Epic 2.5 info (aug)

You say, 'Hail, Eric Von Schnelling'

Eric Von Schnelling seems to creak as he moves. He gives off the air of one that has lived well beyond his years but still has shining bright eyes. He smiles at you, 'Welcome to my humble, temporary and spacious residence. Please, make yourself at home. Feel free to drink my wine and eat the candies that have been given to me out of love and friendship by the Master and his many minions.'

You say, 'The Master?'

Eric Von Schnelling says 'Him? He's a good guy. He is the only one that has a clue about what it's like to be me. Sure, he's got a bit of power and a ton of servants, but that's not the point. I have some power too. He has seen eternity and faced it down. The rest here, they pretend that eternity is just tomorrow or the day after. They keep their heads down, that's the only way they can go forward. Chumps.'

You say, 'Power?'

Eric Von Schnelling says 'Ah, power. Now that is a fascinating topic. You're probably not aware that to remain alive as stubbornly as I do requires rather large amounts of power? So much so that I can barely spare any to deal with people that try to kill me. That's ironic, isn't it? Over my long life I've learned some nice ways to get that power. The easiest is just to take the power stored in items. Folks waste a lot of energy building these epic items, precious energy that could be used to help keep me alive. This is a topic that the Master and I have spoken about several times. It's most certainly the reason he holds me in such high regard.'

You say, 'Epic?'

(With 1.5) Eric Von Schnelling says 'You wouldn't be able to understand such things and, well, you have nothing to offer me. I'll tell you what, you gather up a fully powered item that's worthy of the term 'epic' and come talk to me again.'

(With 2.0) Eric Von Schnelling says 'Sure, like that one you have there. I can sense its power. In fact, perhaps we can work out a bargain. I'm here for several reasons, not the least of which is the fascinating conversations. I know that there is a mystical book of great power here called Shadowspine. I also know that it is weaker than it was when it was created. Pages have been, um, exercised from it and lost. These pages hold a power that make my [work] much easier.'

You say, 'What work?'

Eric Von Schnelling says 'I don't know that I'd call it work, exactly. But since I already have . . . Anyway, the process of devouring a powerful item requires a large amount of energy. The net gain is nothing to sneeze at, but it's not as much energy as I'd like. These pages can be used like keys to unlock that power much more easily. Each page is usually dedicated to a style of magic, so they tend to only unlock certain types of power. If you can bring me a page that matches with your epic item then maybe we can work out a [deal].'

You say, 'A deal?'

Eric Von Schnelling says 'Yup, a deal. If you give me a page, I'll use it. If it's the right page for your own epic item, I'll channel a bit of the extra energy I get into your item. That should make it a bit stronger. Either way, though, if you bring me a page I'll certainly use it, it's up to you to have the item in your hand that you want me to make better. You are starting to weary an old man. I get bored talking about work all the time. Is there anything else you'd like to discuss? If not, why don't you start looking for those pages, eh?'

The pages he's looking for are from Tier 2 encounters in the Demi-Plane of Blood:

Invocation of Death's Shadow (melees), dropped from The Performer's chest
Invocation of Eternity (priests), dropped from Roley DeFarge's chest
Invocation of Night (casters), dropped from Tris Wallows III's chest
Invocation of the Last Dawn (hybrids), dropped from Devlin Rochester's chest

Upon handing in the correct page:

Eric Von Schnelling says 'Well, this is exactly what I need. Hang around and watch me work, if you'd like. Keep that epic of yours in your hand and I'll make sure to channel some of my power into it. If you don't have it with in your hand, well that's unfortunate.'

Eric Von Schnelling draws the power out of the page and channels it into the staff in his hands. The staff pulses with power for a moment, then that power is pulled into Eric himself. As the ritual finishes, the once mighty staff is turned to dust that fades away before it even touches the ground.

Eric Von Schnelling says 'Ah, now that was refreshing! Thank you for that, I feel a dozen years younger.'

You receive an invisible (non-removable) augmentation to your epic 2.0. The name of your invisible augmentation corresponds to the name of your epic 2.0:

Bard - Vesagran Shard of the Ancients
Beastlord - Spiritcaller Shard of the Ancients
Berserker - Vengeful Shard of the Ancients
Cleric - Divinity Shard of the Ancients
Druid - Brambles Shard of the Ancients
Enchanter - Eternal Shard of the Ancients
Magician - Primal Shard of the Ancients
Monk - Transcended Shard of the Ancients
Necromancer - Deathwhisper Shard of the Ancients
Paladin - Nightbane Shard of the Ancients
Ranger - Aurora Shard of the Ancients
Rogue - Nightshade Shard of the Ancients
Shadowknight - Innoruuk's Shard of the Ancients
Shaman - Heyokah Shard of the Ancients
Warrior - Kreljnok's Shard of the Ancients
Wizard - Power Shard of the Ancients