Delta examines the area looking for any signs of an illusion. Even though it is the day, she has her lantern lit.

"Let me look closely here, maybe a slight discrepancy in a shadow or something like that might help."

She creeps low and slow, and has her rat on the ground, sniffing for anything that might hint at the holes in a sewer grate.

PM

Despite rat noses, gnome and elvish senses, there appears to be nothing strange about the block of buildings.   During their investigations though, they notice the sounds of birds, starlings maybe, coming from, the middle of the block of buildings.

Scooping up her companion and slipping them in to her pouch, Delta examines the side of the building they can see.

"A garden maybe? Let's walk around the building, see if there is an alley in, or a gate of some kind."

She turns to the others to see if they have any better ideas.

Tanyl shrugs.  "We're here; might as well."

He leads the way.

Delta follows...

It takes a long time, circling, prodding, pressing, puzzling, before Vala notices something on the stonework of one of the buildings.  Pressing on a stone that just looks a little off, there is a hiss, and being as strong as she is, the force applied the stone actually makes the whole building move an inch.  Surprising as it is, she pushes again and it moves another full foot, opening a gap between it and the building next door.  An opening into a hidden courtyard!

Tanyl pauses a moment to see if he hears anything reacting to the party's discovery and opening of the door.

"Well, isn't that a neat trick." Delta rather wished she could learn how that was done, it would be a nice way to protect the future house she keep planning/hoping to build.

Turning to face Vala and Tanyl, she bowed low, waving her hand like a butler or a stage magician. "Shall we proceed?"

"I think so," Vala answers and grins at her friend's performance, displaying her perfect white teeth. The warrioress pats the hilt of her trusty sword as she moves forward,

Giving her tall, brave friend a smile, Delta stepped out and down the newly opened passage.

Vala moves forward into the open courtyard, surrounded by buildings, it is nearly constantly in shadow, but not dark during the day.  It is clean, stone floored, and there is a sewer grate at the far end.  It is nearly empty but for a small figure sitting near the grate.  They appear to be hunched over, wearing an old robe or cloak, and don't seem to have noticed you.

Delta points, just in case the figure hasn't been spotted by her friends, but waits to see how they want to proceed.

Tanyl shrugs.  He realizes that there is no reason to treat the figure as an enemy at this point.

He deems it best to just approach, quietly.

As Tanyl approaches, the figure stands, still with hooded, it is a small figure, maybe a child.

"If you are here to steal, you are too late, they've robbed everything, and left nothing behind but traps and monsters".

"What was there to be stolen, stranger. And who was here to steal it?"

Not exactly a giant herself, at three and a half feet, Delta tries to determine which of them is the shorter.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:13, Thu 14 Oct 2021.

Tanyl continues until he's close enough to investigate the grate himself while waiting to see if Delta's inquiry is answered.

The figure is only about a foot taller than Delta, but concealed within the robes.

"It was an important library, a trove a precious books.  All gone, all stolen, I was created their caretaker but now have nothing left to do.  Many seasons ago, men in red robes came, took a few of them, and burned the rest.  I tried to stop them, but failed"

Tanyl finds the sewer grate to be what is expected, nothing unusual to see about it.

"Books!" Delta is clearly distraught, for the burning of pages is so much more than just that, knowledge is destroyed as well. "If only we had found this place sooner."

Sure. they would have probably sold the books for a profit, but at least the books would still exist.

Delta's natural paranoia took over though, what if this guy was part of the defenses, deigned to stop people from finding the books.

She examined him closely, his movements, the shadows, etc., to see if he might be some sort of complex illusion.

Does the men in red mean anything to her? Should I roll something?

Sensing Delta is using her cunning to sort through this business Vala stands close to her friend, silent but protective in case things turn nasty.

Delta does not believe this cloaked figure to be an illusion, but after careful consideration, believes it may not be entirely nature either, perhaps a member of the fey, or a ghost, or a creation.

The red cloaked reference does not set off any special warnings.  The plans discovered recently mentioned a blood cult, maybe they wear red, maybe not.  Other groups certainly do, its a common color.

What Tanyl smells at the top of the grate wafting up from below reminds him of the Troglodytes and does nothing to improve his appetite.

Looking to the others, Delta considers what to do. She wishes they had a moment privacy.

"So who are you then, and what is your relationship to the library, and why it is down there?"

"I am the caretaker of the library, or used to be.  I could move books, and dust them, but little else.  The master built this place as his refuge and place of study, a hidden home within the center of the city."

"The master?" Tanyl inquires, as that is the obvious question.

Delta absorbed the response, a magical being, very interesting.

At the follow up by Tanyl, Delta nodded, an excellent question.