Myryna shrugs. The others seemed satisfied to go along with Aiko's ... eccentricity.
F Rank. mmm noted. The Dwarf looks about the area and sees if they're the only ones signing up.
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Three quests stood out on the board while Aiko filled out paperwork. All were set in the "beginner" section of the board.
1. "The Ink that Dreams"
Quest giver - Quilmaster Elvienne, the proprietor of the Scriptorium.
A bottle of 'sentient' ink has escaped its vial and has begun writing grafitti, rewriting signs, and causing all in all chaos about town.
Track the ink's trail through the towm and capture it back using a blacnk scroll of containment provided. (you will have to beat the ink down a bit first to get it compliant enough to be caged on paper.)
Reward: 250 gold and Whisperquill
2."The Scroll of unfinished sentences"
Quest giver - Apprentice Scribe Tallo, who accidently activated the scroll
A cursed scroll is infecting local speech 0 people have begun speaking in half finished thoughts unable to complete requests or confessions.
Find the original author's grave and complete the final line using a ritual of closure (directions provided)
Reward: 100 gold, 4 sets of MW work robes, Parchment of clarity
3."The Librarians Lost Plot"
Quest giver - Achivist Vindle, a talking floating book who managees the Scriptorium's living library.
one of the library's sentient books has gone rogue, rewritingits genre from Romance to Horror and has trapped several readers inside
Enter the books Narrative, Survive its twisted plot and save what poor souls trapped inside that you can. Bonus if you can convince the books originial protaginist to return to the original plot.
Reward: Bookmark of Genre shift 300 gold and possible rewards from rescued townsfolk.
"I like that last one, sounds like double rewards to me" but she does take out a d6 and rolls it on the table
"Hey look at that, seems the die and I are actually on the same wave length this time!" she laughs
"Hurumph." The dwarf snorts as he reads ,"The Ink is being terribly selfish... and that curse is terrifying. The last one sounds the most dangerous though. We've already been brought over into new lives, we sure we're up to going into a new story on top of it?"
"Go big or go home. And right now, we don't have a home" she laughs, her hair shifting between yellow and orange
She finishes off and takes there, Avature guild tags.
Going to each of the others she hands everyone one.
"These act as your ID, if a guard asks for ID it will tell them your an ranked adventure, your registered here, And you belong to the ACDC party. Any time we go to a place with an adventurer's guild these lets use get missions, sell to the guild any loot and also use the guild bank. So try not to lose them"
Finally getting to Jadis and Joseph.
"So did you find something that looks good?"
"Jadis wants us to try "The Librarians Lost Plot" " ANd he fills Aiko in on the details. He takes the guild tag. AH, labels. So comforting.
"Hey now, wasn't my plan, they decided I should go for it" as she pats her pocket where she put away her dice
"The Librarians Lost Plot"
She thinks a moment
"Well if they say, then let's do it, gets my vote, do we all agree?"
happy they seem to be doing what isekai plots say they should. Then something hits here.
"You know in most isekai plots, there should be some higher ranking adventure bullys showing up around now, come to trash talk to us, Humm, now where are they?"
She looks around the space to see if there are any, qu'ed to go.
You may get the impression Aiko seems to think this is one of the may comics she read, and seems to be following some kind of plot line in her head. Which could make her dangerously knowledgeable or mad as a bag of monkeys, possibly both.
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You are shown the impossibly tall building near the center of town that looks like a large book.... Scriptemere's library. Once inside the young pretty elven librarian girl leads you to the directors office.
"Your here about the book I assume?"
He asked then suddenly music flared and they sang....
and mind the lantern’s glow…
For in these halls the shadows stir
with tales you should not know.
There lies a tome of tattered skin,
bound tight with iron thread—
A book that hums beneath its clasp,
and dreams of those who’ve read.
Its pages whisper names at night,
in voices not their own…
For every soul that reads its lines
is claimed, and never known.
They vanish like a candle’s breath,
no footprint left behind—
Trapped within the ink‑black depths
of stories serpentine.
I’ve heard them scratching at the walls,
I’ve heard their muffled cries…
The book devours the curious,
the bold, the brave, the wise.
So heed me now, you wanderers,
before you choose to look—
For once you read the cursed tale,
*the tale becomes the book.*
But if you dare to break its spell,
and free the lost within…
Then step into its waiting world—
and pray you leave again.
"I like it"
Aiko says
"Are we in some disney-esque movie game thing? Does every building have a theme song?" she tilts her head as she watches the spectacle
"mmmph, if we do Disney I refuse to be the comedic sidekick, it's degrading," Firm glower at the very notion.
"Lets go find that book!"
She says humming to herself.
"Think there are clues in those lyrics beyond just a 'step in if you want to do something' aspect?" The dwarf scratches his chin. "Seemed mostly ominous, but maybe the iron thread can be used as a trail back?"
"Well, at least we aren't animated... Yet" she laughs, her hair flaring to bright orange
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you are all led upstairs to a small room built in a nook. the olde man carefully produces a key and unlocks it inside under a soft glowing light sits a pretty ordinary looking book.... leather bound old, two iron bands running alongside it...
Chronicle of the Unfinished King
The title of the book read.....
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"Let's see if I need to try and read it... Odds yes, evens no" she rolls a d20
"Let's have a look then
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A soft rustle rises from the pages—like someone turning paper in another room, or like distant applause. The lanternlight bends toward the book as if gravity has shifted. Ink along the margins begins to shimmer, lifting from the page in thin black threads that curl and twist like smoke.
The victim leans closer, not because they want to, but because the book wants them to.
The first line on the page rearranges itself, letters sliding into place with a wet, whispering sound:
“Every story begins with someone who cannot look away.”
Their breath fogs the page. The ink threads reach for that breath, tasting it, pulling it inward. The book smells faintly of old vellum and cold rain—then suddenly of their childhood home, or their greatest regret, or the moment they wish they could change. The scent is bait, tailored perfectly.
The page ripples like water.
Their reflection appears on the paper—only it’s not quite right. The eyes are older. Or younger. Or frightened. Or triumphant. The reflection reaches back.
The book whispers their name.
Not aloud. On the page. The letters write themselves in a looping, elegant script, and as soon as the name is complete, the ink liquefies and spills outward, forming a widening pool of black.
Their fingers brush the page.
The world tilts.
The lanternlight stretches into long golden ribbons, pulled toward the book’s center. The floor drops away. Their heartbeat echoes like a drum in a vast, hollow theater. The ink pool becomes a doorway, and the doorway becomes a fall, and the fall becomes—
They land on a cobblestone street under a sky made of parchment, clouds sketched in charcoal. People bustle around them, but their faces are blurred, half‑written. A bell tolls in the distance—three notes, repeating, as if the world is stuck on the same measure of music.
War... the kingdom is preparring for war.. the neighboring kingdom evil vile people have kidnapped the princess. -
She looks around, at first to get to know her surroundings. Next trying to see if she could make out the faces. But to no avail. Again she lets out a heavy sigh
"Well, we're in a book it seems. Now, let's go see if we can be the prince and save the princess, shall we?" she pats the bag of dice and sets off to what she thinks where the town square may be
"Wow this is sooooo amazing"
She spins around taking it all in.
McCoy writes a note of the time, details of the quest that he knows of, the location and the name of each member of the party. THen leaves it like a post it note in case they end up lost forever nearby.
Then looks in the book as well.
(Plus 2 for spell like stuff)
As each person looks at the book and vanishes, Myryna becomes increasingly concerned. Left without much in the way of other options, she takes a deep breath opening the book herself staring into its pages.
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The cover doesn’t snap open. It inhales.
A soft rustle rises from the pages—like someone turning paper in another room, or like distant applause. The lanternlight bends toward the book as if gravity has shifted. Ink along the margins begins to shimmer, lifting from the page in thin black threads that curl and twist like smoke.
The victim leans closer, not because they want to, but because the book wants them to.
The first line on the page rearranges itself, letters sliding into place with a wet, whispering sound:
“Every story begins with someone who cannot look away.”
Their breath fogs the page. The ink threads reach for that breath, tasting it, pulling it inward. The book smells faintly of old vellum and cold rain—then suddenly of their childhood home, or their greatest regret, or the moment they wish they could change. The scent is bait, tailored perfectly.
The page ripples like water.
Their reflection appears on the paper—only it’s not quite right. The eyes are older. Or younger. Or frightened. Or triumphant. The reflection reaches back.
The book whispers their name.
Not aloud. On the page. The letters write themselves in a looping, elegant script, and as soon as the name is complete, the ink liquefies and spills outward, forming a widening pool of black.
Their fingers brush the page.
The world tilts.
The lanternlight stretches into long golden ribbons, pulled toward the book’s center. The floor drops away. Their heartbeat echoes like a drum in a vast, hollow theater. The ink pool becomes a doorway, and the doorway becomes a fall, and the fall becomes—
They land on a cobblestone street under a sky made of parchment, clouds sketched in charcoal. People bustle around them, but their faces are blurred, half‑written. A bell tolls in the distance—three notes, repeating, as if the world is stuck on the same measure of music.
War... the kingdom is preparring for war.. the neighboring kingdom evil vile people have kidnapped the princess. -
"Rescuing a princess...mmph I've fallen for that story line before, kind of." He admits.
She looks at the notes,
"Its like a song thats tuck, that needs to be played"
"But its not finished, I think we need to know more, that's just a start, we need learn more to play it"
She takes out here instrumental and then plays the three notes.
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Eliot takes a moment to find his bearings "rescue the princess from evil, pretty standard story so far" he takes a moment to breath "however based on how life has been since we died, I'm going to assume its not going to be the straitforward." a sigh escapes his lips "probably something or someone bothersome we will have to deal with"
"Well, the dice wanted me here, so let's get this story to flip its pages and get moving" as she tromps further ahead
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The town in the book was very much a stereotypical fantasy world. peasents bustling about buyiung foor from stalls that economically had no way of actual being profitable. Children ran about playing dogs barked a shady nefarious looking figure slunk away from an apple stand tow shiny stolen apples disapearing under his cloak. Guards in very impracticle plate mail in the mid day heat marched by oblivious to everything around them...
a young boy paused by you Aiko staring intently.....
"That was a pretty song miss. i didnt know girls could play lutes."
[ooc] Perception checks please
"No reason they can't."
She kneels down to be at his eye level.
That is becouse its not a lute, its a magical instrument called a synthesiser little one. So whats your name?
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