into that monstrous abyss...

She felt it look right back at her

---

Miah found herself shaking her head as the vision finally faded. Her eyesight returning to her and... she had the two remaining books in her hands. But that wasn't all that she had found, in her mind swirled with eldritch knowledge that would be best to keep out of the minds of most people, stuff that would likely start to drive them insane...

"I... can... handle... this!"

... But she wasn't most people, with a deep breath, the Au Ra settled her thoughts again. Pushing herself away from the brink of insanity as she set the books down on the table. Her eyes closing as she began to focus on herself. The Scholar imagining herself standing in the midst of a cloud of swirling darkness. Her projection's hands reaching out to grasp the shadows as they spun about. The mage forcing it to slow from sheer force of will as her eyes opened. Those ruby red orbs shining slightly as she reigned in the insanity, her gaze locking onto the machine. She could use this knowledge and she should while still had control over it...

With another heavy breath Miah brought herself up to the machine. Her posture relaxing again as she began her work.

(I know I don't need to roll since I have the Insight, but I'm curious as to what she'd get without it
q3sCvlpDp_1d20+4 Oh sweet jesus, she crit...)

The madness proved rather useful as she flowed through the process. The Au Ra taking the care one would expect from a proper healer as she swiftly, yet efficiently guided the threads into the reassembler. She could feel how similar this man's Soul was too her own. Was this why she was drawn here? At first she thought it was simply her own curiosity, but perhaps it was something more... Something about this man, drew her here and she would be damned if she wasn't going to finish this!

However as she brought her current work to an end, she felt something twitch in the back of her mind. She would need to take a break after this. She should cleanse herself of the Warp when this is done and return to reading those last two books.1d20+4

[Deleted]

4UUny2Y7p_1d3p_1d3p_1d3p_1d20
(Chance at negative - success. Chance at positive. Failure. Insight transformation - success. Double meter - failure.)
(Negative Warp Status selected - Headache.)

Seeing into that abyss, that waning and maddening group of limbs, gnashing and prying at the psyche so violently to eject Miah from the vision would leave residual effects, and likely a massive migraine. Though things were not all bad. After she came to, the tallow solution was already inside, and the integrity was at 100%! The violent reaches of the void had taken o'er for a moment, it had seemed, and all was starting to come together. Perhaps in a sense of the task, this necromancy wasn't so vile after all.

(Warp increased by 20, but crit reduces it to +15)
INSIGHT TRANSFORMED!
...Hnahh hup soth (??) - Whatever this... adage means, it gives you a glimmer of hope. (Insight will prevent warp gain from flashbacks)

Now that the tallow was beginning to form, and the actualizer lever had tripped. It was time for Miah to take a break if need be, or delve further into the mysterious world that this man came from. The wifi password to access wireless repositories and instructions to use his computer were also available. There was also the spa and kitchen that could be used to relieve this... touch of the void. She could also just explore, wander the halls and find something useful to do.

(A 1d5 will be rolled to determine the number of turns that Isonus will 'bake' for before needing to have the next lever pulled and the man restored to life.)
p_1d5

...The timer revealed three hours of wait. Quite a while, but Miah had many options on the board so far to entertain herself and pass the time while the dead man's body was restored to a working condition.

---

WARP: 30
Warp Status: There is clarity in the madness. There is power in this pain.
Warp Bonuses: 1/3 chance to have Arcane Whispers tell you a secret of the Arcaneum, and how to revive its master.
1/3 chance to retain an insight upon use, and transform it into another.
1/2 chance to temporarily speak to Isonus directly for assistance (+10 Roll mod on success to one task)
Warp Debuffs: 1/3 chance to have a difficulty scale increase by 5
1/20 chance to double Warp meter.
1/50 chance of critical failure. (resets progress)

Keywords/Insights: Essentus, Mana, Elaam'aian Elf, Soul Thread, Warp, Flux, *Ancient Chant
Key Items: Itemized Revival List, Wifi Password, and required books (5/5)

Current Ritual Steps:
1). Ensure skeletal structure is stable. [√]
2). Attach Soul-Threads to the Reassembler. [√]
3). Ensure tallow integrity is above 55%. [√]
4). Pull Actualizer Lever. [√]
5). Wait for however long the vat describes (Wifi password on back if needed). [ ]
6). Engage Engalatron (lever on back). [ ]
7). Await for body to deposit out of bottom of vat. [ ]

1d3·1d3·1d3·1d20·1d5

[alchefire]

Miah's breathing slowed a bit as her vision returned. A hand reaching up to feel her head as it throbbed and pulsed with minor pain. She looked over the device as the timer span before setting on it's full time, 3 hours. The mage sighed a bit as she stepped back. Shaking her head one more time as she glanced over to the spa. Perhaps it would be a good idea to relax in there, to clear herself of this strange madness.

But then again... something nagged at her in the back of her mind as she closed her eyes. Even though she couldn't see anything through the lids, she could feel her own soul threads moving. They flowed in conjunction with the aether fueling her body, in a sense they were one and the same, at least from what she could tell. Her breathing hitched as she felt the Flux spike for a brief moment. She was in a worse spot than she expected and she wasn't sure how much longer she'd last if she left this problem to fester...

As her eyes opened she looked back towards the Arcane Spa. The Au Ra heading straight for it as she gave the golems a single command to prepare her another batch of tea and a snack for when she was done. She was only going to use 1 charge, she didn't want to waste too much of her "host's" supply, and she even if this didn't cleanse her completely, she was certain that she could keep herself managed if she stayed at a low enough level.

(Miah is just going to use one Salt Charge from the spa)

---

After a brief bath and a thorough drying, Miah found herself sitting down at the table she'd set herself at when she read the first three books. The scholar cracking open the other two as the golems brought her the usual treats. She'd left them a few additional Ice Shards, one too help with brewing the tea, but the others were a small gift for the master of the Arcaneum. She figured she owed him for letting her experience the wonders of this place.

With a small sip of her tea and a bit of her new snack, she began to sift through the remaining books she was originally tasked with reading for this job.

[Deleted]

(Due to the extensive actions, two hours have been shaved.)
(The spa drains all your warp!)
The spa soaks not only into her pores, and to her skin, but also touches into Miah's soul. Her threads are purified, her Essentus-compounds and mana-traces are both scrubbed of Flux, and furthermore, the energies that clutched at the back of her mind. Whatever had been lurking around her was warded off, scared even, by the salts of the spa. As she stepped out and dried off, the golems did everything in their power to assist her. Draining and cleansing the waters for recycling into their plant-systems, bringing towels, and so on.

The requested snacks were laced with that magical salt-substance, if their recipes required them. Each bite would steel her mind against the warp, each sip of her drink would better solidify her soul's strength. Talk about soul food!

Further readings into golem-construction gleam new insights as to why this process was working. Golems were much like living beings, the tallow acting as both flesh and muscle, and perhaps the materials of these wooden and Abyss Metal golems were much the same. 

Delta-Sigma was an interesting, albeit somewhat cautionary tale. Rebirth could cause many things, and namely, had an increase in flux-magnetization in many people. Rebirth was officially outlawed some years later after it was discovered that celestial and hellish interference increased near these beings. A scientific step towards godhood perhaps, or a bad omen in the end?

There was another book in the pile, one that Miah might not recognize. No doubt lumped in with the other two to be read. It... was a family memoir. A recollection of pictures and stories. Isonus with his siblings, an older brother and sister. Next then graduating college, the birth of his first child, then the next few... The man was prolific for sure, but he seemed genuine in these days. Another woman, a canine-like anthropomorph was sometime after. Isonus seemed a little more tired in the first few, and his children clearly faking smiles in the first half. They became genuine, and that energy was back in the later pictures... It abruptly stops at Isonus' celebration of Delphonse's 18th. 

Afterward is a note, likely to himself.

Don't forget them. Honor their memory by persevering.

I will join you all in the heavens. I love you.

...This man was a widower, twice. Two rings are sealed inside pouches on the back page of the memoir. There's also a graduation ring, a third one, with the others. Delphonse... He'd lost a son. Miah now had context for the importance of this whole ordeal. Perhaps the man, stricken with grief, became what he was today to avenge his family. Perhaps he ascended to bring back his beloved family..? It was unclear in the end of what his goal happened to be, but Isonus was clearly driven to this point by the influences of the wicked, and evil in the world. 

...a key falls into her lap. It's old, and slightly rusted, but it seemed to be important. There was a locked room just to the north of the Arcaneum, perhaps a look could help pass the time?

---

WARP: 0
Warp Effects: None, you are fine right now.

Keywords/Insights: None matter anymore. None are required for later steps.
Key Items: Itemized Revival List, Wifi Password, required books (5/5), Mysterious Key.

Current Ritual Steps:
1). Ensure skeletal structure is stable. [√]
2). Attach Soul-Threads to the Reassembler. [√]
3). Ensure tallow integrity is above 55%. [√]
4). Pull Actualizer Lever. [√]
5). Wait for however long the vat describes (Wifi password on back if needed). [ ]
6). Engage Engalatron (lever on back). [ ]
7). Await for body to deposit out of bottom of vat. [ ]

[alchefire]

Just like with the three books before them. Miah had made some minor notes in her own tome as she read the first 2. The same trick that she'd used to record those diagrams being repeated as she cleared the pages when she was done, leaving plenty of space to come back to later as she mentally registered and recorded the pages. She'd developed a strange fascination with the Golems as they worked for her and delivered her food and drink. They were far more advanced than the Mammets that the Alchemists and Goldsmiths of her world produced and the techniques that made them work were far more complex.

She put those thoughts out of her mind as she turned to the third and final book. Somehow it had gotten mixed in with the pile, perhaps it was something that the Warp had drawn her to pull free? Regardless, the woman began to flip through the pages,before realizing that this wasn't a journal... it was a memoir book. Her ruby red eyes glancing over towards the tube as it continued it's progress. So he had a family. As she continued on, she took note of the woman that had started appearing and the sadness she could glean from the expressions.

As she reached the end of the book, she found herself sighing before reading that note. A slight hint of sadness had crossed her eyes, for a slight moment, before the key slipped out of the book and into her lap. Gingerly, Miah took the rusted key and turned it over in her hand a few times. She could feel where this key belonged, but... did she want to open up that door? Another glance at the tube and she made her decision. The woman finishing her tea before closing the book and setting it on a separate table from the rest of the books. A strange sign of respect that she showed the man's memoir. This wasn't just some simple reading material, it was someone's memories and they deserve to kept separate from the other books.

With careful steps, Miah made her way towards the locked door. The dragon grabbing ahold of the key, placing it in the lock and twisting. A soft ka-chick filling the air as the tumbles were released and the door was steadily opened...

[Deleted]

It was his room.

A double bed lay at its center, a nightstand on either side. One had medications, serums and other such concoctions. The other was bare, a little dusty. Immediately, Miah is granted a vision of memory, a flood of quips and dialogue...

"I'll love you forever."
"...as will I, Isonus."

A brief flash of a dying orc strikes Miah, she was sick...

"....I will love you forever."
"I can save you..! I-I need just more time, a-a little more..!"
"I will see you in the heavens."

A flatline.

A burial. The children cry.

Next comes another woman. The dog-like woman in the picture.

"...this feels wrong."
"She would want you to be happy, and... they need a mother again."
"I... see your point."

Then, a burning, smouldering building.

"FARINA! DELPHONSE! NOOOOO!"
The building collapses, and the looks of acceptance in their eyes. The two... died there, knowing they saved him, too. He lays there, clutching the bodies, fruitlessly casting resurrection spells onto their souls to try and save them, to hold them in the mortal world long enough to bring them back. 

He failed his family, twice over. Failure and loss drove him to his madness.

He was thrown into the waters, the oceans, drowned. Blocks tied to his feet, forcing him beneath the waves. That voice, that fatherly figure, came to save his son...

"I have you, my boy... You don't have to worry about a thing. Let me... help."

Ascended as a god, he returned, and took revenge on everyone complicit, eventually and systematically eliminating his world's order, before containing the remaining children, resetting everything. The world, it all. He wanted to create a new order, a new universe.

Her vision returns, and she stands before the solemn bedroom. It's sad. He slept alone here, without his family, his friends, either of the women he loved so dearly. They were lost. The lot of them.

"ORDER COMPLETE. PREPARE ENGALATRON FOR BODY DEPOSIT."

Miah had better return.

[alchefire]

As the visions struck Miah's mind she found herself staggering slightly. The Scholar wasn't used to having her consciousness jerked around like this...

But despite that, she held her attention to all of them. The flashbacks through Isonus's life filling her minds eye as she took in every detail. When they finally ended, her vision returned to her. She was leaning against a wall for support, her breath settling again as she thought about what she'd witnessed. Something finally clicking in her head as she caught her breath.

That was how they differed... motivation. Isonus had lost everything and that loss had driven him forward. Causing him to rise to grand new heights. His power spiraling forth and allowing him to grasp his own destiny for once. He'd become a god in his own right, despite the despair.

Miah on the other hand? She'd thrown it all away of own accord. Her home, her family, her name, and even her own body. She'd given it all away to become the woman she was now. But seeing this man's struggles, his pain, his sorrow... it brought a question to her mind. Why did she do that? Was she on this path for nothing after all...? What... drove her?

Miah found herself standing there, thinking over this revelation for a few moments only for her to feel something flare up from her dress. The Scholar reaching down and into one of the pockets she'd sewn into her dress. Pulling free a small, blue stone. It was glowing in her hand the mage gazing into it as she recalled a memory of her own...

The Au Ra closed her eyes as the memories returned. The image of her dear friend stopping the Ultima's weapons attacks. Her sheild battered and bent from the sheer force of it's attacks. Only for her to turn around and plunge a blade of pure light through it's head. Destroying it. That was what inspired her to get going. Seeing her friend, the one who inspired her, take her own destiny into her hands...

For a moment she seemed to stand there, still as a statue. But then that robotic voice would call out. Her eyes blinking as she pulled back and left the room. The scholar closing the door and locking it before she returned to the tube. The Au Ra placing that key on top of the memoir book as she moved over to the back of the tube. Her hands gingerly grasping the lever before pulling it down. She'd done her job. The man would be reborn in but a few moments.

[Deleted]

At once, as she pulls the lever, a bit of silence washes over the Arcaneum. There is a moment of peace, of what feels to be time frozen, before the arcs of black and purple lightning begin to fire off into the Pod. A larger apparatus focuses a mysterious, bright purple pearl into its heart, and before long, the energy surges into the pod's water. The tallow shapes itself into flesh and muscle, forming the meat of this man and layering it in the imperfect flesh tones. Before long his soul threads begin to attach, reigning control over the mortal body. Though one lashes out at Miah briefly, gracing her with that inhuman power for all but a second.

And then, the water drains, and the shell of the machine opens up, depositing Isonus at Miah's feet.

The man rises up, soaked in the slime-like juices of the rebirth chamber, bare. He scoots back a bit, and gets up slowly, making sure to quickly cover himself with the nearest object. Seemed the Golems had a towel around. Wrapping it around before any... bits could be seen, Isonus stands tall, clearing his throat.

"...Thank you, ma'am. You have done me a service, and proven to me that my design of this life-restoring pod is capable of automation with your steps. Hell, I feel a bit better... Younger, even."

It was true, he was missing a few wrinkles! 

"Haha! Eat it, Kalankas! Your wrinkles-upon-soul theory was rubbish!"

A series of coughs follow the ecstatic thaumaturge, and before long, he's motioned for his crew of golems to dry him, bringing clothes with them as well, and scrubbing the floor clean of any runoff tallow. The emergency lights cycle back to full lighting, and Isonus can now see her in full.

"So you are the beautiful Miah that I have heard so much of. Isonus Dell'Thayme - charmed. If it were in circumstances that I was better clothed, I would have offered a handshake. As it stands, I hope the notice of a formality will suffice. Your payment is at the door, whatever the golems scrounged. Please, come by again soon. I have many projects that would benefit from your insight."

---

MISSION COMPLETE!
SUB-OBJECTIVE MET!