Lirian looked at the dagger.  She had a strange feeling about it, and her previous experience with trying to open the tomb didn’t help…  “I guess we better don’t touch it she told Hunter. “I have a bad feeling about this dagger and the lock…


She began to move to the stairs to search the dead end. She felt there might be an exit there, and that they have found a library’s treasure. “Will at the end of the day the Jester’s fire open us to more information instead of denying us or it?” she wondered. “I’d call it poetic justice” she kept thinking with a smile.

As she was moving up the stairs, cautious as they seemed old, she heard Kai above


“I had no way up, so I decided to go down, but we’re safe now, don’t worry” she answered. “There seem to be interesting things here, though. Could you please call Elysia? She must know about this… ”

As she reached the end of the stairs, she began testing the walls, hitting them with her staff looking for any hollow sound or anything that could mean a hidden door or exit there could be there…

16:06, Today: Secret Roll: Lirian rolled 4,3 using d6-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 5,4.  Notice: looking for hidden/secret rolls. -1 for fatigue, I understand. – 4,3. Success if no negative DMs apply. GM will tell the meaning.

(BTW, I forgot the -1 on casting the Song of Light, but it meant no difference, being a success with a raise)

"Nervermind! Don't panic Kai, Aeryss has rope" Hunter called up.

"Thanks for the light. I just wanted him here because he can see better in the dark" he said conversationalist, helping the bard search. "I didn't see what was happening to the Jester, we were walking down the road when we saw the library on fire. I saw the body and heard something going on, but I was too busy fighting the fire. You know, if it gets away, we can follow it and find it later, bit if this place burns down that's not something we can rectify in a day or two."

"Anyway, what I want to know is, well, I want to be certain this place is self contained and doesn't connect to the sewers somehow. Where did the Jester come from, did he enter from the street or did he just appear in the libraru somewhere?"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 15:28, Thu 04 Jan.

As Lirian is moving around trying to figure out what activates the bookcase she hits on a torch near the bottom of the stairs that isn't lit. Fiddling around she notices that there is no oil but instead it seems the torch seems to turn on the wall to the side. A loud click can be heard from inside of the wall and all the sudden gears start turning. Up above near Kai he notices a whole bookshelf move to the side leading to a way down below where Lirian is. It seems the bookshelf is a false wall.

“It seems we won’t need the rope” Alice said, seeing the way open. “I guess Elysisa and her aides should inventory what’s down below, as it seems the library had more than they knew… All seems old and not touched in a longtime, judging from the dust”

She then returned downstairs to look at what she had found there (which books were there, what were they about, how old they seemed, etc)

[Private to GM: She also keeps an eye on Hunter (and more so Jenkins, if he has heard the call and approached) to avoid him (them) taking anything, as she didn’t fully trust who seems to be the master of the goblin thief (and not at all the goblin himself)]

Piper thought for a moment, then laid out a proposition for Quentin.

"Why don't Mosii and I follow the wagon.  We can confirm it makes it to the castle, or keep track of it if it doesn't for some reason.  You can get back to the others and arrange for folks to use Hunter's letter to visit this Stonecroft.  That should help avoid making completely empty promises to him in the event this creature doesn't make it to the king for any reason.  At least then we could offer up an explanation."

Jenkins was getting bored. They weren't even torturing the thing, just putting it in a cage. She headed back towards the library, wanting to see the insides and all the damage that had been done. Then a sudden thought struck her: there might be more fried ratsies in there! Tasty crispy fried ratsies!

Hurrying back, she heard people calling her name and broke into a run.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:40, Thu 04 Jan.

I'm panicking?  Kai was incredulous.  "You two are in a hole inside a burning -- er, burnt building.  If the floor collapsed, the roof could too."

He looks over to Aeryss.  "You have rope?  You know you could have told me before I started yelling for that little green frog."

"Yes I still have it."  Aeress dug it out.  "Do you see anything good to anchor it to?  Or shall we not bother?"

Hunter walks around down below hitting and kicking walls and stomping occasionally.

"What are you doing?" Jenkins asked, when she finally arrived.

"Looking for a way into the sewers from here. I think there might be an entrance, but I can\t find it. You have a look" Hunter replied.

"No, of course there isn't, any fool can see that. This is a basement. Oooh! Nice dagger! Shiny!" Jenkins rushed over to the glass case and began inspecting it, looking for traps before she smashed her way in.

"No! No! Bad dagger! Not for you! Out! Out! Come on, let's get some fresh air, it stinks in here."

"Stinks like your burnt underclothes. I likes it!" Jenkins muttered under her breath. "Nice dagger! Good dagger! Good size for Goblin, make good sword."

"Out! Don't be too long Liriam, we need to see Stonecroft.
"OUT, you!" he said, blocking the goblin and shepherding him up the stairs.




17:16, Today: Hunter Gallagher rolled 1,1 using d6-1,d8-1, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2.  Hunter Notice:  searching for access to sewers .
17:18, Today: Hunter Gallagher rolled 1,2 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,2.  Jenkins notice

Quentin is still not quite sure about that light of an escort, but deciding that maybe he's just too pessimistic, he does as he's told, getting back to the library to check on Hunter. As he turns and walks back, he looks for possible agents of the invasion (or whatever that is), but ultimately is unable to pinpoint any of the numerous spectators as warranting particular interest.

Quentin is surprised by what he sees at the library. "Hey, Hunter?! Lirian?! Is everyone allright?!" He also looks at Kai, Aeress and Elysia to comment on the issue.

Once he learns that people are allright, he proceeds with Piper's proposal: "The guards have packed the thing and are hauling it towards the castle. It is still not dead yet after I've burned it well and good, so highly interesting, but they could not let me lay hands on it. Piper suggests we should go meet with Roland Stonecroft and tell him stuff and maybe ask him for some assistance on that or some other issues."

12:52, Today: Secret Roll: Quentin Fox rolled 2,2 using 1d6-1,1d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3.  Notice any suspicious persons maybe.

"Let's go outside. This damn smoke's getting to me" Hunter said, heading out the door before answering Quentin.

"My Cousin Sheldon said we wouldn't be able to see the King. Best we can do is to see one of his advisors, and he gave me the name Roland Stonecraft, and a piece of paper with his address. But he said we can't just go there with hearsay and stories, we need hard evidence before he'll listen to us. Then he'll take us seriously amd we will be paid attention to rapidly."

"I was thinking, can you repeat that trick with the growing rat? Have you got any stuff left? Pipers cat could catch another rat...

"No, not a growing rat, really, that stuff's used up, but I've got a full bottle of... wildfire? Not sure what it is, hasn't taken the time to analyze it. And the book stating that they can make amounts of wildfire without leaving the sewers. That maybe should pass for some news."

"That's enough to get in the door, surely. After that we have a lot to talk about."

“A connection with sewers? I guess we cannot rule it out…” Lirian thought, hearing the talk among Hunter and Jenkins. “Dust made me think no one has been here for time, but the collapse has brought enough dust itself to hide any tracks… It may be worth to look at it before light fades.”

So Lirian joined in looking for any hidden entrance from the sewers

12:37, Today: Secret Roll: Lirian rolled 2,1 using d6-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2.  Notice: looking for hidden/secret rolls. -1 for fatigue, I understand. – 2,1 Failure. If there’s any such door, it is quite well hidden seeing Hunter, Jenkins and Lirian rolls ;)

Seeing no sigh of such an entrance, Lirian followed Hunter and Jenkins upstairs and joined the rest of the team.

“There’s a good collection of old books down there. I guess you should look at them as they are part of the library collection” she told to Elysia. “There’s also a strange dagger locked with chains in a glass jar. I didn’t try to open it, as my last attempt to do something like this was not a good experience” she added with a smile. “By the way, do you have my lute, don’t you?” Lirian tried to recover her belongings.

Then she turned to Jenkins. “This is yours, and I promised to return it” she said her, returning the pendant from the maps shop. “Now I need some fresh air .” She moved outside. “And I guess a new cloak…” she added , with a sad smile, seeing her old one, now beaten and half burnt

Elysia greets the characters with a very big smile.

"Thank you my friends for helping save the library. We will have rebuild parts but you are heroes through and through. I am so sorry about the trouble you have been thrown in but if you need something, please seek me out. I will aid you as best as I can."

With Quentin in agreement, Piper held on as Mosii scaled the nearby architecture and got them back up high, where they could follow the wagon's progress on the way to the castle.

"Hey Jenkins, have you got any water in that bag?" Rummaging through it Hunter found a waterskin and drank deeply, then offered it round. "Did anyone get burnt? Or hurt?"

Huner coughed, and looked ruefully at his shiny new armour, already blackened, singed and tatty. "I just never seemed to be able to keep things shiny." He shrugged out of his coat of plates and let it cool.

He dug out the piece of paper with the address and handed it to Quentin.  "I'm good to go as soon as I've got my breath back."

OOC: Good to move on, I think? Once we're not fatigued any more..."

“Please, Elysia, keep us informed about what’s on this just discovered cellar. I’m curious about it” Lirian asked, before exiting the library looking for some fresh air, taking her lute and bow with her. There she heard the others’ talk.

She looked at them all. Though she was the one most affected (after her hand to hand firefighting and her sliding down to the cellar), everyone (maybe but Piper) was dirty, sweaty and smelling to smoke. “Not that I disagree about going to talk with this one Stionecraft” she said, “but are you sure we’re currently in shape to visit a Royal advisor? I guess we’d better return to the tavern to clean ourselves and arrange us a little, if we want to be taken seriousl As we look now, I doubt the guards even let us to show any letter of introduction... ”
This message was last edited by the player at 19:34, Sat 06 Jan.

"Elysia? Could you perhaps write us a quick letter of introduction to Roland Stonecroft  stating we have been researching a cure and the origins of this ...plague..., and thanking us for assisting with the fire?" Hunter asked.

He looked at Liriam. "We have come direct from fighting a fire that almost burnt the entire library down. Quentin is rather concerned that the Jester rat thing may escape or be rescued or released en route to the palace. Is that reason enough to be dirty and covered in soot, or should we retire first for a bath and a clean set of clothes? Not that my other clothes are much better."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:17, Sat 06 Jan.

Kai snorts derisively.  "We ain't no fancy-pants nobility.  We work for a living.  Let's just go there and tell him what we know.  If he has a problem with it, we'll go wash our dainties and wait for him to invite us for tea."

Quentin looks himself up and down and finds his looks at least satisfactory. "I hope this man will want things done, in which case he'll want to be informed swiftly. If he would care much about the rat-fighters' looks, he might turn out to be as useless as local city guard. In either case, I might be the one to do the talking, I haven't participated in the firefighting that much and am still in good shape."

So, the team voting "let's go".

“Well, it’s clear I’m in minority” Lirian said after hearing the others’ arguments. “So let’s go, but let me at least refresh a little.”

She tried to whip the dust out of her and went to a fountain (if there’s one, otherwise to one of the water buckets remaining) to wash at least her face and hands. Then, seeing her hair smoked and tangled, she braided it, again unconsciously humming some song as she did. She drank a little water to clear her throat and voice.

She arranged as she could her clothing and hung the bow on her back while taking the lute and testing it. “I’m ready, unless you want to at least rest a little before. I guess it would do good to all of us…”

Be it while resting or while walking (team’s decision, though she’d suggest at least to allow fatigue to wear off) she began playing the lute and softly singing to calm herself.

18:52, Today: Secret Roll: Lirian rolled 3,0 using d8-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 4,1.  Perform (playing the lute. Just RPG meaning). – 3,0

As she begin so sing, smoke still on her throat made her cough. Frustrated for it, she hung the lute on her back and stopped, though soon she was unconsciously whistling a song anyway…
This message was last edited by the player at 17:57, Sun 07 Jan.

"There is some benefit to an immediate followup.  Our rough state might make us all the more convincing.  It would also be a shame if the Jester creature were to be spirited away from us."  Aeress decided.  "We should find out more about the strangeness down there however."

Elysia shakes her head at Lirian and agrees. "I'll see what I can do with the basement."

While she is talking to Lirian she listens to Hunters requests and gets a piece of parchment to scribble something down. She gives the advisor information about what has happen and what she has seen. She also includes all the findings that the team has managed to come up with so far in their journey based upon what she knows.

She has the piece of paper over to Hunter which is quickly snatched by his goblin. She smells the paper and looks to almost consider eating it before Elysia gives a half scared smile. The goblin gives the paper over to hunter.

OOC: we will continue in Chapter 1: Scene 6: The Royal Alchemist