Kieran frowned.  He'd heard words like that before and it was rarely good.  "Care to explain these 'methods' of yours to us?  Teams don't function well if there isn't a consensus on basic methods and principles."

"The... tele-porter... room?"  Kimba said the word like it was unfamiliar to him.  He shook his head.  "I came here by aracnath stone.  They were lying in wait when I arrived, and tried to steal my soul.  But the sun is strong in the Wastes, and the heat has been baked into my bones, the fire burns in my belly.  They could not take me into the shadows."

Hannah looked at the cute…..what did they call themselves, half elf with a frown. “I do what I must to survive - what I have always done. People have killed me things like a ghost, thief…even assassin. Labels one and all. I have skills that allow me to hide, fight and survive. And yes, while I have used venoms and poisons to enhance my skills, never - NEVER has it been to something who hasn’t deserved it”

She stands her ground. “I’m not one to seek trouble or cause death just for the sake of it, but death comes looking for me, and it will be surprised.”

"Death comes for us all, in the end.  When water is gone, when no shade is found.  Sightblinder will come, and we shall meet with sharp spears and bared teeth to spit in his eye."

Kimba reached up and pulled down his hood.  His face was covered with an intricate mask resembling a dragon's face.  Brass scales captured and reflected the low torchlight in the room.  The mask covered his whole head, and the wrappings of his clothes extended up across his neck in loose folds.

"If you have come to help us appease the Overgod, then you are well come.  We must find a way to free our brothers and sisters -- mighty warriors all, but taken by the shadows.  If we can reclaim them, they would be a great ally.  If we cannot," Kimba paused and held up a wrapped hand.  He flexed and rough, hardened claws extended from the tips of his fingers.  "Then we avenge them!"

Anna stepped forward, her head held high, showing all the majesty her royal bloodline possessed. "And free them we shall, with all your help. I think the Chosen Lirielle might have had a prophetic insight when she altered my own Aracnath stone to modify its destination, and we now have a proven group of warriors to free the Scriptorium from this infestation of darkness. We will prevail!"

Kieran felt a pull on the Seal's power as the princess  talked and everyone present sensed some kind of hopeful stirring in their heart. (Everyone gains one inspiration)

Eldric, the most familiar with this place, had checked out the office and adjoining bedroom. "No one living here, save us. And thank Aracnath, no corpses either. We might yet find Yuki prisonner. Come, let us go to the library, if we can convince the librarian, we might be able to use this place as a base of operation. I do not think the Shades would have been able to affect the library."

With boldness and his small ball of lightning as lighting, the mage got out in the corridor and turned right.

Thalia looked at Anna with a smile. "Stirring speech - gave me chills!" She smiled as she almost looked excited. She looked at elric and nodded.

"Would be poetic the place of power would be one of knowledge." She shrugged. "...lets do this!"

Hannah looked at Thalia with a frown and look of disapproval. "Is she always this....optimistic?" She muttered as she drew a dagger, looked at the edge, then sheathed it again.

Kieran fell silent, wondering about the pull he'd felt from the Seal.  He still only had a beginning understanding of this power.  What would it mean for him?  Would it change him?  Consume him?

He shrugged it off.  This was not the time for such ruminations.

"Can't be the Champion of Air by sitting on the sidelines I guess."  With a flourish he moved off to catch up to Anna.

"There're several small, discrete groups moving between here and the library. I've seen more spiders, zombies, centipedes, and FAS. We might be able to avoid them or we can try and jump them in turns. If we're fast and precise no one group should be a problem but multiple simultaneously could be disastrous."

I need you to watch just ahead of us as we move through the halls. Your warning will be critical if we don't want them to know we're here.

"Are the beasts of this world often servants of dark forces, or is it simply coincidence that we continue to run into these groupings as we have?"

"Normally I prefer quiet but if that is not a skill we all share, I can equally do loud."

With a mental command, he called Stela from her 'home'.  He patted her as she arrived, he could sense her discomfort at the darkness.  "It's alright girl  I don't need your eyes today.  It's your other senses we need.  Stay wrapped around my neck."


OOC: Keeping Stela close as she has keen hearing and smell.  She lacks darkvision so will keep her wrapped around Kieran's neck.

Eldric shook his head "I can't answers that, Luster, I didn't recognized those spiders. Admittedly, the natural world is not my specialty. But if I had to guess, I would presume that those creatures were brought here to desecrate and remove acces to the Scriptorium. So all bets are off in my mind, they need to go away, whatever the cost."

The wizard confidently moved along the corridor, his steps hurried, before suddenly stopping. "Oh oh, this is the most direct path to the library and its blocked." In front of the party was a haphazard pile of broken furniture covering the width of the corridor.

Thalia looked at Elric and had a look of thought on her face. "Whatever brought them here has some power, and it's been planned well. Either way this isn't going to be easy."

She had her bow on her shoulder, but drew her sword that luster gave her so long ago. "just hope their are no more spiders....creep me out." She shuddered.

Hannah had her gear sorted as they started walking, and when there was a gap in the speaking, she spoke. "I am pretty good with moving unseen so if you want me to scout ahead, I am fine with that - it's something I have done in the past when I worked with others."

She moved with silent footfalls, the hand crossbow in her hand ready when she turned the corner and saw the barrier. "Moving that will take time and noise....it may take longer, but we should go another way" She looked at everyone. "...but stay alert. This is a common herding technique. Their sending people where they want them to go for either traps or ambushes."

She sighed, and staying close to the wizard, she led the way

Moving up on quiet feet, Kimba approached Hannah at the front.  "The library is this way."  He made small markings in the dust on the floor.  "I have encountered enemies here and here, but this path was clear a day ago."

---

OOC: Using Help to give Hannah advantage on any survival or stealth checks she needs to make as wel move.

The fighter with the dragon mask marked a path towards the library and the group started going towards it. The human wizard and the princess stayed in the middle of the group, the light from the lightning ball just enough to avoid being in total darkness.

Suddenly, the tabaxi druid, in front as usual, lifted its hand to stop the group.  "I hear noises up ahead."


<OOC>What do you want to do?

Kimba froze, one hand on his sword hilt.  The other held the back end of the scabbard, so it did not scrape against the walls as he moved.  He cocked his head to one side, listening.

ROLL: Kimbatuul rolled 11 using 1d20+5 ((6)). Perception.

Thalia paused with a serious look on her face, her sword in hand, she looked aroound.

Hannah wasn't surprised there was others here - she actually expected it. With her hand crossbow, she moved forward on quiet feet and listened to the direction.

---

<OOC: Hannah rolled 22 using 1d20+7.  Stealth Check.
Hannah rolled 20 using 1d20+8.  Perception Check.>

Ahead of the group a floating stone tablet with burning text appears.

WARNING - CONTACTS AHEAD
27 contacts moving towards library:
24 zombies, six large Skraug carrying battering ram;
two Skraug; and
one cloaked figure.

Turn Summary
Cast Minor Illusion
This message was last edited by the player at 01:58, Fri 11 Aug 2023.

Kimba did the sums in his head.  Carefully, he removed his sword from its place at his hip, and slung it over his shoulder.  Against so many, he would need to fall back on the war methods of the Red Dawn.  "Skraug are deadly opponents," he said quietly.  "And strong.  Dod not give them any shade, and let their blood water the sands."

He gripped his spear in one hand, the other resting near a pair of flasks hanging at his hip.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 07:02, Mon 28 Aug 2023.

Kieran eyed the tablet.  "A formidable force indeed.  Though I'm unclear on how many they speak of.  Either there are around a score and a half enemies ahead or twice that.  Though I wonder about this 'cloaked figure'.  What is their role in all of this?"

He sighed.  He preferred clearer information before walking into a fight.  He preferred a stiletto to a ballista bolt.  But time was against them.

"Shall we?  Suppose it's best to take them while they're occupied with the door."

"That's a lot of targets all at once, even if most of them are only zombies. The spells I have mostly work on one-to-two at a time. I think we should engage, but I'll need to focus on the ones that stand out, like the cloaked one, or the two skraug not carrying the ram, if some of you are better suited to handling the crowds."

"I can handle the groups," Kimba said, his voice muffled behind the dragon mask he wore.  "If they come at me together, they will meet the sun in my belly.  If they come at me singly, they will fall like a man bitten by a two-step."

"That's wonderful Kimba."  Kieran quipped with enthusiasm.  "So the rest of us can get a drink while you take care of the enemies for us?"