The Moar Core Tour (Inactive)

Game Master BretI

“Yes, I am. Good of you to notice, Garif Stonetoe.” Glorymane nearly purs. His mane ripples as he stretches his neck so that Garif can get a better look at his good side.

Kleines listens to Garif's discourse, a look of determined attention on his face. He thinks for a moment, then draws a trusty napkin and jots down Grain-crossed lime.

It's only after he's taken his lecture notes that Glorymane's words seem to register. "I promise, on my honor as a servant of Irori, that we shall return your key."

“Approach then, Kleines Johann.”

When Kleines comes forward, Glorymane reaches down and grabs a key in his teeth. He then streches out and drops it in Kleines’s outstretched hand.

“Now then, on to your research!”

Glorymane is happy to help you find references in the main part of the library. With his help, you are able to find two more clues after 12 minutes of searching. Although there is a wealth of information here, you’ve found everything relating to your tasks that is in this room.

One card used. Two more found.

Where would you like to go now?

We have completed all the rooms on the current map, right?

Correct. The second half of the map is on a different slide. Currently slide 8, but I’ve discovered people like to reorganize the slides.

Let's use the key and go through one of the southern eastern doors, on either side of Glorymane! Let's take the southern one.

B8 ?

Sure, let's do B8.

B8 Study chamber

Five broad desks line the walls of this study room. Each work surface is covered with stacked volumes brimming with page markers as well as numerous open books.

It appears that this study chamber has several people’s work in progress.

This is a small room, limit 4.

Damiar peers with fascination at the notes and the desks. "Do you think we should look at what they're studying to see if any of it pertains to our quest for legal precedents?"

Knowledge History: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

Garif knows little of the history of Taldor, so her turns his attention to trying to determine what subjects are being pursued by the scholars who work in this little chamber.

Perception to determine what's being studied: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

Rees nods slowly, deciding he'd better keep an eye on everyone in turn. Moving to the table, he pokes at a few of the books, while surreptitiously trying to watch the other occupants of the room.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

Phinellippa and CoCo head into B9, since B8 is getting a little full.

"Come on, CoCo, let's see what we can find!"

Phinellippa uses her expert understanding of language to try to find what's in the books in this room.

Linguistics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

CoCo looks for books that are particularly shiny, but can't find any.

Profession (librarian): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Kleines glances between the rooms, trying to decide where to go. Can you give us a description of B9, and any special skill options besides the base ones (if any)?

B9 Ancient Books Room

After Kleines unlocks the door with the key from Glorymane, Phinellippa and CoCo rush into the room eager to see what this library calls ancient books.

Bookcases cover nearly every inch of the walls in this room, which is only faintly illuminated by small lights set into the ceiling. A glass-paned door seals each panel of shelves, keeping the ancient tomes stored within free of dust.

Phinellippa realizes that this darkened room contains many of the oldest, rarest books in the entire collection, and the dark conditions and sealed cases help to keep the paper in good condition.

The cases are locked, but the key will take care of that.

Medium Room, all checks in here at +2 and you can use Appraise to search.

Phinellippa notices that loose pages in the center case on the east wall seem to flutter slightly, almost as though a draft were blowing over them.

Phinellippa would like to find the source of the draft.

Perception, if appropriate: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

She doesn't see anything that looks like the source of the draft.

Taking a closer look at the pages that are moving, she realizes they are some sort of construct!

Phinellippa backs slowly out of the room, then informs her companions.

"Some of the books in here seem to be moving! Like constructs. Like a swarm of constructs that are books. They're locked up, but they'll be quite difficult to read."

"Some of the books in here seem to be moving! Like constructs. Like a swarm of constructs that are books. They're locked up, but they'll be quite difficult to read."

It's like those nightmares I used to have at the Irorium. Kleines takes a deep breath, then steels himself against fear. "I am prepared to accompany you into the room, should you wish protection from these books."

Did we learn anything about possible checks to use in B8, the Study Chamber?

Did we learn anything about possible checks to use in B8, the Study Chamber?

There were no extra checks there to discover clues. Having looked around, Garif is aware of where he has to set things back if he wants to avoid leaving evidence of being there.

Tomorrow is going to be busy, but I am waiting for Phinellippa, Kleines and CoCo to decide what they are doing. I believe that Damiar, Rees and Garif are researching in B8.

Oh, sorry, I thought I took my turn. What are the options in B9?

All the normal options plus Appraise, all checks are at +2. It is a medium room.

When you said you were backing out of the room because of the swarm, I took that as you weren't doing the research there. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Not that my rolls were good, but I think I made my checks for this turn here. I can re-enter the room to finish if I need to. I did not include the +2 though.

Sorry, I was waiting to see if Phinellippa was going back in.

Kleines will follow Phinellippa into the room, trying to help.

Appraise: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 = 1 +2 if that bonus you mentioned to Phinellippa applies to Kleines as well.

About four minutes into the research, Damiar detects another crescendo approaching. She thinks it would be loud enough to hide the sounds of combat. Kleines detects it a minute after she does.

A minute after that the music can be quite easily heard all through the library. You have to wonder how those in the audience do not go deaf.

I will allow you to take a quick break to do something noisy during that time if you want to. Otherwise the music continues.

After a total of ten minutes of searching, Damiar and Garif manage to find two clues in the study area. They think they have found everything of worth there. They had to move things around a bit in their searching and Garif expects the researchers could easily detect the intrusion.

Just to be clear, T+6 = Start of Loud Music. T+10 = Damiar, Garif and Rees got their search results.

Phinellippa, Coco and Kleines are not done researching in the rare book collections area.

Hmmph, even a blind caretaker could see the mess we’ve made in here, Garif thinks to himself. Better tidy this up a bit, lest our whole secret mission be ruined by it not being a secret any more.

He studies the room as if he’s tracking an albino cave lizard across wet limestone, looking for evidence of where something has been disturbed or moved out of place, then sets to erasing any tracks he can find.

Take 10 on Survival for a 20, to attempt to hide our tracks? Does that work as an approach?

It is an Int or Perception check by each person who was researching in the room.

The Int check has a lower difficulty.

Does Garif want to take 10 on the Perception for his part?

Does Garif want to take 10 on the Perception for his part?

Sure

Waiting to hear what the players want to do.

Damiar, Rees: Do you wish to attempt Int or Perception checks to hide that you were in study area B8?
The whole party: Do you wish to take advantage of the noisy section of the performance to do anything?

Damiar, Rees, Garif: Where do you want to go next? Phinellippa and Kleines have not had time to complete their research in B9.

Also remember that you have the cards to help you finish tasks. Most of them do not require that you decide to use them before rolling the research.

B8

Damiar attempts to cover her tracks, rearranging the books to be the way that they were...

Intelligence Check to Restore Order: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22

B9

...then hustles into the Ancient Books Room [B9]. She takes one look at the swarm that Phinny pointed out and says, “Tell you what. Let’s not open that cabinet. We can leave those books to the very end, and see what we find elsewhere first!” She glances around. “There are other books here that we can search, so let’s get to it!”

Knowledge History: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

DM: any reason we might not want to attempt that check?

I can't think of a good reason why you wouldn't want to attempt it.

Phinellippa works with Damiar to search B9.

Knowledge (history): 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 8 + 2 = 25

CoCo stands in front of the book swarm, giving her best attempt at a librarian glare.

Profession (librarian): 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 1 + 2 = 14

I hate to point this out, especially when the rolls were that fantastic, but I believe that Phinellippa and CoCo have already done their research rolls for B9.

Given how long it was since you did your rolls, I am willing to allow you to keep the rolls directly above for the next set of research rolls.

Oh, sorry, I thought we were onto the next time period! However you'd like to handle that is fine with me.

Easy mistake to make. I've had to check myself a few times already as different rooms were searched.

With the way that they do the research rules, splitting the groups and having them join back up isn't really handled. In the previous instance where something like this happened, I figured the number of person minutes completed by the first group, and then divided time remaining by the larger group size when others joined in.

In this case, Room B8 took 10 minutes for three to finish. In that 10 minutes there were three acting in room B9. That isn't enough to finish that room. I'm giving 10 * 3 = 30 minutes credit towards finishing the room. You got half done.

Assuming everyone helps complete the room, it will take (60-30)/6 = 5 more minutes.

Seems reasonable.

If I'm tracking this right - and it has been a day, let me tell you, so I may not be reading straight - Garif can make a check to help complete research in B9, so he'll do that.

Garif attempts to help out the others searching the large room, but has to spend a fair bit of his time keeping Nico away from the rustling papers in the cabinet, as the cat seems determined to bat at them as they move.

Appraise, untrained: 1d20 ⇒ 8

Yes, Garif you are correct. You had not yet aided in B9. You had already rolled to hide activity in B8.

Rees still hasn't rolled in B8 to hide the research nor joined the group in research in B9. If someone wants to bot him, that would be fine.

Click. Whirr.

BOTTING REES

Rees attempts to cover up the papers, but the system that the students used did not make sense to him.

Rees Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

However, he looks with some appreciation around the room. “This text seems older than most. Perhaps it would have some of the clues we need?”

Rees Appraise: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

Damiar, Rees and Garif are satisfied that they have put the materials back where they belong in the study room. B8

They join the others in the ancient books collection and help with the research there.

Five more minutes pass.

You find three clues, one of them in the case with the swarm. You can take the two outside the case. In order to take “A Hidden Gem” you need some way of dealing with the swarm. You think the book might be part of the swarm.

Where to now?

Sorry, forgot to mention that there are no further clues to find in this room.

Kleines walks down the hall to the North, carefully opening the door at the end of the hall. B10

Garif joines Kleines, waving to Nico to come along, as it won't do to have the cat exploring on his own, or falling asleep somewhere so he can't be found when there's trouble.

B10

You use the key to unlock the room.

Two rows of tall bookshelves flank the imposing yet beautiful wooden desk that presides over this 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.”

This is a small room with no additions to the normal research skills.

Just to make sure that I understand: we hae found all of the clues in B9, but if we want the Hidden Gem, we would have to deal with the swarm?