Talion scans the items in the chest, "Empty books...." his expression is disbelieving and scornful. "...who puts empty books in a chest, and all the good ones on shelves?"

He picks one up, and flips though the pages, examining them carefully. "Could the writing be hidden?" he asks. He looks at the spine, and the covers, checking for hidden valuables, and when he is done, he puts the book back down, and focuses on the thing that draws his most immediate interest: the armour, and the body. When he changes places with Sho, he does his best to drag the armour out with him, trying to leave the bones in the chest.

Once outside, he looks at Ervan with a lopsided grin. "Guessing we'll have to fight over this, eh?" Crazy elf probably needs it more than me. Or the other old guy. He's taken a beating too.

He nods to Sho, "Your turn...bunch of scrolls and legal stuff back there. And a weird-ass letter from someone with a bad attitude to Ma and Pa Durst -- makes me want to buy him a drink. Probably worth hanging on to the lot. Legal stuff sometimes comes in handy."

Investigation for 'empty' book: 16

Bertolt will enter the room and look over the books and scrolls if no one else shows an interest in them. He shows a bit of discomfort around the corpse but soon is able to focus on his current interests. "I can at the very least attempt to learn what type of magic the scrolls hold if that would help and if any is radiating off of the blank books. As for the others I would say to burn them based on their dark topics but then again I do not usually condone the burning of literature of any kind."

Erven looks over the studded leather armor, "Looks just right, elf sized.  I could use that if you don't want it."  He listens to the description of what was inside.  "Sounds more interesting than this novel.  I hope he kept his day job.   But truly dark material.  I have no problem burning literature of that sort.  I would hang onto that letter though, perhaps the deed and will as well."  He turns to Sho, "Do you know anything about the Priests of Osybus?"

Religion :  9

After Talion dragged his light armour out of the dark room, Sho stepped into the hidden chamber. The glimmer of illumination from outside the room faded as the bookcase mechanism was left to close, he cast light on his shield for some lighting. The bright light accentuated the shadows cast by his eyelashes, leaving even heavier dark circles under the sockets. He looks through the letter, the scrolls in the chest, before moving on to the bookshelves and examining the books.

“A shame,” he says slowly, “to return the knowledge of the secrets of life and death to ashes, even though most often the rituals are misguided…” He isn’t keen on the idea of burning these literature of necromancy knowledge, but most of the time the rituals are made-up that do not even come close to the truth, left behind purposefully by people who want to evoke the power of blind followings… “like the letter suggests.“ But he still look over them in case any of them mentions The Undying King.

Arcana (for the scrolls): 10 

Religion: 23  (Do I know anything about the Pirests of Osybus??)

@Talion
You look carefully at the book.  It is indeed empty and well-made, holding probably about 50 pages of paper.  With your understanding of goods and commodities, you know this kind of thing is valuable and represents a lot of work.  Less work than the filled tomes, which are infinitely more valuable, as they represent long hours of toil and meticulous detail.  You would guess each book to be about 25gp in value.

@Erven
You've never heard of the Priests of Osybus before but you're welcome to study the books if you wish.  There are several and you'd guess it would take a while to piece it together, if you're able to at all.  Anyone who wishes to do so can roll an Arcana check and spend an hour doing so.  You don't recognize the symbols written as anything you have seen before.

The scrolls are unidentified but you can also use an arcana check to get a handle on those as well.

*Edit - Sho, we posted at the same time.  When I see your roll, I'll describe what you know/find out.

Erven tries to decipher the books, usually not his area but very interested in the matter.  

Arcana :  7

@Sho 
It takes you a bit of time but you're sure that the scrolls are:  bless, protection from poison, and spiritual weapon 
You don't recall anything about the Priests of Osybus specifically - it must be a niche cult or something.  But it's possible, there are many cults out there.  You'd have to spend some time with these books to be certain.

@Erven
Spending the better part of an hour trying to piece it all together, you're no better off than when you started.  There is talk about sacrifices, summoning fiends, immortality, and other necromantic rituals.

Sho takes the scrolls. Some of them are a little beyond his normal casting capabilities but given their current circumstances... could be very useful in a clutch. 

"No, I have not heard about Priests of Osybus. Some sort of niche cult, I would presume." Sho answers Erven. He steps out of the secret room and sees Erven reading the book, he raises an eyebrow at the elf's interest. He didn't strike Sho as the type to be curious about cultish rituals, but always nice to learn more. 

((In retrospect)) Talion would have taken a blank book to add to his chest, and added "...still, they are probably worth selling when we get out of here...we should take them with us."

He looks at the bookshelves then asks Bertold, "Any of these worth money, you think?"

After asking Talion about the studded leather armor, Erven says "Should we move to the door in the south wall, the other ornate door?  Are we finished in here?"  He gets ready, in BEST formation.

"Monetary value can differ but these seem as though they may be worth a lot knowledge wise. I would honestly need more time to examine them." Bertolt tells Talion as he looks over a few more of the books, still carry the ones placed under his arm.

Sho nods at Erven, "Yes, let's keep moving." He looks back at the secret room and sees Bertolt still browsing the bookshelf, they would contain much knowledge on rituals and secret worshipping, however he's afraid most of them would be the same as Priests of Osybus, fraudulent cult that rarely leads to anywhere. He would like to study the book another time, but not right now.

Talion nods his thanks to Bertolt, and looks at the bookshelves. He selects two at random (probably the more glossy or gaudy -- eg. lots of untarnished gold embossing, jeweled covers etc) and adds them to his chest in the foyer. "Not looking forward to climbing the stairs again" he says with a grin, before assuming his position in their agreed formation.

Ready for the next door, he glances behind, waiting for the others to finish.

You all head to the southernmost set of double doors, Onyx in the front.
He reaches his hand out to open them.........

.....and they glide inward.  As you look inside the large room, gossamer drapes cover the windows of this elegantly appointed hall, which has a brass-plated chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Upholstered chairs line the walls, and stained-glass wall hangings depict beautiful men, women, and children singing and playing instruments. A harpsichord with a bench rests in the central area of the room. Near the fireplace is a large standing harp. Alabaster figurines of well-dressed dancers adorn the mantelpiece.  The air smells of pipeweed and a small haze drifts in the air, as if people are smoking.  Light tinkling sounds and echoes of a song can be heard....

.....as the door is opened and you all peer in - you all need to make Wisdom saves please...

Talion Wisdom save: 14

Erven wisdom save :  7

Wis save: 15

Onyx Wisdom Save: 11

If it is a magical effect, the advantage roll: 14

Bertolt Wisdom Save: 15

[Alright here we go!]

Onyx, Talion, Erven - As the door opens, you hear the beginnings of a sullen waltz play.....

Bertolt and Sho - you both peer into the empty room and are startled by Onyx, Talion, and Erven as they push their way into the room.  You're not sure why they do this but as you look more closely at them, their eyes seem wider than normal.  You are confused why they go and sit down.  You can roll insight here if you like, or perception.
You watch as they begin to play, sweat forming on their faces and brow.  Finally they stop and you see their shaking bodies flinch as if they had been struck......