Break In At The Library

January 2007

Players: Theodone, Heather, ShadowHawk, Demetria, Siriel, Meredin, Taymon, Baladus

A cry goes up into the night as snow begins to fall thickly over the upper part of the city. After a few furious moments a rider can be heard moving through the icy streets at the fastest speed he dares. Apparently there is some sort of disturbance on Ashtara street.

This end of Ashtara is given over on either side to assorted guild headquarters as proclaimed by descriptive signs over their doors. The street is neatly lined with a raised cobbled walk, but otherwise it is bare and chill, even a bit severe. The buildings are mostly made of dark wood and white plaster, but further down the street to the north the black rock has been used to create the guardhouse. In the background, Dimmuborgir is clearly visible.

The thickening snow fall makes it hard to see as you make your way down Ashtara street. Finally you come stumble - quite literally, over the eviscerated bodies of two of the guard o' the watch, their remains quickly freezing to the ground a few hundred yards from the library. Something seems to have battered them completely, killing them easily as it moved through them. The snow swirls and thickens as you gather here at the scene of the attack.

Taymon sighs as he stumbled upon the bodies, looking for tracks or signs of the beasts or men in the snow. Yes, he is concerned as his glaive is held mid shaft at the ready, watching as he thinks. "This is not good." he admits to only himself.

Heather sees the guards dead as she curses under breath but follows up with a spell that makes her eyes glow a nice blue "now what is out here." said mostly to her self.

Theodone is not to far away as he notices the dead bodies as well. He has his longbow out and ready now as he moves closer and looks around the area. His eyes scanning to see if he can see or even hear anything.

ShadowHawk sees the bodies and looks around for a place to hide until he knows whet is out here. As he looks around you see him mutter under his breath and a slit glitter of flame in his eyes

Baladus looks down at the bodies, nearly piling into Taymon as he, for lack of a better word, gawks. He hurriedly wards himself against physical harm, and glances about, "Ohhh, not good. Not good at all."

Siriel looks around as she's stubbed her toe on one of the bodies of the guards, she immediately unshoulders her bow and glances around at the others on the street who all seem to be wondering about the bodies. Shaking her head she tries to see as clearly as possible through the blowing snow.

A cold wind blows from the west, driving charcoal clouds before it and blotting out the stars in isolated patches overhead. Its with in this cold blows that another comes into the darkness. Her Onyx eyes remain in the darkness for now, watching the world around them. As the others join, One by one, Demetria seems content to remain in the shadows. For now.

Baladus unslings his new crossbow from its rest across his back and charges it, keeping the point down at the bodies as if afraid they may jump him.

Meredin nearly goes tumbling--this is nothing unusual for the goofy elf wizard. However as she stands back up and notices the dead bodies freezing to the ground she blinks a few times and says, "Uh oh.. maybe I should've brought Jharrek along with." Seeing all the other people, however, she seems to relax and moves over towards them.

Taymon sighs as he does not find much, pausing as he then glances to the others who seem to be gathering, hoping to find the cause and stop this from happening again.

The snow continues to thicken until it's almost impossible to see more than 5 or 10 feet in any direction.

Heather is looking around "damn what is going around here." basically asked to who ever is near her. "any one a tracker here?"

ShadowHawk pulls out his hand cross bow and readies a bolt.

Blank snow tells no tales, and the voices of the world around her is not helping with the Halfling ears. Demetria strains for something, and then, a noise comes to her. Its not a screaming sound, oh no, its faint, barely above a whisper in this world and the Onyx eyes of the seamstress narrow again. Stepping forth from nothingness, The halfling woman points to the Library. "There." She states matter of factly. She might not be sure of it herself, but she isn't going to let that be known by the others. at least not yet. And, then, the snow starts to thicken, "WE need to hurry."

Taymon nods as he moves to follow the woman who came out of no where, what is with this place? Well at least they think they know where the trouble is, and he is at the ready. "Well then, lets do this, nae?" he calls with a smirk playing on his lips, living for the fight.

Heather tends to trust Demis instincts as she is ready to follow her to the library.

Baladus mutters to himself darkly as he trains his weapon on the library's doors, following as far in the back as he could, and to the left of the rest.

Siriel stands very still for a moment as if she's trying to listen through the falling snow and noise of the others around her. Straining to hear if there are any other noises. She turns her head towards the Library "I can hear a faint noise that I can't quite tell what it is" she says and pauses for a moment again listening "I agree it seems like it may be coming from the library." she says and starts heading that way.

ShadowHawk knows better than to stay out here by himself, so is more than happy to follow where the halfling lady points, and the elf leads

A calmness comes over the Halfling woman as she doesn't seem ready to rejoin the shadows yet. Stepping a bit closer to the direction of the library she pauses and moves to grab some rope. "Everyone grab a lank of it." she states. "We need not lose each other in the snow." The halfling calls out. Should her voice carry or fall in the winds of the snow only the gods know, but, should vision fail them, they don't need to attack one another.

Meredin perks upon seeing Demetria--about the only person she even recognizes out of all the others. "Library? What about it?" she asks the halfling. "Huh? Rope?"

Theodone looking to the two that heard something he looks in the direction and decides to head on over, his longbow out and his arrow notch and ready to let go at the first sign of trouble.

Baladus searches out with his right hand for rope, finds it, loops it once around his elbow, and returns to holding the crossbow with both hands in trepidation, "What would anything be doing in the library?" He whispers quietly.

Siriel walks over to Demi and holds a piece of the rope in one hand but keeps her bow in the other.

Taymon is ready for battle, well he usually always is. His glaive is before him as he uses a cautions run. He is a seasoned fighter, well he would be in his own mind, just not much compared to others.

ShadowHawk quickly grabs on to the rope, even though he is wary about being so close to so many people... the alternative seems a little more daunting

A shaft of wood comes out of the swirling snow, a long spear by the look of it, and hits Siriel pretty much dead on. Apparently there is something out there in the dark and by its reverberating basso roar you know that it has heard you.

Taymon moves towards where the spear came from, his glance finding something in the snow as he breaks from the group in pursuit. "Something is this way. I can see it, but it is ahead a great distance." he calls, looking at the swirl in the snow. "What the blazes is going on?" he says to himself as he moves.

Heather has worked enough with Demi enough as she moves next to her casting a spell that makes the halfling faster in movement

Through the blankness of the white snow, Demetria attempts to see where the attacks are coming from, "I don't like this." she remarks, and then, Heather's touch comes to her body and the woman shivers lightly at the feeling before smiling wide. "why Heather...I didn't know you cared." she comments quietly.

ShadowHawkdives for cover into a snow bank and landed a little too hard, when he looks around for the enemy he sees nothing but the pile of snow gathered across his eyes

Siriel looks down at the wooden spear with disgust, pulls it out with a disgusting slurping noise and immediately starts murmuring in elvish. The would starts to glow a light green colour and starts to close up. She looks up towards the direction it came from with anger in her eyes.

Baladus panics and fires blindly into the general direction of the longspear's arrival, realizing this a split second after depressing the trigger, and moves immediately to reload his bow. He looks around wildly for something to cower behind as he heaves on the string, settling for going down to one knee, "What the frack was that!?"

Theodone tries to look ahead and perhaps thinks he sees something about a ways away and decides to take a shot anyways. It flies straight towards the thing he thought he seen and then it disappears, not knowing if it hit or not.

Taymon moves to where he saw the target, losing it in the snow as he growls. "Damned blast it!" he calls, his glaive at the ready as he sees nothing but snow. It is good he does nae feel the cold as others. "Come out and fight me like a man or a beast you are!"

Snow. Snow. Snow. Some more snow. Meredin finally gives up trying to figure out whatever is going on and begins making her way towards the library at a walk. If there's one thing she doesn't care to do again it's fall on her face and go skidding along.

Siriel calms herself down a bit from the attack on her, she strains to see if she can see anyone that seems to be responsible for throwing the spear at her, she can't see anything. She closes her eyes tunes out the sounds of her companions and listens closely, she hears a faint noise of something running towards the library, she swiftly knocks a arrow and turns firing it at the noise she heard, upon the release of the arrow she listens closely again but can't tell if her arrow hit anything or anyone.

Heather says as she starts to run towards the area "watch the area ahead of me not me." she moves out to the area making herself a target as waiting here is doing nothing.

"Long Spear." Demetria answers Baladus with a slight chuckle in her voice. "Rather Nice one if I do say so myself, You might want to keep that Siriel...it might be worth something." Demetria comments and moves to take a few steps forward attempting to find where these things are coming from. Of course she stops before a single step to watch heather move forward. The halfling woman does indeed look around and frown. "Damnit." she states quietly. This isn't going to be good.

ShadowHawk moves quickly from snow bank to snow bank, straining his senses to try find the mysterious enemy. As he moves towards the library he only barely sees his companions and can hear nothing but the falling snow.

A boom can be heard from far ahead in the general area of the library. It sounds like a door being slammed, but with the muffling effects of the snow, it could be anything from a door slamming to a boulder falling from the sky.

Baladus cautiously makes his way towards the library entrance, staying in a low crouch, his crossbow bolt raised and ready to fire at the first thing that moves out of that door. "Is there another way into the building other than that door? It may be waiting in ambush right around it."

Theodone hears the noise of the door closing and so decides to move on ahead as quietly as he can do and stay hidden with the snow. His longbow still at the ready as he moves ahead, waiting and watching.

Taymon moves onward back towards where he thinks his foe waits, losing him in the snow, but his pace is break neck as he moves over the snow and ice. He does not fall, keeping his footing with his weapon at the ready. It is odd but this man is determined to find out the truth of the matter of the slain guard.

After hearing the dull thud through the snow that sounded like banging on the library door, Siriel holds fast to her bow and starts running on top of the snow towards the library, stopping about 100 feet from the library, not seeing or hearing anything as she goes she stops, bow ready in hand still.

Heather moving at full speed heather moves up to the door with speed and ease.

Demetria moves quickly, Well as fast as she can move. Moving up to 100 feet from the Library, Demetria is still blinded for the most part by the snow, but she has got to get to the source of all of this.

Noises come out of the library, something heavy being slammed against the door from the other side it seems.

ShadowHawk continues looking around and breaks into a run to keep up with everyone. Although he sees or hears nothing of interest he does make it to 100 feet from the library without landing on his face

Theodone seeing others heading towards the library he also takes off, balancing himself some as he goes and seems to be that much closer to the building.

One final 'BOOM' is heard from within the library itself as something slams up against the iron bound door into the library.

ShadowHawk moves up to the library and tries to hide in a nearby snowbank with his hand cross bow ready

Siriel slowly walks up to the library watching around her at all times, and trying to not get too close since it sounds like somethings trying to get out of the library, bow at the ready as always.

Demetria slides up to the door and starts to look it over, Mainly to figure out some way to open it. "You know." Demetria starts, "I really have to wonder what type of person would lock them selves away with books there is a perfectly good bakery down the street."

There's someone or something inside the library, that's for sure. As you near the door to the library you can see that it is a thick, well made wooden door that is iron bound with bulky iron straps. It has obviously been blockaded from the inside by something or someone. There is a small window near the door, not big enough to climb through, and it seems as if whoever is in there has fairly well blockaded themselves in.

Demetria steps back and looks around, "Do you think th Crown would be pissed if we just blew up the library?" Demetria asks everyone.

Taymon watches as the others catchup, having long since tried the door. "It is sealed and the windows be too small. We need someone to take the door off, or make us a path. Is there a second passage in?" he asks, sighing.

The elf wizard--that's Meredin!--goes padding through the snow after everyone else. "Hey, wait for me!" she squeaks.

Heather motions for some people to follow her as she moves to a wall touching it and makes a new door for every one "we have to ways to get to it."

Taymon moves after Heather and her door way, being cautious with his glaive at the ready, his stance low and ready for combat, a foe is near, or so he thinks.

Demetria watches heather for a moment and groans, "Oh yeah she makes it look easy?" she points out and tosses her hands up into the air.

Siriel stands for a moment on the steps looking at the door she sees what appears to be a double B carved crudely into the wooden part of the door high up on the door. "What's that stand for?" she asks and points up at the interlocking double B symbol.

ShadowHawk looking towards the door and notices a weird marking up high on the door, it looks to be a "BB" scratched into the wood he tries to point this out and sees that everyone is leaving through a doorway made in the wall and scurries to follow

Siriel shakes her head as she sees everyone going in through the doorway Heather made. She follows slowly after all of them, wondering about the crude carving.

When Heather shapes the wall out into a doorway, you see what looks like a cloaked figure facing you with another cloaked figure standing nearby. Their eyes both glow red, Three rather large figures stand in the shadows behind them. One clutches a rather large book to its chest while one of the cloaked figures reads from a scroll. As the glowing red eyes lock with you, two members of your party slowly stiffen up, halting and freezing where they are, turning to stone. Meredin and ShadowHawk are now unsuspecting statues outside the hole in the wall.

Heather sighs "the library is closed." is all she says as a ray of light hits the cloaked guy pretty good but he is still up.

Siriel slightly startled by the number of people in the library quickly brings up her bow and lines up one of her special arrows with one of the cloaked figures and fires at him, and... completely misses the guy. She curses under her breath.

As Heather fires off her bolt of light and Siriel her arrow, one of the cloaked figures finishes speaking from the scroll it holds. Bluish light envelops them and rises to consume them, causing them to disappear from sight, some sort of teleportation spell, no doubt. The library behind them has been ransacked and on the spot where they stood is a scroll of vellum with a beautiful big red bow and a metal fob with an odd Double-B device engraved upon it.

Finally after a few moments the city guard arrives, and soon afterwards, the cheif warder of the library - the head librarian, if you will. The guards move to secure the area and the head librarian, looking curiously at the statues along with the officer in charge of the guard moves up to your little band. "What happened here?" the officer's voice is gruff and businesslike.

Siriel looks from the faces of those left in the library to the faces of the statues, and explains to them what happened up to the point where they got there.

Taymon sighs as he looks to the guard with a shrug. "Some men slew some of your own and barred themselves in the library. They were after some tome, or something I saw in their arms. Then...well after a bit of excitement they were gone." he admits.

Heather sighs as she looks to the hole "but I made the hole in the wall with magic, I will fix it."

The officer listens to these accounts and whistles up a few of his men, "Get a wagon, and get these adventurers," he motions to the statues, "To the temple. I'm sure the crown will probably see to their well being, seeing as they were harmed trying to protect one of the city's assets." he moves off to continue securing the area. The head librarian points at the scroll lying on the floor and says, "What is that doing there? I've never seen that scroll in here before."

Heather looks to the scroll "want me to look it all over."

Siriel steps forward to speak to the librarian and tells her about the fact that outside on the library door there is also the same symbol crudely carved right into the door.

Meredin continues to do her best impression of life imitating art. Except she isn't imitating being a statue. Nor is she, well, much of a work of art being frozen with a confused expression.

Taymon waits now for the others, his own ideas swarming through his head. "Well maybe it is a clue, a calling card of sorts. A ransom. Who knows...but I would not open it without having it checked."

The librarian nods to Siriel and moves forward, taking up the scroll. Untying the ribbon on it and breaking the seal, apparently a brave soul, this one, she reads out:

ShadowHawk sits quietly and enjoys his vacation on a warm sunny beach, or would if he wasn't a statue in a winter wonderland

Greetings and salutations fair citizens of Vintermor,

Please excuse any disruption or mess that my servants may have left in their haste to borrow the item which I sent them to retrieve. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused the city, but I find that I must have one of the volumes held here in your library to further my researches. I thank you for your patience in this matter and bid you to overlook any...incidences that my minions may have incited. Fare you all well, and good day.

Baron Ullrech v. Buffalo

Siriel quirks her eyebrow in a questioning manner, and mutters something in Elvish (something along the lines of who the f@&k?) and gives her head a little shake.

Taymon shakes his head, his glaive now held in an upright position, tapping the blunt end to the earth. "I do not like this, and do not see it as such an innocent thing as this person thinks. Is there any clue as to where they would go?" his tone serious.

Siriel looks to Taymon "more importantly I would think at this point is which book did he 'borrow', as he put it"

The librarian looks around, stunned, at the chaos in the library. "It'll take us a week or more to put this to rights." she sighs and shakes her head, moving to take the scroll to the chief of the city guard.

Taymon nods with a shrug. "It could be baking cookies for all I care. I sense something wrong with this one."

Siriel offers to come back and help clean up the library to the librarian. Then turns to Taymon "oh I definitely agree about that as well" she says as she starts helping the librarian.

ShadowHawk gets dragged none to gently into a cart and hauled off to a temple to be cured, all the while thinking I hope I can get out of this crazy city again once I can move again.

Theodone all this while has simply been there, and will be there until dragged and cured.