PBP Gameday VII - GM Iestuna's Library of the Lion (Inactive)

Game Master Ietsuna

The large lion on the wall is not animate as far as you can tell. It is just a really well crafted statue of a lion. Clue - "The monarch's virtues are our own"

Yangrit suddenly blurts: "Honor, Courage, and Glory! To find the secret archive, we must study Honor, Courage, and Glory! (See the introductory letter on page 1 of this forum.) So which is which? Let's see... Cunning, Bravery, Perseverance, History, Loyalty, Nobility... Courage is probably Bravery. Honor... Maybe it's Loyalty? Hmm... Glory could be Nobility... Anyone else have any ideas?"

She does not touch any of the pieces as she speaks, not wanting to set off a potential trap with an incorrect choice.

"Yes you make a great point, Courage is most definitely Bravery. Honor is more likely to be nobility as it is surely a noble trait." Rayan pauses briefly as he examines the remaining choices "Gory..Glory...Is not the history of this realms rife with the Glory of it's history? That would be my deduction, though I'm open to debate on this last point."

As Rayan paces he considers the puzzle presented before him. "That letter however was speaking of the entrance we've already passed. It seems unlikely that this is the case..Perhaps this is simply a test of which virtues the Taldori hold highest? What did that painting in the caretakers room say? A cunning lie is never told twice! Is that somehow related? There was another portrait of the prince that said in the end loyalty is it's own reward. Hmmmmmm"

I've scraped through all the posts looking for the keywords in anything we've seen and that's what I came up with.. Thoughts?

Yangrit resumes her muttering: "Ah, yes. 'A cunning lie is never told twice.' So it may be the others. Cunning, Perseverance, and one of the others. Hmm... Then there's that code they deciphered: 'Has the bell of obedience', whatever that means. Probably some other puzzle. Hmm..."

@GM Ietsuna: I'm guessing that our characters have already discovered all the clues we need to solve this puzzle, but as players we aren't recalling, recognizing, and/or properly applying them. How do you want to handle this separation of character knowledge vs. player knowledge, in the interest of maintaining some momentum in this scenario? Thanks!

So far you have found 2 portraits of the Taldan Monarch, Prince Stavian III. In the Administrator's room there was a plaque on it that read "A cunning lie is never told twice”, in the Caretaker's quarters there was a plaque that read "“In the end, loyalty is its own reward".

"Perhaps there are other portraits like the two we've seen? Shall we leave this and return once we've explored the rest of this level?" As he speaks Rayan turns to head towards the Eastern side of the library. Pausing as he moves back through the secret door he turns back "Also if any of us have the skill we should try and cover any sign of our passage here yes? Perhaps speak with the caretaker and ask that she not speak of our visit?

At Rayan's suggestion to search the rest of the level, Yangrit springs up to follow him at once. "Right! Right! So cunning and loyalty..."

At his mention of the caretaker, in a low grumble, she mutters: "Won't that make it more obvious?"

"I'm Unsure, I feel as if she believed we were here with genuine permission so perhaps it's well enough to leave it alone. However it might be possible to build on her belief and suggest our purpose here was both sanctioned and secret.. Are any of you adept with wordcraft? I'm more of a soldier myself.."

"Ok. So we're are going to keep exploring? How about going to the rooms on the other side now?" Kirrote grumbles a little bit. He was just on the other side before he got called back.

He shakes his head at Rayanoushyant. "Words are not my strength."

"Not me. I'm a grump. If no one feels good about it, I say let it be."

"Words are one of my talents, I could perhaps when we leave simply say thank you for your help we found what we needed, sound good?" Snert thinks for a moment and says " Hmm, Has the bell of obedience, Ah, I know loyalty perhaps?"

Bell of Obedience

That is a rather ominous bell. Anyway I believe consensus is the room on the far right for now in hopes of more painting hints.

"Well then lets not waste time. That performance wont last forever." rayan says as he heads towards the far side of the library straining to hear where they may be in the performance.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12

Kirrote peers into the room that he has just reached Picked the one your token was at. Hope that is ok

This well-lit room holds many chairs aligned towards two giant chalkboards that hang on the north wall. Along the opposite wall, several shelves hold books on sundry topics. Simple but colorful tapestries hang along the north wall, giving the room a bright appearance despite the lack of sunlight and the dour portrait of Grand Prince Stavian III affixed to the south wall.

The shelved books cover a wide range of topics. A 15-minute hourglass sits atop the desk. A brass plaque on the frame of the portrait reads, To serve Taldor, I must first learn the history of Taldor.

"Ah! History! Good! We're running out of time, so let's split up. I'll do a quick search here. Why don't you check the other doors on this side of the hall, just in case. " Yangrit has begun scanning the shelves as she speaks.

Profession: Clerk: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

@GM Ietsuna: About how much time do we have left?

You have about 20 minutes left of the performance. Khellek will assist in the search.

Your group uncovers two more clues Cross Reference and Hand Written Notes

You also notice a 15 minute hour-glass on the desk at the front of the room.

Yangrit will check out the hourglass. If it is a perfectly normal one, she will flip it over and carry it with her, intending to put it back on their way out.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

Once finished in the first room, she will hurry along to examine the other room.

Profession: Clerk: 1d20 + 7 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 7 + 3 = 15
Using the Cross Reference clue we just found; anyone want to aid me?

Snert follows Yangrit into the other room looking around as well.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Kirrote moves quickly to the last room in the hallway with Yangrit and Snert.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

This room’s well-worn wooden floor sets it apart from the others. The west wall is lined with shelves that support books, a variety of instruments, and dozens of rectangular baskets that contain loose sheaves of paper. Several chairs are pushed against the wall, and a portrait of the Grand Prince hangs to east, surveying everything in the room with magisterial authority.

The brass plaque on the frame of the portrait reads, Persevere, persevere, persevere!

This is a small room and you may use Perform skills to locate clues along with the usual literary based skills.

Yangrit has tunnel vision: she saw the three paintings already and thinks that's all the answer there is, so she heads straight for the shelves of books to begin a swift search.

Profession (Clerk): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
Natural one! Aww, come on...

Unfortunately, she is feeling so rushed that she doesn't even realize that nothing is registering in her mind as she skims the titles.

Khellek will take 20 to search the room.

I am going to push forward. We are already over the end date for session 1. I want to get you guys free to run other stuff.

The group searches for 10 minutes, but does not manage to turn up any fresh texts. Except for those specifically in certain areas you have them all

To recap the clues on the picture frames. "To serve Taldor, I must first learn the history of Taldor." "Persevere, Persevere, Persevere." "In The End loyalty is its own reward." "A cunning lie is never told twice."

You have 10 minutes left before the performance ends. You can hear the orchestra coming to a crescendo.

"Friends I think I may Have it...First I must learn History..A cunning lie is never told twice..Perservere spoken three times...and Loyalty is it's own reward in the end! I believe this is the order the statues must be activated! Let us make great haste!"

Rayan quickly moves back to the hidden room intent on trying to somehow arrange or display the statues before the lion in this order.

I puzzled over this in my head for like...a solid 2 hours before bed the other night, I hope it works!

Rayan slots the four statues for History, Cunning, Perseverence and Loyalty into the four holes on the floor in that exact order. There is a slight clicking sound as the door unlocks to the secret chamber beyond.

"Hah!" Rayan exclaims as he moves through the door into the next room intent on searching it for any texts of value.

Knowledge:History - Bibliographic References: 1d20 + 8 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 8 + 5 = 27
Assuming I find a text I'd like to use the Hidden Gem to grab an additional one from in here.

Kirrote can't help but grin as the door opens. "That was clever thinking." Kirrote pats the guy on the back, almost too hard. "Let's go in and find the stuff."

Chests of expert craftsmanship line the walls, and on the far side of the room stand two bookshelves burdened with yellow-paged tomes and sundry ancient trinkets. Banners and tapestries cover nearly every inch of the walls, each representing long-dead nations or depicting conflicts left not chronicled.

You search and find two texts, just as the music above concludes. Grave Consequences and Lines of Succession. I also missed one text from a previous room, Cryptic References and Enemy Analysis

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20 Woohoo!

"Hey guys, take a look at this shield real quick." She takes a quick glance at the hourglass she's been carrying for the last five minutes. "We're almost out of time!"

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

"Yep. It looks like a shield." Kirrote turns it over and notices the engraving that Yangrit points out. "I wonder what that means."

"Do you think this could allow our friendly lion the mobility he dreams of? Would that alert the powers that be to our presence?

Rayan quickly tucks the texts he's located into his pack as the music concludes he turns to his friends. "We must make haste, before we are noticed. Can anyone do anything to cover our passage through this place? We must not forget our cards!" Raya says as he bustles back to the previous room waiting to return the statues and close the door.

Considering it as he stands waiting Rayan continues "I do not think we can leave the creature behind, it years for things beyond this prison. We must at least make the effort." he says as he quickly steps back into the room and retrieves the shield. Stopping for a moment Rayan quickly enacts a spell to detect magic, focusing on the shield to determine if it might be suitable.

Yangrit's expression shows the grim acknowledgment of being stuck between a rock and a hard place. In a low grumble, she grouses: "If we take anything, especially that lion, they'll know someone came and stole stuff and will immediately start an intense investigation. If we leave the lion, he may tell them who we are. Then our identities will be compromised for any future work. I guess our best bet is to avoid giving them a clue as to who was here, since they're going to know someone was either way. Better try to take the lion." She shakes her head as she speaks the last sentence, not liking her conclusion one bit. So much for getting in and out without a trace. If only that lion had not been sentient!

"The lion it is. But I don't understand how the shield helps us move the lion."

The lion eyes the shield, with a pleased glint in its eye. Oh, well done. This looks to have held an enchantment like mine before. With your leave it will again, provided you are willing to carry the shield out of the library.

@GM Ietsuna: What are the dimensions of the shield?

It is a heavy steel shield sized for a medium creature.

Rayan graciously accepts the shield after the lion has touched it, clearly familiar if not proficient with such an item.

"It has been an honor Glorymane." and with that Rayan moves to continue out, strapping the shield onto his pack as best he can under his cloak and robes.

Rayan, are you heading back out the way you came and are you going all the way back to the room when Tobias left you?

"That's all it takes for the lion?" Kirrote looks perplexed. "Well, I guess I'm not complaining." He looks around the room. [b]"So we've got what we needed, right?"

Yangrit bustles towards the room where she found the hourglass so she can put it back, speaking over her shoulder to Kirrote. "Probably not, as there's a spiral staircase there that we haven't explored yet, but we're out of time. Let's go!"

"I believe we've found the most important texts but you are correct, time has abandoned us." Rayan says as he retraces his steps. Turning to Khellek Rayan quickly adds "You still have that letter of introduction yes? Best to make sure it's not left with the clerk who allowed us entry."

Yes I intend to head out the way we came in and try to cover any obvious signs of our passage (closing doors etc.) and then grab our illusion cards on the way by and the letter if we actually left it with the person who admitted us.

Ok, Rayan is in the waiting room. Where is everyone else going and what are they doing? Yes Khellek has the letter still

Once back in the waiting room to which they were originally escorted, Yangrit snags her illusion card, grabs any ol' book off the shelves in the room, and plunks herself down on the sofa, trying to look casual. The effect is somewhat amusing, as her stumpy legs don't remotely touch the floor and she is careful to keep her boots from touching the upholstery.

Unless anyone says otherwise, I'm in favor of just saying that we're all in the waiting room together.

Kirrote notices Yangrit's actions and quickly guesses what she is doing. He does the same thing. As he thumbs through the book he picked up he finds it is full of meaning tables of numbers.

Glancing over at Kirrote, Yangrit spies tables of numbers: her favorite.

"Hey, Kirrote." Her voice is gruff, but it is clear that she's trying to be friendly. "Do you want to trade? This book is about weaponry. Not really my thing, you know." She hefts up one of her fists to illustrate her point.

"Weapons? That sounds more interesting that this." Kirrote steps over to her chair and trades books with her. Sitting back down in his seat he starts to thumb through the weaponry book. Definitely more interesting than whatever it was he had before.

Book of numbers in hand, Yangrit settles into the too large sofa as best she can, opening it with a sigh of contentment. It turns out to be a treatise on crop yields, detailing several different crops and multiple cultivars of said crops. While it's not her specific area of expertise, Yangrit is still able to understand and enjoy it well enough. She's certainly read drier, less useful material.