Rodrigo continued to parry and strike with his blade, causing a some damage to the same zombie he has been fighting

---

Hit for 3 damage.

13:30, Today: Rodrigo rolled 20,3 using d20+1,d8+1.  attack with longsword.

Mort stomped his hoof and gave a snort and grin at the zombies.  "This hammer don't like zombies much"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:23, Thu 09 Dec 2021.

It wasn't much of a fight. Between Elwood's and Rodrigo's attacks, Mort's attack, and Anneth's spells, the zombies are soon destroyed. It certainly helped that they could come through the door more than two at a time. That meant they couldn't attack anyone from behind, and made it hard for them to attack back.


It wasn't much of a workout, but as everyone catches their breath and cleans off their weapons, the others can look through the door.

Beyond is a continuation of the lava tube tunnel, but there is no longer any unnatural darkness, just the normal darkness of being underground. You can see wall sconces with torches set in them alternately spaced on each wall about 20 feet apart. The tunnel curves off to the right.

 "Think it'd be worth it to light these...?" Anneth points to the sconces.

Rodrigo shrugged at Anneth "It would alert others of our presence but it would also allow everyone to see easily."

"It might alert whoever is here, but that's better than them sneaking up on us in the dark," Aaron suggests.

"Without light, we're at a serious disadvantage. With it, we're at least on an even footing with any threat."

"I say light 'em up!"

Umbro goes ahead and lights the first two torches they find since it would be inadvisable for more than two of them to be holding a torch if they got attacked.

As the erstwhile guide, he should have gone first, but he bowed to the paladin's desire to confront the enemy. Umbro followed behind, being Elwood's lantern-bearer, so to speak.

"I'll take the other torch," Anya whispered, "and bring up the rear. The torch should give me fair warning against any threat from behind us."

She then waited for the others to proceed. Between the torch she carried and the one Umbro was carrying up near the front, the others had enough light to see where they were going.

Spread out like this, in single file, it was starting to seem like there were too many in the group. That'd be less of a problem if they meet a numerous enemy in a large cave or room.

 Anneth seems relieved hwen light enters the equation.  Still, she remains in her place, close to the center of the group.  Her and is kept in her one hand, her magical lantern in the other.

On the one hand, the only Dwarf in the group felt a bit out of place. On the other hand, though, he thought he was there as the expert in caves and tunnels... and craters and rocks and stuff like that.

"Say, Umbro... when's the last time anyone saw this sorcerer or wizard or whatever his is?" he asked their erstwhile guide.

"A single file could make us open to other attacks. But it does limit what others see when glancing down the halls." Rodrigo offers as he considers his option. He waves his amulet about a bit just looking for anything that could be hidden before he steps towards the front of the line, just ahead of the ladies of the group.

"That's a real good point there, Gierdon," Umbro replies. "Now that you point it out, I'd have to say the last confirmed sighting was about 10 years ago. Or, maybe the last credible sighting. While others have been reported since, they could all have been some sort of trap or monster or other party."

"Everyone at the time, of course, thought it was the Black Sorcerer. And tales that get repeated always get twisted and exaggerated upon retelling. Even those that were there wind up remembering things differently later on."

"'Oh, yes, I saw the Black Sorcerer! He was 12 feet tall with glowing red eyes!' Not bloody likely!"

With torches lit, the group begins filing down the curving tunnel. It soon becomes evident that the tunnel is forming a circle, apparently curving around some central point, which could be the library.

Although everyone searches for traps, secret doors, secret compartments, and secret passages as they go, none are found. There are an assortment of runes carved into the stone walls in various places. No one is quite sure what the purpose of the runes are.

The tunnel, in fact, winds up forming a complete circle though it appears to be getting tighter as it goes, apparently passing along the inside wall of the tunnel where they started. It does this once more before it ends in a brass door.

The door is rather ornate with numerous carvings/castings both on the frame and the door itself. Strangely, there's no door handle or knob, nor any sign of keyhole.

 "This can't be a dead end..." Anneth muses as she examines the door.  She flips open the top to her thieves' tool kit.  To the door, she says, "I could you feel better..."

18:13, Today: Anneth Mage-Singer rolled 5 using 1d20 ((5)).

Intelligence check to iron out the functions of the door...

As it turns out, opening the door doesn't require any tools, as apparently it's a puzzle lock with sliding panels on the door that have to be slid in a particular direction in a particular sequence. Although it sounds difficult, there's only one particular combination that works, so you can't actually use a wrong sequence.

Once Anneth slides the last panel aside, an ornate brass handle pops up out of the door on the side that was thus exposed.

Pulling on the handle looked like it would be hard to open the door, but it turns out to be perfectly balanced and swings out easily.

Beyond is the library!

The 150-foot circular room with an 80-foot domed ceiling is lined with shelves about 30 feet high, and dozens... hundreds... maybe thousands... of books fill the shelves. There are other things on the shelves... bric-a-brac. Some of them may actually be books... just in an odd form.

In the center of the room there are two large tables... perhaps desks... with a single chair at each one, plus there are four high-backed padded chairs with a small side table next to each one. A fancy lamp sits on each side table.

That's about when you realize that the room is dimly lit, though you can't really say what the source is. You also spot someone sitting in one of the chairs.

 Anneth purses her lips as the door opens.  As she enters the room, she looks around herself, having to catch herself so that she does not interrupt the reader.  "Think they know where we can find a directory...?" She whispers to her companions.

The paladin quickly steps through the door as well, prepared to attack any threat that pops up. While he appreciates the learning that books convey, they make terrible weapons!

He spots the figure in the chair and hastens over to it, ready to attack it if necessary.

"Surrender or perish!" he states forcefully at the seated figure.

She was just starting to realize that they had an abundance of fighters as she slid into the room behind Elwood, also looking for any threat but also guarding the Paladin's back.

At sight of all the books, Anya wonders what would happen if they all started off the shelves at them!

"Somehow, I think the librarian is the Black Sorcerer," she replies to Anneth. "Don't recommend asking him for help."

Gierdon was next in line to enter the library.

"Eat any good books lately?" he commented to himself with a touch of sarcasm.

"Every heard of a book golem? Nope, me neither. I'm already bored."

Tom being one of the last to enter stops at the threshold of the door.  His intent to block it open to keep it from being closed on the others should they need to retreat.  He doesn't say anything as he scans the area for obvious signs of trouble.

Rodrigo's mouth all but dropped at Elwood's statement, creating an enemy where there need not be one. Though perhaps he was right. But still we knew little and this was not a way to learn more. He slipped inside the room moving to the side to create a bit of space his eyes moving along the bookshelves a moment before his attention turned back to the figure at the desk "Perhaps threatening someone who we do not know before we introduce ourselves or determine their intentions is not our wisest course." Rodrigo states softly.

Could this be the Black Sorcerer he'd heard so much about? What secrets might this library hold?

He cautiously eased his way into the library, trying to get a better glimpse of the figure in the chair... even if it might be his last.

Tom continued to stand in such a way to try and keep the door open if the rest of the party needed to escape through the way in which they came in.

As Umbro slowly eased his way into the room, gliding along the outer shelves ready to hit the floor until he could see who was sitting in the chair, he finally gets to a point where he can see who it is.

It's a skeleton in a robe.

It still hasn't moved.

He's not shocked, he's not surprised, he's not... anything.

He eases back to the others.

"It's just a skeleton under that black robe," he informs the others in a whisper.

"It could still come alive, I guess, but do you think that's the Black Sorcerer?"