Also history check to see if Sam would recognise that name
8
Iriolarthas? Nah, probably not. He was a big deal in Netheril, but little of his work became well known even among scholars if Netheril, after his Mythalar failed and his city crashed, trapping him here in this glacier for thousands of years.
"Well, I suppose the first place to go to find some sense of where we are and what we are seeking might be an archive of some kind. A municipal building, or a scholarly institute.... unless our comrades have already found such a place. Chadderlay, Akame... Do you have a clear idea of what we seek here, and where to find it?" asks the paladin.
The l8brary is actually pretty close. It's clearly labeled and Prof. SKANT points jt out ad soon as he sees it. It's to the west of the main road.
This colossal building has many lofty turrets in a state of disrepair, the ground below littered with their rubble. A giant-sized door at the base of the structure stands slightly ajar.
Shelves line the walls of this labyrinthine library, which is crammed with books on every conceivable subject.
Soon after the you enter, a bespectacled, jackal-headed humanoid paces into view carrying a bundle of scrolls. An eyeless, white, 5-foot-tall penguin in a leather harness shuffles behind it, dragging a small cart laden with books. The jackal-headed figure lets out a joyful gasp when it sees the characters and says, “Ah, you must be the librarians! Scrivenscry has need of your assistance.” The penguin shifts uneasily as its master speaks.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"How is it that you came to be here?"
Chadderlay will try to deduce if they are recent visitors or have been here, surviving somehow for millennium. He examines what they are wearing, how they speak, and even actions or mannerisms.
Investigation: 16
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Come in peace, and live beneath the sun again, where trees and flowers grow."
— The message of Eilistraee to all decent drow.
"Run thy sword across my chains, Silver Lady, that I may join your dance.”
The furry fiend mives fluidly through the stacks of books, looking quite conformable amid the chaotic sorting process he seems to employ in hus search, his purple and black robes flowing, wafring the scent of black licorice as he moves. "Scrivenscry was summoned to this plane and it is here, so I have learned, that the Books of Keeping are kept. Scrivenscry and Kingsport have found many valuable books in this library, dealing with rare knowledge of the outer planes, but to date, Sceuvenscey has not found the Books of Keeping. You will help with this task...?" the arcanoloth's voice goes up suggesting the question has more teeth than a dimple request. He looks eager to find what he seeks, the penguin, shuffling sadly, seems to twitch at the impulsive gesticulations and excited words of Scrivenscry (who refers to himself exclusively in the third person. Kingsport is the penguin. His investiture does not appear to be wholly voluntary).
"We are not the librarians,"responds Angus, "but perhaps we could be of service to you if you describe what exactly you are looking for. What do the Books of Keeping look like? What knowledge do they contain, what is it useful for? How and where have you searched already?"
Tetrevess has been following along the group in a bit of a daze. Truthfully he never felt the same after his adventure on the astral plane. It was hard to focus on the present. The books seem to snap him out of it, and he speaks.. . “We are scholars, well, some of us are. Of a sort. I’d like to peruse the stacks, and hopefully find what it is you seek. Why is it they are being looked for again?”
Eager to make a deal, the yugoloth perks up at the response, ears pricked up and eyes wide, he replies, "so, you aren't librarians, but you would help Scrivenscry? Excellent. Yes."
Extending his four long, archnid digits, each tipped.with a subtly curved claw, he explains, "there are four volumes of the Books of Keeping, together containing the true names of every Yugoloth in all creation. Onomancy is a rare art, but potent if applied correctly. What I intend for these works is my own business, but use your imagination. At the very least, I'd like to keep my own true name from falling into someone else's claws. There are hundreds of books here. Maybe thousands. Any reasonably competent beings literate enough to discern any of this text could be helpful to me. If it isn't a reference book, it isn't what we're looking for. For your troubles, you can have this." From a pocket, the arcanoloth produces a metal tube, which he holds suspended from a metal chain connecting it to a small rod. "It's a chime of opening, gently used, it still has a few charges left."
<Mechanically, you get the thing whether or not you find one or more books of Keeping, yoi just have to spend the time. Prof. SKANT can translate loross, and there might be other books written in other languages. If a check was needed arcana, history ir investigation could all be applied here, but I'm not calling for one. Just asking if you'll spend a few hours helping look for the books. Side note: the chime is a consumable item. As such, it doesn’t count toward magic item limits (homebrew rule)>
As Scrivenscry wheels and deals.with Terevess and Angus, Kingsport, the albino penguin, approach Akame and passes him a note. Scratched into a piece of leather are the words “Help me” in Common, which Kingsport wrote using his beak.
"Scrivenscry, I just recently lost my familiar to a mishap, is there somewhere I can perform the ritual to resummon Mister Fancy? Preferably someplace where I will be relatively undisturbed for just over an hour."
Chadderlay will begin to look around himself while waiting for a response.
"Then Mister Fancy and I can cover way more ground in the search for these Books of Keeping."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Come in peace, and live beneath the sun again, where trees and flowers grow."
— The message of Eilistraee to all decent drow.
"Run thy sword across my chains, Silver Lady, that I may join your dance.”
"Scrivenscry, I just recently lost my familiar to a mishap, is there somewhere I can perform the ritual to resummon Mister Fancy? Preferably someplace where I will be relatively undisturbed for just over an hour."
Chadderlay will begin to look around himself while waiting for a response.
"Then Mister Fancy and I can cover way more ground in the search for these Books of Keeping."
"A quite place, where you wont be disturbed? Sir, you're in a library." Replies Scrivenscry, dryly. "If you need some specific item, you can try the appropriate tower. I haven't been here long enough to see every building, but there seems to be one for each school. As it happens, the tower of conjuration is right next door. Its the one marked with the yellow circles"
<fyi: total coincidence, you just walked past it to get here: it is literally the next building on the map. You probably have charcoal, incense and herbs, but maybe not a brass brazier. One would definitely be in the tower of conjuration>
(OOC So how much would Angus know about arcanoloths and yugoloths? Should I roll History or Religion or something?)
Hmm. I wouldn't assume Angus knows too much about them. Although, if you're proficient in Religion, as I assume you are, you might at least suspect it's a fiend.
<optional rule from the dmg: "...If a character can apply a proficiency bonus to the check, he or she automatically succeeds if its DC is less than or equal to the relevant ability score." I'm calling that information a success. Angus recognizes Scrivenscry as a fiend, but if you want to try for more, roll religion. Csnonicslly, theiyre hard to see in the pocture, they do have a pair of horns on their head, so that might help with the initial check, not sure if that alone warrants afvantage on additional details. >
<I'd also say Angus and Tetrevess know anything in this expert relating specifically to true names of fiends. (Sorry for the quality of the image, the pdf isnt great and Imgur isnt helping. Its stuff you, the player probably know, though. This is like the diegetic text your PC might have read at some point>
Scrivenscry eyes Sam's enormous form. He looks unsurprised to see a huge reptile standing in the ancient library, but notices something that catches his interest. "You there, you're a brother of the order. Speak plainly. Are you here for the books as well?"
<Sam wears a pin indicating his membership in the Fraternity of Order, an organization native to Sigil, but currently based in Mechanus. They still have a lresence I'm the city of doors, which is where Sam met them. He actually met an Arcanoloth named Akin who runs a shop there. Different guy.>
"All right," says Angus, turning to Tetrevess. "You are in charge now, scholar. Lead us forward or give us assignments." As he looks at the wizard, he tries to signal, out of sight of the arcanoloth, that they need to talk in private.
<here is some exposition to keep things moving. At tsbke I'd roleplay it, but here's whay you learn>
Characters who agree to cooperate with the arcanaloth soon find themselves alone with Kingsport, who reveals that Scrivenscry is a cruel and wicked master. Neither Kingsport nor his master knows much about Ythryn, since they arrived only yesterday by using a spell scroll of plane shift.
<Does Chadderlay intend to visit the aforementioned tower? If so, will he go alone?>
<any plans to visit that tower what Mr. FANCY sacrificed himself to disable the trap on? Spoiler: it will reset, eventually.>
He spends a few minutes ritual casting telepathic bond, and mentally converses with our group. “Well, im ok helping look for the books, but you all can tell me what you want to do about the situation. I could happily spend weeks here, but that’s probably for another time. It occurred to me that maybe once we have the true name book, we could do something else with it instead of giving it to this guy. I am no expert in the topic but they certainly are worth way more than a chime of opening! Oh and I suppose this guy doesn’t seem like the best master..”.
Angus will respond to the telepathic "group chat": Whoa. This is different. Can you all 'hear' me? Heavens, I hope you can't hear all my thoughts.... uh... not... not that I'm thinking anything un-knightly or anything.... aaaanyway, I got the impression that our 'help' was mandatory, and that if we didn't' cooperate, he would somehow compel us, so I think at least giving the semblance of helping him is temporarily beneficial. But I agree, from what our friend Kingsport has shared, and from what I know of fiends in general, giving him a book which would give him the power to control every other yugoloth in existence would seem a less than good idea. Bad, really. Really, really bad. I vote no. So we must get it to prevent Scrivenscry from getting it, and then destroy it.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Iriolarthas? Nah, probably not. He was a big deal in Netheril, but little of his work became well known even among scholars if Netheril, after his Mythalar failed and his city crashed, trapping him here in this glacier for thousands of years.
The l8brary is actually pretty close. It's clearly labeled and Prof. SKANT points jt out ad soon as he sees it. It's to the west of the main road.
This colossal building has many lofty turrets in a state of disrepair, the ground below littered with their rubble. A giant-sized door at the base of the structure stands slightly ajar.
Shelves line the walls of this labyrinthine library, which is crammed with books on every conceivable subject.
Soon after the you enter, a bespectacled, jackal-headed humanoid paces into view carrying a bundle of scrolls. An eyeless, white, 5-foot-tall penguin in a leather harness shuffles behind it, dragging a small cart laden with books. The jackal-headed figure lets out a joyful gasp when it sees the characters and says, “Ah, you must be the librarians! Scrivenscry has need of your assistance.” The penguin shifts uneasily as its master speaks.
"Ah... Are you not a librarian, good sir? Who is Scrivenscry, and what assistance does he require?"
"How is it that you came to be here?"
Chadderlay will try to deduce if they are recent visitors or have been here, surviving somehow for millennium. He examines what they are wearing, how they speak, and even actions or mannerisms.
Investigation: 16
The furry fiend mives fluidly through the stacks of books, looking quite conformable amid the chaotic sorting process he seems to employ in hus search, his purple and black robes flowing, wafring the scent of black licorice as he moves. "Scrivenscry was summoned to this plane and it is here, so I have learned, that the Books of Keeping are kept. Scrivenscry and Kingsport have found many valuable books in this library, dealing with rare knowledge of the outer planes, but to date, Sceuvenscey has not found the Books of Keeping. You will help with this task...?" the arcanoloth's voice goes up suggesting the question has more teeth than a dimple request. He looks eager to find what he seeks, the penguin, shuffling sadly, seems to twitch at the impulsive gesticulations and excited words of Scrivenscry (who refers to himself exclusively in the third person. Kingsport is the penguin. His investiture does not appear to be wholly voluntary).
"We are not the librarians," responds Angus, "but perhaps we could be of service to you if you describe what exactly you are looking for. What do the Books of Keeping look like? What knowledge do they contain, what is it useful for? How and where have you searched already?"
Tetrevess has been following along the group in a bit of a daze. Truthfully he never felt the same after his adventure on the astral plane. It was hard to focus on the present. The books seem to snap him out of it, and he speaks.. .
“We are scholars, well, some of us are. Of a sort. I’d like to peruse the stacks, and hopefully find what it is you seek. Why is it they are being looked for again?”
Eager to make a deal, the yugoloth perks up at the response, ears pricked up and eyes wide, he replies, "so, you aren't librarians, but you would help Scrivenscry? Excellent. Yes."
Extending his four long, archnid digits, each tipped.with a subtly curved claw, he explains, "there are four volumes of the Books of Keeping, together containing the true names of every Yugoloth in all creation. Onomancy is a rare art, but potent if applied correctly. What I intend for these works is my own business, but use your imagination. At the very least, I'd like to keep my own true name from falling into someone else's claws. There are hundreds of books here. Maybe thousands. Any reasonably competent beings literate enough to discern any of this text could be helpful to me. If it isn't a reference book, it isn't what we're looking for. For your troubles, you can have this." From a pocket, the arcanoloth produces a metal tube, which he holds suspended from a metal chain connecting it to a small rod. "It's a chime of opening, gently used, it still has a few charges left."
<Mechanically, you get the thing whether or not you find one or more books of Keeping, yoi just have to spend the time. Prof. SKANT can translate loross, and there might be other books written in other languages. If a check was needed arcana, history ir investigation could all be applied here, but I'm not calling for one. Just asking if you'll spend a few hours helping look for the books. Side note: the chime is a consumable item. As such, it doesn’t count toward magic item limits (homebrew rule)>
As Scrivenscry wheels and deals.with Terevess and Angus, Kingsport, the albino penguin, approach Akame and passes him a note. Scratched into a piece of leather are the words “Help me” in Common, which Kingsport wrote using his beak.
"Scrivenscry, I just recently lost my familiar to a mishap, is there somewhere I can perform the ritual to resummon Mister Fancy? Preferably someplace where I will be relatively undisturbed for just over an hour."
Chadderlay will begin to look around himself while waiting for a response.
"Then Mister Fancy and I can cover way more ground in the search for these Books of Keeping."
(OOC So how much would Angus know about arcanoloths and yugoloths? Should I roll History or Religion or something?)
"A quite place, where you wont be disturbed? Sir, you're in a library." Replies Scrivenscry, dryly. "If you need some specific item, you can try the appropriate tower. I haven't been here long enough to see every building, but there seems to be one for each school. As it happens, the tower of conjuration is right next door. Its the one marked with the yellow circles"
<fyi: total coincidence, you just walked past it to get here: it is literally the next building on the map. You probably have charcoal, incense and herbs, but maybe not a brass brazier. One would definitely be in the tower of conjuration>
Hmm. I wouldn't assume Angus knows too much about them. Although, if you're proficient in Religion, as I assume you are, you might at least suspect it's a fiend.
<optional rule from the dmg: "...If a character can apply a proficiency bonus to the check, he or she automatically succeeds if its DC is less than or equal to the relevant ability score." I'm calling that information a success. Angus recognizes Scrivenscry as a fiend, but if you want to try for more, roll religion. Csnonicslly, theiyre hard to see in the pocture, they do have a pair of horns on their head, so that might help with the initial check, not sure if that alone warrants afvantage on additional details. >
<I'd also say Angus and Tetrevess know anything in this expert relating specifically to true names of fiends. (Sorry for the quality of the image, the pdf isnt great and Imgur isnt helping. Its stuff you, the player probably know, though. This is like the diegetic text your PC might have read at some point>
Scrivenscry eyes Sam's enormous form. He looks unsurprised to see a huge reptile standing in the ancient library, but notices something that catches his interest. "You there, you're a brother of the order. Speak plainly. Are you here for the books as well?"
<Sam wears a pin indicating his membership in the Fraternity of Order, an organization native to Sigil, but currently based in Mechanus. They still have a lresence I'm the city of doors, which is where Sam met them. He actually met an Arcanoloth named Akin who runs a shop there. Different guy.>
Angus searches through the depths of his memory to see if he can dredge up anything about arcanoloths and yugoloths beyond their fiendish nature.
Religion 10
Angus doesn't know much more than already stated, but you do get the impression he's holding this sentient creature against his will.
<arcanaloths are a type of yugoloth, a fiend outside the classification of demon or devil>
"All right," says Angus, turning to Tetrevess. "You are in charge now, scholar. Lead us forward or give us assignments." As he looks at the wizard, he tries to signal, out of sight of the arcanoloth, that they need to talk in private.
<here is some exposition to keep things moving. At tsbke I'd roleplay it, but here's whay you learn>
Characters who agree to cooperate with the arcanaloth soon find themselves alone with Kingsport, who reveals that Scrivenscry is a cruel and wicked master. Neither Kingsport nor his master knows much about Ythryn, since they arrived only yesterday by using a spell scroll of plane shift.
<Does Chadderlay intend to visit the aforementioned tower? If so, will he go alone?>
<any plans to visit that tower what Mr. FANCY sacrificed himself to disable the trap on? Spoiler: it will reset, eventually.>
Tetrevess will go with Chadderly. He also can read draconic.
He will help in the library as well- also gathering any arcane information or interesting history he can.
He spends a few minutes ritual casting telepathic bond, and mentally converses with our group. “Well, im ok helping look for the books, but you all can tell me what you want to do about the situation. I could happily spend weeks here, but that’s probably for another time. It occurred to me that maybe once we have the true name book, we could do something else with it instead of giving it to this guy. I am no expert in the topic but they certainly are worth way more than a chime of opening! Oh and I suppose this guy doesn’t seem like the best master..”.
Angus will respond to the telepathic "group chat": Whoa. This is different. Can you all 'hear' me? Heavens, I hope you can't hear all my thoughts.... uh... not... not that I'm thinking anything un-knightly or anything.... aaaanyway, I got the impression that our 'help' was mandatory, and that if we didn't' cooperate, he would somehow compel us, so I think at least giving the semblance of helping him is temporarily beneficial. But I agree, from what our friend Kingsport has shared, and from what I know of fiends in general, giving him a book which would give him the power to control every other yugoloth in existence would seem a less than good idea. Bad, really. Really, really bad. I vote no. So we must get it to prevent Scrivenscry from getting it, and then destroy it.