(no subject)

[oblivium]

THE STOLEN TOMES

OOC NOTE [click to expand]

ooc note

Exploration logs aren't events per se, nor are they mandatory. They're another type of prompt, not unlike the Notice Board's -- albeit (typically) a bit more fleshed out. And they serve multiple purposes! We use them to explore uncharted territories, specific establishments in Stygia or an NPC's motives, for instance. They do sometimes moderately correlate to the overarching plot, and will most of the time offer some kind of reward: artifacts, new transformations, clues, boons, etc. These prompts are generally available during less eventful months and for an undetermined amount of time. Just like the Notice Board's, they might create great opportunities for CR building. You're absolutely welcome to share your discoveries!

---

You are approached by the chief librarian of the Academy, who explains that several important books have vanished, and that theft is suspected. Rather than admit that they have been lax in their duties, the librarians ask you to investigate the losses.

“Can I count on your discretion? We have been losing books. Well, not exactly losing … we think our books are being stolen. Naturally, it would not do for the Academy Elders to learn that we librarians have allowed important volumes to go missing. I’m asking you as a favor to discreetly find out what’s happening. We can’t offer much, but you would certainly have our gratitude.”

You enter the main hallway and are met with rows upon rows of colossal balconies, which stretch impossibly further than what the exterior of the building would suggest, housing seemingly endless rows of nearly identical bookcases. The shelves are filled with tomes both famous and obscure, innumerable in subject and author. All around, strange orbs of light seem to dance and glimmer about, as if sentient, through the bookcases and main hallway, as if to invite you forward. Books, both single and in small collections, levitate through the air, moving about as if to organize themselves back into their place - wherever that place may be. The scene is wondrous, chaotic, and oddly serene. The librarians lock the main doors behind you, and for a few hours, the library is quiet, allowing you to explore and search the place.

► STORAGE ROOM
Reams of parchment, blank vellum, quills, and ink are stored on shelves in this small area.

► CHIEF LIBRARIAN'S OFFICE
The head librarian’s chambers contain book-lined shelves, a desk, a small bed, a table, and chairs. It is homey and crowded, with decanters of fine liquor, jars of aromatic weed, and a collection of handcrafted pipes. The wall behind the desk looks a little odd, as if altered or repaired in the recent past.

► DOCUMENTS ROOM
The walls of this room are lined with shelves containing varied documents—old manuscripts, maps, records and the like—as well as several tables and chairs for study. Stairs go down to a basement that ends at a locked door. It contains various items including food and water, three tall statues, cleaning supplies... and skely-tons. One of them carries a rusty key in its mouth, which unfortunately doesn't unlock the door there.

► BOOKS YOU MIGHT COME ACROSS

► Under The Silver Moon: This book contains information on lycanthropy and the effects that it may bestow upon you. The author of this book makes lycanthropy sound like a REALLY good idea.
► Cooking with Grandma: This seemingly pleasant sounding book goes into great detail explaining how the flesh and bones of older humans can be used to make delicious food.
► Call of the Void: A strange tome written in an unknown language. Attempting to read it causes headaches and dizziness.
► Mnemotical Magic: This tome has moving pictures of funny situations and animals. Which seems like a humorous pass-time soon reveals that the magically animated graphics are powered by a curse, probably. Directing an open page to a person will also make them repeat the depicted action; if the page shows a dog wagging its tail, for instance, the targeted person will feel the urge to mimic exactly that.
► Bargains of the Netherworld: A mysterious memoir recording the author's descent into madness before murdering his family.
► Incredible Creatures and How to Kill Them: Details weaknesses monsters are known to have.
► Claiming the Crown: An Experienced Guide to Assassinating Royals. How to brew a poison, how to create a disguise, tips on wielding daggers, and more!
► Half-Human, Half-Darkling, All Man: Porn. It's porn.
► Nightwalkers: A well used guidebook of general information on creatures that hunt humans such as Nightweavers, Werewolves, and Hags.

If you go back to the Chief Librarian's chambers and investigate the wall, knock: it's hollow. There's a safe on the other side: unlock it with the key, and you'll find a diagram detailing three highlighted areas in front of three different statues. The basement. In truth, there are three pressure switches in front of each statue on there; when all three are pressed simultaneously, the locked door opens on a secret passage. However, if any weight is removed from the switches, the door is once again locked. Parties with 4 or more characters may make easy work of this predicament, but smaller parties may have to improvise and use books or furniture in lieu of other characters.

When all four switches are triggered, the hidden passage is revealed... and as you reach the end, you realize, too late, that it's a trap. The Chief Librarian stands before you, the glimmers of the library congregating around him; books begin to float, most likely the stolen tomes.

“It was a joy watching you run in circles. It would have been much quicker to just lock you in, but I'm in dire need of entertainment. I've been under the scrutiny of the Elders for a while, you see. So many of these tomes are filled with lies... It is my sworn duty to revise and redraft, but they would rather follow in those damnable stingers' footsteps. Well, no matter. These books will disappear with you, and the truth will finally adorn the shelves. You've been a most excellent decoy. May you rot in peace now as I continue my work.”

The door locks behind you, and the Chief Librarian lurches forward, transforming into a giant, monstrous beast. A werewolf, particularly weak against silver. If you're bitten or scratched, you'll experience your first transformation on the next full moon, which will also negate the alterations you may already be going through.

Once you've defeated the Chief Librarian, report to the Academy's Elders. They'll investigate the scene and reward you with a Slumberbook, which soothes and calms the listeners’ Shadows if read aloud. If you ask about the stolen tomes, now scattered across the ground among ripped robes, they'll hesitate and mention that 'the truth will rise when you gaze upon the cantilever stairs.' And with that, you're encouraged to leave, but not without an invitation to come back whenever you wish to browse the available collection of books.

being a were doesn't limit you to lycanthropy. you may choose to turn into any beast you like. available changes include:
► sharper canines, pointier ears, and claws
► longer hair, patches of fur anywhere on your body
► uncontrollable urge to turn into beast on full moons
► berserk-like behavior during transformations
► enhanced strength and agility, five senses heightened
► can turn others by scratching or biting them
► pack instinct
► memory loss and exhaustion after transformation
► transformations may be triggered by strong emotions
► may be cured by piercing the were's hands with silver nails

Comments

QUESTIONS

[oblivium]

[prozaic]

can someone bring a skely-ton home? i'm only half-joking.

more seriously and for clarification: the key one of the skellies carry unlocks the chief librarian's chambers? or does another key need to be hunted down?

[oblivium]

...if the skely-ton agrees, yes.

the key unlocks the safe in the chief librarian's chambers!

[zangetsu]

Hi modlies!

Can we forward date things relative to this log? Say, into December? Will the 'search' still be on at that point y_n?

Cheers,

[oblivium]

absolutely! it's going to be available for a while, so there's no rush!

[zauneyete]

hey mods! As La and I are going through our thread, Silco's prooooobably gonna take a 'lil bit of time rifling through documents in the documents room.

Other than the books characters can find, if someone was say... looking for funding records/juicy financial documents or suspicious permits regarding any big money movers and shakers -- would there be anything to be found? Or is this a dead end?

Just checkin' if there's anything exciting to be found! 👁

[oblivium]

Unfortunately, it is a dead end. Financial records aren’t kept in the library. Better luck next time!

[fallingsand]

Okay hello, werewolf questions here!

- Would "Under The Silver Moon" contain any useful info for helping control the berserker rages? Would any other books?
- Are there any ways to predict when the moons will be full so that someone afflicted can be prepared?
- Can a werewolf be drugged into not berserking or caged to keep them in one place while they're having A Time?
- Would a werewolf be less inclined to attack their Soulmate? Would they be automatically considered a part of their pack instead?
- quick edit to add one more obnoxious question sorry: does werewolf blood have any unique properties for alchemy, etc?

[oblivium]

hi!!

1. unfortunately, no! it basically tells you to embrace it, rip. other books in the library would mention the cure, as well as wolfsbane, a plant that can be found in the hinterlands. it can be brewed into a tea that would drastically weaken a werewolf during full moons.
2. the moons are unpredictable, unfortunately, but OOCly you can check the calendar!
3. absolutely yes! re: wolfsbane! cuffs and cages are also fine!
4. a soulmate would definitely be spared, though a werewolf might not recognize them as such within the first few minutes of a transformation.
5. werewolf blood is basically poison for nightweavers and other blood-sucking creatures. it can be used in alchemy to concoct potions that help with insomnia!

chu wanning | husky and his white cat shizun

[rumination]

i. research

I am here to research something. [ chu wanning stares at the librarian, his expression severe and eyes frosty. he frowns as he listens, glare growing. a master at holding his body still, he doesn't betray his impatience with such a request, but it's there. when he speaks next, his tone is icy. ] Not find missing books. How is it possible you're losing them?

[ he sweeps past the librarian in casual dismissal, the sleeves of his white robes fluttering as he walks into the main hall, unheeding any protests the librarian might have. he really is at the library to research, with three areas of interest on his mind, and has little time for such trivialities as finding missing books or oddities around the library. someone probably improperly reshelved the books, and they will turn up without an issue. considering the floating books, it's unsurprising; how do they know the books aren't merely hiding?

the storage room is of use, and he grabs a few quills, some ink, and vellum. no point in researching if he can't write it down. otherwise, he spends time in the documents room, occasionally getting up to wander among the shelves. eventually, at some point, he asks the books: "What do you have on this Harvest Curse?" and "Bring me anything about engineering," to which the books shuffle and reorganize, and a few find their way into his hands.

they are not exactly helpful. chu wanning no sooner returns to his seat to open the book and discover a cookbook, which sounds atrocious and unspeakably terrible— is it really promoting cannibalism?— and a tome he can't read. or, on another trip, among the stack is a book that, when he opens it, immediately makes him flush and sputter and slam the book shut. (if he peeks again, it's only to make sure his eyes were not deceiving him, no other reason.)

if it gets too loud, for whatever reason, he will eventually raise his voice to scold whoever is making such a racket: ] This is a library and some of us are trying to work.

ii. wildcard

[ he is around the library but probably won't investigate anything suspicious. if he hears screaming or a ruckus, especially if someone seems like they might need help. feel free to throw starters at me, or if you'd like to plot, PP me at theasaurus/theasaurus#0842 on discord ]

[zhanmadao]

[ it is surprisingly easy to find chu wanning: upon describing the way he dresses and how handsome he is, people quickly point mo ran to the library. mo ran finds it amusing and bothersome at the same time, how his mentor makes heads turn wherever he is, with his cold beauty.

mo ran has been good these days: no matter the man disappearing for hours on end, he never inquired about his whereabouts or what kept him busy, knowing chu wanning to be jealous of his boundaries. the younger man just kept working on renovations and some... details, that would make the place they're starting to fix look and feel more like a home.

no matter his pressing curiosity, he would've let chu wanning to his own business today as well, but the man keeps skipping his meals and mo ran won't allow that anymore. he may be sick with this cough that soon will probably kill him (kill him again, the irony), but as long as he's around (no matter how shortly, he's starting to assume), he will not let his teacher starve.

so he's packed zongzi, savory and sweet, and started looking for the other, with the help of passersby and their bond.

when he sets foot in the library, it is not too difficult to find his teacher --he's just scolded someone for talking too loudly, so mo ran follows his voice. a tall figure clad in black clothes, mo ran sits across his teacher and he reaches for his book, fingers tapping on top of the open page to fill his line of sight. he fully expects the other to snap at him, but upon raising his gaze, chu wanning will find mo ran looking at him with a bright smile, even if tiredness is starting to weigh on him --dark circles and lack of dimples. a cloth neatly knotted at the top rests on the desk, next to his crossed arms. ]

Shizun, what are you reading? [ he asks quietly, and yet it sounds a lot like won't you look at me instead?. ] You skipped lunch, so I brought you food.

[rumination]

[ none of the books he's looked through have any information about the curse, so chu wanning's annoyance grows and grows. it doesn't help that he hasn't eaten in hours and can't remember if he had breakfast that morning before fleeing to the library, and the disruptions over the day haven't helped his mood.

but none of that matters too much when he can get into the books. even if they contain no information about the curse, or anything useful about soul forging, books are useful and interesting— mostly. when he can make sense of them. he's distracted enough that he doesn't notice when mo ran joins him until those long, large fingers enter his line of sight. ] Mo Ran! [ he says it sharply out of habit long born, but his gaze isn't too annoyed when he lifts his head. he feels torn about it: he wants to see mo ran, especially smiling. but there are the dreams, and the warmth when he wakes up, and the curse lingering between them, and every time chu wanning looks at him, he feels sharp guilt. nothing's been useful, although the medicine does help, and chu wanning worries endlessly. ]

I am looking for information about the curse. [ he jerks the book away from mo ran's fingers and closes it, setting it to the growing pile on his right, while he reaches for another book, although he waits to open it. ] There seems to be little information about it, unfortunately. Also searching for information about soul forging and engineering. [ he recites his searches methodically, distantly. it's easier, when he can keep some distance and not think about how he's failing his disciple. ] You should not be wandering around, aren't you meant to be resting?

Cedrik Reede | Final Fantasy XIV

[heavenstorn]

a) Just Browsing

[ Cedrik's not sure if he's the ideal choice for this task, but that won't stop him from giving his best effort. His help was asked for directly, after all, including a need for discretion. Hopefully the chief librarian won't mind if Cedrik recruits some help. Getting the books back is the most important thing, right?

For lack of a better place to start, Cedrik begins with the shelves. The place brings to mind certain other vast libraries he's visited, though the self-organizing books are a new touch. Not for the first time, he finds himself thinking back to friends of his who would love exploring such a place...

One of the floating orbs of light drifts along, falling in 'step' with him as if sensing his gaze and illuminating the various titles for his benefit. Cedrik lets himself be diverted away from those melancholy thoughts, plucking a particular title down that catches his eye. Flipping through the pages brings a wry grin to his face. ]

'Incredible Creatures and How to Kill Them'...interesting. It never hurts to brush up.

b) Investigating

[ Distractions behind him, Cedrik gets to work, starting with the basement. Perhaps their thief has a secret passage in and out of the library? It's just a hunch, but since those tend to work out in his favor, he'll follow up on it.

Below the documents room, the dark basement seems to be a different kind of storage. Cupboards and cabinets lined with foodstuffs which, if what he knows about scholars still holds true, is probably meant for the librarians or other researches to sustain themselves without having to leave their work. It's also remarkably clean...though nothing seems out of the ordinary.

At least not until he finds the three ominous statues. ]

...well these have to mean something. Can they be moved...?

[ As he goes poking around, giving each statue a testing push, a scuttling noise starts up from back the way they came. And it's getting closer. ]

c) Discovery

[ All that work, only to be betrayed. It's a maddeningly familiar feeling.

Cedrik grits his teeth, one hand already on the hilt of his sword as the chief librarian gloats. Instinct has him moving to stand between their foe and the other Restless he's been working with. Who knows what sort of magic they're up against, though he expects a mage of some sort...no choice but to bodily block whatever spells come their way and endure it--

The librarian transforming into a hulking, half-wolf beast is not what he expected. ]

Oh.

[ Cedrik adjusts quickly, drawing his greatsword just in time to get it between him and the werewolf's jaws. ]

Bloody hells!

d) Wildcard

(OOC: Give me your starter or, if you'd like to plot out something, you can reach me at purplesyrup or private message this journal.)

A.

[immortalrose]

[A noticeable scoff escapes Augustine once he hears that awful title. He wouldn't be surprised if there was a chapter or two about how to kill vampires like him. Such a horrid little book probably was sold wholesale to would-be hunters seeking fame and glory. Even so, Augustine can't help but look a but curious as Cedrik thumbs through the pages of that curious tome.]

I hope you're not planning on stabbing me in the back any time soon.

[He jests while flipping through the pages of a leather-back tome he found earlier. It looked like a journal of some sort, that is until Augustine turned the pages to find nothing but gratuitous porn. It's a little disappointing to say the least, especially because he was hoping to find something regarding the peculiar magic of this realm. Nevertheless, he can't help but keep reading once the titular character starts making out with his next door neighbor.]

…Oh my.

[Yep, he found something quite interesting over there. That's why he's snickering like a madman.]

I can tell grammar isn't this author's strong point.

[heavenstorn]

[ Cedrik dismisses the jab with a grin and reassuring wave of his hand. ]

It's 'Incredible Creatures', Augustine, not 'Incredibly Dapper Gentlemen'. You've naught to fear.

[ Or 'Gentle Dead Men'...now there's a question. Are vampires ashkin, or are they voidsent? He's never been clear on the distinction...they're creatures of myth on his star, after all. The sort of monsters that only ever crop up around All Saints' Wake as costumes. Like werewolves. Though the fact that they are as real as dragons and the like on other worlds was interesting to learn...

Maybe he'll ask Augustine about that sometime. It would make them even for that 'faery' question. ]

Mn?

[ But the more immediate question is 'what's got Augustine so amused?' Cedrik closes his own book and tucks it close, sliding over to try and see what his friend is reading. And what he glimpses... ]

Oh...the author's awfully fond of the word 'throbbing', aren't they?

the "curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal" option

[windsongs]

[ Where Cedrik immediately slides in between her and the librarian, muscles ready for a fight, Hibiki sighs hard and squares her shoulders as this guy launches into a Typical Evil Guy Speech™. She may not have direct experience (although some of the beings she's dealt with have still been really, really extra at times), but she's seen enough movies to know how this goes.

☑ Trap the "heroes" in an ""impossible to escape situation""
☑ Explain why what he's doing has to be done (blah blah insert evil machinations here)
☑ Describe how he intends to make them suffer

Basically, he's going line-by-line in your typical, mustache-twirling evil mastermind playbook, and Hibiki for one is just Really Tired. This is stupid, and unnecessary, and she prepares to declare that for all to hear until the librarian transforms in front of them. Well, that's slightly unexpected. Also kind of bad. All she has is a pair of brass knuckles and a couple small stilettos. ]

Well, guess I'm marking this one off the bingo ca--aaahr hey what the hell?!!

[ As Cedrik deflects the bite, the small blonde attempts to get in a winding punch to the werewolf's solar plexus. Back off!! ]

...man, now I miss Firefly again.

[heavenstorn]

[ When this is over, Cedrik will hopefully remember to ask what a 'bingo car' is.

Clawed hands swipe the air between, barely missing Hibiki as she ducks in close to strike back. The werewolf's jaws are stuck, unable to close over the steel blade and unable to withdraw for another attempt. It doesn't seem to want a strategic fight, driven only to tear apart the nearest living things as quickly and as brutally as possible. ]

Away from the front!

[ Since the beast isn't retreating, Cedrik takes the step back instead, pulling the monster further into the chamber rather than the locked entrance so Hibiki can get her positionals has room to maneuver. ]

closed to silco;

[fallingsand]

[ Well, with Bruno already having been in the library looking for Jonas' cure, being asked to carry on looking for even more books was, to him, an acceptable sort of quest. Nice, quiet, not dangerous, surrounded by books; what isn't to like? ]

C'mon, think less of it as helping out of the kindness of your heart and, like, maybe you'll find a book they wouldn't let you normally see if we find the missing ones, yeah?

[ Coaxing Silco into lending an eye to search, however? Less nice. Much less nice. Bruno did know the man was inclined to gather information, however, and being given permission to pry into any corner of the library they like in their search has to be at least a little enticing. He hoped that would be it, anyway. Otherwise, he might be digging through books alone...

Not the worst fate but that wouldn't stop him from trying to convince him. Even cranky company in a huge library was better than no company at all. ]

[zauneyete]

[ Bruno had actually chosen the right plan of attack on this one, since convincing Silco that it was going to be to his advantage was certainly the way to get him to agree. ]

Right, right. I'll join in.

[ Begrudging. Sour. He'd acquiesced, and Bruno was right, but he could still be grumpy about the whole thing, as was often the case when it came to Silco. It's at least better company than nobody, and Silco, while sour, was a man of mind and wit, so he actually wouldn't turn down the offer, once it's known he can peek through some of the books he may not always get access to.

Look, he can't resist. ]

Where are we starting? [ He even put out his cigar for this. Truly, he's opted in. ]

[fallingsand]

[ Yeah, that was something Bruno was learning quickly, and not only with Silco. Give people an actual reason to help and they're more likely to consider it; even better if it actually gives them an upper hand. Having an entire library to explore and no one official around to block their way was all too tempting.

Bruno, thankfully, wouldn't make a beeline for the fiction sections, though. He had a better plan apart from his usual spots to spend idle hours at. ]

There's this document room I haven't had a chance to look through before, so there, I guess? [ And he was already leading them that way. It made the most sense as a starting place. ] They may have just left the missing books in there. Who knows.

kurosaki ichigo | bleach

[zangetsu]

the book is mightier...

（ every once in a while, you'll hear the softly ardent cursing of a teenager. who is this little punk, that's disturbing the sanctity of the library hush?

if you follow the sounds, you might realize soon there are accompanying sounds like what happens when someone swats a fly with a book. the sort of... open-palm thump of it all.

when you round the corner, finally, you are faced with quite a sight: a tall young man with vivid orange hair who is talking in a stern, urgent hush to a book that's labelled HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS AND LOSE YOUR VIRGINITY that seems to be... following him?

if you watch him for a while, you'll be treated to such vivid attempts at being free of it as: him stacking other books on top of it (doesn't work, makes a mess).

him trying to put the book forcibly on a shelf (doesn't work, follows him anyway)

him sternly talking to the book ('will you leave me the hell alone already?') and, unsurprisingly, that is equally ineffective.

him trying to stick it under a table. or in a bin. or just generally anywhere that isn't following him around, flapping its pages and trying to chew (in a very bookish sense) on whatever part of his body is most poorly protected at any given moment. he swats at it, he tries to duck away from it, and —

finally, in an explosively loud voice: ）

Do you fucking mind?

（ he hollers at the book. which immediately and obediently drops to the ground like a poor, dead thing. who dareth malign this sad, bereft book who was just trying to help? jail for shōnen hero. jail for shōnen hero for ten thousand years!! ）

a tale of three statues

（ ichigo is standing on one of the pressure plates. books are piled up on the second of the three, and as for the third... conspicuously absent of any items.

when he spots someone passing by, he'll call out: ）

Oy. I need a hand with something, c'mere.

（ do you dare? ）

（ second one can segue into Werewolf Fighting — good as an option for anyone who wants to see a shinigami in action!

happy to roll with wildcards as well, feel free to throw something my way! hit me up at seafaring if you'd like to do anything specific. ）

the book is mightier—

[lapses]

[ unlike the more adventurous (or simply helpful) restless here, vincent has been spending his time at the library nerding out and doing research. he has gathered a collection of maps, records and tomes to peruse, documenting what he has read or looked over with his phone.

he's pretty absorbed in what he's doing, up until the distraught antics of a boy and his book draws closer and closer to where he stands.

looking up, he watches with faint amusement as a very niche tome floats after the teenager. it's really a stroke of luck(?) that ichigo loses it right when he is passing by his table. the poor book flops to the floor like a dead fish inches away from vincent, who has already bent down to pick it up with his clawed metallic hand.

he extends it out to him, stating in a perfectly even tone: ] You dropped this.

[zangetsu]

（ oh for— ）

I didn't drop shit. This book is following me.

（ it's said in a harried tone, boiling over with frustration. but he does grab the stupid thing back, because it's his problem to deal with, not anyone else's. plus, the cover is... let's just say, telling, and he's trying to hide the faint bloom of a blush with a duck of his head. ）

I'm about ten seconds away from lighting it on fire.

（ alexa, google 'can i get arrested for unleashing getsuga tenshō on a book'. ）

statues time

[boarwitness]

[felix stops in his tracks—he thought he was the only person in here—and simply stares for a long moment.

then, he shakes his head.]

No.

[and then he turns to go...]

how many of my characters can want to strangle felix: a compendium

[zangetsu]

（ really. ichigo just. stares at the guy, and then, in frustrated exasperation that he is obviously trying to rein in... ）

Look, it'll take two seconds. I want to see what's going on on the other side of the wall.

（ he waves the diagram around helpfully, as if that's gonna change the guy's mind. ）

There's something shitty going on with the librarian here.