Tests and Trials Game Thread

The golem left in the room says,

"Lurn's body was taken below to protect it, you would like some time with it today? I will have it brought up again."

The Librarian will have both Charlie and Lurn's body brought up to the first floor again. Charlie doesn't appear to be in a good mood, nor does he appreciate stairs.

((Anyone doing anything special today? Presumably Eula is coming back?))

Quote from Spiderwrangler >>

Kroshav had been up earlier praying, and when that was completed, he recalled Ealu and spent time reuniting with her and Charlie, reassuring her that he was alright, and that he was sorry she got got again.

((Ah, how time flies!

Anyone else?))

Nnnnothing for Ernos.  As far as I can think of.

Cladmir is not doing anything either besides observing Kroshav and even try offering prayers himself.

Kroshav would be excited for Joe being able to maybe make more golems for the Librarian, and would be chatting with her and Mik, probably eventually handing over her belt if they seem like they'd be better off chatting without him.

He wants to get back to digging out Lurn's tomb, but not until he's sure that Gethren is gone.

Jaq will make sure he gets the books he requested about undead and start some reading in his free time.  He will also assist, some time to helping with the tomb, but not too the point of an all day job.  

Cladmir is like a half companion half shadow to Kroshav.  Always somewhat worried that the fiend Gethren may show up.  During downtime he would go to the library and see if he can learn more on how someone like him could fight the supernatural (like the banshee) if he runs into them again.  Tracking down the librarian, he would ask

"Are there any books on how to fight ghosts that normal weapons cannot reliably harm?  Ideally a way to prepare arrows so that it just doesn't go through them."

For his part, Kroshav's mood is improving a bit on average, though still sore about Gethren getting away, anxious about him possibly returning, and wanting to see Lurn properly laid to rest, he's not quite as suspicious of Ernos, if not truly warm and welcoming to him, and is getting more open and companionable with Cladmir, not freezing him out when the dark moods take him. He suggests daily sparring sessions with the older warrior, it probably becoming clear quickly that their natural fighting styles are quite different, the dragonborn relying on raw brawn, while the wily veteran is more elusive and nimble.

Mikram gets a lift from a golem and follows after Joe (who has reclaimed her belt to allow them to communicate) and the Librarian. The trio disappear into the bowels of the archives leaving the rest to their devices.

After a longer period of waiting than he is used to a golem brings Jaq his requested books. It doesn't take more than a glance to see that this golem has a tough go, one of its arms is gone and its chest has been thoroughly clawed. None of that seems to be enough to remove it from active service though. 

((@Row, roll me two d100s to see the quality of the books Jaq got.))

Kroshav and Cladmir have a training bout, which Sword has a difficult time understanding initially. Despite saying she knows they are trying to kill Cladmir she seems to forget every time she clashes with either armor or sword and reverts to her standard excited,

 The day passes and no sign of Gethren of seen and the party have another uneventful night.

((Weather: 26))

The next morning a light snow fall has started but visibility is still good in the daytime hours.

The snow around the entrance to the archives is undisturbed.

The Librarian asks everyone,

"Were you done with your inspection of the other basements in ********? Will you continue it after you've interred Lurn?"

((Plans for the day?))

Book rolls:  25 and 39

He listens to the Librarian's question and purses his lips in frustration.  "I can't believe we still haven't figured out a way to say or figure out the name of what this city was, or why it is not forbidden by magic."

To answer the Librarian, however, "I think there are more sub levels of buildings we didn't check, we will just have to find them, and I think that would be a good idea.  It might answer our unanswered question, and it might find us some very interesting artifacts of old times."

Ernos blinks in confusion at the librarian's question, and then again at Jaq's grumbling.  "A name forbidden by magic?  Truly, such a thing must have been achieved by a godlike being."

((Well, that is about as far apart as you can get there @Row! You obviously get exactly what you want and a picture book on goats.))

The golem that Librarian is speaking through doesn't show any emotion to Ernos' question or statement and merely replies.

"I am unsure of either the what or the who involved in making ********** un-hearable."

Jaq looks at the pair of books delivered to him, both them to be exactly what he asked for. The first, a thick and heavy volume with its name carved into a wooden cover is An exhaustive review of the dead. The other book, while on topic, doesn't seem as likely to provide nearly so solid information as the first is named Stuff Jimmy Knows bout the Undead.

Jaq sets down and opens the most likely book, the review, and finds to his dismay that, past the cover, the book is filled with shockingly lewd takes on fairytales, including pages and pages of highly detailed artwork. Flipping back to the cover and then cover page Jaq sees a different title than the cover claimed, Master Tom Dog's Funtastic Fables. Looking more closely at the binding of the book, it is clearly not the origin book that was inside the wood cover. There are signs that the original book had been gutted to fit Master Tom Dog's work in instead at some point in the past and that no one had ever noticed.

Setting that book aside in disappointment Jaq turn's to Jimmy for answers, hopefully. To Jaq's surprise, it turns out that Jimmy was quite the expert on the undead. His prose is tough to parse in places but he always manages to get the key details across, generally pretty succinctly. Phrases like, "Ya gotta burn those ones out with holy fire, they don't be liking that noone noon much." are common. (He does eventually settle on 'nun' being the correct spelling of 'none', which he uses quite often.)

((Jaq now has monster manual level details on undead below CR 9))

The rest of the day and night passes without incident.

((Weather: 13))

The weather remains largely unchanged, a slight breeze has picked up though.

((New day! What you up to?))

(Yay.  Jaq was going to keep working on this as long as needed ).  

Happy that the knowledge was found and has sunk in, Jaq decided it is a day to give back.   He finds the librarian, “Anything I can do for you today?    Any tasks you need done that aren’t easily accomplished by your golems?”

Jaq finds the Librarian, or most likely is directed to her by a golem (being controlled by her) in her central control room. This requires that she send a golem to carry him so he doesn't track mud down her hallways.

Her vacant eyes focus on Jaq as he comes in and she lowers her gaze to meet his as he makes his questions. She slowly straightens and her tongue flicks out slowly, as she considers. She then says slowly,

"Books on the top of the stacks. The golems are short and you are...taller. Help them by taking down the top books for restoration, as needed. That would save a great deal of time."

She pauses,

"How clean are your hands? Come here."

She closely inspects Jaq's hands before seemingly to grudgingly approving.

"Try not to drip fluids on them. They are quite fragile."

Her eyes go distant and a golem comes in carrying books which it lays before the Librarian and picks up a stack already in the room.

The golem beckons for Jaq to come with into a winding maze of books stacked about Jaq's head, in very little light. Going to be a fun day!

Nodding Jaq accepts his date for the day.  “I will gladly help.  You have been very hospitable to us all.”

 He will do the work diligently and carefully.  He will keep scan them as he moves them for any interesting topics he thinks he would be  possibly wanting to read some future day. 

((What'd Jaq fancy to read? She's got you working through some pretty dry material though a few thick autobiographies/biographies appear to be in the mix.))