Rune Mysteries/Transcript

Startout

 * Ariane: Valina, the tower is in danger. I need to speak to Archmage Sedridor.
 * Wizard Valina: I'm sorry, Ariane. The archmage was clear. Maybe if you told me why, I could pass on a message.
 * Ariane: I can't explain. Listen, if the archmage can't see me, perhaps I could speak to Wizard Ellaron.
 * Wizard Valina: I'm sorry Ariane. You are barred from entering the tower for any reason.
 * What's happening here?
 * Wizard Valina: This is none of your business, outsider.
 * Ariane: No, wait, I remember you. You're the adventurer Xenia mentioned. Will you help me again?
 * Sorry, who are you?
 * Ariane: I'm the Wizard Ariane...
 * Wizard Valina: *ahem*
 * Ariane: I'm sorry. Just Ariane. I'm a former tower wizard. I'm an adventurer now, based out of the Champions' Guild.
 * What can I do to help?
 * Ariane: Could you take a message to Archmage Sedridor for me? Depending on how he reacts, I may need your help with other things.
 * This is none of my business. Goodbye.
 * Can I come into the tower?
 * Wizard Valina: You can come in. It's only a few people who have been specifically forbidden. Practitioners of dark magic.
 * Ariane: I told you, it wasn't like that. I knew what I was doing.
 * This is none of my business.

The Wizards' Tower

 * Ariane: Thank you, just go to Archmage Sedridor and... Wait - no - too late. there's something happening.


 * Wizard Borann: By Saradomin the Holy Archmage, begone, spirit of the Abyss!
 * Ariane: Come on! My message can wait. Let's see what's happening.


 * Ariane: Cast Air Strike at the vortex! Draw it into the power beam! Grab Borann's mindspike, if you need one - he's dropped it next to him.
 * How do I cast Air Strike?
 * Ariane: Wield Wizard Borann's mindspike, select Air Strike from your spellbook, and then attack the vortex.
 * What's going on?
 * Ariane: I'll try to explain later. right now you need to deal with the vortex!
 * Are you okay?
 * Ariane: I'll be fine - it's a disabling ward - but it stops me using magic so you'll have to deal with the vortex.
 * Okay, I'll deal with this!


 * Ariane: Thanks, adventurer. Talk to me outside the tower of you still want help.


 * Ariane: I can't believe Sedridor would set up a ward to keep me out. I didn't realise he saw me as dangerous.
 * What was that thing in the library?


 * Ariane: That's what I want to find out! I know the tower is in danger but I don't know the details.
 * How do you know the tower is in danger?
 * Ariane: I'm a seer. I have...premonitions, sometimes. Flashes of information, emotional impressions: nothing precise. Lately I've been having visions of the tower in flames. But I don't know any details and can't prove anything. I came here to investigate and now I find I can't get into the building.
 * It sounds like you don't like these premonitions...
 * Ariane: People talk about wizards having a 'gift' for magic, but the first thing you're told when you join the Wizards' Tower is that it's not true. Magic isn't handed down by gods or random chance. anyone can learn it if they put in the effort. but being a seer runs in families - it's not something I worked for. When I told the other wizards about it they resented me. I tried to use my magic to understand and control my ability. My goal was to integrate it into magical theory so I could teach it to other wizards - but I ended up being expelled from the Tower.
 * Why aren't you allowed in the tower?
 * Ariane: There are schools of magic besides the tower's standard spellbook. I used a forbidden source of information when I was trying to understand my premonitions.
 * What do you want me to do?
 * Ariane: I need you to go into the tower for me. Talk to the wizards and find out what's happening in there. Archmage Sedridor is the head of the tower, so you should talk to him. I think Wizard Ellaron might help as well - he was my mentor while I was there. You could talk to the other wizards, as well; ask if they've seen anything unusual lately. one of them must have seen something that'll help us.
 * Goodbye.

Delivering Ariane's message

 * Wizard Traiborn: Ello young thingummywut.
 * Have you seen anything unusual lately?
 * Wizard Traiborn: I've seen them in the power beam, you know. Thingummywuts.
 * In the power beam?
 * Wizard Traiborn: I like to look a the power beam sometimes. There are so many things we see every day but never look at, aren't there? Or look at every day but never see. I see things in there...thingummywuts. No one else sees them. they think I'm mad.
 * Where do these things come from?
 * Wizard Traiborn: didn't you know? this Tower was built on ruins of an old tower. that's where it came from. The swirly thing. I saw it come up through the floor of the library.


 * Wizard Ellaron: What can I do for you on this glorious day, adventurer?
 * Ariane says the tower is in danger.
 * Wizard Ellaron: Are her premonitions still troubling her? I feared as much. Please let her know that I take here seriously, even if no one else does. I will do everything I can to convince Archmage Sedridor to take action.
 * You know about here premonitions?
 * Wizard Ellaron: when I took Ariane on as my apprentice she asked me to help her suppress here premonitions. she didn;t want to stand out because of a natural gift; she wanted to stand out, if at all, by the work she put in. I told her that was admirable, but it would be wrong to turn down an advantage the gods have given her. I helped her to harness her gift, to refine it, and to Zamorak with what the other wizards thought. With hindsight, it shouldn't have surprised me when Sedridor expelled her just for using every source of knowledge at her disposal.


 * Archmage Sedridor: Welcome, adventurer, to the world-renowned Wizards' Tower. how can I help you?
 * Ariane says the tower is in danger.
 * Archmage Sedridor: Yes, I'm aware of that. Wizard Valina told me she was here. you can tell Ariane that her concerns have been noted. I'm preparing to deal with the anomalies in the power beam so there's no cause for concern.
 * Don't you believe her?
 * Archmage Sedridor: I concede that there is some evidence that she has premonitions, but unless she can give me more specific information there's really nothing I can do.
 * Why won't you let Ariane into the tower?
 * Archmage Sedridor: You know what she did, don't you?
 * She said she used a forbidden source of information
 * Same result as other option (below)
 * Why don't you tell me?
 * Archmage Sedridor: Wizard Ariane was our most promising student. She could have been archmage someday. I overlooked her gallivanting off as an adventurer - everyone's reckless in their youth. But I can't allow a demon-worshipper in the tower. The tower has strict rules against Zamorakian wizards for the last hundred years, and I have to apply that, even to her.
 * What are you going to do?
 * Archmage Sedridor: I'm preparing an Icyenic Purge. It'll send a surge of energy through the power beam, which should overpower whatever creatures have managed to enter it.

Return to Ariane

 * Ariane: Have you learned anything from the wizards in the tower?
 * I've got a question...
 * Dialogue above
 * I've spoken to some of the wizards...
 * Ariane: So what did you learn?
 * Archmage Sedridor said he's preparing an 'Icyenic Purge'.
 * Ariane: What he means is he's going to flood the tower with magic without knowing what he's dealing with. It might work, but I want to be sure. We should find out more.
 * Archmage Sedridor said you're a demon-worshipper.
 * Ariane: I spoke to the demon. Spoke to it! But there's no middle ground with Sedridor. step outside the line and you're a Red Wizard.
 * Wizard Ellaron told me about your premonitions.
 * Ariane: He's the only tower wizard who was sympathetic. He convinced me to work on them rather than suppress them. But that doesn't help us with the problem. We need to find out what these vortices are.
 * Wizard Traiborn said something came through the library floor.
 * Ariane: through the library floor? But that means...it was something from the old tower.
 * The old Tower?
 * Ariane: the tower is built on the ruins of an older one, which was burned down a hundred years ago. The story is that Zamorakian wizards betrayed the other orders, but the details of what happened are a mystery. I do know it happened just after the wizards discovered the inner secret of Rune Mysteries - the rune essence teleport spell. Perhaps that discovery led to a conflict. the surface part of the old tower was destroyed by the fire, and the new tower was built on the same place - but the underground levels of the old tower are still there.
 * Then let's get down there and investigate!
 * Ariane: Good idea! It's not going to be easy, though: Archmage Perien sealed the lower levels when he built the second tower. there's a rumour that the door can be opened using the Water Surge spell, but many wizards have tried casting that spell on the door and failed. It's more likely that there's a key hidden somewhere in the tower. Could you go back into the tower and find the key? I think Wizard Ellaron will help us if you tell him what we're doing. You should start by talking to him.
 * I'll get right on it.

Search for the key

 * Wizard Ellaron: what can I do for you on this glorious day, adventurer?
 * How can I get into the old tower?
 * Wizard Ellaron: Alas, even senior Tower wizards aren't allowed into the ruins. I certainly couldn't tell the secret to a disgraced ex-Wizard and an outsider, however much I might privately want to help you.
 * Ariane said you'd help.
 * Wizard Ellaron: Ariane is a brilliant mage, but she has never mastered the subtleties of human interaction. the oath I swore to the tower prevents me from helping you.
 * You privately want to help us?
 * Wizard Ellaron: One wonders what it is that generations or Archmages have wanted to keep locked away down there. Forbidding a source of knowledge goes against the principles upon which the first Tower was founded.
 * You do know, though?
 * Wizard Ellaron: No one except Archmage Sedridor is allowed to know the secret of entry to the ruins. Naturally I've heard the rumours.
 * You mean the rumour about Water Surge?
 * Wizard Ellaron: Many young wizards have wasted runes casting Water Surge on the door to no effect. A few, however, have speculated that the key might not lie not in casting that spell but in understanding it.
 * What do you mean, the key lies in understanding Water Surge?
 * Wizard Ellaron: It was Archmage Perien, the first archmage of the new tower, who sealed the lower levels. He has an idiosyncratic understanding of magic and its relationship to other arts. Perien had the pipe organ installed in the library, and he wrote a treatise on the relation ship between magic and music.
 * So you're saying there's a clue in Archmage Perien's book?
 * Wizard Ellaron: I don't recall saying anything of the sort. If you did want to read that book, though - for historical interest, perhaps - you could find it on one of the bookshelves on the ground floor.
 * It's such a pity you couldn't help me. Maybe I'll visit the library.

You find a book entitled 'The Harmony of the Runes' and a book entitled 'The Runes of the Spells of Water'.


 * Wizard Borann: Oh, all right. If you must play the organ, at least keep to the top manual - it's the quietest. Not even Archmage Sedridor could concentrate with the racket from the loud manuals.
 * Why do you even have an organ in the library?
 * Wizard Borann: It's been here since the tower was rebuilt. I think the first archmage was a little eccentric in his architectural preferences.

A key pops out of the organ mechanism.

Under the Tower

 * Ariane: Have you made any progress with getting the key to the old tower?
 * I've got the key to the ruins.
 * Ariane: The key to the old tower! Who knows what's down there? There could be knowledge that's been lost for a hundred years!
 * We're just going down there to find out what attacked Wizard Borann.
 * Ariane: I know, but...while we're down there, we can at least look around. the entrance is on the east side of the island. Come on!
 * We should find out all we can.
 * Ariane: I just hope it's well preserved. It would be terrible for knowledge to be lost forever. The entrance is on the east side of the island. Come on!


 * Ariane: Come on! Open the door and lets see what's in the ruins.


 * Ariane: This is amazing. We may be the first people to come down here for a hundred years. this must be the Chamber of Shrines. the senior wizards used it as a meeting room, and wizards joining the tower would pledge allegiance to one of the four orders here. I've read about it but I never though I'd see it! The greatest magical innovators or Gielinor once walked this room.
 * Yes, it's inspiring.
 * Ariane: I wish we could spend more time exploring the ruins. If I can I'll stay down here after we've done what we came for.
 * We should keep our minds on the job.
 * Dialogue missing.
 * Is there anything valuable we can loot?
 * Dialogue missing.

You said there were once four magical orders?
 * Ariane: I wish we had more time to explore these ruins properly.
 * Ariane: the old tower was made up of wizards from all over the world, with wildly different philosophies of magic. the arranged themselves into four orders, dedicated to different gods: Blue, Green, Red and Grey.
 * Tell me about the Blue Order.
 * Ariane: The Blue Wizards worshipped Saradomin, god of goodness and order. He's the most widely worshipped god in human lands. The Blue Wizards believed magic should be used to help people, and focused on non-combat spells in the standard spellbook we use today. After the first tower was destroyed, it was the surviving Blue Wizards who rebuilt it. The new tower is still a Saradominist institution, although these days a lot of wizards only pay lip service to the religion.
 * Tell me about the Green Order.
 * Ariane: The Green Wizards worshipped Guthix, god of nature and balance. According to the druids, Guthix created the world then entered a deep sleep. before the rise of our current civilisation, the other gods went to war for control of the world. After millennia of fighting, Guthix awoke and banished them, so they could no longer intervene directly. It was a follower of Guthix who discovered rune essence, and the Green Wizards were the old tower's experts on runecrafting. their statue depicts their founder transmuting a lump of rune essence into a stack of runes.
 * Tell me about the Red Order.
 * Ariane: The Red Wizards worshipped Zamorak. Most people today see Zamorak as a god of evil, but for the Red wizards he was a god of chaos, personal strength and creativity. Legend has it Zamorak was once mortal, but he stole the staff of a god called Armadyl and used it to ascend to godhood. Their statue holds a staff in memory of that. The Red Wizards focused on destructive spells, especially ones involving fire. They invented most of the battle spells that made their way into today's standard spellbook.
 * Tell me about the Grey Order.
 * Ariane: There are other gods besides Saradomin, Guthix and Zamorak. The Grey Wizards were those who worshipped lesser-known gods, such as Armadyl or the Menaphite pantheon, or were non-religious. The Grey Wizards didn't invent many spells, but they made some of the greatest contributions to pure magical theory. Their statue's sword symbolises a sharp mind cutting into the heart of a matter.
 * Okay, what should we do now?
 * Ariane: We need to get deeper into the ruins, to the source of the power beam. It looks like the rune guardian is blocking the door.


 * Rune guardian: Wizard, you have proved yourself worthy. All that remains is to determine the order to which you will belong. Are you ready to be tested?
 * Ariane: It thinks we're new wizards joining the tower! Originally you wouldn't be able to get to this room without passing the entry tests.
 * Ariane, what is this creature?
 * Ariane: It's a rune guardian. The secret of making them was lost when the old tower was destroyed. It must have been standing at that door for a hundred years.
 * What does the test involves?
 * Rune guardian: I will ask you a series of questions. Your answers will reveal the order to which you are best suited. If you disagree with your allocation, you may take the test again.
 * I'm ready to be tested.
 * I'm not ready yet.


 * Ariane: I guess we'll need to find a way across here.
 * I could jump that.
 * Ariane: Maybe you could, but I'm not risking it. We need to find a safe way for us both to get across.
 * Can't you teleport us?
 * Ariane: It's not as simple as that. Each teleport spell goes to one specific location. Creating a new one can take years of research. It took the wizards of the old tower decades to crack the teleportation problem. It wasn't solved until shortly before the old tower's destruction.
 * Can we use the power beam somehow?
 * Ariane: the thing that attacked Wizard Borann came up the power beam from the ruins. I don't want to risk touching it until we've investigated.
 * Let me look around. I'll think of something.


 * Ariane: Hey! What are you doing?
 * I'm making us a bridge.
 * Ariane: You're what? That's the statue of Eritona the Green, who negotiated the treaties with local rulers that let the wizards transport runes from the essence mine. You can't just push her statue down.
 * Do you have a better idea?
 * Ariane: Well no, but...be careful, okay? Try not to damage the statue.
 * I think there might be something valuable behind here.
 * Ariane: That's ridiculous. Who would leave valuables lying around behind a statue? Besides, the tower's true riches were in the form of knowledge. Nothing a treasure hunter would be interested in. Well, can you see anything?
 * Dialogue missing.
 * Nothing, I'll come back down.


 * Ariane: This is it! The heart of the old tower - the central spellcasting chamber where the old wizards performed their most powerful rituals. It's amazing - I never imagined I'd see it in person.
 * I wish I could have seen it.
 * Ariane: So do I. Most of the spells we use today were invented in this room. wizards of all four order cooperated for the sake of magical research. These vortices look like the one that attacked Wizard Borann. I want to find out what they are. I'll need you to attract a vortex into this circle and keep it there while I examine it.
 * Try not to get overexcited.
 * Dialogue missing.


 * Ariane: They're NOT ghosts. At first I thought they might be ghosts but they're...they're soul fragments. I've heard about putting part of yourself into your work, but he old wizards literally put part of their souls into the power beam.
 * Why would they do that?
 * Ariane: They must have wanted to create a very powerful magical effect. I don't know what they were trying to do, but whatever it was, it went wrong. do you know what this is? I think this is what destroyed the first tower! I think there was an enchantment keeping the vortices here, but someone has removed it. Now they're able to go up the beam to the new tower, and you saw the trouble they can cause.
 * Who might have removed the enchantment?
 * Ariane: I can't tell, but it happened recently - within the last few days. It looks like we weren't the first people to come down here after all. I can replace the enchantment that was keeping the vortices here, but it'll take some time. While I do it you need to go back to the new tower and delay Sedridor's casting of his Icyenic Purge.
 * Why do I need to delay Sedridor?
 * Ariane: The Icyenic Purge flood the tower with energy, but these vortices are attracted to magic. all it'll do is draw them up into the tower and make it impossible to get rid of them. I can restore the enchantment that kept the vortices in the ruins, but I need to do it while they're still here.
 * How can I delay Sedridor
 * Ariane: I don't know, but I'm sure you can think of something. If he's casting an Icyenic Purge he'll probably be in the library on the ground floor.
 * Okay I'll do that now.

Back to the Tower

 * Archmage Sedridor: Please be quiet, adventurer. My assistants and I are casting an Icyenic Purge and we must have complete silence in order to concentrate.
 * You have to sop the Icyenic Purge!
 * Could I distract you for a moment?
 * Sorry to bother you.


 * Archmage Sedridor: Please don't do that adventurer. The Icyenic Purge is in a critical stage and it is essential that all participants be able to concentrate.


 * Archmage Sedridor: Adventurer, I must insist that you step away from that organ.


 * Archmage Sedridor: Break my concentration once more and you will feel the wrath of the grand archmage of the reborn tower!


 * Archmage Sedridor: Quickly, wizards! We must finish the spell at once!


 * Archmage Sedridor: The purge is complete. Thank you, fellow wizards: whatever these entities were, they could not have survived such a powerful wave of magic. Adventurer, I suggest you leave the library and find your friend Ariane. Tell her not to worry; we have dealt with the problem without any help.


 * Ariane: It was close, but I managed to restore the enchantment. The vortices are trapped in the ruins again. Thanks for this adventurer. I couldn't have done this without you.
 * I've got some questions...
 * Do you know who removed the old enchantment?
 * Ariane: That's what I'd like to find out. They were a powerful wizard and they knew what they were doing. This was a calculated attempt to damage the Wizards' Tower. There are Zamorakian magical orders who resent the tower's monopoly on the Rune Mysteries: the Zamorakian Magical Institute, the Dagon'hai, maybe more we don't even know about. they've attacked the tower before, but it's always been more direct. This is the first time they've come close to doing real damage.
 * I'm happy to help!
 * Ariane: Well, thanks again. I found some things in the ruins you might be interested in - they're yours if you want them.


 * Ariane: I'm going to head back down to the ruins to study the vortices. I want to find out what happened to the old tower, and who released the vortices from the ruins. Meet me down there if you want to help.