Tests and Trials Game Thread

((Kroshav's for moving up to reunite with the horses then. Would they be able to manage the stairs if we wanted to take them down to the Librarian's level? If not, maybe just check in with her first and then go up?))

"So, check in with librarian and get her up to date.  Tell her we still have some entire areas to still clear out, just to be certain of the libraries safety.  Then tell her about the horses and say then need food, water and safety, and ask where we can bring then down to.   Then explore or rest maybe.    Other ideas?"

"That sounds good to me, Eula sounded scared!"

He gets a far-away look as he concentrates.

"I would suggest having some of us go report and some head for the horses, but I'm barely standing, so we need to be careful.  Once the golems are on the move we should be safe to head up."

"We don't need to run into spiders, or worse, lead them to Eula and Charlie! Down it is, let the Librarian know, and get her stone boys to help with the cleanup."

Kroshav will parcel out torches to any who one them before taking one himself and confidently heading for the stairs... hopefully he can remember which is the right direction in this maze.

INT check: 2

((@Spider, Eula can take the stairs without problem and Charlie would take a bit of convincing but can make it.))

Kroshav hears back,

 Anyone watching sees Kroshav's brow furrow in deep concentration before turning around and pointing confidently down the stairs they came up a half hour before.

In short order, being led by a dragonborn with a mission, the party find themselves down and standing on the edge of one of the Librarian's mud rooms. No golems were initially visible but after a few moments one rises and a toneless voice asks,

"I felt the earth tremble, is it done?"

A distant echo of stone on stone can be heard from the tunnel on the other side of the room.

"Should be! Still some spiders about, but haven't seen any drow. I've got some horses we left up top, want to bring them down so they're safe, then we can sweep the floors with the golems to make sure we got them all?"

There is a very long pause, silence except for the sound of water dripping somewhere in the darkness and the approaching stone clanking.

The expressionless voice of the Librarian finally answers,

"You want to bring... horses into the Library, my Library?"

Everyone listen can hear something is being lost with the lack of emotion.

A pair of golems rise up right in front of the party and pull themselves out of the mud to stand on either side of the party before sliding past and up the stairs, leaving a clear trail of mud behind them.

"They are very well behaved, don't leave webs all over or anything."

There is another long pause followed by,

"Fine."

((Heading right up then? The rest following along?))

Cladmir, after hearing the librarian's response (and who up until now was just tagging along with the whole horse situation he wasn't really sure about), realized with some relief that at least he wasn't the only person confounded by the whole situation.  Being a good soldier, though, he kept his mouth shut and said nothing as usual.  Bringing horses into an underground library-cave is still not one the strangest things he's seen after all.

Yes, Jaq will follow along.

(Questions for everyone!:)

"Joe, do you have a spell that can cast light and be long term?   A continual light rock or two could be useful in the party, I think we've found." 

He also asks Kroshav, "So, I don't think the librarian was very happy about horses being anywhere near her books, so maybe we find a very safe place to use as a stable room, a place with a door and with no books, there seems to be lots of those.   Then we can feed and water them and keep them safe and warmer.

"Cladmir, have you recovered all of your belongings that the drow took from you?"  (Jaq is still missing some, tho, I'm not sure I think it is just the boots and the cloak?)  

"Lurn, same question, you get all your stuff back?  And how are you feeling, you were hit pretty hard there by that drider and all that poison?"

(How far are we out in the middle of nowhere when we found the library?    As in how far from a know city or even hamlet?)

"We should keep the horses away from the books, yes.  As for me...  Well, I'm still missing some things - The helm of languages and magic dice I was carrying around, and my mother's necklace are missing.  The necklace is my main concern, far more so than the poison.  Hardly even felt it."

"I don't think either of them can read, but Eula might, I can ask."

(( Haha turned out I never thought of what Cladmir may have been carrying the first place when he was taken so I guess I need to think of some appropriate equipment he would have had. ))

((@Row, you were a couple weeks into the forest from the nearest Duchy village before it started snowing. You'd have to assess the amount of snow to determine how long it would take. There may be some goblin/other villages nearer than that but you don't know where they'd be. The actual closest distance settlement is on the other side of mountains. You also have a quest lead on that side. Question is how to get over the mountains in late fall/early winter.

@Cladmir, standard starting gear for starters. We'll adjust from there.

@All, Joe is a conjuration wizard, but maybe she can get a spell like that from the Librarian. Alternatively you could ask the Librarian for something like that directly.))

The party chat on what they have and have not found as they ascend the stairs to the horses, more muddy and clean golems moving around them on the stairs. One golem stops moving past the group and instead walks silently, except for the stone on stone clicking of its steps, along behind them. As they reach the top floor everyone hears a startled whinny and Kroshav hears,

 The golem says in its inflection-less voice behind the group,

"The horses have been found."

As the group quickly close the remaining distance a horse head pokes around a corner in a very non-horse way and eyeballs them before clopping out to meet them. Another far less elegant horse follows behind the first to meet the group. Both begin rubbing their heads on Kroshav and Kroshav hears,

 This continues for several minutes but the golem behind the group speaks again,

"Two living drow have been found. One is unconscious on the fifth floor. One is hiding on the fourth floor in a room."

There is a pause,

"The third floor remains filled with spiders. The breach in the fourth floor appears sealed but is surrounded by spiders so it is not possible to determine how well at this time."

Kroshav emotionally hugs his horses, muttering apologies to them.

"Thank you, I'd like to get Eula and Charlie somewhere safe and fed, then we can help with clearing the remaining floors, and searching for any missing gear."

The golem continues to look at nothing with it's featureless face but a response eventually comes,

"There is a space on the second floor which has been... Repurposed. The shelving has been removed leaving the area open while the entrances have been blocked in all but one direction. I understand livestock like space and you can prevent them from wandering."

Looking right into the golems eyes he asks, "Is your golem that found that unconscious drow, going to take care of that one before it wakes up?"

((More of a smooth approximation of a face, but eye spot.))

"I plan on speaking with him, then I will decide. The one baracaded in the room will eventually come out as well. There is no need for haste. I have no need or desire for vengeance."

After a moment of silence the golem asks,

"Unless you think it is prudent to kill them now for some reason?"