Kallista nods, "Just, be careful. I find it easier to just tell him the whole truth about questions he asks. And... dont take the way he asks personally."

Hyre nods back. "Nothing good ever happens when I try to lie anyway." He then turns back to Geoffrey. "Sir, you wanted my help cleaning around the house? Maybe I can get started while you talk to the others."

Lazlo takes the sheet music and carefully looks at it- and the notes seem to swirl and twist in a horrifying way.  This was so confusing! Sir Knight clearly wanted him to turn this into music- so he knew these dots and loops must be sound. At first he was puzzled, but the longer he looked at the notes- the more a discernable pattern seemed to emerge from the initial chaos and confusion. His voice rose in excitement. “Ah, I see- these dots tell me what to play! This is a short note and this is a longer one! “  As understanding dawns, he reads the pattern with more confidence, after which he gently hands the music back to Sir Geoffrey. “I hope I can do the music justice, Sir- I’ll do my best.”

Looking around the room, Lazlo is comforted by the support of his companions, who wait with seemingly bated breath. Even Hyre, whom he serenaded with the skill of a yowling tomcat- seems to nod in encouragement as he leaves the room to clean.

Feeling inspired, he takes his fiddle in hand and readies his bow, placing it delicately across the strings. He quietly whispers to the worn violin  “Come on, Ramona- let’s give their ears a treat…”

25

Ooc: I have ZERO musical ability or knowledge- so apologies to the musicians among us! also- I'M GLAD I USED MY INSPIRATION!

Geoffrey looks to Hyre and Kallista, and raises his brows.
"Clean? Maybe later. There will be something else I'll need your help with since there's so many hands here." he states.
"If you're going to be trained, you'll need the proper training environment. I've got land here that hasn't been used for much else besides growing weeds. We'll need a sparring area, practice range, and we'll build a makeshift obstacle course to run. If I'm going to train you, it's not going to be halfway." Geoffrey states.
"I've got a lot of spare lumber in storage for... well, there WAS going to be an addition to this house. It would be better used on you lot instead... but if you don't mind, I'd like to hear young Lazlo's performance first, before we speak of that..." he says.

As Lazlo's music starts, it takes but a few minutes of amelodic warbling before he finally starts to get a feel for the tempo and the tune. Something strange happens then; the music stops being something he's playing, and it feels more like it's become a part of him, as if he's creating new life with sound. The initial sickly creakings from the old fiddle turn deep and meaningful, rich in tone and seem to fill the air. He's actually weaving magic, commanded by sound brought forth by his very living essence, tempoed by his heart beat. It permeates the air, and in the basket, the bottle of wine rattles about. The melody itself is a form of spell, using notes rather than incantations or components.

For a moment, just a moment, Lazlo can see a wispy form hanging about Geoffrey's shoulders. A naga woman like Sister Daar, coiled around Geoffrey's body, smiling softly at the young satyr.

When the song ends, the group feel invigorated, any trace of exhaustion having left them.
(Also, you may roll with advantage if you choose to train with Geoffrey or make any other rolls for the next in-game hour.)
Geoffrey's eyes shine brightly, and he puts a hand over his chest.
"Boy... you don't just have talent, you have a gift." he says.
He considers something for a few moments, and then puts a hand on Lazlo's shoulder.
"Up in the attic, you'll find a chest with that emblem on it." he says, pointing to the sigil of Draco that's around Diana's neck in the portrait. He shows Lazlo where the hatch to the attic is.
"I'm not giving it to you, understand, but you are free to use what's inside while you practice here. Diana would hate to think her favourite instrument was just collecting dust."

((You can choose what instrument is inside.))

I do have a clock but let's try that sleeping spell thing next time. For now, I'll just read what they bring me and keep my eyes and ears open to learn more about the library.

Clearly it is taking the clerk's a long time to find what he asked for and Aelar wonders how the others are doing.

(I'd say that outside D&D just taking a fiddle and making a clear sound without proper instruction is a miracle by itself. I tried with instructions and, well... bow instruments aren't my type I guess. Considering it is D&D, however, being able to read a music sheet shouldn't be too absurd. Even the first "staves" that had only one line were made with enough logic to be understood by those who knew what they were doing. Depending on the era in which DM set the game, it's probably much easier to read the notes than it was then.)

"Sure, whatever you need my help for. Maybe I'll even join you in training for a bit, maybe." He then joins the others listening to Lazlo, who surprises him with much better of performance than the serenade the other day. When he's done, Hyre nudges him slightly. "If you were capable of such wonders, why did I have to listen to that serenade yesterday? Even I can tell the difference between the two, you know?" 

The clerk finally finds what Aelar requested and hands him a truly ancient looking hand-bound book.
"Careful with that. It's an antique." he states, sounding again just slightly annoyed.

The book unfortunately doesn't tell Aelar much more than what he already knew from the dwarven records, at least at FIRST. They're just told from the ruling class's take on the dwarf's accomplishments. It seems that within the span of Relnar's time as a warlock, there was a time when the city council thought very highly of him, but then there comes a sudden, stark contrast after one specific incident that has a great deal of detail.

About a century ago, the dwarves were mining the caves under the city. It actually was quite an active mine, which is why Guiston has so many conveniences thanks to its dwarven population. They happened upon a weakness in the cave wall and found a rich resource of ore, but there was a problem; as the dwarves mined, they came into contact with a substance that was extremely dangerous that oozed out of the rock. It was dubbed 'Deadman's Ink' as it was a sticky, undulating substance that seemed capable of movement on its own and attracted to movement and light. Contact with it was poisonous, but in a way that wasn't well understood, and over 50 dwarves died from contact with it; all it took was momentary contact for its effects to be fatal. The victim's skin would turn charcoal black and sinewy as the substance quickly took over the victim's body and hardened into grotesque statues, the lips curled up over the teeth, which would be the only part of the body left recognizable.
Relnar eventually collapsed the mines to prevent any further excavation efforts in direct violation of the city council's decision to try and find effective ways of protecting miners from the Ink, but keep the mines open. Several more people died testing methods of protection, including a cleric who attempted to heal an accidental infection, one Diana Wildmore.
The subsequent backlash on both sides; the dwarves' Hearth against the city council for knowingly endangering their people and suppressing information about the dangers the Ink presented, and the city council towards Relnar for collapsing the mines, prompted numerous changes to be made in Guiston's administration.

((Let's just say, Lazlo had some 'outside' help in his performance ;3 ;3 ;3))

Kallista nods, "Alright Sir. I'm happy to help."

A tear rolls down Lazlos normally jovial face as he stops playing and bows low to his audience. "Thank you, Sir-  it is an honor, and I will strive to let neither you nor her down... may I have a cup of wine now please?" Clearly surprised, touched, and shaken by the incident, Lazlo takes a moment to sit before looking in the chest in the attic hatch.

ooc: COOL. It's a shawm for sure- I can just picture his wife playing this:  Wanna hear what a shawm sounds like?

Aelar is fascinated with the book and, when finished, returns to the librarian.  "This was excellent and I thank you. Do you have more like this?  Perhaps something dealing with the mine and what happened to it in more detail?  For example, how did Renlar close it?  I'm sure my patron would be most interested in that.  Also, what kind of ore had been found?  The book clearly discusses a time when Renlar was highly thought of so clearly he must have done work on behalf of the council.  What kind of work?  How did he accomplish the tasks?  What were the results?  How he achieved them and why he was tasked to do them.  Anything like that?  My patron would be most interested."

Aelar does his best to convey an eager puppy of a researcher.

((I feel like I should wait for Leon's response before I continue with the group there.))

The curator just stands there while Aelar gets out his enthusiasm, before he flatly replies,
"Young master, I just work here. Give me the name of a book and I'll bring it to you, please." he says, so completely done, it seems, with having to cross-reference books from their catalogue.
One of the other curators mumbles something.
"Let's just hand him every bloody book we have on Relnar, maybe that will shut him up." in a volume that might not have been caught by a human, but elven ears definitely catch the remark.
The other curator grunts and nods.
"Wait here, young master. We will see what we can find. In the mean time, keep your voice down please." he says, Aelar catching a few ugly glares from some students who were disturbed by his outpouring.

After a few minutes, however, the two curators seem to be having some sort of argument.
"What do you MEAN it's not here? It's in the catalogue."
"I'm saying none of them are here. There should be four books about this 'Relnar' person but I can't find them..."
"Well look again!"

Aelar does his best to hide a smirk.  He opens his mouth to tell them to check special archives but, just in time, realizes that he has no real business knowing about those archives and again sits to wait as patiently as he can.  He still needs to get over to the dwarves to see if they will let him train with the Serpents Tongue.

Leon sits back and listens to the melody from Lazlo's fiddle. All of his myriad worldly concerns and desires begin to fade away, as his mind becomes entranced by the music.  The perfectly intertwined melodies and harmonies danced around him, while every phrase and every pause spoke to his heart. Somehow, in Lazlo's music Leon finds some deeper meaning relating to everything crazy that's been going on in his life. 

When Lazlo stops playing, Leon feels tears begin to well up in his eyes. Everything became clear now. From the notes bowed on Lazlo's fiddle, Leon felt his sense of purpose reignite within him. The last note hung in the air, refusing to die out, until it faded into silence. 

Out of nowhere, Leon hugs Lazlo, exclaiming "That was wonderful! I...it...where did you learn to play like that?" 

Pulling himself back a bit, Leon realizes that this would be a moment to remember. Though he's never had much interest in music before, he now feels inspired to learn an instrument one day. 

The curators do their best to try and find the books, and Aelar, paying attention, is able to see exactly where the entrance to the archives is; it's through a pair of heavy-looking double doors The lock on them looks pretty substantial, it's clear that the city council doesn't want just regular citizens getting back there. One of the curators has to walk to another part of the library to retrieve it from their office; he's by himself...

What is Aelar's move? Just keep waiting for them to open up the archives? Act now that they're separated? Because Aelar was reading for about an hour to find the information he needed, the library staff and patrons have lowered their guards again.

Geoffrey puts a hand on Lazlo's shoulder, then opens the bottle of wine, whose cork has mysteriously loosened. Though Kallista ate not too long ago, she's able to snack a little bit on the fine sausage and cheese and have a little bit of sweet wine. It's a nice break for Leon, Lazlo, and Hyre, who have just now had a moment to breathe after work.
"Take care of that instrument, Lazlo. It's one of a kind. It'll stay here until I know you can be trusted with it. My wife would never forgive me if anything happened to it. She'd haunt me for sure." he states.

After the break, Geoffrey helps bring out the lumber to hammer together the props needed for training. The group can chat among themselves as they work (so you can make more posts in regards to Lazlo's critical success and shower him with more praise ;3 ); with the six of them, the work goes pretty smoothly and quickly; they don't need anything too extravagant, just practice targets, a circular sparring circle with stomped-down grass and lined with a rope, and some properly made wooden training weapons. Geoffrey can't use most of the tools himself anymore, but he directs the group in how to use them.

((You may roll for survival (building) with advantage, DC 13 as usual, as well as roll for a success towards simple OR martial for now, as it's your first training session and you had to make some items first.))

After they're done with building the simple standing targets and fashioning their practice weapons, Geoffrey has the group pair off and perform attacking and defensive moves towards each other. Hyre and Barna, Lazlo and Kallista, and Leon practices with Geoffrey. Barna chose a simple club and shield for her practice weapons.
In time, after the group has gotten used to the movements, which oddly come very easily to them (thanks to Lazlo's first bardic experience... the first time is always the most intense ;) ) they are allowed to do some light sparring with one another, with one party attacking, while the other concentrates on defense. Don't roll damage. Barna, Kallista, and Leon defend first.

((This is also testing out the 'defensive posture' rules I'm workshopping currently. The 'defender' rolls to 'attack' with ability score bonuses, and this becomes their 'active defense' score that the attacker has to try and beat with their attack roll. For now, assume all AC is 12. If the attacker fails by more than 5, the 'defender' lands a hit instead.))

Geoffrey's attack value: 26
Barna's defense score: 10

What is Aelar's move? Just keep waiting for them to open up the archives? Act now that they're separated? Because Aelar was reading for about an hour to find the information he needed, the library staff and patrons have lowered their guards again.

 ooc: What are his options?  Sneak behind the desk again? Cast those spells?

Survival: 15
Simple Weapons: 6 (Rolled with an advantage because you said all checks for an in-game hour are with advantage. Otherwise, just hover and see the first roll I guess. Edit: Well, doesn't matter.)

Hyre takes a small wooden dagger. Something about it seemed more comfortable than one of the big sticks you just swing around. "Ready?" He asks Barna as they stand in front of each other. "Don't go easy on me, I won't go easy on you."

Attack: 18 Not sure if we apply bonuses or not and if Finesse applies to the wooden dagger so it's either +1 for STR or +4 for DEX.
Personal Roll: 8

(I'm assuming this is a hit because it's both above 12 and her defence score. Otherwise, ignore this part.)
While they're sparring, Hyre tries to land a hit a few times but is blocked by Barna's shield every time. It seems that his technique with the dagger is simply awful, as expected, and thus he needs to find a different way to land that attack. Acknowledging the shield as the problem, Hyre understands he has to get past it.
On his next attack, Hyre raises the dagger as if he's attacking overhead to force Barna to raise her shield up. He then faints the attack by sliding down under Barna's shield, quickly jumping back on his feet into the space between Barna and her shield, with the dagger held pointed to her chest. He stands like that victorious for a moment until he realises just how close to her he actually is.
Hyre bashfully backs away from Barna. "Ah... that's... eh... that's a hit?" He tries to say, although the words don't come out clearly. Suddenly, he notices Barna's differently coloured hair. How did he miss it earlier? "Did you... ah... do something with your hair?"

Survival 15

Martial Weapons 17

Lazlo is going to pick something that approximates a rapier- or whatever can pass for a finesse weapon.  Attack 10 

ooc: I think that's it for my rolls? I leave for the grind in an hour so I won't have access to the dice roller- (does the dice option just dissapear on your phone as well?) so if I'm holding up anything feel free to jump ahead.

((OOC: Maybe we should make an OOC thread or a shared private message group for that purpose?
Anyway, when using your phone, there are three ways to use the dice roller:

1. The good ol' typing. Type [ roll ]XdY+Z[ /roll ] but without the spaces, it'll roll for you. A little less convenient but it works. X is the number of dice, Y is die size (not restricted to 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 20 btw) and Z is the number you want to add. For example, [ roll ]1d20+4[ /roll ]. Without the spaces, it'll roll for me. 20.
   For advantage, you add ad after the die size (Y in my example), or da for disadvantage. [ roll ]1d20ad[ /roll ] will roll with advantage. [ roll ]1d20da[ /roll ] will roll with disadvantage.
2. Enable computer version in the settings of the browser. Not very comfortable and also hard for me to explain if you don't already know how to do it.
3. Works for me, can't promise it does on every phone. When tilting the phone to be horizontal, I can see the bar with the bold, italics, colour and dice rolls. Just press on the dice roller icon and do it the same way you do from the computer. If for some reason, you can't scroll to hit the "OK" button, you can press... ah... "continue to"? I don't know how the English keyboard says it. The thing that usually automatically will move to the next option you need to fill or automatically search what you wrote. It'll count as if you press OK.

As I personally use the phone often (well, not lately, but I do when my country is not under our third damned lockdown) to post on these forums, sometimes more often than I can reach the computer, I found these three methods to work.))