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As the tentacle grabs his hand, Arin feels a shiver travel up his arm and then reverberate along his spine. Just as it releases from the spine his eye twitches, visibly to the party. He did not appreciate the slimy shake, and he lets go of the tentacle as soon as possible while muttering something under his breath in Abyssal.
"Yes, let's go test the versions of Virml and root out our fox."
Mistress Koi seems quite pleased, shaking appendages with Forrest, Rook, and happily obliges Yaiho with a hug, several extra tentacles wrapping around the big half-orc. "I've never hugged on a deal before... I LIKE IT!" Suddenly tentacles start scooping up Pathfinders left and right, wrapping them in cold, soggy hugs. "Soo much more personal than a stodgy appendage shake." Finally, she lets you go and wishes you luck as you head down the stairs. Just before she gets out of earshot, you can hear her mumbling to herself, "Nice people!... I wonder what they were here for."
Having already thoroughly examined one version of Virml already, before you start questioning him again, he suggests you look for the version with teeth. "You said you met the impostor already? M-maybe you should start with the last place you saw him?" You slosh along through the Stacks, the owl and albatross shaking their fists at you and moaning all the while. "You're scarin' the fish! Get out the water..." You re-enter the lobby, finally standing dry ground even if your boots a still squelching, to find it deserted. The Scriptorium is up the stairs at the southern end of the lobby. That's where the other Virml had been heading when you were here last.
You head up the stairs. At the top, the narrow passage ends at a sturdy wooden door. Just as Yaiho reaches for the handle, both Brock and Rook notice something unusual: a small wire poking out the top of the door. It's connected to something on the other side. A trap?
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After pointing out the odd wire on the door to his companions he slides back while Rook looks at the device he takes the time to quip.
"Methinks we are on the right track. Let's kill this fox, skin it in case the scroll is under its fur, then finish this deal. Get paid, get drunk, get laid."
He delivers this with a little nudge to Danicka's ribs, his tone indicating he might be half joking about some of thats.
When Prickles flowers at him again he smirks,
"Down boy, or I might need a new fur hat."
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Danicka squeals as she's manhandled by the tentacles. She comes away looking pale and shaking in the knees.
Don't faint! Don't faint!
---
At Brock's elbow Danicka blushes bright red. "Oh... I... Uh..." Danicka stammers. Clearly she's not sure if he means to do those things in general or with her. She blushes even brighter and looks both nervous and mortified.
Don't faint! Don't faint!
"I... Uh... Oh, my... I... N-no skinning the r-r-riddle fox." she finally manages to stutter out.
Rook gets to work on the door, carefully examining the fiddly yet straightforward trap. A simple wire connects the door to a nearby rack of ink jugs; without Rook's skilful work, the rack would collapse, smashing into the first person to pass through the door, covering them with multicoloured ink. It's certainly not the most dangerous trap Rook has ever had to deal with, but that didn't make it any less difficult to disarm.
After a few minutes, the door is made safe, and you enter the Scriptorium safely. This large chamber is crammed with desks and lecterns designed for copying scrolls and manuscripts. Along the north wall, a tall, broad shelf sags with sheaves of parchment, while near the exit to the south, a stack of ceramic ink jugs stands near wall-mounted racks of quills. Two bays of windows on the west wall offer an impressive view of the Lodge's greatest landmark, Skyreach Tower, while the eastern windows overlook the library's main stacks. Its 20-foot-high coffered ceiling bears an elaborate mural with stylized representations of ten, presumably long-dead gnome priests of Desna.
By the light of Everburning torches, the Master of Scrolls, Kreighton Shaine is poring over a number of scattered texts strewn across a large table at the north end of the room. A crocodile, 14-feet-long and weighing well over a thousand pounds lies stretched out beneath the table. As you enter, Shaine throws a thick, dusty tome on the table and looks up expectantly. "Well!?" He shrilly cries, "Have you plugged the leak? What of my scrolls?"
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"Not quite, but I'm pleased to tell you we've found the source of it. The creature causing the leak desires possession of all parts of The Name of the Fox. I think I see one there on your belt. Do you mind if we take it temporarily? Another..." He walks towards the desk. "...appears to sit here atop these books. With these two fragments, we're well on our way to solving your problem!"
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Forrest looks at the Master of Scrolls nervously. shapeshifters... The small halfling follows Arin, uncomfortably close. While guarding his odd friend, he calls out to the head Pathfinder. "Kreighton, do you remember when you called us here with the promise of a very large bounty? Perhaps we should revisit that number. " There is a sparkle in the halfling's green eyes as he says this. The real Kreighton balked at any form of payment. If he is a shapeshifter, he may not recognize this lie.
"You mean to tell me that you want to ruin even more of my scrolls by feeding them to that oversized fish!? No! Out of the question. You'll have to think of another way to plug the leak." Shaine says indignantly to Arin, plucking the fragment from the book and stuffing it in his belt. "Honestly! I knew I should have called a specialist." He mutters to himself as he shifts books around. When Forrest moves forward and attempts his ruse, the Master of Scrolls narrows his eyes. "I did nothing of the sort! Now begone, before I reconsider letting you keep some of the things you find in there." He waves his hands in a shooing motion at the encroaching Pathfinders.
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Danicka waits nervously while Rook disarms the trap, then follows him into the room.
She lets out a loud shriek at the sight of the crocodile, and then at the Master of Scrolls tossing books.
"Eeeeeeek!"
With a hand on her heart, and her broom held tightly in the other hand, Danicka squeaks, "Careful with those books, s-s-sir."
"Th-th-that's a big crocodile you have... Where did you get it?" Danicka asks.
"Do you mind if I make friends with it..?" she squeaks nervously, stepping closer. "What animal could better help me in a flooded library than a crocodile?"
Prickles growls low in his throat and follows his pet into the room.
"You presume to tell me to be careful? I have been looking after books since before your mother's mother's big sister was a twinkle in her grandmother's eye!" Shaine squeals back at Danicka as she nervously steps closer to the crocodile. "With fey running loose in the archives, I decided it would be prudent to summon a little protection. I don't just read dusty old scrolls, I know how to use the occasional one too." The Crocodile seems surprisingly indifferent to the wizard's advances, and doesn't look like it will snap at her anytime soon, unlike a certain few other Pathfinders who are standing precariously close.
It's just about then that Danicka realises that Arin didn't mention that the creature causing the flood was a big fish. How did Shaine know? The Master of Scrolls notices the slight twitch of realisation in Danicka's eyes and that the suspicious party has finally got him. Suddenly Kreighton Shaine's face takes on a more cunning and vulpine appearance. "No one shall catch me who cannot my name catch. And once the portal is open, I will have my rematch." He declares. "You cannot stop me, as I make like a tree. Since I have a fey riddler to meet, and a croc who needs to eat." At this, the crocodile starts turning towards Yaiho with hungry eyes and the Kitsune eyes the door.
___
The crocodile immediately shies away from the disturbing little gnome with glowing eyes.
___
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Hehe make like a tree. Good one... Forrest laughs a little before realizing he was about to fight that ENORMOUS CROCODILE. "Uhhh... guys? I don't think this is the croc in the poem. The tooth fairy didn't get his teeth yet..." He pales a bit. Nor did it eat those birds. What kind of a stupid poem-dream is this?!
Shaking his head, he doesn't go for the fox. Yet. Bad idea. Bad idea. Bad idea. Instead, he takes a small step forward and stabs at the crocodile. With a hop and a jig, he goes for the shoulder of the big greeny. "BOOM! STABBY STABBY!"
Mid attack he practically shouts. "RUMPELSTILTSKIN! HA! I GOT YOUR NAME! GIVE ME MY FIRST BORN!" The fiery man breaks out laughing, nearly dropping his rapier. Take that, stupid tricksy fey.
The kitsune watches in wide-eyed shock as Yaiho steps up to the giant crocodile and promptly beats it to a pulp. As the toothy half-orc tears off a large chunk of the croc with his teeth, the summoned reptile poofs out of existence.
With the sudden absence of a crocodile, Forrest immediately changes his plan and continues his jig towards Whatshisname instead. However, as dumbstruck as the kitsune is by what just happened to his big scary crocodile, he snaps out of it just in time to dodge the point of the rapier. He takes a step away from the fiery man and retorts. "Rumpelstiltskin, is not my name, you'll just have to hang your head in shame. And as for you, you big gorilla, you ate my croc... I really hope it filled ya!" He then pulls a handful of feathers out of a belt pouch and blows them in Yaiho's face.
This spell afflicts the subject with uncontrollable laughter. It collapses into gales of manic laughter, falling prone. The subject can take no actions while laughing, but is not considered helpless. After the spell ends, it can act normally. On the creature's next turn, it may attempt a new saving throw to end the effect. This is a full round action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. If this save is successful, the effect ends. If not, the creature continues laughing for the entire duration.
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Danicka lets out a shriek as Yaiho kills the crocodile she was about to befriend. Splatteredwith it's blood, her eyes go wide and she lets out a whimper.
Thankfully, it's corpse vanishes, marking it as a summoned beast. Unfortunately, Danicka looks no less traumatized.
With big wide eyes she turns to look at the kitsune fleeing. She hurries clumsily through the desk and tables, mutters a few words in a daze and thrusts her hands out at the fake venture captain, engulfing him in a blast of rainbows.
Please be unconscious! Please be unconscious! I can't handle any more death today...
Prickles follows behind his pet, growling at the great green man and the furry red man.
The bullet whizzes tantalisingly close to Whatshisname's left shoulder, but ends up burying itself in the stone wall behind. Before the kitsune has any time to think up a rhyme, Danicka blasts him with a stream of colours sublime. His eyes dilate and he stands stunned for a few moments, but finally manages to shake his head clear. "Nice try Wizard, but that would only ever have worked on the lizard."
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Whatshisname looks at the empty patch where the croc used to be, and glances at the confused but thoroughly unenchanted half-orc who killed it so easily. "If you're so concerned with how well I be, why don't you play a little game with me?" He challenges, "If you win - but you won't - I will come peacefully. But if I win, you lot must help set me free." He pulls the papers from his belt and holds them up for all to see, "A game of riddles, but I warn thee, none are better at riddle than me!"
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Rapier held out firmly, Forrest hesitates. He glances at Danicka. He glances at the illusionist. He glances at his rapier. I already proved my worth this day. If they want to save this trickster, I guess that's fine. He slowly lowers his rapier and nods. "Alright, Rumple. Riddle us. " He frowns, slightly worried. If we lose this deal, attacking him would be quite dishonorable. I hope Danicka is as smart as she is cowardly.
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Brock mumbles to himself as he reloads a standard lead ball into his musket, as the rest go on about a riddling contest or something.
"I hate dealing with fae and the like. Riddles? This isn't some children's tale, this is real life. I hope she's good at riddles...."
but if she's not I'll just shoot it in the gut and we can drag it out
"Although you'll never catch mine, I'll make sure your names live forever in story, song, and mime." Whathisname offers Rook, but just in case that isn't enough, he plucks a bag of coins from his belt jingles it. Seeing Forrest lower his Rapier, the kitsune feels the deal is made, but he winces at Arin's request. "That is not a riddle a riddler would make, but here is a riddle no riddler would forsake." Whatshisname flashes Danicka a vulpine smile and cautiously hands her the final two fragments of The Name of the Fox. "The fey riddler robbed me of a fair answer, something that has since filled me with anger. Give me your answer and I'll give you mine, who pray tell is the last to dine?"
May the winner wear gold while the loser eats crow
Knowing nothing save that which he knew not to know.
Cross! Cross was the owl at the albatross
for catching the bulk of the fish
so the owl cast deeper, awaking a sleeper
who made of both feathers one dish.
As we have heard, the worm’s got by the bird
who gets up so early a-dawnward,
but what of the bird who, deceased and interred,
becomes food for the worm worming onward?
"Unpalatable!" Spat the fat, flesh-fed wyrm
upon lunching on sons of the judge;
then he made of the father a rather fine sauce
thereby showing he bore him no grudge.
Gormandelle, the lady gorger
dined on beans and bones and ordure,
lost her teeth so took her daughters’,
then went wading to make water.
when Sir Crocodile attacked,
used his teeth to bite him back.
Heard you word of the sword who’s a chef for all fish?
have you seen how his sea bream can brighten a dish?
dare you steal of his eel, or rob roe from his pan?
bid him send you the menu as fast as he can!
but don’t duel with the sword for his finest filet,
or he’ll serve you up cold as tomorrow’s entree!
The croco-dee-dile
cracks open his smile
so the birdies may fly in and nosh
on fish-guts and crumbs
and the bones of their chums
who last week fluttered in and were lost.
...Who is the last to dine?
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May the winner wear gold while the loser eats crow
Knowing nothing save that which he knew not to know.
Arin ponders the riddle, looking down at his own feet and talking out loud to... nobody in particular as he tries to reason through it.
"It appears that the ultimate loser in the tale dines last, on crow....?"
He looks up at the fox expectantly.
Whatshisname stares at Arin for a few seconds, blinks, stares some more, and finally bows his head. "I humbly surrender to the superior conundrum-cracker." He tosses the bag of coins to Rook and passes his rapier, hilt first towards Arin. "I had answered 'the worm,' since it eats all others after they die, but it's now clear the fey riddler did not lie. I called him a cheat, but finally I know I was fairly beat." He holds his hands out in towards Danicka, theatrically submitting for them to be bound.
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Completely confused by both the riddle and the answer and also dissappointed that he wasn't going to get to kill anything this time he nods at Arin, slings his musket at binds whatshisname hands, not intently.
Nodding to the group and retrieving his musket when he was finished he asks, "Where to next?"
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Danicka had taken the pieces of the riddle and read them aloud, barely having time to think before Arin solved it. She smiles at him widely.
"Oh, well done, Arin!"
With all of the pieces of the Name of the Fox in her possession, Danicka follows the others and their bound captive back to Mistress Koi.
Rooks mood takes a bit of a dip when he realises there were only twenty gold pieces in the bag, but then again, it's gold is gold. The kitsune gives him a mischievous shrug as Brock ties his hands.
Water is once again sporadically gushing down from the mezzanine, and you can hear the owl and the albatross arguing behind a bookcase as you wade through the ankle-deep water. "I didn't do it!" The owl shrieks. "It must have been you, because I certainly didn't. Here, help me block it up again." The albatross retorts and the argument over the unclogged drain continues as you once again ascend the spiral staircase of cascading water.
There in the corner, just where you left her, Mistress Koi is vomiting up vast amounts of water. "Oh hello!" She says in Sylvan as soon as she spots the first of you emerge from below, "I wasn't expecting company. Please come in, take a seat and-" All four of her eyes almost pop out of their sockets and several of here tentacles slap up to her cheeks."Oh, you found Whatsisface!" Her usually deep voice, suddenly high in shock. "HOW MARVELOUS! I don't know if he told you this, but I've been trying to recapture that whiskered riddler for absolutely hours. Whatever can I do to thank you? I'm afraid I haven't got much to offer, not even any refreshments: the journey from there to here was so abrupt, you see... Not enough time to pack the important stuff."
"Now if only you had all the fragments of The Name of the Fox, I'd be able to send us all back home." One of her eyes lolls around and focuses on Danicka. "Oh, you have that too? Isn't that lucky!" A large, wet tentacle shoots forward and scoops the fragments from Danicka's hands, places them in order on the floor in front of herself, and stares at them intently. After about a minute of staring, she sighs. "I don't understand it. My memory is usually EXCELLENT, but I can't for the life of me remember that dreadful fox's name." The kitsune smiles slyly as Mistress Koi studies the fragments, each of her four eyes focused on a different section. "I know that speaking the kitsune's true name aloud will open a portal into his prison, but..." Her eyes blink in random sequence until they all finally agree with each other and focus on you. "I don't suppose any of you know any history or stories? I'm sure that fox's name used to be writ large in legend."