"Yes!" - Garrosh replies to Caraid and Rozalia - "Try to stop this Caraid" - he adds.
Piotr will stand in front of the others, shield raised and waiting while Caraid does what he's doing.
Caraid proceeds to batter the creature with books, debris and other oddments.
Caraid batters her with debris and other oddities but throughout the entire barrage, she remains unresponsive, not making a sound, only collapsing into the pool of blood after the second book hits her and the rainbow sludge pouring from her mouth ceases.
Garrosh and Kilarra notice six small but powerful images sketched with coal upon torn parchment and set in fine frames. They depict eerie vistas of an endless, empty city under a sky of whirling mist. In the corner of each, a delicate copperplate records a year from 4708 to 4715 and the name Ulver Zandalus. They seem very familiar...
"I know that city..." Caraid murmurs as he looks at the drawings, staying carefully away from his handiwork on the floor. "It's the same one I see - the city in sky. Behind everything."
When he can finally tear himself away from the drawings Caraid helps to search the room.
Garrosh rushes to the woman, dragging her out of the blood, and checking her for vital signs.
Garrosh checks her vital signs but finds no breathing nor heartbeat.
Apparently when whatever she was spewing out was disrupted, so was her life as well. Garrosh does notice a ring bearing keys in her robe pocket though.
Caraid finds a brain-shaped sculpted wooden box, bookends depicting twin screaming and crying figures, and a brass sculpture of an Osirian pyramid. Each of the three items is worth 50 gold pieces. Zandalus’s paintings can also be collected and might fetch up to 100 gp for the set. The desk drawer is locked.
Anne of course, only has eyes for the books and buggers you inccestantly until you look at the bookshelves.
Unfortunately with her limited attention span trying to look at as many as possible, you're unable to focus on them to actually determine their worth.
Caraid doesn't touch anything apart from the pyramid - they're quite creepy and he really wants no part in them!
Garrosh places the woman gently down and away from all the blood, then packs the drawings away, preparing to explore the room thoroughly.
Once they found the locked drawer, he checks it for traps.
Pior sighs heavily and looks at the books like his sister wants. "No the next one!" she insists over and over until they are all over. Then he asks Roz "Any idea why the smoke was coming out of her mouth?"
Garrosh thinks that the drawer is not trapped. It is, however, locked.
When prompted Caraid pulls out the lockpicks they found and opens his hand, letting them float in midair. They approach the lock and slowly insert themselves as Caraid frowns and makes small gestures with his hands.
"I'm sorry." He says after some time, sweating slightly. "I've never done this before."
After several attempts, the lock gives way to Caraid's persistent efforts, opening with a soft click.
Opening the drawer, the party finds a journal.
Oathday: Another unexpected call from Count Lowls. These have become so common and Lowls’s focus is so singular that they no longer leave me apprehensive. He requested to see me after his visit with Zandalus, though. He claims to have a theoretical solution for the poor man’s condition. I don’t know what the count and my prized patient have been discussing and Lowls again refused to share but I doubt that lordly amateur psychologist has truly hit upon anything of worth. Regardless, I’d be a fool not to humor my liege.
Starday: Lowls’s ”solution” was not at all what I expected. I have no clue where he turned it up, but on his most recent visit he brought along a copy of Valhadis’s The Chain of Nights, a near-legendary collection of psycho-arcane studies and treatments focused on dreaming. While I abhor arcane tampering, if there’s a permanent solution to Zandalus’s nightmares, it could be here. Lowls allowed me to study the text for the duration of his visit, but staunchly refused to leave it in my possession.Moonday: Lowls has made me an offer: his copy of The Chain of Nights. All I must do in return is accept a handful of new patients former associates of his that have suffered some unprecedented manner of group amnesia. I might accept this as charity on the count’s behalf, but he insists that I keep no record of their committal. The terms make me suspicious, but I can learn more of these curious strangers once they’re in my care. If it means the possibility of a cure for Zandalus and others, I welcome the bargain.
Toilday: The Chain of Nights is a marvel. It will take years of study to unravel all its possibilities, but already I’ve discovered a process by which chronic dreams might be drawn forth and disposed of like so much psychic gristle. Tomorrow our experiment begins.
In addition to the journal, the locked desk drawer also contains a magnifying glass, two white vials, a vial of salts, two green vials, 4 doses of black liquid, 2 doses of white powder. Of the magical items, there is a scroll of fox’s cunning, two scrolls of remove paralysis, a greater talisman of beneficial winds, a lesser talisman of warriors courage, which Rozalia manages to identify. However of the remaining magical items, a candle inscribed with runes, a bottle of incense and another talisman with a hand on it, Rozalia is unable to determine their uses.
Garrosh reads over the contents of the journal more than once, trying to piece together what they have found out so far - "Ok so..."
"Zandalus was a patient here?
This Lowls visited him often
And this woman was in charge?"
"He wanted to treat Zandalus with this 'Valhadis’s The Chain of Nights' - which details some sort of dream focused magic?
The woman wanted to peruse the book
Lowls offered it to her in exchange for admittance of a particular group.
No questions asked, and no documentation of their entry"
The half-orc pauses, looking around at the others.
"Zandalus is the author of the drawings we found.
And it is also the name the man in the yellow robes shouted - 'Zandalus sees'"
He ponders again - "I wonder if this Zandalus is still around"
The journal title reads, "Property of Administrator Eliege Losandro"
Piotr recognizes the Lowls as Count Haserton Pragmus Lowls IV, the ruler of the County of Versex in Ustalav.
"Eliege Losandro... We have seen this name before" - Garrrosh comments to the others.
Then he heads to the only other door in the room, going through the usual procedure.
Garrosh does not hear anything from beyond the door. He finds that however, the door is locked.
Again it takes Caraid some time to deal with the door.
"Lowes? I know that name. The guard made us learn the names of Counts, in case we tried to arrest someone and they tried to say they were someone important... Lowes was... " his voice turns mechanical as if he was reading from something truly boring, "...Count Haserton Pragmus Lowls IV, the ruler of the County of Versex..."
The lock picks rattle in effectually against the lock for a while before Caraid finally manages to get it open.
"Wasn't Zandalus the person that the insane priest mentioned? And whoever thought studying dreams was a good idea, it obviously turned into a nightmare."
This hall is dark and empty except for the smashed remains of lanterns on the ground. Six doors branch from here. There are the sound of voices from some of the doors like the first Eastern door.
"Exactly Kilarra" - Garrosh nods at the paladin, as she confirms his initial suspicions, then turning to Piotr - "And why would a count have such an interest in these matters...?"
Piotr will listen at the door to his left, so north?
Ann will pop out all of sudden, peering over his shoulder, "Do you have any idea what you are doing?"
"No" he answers, before turning to stare where the slightly translucent young woman that had just been, having already disappeared. "I... Ann?"
His sister isn't answering but he feels a bubbling glee in his brain. Shaking his head, he will open the door. (if there isn't any evil sounds or obvious traps).
”So as I was saying, Betty, beans are creepers, not trees. You don’t get a bean tree, you need to have trellises for them to wind around and grow. So Timmy was correct saying that beans are climbing plants.” Piotr hears a voice from the door. He does not think the door is trapped.
Racks cleaned with boxes and sprawling collections of haphazard jump fill this dusty storage room. There are 3 men in stained yellow robes, with makeshift clubs hanging from the robes. One of them is talking to a pair of mismatched cloth dolls, one a male doll and another a female doll, which Pitor identifies. Another is busy ransacking the room, ”Hey, did you see any of that white powder?”
The third one spots the party, and his hand reaches for his club. ”Hey, we’ve got company. Zandalus said we were supposed to deal with all interuptions!” He shouts.
Piotr looks over his shoulder at the others and holds up two fingers. He thinks at least, might be more, might be one talking to himself. But either way he assumes they are not avoiding people at this point. So he'll ease the door open to look in.
The one keeping watch brandishes his club at Pitor and calls to his companions. ”Get rid of the intruders! For Zandalus!” He screams a battle cry, as the other one in stained robe stops ransacking the room and also draws his club on the party. The third yellow robe remains oblivious, too interested in lecturing to the dolls, ”In the climbing plant family, we have other plants, such as cucumbers and grapes…” Typically, the dolls do not answer him.
"Yellow robed guys!" Piotr yells to the others and then charges in, with his shield up. He is thinking if he can pen in the one at the shelves he can keep himself from being flanked, and will keep them from creating a bottle neck keeping the others out.
Piotr catches one of the yellow robes by surprise and opens a nasty gnash in his torso, who gives a pained hiss.
Garrosh moves inside the room to stand with Piotr, and releases an arrow at one of their yellow-robed foes - "Surrender!" - he commands.
Garrosh tries to shoot the yellow robe, but trying not to hit Piotr, the arrow whizzes up too high and hits the wall. The other yellow robe moves in to flank with his buddy, then tries to whack Piotr with his club.
The one Pitor has cut yells at the third yellow robe, "Hey Loris, get your sorry bum over here to help deal with the intruders!" , while also trying to club Piotr down, smacking him on the ribs.
The third yellow robe remains fixated on the mismatched dolls, " Not now, Norman, educating the next generation is of utmost importance!" , he chides his companions.
"Watch out!" Ann yelled but too late as the club crashed down on his elbow. Th eblow numbed his sword arm something fierce and made his swing go wide.
Garrosh shifts his position, dropping the bow away, and grabbing his morningstar - "This ends now"
Caraid misses, as usual.
Garrosh clobbers the yellow robe in his back as he gives a grunt of pain. Caraid tries to throw debris at the yellow robe but it hits the bookshelf.
Rozalia moves up to heal Piotr.
Auryl rushes forward, but it takes him a solid six seconds to get into position.
Kilarra clops around to the other door since the entry is already too crowded.
Rozalia follows Kilarra, trying to get in a good position to lend aid.
”Finish the infidels off! Those who dare interrupt us in carrying Zandalus’s holy will!” The yellow robe that first challenged Piotr orders his comrade.
”Yes sir!” The other yellow robe answers as they continue to beat on Piotr. ”And Lorris is a d!ck for putting his own desires over our great leader!” He proclaims.
Pitor gets clubbed on his shoulder but the other club clanks off his half field plate.
”You know the plants love peace and quiet. Make peace, not war! Kids, don’t learn from their bad example.” The last yellow robe continues to lecture the mismatched dolls.