I will make my way back to the others and relay what I heard. Fitz will scan the room for other exits out of the room. 

“Should we try to draw them out or possibly join them? They don’t seem to be too interested in us yet.” Standing over the desk and looking over the contents, “this be magic writings and such, isn’t it?” 

Ianjin moved with practiced grace, his golden-orange plumage barely rustling as he scanned the study, his keen eyes sweeping over the ancient tomes and scattered documents on the desk and in the shelves. He wasn’t much for deciphering magic, but religious or historical texts? That, he had some experience with. He gently flipped through a few pages, looking for symbols, references, or anything that might hint at the cult’s beliefs, practices, or origins. His fingers traced over intricate inscriptions, his mind working to piece together their significance. ([skill]Investigation[\skill]: 16)

He spoke just above a whisper, answering Fitz without looking up. “Well… they want to grow in strength, right?” His beak twitched in a smirk. “Maybe that means they’re open to new recruits.” He glanced toward the others, his tone light but thoughtful. “That’d solve our little problem of getting close to them. But…” He finally looked up, his sharp eyes settling on Fitz. “How exactly do we explain our sudden appearance in their private chambers?” His wings shifted slightly, the weight of the situation pressing in despite his usual easygoing nature. “They don’t seem to know we’re here yet—but if they find us, they’re going to want an answer. And I doubt ‘we took a wrong turn’ or 'We've been looking for the loo' is going to cut it.” He let that sit for a moment, his gaze flicking between his companions. “So… if we’re going to sell a story, we need a good one. Fast.” His taloned fingers tapped lightly on the desk as he continued looking over the documents, his mind already working through possible angles.

You hear the sound of more than one heavily armoured people stepping towards the study room.

Lanjin’s investigation:

With a grin spreading on his face, Igneous says, "They want to get strong, well, I am strong, and I can teach them how to get stronger! For me, I lift bolder and logs whenever I get the chance. Sometimes I repeat a lift five or ten times, and other times I just do one heavy lift once. It's easy if you start small and keep working at it for a long time. I like it." He pauses for a second and thinks some more. "Maybe I just walk in there and offer to help? I won't say that we teleported here, just that we are here to help. Or maybe someone better than me with words should do the talking and I will just carry something heavy, like the desk to prove I know how to get strong." 

Valeria sighs and shakes her head whispering, "We're supposed to gather information, not join their club or start a fight. Even though it might be fun, we don't know what we're up against yet.

"I recommend we use our invisibility glyphs before the stompers show up."

She gestures towards an area away from the doors and activates her glyph to go invisible.

Simon follows suit and crawls into a corner

Ianjin muttered under his breath as he skimmed the books, his sharp eyes darting between the spines. Curses, the Nine Hells, Malinum, summoning spells... His feathers ruffled slightly, a telltale sign of unease. Yeah. We’re definitely in the right place. With a quick, practiced motion, he grabbed a selection—one book on curses, another on Malinum, and a third on summoning rituals. No sense leaving empty-handed if things got messy. Tucking them securely into his pack, he turned to the others just as the sound of heavily armored footsteps echoed toward them.

Ianjin didn’t hesitate. “Looks like we’re not alone anymore—time to disappear,” he whispered, activating his invisibility glyph with a focused breath. As the magic shimmered over him, his form vanishing from sight, he gave Igneous a firm clap on the shoulder before stepping back. Then, with a powerful beat of his wings, he leapt into the air, landing as softly as possible atop a high bookshelf or ledge—somewhere out of immediate reach. His talons gripped the surface tightly as he steadied himself, making sure he was completely still. Silent as the wind itself, he perched above the room, invisible, watching, listening. Let’s see what these cultists are up to…

Fitz will take up a spot under the desk and retrieve the glyph from his coat pocket. "Information is what Merlin wanted," he thinks. "What's on the desk is probably important." Fitz takes a deep breath and activates the glyph. Fitz will take a moment to verify that he is, in fact, invisible before coming out from underneath the desk. Fitz looks over the papers and scrolls spread across the desk. He will then start to stash any that look important into his bag. 

Seeing his companions blink out of sight startles Igneous. Luckily, he only says, “What the…” under his breath. Then comprehension dawns on him. “Oh, stealth, not strength right now,” and he too uses his invisibility glyph. 

Three guards enter the study room, two holding spears and the other wielding a sword and shield. The one with a sword seems to be a higher rank than the two.

“I swear I heard something! Look, someone tampered with the books!” One of the guards say, as they point to one of the shelves that Lanjin stole books from and the missing scrolls which Simon took.

”That is strange. Keep searching, maybe they’re hiding somewhere.” The authoritative guard orders as he wanders dangerously close to Simon’s corner. Simon needs to roll stealth.

Simon attempts to use Thaumaturgy to create the sound of distant whispers coming from a direction the guards did not enter from. He knows it's a stretch, but he'd rather pull the guards away from investigating near the bookshelf.

If needed he will lead them away and try to double back

Perched high above, Ianjin remained utterly still, every muscle frozen in careful control. His keen eyes followed the guards’ movements, his sharp hearing catching every word. 'Yeah… probably should’ve waited before grabbing those books,'  he admitted to himself. It was an obvious oversight in hindsight—one that could make things far more complicated. 'Lesson learned.'  But there was no use dwelling on it now. He shifted his weight ever so slightly, adjusting his grip on the ledge, making sure his wings were tucked in to avoid any accidental brush against the walls. He had to trust the invisibility glyph to do its work.

Below, Simon was already making his move—Thaumaturgy. A gamble, but a clever one. Ianjin resisted the urge to grin. If it worked, the guards would chase a phantom. If it didn’t… well, he’d cross that bridge when he had to. For now, he simply watched, his entire body coiled like a spring, ready. If a guard so much as reached for one of his companions, then he’d act. But until then, patience. Observation. A good monk knew when to strike—and when to wait.

Igneous thinks about the times he played hide and seek as a child. "Man, they would never find me with one of these invisibility glyphs," he thinks in his internal voice. He then repeats the word "silent" again and again as a reminder for what he is supposed to be doing. But he suddenly stops because he remembers a time when he accidentally said it out loud and little Franny Franscesca found him hiding in the woodshed. So he starts saying, "glyph" over and over in his head and tries his best to behave. 

Fitz is tucked under the desk readying his two daggers if things go sideways. 

The guards go silent, their movements slow and deliberate as they creep toward the source of the whispers. Their eyes dart across the dimly lit room, scanning every shadow and corner for any sign of an intruder. With careful steps, they shift to the other side of the room, their hands hovering over their weapons, ready to strike at the slightest movement. You have them fooled for now.

Simon gives out a silent prayer that his associates are better at remaining hidden than he is. He is prepared to cast Sanctuary on himself if things get it ugly

By now, Igneous is repeating "theft" but at least is still saying it silently. He remains motionless. 

Ianjin remained motionless as the guards crept across the room, their eyes flicking through the dim candlelight. He knew they were fooled for now—but deception was as fragile as glass. One wrong move, one misstep, and everything would come crashing down. And the worst part? He didn’t know where the others were.

Of course, they should still be inside. But if they were good at staying hidden—really good—he wouldn’t know for sure. He had to assume they were still there, tucked away in the shadows, holding their breath as the guards prowled. If things went sideways, he needed to be in a position to act.

(Read along if you would notice someone with Stealth 22 in dim light)

Fitz starts to ease up a little as it sounds like the guards are beginning to leave the area. "Best not to spill blood here," he thinks to himself. Surrounded by the unfamiliar architecture, Fitz tries to glance around the room, trying to pick up on anything of note. Maybe an exit, or a window close by where the team could make their escape from this room if we get trapped. Fitz will also listen or try to spot where the guards currently are. 

Perception: 13 

Quote from Kyleh2486 >>

Fitz starts to ease up a little as it sounds like the guards are beginning to leave the area. "Best not to spill blood here," he thinks to himself. Surrounded by the unfamiliar architecture, Fitz tries to glance around the room, trying to pick up on anything of note. Maybe an exit, or a window close by where the team could make their escape from this room if we get trapped. Fitz will also listen or try to spot where the guards currently are. 

Perception: 6 

 
The only thing you can hear are the metallic clanking sounds to the left of you. There’s only the door to serve as an exit, but many hiding spots lie in the study room.