Shade Part 4

When last we left our heroes, they had arrived in the library. The place is...ridiculous! BOoks! Everywhere!

SO many books.

ALL THE BOOKS.

And a voice calling to you. "H-hello?"

"Well, that was uhm. ..." Kerbasi is only too glad to shut the doors behind them. The wraiths, or whatever they were (CANNOT REMEMBER, BRAIN FUUUUUZZ) are behind them at least for the moment. At least for the moment, the *physical* undead are locked out, and unable to see them, now that their disguises are down.

Importantly, there are walls. Thick walls, what make sight--"...excuse me?" he asks, sounding surprised.

Stirling blows smoke from his cigar out his nose which rises to mix with the trail of smoke from his armor. "Step out with your hands up where we can see you." he calls out to the voice as his red artificial eye moves across the room looking for signs of life or magic amongst the books. "If your properly alive you have nothing to fear from us. Probably." says the master of diplomacy.

"More than likely, they are alive. Especially if they speak." Durrankar says looking about. "Come on out...."

Kravar walks slowly in the direction of the voice, hands empty and held up in a gesture of peace. "Hello," he replies. "We're living beings, explorers you might think of us. We have come from a nation very far away."

A moment later a small humanoid walks out from between the shelves.

"Well, you can't be one of the wights. TO be honest, all of them forgot how to talk years ago. Welcome to the Krilzor Library, friends. I'm surprised to see anyone decided to pierce the darkness to get here."

The small humanoid is, in fact, one of the Lucht. He looks exhausted more than anything else. And very, very, very bearded and hairy.

Astaren walks along his nose now in a book. "Interesting, this is a very old one. Oh..." glancing up and peering at the Krilzor and smiling brightly, "Oh, you there. How do I go about getting a library card, i want to check out a few books. Also, do you have any books on ancient dream creatures or nightmars? Or dreams in general?" starting to wonder over to another book shelf.

Stirling raises his Deathray to point at the ceiling and seems to relax a little "Well you get tired of walking the same paths so we decided to take a stroll here. Whats your status and story?" he asks looking around for any additional threats, inspecting a few of the book spines. "We can provide feed and water if needed."

"Heh. Well, it's good to meet you," Kerbasi says. After a hesitation, the young priest steps forward, and holds out his hand with a smile.

Durrankar keeps back a bit as Kerbasi steps forward to meet them. However, he is listening....and watching mostly around them....

"Krilzor Library, you say?" Kravar glances at the rest of the party to see if anyone shows a reaction. Then he turns back to the Lucht, taking a step closer and then lowers himself to one knee. "Can you tell us more?"

He reaches out and shakes the hand offered ot him, of course. He's so damn hairy.

"Oh yes! The Krilzor Library, a jewel of learning all things draconic and dragonier! We have one of the most complete legal histories based on the Hyraxis Foundation in the Dragonier! Also... probably the only one left, come to think of it. You'll have to forgive me, but I'm assuming the entire nation was wiped out by Heth aside fr9om refugees who managed to flee? As you may have guessed I... don't get out much. Woulkd you like some water and food?"

"Heh...I'm afraid that's th' case," Kerbasi says as he drops his hand. "I take it you've been out here a while, then." Not really a question. "Can th' undead see into this buildin'?" he ask the lucht. "I'm a priest myself, of th' Gray Lady. Are those th' symbols of Navos?"

Stirling eyes the books on the shelf "Well then, Serriel bless these walls for standing up this long. Any volumes on advanced artifice by chance?" he asks as he reads spines. "Als any chance we can find a way to relocate the library?" he mostly asks of Astaren.

Astaren peers up from his book startled, "Well this is a floating island, if we could cleanse the undead. We might be able to force move it or find some kind of control mechanism to float it around. Rune has a smiliar set up, I am sure the leadership there would love to help move this to a new and safer location. Such knowledge, it would be a amazing save."

"...heh. So we've knowledge hidden in darkness, I take it?" Kerbasi asks, as he shakes off his hand from the shake. He returns it to his pocket, with a shy adjustment of his lenses, after the humor.

"That would be difficult but not impossible. That doesn't tell me why you're here, though., Are you explorers? Madmen? Treasure hunters? Would be saviors? Are the forces of Light on the march against the Dark Dragon? And how did you make it through the darkness? Nothing else could." He frowns.

Kravar takes a glass of water and a bowl, but seems to think twice after he looks inside. Instead he just drinks. "Navos," he repeats softly. He finds a place to sit and then relaxes with a warrior's ability to rest where one can.

Astaren pulls out some tea packets, and then a jug of water and make some tea. 'please do share." then pulls out his own food, not trusting the gray stuff.

Durrankar also sits down....ready to share words. though it's likely if they think animus is still alive, they may not have heard of the sith-makar.

"Well, you know."

"Heth couldn't be everywhere at once when he arrived. The wights did most of the damge for him. The battles with the dragons, those took time. Work. He murdered them all, in time... well, most of them anyway... but it was the wights, you know? And when chaos strikes, well...."

"There are those out there who take advantage of it. In this case, it was the church of Deimos who made the Shade. Impenetrable to one and all, the entire city was plunged into night and no one could get in and no one could get out. They thought, perhaps, to save themselves from the wights but it was too late. They," he continues, "failed to accomplish their true aim with it, anyway: Buying themselves enougy time to look the city of all its valuables. There's quite a market in the artifacts of dead civilizations, after all." A rueful smile. "They figured in a few decades, it'd all be worth so much more."

Durrankar says, "It won't be worth anything if they're all dead." he then coughs. "continue please.""

Astaren sip his tea, and then pulls out a note book and makes a few notes. His expression showing he thinks something isn't adding up here, but keeps quiet and continues to listen.

You say, "Wait a moment...the church of Deimos? They made the barrier? And are any of them still alive in the city?" He thi ks for a second then adds, "Or undead?"

Thyrson continues to listen, just leaning on his staff. "Interesting. Do go on." He steps back slightly, glancing around again.

"I believe so, yes," replies the Lucht with a wan smile.

"The god of thieving, of course and his followers surely had their own agenda, but it was chaos at the time. That some of the undead dragons didn't make it thorugh the barrier is why we're noit strewn rubble and are still floating! No, no one who didn't make it to the library is alive. That's me. There are others hidden here but I'm not going to let you meet them until we've sussed out your intentions in their entirety and why you're here. Years, now, Krilzor has remained hidden in the Shade, invisible, in the smallest parts of it. Smaller." He spreads his hands. "And now you're here."

Durrankar says, "Mmmm....." he is still listening, but he's still pondering things. namely, how to get the structure out of there. He doesn't have spells that do that."

"Just like we need to determine your not agents yoursel of the thieving god." Astaren offers in return and sips his tea, "A condurum is it not?" putting his tea cup down as he ponders thoughtfully, "Nothing last forever, and the shade is falling. Something lured us here, and it seems we may need to be seeking some solid answers soon." Leaning back in his seat as he drums his fingers along his arms.

Kravar rises to his feet, then makes a show of stepping across the room, raising his elbows and twisting at the waist as he does so as if loosening the muscles in his back. "You want to know our intentions? Well my intentions were to see just what was happening here," he admits. "But now that I've seen it...I intend to get any goodly people who have survived what befell this place to safety." Not so interested in the books, this one. "Or out of Dragonier, at any rate."

GAME: Astaren rolls sense motive: (14)+17: 31

Astaren picks back up his tea as he closes his eyes thoughtfully, "I think you are being honest so far, though maybe a bit off kilter from isolation and clearly keeping some things from us. You have told us a large part of the picture, but there are parts you have not told us." sipping his tea slowly, "The barricades, state of the city, there was a large battle here, and nobody survived but you." eyes landing on the man, "So there are three real scenarios here, the others you mentioned are books and you have hidden the real reason you survived and have lived this long." tapping his chin, "Or the other do exist, and are getting ready to ambush us." his other hand holding a rod clearly ready for some trouble, "Or, the last one is you are being completely honest, and feeling us out. Solets take the next step, a show of trust. Your move." eyes narrowing.