Aureth realizes he isn't very good at building sleds, and he really needs more practice.
Stella would read the name memorizing it before she moved to her sister and picked her up wiping her tears and straightening her up.
Stella knew enough of her sister that crying would be seen as a bad thing so she wiped away the evidence of her tears and she would quietly guide her sister back to the other chamber if she allowed it.
Stella takes note of the name carved on the tomb one more time
Oscar
"Be at peace Oscar." She would murmur making a mental note, that if some things still existed out there. She would bring flowers back for him.
Once free of the influence she does herself to hide her shame and make it look like she was never crying.
Day 1, Saturday Early Evening, the Archives
When Stella and Asbques have returned to the large book depository, they are greeted by a strange site, as Aureth seems to be carefully selecting the books he feels are the most important, and loading them on a makeshift, strange looking sort of sled.
Rovasi merely shrugs when the girls look to him for answers.
Stella, who had been leading the way, turns to ask her sister a question, and catches her in the act of trying to conceal the puffiness of her eyes, and the tear stains on her cheeks.
There is a moment of awkward silence.
Anion enters the room, and he appears shaken, his complexion is ashen, and he says quietly
The Book is saying that it is time for us to leave, but that there is one final thing we must do before we go. It wouldn’t tell me what it was, but it, the book I mean, seems upset about something.
Stella looks at the sled thinking it impractical to their flight from here.
"Won't that make noise and slow us down?" She asked and stepped in front of her sister to give her time to compose herself. "If we need to flee it will have to be with speed." She would look up as Anion entered the room.
"Let us go see what the book is saying. You should come to Aureth. You might not like it but it is good to know what is going on." She would take her sister's hand and heads back towards where the book is.
Rovasi follows to the book. "Did it say what we need to do?"
Day 1, Saturday Early Evening, the Archives
Anion frowns when Rovasi asks him if the Book mentioned what they are supposed to do.
As the group has returns to the Tomb of It’Dupree, Anion leans down toward Rovasi and Whispers
When you gather around the book, the right hand page is blank, and left hand reads, in small pringt right in the center of the page,
I don’t understand
The words fade quickly as soon as everyone is gathered close enough to read them.
A moment passes and a new passage begins to write itself on the left hand page.
My Lady has detected that everyone alive is gathered close to her tomb and now she wishes for me to inform you of the following; The Goblin and Necromechadon armies are crossing the Nine Penny and Green Way bridges. The closer of these two bridges, the Green Way bridge, is being crossed by the Necromechadon’s, this will place them less than a quarter of a mile away, while the Goblins will be crossing the Nine Penny bridge soon, but not immediately. You are to leave now, and follow the south streets below campus to the west end of the city and then cross the Shaker’s Bridge to the north, and find one hundred forty four West Weaver’s Row, the residence of the Principal of your school. According to the best that she can tell, this part of town has been almost completely destroyed, with many buildings currently on fire. She, my Lady, believes it is unlikely that your principal survived. She is telling me that you must find his residence, and access the secret chambers below the drawing room, though she does not know exactly how that is done. In the chambers below the house is a special device, part mechanical and part magical that allows people to observe others at great distances. This device will allow you to contact her again, and you will meet a being of tremendous power who is the guardian of the machine. Her name is Deborah. When you meet her, she will know of who I am, but will not realize that she can help you communicate with me. You must convince her that she can, she will be reluctant to try, but you must convince her. Tell her that I am ready to negotiate the safe return of the object that belonged to her King. That should do the trick.
The long passage fades from the book and there is a long pause,
Again the small cryptic message appears
I don’t understand
Then the short message flickers, and another long passage begins to write itself.
My Lady insist that I tell you that now it is the time to leave, but that she has changed her mind, changed her mind about something that bothered her many centuries ago, something she had thought she did not care to think about ever again, something that did not go as she had planned. I do not understand. My Lady says that one of you is to tear out the page at the back of me, where the words, I’m Sorry are written in blood, but as I have repeatedly told my Lady, there is no such page within me, and I am familiar with every single page that makes up this book. She says to tear out the page, and fold it very carefully, bind it closed with wax or string, and place it inside a special compartment in the back of the head of the doll that was found by Asbques. Then you are to take the doll to the tomb of tears, a place I do not know, but my Lady says that you will understand. Place the doll on the bones within the tomb. Doing these things will activate a series of prepared spells, and will animate the doll. It is important, my Lady says, that you keep the doll safe and bring it to her. I do not understand
The long passage fades, there is a short pause, and then another message begins.
My new friends, this is all my Lady has said. She waits for you to follow her instructions, but I do not understand how she can expect you to do the impossible. There is no page within me that is beyond my control, and no page where any message appears unless I put it there.
Stella reads the passage and would recognize the things it speaks of. Stepping forward she would touch his pages and moves to the back. She didn't know of the doll but it seemed her sister did. Her fingers glided over the pages turning them until she got to the back looking for a page with the words 'I'm sorry' written in blood. Once she finds it she would carefully remove the page.
This is so strange and topsy turvey. But it is strange in a way that I can understand. The starting of a harrowing tale from the bards. Full of confusion and a strange sense of purpose.
"I am sorry Book if this causes you discomfort. Does anyone have wax? If not I have a sewing kit so I can lace it together."
"What doll?" says Aureth.
Grinning, she walks over and pops open the secret door.
if no other Player Character has an objection to Stella’s action…
Day 1, Saturday Early Evening, the Archives
Stella flips carefully through the book, feeling the supple pages flex and bend under her fingers. When she reaches the end of the book, the very last page seems ordinary, at first, but opening the book to view the page reveals it has, in fact, been written upon with a dark ink. The hand writing is fluid and elegant, nearly flawless, and in bold letters it reads
I’m sorry
When she tears the page from the book, it and the book itself seem to undergo a transformation. The book immediately feels heavier, the pages stiffer, the color of the blank pages changing from crisp white, to a dull faded and splotchy yellow, while the page in her hand becomes thicker, and turns into a small sheet of velum. Before she had removed the page it was plain, with only the written message on one side. Now the page still has the same message, written where it appeared, but the back of that page has transformed into an image. The image is hypnotic in nature and is made up of flowing intricate knots carefully painted on the page in inks of red, silver, gold, green and blue.
When Asbques opens the hidden closet, the doll is once again revealed.
…
It appears to be a doll, a very large doll, standing almost four feet tall. It is not clear if the doll is meant to represent a young man or a young woman, it has features that suggest both. The doll is crafted from an unknown material, but it is definitely painted (the face and hands show signs of some of the paint beginning to crack and peel ever so slightly). It is a beautiful doll with a delicate, handsome, and somewhat diabolical face. The doll’s hair is long and fine and the purest white. The doll is dressed in a suit of clothing that would be appropriate for a young man (it is a coat, pants, and vest of matching color, black, and a pale green shirt) but it is cut and form fitting enough to appear quite feminine. The doll’s eyes are closed…
The doll leans back at a slight angle against the back wall of a small space sized exactly for it with its arms lose and relaxed at its sides…
"Just so we're clear: you want to take that creepy doll with us through a town that's being invaded by two armies so that it can be possessed by...something. On the say so of a possessed, and frankly rude, book." Aureth seems less than enthused by this plan, to say the least.
Asbques walks over to Aureth, standing in front of him and eyes him up and down, walking around him she finally slides close and whispers in his ear, "If you have a better suggestion I'm sure we'd love to hear it." before pushing him a little, not enough to make him fall but enough to antagonize him.
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Stella looked at the book again wondering what had happened. Did she just remove the spirit of the book? She would flip through it carefully.
Stella didn't hear anyone say they had wax or the like so she would pull out her sewing kit and would carefully fold the paper in such a way that when she stitched it together it would only be on two sides. She threaded the needle and would carefully get to work.
And promptly stabs her own finger. It seems she was still shaky from crying her eyes out. Taking deep long breaths as she sucked on her finger gently. Closing her eyes she meditated for a few moments to calm her nerves and would start again.
In Stella’s hands the book now feels, cold, stiff, and utterly lifeless. It does not respond to anything that has happened since the page was removed
Looking at the nearly four foot tall doll, and not knowing how it is constructed, or what it weighs, it is difficult to determine how easy, or not, it will be to insert the folded velum into the compartment in the back of the head (which hasn’t yet been actually discovered).
As Asbques pushes Aureth, he takes a stutter step back, clearly unprepared for her aggressive actions, before saying "w-well, we don't have to do what the book says. We can make our way back to the academy and try to help them, or find our teachers."
Stella would comment not noticing her sisters aggressive action. "No we don't but we are choosing to follow it on faith. All the great legends talk of such things."
Shifting slightly as she sewed her finger throbbing a bit.
"We won't know the truth of what is to come until we head up. But something is going on. That I do know. If there are truly armies then there is very little just a few apprentices can do. We must think of this practically. We either go confront the armies and maybe survive. Or follow the instructions and maybe survive. So far we haven't confirmed what the book said but we are doing such things now. Also, who better to go to than the principle? He knows everything there is to know about magic. If he is still alive and well. Then he can tell us what we could do."
She walks around Aureth again, this time tracing his shoulders with a finger teasingly, almost flirtatiously. "Awww nervous? She grins and licks her lips. "Well my sister is dead set on this little quest, so I'm going.
Stella would finish sewing the paper and looks up. "Alright where am I putting this paper. Have you found the compartment?"
Searching the puppet she tried to find it.
It is solid, and has weight, but does not challenge Asbques’ strength. With the Doll leaning against her chest, she bends over to look at the back of the head for a moment, and then gently feels around through the soft, silky smooth white hair. Near the base of the skull above the nape of the neck, she feels a small raise latch. Asbques parts the hair until she can see the latch and the unpainted wooden head where the hair is rooted. It is a simple press to open latch and a small door no more than two inches square opens in the skull to reveal a hollow space.
She smirks a little as the pops the head open and waves at her sister to come over.
Stella nods and puts up her kit before moving over to put the piece of paper into the doll. She had used white thread to bind it because it was what she had the most of.
"I can go in there if you wish? That way you don't have to." She whispered to her sister as she closed the latch and helped pick it up heading towards the crying room. It was a room they knew well.
Watching the proceedings with the doll for a moment before turning away, Aureth says "I'm gonna go get the travoy ready. I just need to get some rope and i'll be good to go. Also, I took my dad's advice and we now have clubs if you're of the inclination to hit things."
Aureth then goes in search of some rope.
Day 1, Saturday Early Evening, the Archives
There is an overwhelming feeling of impending doom. It permeates the atmosphere of the damp, torch light corridors.
Asbques and Stella, working together, manage to lift the doll and begin carrying it toward the tomb where they both experienced a bout of intense emotions, while Aureth begins searching for rope.
the Doll weighs about fifty pounds, rope can be found in the workshop, the room back toward the place where you entered the catacombs, now it would be on your left as you are leaving the tomb where the book of It’Dupree was found
Aureth will finish his sled, test that it can be pulled effectively, then go find the sisters. When he does, he will say "So if you wanna take the doll with us, you can put it on my sled. I will probably need help pulling it though."
Rolling her eyes she moves to help Aureth pull the sled
Day 1, Saturday Early Evening, the Archives
Asbques and Stella carry the large doll back to the room of the small sarcophagus. At first they are unsure of what they were supposed to do, but with knowing glances they recall what the Book had said. They hesitate, stepping into the room fully expecting to be overcome with sadness once again, but instead, this time, there is only a brief sensation that flows over them, a sensation of loss, but it is soon gone.
Working together the two women push the lid off of the sarcophagus.
The body interred here is that of a halfling. It has long since decayed to nothing but the disconnected fragments of a skeleton. The garments once worn by the body are also decayed, but it looks as if they were simple cloths. The only item that still remains, seemingly untouched by the passage of time, is a simple, bone handled dagger that lies in the sarcophagus below the feet of the skeleton.
Placing the body into the sarcophagus causes an immediate reaction.
A pale blue-green light fills the room, and as the two women watch, the bones of the body disintegrate; the clothing soon follows (only the dagger is unaffected). The particles of the remains float into the air above the doll and then settle as glowing flakes of red onto the surface of the doll. Without warning the blue-green light disappears, and the doll sits upright suddenly, turns to the women, and says
Where am I? Who are you
Stella looks at her and then says gently. "I am Stella Lucem Caelum and this is my sister Asbques Umbra Caelum. You are in what is called the Tomb of Tears in the City of Rhandilinskenburg. If we are to believe the Book of It’Dupree and the Lady that contacted us through it then it is currently under siege by two massive armies. We are to protect you and take you with us to meet Deborah and try to reinitialize contact with the Lady."
Clasping her hands in front of her and nearly shaking with glee at this turn of events, "You are amazing! You must come with us quickly!"
What? the doll says, and then, and only then, does it begin to dawn on the doll that it is sitting in a casket.
With slow movements the Doll raises its hands to lightly touch the stone sides of the sarcophagus. When the hands met the cold stone, they flinch away, and then the doll pulls its hand in front of its face, turning them over and over.
The head suddenly tips forward, and the silky white hair spills across the dolls face.
What am I, where am I? This can’t be happening to me. Wait, who am I. No, wait. I remember.
The doll climbs out of the tomb, and walks slowly toward Stella. It holds out its right hand and says.
I remember your voice. I, I was without a body for so very long that I almost forgot I ever had one. I am, I was, Oscar, in life, but then I was something else. And now…
For the first time the doll looks down upon its own form
What has she done? What has she done to me? How did she know my deepest desire was, was to be…no, I can’t think right now. Let me have a moment. Go, lead the way, I will follow the two of you. I don’t know what I am, yet, but something compels me to obey you. If you say we must go quickly, then let us be quick, and when there is time. I must ask you both questions. For now, I am yours, as I was once only hers.
Day 1, Saturday Early Evening, the Archives
The Doll follows Asbques and Stella back to the temple like chamber at the end of the main passageway, where Aureth waits with his makeshift sled.
Rovasi has joined Anion in the temple room, and the two of them are discussing ways to fortify the chamber.
Helping Aureth to drag the sled the three students make their way back to the first room. It seems like it was so long ago when they entered this room, at that time each of them thinking different thoughts about what the day held in store for them, but now the quiet, small room feels like the edge of a mighty precipice.
Then something catches everyone’s eyes. On the small table in the corner of the room is a handbag, Mistress Lucinda’s handbag. She left it behind. And scattered near the handbag are several envelopes. The envelopes are delicate, small, like a lover’s note, and there are small pieces of rose colored parchment near the envelopes.
While the students examine the letters, Oscar approaches the narrow twisting flight of stairs that ascends to the streets above.
You people aren’t seriously thinking of dragging that, that thing, up these stairs, are you?
Stella smiled reaching out taking her right hand and shaking it. "Pleasure to meet you Oscar." Watching her sister grab her hand and hurry up she smiled. Always impatient, but at least it was a good thing in this case.
"Even if you are compelled to obey us don't be afraid to ask your questions. We are here to protect you after all." Smiles and would hug the doll before helping Aureth move the sled. She wasn't sure it would hold but if it was what he wanted she would help.
Listening to her query she smiled.
"Yes we are. You see, Aureth want's to take some books with. He doesn't believe this place will be able to be fortified and wishes to take some with to save them. So we are supporting him in that endeavor. Aureth loves books more than I do." Smiles warmly at Aureth before moving to the handbag and picks up the red pieces of paper and letters looking them over to see if they had any identifying markings.
Immediately Stella's eyes fix on her name mentioned on one of the small notes, it is dated, the note, with a time. She quickly flips through the notes and places them in the order that they were written
“Lucinda, I’m sending a student to the archive in the basement of the Flower Building on Saturday to help you with your work. It’s a kind of punishment, but I think you’ll find this student is very helpful, if a little odd. Give her something challenging to do. Her name is Asbques.”
“Lucinda, you remember that I told you I was sending a student on Saturday? Well, I may be sending another. His name is Aureth. He is mostly a good boy, but I am concerned about him. He may be having trouble fitting in, so I hope this experience gives him a little confidence. Love you, oh, and are we still on for Friday?”
“Well, don’t be angry darling, but it’s been a difficult week here. Abercrombie has been regularly taciturn and keeps grumbling about portents and signs that he is preoccupied with, but can’t give me any details. Of course he keeps complaining about the dolls, but will he ever stop? Anyway, I have a student, his name is Ravosi, and he is very promising, but I think he is misunderstood, perhaps a bit ahead of the others in his understanding of the world (or is it behind, haha). Anyway, I am sending him along with Asbques. Please try to keep him from burning down the place. Oh, and I got the gift you sent, he was a screamer.”
“No time for pleasantries, just a quick note to tell you that Anion Ordiir, an elven student, will be with the others on Saturday. He is a bit inward, and I hope the experience can draw him out a little. Thank you, love.”
“Sweetheart, I’ve got no real choice here and I will be sending the young woman Stella to work with the others on Saturday. She is the sister (twins can you believe it?) of Asbques. Now, darling let me warn you about this one. I don’t trust her. I’ve seen her kind before, pleasant, accommodating, but I think she is hiding a different nature (she reminds me of the woman you used to know, Cornielia). She will probably work hard, do what you ask her to do, but do me a favor and try to put some separation between her and her sister. I feel she is over protective.”
She quickly tucks away the note with her name in it and allows the other's to read the ones with their names on it. She picks up the red pieces of paper studying them as she tried to remember who sent her to detention.
'They are right in some respects. I am over protective maybe a little. Hiding something, well that was true. After all, what student goes after forbidden knowledge just to learn. As for the other part, I definitely take after my more heavenly side and enjoyed being nice and kind to people. I can't help if I have a temper when provoked hard enough. Something of my darker side tend to come out. But only then.'
She looked at her sister and winked at her before leaning in real close. "I'm the bad egg apparently." She whispered softly.
Visibly uncomfortable with speaking with a moving, talking doll, Aureth shakily says "yuh-yes. We're going to save these books, so that the goblins don't burn them. Because that's what they do."
Chuckling a little Asbques sticks her tongue out at her sister and giggles, "I'll have to set his eyebrows on fire or something, can't have you going and ruining my reputation."
The doll approaches Aureth, but does not come too close. You must be Aureth, the doll says with a smile, I’m pleased to meet you. You can call me Os-. No, please call me Corrine, yes, for now please call me Corrine. The doll looks Aureth up and down, in a most obvious and telling way and then turns around to address Stella
I have faint memories, they are unorganized, unclear, as if they are not mine at all, or maybe as if I have been without a body for so long that I have forgotten what a memory even is supposed to feel like, but they are there. What I was, I cannot be sure really at all, but I think I know what I was, and why I am this. When we have time, with your permission, I would like to examine my body in greater detail. I feel, I feel, empty in the middle of this body and I don’t know why. But I feel strong. If the three of you will each take a rope and pull, I will push frokm behind. And this way we can take the precious books to the top of these stairs.
All the while that Corrine is talking to Stella “she” keeps moving closer and closer to the young woman. When she is only inches from Stella, she turns her head upward, smiles while she talks, and stares into Stella’s eyes. She finally finishes explain her intentions, and then she tips her head to the side and says
You are very beautiful. Do you have a boyfriend?
Day 1, Saturday Early Evening, the Archives
Working together the three students, with Oscar Corrine’s help, manage to pull the sled to the top of the stairs. You are now in the long room with small tables. There are no windows, and the door that leads into the street stands in front of you, closed.
The sled will not fit through the door.
Listening to Os..... no Corrine talk as she approached she didn't seem to mind the invasion of personal space and was smiling warmly as if piecing a little together herself.
At the last statement and question her cheeks and halo turned pink.
"Thank you very much for a saying so. No, I do not have a boyfriend. No one has saw fit to ask yet. Though I thought there may have been a couple interested."
Swallowing she looked her over. "We can examine you later and if we find materials I can even make you a pretty dress or outfit. Sewing is a bit of a hobby of mine." She said and smiled.
She would back up and move to the sled to help pull it and once to the top she would stare at the door and then the books seeing if it would go through if they put it on its side.
"We will need to find the spell that carries things. I can't remember what it is called." She mused out loud even as she started putting the books on the table and unloading the sled so it can be maneuvered through the doors.
After struggling to get the loaded down makeshift sled up the stairs, Aureth visibly deflates when he sees the door. Doing the math in his head, he says "If only that door was 7.4 inches wider! GGRRRRR!" Sheer frustration forces him to kick the door, which of course causes him to hurt himself.
"Just means we move the sled out sideways and reload it once outside..
Just a bump in the road. Not a mountain." Smiles continuing her work. When he kicks the door she winces. "You okay? Should I have a look at it?"
"No, I'm fine. just mad that the people who design furniture don't have a discussion with the people who design doorways to establish standards. Do they expect the furniture to just magically appear in a room?"
Corrine puts a small hand to her eyes, and and says out loud, to know one in particular, I'm sorry I don't know why I spoke that way before. It's none of my business. Please forgive me.
Clearly still frustrated, Aureth begins to pick through the books that he can carry, and then proceeds to hide the rest. "This will never work. What if we come across a smaller door?" Aureth sighs, grabs his stack of books, and then says "Let's get going. I'm sorry to have wasted your time."