The Library II

Jester of the FoS · Post by **Jester of the FoS** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:07 pm

OCC - Agreed, I just like cliffhangers.

Better to leave them hanging than seemingly resolve it all.

Grey Arcanist · Post by **Grey Arcanist** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:09 pm

Conrad wishes he had more spells prepared that would defeat large humbers of foes. He quickly casts his Sleep spell upon the rats. Hopefully, that will effect a fair number of them, he thinks...

OCC Do you know when the other participants will be rejoining us?

Rotipher of the FoS · Post by **Rotipher of the FoS** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:41 pm

OOC: I'm back. Ooooo, squeakers!

Crow, who'd bypassed the conversation upon entering and hastened to check the back of the room for windows (i.e. escape-routes of last resort) turns at the chittering commotion, swears a bit, and whips out his Wand Of Sound Burst. He dashes back to the entrance, seeking a clear shot at the swarming rodents.

OOC again: Guess I'll check back in 15 minutes. If the fight breaks out before then, please don't have Crow trash the rest of the library with his sonic magics, okay, moderators...?

Erik Van Rijn · Post by **Erik Van Rijn** » Sun Oct 30, 2005 2:18 am

The rats surged forward, an almost endless wave of furred rodents. The group of defenders clustered together reading spells and steel. The enraged vermin suicidal charged forward, many blackened and insane from pain from charging through the blaze in the Entry Hall, others still on fire. The initial few fell quickly to well-aimed blows and strikes but they kept on coming.

Behind them, deep inside the Library van Rijn materialized. He stepped from the ether a grey ghost slowly taking form and substance. When the door was breached so were its defenses and he could step through the portal in the spirit world now as easily as he could in the flesh. With the Fraternity Loyalists distracted out front by the swarms of rats he could find what he was looking for in moments and then simply leave this accursed house. His new troops would be there within the hour and they would raze the building to its foundations.

Moving quickly to the Eastern wall, he hauled over the heavy iron ladder. He was pleased that they kept it as well oiled as when he still worked with these fools. Climbing up the steps, his feet making only the slightest of sounds, he scanned the shelves. Nothing.

Oh, there was plenty there. A small skull from some primitive from Sri Raja and a few small idols, bookends and statues, it all decorated the space. But it was not here! The whole reason to attempt this foolhardy venture was missing!!

Growling he fought the urge to rip the shelf off the wall. Not like he could even budge it in his weakened state. Another cough welled up, the life he was borrowing from his helpers was fading faster and faster. He had no choice but to accept their offer. He had the formula prepared down in the Wine Cellar.

But he still had one last errand to run. Moving quickly to the Forbidden Section of the Library he pulled a folder form a locked cabinet. The yellowed envelop and aged appearance of the package belied its recent construction. In truth, it was just over a decade old. Tucking the folder into his cloak he risked a glance out the shattered doorway where the brave loyalists fought off wave after wave of rodent, the dead forming around them a thick crescent of the fallen.

He muttered the well-recited incantation and the sprit realm enfolded him and the world of the corporeal paled and faded away.

Moral Machivelli · Post by **Moral Machivelli** » Sun Oct 30, 2005 5:39 am

Pondering about van Rijin and the Fraternity ring gives Buchvold an idea. Breaking of from the melee, he grabes a peice of metel wreckage from the door.

"Cogito ergo sum" He recites

"Cogito ergo creo"

Suddenly, everything turnes pitch black.

Buchvold, knowing this would happen, flings the metel into the enterence hall, the darkness folows it.

the metle lodges on one of the tapesteries not yet burning. Now, only the enterence hall is in darkness

OOC. Buchvold activated his Fraternity ring's power of deeper darkness.Now, the rats in the enterence are mostly blind. and they can't sinff the defenders out either, because of all the smoke in the enterence hall. thus all they can do is burn

Rotipher of the FoS · Post by **Rotipher of the FoS** » Sun Oct 30, 2005 9:58 am

The sudden blackness, and equally-sudden return to light as Buchvold tosses the dark-enchanted piece of debris over the landing, leaves Crow blinking and shaking his head. As he steps back from the doors briefly to recover from the disorientation, he glances over his shoulder to peer at the rear wall, whose windows he'd inspected before ... and starts, noticing a discrepancy.

"Bloody hells, the ladder's been moved!" he cries, pointing to where the ironframed steps used to be. "These wretched rats are decoys; Rijn, or one of his agents, could be in here with us!"

Crow turns to Conrad, pointing to the western end of the stack-filled room. "You go that way, I'll check the other way! The intruder may be invisible; look for the ladder, not the man."

Then the bard rushes to the east end of the library, peering between the stacks for the misplaced ladder, wand and iron sword at the ready.

Pamela · Post by **Pamela** » Sun Oct 30, 2005 10:00 am

Those in the library were able to hear over the squeaking and screeching of the rats and the use of the wand a woman's cry. "Brothers! There's an army of zombies on its way! Coming up the driveway!"

Rotipher of the FoS · Sun Oct 30, 2005 10:21 am

Blast and botheration, that's all we need, Crow fumes, with the special brand of hatred he reserves for those who animate the dead. If that whining bastard Rijn is here....

But he's not. When Crow reaches the eastern end of the library, spies the ladder, and charges in hopes of catching any unseen climber off-guard, the probing strokes of the iron sword meet no resistance. Too late, too damned late! Nothing to be done, if he's already claimed his prize, but to salvage whatever can be taken from this place before the walking dead arrive...

...but, dash it, after all this I want to KNOW!

Crow quickly scans the upper shelves near the abandoned ladder, but he spots no obvious gaps in the rows of books. His curiosity getting the best of him, he scales the ladder for a closer look.

OOC: Anything obviously disturbed or missing? Can he spot the flecks of blood where Rijn coughed? Will a Detect Magic reveal anything about the knick-knacks, once Crow figures out it wasn't a book the intruder was after?

Moral Machivelli · Post by **Moral Machivelli** » Sun Oct 30, 2005 10:37 am

"How in HELL was Rijin able to animate that lot?" wonders the borcan aloud as he deals with the few rats that have managed to get up the staircase. He hasen't risen all the dead he thaught. If he can raise them at such a distence and in such numbers why doesen't he raise all the corpses that remain in the enterence hall? There's something wrong here.

Rotipher of the FoS · Sun Oct 30, 2005 10:56 am

OOC: I guess we'll see the results of Crow's detective work later; we don't seem to have a moderator at the moment, so we'll have to make do with snappy (snippy?) dialogue.

IC: Puzzled by what he's seen, but aware that time is rapidly running out, Crow trots back to Buchvold's side. No time to tell him about that now; we've other problems to deal with, and I'd rather this tight-laced old bully NOT get too angry to think ... not yet, anyway.

Instead, he treats the remaining rats to yet another blast of ear-splitting reverb from his wand, and quips to the Borcan: "I don't suppose you'd know where Anthony keeps his Van Richten's Guide to the Walking Dead shelved, would you...?"

Grey Arcanist · Post by **Grey Arcanist** » Sun Oct 30, 2005 11:00 am

"Right," Conrad says as he nods in agreement at Crow's suggestion that he search the western end of the library. He hastens to do so, looking not only for any sign of Van Rijn and his allies, but for anything else that might serve him and his Brothers as a weapon in these dangerous circumstances. He also looks carefully for any signs that any books have already been stolen or are missing. When he hears of the approaching zombie army, he says, "I'd bet that's a sign that whoever is backing Van Rijn in this is starting to take a hand in events. Van Rijn himself may soon be the least of our worries...."

OOC Does Conrad see anything relevant as he searches the west of the library?

Moral Machivelli · Post by **Moral Machivelli** » Sun Oct 30, 2005 11:08 am

"Victor said it was banned, remember?" replies Buchvold as he guts another rat. "but there might be a copy in the restericted section. Have a look."

OOC I've got a copy on the computer. If Crow finds a guide, can I look through it to see what it says to do?

Rotipher of the FoS · Sun Oct 30, 2005 11:19 am

"On it!," cries Crow, and dashes down the center aisle, then along the north wall to the Restricted section. He unhooks the velvet rope which isolates this area of the Fraternity's collection, scans first the Fs and then the Rs, and quickly spots what he's been searching for.

His heart leaps, and a wild grin spreads across his face. Yes!!! They're here! Trust a bunch of pedantic academics to keep all eleven volumes together... Then, hearing Conrad's footsteps as the mage approaches up the aisle, Crow wipes the smirk away and selects the next-to-last book from the set.

"Here, bring this to Buchvold! The Fraternity will need every advantage it can get against the zombies. I'll check this shelf for further information that might help. And hurry!"

OOC: Crow's a bard, so his Search ranks are probably a lot higher than Conrad's and he's the best one to do that. Is there a way Conrad could magically communicate with the others downstairs, if you find anything? I'm sure that the moderators wouldn't mind if you use your VRGWD, Moral, so long as you stick to the in-character knowledge.

Grey Arcanist · Post by **Grey Arcanist** » Sun Oct 30, 2005 11:37 am

"I have a Sending spell prepared, if we need to send a critical message before this is over," Conrad tells Crow and Buchvold. He takes the book Crow has given him to Buchvold. Then he thinks a moment, "You know, I've heard about the Guide to the Walking Dead myself, and as I recall, it mentions a powerful necromantic book, or rather a set of books. I wonder if a copy of that book might not be what Van Rijn is looking for? I think I'll check the library's catalog to see what books about necromancy are listed..." Conrad goes to the library's catolog and starts looking though it to see what books on necromancy are contained in the library.

Rotipher of the FoS · Sun Oct 30, 2005 11:45 am

As Conrad departs and Crow continues with his own task, he thinks ahead to how he and the others (probably burdened with books) might yet get out of the burning Manoir de Penombre in one piece:

The windows might've been an option for getting the books out, but not with those animated cadavers on their way: it'd take far too long for most of these armchair experts to shinny down a rope. Conrad's extradimensional space can only hold so much, and it certainly can't hold books and this many people! So somebody's got to force their way to the doors, preferably from a side of the building that's not crawling with the obedient dead yet...

...and to think, the worst thing I'd expected to have to deal with, during this little 'frat-party' of theirs, was an atrocious menu!

"Buchvold!," Crow hollers from the Restricted section. "Have you got another one of those transmutation spells you'd used downstairs on you, by spell or scroll? Please say yes! If we can punch through the floor in here, we can start getting the most precious books out through the dining hall and onto the back portico! The Brothers downstairs can gather to haul them out, before those zombies reach the garden!"

Café de Nuit

Welcome, friends, to our establishment.

The Library II