Pardot, hearing the stumbling above continues running to just to see how the rest of the people are faring, and assuming they are (mostly) safe, runs back to join the group and quickly squeezes a good berry into Ludolf's mouth after seeing him on the ground.

Daventry grimaces as she steels her mind against the mental assault. She breathes deeply after, catching her breath, and opens the book once more.

Second Wind: 11

Pardot-- At the moment things seem mostly safe. There are some bloodied and bruised bodies on the ground while others are stumbling around in a daze. They don't appear to be violent just confused. They seem to pay you little attention. You notice two other things. 1. Klin is not where you left him. 2. The door to the north is open. You return just as Daventry is opening the book after completing the repairs. 

As you open the book the cut-out rise from the pages like the menacing child's pop-up book. The familiar music plays as the scenes play out in sequence. As the third scene finishes the music continues. The fourth and final panel shows the shadow being trapped and crushed underneath the mill stone. As each scene  plays out you hear the words of the song echo inside your minds. 

As the fourth verse plays out you hear a new verse echoing in your head.

See a daughter grinding grain

Wish the spirit’s time was through

Trap set for the shadow bane

Her millstone killed it true

Ludolf feels the nourishing warmth of Pardot's berry in his mouth as he regains conciousness and looks around in the small chamber, relieved that the others seems to be alright at least. His head is still hurting though, badly, as he slowly sits up to watch Daventry open the book to see the scary children's book play up it's pop-up scenes. "A millstone?" He says weakly with a cough, blood trailing from the edge of his mouth. "Where do we find a millstone?"

Fembris rushes into the room as she sees Ludolf collapse and then weakly come to his senses. "My goodness!! Ludolf, Triäsa you both look terrible!!! That book looks dangerous. Don't think I'll touch that... You all can deal with it... I'll stay over here... by the door.... what next? Back upstairs? Smash the book? Burn it? You think this is all over now that the book is repaired? I dunno... I heard the song in my head when you played it just now... New words that seems neat, probably important!" She gasps desperately for air. "Hey Dav! Did you see my throw? Right past you and Pardot and struck the bird right in the head!" She wheels to face Crinkle "You are under arrest by the CIA! I would advise you to keep your beak shut until we get to the Great Reader you are in BIG trouble!"

Crinkle says nothing.

Ebder stands with an arm tightly around Gailby, "I-I-I think we will go to my room. I am very tired and this has been an exhausting few moments. If you need us we will be resting. Come Gailby let us talk and get out of her." The two turn and head back to Ebder's room unless you stop them. 

Klin -- What are you up to?

"We can come back and look more in that room later." Pardot says, indicating the secret room with all the shiny things. "But we really should look into those bleeding walls..." He then begins to head towards where they were told the walls were bleeding.

Daventry gives Fembris a wink as the gnome explains her throw.

"Wait." Daventry says to Ebder. She bends down to get eye level with Gailby. "Gailby, a question for you, before you go off with your daddy. Have you ever seen anything spooky in these halls, before today? Any strange things? And... have you ever seen a millstone? Anything you know would be a big help, and Fembris might even give you the title of Junior CIA Investigator!"

Triäsa listens to the new verses of the rhyme and contemplates for a moment.  Finally, she speaks. "I think I understand the magic of this music and words. While the song is incomplete, it only gives Shemshine a window into our world.  And obviously, it has taken full of advantage of just that little bit."  She looks around at the others as she speaks.  "If I were to sing the entire song, it would allow Shimshine to fully enter our world.  And I think once wholly in our world then we would be able to defeat it."  She sighs, "Of course, given what he's done with a window, who knows what would happen if he were fully here."

She then looks at Ludolf. "I am not sure the millstone is necessary. After all, nobody has cut off their legs or feet cut off specifically. It's just a part of the tale.  Though the allusion is that in the conclusion the dark spirit is defeated."  She shrugs, "What do you all think?" 

Triäsa then grabs her lute from her back and starts to strum a calming melody, she repeats a calming melody:
''I call upon the mystic weave,
To mend this wounded body.'

First casting Cure Wounds on herself (12 hp healed) and then on Ludolf (6 hp healed).

(OOC - She has all of her slots, so can cast 2 1st-level and 3 2nd-level, if anyone else needs healing.  If we get in a short rest and you use a hit die to recover, she can also play a song to add 1d6 to everyone.)

"Investigator! I like that then I can stop the bad guys and liars!!" She shoots a glare at Crinkle. She then looks at Daventry and furrows her brow, "Well all the singing people were scary and the song that's gotten pretty creepy but nothing else until you all got here..." She then looks to her dad and genuinely asks, "What's a millstone?"

Ebder smiles, "I see we have neglect some of your studies little one. A mill stone is a large heavy stone used for crushing and smashing up grains into a fine powder." He looks at the rest of the group, "I am sorry I don't think there is anything like that down here. As far as I know there are none anywhere in Candlekeep, not really something you need in library."

Gailby nods in agreement, "No big stones around here, haven't seen anything like that." 

Ludolf is relieved by Triäsa's warm healing touch. "Thanks." He says weakly with a nod, not getting up.
"I suppose we could start by trying to sing the entire song as Triäsa suggested." He says, having a hard time letting go of the millstone idea.

(Should we perhaps try to take a short rest even?)

(if you'd like to take a short rest while you are pondering your next move I think that is very reasonable. Feel free to roll any hit die etc.)

(Sounds good to Ludolf, regained hp: 31 )

Daventry takes a breather, using a bit of water from her waterskin to wipe away a nosebleed she wasn't expecting.

(1 hit die: 6) will put me back to max.

"So... with no millstone with which to destroy this thing... where should our arena be? Somewhere with cover available for our mages... but wide open enough so that we can maneuver with blade and fist... oh, Beshaba, what about Klin? Where is he? Is he still upstairs??"

While the group sits down to rest Pardot had wandered up to see what was happening with the bleeding walls, hoping that the bleeding had stopped, since he really doesn't want to deal with that.

"Oh! That's right! We really should take a look at that, good idea Pardot!" She smiles cheerfully. It seems the recent developments have reinvigorated your gnomish guide. "Maybe the three of you can rest here for a bit while I take Pardot upstairs." She looks at Crinkle and scowls ferociously. "You behave while I am gone"

She then turns and leads Pardot back up to the middle floor, skipping the whole way.

Kev will send you a DM here in a bit

Slowly walking back into the room where the others are catching their breath and looking over the music box book, Pardot comes in, and immediately takes a seat, letting out a big breath. Looking up to the others he says, "It never ends... Fembris and I went upstairs, and yes, the walls are covered with blood. Oh, and the room is absolutely FILLED with these fireflies. But, of course, there is a bit more." Reaching into his pouch he pulls out one of the cufflinks with the strange symbol they'd seen, but remembering that not everyone is as strong against the symbol holds it in his fist and says, "First, the blood seems to have taken the shape of an all too familiar symbol. I had hoped the Reader would have been able to help us with this, but since we haven't been able to meet with him yet..." shrugging, he continues, "Next, and perhaps more disturbing, hidden behind the wall we found a corpse of some traveler. I have no idea how it got there. But... he seems to have died after his brain exploded out from his skull? I... really don't know. The skull is completely empty, and the gash on it does not seem to have been caused by an external force..." He then squeezes the cufflink in his hand, almost has a charm, before placing it back in the pouch and looking around to let the others process what he's told them.

Triäsa sits down to rest with the others, strumming a light tune on her lute as she does so.  (Anyone spending a hit die to recover hp gets an additional 1d6 hp back.) 

(Rolling 2 hit die: 11 + 5)

"What would cause his brain to 'explode' out like you describe?" Triäsa asks. She tries to think if she knows of any. (Arcana skill check: 18 - she's supposing it would be some otherworldly sort of creature.) "But I wonder how the fireflies might be related.  They almost seemed attracted to that space where the book was located." 

She then looks at Crinkle. "What more do you know of this? You certainly seem to understand more than you are saying."

"Would it be possible to identify this traveler do you think?" Ludolf asks, standing up, magically cleaning himself up, feeling reinvigorated by the rest and Triäsa's soothing tune. "And would it be possible to tell how long it has been dead?"

"Possibly," Pardot says, thinking. "Though there were no items or identification at all on it, and the decay is progressing quite naturally. It's tough to know exactly, but he's probably been dead for _____" ((@dm? I think my med check would give a decent guess on this?))