Triäsa quickly scans the room, grinning at Daventry's comment. "No corpse yet at least."

She watches the others set out to survey the room.  Stepping off to one side,  she removes her lute from her back and starts to softly play a fairly simple melody and counter melody, intertwined as notes rapidly switch back and forth between the two. After a time she begins to sing in a very soft voice, just barely heard above the sound of her lute: 

'Life is but a weaving
Between the real and mystic.
It's colors remain hidden
Beyond all sight of man. 

Music's notes encompass
Mystic threads as they do twist.
Revealing their many colors
To musician's eyes demand.'

The music continues and she repeats the lines as slowly each melody is played out longer and longer before switching.  Finally, the interplay of notes is ended and just a single simple melody line is played before she stops.   Her eyes then search the room for any signs of magic.  If anything is sensed she will then investigate it more closely. 

(Casting Detect Magic as a ritual.)

Daventry chuckles. "No ranks or hierarchy here, least in that we're all Seekers and got equal ground to stand and speak our minds. You're 'turn' is whenever ya damn well please it to be, not like we're pieces on a game board politely awaitin' the opponents' go. But if it's too much I can keep ya toein' the line. Perhaps this?" She makes a "shhh" motion, holding her finger to her pursed lips. 

Ack, there she goes again, such sweet sounds, and such a dangerous distraction. Ludolf strains himself to preserve his faltering focus on the investigation at hand.

You all spend a few moments searching the stacks and the desk. The books all revolve opening and creating demiplanes and pocket dimensions.

Ludolf your search initially does not reveal anything but as you are sorting through the books you push one to the side that catches Daventry's eye. It is a heavy book made of a thick leather and decorated with a gold filigree. The cover bears the bust if a man who glares ominously out toward you. The book shows signs of heavy use and is the only one not covered in a thin layer of dust. Flipping through the pages you see the text is heavily annotated in the margin but the handwriting does not match the notes on separate pieces of parchment on the desk. Beyond this book you find stacks and stacks of notes on demiplanes and pocket dimensions.  There is no remnants of food or drink to be found.

@Triäsa 

(My apologize for being a bit slow was traveling today back and onto my regular schedule!)

Finishing her song, Triäsa paces slowly over to the far wall, speaking as she walks.  "There seems to magic all about, as though the Weave is within the very walls of this place.  But this wall in particular..."  Standing just in front of the wall she hesitantly puts out a hand, stopping just before she touches it.  "Here though is something stronger and more recent.  Perhaps a tear in reality.  Or a gate?" 

Her voice is tinged with a hint of fascination as she closely studies the wall.  (Investigation Check: 19)   She then moves her hand forward to touch the wall. 

"Be careful Triäsa, if it really is a gate there you might involuntarily be transferred to a hostile or even deadly environment." Ludolf says clearly anxious over the young bards less than prudent investigations. He is torn between investigating the book and helping Triäsa with investigating the wall but after a moment of hestiation he returns to investigate the annotations. "The notes on these parchments should be Matreous which indicates that someone else made these annotations, but who?" Ludolf says, mostly to himself it would seem.
Investigation if needed:17 Arcana if needed:19 History if needed to determine who is depicted on the cover:9

"Creepy fella, that. Still, though, it's the only one which looks touched recently. No dust or anything, compared to the others. Perhaps there's somethin in it."

As she looks through the book, she focuses on how it and the weave might interconnect. Maybe not directly, but does this author speak of the pathways to magic? Who is the author? And why does his face glare so menacingly? Are there any connections to what Triasa mentioned, with the wall?

Arcana: 12

Triäsa: As you investigate the wall you find that it is just a wall. There is nothing here that you can see or feel except the cold stone blocks. But in your soul you can still feel the power radiating from this wall. No  doubt powerful magics are at work here though your eyes see nothing but a wall. As you continue to feel the power through your ritual you find it almost familiar, it reminds you of home.

Ludolf and Daventry: Working together you are able to make sense of some the more heavily read pages of this tome which deals with pocket dimensions. The most heavily read entries describes a process to create a permanent extra-dimensional space or pocket dimension. The author of the book is unclear but the annotations in the margin of these pages were placed by a mage named Fistandia. You also recognize the man on the cover of the book to be the legendary mage Mordenkainen. On one heavily read and marked up page you find the following annotations:

"12/32/5 'Scepter'"

Triäsa takes a moment to consider what it might be specifically about this place that reminds her of home.  (Arcana check: 17; is it warding spells, or anti-scrying, or some other feature of why the Weave goes through the building).  But not really having found anything, she walks over slowly to where Davenry and Ludolf are working.  She scans the table for anything that might catch her eye as she walks by (Investigation check: 13), then comes behind the two to try and peer at whatever they are working through. 

"Hmm - this note. '12/32/5 Scepter'. That's gotta be this room. Has anyone seen anything scepter-like? Maybe there's a trigger of some sort... And if you do see it, don't touch it! Best done from afar..."

Daventry takes a look around the room for any scepters, be it art, statuary, engravings, or actual mountings, hoping that one of her fellow Seekers follows along.

Perception (not great, so someone else take a roll as well): 11

Hearing Daventry ask about anything scepter-like, Triäsa scans the room was well. (Perception check: 7)

(There ya go! An even lower roll!) 

As soon as Daventry speaks the word scepter the wall Triasa was examining erupts into an orange-red magical flame though there is no heat. As the flames clear a shimmering image of a welcoming, well kept manor appears as a portal to a pocket dimension opens before you.

When Daventry speaks about the creepy fellow Ludolf at first thinks she is speaking of him, but then he realizes that he is both ´dusty´ and ´untouched´. He is relieved that Triäsa´s investigation of the wall didn´t meet with any unforseen predicaments. "Yes young Daventry, the numbers can´t be a coincidence, but why would anyone make annotations in the book about this particular study room. Is the book and the wall young Triäsa investigated somehow connected to each other. Perhaps Matreous unwittingly or by design used information in this book to open a gate in that wall leading to a pocket dimension?" Ludolf suggests to the others. "You know in that case, Scepter might just be the command word opening that portal." He adds, scratching his sideburn. Investigation to locate a scepter or anything that could be associated with the word scepter like another book title:25

"Aha, a command word, excellent." Ludolf muses. "I am convinced we will find our lost scholar in that manor, and since the environment looks safe enough I will go there and investigate." Ludolf says, having a hard time concealing to the others how exhilarated he is over finally crossing a boundary into another dimension, something he has only dreamed about during all his years in his uncle´s dusty library. Unless stopped he grabs the ominous book and puts it in his shoulderbag before walking up to the flaming portal. "Shall we?" He says with a wry smile to the others before crossing it. Perception to notice threats:14 Arcana to determine type of dimension:10

Pardot raises and eyebrow as the wall disappears and reaches into a small pouch at his side pulling out a few sling bullets which being to glow in his hand. He then follows the others through, keeping his eyes wide looking around for any threats or any signs of life in this hidden manor.

"Well, that was unexpected. Pretty, though."

Daventry was about to suggest tossing, say, a dart or bullet or something through the portal, but seeing Ludolf cross through and presumably not disintegrate immediately, she follows. She shifts her round shield off her shoulders but keeps her sword-hand empty.

Triäsa murmurs softly to herself as the portal opens, "I knew there had to be something there."

She quickly follows after the others, moving through the portal.

@Ludolf -- you feel like the energy here is similar to a typical pocket dimension and you are aware of spells like Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion but this seems much stronger somehow.

As the five of you step through the portal a strange but not unpleasant sensation washes over you. Colors blur and swirl then slowly everything comes into focus and you find yourself in a quiet, well maintained foyer. The ceiling arches to fifteen feet overheard with a long hallway stretching out in either direction. The floor is a dark hardwood while the walls are stone and adorned tasteful paintings. In front of you is an elegant staircase the rises to a second floor.

Pardot you see the figure first, lurking just behind a large potted plant is an old elven male with strands of ill kept white hair running into his face. His robes are those of the Avowed though they are dirty and wrinkled.

Knowing that you see him he steps forward with a half smile as he sees you walk through the portal and says in a cracked voices, "Ah I see the old buggers at the Keep finally decided to come looking for me... My name is Matreous though I would hope you already figured that out. I don't recognize any of you though... you don't look like Avowed. Please don't tell me they sent a bunch of novice Seekers looking for me."