You look over the Tabaxi and see blood pooling from numerous head wounds. You think back to the drunken dwarf you "killed" before entering Candlekeep and you heart stops for a moment.

You are about to pronounce K'Tulah dead when Varnyr kneels down beside you and says,  "She is injured grievously but I think she will live. I don't know what came over us... I hope the rest are ok..."

Seeing Ludolf and Daventry, at least for the moment, dealing with the book and the bird lady, Pardot dashes out to see if he can get a view on the group of people to check if they are also now in a mass melee, or if the music box had only affected those nearby.

Pardot - You could get to the long hallway where you fought the shadows but it would take another turn to get back to the middle floor. You might be able to hear things from there but you would not be able to see up to the next level. Up to you if you want to start heading that way.

Pardot -- You run down the hallway as fast as your little legs can take you. You get halfway down the long hallway stop for a second to take in your surroundings. You hear the sounds of stirring just above you. It is faint and muffled and to really anyone else you don't think they would hear it at all. It does not sound like fighting... more like slow walking or stumbling.

Crinkle struggles against the two of you who are restraining her. She sighs seeing this fight is not winnable, "You have what you want now let me go."

This will take you out of initiative.

"Nuh-uh. You get to nicely explain exactly WHO has the plan must be fulfilled by keeping that book here, and how it's doing what it's doing, otherwise my friend Ludolf here is going to literally melt your brain until you tell us what we want to know anyway." Daventry says, holding the Kenku in a modified headlock.

(Help Ludolf w/ Intimidation)

"Do what you will to me, I don't fear you or your companions. You powers pale in comparison to the one I serve. I will say no more." She croaks words into Daventry's headlock.

Ebder and Gailby stand up and dry their eyes. "I am so sorry Gailby. You know I would never hurt you. I love you my dear little child." He gives her a big hug as Gailby says, "I know Dad." She looks over his shoulder into the secret room and her eye catches on something, "Hey Dad, isn't that Mom's old wedding ring?" She points to the ring in Crinkle's treasure hoard. The old cook lets his daughter go and walks to the ring, picks it up. "My god it is. I thought it was lost forever. Why... why would you have this?" He glares at Crinkle but she does not respond.

Fembris walks into the room and looks around as well she walks over to the stone she threw and picks it up and tosses it in the air.  "Think I'll hang on to this. Seems lucky! So we got a lead now lets figure out how to stop this curse! I wonder if the walls are still bleeding...."

Ludolf stands up and snarls at the thieving magpie, using his awakened mind to probe her thoughts as Daventry interrogates her, assuming the answers, if she has them,  will appear at the surface in her mind. (Cast Detect Thoughts, no save yet.)

Ludolf -- DM sent

"Disturbing." Ludolf mutters to himself. "Secure the magpie Daventry, I fear she is beyond reasoning, or saving for that matter." He says to the shield maiden and turns to Triäsa and the strange book. "My first thought was to destroy it but perhaps we should try and repair it first, maybe the damage on the book started all this." He says studying the weird children's book

Triäsa nods, examining the book again now that the fighting has seemed to cease. "I think there's risk either way. It's felt to me like the song needs to be completed. So, I vote for trying to fix it. I just hope somehow when whole the thing doesn't become even worse."

(OOC - Not sure what is needed to 'fix' it.  Triäsa will try Investigation to see if she can learn more: 20)

Ludolf nods and does his best to assist Triäsa, trying to figure out how to repair the music box. 
(Help action given to any attempts to repair.)

Now that the dust has settled and calm is returning to your immediate surroundings Triäsa sets the book on a nearby tabletop and gives it a more careful examination. 

The book opens in half to reveal the pop-up illustrations depicted the picture. The damage along the spine is rather obvious. When the book is open and left undisturbed the haunting melody plays and the pop out figures in the first three scene animate and play out the morbid scenes. 

Just as the fourth and final scene is to be acted out the song skips and stutters and returns to the beginning and starts playing the first scene and the cut figures in those scenes begin moving again.

As she examines the "book" further you find a small cylinder has popped loose in the mechanism. It shouldn't be too hard to fix if one fingers are nimble enough.

(to fix the box it will require dex checks if someone is proficient with tinker's tools or a jeweler's kit they would have advantage. There is no way to 'help' with the check but more than one person can try to fix the book. After each dex check an intelligence check is also required)

"Let me give it a try," Triäsa says.  She will try to carefully return the cylinder to its proper location.  (DEX Check: 9, INT Check: 21)

Triäsa -- You try carefully to handle the small cylinder and place it back in the proper position. As your fingers grip the cylinder you are shocked to hear an echoing voice ring out in your mind. The voice is darkly harmonious and foreign as it calls out, "Leave this book alone!"

Your mind perhaps hardened by recent trials and tribulations is able to use your intellect to repel most of the psychological attack the voice and the book are waging upon your mind.

Damage @Triäsa from creepy book and voice: 19/2

You drop the cylinder as the voice assaults you making no progress in the repair.

It did not do the math... you take half damage as you passed the int check...

"Are you okay Triäsa?" Ludolf says in a worried tone, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "What happened? Did you fix it?"

(Ludolf looks to be in pretty bad shape after being beat up by the magpie btw)

Triäsa nearly passes out, but manages to say, "A dark voice was in my mind when I tried. It said to leave it alone."

She finds a spot to sit down. "Someone else will have to try. And be ready to withstand the attack on their mind. "

"I will do it." Ludolf says, moving to the open book to try to finish the work with repairing the mechanism.
Dex check: 15 Int check: 10

Ludolf is able to deftly slip the first half of the cylinder back in place with a satisfying click. The bottom half is still dislodged and will take another attempt to fix. As you set cylinder in place you hear the dark, melodious voice thunder into your thoughts and assaults your brain "Stop, stop you'll ruin everything!!"

Damage @Ludolf from creepy book and voice:  15 psychic damage

You intellect while impressive slips and you take the full damage from the book

It appears that one more success will fix the device.

Daventry shoves down the kenku, and nods to Triasa. "Watch her, yeah? And maybe use the sword again if she gets all murdery on us."

She takes out the thieves' tools, hoping that with the slender picks, pliers, and the mirror she can see the last bit of clockwork to fix it... just like disarming a trap, but in reverse.

Dex: 22, if advantage with thieves' tools: 13

Int: 21

Ludolf slumps to the ground unconscious after spending some time fiddling with Shemshine's Book-bot. 

Stepping over the older man's body Daventry looks at the device and sees the cylinder is just slightly out of place. It takes her just a moment to slip the cylinder back in place and it settles with brisk click. As it falls in place Daventry hear the voice assaulting her mind with a renewed vigor. "You will regret this, fool!" 

Damage from Book-bot: 20 You focus your mind and push the force out but not before you take half damage.

As the voice fades you are perhaps surprised that nothing else happens but inspecting the tome you are certain that the book is repaired and will play correctly once you open it again.