The Keeper’s head appears around the doorframe. She holds up one finger, clarifying a point.
”What I meant is, go to the gates to get an answer to your question regarding how many seekers were allowed in today from the avowed adjudicators. Then meet me back at the Emerald Door when you have that essential information.”
Bell will help Meredith to walk/drag Erudisia to her room. She needs rest to recover. "You are dead on your feet. No more running about for you tonight." She will tuck in Eurdisia and run back to help guide Little One to his room as well.
(( I know, Little One will probably end up helping Bell more than Bell helping Little One but... )) "Rest. Get your strength back. Meredith and I can run to the gate. We promise we will tell you and Erudisia everything after a good rest."
Bell finally meets back up with Meredith... a little out of breath... but ready to get to the front gate.
"I hope they kept a good record of petitioners and book titles."
At the castle gates, the avowed priests allow Bell and Meredith to peruse the entry records, among which they find these two entries correlating to the two titles that transformed into gingwazim:
Yalerion Highscroll. human acolyte. Submitted text: Mazfroth’s Mighty Digressions
Valor. Tiefling knight. Submitted text: The Dark Hunger
The petitioners arrived separately, earlier today, less than 3 hours ago. It is now around 2 in the afternoon. No one else has come today.
When you meet the Keeper at the Emerald Door, Janussi, The Keeper of Tomes, is also there. “Find out what you can,” she instructs you.
" Shall we go talk to this Yalerion? First?", Meredith said to Bell.
Without Erudisia here to distract her she was having to concentrate quite hard on being officious and professional with Bell.....but her thoughts kept flittering away to the hallway the other night....
"Sure. He shouldn't be that hard to find... I hope." Bell smiled as she moved forward and headed toward The House of Rest. "... and if he isn't in the House of Rest perhaps next door at the Hearth. If we get real lucky, maybe that Valor person will be there too."
You try the House of Rest first, and find the name, Yalerion HIghscroll, in the ledger. The strange hostess with her lavender skin and deep purple make-up, points across the Court of Air.
“Zhere,” she says, “In zhe House of the Binder.”
If you cross the court to the House of the Binder, you see from behind, an unfamiliar human, mid-20s, well-kempt, long blonde pony-tail, relaxed posture. He is speaking quietly with two of the Avowed priests of Oghma when you pass through the door into the workshop. The priests, facing the door, see you enter, and seem to catch themselves, remembering that they must now bow to the newly appointed Scholar’s Shields. They nod, and the stranger’s fair face turns around, seemingly eager to make your acquaintance but respectfully allowing you the first word.
Bell steps astride to be shoulder to shoulder with Meredith and lays a gentle hand on her arm...
She turns to address the young man. "Forgive us for it has been a vexing day. We have had an incident in the library and it concerns certain books which were presented for entry today. We were hoping you could enlighten us as to how you came in possession of the book you offered for entry to Candlekeep."
She tries to give a reassuring smile. Persuasion: 4
in fact, Erudisia realizes she was awakened by a soft knock at her door. As she settles in to sleep, she hears it again.
“Lady Odewright?”
A woman’s voice.
BELL & MEREDITH
The man pales a bit following Meredith’s accusation. The priests nod a quick ‘good luck!,’ to him and then peel away, exiting the bindery and avoiding the confrontation.
The clerk at the bindery desk, a gnome standing on a platform behind a counter that makes him look taller than the humans, seems about to object to Meredith’s tone but when Bell offers her more conciliatory opening, despite its falling a bit flat, the gnome also decides not to get involved. “I ‘ave somethin’ to, erm, attend to in th’ workshop…,” he falters before slipping out of a back half-door and out of sight.
The room smells like glue and leather and the floor is dulled by a thin splattering of trodden-upon beeswax. A warm light enters through fine paper valences and stained glass. There are hair-like thin strands of cut paper in the corners and edges of the floor.
There is a display table near to the counter with examples of different book bindings for sale laid out upon it and several chairs surrounding it. One chair is almost at the level of the table and has a small detachable step stool with two steps leading up to it. Gnome stuff.
When the man turns to fully face you, you note that he is wearing a gray acolyte’s robe, for the temple of Oghma. He answers you, flustered. “There was something wrong? Something… vexing about the book that I brought for entry? But at the gate, it was accepted with no problem… they said I had been granted a tenday here…”
" Where. Did. You. Get. It?", Meredith intoned, trying desperately to distract herself from Bell up against her shoulder and her hand on her arm.....she didn't trust herself to move without having a full blown panic attack so her best bet was to concentrate fully on this Oghmanyte before her.
" Talk!", her voice quavered slightly but she honestly couldn't say whether it was from maintaining her stern facade or because of how warm Bells palm was against her olive arm....
" I don't mean to be rude but people have almost died and I don't have time to faff about."
Bell can feel the tension in the muscles under her hand. She looks quizzically at Meredith since Bell did not think the situation should evoke such stress. She pats Meredith on the arm gently and turns to look at the young man.
"Vexing to say the least. It seems at least two books were accepted and appeared to be 'just books'. Unfortunately, the books were anything BUT 'just'. Much like mimics, these not-books weregingwatzim-- a peculiar form of life created by a spell or a ritual. And when they get 'hungry'... they transform and can drain a person of their magic and life energies. We have already encountered two and wish to find the source to stop any more from crossing into Candlekeep."
Bell's voice broke for a moment before she continued.
"I am fairly certain your ten day is secure. But, we must know how that book came into your possession -- before other gingwatzim enter harm others. Any information you can provide will be seen favorably by the Elders."
Erudisia is tempted to ignore the door, but after a deep sigh, she laboriously stands, feels the cool stone of her room under foot and trudges to the door to open it.
“Please, just Lady Erudisia,” she says to the uninvited visitor, “Lady Odewright is my mother.”
“Ging….?? Transformed…?? he repeats after Bell, trying to keep up. He seems quite overwhelmed, holds up his hands, pleading. Too much information.
“This, I… the… the book was a mimic? Like a mimic? It transformed into a life-draining monster? But… but, it was just there in its wrapper, the whole time… ten days, since Baldur’s Gate. You’re sure it’s the book I brought? It was called Mazfroth’s Mighty Digressions… That was the one, you say? But how?? It was newly printed and I had the luxury of reading an advance copy, and thought surely here at Candelkeep they wouldn’t have a copy yet. You see? And I… I found it in a market stall, sold at a low price. How could it be??” His eyes suddenly flash wide open.
“It hurt someone??? Killed someone???” He was pale before, and now, all the color has drained from his face. He slumps into one of the chairs at the display table. “Almost died?,” he corrects himself, his glance shooting to Meredith, remembering what she had just said, horrified though grasping at that straw of hope.
ERUDISIA
You have not seen this priestess of Oghma since you first arrived in Candlekeep several days ago. She was one of the adjudicators present at the gates. The priestess’ milky contralto replies, “Yes of course, Lady Erudisia." When she speaks, this memory comes to mind:
It is when one of the other priests speaks aloud for the first time that you thereby learn that the priest is indeed a priestess, for she cuts in, in a milky contralto, “…of House Odewright of the Moonshae Lands…?,” causing the oldest priest to look questioningly over his shoulder at her before turning back to Erudisia, then emphatically raising an eyebrow, beckoning a response.
Her expression takes on a note of surprise and concern. She has a round, androgynous face and very fair curls just hidden by her mortarboard cap. Her age, hard to tell 40? 50? 60?
"Oh my, you do not look well, child. You should… please sit down. I am sorry to have disturbed you. I should come back... you are indisposed. I'll return another time?”
"Meredith, why don't you escort Yalerionhere to the Emerald Gate while I try to find where that Valor person might be. Probably best if Valna Oxalonthrinn, the Keeper of the Emerald Gate gets his babbling report from his own lips... less chance of us misinterpreting in the delivery.
I will meet you at the steps of the Emerald Door as soon as I find out where we need to go next."
Bell will scurry off back to the House of Rest to see if the odd hostess can point to where this tiefling knight might be.
The young wizard consults the ledger at the House of Rest once again, and when she asks the strange hostess -- Lornalin is her name -- with her lavender skin and deep purple make-up about the tiefling called Valor, the hostess points a thumb over her shoulder. Bell cranes her neck to see around the hefty woman's form, and there sees Matreus in a side room, snoring in an armchair.
“Matreus is appointed ze tiefling knight's Guide,” she says, “She leave right away after registering. I do not know where.”
"Meredith, why don't you escort Yalerionhere to the Emerald Gate while I try to find where that Valor person might be. Probably best if Valna Oxalonthrinn, the Keeper of the Emerald Gate gets his babbling report from his own lips... less chance of us misinterpreting in the delivery.
I will meet you at the steps of the Emerald Door as soon as I find out where we need to go next."
Bell will scurry off back to the House of Rest to see if the odd hostess can point to where this tiefling knight might be.
" Yes........that's a good idea.", Meredith said catching her breath as Bell dashed off.
" Right, Yalerion lets get you sorted out.......innocent mistake I'm sure but we will need to know who sold it to you....remember to tell Valna every single detail......she is far less lenient than ourselves."
Meredith snagged the young mans arm and led him towards the Emerald Gate with a slight whistful sigh...
Bell walks over to where Matreus is reclining and pokes him in the arm. "Matreus, I need your help. It is urgent." To speed his awakening, Bellwill use Prestidigitation and create the marvelous smell of the cookies Matreus had been nibbling while in Fistandia's Mansion not long ago.
Erudisia pulls her door more widely open and, despite the dark bags under her eyes, invites the priestess in. “I recognise you, and I would not have a sage and priestess of Oghma leave without the knowledge that they sought. I knew enough of your church to be certain that is unwise before even I set foot in Candlekeep.”
Tired as she is, she hopes that that has come out as playful and charming rather than brusque and catty, and that her smile is inviting rather than a grimace.
Erudisia’s room is modest but she pulls back her desk chair for her guest then sits, her posture less than perfect, on the corner of her own eiderdown comforter and rumpled bedsheets. “How may I help you, sage?”
The Keeper’s head appears around the doorframe. She holds up one finger, clarifying a point.
”What I meant is, go to the gates to get an answer to your question regarding how many seekers were allowed in today from the avowed adjudicators. Then meet me back at the Emerald Door when you have that essential information.”
She leaves for real.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
" Oh!", says Meredith as the Keeper reappears.
" Are you two ok to go to the gate? I don't fancy my chances of piggy-backing Erudisia all the way there...."
Bell will help Meredith to walk/drag Erudisia to her room. She needs rest to recover. "You are dead on your feet. No more running about for you tonight." She will tuck in Eurdisia and run back to help guide Little One to his room as well.
(( I know, Little One will probably end up helping Bell more than Bell helping Little One but... )) "Rest. Get your strength back. Meredith and I can run to the gate. We promise we will tell you and Erudisia everything after a good rest."
Bell finally meets back up with Meredith... a little out of breath... but ready to get to the front gate.
"I hope they kept a good record of petitioners and book titles."
Erudisia begins a long rest in her room.
At the castle gates, the avowed priests allow Bell and Meredith to peruse the entry records, among which they find these two entries correlating to the two titles that transformed into gingwazim:
Yalerion Highscroll. human acolyte. Submitted text: Mazfroth’s Mighty Digressions
Valor. Tiefling knight. Submitted text: The Dark Hunger
The petitioners arrived separately, earlier today, less than 3 hours ago. It is now around 2 in the afternoon. No one else has come today.
When you meet the Keeper at the Emerald Door, Janussi, The Keeper of Tomes, is also there. “Find out what you can,” she instructs you.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
" Shall we go talk to this Yalerion? First?", Meredith said to Bell.
Without Erudisia here to distract her she was having to concentrate quite hard on being officious and professional with Bell.....but her thoughts kept flittering away to the hallway the other night....
"Sure. He shouldn't be that hard to find... I hope." Bell smiled as she moved forward and headed toward The House of Rest. "... and if he isn't in the House of Rest perhaps next door at the Hearth. If we get real lucky, maybe that Valor person will be there too."
MEREDITH & BELL
You try the House of Rest first, and find the name, Yalerion HIghscroll, in the ledger. The strange hostess with her lavender skin and deep purple make-up, points across the Court of Air.
“Zhere,” she says, “In zhe House of the Binder.”
If you cross the court to the House of the Binder, you see from behind, an unfamiliar human, mid-20s, well-kempt, long blonde pony-tail, relaxed posture. He is speaking quietly with two of the Avowed priests of Oghma when you pass through the door into the workshop. The priests, facing the door, see you enter, and seem to catch themselves, remembering that they must now bow to the newly appointed Scholar’s Shields. They nod, and the stranger’s fair face turns around, seemingly eager to make your acquaintance but respectfully allowing you the first word.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Meredith is wound tight as a spring and Yalerion is the unfortunate individual who she's facing when the tension snaps.
" You there! Yalerion is it? We would have words with you about your means of entry to the keep."
She fixed the surrounding priests with a stern look, " Scholars Shields business, back to your duties."
" Now. Yalerion....if thats your true name....where did you procure the volume you used to gain entry to Candlekeep."
" Out with it!", she finished as a chill breeze wafted over Yalerions face.
Intimidation- 15
Prestidigitation.
Bell steps astride to be shoulder to shoulder with Meredith and lays a gentle hand on her arm...
She turns to address the young man. "Forgive us for it has been a vexing day. We have had an incident in the library and it concerns certain books which were presented for entry today. We were hoping you could enlighten us as to how you came in possession of the book you offered for entry to Candlekeep."
She tries to give a reassuring smile. Persuasion: 4
In her apartment, Erudisia turns over to one side. For a moment it seems like she might stir… but then she continues her long rest undisturbed.
ERUDISIA
in fact, Erudisia realizes she was awakened by a soft knock at her door. As she settles in to sleep, she hears it again.
“Lady Odewright?”
A woman’s voice.
BELL & MEREDITH
The man pales a bit following Meredith’s accusation. The priests nod a quick ‘good luck!,’ to him and then peel away, exiting the bindery and avoiding the confrontation.
The clerk at the bindery desk, a gnome standing on a platform behind a counter that makes him look taller than the humans, seems about to object to Meredith’s tone but when Bell offers her more conciliatory opening, despite its falling a bit flat, the gnome also decides not to get involved. “I ‘ave somethin’ to, erm, attend to in th’ workshop…,” he falters before slipping out of a back half-door and out of sight.
The room smells like glue and leather and the floor is dulled by a thin splattering of trodden-upon beeswax. A warm light enters through fine paper valences and stained glass. There are hair-like thin strands of cut paper in the corners and edges of the floor.
There is a display table near to the counter with examples of different book bindings for sale laid out upon it and several chairs surrounding it. One chair is almost at the level of the table and has a small detachable step stool with two steps leading up to it. Gnome stuff.
When the man turns to fully face you, you note that he is wearing a gray acolyte’s robe, for the temple of Oghma. He answers you, flustered. “There was something wrong? Something… vexing about the book that I brought for entry? But at the gate, it was accepted with no problem… they said I had been granted a tenday here…”
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
" Where. Did. You. Get. It?", Meredith intoned, trying desperately to distract herself from Bell up against her shoulder and her hand on her arm.....she didn't trust herself to move without having a full blown panic attack so her best bet was to concentrate fully on this Oghmanyte before her.
" Talk!", her voice quavered slightly but she honestly couldn't say whether it was from maintaining her stern facade or because of how warm Bells palm was against her olive arm....
" I don't mean to be rude but people have almost died and I don't have time to faff about."
Bell can feel the tension in the muscles under her hand. She looks quizzically at Meredith since Bell did not think the situation should evoke such stress. She pats Meredith on the arm gently and turns to look at the young man.
"Vexing to say the least. It seems at least two books were accepted and appeared to be 'just books'. Unfortunately, the books were anything BUT 'just'. Much like mimics, these not-books were gingwatzim -- a peculiar form of life created by a spell or a ritual. And when they get 'hungry'... they transform and can drain a person of their magic and life energies. We have already encountered two and wish to find the source to stop any more from crossing into Candlekeep."
Bell's voice broke for a moment before she continued.
"I am fairly certain your ten day is secure. But, we must know how that book came into your possession -- before other gingwatzim enter harm others. Any information you can provide will be seen favorably by the Elders."
Erudisia is tempted to ignore the door, but after a deep sigh, she laboriously stands, feels the cool stone of her room under foot and trudges to the door to open it.
“Please, just Lady Erudisia,” she says to the uninvited visitor, “Lady Odewright is my mother.”
BELL & MEREDITH
The man starts when Meredith shouts ‘Talk!,’
“Ging….?? Transformed…?? he repeats after Bell, trying to keep up. He seems quite overwhelmed, holds up his hands, pleading. Too much information.
“This, I… the… the book was a mimic? Like a mimic? It transformed into a life-draining monster? But… but, it was just there in its wrapper, the whole time… ten days, since Baldur’s Gate. You’re sure it’s the book I brought? It was called Mazfroth’s Mighty Digressions… That was the one, you say? But how?? It was newly printed and I had the luxury of reading an advance copy, and thought surely here at Candelkeep they wouldn’t have a copy yet. You see? And I… I found it in a market stall, sold at a low price. How could it be??” His eyes suddenly flash wide open.
“It hurt someone??? Killed someone???” He was pale before, and now, all the color has drained from his face. He slumps into one of the chairs at the display table. “Almost died?,” he corrects himself, his glance shooting to Meredith, remembering what she had just said, horrified though grasping at that straw of hope.
ERUDISIA
You have not seen this priestess of Oghma since you first arrived in Candlekeep several days ago. She was one of the adjudicators present at the gates. The priestess’ milky contralto replies, “Yes of course, Lady Erudisia." When she speaks, this memory comes to mind:
Her expression takes on a note of surprise and concern. She has a round, androgynous face and very fair curls just hidden by her mortarboard cap. Her age, hard to tell 40? 50? 60?
"Oh my, you do not look well, child. You should… please sit down. I am sorry to have disturbed you. I should come back... you are indisposed. I'll return another time?”
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
"Meredith, why don't you escort Yalerion here to the Emerald Gate while I try to find where that Valor person might be. Probably best if Valna Oxalonthrinn, the Keeper of the Emerald Gate gets his babbling report from his own lips... less chance of us misinterpreting in the delivery.
I will meet you at the steps of the Emerald Door as soon as I find out where we need to go next."
Bell will scurry off back to the House of Rest to see if the odd hostess can point to where this tiefling knight might be.
BELL
The young wizard consults the ledger at the House of Rest once again, and when she asks the strange hostess -- Lornalin is her name -- with her lavender skin and deep purple make-up about the tiefling called Valor, the hostess points a thumb over her shoulder. Bell cranes her neck to see around the hefty woman's form, and there sees Matreus in a side room, snoring in an armchair.
“Matreus is appointed ze tiefling knight's Guide,” she says, “She leave right away after registering. I do not know where.”
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
" Yes........that's a good idea.", Meredith said catching her breath as Bell dashed off.
" Right, Yalerion lets get you sorted out.......innocent mistake I'm sure but we will need to know who sold it to you....remember to tell Valna every single detail......she is far less lenient than ourselves."
Meredith snagged the young mans arm and led him towards the Emerald Gate with a slight whistful sigh...
Bell walks over to where Matreus is reclining and pokes him in the arm. "Matreus, I need your help. It is urgent." To speed his awakening, Bell will use Prestidigitation and create the marvelous smell of the cookies Matreus had been nibbling while in Fistandia's Mansion not long ago.
Erudisia pulls her door more widely open and, despite the dark bags under her eyes, invites the priestess in. “I recognise you, and I would not have a sage and priestess of Oghma leave without the knowledge that they sought. I knew enough of your church to be certain that is unwise before even I set foot in Candlekeep.”
Tired as she is, she hopes that that has come out as playful and charming rather than brusque and catty, and that her smile is inviting rather than a grimace.
Erudisia’s room is modest but she pulls back her desk chair for her guest then sits, her posture less than perfect, on the corner of her own eiderdown comforter and rumpled bedsheets. “How may I help you, sage?”