In the light from Peter's candle, you can see that the racks are designed to hold scrolls and books rather than bottles of wine and that there are still a number left on the shelves.
A soft sigh escapes from Peter's lips as he sees the remaining scrolls, and he takes half a pace towards them, before he remembers himself and drops quietly back into place.
In the flickering light of Peter's candle, Rolf takes another look around and nods. "A library" he says half to himself. "Does anyone have a lantern?" he asks. "Kerim, Mandrake, check the place out. Peter..." he turns and notices the excitement of the sage with a bit of a chuckle, "I'd take it as a personal favor if you'll look through the books to see what wisdom resides here."
Peter nods and lights a second candle. Using some hot wax he sticks them to a
surface so that he has enough light to read, and heads for the nearest rack. "You
want me to do this while you check out the other room?" he asks, over
his shoulder as he selects a scroll and heads back to his candles.
Hmm, this one is a laundry list from when the Order was here ....." he
adds quietly, still studying the scroll.
A quick survey of the room shows it is nothing but a record store. There seem to be no monsters or nasties lurking anywhere ...
Edgar is most interested by the scrolls, though the discovery of the laundry
list dampens his enthusiasm somewhat.
"Amazing that so much knowledge can be held on mere marks on paper,"
the raven remarks to Peter, "though alas, wasted on one such as I who does
not have the key to unlock their meaning." he finishes disappointedly.
"Perhaps one day you might teach me ?" this last added hopefully ...
Kerim sags visibly, though he does as he is bid and searches the area over
while Peter reads what type of undergarments were washed on Wednesdays.
On the way past Callum he offers "Effendi, with you indeed I would have
preferred that it had been wine. Of linen and it's cleansing only so much can be
had before it is tiresome."
Though of course he likes his new outfit, care of whoever left it here, and the
fact that it is washed appeals to him.
"Yes of course..." responds Peter absently, adding "This one is a record of an investiture ceremony." as he waves a new scroll around, "It lists the new recruits and those promoted, as well as those invested as squires and knights ...."
Rolf looks about and sees little reason for them all to remain here.
"Anyone got a torch?" he asks, "No reason for all of us to stand
around while Peter's reading." He looks to the others and makes a decision.
"Elsbeth, Zhiri, why don't you keep Peter company and the rest of us will
see what's in the other basement area."
OOC: Rolf's plan on a marching order for the other area will be Mandrake (and
Edgar?) Kerim, Callum and Rolf. I've lost track, but if Madelyn is with us, Rolf
will want her to bring up the rear.
Madelyn is still around and with you. Her player should be back in the next few days .....
Zhiri shakes her head.
"Really you should learn a much more elegant script than these unsightly
scratches."
"Sorry ...?" responds Peter distractedly, looking through another scroll.
As you head down the last flight of stairs you see a closed door at the bottom.
November 17, 2001, 6:23 am
Roll 1, 100 sided di(c)e 1 times. Add 0 to the result. Drop the lowest 0 di(c)e.
1 = 1
Total = 1
November 17, 2001, 6:23 am
Roll 1, 100 sided di(c)e 1 times. Add 0 to the result. Drop the lowest 0 di(c)e.
3 = 3
Total = 3
Kerim, bouyantly hopeful that perhaps this will be the wine cellar, pushes
forward to try his luck with the door.
If the door isn't otherwise barred Kerim makes short work of the task a huge
grin on his face.
"Fate's hand guides me otherwise now""
After a minute he looks at the sun disc, still strapped to him, buffing the
shine a bit with the sleeve of his new tunic.
OOC: Traps. That's a 1 for find traps (oh yeah!), and a 3 for open locks (oh
yeah yeah!), the sweet smell of success.
After Kerim's work on the door, it opens under your touch, but with a
tortured groan from the hinges, as if it has not been opened for years and Years
...
In the flickering light of your torch, you can see the walls of this long
chamber are lined with large square holes. Some are empty some are filled with
large square section boxes. Slowly it dawns on you that this is the mausoleum,
and that the boxes are the coffins of members of the order. The wall areas
between the holes, and the coffins themselves, are decorated with sombre scenes
of battles and the Norse gods.
At the far end of the mausoleum a wooden screen seperates off a part of the
chamber, although it is impossible to tell how much of the chambre is cordonned
off though as the screen reaches from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. The
woodwork is intricately carved and there is a crest in the middle of one of the
double doors and an inscription in the center of the other.
Back in the other room Peter carefully replaces the scrolls he has been
examining and takes a few more, from a different part of the racking.
Nodding to both Elsbeth and Zhiri he returns to his post by the candle. "Fascinating,
just fascinating ..." he comments as he passes.
** EDITED November 18, 2001, 1:06 pm **
Before Rolf can say much of anything, Kerim has the door open. Not wanting to
put the merchant through further risk, Rolf holds his sword ready and pushes to
the fore.
It takes a moment for the realization to hit him, that they've invaded a burial
place. Rolf feels a moment of sickness, but pushes it down to mere
uncomfortableness. He couldn't understand why they had not been given the proper
arrangements, the cleansing fire.
Looking past that thought, he sees the paintings, the decidedly Norse paintings.
If Norsemen had been here, that makes the burial all the more puzzling. His eyes
fall on the screen down the way. He approaches the doors and studies the crest
and inscription.
"Mandrake, can you make anything of them?" He asks, motioning to the
writings and emblam.
Edgar's curiosity gives voice to some of the concerns that haunt the
Constable.
"I know that among you two-legs it is customary to give your dead to the
elements, whether by interment within the earth, or by casting them into the
waters, or by consuming them with fire that their ashes may be taken by the
winds and scattered ... but I thought it was only the province of royalty or
great heroes of your kind to have their remains preserved in stone monuments
that naught but time could touch them ? Is this then, the resting place of
princes or other honoured men ?"
OOC: Yikes, I never said Kerim was actually going in, sorry Rolf you'll be
the first to set foot inside.
Kerim, his work finished with a decided quickness belying his earlier failures,
rubs his finger where the needle point struck.
Standing up the disc falls from where he thought he tied it. Cursing at himself
for almost having lost the trinket from a poor knot he moves to peer in through
the doorway.
He lets Rolf past him, "Effendi, only if we must should I say we..."
but it is too late for Rolf moves in and his words fall away.
He steps backwards away from the crypt, not wishing to take his eyes too far
away from the sight.
When further back near Callum he reties the disc to his forearm, tightening the
knots with his teeth.
"If it had been known to me that not yet again wine would be our welcome
greeting I would not have worked so deftly to gain ingress to beyond"
he offers when finished tying the knots.