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A dull, muffled clinking rings out as Cavasin's back flattens against the wall. Noting his grey surcoat spotted with crimson blood, he stifles the urge to scream. Frustration, or pain? I'm not injured... he thinks to himself. Terror? It's just a pile of books, he attempts to convince himself. A pile of books animated to life by some blasted arcane witchery.
Taking a knife, he cuts a strip from his simple tabard that hangs loosely from his scale-plate harness. As Cavasin tries to make some sort of sense of the flurry of action going on around him, he attempts to assist in the best way he can. "The Lady has no need to see you leave this plane anytime soon", states Cavasin in an attempt to reassure the injured Iliyana. Not that I have any say over who the Lady takes for Judgement...
He takes his glove off, and extends his fingers as far as they will spread. A positive energy emanates from his hand, and a small surge of energy washes over the caretaker.
Iliyana perks up slightly with Stenne and Cavasin’s help, but as soon as she takes another step she cries out in pain again. ”It is most likely a construct of some sort” Iliyana winces as the pain shoots through her body.
Vors helps Tessara tend to Iliyana's wounds.
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"Aye, the Lady Silverfrond is right. Not informing the very caretaker of these stacks that a deadly construct lies down here, ready to maim or kill at a moment's notice? Doesn't bode well for us at all."
Cavasin looks over Tessara and Vors' triage work, and nods in approval. "As good a job as we can hope for at the moment, until we can put some distance between us and that... literary anomaly." He looks over his shoulder, back the way they came. "Perhaps we press the Guardian for information? It might not be the ally we once believed it to be."
”I am not well trusted here.” Iliyana manages to say before wincing due to the pain. ”Yes, it was most definitely created and set to guard this room.” Iliyana winces again, but the blood has finally stopped soaking through the bandages. ”The collegium is not a particularly trust bunch, and the information in this library is highly coveted. I must say I am not surprised that they are protecting it in some way.”
"I fear we have but one option on the paper that would kill. How can Iliyana return to her quarters? Are we finished with that room? Moonshine's fire seemed to be quite effective. Anyone should be able to throw one. Perhaps the less injured. Is there a healer amongst us?"
Well,don't mind if I do! This lackluster errand has become much more engaging for someone of my talents.
Stenne brightened considerably at the options presented to her, withdrawing another glass bottle that she infused with an arcane spark with a flick of her stubby fingers.
At Vors' suggestion of her passing out bombs for the others to use,she gave her head a shake.Afraid it don't work like that. An alchemists bombs only works for that particular alchemist that brewed them. If I had the time I could make some standard alchemists fire flasks to share but I doubt we have that option right now.
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Looking up from binding Iliyana's wounds, Tessara replies, "The shelf it was lurking in was the last one, so our research there is finished, I think... but will it try to force the door and come after us if we abandon the room? We should get into a defensive formation right now, and be ready to protect Deepmug while she hurls her grenades the moment it comes out--if it does."
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We should get into a defensive formation right now
"My experience with swarms when one has no means to fight it is to spread out and minimize the damage. Have we no other source of fire?"
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"Fire? Heh, no." and with that, Cavasin brandishes his morningstar for the party to see, which frosts over in white crystal. The Lady has blessed me with her frigid touch..." he says, as the morningstar begins to rapidly thaw and become dewy with wet. "... but I fear one star of the mourning is all but useless against thousands of pieces of flying parchment."
He casts an eye from left to right to the entire party. "As for healing? It is true that I have a healing touch... but it is a sacred part of the duty charged to me by the Lady. It is to stave off death to those who the Lady deems worthy. I am but her messenger."
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"Then let's spread out as much as we can. Not towards those stairs, be clear to run back towards the Guardian's room if it goes badly. Dearest Deepmug, I'm afraid the most dangerous duty must fall to you, of necessity... can you take point, with a flask ready to catch the thing if the door opens?"
Moving quickly to separate herself from the others, Tessara urges them "Hurry! My spell will wear off any second now!"
The group spreads out and waits for Tessara's spell to wear off. The group waits for what seems like a long time before noticing the door shimmer slightly as the hold portal spell wears off.
A few tense moments pass with everyone staring at the door...
.
.
.
.
.
Surprisingly, nothing happens.
You can hear the rustling of the papers moving about on the other side of the door; they are still obviously active.
Vors moves to the door, ready to open it when all are ready.
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Tessara can hear her heart pounding in her pointed ears as the seconds seem to stretch out in the adrenaline rush of waiting... and waiting... and tensing in coiled-spring readiness-- and nothing.
"Wait!" she cries in a voice of hushed urgency, as Vors puts his hand to the doorknob. "It may not be programmed to chase us after we leave the room. If that's the case, shouldn't we leave it be and continue on? Remember, our mission is to research the shadow fey, not hunt monsters in the library's basement."
...Aw. Stenne lowered her primed bomb.Then what do we do now,then?
Vors acknowledges Tessara with a nod. "Cavasin, what say ye to this predicament?"
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Cavasin scratches his stubbled chin, eyes darting from the door and to the rest of the group.
”I say we keep a vigilant eye on the door, but search the rest of the floor. If we absolutely have to return to deal with this… thing, so be it.”
He adjusts his swordbelt, then loops the sling of his morningstar around his wrist, gripping it tight. ”With a trip to town, we could procure some alchemist’s fire or something to deal with menace behind these doors, but I fear we have no time to do so. We must press on. Just lead the way, and I will be your shield.”
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”I say we keep a vigilant eye on the door, but search the rest of the floor. If we absolutely have to return to deal with this… thing, so be it.”
"Well said," Tessara agrees, breathing a little more easily. "Perhaps Deepmug should be the one to stand watch at the door, for now? If the book monster comes out, she's still the best-suited to stop it." Polite as always, she does not vocalize the added thought that Stenne seemed the least suited to their investigations as well.
Stenne chortled wryly at Tessara's veiled insinuation of her lack of valuable participation.
She wasn't even bothered in the slightest. She truly didn't want to be here.
Aye, a viable option...but what if there are more ahead? Of similar guardians and traps.
"I doubt the murderous papers can open a door and believe we should all stay together. Personally I am turned around. I am not certain which direction we came from and what has not been investigated. If someone can guide me in the proper direction I will gladly take the lead."
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"We came... from the west, I believe. Behind us lies the Guardian." Cavasin then speaks in a hushed tone. "But we know not whether it is friend or foe."
He stands a bit upright and resumes his usual manner of speech. "Other than that, down this hallway lies a door and a set of stairs. Might we search there?"
"Thank you, Cavasin. That was my guess. I am oriented now"
Vors moves to the eastern door and examines it for traps. His thieves tools slide from his sleeves into his hands. He applies them to the locked door.
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Tessara nods her agreement. "Wise thinking. I would prefer it if Deepmug at least took rear-guard for now though... the papers may not be able to open the door, but they might force it or slip beneath it one by one." She throws a nervous glance at the bottom of the door before turning to the caretaker.
"Madame Iliyana, do I recall correctly you saying that that door leads to an office?"
”Yes, that is correct.” Iliyana says. ”If you’d like I could…” her sentence trails off as Vors manages to open the door without her help. ”Or we could use your approach.”
Still clutching her side, Iliyana walks towards the opened door. ”We should be careful in here. If they were willing to set traps in the other rooms, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were more.”
The administrator’s office contains two rows of tall bookshelves flanking an imposing yet beautiful wooden desk that presides over the room. Over the door hangs a portrait of Grand Prince Stavian III, portrayed wearing an especially smug grin. A brass plaque on the frame of the portrait reads, “A cunning lie is never told twice."
As you are about to enter the administrator’s office, you notice the smell of smoke in the air. As you look at the door that is holding back the book swarm, you notice a trail of smoke seeping between the top of the door and the head jamb.
Vors holds the door open and studies the smoke. He ponders. The paper was trying to follow us...now it must be done. How so? His curiosity raised he closes the door and moves towards the smoke. "If we have set a great fire, this is against our directive." Vors is at the smoking door.
Iliyana’s eyes go wide as the realization of the fire hits her. “Fire...” she whispers, “By the gods!”
Iliyana turns to the group. ”You need to get out of here. Quickly! I will try to give you as much time as I can.”
Without any more warning, Iliyana turns and runs towards the staircase at the end of the hall.
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"Desna's teats," Tessara curses, a rare slip of etiquette for the stately high elf, but only to be expected until such stress. "We'd better do as she says, there must be a silent fire alarm alerting more people. It looks like we've gathered all the information we'll be getting, my friends. Let's make haste!"
Glancing back after Iliyana one last time, the abjurer casts a quick spell on herself, then turns and hurries back the way they came, past the guardian and towards the entrance to the secret chambers.
"כמו אבן בין אבנים, אני בלתי נראה"
When she pauses at each doorway to glance around in search of foes, she seems to take on the colors and patterns of whatever is near her, making it hard to focus on her distinct form.
Vors is visibly discontent with the latest happenings. His mind works overtime for options. He agrees with Tessara. "Well, that was short endeavor. I agree we must be on our way. We could be obstinate and try other methods. Perhaps we should call it a day."
He looks to Moonshine and Cavasin as he moves with Tessara.
"...What other sort of bomb did you think I woulda--*uurp*nevermind. I gotta Ale bomb that is more or less watered down beer that'll give you all the effects of getting piss-drunk without the fun parts. It should be enough to put out any flames. Won't smell at that great so stand clear."the brewer shook her head at the others.
She recalled she did warn them of the risk of fire beforehand but no one protested when she used it against the animated swarm of books and papers.
Hindsight hardly helped things.
Stenne deactivated the fire bomb and withdrew a flask of clay that held her lower quality mash and infused with a spark of arcane power.
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Cavasin follows behind, then at the mention of the possibility of extinguishing the flames, waits in anticipation. To think, all that time on the trail to Zobeck, it was a daily necessity to perform the ritual of the creation of water... yet now in the time it would be most needed, I am not prepared...
Stenne primes and lobs her ale bomb at the source of the flames. Clay shattered and ale splattered in a spray of foaming suds,the potent smell of beer permeating the air. The sizzle of drowned flame only intensified it.
Iliyana disappears up the stairs as you discuss how to deal with the fire.
As Tessara opens the door, a cloud of dark black smoke escapes the room, obscuring the area and making it difficult to breath. Within the room, the swarm of flying pages has scattered across the ground, lifeless, and burning. The flames have leapt to multiple bookshelves and have started to burn the books within. The fire is much bigger than anticipated and is wide spread throughout the room.
Stenne throws the bomb in an attempt to subdue the flame. The bomb proves effective in the area where it lands, but the flames have already spread too far and continue to rage in other areas of the room. The smell of the beer mixes with the smoke, creating a sickly sour smell.
Over the crackling of the flames, you can hear the muffled sounds of Iliyana beginning to yell for help as she ascends the stairs.
Vors looks at the burning room and in the direction Iliyana fled, back to the room and back again. He then looks at each of you with smile. "Race to Captain Muesello’s Bait and Tackle?"
He leans toward the exit ready to run.
...Well*uuurp*w-we tried. Time to go.
Gulping at the conflagration,Stenne trundle past For a to get a head start with her shorter legs.
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Cavasin stares for a moment, wide-eyed at the fledgling inferno. "A-aye, we had best leave for now. We must regroup and plan our next action with more care." He looked around the room and noticed that their once proud party had dwindled to just he and three companions. "W-where did the others go!?" he hated the idea of abandoning them if they were somehow still down here in the stacks, but self-preservation and the completion of their mission compelled Cavasin to follow Stenne, Vors and Tessara.
As you pause and look around at the group, you can hear footsteps in the direction you came from. It seems that Cassandra and Prince have already gotten a head start on the escape.
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Tessara covers her mouth with a delicate hand, coughing from the smoke and acrid smells pouring out of the burning room. "They're already running, Cavasin! Let's go too!" Hurrying after their companions, she dashes to the Guardian's room, pausing to conceal herself and look for danger, before continuing onward, back towards the secret entrance.
Vors chuckles when he sees moonshine running. "Cavasin, can you make sure she does not get left too far behind?"
Vors runs for the hidden door just behind Tassara.