Tests and Trials Game Thread

Cladmir hesitated.  He has almost no experience traveling with adventurers, but experiences from campaigning as a mercenary has taught him that you either do what your client asked for or one could be left in a more difficult position.  Now the librarian is not a paid client but they are more or less guests at the library and the librarian is in position to make their lives very difficult.  Cladmir recall seeing officers trying and sometimes succeeding and other times failed to convinced the client of a questionable request, but he's no officers, and from his recollection good officers somehow knows the right thing to say at the right time just to make things work out and Cladmir has never quite understood how that works.

But he's not in a mercenary company now, so there's no officers.  Maybe he could say something...

But what if he messes up like those less capable officers?  He has seen situations made from bad to worse...

But the librarian is not a client.  And surely since they had helped out clearing the library they must have some good grace...

But they have been here for a while during the winter enjoying the librarian's hospitality...

But would the librarian push them?  The golems are all lined up...

But if he just say... what?  Unlike negotiating with a client, he can't even see the client read any intent from body language (not that he was any good anyways), but then the librarian is not exactly readable...

But he feels like he should say something...

But what if...

But...

If anyone spends any time looking at Cladmir at all they would see him standing there frozen with his eyes slowly getting wider and wider and his face getting redder and redder as he starts to hold in breaths for too long.  If it wasn't so cold out he would probably start sweating as well.

The golems, and the Librarian behind them, seem content to wait for an answer.

Kroshav doesn't know what the Librarian is talking about when she asked about lowering one of the golems. The raised eyebrow ridge towards Jaq and Clad is as far as he's interested in asking.

Jaq isn't quite sure what has Cladmir's face going shades of red, but he does understand Kroshav's confused face.

He looks at Kroshav, "The librarian, earlier, asked if we could lower one of her golems into the flooded basement we found.   I said we could help her out but would need Eula's assistance to do that safely.  It was really a good idea of hers.  The golem doesn't need to breath and could explore as long as it wanted.

"   
His glance then switches over to Cladmir, "Bud, are you all right?  I think it might be your turn where the cold is getting to you...You are getting really flushed.  Can you feel you cheeks?"

Finally he looks at the golem who addressed them.   "It is really snow badly right now, nearly white out conditions.  We will get the Golem down there for you, but when the weather is better, and it will be safer out."

Kroshav nods at Jaq's mention of the golem plan. He looks at Cladmir in concern, reaching out and placing a hand on the man's forehead, and feeling the heat of his skin, releasing some divine  healing to purge him of any disease he might be harboring.

Cladmir immediately started breathing normally once Jaq outlined what was happening.  He was blinking rapidly when Kroshav touched his forehead.

He felt something akin to a warm wave washed through him and suddenly he somehow felt more alive than he had for a very long time.  Stumbling back slightly Cladmir felt the dual boost of mental burden being casted off and physical boost from whatever the Dragonborn just did.

"Thank you Kroshav -- I feel much better."

And to Jaq, "yeah... the cold must've gotten to me.... Yeah."  

With someone else taking charge, Cladmir is finally relaxed and ready to do what needs to be done.

"Ever start feeling sick, you come to me right away.", Kroshav says sternly, his gaze swinging across both of them.

He pops off some disease purging on Jaq and himself, just in case there was anything bad down in the water that Jaq brought back up with him. He'll purge Joe when they get back in side too. He's not going to lose another friend.

For good measure, Charlie gets dosed too. Ealu's sort of unkillable and magic, but he'll purge her in the morning just in case.

The golem choir says,

"Simply let me know."

Seemingly oblivious to the care being provided to everyone and thing excepting Mikram and herself.

The day crawls by now that they have things to do outside, only Mikram busy doing something with his tools on the second floor. Ringing hammer sounds echo quietly occasionally around.

Joe quietly reads her books, in no mood to chat.

((If no one has anything else during the day-))

Aftee what must have been most of the day golems announce,

"The snowfall has stopped, though there has been significant accumulation."

A check in the late evening light reveals a couple of feet of new snow.

((Until the wind scours it away the area of the Cut washout are difficult terrain.

Anything else today?))

Dose Mikram, when someone can explain what's happening to him.

Mikram is so engrossed with something he is carving he doesn't even notice the dosing, pausing only on noticing the room is lit up and grunting something at Kroshav, waiting for an answer, grunting something else less friendly sounding and going back to hitting the large rock before him.

While waiting for the next expedition Cladmir would gather and prep for it -- especially making sure he has something warm he can put on in the case where he needs to wait out in the cold for an extended period of time.  

But while prepping and gathering supplies he would discreetly "run into" Kroshav just to make sure the Dragonborn is ok.  Will it seem weird to Kroshav that Cladmir keeps popping in and out of the room/hallway he happens to be in?  It's not like they are in a big encampment...

((Kind of depends on where Kroshav is spending the day how odd it would be for Cladmir to pop up. I figure you've mostly moved to the fourth/fifth floor where there drow lived. There is a lot of space for Kroshav to be by himself if he wants it.))

He's probably spending most of his time prepping, spending time with the horses or with Lurn. I think he'd only get irritated with Clad if he keeps popping in when he's with Lurn's body.

In the time since, he's prepared Lurn's body for burial, using divine magics to keep him preserved, and all of Lurn's belongings have been laid out in a second shelf. The body itself has been wrapped in as good a shroud he could find, having taken it to Joe for cleaning prior to wrapping it around the big firbolg, knotting it tight if sewing materials are not available.

Going through the junk pile Cladmir finds plenty of warm clothing should he want to just stand outside. After doing this he  finds a grumpy dragonborn up with Lurn as he passes by, it is pretty clear that is exactly what he is doing after the first time.

Kroshav uses the nice silken sheets liberated from one of the drow's beds as a shroud and sews it shut with needles and thread found in the junk pile. The dark purple of the sheets seems to suit Lurn.

A golem stands silently not far off from where Kroshav does his work.

((Weather: 43))

The next day arrives and Kroshav, and whoever else is up on the first floor or near the stairs, notice as several golems clomp quickly up the stairs.

The ones stationed near the party say,

"A substantial storm has arrived, the barriers that have been erected are being shifted by the wind and some have blown away. I am attempting to secure the entrance. I would not recommend going above, two golems have been blown and slid a significant distance away."

Anyone on the first floor would be able to hear a howl of wind and the temperature on the first floor is noticeably colder.

((Well, the weather is BAD outside. Anything new today?))

Jaq wants something to distact him a bit, and thinking that Joe might have the right idea he asks the librarian or a golem for a book or two on advanced archery for him to look through and read.

Before doing that he checks on everyone in the party separately and asks nearly everyone the identical question, "I know this has been a sad and hard time...we are all missing Lurn and now this storm has us locked inside.   Are you doing ok?"

Jaq makes his rounds while he waits for his books to be retrieved, one of which is named "Advanced Theory of Archery: A field study of wind interactions on different arrow wood grains" that is apparently quite sizeable.

Joe's eyes are red but she forces a smile,

"Gettin' batt'r."

Mikram is still on the second floor chipping away, the dwarf gives a non committal shrug.

"Aye'm working."

Jaq can see a rough humanoid form taking shape as the dwarf keeps working and doesn't respond any further.

Before he can get any further on his rounds everyone jumps as the golems nearest them say,

"There is... Someone outside."

A minute passes before the Librarian continues,

"The weather conditions are severe. I will need to let them in but will stop them at the second floor. Please bring them items to warm themselves."

The golems that were simply standing at random points all burst in movement, clomping off towards the stairwells.

Anyone on the first floor by the entrance would see a tall man wrapped in ragged and singed cloak staggers down the stairs, posture hunched against the cold.  His face is pale and gaunt, as if an embodiment of the winter itself, apart from the dark hair framing his face. A pair of golems herd the man on and down the stairs to the second floor. The man doesn't hesitate as he descends these stairs, shaking snow from his cloak, warily casting about with sunken eyes.  After descending two floors he huddles to one side of the stairwell, cloak wrapped tight around him.  Though he shivers from the cold he has just escaped, his eyes continue to cast about warily.

Three golems block the path down and the pair of herders remain nearby, all have again become motionless.

Kroshav has taken Lurn's shield with his holy symbol on it and is practicing using the claws more delicately to carve the symbol of Kelemvor in stone, practicing on the surfaces of the stones they collapsed to close off the drow tunnel.

When the golems alert him to strangers at the gate, he sheds his gauntlets and draws Sword, sprinting to defend his remaining friends... and make sure they don't disturb Lurn's body on the first level. He skids around a corner, his shoulder slamming into a wall stopping his momentum as he stares down at the cold, gaunt man huddled in on himself.

"Who are YOU? What are you doing here?", he snarls, grip on his Sword shifting as he stalks forward.

Running to get his bow and quiver, Jaq is then ready to head upstairs.  Then he remembers how cold he was just a few days ago and he also goes to grab the blankets that Cladmir found to help warm up whomever just arrived.  Friend or foe, they were probably not in great shape with the weather as bad as it was.

After grabbing his weapon and the blankets he heads quickly up to the entryway.

He hears Kroshav gruffly asking questions, and for now, he will stay further back, bow in hand but not nocked and ready for a fight yet, blankets in the other hand, awaiting an answer from the newcomer.

In Kroshav's mind,

 The man's head snaps in Kroshav's direction as the dragonborn comes rushing in, bouncing off the walls.  His eyes follow the sword being directed at him, but the man doesn't bother to stand as he answers in a deep and steady voice, "A traveler, taking shelter.  The storm was beyond my endurance."

 After a brief pause and a glance in Jaq's direction, the man speaks again, "Put the weapons away. I've no wish to fight, and bandits wouldn't have golems around their hideout."