"Yes, a rest for sure.  I need to get rid of this exhaustion, it is really dragging me down."  she rubs her fingers again, annoyed by all the bites.  "I do have pitons to hammer into the floor, but would we want to try and move this desk in front of the doors instead?  That might not be as noisy?"

If someone helps her, she'll try and move the desk, otherwise she'll hammer some pitons into the floor.

This room makes Soren a little more uncomfortable than the others, and it would not have been his first choice to choose it as a den for the night.  Perhaps it is all the rot.  The sagging floors and bookshelves.  But he does not object and helps Zefla move the desk as needed.

"Do you want to try to open the locked drawers in the desk, Zefla?"  Soren asks for Silvanus' Guidance on her if so.

Soren stares for a time at the oil painting of the windmill above the fireplace, having seen a few of them along the coastal road south from Neverwinter Wood.  He distinctly remembers thinking that they were strange four-armed giants at first.  But this one must be in Barovia, not along the Sword Coast.

Finally, he takes time to try to ensure the room is secure.  He checks the fireplace, the windows, the walls, the bookshelves for anything out of the ordinary, certainly including, but not restricted to, nests of rat swarms or rat holes or other modes of entry.  Asking Silvanus' Guidance once more.

Soren Perception plus Guidance:  10 + 4 = 14

Giles, the bookcase against the far wall is entirely a lost cause.  The second shelf, beside the desk doesn't fare much better.  Some of the book spines are still intact and you are able to identify some titles: Histories of the Mountain Folk (vol I, II and IV); Tactics of The Neureni Horde; An Abridged History of the Church of Andral, State-Founding to First Jubilee; Royal Lineage of the Dusk Elves... but none of the pages have survived, moisture and mold having claimed them.

Soren and Zefla slide the heavy desk against the door.  Its brass feet scrape and carve grooves in the floors as you put your backs into moving it.  Once pushed up against the inward-opening doors, you are satisfied that, while not an insurmountable obstacle, it will certainly keep anything from getting into the library quickly or quietly.

Soren's survey of the room does not identify any other points of entry or danger.  He does find notice two things:

• Outside the windows, darkness has fallen.  Glowing eyes, down near the ground level, watch the house from the surrounding wood.  Wolves, most likely, but the glow emitted by the eyes is most unnatural and unsettling.
• After the desk is moved, a small opening in the floor, obscured by the desk and covered by a false plank is revealed.  Inside the hidden compartment is a book, a scroll, and a sack of coin.  The items have largely survived the worst of the decay present in the room.

With the room as secure as you can make it, the party may take a LONG REST.

You may also advance to LEVEL TWO.

Soren immediately shows the rest of the group the items revealed beneath the false plank, divvying up the coin into four shares.  As usual, he has no concept of property, only territory.  With the threats both inside and outside the house, the library is, for now, the party's territory.

He shows the book and scroll to Giles, guessing the not-Father will better be able to interpret or identify them.

"At first, I felt uneasy resting here with the sagging floors and walls.  But out the window, along the ground, I see prowling eyes.  Perhaps the wolves we heard, but there is something unnatural about their nocturnal glow.  So perhaps this is better than the bottom floor after all."

The next morning, Soren awakes early as usual and, ten minutes before the party sets off again, he closes his eyes and meditates, finding a new connection he lacked before.  Concentrating on Silvanus' natural order and sensing where magic may have overlaid it.  Ritually casting Detect Magic.

Burr snores loudly through the night until woken for his watch.

 That night Giles dreamt of being sealed within these moldy walls, of hearing scurrying within the walls.  He had a dream of his Lady Tymora, flipping him a coin that was spinning over and over, his hand reached out and seemed to be moving painfully slow, trying to grab the coin.  When he awakens with a start, he is sweating.  His hand goes to his pouch and he reassures himself that the coin is still there, the familiar outline felt and confirmed.  He awakens feeling somehow stronger, despite the sweating and sudden awakening, he feels focused on the light, on trying to drive away the evil forces of the surrounding werewolves, ….. and the rats.

When Giles awakens he notes the items in the hidden compartment.  He casts light and then with curiosity, begins to examine the book and scroll.  He also can’t help but be curious as to how much coin in is the sack.  He opens the draw strings to find out.

The party has three chairs to work with, which are still moderately comfortable even in their advanced age and neglect.  Taking turns keeping watch, the night passes without incident.  There are a few creaks and groans from the house in the dark hours, but nothing that sounds like anything moving inside, or trying to get in from outside.  Eventually there is a faint glow from the windows to signal morning, and the party wakens to consider their predicament and what to do next.

The red cloth sack opens to reveal 39 gold coins.  The gold content looks right and they're the appropriate size, but none of the monarchs or coat of arms stamped on the coins resemble those you have seen back on the Sword Coast.  

The scroll is a spell scroll of pass without trace.

The book looks to be hundreds of years old, like most everything else here.  But it has survived and can endure a modest amount of inspection.  It is titled Tracing the Lineages of the Clans: A - G and appears to be a genealogy of human noble houses.  Inside the front cover is a handwritten dedication in black ink, faded but legible.

To my dearest friend Gustav.  For your collection.  Never forget that truth is stronger than tyranny.  Never forget who your friends are.  Stay safe.

- Leo Dilisnya

Soren, as you rise and conduct your ritual, your senses expand and you are treated to a glimpse of the natural beauty of the weave as it traces through your surroundings.

Soren:

(In the morning as the party sets out, which is when Soren casts detect magic).

As Soren completes his ritual, he shakes his head in puzzlement.  "I was hoping to sense for magic in this room or adjacent ones.  But the only magic I sense is from the scroll we found of course, and from... our own little pack."

His large brown eyes, like that of a nervous animal, gaze at Giles, inadvertently making it clear who he is referring to.

Soren continues to concentrate on his sense of the Weave and how it interlaces with nature as the party sets off.

" So....shall we head to the nearest settlement according to the map?"

Giles hands each of you 10 gold coins, and keeps 9 for himself.  “I’ll keep this scroll, I’ve heard of this type of magic, I think it is down my alley.  If we need to sneak by someone, or something, we can use it.”  He stands and goes to the window, trying to look out into the yard.  “Quite right Burr, maybe we can find our way to the next settlement, get out of this place.”  ((If he hasn’t already done so, Giles rolls up and takes the map of Barovia as well, feeling this will be useful, putting it in his back pack.))  He sees the look on Soren’s face, saying “Are you alright?  Where do you think we should head from here?”

Zefla thanks Giles for her portion of the sack and heads over to the desk, asking for help to move it away from the door.  

As the others start talking about where to head next, she looks a bit puzzled, "Don't we want to see what other treasures this house holds before we move on?  I mean.. or information?  None of us know what is really going on here and we haven't explored everywhere yet.  I wouldn't think it would take too long."

Now, feeling more herself, she goes to unlock the desk drawers..

Sleight of Hand  11

Zefla, the tiny lock mechanism on the desk drawers is tougher than anything else you've encountered in the house so far.  This big fancy desk was equipped with an equally fancy security system.

Eventually you are forced to concede and move to the crowbar your party plucked from the monster hunting kit downstairs.  Breaking open the desk drawers, you find the following:

• An oil lamp (empty/no oil)
• An ink bottle
• An ink pen
• A tinderbox
• A set of noble stationary including a red wax candle, 4 dry and ancient sheets of parchment each with a foil embossed windmill, and a signet ring, also bearing a windmill.
• A lockbox for coin, unlocked and completely empty.
• A stack of documents, including deeds to property, will and testaments, and birth certificates.

Burr looks over her shoulder at the writing paraphenalia with a perplexed expression but points to the stack of documents, " That stuffs worth money....I mean I think it is. Deeds and such usually are."

" Specially when its the moneylenders and they're taking your land...."

Giles examines the documents looking for dates, location, trying to get a sense of how old these documents are..

Soren shifts uncomfortably as Giles asks if he is all right.  "I am physically well, not-Father.  I detected strong creeping, staining abjuration magic upon some object you bear when I was attempting to use Silvanus' grace to look for magic around us here.  I have never sensed anything like it."

When others bring up striking out from the house to the nearest settlement, Soren cautions:  "I saw the wolves all around the house last night when I looked out the window, eyes glowing unnaturally in a way I have not seen.  And I am well familiar with wolves.  I sense it is dangerous outside right now."

Burr looked across at Soren, " I get the feeling it is always dangerous in this fell place."

[Make an investigation check, Giles.]

Quote from Tybard >>

Soren shifts uncomfortably as Giles asks if he is all right.  "I am physically well, not-Father.  I detected strong creeping, staining abjuration magic upon some object you bear when I was attempting to use Silvanus' grace to look for magic around us here.  I have never sensed anything like it."

When Soren says “not-Father” Giles and comments about the magical aura, Giles has a kind smile that plays across his face, almost saying (but not) “Tut tut my child”, but he assumes the role of a patient parishioner, calmly saying to him, “Oh, I know what you may be sensing.  It is in here.  Let me reassure you my child Soren.  That’s all it is, see?  I quite like the cat face, and I think it gives me luck!  Don’t you worry…”

Giles pulls out of his pouch his [Tooltip Not Found], describing to him what it does for him.  

When he turns to the papers, he sorts through them for information.  Investigation: 19 

Giles, the papers are written in thick legalese and the names, locations and dates are all meaningless to you.  In particular, all the documents are dated between 219 BC and 348 BC.  But you don’t recognize this calendar and without a frame of reference the dates are useless.

Soren nods, feeling somewhat comforted by the presence of the cat's face on Giles' stone.  "It seems to suit you.  Perhaps it is Tymora's gift."

He turns to the others.  "I agree with Zefla.  I love the forest, as you all know, but this forest is different.  The more information and resources we can gather from this man-den before venturing out into the danger, the better.  I hope the vengeful ruler of Barovia has forgotten about this place, knowing that Raquon of Greyhawk is dead, and whoever once lived here before that seemingly long gone.  They did seem to love windmills, though, didn't they?"

If everyone is ready to start moving, Soren helps move the desk away from the door if it is still there, then peeks back into the hallway.  If all clear, he moves to the other door next to the stairs, at the northeast end of the hall.  Ready to open the door once his friends are ready.