Candlekeep Mysteries 1

Garmus heads over to the stall..."Oi, you there!  Where's that knotty-pated ankle biter Vinrin?"  he asks the first person he sees.

A little girl, probably no older than 6, stares up at you with eyes wide from terror. With a shaking hand, she points to the person you're looking for. It appears she's about to crack and cry any moment.

With the group quickly getting distracted and separated, Ysa decided to stay with Raastin and see what kind of clues or information they were able to gather about this mysterious book stall.  When they came across Amberdune books, Ysabell noted to Raastin that it could be the stall in question before heading over and introducing herself.

A little girl, probably no older than 6, stares up at you with eyes wide from terror. With a shaking hand, she points to the person you're looking for. It appears she's about to crack and cry any moment.

Blast, hate it when I make um cry.  He thinks to himself.  "Vinrin!  Did ya get even shorter since the last time I seen ya?"  He asks the halfling across the stall in a teasing voice.

"Garmus!" Vinrin burps, turning to look at you. "Well, as I shit and fart, look who it is!! What can I do ya for this time? flea powder? Hemorrhoids cream? Oh wait. That's not what I sell here!"

"Always the helpful one, aren't ya?"  Garmus leans in and in a quieter voice says..."I'm needin' some information.  Lookin' fer a particular stall sellin' odd or rare books.  Also wanted ta see if you've noticed anythin' outta the ordinary, more than the usual weirdness of the Wide."

"Perhaps." he snorts. "Let me think."

15

"Man eating books, perhaps?"

"Now yer talkin', whadda ya got for me?"  He says, holding a gold piece in his hand.

Without another word, Ecko pushes into the Wizards of the Wide and peruses the arcane items for sale. He traces a Detect Magic spell in the air simply to enjoy the absolute barrage of arcane power present inside. He decides on purchasing a Comprehend Languages scroll. 

He winds up his sonograph after making the purchase and excitedly trotting towards Eralynn. "What are you thinking of buying?" He continues to munch on another pack of donuts, offering one to Eralynn. Where did he even find them? Nobody knows. Ecko enjoyed pastries. Perhaps too much. 

He winds up his sonograph after making the purchase and excitedly trotting towards Eralynn. "What are you thinking of buying?" He continues to munch on another pack of donuts, offering one to Eralynn. Where did he even find them? Nobody knows. Ecko enjoyed pastries. Perhaps too much. 

Eralynn took a donut. Mmm. Donuts. Her mouth watered. Eralynn was very slender. It was a mystery where the fat went. Her chest was small, and her butt was cute, but had no fat much anywhere else. Covering up her puncture wound, she usually had a scarf or other cloth around her neck, like a choker. She pointed to the scroll of find familiar, and magic missile. She looked up at Ecko, wondering if it made sense to get them.

"Now yer talkin', whadda ya got for me?"  He says, holding a gold piece in his hand.
The halfling takes it. He casually points to a stall off in the distance, not too close to the others. "That one. Be careful with the owners."

Garmus shakes Vinrin's hand and claps him on the shoulder as he says in a louder voice..."It was good ta see ya again, Vinrin.  I won't be needin' any of yer cockamamie potions today ya rascal.  Just wanted ta say hello and now I'll say good bye!"  He winks at the halfling and takes his leave, heading back to the group to share his information.

"May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits!" Vinrin waves.

As you leave, the little girl cowers at you as you walk by, as if you're going to hit her.

"Oh, for the love a...I'm not that scary."  He grumbles under his breath as he passes her.

(Lets group up at the stall)

Eralynn couldn't decide what to get, so she waited patiently for Ecko to peruse the wares, finishing her donut. When he was done, she pointed to the others and joined up with them.

Ecko hurriedly snags the Comprehend Languages scroll and hastily purchases it from a shopkeep who is likely irritated by the loud clanging of trinkets and armor created by Ecko's energetic movements. Something tells him the books in Candlekeep weren't all in Common. He thanks his lucky stars that Hupperdookians spoke Common like the rest of the people here. Even if it was tinged with Gnomish more often than not.

He then excitedly bounces towards the rest of the party, offering glazed apple donuts. There weren't too many apples in Hupperdook, and Ecko had certainly bought enough to compensate. "Have you found anything?" a muffled, Gnomish-accented voice projects from Ecko's mouth. Weirdly, he didn't move his mouth when he spoke, allowing him to stuff his face with sugary confections while speaking. Kenku vocal chords took care of that. "There's a bookstore here we should check-" Ecko's eyes go wide as he notices Heath's Hot Drinks, entirely abandoning his previous train of thought. Perhaps he should buy a mulled cider to accompany his donuts. 

No, no! Wait, we-

AMBERDUNE BOOKS

Although it’s located in an out-of-the-way corner of the Wide, Amberdune Books has a few customers perusing its wares. This market stall is stocked with legitimate but commonplace books (25 gp each), as well as copies of rare and expensive books (250 gp each). The stall does not sell spellbooks. A dark, tan, brown haired woman greets you. Another young man around the same complexion and darkness is nearby, helping customers.

"Hello. Something I can help you find?" she asks.

Garmus steps up to the stall and leans in close to the woman.  In a quiet voice he answers her.  "I'm lookin' fer a special book.  My friend there"...he slyly points to Eralynn..."loves books and I want ta surprise her with somethin' unique.  Can ya help me out?"

With no less enthusiasm than in the magic shop, Ecko stumbles into the bookstore and quickly runs his feathered hands all over the selection of books offered. He rather enjoyed reading. He often got lost while trying to multitask reading and walking somewhere. Sometimes he'd go on for hours, finding himself somewhere in the Savelier Woods which he used to call home before Hupperdook. The fireworks always brought him back to town, although the head engineers of the Omni-Smelter didn't appreciate him being so carefree.

He eventually circles around to the cashier and winds up a message. "Help you find!" he reflects in the woman's' voice, pointing to his chest. "Unique book," he continues, stealing a word from Garmus's voice. Ecko hurriedly gestures for Eralynn to show her image of the scary creature the books turned into and piecemeals together a word in Yalerion's voice. "About ten days ago. Mazfroth’s Mighty Digressions." He then pauses to adjust to Garmus's voice once more. "It turned into some warped, hell-hated bat creature." Ecko gives a sly glance in Eralynn's direction when he speaks in Yalerion's voice, wondering if it would have any effect. He clears his throat and continues. "Do you know anything about that?"

Garmus tries not to grimace as Ecko takes over the conversation.  So much for taking the subtle approach he thinks to himself.  He waits to see how the woman reacts to what the Kenku said, watching her body language.