"Despite the danger, we have a task we must complete," Aranea tells the man, somewhat imperiously, before turning her mare to follow the centaur. Before she leaves though, she asks the man if there is anything he can offer to assist them in their task, whether knowledge or something else. "I can pay you the information," she adds.

Persuasion - 20

((Not sure why it says that. I didn't do anything different.))

Glugrug seems a bit impatient as well, listening to Qinro and Aranea speak with the man. There is precious little help here, only seemingly vague warnings. "We are not afraid," he says. "We will complete our mission." With that, he spurs his own horse to go along with the others. 

"Danger?" the man echoes. "What danger there's no danger around these parts. There's just me for thirty years. And I'm no danger to anyone.

But you Baroness Rennet? No, you must be mistaken. Rennet is just a little girl, or she was the last time I saw her. Although, I don't really remember when that was...

However, if you do plan on visiting the mausoleum then go on ahead. It's not far, just be careful not to break anything."

You continue on your way down the road. It's just like the man said it's not too far. However, before you reach the tower, you reach a dense forest.

Up above you, you can hear the sounds of birds of paradise singing in the trees. Then you notice strange purplish-black fungi growing on the trunk of the trees.

Qinro points out the odd purplish black fungi and holds up, stops galloping.  He tries to recall if he has ever seen such a fungus, the nature of it, etc.

Nature :  20 

Aranea frowns as she notices the strangely colored fungus. It's unlike anything she's seen before. She watches Qinro studying the fungus. If anyone would know something about a strange fungus, it's a centaur, she thinks to herself, waiting to hear his opinion.

As Qinro moves to examine the fungi the birds stop singing. The fly down to the lower branches of the trees and begin to watch you with eager eyes. If anyone looks closely, you will notice that these birds of paradise all have black tongues.

Qinro moves closer to the trees and the fungi starts to move and coalesce into two creatures.

(Roll for initiative
Fungi: 15
If you roll higher then post your turn.)

Jerick initiative: 3 

Qinro initiative:  16 

Glugrug Initiative 16

Glugrug doesn't know much about sentient fungi, but he knows he doesn't like it. And he expects it doesn't like fire. 

"Burn," he mutters as he uses his tuning fork-like tool to fling a fire bolt at the monster.

Fire Bolt Attack: 7 Damage: 1 (fire damage)

Aranea Initiative - 15

Aranea mutters a curse as the fungi creatures form in front of them. Nothing can ever be easy, can it? She takes aim at one of the fungi with her hand crossbow.

Attack 18 / Damage 7

Qinro forms a ball of fire in his hand and throws it at the fungus, hoping that it will burn as Glugrug suggested.  

Produce Flame :  Attack: 10 Damage: 1 

(Order Qinro, Glugrug, Aranea, Fungi, and Jerick.)

Qinro produce a ball of fire and throws it at the fungus. However, it seems to barely do any damage.

This is quickly followed up by Glugrug whose firebolt does strike the fungus but barely does any damage either.

Aranea then fires a bolt at the fungus and does considerable damage to it.

The fungi then slowly take a step towards you....

"RELEASE ME!"

Comes the sound of a voice that echoes around the place. It doesn't seem to come from any particular direction and it might have even come from your own heads.

"RELEASE ME FROM MY PRISON! THERE IS NOT MUCH TIME LEFT!"

Then there's more fungi that start to form around you.

Jerick reaches into his pocket to touch his crystal and casts chill touch on the fungi. If he's not behind his three mates, he moves behind them now.

Spell Attack: 15 Necrotic Damage: 2 

"See how slow it moves!" Glugrug calls to his fighting companions. "Step back and attack from range! It won't be able to catch up to us." The hobgoblin proceeds to do just that, moving back 20 feet before firing another bolt of flame at the fungoid creature, hoping this one strikes truer than the last. 

Fire Bolt Attack: 11 Damage: 6

Aranea nods at Glugrug and does as he suggests, moving back 20 ft further away from the fungi. She flinches a bit at the voice and looks around to see where it may be coming from. There doesn't seem to be much they can do about the voice until after the fungi are gone though.

She takes aim at another fungus with her crossbow.

Attack 19 / Damage 9

Qinro backhooves and backs away from the violet fungi.  He keeps forming and throwing flame at them to destroy them.  

Produce flame :  Attack: 16 Damage: 5 

Backing up 30 feet from closest target.  

Jerick attacks one of the fungi and destroys it with his chill touch.

Qinro casts another spell against the fungus and does minor damage.

Aranea fires another successful shot at the fungi and strikes one of them.

The remaining fungi slowly advance as another two begin to form.

"RELEASE ME FROM MY BONDS!"

"FINE I'LL DO IT MYSELF!"

Then the world begins to disappear around once more. You are back in the library and you notice that there is barely any sand left in the time. However, this time you are not alone. In a chair on the opposite side of the table is a skeleton that resembles the one in the painting that was found earlier. However, this skeleton has started to regrow flesh.

Then it all starts coming back to you. The man opposite you is Aesalor attempting to revive himself. You had been sent into the Arcane Library in an attempt to stop him from reviving himself. However, he managed to wield spells in the library to cause people to forget most about their situation and their past.

You realise that books must have been a trap laid out to trick people into freeing him. However, with his time running out he seems to have abandoned that charade in the hopes of another method.

(Okay, you are now in the final battle and as your memories start coming back to you. You remember that you are not the weak warriors that you were tricked into believing you were, you are actually level 15.

Advance to level 15.)