Stones walked back to the
crumbled ruins and examines the books on the shelf, careful not to touch
anything, and tries to interpret and mystical symbols or magical
patterns. He draws upon everything he learned from Suresh, hoping to gain
some understanding, some insight. With Suresh at the forefront of his
thoughts, he makes a methodical tour of the room, looking for anything that may
give him an indication of the book that holds Suresh’s soul…
I have to explain it
to this fool again. For the fourth time that day Stones provided
information on why the Hudson Army would fail. For the fourth time the
Commander shook his head in disgust. "That is opinion, Stones, not fact.
We needed this man's army. We need this man."
Stones could not help but growl, "Fact is his men did
not respect him. Fact he is going to get his men killed. If not this battle
then eventually." A strange thought slipped into Stones's mind and he
failed to keep it from escaping his lips. "You are not interested in the
truth. Only complaining about everything." Stones found himself digging shit
holes for the next week. Better to clean
shit that listen to that idiot anymore.
Stones struggles.
Quietly you all hear Noienna’s voice. “Let me help you.”
Elby
wanders around the first floor collecting his arrows.
It has been so long since I have seen her. I yearn to be
with her again. To stare into her sparkling green eyes. To run my fingers
through her light brown hair and caress her body. I miss the smell of lavender
that filled the room every time she took a bath. The way she would snuggle up
to me and whisper her dreams of the future as we drifted to sleep. If only
there was some way I could be back with her and not be trapped in Portsmith. I
know she wants me to be happy and realizes the only way that can be is if I'm free
to come and go at my own choosing. Damn her family for trying to trap there. If
only there was a way I could show them that my intentions for Amelia are pure
and that I have no desire to hurt her.
Stones continued to
pick through the books. Not opening any. He had an idea of what they would do.
Noienna’s knowledge helped. Nestled among the books he found a bone scroll
case. An index system was what she had described. Patterns in the bindings on the books.
After collecting the arrows from the
first floor, Elby climbs a ladder (C13).
He walks to where the western bowman was. He collects his arrows and checks the
dead body for anything of interest.
Nothing
worthwhile. The bow has vanished. The body had liquefied. Actually it was
pretty disgusting.
This guy is one ugly fuck. It
reminds me of that portrait Mosk showed me in his family’s home. It was next to
an uncle of his, Boelles, who once worked with the Chumbe priests. He was a
successful trader who had a reputation for twisting the deal to his favor.
There was a rumor that he finally pushed his luck too far in a trade with the
priests. Shortly after that, he was never seen again.
Radegast continued to
gaze into the nothinginess. Caught up in thought. Watching Stones wander across
the room searching. Searching. Searching.
The ale was strong. Strong, sweet, and thick enough Radegast
could slip a spoon into it and it would stand on end. Geo inspected it with a
practiced, skeptical eye, as though the bubbling head would provide insight
beyond his bulbous nose. A bulbous nose he skimmed atop the head of the ale
like a dragon fly going across the water. Radegast understood the skepticism -
it was Geo's recipe he was imitating. As a dwarf Geo’s recipe had been passed
down from generation-to-generation on deathbeds, at weddings, when a dwarf
became a man. It was a simple bet. Radegast had received a sip of Geo's ale. If
he could make the exact same brew Geo would give up half his trade route; if
Radegast failed then Geo received half his route. Geo sipped. Geo lost half his
route.
Elby goes back down the ladder and
rejoins the others. “How can you tell what each book is?” He starts looking at
the bindings, hoping to come across something he recognizes.
“So Noienna, are you saying all
these books represent souls taken by the Chumbe priests?”
Maybe I could find the book of
Boelles’s soul and set him free. His soul is bound to Portsmith in death, so it
should return there. Then Mosk and his family would stop hunting me. Then I
could be with Amelia again.
Radegast walks over and joins them. “Let me help.” He is
quiet, thoughtful. Intense.
Your combined magical knowledge (26, nice roll) puts it all together as you search the room. Deciphering patterns. Checking the strength of the magic. Making sure to be careful. It takes half an hour but you finally get there.
When Noienna was alive – indeed the statue is of
her – the older books were among the Western wall. Three hundred years of
knowledge. After so math, looking at a various bindings, and that the legend of
Lolo is only twenty years ago then the bookshelves where Radegast and Stones
fought the Mind Strike…those are the shelves which would contain the souls of
the departed if they are even there.
Noienna emphasizes the last part. She also reminds that in order to finally
release the souls the statue of her must be transported to the portal.
Portsmouth. The name had never made any sense to Elby. There
was neither a port nor a smith to be found. His fiancée Amelia laughed when he asked
her the question. "It keeps people away." The usual mirth in her
voice was present. Always mirth, never gloom. "An army would look at a map
and see no water. He would think what sort of fools name the town such. I am a
great commander of an army who will not slaughter fools!" She raised her
hand into the air as though hoisting a sword, her voice rising as she turned
the final phrase into a proclamation. She then collapsed into a fit of giggles.
Elby grasped her playfully around the waist, digging his fingers into her body
so she would laugh harder. "All you need is an equally foolish captain to
attack." She broke his grasp, slipping away like an eel before spinning
with a cat-like grace to be in her feet. "Then they would invade a swamp?
What fool falls in love with swamps?" This fool, Elby thought. Though he
would have bet she already knew that.
Note:
- Buried on the shelves of the library are two ritual scrolls: a scroll of Raise Dead in a bone tube and a scroll of Consult Mystic Sages wrapped in leather.
- A small glass vial wrapped inside the Raise Dead scroll holds 500 gp worth of residuum—just enough to perform the ritual once
- Maybe if you destroy the books you will survive the psychic backlash. Who REALLY knows.
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