Irthos watched as his sisters intervened with a wry smile, sending Gale a knowing smile as the two peacemakers resolve things amiably. As talk returns to their planned journey he adds:
“How do we plan to travel? It’s a long road ahead of us and it won’t be cheap either! I could speak with the merchants guild and see if there are any caravans going that way in need of assistance...or we could even run one ourselves for the guild if we fancied more coin.”
The four siblings close out their tab with Zimrick, say their farewells to Jeb, and make the short walk to the House of Knowledge, an impressively tall building with many windows and an arched roof. That some of the building was damaged by the eruption of Mount Hotenow is still apparent, but masons and carpenters have done an admirable job of nearly restoring the great temple to Oghma to its original splendor. Over the massive pair of oak doors, carved into the granite arch, is the symbol for Oghma, a blank scroll. Above the scroll are the words "Knowledge Is Supreme" in three languages: Common, Elvish, and Draconic. To the left of the scroll are the words "Knowledge Must Be Used with Care", to the right "Ideas Can Move Mountains."
Despite their size and weight, the doors swing open with surprising ease to reveal a large circular chamber that is brightly illuminated, albeit magically. Several large tables are surrounded by chairs, and over each table a small gem is suspended by a thin silver chain. These gems are the source of all the light in the room. There are no books or manuscripts in this room, but the presence of a narrow stairwell suggests those items are housed in the upper floors of the tower. The only other piece of furniture in the room is a large desk, behind which sits a male half-elf who is busily writing something and frequently dipping his pen in an inkwell. He quickly glances at the four dragonborn as they enter but immediately returns to whatever it is he's writing.
Only one other creature is in the room--an obese cat that is lazily bathing itself on the floor near the half-elf. Although he does not look up again, the half-elf says warmly, "In the name of the Lord of Knowledge, I welcome you to his house."
Elsewhere approaches the half-elf walking a bit stiffly, trying to appear confident. She clutches her wrapped lyre close to her chest and speaks quietly but firmly.
"Gratitude, most illustrious devotee of Oghma, my name is Elsewhere, and these are my siblings. We have come seeking the type of solace that only knowledge can provide. May I ask, what can we offer, in exchange for some time to peruse the great House of Knowledge in search of the answers we seek?"
She eyes the cat, resisting the urge to crouch down to pet it, at least until the half-elf responds to her question.
Irthos enters with an excited expression on his face as he follows behind his sister he says to no one in particular: “Ah lovely to step foot inside again.”
As Elsa greets the half-elf in the stiff, formal manner he looks down at her quizzically with a grin on his face before glancing at the others to see how they have reacted to his sisters introduction.
The half-elf looks up with a quizzical expression on his face. "Elsewhere," he repeats, as if the word is something he's never heard. "Such a name...I'm sorry! Poor manners indeed. The uniqueness of your name caught me quite off my guard."
He then sets down his pen, stands, and introduces himself. "I am Kordmemian, Clerk of the House. And may the answers you seek be found. This floor, as you can see, is dedicated to reading and research. Above you are six more floors--five of them comprise Oghma's library, and the sixth and topmost is a place of worship. Somewhere, on one of those floors, is my assistant for the day, Seryll. I might be able to assist you in your search. What sort of information do you desire?"
Before anyone can respond, Kordemian interrupts. "Ah, of course, I nearly forgot! You must sign first."
He then opens a large leather-bound book that serves as a type of visitors log, keeping a running list of anyone who has come to the House of Knowledge. He hands the ink pen to Elsewhere, indicating she should write her name on the next line. "In any language you see fit, of course. And now to my original question. What sort of information do you desire?"
Elsa takes up the quill hesitantly, still holding her bundle in her offhand. She stares at the log for a moment, thinking that leaving a trail might be dangerous. She curses herself for frivolously giving her name here and there. She signs in plain common.
"Greetings Kordmemian, and gratitude. We seek answers, we were left with a riddle of sorts, and thus far have only pieced together that it pertains to Bahamut and one of the Great Gold Wyrms, named 'Gruemar the Voice' s... shall I recite the riddle?"
She asks her siblings, but her gaze is still shifting between Kordmemian and the cat.
"Ah, a riddle? By all means, I'd love to hear it," responds the clerk. "Then I'll point the way to anything here in the House that might bring clarity to you and your siblings."
Preah half expects to be familiar with whoever is sitting at the front desk in the House of Knowledge, but she does not recognize the half-elf Kordmemian.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Elsa slowly turns and give Gale a look, one that says, that's why I asked. And then looks at the cat and Kordmemian, considering them and the room carefully, trying to be nonchalant about taking their measure.
Elsa studies her surroundings, especially the clerk and the cat, and comes to the conclusion that everything is what it seems to be.
Kordmemian notices that his request to hear the riddle is met with a pause and responds, "No matter then. Bahamut, eh? And the Seven Great Gold Wyrms? Let me think about that for a moment. Hmmm... I've not heard of Gruemar..."
The clerk then stands and rattles off a few suggestions. "Information about Bahamut will likely be found in a variety of places upstairs. He's a dragon; so there might be a bit of information on the second floor; that's where we keep things pertaining to creatures--beasts, fey, aberrations, elementals, and so forth. He's a deity and, therefore, will likely be found in the books on the third floor. And, of course, many scholars have written about Bahamut's role in historical matters; so, be sure to spend some time on the fourth floor."
The clerk then smiles as if to emphasize that he's given the dragonborn all the information they need. "Ah, wait a moment! Poetry, songs, and artifacts! How could I forget? The sixth floor will have any poems, music, or works of art that might pertain to Bahamut. There you go."
He begins to sit and then jumps up again. "Ah, I'm terribly distracted. All reading is done here on this floor...at these tables. Don't carry anything down the stairs, however. On each floor you'll see a small teleportation circle. Place any item you wish to study in that circle, and it will be teleported to one of the tables on this floor. Teleportation circles are for temple materials only, not our guests."
Then, with another smile and a nod, Kordmemian indicates he has explained everything.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Irthos chuckles at his brother. "Oh dear brother, I think you will find that the deity section is on the third floor! History is on the fourth floor, weren't you listening?" He finishes with a chuckle. Continuing again in his usual cheerful manner and acting as if he hadn't made fun of his brother he says: "I presume Elsa will be visiting the sixth floor so why don't you head to the fourth floor for history Preah and I will look through the information that might be on the second floor. You do look like you could climb those stairs a lot easier than me after all!"
Searching for information relating to Bahamut, Gruemar and the other of the Seven Great Gold Wyrms - Investigation:11
(Investigation rolls won't be necessary; the books, manuscripts, scrolls, etc. are arranged in an orderly, meant-to-be-found manner)
The four dragonborn make their way up the narrow stairwell to the second floor, which is where Irthos begins his search for pertinent information. Resisting the urge to grab several books that seem fascinating but unrelated to his current mission, he finds two books that seem appropriate. The first, with a straightforward title, is The Book of Dragons. The second is The Exarchs of Bahamut.
Gale peruses the next level of the House of Knowledge, where he eventually finds Warriors of Heaven and Deities and Demigods. As he's looking through the assortment of books, Gale is able to eavesdrop on the conversation that takes place on the floor above--a conversation among his sisters and someone else. Based on what Kordmemian said a few moments ago, Gale assumes Preah and Elsa have encountered Seryll.
Preah and Elsa clamber up yet another flight of stairs where they are met by a female halfling who's mopping the floor. Cordially she welcomes the two dragonborn to Oghma's House and offers her assistance. Upon learning the subject area of the sisters' search, she says, "Kord knows this place better than anyone, I would guess. When you reach the next floor be sure to look at the shield than hangs on the wall. Bahamut and the seven are painted upon it."
Preah searches the historical books and documents on this floor as Elsa climbs one last flight of stairs. Within fifteen minutes Preah decides that she'll look through Draconic Enmity: The Children of Io and a very small book titled The Banishment of Tiamat.
Elsa, in the smallest room of the tower, feels like she's in a museum of sorts. The books and scrolls are accompanied by sculptures, paintings, mosaics and tapestries. She sees a shield on the wall, but it has no dragons upon it. It is decorated, rather, with an image of a paladin accompanied by seven canaries. Her time spent among the books and documents leads her to select only one small book, which, oddly enough, is titled Songs of Revelry and Sorrow.
As mentioned by the clerk, each floor of the House contains a small table, the top of which is marked with a circle inscribed with sigils. Each dragonborn places the selected items in the circle and watches them disappear. After walking down the stairs to the main room, they find their items sitting on one of the large tables. In total, they've gathered seven books, for, of course, Elsa knew she shouldn't remove the shield from the wall.
The siblings begin their search for information in earnest and begin to write a down a few things with the provided paper and ink when they notice that the cat begins behaving oddly....
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Hmph, you assume because I've been at bard college all these years that I will start with poetry and song?" Elsa says, touching her free hand to the nape of her neck feigning dismay. She laughs, "Of course, you assume correctly, so how can you be blamed?" She makes her way up to the 6th floor and starts searching for anything referencing Kuyutha, Bahamut, Gruemar (or his feathers), Rays of Morn, and the Seven Great Gold Wyrms.
....the cat leaps up on a nearby table and gazes up with eyes riveted on something that it hopes to catch, almost as if it were pursuing a flying insect. Whatever the cat seems to see, however, isn't visible to anyone else. At one point, the cat even leaps up--a surprising feat considering the animal's girth--and attempts to claw at, seemingly, nothing.
Kordmemian becomes aware of the cat's antics and calls out, "Havi, what's that all about?!"
The clerk then begins to study the space above the cat and quickly casts a spell. The next words out of the clerk's mouth are, "An imp?!"
Havi immediately leaps from the table and darts up the stairs, seemingly in pursuit of something.
Irthos watched as his sisters intervened with a wry smile, sending Gale a knowing smile as the two peacemakers resolve things amiably. As talk returns to their planned journey he adds:
“How do we plan to travel? It’s a long road ahead of us and it won’t be cheap either! I could speak with the merchants guild and see if there are any caravans going that way in need of assistance...or we could even run one ourselves for the guild if we fancied more coin.”
Gale looks dejected, "Do we have to travel by land? Can we not get there by ship?"
(Assuming it's safe to advance the story)
The four siblings close out their tab with Zimrick, say their farewells to Jeb, and make the short walk to the House of Knowledge, an impressively tall building with many windows and an arched roof. That some of the building was damaged by the eruption of Mount Hotenow is still apparent, but masons and carpenters have done an admirable job of nearly restoring the great temple to Oghma to its original splendor. Over the massive pair of oak doors, carved into the granite arch, is the symbol for Oghma, a blank scroll. Above the scroll are the words "Knowledge Is Supreme" in three languages: Common, Elvish, and Draconic. To the left of the scroll are the words "Knowledge Must Be Used with Care", to the right "Ideas Can Move Mountains."
Despite their size and weight, the doors swing open with surprising ease to reveal a large circular chamber that is brightly illuminated, albeit magically. Several large tables are surrounded by chairs, and over each table a small gem is suspended by a thin silver chain. These gems are the source of all the light in the room. There are no books or manuscripts in this room, but the presence of a narrow stairwell suggests those items are housed in the upper floors of the tower. The only other piece of furniture in the room is a large desk, behind which sits a male half-elf who is busily writing something and frequently dipping his pen in an inkwell. He quickly glances at the four dragonborn as they enter but immediately returns to whatever it is he's writing.
Only one other creature is in the room--an obese cat that is lazily bathing itself on the floor near the half-elf. Although he does not look up again, the half-elf says warmly, "In the name of the Lord of Knowledge, I welcome you to his house."
Elsewhere approaches the half-elf walking a bit stiffly, trying to appear confident. She clutches her wrapped lyre close to her chest and speaks quietly but firmly.
"Gratitude, most illustrious devotee of Oghma, my name is Elsewhere, and these are my siblings. We have come seeking the type of solace that only knowledge can provide. May I ask, what can we offer, in exchange for some time to peruse the great House of Knowledge in search of the answers we seek?"
She eyes the cat, resisting the urge to crouch down to pet it, at least until the half-elf responds to her question.
~♡~
Irthos enters with an excited expression on his face as he follows behind his sister he says to no one in particular: “Ah lovely to step foot inside again.”
As Elsa greets the half-elf in the stiff, formal manner he looks down at her quizzically with a grin on his face before glancing at the others to see how they have reacted to his sisters introduction.
The half-elf looks up with a quizzical expression on his face. "Elsewhere," he repeats, as if the word is something he's never heard. "Such a name...I'm sorry! Poor manners indeed. The uniqueness of your name caught me quite off my guard."
He then sets down his pen, stands, and introduces himself. "I am Kordmemian, Clerk of the House. And may the answers you seek be found. This floor, as you can see, is dedicated to reading and research. Above you are six more floors--five of them comprise Oghma's library, and the sixth and topmost is a place of worship. Somewhere, on one of those floors, is my assistant for the day, Seryll. I might be able to assist you in your search. What sort of information do you desire?"
Before anyone can respond, Kordemian interrupts. "Ah, of course, I nearly forgot! You must sign first."
He then opens a large leather-bound book that serves as a type of visitors log, keeping a running list of anyone who has come to the House of Knowledge. He hands the ink pen to Elsewhere, indicating she should write her name on the next line. "In any language you see fit, of course. And now to my original question. What sort of information do you desire?"
Elsa takes up the quill hesitantly, still holding her bundle in her offhand. She stares at the log for a moment, thinking that leaving a trail might be dangerous. She curses herself for frivolously giving her name here and there. She signs in plain common.
"Greetings Kordmemian, and gratitude. We seek answers, we were left with a riddle of sorts, and thus far have only pieced together that it pertains to Bahamut and one of the Great Gold Wyrms, named 'Gruemar the Voice' s... shall I recite the riddle?"
She asks her siblings, but her gaze is still shifting between Kordmemian and the cat.
~♡~
"Ah, a riddle? By all means, I'd love to hear it," responds the clerk. "Then I'll point the way to anything here in the House that might bring clarity to you and your siblings."
Gale turns to Elsa and whispers, including his other siblings, "Is it safe to be blurting out this riddle?"
@Jack_Joke do I recognize this cleric from the first time I came to this library?
Officially Joined the Expanded Signature Club
Will be on Hiatus: Currently Clear
Preah half expects to be familiar with whoever is sitting at the front desk in the House of Knowledge, but she does not recognize the half-elf Kordmemian.
Elsa slowly turns and give Gale a look, one that says, that's why I asked. And then looks at the cat and Kordmemian, considering them and the room carefully, trying to be nonchalant about taking their measure.
insight : 23
~♡~
Elsa studies her surroundings, especially the clerk and the cat, and comes to the conclusion that everything is what it seems to be.
Kordmemian notices that his request to hear the riddle is met with a pause and responds, "No matter then. Bahamut, eh? And the Seven Great Gold Wyrms? Let me think about that for a moment. Hmmm... I've not heard of Gruemar..."
The clerk then stands and rattles off a few suggestions. "Information about Bahamut will likely be found in a variety of places upstairs. He's a dragon; so there might be a bit of information on the second floor; that's where we keep things pertaining to creatures--beasts, fey, aberrations, elementals, and so forth. He's a deity and, therefore, will likely be found in the books on the third floor. And, of course, many scholars have written about Bahamut's role in historical matters; so, be sure to spend some time on the fourth floor."
The clerk then smiles as if to emphasize that he's given the dragonborn all the information they need. "Ah, wait a moment! Poetry, songs, and artifacts! How could I forget? The sixth floor will have any poems, music, or works of art that might pertain to Bahamut. There you go."
He begins to sit and then jumps up again. "Ah, I'm terribly distracted. All reading is done here on this floor...at these tables. Don't carry anything down the stairs, however. On each floor you'll see a small teleportation circle. Place any item you wish to study in that circle, and it will be teleported to one of the tables on this floor. Teleportation circles are for temple materials only, not our guests."
Then, with another smile and a nod, Kordmemian indicates he has explained everything.
Gale blinks at Kordmemian then turns to his colleagues, "Well then, lets split up? I'll go look on the 4th floor, in the deity section."
Searching for Bahamut, Gruemar, Seven Great Gold Wyrms and Kuyutha.
Investigation: 3
Irthos chuckles at his brother. "Oh dear brother, I think you will find that the deity section is on the third floor! History is on the fourth floor, weren't you listening?" He finishes with a chuckle. Continuing again in his usual cheerful manner and acting as if he hadn't made fun of his brother he says: "I presume Elsa will be visiting the sixth floor so why don't you head to the fourth floor for history Preah and I will look through the information that might be on the second floor. You do look like you could climb those stairs a lot easier than me after all!"
Searching for information relating to Bahamut, Gruemar and the other of the Seven Great Gold Wyrms - Investigation:11
(Investigation rolls won't be necessary; the books, manuscripts, scrolls, etc. are arranged in an orderly, meant-to-be-found manner)
The four dragonborn make their way up the narrow stairwell to the second floor, which is where Irthos begins his search for pertinent information. Resisting the urge to grab several books that seem fascinating but unrelated to his current mission, he finds two books that seem appropriate. The first, with a straightforward title, is The Book of Dragons. The second is The Exarchs of Bahamut.
Gale peruses the next level of the House of Knowledge, where he eventually finds Warriors of Heaven and Deities and Demigods. As he's looking through the assortment of books, Gale is able to eavesdrop on the conversation that takes place on the floor above--a conversation among his sisters and someone else. Based on what Kordmemian said a few moments ago, Gale assumes Preah and Elsa have encountered Seryll.
Preah and Elsa clamber up yet another flight of stairs where they are met by a female halfling who's mopping the floor. Cordially she welcomes the two dragonborn to Oghma's House and offers her assistance. Upon learning the subject area of the sisters' search, she says, "Kord knows this place better than anyone, I would guess. When you reach the next floor be sure to look at the shield than hangs on the wall. Bahamut and the seven are painted upon it."
Preah searches the historical books and documents on this floor as Elsa climbs one last flight of stairs. Within fifteen minutes Preah decides that she'll look through Draconic Enmity: The Children of Io and a very small book titled The Banishment of Tiamat.
Elsa, in the smallest room of the tower, feels like she's in a museum of sorts. The books and scrolls are accompanied by sculptures, paintings, mosaics and tapestries. She sees a shield on the wall, but it has no dragons upon it. It is decorated, rather, with an image of a paladin accompanied by seven canaries. Her time spent among the books and documents leads her to select only one small book, which, oddly enough, is titled Songs of Revelry and Sorrow.
As mentioned by the clerk, each floor of the House contains a small table, the top of which is marked with a circle inscribed with sigils. Each dragonborn places the selected items in the circle and watches them disappear. After walking down the stairs to the main room, they find their items sitting on one of the large tables. In total, they've gathered seven books, for, of course, Elsa knew she shouldn't remove the shield from the wall.
The siblings begin their search for information in earnest and begin to write a down a few things with the provided paper and ink when they notice that the cat begins behaving oddly....
(To be continued soon)
"Hmph, you assume because I've been at bard college all these years that I will start with poetry and song?" Elsa says, touching her free hand to the nape of her neck feigning dismay. She laughs, "Of course, you assume correctly, so how can you be blamed?" She makes her way up to the 6th floor and starts searching for anything referencing Kuyutha, Bahamut, Gruemar (or his feathers), Rays of Morn, and the Seven Great Gold Wyrms.
6 : investigation
(ooc: man are we good at this)
~♡~
(ooc: thank goodness)
~♡~
....the cat leaps up on a nearby table and gazes up with eyes riveted on something that it hopes to catch, almost as if it were pursuing a flying insect. Whatever the cat seems to see, however, isn't visible to anyone else. At one point, the cat even leaps up--a surprising feat considering the animal's girth--and attempts to claw at, seemingly, nothing.
Kordmemian becomes aware of the cat's antics and calls out, "Havi, what's that all about?!"
The clerk then begins to study the space above the cat and quickly casts a spell. The next words out of the clerk's mouth are, "An imp?!"
Havi immediately leaps from the table and darts up the stairs, seemingly in pursuit of something.
Gale will abandon the books on his table and dash after the cat, following it.