Candlekeep Mysteries 1

Raastin chuckles. "Well, we should have thought of that earlier!" He heads for M5, weapons drawn and ready. 

Stealth: 9

"Well, for the love a..."  Garmus grumbles as he follows Raastin, no attempt at all to be sneaky.

M5 - STUDY

The entire far wall of this room is a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. Even more books are resting on several large scarlet armchairs and small wooden tables, and there are several paintings on the walls. There are three paintings hanging on the walls: a landscape scene with a large green dragon emerging from a grove of pine trees, a study of a pegasus in flight, and a portrait of a unicorn in a wooded glade. A book with the letter I on its spine is sitting on one of the armchairs.

Matreous is laying dead on the floor, apparently stung by some sort of creature. It is currently not in this room, as far as you can tell.

Raastin points toward the "I" book, but doesn't move further into the room. Instead, he's looking about for anything with a stinger.

Perception: 14

Ecko furiously polishes his glasses at the sight. For the first time since you met him, he quells his incessant rambling to focus. The person they came here for is dead. That doesn't stop his twitchy motions, though - he glances around the room frantically, absorbing the pictures and images. And, finally, the book. Ecko gestures excitedly, enthralled by the mystique of the place more than worried by their current predicament. 

He turns his head to ensure the poor cat isn't nearby. Seeing it get stung by something would be a tragedy indeed. He tentatively moves towards the book. He extends his overpolished, shield and crouches behind it in a walk that is surprisingly militaristic in stark comparison to the Kenku's usual ambling walk. It was getting serious. If nothing spontaneously horrible happens, Ecko will first investigate the room for any traps or danger before snatching up the book. He had a lurking suspicion something was very amiss, but that was Ecko's desire to figure things out and see what there is to see. To miss something curious was Ecko's greatest fear. 

Detect Magic is still up, if that has any use. 

The room, at the moment, seems safe and free of any monsters, as far as you can tell. There is a huge wealth of knowledge in the books that are here. You're not detecting anything magical at the moment.

Unfortunately, with Matreous' death, so too die the hopes of saving the poor village. Eralynn looks around nervously.

The book with the I on it's spine appears to be some sort of journal. Even just a cursory glance reveals tons of information: Almost all the books in this study were written by someone named Fistandia. Most are her memoirs. Fistandia was a powerful mage as well as a priest of Mystra. She frequented Candlekeep to further her studies. In exchange for Fistandia’s pious service and achievements in expanding the arts of magic, Mystra granted Fistandia a permanent extradimensional mansion for her to reside in when studying in Candlekeep. Fearful that a guest might become trapped in the mansion, Fistandia hid the command word to open the portal to Candlekeep on the spines of seven books in her mansion.

Anyone who has a passive perception of 12 or higher can see a secret door on the north wall.

Raastin sees no threats, but does notice the secret door. "There's a hidden door there!" he says, pointing towards its and moving slowly in its direction while chanting his mantra. "Don't sting me. Don't sting me. Don't sting me. Don't sting me. Don't sting me."

LOL

The door does not sting you.

SIKE! IT'S A MIMIC! ROLL FOR INITIATIVE!!

Eralynn "screams".

Just kidding.

She looks at the camera, perturbed.

You see stairs leading down.

"Let's see what we can find.  The sooner we're outta this book happy death trap the better."  He peers down the stairs..."do ya want me ta go first in case there's somethin' hankerin' ta kill us at the bottom?"  He asks the group, hefting his axe.

Eralynn nodded. Be careful!

"Very well."  He heads down the stairs, axe and shield at the ready.

M17 - ALCHEMICAL LAB

The air here smells of astringent chemicals. Long wooden tables stretch across the room, laden with vials, beakers, and flasks holding various liquids and powders. Books are stacked between the glassware and chemicals. Yellowed paper charts and blackboards full of complex formulas cover the walls. The books here cover chemical science and alchemy. Judging by the numerous scorch marks and acid burns on the furniture, the laboratory was the scene of several spectacular failures. Four clay figures rest on a table in the middle of the room. They range from a rudimentary, barely humanoid shape to a small, winged body so lifelike that it almost appears to be a real creature that is merely asleep.

A book with the letter B on its spine is propped up against a large beaker.

T L E Y I R B

Raastin looks at the letters, scratching his head and says, “Liberty?”

You feel an arcane pulse of power wash over the entire mansion. You have the feeling a doorway has opened somewhere in the mansion! Could this be the way out??

Quote from CrispyDM >>

The room, at the moment, seems safe and free of any monsters, as far as you can tell. There is a huge wealth of knowledge in the books that are here. You're not detecting anything magical at the moment.

Unfortunately, with Matreous' death, so too die the hopes of saving the poor village. Eralynn looks around nervously.

The book with the I on it's spine appears to be some sort of journal. Even just a cursory glance reveals tons of information: Almost all the books in this study were written by someone named Fistandia. Most are her memoirs. Fistandia was a powerful mage as well as a priest of Mystra. She frequented Candlekeep to further her studies. In exchange for Fistandia’s pious service and achievements in expanding the arts of magic, Mystra granted Fistandia a permanent extradimensional mansion for her to reside in when studying in Candlekeep. Fearful that a guest might become trapped in the mansion, Fistandia hid the command word to open the portal to Candlekeep on the spines of seven books in her mansion.

Anyone who has a passive perception of 12 or higher can see a secret door on the north wall.

Quote from CrispyDM >>

M17 - ALCHEMICAL LAB

The air here smells of astringent chemicals. Long wooden tables stretch across the room, laden with vials, beakers, and flasks holding various liquids and powders. Books are stacked between the glassware and chemicals. Yellowed paper charts and blackboards full of complex formulas cover the walls. The books here cover chemical science and alchemy. Judging by the numerous scorch marks and acid burns on the furniture, the laboratory was the scene of several spectacular failures. Four clay figures rest on a table in the middle of the room. They range from a rudimentary, barely humanoid shape to a small, winged body so lifelike that it almost appears to be a real creature that is merely asleep.

A book with the letter B on its spine is propped up against a large beaker.

T L E Y I R B

Ysabell moved slowly towards the body of Matreous, kneeling down in front of his body when she reached it.  Bringing her face to the fallen sage, she quietly whispered some words to him before lightly toughing him on his forehead and rising.  "Well it seems I've failed my mission." she began seemingly speaking to the corpse.  "I have not done so in a long time...  I will find the one who did this and get justice for the life taken too soon."  Ignoring everything else in this room, she moved towards the secret entrance found by Raastin and followed the others down below.

Arriving in the lab, Ysabell walked towards the odd bodies, seeing if she could determine anything about them.

• Investigation (with advantage due to race trait): 14
• Spending another use of "Eyes of the Grave" to sense undead within 60ft

Eralynn had a face of mourning, feeling bad for Matreous, and Ysabell as well. She places a hand on Ysa's shoulder, trying to comfort her. I'm sorry.

As you look over the clay figures, they look like homunculi, or various stages of. You are detecting undead in M19. It's faint, but there's something.

Raastin looks down at the corpse, suggesting to the others, "We should find this exit before it closes." He places a hand on his ally's shoulder, offering comfort and a hand up as he encourages them along. Before leaving, the half-elf pauses, kneeling somberly at the wizard's corpse reaching out. "Gone to soon you were, my not-really-friend-who-got-us-sucked-into-a-deadly-ravenous-book-hell-hole. May you find peace now."

Before Ysabell could respond to any of her comrades gestures, she stiffened as she sensed the familiar scent of undeath nearby.  Darting her head towards M19, her demeanor suddenly changed to one of quiet seriousness and focus.  "There is something undead in the next room."  she shared quietly.  Pulling out her Scythe - whose handle had become wicked curved at some point - Ysabell strode without further comment towards M19 and entered (assuming she can get in).

Unfortunately, Matreous does not have anything of value on his person. You bastard. Eralynn has a look of deep concern as Ysabell continues on. 

M18 - SUMMONING ROOM

This dark, stone-walled room contains only a few objects. A five-foot-diameter circle of intricate runes covers the floor. There’s an empty wooden bookstand opposite the door and bronze braziers at the other three cardinal points of the circle. Whatever material they contained has long ago burned to cinders, but the room still smells of charcoal and sulfur. Sitting next to the bookstand is a warty toad. It's alive.

Ecko replicates the gesture of patting Ysabell's shoulder. He enters, shield first, and gives the room a curious look, dagger in hand. "Why would someone so allegedly pious as the owner of this mansion is have a summoning circle and hostile animated creatures attack anyone within? Didn't she create these volumes to allow someone to escape?" he openly wonders, giving the toad a cautious look. "Undead, too? How fascinating! I really want to speak with her. Do you think whatever creature was summoned attacked Matreous?

Ecko is more concerned about the rumors of undead. If the toad remains peaceful or if there is nothing particularly interesting found after inspecting each and every item in the room, Ecko trails out towards M19.