Angel Eyes scampers off down the left passage. Not surprisingly, a rat has little problem moving through the sewers.  She is gone for awhile, leaving the party to listen to the sounds, dripping, water running down the drain, the occasional distant scream.

Time passes and Delta begins to get a little worried but then her little friend is back. She's soaking wet and smells bad but is unharmed.  With a long series of squeaks, she communicates that the passage goes 2 ways.   One ends in deeper water flowing through a grate.  Beyond that grate, it gets deeper and deeper and faster, too fast so she turned and swam back. The other passage makes a few turns and then comes to a big hole where water flows down.  Beyond the hole, the passages are dry.  She heard something moving in that direction so came back.

Drying off her friend, Delta chitters a bit of chastisement mixed with worry about her going too far away, but gives Angel Eyes a big hug and a piece of cheese as she puts her back in her pouch.

Sharing what she learned with the others, she suggests they seek out this place with the passages that are dry.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:12, Wed 10 Nov 2021.

"I agree, but let's be on guard: we don't know what was moving down there."

Following the instructions of the rat, the three adventurers carefully move along the sewers, past another grate (this one rusted and breaking in the middle), and finally come to a dry hallway.  It goes only a short distance before ending in a doorway.  It was once ornate and locked, but is partially knocked in.

Beyond it lies a huge room, maybe 40 x 50, that is crisscrossed with solid wood and stone shelves.  The shelves turn the room into a near maze, and once must of housed many thousands of tomes.  The shelves are now barren, with only dust and spider webs as their occupants.

The far corner of the room, the shelves create a small 10 x 15 room with a small gap leading into it.   A once comfortable bedroom lies in shambles.  A desk, a bed, a table and chest.  Here on one shelf of a book case, is a shelf clean of dust and webs, with two books on it.

One, on magical theory, the other, a dwarven book on tunnel designs.

Looking about, Delta thinks it is pretty sad how poorly the place was treated, and wonders how hard it would be to fix us as a place to live, because finding a place of her own is on her mind a lot of the time.

Glancing at the books left behind, Delta opens each, and gives them a glance.

"What do you think Tanyl, maybe secret doors around or something?"

Had she noticed any broken or opened secret doors?

She makes a partial effort to neaten things a bit, tugging up the blankets and such, then pokes around the desk, table and chest.

"No dust, no spider webs . . . either magic, or someone's been here.  My money's on someone being here."

Tanyl begins looking for more evidence to support his theory, including secret doors.

"They were probably reading these books," Vala says, glancing at the two surviving copies. "Dwarven tunnels and magical theory? Magically hidden or trapped doors maybe?"

There are a lot of walls, shelves, and floor to search. I quick search finds nothing, but if dwarves hide a door, and mean it, it's likely not easily discovered.  Despite its sad state, you quickly realize there is no sewer smell here, it is not humid, but comfortable, you could well imagine it was quite a nice place long ago.

During you search, you suddenly feel a deep cold settle into the room, so cold your breathe billows out in pockets of fog, and a chill of fear flows with it, it comes from where you entered and is coming toward you.

"Well crap, is this another guardian? I wonder if those who really pillaged this place had to deal with it?"

Retreating to the bed, Delta hopped on the mattress and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, keeping her arms free for casting.

"Who goes there?" she called out.

She was going to feel a fool if this was just magical central air conditioning of some time-and-place appropriate nature.

Unable to locate the threat, Tanyl tries to melt into the darkness.

For all the good that will do him. . . .

As the group hides, backs up or stands their ground, a whitish ghostly apparition glides down the hallway to stand at the entrance to the door. It is roughly human sized but cold and fear flow from it.

"Who disturbs my home, have I not suffered enough?  Prepare to join me in the afterlife!".

Standing firm, and hoping Vala has something to deal with the likes of the apparition, if it were needed.

"Don't blame us, we didn't loot this place. We just got here, your stuff has been gone awhile. We might help you get revenge though, if you want."


OOC: Delta attempts to discover if this is an illusion, looking for any telltale signs of her style of magic.

Delta is pretty sure she is looking a real live (well not live) ghost.

"Revenge, too late for revenge, but you could help me, how did you find my library?"

Stunned that the ghost still had intelligence, she marveled at what kind of mind and will had managed to retain itself so well on the other side of the mortal veil.

"It was a long and complicated tale, and I don't even know all of it, but I will share what I know.
"We were working to protect some tombs from being looted, and we found a bauble, an amulet, which showed what looked like one of the sewer openings I assume you designed, and a number that did not seem to exist.
"We managed to find this location thru a friend, a woman who is by her own admission, a good researcher. The number was not on the map, but she extrapolated when it should be, and we came here.
"Searching the area, I found a stone that opened a path, where sadly one of your servants was morning the destruction to the library.
"I hope you can help him, or release him from his task, by the way.
"Anyway, we followed the path of the looters, hoping to find, I mist admit, some missed bit of treasure or knowledge.
"But I, for one, am certainly willing to help you, if it is within my power."

The chill air had her clutching the blanket closer for warmth.

"Too late, you say?  How long ago did you . . . pass?"

The ghost shimmers, and anger flows from it, "Someone stole the amulet I left for Ph'Eilquex Silvertongue, are there no end to the depravities of your time?  The heartstone, it was at the head of my bed, if it was returned, my library would heal itself in time.  Do this for me, and I will rest at last.  Unlike the books, it was made to look rather ordinary, but it is not. "

"My time was when the City was young and the first Lord sat upon the throne".

"You library can heal? I am impressed. And I would gladly aid in the return of your headstone. Do you think I could perhaps visit your library from time to time, if we succeed, oh wise adviser of Timiteus?"

The last bit slipped out, and she hoped it didn't offend the ghost.

"Uhm . . . if this heartstone looks ordinary, how're we supposed to know it when we see it?"

"I will tell you where it is, and if you return it, I can rest again, and you may take this place as your own if you wish".

Heart veritably leaping into her throat with joy at the though of owning the place, Delta leaps at the opportunity.

"Well we shall certainly do our best to deliver you the rest you so justly deserve deserve, won't we guys?"

Looking to Vala and Tanyl she hopes to find them in agreement.

Tanyl isn't a fan of dank, cold, underground places -- and this is all three.

But he can see the value in having a place, any place, and a place that may hold some lore at that.

Plus, Delta's excitement is irresistable.

"Yeah, sure," he agrees.  "We'll give it a shot."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 20:33, Tue 30 Nov 2021.

The ghost seems rather surprised by your answer, but the fear and cold emanating from it lessens considerably.

"Decades ago, a troll known as Bonegnasher led a gang of ruffians.  They were the scourge of the eastern road for miles, attacking caravans, stealing goods and eating those they captured or killed.  They did not ransom prisoners.  As fate would have it,  this band of terrors killed several of the men who robbed my home.  The Hearthstone passed to them.  As their fame grew, so did interest in ending their reign.  Infamy has a  price, and one day, Bonegnasher and his motley force paid it.   The troll was cut to pieces and while they set fire to him, his followers fled, and the warriors went after them.  Hunted them down and killed them to the last.  The fire they set thought was not large, and did not completely destroy the troll, who regenerated enough to crawl off.  Not completely whole but he fled into a lair of caves where to this day he mostly hides in fear and hatred of mankind.  He still has the Hearthstone though he rarely hunts and only against those alone and lost and easy pickings.  The ruins of a seaward watchtower, two days east of the city, you find entry to his lair.  Do not go lightly, he is still dangerous and who knows what else lives down there, you may want to hire a healer before you attempt it.  Bring me the stone and I will do as I have said".

Delta stood absorbed in the tale, and it seemed likely that some portion of such a riveting story would end up in one of her song.

"Decades? I had no idea. How you must have suffered, you poor thing."

She looked to Vala, then Tanyl.

"I agree, we needs must hire a healer. We should be able to head out as soon as that has been accomplished?"

Vala looked thoughtful. "I agree about the healer but perhaps one who can fight too? We're going into dangerous territory."

"The healers I know of won't fight. We would have to hire a man-at-arms for that. If you think it necessary."