To Zyl, the entire house is ablaze with heavy conjuration and enchantment magic. Nothing in particular stands out against the rest aside from the magic residue on the floor which is slightly more intense.
There are footsteps in the magic residue dust leading into the door immediately north. Elric goes ahead and opens the door...
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. A robed, bearded man dozes quietly in one of the armchairs, a fluffy black cat curled up in his lap.
To Zyl, it is apparent that the man and the cat are mundane; however, there is a book that glows with a minor enchantment resting on one of the wooden tables.
Ignoring the man and the cat for now, Zyl flies into the room and starts looking around.
The book bears the image of Mordenkainen on its cover just like the book that lead you here. However, its pages are all blank. On the spineis a gilded letter I in a fancy script.
She then starts taking a look at the bookshelves for other books of interest. On pulling out one of the books from a bookshelf on the northern wall, that bookshelf pivots, revealing a hidden passage with stairs leading downward...
Fembris whispers to Nedni, Elric and Gan, "That's Matreous! We should wake him, gently if possible..."
Nedni wanders over to the bearded man and places her hand gently on his arm and moves it a bit, "Matreous sir?" Keeping an eye on the cat in his lap in case its not a friendly one.
Nedni gently shakes the sage's arm until he wakes; the cat jumps down from his lap.
"Oh, I was having such a dream...", the sage says. "Or perhaps I am still dreaming. Tell me, where did you all come from? Are you visitors as well, or are you natives to this space?"
"We were trying to find you in your office,"Gan says in a low rumble."And you were here. Did you mean to be? We need help healing a rot in the fields of our village and were told you were the best in the realm. Is that true?"
The man strokes his beard. "Hmm. I could help with that, yes, if we can get out of here. You see, I discovered the doors to this manor was in the very study I was assigned to, and the command word to open them, and felt it a great opportunity to investigate. I did not, of course, realize that the doors would not open from the inside with the same word! I have tried guessing for some hours, before giving up and entering this room. I can only hope that the creator of this space left some hint of how to leave somewhere in this house."
"We can help, getting you out of here is in our interest as well." Nedni says hurriedly not happy that they are stuck here. Knowing somehow it won't be this easy, Nedni can't help herself but to start looking through the room in places that she might hide notes. She starts going through the items on bookshelves and making a pile of the ones she's looked at to keep track.
"It sounds like we have some exploring to do" suggests Elric, toying with the grip of his mace but leaving it slung at his waist for now. "I guess the choice is whether to start with this intriguing secret passageway, or clear the other doors on this corridor. I think this floor first, but will follow the majority - I definitely think it unwise to split up"
"I haven't found anything in these papers or shelves so far and am very interested in seeing what could be in a hidden passageway in a hidden residence." Nedni gestures towards the passageway from amidst the pile of books and papers.
Matreous explains to Gan, "I have only seen the entry hall and this study, I am afraid."
Examining the books in the study, Nedni discovers the following facts. First, almost all the books in this study were written by someone named Fistandia. Most are her memoirs. Second, Fistandia was a powerful mage as well as a priestess of Mystra. She frequented Candlekeep to further her studies. Third, 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. Finally, 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.
The consensus is to explore the hidden stairway down, then?
Nedni shares what she's discovered eagerly and ponders, "I wonder how she hides the command words on the spines? In the binding or on the outside? In the Title or ...hmmm"
"That's a start, at least" says Elric, nodding as Nedni shares what she has learned. "I wonder if the 'I' on this book here is a letter of the password, or a sign that it holds the first letter somehow? "
"That seems about right. Annoying for her if she forgot it, but not impossible to remember, tracking down the books. And difficult for others to learn it. Anyone good at puzzles? I made a set of interlocking rings once, out of a stump that was going to go to waste. But I'm not as good at the puzzles you do in your head." Gan says, slowly, and increasingly to himself. He's ready to lead the way downstairs unless someone else wants to.
To Zyl, the entire house is ablaze with heavy conjuration and enchantment magic. Nothing in particular stands out against the rest aside from the magic residue on the floor which is slightly more intense.
There are footsteps in the magic residue dust leading into the door immediately north. Elric goes ahead and opens the door...
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. A robed, bearded man dozes quietly in one of the armchairs, a fluffy black cat curled up in his lap.
To Zyl, it is apparent that the man and the cat are mundane; however, there is a book that glows with a minor enchantment resting on one of the wooden tables.
Zyl investigates the book.
Investigation: 16
Ignoring the man and the cat for now, Zyl flies into the room and starts looking around.
The book bears the image of Mordenkainen on its cover just like the book that lead you here. However, its pages are all blank. On the spine is a gilded letter I in a fancy script.
She then starts taking a look at the bookshelves for other books of interest. On pulling out one of the books from a bookshelf on the northern wall, that bookshelf pivots, revealing a hidden passage with stairs leading downward...
Fembris whispers to Nedni, Elric and Gan, "That's Matreous! We should wake him, gently if possible..."
Nedni wanders over to the bearded man and places her hand gently on his arm and moves it a bit, "Matreous sir?" Keeping an eye on the cat in his lap in case its not a friendly one.
Elric shuffles in place, tentatively waiting to see the outcome of Nedni's attempt to rouse the sleeping man.
Nedni gently shakes the sage's arm until he wakes; the cat jumps down from his lap.
"Oh, I was having such a dream...", the sage says. "Or perhaps I am still dreaming. Tell me, where did you all come from? Are you visitors as well, or are you natives to this space?"
"We were trying to find you in your office," Gan says in a low rumble. "And you were here. Did you mean to be? We need help healing a rot in the fields of our village and were told you were the best in the realm. Is that true?"
The man strokes his beard. "Hmm. I could help with that, yes, if we can get out of here. You see, I discovered the doors to this manor was in the very study I was assigned to, and the command word to open them, and felt it a great opportunity to investigate. I did not, of course, realize that the doors would not open from the inside with the same word! I have tried guessing for some hours, before giving up and entering this room. I can only hope that the creator of this space left some hint of how to leave somewhere in this house."
"We can help, getting you out of here is in our interest as well." Nedni says hurriedly not happy that they are stuck here. Knowing somehow it won't be this easy, Nedni can't help herself but to start looking through the room in places that she might hide notes. She starts going through the items on bookshelves and making a pile of the ones she's looked at to keep track.
"How much of this place have you explored?" Gan says. "And have you heard anything else since you got here?"
"What did you know coming in here?"
*Zyl looks around to see if there is anything that might unlock the blank book's words.*
Investigation 13
"It sounds like we have some exploring to do" suggests Elric, toying with the grip of his mace but leaving it slung at his waist for now. "I guess the choice is whether to start with this intriguing secret passageway, or clear the other doors on this corridor. I think this floor first, but will follow the majority - I definitely think it unwise to split up"
"I would like to find out where this secret leads myself"
"I haven't found anything in these papers or shelves so far and am very interested in seeing what could be in a hidden passageway in a hidden residence." Nedni gestures towards the passageway from amidst the pile of books and papers.
Matreous explains to Gan, "I have only seen the entry hall and this study, I am afraid."
Examining the books in the study, Nedni discovers the following facts. First, almost all the books in this study were written by someone named Fistandia. Most are her memoirs. Second, Fistandia was a powerful mage as well as a priestess of Mystra. She frequented Candlekeep to further her studies. Third, 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. Finally, 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.
The consensus is to explore the hidden stairway down, then?
Nedni shares what she's discovered eagerly and ponders, "I wonder how she hides the command words on the spines? In the binding or on the outside? In the Title or ...hmmm"
"That's a start, at least" says Elric, nodding as Nedni shares what she has learned. "I wonder if the 'I' on this book here is a letter of the password, or a sign that it holds the first letter somehow? "
(OOC: Yes, going down the secret passage I think)
"Are there any other spines with a single letter?"
Investigation 21
"That seems about right. Annoying for her if she forgot it, but not impossible to remember, tracking down the books. And difficult for others to learn it. Anyone good at puzzles? I made a set of interlocking rings once, out of a stump that was going to go to waste. But I'm not as good at the puzzles you do in your head." Gan says, slowly, and increasingly to himself. He's ready to lead the way downstairs unless someone else wants to.
Nedni scans all of the books that she can see looking for single letters. If needed investigation 18
(wow that roll, now if only she could find the books...)