World's Most Interesting Overflow Archives (002) [PFS CORE 6-15] (Inactive)

Game Master Great Green God

An annoyed Deluge, who can hear his bed calling, LOUDLY, grumbles along with his tummy and joins in the search.

Just give me a rough search outline.

Deluge just wants the night to end. He is not thinking clearly and basically follows the more motivated folks and helps, almost robotic-ally.

Search where the big fight with him occurred first, after that beats me. He must have gone there for a reason and it seemed like he was looking for something.

Yup. We'll search the upper areas first in the hopes that we don't have to go down into the basement bog a third time. If we can't find the fox, then we'll do a search of the basement area, going clockwise from the bottom of the stairs. If we still can't find him, we'll head outside to try to pick up a trail. We will remember to look up at the ceilings, too, as we search.

Xusius will help with the search using Yangrit's plan so that we can hopefully get this over with before the weekend starts.

Upstairs in the Scriptorium

"Oh! Done already? That was quick." says the Fox from over a mound of books on top of the desk at the head of the room.

Free of his bonds, he gives in without a fight as if his escaping was all part of the party and his plans. "I assume you are waiting for me to escort you back to Mistress Koi. You haven't thought about the riddle have you? I stand by the answer I gave to lord who imprisoned me, but I would be interested in your thoughts on the subject."

With a sigh and a grimace, Deluge replies, "The riddle? It's a hodge podge of characters described in none too flattering terms. Sounds like a teen hate letter written by a bad poet. You really should stop reading such drivel. Bad for your brain... Well, out with it. What was the answer you gave to this here lord fellow and is that what got you in this mess in the first place. Um, don't mention what I said, will you?"

Deluge actually looks a little worried and looks around to make sure he's not about to get stuffed in some foodless prison. He'd much rather eat the stuffing than be the stuffed.

Good Lord, I read those clues five straight times. I have no idea what the answer might be. Anyone else fancy a guess?

”Ive got no idea you crazy fox. I might be more clever, if your alligator hadn’t bled me out, you know,” Pau growls at the Fox.

At first, Yangrit is inclined to ignore the fox's prattling about the riddle, but then an unbidden memory surfaces. A former professor once handed out an exam with very simple instructions: "Write your name on the line above this sentence, then turn in this exam without writing anything else." She had thought it a joke and spent the next hour pouring over the questions that followed. She got every one correct, but failed the exam because she didn't follow directions. Stupid philosopher!

There is something about this poem that reminds her of that test. That first couplet... It is almost as if the second line is saying "Ignore the rest of this tomfoolery." That would leave only... Hmm... Off-handedly, she remarks in her customary grouch manner: "Hmph! A convoluted mess like that is bound to be contrarian. I would not be surprised if the last to dine is the first diner mentioned: the loser. The line right after that seems to imply that everything else shouldn't be known, after all. I quite agree with that sentiment!"

Xusius pours another drink. "Mademoiselle Yangrit, zou have ze answer! Well, zou do not have eet quite yet, but zou zoon zhall. Ask ze fox what ees name ees. He ees ze loser zince he was imprisoned in ze scroll. We do not know ees name!"

He drinks from the goblet.

With a sigh and a grimace, Deluge replies, "The riddle? It's a hodge podge of characters described in none too flattering terms. Sounds like a teen hate letter written by a bad poet. You really should stop reading such drivel. Bad for your brain... Well, out with it. What was the answer you gave to this here lord fellow and is that what got you in this mess in the first place. Um, don't mention what I said, will you?"

"It was just one of those typical contests between a gentleman and a deity, such as everyone gets into. The ultimate answer to the overall riddle as to who is 'the last to dine' is 'the worm' of course." explains the Fox smugly. "As 'the worm' eats everyone after they are dead. But my opponent cheated, and refused to acknowledge it as the only correct answer."

Good Lord, I read those clues five straight times. I have no idea what the answer might be. Anyone else fancy a guess?

”Ive got no idea you crazy fox. I might be more clever, if your alligator hadn’t bled me out, you know,” Pau growls at the Fox.

"Oops." says the Fox with a shrug and an embarrassed grin. "Sorry, but alligators will be crocodiles after all."

There is something about this poem that reminds her of that test. That first couplet... It is almost as if the second line is saying "Ignore the rest of this tomfoolery." That would leave only... Hmm... Off-handedly, she remarks in her customary grouch manner: "Hmph! A convoluted mess like that is bound to be contrarian. I would not be surprised if the last to dine is the first diner mentioned: the loser. The line right after that seems to imply that everything else shouldn't be known, after all. I quite agree with that sentiment!"

"Wait! What? What did you say. 'The loser'?" The Fox runs the poem over in his mind from memory--TWICE as the procession returns to Mistress Koi. When he finishes he looks aghast. "No, I couldn't have been wrong all this time. I am Caught after all."

"No, I couldn't have been wrong all this time. I am Caught after all."

Sylvan subtitles

"Oh! Yes, that's it! That's how it goes! You're Caught!"

As Koi says that all if the scrollwork fragments all fly up into the air in the grip of a sudden dust devil that blows up around the party. Rearranging, and fusing itself into one, complete scroll outlined in a golden eldritch glow. Caught, for that is indeed the sly fox's name disappears into the widening vortex, mouthing the words: "Well played" over the noise of the gale.

The argumentative gathian fishermen spin by as well upon their bookshelf boat, waving and shouting at the group and each other before disappearing in a flurry of paper scraps.

At the center of the tornado beneath the glowing scroll, Mistress Koi takes a deep breath looking for all the world like some great puffer fish and all the water in the library rushes up and into her mouth in one great, indescribably noisy, torrential slurp.

The glow of the scroll abates and the twister with it. Without the wind the vellum flutters to the floor.

The hugely engorged Mistress Koi waves a goodbye with a tentacle, and leaps high before diving head-first into the tiny scroll disappearing into the text like a fish into a pond, leaving the library below as dry as a dusty bone.

Not a second later the entry doors open as a dozen Pathfinders lead by Dean Kreighton Shaine and Zarta Dralneen burst in all awkwardly dressed in fisherman's hip boots, and laden with wooden buckets, and tin pails.

The two leaders seem to be noisily arguing with each other. When Shaine finally sees the seemingly never flooded room, he says "Oh?" and he, and Zarta both noisily drop their armloads of buckets on the stone floor.

Confused, they look up to the party on the mezzanine for answers.

Pau jerks a thumb towards the others. ”Ask them. I don’t know what the hell happened. There was a Caught Fox, an alligator that half ate me, a huge fish woman, and an owl, and my head hurts a lot right now. I think we won. Or at least didn’t die.”

Xusius pulls out a chair from the table and seats himself once again. He pulls out another wine bottle from somewhere in his robes which should be dry although probably wrinkled, and fills his goblet once again. He sets down the bottle and picks up the goblet while saying, "Now zat ze water ees gone, ze crackers for ze cheese zoud be good. Does anyone have any?"

He looks at the rest of the party expectantly.

All he gets from Yangrit is a disbelieving glare before she turns on her heel to snatch that dratted poem off the floor. Descending the mezzanine stairs with deliberate, fuming dignity, she marches up to Dean Shaine and gives him a curt nod. "It seems the water problem is resolved, though we have not checked the sub-basement since then. Here is the dratted poem that caused all this. Please do not read it out loud; I am not doing all of this again! Now, if you do not mind, I would like to write my report immediately so that I may finally get some sleep!" And with that, she stomps into the chamber in which they were briefed, grabs the first writing materials she can find, throws herself into a chair with a huff, and begins composing her report.

For all her anger, it must be remarked that her handwriting is impeccably legible and compact, with nary a blot. The experience does calm her somewhat, allowing for some much-needed introspection. ..."Explore, Cooperate, Report"... Ugh. Cooperation. Am I truly cooperating when I hold so many people in contempt? Sigh. No one else seems to despise people as much as I do. Am I becoming a hateful person? Do I want to be? ...

Deluge grabs at his snack bag defensively when Pau starts asking about sharing food. Not something Deluge is inclined to do. Well, he does like to share his fermented goat's milk - he is a brewer after all.

[b]"You guys can dinish up here, right? I'm going to just head back to bed."[b]

At least that is what he tries to say, but the damnable book in his backpack turns it into a cacophony. forgot about that on my previous post. Nevertheless he stealthlessly tries to slip out of the meeting, a guilty look on his face.

Hannar gives a full account of all that happened, to the best of his knowledge, and promises to give a full report. He then follows Yangrit and does just that.

Hannar gives a full account of all that happened, to the best of his knowledge, and promises to give a full report. He then follows Yangrit and does just that.

"Hannar, what's happened to your mouth?"

Deluge grabs at his snack bag defensively when Pau starts asking about sharing food. Not something Deluge is inclined to do. Well, he does like to share his fermented goat's milk - he is a brewer after all.

The keening voices about him grow slightly louder.

"You guys can dinish up here, right? I'm going to just head back to bed."

At least that is what he tries to say, but the damnable book in his backpack turns it into a cacophony.

"Deluge, what's that noise?"

All he gets from Yangrit is a disbelieving glare before she turns on her heel to snatch that dratted poem off the floor. Descending the mezzanine stairs with deliberate, fuming dignity, she marches up to Dean Shaine and gives him a curt nod. "It seems the water problem is resolved, though we have not checked the sub-basement since then. Here is the dratted poem that caused all this. Please do not read it out loud; I am not doing all of this again! Now, if you do not mind, I would like to write my report immediately so that I may finally get some sleep!" And with that, she stomps into the chamber in which they were briefed, grabs the first writing materials she can find, throws herself into a chair with a huff, and begins composing her report.

For all her anger, it must be remarked that her handwriting is impeccably legible and compact, with nary a blot. The experience does calm her somewhat, allowing for some much-needed introspection. ..."Explore, Cooperate, Report"... Ugh. Cooperation. Am I truly cooperating when I hold so many people in contempt? Sigh. No one else seems to despise people as much as I do. Am I becoming a hateful person? Do I want to be? ...

"Don't take it too hard there, Stumpy. Some folks just just don't get it." says one giant human Pathfinder. Seeing that the emergency solved, he leans up against the door frame and lights up a hand-rolled cigar with a tindertwig that he tosses aside. He takes a deep drag, and blows out a huge cloud of acrid smoke.

Uh, why's a standard character showing up in a core campaign? Agirran knows my hunter, Kala, from a while back.

Deluge tries to explain that it is nothing, but to no avail. With a curse, which comes out as something equally obnoxious but not profane, he pulls the tome out of his backpack and says something unintelligible but loud. Of course the whole room is plunged into darkness.

As Deluge pulls the Darklands Precepts from his bag the entire scene fades to black.

At this point, the Dean knows what Deluge has in his possession (or will find out quickly when he casts darkvision) and thus Deluge will not be able to sneak the tome by him without some sort of heroic intervention. Zarta will be upset, but concentrates upon trying to get Shaine to let her and Archive keep the thing under wraps in their care. Deluge will hear exactly how upset Zarta is later, in a private meeting with his faction's head.

If anyone else has anything to add go ahead and do so now.

Assuming all that happens, we are technically done. Feel free to RP, I should be able to get everyone their Chronicles this weekend.

"Hey! Who turned of the lighth?"

"I cannot see to fill ze goblet, zo I zall have to drink from ze bottle. Not a problem for me."

Head bowed over her report, Yangrit barely pauses when the room is plunged into darkness. Muttering into the cacophony, she gripes as she continues scratching her quill across the parchment: "What a well-oiled machine we Pathfinders are."

Deluge is rather unconcerned with Zartra's displeasure, though he would rather have snuck the book out without either of them knowing so he could burn the thing to ashes. Not exactly the model Dark Archives member.