Tests and Trials Game Thread

((It would rule that is pulverizes the stone, ya.))

The Librarian looks to the north at Kroshav's question and answers,

"I will let you know, but I could likely have it ready within a day or two, depending on how quickly I am able to find the appropriate books. It is truly a shame to think about how many books where lost in the upper floors. The archives were for rare books and books that were not longer of active interest, so, so much has been lost."

She sighs,

"I don't see any obvious signs of your collapse, but the snow may be obscuring them."

She snakes over the snow to the approximate area and inspects the icy crust of snow, which doesn't appear to be sunken.

"If you'd like I can show you approximately where I believe the Halls to be. It will be dark soon, but I doubt it will darker than you're accustomed to now."

If the party, or some members of the party agree, she closes her eyes and begins to glide along a path only she can see. She pauses occasionally without opening her eyes and cocks her head before turning proceeding a distance to the east or west before turning back to the north. After a quarter of this she comes to a spot very much like the one she started in and says,

"Here is the grand square. She glides a distance away and marks a spot,

"The Hall of Record should be around here." She moves a surprising distance from the first spot to the second, "The Council Hall."

10

Jaq goes with The Librarian and marks the areas she point out with an large stick of something that is lying around, or poking an arrow into the high ground of the area.

"Thanks for pointing this out.  I didn't think of it until just now, since we are outside.  But how exactly could mountains really change or be moved, even by strong magic?  Could it possibly be that the library, or at least the basements of the library were magically moved here?  Maybe as a safeguard of some type?  Maybe the entire city you are talking about was destroyed in some great cataclysm and someone was able to magically move the library away to save it and it ended up here.  Or is that just a silly thought on my part?"

Cladmir would stick with Kroshav so if Kroshav is digging then Cladmir will be clearing out the pulverized rock.  He would mention the following when the librarian is around.

"With all this pulverized rock, if we have bags that we can put them in we can also stack them to make additional barrier preventing water from flowing in the direction we do not want.  Of course that is if we have bags laying around?"

"Those mountains," the Librarian looks to the east and west slightly, "are nearly the same as I remember. Only this mountain has changed its shape. I know of magic to do such things but not on that scale all at once. Between this and the spell blocking its existence...I am not sure I am able to fully conceptualize the power needed. Though perhaps one came before the other? The scouring of the city from the physical before mental?"

To Cladmir,

"The Drow had some bags, though they seem to have preferred crates. You may take whatever you find."

"Some of the larger crates, maybe, or an empty large bookshelf, might work well to cover up the top entranceway leading down into the library.  It won't stop flowing water or all of therain, but it'll keep most of the snow out.   That could be a short term solution."

The Librarian bobs in what passes for a nod.

"I will bring up the beds."

((Were you planning on digging to find the other places today or waiting until tomorrow?))

Jaq would start searching in the area she pointed out as the other building with the deep basement, and see if he can find any sort of entrance down.

((Investigation please))

((Bump, and anyone doing anything else?))

((Time to dig? Kroshav would equip and attune to the claws if it's go time.))

Investigation: 13

Jaq looks over the fields of crusty ice and snow in both spots and nothing seems to indicate this is or is not where either of the two buildings could have been. Looking back towards where they came from he can't really distinguish that there is anything there either. If not for the horses and a golem.

Kroshav is having fun using the claws to heave snow about as he makes his way to Jaq. 

"Point me at it!"

Cladmir is more or less "the guy who is with Kroshav" at this point.  So if Kroshav is gonna go dig Cladmir will go dig as well.  If Kroshav will go investigate, Cladmir will too.

Bit of a Fist lore dump for Cladmir (or anyone who wants a reminder, is from the old forum 4 years ago, cause I couldn't remember either!)

"So now you know a bit more about my Order and the gods we follow. But like I said, I'm a provisional paladin of the Five, I got tested recently, and four of them and a bonus god, that was Pelor, we helped with one of his old temples, said I was ready, but Torm thought I was too full of hoo- that I had too much pride. That's part of why I didn't like it when you kept calling me 'noble paladin' and stuff."

He wrinkles his nose in a wince. "I did wonder if Torm sent you to test me on that, but that'd be pretty prideful, to think that a god sent you just as a test to see if I had too much of it? I have a year to get him to say I'm good, or they'll revoke my paladin-ness. I don't like waiting months here, when I could be out doing good for the Five in the world, but then I thought that if I think the world can't get by without me, that'd be showing a lot of pride, right, so if I just live underground for a few months, is that making it better or worse? It's really confusing and hard to think about. What do you think?"

Jaq points out the spot to Cladmir and Kroshav that the librarian said would be the Hall would have been and shrugs, "I don't see anything in particular, but let us try here and hope we are lucky!"   He will then do a search technique he read about once.  He will start as a center point where the digging is starting, and then slowly walk around it in a spiral heading outwards, watching the ground carefully for any hidden covering or oddity that could lead to a basement or opening.

Kroshav gets to digging!

Kroshav digs while Cladmir clears and Jaq walks an every increasing circle.

It becomes apparent fairly quickly that after the first few feet Kroshav is no longer digging solid stone. There is plenty of stone, sure, but it is mixed with a lot of packed dirt. Around the 14' deep mark he notices that he hits some solid stone again.

Jaq walks slowly out from the point marked and finds a few depressions, that when he clears the snow and ice, find to be a mix of rock and dirt as far as he is able to clear. He isn't able to find anything that he thinks could be an opening, at least not without some digging.

Kroshav starts in on the solid stone, which the gloves clear out like wet clay, but after another couple of feet he notices he is just hunched over clawing at air. Pulling back he is able to tell he has dug into an open space, but it is too dark for him to be able to see much with the weak light from a rapidly setting sun that reaches down the 16' or so feet he's managed to clear. He is able to hear the sound of a splash and is pretty sure he sees some light reflecting off a liquid. It smells pretty damp too.

If Jaq comes to check he can confirm that there appears to be water 5' down from the opening Kroshav made. Sticking his head in and looking around he would also be able to see that, from what is above the water line, this is a non-naturally created space. The walls and ceiling are straight. He also sees that there is an opening out of the room, though only the very top of it is above the water.

((Clearly this hole properly took a while even though the actually digging didn't. It is getting to be late afternoon.

Anyone taking a dip?))

Jaq is certainly not getting wet in this cold weather. 

"Well, not sure how this is helpful.  A flooded something does not give us anything to search and explore.  Certainly no artifacts to find.   This intrigue any of you?"