"Are you looking for new scouts?" Kel enquired. Then she noticed the others readying to move away. "Nevermind, I'll get back to you about that ..." she said as she hurried to catch up with the others, making sure that her elven curve blade was ready to draw at a moment's notice.
The guard blinks, and then returns to his post.
The group is headed to a tree house, that remarkably has a building on the ground. Which is unusual for tree houses. Or maybe not. The blacksmith has a building on the ground as well.
The green tree, a tall oak, supports a building in it's branches. This is very typical of elven architecture. Since it's not winter, the tree is full of leaves. Elves tend to stay in the forest, which is typical of this elf house. Again, a building on the ground is not typical.
Nim gave the tree house a distrustful look and she murmured to her companions, "Look a structure on the ground... I may be getting skittish, but I think we should proceed with caution. Can one of you scout ahead without being seen?"
"We are in the middle of town. What, you think there are hidden guards waiting to just kill anyone that gets close? They probably have half of all people that pass through here show interest in it, just out of curiosity."
Luile just strides up to the building openly, looking for any sign that it might be a shop or workshop of some sort. If it seems like a public building, she'll walk inside, otherwise she'll knock on the door.
Inside, you see a library of sorts. Many different books, to be sure. Some made with different leathers. They have various words printed on the spine of the books. Some of them in languages you don't recognize. An elf woman approaches you.
"I am Shalindril the Librarian here," she says. "Can I help you?"
Nim shrugged to Luile, "I couldn't say, but something about that building sets my teeth on edge."
Inside Nim was surprised to find a library and her sharp eyes quickly scanned any titles printed on the book spines.
Nim replied, "Well met, I'm Nim. I must say I wasn't expecting a Library, you seem to have a good selection here... Did you collect the books?"
Strigh simply stays back a moment when the others head to the building.He cautiously tries to observe who is observing the group.
perception
Then he quickly joins the group at the house/library.
Luile is instantly excited to find books and starts looking around like a kid in a candy shop, an image only helped by being brightly colored and small, though she does take a moment to detect evil as well.
Nim shrugged to Luile, "I couldn't say, but something about that building sets my teeth on edge."
Inside Nim was surprised to find a library and her sharp eyes quickly scanned any titles printed on the book spines.
[dice=Perception]1d20+14
Nim replied, "Well met, I'm Nim. I must say I wasn't expecting a Library, you seem to have a good selection here... Did you collect the books?"
Shalindril just nods. "Why yes, I collect the books. Not many can read them, but there are a few who can."
Luile is instantly excited to find books and starts looking around like a kid in a candy shop, an image only helped by being brightly colored and small, though she does take a moment to detect evil as well.
You feel an evil presence coming from below.
Strigh simply stays back a moment when the others head to the building.He cautiously tries to observe who is observing the group.
perception
1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26
Then he quickly joins the group at the house/library.
You're perception roll seems to notice a little imp. Who is flying above the party.
Kel looked around before hurrying in to join the larger group inside the library.
She nodded politely at the librarian before standing to one side inside the entrance, doing her best to look like a bodyguard or the like.
The cleric/wizard excitedly asks the librarian if she has any magical tomes or if she knows where there might be some in the town.
The cleric/wizard excitedly asks the librarian if she has any magical tomes or if she knows where there might be some in the town.
"I have a few magical tomes here, meticulously copied," she explains.
While distracted by the books, Calardanion attempts to focus on the matters at hand.
"Greeting Shalindral. I am Calardanion. Have you noticed anything unusual around here lately?"
He also listens and looks around to see if he can sense anything out of the ordinary.
While distracted by the books, Calardanion attempts to focus on the matters at hand.
"Greeting Shalindral. I am Calardanion. Have you noticed anything unusual around here lately?"
He also listens and looks around to see if he can sense anything out of the ordinary.
Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28
"It's SHALINDRIL, not SHALINDRAL," she says. "And know, I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary."
"Ah, my apologies Shalindril. My hearing is not the best sometimes." Calardanion apologizes to Shalindril. He looks around at his teammates questioningly, wondering if anyone else had a lead on how to proceed from here.
"Ah, my apologies Shalindril. My hearing is not the best sometimes." Calardanion apologizes to Shalindril. He looks around at his teammates questioningly, wondering if anyone else had a lead on how to proceed from here.
You perceive that there is a basement. Which is unusual for elven buildings.
Nim takes a closer look at the books to see if anything interesting was written on the spines. She doesn't attempt to touch anything however.
Nim takes a closer look at the books to see if anything interesting was written on the spines. She doesn't attempt to touch anything however.
The spines of some of the books is written Celestial, others are written in elvish, and still others are written in an unknown language.
The ones in Celestial say:
-- "Day in the Heavens"
-- "A Thesis on Practical Thaumaturgy"
-- "The Ways of the Celestial Heavens"
-- "A Practical Look at Psychic Powers"
-- "Flight of the Demiurge"
The ones in Elven say:
-- "Practical Botany for Herbalists"
-- "The Mysteries of Correllon Larethian"
-- "The Book of Bane"
-- "A Thesis on Summoning"
-- "Tiamat's Plan"
Luile asks the librarian about this unusual building, why it's on the ground, and if it has a basement as well.
Luile asks the librarian about this unusual building, why it's on the ground, and if it has a basement as well.
"It has a basement, yes," she says. "The building was built on the ground because so we could have easy access to the streets."
"What do you do with the basement? Do you keep wine and cheese down there?" Luile asks, sounding interested and not quite excited.
And if you keep books there, then how do you keep them dry? Kel wondered to herself as she stood watch, looking around.
The librarian looks at the little Kobold. "It's a secret," she says. "We could keep wine and cheese down there."
Nim scanned the titles and remarked in surprise at one, "The Book of Bane? Do you get much call for that sort of thing around here?"
He will inquire which of the books are the spellbooks,
Nim scanned the titles and remarked in surprise at one, "The Book of Bane? Do you get much call for that sort of thing around here?"
"We have a collection of electic titles for discerning tastes," says Shalindril.
He will inquire which of the books are the spellbooks.
Shalindril shows Kemian a good selection of spellbooks from past wizards. One for each school of magic. She pulls out the Evocation spellbook first. "This one is for your taste, yes?"
"Apparently so." replied Nim a little acerbically. She glanced at her companions as if to say, is nobody concerned about having a book devoted to an evil god in this library?
After listening to the conversation with the librarian, Kel peered at the book titles under discussion. She felt compelled to add her own two coppers' worth when she remembered some basic lore from her travels to the south-east of the Sea of Fallen Stars.
"I'm not that keen either on there being freely available information about Tiamat," Kel noted rather drily. "Unless it's to serve as a warning."
The eldritch theurge nods his head in thanks. Thank you for showing this to me as he begins to peruse the spellbook. He will cast read magic if necessary.
"Secret books hmm. Well you keep your secret books. Is there any good books on sorcery?" Luile inquires.
Luile seems to drop it for now, but she keeps an eye open for how one might get to the basement in case they need to secretly investigate later.
After listening to the conversation with the librarian, Kel peered at the book titles under discussion. She felt compelled to add her own two coppers' worth when she remembered some basic lore from her travels to the south-east of the Sea of Fallen Stars.
"I'm not that keen either on there being freely available information about Tiamat," Kel noted rather drily. "Unless it's to serve as a warning."
"Ahem, Bane and Tiamat will conquer all of Cormanthyr," she starts to say.
The eldritch theurge nods his head in thanks. Thank you for showing this to me as he begins to peruse the spellbook. He will cast read magic if necessary.
The spellbook contains:
Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Flame Arrow, Magic Missile, Melf's Minute Meteors, Color Spray, and Tenser's Floating Disk
"Apparently so." replied Nim a little acerbically. She glanced at her companions as if to say, is nobody concerned about having a book devoted to an evil god in this library?
Yep, she just revealed herself to be a worshipper of Bane and Tiamat.
"Bane and Tiamat have no place in this realm, even if their followers came to rule. Do you mean to work against the realm in favor of these other beings?" Luile asks politely.
Kel blinked at Shalindril with no little astonishment, before looking around at the rest of the room, checking for staff, visitors, and others who were not part of her own group. She had the distinct feeling that things were not going to go well and therefore wanted to scope out the potential battlefield beforehand.
"Ahem, Bane and Tiamat will conquer all of Cormanthyr,"
Nim thought about replying, but in the heat of the moment she never had the words to put it elegantly. Instead she glanced around in case there was imminent danger, was this a trap? If not what on toril was going on here? Was this Shalindril a fool? Surely no cultist in their right mind would out themselves to a group of strangers unless they felt supremely confident.
"Ahem, Bane and Tiamat will conquer all of Cormanthyr,"Nim thought about replying, but in the heat of the moment she never had the words to put it elegantly. Instead she glanced around in case there was imminent danger, was this a trap? If not what on toril was going on here? Was this Shalindril a fool? Surely no cultist in their right mind would out themselves to a group of strangers unless they felt supremely confident.
[dice=Perception]1d20+12
Yes, she seems confident.
"Bane and Tiamat have no place in this realm, even if their followers came to rule. Do you mean to work against the realm in favor of these other beings?" Luile asks politely.
"You can't stop them," Shalindril said.
"Never said we would even try. But I find it odd you would be open about being a traitor. The people here are just perfectly happy to have an enemy running their library?" Luile asks, keeping things cordial, not looking to start a fight just yet, especially since the lady seems rather nice and cordial herself so far.
"Never said we would even try. But I find it odd you would be open about being a traitor. The people here are just perfectly happy to have an enemy running their library?" Luile asks, keeping things cordial, not looking to start a fight just yet, especially since the lady seems rather nice and cordial herself so far.
"I watch over the sleepers."
Calardanion browses the book titles, while listening to the conversation. He looks around to see who else is in the library, apart from their group and Shalindril.
"Why are you telling us this?" demanded Nim sounding incredulous.
No. Not right now.
"Why are you telling us this?" demanded Nim sounding incredulous.
"Nothing can stop Bane's army," said the Librarian. "You have to choose a side. Either be on the side of Bane, or be on the losing side."
"I watch over the sleepers."
"Who are the sleepers?" Kel asked curiously, wondering if the librarian was referring to sleeper agents or if there truly were some people sleeping here ... possibly in the aforementioned basement?
"Who are the sleepers?" Kel asked curiously, wondering if the librarian was referring to sleeper agents or if there truly were some people sleeping here ... possibly in the aforementioned basement?"I watch over the sleepers."
"It's not for me to say," she says.
Kel looked at Nim and Luile with a questioning eyebrow raised.
"It sounds to me like you are traitor to this community and country. Do you agree? If so, why have the people here let you stay?" Luile asks as calmly as if discussing the weather.
"It does sound that way..." remarked Nim softly from behind the others, "And telling us really makes no sense..."
She started to wonder if the librarian was under some kind of compulsion, it was either that or she was utterly mad and drunk with the certainty of her power. There was one way to be sure, Nim softly cast a minor cantrip that would reveal any magics at play here.