Within the ruins of the academies and schools of a once great centre of learning, there is a wall upon which a paradox is inscribed. It is coined as Dereus’ Paradox and many years, scholars and sages went forth to study it at the wall. There are some curious properties to the puzzle. The first is that no one could remember it, and if the inscriptions are copied down, they cease to make sense after a while. No one seems to know why the paradox exists, except that its author probably could be Dereus, a rather obscure philosopher.
- A sage who might be the friends of the PCs went to study the paradox but have not yet returned after three months – a month more than he said he would be gone. If the PCs look for the sage, they will find him wandering about the ruins, driven mad and muttering in an ancient language. The Dereus’ Paradox is actually a trap – those who stumbled upon its secret actually allow an entity from beyond the void to possess them. Their goal? To find somewhere safe where they would inscribe another of those paradox. If the adventurers do some follow-up, the symbols used to form the inscriptions are not unique. Everywhere such a paradox are found can be the site of an adventure, with an ultimate secret awaiting them at the end.
- A bunch of over-zealous crusaders, afraid that the wall with the paradox is actually a work of the devil, are planning to destroy it – but the scholars and sages prevent them. The crusaders have paid the adventurers to destroy the wall by pretending to be interested in the paradox. However, it seems that one of the scholars have chanced upon an exciting discovery. Do the adventurers let the sages go ahead following what they have discovered, or follow the crusaders’ instructions?
- Dereus’ Paradox is say to hold the key to ancient magic. It explains the theory of magic and how it could exist, but at the same time while the words are understandable, it is not coherent. Sages, scholars and mages spent years studying the paradox yet they all have been tricked. If one stands on a nearby hilltop and look down at the wall, the writings actually form something that looks like a gateway, with a ‘key-hole’ rune set in the middle of it. This is actual a teleportation portal disguised as writings on the wall and woe betide anyone who accidentally open it! For this was how Dereus tricked a covent of powerful sorcerers and trapped in the void beyond – by luring them here with a puzzle and opening the portal which then pulled them in. If the portal is opened, the sorcerers would either emerge again, or all those who are around would be sucked in…
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