Candlekeep Mysteries Group 2

Illiterate Hino has no desire to check out the reading areas in area F3. “Strange why there are four rugs under the table, made for six reading nooks.” she absentmindedly mentions to herself.  Curiosity getting the best of her, and to get her mind off of the stupid song, she grabs one of the indigo rugs, and unrolls it.  Anything written on it (she wouldn’t be able to read it, since she can’t read, but she’s recognize writing)?

Quickly growing even more anxious, she continues on to area F4.

AREA F4

This small room is awash in the glow of thousands of fireflies. The luminescent insects flit around inside more than a dozen glass terrariums that fill shelves along the walls. A steady plinking noise results from their bouncing off the glass. Shallow wooden boxes are packed on the lowest shelves. A former supply closet for the scriptorium, this room was clearly outfitted by Crinkle for raising and caring for fireflies. The boxes on the lowest shelves contain vials of liquid nutrient for the insects.

DC12 Perception: ?!??!
DC20 Investigation: ?!?!?!

Insight check on Varnyr to see if she seems to know more than she is telling: 18

Emporious releases Ender's lapel and slumps back into a chair. Whispering to his familiar, Archimedes flutters away from his typical perch on Emporious' shoulder as the wizards eyes glaze over. Observing through the senses of the owl he sees it glide up and around the floating book before descending down to the next level. He spots Hino just as the mechanoid goes into one of the rooms. The owl lands on the study table as Emporious' senses once again become his own.

"Perhaps Hino has the right idea. Since our host either truly doesn't know anything or is choosing to not tell us for some unfathomable reason we should probably start searching as well." Offers Emporious. "Besides she probably shouldn't be left to wander alone." He rises and goes to join Hino in F4.

Investigation: 8

Not wanting to really stick around the now paralyzed Edber, especially since the idea of this happening to her is kinda freaking her out a bit, Isa heads off to find Hino at F4, following Emporious and humming along as she goes.  "Ooooh, there are so many fireflies in here!"

"So, have you found anything?" she asks Hino in between hums.

Mav follows the rest - his curiosity leads him to check out the firefly bottles closer, fascinated by the little creatures, still humming softly to himself.

[Investigation: 27]

There is a loose stone in the floor beneath the lowest shelf on the east wall in Crinkle's room. Moving the stone aside exposes a pile of bones in a nook 5 feet across and 5 feet deep. Investigating the bones reveals two humanoid bodies. One of the skulls has a hole in the back of it.

What the.

"Woah!!  Could those be the bodies from the affected people 600 years ago?!?!  Seems like someone is covering something up!"  Isa pokes at it a bit with her staff while humming along.

"Why does that one have a hole in the back of its head?!?!?!  REDRUM... REDRUM!!!"

"Where is dear old Crinkle? Perhaps they know what might be going on?" 

Isa, if you please! Dear, this wretched tune is bad enough. Barbär says while holding one ear, and realizes his armor is where he slept and goes to put it on, and returns with it holding out his alchemy supplies, grabs a nutrient vial and begins to test the composition.

(Not sure what the skill is to roll, but im proficient with the chem set.) Int? 5

Seeing the skeletal bodies reminds Emporious that as safe as this place may appear it is anything but. Stepping back away from the grave he pulls a chunk of leather from his components. Holding the scrap in his left hand he waves his right above it focusing and building magical energies. When he feels they have reached the appropriate level he says "Artemis" and shimmer of light crosses his body.

"I'll go see what Varnyr has to say about this." He says as he spins on his heel and heads back upstairs. Archimedies who up until this moment had been munching on any fireflies that ventured to close glides out after him.

"Holes in their heads.  I fear that's in our future....the only way, apparently, to get the music outta our brains!" Hino morosely adds.

Hino inspects the rest of the room (Perception: 21) for any other clues as to the source of the curse.

Everyone is in AREA F2.

Finding nothing but dead bodies ages old in area F4, Hino marches over to area F5 for a looksee. 

Isa follows Hino... mainly because she know Hino is the one who is most likely to survive in an all out fight but also because she just doesn't like the idea of hanging around old hidden 'remains' in the floor... especially ones that have holes in the head.  She traipses along behind Hino humming lightly.

Ah. Of course. I left my notes for communication beyond death out of my books today. We could really gain information from these ones here...

F5

Leather bits, wood shavings, and paper scraps litter the floor near a large workbench. Tools and contraptions are organized neatly around a handful of books in different states of disrepair. Stools surround the bench, one of which has a leather apron draped over it. A ledger rests on one of the stools. It’s open to a list of four book titles, each one with a “repairs needed” entry beside it. The titles and their associated repairs are as follows:

Festivals and Festivities of Ancient Cormyr: replace cover
Living a Dream: Three Years Among Stone Giants: replace cover
Shemshime’s Bedtime Rhyme: repair spine
Halfling Superstitions: rebind

Humming along, Isa pokes around the room, looking at each of the books being repaired.  "Hmmm, wonder what's under here?"  she pulls the leather apron aside to see what's hidden underneath.

Emporious approaches Varnyr and asks, "What do you know of the bodies buried in that room?" 

Hmm. Who ever was here, i assume Crinkle, was a book binder. This could easily be the one who cursed any books, or even distributing them. These books have surely been cut together in some way with a curse. They are truly whats Crinkle cut. 

Barbär says as he looks over the tools. Investigation 5

The tools are used for bookbinding, leatherworking, woodcarving, and painting.

Emporious approaches Varnyr and asks, "What do you know of the bodies buried in that room?" 
Varnyr looks genuinely surprised. "What bodies? I know nothing of this?"