Candlekeep Mysteries Group 2

Mav is still looking for Crinkle to ask them about the bodies

Isa looks at the list of books to be repaired and scans the room to see if they are all there.  I never really thought of repairing books, but I guess, especially since these must be really old... at least 600 years.  They actually are in really good shape for being so old.... probably from being repaired she thinks to herself and then goes back to humming.

Everyone (the NPCs) are in AREA F2.

Orvok taps the list of books to be repaired thoughtfully ‘Bedtime Rhymes… As good a place to start as any… Did anyone recognise what Ebder was singing earlier..?’

(Was Ebder singing a rhyme…?)

He then looks around to see if anything has been overlooked…

(Investigation: 3)

Yup. It was. And the book is missing.

Varnyr looks genuinely surprised. "What bodies? I know nothing of this?"

"Yes there are bodies, hmmmm mmm mmm, buried beneath the floor, hummnnn, in Crinkles firefly room."

Explains Emporious with a wary tone. Eyes slightly narrowed he says, "Interesting, hmmMmmMmmm, that you were unaware, mmm, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Hm hm mmmmm,  Seems there are a lots of things going on at Candlekeep that the Avowed, mnnnmm, are unaware of."

As he's about to question Crinkle when his eyes fall upon Ebder and a thought occurs to him. Turning back to Varnyr he asks, "Where is Ebder's daughter, hammmnn,? I just realized that maybe Ebder isn't the first, mmmmmm, to reach this stage. Ebder mentioned he had just put her to bed,  mmmmnnnn, when we arrived. I would have thought ,mmmmm,  we would have seen her this morning at breakfast but, mmmhmmm, we did not. Could be she's another, hmmmmamm, victim, ummhmmnn, or the culprit. Hmmmnnn, I would like to check, hmmmmnnnnn, on her. Where are her quarters?"

Ebder? Hm... Was he the first one in contact with the books then? It seems to have affected him the most...

"This is all my fault. It must be that book." Crinkle sighed. "I love to collect all kinds of curios and baubles. Shemshime’s Bedtime Rhyme. That's the name of the book. With its intricate mechanical workings and charming music box, it was too tempting to resist. I've been Firefly Cellar’s cook for a long time, I discovered the book when it was selected to have its spine repaired as part of a restoration project involving this part of Candlekeep. I brought the book to my room and opened it. The music box started to play, and I..I guess I started the curse!"

She buries her talons in her beak, afraid.

Momentarily abandoning his previous concerns, Emporious' head whips around to Crinkle when the cook offers her confession. "I guess you had best show us this book then." He says.

"The book is in my room. Come. I will show you." she says. Taking you there, she enters, and reveals, on another wall, a hidden compartment. She pulls out the book.

This children’s book is a mechanical curiosity of gnomish design, with a cover made of wood and copper. The front cover bears a faded, hand-painted rendering of a round millstone. The book is square, eighteen inches along each edge of the cover. A silver music box set into the book’s spine is heavily dented at one end. The book has no pages in the typical sense, but it opens to reveal a pop-up cutaway illustration of a quaint watermill made of painted panels of wood, tin, canvas, and leather. It’s a clockwork device designed to animate four separate scenes while a music box built into the book’s spine plays a metallic tune - the same one in your head. The mechanized scenes feature cutout figurines of members of a family dying in a series of grisly ways as a shadowy figure looks on. The images are as follows: A mother chops off the feet and ear of her husband with a scythe. The family dog bites off the mother’s hand. The son drowns in a river while washing clothes.

The air around you feels thick. It presses in on you from all sides, prickling your nerves. Your muscles twitch, as though something is yanking on them with invisible strings.

Investigation DC12: ?!?!?!?

The fact that you are telling us all of this now is a bit of a kick in the groin, but youve told us nonetheless, so i guess theres something still to say about the good in you. Everyone makes mistakes.  you best believe imma insight this on Crinkle. Did she mean to start the curse? 12 would you mind if i take a look at this book?

Investigation 21

You study the book. It appears that the key feature of Shemshime’s Bedtime Rhyme is its music box. Rather than playing the tune all the way through, it skips near the end and starts over. The same is true for the pop-up scene that plays out when the book is opened.

The damage to the exterior of the box is immediately noticeable to you. But..can you fix it? This is the source of the curse, but..can it be fixed? As you examine the book, you can all hear someone's maddening whispers in your head.

A successful DC 15 Intelligence check: ?!?!?!? 

Hino wanders into the room and peers around Barbär’s broad shoulders at the book displayed on the desk. Finally, a book she’s able to understand!  (DC15 Int: 5

[Intelligence check: 3]

"Fascinating.....it's a book....I think"

Isa Intelligence check: 12 

"Yup, that sure IS a book alright..."

Intelligence: 8

"I have quite a bit of experience with arcane objects. Let me have a look." Says Emporious.

The damage to the exterior of the box is immediately noticeable to Emporious. The music box is damaged. Inside the music box is a brass cylinder dotted with tiny pegs. When the cylinder turns, narrow bits of metal pluck the pegs to produce the notes of the melody. The cylinder is sitting askew, which prevents it from working properly. Fixing the music box requires three successful DC 15 Dexterity checks, each check requiring an action. You have no idea what will happen once it's fixed.

"Alas I'm not very dexterous. Perhaps one of you with more nimble fingers would like to try? I'll hold the box steady for you." Says Emporious as he steps back. He points out which items need to be fixed.

(Emporious will offer the help action on each try giving who ever is performing the task advantage on the roll. Or at least that is if Crispy will allow it.)

I'll allow it.

[Dex check: 24]

[Dex check: 23]

[Dex check: 15]