"Ouh-kay."
Virml sits down on the top step.
Something seems off about the way that that Dean knows all this stuff. Boomer starts to approach by way of the albino alligator.
Looking bored the alligator looks up at Boomer.
"Well? I'm waiting." says the Master of Scrolls looking back at his pile of paper. "Do you have a report to make or not?"
"Don't be silly man. Hurbert doesn't bite and he certainly doesn't talk." Shaine then considers for a moment. "Wait. I maybe lied about one of those.... Nevertheless, show some back bone man. Say what you are going to say, I'm terrifically busy just now."
Hoo clutches Stefan's bag close to her and watches excitedly
"We believe that Virml here-"
??? The dean looks about, but there is nary a Virml to be seen.
"...accidentally used a summon spell which released several fey. One of them took his place, why we don't know but we think whoever it was is looking for something. We would like to search the lobby then the scriptorium. The other Virml may have left some clues."
"Fine. Go down and have a look, and I'll straighten up here."
With no report forthcoming the dean sends them off again, perhaps to search the downstairs lobby once more.
A town-crier outside calls the hour as "2" when, remarkably Kreighton Shaine the same master of Scrolls the party left upstairs not five minutes before strides through the archive's street entrance flanked by by Zarta Dralneen (now in slightly more appropriate attire), and a number of senior Pathfinders bearing mops and buckets.
"Well?"
Just as the revelation sets in there is a sound like a reverse explosion from upstairs that shakes the foundations of the building causing dust to fall from the cracks in ceiling created during the great earthquake years before.
The Dean and the Pathfinders launch themselves at the stair, but are met with a vast swarm of tooth fairies. Shaine cries out to seal the doors, and turns to face the threat. With a word and a gesture fire explodes from the stairwell, engulfing the swarm and sending the stragglers fleeing to all corners of the the lobby.
Kreighton Shaine and the senior Pathfinders mount the stair and encounter a strange trick of the First World as the stair seems to climb higher, and higher stories above its original length. It's widened too, with balconies, alcoves, and side galleries, all of nonsensical Escher-like construction. One new doorway opens upon a vast alien desert in the midst of a sandstorm.
Eventually, the end comes, but not until a few alien horrors from the First World escape into the archive proper warping reality with their very presence, before being rooted out and banished back to where they came from.
After it is all over, and reality reigns again Shaine returns to the ground floor with the others and with a strange fox-headed man in custody. In his hand, Shaine holds the rest of the missing scroll fragments. He does not look kindly upon the party.
"We caught this--" Shaine begins but is cut off as the scroll fragments fly from his hands. The fragments the party carry with them do likewise swirling up into the air upon an unseen dust devil. They glow with an eldritch light and fuse into one as they do the fox-faced man smiles and shrugs, flowing like neon quicksilver from grasp of the two women assigned to hold him.
The fox, now liquid light seems sucked into the floating scroll along with one or two other lances of similar light drawn from adjoining rooms. There's a loud noise like someone reciting the words: Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-PTANG. Zoom-Boing. Z'nourrwringmm!
And in the wake of all that, the scroll, now quiescent and again whole flutters to the ground, just a long piece of parchment.
Shaine turns to the party "I repeat, well?"
|
Zahd stares wide-eyed at the madness and chaos that occupied the past few minutes before quietly commenting, "I like this new job."
"Aherm The issue that we had was this here scroll; somehow it got torn into a bunch of pieces and summoned a bunch of few and... suffice it to say, now that we've got it in one piece, things should be good. Unless Mistress koi is still around, in which case... wait, actually..."
Zahd will pick up the scroll and jog into the archive searching for Mistress Koi in her original location
Zahd will pick up the scroll and jog into the archive searching for Mistress Koi in her original location
Zahd rushes into the library the noise of his splashing is remarkably loud to because the waterfall from the mezzanine has stopped. Gone too are the two small fishermen. There is no sign of Koi, the Albatross, or the Owl.
Zahd stares wide-eyed at the madness and chaos that occupied the past few minutes before quietly commenting, "I like this new job."
"Aherm The issue that we had was this here scroll; somehow it got torn into a bunch of pieces and summoned a bunch of few and... suffice it to say, now that we've got it in one piece, things should be good. Unless Mistress koi is still around, in which case... wait, actually..."
Zahd will pick up the scroll and jog into the archive searching for Mistress Koi in her original location
As Zahd rushes off Shaine turns the remining party members and says "Well!?"
|
Xavier opens his mouth to speak, but then closes it and thinks for a second. "I honestly couldn't tell you what was going on if I tried. I think the scroll was recreating the events that were written on it, but I'm not completely sure."
Once the senior pathfinders are gone, Xavier turns to the party and says, "Well, I'm going to go get drunk. Anyone who wants to come along, drinks are on me."
Xavier opens his mouth to speak, but then closes it and thinks for a second. "I honestly couldn't tell you what was going on if I tried. I think the scroll was recreating the events that were written on it, but I'm not completely sure."
Once the senior pathfinders are gone, Xavier turns to the party and says, "Well, I'm going to go get drunk. Anyone who wants to come along, drinks are on me."
"Well, then I guess there is nothing left to do but begin the clean up operations."
Shaine hands Xavier a human-sized mop and bucket.