Eggo smiles at Hugh, "Well good to have you back. A cousin of mine came down with NPC Flu some years back. One moment she's asking the barkeep about nearby goblin raiders. The next she's 'sleeping off drunkeness' in the cart for three decades. Can't even open her eyes." She adds with a wink and a smirk, "Thank goodness I hated her anyways." As the departure of Ivory is confirmed she says, "Finally. Peace and quiet."

While Sly browses the books, Eggo Lass tries to make light conversation with Effavil, "So, Effavil, how do you spend your days here? Big bookworm? Or mostly tending the garden?" She heads towards the potted plants room, intent on collecting herbs and spices.

'Oh I tend to just potter about the place, keep things tidy and tend to the garden, that sort of thing. Adventurers come through often, about a party a week so that gives some good conversation.' They then sort of sigh as a longing expression crosses their face. 'I've been here for so long and I can't see a future with me ever leaving. I would head into the next dungeon but I don't have a party, and I've heard its the den of a formidable crimson knight, who I'd stand no chance against.' Their expression of pain and fear starts to pass and they point to the logbook in Sly's backpack that contains the Blood Archivist's letters. In a rare moment of clarity they say to you in a firmer voice unlike the meek one you heard earlier 'I was once a Hexblade Warlock, but lost my pact weapon and fell out of good terms with my patron, so my powers faded over the years I've been trapped here, though I did learn that the magic that connects these dungeons is powerful Shadowfell magic that manipulates Shadow Crossings in a unique way to serve as teleportation magic. It's called a Shadow Weave, and although it usually appears in openings like doorways, it can be formed into objects that allow you to be transported as well. Only a very select amount of powerfully devasting mages in Tyraa know how to use such magic, and I'd hazard a guess that the mage manipulating this Weave is inhabiting one of the higher dungeons. If you kill them, the Shadow Weave will start to fade, and all of the trapped adventurers will be freed from the 100 Dungeons. That's my only hope of leaving, so I pray you'll be able to find and slay them.' Effavil then takes another clump of peppermint and as they eat it, the lucidity seems to fade back into the sedative and meek elderly halfling you were more familiar with.

[I absolutely love the idea of an NPC Flu that makes you more repetitive, only speak when spoken to, and strips back your personality. I can just imagine a campaign where the adventurers are looking for a cure to the virus before they all become NPCs, in a world filled with people that have 3 unique sentences at best and perform the same task for hours on end lmao XD]

Eggo Lass listens with intrigue. The plot indeed did thicken with mystic arcanums. How delightful it would be to learn more, though the threat of a crimson knight sounded formidable. "If you get conversation from the parties, what about the goat?" she asks, trying to broach the subject delicately, unsure if she should try using the fire to give the party a meal or dip into the rabbit from earlier.

'Oh, the goat's marvellous, they're a steadfast companion with some great conversation but is easily spooked, and I've even treated it to a nibble of my soul from time to time. Apparently I taste like salted caramel, button mushrooms and spearmint, who would have thought it? They used to be Evaltrini's taste tester, but after her disappearance they didn't serve much purpose aside from scaring away parties from Evaltrini's vault. Though, they are getting to a very old age, easily half a millennia, and I'm surprised the creature hasn't died from old age yet. It seems just to sleep and eat now, and is far past it's prime, so I'd imagine it'll be passing away soon. Though when it does, there's a highly likelihood it'll choose to come back as a Goast later on, especially if it has some form of grudge or unfinished business, so our conversations won't be over for a long time to come!' Efavil chuckles and continues to harvest peppermint, blissfilly unaware of the fact that the goat's skeleton is only 2 rooms away.

"Oh." says Eggo Lass. For a moment her black skin turns to a dark shade of grey as the information settles in. "That's- that's nice." she murmurs. She feels the general area of her pack where she kept the chevon steaks. "Thanks for the herbs, uh, I think I should talk with the rest of the party about that crimson knight."

Heading into the library she telepathically tells each person, "Um... there might be a goast."

Slys eyebrows elevate themselves to dangerous heights upon being informed of the Goast.

"A what."

The wizard, satisfied with her curiosity about the library, descends to the ground floor.

"If there is even a small probability of that beast returning, we need to abscond before then. If everyone is rested, should we go check on what the mage did to the statue?"

Packing in her books and notetaking supplies, the wizard turns to Eggo. "Have you found anything about the whereabouts of Evaltrini?"

"Not really beyond what we already knew, that he ain't in this part of the dungeon anymore really." replies Eggo Lass, "But I did hear there's some crimson knight in the next dungeon. So be on the lookout for the sound of armor." She scarfs down some of the rabbit meat from earlier while packing her bag.

[[ Sheet modifications: Added Herbs and Spice, some peppermint, and deducted 1 rations. Will hit the short-rest button when applicable. ]]

If everyone’s happy with what they’ve done in the rest and has nothing further to do, feel free to progress through to the next half of the dungeon whenever you’re ready (I’ll get the map sorted for it) :)

Sly waits impatiently by the door, her backpack gripped tight with one hand and her spellbook clutched in the other. She is unwilling to go first and looks at another member of the group to offer. If the group leaves, she will walk in the rear.

To Aria, she says: "Where we are going it's only going to get more dangerous. Would it be an option for you to stay here, perhaps with Efavil? They were able to survive here for a hundred years, I'm sure they will know the way to stay out of trouble until we get to the bottom of this 'exhibition', to use a Blood Archivist expression."

Aria considers for a moment and then reluctantly agrees ’That makes sense, I’d probably end up dead somewhere, so I’ll have to trust that you’ll break that ‘Shadow Weave’ or whatever Efavil said. Don’t let me down!’

Hugh strolls to the door, "M'lady, pause please." 

Check for traps 14 If they are found disable 10

Once cleared, "Let me go first please." Hugh steps beyond the door.

You find no traps or hijinks around the statue leading into the next area, and after speaking the password of Peppermint, the statue steps out of the way of the entrance and allows you passage through to the next area, and now that the statue is out of the way, you can see that it is a well maintained and homely 30 foot long corridor, with two doors either side half way through, and a door at the end of the corridor.

As they head to the statue, Eggo Lass would take a quick moment to leave the chevon steaks at the goat's corpse and hurriedly say, "The cat lady made us do it!" while rushing to rejoin the rest. As Ariana departs she bids a reluctant goodbye.

If the corridor is unlit she'll cast dancing lights and send them wherever Hugh finds convenient.

Sly also says goodbye to Aria. "There is a good chance we will not make it. If we do, I'll try to come back here and tell you how it went."

She then casts detect magic as a ritual in preparation before going past the statue. The awareness of auras would probably continue to be useful, as it had been so far. The wizard will use it to check on all three doors without touching them.

You don't detect any magic from this area, it seems as if Efavil was correct; this part of the dungeon may just be Evaltrini's living quarters, free of any traps and magical mischief, or at least you hope it is.

Sly lets the others know. "Well, at least no arcane abjurations here. Still, even if Evaltrini hasn't trapped her own quarters, that bothersome feline (Ivory) might have."

"True. I wouldn't put anything past that cat." says Eggo Lass, joining Sly. She takes a look at the doors wondering if anything seems out of place.

Perception: 10+3 = 13

Bilyur continues to pound on the walls, hoping to break through them and reveal a secret.

11 to hit for five damage

17 to hit for 4 damage

Sly turns around. "Bilyur, your sustained animosity towards those inanimate minerals is commendable, but shouldn't we focus on the task at hand? Ivory isn't important in the grand scheme of things. She's a self-confessed two-bit player in the archivists puppet show, just like us. We just need to play smarter than she is."

Eggo Lass studies the doors and notes that they’ve got different handles to the doors you saw in the last half of the dungeon. They seem to be simpler and are more like a regular handle rather than a knob. Something tells you that this means the doors might not be trapped like some of the doors you found earlier, but you can’t be 100% confident. 

Bilyur continues to pummel the wood panelled walls, his first hit weakening the already rotting wooden planks, and his second punch sends his fist straight through the wall to the east. When you pull your hand out (slightly covered in splinters) steam and water vapour escapes out of the hole you punched.