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<blockquote data-quote="ThirdWizard" data-source="post: 6661286" data-attributes="member: 12037"><p>The group made their way carefully through the second floor. It wasn’t as large as the first floor, and they crept as quietly as they could, listening for any sign that someone lurked ahead. Mehen’s muscles tensed every time they passed a statue or a suit of armor, but the objects remained inanimate. Thram and company must have been some kinds of collectors. Fancy armors and weapons of all kinds were on display beside paintings and busts. The group quickly found the staircase that Helena had mentioned. It wound in a spiral, going up to the third floor and down to the first. Climbing the staircase, Mozzy took the lead, examining the door at the top and area around it for any traps or magical wards that might be in place.</p><p></p><p>“Here’s something. Right there,” Mozzy pointed to a rune etched on the doorknob. It was small enough to be easily overlooked, but it wasn’t particularly hidden.</p><p></p><p>“I see it,” said Mehen. “It doesn’t look like a trap. The rune is one of protection.”</p><p></p><p>“I don’t see a keyhole,” said Jer.</p><p></p><p>Aurian nodded. “It’s possibly some kind of magical lock.”</p><p></p><p>Mozzy was already busy pulling out her tools. She had a couple of small vials for just such an occasion. “We could probably figure out how to manipulate it to get it open, but we don’t have that kind of time.” She took out a sharp hook and one of the vials - this one a viscous blue liquid.”</p><p></p><p>Mehen frowned. “If you destroy the lock, there’s no guarantee it will open.”</p><p></p><p>“Nope. But, if that happens, you can always break it down. We might as well try.” She dipped the fine tipped hook into the vial carefully. The hook was specially made for the task. It was iron with a small hollowed out reservoir on the point. Taking the hook out, she scraped the edge across the rune on the doorknob, leaving an ever so slight scratch in the rune filled in with the liquid. There was a barely visible spark, like static electricity, and a click. The door swung free when she pushed on it. “See? No problem.” She put the implements away, and stepped to the side of the staircase to let Mehen by.</p><p></p><p>“Lucky,” said Mehen.</p><p></p><p>“Skill,” corrected Mozzy, smiling.</p><p></p><p>“I’m just glad it didn’t explode this time,” said Jer.</p><p></p><p>No one argued with that.</p><p></p><p>As quietly as they could, they went up to the third floor. Unsure as to if anyone were up here, they tried to maintain at least some amount of stealth. They found themselves in a finely furnished hallway, a lavish carpet running along the straight walls up against six doors all closed. Mehen stayed near the stairs as lookout while the others went toward the closest door quietly. Trying the first, they found it unlocked and Jer took the lead this time peeking inside. It looked like a bedroom. He wished Mehen had asked for more specifics from Helena while she was lucid. He was hoping for a study, an office, a lab, or personal library for the research.</p><p></p><p>Moving on to the next door this one opened as well, and Jer peeked through the tiny crack he had made. In here, he saw what looked like a study. Books along the walls, a desk on the far end, and framed maps on the walls. It was a large room and he couldn’t see the entire thing, but it was promising. This could be it. He slinked back to the others and quietly motioned for them to follow.</p><p></p><p>Entering the room, they saw it was occupied; a middle aged man stood beside a bookshelf on far side of the room where Jer couldn’t have seen from his former vantage point. He was holding an open book that he had probably been reading moments before, and a large smile had erupted on his face as soon as he saw them come in.</p><p></p><p>“Aha! When I heard the commotion downstairs I thought there may be… erm… well guests I would say except that Helena or Kara probably tried to kill you. But, have a seat! Please, please join me. I’ve been a prisoner in this house for so long.” He moved swiftly to sit behind the desk. His demeanor did not seem insane like Helena had been, but insanity took many forms, and the group tensed, ready for anything. They filed in, however, keeping their eyes on this man.</p><p></p><p>“Who are you?” asked Mehen.</p><p></p><p>“How rude of me. I’m Sendal. I live here. By choice until recently, when those Godsmen came and kept everyone from leaving. House arrest they called it. Like they’re the law in Sigil.” He gave a quick hrumph, but shrugged his shoulders at the same time.</p><p></p><p>“Are you insane?” Jer’s question was straight to the point.</p><p></p><p>“Of course, not. Do I look insane. Whatever malady has befallen this place, and I do not know what it might be, it has spared me at least. For that, I’m thankful. Poor Thram wasn’t so lucky, but at least he got to leave. Still. A mage’s mind is his most prized possession. Wouldn’t you agree?”</p><p></p><p>They looked at each other. This was not quite what they had expected. They weren’t sure if he was to be taken at face value or if something else was going on.</p><p></p><p>“We aren’t here for smalltalk,” said Mozzy. “We’re looking for Thram’s notes on-” she paused before completing the sentence.</p><p></p><p>Sendal nodded, as if he understood completely. “Of course, of course. The sounding stones, most likely. That’s the research he was working on recently, and the majority of the details still haven’t been released. But, they aren’t <em>notes</em>.” He said the last word with a slight tinge of contempt. “Thram was very prolific, very detailed, brilliant even. What you mean is his research, and I can assure you that they were in no way mere ‘notes’ as you call them.”</p><p></p><p>“What are we talking about here?”</p><p></p><p>“Volumes.” Sendal spread his arms.</p><p></p><p>“As in… multiple books. So, how many?”</p><p></p><p>“Ten volumes just on his latest research of the sounding stones. Beyond that he wrote treatises on everything from cities to medicine. He was very prolific before his breakdown.”</p><p></p><p>“What happened here?” asked Aurian.</p><p></p><p>“I couldn’t say for certain… First Thram started going mad. He was always a workaholic, and we thought he had just finally snapped, spent too much time with formulas and numbers and arcane components. It wasn’t the first time he’d had a mental break, you know. He spent a week in the Gatehouse several years ago.”</p><p></p><p>“But it didn’t end there,” said Mehen.</p><p></p><p>“Sadly, no.” Sendal’s expression didn’t change. “We watched over Thram for about a week. He was wildly saying things about his research. Don’t ask me what he was talking about either! I mostly ignored him! But, then, Kara started spending far too much time in the lab. And Helena became obsessed with the library, paranoid, protecting it. Eventually, the Godsmen came to find out how Thram was getting on in his research and saw the insanity building. Kara decided that they had impinged on her research and killed a few of them. They grabbed Thram to take him... well, somewhere, and they locked us in here. I haven’t been able to leave ever since.”</p><p></p><p>“You can’t get out at all?” asked Mehen.</p><p></p><p>“I could try to fight my way out, but I’d rather not risk the fight. Did you see the guard? Besides, fighting in the Clerk’s Ward doesn’t form a good impression. Never know if the Lady will show up displeased with all the commotion you’re causing. I still have food, water, and books to occupy me. I can stay here for quite a while. So, that’s the whole story. Or all I know anyway.”</p><p></p><p>“And the research?” asked Mozzy.</p><p></p><p>“There’s a condition attached,” replied Sendal. His smile dissipated, and he looked into Mozzy’s eyes. She could see where this was going. “I want out. I want you to release me.”</p><p></p><p>Mozzy and Mehen exchanged looks. He sounded sane. He hadn’t tried to kill them at the very least so maybe he wasn’t dangerous even if he did have some kind of insanity overtaking him. But, could they trust that he was peacful, and that they wouldn’t be releasing some charismatic sociopath onto the streets of Sigil if they did let him loose?</p><p></p><p>“I’ve hidden one of the volumes. I promise you won’t find it.”</p><p></p><p>“A threat?” asked Mozzy narrowing her eyes.</p><p></p><p>“Please. You’re four against one. I’m sure I can’t threaten you. You could probably torture the information out of me if that’s something you have the stomach for. But, I doubt you’re up for it.” He was right. But, that didn’t make his answer seem any more unsettling. There was something overly calm about a man in his position. If anything, he seemed too sane. In the end though, they didn’t have much of a choice.</p><p></p><p>“It’s a deal,” said Mozzy. “I’ll vouch for you outside.” The others shifted uncomfortably, but didn’t say anything. It was a consensus at this point, regardless of the dangers.</p><p></p><p>“Wonderful!” he clapped standing up, and smiled broadly. “Follow me. Thram’s study is two doors down on the left. You’ll find volumes one through nine there.” He stood and they left, Sendal closing the door delicately behind them.</p><p></p><p>Mozzy gave him a look of distrust, but they followed, pausing briefly to let him go into Thram’s study first, but the feeling of uneasiness didn’t go away. Inside they found a room much like Sendal’s. One entire wall of bookshelves were heavily bound tomes authored by Thram Kip. Searching, they found the volumes one through nine on the sounding stone. Sendal walked to the far side of the room. They whispered quickly to themselves as he searched for a secret compartment under the desk.</p><p></p><p>“How did Thram write so much on these sounding stones? How complicated can it be to find them?” asked Jer.</p><p></p><p>“Obviously very complicated,” replied Aurian. “Maybe someday I’ll have a collection of my own books as well.”</p><p></p><p>“Wouldn’t that be something,” said Mehen, in awe of the sheer amount of knowledge that Thram must have had before his neurosis. The books’ subjects were incredibly varied, just like Sendal had said. He picked up one of the books, feeling its weight. Opening it, the pages were finely bound and of great quality. He leafed through a few pages, marveling at the script. “Thram obviously wasn’t hurting for money. No one here seemed to be.”</p><p></p><p>“Not with a house like this, with that library, and all those tapestries, rugs, and paintings. Maybe they had a patron, or maybe the Godsmen kept him employed,” said Aurian.</p><p></p><p>“If he was as smart as he seems to have been, then I can see why.”</p><p></p><p>“He isn’t dead you know,” said Mozzy.</p><p></p><p>Aurian frowned. “No. Just insane.”</p><p></p><p>They collected the tomes silently, each taking a few volumes of his sounding stone work. Aurian put a few other select books into his pack to look at later.</p><p></p><p>Finally, Sendal stood up with the tenth volume in hand. He handed it over to Mozzy. “Now you keep your end of the bargain.”</p><p></p><p>“We will,” said Mozzy.</p><p></p><p>They made their way out of the building, Sendal leading the way.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ThirdWizard, post: 6661286, member: 12037"] The group made their way carefully through the second floor. It wasn’t as large as the first floor, and they crept as quietly as they could, listening for any sign that someone lurked ahead. Mehen’s muscles tensed every time they passed a statue or a suit of armor, but the objects remained inanimate. Thram and company must have been some kinds of collectors. Fancy armors and weapons of all kinds were on display beside paintings and busts. The group quickly found the staircase that Helena had mentioned. It wound in a spiral, going up to the third floor and down to the first. Climbing the staircase, Mozzy took the lead, examining the door at the top and area around it for any traps or magical wards that might be in place. “Here’s something. Right there,” Mozzy pointed to a rune etched on the doorknob. It was small enough to be easily overlooked, but it wasn’t particularly hidden. “I see it,” said Mehen. “It doesn’t look like a trap. The rune is one of protection.” “I don’t see a keyhole,” said Jer. Aurian nodded. “It’s possibly some kind of magical lock.” Mozzy was already busy pulling out her tools. She had a couple of small vials for just such an occasion. “We could probably figure out how to manipulate it to get it open, but we don’t have that kind of time.” She took out a sharp hook and one of the vials - this one a viscous blue liquid.” Mehen frowned. “If you destroy the lock, there’s no guarantee it will open.” “Nope. But, if that happens, you can always break it down. We might as well try.” She dipped the fine tipped hook into the vial carefully. The hook was specially made for the task. It was iron with a small hollowed out reservoir on the point. Taking the hook out, she scraped the edge across the rune on the doorknob, leaving an ever so slight scratch in the rune filled in with the liquid. There was a barely visible spark, like static electricity, and a click. The door swung free when she pushed on it. “See? No problem.” She put the implements away, and stepped to the side of the staircase to let Mehen by. “Lucky,” said Mehen. “Skill,” corrected Mozzy, smiling. “I’m just glad it didn’t explode this time,” said Jer. No one argued with that. As quietly as they could, they went up to the third floor. Unsure as to if anyone were up here, they tried to maintain at least some amount of stealth. They found themselves in a finely furnished hallway, a lavish carpet running along the straight walls up against six doors all closed. Mehen stayed near the stairs as lookout while the others went toward the closest door quietly. Trying the first, they found it unlocked and Jer took the lead this time peeking inside. It looked like a bedroom. He wished Mehen had asked for more specifics from Helena while she was lucid. He was hoping for a study, an office, a lab, or personal library for the research. Moving on to the next door this one opened as well, and Jer peeked through the tiny crack he had made. In here, he saw what looked like a study. Books along the walls, a desk on the far end, and framed maps on the walls. It was a large room and he couldn’t see the entire thing, but it was promising. This could be it. He slinked back to the others and quietly motioned for them to follow. Entering the room, they saw it was occupied; a middle aged man stood beside a bookshelf on far side of the room where Jer couldn’t have seen from his former vantage point. He was holding an open book that he had probably been reading moments before, and a large smile had erupted on his face as soon as he saw them come in. “Aha! When I heard the commotion downstairs I thought there may be… erm… well guests I would say except that Helena or Kara probably tried to kill you. But, have a seat! Please, please join me. I’ve been a prisoner in this house for so long.” He moved swiftly to sit behind the desk. His demeanor did not seem insane like Helena had been, but insanity took many forms, and the group tensed, ready for anything. They filed in, however, keeping their eyes on this man. “Who are you?” asked Mehen. “How rude of me. I’m Sendal. I live here. By choice until recently, when those Godsmen came and kept everyone from leaving. House arrest they called it. Like they’re the law in Sigil.” He gave a quick hrumph, but shrugged his shoulders at the same time. “Are you insane?” Jer’s question was straight to the point. “Of course, not. Do I look insane. Whatever malady has befallen this place, and I do not know what it might be, it has spared me at least. For that, I’m thankful. Poor Thram wasn’t so lucky, but at least he got to leave. Still. A mage’s mind is his most prized possession. Wouldn’t you agree?” They looked at each other. This was not quite what they had expected. They weren’t sure if he was to be taken at face value or if something else was going on. “We aren’t here for smalltalk,” said Mozzy. “We’re looking for Thram’s notes on-” she paused before completing the sentence. Sendal nodded, as if he understood completely. “Of course, of course. The sounding stones, most likely. That’s the research he was working on recently, and the majority of the details still haven’t been released. But, they aren’t [I]notes[/I].” He said the last word with a slight tinge of contempt. “Thram was very prolific, very detailed, brilliant even. What you mean is his research, and I can assure you that they were in no way mere ‘notes’ as you call them.” “What are we talking about here?” “Volumes.” Sendal spread his arms. “As in… multiple books. So, how many?” “Ten volumes just on his latest research of the sounding stones. Beyond that he wrote treatises on everything from cities to medicine. He was very prolific before his breakdown.” “What happened here?” asked Aurian. “I couldn’t say for certain… First Thram started going mad. He was always a workaholic, and we thought he had just finally snapped, spent too much time with formulas and numbers and arcane components. It wasn’t the first time he’d had a mental break, you know. He spent a week in the Gatehouse several years ago.” “But it didn’t end there,” said Mehen. “Sadly, no.” Sendal’s expression didn’t change. “We watched over Thram for about a week. He was wildly saying things about his research. Don’t ask me what he was talking about either! I mostly ignored him! But, then, Kara started spending far too much time in the lab. And Helena became obsessed with the library, paranoid, protecting it. Eventually, the Godsmen came to find out how Thram was getting on in his research and saw the insanity building. Kara decided that they had impinged on her research and killed a few of them. They grabbed Thram to take him... well, somewhere, and they locked us in here. I haven’t been able to leave ever since.” “You can’t get out at all?” asked Mehen. “I could try to fight my way out, but I’d rather not risk the fight. Did you see the guard? Besides, fighting in the Clerk’s Ward doesn’t form a good impression. Never know if the Lady will show up displeased with all the commotion you’re causing. I still have food, water, and books to occupy me. I can stay here for quite a while. So, that’s the whole story. Or all I know anyway.” “And the research?” asked Mozzy. “There’s a condition attached,” replied Sendal. His smile dissipated, and he looked into Mozzy’s eyes. She could see where this was going. “I want out. I want you to release me.” Mozzy and Mehen exchanged looks. He sounded sane. He hadn’t tried to kill them at the very least so maybe he wasn’t dangerous even if he did have some kind of insanity overtaking him. But, could they trust that he was peacful, and that they wouldn’t be releasing some charismatic sociopath onto the streets of Sigil if they did let him loose? “I’ve hidden one of the volumes. I promise you won’t find it.” “A threat?” asked Mozzy narrowing her eyes. “Please. You’re four against one. I’m sure I can’t threaten you. You could probably torture the information out of me if that’s something you have the stomach for. But, I doubt you’re up for it.” He was right. But, that didn’t make his answer seem any more unsettling. There was something overly calm about a man in his position. If anything, he seemed too sane. In the end though, they didn’t have much of a choice. “It’s a deal,” said Mozzy. “I’ll vouch for you outside.” The others shifted uncomfortably, but didn’t say anything. It was a consensus at this point, regardless of the dangers. “Wonderful!” he clapped standing up, and smiled broadly. “Follow me. Thram’s study is two doors down on the left. You’ll find volumes one through nine there.” He stood and they left, Sendal closing the door delicately behind them. Mozzy gave him a look of distrust, but they followed, pausing briefly to let him go into Thram’s study first, but the feeling of uneasiness didn’t go away. Inside they found a room much like Sendal’s. One entire wall of bookshelves were heavily bound tomes authored by Thram Kip. Searching, they found the volumes one through nine on the sounding stone. Sendal walked to the far side of the room. They whispered quickly to themselves as he searched for a secret compartment under the desk. “How did Thram write so much on these sounding stones? How complicated can it be to find them?” asked Jer. “Obviously very complicated,” replied Aurian. “Maybe someday I’ll have a collection of my own books as well.” “Wouldn’t that be something,” said Mehen, in awe of the sheer amount of knowledge that Thram must have had before his neurosis. The books’ subjects were incredibly varied, just like Sendal had said. He picked up one of the books, feeling its weight. Opening it, the pages were finely bound and of great quality. He leafed through a few pages, marveling at the script. “Thram obviously wasn’t hurting for money. No one here seemed to be.” “Not with a house like this, with that library, and all those tapestries, rugs, and paintings. Maybe they had a patron, or maybe the Godsmen kept him employed,” said Aurian. “If he was as smart as he seems to have been, then I can see why.” “He isn’t dead you know,” said Mozzy. Aurian frowned. “No. Just insane.” They collected the tomes silently, each taking a few volumes of his sounding stone work. Aurian put a few other select books into his pack to look at later. Finally, Sendal stood up with the tenth volume in hand. He handed it over to Mozzy. “Now you keep your end of the bargain.” “We will,” said Mozzy. They made their way out of the building, Sendal leading the way. [/QUOTE]
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