Mrs. Crinkle begins to move in strange ways. Even for her.
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"Oh no, this isn't good." Bert said as Ms. Crinkle seemed to join the others in their madness. "Book, see if you can't snap Zac out of it."
Bertram sent his spellbook to flutter in Zac's face and hopefully break him out of his condition. In the meantime, he ran through his repertoire of spells to see if he had anything that might work. He didn't not unless he wanted to try and blast someone awake. He pondered the solution.
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As soon as she realizes what's going on, Mrs. Crinkle pouts: "Well, poop. You know, we couldn't see any of this a moment ago." She looks around, trying to ascertain what the nature of all this craziness is.
"Dingleplops! Well, if all else fails, whack it!" She takes a running start and body-slams the wall.
Mrs. Crinkle makes some magical-looking gestures before starting to bang on... nothing that Razzm and Bertram can see.
Bertram's book gives no clues, and does not seem to affected by or able to affect whatever is going on with the Pathfinders.
Bertram charges into the illusory maze and quickly determines that the rest of the team is close. He makes some adjustments to the maze's leylines, allowing the Pathfinders to at last reach the statue.
The statue's descent into the ground was real, but the team reached it quickly enough to stop it from completely disappearing. The magical lettering forms a command word that, when spoken, causes a secret compartment to open, revealing a scrap of paper with more of Alyreha's writing on it.
There is no further impediment to the Pathfinders leaving the area.
Desmond examines the paper, but it is far beyond what he can understand. Perhaps an Arclord would be able to make sense of them. Fortunately, Mrs. Crinkle is already on her way to speak to Alyreha, and can possibly even be put back on task once she realizes that a decidedly not illusory chamber pot has been left in the garden.
The Arclord looks the paper over and says that she is indeed responsible for the illusionary maze and the research. She thinks for a few moments, then admits that she does not have enough information yet to piece together what these scraps mean.
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"Magical mazes are an important part of warding a property. We learned all about them at..." Bertram broke off and continued along a different track. "It's a matter of finding the magical energies and realigning them. Then you just pop out of the maze. I read about a spell that can trap someone in a mental maze and keep them there for ages. Now that's a great defensive ability."
Bert grabbed his spellbook just in time to keep it from devouring the scrap of Alyreha's research as they followed Mrs. Crinkle back into the house. He carefully slung the book over his shoulder, holding onto the strap to keep it in place.
"Where to next? Are we done with the first floor?"
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"Well, rest assured, dearie, that part of your defenses hasn't been compromised. What a trip! Heehee! All righty. Should we leave these scraps with you so they don't get lost?" Mrs. Crinkle eyes Alyreha as if contemplating whether or not a hollow skull would make a decent paperweight. It has a rather large hole in the middle, after all.
The Pathfinders take the stairs up to the second floor. There is a short dead-end hallway to the west, a longer hallway with many doors to the east, and a passageway to the south that opens into a larger room.
Two small desks lay on the eastern and western sides of this small study room. The western desk hums with a soft, soothing sound while the eastern one buzzes with an unsettling low noise. On either desk, numerous crafting and repair supplies lie scattered about, and prototype golem frames are piled up against the northern wall. The shelf on the southern wall contains several books in an array of unusual languages. On all four walls, arcane runes shake and spark with instability.
The Pathfinders, thrilled by the prospects of whatever cool things Alyreha was researching here, begin pouring into the room. The room reacts by pouring negative energy back at them. Flashes of dark lightning strike everyone in the team.
with a DC 21 Fortitude save
Critical Success - The creature is unaffected.
Success - The creature takes half damage and is enfeebled 1 for 1 hour.
Failure - The creature takes full damage and is enfeebled 1 for 1 hour.
Critical Failure - The creature takes double damage and is enfeebled 1 for 1 day.
The blast of energy tires the Pathfinders, but they continue their search. They locate three books in the study with marks on the spine, each written in an uncommon language. Bertram can tell that there is a cipher and begins working on figuring it out. (Others can help with Arcana, Society or Religion.)
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The blast of energy tires the Pathfinders, but they continue their search. They locate three books in the study with marks on the spine, each written in an uncommon language. Bertram can tell that there is a cipher and begins working on figuring it out. (Others can help with Arcana, Society or Religion.)
Mrs. Crinkle opens one of the books, which is written in Celestial. With Bertram's help, she can make out more of the cipher.
You figure that you have maybe 67% of what Alyreha would need now.
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Bertram tried to look at one of the other books, only to have his spellbook attack it. With a thrashing of its covers, the spellbook sent bits of shredded paper flying all over the area like a miniature snowstorm.
"Stop it, you menace!"
Bertram dove onto the book and wrestled it to the ground, shoving his hand into its covers to get the bits of the poor victim out.
Nobody seems to be able to make sense of the last book. What even is Requian?
Where to next?
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"Welp, Alyreha will read this one herself later. Onward! Heehee!" Bustling to the next room on the same side of the hall, Mrs. Crinkle pauses to check for traps. (What's this? Self restraint from the impulsive one? Maybe the lingering effects of that last trap have taught her a lesson.) Once she's satisfied that the door won't hurt her, she turns the knob to peek into the room. "I'm going to let you magicky folks take a look-see first, so I don't get my booty zapped again. That smarts! Heehee!"
Bertram finds nothing magical in the next room.
This room has several letters and other correspondence splayed on the desk alongside certificates and other obtuse bureaucratic paperwork. Numerous supplies for writing letters and correspondence scattered around and inside the drawers of the desk.
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Mrs. Crinkle gets a sly gleam in her eye and reaches over to pick up a quill. She turns her body to block the view of what she's writing.
by Ang Cline
Touch your toes, rear up here;
She pooped in her panties again.
When will tiny tot of three
Remember to tell me:
"Mommy, mommy I have to poo poo pee!"
Money flushing down my loo;
I'm wiping a bottom covered in poo.
Plugging my nose,
Stench drenched over clean clothes.
My baby finally has a clue:
"Mommy! It's number two!"
One day I will look back,
Laughing about wiping her stinky little crack.
How embarrassed my dear shall be.
If only today there wasn't this puddle of pee!
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Slipping her note into a pocket with a giggle, she then begins searching for anything useful. "Heehee! Any more scraps of paper like we found before hidden in here?"