Meredith immediately considers stopping the cat-woman as a lost cause.....she is neither fast enough or convincing enough in her own estimation...
Instead she fixes on the new face, " You. Who are you?"
The Kenku turns to Meredith, one of its big black eyes reflecting points of floating amber light from the fireflies as he regards the bard up and down. “Scholar’s Shield!,” he croaks, seeming to note the pendant Meredith wears denoting this office. He starts shuffling sideways on his dull taloned feet down the smooth stone passage to the chamber’s central table. “I am Crinkle. Varnyr are you all right??,” he repeats.
Ebder stands, still protectively holding Gailby around the shoulders with one arm. She tries to shirk him off, pouting, but he whispers a few words to her and she takes a deep breath and quiets, staying beside him, her posture, frightened.
“Crinkle is the Firefly Cellar’s caretaker,” the scribe offers as they approach the table.
Varnyr, whose natural color is returning, sits up straighter in the chair Bell had slid her into during her paralysis.
“I am… most unwell,” she says, answering Crinkle but also addressing looks of concern from the others, “but I will be fine,” she finishes doubtfully as random voices around her join unexpectedly in quietly singing the Shemshime rhyme.
Erudisia casts her eyes around rapidly. What is her duty here? Is the containment broken? Is it fruitless to restrain K’Tulah. K’Tulah is so fast and Erudisia is so slow, already the Tabaxi seeker is almost to the edge of her accurate range.
“K’Tulah!” she cries. “You need not stay in the cellar, but you cannot bring this curse beyond these walls! Look at what the shadows have done already! Please! We will find a solution. Don’t break this quarantine!”
Persuasion: 16
K’Tulah is too far away for less aggressive spells. Fearfully, still weakened in mind and muscle by the shadows, past trauma racking her thoughts, Erudisia prepares an Eldritch Blast: if K’Tulah moves to escape the keep, she will attempt to strike them down .
[Attack Roll: 16. Damage roll: 13 force and 2 thunder]
(The containment is in place thanks to quick action by the Scholar’s Shield earlier in the afternoon.)
As a result of Erudisia’s words (and her successful Persuade check), K’Tulah wavers, uncertain what to do, her eyes wildly shooting everywhere in search of an escape route. She is plainly suffering a panic attack and not 100% in control of herself…
A gateman, assessing the situation, grabs his crossbow, already loaded, and waits for a command from Erudisia.
Erudisia can see, written upon the tabaxi’s features, the thought forming in her addled mind: jump up onto the stable’s roof, then the tall, frost-etched walls, then escape…
Erudisia cries, “Please! Don’t. We’ll get through this together if we keep our heads, like only scholars can.” She holds her blast ready, in case K’Tulah begins to flee.
Meredith nodded, " Caretaker.....an important job often overlooked. Crinkle? Do you happen to recall where and when you first heard the rhyme?"
The kenku seems utterly taken with Meredith’s shiny Scholar’s Shield emblem and his head shifts slightly to get a better view of it. In response to her question, he stops himself from ogling, and from singing the rhyme, with effort — it takes a few stuttery seconds — and finally says quietly, “Cawww…, little Gailby was the first person I heard sing the song. This morning I heard her when I was doing chores.”
To this, Gailby answers defensively, “That’s not true. I heard someone singing it last night. Or, thought I did… outside my door while I was sleeping. I thought it was you, Crinkle.”
“But…,” Varnyr says hoarsely, “kenkus…, forgive me Crinkle…, but kenkus cannot be the first to say something or sing a new song. They can only repeat something they’ve already heard. That is why I… did not mention you earlier,” to Crinkle, “when you asked who could have been the first to sing it,” she says to Bell and Meredith.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries //Dev Horndin Curious Critters
Erudisia cries, “Please! Don’t. We’ll get through this together if we keep our heads, like only scholars can.” She holds her blast ready, in case K’Tulah begins to flee.
(You can roll Persuade to try to top your prior roll of 16. Your roll will give K'Tulah a bonus to the WIS check she'll need to make to control her terror and claustrophobia.
For the held blast... is Erudisia shooting to kill? Or more a 'blast the roof under her foot so she falls' kind of thing?)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries //Dev Horndin Curious Critters
Meredith nodded, " Caretaker.....an important job often overlooked. Crinkle? Do you happen to recall where and when you first heard the rhyme?"
The kenku seems utterly taken with Meredith’s shiny Scholar’s Shield emblem and his head shifts slightly to get a better view of it. In response to her question, he stops himself from ogling, and from singing the rhyme, with effort — it takes a few stuttery seconds — and finally says quietly, “Cawww…, little Gailby was the first person I heard sing the song. This morning I heard her when I was doing chores.”
To this, Gailby answers defensively, “That’s not true. I heard someone singing it last night. Or, thought I did… outside my door while I was sleeping. I thought it was you, Crinkle.”
“But…,” Varnyr says hoarsely, “kenkus…, forgive me Crinkle…, but kenkus cannot be the first to say something or sing a new song. They can only repeat something they’ve already heard. That is why I… did not mention you earlier,” to Crinkle, “when you asked who could have been the first to sing it,” she says to Bell and Meredith.
Merediths eyes narrowed.
" True. But if our previous experience is anything to go by I suspect the object we are searching for or perhaps something trapped within it is more than capable of singing the song itself."
" Has anyone found anything? Maybe its not a book........has anyone found a music box?"
Erudisia cries, “Please! Don’t. We’ll get through this together if we keep our heads, like only scholars can.” She holds her blast ready, in case K’Tulah begins to flee.
(You can roll Persuade to try to top your prior roll of 16. Your roll will give K'Tulah a bonus to the WIS check she'll need to make to control her terror and claustrophobia.
For the held blast... is Erudisia shooting to kill? Or more a 'blast the roof under her foot so she falls' kind of thing?)
Persuasion 13
Erudisia (and presumably the crossbow man) is firing at K’Tulah. After seeing Varnyr collapse, fearing this plague, and so shook up by exhaustion then strength drain and the shadows she’s shooting to kill, though it will ruin her for many years to come, and she may begin to reflect on what these decisions she’s taking as part of the Scholar’s Shield are turning her in to.
Erudisia cries, “Please! Don’t. We’ll get through this together if we keep our heads, like only scholars can.” She holds her blast ready, in case K’Tulah begins to flee.
(You can roll Persuade to try to top your prior roll of 16. Your roll will give K'Tulah a bonus to the WIS check she'll need to make to control her terror and claustrophobia.
For the held blast... is Erudisia shooting to kill? Or more a 'blast the roof under her foot so she falls' kind of thing?)
Persuasion 13
Erudisia (and presumably the crossbow man) is firing at K’Tulah. After seeing Varnyr collapse, fearing this plague, and so shook up by exhaustion then strength drain and the shadows she’s shooting to kill, though it will ruin her for many years to come, and she may begin to reflect on what these decisions she’s taking as part of the Scholar’s Shield are turning her in to.
(K’Tulah WIS save DC 13)
(Bonuses:
+1 (WIS)
+3 (Erudisia Persuade 16)
Rolling…)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
14
.
.
.
.
.
(NycrolB, can I put it in your hands to tell us what happens?)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries //Dev Horndin Curious Critters
(That’s clever. I like how the persuade is an ability modifier for their own save. I’m definitely going to do that in any games I DM going forward.
(It looks to me that K’Tulah passed their wisdom save, and so isn’t fleeing. I know the dice roller can be screwy sometimes. Is that what everyone else sees?)
Meredith nodded, " Caretaker.....an important job often overlooked. Crinkle? Do you happen to recall where and when you first heard the rhyme?"
The kenku seems utterly taken with Meredith’s shiny Scholar’s Shield emblem and his head shifts slightly to get a better view of it. In response to her question, he stops himself from ogling, and from singing the rhyme, with effort — it takes a few stuttery seconds — and finally says quietly, “Cawww…, little Gailby was the first person I heard sing the song. This morning I heard her when I was doing chores.”
To this, Gailby answers defensively, “That’s not true. I heard someone singing it last night. Or, thought I did… outside my door while I was sleeping. I thought it was you, Crinkle.”
“But…,” Varnyr says hoarsely, “kenkus…, forgive me Crinkle…, but kenkus cannot be the first to say something or sing a new song. They can only repeat something they’ve already heard. That is why I… did not mention you earlier,” to Crinkle, “when you asked who could have been the first to sing it,” she says to Bell and Meredith.
Merediths eyes narrowed.
" True. But if our previous experience is anything to go by I suspect the object we are searching for or perhaps something trapped within it is more than capable of singing the song itself."
" Has anyone found anything? Maybe its not a book........has anyone found a music box?"
Persuasion- 14
(Meredith: BINGO! Granting you inspiration!)
Ebder and Gailby seem confused, Crinkle simply stands there, and Little One gasps with the brilliance of the guess. But it is Varnyr who responds.
“Music box? Music box? But… but… yes! Shemshime? Yes! That is where… it’s it’s…”
The head clerk rises, a look of astonishment on her face. “Ebder! Didn’t you see??” But the motion is too much for her and she almost falls back into her seat from exhaustion. Panting, she continues. “Ebder… there was a book, among those I found late last night. Gilt, it seemed hollow, there was… an illustration on the cover, mostly metal. ‘Shemshime…’ was in the title! I had forgotten until this moment! I was working later than usual, I just wanted to get a good start on the ‘S’ shelf. Ebder… did you not see it? I added it to the list of books needing repair, dated yesterday. The leather…” She stops again, sucking in air.
Ebder looks around at Varnyr, Bell, Meredith, and then turns, shaking his head. “I am still on last week’s batch, I didn’t see it…,” he says weakly.
Meredith knows exactly the ledger Varnyr is speaking of. She spotted it on Ebder's desk earlier.
K'Tulah's eyes dart side to side, wide, and her muscles are tense. She twitches and flickers like a dancer personifying storm, and yet she still does not jump, does not direct that crackling energy into flight. Erudisia recognises the panic in her eyes, sure it is reflected in her own too, but they are more than just their fears, more than just their instincts.
"Listen to me, and listen to my voice," says Erudisia. Slowly she lowers her arms, and whisper quiet begins to approach. She gently waves one hand downward at the crossbow-man at the gate.
"Breathe deeply. Focus on your hands, and then your arms, and then your shoulders. Feel the energy that you do not need, breathe deeply, and let it flow out through your air. First from your fingers, then from your hands, then your arms then your shoulders. Let them relax." Erudisia continues the mantra, as she edges closer, until she is close enough to gently rest one hand on K'Tulah's hand. "You are under the sky, you are open, and clear. For now, let's not fight the song, let's preserve our mental energy, and let us sing, and focus on our other needs."
Erudisia drops concentration on the song, and will take K'Tulah and draw her to the nearest outdoor bench, and sit and sing with her, and pat her shoulder and her arm, until they have the fortitude to hold off on the singing and talk, waiting until K'Tulah is ready to take the lead and tell her more of her struggle and her understandings.
The Kenku turns to Meredith, one of its big black eyes reflecting points of floating amber light from the fireflies as he regards the bard up and down. “Scholar’s Shield!,” he croaks, seeming to note the pendant Meredith wears denoting this office. He starts shuffling sideways on his dull taloned feet down the smooth stone passage to the chamber’s central table. “I am Crinkle. Varnyr are you all right??,” he repeats.
Ebder stands, still protectively holding Gailby around the shoulders with one arm. She tries to shirk him off, pouting, but he whispers a few words to her and she takes a deep breath and quiets, staying beside him, her posture, frightened.
“Crinkle is the Firefly Cellar’s caretaker,” the scribe offers as they approach the table.
Varnyr, whose natural color is returning, sits up straighter in the chair Bell had slid her into during her paralysis.
“I am… most unwell,” she says, answering Crinkle but also addressing looks of concern from the others, “but I will be fine,” she finishes doubtfully as random voices around her join unexpectedly in quietly singing the Shemshime rhyme.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters
(The containment is in place thanks to quick action by the Scholar’s Shield earlier in the afternoon.)
As a result of Erudisia’s words (and her successful Persuade check), K’Tulah wavers, uncertain what to do, her eyes wildly shooting everywhere in search of an escape route. She is plainly suffering a panic attack and not 100% in control of herself…
A gateman, assessing the situation, grabs his crossbow, already loaded, and waits for a command from Erudisia.
Erudisia can see, written upon the tabaxi’s features, the thought forming in her addled mind: jump up onto the stable’s roof, then the tall, frost-etched walls, then escape…
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters
Meredith nodded, " Caretaker.....an important job often overlooked. Crinkle? Do you happen to recall where and when you first heard the rhyme?"
Erudisia cries, “Please! Don’t. We’ll get through this together if we keep our heads, like only scholars can.” She holds her blast ready, in case K’Tulah begins to flee.
The kenku seems utterly taken with Meredith’s shiny Scholar’s Shield emblem and his head shifts slightly to get a better view of it. In response to her question, he stops himself from ogling, and from singing the rhyme, with effort — it takes a few stuttery seconds — and finally says quietly, “Cawww…, little Gailby was the first person I heard sing the song. This morning I heard her when I was doing chores.”
To this, Gailby answers defensively, “That’s not true. I heard someone singing it last night. Or, thought I did… outside my door while I was sleeping. I thought it was you, Crinkle.”
“But…,” Varnyr says hoarsely, “kenkus…, forgive me Crinkle…, but kenkus cannot be the first to say something or sing a new song. They can only repeat something they’ve already heard. That is why I… did not mention you earlier,” to Crinkle, “when you asked who could have been the first to sing it,” she says to Bell and Meredith.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters
(You can roll Persuade to try to top your prior roll of 16. Your roll will give K'Tulah a bonus to the WIS check she'll need to make to control her terror and claustrophobia.
For the held blast... is Erudisia shooting to kill? Or more a 'blast the roof under her foot so she falls' kind of thing?)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters
Merediths eyes narrowed.
" True. But if our previous experience is anything to go by I suspect the object we are searching for or perhaps something trapped within it is more than capable of singing the song itself."
" Has anyone found anything? Maybe its not a book........has anyone found a music box?"
Persuasion- 14
Persuasion 13
Erudisia (and presumably the crossbow man) is firing at K’Tulah. After seeing Varnyr collapse, fearing this plague, and so shook up by exhaustion then strength drain and the shadows she’s shooting to kill, though it will ruin her for many years to come, and she may begin to reflect on what these decisions she’s taking as part of the Scholar’s Shield are turning her in to.
(K’Tulah WIS save DC 13)
(Bonuses:
+1 (WIS)
+3 (Erudisia Persuade 16)
Rolling…)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
14
.
.
.
.
.
(NycrolB, can I put it in your hands to tell us what happens?)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters
(That’s clever. I like how the persuade is an ability modifier for their own save. I’m definitely going to do that in any games I DM going forward.
(It looks to me that K’Tulah passed their wisdom save, and so isn’t fleeing. I know the dice roller can be screwy sometimes. Is that what everyone else sees?)
(Correct, she made her save, barely!)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters
(Meredith: BINGO! Granting you inspiration!)
Ebder and Gailby seem confused, Crinkle simply stands there, and Little One gasps with the brilliance of the guess. But it is Varnyr who responds.
“Music box? Music box? But… but… yes! Shemshime? Yes! That is where… it’s it’s…”
The head clerk rises, a look of astonishment on her face. “Ebder! Didn’t you see??” But the motion is too much for her and she almost falls back into her seat from exhaustion. Panting, she continues. “Ebder… there was a book, among those I found late last night. Gilt, it seemed hollow, there was… an illustration on the cover, mostly metal. ‘Shemshime…’ was in the title! I had forgotten until this moment! I was working later than usual, I just wanted to get a good start on the ‘S’ shelf. Ebder… did you not see it? I added it to the list of books needing repair, dated yesterday. The leather…” She stops again, sucking in air.
Ebder looks around at Varnyr, Bell, Meredith, and then turns, shaking his head. “I am still on last week’s batch, I didn’t see it…,” he says weakly.
Meredith knows exactly the ledger Varnyr is speaking of. She spotted it on Ebder's desk earlier.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters
Meredith is a little stunned.....it had been little more than a guess....but...
She ran over to the desk.
" Ok. Let's all look. Many eyes are better.....lets do this before more demonic shadow things turn up people!"
K'Tulah's eyes dart side to side, wide, and her muscles are tense. She twitches and flickers like a dancer personifying storm, and yet she still does not jump, does not direct that crackling energy into flight. Erudisia recognises the panic in her eyes, sure it is reflected in her own too, but they are more than just their fears, more than just their instincts.
"Listen to me, and listen to my voice," says Erudisia. Slowly she lowers her arms, and whisper quiet begins to approach. She gently waves one hand downward at the crossbow-man at the gate.
"Breathe deeply. Focus on your hands, and then your arms, and then your shoulders. Feel the energy that you do not need, breathe deeply, and let it flow out through your air. First from your fingers, then from your hands, then your arms then your shoulders. Let them relax." Erudisia continues the mantra, as she edges closer, until she is close enough to gently rest one hand on K'Tulah's hand. "You are under the sky, you are open, and clear. For now, let's not fight the song, let's preserve our mental energy, and let us sing, and focus on our other needs."
Erudisia drops concentration on the song, and will take K'Tulah and draw her to the nearest outdoor bench, and sit and sing with her, and pat her shoulder and her arm, until they have the fortitude to hold off on the singing and talk, waiting until K'Tulah is ready to take the lead and tell her more of her struggle and her understandings.