THE RUNAWAY LIBRARY - 21/09/2021 - A Kavel Perspective

Downtime at Daring Heights

Another profitable time spent in the Daring Heights’ Fight Pit.
I’m quite a regular there now, but I’m beginning to think that despite how awesome I am with a maul, maybe I should consider taking up a lighter, but longer weapon, for the purpose of being able to strike faster, and reach opponents further away. Some of the quicker combatants have a speed advantage on me. I’m not enjoying that.

In other news, my masonry work on the civic buildings here has finally paid off!
The council department responsible for maintaining public buildings is happy with my work, and have offered me their help, if ever I come to them with something within their remit. Now, what could they do for me? I don’t know yet…



The Southern Gate

I made my way to the southern gates of Daring Heights,where I was told to go for my next adventure. The Daring Academy have found a library that moves. I don’t care much about a library, but who knows - maybe there will be books on strength and conditioning?

Nine in the morning was the meeting time at the southern gates. I arrived at the rendez-vous point early. Why?
Because early is on time, and on time is late for warming-up.

No one else was around. I began my stretches, and some squats for good measure.

A Tiefling lady, red skinned with silver hair approached. She introduced herself as Celina Zabinski and told me that she ran an Apple shop in Port Ffirst. I believe I have passed this shop before. She did not seem keen to join me in my warm-up. Celina was equipped with a magically enhanced rapier. Shop owner she may be, but adventurer it also seems she is.

A Halfling lady turned up next, Kelnè Greenleaf. She wore a breastplate and was equipped with a shield and joined me in stretching. Respect to my small comrade!

Lastly, an elderly Tiefling gentleman, Faust Greyheart, turned up, dressed for an evening of dining. He doddered along, but was nevertheless hurrying. He was late.

These three people were all new to me. I sized-up my companions, and pondered,
“So, these four were to be my adventuring party?”

Wait… four?

Celina, Kelnè, Mr. Faust, and Sorrel.

“Sorrel!” I said. Where did she just come from?


Mrs Jennifer Smith of the Daring Academy

A cart driven by a halfling woman - no, a short human woman - with long brown hair pulled up by the gate.
The lady introduced herself as Miss Jennifer Smith, a librarian. She explained to us that the library we were to find a way to enter had escaped from Candlekeep forty years ago. It disappeared. I am beginning to become desensitised by these wild magical claims. Buildings do not disappear. They are destroyed, or you forgot where it was. However, I have seen a mountain that floats and moves, so a disappearing librarian does not sound far-fetched to me now.

My new comrade Celina is a business owner. She quickly brought up the matter of payment. 70gp if we complete our task was the offer. I am glad Celina spoke when she did. I am more focused on how I’m going to use my strength to accomplish our task. It is good to be with a comrade adventurer who can handle the business side of things.

I helped Mr. Faust onto the cart and checked if anyone else wanted a hand. Celina mounted the cart.The halfling Kelnè, with a smirk on her face, offered me, a Goliath, a hand onto the cart. Ha! What a cheek. She knows the value of a warm-up and is funny - this is a good comrade.

Me and Sorrel walked alongside the cart. I repeated her greeting to me from when we first met at the Dragon. Fist on my chest, I said, “Kavel Castiron! At your service!” She responded in kind.
With enthusiasm, I told Sorrel that, like her, I too could speak with goats, but also ducks! It turns out the pair of us both picked up the ability to speak with animals instinctively.

As we journeyed to the location of the library, Miss Smith explained how the current understanding is that we must offer the library books to gain entrance. It wasn’t working though. Miss Smith wanted to try a cookbook she brought along. Sorrel mentioned she had a military book on her. I barely paid attention to all the book talk.
It dawned on me that if this library is like the mountain mission I was on, then there would not be fellow strength enthusiasts for me to meet. To be fair, the fact that we were going to a library already made it unlikely that I would meet iron warriors like myself.

Miss Smith is still talking about books and we have several hours to go on this journey.

Oh well.

At Least this walk is good for the legs.


The Cubic Library

Finally!

We arrive at a hill, and beside a dilapidated cottage is a huge building. It looked to be around 100 feet in all dimensions. It was cubic in proportions and very ornate. There appear to be towers on each corner. On the front facing side, there is a concave arch of many layers of arches that come to a finish at a point where a very large door would appear to belong, but wasn't there.
Two golden terrasques painted on the upper corners of the multi-layered arches decorated the entrance. The building seemed to be made entirely of sandstone - even the bit where a door belonged. Sandstone - I probably wasn’t going to smash open an entrance with my maul.

Some archaeologists shuffled along to Miss Smith’s cart and started unloading. Our employer left us adventurers to find a way in.

Kelnè spoke in front of the door, and with the cheek I was becoming accustomed to, she said, “Can you let us in please”.

Stone began to crumble.

Oh.

It seemed easy so far.

Text appeared on the space where the stone crumbled.

Write – and you shall be heard

Read – and you shall hear

Speak – and you shall be read


This made no sense to me.

Write is to read, Speak is to hear. What is this nonsense before me?

I stepped aside whilst the others took to the task of solving this riddle. It had been a long walk. Time for some more stretches.

The others, more learned than me, and more proficient with magic tried a bunch of things. Mr. Faust did magic sky writing. Celina had a magic hand she used to write on the wall.

Mr. Faust then used some of his ink on the entrance and wrote something. The writing sipped into the wall and we saw that the brick wall was an illusion covering up a door that swung open for us.


Let’s Go In

Door now open, I was brought to the front.

Do my comrades want me to smash something? I didn’t understand, the door was now open.
Sorrel urged me through the door as she began stepping through first.

10 feet into the library we are surrounded by books on all three sides. It seems this library is large on the outside, but very small on the inside. What a waste of so much sandstone. The walls don’t need to be that thick.

My more bookish comrades tried various magical things again, and then Kelnè read from one of the books from off of a shelf.

A much larger library appeared before us!


The Real Library Inside

Floating, luminescent jellyfish from high above provided lights in what would otherwise be an unlit environment.

Well. There are a lot of books here.

Sorrel and Mr. Faust seem to have heard something. We’re all hearing it now.

“Hello”, said Mr. Faust.

The noise comes to a stop. Something comes forwards to greet us. It is a very large mimic creature. The top of its body is chest like. The bottom half, like an octopus.

“Chonk”, the creature says.

We all say, “chonk” in response.

“You Chonk too?”, came the reply.

Sorrel spoke, “I am Sorrel”. It seemed, Sorrel was both physically and mentally agile.


Tea and the Armoury

Tea was prepared for us while Chonk drew our attention to a floor plan of the library. I thought a library was just for books, but this library had a pool and better yet an armoury!

Chonk was the caretaker here in this immense library.

Chonk offered to be our guide in the library, and asked us where we would like to start. To my surprise, Mr. Faust suggested the armoury.

“The armoury then?” Chonk checked with the rest of us.

“Yes. Please!”, I said affirmatively but... with restraint.

On our way, to clearly the best room in the library, Chonk laid out some rules:

“Don’t set fire to the books.
Don’t annoy the flumps.
Don’t feed the Oozes.
Don’t destroy anything.
You can’t take any books with you when you leave”

And finally:
“You must leave when the third bell tolls. You will have plenty of warning on the first and second toll to get back to the entrance. If you do not exit by the third toll, you will move with the library wherever it wishes to go next”

If I were a dog, I would be wagging my tail with excitement, as we approached the armoury.

The others engaged Chonk in conversation.


At the Armoury

As we approached Chonk mentioned something about how he would spar with the armour on display in the armoury.

Chonk opened the door to the armoury for us.

As I stepped through, four suits of full plate armour stood in the centre, adorned with various weapons. One of the suits, the one with the marking ‘Steel’ held a very similar weapon to the halberd-like weapon I was after! I gave it a look and then started searching the place for another.

Sorrel and Celina were doing much the same for bows and blades.
This amazing room within the library also had a forge in it.
Perhaps I could ask Chonk if they wanted a strength and conditioning room?

Mr Faust questioned us whether any of us would object to him using the polymorph spell on them. I had seen this spell before, when comrade Glint was polymorphed into an elephant! It was a good spell. Comrade Kelnè said she wouldn’t mind being polymorphed if needed.

I had just put down a glaive I picked up. Sorrel had just touched a bow from a different part of the room. Celina too was trying out daggers. I cannot say which one of us caused this, but the suits of armour came alive.


Rumble in the Armoury

Kelnè was in the midst of casting what looked like a divine spell on herself. But, unsurprisingly to me, it was Sorrel, ever the quickest, who reacted first to our opponents.

Two arrows in rapid succession flew toward the armour labelled as ‘Copper’. Sorrel, ever deadly with aim, but these armour suits were tough. Absorbing the arrows into the gaps of the armour where the arrows would otherwise be deadly to fresh, Copper marched forward to Sorrel and punched her hard with its gauntlets.

Kelnè cast a spell that produced many luminous, tiny halflings coming forth from his holy symbol. Whenever one of the suits moved, they were bombarded by cheeky cherubs.

Steel, the one with the weapon I desired, fended off Kelnè guardian cherubs, and marched toward Mr. Faust, who received a nasty bludgeoning blow to the body from Steel’s polearm, which seemed to cause additional lighting damage with the percussive strike.

Conscious of my engaged comrades, I breath fast and enter a rage, as I swing my maul at the armour nearest me, ‘Iron’ and create a dent in its chest piece. A risky decision, I move away from my opponent in order to impose myself on Mr. Faust’s adversary. I take an opportunistic hit from my foe. My strong body absorbs the slash.

Injured Mr Faust was reaching for a book he has in his pocket, when he was hit with the polearm weapon of Steel. And I think it was here where I saw the strangest of magic I had ever seen. Mr. Faust started reading poetry to Steel, and its metal armour became hot like it was being treated in a forge. The suit appeared quite damaged by this attack.

‘Metal’ the last of the armored suits was nearest to Celina on the opposite corner of the room to Mr. Faust. It too was bombarded by spiritual, tiny halflings. Clearly injured, Metal still managed to attack Celina. Celina does not have my conditioned body. It looks like this strike could land very nastily on my comrade. But, with fleet feet rivalling Sorrel, Celina steps to the side managing to absorb the damage received rather than take it head on. Amongst these magically gifted adventurers, I find it refreshing to be impressed by such an acrobatic display.

In response, Celina attacks the armour before her with an ominous, magical sound and engages the armour with her rapier.

Sorrel, with bow in hand, does not wish to engage her adversary in melee. I see a puff of dark mist where she stood, as she reappears at distance from her foe. Is this how she’s always moving so fast? Last time I fought alongside her, it was dark. Maybe I just never saw the mist?

Having regained range on her opponent, Sorrel lets loose two more arrows at her chosen foe. One hit, one miss. It is hard even for Sorrel’s good aim to hit the gaps between the plates.

Copper, Sorrel’s opponent has the choice of hunting down Sorrel who teleported away from it, or engaging me who is nearer. Copper chooses me. I steel myself. But as Copper comes into melee range with me, Kelnè’s spirit guardians strike Copper down, and Copper crashes to the floor defeated. I would not have thought tiny halflings could be so damaging, but here we are.

Kelnè stabs at the one called ‘Iron’, while Steel swings its polearm at me repeatedly. These attacks break through my defensive posture. I am cut twice with scorching lighting hitting me too, but to me these are scratches and the burn of a matchstick.

Well, maybe I was hurt. As I swung my maul in retaliation, the hit went wide and I missed.

Iron tries to attack me, but, it seems, my spiritual baby halfling guardians have come to my aid, as they launch into Iron and send another suit of armour crashing to the floor. Plate pieces scatter around.

True to plan, Mr. Faust looks over at Kelnè, activates his poetry magic and the divinely gifted halfling behind me is now casting quite a shadow on me. I turned around, and before me a whale.

Another suit of armour crashes to the ground courtesy of the tiny halfling spirits. Thankfully this spell has not ended with Kelnè’s polymorphing into a whale.

Celina focusing her attention on Steel, the remaining suit. She once again rings down an ominous magical noise and shocks Steel. Celina follows up by sending her magical rapier dancing through the air to slash at Steel. Like with Sorrel’s arrows though, it is hard to hit the vulnerable parts of Steel’s well put together full plates.

Sorrel, perhaps with time to prepare now that Steel is receiving attacks from all of us, lands a significant arrow hit between the gaps in Steel’s plates by its right armpit.

Steel, turned around by Sorrel’s arrow, now faces Mr. Faust. Steel takes a swing at him, smacking him in the shoulder with the hammer part of the polearm. A painful impact. The spiritual halflings come to Mr. Faust’s aid, but maybe due to familiarity now, Steel fends off their barrage well enough.

“Come on Kelnè! To Mr. Fausts’ aid”, I shout, as I bring the maul behind my head and swing down at Steel bludgeoning the upper plate. Kelnè, the now imposing whale… is having trouble turning around on the floor.

With Steel facing me, Mr. Faust drops the concentration spell on Kelnè, and the great shadow of a whale disappears from behind me. Mr. Faust now recasts the polymorph spell at Steel. Following the recital of his magic poetry, Steel is now a tiny worm creature.

Oh. I see. I guess polymorph doesn’t always mean big imposing creatures.

Celina walks up to the now worm-like Steel and picks it up with her magical hand, and sets it on the top of a nearby shelf.

The door to the armoury, it seems, was closed during battle, for Chonks has now reopened it.

The armoured opponents on the floor are reassembling themselves and walking back to their original places, including Steel who has returned to its armoured self.

The armoured suits seemed pleased with us.

We gather around them. Steel extends the polearm it used towards us.

I stashed my maul and walk infront of Steel. I check with the others if they want it. To my surprise, apparently no one wanted this brilliant weapon but me. So I took it and what a great place a library can be. Well, if it has an armoury in it that is.

I extend my free hand to Steel. Steel receives the handshake well and offers back a firm, strong handshake. Aha! Good. A strong handshake. The day got even better for me.

The first of the leaving bells rings.


Leaving the library

I think the others were disappointed we didn’t have the time to visit more of this wonderfully large library. Chonk, our good host tells us, “if you are in the vicinity of the library ever again, you are welcome to come visit”.

I was disappointed we couldn’t go another round with the suits of armour.

As we approach the entrance to the library, exchanging words with Chonk, another, smaller mimic hobbles over blocking our exit. This, we are told is Boop. Boop, looks more conventionally like a mimic, shaped like a chest. Boop, Chonk tells us is a lost-and-found box and is offering us a gift, if we boop, Boop.

Kelnè does indeed boop, Boop and out pops these glass lenses that will help with seeing very far. It seems like a very good gift. It seems this library is so obsessed with books that it’s willing to part with awesome things like a polearm and adventuring glasses, rather than part with a single book. How strange, but good for us!


Reconvene with Miss Smith

Fully exited from the library, the library vanishes.

Unfortunately for Miss Smith, we did not think to come get her when we opened the front door earlier. She has missed out.

My comrades explained to her everything we saw and learnt about the library, and how to open the door successfully. Miss Smith, disappointed we had no way to track the appearances of the library, was nevertheless satisfied enough with our work and paid us each the agreed 70gp.


We made our way back to Daring Heights.

All the way I swung my new polearm. Less mass at the head, but lighter and longer. Perfect. With a little practice I’ll be able to attack with this weapon faster than the maul.

Back at the southern gates at Daring Heights, we said our farewells to each other.

When next I see these comrades, I will be truly proficient with this weapon!