D&D Adventure #3: Vicious Circle

[FatherJack]

Thor followed Glibberig while listening rapt to his Vampire Diary. He's now scowling at footprints.

Scowl (Spot):
Roll(1d20)+5:
7,+5
Total:12

Furrowed-brow (Search):
Roll(1d20)+4:
9,+4
Total:13

[Grimmie]

*Does Knowledge: Religion rolls*

Back at your church, Anson looks clueless as to the origin of the blood-drop symbol, but Fitzroy seems to recognise it.

Enkah Lahaed is dead? How utterly awful. He is of our congregation, young Shankley.

Aahh.. This sounds to me to be the sign of Erythnul "The Many". I have brushed in to only one or two of his despicable followers during my priesthood, fortunately for me. The Library in the centre of town may hold books on his practices, we store no such literature here.

---

He leans forward slightly and tries to catch a glimpse between the guards legs, at the scene, to see if he can spot anything Shankley might have missed.

Thor followed Glibberig while listening rapt to his Vampire Diary. He's now scowling at footprints.

Neither of you see anything Forenrond didn't already see - though you do come across an irate guard before getting too close to the body, which seems to be getting wrapped up in cloth ready for transport to the mortuary.

Yes? You think it's proper to gawk at the dead like that? 'Lahaed was a good man, did good work, treat him with respect will ya'? Stop eye-balling and let 'em get on with their job.

[Roman Totale]

What work did he do, noble and steadfast guard? It can't have been as important as guarding. The way you stand there all day - so majestic! Was he a money man? Or a goods man? Or did he just move bits of parchment from one side of the desk to the other? I bet you know. I've heard the guards know everything about everyone. They're so resourceful and brave!

Diplomacy 11,+5 = 16

[Grimmie]

Diplomacy 11,+5 = 16

He loosens up a little. It's obvious the guard are a little rattled by the fact their judicial system might have failed here, and that they may well have sent an innocent man to his death.

'Scroll scribe by trade, but he was in the standing army - militia man, you know? Sometimes came to the barracks and helped out when we was short of hands. Come to think of it, I think Pyn was ex-militia too? Can't say for sure though.

[Dog Pants]

Thank you. The guard didn't do such a good job of finding the culprit to the last such killing. I'm going to make a few inquiries myself, and my new companions seem the curious type and good sports. I'm sure they'll rally to the cause.

I'll return to the others and pass on what Fitzroy said.

Sounds like the cult rumour might have had some truth. I went and spoke to Fitzroy at the temple, and he thinks it sounds like the work of Erythnul "The Many". Don't know who that is, but there's more reading to be done in the library on the like. Erm, for you scholarly types.

Can I actually read?

[Roman Totale]

Can I actually read?

I have Decipher Script, will that do or is it more for codez?

[Grimmie]

You can all read common, and whatever languages you chose at character creation. The only class considered illiterate is barbarian.
Decipher script is for foreign or archaic texts, where you can try and decipher the written language.

[Roman Totale]

There's more to life than books you know - singing, drinking, eating, fishing, bobbing for apples, badger kissing, the list is endless! If we have to read books can we act them out like charades? I love charades!

Once I came close to shuffling off this mortal coil and came face to face with Death himself! Rather than succumb to fate, I challenged him to a game of charades. What a breeze! It turns out he's only seen one play - The Eight Walrus.

Do you really have to be silent in a library? Isn't that distracting? Surely you'd want someone to liven up those dull text books with a dramatic reading or two?

[Dog Pants]

Shankley takes on a look of a man about to strangle himself to death in dismay.

Maybe not the place for you Glibberig. Maybe you could charm some of the militia and see if there's anything there? They'd love you.

[Baliame]

You know, I'd keep an eye on him, I'm not entirely sure he will achieve the desired effect. Indeed, the library is a not a place for your kind, us scholarly people prefer to dive into deep silence while reading the teachings. And it's not unheard of that disturbed scholars reduced loud people to mere frogs.

[Dog Pants]

Maybe you should investigate the library then Thoroar while Glibberig and I take the militia angle.

[Roman Totale]

Well not total silence - I can hear you mouthing the words as you read along, pointing at the same time. Is that a wizard thing? Could you make me a bullfrog? They have wonderful singing voices!

I shall leave you to your adventures amongst the bookshelves. Come Shankley, let us converse with the militia men. I have some common ground with them that might give us an advantage - I once led a militia to overthrow an diabolical tyrant that held a town in his evil grasp. He was an evil sorcerer that had shrouded the entire place in a cone of silence and forbade the villagers from making any noise. Sure enough the townsfolk, inspired by my music, rose up in revolt against him. His enforcers, The Librarians as they were known, were first up against the wall come the revolution.

Will you join us, Thor? A manly presence may help rather than just a Gnome and an Elf asking for information.

[Dog Pants]

I'm not an elf

[Roman Totale]

Glib has already walked off towards the militia, so he didn't catch that bit.

[FatherJack]

I ain't really much of one for books. All I see is dead trees.

He goes with Glibberig and Shankley.

A great-uncle of mine used ta have a lot of books. Folks said he wasn't right in the head, an' they got that right. One day he thought he had himself a pair of magic britches that made him invisible, but we all just humoured him. Next time I saw those britches, there was a kobold wearing 'em.

[Dog Pants]

Well, libraries aren't my thing much either, but living in a church you get used to the quiet.

[Grimmie]

Thoroar: The Orhedge library is a grand cylindrical building made of stone and timber, three stories high. The bookshelves inside are arranged in concentric circles, and there's a double-helix staircase connecting the levels to one another through a central atrium, with one staircase for going up, and the other for going down. Shafts of light pour in to the outer circles through tall, narrow windows which bathe comfortable armchairs in just enough daylight to read by. The inner circles are deprived with natural light, but a series of glass orbs enchanted with light spells run around the railings of the atrium, giving plenty of reading light.

It's fairly easy to navigate, and three librarians sit behind an oval desk, each wearing half-moon glasses and blue robes.

Thor, Glibberig and Forenrond: The guards are now escorting the body towards the mortuary, where it will be kept before burial. There's a slightly larger crowd gathering around the side streets of Prince's, also trying to get a look at the murder scene.

Where's Orovan at the moment?

[shot2bits]

Orovan's spell list is:

Entangle
Guidance
Resistance
Detect magic

He will head to the library with thoroar

[Roman Totale]

On the way, Glibberig will make idle chit chat with the crowd.

Shame, shame. Member of the militia too. So was the other one. I wonder if they got into a fight about something? If they did it was either a woman, money or religion. What do you reckon?

[Grimmie]

An old dwarvish housewife wrings her hands and nods mournfully to Glibberig's musings.

Yes, isn't it just dreadful? Poor Emma. Both of her boys taken from her so viciously! The poor soul.

She seems to be heading to the local Dwarven Inn for some sympathy-pain drinks.

Glib, Forenrond, Thor, where are you heading first to look for guards?
Thoroar, Orovan, what sort of reading-material are you going to look for?

Map of Orhedge