Tests and Trials Game Thread

"Can you write it out on a new piece of paper? Or chalk on the wall or something? Reading's not my best, so I'm kinda glad you guys are having trouble too."

The Librarian sighs,

"No paper, no chalk but..."

She looks at the mud and dust on the floor before one of the golems begins to draw. After a moment it looks like it is actually trying to write something but as it straightens there is nothing legible in the dirt.

The Librarian looks down and says,

"There. All capital letters."

In his mind Kroshav hears Sword ask,

Before you have a chance to answer the Librarian's eyes get a faraway look and she says,

"One of the Drow have awakened. The one that was unconscious in the hallway."

Mikram has fallen asleep with Cladmir in a corner as well.

Jaq just shakes his head no.

"Nope, some magic is stopping us from seeing it.  Dang.  That must be some strong magic to affect most of us.

It looked like your golem was writing something in the dirt, but when he finished there is nothing I can see.  Not a single letter.  It almost seems like some magic is trying to erase the memory of the area.  Could it be because they are trying to hide from the rest of the world?  That would be a good way to do it.  Magic to keep yourself isolated."

"What are you planning on doing with the two drow?"

"That is perplexing. From what I understand, there is nothing left above. What is the point of hiding nothing? Who would seek that?"

Her head moves oddly on her snaky body.

"So far as the Drow go, I have not decided. Though lifetime incarceration seems inhumane, nearly as much as killing them outright."

Cladmir has retired to rest with his head swimming.  While the last few words he heard before closing had something to do with magic hiding something all he could think was that all the plans he once had -- although he had also pledge himself to follow this band of adventure and assist them as a repayment for saving his life -- revolved around a life on the other side of the mountain.  Overthinking is not helping with his headache though so he resigned himself to hopefully a peaceful slumber.

"Well, then I think there are two possibilities.  Somewhere in the past the magic was used to hide themselves, but now the city and everyone is gone and it is just strong magic that is carrying on by itself...   Or...  There is still a population or a settlement in the area, but they just hiding somewhere really well, that we still can't find them."

"From what you remember of them, it is worth it to try to locate them if they are still around, or are we best off leaving them very much alone?"

And finally, he says, "Letting the drow go, I don't think should be an option.  They will just bring more back here to cause trouble, I think." 

"The people of - were welcoming. Its founders sought me out to take over their library. I couldn't fathom why their descendants would destroy their own city. If any that survived whatever happened to the city stayed near here I would think they would be worth asking what they remember."

The Librarian shifts closer to Jaq,

"No, releasing them alive is not a viable option."

Kroshav hears/feels from Sword,

 "Sword can hear the name just fine, she says its long and dumb sounding, but I can't hear it when she says it either. Wonder if Ealu can hear it too... maybe she can tell Charlie, and Charlie can tell Lurn... Can you talk to Charlie, Lurn?"

"I can make my words understood by creatures and plants, but I cannot understand them myself."  After a moment, a thought occurs to Lurn, "Was the place actually destroyed?  There were no ruins above at all.  What if it was just...  Moved?  I mean, elementals and such come from another place, what if they were afraid of something, so they took the city to some other place, and hid that it existed so they couldn't be followed?"

While Kroshav ponders on how he can get Sword to tell Eula or convince the Librarian to tell a horse, Lurn presents an explanation.

The Librarian appears confused by the discussion of swords, what they can understand and who they can tell.

"What? Are you well?"

Once that is cleared up she considers Lurn's explanation.

"It is possible but why would they leave everything under the ground? Many of the older buildings were built into the stone of the mountain, just like the library. Alternatively, why would they just leave the library's basement and the books?" Her tail twitches as she ponders more on this possibility and is clearly disturbed by the thought of abandoning books.

((Can I get an Intelligence roll from everyone but Cladmir.))

18

5

6

No one has any insights either for or against Lurn's suggestion.

((At this point people are free to suggest activities. You have all winter now!

@Hound, give me three d20 rolls please. Separately, since the individual rolls get odd after the fact!))

14

2

2

Lurn is going to mostly spend the winter studying and copying old religious texts.  He knows very well that he won't understand much of it, but so long as he can just copy what it says other priests will be able to work it out.

"Lurn's comment about the basement of the library still being here has made me think...."

Jaq gives the Firbolg a smile.

"Are there any other buildings that used to be near the library back in your day, Librarian, that also had a large basement or underground complex? 

"When Cladmir is finally back up to snuff and we go out and explore the area a bit, we could go to the area that should have had a basement and check for it.   See if it, too, is still here like this underground part of the library is."

"And, while we are waiting in here, I would like to read a book or two to teach me more about how to read Dwarven and their old dialects."

((@Hound, the Librarian is happy to let you look at the texts but she doesn't have extra paper. Thoughts to solve that?))

The Librarian pauses her tail/body twitching and considers Jaq's question.

"Yes, a number of them in fact. I have a city plan that..." She trails off before finishing, "you can read. I will see if I can find something you can."

The Librarian will gladly provide the books and eventually scratches out a vague outline for 17 buildings with substantial basements to check.

"Just to be sure, how many levels deep would we be right now if not for the destruction of the city?  And would the other basements have come close to as deep?  Because with how it is now, we're only...  Five or six floors down from the surface?"

"We would be more than five floors down. This final floor was not planned and isn't strictly where it should be in regards to depth or orientation to the other floors."

After some thought she says,

"The library was likely among the deepest, though the Council Hall may have been as deep or deeper. It was closed for those with official business, so I'm only vaguely familiar with it's first subterranean level. The Record Hall supposedly went to the plane of Earth it was so deep. I suspect this was an exaggeration, and I never had desire or need to visit it. Most of the other locations would likely only descend one or two levels."