Ecko happily walks from the strange spa, content with another successful mission. Perhaps he would pick up more scrolls to continue his quest in gathering enough arcane knowledge to shift planes back to his original home. For now, though? His friends were fun enough. 

(I'm absolutely down for more adventures!)

Ok. Probably should of asked in Discord, but it's ok. 2/4 want to continue? Ysa and Garm?

(Sure let's do it)  

👍

CANDLEKEEP MYSTERIES - LEVEL SIX:

THE BOOK OF CYLINDERS

We were in Candlekeep once again. It's like we couldn't get away from this place. This time, we were eating and celebrating and getting to various stages of shitfacedness. Eralynn was about to not win a burping contest when a robed dragonborn cleared her throat and approached us. Cradled in her arms is a green book. “Please forgive the interruption,” she says. “My name is Pelk, and I speak for the Avowed. You’re adventurers, are you not? May I have a moment of your time?”

Crystal lets out a loud burp and looks to Eralynn “Beat that one” she says as the Dragonborn walks up. 

“Of course you can Pelk, come have a seat” she replies “we are just having a friendly contest…” she motions for Pelk to have a seat.

She looks to Eralynn ”I think G’s got us on this one Lyn” she says as she puts her mug down “How can we be of service to you?”

Eralynn inhaled to let one rip, trying to beat both Crystal and Garm when she saw the dragonborn approach. She stopped comically and released her breath. It didn't matter anyways. Burpmaster G was always the winner, she acknowledged. The dragonborn sits down.

Pelk explains:

“Candlekeep has long relied on a community of grippli to the north for fresh seafood. These frogfolk capture and raise giant crabs as livestock in an offshore cluster of pens they have erected just outside their village, then trade the meat and other salvageable parts for items they can use, particularly those made of metal or glass. Candlekeep has long been a steady customer, but over the last several tendays the grippli have become less and less active, and the supply of food has been all but cut off. To make things worse, rumors have arisen about serpent creatures being seen near the Cloakwood and the grippli village.”

Ecko pauses halfway through a baked cranberry muffin - his favorite - as the Dragonborn approaches. He oohs and aahs - Dragonborn were cool. “Snake creatures? What kind?” Ecko babbles before casting a side-eye towards Eralynn. “What’s seafood?” he genuinely asks. Hupperdook is far from the sea, and it was presumptuous to assume Ecko ate from anywhere besides bakeries. 

"Yes, i'm afraid so, Yuan-Ti to be exact. And seafood is any kind of food fit for consumption from the oceans of our world, like salmon, trout, squid, clams."

Eralynn draws, quickly, a visual animation of someone fishing, cooking, and eating a fish.

"Are you saying the Yuan-Ti are responsible for this food supply being cut off?  It makes sense.... Snake-like people coming after frog-like people" she looks at Eralynn "Really nice drawing hun, I can totally tell what that is!"

"Ack, Crystal, that was weak.  Lynny, give it a try, let's see if yer practice has paid off."  Garmus watches Eralynn's form, his mouth opening to correct her when a voice interrupts them.  He turns to find a dragonborn Avowed holding, what else, a book.  He listens as the woman explained the situation.  "I ain't never seen one of those snake people."

Ecko stares at the images, wide-eyed. He mimics the sound of someone puking. “Who would want to eat that?” he incredulously asks. He shakes his head. “Snake people are no good, though I question whether or not a lack of ‘seafood’ is a problem. Right. What’s in it for us besides the moral righteousness of bringing back Candlekeep’s supply of-“ Ecko gags- “seafood?”

"It is actually quite good Ecko.  I think you might be surprised."  Ysabell replied calmly to Ecko before turning to the Avowed.  "Like all creatures, the Yuan-Ti have good and evil souls among their number, though their susceptibility to their dark creator's influences have caused more than a few to commit dark deeds.  I would be interested in finding the ones nearby and seeing if any of their souls require judgement."  At this anyone looking at her Scythe would see an unnatural gleam momentarily shoot across it's sharpened edge before returning to normal.  "What is it specifically that you are asking of us?"   

"Are you saying the Yuan-Ti are responsible for this food supply being cut off?
"I am, indeed."
"It makes sense.... Snake-like people coming after frog-like people"
she looks at Eralynn "Really nice drawing hun, I can totally tell what that is!"
Eralynn smiled and turned red.

"Who would want to eat that?” 
Lots of people.

"What is it specifically that you are asking of us?"   

"This book i'm about to show you was brought to Candlekeep several years ago. The explorers who found it claimed it was not a historical text, but a warning. My superiors have authorized me to show it to you."

She takes out a container. Its made of supple leather reinforced with thicker strips of hide. Opening it reveals three intricately carved, hollow wooden cylinders and a linen bag of dry clay artfully decorated with a drop of water. The outside of each cylinder is covered with writing and simple images, apparently telling a story in three parts. 

"Now, watch. The first step is to remove some of the clay from its bag and mix it with water to form a thick paste, then spread the wet clay in a thin layer on a flat surface. Rolling one of the cylinders across this surface presses the writing into the clay and makes it readable. After repeating the process for each of the cylinders, you have a full story. The impressions in the clay are mostly characters in the Dwarvish script, combined with simple pictographs that tell a tale about the frogfolk and the serpentfolk."

"The first cylinder shows and explains how the grippli became skilled at harvesting giant crabs, which are loaded onto seagoing vessels and taken away while the frogfolk celebrate their newly earned wealth. The second cylinder’s story begins with serpent creatures lurking ominously outside the grippli village. Then the serpentfolk rush forth, capturing or killing any of the frogfolk who try to stand against them. As the village falls into disarray, the giant crabs escape from their cages and head back into the sea. The third cylinder depicts, and briefly tells about, the aftermath of the serpentfolk’s assault. The village is vacant, most of its buildings flattened. Still standing is the grippli’s temple to their deity, which has been taken over by the snake creatures."

"This ancient story told on the cylinders is unfolding now. Evil yuan-ti are tormenting the grippli, and their goal is nothing less than the obliteration of all who stand in their way. Someone must stop them. Mitor Jans, a ship captain who makes a living transporting crab meat to Candlekeep. Jans, eager for his shipments to resume, has volunteered to take you by sea to a trading post where you can meet with the grippli leader-in-exile, if you decide to undertake the quest to help the frogfolk. The Avowed are willing to pay 500 gp to each of you once the threat to the grippli village is neutralized."

(OOC: can’t wait to fight a few dozen Zhis)

Ecko gives Ysabell an extremely doubtful look, but original distaste for anything that remotely resembled seafood faded at the mention of the amount of offered gold. He perks up and stares, fully attentive. ”Sure. We’ll do it,” Ecko confidently agrees without a hint of consideration for the other party member’s thoughts. Despite being usually quite sweet in his mannerisms, Ecko was certainly impulsive. 

Eralynn shrugged, smiled, and gave a thumbs up.

Crystal looks to Ecko... then Eralynn... she shrugs "OK, let's do it"

(Mobile)

"I am also willing to assist.  And it will be nice to leave the halls of Candlekeep for a bit as well.  Before we depart,  is there anything else about this village we should know?"  

Garmus watches as the others agree.  He'd been on a couple of ships in his time and had enjoyed the open sea.  "Ya can count me in."  He said, taking a swig of his ale.