After escaping the goblin explosion, the party contemplates their next move.
"Well that ended with a bang," jokes Luyuriel. "Shall we head back in again? Obviously they're aware of us so we're going to have to tread even more carefully. I really want to get to the library and the Cadorna house is right over there, too. "
"Sure," says Phuu.
"Nuts to that. I'm going to stay back here a while," says Xeiyrr, clutching his weapon cache. "Go on without me; I'll catch up later."
"You and your loot," sighs Luyuriel. "Have at it. Let's go, Phuu."
Luyuriel slinks back into the next area while Phuu follows silently. The kobolds appear more alert than when the party first came into this area. However, they don't appear to have noticed Luyuriel and Phuu's presence at this time. The two of them head to the unexplored house next to the one with the kamikaze goblin and find themselves in yet another bunk bed-adorned house; this time there were ten bunk beds arranged in a similar fashion to the previous buildings. In addition, there was a ladder in the back wall that leads up to a trapdoor. Luckily for Luyuriel and Phuu, the entire place was unoccupied, allowing them to explore it more freely.
"There's more and more beds with each building we go into here," notes Luyuriel.
She goes up to the ladder to examine it and determines that it was stable enough to support her weight. She then climbs up to the trapdoor and discovers it opens upward to access the roof. There appears to be no lock or latch for it. Carefully, she opens the trapdoor to see what is up on the roof and spots the backs of four kobolds with bows scanning the square where the well is. The roof itself has a very slight pitch and a low parapet wall on the perimeter. Luyuriel silently slinks back inside the building.
"Four kobolds up there," she tells Phuu. "Think we can take them out?"
"We could try," says Phuu. "But once the first kobold goes down, the rest will be alerted."
"Obviously," agrees Luyuriel.
She opens the trapdoor slightly again to see if the kobolds on the other roofs are close enough to hear cries of distress. Based on previous commotion they've heard when they were running earlier, sound carries pretty well throughout the area.
"Guess no go for that," determines Luyuriel, thinking she could sneak up behind them to take them out without them being assisted by kobolds on the other roofs. "Unless we find ourselves an archer class. Or... we could lure them down here."
"That could work. Hide under a bunk and make some noise," suggests Phuu.
The elf gets off the ladder to get a rock. "Might as well test my new sling skills."
She quickly fashions a sling together using sheets and some twine. With rock and sling in hand, Luyuriel ascends the ladder and opens up the trapdoor just enough to give her space to use the sling. She slings the rock at one of the kobolds in hopes of knocking it out, but the stone whizzes past a kobold's head and it looks around obliviously.
"Noise distraction it is," declares the elf after going down the ladder to get another rock.
The next rock flies wide and none of the kobolds seem to notice that one.
"... Or not," sighs Luyuriel as she gets another rock.
"So much for being proficient," says Phuu as he hides under a bed.
"Well, I'm new at this," counters Luyuriel, going back up the ladder with another rock.
"Maybe you should simply whistle and they'll come down," suggests the human.
The next rock misses as well. Despite this, Luyuriel was determined to have something happen, whether it be the kobolds following them down or distracting them enough to kill them from behind. After getting back up the ladder with a fourth stone, Luyuriel was able to land a solid hit on one of the kobolds, damaging it slightly. She quickly flees under the trapdoor and hears confused jibbering from the roof. She peeks through the trap door and sees that the other three kobolds are looking around with their bows drawn. Without a second thought, Luyuriel pops up through the trap door, makes a taunting face, and drops down the trapdoor. She lands on the ground and quickly switches from her sling to her quarterstaff, ready for a fight. They can hear a ruckus on the roof now.
"Phuu, get up from under the bed," says Luyuriel.
The human priest slides out and up from under the bed and readies his mace. Suddenly, the trapdoor flies open and they see the kobolds gathered around. Arrows fly down into the room, but all three miss and arrowshafts clatter on the stone floor. The kobolds move away from the opening and Luyuriel and Phuu hear more yelling.
"Oh boy..."
Luyuriel grabs Phuu and runs outside to hide, realizing that the kobolds have called for reinforcements. They head left and an arrow catches Luyuriel in the thigh from across the square, causing her to cry out slightly. Just to the left is another alley, where there is a door to another building on the right. Ahead the alley intersects a street, and across the street is the ivy-covered stone building they came to before. There is another doorway into this stone building, north of the locked one they failed to pick before.
Thinking quickly, Luyuriel goes for the closest door on the right and checks it for traps in case it was rigged. In the meantime, kobolds gather at the entrance of the alley and fire a volley. Phuu takes an arrow before they open the door, rush in, and shut the door behind them.
The two of them found themselves in a single room that looks like the remnants of a house. There is one bed toward the back with some simple furnishings and kitchenware. There is a single window on the western wall and no other doors.
"Well... that worked out," pants Luyuriel.
She takes out the arrow from her thigh and grimaces as she lets out a silent cry from the pain. She then hobbles over to the window and sees the same street and ivy-covered stone building they found before. There is no activity on this back street. The window itself has a simple sash lock and is big enough to fit through it with minimal effort if she chose to do so.
Luyuriel goes back to the door and listens, hearing soft chittering on the other side.
"Well, it doesn't look like they're trying to get in so I guess we're safe for now," declares the elf.
After a while, the sounds outside the door ceases and the activity in the back street remains lacking.
"They know we went in through the door," says Phuu. "They are probably laying an ambush as we speak."
Luyuriel quietly opens the window and slides through. Outside, the ivy-covered building is ahead. The alley is back and to her left now. To the right, the building continues and the road follows around the corner. Luyuriel looks carefully around to the left to check for kobolds and notices that they're now on the roof, waiting above the doorway with large stones in hand.
"Well, you flung a stone at them; now they are one-upping us," whispers Phuu.
Luyuriel tries to climb up the building, but to no avail. Slinging rocks at them wasn't an option either as the parapets give them 90% coverage.
"So much for sneaking up behind them and smacking them off the roof," mutters the elf.
The architecture is too similar along the area for variance allowing better conditions. However, the road that they're on circumscribes the large ivy-covered building. Knowing that there is the other alley to the south, Luyuriel and Phuu decide to take another direction to escape with no more injuries. Rounding the corner to the left, they see another road intersecting the one they're on to the right. On the left is another door to the ivy-covered building. They check the door for traps and then go inside to find themselves in a large open room. The hall is filled with rows of writing tables and high stools. Rotted mounds of parchment litter the floor. A barred door opens onto the street. Huddled in the corner is a wild-eyed human, his clothing torn and tattered.
"Greetings?" says Luyuriel cautiously.
"Is that you, Oda?" blurts out Phuu.
"Gah!?" the man stutters as he rocks and gibbers.
"Don't be alarmed. We are not here to hurt you," assures Phuu.
The man quickly scurries further into the corner.
"You sound like you've been in here a while," says Luyuriel.
"He is wrapped in fire and so cruel!" screams the man. "Don’t go there! Don’t go on the hill!"
"Who?" asks Luyuriel. "What hill?"
The man cackles wildly as he scratches face and draws blood. He then bolts through the open door and disappears into the streets outside.
"Alrighty then," exclaims Luyuriel in astonishment.
The two of them examine the building and find that there is a hallway that intersects this room to the east and west. There is also another room adjoining this one that's just to the left of the eastern hallway. After listening to the ajar door for noise, Luyuriel and Phuu go into a room that was once furnished as a simple apartment and study; it is now a shattered ruin. Books and parchment litter the floor.
"Something tells me we may have stumbled upon the Mantor's Library," declares the elf, recalling the library from her map of Phlan.
They begin to look for anything that references the wizard poisoning the river, the necromancer of the keep, and Cadorna, as well as a Tyranthraxus. Sifting through the literature at a reasonable pace, they don't notice any specific references to what they were looking for; it is all disorganized clutter. Luyuriel's eye does, however, catch a particularly well-bound, heavy volume with gilded edges.
"Ooh," exclaims the elf.
Picking up the tome, she looks it over and finds that the title is...
Manual of Bodily Health. Disappointed with a deadpan expression, Luyuriel calls over her human companion.
"Hey Phuu, found a book for ya," she says to him.
"Aren't you the one getting hurt most of the time, Lu?" counters Phuu.
"At least I haven't fallen unconscious," points out Luyuriel.
Phuu takes the book and starts perusing through it hoping to find ways to keep Luyuriel and Xeiyrr alive. Unfortunately, it's several hundred pages long, with tiny print. It would take him a few weeks just to get into it.
"Take it with you, Phuu," says Luyuriel. "If anything, you can whale it on someone."
"That will be the irony of it," says Phuu as he packs away the 3-pound book.
"Who said words never hurt?" jokes the elf.
Leaving the study, they are now close to the eastern hallway, which ends at a barred door but it also branches off to the south. As they head south, the hallway reveals small wood paneled carrels on either side of it. They seem to each hold a single desk, furnished with writing materials. The ones on the right of the hallway are a little larger than those on the left. The ones on the left are mostly empty, the parchment moldy and inkwells dried out. There are nine on the left, all in similar condition. The larger ones on the right, of which there are only three, have a greater variety of material but are also in a state of decay. Sifting through the materials, Luyuriel finds some sheets of gold leaf; seven sheets total. She puts the sheets into her satchel.
"Might be worth something," she tells Phuu after the priest gave her a look.
At the end of the hallway, there is a door ahead and another to the right on the western wall. The door on the right led to what was once a peaceful contemplation garden for use by the scholars who visited the master of this library. In the center is a large pond, now swampy and thick. The rest of the garden is choked with weeds and only the small paths of rats remain clear. It is quite large, probably a third of the square footage of the entire complex. There is a door nearby to the left, on the southern wall. They see another door in the distance ahead and to their left on the western wall.
Before entering the garden, Luyuriel and Phuu decide to quickly check out the last unexplored door in the hallway. There they find a storeroom, which held all the writing and illuminating supplies of the library. Although there are stacks and stacks of things that look like they should be valuable here, they are either worthless or crumble and split when handled; the inkpots are dry, the quills brittle, et cetera. In addition, it seems that there are five kobolds living here, all of which look up at them and beg for mercy.
"Why are you here?" wonders Luyuriel, sensing no threat from them.
"Please leave us be," spoke up one of the kobolds. "We do not want trouble."
"You... don't work for the boss?" asks the elf
"No. We are outcasts. We did not want to join the army," explains the kobold.
"What is the army for?"
"The boss. To conquer the lands."
"Tyranthraxus?"
At the sound of this name, the kobolds shudder in fear.
"Please, don't speak that name," says the kobold.
"Do you know how big his army is now?" continues Luyuriel.
"Don't know now. He gains new followers with each passing year. The ogres and fire giants follow him now, too."
"How much of the land has he conquered?"
"Most of the Northern lands, that we know of. He does not want humans resettling Phlan."
"Why not?"
"Doesn't want a foothold for resistance."
"Welp, kind of too late for that," declares Luyuriel. "Do you have names?"
"Not that an elf tongue could pronounce," responds the kobold.
"Well, I guess we could recognize each other enough," determines Luyuriel. "Thanks for the information. Do you guys need anything?"
"Do you have food?" pleads the kobold. "Sooo hungry..."
"Can you conjure up something, Phuu?" Luyuriel asks her companion. She then remembers something as Phuu goes through his spellbook. "Do you guys know anything about the potions that the army has?"
"No," answers the kobold.
"Nope. That's a Third Level Spell," says Phuu. "All I can do is purify food and water."
"I think I have some sandwiches I nabbed from the inn before we left," says Luyuriel, going through her satchel.
She finds a few and gives it to the kobolds, who eats them up ravenously.
"Be wary of the garden," warns the kobold afterwards.
"What's in there?" wonders Luyuriel.
"Stay away from the green slimes," the kobold clarifies.
"Okay," responds the elf. "Thanks again. Hope you guys can keep out of trouble."
Luyuriel and Phuu emerge back into the hallway.
"So should we cut through the garden or just traverse to the other side via the hallways?" wonders Luyuriel.
"They warned us about the green slimes and we don't know what exactly they are," notes Phuu. "Better to be safe than sorry."
"Okie dokie," replies the elf.
They backtrack through the hallway and end up back in the main scribe hall they entered originally. Across the way is the other hallway, heading west. Going into the other hallway, they see three archways on the left with a bronze plaque above them. The first read
Reading Chamber, the second is
Entrance Hall, and the third is another
Reading Chamber. From here the hallway turns to the south on the left.
They go into the first reading chamber, which consists of a large room full of tables. Scattered about on each are various candelabras with burned-out tapers and moldy books. Most of the books crumble at the touch and the ink is faded and illegible. The tables are stout hardwood; plain, but functional and in good condition. Seeing nothing of value in here, they head over to the entrance hall, a large entryway similar in size to the reading chamber. The doorway here is easily ajar, half-rotted off its hinges. There are no furnishings here, only frescoes on the walls of learned men and the heavenly patrons of arts and learning. All in all, the frescoes give a feeling of peace and contemplation. The ajar doorway leads back into the street. The second reading chamber is very similar to the first one; nothing particular catches their eye here either.
With that done, they go back out into the hallway and head south. On either side of the hallway are rows of alcoves full of bookshelves. Above each is a plaque denoting various topics: Philosophy, Rhetoric, Mathematics, History, et cetera. Luyuriel looks through the History section to see if any information could be gleaned from it. This section includes biographies, court histories, and geography. There is little or no distinction between myth, legend and reality, so the material is often quite confusing. A few titles catch her eye, however:
Lex Geographica; this is an atlas drawn by the great mathematician Tomarus. In the collection is a map of Phlan and the lands to the north. The work bears no date, but is over 200 years old. Naturally since that time, there have been changes both natural and man-made, reducing the total accuracy of the map.
The History of the North; this is an inaccurate and highly colorful account of the northern lands. Paging through the book, Luyuriel finds all sorts of colorful exaggerations, obviously wrong; other parts seem quite accurate. There is one passage of particular interest:
Ten days' ride north of the Varm is a barren and dead country called the Lee-wai, land-in-pain or land-of-caused-pain. Further to the south this place is know as the Tortured Land. It is said to be an evil place, shunned by the Riders. They speak little of this land but yearly during Ches they make a trip into its heart. There they go to adorate the spirit of a glowing spring. This they have done for ages and so shall they do for years to come.
"Could this be related to the well?" wonders the elf.
The Grand Historian’s Records of the Arts of War; the binding on this mouldering old book crumbles at a touch. This is a single volume of a massive work dealing with the history of warfare from before time was even recorded (such records being of course possible through magical means). In it there are innumerable little mentions of this group defeating that group and being attacked by another group who in turn are attacked by a fourth, etc. There are accounts of abductions, failed alliances, broken treaties, petty squabbles, diplomatic intrigue and more. The book’s tone is strongly moralistic, attempting to set forth the proper principals of governance in times of warfare. It is also very anecdotal; from the crumbling pages comes the following passage:
At this time their ruling the Twisted Ones was a powerful general named Tyranthraxus. He strode before his armies cloaked in flame... and led the Riders out of the waste. At his hand the kingdom of Barze was conquered. Turning south he led his army to conquer the Horreb and the Vane. Tyranthraxus was a cruel man and leveled all that he had taken, murdering the princes of these lands. But the flame that surrounded him consumed him, destroying his body. Freed of its shell, it flew among the men of his army, lighting on each and claiming it. It was then when Baron Schodt imprisoned Tyranthraxus in a vial of water which shone like the light of day. This he sank in the watery depths of Lake Longreach, defeating the armies Tyranthraxus had raised.
"Might be dealing with more than we can chew, Phuu," Luyuriel shows him the book and points out Tyranthraxus in the text.
"Yep. Seems like he can burn all of us to a crisp before we even lift a finger," agrees the priest. "But then again it says his body was burnt, so was the flame Tyranthraxus or the man who died?"
"Well, he's either still in a vial of water or he's already taken up another body," concludes Luyuriel. "It's possible he's hiding in the well. It's pretty much the only place where he can hide his flaming-ness."
"But the crazy man warned us about the hill with the fire. So maybe someone set him free," points out Phuu.
"His body's gone, but his fiery spirit still lives," says Luyuriel.
