From the doorway, all Silver can see is a flurry of activity - Lumen launches daggers, Nym gestures to bring on some unseen magic, and Kess looses an arrow away towards a corner. Silver puts herself in the doorway between the others with her and whatever danger those inside are reacting to. After a brief pause, Silver speaks out in a stage whisper, "Is everyone alright?"

Lumen moves forward quietly, listening and looking for any other movement. 

Perception: 15
Stealth: 18

If he doesn't see anything, and doesn't seem to be making a sound, he tries to pick up the late kobolds and bring them into a covered area in the main room, out of sight. Again looking for identifying info or anything notable.

He nods in appreciation at Kess and the others for being so quick, and retrieves his daggers.

Lumen quickly and silently moves into this open vestibule to retrieve his daggers and, he's easily able to hide the bodies of the kobolds behind one of the pillars in the corner of the room. He doesn't see anything of value or importance in this area, but he can hear some noises above, where the stairs lead. 

Kess looks back towards Silver and the rest of the group and gives an "ok" sing with her hand. Keeping her bow at the ready, she watches Lumen and waits for him to return. 

Stealth: 10
Guidance: 1

Nym makes a soft shushing noise at Silver's too loud whisper, waving them over before explaining in her softest voice, "There were three kobolds, we took care of them. Not sure if there are others nearby."   The drow would help Lumen move the bodies as quietly as possible out of obvious view. Once that was taken care of she would concentrate on where her spell was pointing her to and making her way as quietly towards it as possible. 

Chrys, Vesper and Fivin (and assuming Silver as well) quickly move over to join you in the middle of the room, and after you have disposed of the kobold bodies, Nym focuses on her spell, still sensing that it's pointing straight ahead, with an increasingly strong vibe. 

Assuming that you move forwards and finish crossing this main entry hall, you come to the far wall, which has three openings that lead into the library. 

If possible, Nym would try to sneak forward and get between two of the openings (assuming they aren't closed doors or something) and take cover before taking a glance into the library. 
Perception: 6
(Rolled flat since I hope there's not too much direct sunlight since we're inside?)

You move forward and place yourself at the edges of one of the three open entries, and then ducking your head around the corner to peer inside, you see the grand library that opens up before you.

It's surely a sight to behold: Towering bookshelves of finely carved oak fill the room from end to end, each of which contains hundreds if not thousands of books on an unimaginably large range of topics. You get the impression that even an elf couldn’t read this much in a lifetime. 

With your initial glance, Nym does not see anything or anyone moving inside, nor does she hear anything, but her magic sense points with an incredibly strong aura towards the center of the room. 

Nym's lavender eyes opened wide, her lips parting in amazement at the sight. Of course she appreciated the outside of the building, but she could tell that the heart of Ravensglade Keep was here. And then the thought of Duskbringer melting all of this to acid made her feel hot and cold all at once, her mouth shutting with a grimace. Shaking her head, she tried to focus on actually looking out for anyone alive but not seeing or hearing anything or anyone. Turning back to her companions she gave them a thumb's up and beckoning gesture before continuing to the center of the room. 

Silver wasn't sure how to feel. The immense collection of books was impressive in its size, to be sure, but what was it all for? Among the Firbolgs of the valley you were taught what you needed by the clan as you grew, and if you needed particular information you would know or be told who to ask. Books weren't necessary, although she knew of about five which had been traded for a long time ago and which circulated among the clan. They mostly told of places outside the valley, and each would be replaced when it became known that the information was out of date, by which point the book could have been wrong for a hundred years, not that that had ever mattered.

The sheer number of books here seemed like an excessive use of paper. She had to balance the beauty of what had been created with the beauty of what had been lost. And the people here at least seemed to wish to live alongside nature rather than conquer it. Still, looking at the shelves and stacks of unending books, she had to wonder 'What birds might have sung in these trees? What animals might have slept in their branches? How old was this oak when it was felled?'. 

But that wouldn't be a diplomatic way to think about this. What's done is done, and not maliciously. They will be proud of their library, so it is worth complimenting in time, when they were in less danger. For now, she simply followed Nym who led them deeper into the library with every step.

Nym, and whoever wants to follow, begins walking slowly towards the center of the room. As you thread your way in between the massive stacks of books, tomes and scrolls, you can catch the writing on some of the spines of the books with quick glances as you walk by, and you can see that the list of topics and subjects is exhaustive, with an astounding amount of information contained within these shelves. You guess that there are easily a thousand books in here, if not many more than that. 

Suddenly, Nym sees movement atop one of the high shelves in the center of the room, which is where the signal of her spell is pointing with an aura that's stronger than anything she's experienced leading up to this point. 

Lilac eyes immediately drawn upwards to the top of the high shelves that were at the room's center, Nym stopped, not looking away as she whispered, "Fivin, I think I found them." Gesturing behind herself for him to approach. 

Raising her voice to a carrying murmur she asked with hope, "Syllin? Faen? My name is Nym. Aelar and your mother, Lia, sent us to bring you two safely to her. Fivin is here as well." She hoped this would be enough to at least coax them out. "We mean you no harm, we just want to get you both safely back to your mother." 

Perception: 18
Persuasion: 9

As Nym calls out to the two children, she sees them pop their small elven heads up from atop the high, wide shelf. The older one, a boy, (Faen) has scruffy brown hair, while the girl (Syllin) has brown hair, streaked with silver and a light sprinkling of freckles across her cheeks and nose. The girl wears a matching locket to the one that Lia gave you, that you've been using as the target for your locate spell.

They both look terrified and quite disheveled, with tangled hair and dirty faces. 

The boy calls out in a soft voice, "Fivin... you came back! We thought we would never see you again!"

Fivin steps forwards and answers, "Yes, child... I am here. You are ok now, for these folk were indeed sent by your mother to see you to safely. You may come down now."

The girl leans over and says, "Where is mama? Is she ok?"

Faen speaks again and says, "But how are we to get away from the reptile men and the dragon? She is terrible and huge and very frightful!"

To that, Fivin simply looks at you for your response. 

In her soft, deep voice Silver calls up "You will be safe with us, children. These people are expert fighters - I have just seen them easily... scare away two groups of kobolds, the reptile men. They will keep you safe." She gestures a beckoning motion with her big, furred hand. "Come on down now. Your mother is waiting."

Persuasion: 15

Lumen nods and waves softy. “Come with us if you want to live, and see your mother and escape from the kobolds and dragon. You are very brave, like your mother. She is fine, and safe, and wants to see you. How many kobolds have you seen? What else have you seen and heard?”

He offers to help the taller Silver get them down if they are ready.

With Fivin's help in convincing the two children that coming with you is the best, and safest course of action, Faen and Syllin climb down from the top of the tall book shelves. Syllin accepts help from Silver, but Faen climbs down by himself, obviously showing how capable he is for a young lad. 

Answering Lumen, Faen says in a whisper, "I do not remember how many of the kobolds we've seen... more than five, maybe ten.... They haven't seen us, though. We've done a good job hiding from them. We have also heard some rather loud commotion upstairs in the Ravens' Council. It sounds like they've been banging around up there, or else..."

He pauses... unable to finish his thought. He's trying hard to look brave, but there's some obvious fear in his voice. 

Silver gently takes the young girl under her arms with large hands and lowers her to the ground. Listening to Faen's statement she assures him "You have done very well, and both been extremely brave."

To Fivin she suggests "Perhaps you and the children should make your way back to the chapel? We know there are no kobolds between here and there. And the rest of us will see what this commotion upstairs is all about?" The last comment is more a question than a statement of intent, as she turns to the rest of the group to see how they feel about that plan.

Nym felt her heart grow lighter upon seeing the children alive and mostly well, watching with only half an eye as the others talked them down from the tops of the towering bookshelves. The other eye constantly looking around, her long pointed ears pricked for any indication that trouble was heading their way. As Silver spoke her idea, the drow's lips pursed before voicing, "I don't like the idea of leaving the children behind unprotected, no offense meant Fivin, in this place right now. As much as I'm sure we all want to investigate further or even rid Ravensglade Keep of Duskbringer should we get lucky, my priority is seeing these young ones to safety." Measuring a look to the elven elder, the cleric asked, "Will you be able to escort them back to their mother alone if we follow you back to the forest? Or should we accompany you all the way back?" There was a steel in Nym's purple eyes, her demeanor serious. She wouldn't hesitate to escort Syllin and Faen back alone should they require it. 

Fivin responds to your concerns.

"No offense taken, but now that we have the children safe in our custody, we should get them out of the keep as soon as possible. I will leave it up to you whether you want us to hide the chapel and wait for you, or if you would like to help us down the Sky's Ascend. I certainly will feel much safer once we reach the bottom of the butte."

"However, once thing that concerns me more than anything; we do know know where the wyrm is lurking right now. As I mentioned before, it would be a disaster if she descended upon us while we were trying to make our getaway. With that in mind, I do not know the best course of action. It seems that none are ideal while she is near, but it is my thought that none of us will be safe until she is destroyed."

Kess will defer to whatever decision the rest of the group comes up with. In the meantime, she reaches into her pack and produces the five small soft sided, oval-shaped flasks she's been carrying since you saw the fox. (Each one is made from a tight wrap of broad leaves, and sewn shut at the top with thin string woven from strands of what looks like the fibers from tree bark.)

Turning to Silver, she explains. "A few days ago, we encountered a strange, ghostly blue fox in the forest. She is apparently some kind of good fey spirit that lives in the area, and in fact, Aelar had said that we might encounter her and that she might be of help to us. The creature led us to these items, each of which is filled with a bluish oil, likely infused with fey magic. After examining the liquid, I am convinced that if we apply this oil to our weapons, it will enhance them with a temporary a magical boon, which we will surely provide us with much needed aid when we encounter this dragon." 

"There should be enough to coat everyone's weapons, and now that we're inside the keep, I think that it would be prudent to apply it now."

She gives each person one flask, except for Vesper, who uses spells in battle, and offers one to Silver, if indeed she has a weapon that she wishes to coat. 

Silver bows her head a little towards Nym. "You are of course correct. The safety of these little ones is our first concern. That is why I ask to push on upwards. The source of the noise upstairs is unknown, though I can guess. Faen said it was the Raven Council room, the same room which Fivin identified as having the large hole in the roof, through which the dragon likely entered. If we can confirm that the dragon has made its lair there, and nowhere else, the rest of the Keep becomes a much safer affair. If you wish I can investigate by myself while you begin moving the children out of the keep. If necessary I can make myself unseen briefly to make my escape."

You just offered to scout ahead, Silver thought to herself. Why would you do that? You are cumbersome, and nearly the most likely here to draw attention. What a foolish thing to say. And yet she knew, really, why she had done it. She had followed the shadow of the dragon here, felt pulled to this keep by forces bigger than herself - by the dragon blood that flowed through her, or perhaps by the forest itself, eager to see this blight removed. Whatever had brought her here, she knew that she could not leave this place until she had confronted the dragon.

At Kess's offer, Silver graciously declines. "It is a most kind offer. I do possess a small handaxe, but I am not particularly gifted in wielding it. Please save this oil for someone who will be able to make the most of it. I am intrigued by the ghostly fox, however. I shall try to remember to ask about it again later."

Lumen thanks Kess for the oil and coats his spare in it. If the group wishes someone to scout, he volunteers to do it, though he wants the kids hidden away while he does it. He holds off on making himself invisible for the moment but quietly approaches the stairwell.

Stealth: 25