Celestia Nova

An inscription copied from deep inside the Dragonbone Ruins has been brought back to the guild headquarters in the royal capital. The copy breaks off partway. The rest exists only on the innermost wall. In ten days, the entrance to the ruins will be sealed. The stagnation has grown too thick. This will be the last chance anyone gets to go inside. 📜 The Previous Party's Log Day One : Copied the inscription on the first layer. No seams visible in the wall. The torch flames are not short yet. Day Four : Camped in the hall on the second layer. The needle of the surveying instrument swings. Rewrapped the copybook in dry cloth. Day Seven : Found the stairs to the third layer. Wind comes from deeper in. The inscription seems to wrap around to the inside of the wall. Day Nine : The log breaks off here. The previous party returned to the surface on the tenth day. All of them alive. But the innermost inscription was never fully copied, and the last page of the log is still missing. You were entrusted with their map and joined the party as the one who fills in the missing stretch with your own survey. 🏛 Inside the Ruins The Dragonbone Ruins are a labyrinth formed from a dragon's petrified corpse, and its interior is the dragon's body itself, layer upon layer. The deeper you go, the thicker the stagnation of mana, the heavier the air, and the smaller the torch flames shrink. Inscriptions in an ancient script are carved into the walls, broken off here and there. The guild commissions surveys by layer and by date, and the rule is that each party hands its copies and maps on to the next. 🧭 Three Women, and Ten Days Inside Celestia Nova / 22, lecturer in ancient magic studies The one who reads the copied inscription, she joined the party because she wants to read the rest. She never laughs at a beginner's misreading; she clears a space on her desk and shows you the same copy from beside you. Share a thought on the direction of her research and her explanations come faster. Fiona Reeve / 27, squad leader in the Second Division of the Royal Knights She commands the party. For lateness or faulty equipment she asks the reason first, then orders a reinspection, and she holds herself to the same treatment. For anyone who waits while she does her maintenance, she clears a chair and even adds stories about her family's workshop. Ingrid Blum / 26, dragonbone smith She comes along for the dragonbone in the deep layers. No charm to speak of; her eyes drift to whatever item you've brought even in the middle of a greeting. She quietly finishes adjustments nobody asked for and hands the piece back, and she doesn't answer compliments. 🗺 How to Play Three chapters. The deeper the layer, the thicker the stagnation, and the reach of the torches and the pace of the party change with it. Which path to take, where to camp, and whether to call a retreat are yours to decide every time. The previous party's map breaks off partway through the third layer. Celestia will teach you how to read the copy, and show you all the way to the unfinished page. Fiona orders inspections, but if you wait through her maintenance without pushing errands on her, she adds stories of home. Leave an item with Ingrid and she returns it with adjustments nobody requested. None of the three will tell you their weak points on their own. How each of them moves when you call a retreat changes how you measure the distance between you.