"WHAT?" Ludolfs eyes widen in surprise of the transformation, silently cursing himself for being careless again.
"Nooo, I am not ready to go." Ludolf defiantly exclaims as the luminous ball starts draining the life out of him, rapidly shrivelling his already old flesh.
1st Con save: 19 2nd Con save: 20
"Forgive me.." He whispers before collapsing to the floor, his face shrivelled to a near skeletal visage.

Seeing Ludolf go down Pardot acts quickly whispering a healing word softly under his breath to help the old man. He then backs out of range loading a stone into his sling and firing at the creature. Unfortunantely the shot goes wide, shatter a few empty glasses on a shelf in the back.

Healing Word: 22

Sling Attack: 7 Damage 6

Whoops best healing word ever... Actual roll 6

Ludolf -- Along with your life you feel the energy sapped from your bones and despite the healing you feel exhausted. (You take two levels of exhaustions, one for each failed save). With the healing from Pardot and Triassa you are awake and able to act though you are prone. (You can take a turn with Pardot's healing you should be at 15HP).

Bookwyrm smiles as he watches the chaos unfold, "Well done you all, keep at it I can sense it weakening." He continues to hold his action. From a corner you hear the soft whimpering of a gnome. 

The aberration senses that the life from the old man is not enough and so focuses it's attention at a more energetic target. Daventry begins to feel the pull of the creature as it tries to sap her life away. 

Life Drain Attack: 7

Damage: 19 Necrotic

On hit please make a DC 12 Con Save

(You all can continue on with round two. Again, Klin's action would not change the aberration. Ludolf feel free to take two turns.)

Daventry dodges to the side as the tendril of necrotic energy grasps at her, using her momentum to add a quick stab before infusing her weapon with arcane energy once again. Triasa recognizes this maneuver as one she figured out while they were training together. 

Free Action: Counter Attack: 14, damage 8

Action: Boomin Blade Attack 25, damage 9, on move additional 8 

"I'm alive...I'm alive." Ludolf exclaims as the healing magic from Triäsa and Pardot brings him back from the brink of death.
Exhausted to the point he can´t hardly move, Ludolf spits out a curse at the luminous ball. (Bonus action Hex Dex)
Then Ludolfs grey piercing eyes blasts the cursed thing to oblivion.
Eldritch blast: 12 Force:10 Necrotic: 3
Eldritch blast: 27 Force:9 Necrotic: 4

As Triäsa reappears at a different point she curses briefly under her breath in Elvish.  But then she calls out, "You are alive!" as Ludolf moves and is able to attack the entity.

Becoming a bit more focused, she grabs her light crossbow and fires a shot at the creature.  She yells, "Nice move there Daventry!"

(Attack: 12, Damage: 2)

Klin strikes the aberration and combined with the strikes of his comrades the luminescent ball of goo explodes leaving a sticky slightly glowing substance all over each of you and makes a mess out of the entire room.

"Well done well done indeed. I see have chosen very very wisely!!" Bookwyrm exclaims, "Now comes the matter of trying to figure what on in the Nine Hells this thing is... Some sort of shapechanger." He wipes a piece of the goo off of his face smells it carefully before licking. "Kind of salty... Interesting..."

You all are out combat! Good job! 

Chapter 2 Mazfroth's Mighty Digressions!

Ludolf stands up slowly and magically removes the goo, somehow resisting the temptation to taste it. "Yes, well, whatever it was I now have a clear picture of what happened to your victims. We should talk to the persons that brought these shapechangers to Candle Keep. They might have a common origin." Ludolf says and nods appreciatively to the healers Triäsa and Pardot. Arcana to identify creature: 15

Daventry slots her blade into her belt and offers Ludolf a hand up. "You alright, old timer?" She seems nonplussed by the bit of purplish slime streaking down her bangs to her shoulder.

To Bookwyrm, "Well, think I can fancy a guess to what murdered those fellow Seekers. How it got there, on the other hand..." 

"Yes, all right now thank you Daventry. I...I admit that was a most harrowing experience. I will not rest til I've found the source of these life draining books." Ludolf says and helps the shield maiden clean up as well, before turning his attention to Triäsa.

Triäsa seems a little put off by the sticky substance and rapidly tries to get it off her.  She magically tidies up her clothes then looks at Bookwyrm, "So do we presume these... things came in as the admission offering?  And the Candlekeep scholars had no idea?  Or could they have been switched after?"

She then realizes there is more of the sticky substance on the back of her arm.  Looking frustrated she angrily tries to wipe that away.  She completely misses the blob still at the back of her neck.

"Twas like a mimic, but one that eats souls instead of flesh. Damn unsettling." Daventry says.

"REALLY unsettling,"  Triäsa agrees with Daventry.  She then goes over to Klin and uses magic to clean up the backpack."Is that better?"

"Agreed, I'd much prefer your garden variety armchair mimic." Ludolf says and chuckles. "Now First Reader, who could help us find Barmus Gofdohurt, Yalerion Highscroll and Valor?" He asks the Bookwyrm, but realizing that he just signed up for spending more time with Fembris.

Ludolf -- even with your extensive knowledge of the arcane you have never seen or heard of creature like this. You can surmise it is not natural that someone had to call this into existence that would also explain its need to feed on the life force of another.

Bookwyrm looks up from the goo, "Well those records there say the ones who brought them are Seekers so they must be here in the Court of Air somewhere." He looks through the documents you were shown earlier and points to the names. "Seems Barmus has left but the other two should still be here somewhere. Fembris! Hop to young lady our heros here have a mystery to solve and they need your help!"

Fembris trembles as she stands quickly taking off her cloak and wrapping it around her waist. The perky eager to please acolyte then says in an unusually shakey and soft voice, "Yyyyeeesss, ssir. Dddo you think there will be more of those things?" 

Daventry puts a hand on Fembris's shoulder in an attempt to be reassuring . "If there are, Fembris, I'll make sure my blade and board are betwixt you and them, for sure." 

Recovering from a small bit of shock of seeing his companion’s life literally sucked from him, he’s glad he is feeling more comfortable with them enough to speak out and give them healing. As always he goes to offer a berry to Daventry as well, in the hopes that it would make him feel more comfortable. And then, to make himself more comfortable drains his glass and goes up towards Bookwyrm’s table where he pours himself another glass as he looks to the others, ready to learn more of these books, and who may have brought them in…