“It’s fine friend. I’m sure you meant no offense.” Pardot replies quietly as he reaches into his pouch to hand the monk a juicy berry. “Trust is something that should be earned. Hopefully working together today will show us that we all can be trusted. At least in our own ways.”

Triäsa gives Ludolf and Daventry a strange look as she passes into the room to look about.  (OOC - assuming no explosions of course) She is shaking her head ever so slightly as she begins to investigate.

"Well spoken Pardot, there is nothing that builds trust as enduring great perils together." Ludolf says smiling wryly, glancing back at the star gazing halfling.

"What is the matter Triäsa? Does the manor and visiting another dimension not live up to your expectations?" Ludolfs asks curiously as he starts to investigate the room. Investigation if needed:14

Matreous nods his head slightly and steps through the portal. You can see the outline of his shape clearing some space and you hear him softly chanting preparing his ritual as you all turn down the hallway toward the first door.

Opening the door to the first room and enter you see stacks upon stacks of books. The room appears to be some sort of study. The entire far wall 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 fluffy black cat is curled up on one of the chairs. None of you perceive any traps or other dangers.

(I have an investigation from Ludolf, if anyone else is wanting to investigate the books or other parts of the room go ahead and roll investigation.  As an FYI I typically assume an investigation check will take time; 30 mins to an hour. You can always spend more time which might give you some bonuses to the roll. If you are just taking a cursory look around no need for a check but your information will be limited.)

Entering the room you hear a muffled scream coming from the foyer. Assuming some of you turn toward the noise you would see that the portal back to Candlekeep is closed and the scream sounded like it came from Matreous on the other side.

 While the others are investigating the books, Pardot goes up to the cat on the chair, and pulls out some jerky from his pack (though he can survive on berries and water for quite a while, sometimes it is good to have food with more substance to it, so he does always carry rations). Over the next ten minutes or so of offering it to the cat, and scratching it behind his ears, he ritually casts speak with animals and, in a language likely none in the group have hears before ((Druidic)), he begins to chat with it. Mostly just about what it’s seen over the last couple days. Where it gets food. What his/her name is. What’s fun to do in this manor…

Triäsa for just a brief moment looks surprised at Ludolf's question. "The matter? What do you mean?  This is just fascinating. This must be Fistandia's library!"

She gives Ludolf a warm smile as she starts to examine the books on the shelf. (Investigation: 25, assuming she gets to that.)

Hearing the scream and turning,  Triäsa heads back out to the entry point to examine the place where the portal had been.  (Perception if needed: 19)

After seeing that the room seemed safe, Daventry let the others go further in while she kept close to the entrance. Daventry sprints back at the sound of the scream, sword unsheathed. Does she catch a glimpse of Matreous? Was it a scream of surprise or did something bad happen to the elf? 

Perception: 4

"Yes, quite, I apologize, interpreting the language of bodies and emotions isn´t my strong suit I´m afraid young Triäsa." Ludolf answers the half-elven bard, still puzzled over the shaking of her head, secretly glancing over at her while examining the the contents of the bookshelf.

"Well what would be the adventure if it held no perils Klin?" Ludolf asks the monk just as Matreous sceams. "And by the sound of it Matreous just faced one." He adds grimly.

Ludolf quickly walks over to the portal. "So much for trusting Matreous with keeping this portal open." Ludolf says with a sigh. "No matter, if we search Fistandia´s manor diligently I´m convinced we will find the means to open that portal. Perhaps the cat knows how to do it." He says smirking, looking over at Pardot talking to the fluffy black cat.

"Beshaba's bust!" Daventry curses. "I hope our tie to Candlekeep didn't just get shanked with us the last lot who saw him."

 "Well it seems that would be the case young Daventry, and unless we find our own way out of here it will probably take the avowed another four days at least before they start looking for him again." Ludolf says and returns to investigating the room he just left.

"Aye, though I'm of the mind if we just witnessed a murder, we best not dally too long before the Avowed greet our return with a matching set of nooses."

Daventry pauses a second. "Neese? Noose, but plural? Bah whatever."

Returning to the room, sword once again sheathed, Daventry spends her attention on the paintings, leaving the books to the more scholarly sort. Rich people sometimes hide stuff behind paintings... secret passages, safes, who knows. And maybe she can catch a glimpse of Fistandia and those she viewed as valuable enough to have portraits of.

Investigation: 4

@Pardot

 @Ludolf -- As you read through the books you realize a few different things. Most of the books in this study appear to be Fistandia's memoirs. There are volumes and volumes of books written by her mostly detailing her experiments and experiences creating demiplanes. She was a priest of Mystra and as a reward for her achievements Mystra herself granted her this permanent extradimensional mansion for her to reside in when studying in Candlekeep but Fistandia was very fearful a guest might become trapped in the mansion so she hid the command word to open the portal to Candlekeep on the spines of seven books in her mansion. Finally, as you are searching the back wall you find a very odd appearing book that is standing a little to straight and pulling on the book a causes the north wall to shift revealing a staircase the descends down to a basement.

@Triäsa -- Turning back toward the portal just before it closes you think you see the glimpse of movement of an object or a creature or a spirit or a something behind Matreous before the portal snaps shut and everything is gone. In the room you find a rather strange book with the letter "I" embossed on the spine

@Daventry -- You are pretty sure it was scream of pain not pleasure though sometimes it is hard to tell the difference so who knows? In the room you spend sometime gazing at the paintings.  There are three paintings hanging on the walls: a landscape scene with a large green dragon emerging from a grove of pine trees, a study of a pegasus in flight, and a portrait of a unicorn in a wooded glade. You find them very attractive and distracting  so much so you don't notice much else.

"Hah, I found a way to open that portal." Ludolf proudly announces to the others. "According to Fistandias memoirs, very interesting by the way, she hid a command word to open the portal to Candlekeep on the spines of seven books in her mansion. Now we only have to find those books." He continues while moving a book, causing one of the walls to shift revealing a staircase. "Intriguing, a secret staircase, after you young Daventry." He says, motioning to Daventry and her shield to take the lead down the stairs.
Perception when needed:22

Daventry sort of shakes herself back to reality, seemingly distracted. "Oh. Right."

 "Hey, Pardot, has your kitty friend ever been down this way?"

She shifts her shield around a moment in her offhand, before continuing down the stairs, keeping her right hand free, and stepping carefully. If it gets too dark to see well, she'll light a torch and carry that.

Perception (looking for traps): 13 

"Sir, did you just say what we need are letters on the spines of books?"  Triäsa says, addressing Ludolf. "This one has an 'I' embossed on it.  (I'm assuming upper case 'i' not lower case 'L' - can we tell?)

As Ludolf (NOT Ludlow!) motions Daventry down the stairs she asks, "What happened to going through the place methodically? I suppose the more interesting parts will be down the hidden stair,  but still..."  From her tone it's difficult to tell if she is really supporting one course of action over another.

(If the others have already moved on,  she'll stuff the book in her pack and quickly follow.)

"Excellent young Triäsa, one book found already. I´m sure we will soon find six other books with a letter on their spine. Then we only need to use these letters to build the command word. And I do think this is going through the place methodically my dear Triäsa." Ludolf/Ludlow says with a smirk, motioning for the others to follow him.

“You’re welcome to join us.” Pardot replies to Pockets, finally glad to have someone totally honest to speak with. And as the secret door opens adds, “Well that’s interesting! Have you been down there before?” He then lets Pockets hop up on his shoulder if he’d like and will follow the others down.